Why calling Noach righteous only in his time is praise
Noach's own understanding that he was called a tzaddik (righteous man) only "in his generation" — and would not have measured up in Avraham's generation — reveals not a flaw but genuine humility, since he judged himself to be lowly in his own eyes. What the Rabbis framed as disparagement of the term "bedorotav" (in his generations) is thus, at its core, a mark of praise.AI summary · anthropic/claude-sonnet-5
What our Rabbis of blessed memory expounded as disparagement regarding the word "bedorotav" (in his generations) can be explained thus: their intent was that in truth it was meant for praise, for Noach himself held this view in his own mind – that what the Blessed One called him a tzaddik (righteous man) "in this generation" meant specifically in this generation, but it would not have been so had he lived in the generation of Avraham. Thus the seeming disparagement is in fact praise, for it shows that he was lowly in his own eyes.
מה שדרשו רז"ל לגנאי מלת בדורותיו י"ל רצונם שבאמת הי' לשבח כ"א שנח הי' בדעתו כן מה שקרא אותו ית' צדיק בדור הזה הוא דוקא בדור הזה משא"כ אם הי' בדורו של אברהם ונמצא הגנאי הוא לשבח שהי' שפל בעיניו:
Translation: translated by AI (anthropic/claude-sonnet-5)