Noach 6:9 · unit 1

TT #1 · Parashas Noach · First Aliyah · Passuk 6:9

The Complete Passuk

אֵ֚לֶּה תּוֹלְדֹ֣ת נֹ֔חַ נֹ֗חַ אִ֥ישׁ צַדִּ֛יק תָּמִ֥ים הָיָ֖ה בְּדֹֽרֹתָ֑יו אֶת־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֖ים הִֽתְהַלֶּךְ־נֹֽחַ׃

These are the generations of Noach: Noach was a righteous man, blameless in his generations; Noach walked with God.

Chabad.org — 6:9

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Eruvin 18b (R’ Yirmiyah ben Elazar).

Sefaria — Eruvin 18b

E-Daf image — Eruvin 18b (size=3)

Shas / HebrewBooks PDF of the daf

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
צַדִּיק תָּמִים. וְלַהֲלָן כְּתִיב ״וַיֹּאמֶר ה׳ לְנֹחַ … אֹתְךָ רָאִיתִי צַדִּיק לְפָנַי״ — אָמַר רַבִּי יִרְמְיָה בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר: מְלַמֵּד שֶׁמִּקְצָת שִׁבְחוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם אוֹמְרִים בְּפָנָיו וְכוּלּוֹ שֶׁלֹּא בְּפָנָיו.

English: “A righteous man, blameless.” And later it is written “And Hashem said to Noach … you have I seen righteous before Me” — R’ Yirmiyah ben Elazar said: This teaches that one states part of a person’s praise in his presence and the whole of it not in his presence.

On the daf / in context: Hashem, when speaking directly to Noach, omits the fuller epithet “tamim.” The Gemara extracts a rule of derech eretz: full praise is reserved for when the subject is absent, lest it appear as flattery.

Type of Learning

Custom (diyuk from the differing formulations of praise in the presence versus the absence of the subject).

What Is Learned

Partial praise is appropriate in a person’s presence; complete praise is given only when he is not present. The Torah models this even with regard to Noach.