The Reason for the Mabul

The parsha of the Mabul starts at the end of parshas Bereishis. The pasuk says

וַיִּרְא֤וּ בְנֵי־הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־בְּנ֣וֹת הָֽאָדָ֔ם כִּ֥י טֹבֹ֖ת הֵ֑נָּה וַיִּקְח֤וּ לָהֶם֙ נָשִׁ֔ים מִכֹּ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּחָֽרוּ:

גוַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהֹוָ֗ה לֹֽא־יָד֨וֹן רוּחִ֤י בָֽאָדָם֙ לְעֹלָ֔ם בְּשַׁגָּ֖ם ה֣וּא בָשָׂ֑ר וְהָי֣וּ יָמָ֔יו מֵאָ֥ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֖ים שָׁנָֽה:

דהַנְּפִלִ֞ים הָי֣וּ בָאָ֘רֶץ֘ בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵם֒ וְגַ֣ם אַֽחֲרֵי־כֵ֗ן אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָבֹ֜אוּ בְּנֵ֤י הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל־בְּנ֣וֹת הָֽאָדָ֔ם וְיָֽלְד֖וּ לָהֶ֑ם הֵ֧מָּה הַגִּבֹּרִ֛ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר מֵֽעוֹלָ֖ם אַנְשֵׁ֥י הַשֵּֽׁם:

הוַיַּ֣רְא יְהֹוָ֔ה כִּ֥י רַבָּ֛ה רָעַ֥ת הָֽאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וְכָל־יֵ֨צֶר֙ מַחְשְׁבֹ֣ת לִבּ֔וֹ רַ֥ק רַ֖ע כָּל־הַיּֽוֹם:

ווַיִּנָּ֣חֶם יְהֹוָ֔ה כִּֽי־עָשָׂ֥ה אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וַיִּתְעַצֵּ֖ב אֶל־לִבּֽוֹ:

זוַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהֹוָ֗ה אֶמְחֶ֨ה אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֤ם אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֨אתִי֙ מֵעַל֨ פְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה מֵֽאָדָם֙ עַד־בְּהֵמָ֔ה עַד־רֶ֖מֶשׂ וְעַד־ע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם כִּ֥י נִחַ֖מְתִּי כִּ֥י עֲשִׂיתִֽם:

In Pasuk ה it says  וַיַּ֣רְא יְהֹוָ֔ה כִּ֥י רַבָּ֛ה רָעַ֥ת הָֽאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וְכָל־יֵ֨צֶר֙ מַחְשְׁבֹ֣ת לִבּ֔וֹ רַ֥ק רַ֖ע כָּל־הַיּֽוֹם. It is interesting in that later on when Noach comes out of the Teivah

and brings a Korbon at that point the pasuk says:

וַיִּ֥בֶן נֹ֛חַ מִזְבֵּ֖חַ לַֽיהֹוָ֑ה וַיִּקַּ֞ח מִכֹּ֣ל | הַבְּהֵמָ֣ה הַטְּהֹרָ֗ה וּמִכֹּל֙ הָע֣וֹף הַטָּה֔וֹר וַיַּ֥עַל עֹלֹ֖ת בַּמִּזְבֵּֽחַ:

כאוַיָּ֣רַח יְהֹוָה֘ אֶת־רֵ֣יחַ הַנִּיחֹ֒חַ֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהֹוָ֜ה אֶל־לִבּ֗וֹ לֹ֣א אֹ֠סִ֠ף לְקַלֵּ֨ל ע֤וֹד אֶת־הָֽאֲדָמָה֙ בַּֽעֲב֣וּר הָֽאָדָ֔ם כִּ֠י יֵ֣צֶר לֵ֧ב הָֽאָדָ֛ם רַ֖ע מִנְּעֻרָ֑יו וְלֹֽא־אֹסִ֥ף ע֛וֹד לְהַכּ֥וֹת אֶת־כָּל־חַ֖י כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִֽׂיתִי:

The reason that Hashem won't bring another Mabul upon the world is because כִּ֠י יֵ֣צֶר לֵ֧ב הָֽאָדָ֛ם רַ֖ע מִנְּעֻרָ֑יו. The pasuk uses almost the same words for not ever bringing another Mabul upon the world as the words for the reason that there was a Mabul in the first place. Is the fact that man has an inherent evil inclination a reason for destroying the world or a reason for never destroying the world?

Upon looking closer into the two psukim one will notice two major differences. The first pasuk says כָל־יֵ֨צֶר֙ מַחְשְׁבֹ֣ת לִבּ֔וֹ רַ֥ק רַ֖ע כָּל־הַיּֽוֹם

The second pasuk says: כִּ֠י יֵ֣צֶר לֵ֧ב הָֽאָדָ֛ם רַ֖ע מִנְּעֻרָ֑יו

One is that the first pasuk says רַ֥ק רַ֖ע the second one doesn't say רַ֥ק-only. The second difference is that the second pasuk says מִנְּעֻרָ֑יו. The first pasuk doesn't mention that. The question is what are the ramifications of those two differences?

The Ramba"n in Parshas Netzavim on the pasuk:

פֶּן־יֵ֣שׁ בָּ֠כֶ֠ם אִ֣ישׁ אֽוֹ־אִשָּׁ֞ה א֧וֹ מִשְׁפָּחָ֣ה אוֹ־שֵׁ֗בֶט אֲשֶׁר֩ לְבָב֨וֹ פֹנֶ֤ה הַיּוֹם֙ מֵעִם֙ יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֔ינוּ לָלֶ֣כֶת לַֽעֲבֹ֔ד אֶת־אֱלֹהֵ֖י הַגּוֹיִ֣ם הָהֵ֑ם פֶּן־יֵ֣שׁ בָּכֶ֗ם שֹׁ֛רֶשׁ פֹּרֶ֥ה רֹ֖אשׁ וְלַֽעֲנָֽה:

יחוְהָיָ֡ה בְּשָׁמְעוֹ֩ אֶת־דִּבְרֵ֨י הָֽאָלָ֜ה הַזֹּ֗את וְהִתְבָּרֵ֨ךְ בִּלְבָב֤וֹ לֵאמֹר֙ שָׁל֣וֹם יִֽהְיֶה־לִּ֔י כִּ֛י בִּשְׁרִר֥וּת לִבִּ֖י אֵלֵ֑ךְ לְמַ֛עַן סְפ֥וֹת הָֽרָוָ֖ה אֶת־הַצְּמֵאָֽה:

explains that לְמַ֛עַן סְפ֥וֹת הָֽרָוָ֖ה אֶת־הַצְּמֵאָֽה refers to a people who  never practiced putting a brake on their evil inclination. Allowing oneself to do whatever animalistic behaviours a person wants creates a downward spiral leading to worse behaviours. This is similar to addictions. It gets worse and worse. The Ramban says that once a person allows themself to follow their sexual desires without any pause they start straying towards deviant sexual behaviours. Chazal tell us " משביעו רעב, מרעיבו שבע". Fulfilling a sexual desire causes one to have a larger appetite while not fulfilling said desire causes the appetite to cease. This is true

regarding many destructive behaviours.

The Ramban continues saying that this is what causes a person to have homosexual desires. Once a person allows themself all sexual pleasures they will seek out the next level of deviancey which is  homosexuality. This is a case of a person actually creating an evil inclination. This inclination wasn't one that he was born with but rather one that man created. There might be a real and somewhat natural  desire for homosexuality, it is real, but it was created by man himself. This Yetzer Hara was not born into him this Yetzer Hara is an outgrowth of a person allowing the Yetzer Harah to have full control over him. These deviant behaviours are now ingrained in that person and as strong as the original Yetzer Harah but have been literally brought upon by the perpetrator himself. 

This is what the Dor Hamabul had created. Chazal tell us that they were into all kind of deviant sexual behaviours. They became like that because they had not tried to control their Yetzer Harah up to that point. 

Rashi brings a gemara on the pasuk כִּ֠י יֵ֣צֶר לֵ֧ב הָֽאָדָ֛ם רַ֖ע מִנְּעֻרָ֑יו

"מנעריו כתיב משננער לצאת ממעי אמו ניתן בו יצר הרע"

After the Mabul many things in nature were changed. One of the things that were changed was that man now got the Yetzer Harah as soon as he was born. (The Gemara in Sanhedrin discusses a debate between Rebi and Antininus whether the yetzer Hara resides in a fetus too). (I would suggest that Hashem changed the Teva so that the Yetzer Hara comes early so that man can have this excuse).

On a simple level (see external vs internal Yetzer Harah) the Yetzer Harah is simply man's base desires or animalistic instincts. The Yetzer Tov on the other hand is the Sechel. The intelligence to differentiate between right and wrong and the ability to overcome base instincts to follow logic is what we call the Yetzer Tov. The Yetzer Harah is ingrained in man from birth. The Yetzer Tov, Chazal tell us enters man at his Bar Mitzva. That is to say that when man reaches maturity he has the ability to understand the difference between good and bad and also has the ability to control himself. As a child man cannot fully distinguish between the two and even when he could he does not have the maturity to fully control his behaviour. 

There was a fundamental difference between man before the Mabul and after the Mabul. Before the Mabul The Yetzer Hara only entered into man's conscience when the Yetzer Tov entered. Therefore the Yetzer Harah did not have an headstart. Man was able to distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil as he was still developing his animalistic instincts. By the time the Yetzer Hara fully controlled a person, by then, that person fully knew the difference between right and wrong. When the people of the Dor Hamabul sinned, they sinned knowing full well what they should have been doing and how to behave but still allowed the evil inclination to take hold of them to the point where they also created a new Yetzer Harah within themselves.  There was no excuse for their evil behaviour. Hashem in his mercy, so as not to put man in a position where he would have to bring another Mabul on the world then actually recreated man as the pasuk says:

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהֹוָ֗ה אֶמְחֶ֨ה אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֤ם אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֨אתִי֙ מֵעַל֨ פְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה

God destroyed man that he had created. Meaning "Man" that he had created that had the Yetzer Tov from inception would no longer exist. Now the new "Man" would not be created as "Man" but be created with only the Yetzer Hara. This would allow man to have the Yetzer so fully embedded in him by the time that the Yetzer Tov developed that he might not be able to overcome the Yetzer Hara that was already in total control.

We've quoted the prime minister of England Benjamin Disraeli who said "It is easy to do the right thing but knowing what the right thing to do is what is Hard". Once a man follows his Yetzer Harah for so long that it is ingrained and he is totally controlled by it, he can no longer see good and evil for what they are because his subjective desires don't allow him to think straight. There is a cloud over the world, right and wrong are no longer as clear as they were before. This would seem to be a terrible thing but in reality it is saving humanity from itself. Now man has a built in excuse his Yetzer Harah didn't allow him to think straight. Man's job is now harder. We have to control the Yetzer Harah before the Yetzer Tov starts working so that the Yetzer Tov can do its job and tell a man what is right and what is wrong. 

When Noach brought the Korbon Hashem said now I will no longer destroy the world anymore. How can Hashem put the world in a position not to be destroyed if the world becomes overcome by evil like it did during the Dor Hamabul? By putting man in a position where he has a harder time distinguishing between good and evil. Now the Dor Hamabul is not a generation of bad people but a generation of idiots. Our work is harder and the Yetzer Harah is stronger but we are not as evil as a generation of people that know the difference between right and wrong but still allow wrong to control us. 

The Yetzer Hara is controlling us earlier and earlier in our life and the Yetzer Tov is coming later and later, no wonder that in the later generations people actually think that good is bad and that bad is good. Maybe this has brought us to a point of  dor shakulo chayiv and force Mashiach times bimhiera biyamenu.