Noach (Genesis 6:9-11:32) — Exiting the month of the festivals and entering into the cold month of Marcheshvan. How does this relate to Noah and the flood? What does Noah then teach us for our own journey through life?
The Shorashim Torah Study and Overview Guide
In a generation that has been corrupted by violence and selfish passion G-d calls out to Noah who was a “righteous man, perfect in his generations (Genesis 6:9)”
What are we to learn from the statement” was a righteous man… in his generations (Genesis 6:9)”
Why not simply say he was righteous ?
G-d instructs Noah to build a large wooden teivah (ark), coated within and without with pitch.
What does the word Teivah and the covering with the pich hearken to and what is that meant to teach us?
Why was the ark not called a ship?
Noah then builds the ark for 120 years.
What is the significance of that number and why for so long?
The heavens open up and it rains for forty days and the ark flounders about for about a year until Noah sends out ravens.
What is the special quality of the ravens that is meant to teach us a lesson?
Then Noah sends out doves until the dove does not return. At that point G-d commands Noah and his family to exit.
Why did they need to be commanded to do that ?
Noah builds an altar and offers sacrifices to G-d from the pure animals. G-d makes a covenat not to destroy Man again and uses the rainbow as His sign.
What is the symbolism of the rainbow?
Noah plants a vineyard, makes the wine, then drinks it and becomes drunk.
One son takes advantage of the situation and he, Ham and his son Canaan are punished. The other two Shem and Yaphet attempt to protect Noah’s honor.
The descendants of Noah remain a single people, with one language and they decide to build one tower to reach into the heavens and combat G-d’s desire to have His name spread throughout the world. G-d punishes them by mixing their language
What does this punishment teach us about the essence of the sin of this generation?
The Portion of Noach concludes with a chronology of the ten generations from Noah to Abram (later Abraham), and the latter’s journey from his birthplace of Ur Khasdim to Haran, on the way to the Land of Canaan.
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