Parshas Noach: With Respect to Freedom

וַיֵּשְׁתְּ מִן הַיַּיִן וַיִּשְׁכָּר וַיִּתְגַּל בְּתוֹךְ אָהֳלֹה. וַיַּרְא חָם אֲבִי כְנַעַן אֵת עֶרְוַת אָבִיו וַיַּגֵּד לִשְׁנֵי אֶחָיו בַּחוּץ. וַיִּקַּח שֵׁם וָיֶפֶת אֶת הַשִּׂמְלָה... וַיְכַסּוּ אֵת עֶרְוַת אֲבִיהֶם וּפְנֵיהֶם אֲחֹרַנִּית וְעֶרְוַת אֲבִיהֶם לֹא רָאוּ.

[Noach] drank from the wine and became intoxicated, and lay uncovered in his tent. Cham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. Shem and Yefes took a garment… and they covered over the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned away and they did not see the nakedness of their father.[1]

As the simple reading of the verse indicates, while Cham told his brothers about what he had seen, he did nothing to remedy the situation. R’ Shimshon Raphael Hirsch explains that Cham was happy to see his father in this degraded state, for witnessing him in a moment of weakness and disgrace allowed him to free himself from the moral hold that his father held over him. His position was essentially, “My father can no longer presume to be the bearer of a moral message, condemning my lifestyle or anything I wish to do. I am finally free to do as I please.”

For their part, Shem and Yefes understood that this moment of lapse did not define Noach and, therefore, took measures to preserve the regard and reverence they had for him by covering him over, facing away as they did so. Not only did they feel it was dishonest to reframe their entire perception of their father based on a momentary failure, it was not even in their own interests to dismiss him as a moral voice in their lives, as he conveyed messages which they recognized were to their benefit to heed. Hence, they acted not only to restore his own dignity, but to maintain the position of honor that he enjoyed and commanded.

It is for this reason that Noach responded to Cham’s behavior on that occasion by cursing him with slavery. With this, Noach was confirming that not only were Cham’s actions reprehensible in and of themselves, but they were also flawed in terms of the goal that they aimed to achieve. If a person has no moral guide exhorting and encouraging him to assert control over his life, the freedom with which he is left is none other than a form of ongoing slavery, with him at the mercy of his drives, habits, and weaknesses, lacking both the inclination and the ability to rise above them. Cham’s curse may thus have been levelled toward him alone, but the crucial message contained therein is of relevance to all.

Trading in Bonds

This idea finds poignant expression in the verse in Hallel which says,

אני עבדך בן אמתך פתחת למוסרי.

I am Your servant, the son of Your maidservant, and You have broken open my bonds.

What does King David mean to say here? He begins by describing himself as a servant of Hashem and proceeds to add “the son of Your maidservant,” which emphasizes his complete state of servitude. He then concludes by saying “and You have broken open my bonds,” which seems to be a complete negation of everything he said before!

The truth, however, is that every person is a servant, whether to forces inside of him — his impulses and desires, or to forces outside of him — the pressures of societal norms and his peers.

Many people feel “free” in the sense that they do not subscribe to a higher code of living. Practically, this means that they remain shackled by the bonds of all those other forces (internal and external), lacking the wherewithal to release themselves.

King David says, having given my full allegiance to the highest calling, namely, Divine service and Torah living, Hashem has thus released my bonds. Now I have the sense of purpose and fortitude of spirit to resist those other forces when their influence will be detrimental to my spiritual and moral well-being.[2]

[1] Bereishis 9:21-23.

[2] R’ Yitzchak Arama, Akeidas Yitzchak, sec. 98.