Wine Brought Exile on Noah and the Tribes

"And he drank of the wine" (Genesis 9:21). He drank without measure and was disgraced. On the same day he planted, on the same day he drank, on the same day he was disgraced. "And he was uncovered within his tent." It is not written "and he uncovered," but "and he was uncovered": he caused exile to himself and to the generations. The ten tribes went into exile only on account of wine, as it is written, "Woe to those who rise early in the morning to pursue strong drink, who tarry late into the evening till wine inflames them" (Isaiah 5:11). The tribes of Judah and Benjamin went into exile only on account of wine, as it is said, "These also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink" (Isaiah 28:7). "Within his tent" is written defectively: within the tent of his wife. When Noah went out of the ark, the lion struck him and maimed him; and when he came to lie with his wife, his seed was scattered. Never be greedy after wine, for in the whole passage of the wine there are written fourteen vavs: "and he began," "and he planted," "and he drank," "and he became drunk," "and he was uncovered," "and he saw," "and he approached," "and he took," "and they placed," "and they went," "and they covered," "and he awoke," "and he knew," "and he said." "And Ham the father of Canaan saw." He said to them and told them, saying, "The first man had two sons, and one rose and killed his fellow; and this one has three, and he seeks to make a fourth." What is the reason a slave goes free for a tooth and an eye? From here: "and he saw and told." "And Shem and Japheth took the garment." Shem began the commandment and Japheth came and obeyed him; therefore Shem merited a prayer-shawl and Japheth a cloak. From the implication of what is said, "and they went backward," do I not know that they did not see their father's nakedness? Rather, it teaches that they put their hands over their faces and walked backward and treated him with honor, as the reverence of a father upon a son. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Shem, "You covered your father's nakedness; by your life, I shall repay it to your sons," as it is said, "Then these men were bound in their cloaks" (Daniel 3:21). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Japheth, "You covered your father's nakedness; by your life, I shall repay you," as it is said, "And it shall come to pass on that day that I will give to Gog a place there for burial" (Ezekiel 39:11). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Ham, "You disgraced your father's nakedness; by your life, I shall repay you," as it is said, "So shall the king of Assyria lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt." Rav Yehuda said: it is forbidden to recite the Shema before a naked Cushite. This is obvious; one might have thought that since it is written of them, "whose flesh is the flesh of donkeys," I would say he is a mere donkey, so it teaches that regarding nakedness they too are called nakedness, as it is said, "and they did not see their father's nakedness."