Add Boundaries

A Message from the Kalever Rebbe Parshas Noach 5786 In our times we must add boundaries "Noach was a righteous and perfect man in his generations; Noach walked with God." (Breishis 6:9) Decaying Safeguards In our generation, the boundaries of holiness have been deeply eroded. The sense of sanctity that once protected the soul has been weakened—especially with the rise of modern technology and personal devices that have broken down so many of the safeguards our tradition established to preserve purity and holiness. In such a climate, many have fallen into a tragic misunderstanding. Seeing that modern society has normalized the blending of men and women in settings filled with laughter, lightness, and casual familiarity, they convince themselves that this has become unavoidable. They argue that to participate in business, social, or professional life, one must adapt to this culture. Similarly, there are those who persuade themselves that compromises can be made in matters of yichud (seclusion with the opposite gender), physical contact, or the use of inappropriate technologies—so long as it is "for the sake of livelihood." They justify these breaches by claiming, "This is simply how business is done today; without adapting, one cannot succeed." Now Is the Time For Diligence But the truth is quite the opposite. Precisely because of the spiritual decline of our generation and the growing power of the yetzer hara (evil inclination), we must strengthen—not weaken—the boundaries that safeguard holiness. The more the world around us blurs moral lines, the more essential it becomes to draw our own clearly. Practices that may have once been acceptable—such as allowing young children to learn in mixed settings—are no longer appropriate in an age so flooded with outside influence. Especially now, when technology has breached every wall of privacy and innocence, we must redouble our efforts to ensure that even the youngest children are educated in environments of purity and separation, where holiness can take root and thrive. So too, throughout our history, we see that the rabbinic sages and leaders responded to the needs of each generation by establishing new safeguards to preserve holiness. Every era faced its own spiritual challenges, and our leaders guided the people accordingly. In the time of the Beis HaMikdash, when lapses in modesty began to appear during the Simchas Beis HaSho'eivah, Chazal instituted a separation, placing the women in an upper gallery. In later generations, they established the mechitzah in synagogues, ensuring that prayer would remain focused and pure. And when, during the Enlightenment in Europe, the boundaries of modesty were once again under attack, the great leaders of that time strengthened those safeguards even further, raising the partitions to preserve the sanctity of our gatherings. This is not merely a communal principle—it is a personal responsibility for every Jew in every generation. Each of us must internalize a way of life shaped by the boundaries of holiness as taught by the great leaders of our time, according to the guidance of the holy Torah. And we must transmit these values to our children, so that they too grow up with a sense of reverence and purity. In this merit, one is granted a life of true goodness—filled with blessing, success, and deep satisfaction in both the spiritual and material realms. This truth applies to every area of life. As the holy Shelah writes (Toldos Adam, §281), every generation must establish new fences and safeguards, for earlier generations were spiritually greater than we are and therefore did not require as many protections. Similarly, the Chasam Sofer (Orach Chaim §122) rules that in times like ours—when breaches of holiness are widespread and "the generation is unworthy"—our task is not to lessen the boundaries, but to strengthen them; not to seek leniency, but to embrace greater care and sanctity. Along these same lines, the Chida writes in Shem HaGedolim (entry "Gedolim Aleph," letter Reish-Tes) that in the later generations, as the yetzer hara has grown stronger, we must take upon ourselves every possible safeguard. For this reason, in the centuries following the first millennium after the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash, the Divine light of the Zohar HaKadosh was revealed. Through its teachings, many deeper layers of spiritual awareness and protective stringencies were made known; illuminations given from Heaven specifically to shield and guide the souls of the later generations. In the Absence of Scholars For this reason, there are times when even greater safeguards must be established in communities that lack Torah scholars—more so than in places where Torah learning is strong. As Chazal teach, "An unlearned person cannot truly be God-fearing," for it is the light of Torah that refines a person and shields him from the yetzer hara. Those who immerse themselves in Torah draw upon its protective power, as the Gemara says (Sukkah 52b): "If this vile one (the yetzer hara) confronts you, drag him into the study hall; if he is like stone, he will melt; if he is like iron, he will shatter." So too we find in the Gemara (Eruvin 103a) that "there is no shvus (rabbinic restriction) in the Temple." Chazal did not impose additional preventive measures upon the kohanim during their sacred service, for they were zealous and spiritually disciplined—steadfast in their Torah study and service of Hashem. As it is written (Malachi 2:7): "For the lips of the priest shall guard knowledge, and they shall seek Torah from his mouth". The Advancement of Society Before the Flood The holy writings teach that the people of the Generation of the Flood were far from foolish. They were giants—mighty in strength and brilliant in intellect—men of great ingenuity who developed remarkable inventions. Yet when the Flood came and all creation was wiped away, their devices and technologies were lost, save for a few simple tools that Noach carried with him into the Ark. From this, it may be understood that the people of that generation had already discovered, through their wisdom, instruments similar in concept to the technologies of our own time—means of connecting across vast distances, of communicating and exchanging influence with people all over the world, including those of questionable character whom they did not truly know. Such constant exposure erodes the natural sense of modesty and shame that Hashem implanted within every human being. That inner restraint was designed to protect a person from falling into moral decay, even when temptation grows strong. But when one is endlessly surrounded by images, words, and behaviors that glorify indecency—when people broadcast their private sins to the world without embarrassment—this sacred instinct becomes dulled. The mind and heart begin to absorb the illusion that there is nothing wrong, nothing shameful—and in this way, corruption spreads unchecked. This, Chazal explain, was the root of that generation's downfall. Their shamelessness polluted the very atmosphere of the world with a spirit of impurity. Through their theft, immorality, and public acts of corruption, they filled the earth with violence and desecration, as it is written: "For the earth was filled with violence because of them." Noach Built Safeguards In such an era, Noach the Righteous perceived that the only way to preserve his holiness amid the moral collapse around him was to create stronger boundaries—to build spiritual walls that would shield him from the corruption of his generation. He understood that righteousness cannot survive without separation, and that to walk with Hashem in all aspects of life requires deliberate distance from the forces that pull one away from Him. By doing so, Noach safeguarded his purity and was therefore called tamim—whole and perfect. And when the world's impurity reached its peak, when even the most guarded soul could scarcely avoid being influenced by its atmosphere, Noach took the ultimate step: he entered the Ark. There, in sacred isolation, he cut himself off completely from the surrounding corruption, and through this total separation, he preserved his righteousness and was saved from the Flood. Thus the Torah testifies: "Noach was a righteous and perfect man" - Noach was righteous because he established firm boundaries; he was perfect because he kept those boundaries unbroken. "In his generations"—as his generation declined, he strengthened his resolve and heightened his safeguards. And through this steadfast purity, "Noach walked with God." Kaalov Headquarters - 188 Hewes St, Brooklyn, NY, 11211 unsubscribe