The Holiest Dream Team
Noah. So much has been written about this individual, and many religions outside of Judaism consider him part of their history in one way or another.
But before I continue, let me start with a disclaimer: what follows is simply my opinion and my understanding of the passages, and you don't have to agree with any of it at all. With that said, let's go!!
But what do we know about Noah?
The Parashat Noach opens with the words: אֵ֚לֶּה תּוֹלְדֹ֣ת נֹ֔חַ נֹ֗חַ אִ֥ישׁ צַדִּ֛יק תָּמִ֥ים הָיָ֖ה בְּדֹֽרֹתָ֑יו אֶת־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֖ים הִֽתְהַלֶּךְ־נֹֽחַ׃
This is the line of Noah. Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age; Noah walked with G-d.
Noah walked with G-d - this type of statement is not given to everyone.
But there's another individual mentioned in the Torah who was great as Noah; it's in Bereshit 5:23-24:
"וַיִּתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ חֲנ֖וֹךְ אֶת־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים וְאֵינֶ֕נּוּ כִּֽי־לָקַ֥ח אֹת֖וֹ אֱלֹהִֽים׃ - Enoch walked with G-d; then he was no more, for G-d took him."
Chanoch, or Enoch, was great and also walked with G-d, just like Noah; when his time came, G-d took him to Himself, and as Jewish tradition says, G-d placed His name on him, making him a Supreme angel over all other angels. From that point on, his name was Metatron, or an angel Matat.
I believe G-d has shown favor to humanity; He has left us a person named Noah to care for humanity and save it. Humanity has committed the lowest and worst sins, and G-d has decided to destroy the world. He asked Noah to build an ark, and he built it for 120 years.
Why so long? Because G-d wanted people to start asking questions, and, hopefully, to turn away from evil and join Noah in his work, thus being saved from the impending flood, or maybe even prevent it altogether if enough people would have repented. But people did the opposite. Before this event, Noah was childless for 600 years. As an outcast, people laughed at him and talked about him - he was the topic of the discussions; now, when he had children, he was building this gigantic structure no one understood, and they laughed and spoke about him even more. The result was that a whole generation of people were wiped out, along with anything that lived and was not together with Noah in the ark.
Later, in Parashat Tetzaveh, it says the nation built the Golden Calf while Moshe Rabbenu was away on the mountain. When Moshe Rabbenu came down and saw what was happening, he punished the sinners and decided to go up again to defend the nation from impending punishment for the sin of the Golden Calf.
In 32:30-32 it says: "The next day Moses said to the people, You have been guilty of a great sin. Yet I will now go up to G-d; perhaps I may win forgiveness for your sin.
Moses went back to G-d and said, 'Alas, this people is guilty of a great sin in making for themselves a god of gold.'
Now, if You will forgive their sin [well and good]; but if not, erase me from the book that You have written!"
The Book of Zohar has said, if one rearranges the letters from the words מְחֵ֣נִי נָ֔א מִֽסִּפְרְךָ֖ - Mekheni Na MiSifrekha - blot me out, please, from Your book, one can come up with the word: אני מנח (Ani mi-Noach) or אני מנוח (I am from Noach). It suggests that Moshe Rabbenu's willingness to be erased from the book reveals his deep spiritual connection to the "root" of Noah; he was correcting Noah's mistake at that moment. Noah did not stand up for the nation and simply minded his own business - building the ark; he didn't run after the people, he didn't bring anyone to repentance, and he watched how people that he once knew died by drowning in the flood.
The above is all about Noah and Moshe Rabbenu, but let's get a little esoteric.
In Parashat Mispatim 23:20-22 it says: "I am sending an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have made ready.
Pay heed to him and obey him. Do not defy him, for he will not pardon your offenses, since My Name is in him;
But if you obey him and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes."
After withdrawing His presence from the nation, G-d sent the angel Metatron to join Moshe Rabbenu and the nation in the desert and lead them to the Eretz Yisrael.
At the end of their journey, Moshe Rabbenu failed, and he and the grown men of that generation never reached the Promised Land.
In the story of the 4 Sages who went to Pardes in Masechet Chagigah 14b, it mentions Metatron and says he was sitting.
How can we get Metatron to join us when we leave the Galut?
In the Book of Daniel 7:13-14 it says: "חָזֵ֤ה הֲוֵית֙ בְּחֶזְוֵ֣י לֵֽילְיָ֔א וַאֲרוּ֙ עִם־עֲנָנֵ֣י שְׁמַיָּ֔א כְּבַ֥ר אֱנָ֖שׁ אָתֵ֣ה הֲוָ֑א וְעַד־עַתִּ֤יק יֽוֹמַיָּא֙ מְטָ֔ה וּקְדָמ֖וֹהִי הַקְרְבֽוּהִי׃
As I looked on, in the night vision,
One like a human being
Came with the clouds of heaven;
He reached the Ancient of Days
And was given an audience.
וְלֵ֨הּ יְהִ֤ב שׇׁלְטָן֙ וִיקָ֣ר וּמַלְכ֔וּ וְכֹ֣ל עַֽמְמַיָּ֗א אֻמַּיָּ֛א וְלִשָּׁנַיָּ֖א לֵ֣הּ יִפְלְח֑וּן שׇׁלְטָנֵ֞הּ שׇׁלְטָ֤ן עָלַם֙ דִּֽי־לָ֣א יֶעְדֵּ֔ה וּמַלְכוּתֵ֖הּ דִּי־לָ֥א תִתְחַבַּֽל׃
Dominion, glory, and kingship were given to him;
All peoples and nations of every language must serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away,
And his kingship, one that shall not be destroyed."
The Sages say that the above human-like figure is Metatron. And I believe that only Mashiach will be able to bring him down from the Pardes to the nation.
But how will the rabbis know that the potential Mashiach has achieved this task?
Because another angel's activity will be seen and felt by the nation during those days - the Samech Mem, or the Satan - who will prevent all the attempts of the rabbis to start the Geulah process.
Attention: The holiest dream team has been assembled and is on standby, ready to do their job - Eliyahu HaNavi, Mashiach ben Yosef, Metatron & Mashiach ben David. The Nation of Israel...grab your popcorn.
It's Showtime!!
PS: Shout-out to the Rebbes: Would you like to know more?
Shmuel Katanov
