Parshat No'ach

Aliya-by-Aliya Sedra Summary
Numbers in [square brackets] are the Mitzva-count of Sefer HaChinuch AND Rambam's Sefer HaMitzvot. A=ASEI (positive mitzva); L=LAV (prohibition). X:Y is the perek and pasuk from which the mitzva comes.

[P> X:Y (Z)] and [S> X:Y (Z)] indicate start of a parsha p'tucha or s'tuma respectively. X:Y is Perek:Pasuk of the beginning of the parsha; (Z) is the number of p'sukim in the parsha.

Kohen - First Aliya - 14 p'sukim - 6:9-22
The sedra of B'reishit began with the glorious account of creation and "went downhill" from there: The exile of Adam and Chava from Gan Eden, Kayin and Hevel, the continuous degeneration through successive generations until G-d's "regret" for having created the world and his "decision" to destroy it.

The only high note of this universal downslide comes at the end of the sedra: "But No'ach found favor in G-d's eyes".

[P> 6:9 (4)] The sedra of No'ach continues this thread and tells us that No'ach was "completely righteous IN HIS TIME".

SDT: Rashi presents the divergent opinions as to whether "in his time" is complimentary or derogatory. Was No'ach great EVEN in his very wicked generation, or was he great only by comparison to the generation in which he lived. Although Rashi does not seem to favor one possibility over the other, it seems obvious that No'ach was not as great as Avraham Avinu. A look at the fifth chapter of Pirkei Avot will reveal a significant difference between No'ach and Avraham. Ten generations between Adam and No'ach and ten between No'ach and Avraham, both to teach us about G-d's long patience. Same. Yet when the first full run of ten generations was up, the Flood came. When the second one was up, the Mishna tells us, that Avraham's merit sustained the whole world. No'ach's merit seems to have been only enough only to save his own family. On the other hand, there was a significant difference between the generations of No'ach and Avraham that cannot be ignored, and make comparisons unfair.

Ponder this: Concerning the two different ways to evaluate No'ach's righteousness. Remember back a few short (but busy) weeks to the Musaf of Rosh HaShana, specifically to the ZICHRONOT bracha. Not only is one of the 10 p'sukim from Tanach about G-d's remembering of No'ach, but the pasuk is introduced in a way that the following p'sukim of G-d's remembering the cry of the people in Egypt and of G-d's remembering the Avot are not similarly introduced.

"Of Noah also You were mindful in Your love, and did remember him with a promise of salvation and mercy, when You brought the waters of the flood to destroy all flesh on account of their evil deeds. So his remembrance came before You, HaShem our God, to increase his seed like the dust of the earth, and his offspring like the sand of the sea."

The Torah essentially repeats that No'ach had three sons - Sheim, Cham, and Yefet, and that the world was totally corrupt.

[S> 6:13 (48)] Then No'ach is informed by G-d of His plans to destroy the world and is commanded to build an ark, bring into it two of every kind of animal and sufficient food for his family and the animals.

Commentaries point out that No'ach was given ample time to try to influence his generation to mend its ways. He either didn't succeed or didn't try too hard. He did exactly as he was told (implying, and not more).

Think about this...
G-d could have destroyed the world and saved No'ach and family and the pairs of animals with a miraculous snap of His finger. In no time. With no human involvement. He could have, but He didn't. He could have left No'ach on his own, to do the whole job of saving his family and sample pairs of all the animals. He didn't do that either. (It probably would have been humanly impossible for No'ach to have done the whole job on his own.)

What G-d did do is command No'ach to build an ark of a specific size, a three-tiered floating structure, and to gather all the food necessary to feed many, many animals and his family for a year. This, say some commentaries, cannot be done without a heavy dose of miracle, of suspension of the laws of nature.

But it wasn't all supernatural. No'ach was part of it. And that is what G-d usually wants when it comes to miracles. We, as humans, relate so much better to that kind of miracle. Nachshon b. Aminadav needed to jump into the Sea before it would split. We need to see some familiar nature inside a miracle... and we also need to see the miracle inside nature.

SDT: Baal HaTurim points out that the Torah says EILEH TO-L'DOT... four times (as opposed to V'EILEH -PC), and each time it comes to negate what came before it. EILEH TO-L'DOT SHAMAYIM VA'ARETZ... nullifies the TOHU VAVOHU (chaos and emptiness that preceded formation of this world). ...NO'ACH, to negate the generations that came before him. ...SHEIM (No'ach's son), to negate CHAM and YEFET. ...YAAKOV, to negate EISAV.

Levi - Second Aliya - 16 p'sukim - 7:1-16
G-d tells No'ach and his family to go into the Teiva (ark) and to take with him seven pairs of each kind of kosher animal and bird. Noa'ch is told that in seven more days it will rain for 40 days and nights during which time all life on earth will be wiped out. No'ach was 600 years old at the time of the Flood. And so it happened.

G-d's commands to No'ach to take pairs of animals as well as 7 pairs of kosher animals and birds, are two separate matters. The pairs of animals were for the survival and continuation of the species. These animals, we are taught, came on their own by instinct of self- preservation. On the other hand, No'ach had to bring into the Teiva the other animals, whose destiny, so to speak, was the Altar and the dinner table.

How many deers were in the Ark?
Seven pairs because the deer is a kosher animal, or only two (one pair) because the deer is never brought as a Korban? Since some say that the reason for the seven pairs was because of sacrifices, and others say it was to provide kosher food, what's the answer for deer? Similarly, how many chickens? Sacrifices? No. Food? Yes. So which was it?

Rabbi Zev Leff explains that B'nei No'ach are permitted to offer sacrifices from ANY kosher animal or bird; No'ach was not restricted to cow, goat, sheep, and two types of doves - the only acceptable Korbanot for Jews in the Mikdash. Hence, for either reason, it would seem that there were seven pairs of deer (each and every species?), giraffe, okapi, gnu (nothing much - what's gnu with you?), yak, chicken, sparrow, peafowl, etc.

Shlishi - Third Aliya - 22 p'sukim - 7:17-8:14
The rains fell and the waters of the deep surged for 40 days and nights, but the Flood remained at its highest level for an additional 150 days. G-d 'remembered" No'ach and all with him in the ark, and the waters began to recede. The ark settled on Mt. Ararat and 40 days later (Remember the first 40 days which represent death of all living things? This time the 40 represents the rebirth of those who survived the Mabul), No'ach opened the "window" of the ark and sent out a raven. Then he sent out a dove, and again, and finally after a full (365 day) year, the earth was ready to receive its new inhabitants.

R'vi'i - Fourth Aliya - 15 p'sukim - 8:15-9:7
[S> 8:15 (15)] G-d tells No'ach to leave the ark with his wife, his sons and their wives, and all the animals and birds. No'ach builds an altar and sacrifices upon it from all the kosher species. G-d's "reaction" to No'ach's offerings is that in spite of the basic evil potential of human nature, He will not destroy in the "wholesale fashion" of the Flood (but rather punish on a more restricted and specific basis).

The laws of nature are altered to provide the world with a never- ceasing cycle of seasons and climactic conditions.

HERE'S A THOUGHT... We can see in the account of the Flood and its aftermath, a continuation of creation. It is as if stage 1 of creation was recorded in Breishit and here we have stage 2. In other words, the world as we know it came into existence during the 6 days of creation AND during the Flood which took place 10 generations later. Sort of like a rough draft and a further revision. And we, by the way, constantly affect the continuous further dynamic revisions.

G-d blessed and commanded No'ach and his family (and all of mankind) to "be fruitful and multiply".

(Let the point in the use of the two verbs not go by without notice: The ability to have children and raise a family is a mitzva and a wonderful blessing as well.)
No'ach receives permission to eat meat (this was denied to the previous generations), but was warned not to eat from a live animal. Murder and the other Noahide Laws are referred to and/or inferred, at this point. Again, No'ach and family are told to be fruitful and repopulate the world.

Chamishi - 5th Aliya - 10 p'sukim - 9:8-17
[S> 9:8 (10)] G-d makes a promise to mankind that He will never again destroy the world as He did with the Flood. The rainbow will serve as sign and reminder of this promise.

We acknowledge the significance of a rainbow by reciting a bracha when we see one "...He Who remembers the Covenant, is faithful to it, and keeps His word." Of the 10 items mentioned in Avot as having been created at the instant between the Six Days of Creation and the first Shabbat, all but the rainbow are supernatural. The rainbow, by virtue of its inclusion on this special list, can be seen as a bridge between the natural and the supernatural. Put differently, we should see G-d's handiwork in all the elements of nature, not just in obvious miracles. "The mouth of the Earth" was a one-time creation to dispose of Korach and his gang. But regular rocks and hills, crags and clefts are no less part of G-d's handiwork.

Some say that a rainbow is a sign that G-d is angry with the world and would want to destroy it - except He promised not to. On the other hand, Yechezkel describes the Heavenly Throne as like a rainbow, and the radiance of the Kohen Gadol upon leaving the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur is also likened to a rainbow in the sky. And it's beautiful, too!

Shishi - Sixth Aliya - 44 p'sukim - 9:18-10:32
Second longest Shishi in the Torah
[P> 9:18 (12)] Some time after leaving the ark, No'ach becomes a tiller of the soil and a grape grower. He produces wine and becomes drunk. One of his sons, Cham, behaves immorally with his father in his drunken state; Shem and Yefet behave admirably in the situation, protecting their father's honor and modesty. When No'ach realizes what has happened, he curses Cham and Cham's son Canaan, and blesses Shem and Yafet.

No'ach lives 350 years after the Flood, and dies at the age of 950.

The arithmetic of No'ach's years (600 before + 350 after = 950) seems not to take into account the year of the Flood. There is a good case to be made for not considering the duration of the Flood in calculations of the chronology of the world. We might look at the Flood as a period of "suspended animation" - laws of nature were not in effect; perhaps time as we know it cannot apply to that interval either. The animals in the ark did not function in their normal ways. No'ach had no sleep during the whole period (if we take statements made as literal).

[P> 10:1 (14)] The Torah next outlines the generations that followed No'ach including mention of Nimrod, the mighty rebel against G-d, and the nations that came from Sheim, Cham and Yefet.

These are the descendants of No'ach (numbers in brackets count the 70 nations of the world).
We'll call NO'ACH the zero generation. That makes SHEIM, CHAM, and YEFET, the first generation after No'ach.
The Torah starts the genealogy with Yefet. Generation 2 from Yefet are:
[1] Gomer, [2] Magog, [3] Madai, [4] Yavan, [5] Yuval, [6] Meshech, and [7] Tiras (who Rashi says is Paras, which partners him nicely with his brother Madai).
Third generation from Noach via Yefet's children:
From Gomer: [8] Ashkenaz, [9] Rifat, and [10] Togarma.
From Yavan: [11] Elisha, [12] Tarshish, [13] Kitim, and [14] Dodanim.
2nd generation from No'ach via Cham:
[15] Kush, [16] Mitzrayim, [17] Put, and [18] K'na'an.
3rd generation via Cham's children:
From Kush: [19] S'va, [20] Chavila, [21] Savta, [22] Ra'ma, [23] Savt'cha
Ra'ma had [24] Sh'va and [25] D'dan. (These two being 4th generation.)
Kush also fathered Nimrod, not numbered among the 70.
From Mitzrayim: [26] Ludim, [27] Anamim, [28] L'havim, [29] Naftuchim, [30] Patrusim, [31] Kasluchim, (from either 30 or 31 came [32] P'lishtim - according to Rashi, Patrusim and Kasluchim swapped wives a lot and the P'lishtim came from both of them), [33] Kaftorim (who might also have come from Patrusim/Kasluchim or from Mitzrayim - disputed by commentaries).
No one mentioned from Put.
[S> 10:15 (6)] From K'na'an: [34] Tzidon, [35] Cheit, [36] the Yevusi, [37] the Emori, [38] the Girgashi, [39] the Chivi, [40] the Arki, [41] the Sini, [42] the Arvadi, [43] the T''mari, and [44] the Chamati.
So far, 25 from Yefet, 19 from Cham.
[S> 10:21 (12)] From Sheim: [45] Eilam, [46] Ashur, [47] Arpachshad, [48] Lud, [49] Aram.
From Aram: [50] Utz, [51] Chul, [52] Geter, [53] Mash.
From Arpachshad came [54] Shelach and from him came [55] Eiver. Eiver is 4th generation. He had [56] Peleg and [57] Yaktan (5th generation).
From Yaktan: [58] Almodad, [59] Shelef, [60] Chatzarmavet, [61] Yerach, [62] Hadoram, [63] Uzal, [64] Dikla, [65] Oval, [66] Avima'el, [67] Sh'va (same name as 24), [68] Ofir, [69] Chavila (same name as 20), and [70] Yovav.
That's 26 from Sheim. Total 70.
Numbering from The Living Torah - R' Aryeh Kaplan z"l
It should not be lost on us that the birth of the world population is describe as the 70 nations, and the birth of Israel begins with "70souls."

Sh'VII - Seventh Aliya - 32 p'sukim - 11:1-32
Longest Sh'vi'i in the Torah
[P> 11:1 (9)] The Torah tells us of the attempt to build the "Tower of Babel", the symbol of rebellion against G-d. G-d thwarted the plans, confused the languages of mankind and scattered the people far and wide.

SDT: Commentaries contrast the two sinful generations in this sedra. Dor HaMabul was destroyed because their sins included the destruction of society by total disregard of a person for his fellow. Dor HaPlaga sinned against G-d alone, not against each other. Such a society (albeit warped) can survive; G-d can permit it to continue under these circumstances.

[P> 11:10 (2)] The sedra returns to the lineage of No'ach, this time tracing only through Sheim. We find for each generation, the name of the "main" person, his age when his "main, named" son was born, how many years he lived after his "main" son was born, and the fact that other sons and daughters were born.

Note that the total length of life for these second "10 generations" is not given, as it was in the first set of 10 generations. For example, Yered (back in B'reishit) was 162 years old when Chanoch was born. Yered lived for 800 more years after Chanoch was born. Yered's total number of years was 962 - adding for us. Here, in No'ach, we get the two numbers and have to add them up on our own.

Sheim was 100 when he had Arpachshad (two years after the Flood). He lived a further 500 years (600).

[P> 11:12 (2)] Arpachshad had Shelach at 35. Lived 403 more years (438).
[P> 11:14 (2)] Shelach was 30 when he had Eiver. Then another 403 years (same as his father). (Total: 433).
[P> 11:16 (2)] Eiver was 34 when Peleg was born. He lived another 430 years (464).
[P> 11:18 (2)] Peleg was 30 when R'u was born. He lived another 209 (total, 239).
[P> 11:20 (2)] R'u was 32 when S'rug was born. Plus another 207 years (239).
[P> 11:22 (2)] S'rug was 30 when he had Nachor. He lived another 200 years (230).
[P> 11:24 (2)] Nachor was 29 when Terach was born. He lived 119 more years (148).
[P> 11:26 (7)] Terach was 70 (there's that number again, and also notice how much older Terach was when he had children, compared with all previous generations back to Arpachshad.) Terach had three sons, Avram, Nachor, and Haran. Haran had Lot. Haran died. Avram married Sarai and Nachor married his niece Milka, Haran's daughter.

The Torah makes a point of telling us that Sarai was barren.

Terach takes his son Avram, his grandson Lot, his daughter-in-law Sarai, they leave Ur Kasdim and head out for the land of K'naan. They make it as far as Charan and settle there. Terach dies in Charan at 205 years of age (the only one since No'ach with a recorded age at death).

The events the Torah mentions at the end of Parshat No'ach did not happen in the sequence recorded. Commentaries explain why.

The sedra thus ends with the stage set for the next major phase of world development - the return to belief in one G-d and the "birth of Judaism".

Haftara - 22 p'sukim - Yeshayahu - 54:1-55:5
Yeshayahu draws a comparison between the covenant that G-d made with all mankind via No'ach and the promises to the People of Israel concerning their future. Just as G-d promised never to flood the whole Earth again, so too does He promise not to rebuke and punish Israel (in the future). There are phrases in the haftara that make the connection to the sedra all the stronger.

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