ויחי למך שתים ושמנים שנה ומאת שנה ויולד בן
ויקרא את שמו נח לאמר זה ינחמנו ממעשנו ומעצבון ידינו מן האדמה אשר אררה השם
Lemech lived 182 years, then he begot a son. He called him Noach, thereby to say: Only this can give us comfort from our work and from the self-denying toil of our hands, from the earth which God has cursed.
The generations that preceded Lemech sought new trends and qualities. Lemech differed. He wanted to see a continuation of what he started. He says: Our own efforts are thwarted and frustrated by the curse God gave the earth. However, man is not cursed. Through our child (בן, related to build and brick) we shall continue on.
This (child) can give us comfort in the knowledge that despite all that we must renounce of this earth, our efforts in developing and educating our children are not cursed. Our children can reach the loftiest heights.
We direct our children so they can become בוני עולם, eternal builders. They continue to build on the foundations we establish; they finish the work we aren’t privileged to complete.
Beraishis 5:28-29
pages 160-162
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