Parshas Noach

Pesukim: 153 [Siman: בצלאל]

Haftorah: Yeshayahu 54:1-10[1]

Number of Mitzvos: There are no Positive or Negative commands mentioned in Parshas Noach.

 

Rishon

1. Who is Noach?

• Noach was a Tzadik, a pure man in his generation.
• Noach had three children, Shem, Cham and Yafes.

 

2. The depravity of the world:

• The world became depraved before G-d, and was filled with corruption. Hashem took notice of this, as all the creations perverted their nature on the earth.
• Hashem told Noach that He has become fed up with the corruption of the world and that it will have to be destroyed.

 

3. Hashem instructs Noach to build a Teiva/Ark:

• Hashem instructs Noach to build a wooden ark that is covered in tar. These instructions include the following:
  • The Teiva is to be 300 cubits [144 meters] long, 50 cubits wide [24 meters] and 30 cubits tall [14 meters].
  • The Teiva is to have a Tzohar [window] and is to be constructed with a pitched roof.
  • It is to have three stories.
• Hashem said to Noach: The world will be flooded and all its creatures destroyed. I will make my covenant with you, and you and your wife and children and their families will survive on the Teiva. You are to enter into the Teiva a male and female creature of every species, animals, birds and insects. Gather food and store it in the Teiva.
• Noach followed the instructions of G-d in detail.

 

Sheiyni

4. The final instructions given days before the flood:

• Hashem instructed Noach to bring himself and his family into the ark seven days before the flood.
• Animals: Seven pairs of male and female animals and birds of every Kosher species is to enter the Teiva. [Seven male and their wives.] From the impure animals take two of every species, a male and his wife.
• The flood would last for 40 days and nights.
• Noach was 600 years old at the time.
• Noach did as he was instructed. He and his family, Noach and his wife, Sheim and Cham and Yefes and their three wives, entered the Teiva. The animal pairs entered the Teiva.

5. The flood:

• After the passing of seven days, on the 17^th of the 2^nd month [Marcheshvan] the torrential rain began and the depths of the earth began to shoot forth water. The rain lasted 40 days and nights.

 

Shelishi

• Fifteen cubits of water covered over even the highest mountains.
• All the living creatures on earth perished, besides for Noach and his family and the animals that remained with him.
• The water recedes: The water remained on earth without receding for 150 days. It began to recede after 150 days. On the 17^th of the 7^th month [Sivan] the Teiva landed on the mountain of Ararat. The peak of the mountains began to appear on the 1^st of the 10^th month [Av].
• Noach sends out a bird: 40 days later Noach opened the window of the ark and sent out the raven. The raven did not find land to rest on. He then sent out a dove, who returned to the ark after not finding dry land. Seven days later the dove was resent and the dove returned with an olive branch. He resent the dove seven days later and it did not return.
• The Teiva is opened: On the first of the first month [Rosh Hashanah] the earth became free of water and Noach opened the cover of the Teiva.
• The earth finally became dry on the 27^th of the 2^nd month [27^th of Marcheshvan]

 

Revi’i

6. The survivors exit the Teiva:

• Hashem spoke to Noach and told him that he and his family, and all the living creatures, are to leave the Teiva. They are to spread out on the land and multiply. Noach did as he was told, and him, his family, and all the living creatures, left the Teiva.

 

7. The Karbanos and G-d’s blessings and promises:

• Noach built an altar and offered sacrifices to Hashem from the Kosher animals and poultry. Hashem smelled the scent and promised to never again to curse the earth, destroy all creations, or stop the seasons and celestial creations.
• Command to have children: Hashem blessed Noach and his children, that they should be fruitful and multiply.
• Inherent fear of humans: Hashem stated that all animals will fear man.
• Permission to eat meat: Hashem gave man permission to eat any living creature on earth.
• Prohibition against murder: Nonetheless, Hashem warned them against committing murder against each other. “I will avenge the blood of man that is spilled by the hands of an animal, or by the hands of another human.”

 

Chamishi

8. The covenant and rainbow:

• Hashem makes a covenant with Noach and all future descendants, and all the living creatures, to never again bring a flood to destroy the earth.
• Hashem designates the rainbow to be the sign of this covenant. It is positioned in the clouds between heaven and earth as a reminder to G-d of this covenant.

 

Shishi

9. Noach gets drunk:

• The new world was established by the children of Noach who left the Teiva.
• Noach degraded himself and planted a vineyard. He drank from the wine and became drunk and was unclothed within his tent. Cham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brother who were outside. Shem and Yefes took a garment and laid it upon their shoulders, walking backwards, and covered the nakedness of their father. They did not see their father’s nakedness.
• Noach curses Canaan: Noach awoke from his drunken slumber and realized what his youngest son had done to him. He cursed Canaan that he should be a slave to the other two brothers, and blessed Yefes and Sheim.
• Noach lived after the flood for 350 years, his total years being 950 years.

10. Offspring of Noach:

• The following are the offspring of Noach: Shem, Cham, and Yafes, and they had children after the flood. The following are the names of those children:
• Yefes:
• Gomer
  • Ashkenas
  • Rifas
  • Togarma
• Magog
• Maday
• Yavan
  • Elisha
  • Tarshish
  • Kitim
  • Dodanim
• From the above were created different nations, each according to their language and family.
• Tuval
• Meshech
• Tiras
• Cham:
  • Kush
    • Seva
    • Chavila
    • Savta
    • Raama
    • Sheba
    • Dedan

Who was Nimrod: Nimrod became a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before Hashem. The start of his reign was in Bavel, Erech, Accad, and Kalna in the land of Shinar. Ashur left from that land and built the city of Ninveh which is the great city, Rechovos Hair, Calah, and Resen.

• Mitzrayim
  • Ludim
  • Anamim
  • Lahabim
  • Naphtuchim
  • Pasrusim
  • The Phlishtim and Caphtorim came from them.
• Put
• Canaan
  • Tzidon
  • Ches
  • Yevusi
  • Emori
  • Girgashi
  • Chivi
  • Arki
  • Sini
  • Arvadi
  • Tzemari
  • Chamasi
• The Cananite boundary extended from Tzidon to Gera, to Gaza, reaching Sodom, Amora, Adam and Tzvoyim.
• Shem:
  • Eilam
  • Ashur
  • Arpachshad
    • Shalach
      • Ever
        • Peleg [see Shevi’i for his descendants]
        • Yaktan
          • Almodad
          • Shalef
          • Tzarmaves
          • Yarach
          • Hadoram
          • Uzal
          • Dikla
          • Oval Abimale
          • Sheva
          • Ofer
          • Chavila
          • Yovav
        • Lud
        • Aram
          • Utz
          • Chul
          • Geser
          • Mash

 

Shevi’i

11. Dor Haflaga/Migdal Bavel:

• Building the tower: The entire earth spoke one language and was unified in words. When they migrated from the east they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. Each man told his friend let us make bricks and build a city and tower whose top reaches the heavens. We will make for ourselves a name, lest we be dispersed throughout the earth.
• Hashem confuses their language and disperses them: Hashem descended to see the city and tower that they built. And said “They are one nation and language and this they have begun to do. Shall we not withhold them? Let us descend and confuse their languages, so that they should not understand each other’s speech.” Hashem dispersed them throughout the entire earth and they stopped building the city.
• For this reason the city is called Bavel, as there Hashem confused the language of man, and from there He dispersed them.

12. The descendants of Shem, the length of their lives and the birth of Avraham:
    • Shem lived a total of 600 years.
    • Arpachshad was born when Shem was 100 years old. He was born two years after the Mabul. He had Shalach at age 530. He lived a total of 933 years.

• Shalach had Ever at age 30. He lived a total of 433 years.
• Ever had Peleg at age 34. He lived a total of 464 years.
• Peleg had Reu at age 30. He lived a total of 239 years.
• Reu had Serug at age 32. He lived a total of 239 years.
• Serug had Nachor at age 30. He lived a total of 230 years.
• Nachor had Tarach at age 29. He lived a total of 148 years.
• Terach had Avraham, Nachor and Haran at age 70. He lived a total of 205 years.
• Haran had Lot. Haran died in the presence of his father in the land of Kasdim.
• Avram marries: Avram and Nachor got married. The wife of Avram was named Saraiy, and the wife of Nachor was named Milka. Milka and Yiska [i.e. Saraiy] were both the daughters of Haran. Saraiy was barren, she had no children.
• Traveling to Charan: Terach took his son Avram, his grandson Lot, and Saraiy his daughter in law and they traveled from Ur Kasdim towards the land of Canaan. They arrived in Charan and settled there. Terach passed away in Charan.

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[1] So is followed by Sepharadi and Chabad communities. However, Ashkenazi communities read until verse 55:5.