Category: Beraishis Ch. 8

See Chapter 8:1-10. At the end of forty days (from the time the ark came to rest) Noach first sent the raven (which returned) and then the dove (which also returned). Noach waited seven more days before he once again sent the dove.

This is the reverse of what had transpired at the onset of the Mabul. Noach is told that he should enter the ark with all the animals because in another seven days there will be a flood for forty days. (7:4)

We are taught (ב”ר לב, ה) that the forty days of the flood allude to the forty days needed for the formation of the human fetus. These forty days were the time period of the formation of a new world. (From commentary on 7:4).

When the ark came to rest, Noach waited forty days (apparently for another time period of formation – GS). He sent the raven, and the dove but they both returned. He then continued to wait. He chose to wait seven  more days, the mirror image of the seven days prior to the flood.

The significance of seven days is a transition period. We will encounter a similar ideas behind seven days with the laws of טומאה וטהרה – (such as in the laws of    נדה and the laws of מצורע. ) A seven day period marks the complete cessation of one state, before the onset of a new state.

Beraishis 8:1-10
pages 200-204

 

 

כָּל הַחַיָּה כָּל הָרֶמֶשׂ וְכָל הָעוֹף כֹּל רוֹמֵשׂ עַל הָאָרֶץ לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתֵיהֶם יָצְאוּ מִן הַתֵּבָה

Every living thing, every creeping thing and every flying thing – everything that moves on earth – came out of the ark according to its families.

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In the chapters of creation we learned about the law of למיניהם, all created things were to live within their boundaries and within their species.

Upon exiting the ark the Torah repeats this law. This law will now accompany all the organic living creatures.

(In 7:16 RSRH, immediately prior to the Mabul, points out that only the animals that came in pairs, male and female, were allowed on the ark. Man had degenerated and with it so had much of the animal kingdom.)

See commentary on 6:13. There RSRH writes that the Mabul was the inevitable result of the violation of the law of למיניהו. The world cannot flourish and continue serving man when man is no longer sexually pure. In his words, “The thriving of the species depends on the purity of sexual life.” Had God not intervened and brought about the Mabu even the spark of purity which was to be saved through Noach would have beeb irrevocably lost. (see more on that verse, pages 180-181)

(see Beraishis 1:11-13 here and here)

Beraishis 8:19
page 206

 

 

This is the first time that a מזבח is mentioned in the Torah. It is also the first time עולות are mentioned. We see that there is great significance to these offerings. In the verses that follow these offerings, God’s responds with His commitment to never bring another Mabul. The whole subsequent development of the earth and mankind are in response to the offerings that Noach brought.

A מזבח is a man-made structure through which the earth symbolically ascends to Heaven. In Yechezkel (43:15) the מזבח is called הראל – God’s mountain. It is very likely that the מזבח in the בית המקדש corresponds to הר סיני. At the giving of the Ten Commandments the Torah describes the scene as אש אוכלת בראש ההר – fire burning at the top of the mountain. This is expressed in Tehillim (68:18) השם בם סיני בקדש which is to be understood as follows: “God descended from Heaven into the narrow sphere of man: God within His people, and Har Sinai in the Mikdash.” This is probably the meaning of the words regarding the daily תמיד offering where the Torah says it is to be עולת תמיד העשויה בהר סיני which would red as follows: “A daily Olah offering, (a replication of) what occurred on Har Sinai”.

When the Jewish people were given the Torah, they were taught they may only bring offerings on a מזבח, whereas a Noahide may bring offerings on a מצבה. A מזבח is built from several stones and must be connected to the ground. There is an halachic requirement to build it. Contrast the מזבח to a מצבה which is made of a single stone and remains in its natural state. Bringing an offering on a מצבה is bringing an offering on something which is a gift of nature. Bringing an offering on a מזבח, symbolizes man elevating himself above nature, elevating himself through his creativity and free will, ascending from there to God (and elevating nature through this- GS)

This is the significance of Noach’s offering. Noach was consecrating the whole earth, preparing to make use of it through man’s free will, transforming the whole earth as a sanctuary. The deeds of man will join stone to stone, until eventually the whole earth will become God’s consecrated mountain.

Other nations who seek to draw near to God chose to leave the human realm thinking God can only be found in nature. Of course this  is true as well but the main place of God’s Presence is in the sphere of human life. In nature God’s power is revealed. In the realm of human life, God’s love is revealed.

(See Hirsch’s commentary to Tehillim 145 -When they praise God, they speak of His power. But I speak of your wonders. דור לדור ישבח מעשיך וגבורתיך יגידו הדר כבוד הודך ודברי נפלאותיך אשיחה etc. GS)

More on ideas behind offerings in the next 2 posts.

Beraishis 8:20
pages 207-208

 

 

 

 

רבי יוסי points out (ספרא, א:ט”ו) that we never see the name אלקים in reference to offerings – only the שם הויה. See the post Names of God that explains that the name אלקים refers to God as the Creature and Ruler of nature whereas the שם הויה refers to God as the God of history. The שם הויה shows God as man’s educator, involving Himself in the flow of history, operating behind the scenes within the laws of nature and even changing the laws of nature at times, to educate man. רבי יוסי says this is a refutation to the akpikursim who would otherwise confuse the offerings with idolatrous sacrifices offered to the blind forces of nature.

Hirsch adds that it also refutes those who say that the offerings in the Torah are just acts of killing and destruction, intended to appease a bloodthirsty and vengeful deity. They say now we are enlightened and are happy we no longer have sacrifices. To refute them them, the שם הויה is used which is the name that shows God’s love and concern for man.

Beraishis 8:2
pages 208-209

The offerings must be brought on a מזבח. The root of the word is זבח which means killing or slaughter whose purpose isn’t to destroy but to provide nourishment. That is why זבח also means a meal. Offerings are considered a “meal”. The Torah calls offerings לחם אשה השם – bread of fire to השם. It sustains the the fire of holiness on earth. (RSRH expands on this idea in many places, calling the offerings fuel for the fire of holiness on earth. GS) Thinking of the symbolism of the offerings while bringing them evoke our commitment to carry out God’s Will on earth.

The offerings are offered to God with the concept of God as י-ה-ו-ה the educator man, the Giver of life, never with the notion of God as אלקים, ruler of the forces of nature, in mind.

Symbolically, one offers his own life in order to win new life from God. He offers himself up to God, dedicating himself to live a holy life on earth.

One dedicates…
…one’s mind through סמיכה ווידוי
…every pulse-beat through שחיטה,קבלת הדם וזריקת הדם
…every nervous impulse and muscular strength through הקטרת אברים

A קרבן עולה elevates. It is a consecration of action. The Cohen stands at a distance from the altar, dashing the blood against the lower half of the altar, thereby symbolically saying the person offering this isn’t even at the bottom of the mountain. He hasn’t reached the heights of his calling and should energize himself to reach the full potential of his calling.

A קרבן חטאת teaches man to return to his previous moral heights that he lost through his carelessness. The finger of the Cohen directs his (symbolic) blood back to the top of the altar.

A קרבן מנחה is a homage offering, brought in gratitude for the gifts he receives from God (and committing to make use of the gifts as God would want him to. GS)

Beraishis 8:2
pages 208-210

The offerings are a fragrance, ie. a slight and allusory expression (ריח) of compliance with God’s Will (ניחוח). They signify that our will is to do God’s Will. The offerings aren’t themselves ניחוח a show of full compliance. They are only a ריח ניחוח. They allude to our compliance; our desire to comply.

ריח – The sense of smell stands between the other 4 senses. We see and hear from a distance of that which we see and hear. We come into direct contact with that which we touch and taste. When we smell, the item itself remains at a distance but fine particles of that item come into contact with our organs of smell. (The word for “mill’ where grain is ground into fine particles is ריחיים.)

ניחוח – Coming to rest. Granting the wish or fulfilling the aspiration of another.

ריח ניחוח does not mean a pleasing smell.

Beraishis 8:21
pages211-212

 

RSRH refers here to his earlier comment (see Beraishis 6E) that God uses physical terms to describe Himself in order to provide us a path to have a relationship with him.

There are scholars who turn the concept of God into a transcendental, metaphysical concept because of their fear of attributing to God actual physical features. However RSRH agrees with the ראב”ד (cited in the כסף משנה in יסודי התורה פ”א, ה”י) that the danger of not having a relationship with a personal God is greater.

In RSRH’s words: “It is a person’s duty to believe with perfect faith in the Personality of God and in His close relationship to every man. This belief is more important that any speculation on transcendental concept such as the eternity or incorporeality of God, for these concepts are as detached from the morality of our lives as are algebraic codes.”

Here, included in the term God’s “Heart” are His attributes of love, compassion and mercy.

An additional lesson is learned from the expression of God speaking to His Heart. God is the model for man who has free will and is not a slave to his emotions. Even though man was far from the level of his goal, and as things stood at that moment, perhaps warranted destruction, God’s attribute of mercy stood before the Throne of Glory and pleaded for the preservation of the world and of man.

Beraishis 8:21
pages 212-213

וירח השם את ריח הניחח ויאמר השם אל לבו לא אסף לקלל עוד את האדמה בעבור האדם כי יצר לב האדם רע מנעריו ולא אסף עוד להכות את כל חי כאשר עשיתי

God took note of the expression of compliance (וירח השם את ריח הניחח) and God said to Himself: Never again will I curse the earth for the sake (בעבור) of man when (כי) the design (יצר) of man is evil from his youth, nor will I ever again destroy every living thing as I have done.

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Until the time of the Mabul, whenever man wasn’t living as God wanted, God thwarted the development of the earth. This was for man’s benefit and for the sake of his moral and spiritual growth. From now on, He will not limit its fertility in order to educate man. Instead, there is a “plan B” for the new world order, to be explained in verse 22.

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The phrase “כי יצר לב האדם רע מנעריו” has been misunderstood. כי shouldn’t be translated as “because”. RSRH has 3 reason why not:

1. What would be the explanation? “Because it would be of no use?” (That God’s educating powers don’t work?) That would not be befitting God’s dignity and majesty to speak like that of Himself.
2. Above 6:5, the reason for God bringing the Mabul was because of man’s yetzer hora, now the reason for clemency is the very same yetzer hora? That’s contradictory without an explanation.
3. The way the verse is structured (see commentary)

The verse should be read as follows: (Even) if (כי) man should become evil, even evil from his youth, and the destruction of the world would seem to be the only of salvation, I will never curse the land, as I have done previously. (Rather there will be a “Plan B” as is explained in the following verse.)

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The wording of “even if” teaches that this is not the typical behavior. Normally, the youth are not assumed to be evil.

The word for youth is נער which means to shake off.

Young people want to develop out of themselves; neither good nor bad impressions are permanently absorbed by them. A youth’s nature is still in its original state; it is not yet cloaked in hypocrisy; it still shakes off both good and bad impressions.

Youth are neither tsaddikim or reshaim. Woe unto him who thinks the average youth has a wicked nature. The thoughts of a person are not evil from his youth. There are more adults aspiring to evil than youth. Yes, youth will do many things that are evil but that’s because they haven’t yet learned to subordinate themselves to the yoke of mitzvos. Self control and obedience to duty appear burdensome to them. They want to “shake off” this burden. Intellectual immaturity gives youth the mark of obstinacy. (God chose Israel because they are a stiff-necked people. Ultimately they would overcome their obstinacy and then would use it for good.)

It is adults, not youth, who are addicted to base desire and greed and mock idealism, calling it “youthful dreams”. Once a person becomes an adult and “clever”, he learns to accommodate and conform, but he also succumbs to desire and selfishness.

All people are born with this youthful spirit and it is this very independence of will that, when harnessed and directed, is the root of the moral personality of the future adult.

Once a person realizes that the ultimate goal of God’s Law is freedom and not restriction, he is filled with youthful enthusiasm and he resolves to dedicate himself to every noble ideal.

 

Beraishis 8:21
pages 213-215

We have a tradition that before the flood it was always springtime. the seasons never changed. A person would only need to sow the fields once in forty years. The earth was not yet split into continents and so it was possible to quickly travel across the world (ב”ר לד:י”ג) . The same Midrash  implies that the reason people lived much longer was the perfect weather.

Before the flood the world was in a state of perpetual bloom. People grew rich and old, living in luxury. Their selfish ways (חמס) were perpetuated by the good life they lived and by their ability to pass this on to the next generations.

This was put to an end by the flood. Before the flood, there were changes in seasons but they occurred one after the other affecting all of civilization at the same time. When man was corrupt, all of nature responded at once to all of mankind. Now the continents would be split. All of these seasons would occur at the same time in different places of the earth. Here night, there day. Here winter, there summer…

This would create a new form of educating mankind. Ever since the flood man has been in a constant state of dependence. Now there are frequent climatic and meteorological disturbances.

As a result of man living in varied climates and terrains, there developed many civilizations, each an outgrowth of the locations people lived in. The division of the earth into continents obstructed the routes of travel (which would take a thousand years for man to overcome by artificial means). This would hinder the spread of evil. If one civilization became evil, it could not spread easily to another.

As a result of the rapid changes in climate, the human life span was shortened. This would ensure that evil would not rule forever. The worst tyrants can not rule for more than fifty years. In the new reality the wicked die off quickly and an upright generation takes its place.

Beraishis 8:22
pages 215-219