SHAAALOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM SWEEEETEST FRIENDS!!!!
I often feel bad for sending these emails b/c people don't like their in-boxes flooded but I have received only positive feedback so I guess there people are pleased - so I send again [unless it is my mother who keeps sending me these emails under various pseudonyms
]. I also thank all those who sent their good wishes on my milestone upon my reaching - BARUCH HASHEM FOR ALL OF HIS CHASODIM EVERY SECOND OF EVERY DAY!!! - my Jubilee year - ensuring the world that the odds of me being here in another 50 years are very very slim so you don't have to suffer me for THAT much longer 
. LOOONNNGGGGGGG LIFEEEEEE for us all!!!!!!!We find a REAL conundrum in the psukim whose resolution will give us insight to help improve our lives greatly!!!. Let us see!!!!
וַיַּ֣רְא יְהֹוָ֔ה כִּ֥י רַבָּ֛ה רָעַ֥ת הָאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וְכׇל־יֵ֙צֶר֙ מַחְשְׁבֹ֣ת לִבּ֔וֹ רַ֥ק רַ֖ע כׇּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃
Hashem saw how great was man’s wickedness on earth, and how every plan devised by his mind was nothing but evil all the time.
וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם יְהֹוָ֔ה כִּֽי־עָשָׂ֥ה אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וַיִּתְעַצֵּ֖ב אֶל־לִבּֽוֹ׃
Hashem regretted that He had made man on earth, and His heart was saddened.
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהֹוָ֗ה אֶמְחֶ֨ה אֶת־הָאָדָ֤ם אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֙אתִי֙ מֵעַל֙ פְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה מֵֽאָדָם֙ עַד־בְּהֵמָ֔ה עַד־רֶ֖מֶשׂ וְעַד־ע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם כִּ֥י נִחַ֖מְתִּי כִּ֥י עֲשִׂיתִֽם׃
Hashem said, “I will blot out from the earth the men whom I created—men together with beasts, creeping things, and birds of the sky; for I regret that I made them.”
So why is man being blotted out from the earth? B/c כל יצר מחשבות לבו רק רע כל היום - He is always planning evil.
The Mabul comes. Goodbye everybody.
Then Hashem says
ויָּרַח יְהוָה אֶת רֵיחַ הַנִּיחֹחַ וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל לִבּוֹ לֹא אֹסִף לְקַלֵּל עוֹד אֶת הָאֲדָמָה בַּעֲבוּר הָאָדָם כִּי יֵצֶר לֵב הָאָדָם רַע מִנְּעֻרָיו וְלֹא אֹסִף עוֹד לְהַכּוֹת אֶת כָּל חַי כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי:
Hashem smelled the pleasing odor, and the Hashem said to Himself: “Never again will I doom the earth because of man, since the devisings of man’s mind are evil from his youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living being, as I have done.
Why won't Hashem bring another Mabul? B/c man is always planning evil!!!
So it emerges that for the VERY SAME REASON that Hashem brought the Mabul - man's evil - He won't bring another one.
ODDDDDDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!
Maybe the answer is as follows: When man was created in the image of G-d - there were great expectations. Man has TREMENDOUS potential for greatness. But when it came time for action - man sorely disappointed. Licentiousness, greed, idolatry and lots of bad stuff. So he had to be destroyed. Now we start again. This time Hshem says "You guys have potential for greatness. Look at the aromatic delicious korbanos Noach brought. But, as the pasuk says "יודע צדיק נפש בהמתו" - Hashem [the "Tzadik"] knows the soul of his animal - i.e. us. So he will be understanding when He sees our failings in the future! No more Mabuls.
I think that there is a GREAT lesson here. We have ALL been let down by people. Most [if not all] people are messed up in some way by their parents. We have had teachers who were much much less than perfect. We have seen over and over again in the press how low a human being can stoop in his desire for wealth, pleasure and power. We have all been generous with others who at times weren't appreciative. World History is in a great part the story of human failings.
So we can become cynical and resentful. I understand such people. They have been burned tooooo mannnny times. They look at all of the filth, slander, anger, acrimony and [maybe worst of all] vulgarity all over the place and particularly on social media and they are "bummed out". What a rotten world we inhabit, they think to themselves, and walk around with bitterness.
Or we can take the lesson from this week's Parsha. We were all created with a Yetzer Hara. So it is understandable that מחשבות האדם רק רע - man's thoughts are only for evil. רק רע is the same gematria as יצר רע. Yes, we are also capable of greatness. We can bring sweet smelling korbanos to Hashem - today in the form of heartfelt tfillos and large donations to Tzedaka and the like. We can and we often do!!!
But לב יודע מרת נפשו - we all know in our hearts that even when we do good there are often less than altruistic thoughts that go through our minds. At the end of the day our nature dictates that we never forget Number One. And Number One for us is not Hashem Echad. It is THAT GUY [or girl] who is with us wherever we go!!! The one who wears our shoes and brushes our teeth. And that is understandable. Such is the nature of the beast/"nefesh habehemis".
So instead of being resentful we can be understanding. All human beings are flawed. Many GREAT human beings are GREATLY flawed as well. Moshol: Reggie Jackson ["ראובן בן יעקב" after he converts] , Mr. October, Yankee hero, struck out 2597 times in his career!!! [Multiplied by three are the amount of swings where he missed. And there are all the misses where he didn't strike out...] In college at UNC, Michoel Yardein [!!!!] missed 719 shots during his games there. That was enough misses to get him to the pros, where he missed a total of 16,402 shots (including free throws) over his career. Toss in pre-season games, pre-game warmups, pick-ups games, plus all of high school, and that number is certainly well over 20-25 THOUSAND. WOW!!! Superstars fail BIG TIME!!!
We all have moral failings as well. The Yetzer Hara has our number and always seems to find a way to get us. So instead of resentment - we can be understanding of people.
Guess who we should start with? Ourselves!!! We can get rid of that little voice inside of us that is so often critical and let ourselves BE. While OF COURSE at the same time striving for spiritual perfection!!! NEVER FORGET THAT WE ARE CHILDREN OF HASHEM WHOSE NESHAMOS ARE FILLED WITH INFINITE DIVINE LIGHT!!!!!! We are both. אדם as in the dust of the earth. And אדם meaning אדמה לעליון - we are similar to Hashem!!!
A Shabbos of acceptance-resentment-cleansing-loving-others-with-all-their-flaws-and-inadequacies!!!!
Love and blessings
