Noach
When did the flood begin? This is the subject of a dispute between two Talmudic Rabbis. Rabbi Eliezer says it began in Heshvan, while Rabbi Joshua believes it began in Iyar. The Torah says it began in the second month. Being that the months throughout the Torah are numbered from Nisan and whenever the second month is mentioned in the Bible it always refers to Iyar, Rabbi Joshua would appear to be correct. Yet the generally accepted opinion, followed by the commentators, is that the flood began in Heshvan. One could explain this by simply saying that according to Jewish tradition the world began in Tishrei, on Rosh Hashanah, but I believe the discussion goes deeper. Iyar is in the spring, when the rainy season is over. For the flood to begin then would signify a clearly supernatural event. Heshvan, on the other hand, is the beginning of the rainy season. The flood thus began as the normal seasonal rainfall. It just didn’t stop. Looked at in this light the flood is nature gone wrong. It is the climax to a series of climatic events that lead to the extinction of most of life. This in fact fits in better with Jewish tradition. According to the Rabbis, this was not the first major natural catastrophe. Years before, in the generation of Enosh, the oceans overflowed and wiped out a third of the world. Furthermore, this phenomenon of nature out of control is the consequence of humans out of control. The Rabbis paint a picture of a world were rapacious human desire despoils nature, corrupts wildlife and oppresses the weak. In describing the period before the flood, the Torah interestingly uses the very same word, haschit meaning destroy or lay waste, that it does when later forbidding the wanton destruction of fruit trees, even in war. This of course was extended to prohibit any wanton destruction. So before the flood everything was ‘destroying its way on the earth’. Human beings, animals, the earth itself was being degraded until an end was reached. ‘The end of all flesh has come before me’, states G-d. Nature, and G-d’s patience, have reached their limit. So it begins to rain. But this time it doesn’t stop. Rabbi Joshua, placing the flood in spring, may give us a view of a supernatural flood, brought upon the world by a wrathful G-d. Rabbi Eliezer shows us something more disturbing. G-d simply giving up on a world devastated by human greed that destroys habitats, wildlife and human dignity. A series of natural catastrophes, including a massive tsunami, are precursors of total climatic devastation. Sound familiar? .
ALIYAH BY ALIYAH SYNOPSIS
Rishon |
Noach is informed that a flood is coming and instructed to build an Ark to escape. |
Sheni |
Noach builds the Ark and takes two of every creature inside. |
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Shelishi |
The flood destroys all things not in the Ark. |
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Revi’i |
Noach leaves the Ark and offers sacrifices and G-d promises not to again bring a flood top destroy the world. |
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Chamishi |
G-d makes the rainbow a sign of His promise. |
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Shishi |
Noach gets drunk and is molested by his grandson. The seventy nations descended from Noach’s sons. |
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Shevi’i |
The Tower of Babel and the descendants of Shem leading to Abraham. |
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Maftir |
The Shabbat and Rosh Hodesh offerings. |
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Haftorah |
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Sidra Statistics
Parshiot Noach
· has 153 verses;
· is the 2nd in Genesis, 2nd in the Torah.
· 2nd longest in Genesis, 4th longest in the Torah.
· Noach has no mitzvot.
PAST PARSHAH PUZZLE
Written and taught.
‘Write for you this Song and teach it to the Children of Israel ’
Animal, like vegetable.
Human demise leads to animal rights.
WEEKLY HALAKHA
When Rosh Hodesh falls on Shabbat we say half-Hallel, read a special Maftir and Haftorah and say a special Musaf.