Noach - 3rd Portion

Join me together as we learn Kumsh Torah reading for Noah. The third Torah reading chapter 7 verse 17. And the flood was now for 40 days on the land. And the water increased so much that it caused that the ark should be lifted and it carried it along and it was drifted above the surface of the water. What does it mean? It was above the surface of the water. So the Torah tells us orashi explains that it rose above the ground telling us it was submerged in water of 11 like a boat. Generally a boat is submerged a little bit in the water for it to float above the water like a regular boat that is usually carrying people and therefore some of it is submerged in the water. How do I know this says further on as we'll read the next verses we'll see how the actual ta was submerged a little bit in the water and that's the way it continued to move along the water. Verse 18. After the rain stopped, the water surged on its own and the water kept on going up as we'll soon see in Rashi and the ark drifted on the surface of the water. It kept on floating on the water. Rashi tells us male that the water on its own kept coming up since it was no longer raining. So the water was coming from below lifting and going higher and higher. Verse 19 and the water surged exceedingly on the earth over the earth and it covered all the mountains even the tallest of mountains that was beneath the heaven. Rashi tells us what does it mean that it what's covered all the uh all the mountains there's verse 20 how many how many did the water uh go up which was 15 from above the mountains the water surged and covered all the mountains explains where were these 15 it was above the height of all the mountains. You had the water which then equalized all the mountains. after the water covered over all the mountains or went even higher than that 15 Amos. Verse 22. Verse 21. it and all the flesh that moved upon the earth expired whether it was birds and animals wild animals and any cre walk walking creature or low-lying creature that was creing on the ground and all of humanity as well. Verse 22. Anything that had a breath of life in it within it in its nose that breathed life through its nose. Whatever was on dry land may soon died. What does it mean? So Rashi explains to us that it's not me doesn't mean two separate things a soul and life. The way something would breathe, it would breathe by the way it would cause it to have life was through breathing. Anything that was on dry land, which this excludes, however, not the fish as well. That means only the animals that were on dry land died, but not the fish. Verse 23. And God obliterated every living thing that was at the time that was on the face of the earth. May from humans to the animal any crawling creature or any flying bird that was in the heaven. And they were completely obliterate obliterated from the earth. And the only thing that was left was only Noah and anything that was with him in the ark. Rashi telling us what is the word. What does it mean? The word obliterated usually means erased. Soal as in an action the word over here telling us in an action form and not not as an imp passive form like in other cases where we use the terminology and he built and he turned and over here Rashi is telling us a grammar lesson which is that anytime I have a verb verb that the last letter is a he. So for example, built, erased, acquired when you put a so for example if the root word is to build or he built. So if there's a hey at the end, if I want to if I put a v and aud in the beginning, the yud will always have. So in this case it's not it's and he did so not that something in the past happened. If it will be avoic means an active word as well. Then he continues with the words that it says in the Torah only. What does it mean only? So he says no was the only one that was left and anything that was with him in the ark. This is the simple interpretation over here. Rashi tells us something which every first grader learns when they learn the Torah reading about what happened when Noah was on the ark. And the med tells us something else. Why does it tell me and single out only Noah? He was in pain. He was hurting and he was dripping blood. Why? from the hard work from taking care of the animals from the very difficult effort that he had to bring for the animals. So he was very tired and wounded from it when some say what happened to him. Why does it say one time he came late to bring the food to the lion and the lion gave him a good clap of and therefore it says gets paid for his sins in this world because nothing should be missing or lacking from his reward in the world to come. The Torah now continues verse 24 and the waters surge over the earth for another 150 days even after the rainfall stopped. Verse one chapter 8 God remembered all the animals all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And God caused the spirit to pass over the earth and the water began to subside. What does it mean that God remembered? So Rashi explains as follows. This name of using is a type of attitude or attribute of judgment. This attribute of judgment usually is meant in for judgment discipline but in this case it turned to mercy at that moment it changed to mercy because of the prayer of the righteous. So too when a righteous person prays to God he can change this attribute of discipline to mercy. We see this in other places. And God saw that the people were misbehaving, that they were acting evil. And God said, "I will erase, I will destroy the name of mercy is the name which was used when God said he will destroy the people from the face of the earth." And still in all the Torah did that tells us about the judgment, the discipline that God did. So too you can have these names are irreversible that through prayer it can become from mercy to judgment or judgment to mercy as well. And God remembered Noah. What is Rashi telling us here? It says that he remembered Noah because of Noah and remembered all the other things as well because of the merit of Noah. What was the merit of the animals? Noah we understand because he was a righteous person. But what was special about these animals that God remembered them as well? That these animals stuck to their kind and they did not corrupt their ways. And also that the very fact that did not mate in the ark throughout the days of the flood. What does it mean that God passed over a the spirit of God passed over? So this was a spirit of consolation and desire of helping and bringing Noah out of the ark came before him to have mercy Allah on the people there is for the what's going on in the world so that the world could be able to rehabilitate itself and the water began to subside. So Rashi explains to us what does it mean? kind of terminology is this. So this means to be quiet like we find this in the migilla using the terminology like the anger of the king was quieted or when the king was calm a way of calming down of the anger subsiding. So too in this case the water was subsiding. Verse two, and the wellsp springs of the abyss and the floodgates of heaven were sealed. The word and they were sealed. And thus the rain of the heavens was held back. Verse two, what does this mean? And they were sealed. The and the waters, the wellsp springsings were sealed. So Rashi explains as follows. Being that we know that when the flood began these wellsp springsings opened up and all the water came out from underneath the ground as well when all these wellsp springs opened up all the wellsp springs. However, over here you'll notice ink does not say all the wellsp springsings closed because there were some wellsp springsings hot springs that still stayed that were needed for the world to develop. For example, the hot springs of Tavaria of Tiberius which still stayed and did not close up. So though in the beginning when the flood happened all wellsp springs opened up to be able to destroy the world when they were all closed some of them stayed open those that were needed. The word means and God held back for example we find in that God does not hold back his mercy or later on in the book of Genesis I will not hold back from you and so on. Verse three. At the end of 150 days, the water started coming back and started going receding the every day getting less and less steadily receding. And it took about 150 days for the water to uh and at the end of 150 days, the water was continuously diminishing. What does this mean? After 150 days. So Rashi now gives us the at the end of 150 days, Rashi explains to us the calculation and the calendar of how this worked and he says as follows. It doesn't mean that just then they finish all at once. They began to diminish. And this is why this is on the first of how does this work out the calculation 27th of which was 40 days later after the flood began was the rain began the rain finished. What do you have now? You have three days of 29 days of makes you a total of 32 days. Then you have another 30 days in the month of Adar is another 29 days. Nissan it's 30 days. Ear is 29 days. So if you do the total 32 + 30 + 29 plus 30 + 29 gives you 118 days. So you have 118 plus the first 32. Verse four, the ark came to rest on the seventh month. In the 17th day, of the month, Alharat on the mountains of Aurorat [snorts] what does it mean? Which seventh month? So he explains because if you're counting from Nissan or you're counting from Tish. So Rashi tells us here we're counting from tishlave is the seventh month afterlave when the rain stopped as we mentioned the previous rashi was that it stopped on the 17th of count seven months later comes out that it is ina on the 17th day from here you learn if you recall before Rashi said he's going to prove that the verses tell us that it submerged in water. And over here you see Dashi shows us the calculation and his proof to it that you know that the w the ark was submerged in water 11 because it says on the in verse five on the 10th of the first month. So what's that? That's the that month is the month of of which is 10 months after when the actual flood began the beginning of when the rain started to fall and then the water and the water was above the mountains 15. So here you go. What do you have from here? That means on the first of the water started to recede. On the first of of you only saw started to see the mountains. That means in a time of two months water receded from the first of the first of five for 60 days. If you do the math, what does it come out? How often did every receded? Every four days another of water receded. What does this come out? That on the 16th of that means 16 days after the water started receding only four of water were was missing. So you may see over here there was another 11 am that were on top of the mountains. And the and the ark rested for the next day which was on the 17th. What do you have from here that it was submerged in the water which was on top of the mountains and therefore you the actual bottom of the ark did not touch the mountain only later on because if you look at the amount of water that receded until it actually came to touch a mountain which was mount you have exactly 11 amas according to the calculation that Rashi just enumerated. Now the Torah continues. We're now in verse five. The water was continuously receding until the 10th month on the 10th of the first on the 10 the first of the 10th month the mountains were first seen. So on the first of of asshi is going to explain we see now the calculation over here. Rashi reiterates this calculation. of this is the month of of last time we were counting from when the water stopped. Now we're counting from when the water began which is the 10th month to that the water began is now asking how do you know why in this case am I counting from when the water started and in the previous verse when I said the seventh month I counted from when the water been stopped he explains as follows really I should say who it's the month of because if I count from when the water stopped the water stopped the 17th Then 10 months from there would be which that would be the 10th of when the rain stopped because the same way you said the seventh month in the previous verse which is the seventh month when the water stopped that you can't say why can't you say that you must say that when the ta rested when the ark came to rest it was in the seventh month of you're only counting for when the water stopped. You had to wait for 40 days for the rain to stop and another 150 days of the water of the water that was from the wellspring kept on getting stronger and stronger until the first of the but if you're going to say that the seventh day of a year calculates the seventh of when they began the rain. That wouldn't be that would be because you're a month earlier. And that wouldn't work out because and the 10th month. And this 10th month, you also only account for when the rain started. Because if you're not going to say so, you're going to say, it's going to be that's not going to work out. Later on in verse 13 where it talks about in the first of this month the water completely dried up and after 40 days 40 days after you were able to see the top of the mountain then Noah sent the dove the the raven the and then he waited another 21 days until he sent the dove. which is three times 7 days because it's 21 days that he waited 3 weeks until he sent another one. So they have a total of 60 days from the time when they saw the top of the mountain until he actually sent out the dove until the actual war order was completely dried. If you're going to say that the 10th month now I'm counting to the end of the count of rain, then what's going to happen here? Your whole calculation is off. That means in they saw the top of the mountain was therefore dried up in and he's calling it the first month when really it's supposed to be liberty which is the first of the creation of the world and you're going to say oh well maybe it's according to the other opinion then it should be and it's also not because then it would also the calculation doesn't work out because if the the uh water came down on the floor okay it started to rain. So either way you're going to have this calculation mess up because since it says on the first in the first of the seventh month when word says in the first month which is tish the first month of the creation of the world. So you have to be able to differentiate and say in one case it's talking about 7 months from when the water stopped 10 months from the water began. This way my calculation can work out when the Torah tells us that it was in the first month that you were able to see the dry land calling it 17 as we'll soon see when the actual Noah came out of the ark. Verse six was after 40 days opened up the window of the ark that he made. Rashi explains to us what does this mean going back to what we said before. This is continuing what the verse is telling us that after 40 days left after 40 days passed when he saw the top of the mountain then he was able to open up the window of the ark. What is the window of the ark? So Rashi tells us if you recall there was something called which was there to bring light into the ark. We're not talking about the entrance of the ark or where he went in from which was made for exit and entrance. This is talking about a window that he made for light. That's what he opened up. Verse 8. And he sent out the raven and it went, it only circled went to and fro until the water dried up on the surface of the land. Verse seven, Rashi explains as follows. What happened? What does this mean? He went to and fro. That means the raven didn't go too far. was going and circling the ark and it didn't follow instructions because the raven was concerned that maybe purposely Noah sent the raven out of the ark because he was concerned that it should not mate with its peer like it's explained in the talmud in Sanhedrin meaning the raven was accusing Noah It suspected that Noah was that Noah. It suspected Noah of mating with its peer until the water were dry. Simply said, meaning that the raven came back until the water was dried. The sages tell us a medish and as follows. The medra says as follows. This raven was really set for another job. This raven was set that it was going to do another task in the time of when there was no rain and of Elijah the prophet which then the raven followed through on its message on its errant as it says that the ravens while Elijah had to hide in the cave because of a and Jezebel that they wanted to kill him because he prophesies that there wouldn't be rain and he made that there should be a terrible drought and they were dying of hunger. the raven would bring him meat and wine that he should be able to survive in the cave while he was hiding from. The Torah now tells us verse number eight. So now Noah sent out the dove from with the water subsided from the surface of the earth. Now he's sending the dove the Zim after seven days from sending the raven he now sends the dove sh because in the how do I know that he waited seven days because when he sends the J the second time the Torah uses the terminology as we'll see in verse 10 that he waited another seven days that means the first time he waited was seven days from this you learn also the first time he waited seven days and he sent it doesn't say but it says it's not giving a person an errand but like getting rid of him sending him away like you have this terminology sending the mother bird away he sent it that it should not return like this you will see if the water subsided Because if the dove should find a place to settle, then he would know that the water receded and it would not return to him. What happens is, as we see in verse 9, the dove did not find any rest for its feet returned to the ark because it was water on the surface of the of the earth. And Noah stretched out his hand and he took it and he brought it to him to the verse 10 and he waited another seven days another seven days and he continued again to send a dove out of the ark. What does the word means to wait? It occurs many times in different places that they listened and they waited. That's the verse that he shows that this word means to wait. Verse 10. Verse 11. And the dove came back to him towards the evening towards nightfall and it had plucked an olive leaf with its beak that the water has subsided from the earth. Omirani, I say I am of the opinion that what kind of bird did he send out here? Then we talk about he brought this the word to is a male connotation and therefore says this dove was the male. Therefore, sometimes it uses a male connotation and sometimes a female connotation. Then generally anytime you find a dove in the verse it will use a female connotation because the general kind of the dove is female. When we're talking about the general kind of the dove is a female terminology for example in other verses like the doves that were washing themselves on the water which is brought in the song of songs and it uses female connotation as a also uses that terminology. as says the terminology with not with a seg as would be used for a male. However, in this case, this is um where the where the Torah is telling us specifically on a specific dove, not on the kind of bird, uses a male connotation. What is the word? Means he grabbed it. means the word food. Like for example we find in the ter she gave food in book of proverbs and she gave food to her household and they explained what does it mean in its mouth and its beak meaning to say like something with its mouth like was heard with its mouthra the dove said it is better that this should be my food even if even if it is bitter like an olive as long as long as God gives it to me and should not be as sweet as honey like in the hands of a human being. Meaning, what was the dove's prayer? She was saying, "Now I'm able to get food from God himself. Even though maybe bitter like an olive, but I'm not dependent on a human being who was Noah that was giving her the food, giving it the food while it was in the ark." The Torah now continues in verse 13. And he waited another seven days and he sent the dove and it no longer came back to never again return to him. Verse 12 because it's a double here. So he says it's the same terminology as we said before of that it he waited. Why then does he say this is a verb and therefore he uses this terminology. For example, these are all uh like a the words he waited, he had himself wait and so on as the different terminologies that we find in grammatic language of Hebrew. Verse 13. It was in the 601st year in the first in the first of the month. The water dried up, drained from the earth. Finally was able to take off the covering of the of the ark and he saw that the surface was drying. Back to our calculation where we are on what month this is in according to what does it mean? It was made like a type of clay that the upper surface is starting to harden and he sees that the floor and that the ground is drying. And on the second of the second month, on the 17th day of the month, the earth was completely dry. On the 20 on the 27th, it came down in the second month on the 17th. And over here we see 11 days later on the 27th is when it stopped when they was able to see that it was completely dry. These are the 11 days that the solar year has greater than the lunar year because the judgment of the generation of the of the flood was for 365 days. Because you have a lunar year is 354, a solar year is 365 of a year. You have the 11-day difference telling us that it was 365 days. It was a solar year, a complete solar year of punishment against the generation of the mava. What does this mean? It dried. It hardened. Means it hardened back to its normal condition. The earth was completely dry. This concludes the third Torah reading of Noah.