We find ourselves pondering just that in a fascinating discussion rooted in the verse from Song of Songs 4:16: "Awake, north wind, and come, south wind; blow upon my garden, that its perfume will spread. Let my beloved come to his garden and eat his delicious fruits.”
This verse sparks a debate, recorded in Shir HaShirim Rabbah, about the nature of sacrifices offered by Noah and his descendants. Were they just olot (burnt offerings), or did they also offer shelamim (peace offerings)?
Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina lock horns over this very question. Rabbi Elazar argues that Noah's descendants offered both types of sacrifices. He brings forth several proofs. First, he points to Abel, whose offering included the chelvehen – the fats – suggesting peace offerings, where only the fats are burned (Genesis 4:4). Rabbi Yosei counters that chelvehen simply means "from the fattest among them."
Rabbi Elazar then cites Exodus 24:5, which describes young Israelites offering both burnt offerings and peace offerings before the giving of the Torah – a time when they were, essentially, descendants of Noah. Rabbi Yosei parries, suggesting that the term shelamim here refers to the wholeness of the bodies, which were offered without the flaying and cutting required for standard burnt offerings.
Finally, Rabbi Elazar brings up Yitro (Exodus 18:12), who offered both a burnt offering and a peace offering. Rabbi Yosei cleverly sidesteps this by suggesting that there are two opinions: one that Yitro came before the giving of the Torah, and another that he came after. The former would support Rabbi Elazar's view, while the latter supports Rabbi Yosei's.
What does all this have to do with the north and south winds? According to Rabbi Yosei, the "north wind" that needs to "awake" represents the olah, the burnt offering, because it was slaughtered on the north side of the Temple Courtyard. The offering is "asleep" because the Israelites didn't offer them in Egypt. The "south wind," which needs to "come," signifies the shelamim, the peace offering, which was new.
Rabbi Abba bar Kahana, Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa, and Rabbi Yehoshua, citing Rabbi Levi, find support for Rabbi Yosei's position in Leviticus. When discussing the burnt offering, the Torah states, "This is the law of the burnt offering; it is the burnt offering" (Leviticus 6:2), implying it was offered from the beginning. But when it comes to the peace offering, it says, "This is the law of the peace offering that one shall offer to the Lord" (Leviticus 7:11), suggesting it's something new, "from here forward."
Rabbi Elazar, however, interprets the verse allegorically. The "north wind" represents the exiles returning from the north, as Jeremiah 31:7 prophesies. It also symbolizes Gog and Magog, who will awaken in the north and fall in the south (Ezekiel 39:2), and the messianic king, who will come from the north to build the Temple in the south (Isaiah 41:25).
Rabbi Huna, in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Rabbi Binyamin bar Levi, offers a beautiful vision of the future. In this world, the north and south winds don't blow together. But in the future, God will bring a unique wind that combines both, as Isaiah 43:6 says: "I will say to the north: Give, and to the south: Do not withhold."
Finally, Rabbi Yoḥanan draws a lesson in etiquette from the verse: “Let my beloved come to his garden." He argues that a bridegroom should not enter the wedding canopy until the bride gives permission. The proof? The following verse begins, “I came to my garden, my sister, my bride,” implying that he entered only after receiving her consent. (Song of Songs 5:1)
So, what do we take away from this rich tapestry of interpretations? Perhaps it’s not just about whether Noah offered peace offerings. It’s about how we approach sacred texts, how we find meaning in the nuances of language, and how we connect ancient wisdom to our lives today. It's a reminder that even seemingly simple verses can hold layers of profound insight, waiting to be uncovered by thoughtful inquiry and passionate debate.