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What changed fundamentally in man between Bereishis and Noach that warranted a flood? Pre-flood man had a tzurath Adam—his body projected godliness and values. Post-flood man is called basar (flesh)—he retains tzelem Elokim but projects only lust and drives. The covenant guarantees this minimal tzurah will never be lost, and bris milah begins the tikun of restoring kedusha to human flesh.
This shiur explores the fundamental transformation of human nature between Parshas Bereishis and Parshas Noach, explaining why the generation of the flood merited such devastating punishment and what changed in man's essential nature afterward. Rabbi Zweig develops a comprehensive framework distinguishing between a person's chomer (matter) and tzurah (form), and between tzelem Elokim and d'mus Elokim. The shiur opens with a Mishna in Bava Metzia stating that one who reneges on a sale after money has been paid (though legally entitled to do so) is subject to "Mi she'para," the curse invoking the One who punished the Generation of the Flood. This seems disproportionate—breaking one's word is not comparable to the terrible sins of the flood generation. The answer, Rabbi Zweig explains, is that both involve the same fundamental problem: the loss of tzurath Adam. When a person doesn't keep his word, he ceases to be a person in the full sense—he has lost an essential defining characteristic of humanity.
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Parshas Noach
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