Parshat Noach5 min read

Noah Divided the Earth by Lot and Canaan Took Shem's Portion

Every son of Noah swore to the boundaries out loud. Canaan moved inside Shem's share anyway, and his grandchildren still held it when Abraham came.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. The Thieves the Law Could Not Touch
  2. Slips Drawn From Noah's Bosom
  3. So Be It, So Be It
  4. Canaan Would Not Listen
  5. The Muzzles on Abraham's Camels
Noah Divided the Earth by Lot and Canaan Took Shem's Portion Click for full size

The Thieves the Law Could Not Touch

The generation that drowned had worked out a way to steal that no court could reach. A farmer would set his basket of vegetables down in the market, and they came at it one at a time, each man lifting a single pod, a single root, nothing worth a complaint. By midday the farmer had nothing left to sell and no one to accuse.

God gave them a hundred and twenty years to stop. Noah spent those years building and warning, and they came to watch him work and laughed at the shape of it. "What is the boat for?" they asked. Noah told them a flood was coming. "If He sends fire we know how to shelter from fire," they said. "If water comes up out of the ground we will cap it with iron rods. If it falls from the sky we have an answer for that too."

"It will seep up under your feet," Noah said, "and you will not be able to push it back."

The water came up under their feet.

Slips Drawn From Noah's Bosom

In the one thousand five hundred and sixty-ninth year after the creation of the world, with an angel standing there to see it done, Noah divided the earth among his sons by lot. He carried the slips in the front of his robe. Each son reached in and drew one out.

Shem unfolded his and read the middle of the earth. Noah was glad it had fallen to him. Three holy places sat inside that portion without anyone yet knowing it: the Holy of Holies, Mount Sinai in the middle of the desert, and Mount Zion at the navel of the world.

The south came out for Ham and the north for Japheth. Ham's country runs hot and Japheth's runs cold. Shem's is neither one, hot and cold mixed together in the same year.

So Be It, So Be It

Then, while they were still standing in front of their father, each of the three divided his own portion among his children, and Noah put a curse on the table. Anyone who stretched out a hand for a share the lot had not given him would carry it.

All of them shouted back, "So be it! So be it!"

A hundred and four lands and ninety-nine islands went out to seventy-two nations that day, each nation with its own language, sixteen different alphabets among them. Japheth took forty-four lands and five kinds of writing. Ham took thirty-four lands and five kinds of writing. Shem took twenty-six lands and six kinds of writing, one more set of letters than either brother had, and the extra set was Hebrew.

Canaan Would Not Listen

Canaan, Ham's son, had heard every word of the oath and watched every slip come out of his grandfather's robe. He knew what had fallen to Shem. Then he walked into it and sat down.

His father told him to get out. His brothers told him to get out. He answered them by staying. He settled the whole stretch from Lebanon to the doorstep of Egypt, he and his sons after him, and their sons after them, and the towns filled up and the roads got names and the fields were fenced and sold and inherited, and the curse their grandfather had laid on the table stayed exactly where he had left it.

Nobody came to argue. For generations there was nothing to argue with. A whole country had been taken the way that basket in the market was taken, a little at a time, by men who could not be brought before any judge on earth.

The Muzzles on Abraham's Camels

Then Abraham came up out of Haran and pitched his tents on ground that the lot had handed to his own ancestor, in a country full of people holding it without title.

He muzzled his camels.

He would not let his animals crop a mouthful of grass that belonged to somebody else, and every man who watched that caravan go by watched a rich man's beasts walk hungry past open pasture. The Canaanites who had taken a continent were given back their fences by a stranger with a herd and no land at all.

He had hardly set the tent pegs when the famine came, the second of the ten famines appointed for the chastening of men, the first having come down on Adam when the ground was cursed for his sake. Abraham went down to Egypt to eat, and the country the lot had promised him stayed in other men's hands for four hundred more years.

HamCanaanHoly LandCreationAbrahamCovenant
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From the tradition

Sources

6 sources

The texts behind this telling. Some cards carry a translation of the source; others are our own retelling of it, and each card says which. Every card links out to the original.

Legends of the Jews 4:83Legends of the Jews

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.The Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg (1909) · Public Domain

In the year 1569 after creation, Noah himself, guided by an angel, divided the world among his three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

The method? A lottery, of sorts. Each son reached into Noah's bosom (a somewhat archaic but evocative image!) and drew a slip. And the slip Shem drew? Well, that was something special.

It was inscribed with the "middle of the earth." The middle of the earth! This, the story tells us, became the eternal inheritance of Shem's descendants. The very heart of the world belonging to one lineage.

Noah, upon seeing the result, rejoiced. Why? Because, as the story goes, this fulfilled his blessing upon Shem: "And God in the habitation of Shem." (Genesis 9:26). The idea is that God's presence would dwell most strongly within Shem's territory.

But what made this particular patch of land so significant? What made it the "middle of the earth?"

Well, three supremely holy places fell within Shem's designated area. Firstly, there's the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem – the innermost sanctuary, the dwelling place of the Divine Presence. Then, there’s Mount Sinai, located at the middle point of the desert, where Moses received the Torah. And finally, Mount Zion, considered the navel – the very center – of the earth.

These weren't just arbitrary locations. According to this tradition, they were points of immense spiritual power, all located within the territory of Shem. It’s a powerful assertion about the spiritual centrality of that land and the destiny of Shem’s line.

So next time you think about maps, about borders, about the division of land, remember this ancient story. It's not just about geography; it’s about destiny, blessing, and the enduring quest to find the center – the axis mundi – of our world. A quest that, perhaps, begins within ourselves.

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Legends of the Jews 4:85Legends of the Jews

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.The Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg (1909) · Public Domain

Legends of the Jews tells us that the south fell to the lot of Ham. Think scorching deserts, sweltering jungles... that kind of heat. The north? That became the inheritance of Japheth, a land of biting winds and icy landscapes.

What about Shem? He got something a little different. The land of Shem, it's said, was neither overwhelmingly hot nor intensely cold. It was a mixture, a balance. A place where you could experience both the warmth of the sun and the refreshing chill of the wind.

This division, this monumental carving up of the world, it didn't just happen at any old time. It happened towards the end of the life of Peleg. Peleg... His father, Eber, gave him that name. And Eber, being a prophet, well, he knew something big was coming. He knew that the division of the earth, the pelagah (פְּלָגָה), would take place during his son's lifetime. It's like naming your kid "Earthquake" because you have a feeling something's about to shake!

Then there's Joktan, Peleg's brother. His name? It's tied to another change, a less geographical one. Joktan, from the Hebrew root qatan (קטן), meaning "small" or "shortened," was named so because the duration of human life was shortened in his time.

So, what does it all mean? Is it just an old story about land distribution and some peculiar names? Maybe. But I think there's something deeper here. Boundaries are drawn, lifespans fluctuate, and we, like Noah's sons, are left to work through the world we inherit. Maybe the real question isn't who got the best piece of land, but what we do with the land we’re given.

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Legends of the Jews 5:94Legends of the Jews

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.The Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg (1909) · Public Domain

Legends of the Jews turns to The Canaanites Who Squatted on the Promised Land.

It first appears that ABRAHAM, arriving later, would simply assert his claim. After all, God had promised the land to his descendants. But Abraham, in a remarkable display of integrity, respected the Canaanites' (albeit unlawfully obtained) rights. Ginzberg tells us that he even put muzzles on his camels to prevent them from grazing on the Canaanites' land!

Life in Canaan wasn't all ethical grazing. Scarcely had Abraham settled there when a devastating famine struck. And this wasn't just any famine. Our tradition counts ten famines appointed by God to chasten humanity. Ten times of hardship, each with its own purpose.

The first, we're told, was in the time of ADAM, when the ground was cursed after his transgression. Then came the famine in Abraham's time. The third sent ISAAC to the land of the Philistines. The fourth drove the sons of JACOB down to Egypt in search of food, a journey that would change everything for the Jewish people.

The Legends of the Jews continues, counting the famines: The fifth occurred during the time of the Judges, forcing ELIMELECH and his family to Moab. The sixth happened in the reign of DAVID, lasting a grueling three years. The seventh came in the days of ELIJAH, who himself had declared a drought. The eighth struck during the time of ELISHA, a period of such scarcity that, shockingly, “an ass’s head was sold for fourscore pieces of silver."

These famines, each a test, each a moment of reckoning, punctuate our history. But the ninth famine, the tradition says, is different. It's a famine that comes "piecemeal, from time to time," a constant, low-grade hunger that never quite goes away.

And finally, the tenth famine. This one is particularly poignant. The tradition foretells it will arrive before the coming of MESSIAH. But it won't be a famine of bread, or even a thirst for water. Instead, it will be "of hearing the words of the Lord." A spiritual famine, a hunger for meaning and connection.

These famines, from the literal to the metaphorical, serve as a powerful reminder: What are we truly hungry for? Are we mindful of the resources we have, both physical and spiritual? And are we, like Abraham with his muzzled camels, careful not to take what isn't rightfully ours?

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Devarim Rabbah 2:34Deuteronomy Rabbah

Translation of the source text.Midrash Rabbah -- TE · Public Domain

Rabbi Yitzchak opened: "The LORD is my portion, says my soul; therefore I will hope in Him" (Lamentations 3:24). Rabbi Yitzchak said: To what may the matter be compared? To a king who entered a province, and there entered with him dukes, governors, and generals. There were some of the people of the province who chose for themselves a duke to be appointed over them, and there were some of them who chose for themselves a governor, and there were some of them who chose for themselves a general. One who was clever said: I will choose none but the king. Why? Because all of these are replaceable, but the king is not replaceable. So too, when the Holy One, blessed be He, came down upon Sinai, there came down with Him companies upon companies of angels: Michael and his company, Gabriel and his company. There were some of the nations of the world who chose for themselves Michael, and there were some of them who chose for themselves Gabriel; but Israel chose for themselves the Holy One, blessed be He. They said, "The LORD is my portion, says my soul." This is, "Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God, the LORD is One" (Deuteronomy 6:4).

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Legends of the Jews 4:87Legends of the Jews

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.The Legends of the Jews by Louis Ginzberg (1909) · Public Domain

They're about to begin a mission to rebuild the world, and the first order of business? Dividing the land. But not just any land –

In Legends of the Jews, a monumental work by Rabbi Louis Ginzberg that compiles centuries of Jewish tradition, Noah oversaw this distribution personally. He divided the world into portions for each of his sons and their descendants. The stakes were incredibly high.

There was a serious warning. Noah, wasn't just making suggestions. He laid down the law. Any descendant who dared to grab land not specifically allotted to them would face his curse. The potential consequences reverberating down through generations? And the sons, united in this momentous occasion, cried out in agreement: "So be it! So be it!"

The numbers are staggering. In all, one hundred and four lands and ninety-nine islands were divided among seventy-two nations. Each nation, had its own language – a unique tongue to call its own. And these languages weren't all written the same way. Sixteen different sets of characters were used for writing.

The distribution itself? Here's where it gets interesting. Japheth received forty-four lands, thirty-three islands, twenty-two languages, and five kinds of writing. Ham got thirty-four lands, thirty-three islands, twenty-four languages, and five kinds of writing. And Shem? He was allotted twenty-six lands, thirty-three islands, twenty-six languages, and six kinds of writing.

Notice anything special? Shem received one more set of written characters than his brothers. According to the tradition, that extra set was none other than the Hebrew script. Ivrit, the language of the Jewish people.

What does it all mean? Why this particular division? Was it random, or divinely ordained? Did Shem getting the Hebrew alphabet signify a special role for his descendants in preserving and transmitting wisdom? It's fascinating to consider how these ancient stories shape our understanding of the world and our place within it.

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Legends of the Jews, IV. Noah, The Generation Of The DelugeLegends of the Jews

Retold in our words. Read the original at the link below.Project Gutenberg eBook #1493, The Legends of the Jews, Volume 1 · Public Domain

It all started with two distinct family lines: the descendants of Cain, known for their sinfulness, and the descendants of Seth, initially known for their piety. Picture this: the Sethites, dwelling peacefully in the mountains near Paradise, while the Cainites occupied the very field where Abel was slain, near Damascus. A stark contrast. But sadly, goodness doesn't always last. At the time of Methuselah, after Adam's death, the Sethites began to stray. They became corrupted, adopting the ways of the Cainites. These two strains, once separate, united in their wickedness, and from their unions came the Nephilim – giants, both physically and spiritually. These Nephilim, in their arrogance, even claimed the same noble lineage as the Sethites!

What fueled this descent into depravity? Well, life was too easy. The conditions were too good. They lived in a world of unprecedented prosperity. A single sowing yielded enough harvest for forty years! They could even use magic to control the sun and moon.

Even childbirth was ridiculously easy! Pregnancies lasted only a few days, and newborns could immediately walk and talk, even helping their mothers cut the umbilical cord. According to legend, one newborn even fought off a demon! The Talmud (Niddah 30b) describes similar extraordinary births.

This carefree existence, devoid of toil and hardship, gave them ample time to indulge in their wicked ways. They became insolent and rose up against God.

The Zohar tells us that God is patient, but even divine patience has its limits. For a time, God overlooked their iniquities. But when they began to lead unchaste lives, His forbearance ceased. "God is patient with all sins save only an immoral life," as the saying goes. (Ginzberg references the Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) here).

And it wasn't just immorality. They were also incredibly greedy, so cunning in their schemes that the law couldn't touch them. Ginzberg illustrates this with the example of a farmer bringing vegetables to market. They would subtly steal bits at a time, each theft insignificant, but collectively devastating, leaving the farmer with nothing to sell.

Even after God decided to destroy the world, He extended one last act of mercy. He sent Noah to warn them, giving them 120 years to repent.

"What flood?" they sneered. "If it's a fire flood, we know how to protect ourselves. If it's a water flood, we'll cover the earth with iron rods or build defenses against rain!" Noah warned them that the waters would come from beneath their feet, something they couldn't defend against.

They remained stubborn, partly because Noah revealed that the flood wouldn't come as long as the righteous Methuselah was alive. When the 120 years of probation ended and Methuselah died, God, in his compassion, granted them another week – the week of mourning for Methuselah. During this time, nature itself seemed to weep, with the sun rising in the west and setting in the east, a disruption of the natural order as noted in Midrash Rabbah. God even showed them a glimpse of the delights awaiting the righteous in the world to come, to demonstrate what they would be forfeiting.

But it was all in vain. After Methuselah and the other righteous of the generation passed away, God brought the deluge upon the earth. A tragic end to a generation that had been given so much, yet squandered it all.

What does this story tell us? Perhaps it's a warning about the dangers of unchecked prosperity and the importance of humility and gratitude. Maybe it's a reminder that even when things seem perfect, moral decay can creep in. Whatever the interpretation, the story of the Generation of the Deluge serves as a powerful cautionary tale for us today.

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