The following is a brief summary of some of thoughts said over by R' Frand on the parsha last evening. I have attempted to reproduce these vorts to the best of my ability. Any perceived inconsistency is the result of my efforts to transcribe the shiur and should not be attributed to R' Frand.
R' Frand quoted a Medrash Tanchuma which writes that Noach was called a Tzaddik because he fed the world. The Medrash Tanchuma further writes that only one other person is called a Tzaddik - Yosef because he also fed the world and a person is called a Tzaddik specifically because he feeds the world.
R' Frand quoted the Sefer Abir Ya'akov who explains the pesukim in Ashrei where we say פּוֹתֵ֥חַ אֶת־יָדֶ֑ךָ וּמַשְׂבִּ֖יעַ לְכָל־חַ֣י רָצֽוֹן followed by צַדִּ֣יק יְ֖הֹוָה בְּכָל־דְּרָכָ֑יו וְ֜חָסִ֗יד בְּכָל־מַֽעֲשָֽׂיו. R' Frand remarked that there could have been other pesukim starting with the letter Tzaddik, but this was placed there to show that one who feeds the world is a Tzaddik.
R' Frand tied this into the prayer on Hoshana Rabbah - Adama Me'errer with all of its requests for blessing - all of which have to do with parnasah for the world. And after this prayer we say the pasuk - צַדִּ֣יק יְ֖הֹוָה בְּכָל־דְּרָכָ֑יו וְ֜חָסִ֗יד בְּכָל־מַֽעֲשָֽׂיו - because feeding the world is the act of the Tzaddik.
So how does someone in today's generation get the title Tzaddik? R' Frand quoted a Rashi which writes that Noach was called a Tzaddik because he did not cheat in business. R' Frand then cited a Rambam which states that a worker should work with full effort, because we see that Yaakov HaTzaddik worked for Lavan with a full effort. We can achieve that name too by working fully for our employers.
R' Frand also quoted the Chizkuni who asks why the generation of the flood was punished and why was Kayin punished, when none of the commands had yet been made by Hashem? He answered that there are Mitzvos that even if we are not commanded, they are logical and should have been followed. Even though no one was commanded not to kill, it was obvious that Kayin should not have killed.
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