Parashat Noach begins with the words, "Eileh toledot Noach" – "These are the descendants of Noach… " After reading these words, we would expect the verse the continue by presenting Noach's progeny, by listing the names of his children. We do, indeed, find a list of Noach's three sons, but only in the next verse. This opening verse, however, reads, "These are the descendants of Noach – Noach was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age." Why did the Torah prepare to present the names of Noach's offspring, only to digress to the issue of his piety?
Many commentators, including Ramban, Ibn Ezra and Seforno, avoid this problem very easily by interpreting the word "toledot" not as "descendants," but rather to mean "story," or "events." "Eileh toledot Noach" would thus mean, "This is the story of Noach." This story begins with the fact that he was the most righteous man of his generation, who therefore deserved to escape the floodwaters that would destroy the earth.
Rashi, however, cites two other explanations from Chazal. The first views the brief description of Noach's righteousness as a parenthetical comment necessitated by the very mention of Noach. Rashi writes, "Since it mentioned him, it tells of his praise, as it says (Mishlei 10), 'The memory of a tzadik is a blessing." Meaning, whenever we make mention of a righteous person, his piety immediately comes to mind and thus warrants mention, as well.
Rashi then proceeds to cite an additional explanation: "This teaches that the primary 'descendants' of the righteous are their good deeds." According to this approach, when the Torah comes to discuss the "descendants of Noach," it first mentions the primary "offspring" of a tzadik – his good deeds. The actions and conduct of a righteous person are considered his primary progeny, which are seen as more significant than even his biological offspring.
How are we to understand the Midrash's reference to one's good deeds as his "offspring"?
Rav Moshe Feinstein suggests that this Midrash likens a person's religious conduct to children in order to teach several points concerning the proper attitude to good deeds and Torah observance. Specifically, Rav Moshe notes three ways in which one must relate to his behavior similarly to the manner in which he relates to his children. The first is the excitement and enthusiasm involved. Regardless of how much work is entailed, child-rearing is a labor of love, hard work that parents go about with fervor and excitement. This same feeling of joy must accompany our performance of mitzvot, even when we find them difficult or demanding. Secondly, Rav Moshe writes, a person loves and accepts his children no matter who they are; even if a parent feels his child has made a mistake or did not accomplish as he should, he nevertheless loves and cherishes him. We must exhibit this same acceptance when assessing our own lives. We should never discount even the seemingly small or imperfect mitzvot we perform, we may never deny the importance of any good deeds, even those which may appear less than significant. Finally, the hard work and effort invested in the observance of mitzvomust correspond to the work entailed in raising a child. Just as a parent will spare no efforts in raising his or her child, so must we make Torah and mitzvot a central priority of our lives, one which deserves maximum effort and hard work.