Category: Commentary on the Torah

זה ספר תולדות אדם – This book is of the developments of Adam.

All of human history, with its ups and downs, all the diverse phenomena of human history, all form one whole. Despite all their striking contrasts, they are all merely the developments of this one Adam who was created in the image of God. The failures of man throughout history indicate man’s greatness. They show that man was given free will and the ability to fail.

The Talmud (Yerushalmi Nedarim 9:4) tells us that  Rabbi Akiva summed up the whole Torah with the verse ואהבת לרעך כמוך, Love your neighbor as yourself, to say that the central goal of the Torah is to teach a person not to be egotistic and selfish. Ben Azai chose the phrase זה ספר תולדות אדם to teach us that the worst criminal and lowest level of degeneration all are included in God’s book as תולדות אדם; everything developed from one Adam, who was created in God’s image. All men bear the name “Adam”. The צלם אלקים in never completely lost.

ביום ברא אלקים אדם בדמות אלקים ברא אתו – On the day that God created Adam, He made him in the likeness of God.

The natural state of man is to be godly. (Take note that the Torah makes this statement after they had sinned and had to leave Gan Eden)
* Man was not created as a savage, mentally and morally deficient.
* Man’s likeness to God is not something supernatural which can be attained only through withdrawing from nature.
Man in his natural state doesn’t need a special education and culture to attain this godliness.
Only because man had stopped calling in the name of Hashem (see above) did man degenerate.

Beraishis 5:1
pages 150-152

זכר ונקבה בראם ויברך אתם ויקרא את שמם אדם ביום הבראם

He created them male and female, and He blessed them and called them Adam, on the day they were created.

The division of roles between man and woman are not arbitrary. From the very beginning “man” – אדם – was created male and female.

Man – אדם- was created male and female. Both were created in the image of God and equal in worth. Both were blessed and together were given the name “Adam”, man resembling God (as stated in the previous verse, בדמות אלקים).

This is the natural state of man –  עיקר שכינה בתחתונים (ב”ר י”ט, י”ג)
(The essential place where the Divine Presence rests is on earth, through “man” אדם who carries out God’s will exercising his free will. Not in upper spheres- GS) The return to blessing and God’s closeness is the goal of all of history.

See RSRH’s explanation of אדם here.

Beraishis 5:2
page 152

ויולד בדמותו כצלמו

From the order of the words here (reversed from the order in 1:26 where it says כצלמנו כדמותנו) RSRH suggests that man’s spiritual resemblance was greater than his physical resemblance. (As a result of man’s degeneration – GS)

Hirsch adds that perhaps all human being are similar spiritually. The differences are in the degree of bodily perfection (the result of man being distant from God – GS)

This explains why the Torah has such a strong emphasis on טהרת הגוף, purity of the body.

To the extent that the body is kept in purity, so is the צלם אלקים realized in the body, and only then does the body submit to the spirit.

Generally, the חוקים (statutes – see here for more on חוקים) (which aim to purify the body, are mentioned before משפטים (civil law). The reason is that Mishpatim can only be upheld by a people born and nourished in accordance with the Chukim.

This theme is developed throughout RSRH’s writings.

Beraishis 5:3
pages 152-153

Just as in the fourth chapter the Torah lists the Kayin line, here the Torah lists the line of Shais. The names are quite similar as shown here (The Shais line not in chronological order).

The key difference is that in the Kayin line there was only decline. In the Shais line there is decline followed by a turn for the better followed once again by decline and again back upward. In this way, the generations slowly progress.

(The names given, like those listed above in the Kayin line, do not indicate that the parents were prophetic about who their children would be. It is likely that the names reflected trends of the generation that the children were born into.)

קינן – A generation that idolizes possession.
The next generation tries to be more spiritual.

מהללאל – A generation that praises God.
But knowing of God and praising God is not the same as subordinating one’s life to God’s Will (the basic concept of Judaism). This generation knew of אלקים but not שם השם – God as Master. Superficial מהללאל is always followed by…

ירד – The generation sinks. Lip service of hymns and prayers do not inspire. They are not rooted in action.

חנוך – A better generation emerges through education.
However when all around there is spiritual decline, those who strive to be better remain an elite few. They emerge as….

מתושלח – They abandon the masses (see page 157 for detailed etymology), having no interest or concern for society. (Much more on this in a coming post about isolation)

למך – As in the Kayin line, RSRH does not know how to explain the meaning of this name. However he does point out that in both cases Lemech made a pronouncement.

Lemech, Kayin’s grandchild pronounced his despair, that all man’s efforts were useless.

Lemech, the grandchild of Shais, declares that despite man’s struggle with a world that is cursed, good emerges because man himself is not cursed. There is a bright future through children! (More on this in a coming post about the word בן)

Beraishis 5:4-28
pages 153-160

ויתהלך חנוך את האלקים ואיננו כי לקח אתו אלקים
Chanoch walked with God and [then] he was no longer, because God had taken him.

Later we see that Noach walked with God and he is praised. However in the case of Chanoch, taken in context of מתושלח, abandoning the masses, walking with God is seen as negative. Noach walked with God as the essence of his life, to live as an איש צדיק תמים בדרתיו. His connection to God was the foundation of his actions, drawing him near to life. In the case of Chanoch, his connection to God lead him away from life.

Hirsch writes the following words:
“This is a misguided aspiration, which at best does nothing to better the world, is quite useless to the world.”

“The Torah opposes ascetic seclusion, which is based on the erroneous notion that godliness lies outside the sphere of ordinary life.”

“התבודדות, secluding oneself from others, is not the Jewish way. Our tzaddikim and chassidim lived among the masses, with the masses and for the masses; they considered it their mission to lift the masses up to them. Abandonment of the masses is symptomatic of a generation’s sickness; it is found in an age in which the concept of God is reduced to a subject  for theoretical speculation, and where the thought of God makes men into fanatics, drives them to eschew and escape  life because they fear its temptations or, in blind arrogance, disdain its problems.”

In the Midrash (ב”ר כ”ה, א) the view of the Tzedukim that Chanoch was a very holy man and similar to Eliyahu HaNavi, never died, is proven wrong. Chanoch was judged on Rosh Hashana, together with all of mankind, to die prematurely.

Beraishis 5:22-24
pages 157-159

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

ויהי כי החל האדם לרב על פני האדמה ובנות ילדו להם. ויראו בני האלקים את בנות האדם כי טבת הנה ויקחו להם נשים מכל אשר בחרו. ויאמר השם לא ידון רוחי באדם לעלם בשגם הוא בשר והיו ימיו מאה ועשרים שנה

It came to pass when men began to multiple on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them. That the sons of men were good to look upon, and they took themselves wives from wherever they chose. And God said: My spirit within man will not remain the judge forever, since he is also flesh; therefore his days shall be 120 years.

—-

As explained earlier, the line of Kayin had given up on a relationship with God. The Kayinites created the world of invention, industry and culture. These aspirations, independent of God, created a world of despair. (see 4:17-24) The descendants of Shais had maintained traces of their spirituality. The Torah uses words that show the Shais line had much of the original grandeur of Adam. See 5:1-3 where the following words are used at the onset of this line: אדם, ברכה, צלם, דמות. At the outset of the Shais line, the Torah also states the equal stature of man and woman by writing זכר ונקבה בראם.

The godly spirit and hope for man’s return to its original state became at risk when בני האלקים, men from the Shais line, chose women from בנות האדם, from the Kayin line, because of their beauty. They chose them indiscriminately – מכל אשר בחרו. They didn’t consider how these women would influence the next generation. Devoid of godliness, the Kayin line was a straight path of descent. The Shais line, wavered back and forth, and godliness continued to reemerge. In the Shais line, there was still hope for man. But with the merging of these two lines in the families, the path of man’s return was no longer clear. Perhaps the worldview of Kayin would put an end to the worldview of Shais.

Man needs to use his free will to make good choices. The spirit of God within man is to be judge. But sensuality silences this spirit. לא ידון רוחי באדם לעלם בשגם הוא בשר. In the course of time, man may completely lose the battle and no longer care to make good choices. This is why the Torah emphasizes the laws of family purity and modesty. These laws are essential for keeping the spirit of God awake within man.

God saw that if this trend continued man would no longer be on course to return to a godly life. (Even so, man has free will and even in this situation, man has the capacity to still emerge godly. – GS) And so He granted the world 120 years to see what the outcome of this struggle would be.

Beraishis 6:1-3
pages 163-166

הנפלים היו בארץ בימים ההם וגם אחרי כן אשר יבאו בני האלקים אל בנות האדם וילדו להם המה הגברים אשר מעולם אנשי השם

The giants were on the earth in those days and also after that, when the sons of the godly line had already come to the daughters of men, who bore them children. These are the heroes from a distant past, the men of renown.

—

In the Kayinite line, in which the spiritual element had become extinct, physical development assumed gigantic dimensions. Had the interbreeding of the two lines succeeded, the spiritual element of the father would have overcome the physical element of the mother. Spiritual giants would have been produced.  The work of the spirit requires physical strength. (The physical would have served as a handmaiden to the spiritual. This is a concept that is discussed often. GS)

This did not happen. The union resulted in the physical subordinating the spiritual. The result was that even though these were the children of בני ,האלקים they were rebellious and sacrilegious.

(So that the verse reads… and even after that, when the sons of the godly line had already come to the daughters of men, [and hoped that their spiritual element would be passed on through their children] they bore them children. who were נפילים – predominantly physical… GS)

Beraishis 6:4
pages 166-167

וירא השם כי רבה רעת האדם בארץ וכל יצר מחשבת לבו רק רע כל היום

God saw that the evil of man was great on the earth and that every design of of the thoughts of his heart was nothing but evil every day.

—-

כי רבה רעת האדם בארץ
Man’s evil deeds shattered the harmony in the world.

וכל יצר מחשבת לבו רק רע כל היום
יצר has been incorrectly translated and understood to mean “impulse” or “urge”. This is the source of Christian dogma that claims that the power of evil holds sway over man over which he can only be saved by virtue of a certain belief.

But the root of the word יצר does not mean forcing, but shaping. Additionally, the word Yaitzer used here is written in the passive form, not the active form. It does not shape but it is shaped. Accordingly יצר מחשבת לבנו means the formations, designs, of our thoughts.

A weaver’s work is called מעשה חושב. He connects and combines the materials. So too the word for thought is חושב. The raw material is handed over to the intellect. All qualities, good or (seemingly) evil are turned over to combine them into צורות – shapes.

We can exercise our free will and shape the material we are entrusted with any way we like. We are instructed by God to follow His Will. He shows us the correct pattern to weave. If we follow His pattern, all is good. All aspects of our existence are planned and used as He wishes. (There is no inherent evil. There is wrong application. GS)

(see more on page 169)

Beraishis 6:5
pages 167-169

RSRH explains that God’s Will never changes. As it says in Bamidbar 23:19   לא איש קל ויכזב, ובן אדם ויתנחם – God is not a man, who changes His mind.

Hirsch explains:

God doesn’t change His mind on His own account. He is caused to change his mind in response to external circumstances. (This change is in order to facilitate the same original intention, but now, due to the need, adjusted to bring that original intention about in a new way. Man will now move towards the same goal on a new stage.

King Saul failed and there the verse says He changed the Divine mandate for Saul’s family to remain kings.

In Shemos 32:14 God changed his decree from bad to good in response to prayer. (וינחם על הרעה)

But God’s Will doesn’t change. As the sages explain in Sanhedrin 98a,  לא זכו, בעתה – Should it come to be that His people do not repent, God will still bring about the redemption.

Beraishis 6:6
pages 169-170

ויתעצב אל לבו

God’s heart, as it were, wished to rejoice in the thriving of mankind. As it says in Tehillim, ישמח השם במעשיו. He is compelled to forgo the joy of His heart. His heart, as it were, desired man’s continued existence, and He was grieved that He had to renounce it. God’s heart remained unchanged in His love and concern for mankind.

Regarding this (God’s heart) and other similar descriptions of God (God’s hand, God’s arm, God’s eyes, etc.) scholars have written much to explain these phrases in a non literal sense in order to not ascribe material features to God. In the process, however, our sense of the Personality of God becomes blurred and indistinct. If the Torah wanted us to not have a sense of God’s Personality (which provides a path to having a relationship with God – GS) it could have easily avoided such expressions.

RSRH adds, citing the ראב”ד,” a distinctively Jewish thinker”, that “belief in the Personality of God is more important than the speculations of those who reject the attribution of material features to God.”
(יסודי התורה פרק א הלכה י מובא בכסף משנה)

In these verses God “saw” that man chose the path of wickedness. It didn’t have to be. This was man’s choice. That is what is expressed by God “seeing”. Before God acted, He saw.

This critical lessons expressed here are:

1) Man has free will. God considered the matter before rendering His decision, based on man’s course of action.

2) God acts freely without being bound to anything. God’s heart didn’t change. God remained with the same care and concern for man that He had before man chose the path of wickedness. The only thing that changed was the stage man was to live in, and that change was by God’s choice. In order to help man get to the goal that God set, man would not thrive. A flood would kill most of the population. This grieved God’s heart, but it didn’t change God’s heart. (As we see in verse 7, it was השם, the name used for God’s attribute of mercy, Who brought about the flood.)

Beraishis 6:6
pages 170-171

השם לַמַּבּוּל יָשָׁב וַיֵּשֶׁב השם מֶלֶךְ לְעוֹלָם. השם עֹז לְעַמּוֹ יִתֵּן השם יְבָרֵךְ אֶת עַמּוֹ בַשָּׁלוֹם (תהילים כ”ט, י-י”א)

God’s plans prevails through all the vicissitudes of nature and history. Even when all of of mankind perished, God remained firmly on His throne. God remained מלך – King, and His מלכות – His plan for the education of mankind – remained firm.

(The same attribute of mercy that placed man on earth now decided upon his destruction with only Noach and his family remaining. They found favor in God’s eyes. They were the start of a new beginning which would set the world back on its course. The stage of man changed, but God’s plan never changed. See pages 169-171)

Just as God’s plan prevails, so will anyone who cleaves to Him find strength and persevere. This strength is not one of waging war and it is not something that disturbs the peace. This is the one and only condition for peace.

With this idea, King David assures the Jewish people that when they cleave to God they will have of a life of inner strength and peace.

Beraishis 6:8
page 174

אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת נֹחַ נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה בְּדֹרֹתָיו אֶת הָאֱלֹקים הִתְהַלֶּךְ נֹחַ

These are the products of Noach. Noach, a righteous man, was morally pure in his times: Noach walked with God.

—–

The first product of a person’s efforts are his own character traits. Noach was the product of Noach. (מ”ר: ללמדך שעיקר תולדותיהם של צדיקים מעשים טובים)

איש – He was a man – He was courageous, living by what was right in the face of much wrongdoing for 600 years. In verse 11 we see that the evils around Noach were moral sin (השחתת דרך) and theft (חמס).

צדיק – He was צדיק – righteous – in the face of חמס  theft.

• A צדיק is someone who gives everyone their due. He looks at everything from the standpoint of his duty, not his personal interests. The primary meaning of צדיק is social justice.

תמים – He was תמים – morally pure – in the face of השחתת דרך moral sin

• A תמים is a person who as a result of “walking”, progressing from step to step perfected his personality even when satisfying his physical aspirations. Self control achieved through moral will.

את האלקים התהלך נח – He walked with God.

• Being constantly aware of God was Noach’s root.
• His awareness of God was the source of his moral purity.
• His moral purity was the source of his honesty. (Throughout his writings, RSRH discusses this. חוקים the laws of moral purity, are the basis for משפטים civil law. To live a truly honest life, one must first be morally pure in the areas of sensuality. See Commentary to Vakira 18:4-5 fpr much more on this. GS)

The Torah stresses that Noach was morally pure despite the people around him being morally impure (תָּמִים הָיָה בְּדֹרֹתָיו) . It does not stress this regarding his honesty. The reason is that it is far more difficult to remain morally pure in an age of immorality than to remain honest in an age of dishonesty.

(In chapter 7 we see only the name צדיק used to described Noach. Hirsch comments there that living immorally is misusing and stealing the spirit and powers God gave us.)

Beraishis 6:9
pages 174-175

Noach walked with God which was the source of his moral strength and his honesty. (See previous post.) In his naming of his sons, we see all of these attributes separately. This was Noach’s hope and direction for mankind:

שם – Name – Intellect and the potential for spiritual side of man to develop (we utilize our intellect by naming things. The same root letters means “there”, giving things their proper place). שם is the thinker. His task was to “walk with God” as his father Noach did. This would elevate thinking to spirituality.

חם – Heat – The sensual side of man. The task of חם was to exercise moral will (informed by an awareness of God), just as his father Noach did as indicated by his being a תמים.

יפת – Beauty – The aesthetic side of man. The task of יפת was to be guided by the ideal of goodness, and not by the ideal of beauty. To be a צדיק as was his father. (As explained in the previous post, moral purity sets the stage for honesty and goodness. GS)

• While a sense of aesthetics moves society to have common decency and to rise above coarse behavior, this is very subjective. Every society will have different standards (which are rooted in their consensus for how to achieve their common interests. צדקות goodness, however, means not looking at things from the perspective of one’s self interest but living by a higher standard of concern that everyone around should get what is their due. This can only be attained by a sense of morality GS)

(Contrast all of the above to what became of Kayin’s line which was a society of industry and culture without godliness. Lemech lamented how nothing was achieved in such a society. See 4:23-24. Here we are taught how God-consciousness is to permeate and uplift all aspects of life. GS)

Beraishis 6:10
pages 176-178

As an introduction to understanding the different natures of Noach’s sons, as understood by studying the meaning behind their names, RSRH writes:

Although the races and ethnic groups of mankind differ from one another, this diversity existed even before the flood and, by God’s design, was permitted to survive the flood. This indicates that God’s plan is to realize the ultimate purpose of mankind despite all the national differences, or perhaps precisely through the interaction between the different nationalities.

If history shows us diverse nations endowed with disparate qualities – nations endowed with intellectual ability or emotional refinement beside nations in which burning sensuality seems to predominate – we should not, as a result, despair of mankind’s future. We should believe with deep faith that all the different races of mankind were created for one human ideal and are driving toward one goal:
כי מלאה הארץ דעה את יהוה כמים לים מכסים
For the land shall be filled with devotion to Hashem as water covers the sea.

(After the flood, we see Noach’s sons’ natures emerge into action and we learn of Noach’s prophetic words in response. See RSRH’s commentary there – 9:25-27, pages 243-249 – that explains how these streams of mankind will ultimately lead to one goal. )

Beraishis 6:10
pages 176-178

וַתִּשָּׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹקים וַתִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ חָמָס
And the earth was morally corrupt before God’s countenance, and so the earth was filled with corruption (petty theft).

—–

שחת means an interruption in the path of life, even in the area of one’s sensual drive. (Sexuality, instead of being a healthy and holy part of life became perverse. GS)

חמס means petty theft. It is not the sort of theft that can be prosecuted in court (כדאיתא במ”ר ל”א, ה).

First came moral corruption. That led to society’s ruin.

When the older generation sees the young generation’s morals decline they aren’t concerned that this will undo the economy. But they are mistaken. While outright robbery will never fill the world, that’s because there are laws in place to protect everyone from those crimes. But there is no protection from petty theft. That requires society to have a conscience. To not steal when one is confident one won’t get caught or prosecuted, requires a conscience. Moral corruption destroys the conscience.

Beraishis 6:11
pages 178-180

The Torah goes into detail to describe the design of the ark. It details measurements, window, compartments, etc. It then tells us that Noach did exactly as he was instructed by God.

RSRH writes here that he chooses to not comment on whether the size of the ark was large enough and other such questions (Others ask if the ark could endure the harsh flood, the water’s heat and similar questions. GS) God has many ways He brings about salvation.

The lesson to take here is that God chose one man and his family and the animal world. He would save them only if man does exactly as he is commanded.

Contrary to what many think, a person’s actions have value only if they constitute performing God’s will. What a person does on the basis of his own judgement is of secondary, uncertain importance. This is a fundamental principal of Judaism. גדול המצווה ועושה ממי שאינו מצווה ועושה – קדושין דף לא

Man must do his part by fulfilling God’s will and God will do the rest.

Beraishis 6:15-22
pages 182-183

God tells Noach that He will maintain His bris with him.

The word ברית stems from the root ברת which denotes separation (ברת הארץ means a stretch of land, separated from others). The verb used in the term כריתת ברית also means to separate.

The expression הקמת ברית denotes an unconditional promise. A ברית stands unsupported. Left to itself it would fall down; only the כורת ברית upholds it.

A ברית can be unilateral. It does not imply a mutual agreement (unlike the word covenant, which is an inadequate translation).

The planks of wood were not enough to save those inside. Others could have tried to copy Noach and it wouldn’t have helped them. They were protected by God because God said He would.

It seems that the only reason Noach was asked to build the ark was to follow the principal of (פסחים דף סד) אין סומכין על הנס – we don’t rely on miracles (we perform actions that minimize or conceal the miracle GS).

Beraishis 6:18
pages 185-186

…וַיֹּאמֶר י-ה-ו-ה לְנֹחַ בֹּא אַתָּה וְכָל בֵּיתְךָ אֶל הַתֵּבָה כִּי אֹתְךָ רָאִיתִי צַדִּיק לְפָנַי בַּדּוֹר הַזֶּה

גַּם מֵעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם שִׁבְעָה שִׁבְעָה זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה לְחַיּוֹת זֶרַע עַל פְּנֵי כָל הָאָרֶץ

—–

In chapter 6, the name אלקים is used (v. 9, v.11, v.13 and v.22). Here in chapter 7, as Noach is told to enter the ark with his family, the name of God describing God’s mercy ( י-ה-ו-ה)  is used.

The explanation for this chage is as follows:

אלקים describes God as Creator, Lawgiver and Judge. אלקים set apart Noach and his family to survive – להחיות (v. 19).

י-ה-ו-ה describes God of mercy. It describes God as the One Who educates mankind toward its goal and shapes every future moment with this goal in mind. The goal of the Mabul was  לְחַיּוֹת זֶרַע to give life to the seed of the future. The Mabul would lay the stage for the future of mankind, built from the remaining people on earth who “walked with God “.

(The goal of the flood wasn’t to destroy. Even the deaths were not gruesome as many pictures of the Mabul depict. See Hirsch commentary on pages 184-185)

Beraishis 7: 1
pages 187-188

Earlier (6:9) Noach was described as צדיק תמים. Hirsch explained there that תמים means living morally and צדיק means living honestly. And yet here Noach is described with just the term צדיק .

That is because our duty is to be just, צדיקים. Not only the mitzvos between man and his fellow man are mitzvos of justice, but also the mitzvos of morality. We do not own our spirit, life and power. Everything we “have” is entrusted to us by God and we must use them justly and honestly.

Someone who casts off the yoke of morality, squandering and misusing that which was given to him by God, is a scoundrel before God, like a thief who robs human beings.

Beraishis 7:1
pages 187-188

מִכֹּל הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהוֹרָה תִּקַּח לְךָ שִׁבְעָה שִׁבְעָה אִישׁ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וּמִן הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא טְהֹרָה הִוא שְׁנַיִם אִישׁ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ

Of every pure animal you shall take seven pairs, the male and its mate, and of animals that are not pure you shall take two each, the male and its mate.

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What is the significance of Noach being instructed to take seven pairs of pure animals? (After all, man was only allowed to eat animals after the flood. The distinction about pure and not pure animals for food was giving to the Jews at Sinai.)

Here the distinction is made in regards to permissible animals to be used for sacrifices. The reason why only pure animals are permitted for Israel to eat and why only such animals may be used for sacrifices (brought by Jew and Noahides) is the same

The word טהור (pure) is related to the word צהר (which means transparent – a window that allows light to come through it). The Hebrew word for afternoon צהרים is טיהרא in Aramaic (a sister language GS). The opposite of טהור is טמא, something that doesn’t allow the light of God to come through.

The dietary laws are not given in order to keep us healthy. (Proof: We have an obligation to concern ourselves with the welfare of the גר תושב as stated in Vayikra 25:35 and Devarim 14:21, and yet the same Torah commands us to give forbidden food to the גר תושב.)

The animals that the Torah considers pure are receptive to human influence. They don’t require taming. It is in their nature to serve man’s purposes. Beastliness and passion don’t overwhelmingly predominate in them.

Only such animals are later permitted at Sinai to eat because they don’t dull Israels’ sensitivity or heighten sensuality which would diminish spirituality.

The early men who brought sacrifices were not savages. Adam, Hevel, Shais, Noach, Avraham, Yitzchak, Yaakov, David and Yeshayahu, etc. were all great men. None of them stood before a cruel and bloodthirsty god who enjoys dying animals and forgives peoples’ sins because he received a dying bull!

An offering was an expression of complete devotion. The blood spilled represented our own life’s dedication to following God’s Will. The various parts brought on the altar each symbolically represented the human bringing them and his devotion to God in every way; dedicating our limbs, eyes, hearts, bodies and even our the lowest desires of the body. All were to be dedicated to be לחם אשה השם – “to sustain the holy” on earth.

Only animals closest to man’s nature were suitable to represent man when he would bring such an animal.

Hirsch points out that the name of God used here is the name that signifies God’s concern with the education of man (י-ה-ו-ה). The reason for selecting these animals was to further mankind’s education.

Beraishis 7:5
pages 189-191

כִּי לְיָמִים עוֹד שִׁבְעָה אָנֹכִי מַמְטִיר עַל הָאָרֶץ אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וְאַרְבָּעִים לָיְלָה וּמָחִיתִי אֶת כָּל הַיְקוּם אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה

For in another seven days I (אנכי) will make it rain upon the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will blot out everything in existence that I have made from off the face of the earth.

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There is a distinction to be made throughout Tanach, whenever אנכי is written in respect to God, as opposed to the word אני.

When the word אנכי is written, God doesn’t stand in opposition, confronting His creatures. Rather, He conducts Himself with love and compassion.

(RSRH provides over a page of etymological proofs for this. Briefly: אני comes from אנה meaning cause to happen, while staying at a distance. אנכי comes from אנך which means to encompass and to bear.)

With this understanding, there is an important lesson learned in the verse: God is telling Noach: I am about to bring about great destruction. Even so I אנכי haven’t changed. I continue to act with love and compassion. I act as אנכי who embraces everything, bears everything, and this harsh decree is for the purpose of the good of the larger whole.

RSRH adds that throughout Tanach when the name י-ה-ו-ה is pronounced by the name אלקים the same idea is being taught. (The attribute of mercy revealing itself as the attribute of justice.)

God is One. What appears to humans at times to be the conduct of opposing forces, are, in truth, all actions of the One God who never changes.

Beraishis 7:4
pages 191-193

וְנֹחַ בֶּן שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה וְהַמַּבּוּל הָיָה מַיִם עַל הָאָרֶץ

Noach was a man of 600 years when the Mabul came upon the earth.

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A person is the product of his experiences throughout the years of his life. He is affected physically and psychologically each day. Therefore he is called a child of his years.

A person is also a “child” of his personality as we see in the expression בן בליעל (Devarim 13:14).

A person is also a “child” of his punishments as we see in the expression בן הכות (Devarim 25:2).

Bearishis 7:6
page 193

שְׁנַיִם שְׁנַיִם בָּאוּ אֶל נֹחַ אֶל הַתֵּבָה זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה אֱלֹקים אֶת נֹחַ

They came to Noach in pairs, male and female, just as God had commanded Noach.

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God had commanded Noach to take in the animals. But it wasn’t within Noach’s power to determine which animals had kept the purity of their breed and should come. This, God brought about.

Also, take note that in verse 5 above it was “as י-ה-ו-ה (the name used to express the God of mankind, the God who command man and guides the world for the sake of man) commanded him”. And here it is “as אלקים (the name used to express the God of nature) commanded him”.

We see here a truth that appears throughout the Torah : The God who commands man is the very same God who the Lawgiver and the Director of nature. השם הוא האלקים

(We see this expressed in Psalms 147:15-19. “He sends snow, freezing cold, he melts the ice…. He teaches his statutes and laws to Israel, etc.”)

God’s Word is given to nature and all of nature obeys it. God’s Word is given to man for him to obey it by his own free will.

Beraishis 7:9
page 194

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