Noach – Peninim on the Torah

וישלח את הערב ויצא יצוא ושוב עד יבשת המים מעל הארץ

Sruly Schnair In Noach, 5786

He sent out a raven, and it kept going and returning until the drying of the waters from upon the face of the earth. (8:7)

The raven was not happy about being selected to serve as Noach’s agent to determine whether it was sufficiently dry to disembark from the Ark. Chazal (Bereishis Rabbah 33) relate the dialogue that ensued between the raven and Noach. “From all the beasts and fowl available to you, why did you pick me as (your agent)?” asked the raven. Noach countered, “What purpose do you serve me? You are neither edible nor fit to be used as a korban.” Why did Hashem instruct Noach to send the raven? Chazal continue; Hashem told Noach, “One day, the world will need the…

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ויסגור ד' בעדו

Sruly Schnair In Noach, 5786

Hashem shut (the Ark) on his behalf. (7:16)

The Torah seems to intimate that the “door” to the teivah, Ark, was closed, implying that its inhabitants were safe from the menacing rains. Targum Onkelos and Targum Yonason write, V’agan Hashem b’meimra aleih; “and Hashem shielded him with His Word.” This implies that the Ark was merely the vehicle for its inhabitants to gather and allow for the word of Hashem to protect them. The Ark was not their means of protection. It was Hashem. Horav Eliyahu Baruch Finkel, zl, offers an explanation based on the Rabbinic maxim K’shebaah andarlemusia l’olam, einah mavcheves bein reshaim l’tzadikim, “When chaos comes…

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נח איש צדיק

Sruly Schnair In Noach, 5786

Noach was a righteous man. (6:9)

Can one be considered righteous if his righteousness is due to his seclusion from the world for six centuries? Apparently, the Torah refers to Noach as righteous, despite the fact that he had no influence on the members of the society in which he lived. He really had no alternative. The evil of his generation was so pervasive that had he attempted to reach out, not only would he have been rebuffed, he himself might have become a victim. The Zohar HaKadosh observes that the waters of the flood are called mei Noach (Yeshayah 54:9), waters of Noach, as if…

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נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדרתיו

Sruly Schnair In Noach, 5786

Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations. (6:9)

The Torah introduces Noach as a person who was the paragon of righteousness and moral/ethical perfection. These attributes are especially laudable, given that he lived in the most depraved generation in history. Indeed, that is why the society in which he lived was wiped from the world. At this critical time, Hashem chose Noach to be the progenitor of the future human race. Having said this, we turn to Chazal (Tanchuma 5) who famously debate Noach’s true level of righteousness. Was it relative to the evildoers of his generation? Had he lived in Avraham Avinu’s generation, would his standard of…

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ויחל נח איש האדמה ויטע כרם

Sruly Schnair In Noach, 5785

Noach, the man of the earth, debased himself and planted a vineyard. (9:20)

It seems that the Torah is censuring Noach for planting the grape vine, drinking the wine which he made from its grapes, and then becoming inebriated. While becoming drunk and losing cognitive control is reason for rebuke, what did he do wrong by planting the grape vine? Rashi defines vayachel as debasing himself by craving wine so much that he planted a vineyard. In any event, his craving got the better of him. Is this activity so odious that Noach is considered to have debased himself? Furthermore, should we not take Noach’s emotional well-being into account? He had just witnessed…

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וידבר אלקים אל נח לאמר צא מן התיבה

Sruly Schnair In Noach, 5785

Hashem spoke to Noach, saying: Go forth from the Ark. (8:16)

The Flood had subsided. The ground was dry. Noach removed the Ark’s covering and saw a different world. The sun was shining and welcoming. What was he waiting for? Noach refused to leave the Ark until Hashem commanded him to leave. Hashem had instructed him to enter, he would wait for His instructions to leave. Why? What made Noach remain on the Ark? The only reason he was on the teivah was in order to be spared from the Flood. Clearly, one who is in the Ark for protection purposes should leave once the threat has subsided. Horav Naftali Nebentzhal,…

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בחדש השני בשבעה עשר יום לחדש ... נבקעו כל מעינות תהום רבה וארבות השמים נפתחו

Sruly Schnair In Noach, 5785

In the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month… all the fountains of the great deep burst forth; and the windows of the heavens were opened. (7:11)

Someone who does not know (or refuses to know) the truth could read about the commencement of the Flood as if it were a natural phenomenon that went awry and destroyed the world’s population. Nowhere does the Torah mention that Hashem choreographed everything that occurred. Indeed, during the destruction of Sodom and Amorah, the Torah writes that Hashem rained fire on the city. Why is Hashem’s Name not mentioned in connection with the Flood? It was the greatest and most devastating punishment in the history of mankind; everything was obliterated. Yet, we do not see Hashem’s hand. The Nesivos Shalom…

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ויאמר ארור כנען עבד עבדים יהיה לאחיו

Sruly Schnair In Noach, 5784

And he said, “Cursed is Canaan; a slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers.” (9:25)

Cham committed an unspeakable act against his father, Noach, and, in turn, Noach cursed his fourth son, Canaan. Rashi explains that Noach intimated to Cham, “You caused me to be unable to have a fourth son who would serve me. May your fourth son be cursed by serving the offspring of these greater ones: Shem and Yafes (for now they will have to care for me). The term eved avadim, a slave of slaves, requires clarification. After all, a slave is a slave. What difference does it make who his master is? Horav Aryeh Leib Heyman, zl, explains that Noach…

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כי אתך ראיתי צדיק לפני בדור הזה

Sruly Schnair In Noach, 5784

For I have seen you as righteous in this generation. (7:1)

The Zohar HaKadosh (Zohar Chadash Noach 29a) relates that, when Noach exited the Teivah, Ark, and saw a world destroyed, he became morose and cried out to Hashem, “Master of the Universe, You are called Merciful. You should have had mercy on the world.” Hashem replied, “Roeh shatya, foolish shepherd – now you daven? You should have davened when I told you, ‘For I have seen you as righteous in this generation.’” Why, indeed, did Noach not pray that the Flood be rescinded and the world not be destroyed? Horav Tzvi Kushelevsky, Shlita, explains that Noach believed that the world…

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כי מלאה הארץ חמס מפניהם והנני משחיתם את הארץ

Sruly Schnair In Noach, 5784

Now the land was filled with robbery, and behold I shall destroy them from the earth. (6:13)

Chazal (Bereishis Rabbah 31:5) distinguish between gezel and chamas. While both relieve the victim of his possessions, gezel refers to robbery of an item worth at least a shavah perutah, value of a perutah (smallest coin). Chamas, however, refers to robbery of an item which does not have the value of a perutah. This is how the people of that generation stole from one another. They came upon a man selling vegetables in the market. One by one the people would take less than the value of a perutah of a vegetable, until it was all gone. In other words,…

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וישלח את הערב ויצא יצוא ושוב עד יבשת המים מעל הארץ

He sent out a raven, and it kept going and returning until the drying of the waters from upon the face of the earth. (8:7)

ויסגור ד' בעדו

Hashem shut (the Ark) on his behalf. (7:16)

נח איש צדיק

Noach was a righteous man. (6:9)

נח איש צדיק תמים היה בדרתיו

Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations. (6:9)

ויחל נח איש האדמה ויטע כרם

Noach, the man of the earth, debased himself and planted a vineyard. (9:20)

וידבר אלקים אל נח לאמר צא מן התיבה

Hashem spoke to Noach, saying: Go forth from the Ark. (8:16)

בחדש השני בשבעה עשר יום לחדש ... נבקעו כל מעינות תהום רבה וארבות השמים נפתחו

In the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month… all the fountains of the great deep burst forth; and the windows of the heavens were opened. (7:11)

ויאמר ארור כנען עבד עבדים יהיה לאחיו

And he said, “Cursed is Canaan; a slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers.” (9:25)

כי אתך ראיתי צדיק לפני בדור הזה

For I have seen you as righteous in this generation. (7:1)

כי מלאה הארץ חמס מפניהם והנני משחיתם את הארץ

Now the land was filled with robbery, and behold I shall destroy them from the earth. (6:13)

YEARS

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