By Rabbi Moshe Vosoghi:
Noach and his family were chosen to be the few survivors of the catastrophic flood. Though saved from destruction, their job was far
from over. Night and day, Noach and his sons fed the many animals under their care, according to each creature’sparticular diet and
feeding time. As the days turned into months, the stench becameunbearable, to the point where Noach was coughing and spitting up
blood! Finally, after a full year, Noach determined that the water had receded and it was safe to open the doors and escape the
cramped floating zoo. Yet, instead of knocking down the door and rushing out to dry land, Noach surprisingly waited for a command
from Hashem before leaving.Noach was well aware that Hashem only needed him in the Teivah as a means to save Noach from the
Flood. At this point, why did Noach wait, the Flood was over – go out!
The Yalkut Shimoni (Remez 59) explains that Noach felt that it would not be proper to rush out of the Tevah – after all, Hashem
commanded him to go in, how could he leave without being told? Though Noach desperately wanted some fresh air and room to
movearound, he held himself back, because it would not be Derech Eretz, to leave without specific permission. We sometimes relate to
Derech Eretz as ‘a nice thing.’ Because it is only a nice thing, we may tend to slip when it comes to our inconveniences. The truth is,
Derech Eretz isn’t just a nice thing, it’s who you are. Acting properly in all situations – speaking softly in tense confrontations, helping
others in their time of need, and being courteous to others are not simply things we do, they are the actions that make us. When we
choose to focus on our wants and desires in place of civility and dignity, we change ourselves into different, coarse people. By
reminding ourselves how far Noach went in the name of Derech Eretz, we can inspire ourselves to be better people.