Noach – Page 5 – Peninim on the Torah

צא מן התבה אתה ואשתך ובניך ונשי בניך אתך

“Go forth from the Ark: you and your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you.” (8:16)

Noach had been living in a sealed ark, together with thousands of animals for over a year. One would think that when the first opportunity to leave would present itself, he would run as fast as he could. Apparently, this is not what happened. After being in the Ark, slaving all day and night ceaselessly for a year, Noach was not ready to leave. It required Hashem’s command to enable Noach to set foot outside of the Ark. Why? It is not as if he were living comfortably amid luxury. What was holding him back? Perhaps he did not know…

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ויקח שם ויפת את השמלה וישימו על שכם שניהם וילכו אחרנית ויכסו את ערות אביהם

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Noach, 5776

And Shem and Yafes took a garment, laid it upon their shoulders, and they walked backwards, and covered their father’s nakedness. (9:23)

Rashi notes the singular term vayikach, implying that he – Shem – was the one who took the garment to fulfill the commandment of honoring his father. Because he exerted himself more than Yafes, his reward exceeded that of Yafes. Shem was blessed with the mitzvah of Tzitzis, and Yafes, who also participated in carrying out the mitzvah, was blessed with burial for his descendants. This refers to the war of Gog and Magog, during which the children of Yafes will be accorded burial in Eretz Yisrael. The commentators question the attribution of the mitzvah of Tzitzis to Shem’s noble…

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וייקץ נח מיינו וידע את אשר עשה לו בנו הקטן. – ויאמר ארור כנען

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Noach, 5776

When Noach awoke from his wine, he learned what his youngest son did to him. And he said, “Cursed be Canaan.” (9:24,25)

Three sons – two acted appropriately – one did not. Noach acted in a manner unbecoming an individual of his sublime stature. It was a temporary lapse, an error in judgment, after having observed the destruction of the entire world. He did not commit an outrageous sin, but he should have acted in a more exalted manner. Vayachel Noach, “Noach debased himself” (Ibid 9:20). We see that even great people can lose control of themselves and act foolishly. The reaction of Noach’s sons defines their characters. Crisis brings out a person’s true essence. Some children are wonderful, as long as…

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ויהי כל הארץ שפה אחת ודברים אחדים

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Noach, 5776

The whole Earth was of one language and of common purpose. (11:1)

In his well-known commentary to the pasuk, Rashi gives us a perspective on the sin of the Dor HaFlagah, generation of the Dispersion. He asks whose sin was greater: that of the generation of the Flood, who did not plan a mass rebellion against Hashem; or the generation of the Dispersion, who did? He explains that the former, who were robbers that contended with one another, were totally destroyed by the Flood. The latter, however, who worked with one another, getting along amicably for the purpose of executing one goal, were simply dispersed. Apparently, the strife and contention that prevailed…

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אלה תולדות נח נח איש צדיק

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Noach, 5775

These are the offspring of Noach – Noach was a righteous man. (6:9)

The pasuk begins with an introduction: the following are Noach’s offspring. Yet, rather than mention any names, it goes on to praise Noach as a righteous person. What happened to his offspring? Rashi quotes the Midrash which teaches that one’s primary “offspring” are his good deeds. This is especially true concerning the tzaddik whose entire life is devoted to the performance of good deeds. A young man who had been married for some time– and had not yet been blessed with children– had occasion to bring something to the venerable Rebbe of Gur, the Lev Simchah. The Rebbe was appreciative….

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כי מלאה הארץ חמס

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Noach, 5775

And the earth had become filled with robbery. (6:13)

Rashi explains that the fate of the people of that generation was sealed as a result of theft. The members of the dor hamabul, generation of the Flood, were guilty of many other and more egregious transgressions. Why did theft play such a critical role in their fate? Furthermore, it is a well-established maxim that Hashem does not exact punishment on a person’s body until He has exhausted all other avenues of punishment. We see that the individual who is guilty of behavior which brings on the onset of tzaraas, spiritual leprosy, first notices the plague on his house and…

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קץ כל בשר בא לפני

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Noach, 5775

The end of all flesh has come before Me. (6:13)

Simply, this means that the immorality of this generation had exceeded all boundaries. A people that behave so immorally, who are filled with such corruption, have forfeited their right to existence. Their end must come. Hashem told Noach to build an Ark and take his time doing it, so that maybe the people would repent, thereby averting the decree issued against them. The Kli Yakar interprets this statement with a homiletic twist. “The end of all flesh has come before Me”: When is there an end to all flesh? This refers to the yom ha’missah, day of death, when the…

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עשה לך תיבת עצי גפר

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Noach, 5775

Make for yourself an Ark of gopher wood. (6:14)

Rashi explains that, indeed, Hashem had a wealth of ways to save Noach. The Teivah, Ark, was not for Noach; rather, Noach worked for one hundred and twenty years building this incredibly large boat, so that the curious spectators would question Noach, who would impart the message of impending doom. Perhaps this would motivate them to repent. In other words, the sole purpose of the Ark was to inspire the people to do teshuvah, repent. Hashem’s boundless compassion for His creations is so great that He held off the punishment which they certainly deserved, just because they might repent. We…

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והנה עלה זית טרף בפיה

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Noach, 5775

And behold! An olive leaf it had plucked with its bill. (8:11)

The Midrash teaches that, in addition to representatives of every living creature which Noach brought with him into the Teivah, Ark, he also brought seeds and shoots from all types of vegetation. The purpose was simple: He and all the creatures would survive, but what would they eat? From what would they sustain themselves? There was one plant which he did not take: the olive. In their commentary to the Torah, the Baalei Tosfos explain that the olive cannot endure one full year out of the soil. Thus, it would not have survived on the Ark. Therefore, it is interesting…

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וימת הרן על פני תרח אביו

Rabbi L. Scheinbaum In Noach, 5775

Haran died in the lifetime of Terach his father. (11:28)

Haran was the brother of Avraham Avinu. Very little is written about him, because he did not live very long, and, for all intents and purposes, he did not seem to have achieved very much. This is the first mistake. When we judge a person’s life accomplishments, we must do it with a lens that sees far beyond our first impression. Also, we must take into consideration that Hashem rewards every person in accordance with his own personal barometer of values. Thus, if a person devotes his life to material pursuits, the chances are that his reward will be material…

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צא מן התבה אתה ואשתך ובניך ונשי בניך אתך

“Go forth from the Ark: you and your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you.” (8:16)

ויקח שם ויפת את השמלה וישימו על שכם שניהם וילכו אחרנית ויכסו את ערות אביהם

And Shem and Yafes took a garment, laid it upon their shoulders, and they walked backwards, and covered their father’s nakedness. (9:23)

וייקץ נח מיינו וידע את אשר עשה לו בנו הקטן. – ויאמר ארור כנען

When Noach awoke from his wine, he learned what his youngest son did to him. And he said, “Cursed be Canaan.” (9:24,25)

ויהי כל הארץ שפה אחת ודברים אחדים

The whole Earth was of one language and of common purpose. (11:1)

אלה תולדות נח נח איש צדיק

These are the offspring of Noach – Noach was a righteous man. (6:9)

כי מלאה הארץ חמס

And the earth had become filled with robbery. (6:13)

קץ כל בשר בא לפני

The end of all flesh has come before Me. (6:13)

עשה לך תיבת עצי גפר

Make for yourself an Ark of gopher wood. (6:14)

והנה עלה זית טרף בפיה

And behold! An olive leaf it had plucked with its bill. (8:11)

וימת הרן על פני תרח אביו

Haran died in the lifetime of Terach his father. (11:28)

YEARS

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