Yalkut Shimoni on Torah Reader

"And the dove found no resting place" (Genesis 8:9). Had she found a resting place, she would not have returned. And similarly, "She dwells among the nations, she found no rest" (Lamentations 1:3)? had they found rest, they would not have returned. And similarly, "And among those nations you shall have no repose, and there shall be no resting place for the sole of your foot" (Deuteronomy 28:65)? had they found a resting place, they would not have returned. "And he waited yet another seven days" (Genesis 8:10): three weeks of days in all. "And behold, in her mouth was an olive leaf, plucked off [taraf]" (Genesis 8:11). What is taraf? Killed, as you say, "Joseph is surely torn in pieces [tarof toraf]" (Genesis 37:33). She said to him: had I not killed it [the branch], it would have become a great tree. From where did she bring it? Rabbi Levi says: she brought it from the young shoots in the Land of Israel. This is what people say: the Land of Israel was not submerged in the waters of the Flood. This is what is written, "You are a land not cleansed, not rained upon on the day of wrath" (Ezekiel 22:24). Rav Bibi said: the gates of the Garden of Eden were opened to her, and from there she brought it. But could she not have brought something choice, such as cinnamon or balsam? Rather, she gave him a hint, saying to him: My master, better is bitterness from under the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, than sweetness from under your hand. "And he waited yet again" (Genesis 8:12): this supports the one who says three weeks. "And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year" (Genesis 8:13). We learned: the judgment of the generation of the Flood was twelve months. How so? "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life" and so on, and it is written, "And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights" (Genesis 7:12)? this is Marheshvan and Kislev. "And the waters prevailed" and so on (Genesis 7:24)? that is Tevet, Shevat, Adar, Nisan, and Iyar. "And the ark rested in the seventh month" (Genesis 8:4)? this is Sivan, which is the seventh from the descent of the rains. On the sixteenth day [the waters] had decreased four cubits, at the rate of one cubit per four days, a handbreadth and a half each day. You then find that the ark was submerged in the water eleven cubits, and all of them decreased in sixty days. This is what is written, "And the waters went on decreasing until the tenth month" (Genesis 8:5)? this is Av, which is the tenth from the descent of the rains. "And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year" and so on: it became like a thick mash. "And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month" (Genesis 8:14): it became like dry crust, and they sowed it, but it did not sprout. Why? Because it was a sign of curse, and a sign of curse does not turn to blessing. So they waited until the rains came down, and then they sowed. And Scripture need only have said the sixteenth day of the month; why does it say the twenty-seventh day? Rather, these are the eleven days by which the days of the solar year exceed the days of the lunar year. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: one who wishes to know that the days of the sun exceed [by eleven days], let him scratch a single mark on a wall on the first day of the season of Tammuz, and the next year at that same time the sun does not reach there until eleven days later.

"And God spoke to Noah, saying: Go forth from the ark" (Genesis 8:15-16). It is written, "If the spirit of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place" (Ecclesiastes 10:4). Noah said: just as I entered the ark by permission, so I will not go out except by permission. Rabbi Yudan said: had I been there, I would have broken it open and gone out for myself. Rather, Noah said: just as I entered only by permission, so I will not leave it except by permission. "Go forth from the ark." A parable of a steward who left a place and seated another in his stead; when he returned, he said to him, Leave your place. A parable of a scribe who went off to some place and seated another in his stead; when he returned, he said to him, Leave your place. So too Noah. "Go forth from the ark." But he would not accept upon himself to go out. He said: shall I go out and be fruitful and multiply only for a curse? until the Holy One, blessed be He, swore to him that He would not bring a flood upon the world, as it is said, "For this is to Me as the waters of Noah" and so on (Isaiah 54:9). "Every living thing that is with you" (Genesis 8:17). Rabbi Yudan said: it is written hotze [bring out] but read hayetze [let them go out]? "and let them swarm on the earth" and not in the ark, "and be fruitful and multiply upon the earth" and not in the ark. "Every beast, every creeping thing, every fowl, everything that creeps upon the earth" (Genesis 8:19). Rabbi Zeira said: "creeping" is written in full spelling, to exclude crossbred kinds; "by their families," to exclude the sterile. Rabbi Yirmiyah ben Elazar said: "by their families" and not they themselves. Eliezer said to Shem the Great: it is written "by their families they went out of the ark"? how did you manage? He said to him: we had great trouble in the ark. A creature whose way was to be fed by day, we fed by day; by night, we fed by night. As for that chameleon, my father did not know what it ate. One day he was sitting and slicing a pomegranate, a worm dropped out of it, and the chameleon ate it; from then on he would knead bran for it, and when it became wormy it would eat. The lion was sustained by fever, for Rav said: this lion, no fewer than six days and no more than twelve, fever sustains it. As for the phoenix [urshina], my father found it lying in a compartment of the ark. He said to it: why did you not ask for food? It said to him: I saw that you were busy, so I said, I will not trouble you. He said to it: since you were concerned about my trouble, may it be His will that you not die, as it is said, "And I said, I shall die with my nest, and I shall multiply my days like the sand [or: the phoenix]" (Job 29:18).

"And Noah built an altar" (Genesis 8:20). Noah reflected: why did the Holy One, blessed be He, command more of the clean animals than of the unclean? Only because He wishes to offer from them. At once, "And he took of every clean animal and offered burnt offerings on the altar"? upon the great altar in Jerusalem, where Adam the first man had offered, as it is said, "And it shall please the LORD better than an ox or a bullock" (Psalms 69:32). Until the Tabernacle was erected, the high places were permitted, and the service was performed by the firstborn, and all were fit to be offered: beast, wild animal, and bird; males and females; unblemished and blemished; clean but not unclean. And all were offered as burnt offerings. A burnt offering that Israel offered required flaying and cutting into pieces, and gentiles in the present time are permitted to do likewise. From where are these matters derived? Rav Huna said: because Scripture states, "And Noah built an altar to the LORD" and so on. Beast and bird are as their plain meaning; wild animal is included in the category of beast; males and females, unblemished and blemished? wholeness and maleness apply to beasts, but wholeness and maleness do not apply to birds; blemished, to exclude one missing a limb, which is not [valid]. For Rav Elazar said: from where do we know that an animal missing a limb is forbidden to the sons of Noah? As it is written, "And of all that lives" and so on, as written above (in remez 54). "Clean but not unclean"? but did clean and unclean exist at that time? Rav Shmuel bar Nahman said in the name of Rav Yonatan: from those that were destined to become clean. How did he know? Rav Hisda said: he passed them before the ark; whichever the ark accepted was clean. Rabbi Abbahu said: those that came of their own accord. All were offered as burnt offerings, in accordance with the one who says peace offerings were not offered by the sons of Noah. And gentiles in the present time are permitted to do this, for the rabbis taught: "Speak to the children of Israel" (Leviticus 17:2)? the children of Israel are commanded concerning slaughter outside, but the gentiles are not commanded. Therefore each one may go and build a high place for himself and offer upon it whatever he wishes; and it is forbidden to assist them, and forbidden to act as their agent, but to instruct them is permitted. Rabbi Yosei says: one who offers outside is not liable until he raises it to the top of the altar. Rabbi Shimon says: even if he raised it only upon a rock or upon a stone, he is liable. Rav Huna said: what is the reason of Rabbi Yosei? Because it is written, "And Noah built an altar to the LORD." Rabbi Yohanan said: what is the reason of Rabbi Shimon? Because it is written, "And Manoah took the kid of the goats and offered it up upon the rock to the LORD" (Judges 13:19). And the other? Is it not written, "And Noah built an altar"? that was mere elevation. And the other? Is it not written, "And Manoah took"? that was a ruling for the hour. And some say, this is the reason of Rabbi Shimon: as it is written, "the altar... at the entrance of the tent of meeting," and there is no [requirement of an] altar on a high place.

"And the LORD smelled the pleasing aroma" (Genesis 8:21). Rav Hanina said: anyone who is appeased in his wine has in him something of the knowledge of his Maker, as it is written, "And the LORD smelled the aroma." Rav said: anyone whose mind is settled upon him in his wine has in him something of the knowledge of seventy elders. Wine [yayin] was given in [the numerical value of] seventy, and secret [sod] was given in seventy: when wine goes in, secret goes out; but this one, since his secret did not go out, is reckoned the equal of a Sanhedrin of seventy. Rav Hanina bar Pappa said: anyone in whose house wine is not poured out like water is not within the category of blessing, as it is said, "And He shall bless your bread and your water" (Exodus 23:25). Just as bread is bought with second-tithe money, so too these [items] that are bought with second-tithe money; and Scripture calls it water? if it is not poured out in his house like water, there is no blessing. Just as a person is liable for damage to his fellow, so he is liable for damage to himself. One who tears out his hair, rends his garment, breaks his vessels, scatters his coins in his rage is exempt from human laws, but his judgment is handed over to Heaven, as it is said, "And surely your blood, of your own lives, will I require" (Genesis 9:5). Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: one who tears out his hair, rends his garment, breaks his vessels, scatters his coins [in his rage]? let him be in your eyes like one who serves idols, for if his impulse had said to him, Go serve idols, he would have done so. For such is the craft of the evil inclination.

"And the LORD smelled" (Genesis 8:21). He smelled the fragrance of Abraham our father rising from the fiery furnace; He smelled the fragrance of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah rising from the fiery furnace. A parable of one beloved of a king who honored him with a fine gift on a fine platter. His grandson arose and honored him; he said: this gift of yours resembles the gift of your grandfather. So He smelled the fragrance of those who gave themselves to be killed for the sanctification of the Name.

"And the LORD said in His heart" (Genesis 8:21). The wicked are under the rule of their hearts: "The fool said in his heart" (Psalms 14:1); "And Esau said in his heart" (Genesis 27:41); "And Jeroboam said in his heart" (I Kings 12:26); "And Haman said in his heart" (Esther 6:6). But the righteous have their hearts under their own rule: "And Hannah, she spoke upon her heart" (I Samuel 1:13); "And David said unto his heart" (I Samuel 27:1); "And Daniel set it upon his heart" (Daniel 1:8) - they resemble their Creator. "And the LORD said in His heart: I will not again, I will not again." That is, "never more, never more": I will not add concerning Noah, I will not add concerning the generations. "For the inclination of the heart of man is evil" (Genesis 8:21). Wretched is the dough whose own baker testifies that it is bad; wretched is the leaven about which the One who made it testifies that it is bad, as it is said, "For He knows our inclination" (Psalms 103:14); wretched is the plant whose own planter testifies that it is bad, as it is said, "And the LORD of hosts that planted you has spoken evil concerning you" (Jeremiah 11:17). Antoninus asked our Rabbi, saying to him: From when is the evil inclination placed within a person? He said to him: From before he leaves his mother's womb. He said to him: No, for if so, he would dig through her innards and come out. And Rabbi conceded to him, since this agreed with the view of Scripture: "For the inclination of the heart of man is evil from his youth" (Genesis 8:21) is written - from the hour that he is shaken out into the world. And again he asked him: From when is the soul placed within a person, from when he leaves his mother's womb or before he leaves his mother's womb? He said to him: From when he leaves his mother's womb. He said to him: No - a parable: if you leave meat three days without salt, it immediately rots. And Rabbi conceded to him that this agreed with the view of Scripture, as it is said, "Life and kindness You have granted me, and Your providence has guarded my spirit" (Job 10:12): from when was the soul placed within me? From the hour You took note of me. Our Rabbis taught: Harsh is the evil inclination, for even its Maker called it evil, as it is said, "For the inclination of the heart of man is evil." The evil inclination has seven names. The Holy One, blessed be He, called it Evil. Moses called it the Uncircumcised, as it is said, "And you shall circumcise the foreskin of your heart" (Deuteronomy 10:16). David called it Impure, as it is said, "Create in me a pure heart, O God" (Psalms 51:12) - implying there is an impure one. Solomon called it Enemy, as it is said, "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat" (Proverbs 25:21). Isaiah called it Stumbling-block, as it is said, "Lift up the stumbling-block from the way of My people" (Isaiah 57:14). Ezekiel called it Stone, as it is said, "And I will remove the heart of stone from their flesh" (Ezekiel 11:19). Joel called it the Hidden One, as it is said, "And the hidden one I will remove far from you" (Joel 2:20).

"While the earth remains" (Genesis 8:22), and so forth. Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Shmuel: What do the children of Noah suppose, that their covenant is sealed and stands forever? Rather, only so long as heaven and earth endure does their covenant endure. When that day comes of which it is written, "For the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wear out like a garment" (Isaiah 51:6), in that hour, "And it was broken in that day" (see Zechariah 11:11). Rabbi Acha said: What caused them to rebel against Me? Was it not because they would sow and not reap, give birth and not bury? From here onward there shall be "seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat" (Genesis 8:22); the sun shall weaken them; "summer and winter." I will rouse against them the bird, as you say, "And the bird of prey shall summer upon it, and every beast of the earth shall winter upon it" (Isaiah 18:6). There was an incident with one of the great ones of the generation who was suffering pain in his head; he said: See what the generation of the flood has done to us.

Another interpretation: "While the earth remains" (Genesis 8:22). Rav Huna in the name of Rav Acha: What do the children of Noah suppose, that their covenant is sealed and stands forever? Thus did I say to them, "While the earth remains," and so forth - rather, only so long as day and night endure does their covenant endure. When that day comes of which it is written, "And there shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day and not night" (Zechariah 14:7), in that hour, "And it was broken in that day" (see Zechariah 11:11). Rav Yitzchak said: What caused them to rebel against Me? Was it not because they would sow and not reap? For Rav Yitzchak said: once in forty years they would sow, and they would walk from one end of the world to the other in a brief hour, uprooting the cedars of Lebanon as they went, and lions and leopards were reckoned by them as no more than a louse upon their flesh. How so? They had fine weather, as from Passover until Pentecost. As it is written, "the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest." Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar in the name of Rabbi Meir, and so too Rabbi Dosa would say according to his words: half of Tishrei, Marcheshvan, and half of Kislev are seedtime; half of Kislev, Tevet, and half of Shevat are winter; half of Shevat, Adar, and half of Nisan are cold; half of Nisan, Iyar, and half of Sivan are harvest; half of Sivan, Tammuz, and half of Av are summer; half of Av, Elul, and half of Tishrei are heat. Rabbi Yehuda counts from Tishrei; Rabbi Shimon counts from Marcheshvan, for Noah intercalated the year. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish says: A gentile who keeps the Sabbath is liable to death, as it is said, "and day and night they shall not cease" (Genesis 8:22). And the Master said: their warning is itself their death sentence. It is obvious. Rav Huna said: even on a Monday. But let it be counted among the seven commandments! When they are counted, those of "sit and do not act" are counted; "rise and act" are not counted. But behold, civil law is "rise and act," and it is counted! It is both "rise and act" and "sit and do not act." "And the fear of you and the dread of you" (Genesis 9:2). It is taught: Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says: a living day-old infant need not be guarded from the weasel or from the mice, as it is said, "And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth" - so long as a person is alive, his dread is cast upon the creatures, but once a person dies, his dread is removed.

Fear and dread returned, but dominion did not return; and when did it return? In the days of Solomon, "For he had dominion over all the region beyond the river" (I Kings 5:4). A living day-old infant - one profanes the Sabbath on its behalf; but even one like David king of Israel, once he is dead, one does not profane the Sabbath on his behalf. A living day-old infant needs no guarding from the serpents or from the weasel, lest they bore out its eyes; the lion sees it and flees. But one like Og king of Bashan, once he is dead, one guards him lest they bore out his eyes. "As the green herb," and so forth; "but flesh with its life" (Genesis 9:3-4). The first man was not permitted flesh of desire, and so forth, but the children of Noah were, and so forth. "And surely your blood of your lives" (Genesis 9:5). Rabbi Yaakov bar Acha found in the book of Aggadah of the school of Rav: A son of Noah is put to death on the testimony of a single witness, by a single judge, without warning, by the mouth of a man and not by the mouth of a woman, and even by a relative. In the name of Rabbi Yishmael: even for the unborn. From where are these matters derived? Rav Yehuda said: for the verse states, "And surely your blood of your lives will I require" - even by a single judge; "at the hand of every beast" - even without warning; "I will require it" - even by a single witness; "at the hand of a man" - and not a woman; "his brother" - even a relative. In the name of Rabbi Yishmael: even for the unborn, as it is written, "Whoever sheds the blood of man within man" (Genesis 9:6) - which is the man who is within a man? You must say this is the unborn child. A pursuer who was pursuing his fellow to kill him - one says to him: See that he is an Israelite and a son of the covenant, and the Torah said, "Whoever sheds the blood of man within man, his blood shall be shed"; the Torah said: save the blood of this one by the blood of that one. And the first teacher follows the school of Menashe, who said: every death stated to the children of Noah is none other than strangulation, and he applies this word "man" to the end of the verse and expounds it thus: "the man within man, his blood shall be shed" - which is the shedding of blood that is within a person's own body? You must say this is strangulation. One might say: a daughter of Noah who killed shall not be put to death, for "at the hand of a man" is written and not "at the hand of a woman"; Rav Yehuda said: "whoever sheds blood" - in any case. A daughter of Noah who committed adultery shall not be put to death, for "therefore shall a man leave" (Genesis 2:24) and not a woman; Rav said: "and they shall be one flesh" (Genesis 2:24) - the verse went back and included them together.

"And surely your blood of your lives" (Genesis 9:5) - this comes to include one who strangles himself. One might think it is even like Saul; the verse says "surely" [to exclude him]. One might think it is even like Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; the verse says "surely" [to exclude them]. "At the hand of every beast" - these are the four kingdoms. "And at the hand of man" - this is Edom. "At the hand of every man his brother" - "Deliver me, I pray, from the hand of my brother" (Genesis 32:12). "Will I require the soul of man" - "And you, My flock, the flock of My pasture, you are man" (Ezekiel 34:31). "Whoever sheds the blood of man" (Genesis 9:6). It is taught: Rabbi Eliezer says: whoever does not engage in being fruitful and multiplying, it is as though he sheds blood, as it is said, "Whoever sheds the blood of man," and it is written, "And you, be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 9:7). Rabbi Akiva says: it is as though he diminishes the divine likeness, as it is said, "For in the image of God made He man" (Genesis 9:6), and what is written after it? "And you, be fruitful and multiply." Ben Azzai says: it is as though he sheds blood and diminishes the likeness. They said to Ben Azzai: there is one who expounds well and fulfills well; you expound well but do not fulfill well. He said to them: My soul desires the Torah; let the world be sustained through others.

"Swarm in the earth" (Genesis 9:7). Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: the covenant was apportioned according to climates. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish was toiling in Torah in a certain valley of Tiberias. Two women came out from there. One said to her companion: Blessed is the Merciful One who has brought us out from this evil air. He called to them and said: Where are you from? They said: From Mazga. He said, Reish Lakish: I know Mazga, and it has only two pillars [households]. He said: Blessed is the One who gives grace to a place in the eyes of its dwellers. A certain student of Rav Asi was sitting before him. He was explaining to him, but the student did not understand. He said to him: Why do you not understand? He said to him: Because I am exiled from my place. He said to him: From what place are you? He said: From Gubat. And what is the air there like? He said to him: When an infant is born, we smear its brain so that the gnats will not devour it. He said: Blessed is the One who gives grace to a place in the eyes of its dwellers. So too in the time to come, as it is said, "And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26) - a heart that ripens [yields] in the portion of its fellow.

"And God said unto Noah," and so forth, "And I, behold, I establish" (Genesis 9:8-9). Rabbi Yehuda says: because he transgressed the command, therefore he was disgraced. And Rabbi Nechemiah said: he added to the command and conducted himself with holiness, therefore he and his sons merited the divine speech: "And God said unto Noah and unto his sons," and so forth. "And God said: This is the sign of the covenant which I set between Me and you... for everlasting generations" (Genesis 9:12). Rav Yudan said: "for generations" is written defectively, to exclude two generations: the generation of Hezekiah and the generation of the men of the Great Assembly, who stood only by their own merit. Rabbi Chizkiyah removes the generation of the men of the Great Assembly and brings in the generation of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Elijah, of blessed memory, and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi were sitting and studying together. They came upon a certain teaching of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. They said: here is the master of this teaching, let us go in and ask him. Elijah, of blessed memory, went in to him. He said to him: Who is with you? He said: the great one of the generation, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi. He said to him: Did the rainbow appear in his days? He said to him: Yes. He said to him: If so, he is not worthy to behold my face. Rabbi Chizkiyah in the name of Rabbi Yirmiyah said: when Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai would say, "Valley, valley, fill with golden dinars," it would fill. Thus said Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai: if Abraham wishes to gather them from his time to mine, and I from mine to the King Messiah, [we can]; and if he does not wish, let Achiyah the Shilonite join with me, and I will gather them from Abraham to the King Messiah. Thus said Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai: the world cannot endure with fewer than thirty righteous like Abraham our father. What is the reason? "And Abraham shall surely become" (Genesis 18:18) - the numerical value of "shall become" is thirty. If there are thirty, I and my son are two of them; if twenty, I and my son are two of them; if ten, I and my son are among them; if five, I and my son are among them; if two, they are I and my son; and if one, it is I. "My bow I have set" (Genesis 9:13). "My keshet" - a thing that is hardened against Me. Is this possible? Rather, the hardness of fruit. "And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud" (Genesis 9:14): like one who held a boiling cauldron in his hand; he wished to set it upon his son, but set it upon his servant. Rabbi Yochanan proclaimed: Beware of the flies of those afflicted with ra'atan within four cubits. Rav Ami and Rav Asi would not eat eggs from that alley. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi would wrap himself among them and engage in Torah, saying: "a loving hind and a graceful doe" (Proverbs 5:19) - if it bestows grace upon those who study it, will it not also shield? When he was about to die, they said to the Angel of Death: go, do his will. He went and appeared to him. He said to him: Show me my place. He said to him: Very well. He said to him: Give me your knife, lest you frighten me on the way. He gave it to him. When he reached there, he lifted him up and showed it to him. He said to him: Lift me a little higher. He lifted him. He leaped and snatched the knife in the corner of his cloak. He said to him: I swear I will not come back. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: if he ever asked to be released from an oath, let him return; and if not, he need not return. He said to him: Give me my knife. He would not give it to him. A heavenly voice went forth and said: Give it to him, for it is needed for the creatures. Elijah proclaimed before him: Make room for the son of Levi. He went and found Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai sitting upon thirteen stools of gold. He said to him: Are you the son of Levi? He said: Yes. Did the rainbow appear in your days? He said: Yes. He said to him: If so, you are not the son of Levi - though it was not so, and there was nothing to it, but he said this because he had not held the favor as a credit to himself. "And the waters shall no more become a flood" (Genesis 9:15). Rav Elazar said: "no" is an oath and "yes" is an oath. Granted that "no" is an oath, for it is written, "And the waters shall no more become a flood," and it is written, "For this is as the waters of Noah unto Me, when I swore" (Isaiah 54:9). But that "yes" is an oath, from where do we know it? It is reasoned: since "no" is an oath, "yes" is also an oath. Rava said: this is only when he said "no, no" twice, and when he said "yes, yes" twice. Rabbi says: a flood of all flesh there shall not be, but a flood of individuals there is. How so? One fell into the sea and died, or his ship sank in the sea and he died - this is his flood. Rabbi Yehuda says: a flood of water He does not bring, but a flood of fire and brimstone He brings, as was brought upon the Sodomites. Rabbi Yose says: a flood of water He does not bring, but a flood of some thing He brings upon the nations in the days of the Messiah, as it is said, "And I took my staff, even Beauty, and cut it asunder... and it was broken in that day" (Zechariah 11:10-11). "And the bow shall be in the cloud, between God" (Genesis 9:16) - this is the attribute of judgment above; "and every living soul" - this is the attribute of judgment below. The attribute of judgment above is harsh, and the attribute of judgment below is lenient.

"And the sons of Noah were" (Genesis 9:18-19). This is what Scripture says: "He set the borders of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel" (Deuteronomy 32:8). "And the sons of Noah were": Japheth and his sons numbered fifteen, Ham and his sons thirty-two, and Shem and his sons twenty-seven; from these the whole earth was scattered abroad. They were seventy-four, yet the world was divided only into seventy: "He set the borders of the peoples" corresponds to Jacob and his sons, who at his descent to Egypt were seventy. Say therefore that Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, and Eber were righteous men and were not counted among the nations. "And the sons of Noah who went forth from the ark": they entered in peace and went out in peace. "And Ham is the father of Canaan" (Genesis 9:18), the father of disgrace.

"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.

"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."

"And Noah awoke from his wine" (Genesis 9:24). His wine left him, "and he knew what his youngest son had done to him," his unfit son, as you say, "for the bronze altar that was before the LORD was too small to hold" (1 Kings 8:64). "And he said, Cursed be Canaan" (Genesis 9:25). Ham sinned, yet Canaan was cursed. Rabbi Yehuda says: because it is written, "And God blessed Noah and his sons" (Genesis 9:1), and there is no curse where there is a blessing; therefore he said, "Cursed be Canaan." Happy are the righteous: not only do they earn merit for themselves, but they bring merit to their children and their children's children to the end of all generations. Aaron had many sons who deserved to be burned like Nadab and Abihu, as it is said, "those who remained" (Leviticus 10:12), yet the merit of their ancestors protected them. Woe to the wicked: they bring guilt upon themselves and upon their children and their children's children to the end of all generations. Canaan had many sons who deserved to be ordained as scholars, like Tavi the servant of Rabban Gamliel, yet the guilt of their ancestors caused their downfall.

Rabbi Nechemiah says: Canaan saw and told; therefore one hangs the fault upon the faulty one.

Another interpretation: Noah suffered much distress in the ark, for he had no young son to serve him. He said, "When I go out, I will raise up for myself a young son to serve me." Once Ham did that deed to him, he said to him, "You prevented me from raising up a son to serve me; therefore that man shall be a slave to his brothers, who are servants to Me."

Another interpretation: "You prevented me from raising up a fourth son; therefore your fourth son is cursed. You prevented me from doing a thing that is done in darkness; therefore that man shall be ugly and blackened." Ham and the dog mated in the ark; therefore Ham came out blackened and the dog came out exposed in its mating. Rav Levi said: this is like one who minted his own coin within the king's tent. The king said, "I decree that his face be blackened and his coin be invalidated." "May God enlarge Japheth, and may He dwell in the tents of Shem" (Genesis 9:27). This is Cyrus, who decreed that the Temple be built; even so, "and may He dwell in the tents of Shem," for the Divine Presence rests only in the tents of Shem. Bar Kappara said: let words of Torah be spoken in the language of Japheth within the tents of Shem. Rabbi Yudan says: from here is the basis for translation [Targum] from the Torah, and so it says, "And they read in the book, in the Torah of God" (Nehemiah 8:8), this is the Scripture; "distinctly," this is the translation; "and gave the sense," these are the cantillation accents; "and they understood the reading," these are the verse divisions. Rabbi Huna ben Lulianus says: these are the rulings and proofs. The rabbis of Caesarea say: from here is the basis for the Masorah. Rabbi Zeira and Rabbi Chananel in the name of Rabbi: even a person as expert in the Torah as Ezra may not read from his memory and write it down. But it was taught: it once happened that Rabbi Meir was in Asia and there was no scroll of Esther there, and he read it from his memory and wrote it. There they say: he wrote two scrolls; he stored away the first and kept the second. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: even the scrolls were permitted to be written only in Greek, as it is said, "May God enlarge Japheth," the things of Japheth shall be in the tents of Shem. If so, Gomer and Magog also? Rather, this is what it says: the beauty of Japheth shall be in the tents of Shem.

"The sons of Japheth: Gomer and Magog" (Genesis 10:2-9). Rabbi Shmuel bar Ami said: these are Africa and Germania and Media and Macedonia, Asia and Tunia. "Tiras," this is Persia and Turkey. "And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah," Asa and Charif and Germania. Rabbi Berekhiah said: Gormanikaya. "And the sons of Javan: Elishah and Tarshish," Alsotrus, Italia, and Dardania. One verse says "and Dodanim," and another verse says "and Rodanim" (1 Chronicles 1:7). Rabbi Simon and Rabbi Chanin: Rabbi Simon says, "Dodanim," for they are the cousins [dodim] of Israel; "Rodanim," for they come and oppress [rodin] them. Rav Chanin said: when Israel is set on high, they say, "We are your cousins"; and when they are set low, they come and oppress. "And the sons of Ham: Cush and Egypt and Put and Canaan." Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: we had thought that the family of Put had been swallowed up; Ezekiel came and explained, "Cush and Put and Lud and all the mixed multitude" (Ezekiel 30:5). "Therefore it is said, like Nimrod a mighty hunter." It is not written merely "a mighty hunter," but "like Nimrod": just as this one trapped people with his mouth, saying, "I did not steal, who stole with you? I did not kill, who killed with you?" "He began to be a mighty one on the earth," and so on. (This is written above in remez 40.)

"He was a mighty hunter" (Genesis 10:9). There are five places where the word "he" [hu] is used for good: "Abram, he is Abraham"; "He is Moses and Aaron" (Exodus 6:27); "And he is Hezekiah the king"; "He is Ezra who came up from Babylon" (Ezra 7:6); "And David, he was the youngest" (1 Samuel 17:14). And five times "he" is used for evil: "He was a mighty hunter"; "He is Esau, the father of Edom"; "He is Dathan and Abiram" (Numbers 26:9); "He is the king Ahaz" (2 Chronicles 28:22); "He is Ahasuerus" (Esther 1:1). Rabbi Berechiah said: We also have one "he" that is better than all of them, "He is the LORD our God" [understanding hu as a name of the One], for His attribute of mercy endures forever. "He was a mighty hunter." Rabbi Judah said: The garment that the Holy One, blessed be He, made for Adam and his helpmate was with Noah in the ark, and Noah bequeathed it to Nimrod. Whenever Nimrod wore it, every beast, animal, and bird that saw the garment upon him would come and fall on its face before him, and people thought this was due to his might, so they made him king over them. He said to his people, "Come, let us build us a city" (Genesis 11:4), until they built it twenty-seven miles high. It had stairways on its east and on its west: those who carried up bricks went up from the east, and those who came down went down from the west. If a man fell and died, they paid him no heed, but if a brick fell, they sat and wept, saying, "Woe to us, when will another come up in its place?" Abraham arose and mocked them and cursed them in the name of his God, as it is said, "Confound, O LORD, divide their tongues" (Psalms 55:10). They despised his words like a stone cast upon the ground, and of him Scripture says, "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone" (Psalms 118:22).

What is the meaning of "Babel" (Genesis 10:10)? Rabbi Yochanan said: It is the place mingled [belulah] with Scripture, mingled with Mishnah, mingled with Talmud. "And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh" [interpreted as] Aram and Nezivin and Ketifin. "In the land of Shinar" (Genesis 10:10), this is Babylon, which is shaken free [meno'eret] of the commandments: without heave-offering, without tithe, and without the produce of the sabbatical year. Shinar, for they die there in choking [tishnuk], without lamp and without bathhouse. Shinar, for its princes die young [ne'arim]. Shinar, for its princes gaze into the Torah while they are still youths [ne'arim].

Another interpretation: Shinar, for it raised up an enemy and foe against the Holy One, blessed be He. And who is this? This is Nebuchadnezzar. "Out of that land went forth Asshur" (Genesis 10:11), [read as] out of that counsel went forth Asshur. When he saw that they were coming to dispute against the Holy One, blessed be He, he turned away from his land. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You went out from your land; by your life, I will repay you and give you four cities. "And he built Nineveh, and Rehoboth-Ir, and Calah, and Resen" (Genesis 10:11-12). But he did not persist, for once he came and joined with them in the destruction of the Temple, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Yesterday a fledgling, now an egg! Yesterday he was hatching commandments and good deeds, and now he sets himself up like an egg, how astonishing! Therefore "they were an arm for the children of Lot, selah" (Psalms 83:9), that is, to be cursed. "And Resen between Nineveh and Calah" (Genesis 10:12). We do not know whether Resen is the great city or whether Nineveh is the great city; but from what is written, "And Nineveh was a great city," it follows that Nineveh is the great city.

"And Mizraim begot the Ludim" and so forth (Genesis 10:13-14). The coinage of Egypt is nothing but counterfeit. "Pathrusim and Casluhim": they would set up the marriage-canopy, and these would steal the wives of those and those would steal the wives of these, and what came forth from them? The Philistines, who are mighty men; the Pathrusim, who are thieves; the Caphtorim, who are dwarfs. "And to Shem also children were born" (Genesis 10:21). We do not know whether Shem is the elder or Japheth is the elder; but from what is written, "These are the generations of Shem: Shem was a hundred years old and begot Arpachshad two years after the flood" (Genesis 11:10), it follows that Japheth is the elder. "The name of one was Peleg" (Genesis 10:25). Rabbi Yose says: The earlier generations, because they knew their genealogies, would name their children after the event; but we, who do not know our genealogies, name our children after our forefathers. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: The earlier generations, because they made use of the holy spirit, would name children after the event; but we, who do not make use of the holy spirit, name them after our forefathers, and so forth. Rabbi Yose said: Eber was a great prophet, for he named his son Peleg through the holy spirit, as it is said, "for in his days the earth was divided [niflegah]" (Genesis 10:25). If you should say it was at the beginning of his days, was not his brother Joktan younger than he, yet he begot many families and they were divided? And if you should say it was in the middle of his days, Scripture did not come to conceal but to explain; rather, it was at the end of his days. Abraham our father was forty-eight years old at the dispersion. "And the name of his brother was Joktan" (Genesis 10:25), because he made himself small [maktin] and his affairs small.

"And Joktan begot Almodad" and so forth (Genesis 10:26). There is a place named Hazarmaveth [Court of Death], where they eat leeks and wear garments of papyrus and look toward death every day; and Samuel said, they do not even have garments of papyrus. "And their dwelling was from Mesha" (Genesis 10:30): Mesha is death, Media is sick, Elam and the snatchers of the dying, the seacoast is the blue-dye of Babylon, Tyre is the painted blue of the seacoast, between the rivers is like the exile for genealogies, "the mountain of the east" is the mountains of the east. For nine hundred seventy-four generations before the world was created, the Holy One, blessed be He, sat and expounded and searched and tested and refined the whole Torah, and from the day the world was created until that hour, every single word that is of the words of Torah He expounded and searched and tested and refined two hundred forty-eight times, corresponding to the two hundred forty-eight limbs that are in a human being, and afterward He brought it forth from His mouth and fixed it in His Torah, as it is said, "The words of the LORD are pure words" (Psalms 12:7). And every single word that He fixed in the Torah, if it moves from its place even a little, it ruins the whole world. It was in the intent of the Holy One, blessed be He, not to give an opening of the mouth to the beast, but because He gave an opening of the mouth to the serpent, it ruined the whole world. Ten generations from Adam to Noah: it was in the intent of the Holy One, blessed be He, to visit the iniquity of the fathers upon the sons, but He did not visit it; rather, each one made himself king over his wife and over the members of his household, and they had neither fear of kingship nor the measure of punishment, but they ate and drank and were sated and kicked out of their abundance, as it is said, "And they said to God, depart from us" (Job 21:14). Ten generations from Noah to Abraham: it was in the intent of the Holy One, blessed be He, to divide them into seventy languages, but they did not act so; rather, they made themselves all one language and sought to destroy the whole world, as it is said, "And the whole earth was of one language" (Genesis 11:1).

"And the whole earth was of one language" (Genesis 11:1). They brought forth from their mouths and said: Once every one thousand six hundred fifty-six years this firmament totters; so come, let us make supports for it, one from the north and one from the south and one from the west, and this one here will support it from the east. "And one set of words" [u-devarim achadim]: words that were sharp [achudim]. The deed of the generation of the flood was made explicit; the deed of the generation of the dispersion was not made explicit. And they spoke words against the two "ones": against "Abraham was one" and against "the LORD our God, the LORD is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4). They said: It is not for Him to choose for Himself the upper realms and give us the lower ones; rather, come, let us make ourselves a tower and place an idol at its top and put a sword in its hand, and it will appear as though it is making war against Him.

Another interpretation of "one language": It is like one who had a wine cellar. He opened the first barrel and found it vinegar, the second and found it vinegar, the third he found vinegar. He said: This is enough, the whole lot is bad. Which of them is harsher: the one who says to the king, either I or you in the palace, or the one who says to the king, I and not you in the palace? You must say it is the one who says, I and not you. So the generation of the flood said, "What is the Almighty that we should serve Him?" (Job 21:15); the generation of the dispersion said, It is not for Him to choose for Himself the upper realms, and so forth. Of those, no remnant was left; but of these, a remnant was left. But the generation of the flood, because they were steeped in robbery, "they remove landmarks, they violently take away flocks and feed them" (Job 24:2), therefore no remnant was left of them; but these, because they loved one another, as it is said, "and the whole earth was of one language," therefore a remnant was left of them. Great is peace, for even if Israel worships idols and there is peace among them, the Holy One, blessed be He, as it were, cannot rule over them, as it is said, "Ephraim is joined to idols, let him alone" (Hosea 4:17); but once they are divided, what does it say? "Their heart is divided, now they shall bear their guilt" (Hosea 10:2). "And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east" (Genesis 11:2), [meaning] to come to the east.

Another interpretation: They removed themselves from the Ancient One of the world [mi-kadmono shel olam]. They said: We want neither Him nor His divinity. "And they found a valley" (Genesis 11:2). Rabbi Judah says: They all gathered to learn which valley could hold them. Rabbi Nehemiah says: "And they found" [recalls] "if it concerns the scorners, He scorns them" (Proverbs 3:34). "And they dwelt there" (Genesis 11:2). Every place where you find "dwelling," Satan leaps; every place where you find ease of spirit, Satan accuses; in every place where you find eating and drinking, Satan accuses. "And they said one to another" (Genesis 11:3). Who said to whom? Egypt said to Cush, and it was burned to burning: these nations are destined to be burned out of the world. "And the brick was to them for stone" (Genesis 11:3), [meaning] it prospered in their hands; one came to build one and he built two, one came to plaster one and he plastered four. "And they said, come, let us build us a city" (Genesis 11:4-5). Rabbi Yudan said: They built the tower; the city they did not build. They objected: but is it not written, "And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower"? He said to them: read what follows it. "And they ceased to build the tower" is not written here, but rather "to build the city." This tower that they built, a third of it sank, a third was burned off, and a third remained standing; and should you say it was small, anyone who climbs to its top sees the palm trees before it like grasshoppers. "And let us make us a name" (Genesis 11:4): Rabbi Ishmael taught, "name" here means nothing but idolatry. "Lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth": Rabbi Shimon ben Halafta said, "the mouth of a fool is his ruin" (Proverbs 18:7), "and the LORD scattered them abroad from there." "And the LORD came down to see the city": this is one of the ten descents stated in the Torah.

Another interpretation: Everything is revealed before the Holy One, blessed be He; rather, [Scripture speaks of His coming down] to teach proper conduct to human beings. "Which the children of man had built" (Genesis 11:5). Rabbi Berekhiah said: And what should we say, the children of donkeys, the children of camels? Rather, the children of the first Adam. Just as the first Adam, after all the good I did with him, said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me" (Genesis 3:12), so too. From the generation of the Flood until the generation of the Dispersion was three hundred and forty years. "And the whole earth was of one language" (Genesis 11:1). "And the LORD said, Behold, they are one people" (Genesis 11:6): if they repent, I will accept them. Rabbi Nehemiah said: What caused them to rebel against Me? The fact that they were one people and one language. "And now nothing will be withheld from them" (Genesis 11:6). Rav Abba bar Kahana said: This teaches that He opened for them a doorway of repentance, for "and now" is nothing other than an expression of repentance, as you say, "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you" (Deuteronomy 10:12). But they said: No. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: "Will be withheld from them all that they have schemed to do" [that is, even what they planned will fail]. This vineyard, when it bears no fruit, what do its owners do to it? They prune it back.

Another interpretation: They said, even those people who are cut back do not repent, as it is said, "like a grape-gatherer over the baskets" (Jeremiah 6:9). "Come, let us go down and confound their language there" (Genesis 11:7). Rav Abba bar Kahana said: From their own speech I will make their downfall with them. One of them would say to his fellow, "Bring me water," and the other would bring him earth, so he would strike him and split open his skull. "Bring me a hatchet," and the other would bring him a shovel, so he would strike him and split open his skull.

Rabbi Shimon says: The Holy One, blessed be He, called to the seventy angels who surround the throne of His glory and said to them: Come, let us confound their language into seventy nations and seventy tongues. And they cast lots, as it is said, "When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance" (Deuteronomy 32:8). And the lot of the Holy One, blessed be He, fell upon Abraham and upon his seed, as it is said, "For the LORD's portion is His people, Jacob" (Deuteronomy 32:9). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: The cord and the lot that fell to Me, My soul desired it, as it is said, "The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places" (Psalms 16:6). "And the LORD came down to see the city," and so forth, and half the world fell there, and so forth, as it is said, "And the LORD scattered them from there" (Genesis 11:8).

The generation of the Dispersion have no portion in the world to come, as it is said, "And the LORD scattered them from there" (Genesis 11:8), in this world; "and from there the LORD dispersed them" (Genesis 11:9), in the world to come.

What did they do? Those of the school of Rabbi Shila said: They said, Let us build a tower and ascend to the firmament and strike it with axes so that its waters will gush out, as it is said, "Come, let us build us a city," and so forth. They laughed at this in the West [the Land of Israel]: If so, let them build it on a mountain. Rabbi Yirmiyah ben Elazar said: They split into three factions. One said, Let us ascend and dwell there; one said, Let us ascend and worship idols; and one said, Let us ascend and make war. The one that said "Let us ascend and dwell there"—"from there the LORD scattered them." And the one that said "Let us ascend and make war" was turned into apes and spirits and demons and night-demons. And the one that said "Let us ascend and worship idols"—"for there the LORD confounded the language of all the earth." Rabbi Natan says: They all intended idolatry. It is written here "and let us make a name for ourselves," and it is written there "and make no mention of the name of other gods" (Exodus 23:13); just as there it refers to idolatry, so too here it refers to idolatry. Rabbi Yochanan said: A third of the tower was burned, a third was swallowed up, and a third remains standing. Rav said: The air of the tower causes one to forget his learning. Rav Yosef said: Babel and Borsif are an ill omen for the Torah. Babel—"for there the LORD confounded [balal] the language of all the earth"; Borsif—"an empty pit" [bor shofi].

"And the LORD scattered them from there." Rabbi Yehudah says: The people of Tyre went off to Sidon and the people of Sidon to Tyre. Rabbi Nehemiah says: All the lands gathered at the mountain peaks, and each one swallowed the people of its place. The Rabbis say: He flooded thirty families away from them; from where did they arise? From Abraham—sixteen from the sons of Keturah and twelve from Ishmael, and these two, "two nations are in your womb" (Genesis 25:23). "Therefore its name was called Babel." A certain student of Rabbi Yochanan was being instructed by him and did not grasp it. He said to him: Why do you not understand? He said: Because I am exiled from my place. He said to him: Where are you from? He said: From Borsif. He said to him: Do not say so, but rather "from Babel-sof," for "there the LORD confounded the language of all the earth." "And these are the generations of Terah" (Genesis 11:27). "And Haran died in the presence of Terah his father" (Genesis 11:28). He was a seller of images. One time he went off to a certain place and seated Abraham to sell in his stead. A son of Noah would come wishing to buy one. He would say to him: How old are you? He would say: Fifty or sixty. He would say to him: Woe to that man who is fifty or sixty years old and wishes to bow down to this thing made today! So he would be ashamed and go away. One time a woman came carrying a dish of fine flour. She said to him: Here, offer this before them. He arose, took a staff, and broke them, and put the staff in the hand of the largest one among them. When his father came, he said to him: Who did this to them? He said to him: Why should I conceal it from you? A woman came carrying a dish of fine flour and said to me, Offer it before them. This one said, I will eat first, and that one said, I will eat first, and the largest one among them arose, took the staff, and broke them. He said to him: Why are you mocking me? Do they have awareness? He said to him: Shall your ears not hear what your mouth speaks! He took him and handed him over to Nimrod. He said to him: Let us worship fire. Abraham said to him: Let us rather worship water, which extinguishes fire. He said to him: Then let us worship water. He said: Let us worship the cloud, which carries water. He said: Then let us worship the cloud. He said: Let us worship the wind, which scatters the cloud. He said: Then let us worship the wind. He said: Let us worship a human being, who endures the wind. He said to him: You are spouting words! I bow down to nothing but fire. Behold, I am casting you into it, and let the God you bow to come and save you from it. Haran was there, undecided. He said: Either way, if Abram wins, I am of Abram's party, and if Nimrod wins, I am of Nimrod's. When Abraham went down into the fiery furnace and was saved, they said to him: Whose party are you? He said to them: I am of Abram's. They took him and cast him into the fire, and his innards were scorched, and he came out and died in the presence of Terah his father.

"And Abram and Nahor took for themselves wives" (Genesis 11:29). Abram was greater than Nahor by a year, and Nahor was greater than Haran by a year. And it is written, "And Abram and Nahor took for themselves wives," and so forth. And Rabbi Yitzchak said: Iscah is Sarah. And why was she called Iscah? Because she gazed [sokhah] with the Holy Spirit. And this is what is written, "All that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice" (Genesis 21:12).

Another interpretation: Iscah, for all gazed [sokhin] upon her beauty. And it is written, "And Abraham fell upon his face and laughed" (Genesis 17:17), and so forth. How much older was Abraham than Sarah? Ten years. And he was older than her brother [Haran] by two years. It is found that when Haran fathered Sarah, he fathered her at the age of eight. And from where [do we know this]? Perhaps Abraham was the youngest of the brothers, and Scripture reckons them by their wisdom. Know that Scripture reckons them by their wisdom, for it is written, "And Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth" (Genesis 5:32), and so forth. Rather, [we learn] from here: "And Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur" (Exodus 38:22), and so forth, as is written at remez 413.

"Now Sarai was barren" (Genesis 11:30). Rabbah bar Avuha said: Sarah was a woman incapable of bearing [an ailonit], for it is stated, "Now Sarai was barren; she had no child" she did not even have a womb [literally, a "house of the child," the place where a child is formed]. Rabbi Ami said: Abraham and Sarah were of indeterminate sex [tumtumim], as it is written, "Look to Abraham your father and to Sarah who bore you. Look to the rock from which you were hewn, and to the quarry from which you were dug" (Isaiah 51:1-2) [the language of "hewing" and "digging" implying that their generative capacity had to be opened up].

Rabbi Levi said: Every place where it says "she has none" she came to have. As it is stated, "Now Sarai was barren; she had no child" yet she came to have one, "And the LORD remembered Sarah" (Genesis 21:1). "And Hannah had no children" yet she came to have them, "And she bore three sons." "Zion, she whom none seeks out" (Jeremiah 30:17) yet she will come to have one, "And a redeemer shall come to Zion" (Isaiah 59:20). From the birth of Jacob until his sons sang the song at the Sea was three hundred and forty years; from the Flood until the generation of the Dispersion was three hundred and forty years measure for measure. Because the world stood under blessing from the Flood until the Dispersion, yet out of that ease they rebelled against the Holy One, blessed be He, therefore from the birth of our father Jacob until his sons sang at the Sea they were strangers and sojourners and enslaved, and they gave thanks to the Holy One, blessed be He, out of the measure of suffering, and they sang before Him. For this He chose Jacob and his sons, who praise Him, as it is stated, "This people I formed for Myself" and the rest of the verse. Now do not all His creatures praise Him? Has it not already been said, "For from the rising of the sun to its setting" and the rest (Malachi 1:11)? From here we learn that none is sweet to Him but Israel, as it is stated, "the sweet singer of Israel," and it says, "Yet You are holy, enthroned" and the rest (Psalms 22:4), and it says, "For the LORD has chosen Jacob for Himself" and the rest (Psalms 135:4). But the nations are as nothing before Him, and it says, "Behold, the nations are as a drop from a bucket." And why are they in the world? So that the world should not lie desolate. But in the time to come, "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine" (Song of Songs 6:3), and it says, "The LORD alone shall lead him" (Deuteronomy 32:12). In that hour, "and the nations shall be utterly laid waste" (Isaiah 60:12).

"Noah walked with God" (Genesis 6:9). Once the generation of the Flood had perished, He took hold of Noah's hand and walked about with him. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: My son Noah was righteous, and I held his hand and walked with him. You too, who are called righteous, as it is stated, "And your people shall all be righteous" and the rest (Isaiah 60:21), in the time to come I too will walk with you, as it is stated, "And I will walk among you" (Leviticus 26:12). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: For cattle and beasts, which are nothing, I traced their families, as it is stated, "By their families they went out of the ark" (Genesis 8:19); and Noah and his sons I do not trace by lineage? What did He do? He hastened to his sons and traced their lineage, as it is stated, "And the sons of Noah who went out of the ark" (Genesis 9:18).

Portion Lech Lecha. "And the LORD said to Abram" (Genesis 12:1-2). Rabbi Yitzchak opened: "Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear; forget your people and your father's house" (Psalms 45:11). Rabbi Yitzchak said: This may be compared to one who was traveling from place to place, and he saw a certain castle alight [or: ablaze]. He said, Can it be that this castle has no master? The owner of the castle looked out at him and said, I am the owner of the castle. So too, because our father Abraham was saying, Can it be that the world has no ruler?, the Holy One, blessed be He, looked out at him and said, I am the Master of the world. "And the king will desire your beauty" (Psalms 45:12) to make you beautiful in the world; "for he is your lord; bow down to him" thus, "And the LORD said to Abram." Rabbi Berekhiah opened: "For fragrance your oils are good." Rabbi Berekhiah said: To what is our father Abraham like? To a flask of balsam sealed with a tight-fitting lid and set in a corner, whose fragrance did not spread; once it was moved about, its fragrance spread. So the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham: Move yourself from place to place, and your name will grow great in the world. "And the LORD said to Abram: Go forth." Rabbi Berekhiah opened: "We have a little sister" (Song of Songs 8:8) this is Abraham, who stitched together [iḥah] all the inhabitants of the world. Bar Kappara says: Like one who mends a tear. "Little" while he was still young he was storing up commandments and good deeds. "Then I became in his eyes as one who finds peace" he entered in peace and went out in peace. "And wisdom strengthens the wise" this is Abraham; "more than ten rulers" more than the ten generations from Noah to Abraham. With none of them did He speak, only with him. "And the LORD said to Abram: Go forth." Rabbi Acha opened: "You loved righteousness and hated wickedness." This speaks of our father Abraham. When he sought mercy upon the men of Sodom, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Abraham, you loved righteousness to declare My creatures righteous, and you hated to condemn them; "therefore God, your God, anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows" from Noah until you, ten generations, and with none of them did I speak, only with you. What is written just before the matter? "And Terah died in Haran." And afterward, "And the LORD said to Abram." Yet by the reckoning, sixty-five more years are still owed him. Rather, at the outset you expound that the wicked, even in their lifetime, are called dead. Because our father Abraham was afraid, saying: I will go out, and they will profane the name of Heaven through me and say, He abandoned his father in his old age and went off. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: For you [lekha] I release from honoring father and mother, but I do not release any other from honoring father and mother. And more than that, I will set his death before your departure. First, "And Terah died," and afterward, "And the LORD said to Abram: Go forth." Rabbi Yehudah says: "Go forth" twice one from Aram Naharaim and one from Aram Nachor. Rabbi Nechemiah says: One from Aram Naharaim and from Aram Nachor, and one that He caused him to fly from the Covenant Between the Pieces and brought him to Haran. Rabbi Levi said: When our father Abraham was traveling through Aram Naharaim and Aram Nachor and saw people eating and drinking and acting wantonly, he said: May I have no portion in this land. When he reached the Ladder of Tyre and saw people busy with weeding in the season of weeding, and hoeing in the season of hoeing, he said: May I have a portion in this land. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "To your seed I will give this land." Rabbi Levi said: Twice it is written "Go forth," and we do not know which is the more beloved, the first or the second. From what is written, "to the land of Moriah," you learn that the second is more beloved than the first. Rabbi Yochanan said: "Go forth from your land" from your province; "from your birthplace" this is your neighborhood; "and from your father's house" this is your father's house. "To the land that I will show you." And why did He not reveal it to him? In order to make it beloved in his eyes, and to give reward for every single step. Similarly: "Take now your son." He said to Him: To which son? He said to him: "Your only one." He said to Him: This one is the only one to his mother, and that one is the only one to his mother. He said to him: "Whom you love." He said to Him: Are there boundaries within the heart? He said to him: "Isaac." And why did He not reveal it to him at once? In order to make him beloved in his eyes, and to give him reward for every single word. For once the Holy One, blessed be He, holds the righteous in suspense and keeps them waiting, afterward He reveals to them the reason for the matter. So too: "To the land that I will show you." Similarly: "On one of the mountains that I will tell you." And similarly: "And call out to it the proclamation that I speak to you." And similarly: "Arise, go out to the valley, and there I will speak with you." This may be compared to a king who was passing from place to place, and a pearl fell from his head. The king stationed his retinue, made heaps of earth, brought sieves, and sifted the first heap and did not find it, the second and did not find it, in the third he found it. They said: The king has found his pearl. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, said: What need had I to trace the lineage of Arpachshad, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nachor, Terah was it not for your sake? This is what is written, "And You found his heart faithful before You." So too the Holy One, blessed be He, said to David: What need had I to trace the lineage of Peretz, Hezron, Ram, Amminadav, Nachshon, Salmon, Boaz, Oved, Jesse was it not for your sake? This is what is written, "I have found David My servant."