Noah 2020
Isaac’s Parsha Corner · 2020
The flood story follows the two major stories in Parshat Bereishis; that of the Garden of Eden and that of Cain and Abel. Are these three stories connected in some way or independent, each with its own message? What precisely was the failure of the first 1600 years? One would hate to think that G-d was trying to figure out a permanent system. That He somehow failed at creation #1 with Adam and the generations that followed and decided to start over again with Noah in episode number two of Creation. Furthermore, is it true that in ten generations (1600 years) there was not a single honorable person? We read about Chanoch, “And Chanoch went with G-d and was no longer for G-d had taken him.” The language used to describe Chanoch is the same used to describe Noah, “Noah went with G-d”. What exactly was special about Noah and his story that deemed him to be the ultimate father of all mankind replacing a failed Adam and Chanoch? I believe that the three stories taken together teach an important lesson as to how G-d interacts with His creation Man. In the garden Adam took from the tree of knowledge. He is also given a commandment; “Be fruitful and multiply” (Pru Urvu). What becomes obvious in the Cain and Abel story is that Adam failed to pass on either. He didn’t pass on the knowledge gained from the tree; the command not to murder is a “Common sense” commandment. Nor did he pass on to his offspring the commandment to be fruitful. Noah was different as he entered into a Covenant, a “Bris”. “G-d spoke to Noah before the flood saying “I will bring a flood that will destroy everything on earth. And I will confirm my Covenant with you“. The covenant referred to here has been understood either to mean “the covenant of the rainbow” (Ibn Ezra) or the covenant to “preserve the fruits in the ark during the long flood” (Rashi). Many others (Radak, Chizkuni, Ibn Ezra explanation #1) understand it to mean the agreement that Noah would survive the Flood in exchange for his commitment to repopulate and replant the earth. The Zohar explains the Covenant refers to an agreement to observe the seven Commandments, those commonly referred to as ‘The seven Mitzvot of the children of Noah. The Covenant would be an agreement to keep these commandments not just for himself but for all his offspring and for all time. The covenant was in exchange for Noah and his entire family being saved, this, despite the fact that some family members namely Cham, were certainly not worthy of being saved. It was Noah who accepted the agreement. It’s the equivalent of the Children of Israel saying, “We will do and listen”“Naaaseh Venishmah”. With those famous words the Jewish nation accepted the Torah and the 613 commandments. “Kabalat Hatorah”. Similarly Noah’s covenant bound him and all his offspring in the seven commandments of the children of Noah then and forever.
In memory of Joel Shulman A’H