זוהר, נח כ״דZohar, Noach 24

Segment 1א׳

וְאָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בְּהַהוּא זִמְנָא דְּאִתְאֲבִידוּ אִנּוּן חַיָּבִין מֵעָלְמָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא (עציב) (נ"א אסתכל) אִשְׁתַּדַל עַל עָלְמָא וְלָא חָמָא מַאן (דקאים) דְּאָגִין עוֹלָה. וְאִי תֵימָא הָא נֹחַ, דְּהֲוָה לֵיהּ לְאַגָּנָא עַל (דריה) גַרְמֵיהּ וּלְאֲפָקָא מִנֵּיהּ תּוֹלָדִין לְעָלְמָא. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב כִּי אוֹתְךָ רָאִיתִי צַדִּיק לְפָנַי בַּדּוֹר הַזֶּה. בַּדּוֹר הַזֶּה דַּיְיקָא.

R. Judah further said: ‘When the sinners were destroyed in the time of Noah, God was very anxious for the preservation of the world, but could see no one who might save it from His wrath; for the whole efforts of Noah were required to save himself and to repeople the world. So it is written: FOR THEE HAVE I SEEN RIGHTEOUS BEFORE ME IN THIS GENERATION, i.e. he was righteous only by comparison with his contemporaries.’

Segment 2ב׳

רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אָמַר בַּדּוֹר הַזֶּה דָּא שְׁבָחָא דִּילֵיהּ דְּהֲוָה בְּהַהוּא דָרָא חַיָּיבָא וְאִשְׁתְּכַח כּוּלֵי הַאי אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים (ודאי ולאו בדרא דיליה אלא) (ס"א ודא די ליה) וְאֲפִילּוּ בְּדָרָא דְמשֶׁה, אֲבָל לָא הֲוָה יָכִיל לְאַגָּנָא עַל עָלְמָא. בְּגִין דְּלָא אִשְׁתַּכְּחוּ עֲשָׂרָה בְּעָלְמָא כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (בראשית י״ח:כ״ט) אוּלַי יִמָּצְאוּן שָׁם עֲשָׂרָה וְלָא אִשְׁתַּכְּחוּ תַּמָּן, אוּף הָכָא לָא אִשְׁתַּכְּחוּ עֲשָׂרָה. אֶלָא הוּא וּתְלַת בְּנוֹי וְנוּקְבַיְיהוּ וְלָא הֲווּ עֲשָׂרָה.

R. Jose said: ‘The words “in this generation” are a tribute to Noah, as much as to say, surrounded as he was by that wicked generation, he yet remained as righteous and perfect a man as if he had lived in the generation of Moses. But he could not save the world, for the reason that there were not to be found ten righteous men in it (similarly we read of Sodom, “peradventure ten shall be found there”, Gen. 18, 32), but only Noah and his three sons with their womenfolk.’

Segment 3ג׳

רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר שָׁאִיל לֵיהּ לְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אֲבוֹי, הָא תָּנִינָן בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְעָלְמָא אִתְמַלְיָיא חוֹבֵי בְּנֵי נָשָׁא וְדִינָא נָפַק, וַוי לְהַהוּא זַכָּאָה דְּאִשְׁתְּכַח בְּעָלְמָא דְּאִיהוּ אִתְפַּס בְּחוֹבוֹי דְחַיָיבַיָא בְּקַדְמִיתָא. נֹחַ אֵיךְ אִשְׁתְּזִיב דְּלָא אִתְפַּס בְּחוֹבַיְיהוּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ הָא אִתְּמָר דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בָּעָא לְאֲפָקָא מִנֵּיהּ תּוֹלָדִין לְעָלְמָא מִגּוֹ תֵּיבוּתָא. וְתוּ דְּהָא דִּינָא לָא יָכְלָא לְשַׁלְטָאָה עֲלוֹי בְּגִין דְּהֲוָה טָמִיר וְגָנִיז בַּתֵּבָה וְאִתְכַּסְיָיא מֵעֵינָא.

R. Eleazar asked R. Simeon, his father: ‘We have been taught that when the world becomes full of sin and is doomed to destruction, woe is then to the righteous man who is found in it, for he is first made answerable for its sins. How, then, was Noah able to escape the general doom?’ His father replied: ‘It has already been said that the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to people the world anew through him when he should issue from the ark. And further, the general doom could not reach him because he was securely stored away in the ark and concealed from sight,