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Noach נח
Parsha Questions (from ohr.edu)
- Which particular sin sealed the fate of the flood generation?
- Why did HaShem tell Noach to build an ark, as opposed to saving him via some other method?
- The ark had three levels. What function did each level serve?
- What indication do we have that Noach was familiar with the Torah?
- Why did HaShem postpone bringing the flood for seven days?
- Why did the first water of the flood come down as light rain?
- What did people say that threatened Noach, and what did HaShem do to protect him?
- What grouping of creatures escaped the punishment of the flood?
- How deeplywas the ark submerged in the water?
- What did the olive branch symbolize?
- How long did the punishment of the flood last?
- A solar year is how many days longer than a lunar year?
- When did humans receive permission to eat meat?
- What prohibition was given along with the permission to eat meat?
- Why does the command to “be fruitful and multiply” directly follow the prohibition of murder?
- Name two generations in which the rainbow never appeared.
- Why did Noach curse Canaan specifically? Give two reasons.
- Why does the Torah call Nimrod a mighty hunter?
- The sin of the generation of the dispersion was greater than the sin of the generation of the flood. Why was the punishment of the former less severe?
- Why was Sarah, also called Yisrah?
LESSONS LEARNED FROM NOACH’S ARK
Everything I need to know about life, I learned from the Ark of Noach
One:Don’t miss the boat.
Two:Remember that we are all in the same boat.
Three:Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noach built the Ark.
Four:Stay fit. When you’re 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
Five:Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.
Six:Build your future on high ground.
Seven:For safety’s sake, travel in pairs.
Eight:Speed isn’t always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
Nine:When you’re stressed, float a while.
Ten:Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.
Eleven:No matter the storm, when you are with G-d, there’s always a rainbow waiting.
A Daily Dose of Wisdom from the Rebbe(Chabad.org)
Make Up Your Own Mind
Lack of clarity can be a blessing.
If everything were spelled out -- exactly what you are supposed to do, when, how, with whom and for how long -- what room would be left for your sense of accomplishment?
This is why the details of a person's mission in this world are held back from him: Out of G-d's great kindness, so that this little creature can decide on its own, and take credit for it.
Thanks for contributing to the Parsha Fun page:
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Parsha Answers
All references are to the verses and Rashi's commentary, unless otherwise stated.
- 6:13 - Robbery.
- 6:14 - So that people would see Noach building the ark and ask him what he was doing. When Noach would answer, "HaShem is bringing a flood," it might encourage some people to repent.
- 6:16 - The top level housed the people, the middle level housed the animals, and the bottom level, the refuse.
- 7:2 - HaShem told him to take into the ark seven of each kosher-type animal, and two of each non-kosher type. "Kosher" and "non-kosher" are Torah concepts.
- 7:4 - To allow seven days to mourn the death of Metushelach.
- 7:12 - To give the generation a chance to repent.
- 7:13,15 - People said, "If we see him going into the ark, we'll smash it!" HaShem surrounded it with bears and lions to kill any attackers.
- 7:22 - The fish.
- 8:4 - Eleven amot.
- 8:11 - Nothing. It was a leaf, not a branch. (The olive leaf symbolized that it’s better to eat food "bitter like an olive" but comes directly from HaShem, rather than sweet food provided by humans.)
- 8:14 - A full solar year.
- 8:14 - Eleven days.
- 9:3 - After the flood.
- 9:4 - The prohibition of eating a limb cut from a living animal.
- 9:7 - To equate one who purposely abstains from having children to one who commits murder.
- 9:12 - The generation of King Chizkiyahu and the generation of Shimon bar Yochai.
- 9:22,24 - Because Canaan is the one who revealed Noachs disgrace to Ham. And because Ham stopped Noach from fathering a fourth son. Thus, Noach cursed Ham's fourth son, Canaan.
- 10:9 - He used words to ensnare the minds of people, persuading them to rebel against HaShem.
- 11:9 - They lived together peacefully.
- 11:29 - The word "Yiscah" is related to the Hebrew word "to see." Sarah was called Yiscah because she could "see" the future via prophecy. Also, because of her beauty, everyone would gaze at her.
/ by Zvi Akiva Fleisher
HaShem commanded Noach to build an ark which had three stories "Tachtiim shniim u'shlishim taa'sehoh" (6:16) -. What did each level house?
From the top level down:
1) People, All animals, Waste. There is no specific mention of where the birds were. (gemara Sanhedrin 108b)
2) People and kosher birds, Non-kosher birds and domesticated and wild animals, Waste. (gemara Sanhedrin 108b, opinion of Rabbi Yirmiyoh)
3) People and kosher birds in the same quarters and non-kosher birds on the same level, Domesticated and wild animals, Waste. (gemara Sanhedrin 108b, second interpretation of the opinion of Rabbi Yirmiyoh)
4) People, Domesticated and wild animals and birds, Waste. (Old edition of Rashi)
5) All non-kosher species, People and all kosher species, Waste. (Yalkut Shimoni #54)
6) Waste, People and all kosher species, All non-kosher species. (Second opinion in same Yalkut Shimoni)
7) People and all birds, Domesticated and wild animals, Waste. (P'sikto Zut'r'so)
8) Insects and crawling creatures and people, All birds, All domesticated and wild animals. No mention is made of the area used for waste storage. (Pirkei d'Rebbi Eliezer ch. 23)
"Ki b'tzelem Elokim ossoh es ho'odom" (9:6) – In Shmos 2:12 it says "Vayar ki ein ish va'yach es haMitzri" - The Medrash Shmuel on Pirkei Ovos (3:18) says in the name of R' Chaim Vi'tal that the reason a person is given the death penalty for the murder of a ben Noach is not for the murder itself, but rather because there will be a descendant of the murdered person who might be a righteous person, or a convert. The Medrash Shmuel writes that he asked R' Chaim Vi'tal that the Torah in our verse says a murderer should be killed, and the Targum says that this is true when there is a witness to the murder. We see the Torah gives us a blanket ruling. Surely there are times when there would have been no righteous descendant emerging from the murdered person. R' Chaim Vi'tal answered that HaShem would only allow the circumstance of a witness being present when there would have been a righteous descendant.
We can now understand the Rashi in Shmos 2:12. Rashi says "pshuto k'mashmo'o" that Moshe saw that no convert would emerge from this person's progeny (Yalkut Shimoni #167). Is this "p'shuto k'moshmo'o?" Simple pshat would be that he looked around and saw no one to witness this act. According to the above answer of R' Chaim Vi'tal we understand the words of Rashi. Since Moshe saw no witness, he realized FROM THIS that no convert would come from this Egyptian's descendants. This dvar Torah also appears in P'ninim Y'korim with the question being raised by R' Chaim Vi'tal to the Ari z"l and with some other variations.
Shidduchim "Va'yikach Avrom v'Nochor lohem noshim" (11:9) – Why does the Torah spend so much time on the details of Yitzchok's finding a wife (all 67 verses of chapter 24), and by Avrohom and Soroh all we find is a verse simply stating that Avrom took Sorei as his wife? Possibly, since she was his niece, it was simply a matter of agreeing to marry.
However, I heard that there is an important lesson to be learned from this. The proper way to pursue a shidduch is for the young man and woman to rely greatly on their parents or parents' agent to give them guidance and even to help in the final decision making. Therefore the Torah elaborates on the shidduch of Yitzchok so that we should learn to follow this path. Avrohom and Soroh had parents who had totally different values from their G-d fearing children. Avrohom and Soroh had no choice but to take their own initiative. To totally rely on oneself is not a lesson the Torah wants to teach future generations, hence no elaboration on their manner of pursuit of a shidduch.
Why were the life spans of the ensuing generations noticeably shorter than the previous generations? The Ramban in parshas Breishis 5:4 d.h. "Va'y'h'yu" brings a Rambam in Moreh N'vuchim, section 2, perek 47, who says that the life span of almost everyone was 70 to 80 years, and only the exceptions are mentioned in the Torah. The Ramban strongly disagrees, claiming that it is illogical for some people who have no special merit (see Pirkei Ovos 5:2-3) to miraculously live ten to twelve times as long as the norm. He says that all antediluvian (pre-Mabul) people lived much longer. After the Mabul there was a very negative change in the atmosphere which shortened people's lives.
Noach's sons born before the Mabul, lived longer than most, as they were strengthened by living during the very healthy antediluvian era, but a bit shorter than those who lived their whole lives pre-Mabul, because they were also subject to the negative atmospheric post-Mabul effects. Along came the Dor Haflogoh, the generation of dispersion, and the scattering to new climates had a further negative affect, cutting down the average life span by 50% to below 200 years.
The Sforno attributes the shorter life span to the changes of temperature throughout the year. He says that originally the earth was aligned at its poles perpendicularly to the sun and the climate and temperature were always quite steady. However, after the Mabul, HaShem changed the angle of the poles by tilting them 23 degrees. This is what gives us the change of seasons.
G-d won't ask what kind of car you drove,
but will ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.
G-d won't ask the square footage of your house,
but will ask how many people you welcomed into your home.
G-d won't ask about the fancy clothes you had in your closet,
but will ask how many of those clothes helped the needy.
G-d won't ask about your social status,
but will ask what kind of class you displayed.
G-d won't ask how many material possessions you had,
but will ask if they dictated your life.
G-d won't ask what your highest salary was,
but will ask if you compromised your character to obtain that salary.
G-d won't ask how much overtime you worked,
but will ask if you worked overtime for your family and loved ones.
G-d won't ask how many promotions you received,
but will ask how you promoted others.
G-d won't ask what your job title was,
but will ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.
G-d won't ask what you did to help yourself,
but will ask what you didto help others.
G-d won't ask how many friends you had,
but will ask how many people to whom you were a true friend.
G-d won't ask what you did to protect your rights,
but will ask what you did to protect the rights of others.
G-d won't ask in what neighborhood you lived,
but will ask how you treated your neighbors.
G-d won't ask about the color of your skin,
but will ask about the content of your character.
G-d won't ask how many times your deeds matched your words,
but will ask how many times they didn't.
Remember:HE LOVES YOU!!
THIS DATE IN HISTORY Rosh Chodesh Chesvan
2448 The Egyptians were smitten with the (fifth) plague of Dever.
2936 Shlomo Hamelech (King Solomon) finished building the Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple) but waited almost 12 months for the dedication ceremonies to begin on 8 Tishrei (Yalkut Shimoni Melachim 184).
1270 CE: The bloody Christian Crusades (the seventh and last) ceased with a treaty signed by King Louis XI and the Berbers. (5031/1270)
October 14, 1700 CE: Chaim Molocho and Rav Yehuda Hachasid landed in Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) with hundreds of disciples. Rav Yehuda Hachasid died 3 days later. A shul was built on land he had purchased for that purpose, and was named for him. The Arabs burned the shul in 1720. It was rebuilt in 1837 and destroyed by the Arabs again in 1948. Today the site is known as the Churva.
The Month Of Cheshvan
The month of Cheshvan is also called "Mar-Cheshvan." Mar means "bitter" -- an allusion to the fact that the month contains no festive days; it also means "water", alluding to the month's special connection with rains (the 7th of Cheshvan is the day on which Jews we begin praying for rain (in the Holy Land), and the Great Flood, which we read about in this week's Torah reading, began on Cheshvan 17th).
Date / Event / Year after creation1 / King Solomon finished building the FirstTemple. / 2936
6 / King Nebuchadnezar killed King Zidkiyahu's son's before him, then blinded King Zidkiyahu, (see the 9th of Tamuz) how he was captured. / 3380
The Rambam reached Yerushalayim. / 4926
Rabbi Yehuda Hachasid builds a Shul in Yerushalayim (in the old city). / 5461
7 / In Israel,the prayer for rain starts today. /
8 / Rabbi Yehuda Hachasid's Shul got burnt down, together with 40 Sifrei Torah (Torah Scrolls). / 5481
9 / A holiday in Yerushalayim - for defeating the roman army (about a year and a half before the destruction of the second Temple). / 3828
The Rambam reaches Chevron. / 4926
10 / Noach and family go inside the Ark. / 1658
Gad the son of Ya'akov was born & died at the age of 125. / 2198 - 2323
11 / Rachel (the wife of Ya'akov) died [at the age of 45]. / 2208
Benjamin (Rachel's son) was born. / 2208
Benjamin (Rachel's son) died at the age of 109. / 2317
15 / Jeroboam (King of the ten tribes in the north) proclaimed this day as a holiday. / 2979
Matityahu (the father of the Maccabi's) died. / 3596
Rabbi Avrohom Karelitz the "Chazon Ish" died. / 5714
16 / "Krystelnacht" (in Germany) - over 190 Shuls were burnt down 7500 stores and shops were destroyed, over 20,000 Jews were killed and sent to concentration camps. / 5699
17 / The Flood started. / 1658
King David found out that King Shaul and 7 members of his family weren't buried, (that were killed by the Givonim, see 16th of Nissan ) came and buried them. After that he prayed to HaShem and the famine that lasted for 3 years stopped. / 2923
27 / The land dried up, after the flood. / 1659
P L E A S E T E L L M E W H A T T H E R E B B E S A I D
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Parshas Noach
The instructions which HaShem gave Noach about the teivah also teach us about the words of our davening and learning. HaShem tells Noach — “bo el hateivah” — “Come into the teivah.” We can learn from this that when we daven and learn, we shouldn’t just hurry through the words. We should “come into the teivah” — put ourselves into the words by putting our minds and hearts into what we are saying.
HaShem also tells Noach — “tzohar ta’aseh lateivah” — “You should make light for the teivah.” Noach built a window which allowed light into the teivah. We must also make sure our teivos — our words of davening and learning — are bright. They should shine with the bright light of our neshamah.
Later, the Torah describes how the teivah floated on the waters. “vatorom hateivah” — “And the teivah was uplifted.” The gushing waters of the Flood are like the busy world around us. When we put ourselves into the words of our davening and learning, those holy words lift us above the world.
We start our day with “bo el hateivah” putting our minds and hearts into our davening and learning. We make those words shine with the light of our neshamah, and as we concentrate on these holy words, we feel uplifted. We are not bothered by all the things going on in the world around us.
Then, we are ready to go about our daily activities, spreading the light of our davening and learning all around. This is what we learn from HaShem’s next command to Noach: tzei min hateivah — “Go out from the teivah.” HaShem tells Noach “Be fruitful and multiply, rule over the land and conquer it.” We too can conquer the world for the Torah, spreading HaShem’s holiness in everything we do.
Our Rabbis tell us that Noach’s teivah was like the time of Mashiach. When Mashiach comes, lions, tigers, and other wild animals will live together with the sheep and goats, just as they did in Noach’s teivah. When Noach left the teivah, his job was to take that spirit with him, and make not only the ark, but the entire world ready for Mashiach.
(Adapted from Sichos Shabbos Parshas Noach, 5733; Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XXV, Parshas Noach)
Parsha Noach נר לאפרים