This week’s parsha makes the oblique reference to Noah as a righteous man in his time. There are two well-known interpretations of “in his time.” The more positive one says that Noah was so great that even when surrounded by bad people he was able to maintain his righteousness. The other view says Noah was righteous, but only because those around him were so much worse. That is, he was the best of a bad lot.
Either interpretation leads to a powerful lesson: people are of their time and should thus be understood in that context.
Last week I listened to a podcast, “In Our Time,” about the great 19th-century writer Edith Wharton. The moderator raised the issue of Wharton’s anti-Semitism and racism. The panelists all said “she was a product of her time.” While they expressed personal objections to her views, none of them took them as a censure of her writing.
Recently, quite a few historical figures have come under fire for not sharing the moral values of today. It can present a quandary: How do we reconcile slave ownership, for example, with impeccable and visionary leadership?
To be “of one’s time” is natural; it neither endorses nor discredits an individual. What makes someone extraordinary is if they are also beyond their time. When George Washington — a slaveowner very much “of his time” — resigned his commission as commander in chief, King George III famously commented that this act made Washington “the most distinguished of any man living.” The concept of willingly ceding that kind of power was unknown. It made Washington beyond his time.
Noah, however, if he were in fact only “in his time,” stopped himself from being truly great.
Shana Goldberg may be reached at [email protected]
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