“Noah, man of the soil, began, and he planted a vineyard” (Genesis 9:20). “Noah, man of the soil, began [vayaḥel]” – he became profaned and unholy [ḥulin]. Why? “And he planted a vineyard.”
Should he not have planted something else, that was constructive, a fig tree branch or an olive tree branch? Instead, “he planted a vineyard.” From where did he have it [the grapevine shoot]? Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: He brought in [to the ark] vine branches and saplings, fig branches, and olive branches.
That is what is written: “Gather it for you” (Genesis 6:21) – a person gathers an item only if he needs it. “Man of the soil” – there were three people who were enthusiastic about the soil, but ultimately nothing constructive came from them. They are: Cain, Noah, and Uziyahu. Cain – “Cain was a tiller of the soil” (Genesis 4:2); Noah – “a man of the soil”; Uziyahu – “he had farmers and vine growers in the mountains and on the fertile lands, as he was a lover of the soil” (II Chronicles 26:10).
“Man of the soil”13The underlying question is: In what sense was Noah a “man of the soil”? – he remade the surface of the soil;14He began to re-cultivate the soil after it had been devastated by the Flood. because of him the soil was watered;15It was on his behalf that rain fell upon the parched soil after the Flood (see Bereshit Rabba 33:7). he filled the entire surface of the soil.16His descendants populated the world.
“Man of the soil” – he was a farmer, [called “man of the soil”] after his farming activities. Rabbi Berekhya said: Moses was more beloved that Noah. Noah, after he was called “a righteous man” (Genesis 6:9), was called “a man of the soil.”17He was diminished in stature when he became older. But Moses, after he was called “an Egyptian man” (Exodus 2:19) was called “the man of God” (Deuteronomy 33:1).
“He planted a vineyard” – when he was about to plant a vineyard, the demon Shemadon encountered him. He said to him: ‘I have a partnership with you.18Wine in moderation can be a positive factor, but too much brings one into the demon’s domain. However, be careful that you do not enter into my domain, and if you enter my domain, I will harm you.’