Noach walked with Hashem. This seems to be a positive comment about Noach’s virtue, until we note that the Torah writes about Avraham Avinu, “Hashem before whom I walked,” (Bereishis 24:40). Rashi notes that Avraham walked in front, without assistance. Noach walked with Hashem; he needed the support of the Almighty to maintain his spiritual strength. Without prompting from Above, Noach would have faltered. Avraham, on the other hand, had the spiritual fortitude to single-handedly override the challenges that confronted him. Chazal use the term, “hisorrerus d’l’eila,” inspired from Above, in reference to Noach’s spiritual commitment. In contrast, Avraham Avinu was “misorrer,” inspired himself, to serve Hashem.
Horav Zaidel Epstein, Shlita, observes that the spiritual difference between Avraham and Noach resulted in the latter’s inability to transmit his beliefs to the next generations. A ben Noach is still a ben Noach with only seven mitzvos to fulfill. He is spiritually impaired, always in need of outside support to maintain his spiritual plateau. Avraham’s descendants, however, undertake the spiritual challenge on their own. They look for ways to grow in Torah, accepting responsibility to reach out to the unaffiliated, to better themselves, to move closer to Hashem.
The litmus test for a ben Torah is his ability to ascend on his own in his spiritual dimension. His spiritual drive must be apparent in his every endeavor. Complacency is anathema to the ben Torah. Children growing up in a home where there is no motivation, no vigor, no enthusiasm for Torah will have no guidelines in their personal quest. We harvest what we sow, cultivate and nurture. That which we ignore will produce nothing. Such a lifestyle has little chance of producing a generation that will be spiritually productive.
