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genesis: Noach

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Genesis 6:9The Kehot Chumash
9

אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת נֹחַ נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה בְּדֹרֹתָיו אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים הִתְהַלֶּךְ־נֹחַ׃

The following are the descendants of Noah. Inasmuch as Noah alone was destined to perpetuate the lineage of the human race that began with Adam, the Torah begins a new history of humanity from him. But before enumerating his offspring, the Torah first describes his righteousness, in order to explain why God singled him out to be spared from the impending flood and to demonstrate that our true “offspring” are our good deeds: Even though his life spanned many corrupt generations, Noah was a righteous man; he remained faultless despite the corruptive influence of his generations. Nonetheless, he did not possess sufficient moral fortitude to remain righteous on his own. Rather, in order to remain righteous, Noah walked with God, that is, he had to keep his mind constantly focused on Him. Thus, on an absolute scale, he would not have been considered exceptionally righteous; he was faultless only relative to the corruption of his generations.

10

וַיּוֹלֶד נֹחַ שְׁלֹשָׁה בָנִים אֶת־שֵׁם אֶת־חָם וְאֶת־יָפֶת׃

Noah was the father of three sons: Shem, who would play the most pivotal role in the ensuing history of humanity; Ham, the youngest; and Japheth, the oldest.

11

וַתִּשָּׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים וַתִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ חָמָס׃

As recounted above, by the year 1536, the world had become corrupt before God, with idolatry and licentiousness rampant, and in addition, the land was filled with robbery.

12

וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאָרֶץ וְהִנֵּה נִשְׁחָתָה כִּי־הִשְׁחִית כׇּל־בָּשָׂר אֶת־דַּרְכּוֹ עַל־הָאָרֶץ׃ {ס}        

God saw the world, and it was corrupt, for almost all flesh – even the animals – had perverted its way on the earth by engaging in cross-species relations.

13

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים לְנֹחַ קֵץ כׇּל־בָּשָׂר בָּא לְפָנַי כִּי־מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ חָמָס מִפְּנֵיהֶם וְהִנְנִי מַשְׁחִיתָם אֶת־הָאָרֶץ׃

In that year, God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to all flesh, for several reasons: Firstly, many of them are guilty of idolatry and licentiousness, and this type of indiscriminate behavior incurs the corrective response of indiscriminate destruction. Nonetheless, these two transgressions by themselves would not be enough to seal their fate; it is because the world is filled with robbery because of them that I will obliterate them from the earth. True, many of them are below the age of 100 and thus cannot be held legally culpable, but society has degenerated to the point where there is no longer any hope that they will turn out righteous at a later stage. Even though I am not going to destroy the world in its entirety, I will wipe out the top layer of earth – as deep as can be reached by a plow – to express how their malevolent behavior almost made Me regret having created the world in the first place.

14

עֲשֵׂה לְךָ תֵּבַת עֲצֵי־גֹפֶר קִנִּים תַּעֲשֶׂה אֶת־הַתֵּבָה וְכָפַרְתָּ אֹתָהּ מִבַּיִת וּמִחוּץ בַּכֹּפֶר׃

Of all the ways at My disposal to spare you from this destruction, I want you to make yourself an enormous ark. Perhaps when everyone sees what you are doing and asks you about it, the news of the impending flood will inspire them to repent. You are to build it out in the open, and I want you to build it yourself, without any help from your sons or anyone else; this way it will take you a long time to build it, giving your contemporaries ample time to consider repenting. Make the ark out of cypress wood, for the word for ‘cypress’ (gofer) is related to the word for ‘sulphur’ (gofrit), and the floodwater will be sulfurous, a fact that might further encourage the people to repent. You must make the ark with compartments for each type of animal, and you must caulk it both inside and outside with pitch. It will be necessary to caulk it both inside and out because the floodwater will hit it forcefully.

15

וְזֶה אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשֶׂה אֹתָהּ שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת אַמָּה אֹרֶךְ הַתֵּבָה חֲמִשִּׁים אַמָּה רׇחְבָּהּ וּשְׁלֹשִׁים אַמָּה קוֹמָתָהּ׃

This is how you must make it: The length of the ark will be 300 cubits [144 meters, or 471 feet], its width 50 cubits [24 meters, or 77 feet], and its height 30 cubits [14.4 meters, or 47 feet]. Even though you will naturally stock the ark with enough lamps to provide light, it must be even better-lit.

16

צֹהַר ׀ תַּעֲשֶׂה לַתֵּבָה וְאֶל־אַמָּה תְּכַלֶּנָּה מִלְמַעְלָה וּפֶתַח הַתֵּבָה בְּצִדָּהּ תָּשִׂים תַּחְתִּיִּם שְׁנִיִּם וּשְׁלִשִׁים תַּעֲשֶׂהָ׃

You must therefore make a skylight and use a luminous stone for additional light in the ark. Taper the roof so that its tip is one cubit wide, so the water will run off it. Place the entrance to the ark in its side, so the water won’t seep in from above. You must make it with a lower deck for waste, a second deck for the animals, and a third deck for the people.

17

וַאֲנִי הִנְנִי מֵבִיא אֶת־הַמַּבּוּל מַיִם עַל־הָאָרֶץ לְשַׁחֵת כׇּל־בָּשָׂר אֲשֶׁר־בּוֹ רוּחַ חַיִּים מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־בָּאָרֶץ יִגְוָע׃

As for Me, I am ready to agree with those angels who opposed the creation of humanity. I am about to bring the Flood of water upon the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh that has in it a breath of life. The water will cause total disorder and disarray, and everything will rot. The surface of the earth will remain submerged underwater for one full year. Everything on earth will expire.

18

וַהֲקִמֹתִי אֶת־בְּרִיתִי אִתָּךְ וּבָאתָ אֶל־הַתֵּבָה אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ וְאִשְׁתְּךָ וּנְשֵׁי־בָנֶיךָ אִתָּךְ׃

But I will establish My covenant with you: I promise you that the food that you bring with you into the ark will not rot during the entire time that you are in it, and that the people will not kill you when they find out what you are doing. You and your family must enter the ark, but men and women are to live in separate quarters: you will be together with your sons, and your wife will be with your sons’ wives. It is not appropriate to engage in marital relations while the earth is being destroyed. The animals will likewise not be allowed to mate in the ark.

19

וּמִכׇּל־הָחַי מִכׇּל־בָּשָׂר שְׁנַיִם מִכֹּל תָּבִיא אֶל־הַתֵּבָה לְהַחֲיֹת אִתָּךְ זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה יִהְיוּ׃

Of all incorporeal living beings – the demons – and of all flesh, you must bring a minimum of two of each species into the ark, for that is the minimum you need to preserve its species with you; they must be male and female. I will tell you the exact number of each species later.

20

מֵהָעוֹף לְמִינֵהוּ וּמִן־הַבְּהֵמָה לְמִינָהּ מִכֹּל רֶמֶשׂ הָאֲדָמָה לְמִינֵהוּ שְׁנַיִם מִכֹּל יָבֹאוּ אֵלֶיךָ לְהַחֲיוֹת׃

From the birds that did not attempt to breed outside their species, from the walking animals that did not attempt to breed outside their species, and from the creatures that crawl on the ground that did not attempt to breed outside their species, two of each kind will come to you on their own to be kept alive; you will not have to trap or gather them. The ark will allow only the animals that did not crossbreed to enter; you are to escort these animals to their designated compartments.

21

וְאַתָּה קַח־לְךָ מִכׇּל־מַאֲכָל אֲשֶׁר יֵאָכֵל וְאָסַפְתָּ אֵלֶיךָ וְהָיָה לְךָ וְלָהֶם לְאׇכְלָה׃

And as for you, take for yourself some of every kind of edible food and gather it in for yourself, so that you and they have food to eat.”

22

וַיַּעַשׂ נֹחַ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה אֹתוֹ אֱלֹהִים כֵּן עָשָׂה׃

Noah did everything that God commanded him to do regarding the construction of the ark exactly. Even though he built it alone, he managed, remarkably, to finish it within the allotted 120 years. The people, however, did not repent when they found out why Noah was building the ark. Instead, they vowed that if he would try to enter it once it was finished, they would destroy the ark and kill him. In part, this was due to the fact that the spiritual makeup of the antediluvian world was not very conducive to self-refinement and repentance.

1

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה לְנֹחַ בֹּא־אַתָּה וְכׇל־בֵּיתְךָ אֶל־הַתֵּבָה כִּי־אֹתְךָ רָאִיתִי צַדִּיק לְפָנַי בַּדּוֹר הַזֶּה׃

So, on 10 Marcheshvan 1656, GOD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and your entire household, for it is you that I have seen to be righteous before Me in this generation.” Although the Torah records earlier that Noah was both righteous and faultless, God only praises Noah for his righteousness, for it is not appropriate to enumerate all a person’s merits when addressing him directly.

2

מִכֹּל ׀ הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהוֹרָה תִּקַּח־לְךָ שִׁבְעָה שִׁבְעָה אִישׁ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וּמִן־הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא טְהֹרָה הִוא שְׁנַיִם אִישׁ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ׃

God continued, Since you are acquainted with the teachings of the Torah, you know precisely which animals are spiritually pure – i.e., those that will eventually be permissible to the Jewish people as food – and which are not. You must take for yourself seven pairs of every kind of animal that does not impart spiritual defilement, each pair consisting of a male and its mate, but take only two each of the kinds of animal that are not the kind that does not impart spiritual defilement, a male and its mate.” Although He did not tell him, God intended Noah to offer up the additional spiritually pure animals as sacrifices after the Flood.

3

גַּם מֵעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם שִׁבְעָה שִׁבְעָה זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה לְחַיּוֹת זֶרַע עַל־פְּנֵי כׇל־הָאָרֶץ׃

“You must also take seven pairs of the types of birds of the heavens that do not impart spiritual defilement, each pair consisting of a male and its mate, in order to keep its seed alive over the entire surface of the earth.

4

כִּי לְיָמִים עוֹד שִׁבְעָה אָנֹכִי מַמְטִיר עַל־הָאָרֶץ אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לָיְלָה וּמָחִיתִי אֶת־כׇּל־הַיְקוּם אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה׃

For humanity’s 120-year reprieve expires today. Nonetheless, since Methuselah, your righteous and only surviving ancestor, died today, I will postpone the flood for another seven days in his honor, until the customary period of mourning is over. I will bring rain on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights, corresponding to the 40 days it takes for an embryo to be considered a human being, because the wicked people of the earth caused Me to fashion their illegitimate offspring. With this flood, I will obliterate every being that I have made from the surface of the earth.”

5

וַיַּעַשׂ נֹחַ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּהוּ יְהֹוָה׃

Noah did all that GOD had commanded him regarding settling the animals in the ark and stocking it with provisions, but he himself tarried at the entrance, because he didn’t fully believe that God would actually go ahead and implement His plan.

6

וְנֹחַ בֶּן־שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה וְהַמַּבּוּל הָיָה מַיִם עַל־הָאָרֶץ׃

Noah was in his 600th year when the Flood occurred and water covered the earth.

7

וַיָּבֹא נֹחַ וּבָנָיו וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וּנְשֵׁי־בָנָיו אִתּוֹ אֶל־הַתֵּבָה מִפְּנֵי מֵי הַמַּבּוּל׃

When it started to rain, Noah, together with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, came into the ark, fleeing from the water of the Flood.

8

מִן־הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהוֹרָה וּמִן־הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנָּה טְהֹרָה וּמִן־הָעוֹף וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־רֹמֵשׂ עַל־הָאֲדָמָה׃

In contrast, all the animals had already entered the ark before it began to rain: Of the animals that do not impart spiritual defilement, of the animals that are not of the type that does not impart spiritual defilement, of the birds, and of all the creatures that crawl on the ground,

9

שְׁנַיִם שְׁנַיִם בָּאוּ אֶל־נֹחַ אֶל־הַתֵּבָה זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה אֱלֹהִים אֶת־נֹחַ׃

a minimum of two each had come on their own, male and female, to Noah, so he could take them into the ark as God had commanded Noah.

10

וַיְהִי לְשִׁבְעַת הַיָּמִים וּמֵי הַמַּבּוּל הָיוּ עַל־הָאָרֶץ׃

After the seven days of mourning for Methuselah passed, the water of the Flood came upon the earth. During the ensuing 40 days, the sun, the moon, the planets, and the stars did not shine, and it was therefore completely dark.

11

בִּשְׁנַת שֵׁשׁ־מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה לְחַיֵּי־נֹחַ בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי בְּשִׁבְעָה־עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ בַּיּוֹם הַזֶּה נִבְקְעוּ כׇּל־מַעְיְנֹת תְּהוֹם רַבָּה וַאֲרֻבֹּת הַשָּׁמַיִם נִפְתָּחוּ׃

The Flood began in the 600th year of Noah’s life – 1656 – in the second month, Marcheshvan, on the 17th of the month. Because of the gravity of the people’s misdeeds, ordinary rain did not suffice to cleanse the earth. Rather, on that day, all the wellsprings of the great abyss burst open and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.

12

וַיְהִי הַגֶּשֶׁם עַל־הָאָרֶץ אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לָיְלָה׃

Nonetheless, initially, ordinary rain fell upon the earth, to give the people a final chance to repent. Had they repented, the rain would have continued to fall in a normal, beneficial fashion. However, when they failed to take advantage of this opportunity to repent, it became a deluge. Although God released the entire amount of water that would descend during this flood from the heavenly storehouses of water all at once, He made it fall evenly over a period of 40 days and 40 nights.

13

בְּעֶצֶם הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה בָּא נֹחַ וְשֵׁם־וְחָם וָיֶפֶת בְּנֵי־נֹחַ וְאֵשֶׁת נֹחַ וּשְׁלֹשֶׁת נְשֵׁי־בָנָיו אִתָּם אֶל־הַתֵּבָה׃

Because of the people’s threats, God protected Noah by summoning lions and bears that prevented the people from harming him or damaging the ark. Thus Noah entered the ark in the very midst of that day, 17 Marcheshvan, with Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them. Noah took some vine branches and fig-tree shoots along with him.

14

הֵמָּה וְכׇל־הַחַיָּה לְמִינָהּ וְכׇל־הַבְּהֵמָה לְמִינָהּ וְכׇל־הָרֶמֶשׂ הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל־הָאָרֶץ לְמִינֵהוּ וְכׇל־הָעוֹף לְמִינֵהוּ כֹּל צִפּוֹר כׇּל־כָּנָף׃

With them, every kind of walking wildlife, every kind of domestic animal, every kind of creature that crawls on the ground, and every kind of flying creature – every bird and every winged creature, even grasshoppers.

15

וַיָּבֹאוּ אֶל־נֹחַ אֶל־הַתֵּבָה שְׁנַיִם שְׁנַיִם מִכׇּל־הַבָּשָׂר אֲשֶׁר־בּוֹ רוּחַ חַיִּים׃

Pairs of all species of flesh that breathed, i.e., that were alive, came to Noah into the ark. The ark was miraculously able to hold all the animals and birds that needed to fit into it.

16

וְהַבָּאִים זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה מִכׇּל־בָּשָׂר בָּאוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה אֹתוֹ אֱלֹהִים וַיִּסְגֹּר יְהֹוָה בַּעֲדוֹ׃

Those who came were male and female; of all flesh they came, as God had commanded him, and GOD sealed the entrance behind him. The animals that came to the ark behaved peacefully, even on their way to the ark. Even the wild beasts harmed neither the other animals nor Noah and his family during their stay in the ark.

17

וַיְהִי הַמַּבּוּל אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם עַל־הָאָרֶץ וַיִּרְבּוּ הַמַּיִם וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת־הַתֵּבָה וַתָּרׇם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ׃

The Flood was upon the earth for 40 full days, until the night of 28 Kislev. The water increased and lifted the ark, and it rose above the ground.

18

וַיִּגְבְּרוּ הַמַּיִם וַיִּרְבּוּ מְאֹד עַל־הָאָרֶץ וַתֵּלֶךְ הַתֵּבָה עַל־פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם׃

After the rain ceased, the water miraculously surged on its own, and thus increased greatly over the earth. The ark drifted on the surface of the water, 11 cubits of its height remaining submerged under the surface of the water.

19

וְהַמַּיִם גָּבְרוּ מְאֹד מְאֹד עַל־הָאָרֶץ וַיְכֻסּוּ כׇּל־הֶהָרִים הַגְּבֹהִים אֲשֶׁר־תַּחַת כׇּל־הַשָּׁמָיִם׃

The water surged exceedingly high over the earth, and all the high mountains under the whole sky were covered.

20

חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה אַמָּה מִלְמַעְלָה גָּבְרוּ הַמָּיִם וַיְכֻסּוּ הֶהָרִים׃

The mountains were covered, and the water surged 15 cubits above the Ararat Mountains, the highest of them in the region.

21

וַיִּגְוַע כׇּל־בָּשָׂר ׀ הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל־הָאָרֶץ בָּעוֹף וּבַבְּהֵמָה וּבַחַיָּה וּבְכׇל־הַשֶּׁרֶץ הַשֹּׁרֵץ עַל־הָאָרֶץ וְכֹל הָאָדָם׃

All flesh that moves upon the earth expired, including the birds, the domestic animals, the walking wildlife, and every low-lying creature that swarms on the earth, as well as all humanity.

22

כֹּל אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁמַת־רוּחַ חַיִּים בְּאַפָּיו מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר בֶּחָרָבָה מֵתוּ׃

Of every being that was on dry land, every being that breathed the breath of life died. The fish, however, remained alive.

23

וַיִּמַח אֶת־כׇּל־הַיְקוּם ׀ אֲשֶׁר ׀ עַל־פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה מֵאָדָם עַד־בְּהֵמָה עַד־רֶמֶשׂ וְעַד־עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וַיִּמָּחוּ מִן־הָאָרֶץ וַיִּשָּׁאֶר אַךְ־נֹחַ וַאֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ בַּתֵּבָה׃

God obliterated every being that had been on the face of the earth – including humans, walking animals, crawling creatures, and the birds that fly in the sky. They were obliterated from the earth; only Noah and those who were with him in the ark survived and were greatly pained by their isolation. However, one descendant of the giants Shamchazai and Aza’eil, named Og, survived the floodwater. He reestablished the race of supernatural giants, who became known as Rephaim and settled in Bashan.

24

וַיִּגְבְּרוּ הַמַּיִם עַל־הָאָרֶץ חֲמִשִּׁים וּמְאַת יוֹם׃

The water surged over the earth for an additional 150 days after the rainfall stopped, and did not subside throughout this entire period – from 28 Kislev until 29 Iyar.

1

וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים אֶת־נֹחַ וְאֵת כׇּל־הַחַיָּה וְאֶת־כׇּל־הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ בַּתֵּבָה וַיַּעֲבֵר אֱלֹהִים רוּחַ עַל־הָאָרֶץ וַיָּשֹׁכּוּ הַמָּיִם׃

God remembered Noah and all the wildlife and domestic animals who were with him in the ark. God caused His spirit of consolation and rest to apply to what was happening on earth, and the water began to subside.

2

וַיִּסָּכְרוּ מַעְיְנֹת תְּהוֹם וַאֲרֻבֹּת הַשָּׁמָיִם וַיִּכָּלֵא הַגֶּשֶׁם מִן־הַשָּׁמָיִם׃

When it stopped raining on 28 Kislev, most of the wellsprings of the abyss were sealed, but some of them were left open to serve as hot springs. In contrast, all the floodgates of heaven were sealed. Thus the rain from the heavens was held back.

3

וַיָּשֻׁבוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ הָלוֹךְ וָשׁוֹב וַיַּחְסְרוּ הַמַּיִם מִקְצֵה חֲמִשִּׁים וּמְאַת יוֹם׃

At the end of 150 days from 28 Kislev, i.e., beginning on 1 Sivan, the water slowly but steadily receded from upon the earth and the water diminished. The water level dropped one-fourth of a cubit per day, so that

4

וַתָּנַח הַתֵּבָה בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בְּשִׁבְעָה־עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ עַל הָרֵי אֲרָרָט׃

after 16 days, that is, on the 17th day of the month of Sivan, which was the seventh month counting from when the rain stopped falling, in Kislev, the ark came to rest on the Mountains of Ararat. Since the water reached to a height of 15 cubits above the mountaintop and the bottom of the ark was submerged 11 cubits below water level, the water level only had to drop four cubits to allow the ark to rest on the mountain.

5

וְהַמַּיִם הָיוּ הָלוֹךְ וְחָסוֹר עַד הַחֹדֶשׁ הָעֲשִׂירִי בָּעֲשִׂירִי בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ נִרְאוּ רָאשֵׁי הֶהָרִים׃

The water continued to diminish at this rate for another 44 days, i.e., until the first day of Menachem Av, the 10th month counting from when the rain began falling, in Marcheshvan. In the course of these 44 days, the water level dropped an additional 11 cubits. Thus, in the 10th month, on the first of the month, the height of the water had receded a total of 15 cubits, and the highest mountain peaks became visible.

6

וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וַיִּפְתַּח נֹחַ אֶת־חַלּוֹן הַתֵּבָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה׃

Once the ark firmly settled on the mountaintop, the water began to recede much faster. Forty days after the highest mountaintops became visible, i.e., on 10 Elul, Noah opened the window he had made in the ark.

7

וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת־הָעֹרֵב וַיֵּצֵא יָצוֹא וָשׁוֹב עַד־יְבֹשֶׁת הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ׃

That same day, he sent out the raven to see if the water had receded completely. He assumed that the raven would not return if it would find a place to rest. But because the raven was concerned over the fate of its mate, it went out, but only circled to and fro around the ark until the water dried up from the surface of the earth.

8

וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת־הַיּוֹנָה מֵאִתּוֹ לִרְאוֹת הֲקַלּוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה׃

Six days later, on 16 Elul, Noah sent out the dove to see if the water had subsided from the surface of the earth. Here again, he knew that the dove, like the raven before it, would not return if it would find a place to land.

9

וְלֹא־מָצְאָה הַיּוֹנָה מָנוֹחַ לְכַף־רַגְלָהּ וַתָּשׇׁב אֵלָיו אֶל־הַתֵּבָה כִּי־מַיִם עַל־פְּנֵי כׇל־הָאָרֶץ וַיִּשְׁלַח יָדוֹ וַיִּקָּחֶהָ וַיָּבֵא אֹתָהּ אֵלָיו אֶל־הַתֵּבָה׃

But the dove could not find any place to rest its feet, and it returned to him, to the ark, for there was still water over the entire surface of the earth. He stretched out his hand and took it, and brought it back to himself into the ark.

10

וַיָּחֶל עוֹד שִׁבְעַת יָמִים אֲחֵרִים וַיֹּסֶף שַׁלַּח אֶת־הַיּוֹנָה מִן־הַתֵּבָה׃

He waited another seven days, until 23 Elul, and once again sent out the dove from the ark.

11

וַתָּבֹא אֵלָיו הַיּוֹנָה לְעֵת עֶרֶב וְהִנֵּה עֲלֵה־זַיִת טָרָף בְּפִיהָ וַיֵּדַע נֹחַ כִּי־קַלּוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ׃

The dove came back to him toward nightfall, and behold, it had plucked an olive leaf with its beak. Noah then knew that the water had subsided from the earth and it was time to prepare to disembark.

12

וַיִּיָּחֶל עוֹד שִׁבְעַת יָמִים אֲחֵרִים וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת־הַיּוֹנָה וְלֹא־יָסְפָה שׁוּב־אֵלָיו עוֹד׃

He waited yet another seven days, until 1 Tishrei, and once again sent out the dove, and this time it never again returned to him.

13

וַיְהִי בְּאַחַת וְשֵׁשׁ־מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה בָּרִאשׁוֹן בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ חָרְבוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ וַיָּסַר נֹחַ אֶת־מִכְסֵה הַתֵּבָה וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה חָרְבוּ פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה׃

In the year 1657, which was the 601st year of Noah’s life, on the first day of Tishrei, the first month, the water had drained off the earth. Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and saw that the earth’s surface was drying, although it was still too damp to live on.

14

וּבַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי בְּשִׁבְעָה וְעֶשְׂרִים יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ יָבְשָׁה הָאָרֶץ׃ {ס}        

By the 27th day of Marcheshvan, the second month, the earth was completely dry. This was exactly one solar year (365 days) since the rain had first begun to fall, on 17 Marcheshvan. The Flood purified the world of its spiritual defilement and coarseness. For the first time, the world became receptive to the process of self-initiated refinement. From this point on, it would be relatively easy to ascend the ladder of spiritual self-refinement and to repent for misdeeds.

15

וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֶל־נֹחַ לֵאמֹר׃

Neither Noah nor the animals wanted to leave the ark, for they knew that once they did, the animals would revert to their naturally aggressive behavior. Their peaceful coexistence was a taste of the heightened spiritual state of the messianic future. Therefore, God spoke to Noah, saying,

16

צֵא מִן־הַתֵּבָה אַתָּה וְאִשְׁתְּךָ וּבָנֶיךָ וּנְשֵׁי־בָנֶיךָ אִתָּךְ׃

“Leave the ark, despite the spiritual descent you will undergo by doing so. Furthermore, you may now resume marital relations: you may live together with your wife, and your sons may live together with your sons’ wives.

17

כׇּל־הַחַיָּה אֲשֶׁר־אִתְּךָ מִכׇּל־בָּשָׂר בָּעוֹף וּבַבְּהֵמָה וּבְכׇל־הָרֶמֶשׂ הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל־הָאָרֶץ (הוצא) [הַיְצֵא] אִתָּךְ וְשָׁרְצוּ בָאָרֶץ וּפָרוּ וְרָבוּ עַל־הָאָרֶץ׃

All living creatures with you in the ark, from all flesh – birds, walking animals, and all the creatures that crawl upon the ground – have them leave with you, and if they prefer to stay in the ark, take them out forcibly. Outside the ark, they will be allowed to swarm upon the earth, and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”

18

וַיֵּצֵא־נֹחַ וּבָנָיו וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וּנְשֵׁי־בָנָיו אִתּוֹ׃

Noah went out, but he did not resume marital relations. He continued to live together with his sons, and his wife continued to live with his sons’ wives. Noah was reluctant to have more children, for he was afraid that history might repeat itself: humanity might again sin and bring upon itself another flood. What was the purpose of repopulating the world if it might ultimately be destroyed?

19

כׇּל־הַחַיָּה כׇּל־הָרֶמֶשׂ וְכׇל־הָעוֹף כֹּל רוֹמֵשׂ עַל־הָאָרֶץ לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתֵיהֶם יָצְאוּ מִן־הַתֵּבָה׃

All the walking animals, all the crawling creatures, all the birds, and all the creatures that crawl upon the ground came out of the ark by families. They reaffirmed their commitment not to engage in crossbreeding.

20

וַיִּבֶן נֹחַ מִזְבֵּחַ לַיהֹוָה וַיִּקַּח מִכֹּל ׀ הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהֹרָה וּמִכֹּל הָעוֹף הַטָּהוֹר וַיַּעַל עֹלֹת בַּמִּזְבֵּחַ׃

Upon emerging from the ark, Noah felt gratitude to God for having rescued him and his family from the Flood. To express this gratitude, he thought to offer up a sacrifice, correctly intuiting that God had commanded him to take an additional number of spiritually pure animals to offer them up as sacrifices when he left the ark. So he built an altar to GOD. He took some of every type of domestic animal that does not impart spiritual defilement and some of every type of bird that does not impart spiritual defilement, and he offered them up as ascent-offerings on the altar. An ascent-offering is one in which the meat of the animal is entirely consumed by fire on an altar.

21

וַיָּרַח יְהֹוָה אֶת־רֵיחַ הַנִּיחֹחַ וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל־לִבּוֹ לֹא־אֹסִף לְקַלֵּל עוֹד אֶת־הָאֲדָמָה בַּעֲבוּר הָאָדָם כִּי יֵצֶר לֵב הָאָדָם רַע מִנְּעֻרָיו וְלֹא־אֹסִף עוֹד לְהַכּוֹת אֶת־כׇּל־חַי כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי׃

GOD figuratively smelled the appeasing fragrance (i.e., He acknowledged Noah’s appreciation), and in response, GOD said to Himself, “I hereby swear that I will never again curse the soil because of humanity, for the inclination of a person’s heart is challenged by his evil inclination from his earliest youth, i.e., from birth. Never again will I strike down all life as I have done.

22

עֹד כׇּל־יְמֵי הָאָרֶץ זֶרַע וְקָצִיר וְקֹר וָחֹם וְקַיִץ וָחֹרֶף וְיוֹם וָלַיְלָה לֹא יִשְׁבֹּתוּ׃

As long as the earth lasts, none of the seasons – seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winternor day and night, will ever cease.”

1

וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶת־נֹחַ וְאֶת־בָּנָיו וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת־הָאָרֶץ׃

God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. I promise you that you will be fertile. As for your fear about having more children, I tell you now that I have promised not to destroy the world again.

2

וּמוֹרַאֲכֶם וְחִתְּכֶם יִהְיֶה עַל כׇּל־חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ וְעַל כׇּל־עוֹף הַשָּׁמָיִם בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר תִּרְמֹשׂ הָאֲדָמָה וּבְכׇל־דְּגֵי הַיָּם בְּיֶדְכֶם נִתָּנוּ׃

Furthermore, neither do you need to be concerned that your offspring’s lives will be endangered by animals or murderers. As it was before the degeneration of humanity prior to the Flood, there will be a fear and dread of you upon all the beasts of the earth and upon all the birds of the sky, in all that will crawl on the land and in all the fish of the sea. They will no longer try to devour you when you are alive. Rather, they have been placed in your hand:

3

כׇּל־רֶמֶשׂ אֲשֶׁר הוּא־חַי לָכֶם יִהְיֶה לְאׇכְלָה כְּיֶרֶק עֵשֶׂב נָתַתִּי לָכֶם אֶת־כֹּל׃

Every moving creature that lives will be yours to eat; like plant vegetation, I have now given you everything. Until now, I forbade humanity from killing animals for food, because I was afraid that, given this power over life and death, people would delude themselves into thinking that they had godlike dominion over the world. But because humanity has become weaker and needs to eat meat to subsist, I am allowing these health considerations to override this former prohibition. Also, because the spiritual makeup of the world is now more conducive to self-refinement, there is less danger of you becoming coarsened by eating meat.

4

אַךְ־בָּשָׂר בְּנַפְשׁוֹ דָמוֹ לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ׃

But nevertheless, you may not eat the flesh of a still-living creature, nor its blood.

5

וְאַךְ אֶת־דִּמְכֶם לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם אֶדְרֹשׁ מִיַּד כׇּל־חַיָּה אֶדְרְשֶׁנּוּ וּמִיַּד הָאָדָם מִיַּד אִישׁ אָחִיו אֶדְרֹשׁ אֶת־נֶפֶשׁ הָאָדָם׃

Although I have allowed you to kill animals, nevertheless, do not think that I have given you absolute power over life and death, not even your own. In fact, you may not even cause yourselves to bleed unnecessarily; if you do, I will settle the account of the blood you shed by punishing you. If you take your own lives by committing suicide – even without shedding blood, as, for example, by strangulation – I will punish you in the afterlife. Human life is so precious that, now that I have again forbidden the animals to kill you, I will settle the account from the hand of every wild beast that kills one of you, by killing it in turn. Neither may you kill other people. I will empower the courts to punish anyone who commits a witnessed act of murder: intentional murder is to be punishable by death and unintentional manslaughter is to be punishable by exile. I will settle the account for human life Myself whenever the courts cannot, both from someone who commits an intentional but unwitnessed murder and from someone who commits unintentional manslaughter – i.e., who is on as good terms with his victim as he is with his own brother but kills him accidentally. I will arrange for the accidental manslayer to accidentally kill the murderer in the presence of witnesses; thus the murderer will receive his death penalty and the court will sentence the manslayer to exile to atone for his carelessness. If, however, the unwitnessed manslayer goes into exile voluntarily, I will arrange for the murderer to be killed in another fashion.

6

שֹׁפֵךְ דַּם הָאָדָם בָּאָדָם דָּמוֹ יִשָּׁפֵךְ כִּי בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים עָשָׂה אֶת־הָאָדָם׃

In contrast, whoever intentionally sheds human blood, was warned not to do so, and was witnessed doing so, his blood must be shed by the human court, for God made man in the image of God. The murderer is guilty of diminishing the image of God on earth and has thus forfeited his right to live.

7

וְאַתֶּם פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ שִׁרְצוּ בָאָרֶץ וּרְבוּ־בָהּ׃ {ס}        

As for you, I now command you: be fruitful and multiply, proliferate upon the earth, and make it populous. If you or your descendants refrain from procreating, I will consider it tantamount to committing murder.

8

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל־נֹחַ וְאֶל־בָּנָיו אִתּוֹ לֵאמֹר׃

Noah asked God to reinforce His promise not to destroy the world. God therefore spoke to Noah and to his sons with him again, saying,

9

וַאֲנִי הִנְנִי מֵקִים אֶת־בְּרִיתִי אִתְּכֶם וְאֶת־זַרְעֲכֶם אַחֲרֵיכֶם׃

As for Me, I agree to reinforce My promise. I hereby establish My covenant to seal My promise with you and with your offspring after you,

10

וְאֵת כׇּל־נֶפֶשׁ הַחַיָּה אֲשֶׁר אִתְּכֶם בָּעוֹף בַּבְּהֵמָה וּבְכׇל־חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ אִתְּכֶם מִכֹּל יֹצְאֵי הַתֵּבָה לְכֹל חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ׃

with every living creature that is with you – the birds, the domestic walking animals, all the harmless wild walking animals of the earth (who live peacefully with you), all the crawling creatures who left the ark, and all the harmful wild walking animals on earth.

11

וַהֲקִמֹתִי אֶת־בְּרִיתִי אִתְּכֶם וְלֹא־יִכָּרֵת כׇּל־בָּשָׂר עוֹד מִמֵּי הַמַּבּוּל וְלֹא־יִהְיֶה עוֹד מַבּוּל לְשַׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ׃

Furthermore, I will confirm My covenant with you by giving you a sign that I am bound by it, and thus you can rest assured that never again will any flesh be cut off by the water of a flood. Never again will there be a flood that will destroy the earth.”

12

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים זֹאת אוֹת־הַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִי נֹתֵן בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם וּבֵין כׇּל־נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה אֲשֶׁר אִתְּכֶם לְדֹרֹת עוֹלָם׃

God said, “This is the sign that I am providing for the covenant between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all generations that require it (i.e., the sign, in case they themselves not be sufficiently righteous):

13

אֶת־קַשְׁתִּי נָתַתִּי בֶּעָנָן וְהָיְתָה לְאוֹת בְּרִית בֵּינִי וּבֵין הָאָרֶץ׃

I have placed My rainbow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the world. As part of the overall refinement of reality effected by the Flood, the atmosphere will now be sufficiently purified to refract and reflect sunlight and thereby produce rainbows. The rainbow therefore testifies to the fact that the world is now sufficiently refined to afford the possibility of repentance. Since it is always possible for humanity to repent, it will never again be necessary to wipe out the world.

14

וְהָיָה בְּעַנְנִי עָנָן עַל־הָאָרֶץ וְנִרְאֲתָה הַקֶּשֶׁת בֶּעָנָן׃

Thus, when the behavior of any society in any locale degenerates to the point that I regret having created its inhabitants, and I bring clouds over the earth to indicate that they deserve that I bring a flood upon them, just as I did with your generation, the rainbow will appear among the clouds,

15

וְזָכַרְתִּי אֶת־בְּרִיתִי אֲשֶׁר בֵּינִי וּבֵינֵיכֶם וּבֵין כׇּל־נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה בְּכׇל־בָּשָׂר וְלֹא־יִהְיֶה עוֹד הַמַּיִם לְמַבּוּל לְשַׁחֵת כׇּל־בָּשָׂר׃

and I will recall My covenant that exists between Me and you and every living creature among all flesh, so that never again will water become a flood to destroy any flesh. However, when no part of society is behaving that immorally, it will not be necessary for Me to cause a rainbow to appear.

16

וְהָיְתָה הַקֶּשֶׁת בֶּעָנָן וּרְאִיתִיהָ לִזְכֹּר בְּרִית עוֹלָם בֵּין אֱלֹהִים וּבֵין כׇּל־נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה בְּכׇל־בָּשָׂר אֲשֶׁר עַל־הָאָרֶץ׃

In accordance with the transformation of My attribute of judgment into My attribute of mercy that began when you prayed to Me in the ark, I will now extend the covenant I just established between us and apply it to My attribute of judgment, as well: Even when your conduct is wanting, and logically My attribute of judgment should raise an accusation against you, the rainbow will be in the clouds, and I will see it to recall the eternal covenant I am now making between God’s attribute of judgment and every living creature among all flesh that is upon the earth, and I will not even allow My attribute of judgment to prosecute you.”

17

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים אֶל־נֹחַ זֹאת אוֹת־הַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר הֲקִמֹתִי בֵּינִי וּבֵין כׇּל־בָּשָׂר אֲשֶׁר עַל־הָאָרֶץ׃ {פ}

God said to Noah, showing him a rainbow, “Behold the sign of the covenant that I have established between Me and all flesh that is upon the earth.”

18

וַיִּהְיוּ בְנֵי־נֹחַ הַיֹּצְאִים מִן־הַתֵּבָה שֵׁם וְחָם וָיָפֶת וְחָם הוּא אֲבִי כְנָעַן׃

Having been promised by God that his progeny would not be wiped out, Noah resumed marital relations with his wife, as did his sons with their wives. The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth; they each had a number of children. Ham was the father of four sons, the youngest of whom was Canaan. Ham was incensed that his father, Noah, was trying to have more children. Ham assumed that Cain had killed his brother Abel because he wanted the whole world for himself. Since Noah was the new beginning of the human race, Ham considered himself already deprived enough by having to share the world with two other brothers, and should not be required to share it with any additional brothers.

19

שְׁלֹשָׁה אֵלֶּה בְּנֵי־נֹחַ וּמֵאֵלֶּה נָפְצָה כׇל־הָאָרֶץ׃

These three were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole world branched out.

20

וַיָּחֶל נֹחַ אִישׁ הָאֲדָמָה וַיִּטַּע כָּרֶם׃

Noah was the master of the soil, and understood the importance of grain as the mainstay of civilized life. Nonetheless, when he came out of the ark, instead of first planting a grain crop, he degraded himself by planting a vineyard, to produce wine for purposes of enjoyment. He had brought vine branches along with him into the ark.

21

וַיֵּשְׁתְּ מִן־הַיַּיִן וַיִּשְׁכָּר וַיִּתְגַּל בְּתוֹךְ אׇהֳלֹה׃

He drank some of the wine and became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent.

22

וַיַּרְא חָם אֲבִי כְנַעַן אֵת עֶרְוַת אָבִיו וַיַּגֵּד לִשְׁנֵי־אֶחָיו בַּחוּץ׃

Ham’s youngest son, Canaan, saw his grandfather exposed. He ran to tell his father. Ham, the father of Canaan, came and entered Noah’s tent and saw his father’s nakedness, whereupon he had relations with him. Realizing that this was his chance to prevent his father from having more children, Ham castrated him. He then told his two brothers outside that his father was naked.

23

וַיִּקַּח שֵׁם וָיֶפֶת אֶת־הַשִּׂמְלָה וַיָּשִׂימוּ עַל־שְׁכֶם שְׁנֵיהֶם וַיֵּלְכוּ אֲחֹרַנִּית וַיְכַסּוּ אֵת עֶרְוַת אֲבִיהֶם וּפְנֵיהֶם אֲחֹרַנִּית וְעֶרְוַת אֲבִיהֶם לֹא רָאוּ׃

Shem, enlisting Japheth’s help, took a garment and placed it on the shoulders of them both. They then walked into the tent backwards and covered their father’s nakedness. Even when they approached him and had to turn their bodies around, they did so while facing away from him, so that they did not ever see their father’s nakedness.

24

וַיִּיקֶץ נֹחַ מִיֵּינוֹ וַיֵּדַע אֵת אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה־לוֹ בְּנוֹ הַקָּטָן׃

Noah awoke from his wine and realized what his youngest, immature, and degenerate son had done to him.

25

וַיֹּאמֶר אָרוּר כְּנָעַן עֶבֶד עֲבָדִים יִהְיֶה לְאֶחָיו׃

He said, “Cursed be Canaan! Because of you, Ham, I will never have a fourth son to tend to me, and I no longer want you to tend to me. Therefore, since my two older sons will now have this responsibility, I decree that your fourth son be a servant to servants – a servant to his father’s brothers, Shem and Japheth, who must now serve me alone!”

26

וַיֹּאמֶר בָּרוּךְ יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵי שֵׁם וִיהִי כְנַעַן עֶבֶד לָמוֹ׃

He then said, “Blessed be GOD, the God who will favor Shem by giving his descendants the Promised Land! Canaan’s descendants will be their slaves and pay them tribute!

27

יַפְתְּ אֱלֹהִים לְיֶפֶת וְיִשְׁכֹּן בְּאׇהֳלֵי־שֵׁם וִיהִי כְנַעַן עֶבֶד לָמוֹ׃

May God expand Japheth materially, but may He dwell in the tents of the descendants of Shem. And let Canaan’s descendants be slaves to the descendants of Shem even when the latter will dwell in countries other than their own!”

28

וַיְחִי־נֹחַ אַחַר הַמַּבּוּל שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה וַחֲמִשִּׁים שָׁנָה׃

Having concluded the narrative of Noah, the Torah now details the genealogy of his descendants. Noah lived 350 years after the Flood, which occurred in the 600th year of his life.

29

וַיִּהְיוּ כׇּל־יְמֵי־נֹחַ תְּשַׁע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה וַחֲמִשִּׁים שָׁנָה וַיָּמֹת׃ {פ}

All the days of Noah thus came to 950 years, and he died.

1

וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת בְּנֵי־נֹחַ שֵׁם חָם וָיָפֶת וַיִּוָּלְדוּ לָהֶם בָּנִים אַחַר הַמַּבּוּל׃

The following are the descendants of Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, who fathered children after the Flood. The generations after the Flood learned the main lesson of the Flood – that wanton abuse of the limits God imposes on human procreative activity brings wanton destruction, as does robbery – and they therefore undertook to refrain from committing these sins. However, they did continue to worship idols; the vast majority of the nations listed here were idolaters. In accordance with God’s instructions that his descendants fill the world, Noah divided up the known world, assigning a specific geographical region to each of his seventy descendants. In accordance, again, with God’s original intention, he assigned the Land of Israel to the descendants of Shem.

2

בְּנֵי יֶפֶת גֹּמֶר וּמָגוֹג וּמָדַי וְיָוָן וְתֻבָל וּמֶשֶׁךְ וְתִירָס׃

The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Yavan, Tuval, Meshech, and Tiras, who later became known as Persia.

3

וּבְנֵי גֹּמֶר אַשְׁכְּנַז וְרִיפַת וְתֹגַרְמָה׃

The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Rifat, and Togarmah.

4

וּבְנֵי יָוָן אֱלִישָׁה וְתַרְשִׁישׁ כִּתִּים וְדֹדָנִים׃

The sons of Yavan were Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Dodanites.

5

מֵאֵלֶּה נִפְרְדוּ אִיֵּי הַגּוֹיִם בְּאַרְצֹתָם אִישׁ לִלְשֹׁנוֹ לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם בְּגוֹיֵהֶם׃

From these, the island-nations, their clans, and their nations branched out, each with its own language, into their lands.

6

וּבְנֵי חָם כּוּשׁ וּמִצְרַיִם וּפוּט וּכְנָעַן׃

The sons of Ham were Kush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan.

7

וּבְנֵי כוּשׁ סְבָא וַחֲוִילָה וְסַבְתָּה וְרַעְמָה וְסַבְתְּכָא וּבְנֵי רַעְמָה שְׁבָא וּדְדָן׃

The sons of Kush were Seva, Chavilah, Savtah, Ra’mah, and Savtecha. The sons of Ra’mah were Sheva and Dedan.

8

וְכוּשׁ יָלַד אֶת־נִמְרֹד הוּא הֵחֵל לִהְיוֹת גִּבֹּר בָּאָרֶץ׃

Kush was also the father of Nimrod [“Let us rebel”], the first man in the world powerful enough to rally the masses to rebel against God, as will be described below.

9

הוּא־הָיָה גִבֹּר־צַיִד לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה עַל־כֵּן יֵאָמַר כְּנִמְרֹד גִּבּוֹר צַיִד לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה׃

He was a mighty hunter, “trapping” people by convincing them to join his rebellion against God, and he flaunted his rebellious intentions before GOD Himself. Hence, the saying, “He is like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before GOD is applied to anyone who intentionally seeks to provoke God’s anger.

10

וַתְּהִי רֵאשִׁית מַמְלַכְתּוֹ בָּבֶל וְאֶרֶךְ וְאַכַּד וְכַלְנֵה בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר׃

His kingdom began with Babylon, and with Erech, Akad, and Kalneih, in the land of Shin’ar.

11

מִן־הָאָרֶץ הַהִוא יָצָא אַשּׁוּר וַיִּבֶן אֶת־נִינְוֵה וְאֶת־רְחֹבֹת עִיר וְאֶת־כָּלַח׃

But when his family began to follow Nimrod, Assyria left that land, moving his family north, and built Nineveh, Rechovot-Ir, and Kalach,

12

וְאֶת־רֶסֶן בֵּין נִינְוֵה וּבֵין כָּלַח הִוא הָעִיר הַגְּדֹלָה׃

as well as Resen, between Nineveh and Kalach. Nineveh is the great city, the capital of Assyria.

13

וּמִצְרַיִם יָלַד אֶת־לוּדִים וְאֶת־עֲנָמִים וְאֶת־לְהָבִים וְאֶת־נַפְתֻּחִים׃

Egypt fathered the Ludites, the Anamites, the Lehavites (“Flames,” so known because of their fiery faces), the Naftuchites,

14

וְאֶת־פַּתְרֻסִים וְאֶת־כַּסְלֻחִים אֲשֶׁר יָצְאוּ מִשָּׁם פְּלִשְׁתִּים וְאֶת־כַּפְתֹּרִים׃ {ס}        

the Patrusites and the Kasluchites – who engaged in wife-swapping, producing the Philistines, who thus descended from them both – and the Kaftorites.

15

וּכְנַעַן יָלַד אֶת־צִידֹן בְּכֹרוֹ וְאֶת־חֵת׃

Canaan was the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and Het,

16

וְאֶת־הַיְבוּסִי וְאֶת־הָאֱמֹרִי וְאֵת הַגִּרְגָּשִׁי׃

as well as the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,

17

וְאֶת־הַחִוִּי וְאֶת־הַעַרְקִי וְאֶת־הַסִּינִי׃

the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites,

18

וְאֶת־הָאַרְוָדִי וְאֶת־הַצְּמָרִי וְאֶת־הַחֲמָתִי וְאַחַר נָפֹצוּ מִשְׁפְּחוֹת הַכְּנַעֲנִי׃

the Arvadites, the Tzemarites, and the Chamatites. From these families, the additional families of the Canaanites later spread out further.

19

וַיְהִי גְּבוּל הַכְּנַעֲנִי מִצִּידֹן בֹּאֲכָה גְרָרָה עַד־עַזָּה בֹּאֲכָה סְדֹמָה וַעֲמֹרָה וְאַדְמָה וּצְבֹיִם עַד־לָשַׁע׃

Although Noah had allocated the Land of Israel to the Semites, the Canaanite families extended the border of their territory into it, from Sidon toward Gerar until Gaza, and toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Tzevoyim, until Lasha.

20

אֵלֶּה בְנֵי־חָם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לִלְשֹׁנֹתָם בְּאַרְצֹתָם בְּגוֹיֵהֶם׃ {ס}        

These are the descendants of Ham, according to their clans and languages, by their lands and nations. Ham built the cities of Tzo’an for his second son, Egypt, and Hebron for his youngest son, Canaan. He built Hebron seven times better than Tzo’an.

21

וּלְשֵׁם יֻלַּד גַּם־הוּא אֲבִי כׇּל־בְּנֵי־עֵבֶר אֲחִי יֶפֶת הַגָּדוֹל׃

Children were also born to Shem. He was the ancestor of all those who lived on the other, eastern side of the Euphrates, and the brother of Japheth, the eldest son of Noah and the only other son who honored him.

22

בְּנֵי שֵׁם עֵילָם וְאַשּׁוּר וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁד וְלוּד וַאֲרָם׃

The sons of Shem were Eilam, Assyria, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.

23

וּבְנֵי אֲרָם עוּץ וְחוּל וְגֶתֶר וָמַשׁ׃

The sons of Aram were Utz, Chul, Geter, and Mash.

24

וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁד יָלַד אֶת־שָׁלַח וְשֶׁלַח יָלַד אֶת־עֵבֶר׃

Arpachshad was the father of Shelach, and Shelach was the father of Ever.

25

וּלְעֵבֶר יֻלַּד שְׁנֵי בָנִים שֵׁם הָאֶחָד פֶּלֶג כִּי בְיָמָיו נִפְלְגָה הָאָרֶץ וְשֵׁם אָחִיו יׇקְטָן׃

Two sons were born to Ever. The name of the first was Peleg, because his father prophesied that in the final days of his life, the world would be divided [niflegah], as will be described below. The name of his brother was Yoktan (“the Small One,” so named because of his humility).

26

וְיׇקְטָן יָלַד אֶת־אַלְמוֹדָד וְאֶת־שָׁלֶף וְאֶת־חֲצַרְמָוֶת וְאֶת־יָרַח׃

Yoktan was the father of Almodad, Shelef, Chatzarmavet (“the Court of Death,” which besides being his given name was also the name of his city), Yerach,

27

וְאֶת־הֲדוֹרָם וְאֶת־אוּזָל וְאֶת־דִּקְלָה׃

Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,

28

וְאֶת־עוֹבָל וְאֶת־אֲבִימָאֵל וְאֶת־שְׁבָא׃

Oval, Avima’el, Sheva,

29

וְאֶת־אוֹפִר וְאֶת־חֲוִילָה וְאֶת־יוֹבָב כׇּל־אֵלֶּה בְּנֵי יׇקְטָן׃

Ophir, Chavilah, and Yovav; all these were the sons of Yoktan, who merited fathering all these numerous extended families because of his humility.

30

וַיְהִי מוֹשָׁבָם מִמֵּשָׁא בֹּאֲכָה סְפָרָה הַר הַקֶּדֶם׃

Their dwelling place extended from Meisha toward Sephar, the eastern mountain.

31

אֵלֶּה בְנֵי־שֵׁם לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתָם לִלְשֹׁנֹתָם בְּאַרְצֹתָם לְגוֹיֵהֶם׃

These are the descendants of Shem, according to their clans and languages, by their lands and their nations.

32

אֵלֶּה מִשְׁפְּחֹת בְּנֵי־נֹחַ לְתוֹלְדֹתָם בְּגוֹיֵהֶם וּמֵאֵלֶּה נִפְרְדוּ הַגּוֹיִם בָּאָרֶץ אַחַר הַמַּבּוּל׃ {פ}

These mentioned above were the families of Noah’s sons, in their order of birth, by their nations, and from them the nations eventually dispersed over the earth after the Flood.

1

וַיְהִי כׇל־הָאָרֶץ שָׂפָה אֶחָת וּדְבָרִים אֲחָדִים׃

Deliberately ignoring God’s instructions to Noah that they disperse and populate the world, Noah’s descendants chose to live together in the mountainous region around the Ararat Mountains. Acutely aware that God had brought on the Flood because of the world’s antisocial behavior, they reasoned that the best way to garner God’s favor and beneficence was to show Him that they could live together in unity. The whole population of the world was united, speaking one language, but they were also united in a common, ill-advised cause, led by Nimrod.

2

וַיְהִי בְּנׇסְעָם מִקֶּדֶם וַיִּמְצְאוּ בִקְעָה בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם׃

When they migrated from the mountains in the east, they found a valley in the land of Shin’ar large enough for their purposes and they settled there.

3

וַיֹּאמְרוּ אִישׁ אֶל־רֵעֵהוּ הָבָה נִלְבְּנָה לְבֵנִים וְנִשְׂרְפָה לִשְׂרֵפָה וַתְּהִי לָהֶם הַלְּבֵנָה לְאָבֶן וְהַחֵמָר הָיָה לָהֶם לַחֹמֶר׃

But there were no stones in this valley with which to build, so they said to one another, “Come, let us mold bricks and fire them.” The bricks they made were as hard as stone, and the clay served them for mortar with which to plaster the walls.

4

וַיֹּאמְרוּ הָבָה ׀ נִבְנֶה־לָּנוּ עִיר וּמִגְדָּל וְרֹאשׁוֹ בַשָּׁמַיִם וְנַעֲשֶׂה־לָּנוּ שֵׁם פֶּן־נָפוּץ עַל־פְּנֵי כׇל־הָאָרֶץ׃

They said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into the sky. Let us make ourselves a name, so that we will not be scattered by God all over the face of the earth and thereby lose the merit that earns us His beneficence.” It was at this point that the Assyrians separated themselves from Nimrod and migrated to the north.

5

וַיֵּרֶד יְהֹוָה לִרְאֹת אֶת־הָעִיר וְאֶת־הַמִּגְדָּל אֲשֶׁר בָּנוּ בְּנֵי הָאָדָם׃

In the year 1996, GOD descended, so to speak, to see the city and the tower that the descendants of Adam, the first man, had built. Although He knew what they were doing, He wished to demonstrate that a judge should never pass sentence before thoroughly examining the case.

6

וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה הֵן עַם אֶחָד וְשָׂפָה אַחַת לְכֻלָּם וְזֶה הַחִלָּם לַעֲשׂוֹת וְעַתָּה לֹא־יִבָּצֵר מֵהֶם כֹּל אֲשֶׁר יָזְמוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת׃

GOD said to the heavenly court, “They possess all the advantages and conveniences of being a single people, all having one language – and this is what they have begun to do?! So now, should they not be prevented from doing all that they planned to do?”

7

הָבָה נֵרְדָה וְנָבְלָה שָׁם שְׂפָתָם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִשְׁמְעוּ אִישׁ שְׂפַת רֵעֵהוּ׃

In order to demonstrate how a person should always humbly seek the counsel of others before deciding upon a course of action – even if they are of lesser status – He consulted with His heavenly court, saying, “Come, let us descend and confuse their speech there, so that one person will not understand another’s speech. This will make them quarrel with one another and break up into separate groups, the very thing they feared would happen to them. Although they have declared war on Me, and thus, theologically, their sin is greater than the sins of the generation of the Flood, I will not destroy them, because at least they were united and acted peacefully towards one another. In contrast, the people of the Flood were contentious and robbed from one another. I value peace among My creatures even more than I value the respect they owe Me.

8

וַיָּפֶץ יְהֹוָה אֹתָם מִשָּׁם עַל־פְּנֵי כׇל־הָאָרֶץ וַיַּחְדְּלוּ לִבְנֹת הָעִיר׃

The heavenly court agreed. Except for Shem and his family, all Noah’s descendants suddenly forgot how to speak their original language, Hebrew, and each clan began speaking its own language. Not being able to communicate with each other, they dispersed. In this way, GOD scattered them from that place all over the face of the earth, and they stopped building the city.

9

עַל־כֵּן קָרָא שְׁמָהּ בָּבֶל כִּי־שָׁם בָּלַל יְהֹוָה שְׂפַת כׇּל־הָאָרֶץ וּמִשָּׁם הֱפִיצָם יְהֹוָה עַל־פְּנֵי כׇּל־הָאָרֶץ׃ {פ}

It was therefore named Babel, because this was the place where GOD confused (balal) the whole world’s language. From there GOD dispersed them over all the face of the earth and revoked their privilege of entering the afterlife, as well.

10

אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת שֵׁם שֵׁם בֶּן־מְאַת שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד אֶת־אַרְפַּכְשָׁד שְׁנָתַיִם אַחַר הַמַּבּוּל׃

The following are the descendants of Shem: Shem was 100 years old when he fathered his third son, Arpachshad, in the year 1658, two years after the Flood began.

11

וַיְחִי־שֵׁם אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ אֶת־אַרְפַּכְשָׁד חֲמֵשׁ מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת׃ {ס}        

Shem lived another 500 years after he fathered Arpachshad, and he fathered other sons and daughters before he died in the year 2158, at the age of 600.

12

וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁד חַי חָמֵשׁ וּשְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד אֶת־שָׁלַח׃

Arpachshad was 35 years old when he fathered a son, Shelach, in the year 1693.

13

וַיְחִי אַרְפַּכְשַׁד אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ אֶת־שֶׁלַח שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת׃ {ס}        

Arpachshad lived another 403 years after Shelach was born, and he fathered other sons and daughters before he died in the year 2096, at the age of 438.

14

וְשֶׁלַח חַי שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד אֶת־עֵבֶר׃

Shelach was 30 years old when he fathered a son, Ever, in the year 1723.

15

וַיְחִי־שֶׁלַח אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ אֶת־עֵבֶר שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת׃ {ס}        

Shelach lived another 403 years after he fathered Ever, and he fathered other sons and daughters before he died in the year 2126, at the age of 433.

16

וַיְחִי־עֵבֶר אַרְבַּע וּשְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד אֶת־פָּלֶג׃

Ever was 34 years old when he fathered a son, Peleg, in the year 1757.

17

וַיְחִי־עֵבֶר אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ אֶת־פֶּלֶג שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת׃ {ס}        

Ever lived another 430 years after he fathered Peleg, and he fathered other sons and daughters before he died in the year 2187, at the age of 464.

18

וַיְחִי־פֶלֶג שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד אֶת־רְעוּ׃

Peleg was 30 years old when he fathered a son, Re’u, in the year 1787.

19

וַיְחִי־פֶלֶג אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ אֶת־רְעוּ תֵּשַׁע שָׁנִים וּמָאתַיִם שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת׃ {ס}        

years after he fathered Re’u, and he fathered other sons and daughters before he died in the year 1996 – the year of the dispersion – at the age of 239.

20

וַיְחִי רְעוּ שְׁתַּיִם וּשְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד אֶת־שְׂרוּג׃

Re’u was 32 years old when he had a son, Serug, in the year 1819.

21

וַיְחִי רְעוּ אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ אֶת־שְׂרוּג שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים וּמָאתַיִם שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת׃ {ס}        

years after he fathered Serug, and he fathered other sons and daughters before he died in the year 2026, at the age of 239.

22

וַיְחִי שְׂרוּג שְׁלֹשִׁים שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד אֶת־נָחוֹר׃

Serug was 30 years old when he fathered a son, Nachor, in the year 1849.

23

וַיְחִי שְׂרוּג אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ אֶת־נָחוֹר מָאתַיִם שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת׃ {ס}        

years after he fathered Nachor, and he fathered other sons and daughters before he died in the year 2049, at the age of 230.

24

וַיְחִי נָחוֹר תֵּשַׁע וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד אֶת־תָּרַח׃

Nachor was 29 years old when he fathered a son, Terach, in the year 1878.

25

וַיְחִי נָחוֹר אַחֲרֵי הוֹלִידוֹ אֶת־תֶּרַח תְּשַׁע־עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה וּמְאַת שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד בָּנִים וּבָנוֹת׃ {ס}        

years after he fathered Terach, and he fathered other sons and daughters before he died in the year 1997, at the age of 148.

26

וַיְחִי־תֶרַח שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד אֶת־אַבְרָם אֶת־נָחוֹר וְאֶת־הָרָן׃

Terach was 70 years old when, in the year 1948, he fathered a son, whom he named Abram (“the Prince of Aram”). Terach’s next son was Nachor, named after his father, and his third son was Haran. Abram was born from one wife and Nachor and Haran from another.

27

וְאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת תֶּרַח תֶּרַח הוֹלִיד אֶת־אַבְרָם אֶת־נָחוֹר וְאֶת־הָרָן וְהָרָן הוֹלִיד אֶת־לוֹט׃

The narrative now focuses on the history of Terach’s family. The following are the descendants of Terach: Terach was the father of Abram, Nachor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot and of two daughters.

28

וַיָּמׇת הָרָן עַל־פְּנֵי תֶּרַח אָבִיו בְּאֶרֶץ מוֹלַדְתּוֹ בְּאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים׃

Haran died during the lifetime of his father, Terach, in the land of his birth, Ur of the Chaldeans.

29

וַיִּקַּח אַבְרָם וְנָחוֹר לָהֶם נָשִׁים שֵׁם אֵשֶׁת־אַבְרָם שָׂרָי וְשֵׁם אֵשֶׁת־נָחוֹר מִלְכָּה בַּת־הָרָן אֲבִי־מִלְכָּה וַאֲבִי יִסְכָּה׃

Abram and Nachor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nachor’s wife was Milkah, the daughter of Haran, who was the father of Milkah and her sister Sarai, who was also known as Yiskah, meaning “[far]-looking,” since she was gifted with Divine inspiration and could foretell the future; “[good]-looking,” since everyone enjoyed gazing at her beauty; and “royal dignity,” parallel to her other name, Sarai, which means “my princess.” Abram and Nachor, the two brothers, thus both married their nieces, two sisters – the daughters of their brother, Haran.

30

וַתְּהִי שָׂרַי עֲקָרָה אֵין לָהּ וָלָד׃

Sarai was barren; she had no child. And according to Abram’s astrological calculations, he would never have any children through her.

31

וַיִּקַּח תֶּרַח אֶת־אַבְרָם בְּנוֹ וְאֶת־לוֹט בֶּן־הָרָן בֶּן־בְּנוֹ וְאֵת שָׂרַי כַּלָּתוֹ אֵשֶׁת אַבְרָם בְּנוֹ וַיֵּצְאוּ אִתָּם מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים לָלֶכֶת אַרְצָה כְּנַעַן וַיָּבֹאוּ עַד־חָרָן וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם׃

The incident of the fiery furnace convinced Terach to also espouse monotheism, but he did not want to acknowledge his repentance publicly. Terach took his son Abram; his grandson Lot son of Haran; and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram; and prepared to leave Ur with them. Abram became convinced as well that the family should move, so together, Terach and Abram left Ur of the Chaldeans with Lot and Sarai, heading toward Canaan, which Terach knew had been designated for his ancestor Shem by Noah and would therefore be out of the reach of Nimrod, a Hamite. They left Nachor and Milkah behind in Ur. They came as far as the city of Charan in Aram, and settled there.

32

וַיִּהְיוּ יְמֵי־תֶרַח חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וּמָאתַיִם שָׁנָה וַיָּמׇת תֶּרַח בְּחָרָן׃ {פ}

All of Terach’s days came to 205 years, and Terach died in Charan in the year 2083. But because he was outwardly an idolater, he was considered wicked, and therefore figuratively “dead” even while he was alive, for the wicked are considered dead even in their lifetimes, whereas the righteous are considered alive even after their death.

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