Noach

The passuk says ויחל נח איש האדמה ויטע כרם. Rashi explains he made himself chulin. Noach should have been involved in planting something else first. Sforno explains ויחל from התחלה; he shouldn’t have started with something not nice. The Kli Yakar explains wine is something which easily brings to aveira. It was not something which he should have planted first. He should have planted wheat to be able to eat to live. Therefore from it brought to actions which are improper. Even if there is a little bit of kilkul at the beginning, it brings to a lot of kilkul later on. My Rosh Yeshiva shlita explained that Rashi who explains chulin and Sforno who explains from the lashon of starting, are hinting to the same yesod.

Later in the parsha the Torah mentions the dor haflagah. The drashos haRan explains that they didn’t do any aveira in thought, speech, or deed. They decided to appoint a ruler and be one group in one place with a tower fitting for a ruler. However Hashem came down and checked into their group to see if it was good or bad. Hashem saw that although now they weren’t doing anything bad, such a gathering is no good and it will bring to avodah zara. It will cause the future generations to forget about Hashem. Therefore Hashem needed to ruin their group and scatter them. This is as the passuk says זה החלם לעשות, from the lashon of starting.

Tosfos in Chagiga brings a number of reasons why Elisha (Acher) the son of Avuyah went off the proper path. One reason is that by his bris the heads of Yerushalayim came and Avuyah sat them in one house. Rav Eliezer and Rav Yehoshua also came and he sat them in another house. While the other men were eating, drinking, and dancing, Rav Eliezer and Rav Yehoshua said we’ll learn Torah. They were osek in Torah and fire came down from Shamayim and surrounded them. Avuyah asked, “You’re coming to burn down my house?” They answered, “chas v’shalom, rather we were learning and it was שמחים כנתינתן מסיני which was given with fire. Avuyah said “Since the strength of Torah is so great I’m going to dedicate my son to Torah.” Because Avuyah’s interest was not l’shem Shamayim, therefore his son did not remain on the path of Torah. Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz explains that here too since the start was not 100 percent l’shem Shamayim therefore it led Acher off.

May Hashem help us start the new cycle of the Chumash properly which will bring to a good continuation!