Using our mouths to elevate ourselves.

Noah was saved in the merit of his speech.  We can use our speech to elevate ourselves.  When Hashem said, "Let us make man"   He was teaching us that we have to help each other. We have to use our speech to elevate ourselves and others. When we don't daven for each other, that is a sense of robbery.  We are responsibility for each other. If we don't daven for other Jews, it shows that either we don't care about each other or we don't believe in the power of prayer.

When you see a situation that seems hopeless, even if you feel like can't do anything to help them, you can daven for them.

from the Shiur on Naaleh:

Parshat Noach: Wonderful Words

Teacher: Mrs. Shira Smiles Class: Parsha Topics 5769

Don't give up.

There are often times when we feel far from Hashem and we don't feel that we can even approach Hashem, our job at those times is to take that darkness and turn it into a prayer to Hashem.

We say, "Hashem, I am so distant from you that I can't even daven to you, please make an opening for me."

This prayer will have tremendous strength, and help us very much.

Often when we force ourselves to make a small step in the right direction, Hashem helps us to move much further.  We learn from this that when something feels hopeless we don't have to contemplate whether or not we will succeed, we just have to take the next step.

If Noah had davened to Hashem to save the world, he might have actually saved the world, but he thought it was hopeless, so he didn't even try.  We have to try even when it feels hopeless.

from the Shiur on Naaleh:
Parshat Noach: Wonderful Words




Teacher: Mrs. Shira Smiles Class: Parsha Topics 5769

Don't let yourself slide down the Slippery Slope .

Why did the sins of robbery and adultery lead to the destruction of the world in the time of Noach? The answer is that even though there may be sins that seem much worse, when we ignore the breakdown of societal norms, the end of the story is total societal breakdown. We have to learn from this that when we look at ourselves, are we allowing ourselves to slip a bit here and there? We may think that it is not important, but in the long run, it is the small infractions that lead to a total breakdown and destruction of our own being.


from a Shiur on Naaleh:
Parshat Noach: Slippery Slope Teacher: Mrs. Shira Smiles Added: October 04, 2010

The greatness of Avraham.

The difference between Noach and Avraham was subtle, but important. They were both tzadikim, but Noach stayed within his ark, Avraham reached out to influence others. In life we have to make the most out of what Hashem gave us, but we have to go further, like Avraham and try to use our gifts to influence others.


From a Shiur on Naaleh by Shira Smiles.

Noach

From a Shiur by Shira Smiles

Noach was a very great man and he saved the world but he was not as great as Avraham. Avraham began Judiasm because he brought other people to worship Hashem. The reason Hashem says let us make man is because when we teach Torah to other people we make ourselves greater and them greater. " Naaseh Adam" means that each person has a responsibility to help others to grow in Torah. It is as if Hashem is asking each of us to be a partner in creation.

This is a perfect explanation of why service in OA helps us to keep abstinent.