Noach

At the end of Parshas Breishis the passuk says concerning the Dor HaMabul, “Hashem said, ‘I will dissolve the adam (as Rashi explains: he’s made of earth; I’ll bring water and dissolve him) that I created, from upon the face of the earth, from adam to animal to crawling things, and until the birds of the sky…'” Rashi explains: The animals were also mashchis their ways (they were corrupt).

The Beis HaLevi explains that Hashem made the world to be affected by people’s actions. When Adam is good the world will be affected positively. If bad is done chas v’shalom, then that will bring bad. By doing something bad one strengthens the power of that desire until all of Creation will be pulled by that desire. Not only are animals affected but even inanimate objects become affected to have a pull towards that desire. This is as the passuk says, “And you came and contaminated My land.” Through their actions they polluted the earth! Rabbi Yissochor Landau added that the passuk says והנני משחיתם את הארץ. Simply this means I will destroy you from the land. However Rashi brings that 3 tefachim, where a plow reaches, was also destroyed. את הארץ  means  with the land. Rabbi Landau explained that this is because that area is part of people’s usage and became contaminated by people’s wrongdoings.

With this the Beis HaLevi explains the Gemara that says the stones and the boards of a person’s house will testify by the din upstairs. This is because there is something of his actions imprinted in the stones and boards. The Gemara also says that if a tzaddik is zoche he will take his portion and his friend’s portion in Gan Eden. If a rasha is chayuv he will take his portion and his friend’s portion in Gehinnom. The Beis HaLevi asks: why should a tzaddik get what he didn’t do, or a rasha get punished for what he didn’t do? He answers that the tzaddik caused a special shefa of kedusha and growth that helped other people do good. For this he gets another portion in Gan Eden. The opposite is true of the rasha. So too by the Dor HaMabul; they were so corrupt that they created a certain nature which affected the animals to also become corrupt!

May Hashem help us grow in ruchniyus and kedusah, and bring a shefa of chizuk to ourselves and the entire briyah!