It’s a powerful, devastating verse that sets the stage for the Flood. But the Rabbis of the Midrash, in Bereshit Rabbah, weren't content with a simple reading. They dug deeper, connecting it to a seemingly unrelated passage in Ecclesiastes.
The verse they latch onto is Ecclesiastes 2:21: “For there is a man whose work is with wisdom, with knowledge, and with smoothness…” At first glance, this sounds like a compliment! So, what’s the connection to the overwhelming wickedness that led to the Flood?
Rabbi Yudan offers a fascinating insight. He suggests that the "man" in Ecclesiastes 2:21 actually refers to God! Now, that’s a bold claim. But Rabbi Yudan points out that prophets were able to describe the creation in terms of its Creator. Think about it. We find similar descriptions of God, like in Daniel 8:16: “I heard the voice of a man by the Ulai.” Or even more explicitly in Ezekiel 1:26: “And upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness, like the appearance of a man.”
Why is this important? Because if the "man" in Ecclesiastes refers to God, the rest of the verse takes on a whole new meaning. "Whose work is with wisdom" connects to Proverbs 3:19: “The Lord founded the earth with wisdom.” "With knowledge" echoes Proverbs 3:20: “With His knowledge the depths were breached.”
And then there's the intriguing phrase, "with smoothness." Rabbi Berekhya, in the name of Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon, explains that God didn’t create the world with toil or exertion. Instead, “With the word of the Lord the heavens were made” (Psalms 33:6). God spoke, and it was so. Effortless creation!
So, we have this image of God creating the world with wisdom, knowledge, and effortless ease. But then Ecclesiastes 2:21 continues: “But he will give it over to a man who did not toil for it to be his portion.” Bereshit Rabbah identifies this "man" as the generation of the Flood. They inherited a world they didn't build, didn't appreciate, and ultimately, corrupted.
And that brings us back to the original verse: "The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great.” The Midrash concludes, “This too is futility and a great evil” (Ecclesiastes 2:21) – “the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great.” They took what they were given – a world created with such divine care – and squandered it.
What a powerful message! It makes you think about our own relationship with the world. Are we appreciating the gifts we've been given? Are we building upon them with wisdom and knowledge, or are we, like the generation of the Flood, taking them for granted and ultimately contributing to its destruction? It's a sobering thought, and one that resonates just as strongly today as it did centuries ago when these words were first written.