Noah Made Himself Common by Planting a Vineyard

"And Noah began" (Genesis 9:20). He was profaned and made common. Why? "And he planted a vineyard." Should he not rather have planted something useful, an olive shoot or a fig sucker? And from where did he get the vine? He had brought saplings and shoots into the ark with him, suckers for olives and shoots for figs, as it is written, "And gather it to you" (Genesis 6:21); a person gathers a thing only if he needs it. "A man of the soil": above it is written of Cain, "And Cain was a tiller of the soil." "A man of the soil": for he gave a face to the soil; through him the soil was moistened, and he filled the whole face of the soil. A "man of the soil" is like a citizen named for his standing. Moses was more beloved than Noah. Noah, after being called "a righteous man," was called "a man of the soil." But Moses, after being called "an Egyptian man" (Exodus 2:19), was called "a man of God," for in his end he was godlike. "And he planted a vineyard": when he went to plant, the demon Shamdon met him and said, "Be my partner; but take care not to enter into my portion, and if you enter into my portion I will injure you." The teacher Ovar of Galilee expounded: thirteen vavs ["and" letters] are said concerning wine. "And Noah the man of the soil began, and he knew what had been done to him." Rav and Shmuel: one said Ham castrated him, and one said he sodomized him. It is written here, "And Ham the father of Canaan saw," and it is written there, "And Shechem son of Hamor saw her" (Genesis 34:2). According to the one who says he castrated him, he cursed him in the fourth son because he ruined him with respect to a fourth son. According to the one who says he sodomized him, why specifically the fourth son? Let him curse him outright. In truth, both acts occurred. "And Noah the man of the soil began": the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Noah, "Should you not have learned from the first man, to whom nothing brought ruin except wine?" This follows the one who says the tree from which the first man ate was a vine, for there is nothing that brings wailing into the world except wine. "And he planted a vineyard" (Genesis 9:20-23). He found a vine swept out from the Garden of Eden with its clusters upon it, and he planted from its fruit and ate and rejoiced in his heart, as it is said, "that cheers God and men" (Judges 9:13). That same day its fruits ripened, and he drank of it and was uncovered. Canaan entered and saw Noah's nakedness, tied a cord around his organ and castrated him; he went out and told his brothers. Then Ham entered and saw and paid no heed to the commandment of honoring a parent, and told his two brothers outside as one mocking his father; and his two brothers rebuked him, as it is said, "And Shem and Japheth took." The Holy One, blessed be He, brought Abraham into the world only as the reward of Shem, who prophesied to all the nations of the world four hundred years and they did not accept from him. He brought the kingdom of Greece into the world only as the reward of Japheth, who showed honor to his father. He brought the kingdom of Rome into the world only as the reward of Esau, who wept and groaned when Isaac blessed our father Jacob. He brought Sennacherib into the world only on account of Assyria, who was a fitting man and a counselor of our father Abraham. He brought Nebuchadnezzar into the world only as the reward of Merodach, who showed honor to our Father in Heaven. He brought Media into the world only as the reward of Cyrus, who wept and groaned when the nations destroyed the Temple. He brought Haman into the world only as the reward of Agag, who wept and groaned while imprisoned in the dungeon, lest his seed perish from the world. "And he planted a vineyard": Satan came to meet him and said, "Do you wish that you and I plant it together?" He said, "Yes." At once Satan first brought a lamb and slaughtered it over the vine; then he brought a lion and slaughtered it over the vine; then a pig and slaughtered it over the vine. Why did Satan do this? When a person drinks one cup, he is like a lamb, humble and lowly of spirit; when he drinks two cups, at once he becomes mighty as a lion and begins to speak grandly and says, "Who is like me?"; and when he drinks three or four, at once he becomes like a pig that wallows in mud and filth, so too he becomes befouled, even with his own urine.