Noach - 6th Portion

Let's learn together today for the sixth Torah reading of Noah. We are now in chapter 9 verse 18. Yesterday we discussed about the sign that God made as a covenant for the for Noah and his family that never again will be the flood. Now the Torah continues to tell us about Noah and his family how they integrate and they continue to procreate and populate the world by and it was the children of Noah who came out of the ark was shame and the andan and was the father of Cananan. You'll notice singled out over here from the children and grandchildren is why is singled out here? Rashi tells us in verse 18, Rashi explains to us as follows. Why did he have to mention here that is the father ofan being that the following context of the Torah reading is about drunkerness and what happened at the timean that because of that was harmed and because of thatan was cursed as well he didn't even tell us yet about the children of and we do not know thatan is the son therefore over the preface and tell us and tell us here that is the father ofan therefore when I learn about the cursing and the terrible tragedy of events that happened to his son you know who the child and how they're related the Torah now continues verse 19 these three children are the sons of Noah And from them the entire world branched out. And Noah who at this point was um became involved himself with uh and degraded himself by and while he was a person who understood and the master of the soil but he degraded himself by first planting by first planting a vineyard. Like Rashi explains why does he use the terminology that he degraded himself. So he explains as follows. He made himself weak meaning he degraded his greatness. He should have first planted something which was more productive not something which can cause drunkardness. A man of the soil like a master of the soil. like the master of Nami and he planted a vineyard. So where did he get grapes or something to plant at all? So he explains as follows. Everything was destroyed. Where did he even get plantings to plant into the ark? He brought with him in vines of grapes and vines of figs. This way he should be able to replant them after the flood. The Torah now continues what happened when Noah planted planted such a beautiful vineyard and he made some wine from it and he drank it and he got drunk and he uncovered himself in his side his tent. What is the word viscal and ohoy over here that rashi explains what is going on over here and the details of this and here we explains that the word viscal number one means means that he revealed himself from the word for example it's defining what it means that he revealed himself that he was therefore he was not clothedo the word if you notice usually it means His tent would be a VV at the end of Oo. And over here he puts a he at the end. The H is hinting and alluding to something greater than just his tent. It is written with a heer. This is alluding and hinting to the 10 tribes which uh besides Judah and Benjamin Shenikra al-Sim which are called by the name of their city which was where the kingdom was which is called his tent that they were exiled because of the wine. meaning that there were people besides the two tribes that lived around the area of Jerusalem which were Judah and Benjam Benjamin. The other tribes 10 tribes were exiled from the land of Israel as well because of the excess of drink and wine which brought them to sin as well. The Torah now continues with verse 22. The Torah saysan and the son of the father ofan saw the nakedness of his father and he went to tell it to his two brothers who were outside about their father being naked. Now Rashi explains what does this mean? Why does he say the father of so there are different ways how to explain it. say no. There are some rabbis that explain was the one that saw it and he was the first one to saw his grandfather who was lying unclothed and then when he went and told his father when his father saw this he then went and told the other brothers that's why he's mentioned here for that's why he's mentioned here first that's why he's mentioned here and later on when no finds out what happened he curses him as well because he was the one that discovered it and instead of being respectful about it. He did something terrible with it which as we'll see in the next Rashi and he saw the nakedness of his father. What actually happened here and how did he react by seeing his father naked? And there's a debate amongst the rabbis what happened. Some say, some of the rabbis explain that what he did was he actually sa he castrated him and some say rivo he had he was committed sodomy with him and those were the two terrible offenses that he did to Noah. The Torah now continues what tells us once told the events to the two brothers outside who then got to come with him took the garment and they put it on the shoulders of them both and they walked backwards and they covered the nakedness of their father while their head was backward meaning not looking. They approached from the back so they shouldn't uh see the nakedness of their father and thereby not seeing their nakedness of their father and having respect for the way their father was at the time. Verse 23 took the garment and put it on the shoulder of the both of them and they walked backwards and they covered their father's nakedness. While they approached, their face was backwards, was facing away from him. This way they did not see the nakedness of their father. Rashi explains what exactly occurred here because if you look in the terminology, it says a singular term not and they took. So he explains it doesn't say it doesn't say here plural because if was it should say they took it says here he took singular term made it is teaching us that shame was more enthusiastic and worked harder on this mitzvah more than therefore his children which are as the children of shame merited that They will have the mitzvah mitzvah to be able to wear a talis and four corners and the fringes of a mitzvah. The y and y who as well joined in the mitzvah was merited at his burial for his children as well that a garment shroud should be used for a person when he is buried as it says in this is talking about the kings of go. will then come up to war against Israel and many of their soldiers would fall in war and be buried and there and they would be given a place for burial as the children of Mog as we see later on are from the children of ye however that embarrassed his father about him it said about his children so will happen with the king of Assyria when he brings the victims the captives of of Egyp Egypt as golush and those exiled in Ethiopian that they will come naked and barefooted as over here he's talking about the same way embarrassed Noah when he was naked so through his children later on will be embarrassed as well as they would be walking nakedness and barefoot and they went their face is backward if you'll notice the Torah already mentions twice and they went backwards and their face was backward. Why does it say it twice? Why does it have to tell us two times is coming to teach us? When they came close to Noah and they had to turn themselves around to cover them, they turned their faces around as well that they should not even see one moment of their father's embarrassment. Verse four, verse 24, I'm sorry. Woke up from his drunkardness, from his drinking of wine. And he realized what his youngest son has done to him. Why does he say his youngest son meaning the the unworthy one and the despicable one? As it says, of behold I have given you the smallest of monks the the the insignificant one among the nation who is despised amongst men now once Noah knows what happens and this is what follows saysan cursed bean he should be will be a servant of servants to his brothers his brothers shame and yus So Rashi explains in verse 25 why did curse why did he curse uh when he curses and when he talks about the slavery he specifically calls outan you caused me that I should not be able to have another child because according to the opinions that he castrated him should be there with me. So too, you will make sure that you will have so to your fourth child who was will be cursed. He's going to have to be forced and cursed that he will now serve his older brothers. That now he was take was taken away from him the difficult work and now was given from now onward. What did that he should castrate his grandfather Noah? He said to his brothers, Adam, the first man, he had two sons in, right? And then this is before Seth was born and they both killed each other or one killed the other in order to inherit the world. Our father is three sons. Fedumaki wants to have a fourth child and create more conflict. No way am I going to let this happen. And then he went and castrated his grandfather. The Torah then continues with verse 26. Continued. Blessed be the God of shame who will favor shame. Ev and descendants will be forever their slaves. Verse 26, Rashi says he is blessing the God of Shem, meaning that he will guard and keep the promise to his children to give them the land of Cananan. And it will be they will be to them as a tax of physical servitude that they will have to continue to serve shame for many years to come. The Torah now continues verse 27. May God expand the and he will dwell in the tents of in the tents of and he will be slave and kanan will be desend will be slaves to his descendants of shame as well and the translates it to mean may he expand from the word of expansion and it will rest in the and he will dwell in the tents of shame. He will set his divine presence amongst the Jewish people. And the and the sages explain what does this mean? Even though that God that God expanded to meaning that he will that how do we see this that Koresh who was from the children Cyrus who was from the children of of and he was the one to help and build the second temple. The divine presence was not yet in it. Where did the divine presence rest? Only in the first temple that Solomon built, who was from the descendants of Sheame, the energy, the divine presence wasn't the same as it was in the second temple as it was in the first temple. Though the children of Yafis was Yapus was able to build a second temple which was Cyrus, it still did not come close or compare to the to the temple that Solomon built who came from the descendants of Shame. even after the descendants of Sheame will be exiled. They will still be sold servants and descendants of Kanan will be sold to them as slaves. That means even when shame will be in exile, they'll still have slaves ofan for them live 350 years 350 years even after the after the flood ended and then he died. Chapter 10 verse one told us the children of now the Torah is going to enumerate the next few generations that come along that populated the earth told us the children of they gave birth to children after and they children after the flood. Who are their children? The children of Yemer they were Rashi tells us who is Tus. We never heard of them. So he says who for us this refers to Persia came from the children of Yemer and the children of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Sigarma Yavan. The children of Yavan, Alicia, Tarsisim and the Kites and the Dodonites. From these the island nations and their clans and their nations branched out in their land, each man according to his each nation according to its own language to into their lands according to their nations. And the children of Kushitan was Kush which is Ethiopia is Egypt and Cananan. Who were the children of Kush? And the children of Rama were gave birth to Nimrod. He was the one the first man in the world powerful enough to rally against God. He was considered a strong person in the land. What does it mean to be strong enough? So Rashi tells us he was the one that gathered everybody together causing the whole world to rebel against God. With which plan? As we'll soon see with the plan of the generation of the people who were dispersed amongst the world as we'll soon get to read what was so unique about him he was a mighty hunter in front of God before God. Therefore it is saying there's a saying like the mighty hunter in front of God. Rashi explains what does it mean a mighty hunter? He was able to um he was able to get people the minds of people to entrap them with words misleading them to rebel against Hashem and get them to rebel against God. What does it mean before God? He intended to provoke people in front of God. What does it mean? Hence the saying. The saying, what kind of saying? Rashi tells us about any person who brazenly acts wicked. What does this mean when we talk about a person who rebelss up against God? What's the terminology we'll use? He knows his creator and intentionally rebelss against him. Therefore, it is said this person is like Nimrod, a mighty hunter that people who know their rebell know their creator and still will continue to rebel against God, they will refer to as an individual like Nimrod. Verse 10, where did Nimro begin his kingdom? This was in a place called in the land of Shiner. From that lander came out Assyria and from there he left that land and built and he continued to move on and he went from there. What does it mean from that land? So Rashi explains being that the people of Asia saw as as as that people are listening to Nimro and rebelling against God and therefore they wanted to build a tower he distanced himself from them that means that since the Isyria saw that the people were listening to Nimrod he distanced himself from those people he didn't want to be involved with The Torah now continues verse number 12 Ninve and was which was between Ninve and Ninve was considered the big city as we read that Ninve was such a big city as it says Rashi tells us that Ninve was an exceedingly great city that Talmud goes on to describe how many people lived there and the humongous city that it was and you can look in the story of Jonah where it talks about and describes how great the city of Nve was. The Torah now continues verse 13 and Egypt father the Ludites and why were they called? So he says because their faces were like a fiery flame. The word means a flame. which they produced in the uh they brought about theim and theim were descendants from both of them theft as well. Rashi explains what does this mean? verse 14 when we talk about they came out from both of them because if you look at the words in the Torah it says that from there came out the so which one did they come from? So the Rashi explains they came from both of them as the would switch with their wives alu one from the other and therefore they gave children from one from another and they came out from both of them and it was not known who the father was because since they were wife swapping which one they would live with and they would not know who the father was. That's why the Torah uses both and that the came from both verse 16 and gave birth to Sidon the who was his firstborn and theites and the Amorites Gashian and the Gashites and theites and the Ari and thei. night. Verse 18, the and the from these additional families, they were then spread out came the families of the what is he telling us? tells us in verse 18, from these came many many many different families. Where did they live? So verse 19, what was the boundary of the Canananites? They extended their border and the territory into the land of Israelid from Sidon until the place of towards Aza until you would come to Sodom until over here the Torah tells us the verse 19 explains what does this mean their territory and their boundaries means the end of his territory, the end of his land. Whenever we find the word territory or boundary means the end of the land, not the entirety of the land means the end of the territory. What does the word mean? So the word comes shame. This is an adjective. However, to me it seems but it's like a person who says to his friend my territory the border extends until you can come to such a place. So therefore the terminology my territory will be until you come to the destined place. Verse 20. These are the children of according to their families according to their languages in their lands according to their nations. What is tells us even though they may have all different languages different languages and lands they're all the children of verse 21. Now we're up to the son of Sheame. We now said the descendants of we descendants of Yaf. And now the Torah is going to tell us the descendants of Shame. Shame also had children. He was the father of a older brother of what does this mean? Over here Rashi tells us the Ephrus River was shame. The Ephradus river was shame. that the ancestors of all those who lived on the other side other side of the river. What does it mean the older brother of Rashi says who was older? Was Yafas older or was shame older? Because when he says the shame was 100 years when shame was 100 years old two years after the flood was older was 500 years old when he gave birth and the flood happened when Noah was 600 years old. So it should come out the oldest of his children should be 10 years old and shame only became 102 years after the means at that point the oldest child should be 102. So who is older? It seems like was older. He doesn't tell us about the brother of the reason why only was because the both of them honored their father while was the one who disrespected their father. Who are the children of verse 22? shame. The children of shame the children of And who are the children of gave birth to and gave birth to a had two sons. One of them his name was because in his days the world became divided. became a and his younger son brother was Yakan. What does it mean? It became divided. So Rashi explains to us what this word means became divided. Verse 25 the languages became mixed up and they were spread out from the valley that they were settled in and separated and spread out throughout the world. God knew we'd learn from here in fact was a prophet because he called his son about a name of what will eventually happen have not yet happened because we learned in the history of the world only at the end of the days of people spread out if you're going to tell me that it happened while Pel was still a young man was a young kid yuck his mother was younger than him as we see in this verse. It said and he already gave birth to many families even before the events of the spreading of the world happened of this of the of the tower of which then everybody spread out as it says in the next verse in verse 26 gave birth and afterwards does the verse say and everybody spoke one language if you're going to tell me it happened in the middle of his life of the middle of his life that also is impossible why Because the verse doesn't say the is not coming to tell me exactly when it happened. Only to explain when certain events happened whether beginning end it doesn't say it happened necessarily in the beginning of his life. What do we hear from here? That it actually happened at the end of his life that the world spread out because you see the events that happened only later on. Now the Torah tells us about Yakan. Who was Yakan? In verse 26, as almad gave birth to Al-Mad who is smaller. What does it mean? So the Torah tells us of year as well. This fellow Yakan Rashi says in verse 26 means small. Why does it mean comes from the word small? He was humble and kept himself small. Like Therefore, he merited that so many great families came from him. The Torah now continues with telling us what happened during the time and who the families of Yaktan were. The Yakad and Yakan gave birth to who is this? The Rashi tells us he was named for the place and we know this because it's interpretation. Who else did he give births? All these people were the children of where they lived was. These are the these people lived at the place of their dwelling place was from Masha toward Safar and it was in the eastern mountain. 31. These were the children of according to their families according to their languages in their lands according to their nations. These are all the families of Noah according to their give birth in their nations. And from these the nations dispersed all over the world on earth after the flood. This concludes the sixth Torah reading of Noah.