GEN580 Rashi teaches that “the main accomplishment [literally “offspring”] of the righteous are their good deeds.”   TELVOL 1:23

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GEN584 When God told Abraham that He intended to destroy the wicked city of Sodom, Abraham repeatedly argued and pleaded with Him not to do so Genesis 18:16-32.  However, when God told Noah that He was planning to destroy humankind, and that Noah should build an ark for himself and his family, Noah neither argued with God nor warned his fellow humans to repent.  Instead, he built the ark and seems to have said northing to others about why he was doing so Genesis 6:11-7:10. Abraham, in short, spoke to God on behalf of others; Noah, it would seem, did not.  TELVOL 1:45

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GEN577 And further it is written Genesis 7:1: “And the Lord said to Noah: ‘I have seen you as righteous [but not “perfectly”] before Me.’” R. Yirmiah b. Elazar said: “This teaches us that only a portion of one’s praises are recited in his presence, and all of them, when he is not present” Eruvin 18b TEMIMAH-GEN 35

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GEN585 See [[GEN867]] Genesis 17:1 perfect OHRYIS 308-9

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GEN586 See [[DEUT932]] Deuteronomy 18:13 wholehearted DUTIES 37

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GEN588 The members of the generation of Noah were guilty of stealing and generally bringing down society by not caring about their fellowman.  AMEMEI 211

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GEN587 It was taught in the forum of R. Yishmael: “Whenever ‘corruption’ is mentioned, the reference is to illicit relations and idol worship.  Illicit relations – as it is written Genesis 6:12: ‘For all flesh has corrupted its way [nature]’; idol worship – as it is written Deuteronomy 4:16: ‘Lest you corrupt yourselves and make an idol’” Sanhedrin 47 TEMIMAH-GEN 35

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GEN589 See [[GEN804]] Genesis 13:10 before GREENBERG 55-56

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GEN594 The society in Noah’s generation was acting both on its rampant lust and its great desire for goods, which eventually doomed it.  Because that society was lawless, there was no need tohide their greed or stealing the way it is done today.  Rather, they openly took anything they wanted.  (Rashi).  According to Rabbi Shlomo Ephraim Luntschitz (1550-1619), it was their constant greed for more and more to satiate their endless desires that made this generation evil.  Kli Ykar commentary on Genesis 6:5.  In the end, despite the myriad other sins that this generation committed, God decided to destroy the entire world only because of the sin of greed.  Rashi, Sanhedrin 108a.  AMJV 337

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GEN590 As is well known, the sin of stealing is considered by Jewish tradition to be a sign of acute moral corruption and is said to have been, by itself, a sufficient cause of the Flood (See Rashi to this verse]. (By Ezra Bick, "Payment of Income Taxes: Halakhic Guidelines") KELLNER 344

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