בְּרֵאשִׁית

BeReshit

CHAPTER 8

With Commentaries

“For all the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease.”

Listen to this chapter in Hebrew

And ELOHIM remembered Noakh and all the animals and all the cattle that were with him in the ark, and ELOHIM made a Ruakh/Spirit/Wind pass upon the earth, and the waters subsided.

1 וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים אֶת־נֹחַ וְאֵת כָּל־הַחַיָּה וְאֶת־כָּל־הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ בַּתֵּבָה וַיַּעֲבֵר אֱלֹהִים רוּחַ עַל־הָאָרֶץ וַיָּשֹׁכּוּ הַמָּיִם׃

א

In this chapter, the waters will begin to recede, and the earth will slowly reach the state where Noakh can begin to resettle the earth and resume normal life outside of the Ark.

Midrash Commentary: God remembered. To say that God “remembers” implies that forgetfulness is possible for Him, which is absurd. Like many others, the Torah uses this term to make it easier for us to understand the course of events: God’s wisdom had decreed that up to this point, He should ignore the plight of His creatures as if He had forgotten them. Now, when He was ready to show them mercy, it was as if He had remembered.

Rashi (1040 – 1105) Commentary: God “remembered” that the animals permitted to enter the Ark hadn’t previously perverted their way and had refrained from mating in the Ark.

If I may continue with the understanding or theory that when it says Elohim, it is God who does everything, but He uses others to do it for Him, such as angels/messengers, spirits, prophets, ordinary man, and even animals. In this case, when it says “remembered,” it is not HaShem God who remembered, but the angels/messengers were the ones who had to remember, and it is not that they could forget, but that is to say that because they did not forget that the word remember is used. Also, it is not that they forgot but that HaShem set an appointed time for the Flood to stop, and the angels/messengers had to keep watch for that specific time to stop it. When the time set came, they remembered and did not forget.

רוּחַ/Spirit/Wind/Breath

Rashi renders a spirit for this verse, while Ramban and others render wind. This spirit or wind caused the waters to stop their seething, boiling fury and, as in verse 2, sealed the water sources so the Flood could begin to recede.

The word used is רוּחַ/Ruakh, which means wind, breath, or spirit. As I explained before, I think these translations are synonymous. The wind, spirits, and breath are the same. It is just that spirits can do anything HaShem wants. They can do you harm or good, or they can be neutral and not do anything but keep you alive by providing oxygen. It all depends on how you keep the law of God that this spirit's behavior differs. In this case, I think the renderings with the words spirit or wind are both accurate because both are the same. This spirit/wind did something that a mare wind, as we know it, could not do. It stopped the abyss fountains and closed the heaven’s windows.

An example of a spirit in 1 Kings 22:21-24

"Then a ruakh/spirit/wind/breath came forward and stood before YHVH, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ And YHVH said to him, ‘By what means?’ And he said, ‘I will go out, and will be a lying ruakh/spirit/wind/breath in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And he said, ‘You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.’ Now therefore behold, YHVH has put a lying ruakh/spirit/wind/breath in the mouth of all these your prophets; YHVH has declared disaster for you.

This example verse shows two things. One, spirits can harm, but only if God allows them to. Two, the word used is Ruakh/wind/spirit/breath, and they are thinking beings that are more than mindless wind you feel on your skin. Should we be afraid of them? Well, it depends. Well, it depends if you do not follow the Law of the Torah. Yes. If you follow the Law, no. The only time that HaShem, our God, will allow a spirit to mess with you, even if you follow the Law, is if HaShem wants to test you and your knowledge of the Law, and if HaShem tests you when you follow His Law. Then you should be delighted because HaShem noticed you, and you are worth being tested. You have always to be very vigilant of your actions. Always ask yourself how God wants you to act in a specific situation. If I do a certain action, will it conflict with the Laws of HaShem set in the Torah? This way of acting is what is called having a fear of God.

Spirits are always on the move, enticing you to do good or evil, but they can’t make us do what we do not want. It is your choice what action you take. Sometimes, it is hard to deny the body's wants and cravings, so your faith must be strong. Always know that HaShem is watching and judging your actions. Nothing you do goes unseen. Do not let your sin reach fullness.

And stopped were the springs of the abyss and the windows of the heavens, and restrained was the rain from the heavens.

2 וַיִּסָּכְרוּ מַעְיְנֹת תְּהוֹם וַאֲרֻבֹּת הַשָּׁמָיִם וַיִּכָּלֵא הַגֶּשֶׁם מִן־הַשָּׁמָיִם׃

ב

“And stopped were”

This verse continues from the one before. When Elohim made a ruakh/spirit/wind pass over the earth, all subsided, which means that all died down and became calm. This ruakh/spirit/wind went around the world, shutting down all the incoming water from beneath and above and restraining the rain. At HaShem’s appointed time, this happened. No order from HaShem had to be given because the angels/messengers remembered when the time came, and they made it so by using this ruakh/spirit/wind/breath.

And the waters returned from upon the earth. By the end of 150 days, the waters went back.

3 וַיָּשֻׁבוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ הָלוֹךְ וָשׁוֹב וַיַּחְסְרוּ הַמַּיִם מִקְצֵה חֲמִשִּׁים וּמְאַת יוֹם׃

ג

From the sixth hundredth birthdate of Noakh, it started to rain continually; forty days later, hot water came in from inside the earth, and the windows of the heavens spilled in water like waterfalls worldwide. For 150 days, the waters from everywhere never stopped coming in for approximately five months. At the end of the five months, it all stopped. The Ark finely floated on calm waters.

And in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest upon Mountain Ararat.

4 וַתָּנַח הַתֵּבָה בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בְּשִׁבְעָה־עָשָׂר יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ עַל הָרֵי אֲרָרָט׃

ד

Two months after all the waters stopped, the Ark finally stopped moving and came to rest on top of Mountain Ararat. From the fifth month for two more months, Noakh and the animals drifted on calm waters with no way of controlling the Ark. Ending their turbulent five months of extremely rough waters to just drifting aimlessly for two months. Finally, they, they were stationary.

And the waters continued to go and abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were visable.

5 וְהַמַּיִם הָיוּ הָלוֹךְ וְחָסוֹר עַד הַחֹדֶשׁ הָעֲשִׂירִי בָּעֲשִׂירִי בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ נִרְאוּ רָאשֵׁי הֶהָרִים׃

ה

The tops of the mountains were visible three months after the Ark came to rest on top of Mountain Ararat. Noakh, his family, and the animals have remained inside the Ark for ten months so far.

And it was the end of forty days, and Noakh opened the window of the ark that he had made

6 וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ אַרְבָּעִים יוֹם וַיִּפְתַּח נֹחַ אֶת־חַלּוֹן הַתֵּבָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה׃

ו

Forty days from when the mountains’ peaks were visible.

and sent out the raven; it went to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth.

7 וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת־הָעֹרֵב וַיֵּצֵא יָצוֹא וָשׁוֹב עַד־יְבֹשֶׁת הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ׃

ז

After forty days from when the mountains’ peaks were visible, Noakh released a raven.

יצא ושוב/WENT FORTH TO AND FRO

Rashi (1040 - 1105) Commentary: The raven flew in circles around the Ark and did not go on its errand, for it suspected that Noakh intended to injure its mate.

The raven is one of the unclean animals as it is opportunistic and will eat dead flesh and animals while they are still alive or anything edible. So, only one pair of ravens, a male and a female, were taken into the ark. Whether by instinct or divine intervention, the raven knew that it had to stay close to its mate. So it stayed close to the Ark until the earth was dry and all the animals were released from it.

And he sent out the dove to see whether the waters had decreased upon the face of the ground.

8 וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת־הַיּוֹנָה מֵאִתּוֹ לִרְאוֹת הֲקַלּוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה׃

ח

Seven days after Noakh released the raven that did not return and circled the Ark, he released a dove. We know this, even though scripture does not say so, because of verse ten of this chapter.

But the dove could not find a resting place for the palm of its foot, and returned to him to the ark, for there was water all over the face of the earth. So putting out his hand, he took it into the ark with him.

9 וְלֹא־מָצְאָה הַיּוֹנָה מָנוֹחַ לְכַף־רַגְלָהּ וַתָּשָׁב אֵלָיו אֶל־הַתֵּבָה כִּי־מַיִם עַל־פְּנֵי כָל־הָאָרֶץ וַיִּשְׁלַח יָדוֹ וַיִּקָּחֶהָ וַיָּבֵא אֹתָהּ אֵלָיו אֶל־הַתֵּבָה׃

ט

And still waited anxiously another seven days, to again sent the dove from the ark.

10 וַיָּחֶל עוֹד שִׁבְעַת יָמִים אֲחֵרִים וַיֹּסֶף שַׁלַּח אֶת־הַיּוֹנָה מִן־הַתֵּבָה׃

י

Still waited anxiously another seven days

This implies that after he sent the raven out, Noakh waited seven days to release the first dove, even though the text does not say so.

חוּל/Khul

This word means: wait_anxiously

1) to twist, whirl, dance, writhe, fear, tremble, travail, be in anguish, be pained.

By this first word of this verse, we can tell the frame of mind that the Ark passengers were under.

The dove came back to him toward evening, and behold in her bick was a fresh plucked-off olive leaf! Then Noakh knew that the waters had decreased upon the face of the earth.

11 וַתָּבֹא אֵלָיו הַיּוֹנָה לְעֵת עֶרֶב וְהִנֵּה עֲלֵה־זַיִת טָרָף בְּפִיהָ וַיֵּדַע נֹחַ כִּי־קַלּוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ׃

יא

טרף בפיה PLUCKED IN HER MOUTH

Rashi (1040 - 1105) Commentary: I am of the opinion that the dove was a male and that, therefore, the text speaks of it sometimes as masculine and sometimes as feminine, because really wherever יונה “dove” occurs in the Scriptures, it is spoken of as feminine, as (Song 5:12) “[His eyes] are like those of doves beside the water brooks that are washing themselves (רוחצות fem.) in milk”; (Ezekiel 7:16) “Like the doves of the valleys, all of them moaning" and as (Hosea 7:11) “Like a silly (פותה fem.) dove.”

I like to see all perspectives, and if I think about it, Noakh, his family, and all the animals have been on the Ark for almost a year. The previous verse makes it clear that Noakh is getting concerned about it. Now think, Noakh sent out a raven first, which did not come back and just circled the Ark, and this is the second time that Noakh had sent the dove out, and when he had twelve doves to pick from. How can you tell if, on the second time, you grabbed the same dove? Or would he even stop to ensure it was a male or a female? If we were in his situation, we would grab the first dove available when we reached for it and send it out without giving it a second thought. Later, when it came back, we would collect it and put it back with the other doves. I don’t think that when Noakh went to grab another dove, he even thought about whether the dove was the same exact one he grabbed before or if it was male or female. But the Torah knows, and it lets us know because the Torah is the Law of HaShem, our Elohim/God.

And he waited still another seven days and sent the dove forth; and it did not return to him any more.

12 וַיִּיָּחֶל עוֹד שִׁבְעַת יָמִים אֲחֵרִים וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת־הַיּוֹנָה וְלֹא־יָסְפָה שׁוּב־אֵלָיו עוֹד׃

יב

In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the waters began to dry from the earth, and when Noakh removed the covering of the ark, he saw that the face of the land was dry.

13 וַיְהִי בְּאַחַת וְשֵׁשׁ־מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה בָּרִאשׁוֹן בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ חָרְבוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ וַיָּסַר נֹחַ אֶת־מִכְסֵה הַתֵּבָה וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה חָרְבוּ פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה׃

יג

One Year, One day

On Noakh’s 600th Birthdate, the Flood started

It rained for forty days and forty nights continually.

After that, the abyss’s fountains and the windows of the heavens opened. Rain and waters from below and above continued for five months from Noakh’s 600th birthdate.

At the end of those five months, the waters stopped.

Two months after that, the Ark rested on top of Mountain Ararat.

Three months after this, the tops of the mountains were visible.

Forty days after the mountain peaks were visible, Noakh released a raven.

Seven days later, Noakh released a dove, and it came back.

Seven more days later, Noakh released another dove, and it came back with an olive leave.

Yet another seven days later, Noakh released another dove, but it did not return to him.

Tally all the months and days

Months 1st to 5th, months 5th to 7th, months 7th to 10th, and 61 days = 12 months and one day.

I know this isn't very clear, but it does add up to one year and one day from Noakh’s six-hundredth birthdate.

And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.

14 וּבַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי בְּשִׁבְעָה וְעֶשְׂרִים יוֹם לַחֹדֶשׁ יָבְשָׁה הָאָרֶץ׃

יד

And ELOHIM spoke to Noakh, saying,

15 וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֶל־נֹחַ לֵאמֹר׃

טו

VaY’Daber | ELOHIM | El-Noakh | LeMor

“Come out from the ark, you and your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you.

16 צֵא מִן־הַתֵּבָה אַתָּה וְאִשְׁתְּךָ וּבָנֶיךָ וּנְשֵׁי־בָנֶיךָ אִתָּךְ׃

טז

The Gemara asks: And from where do we derive that it was prohibited for them to engage in intercourse while in the ark?

The Gemara answers: It is derived from that which is written: “And you shall come into the ark, you, and your sons, and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you” (Genesis 6:18); and in this verse, it is written: “Emerge from the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.”

And Rabbi Yoḥanan says: From here, the Sages derived and said that it was prohibited to engage in intercourse while in the ark, as when Noakh and his family entered, the husbands and wives were listed separately, and when they emerged, the husbands were listed with their wives.

All the living things that are with you from all flesh, the birds, the animals, and all the creeping things that creep upon the earth, bring them out with you, and let them swarm on the earth and be fruitful and multiply upon the earth.”

17 כָּל־הַחַיָּה אֲשֶׁר־אִתְּךָ מִכָּל־בָּשָׂר בָּעוֹף וּבַבְּהֵמָה וּבְכָל־הָרֶמֶשׂ הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל־הָאָרֶץ (הוצא) [הַיְצֵא] אִתָּךְ וְשָׁרְצוּ בָאָרֶץ וּפָרוּ וְרָבוּ עַל־הָאָרֶץ׃

יז

At the one-year and one-day mark, Noakh saw that the ground was dry, but Elohim did not proclaim it dry until the second month on the 27th. On the second month, on the 27th of that month, Elohim told Noakh to leave the Ark.

It would seem that no matter how badly Noakh wanted to get out of the Ark, he could not because HaShem sealed them in. So, it was only when Elohim commanded him that they come out of the Ark that they did, or maybe it was only then that they could. It seems evident that Noakh was anxious to go out to dry land because of all his attempts with the birds, but because of some wording in the ancient Hebrew, some have split minds about it, as we will see by this next Rashis comment.

Rashi (1040 - 1105) Commentary: Order them out. The K’siv (Masoretic spelling) is הוצא/HaOtze, while the K’ri (Masoretic pronunciation) is הַיְצֵא/HaY’Tze. The duality: הַיְצֵא/HaY’Tze means “order them out,” i.e., tell them to leave on their own, while הוצא/Ha’Otze means “force them out,” in the event they refuse to leave.

On the earth

Rashi (1040 - 1105) Commentary: Only back on earth were the animals to be fruitful and multiply, but in the Ark, all sexual activity was forbidden.

And Noakh came out, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives that were with him.

18 וַיֵּצֵא־נֹחַ וּבָנָיו וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וּנְשֵׁי־בָנָיו אִתּוֹ׃

יח

Va’Yetze-Noakh | UVanaiv | Ve’Ish’To | UN’Shey-VaNayv | Ito

All the living things, every creeping thing, and all the birds, all that moves upon the earth came out by families out of the ark.

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

יט

And Noakh built an altar to YHVH, and taking from all the pure animals and from all birds that are pure, he offered them as an ascending burnt offerings on the altar.

20 וַיִּבֶן נֹחַ מִזְבֵּחַ לַיהוה וַיִּקַּח מִכֹּל הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהוֹרָה וּמִכֹּל הָעוֹף הַטָּהֹר וַיַּעַל עֹלֹת בַּמִּזְבֵּחַ׃

כ

And YHVH smelled the soothing aroma, and YHVH said in His heart: “Never again will I curse the land for the sake of Adam/man, because the evil intentions of Adam’s/man’s heart are evil from his youth, and will not again destroy every living being, as I have done.

21 וַיָּרַח יהוה אֶת־רֵיחַ הַנִּיחֹחַ וַיֹּאמֶר יהוה אֶל־לִבּוֹ לֹא־אֹסִף לְקַלֵּל עוֹד אֶת־הָאֲדָמָה בַּעֲבוּר הָאָדָם כִּי יֵצֶר לֵב הָאָדָם רַע מִנְּעֻרָיו וְלֹא־אֹסִף עוֹד לְהַכּוֹת אֶת־כָּל־חַי כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי׃

כא

לֹא־אֹסִף לְקַלֵּל עוֹד אֶת־הָאֲדָמָה בַּעֲבוּר הָאָדָם

“Never again will I curse the land for the sake of Adam/man.”

This word means for the sake, meaning that what Adonai our Elohim/God did was for the sake of mankind and not only to punish the people before the Flood. Yes, punishment for their sins was a must, but the main reason was that if He had not done as He did, mankind would have been doomed to fail.

First burnt offering to HaShem

For one, Noakh knew to give HaShem an offering of the clean animals and not from the unclean ones. Second, it would seem that Noakh made this offering of his own free will. I could not find anywhere where Elohim told Noakh what to do. This first offering pleased HaShem, our God, so much that He made it an offering for other things like atoning for unintentional sins and other things. The Leviticus book lists a detailed account of how to make offerings to HaShem.

The word used to symbolize how much this pleased our Elohim/God is נִיחֹחַ/Nikhoakh/soothing. HaShem liked it so much that even though we know from a previous chapter that it pained Him in His Heart to do what He did to the world, here is another reminder: in this verse, it is written that HaShem, after smelling the soothing aroma, said in His heart, in other words, He felt what He said, and ether thought it to Himself or spoke it to Himself. He felt sorry all over again for what he just done to the world and said to Himself that he would not do it again—not the whole world again. I think this is why now HaShem has to micromanage sin as He has been doing since then. When a nation's sins are full, HaShem punishes them, and He does the same with cities like Sodoma and Gamora. And He does the same with individual people, you sin till your sin is full and you pay for your sins.

For all the days of the earth,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
Summer and winter,
Day and night
Will not cease.”

22 עֹד כָּל־יְמֵי הָאָרֶץ זֶרַע וְקָצִיר וְקֹר וָחֹם וְקַיִץ וָחֹרֶף וְיוֹם וָלַיְלָה לֹא יִשְׁבֹּתוּ׃

כב

For all the days of the earth,

While the earth remains,

So long as the earth endures,

These are but three translations for the first line of this verse. There are more translations for this first part of this verse, but they all follow the same meaning or the same conclusion (except for the first one). All but the first translation says that the earth will end, or we might be able to destroy it. According to science, everything in the universe will end: the earth, sun, or any other celestial body. Science also claims that the universe itself will come to an end someday.

Also, are we, as mankind, able to destroy the planet? I am not so sure. Yes, maybe we can destroy most of the living things in it. Say, with nuclear weapons, or deforestation, or other such a thing, but to destroy it to the point that it does not exist anymore. I am not so sure.

The translation I chose for this verse is the one that follows what I believe to be more accurate. This translation says that the world will continue to have its cycles of seasons, day and night, for all the days of its existence. It does not say or imply that the earth will end someday. For one, the bible says that God’s kingdom will be on earth. This is why one of our jobs is to make it a holy world. One that is worthy of HaShem. Also, it says that this kingdom to come will last forever. So, the kingdom to come is on earth, and this kingdom will last forever, and so will the earth. Is it too big a task for the Creator to make a planet, the sun, a celestial body, or the universe itself to make it last forever? Even if there is proof that they will not? I do not think so. Adonai, our Creator, made this world; He can make it last for eternity.

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