Today, we're diving into a fascinating passage from Bereshit Rabbah 36, a midrashic (rabbinic interpretive commentary) commentary on the Book of Genesis, which grapples with this very dilemma, using the story of Noah and the Flood as its springboard.
The passage opens with a verse we all know: "The sons of Noah, who emerged from the ark, were Shem, Ham, and Yefet, and Ham was the father of Canaan" (Genesis 9:18). But instead of simply moving on, the midrash connects this verse to a seemingly unrelated one from the Book of Job: "He is silent, and who can condemn? He conceals His face; who can see Him? To a nation and to a person alike" (Job 34:29). What's the connection?
Rabbi Meir, in his interpretation, suggests that the generation of the Flood actually accused God of being silent and indifferent to the injustice in the world. They felt God was concealing His face, like a judge who is unaware of what's happening outside his chambers. Their arrogance led them to believe, as (Job 22:14) says, "Clouds obscure for Him and He does not see." It's a bold accusation!
But the other Sages weren't so sure about Rabbi Meir's interpretation. They challenged him, arguing that the verse isn't about God's indifference, but rather about the excessive tranquility and convenience afforded to the generation of the Flood. They were given an easy life, without reprimand, which ultimately led to their downfall. It's like giving a child everything they want without any discipline – it rarely ends well.
So what kind of tranquility did they have? According to Rabbi Levi and the Rabbis, their wives would be pregnant for incredibly short periods! Rabbi Levi suggests a mere three days, drawing a parallel to the preparation period before receiving the Torah at Sinai, where the Israelites were told to be nekhonim – prepared – for three days (Exodus 19:15). The Rabbis even suggest it was just one day, linking it to another instance of nakhon in (Exodus 34:2). Imagine that – one day of pregnancy!
The midrash goes on to describe the almost supernatural abilities of the newborns. Rabbi Levi points out that in Arabia, a baby is called avila. These children, avileihem, were so strong they would immediately walk and function. A woman giving birth at night would even send her newborn to light a lamp in order to cut the umbilical cord!
There's even a story about a baby who encounters the demon Shemadon. The demon threatens the baby, but the baby retorts that he's not afraid because his umbilical cord hasn't even been cut yet! It's a wild image, highlighting the perceived strength and resilience of that generation.
The midrash explains that "Their houses are peaceful without fear" (Job 21:9) means they had no fear of demons and were spared from suffering. But, the passage emphasizes, when God finally did conceal His face and bring the Flood, who could question His actions? Who could say His conduct was inappropriate, kashura? The Flood itself was the ultimate concealment of God's face.
The final part of the passage connects the "nation" in (Job 34:29) to the generation of the Flood and the "person" to Noah. God could have rebuilt the world from a whole nation or from a single person, but He chose to do it through Noah and his descendants, who emerged from the ark to repopulate the earth.
So, what does all this mean? This midrash isn’t just a historical account. It's a profound exploration of divine justice and human responsibility. It challenges us to consider whether ease and lack of accountability can lead to moral decay. It reminds us that even when things seem good on the surface, there might be a deeper imbalance at play. It asks us: do we want to be a generation that accuses God of indifference, or a generation that recognizes the consequences of its own actions? And perhaps most importantly, it reminds us that even in the face of divine judgment, there's always the possibility of renewal, a chance to rebuild, just like Noah did after the Flood.
“The sons of Noah, who emerged from the ark, were Shem, Ham, and Yefet, and Ham was the father of Canaan” (Genesis 9:18). “The sons of Noah, who emerged from the ark” – “He is silent [yashkit], and who can condemn? He conceals His face; who can see Him [yeshurenu]? To a nation and to a person alike” (Job 34:29). Rabbi Meir expounded: [The generation of the Flood said:] “He is silent” concerning His world;1He allows injustice to proceed without saying anything about it. “He conceals His face” from His world, like a judge before whom a curtain is spread before his face and he does not know what is transpiring outside. So said the generation of the Flood: “Clouds obscure for Him and He does not see” (Job 22:14). They [the other Sages] said to him: ‘That is enough for you, Meir.’2You are not interpreting this verse correctly. He said to them: ‘What, then, is the meaning of what is written: “He is silent [yashkit], and who can condemn…”?’ They said: ‘He granted tranquility3This is the meaning of yashkit. They were granted an exceedingly convenient way of life. to the generation of the Flood, and who came to condemn them?4There was no one who reprimanded them, so they carried on in their evil ways, until their destruction. What tranquility did He afford them? “Their offspring are well placed [nakhon] before them, with them, and their descendants are before their eyes” (Job 21:8); “They send out their youngsters like a flock....” (Job 21:11). Rabbi Levi and the Rabbis, Rabbi Levi said: One’s wife would be pregnant for [just] three days [before giving birth], as nakhon is stated here, and elsewhere, it is stated: “Be prepared [nekhonim] [for three days]” (Exodus 19:15) – just as nakhon stated there refers to three days, so, too, nakhon that is stated here refers to three days. The Rabbis say: One’s wife would be pregnant for [just] one day and give birth, as nakhon is stated here, and nakhon is stated elsewhere: “Be prepared [nakhon] for the morrow” (Exodus 34:2) – just as nakhon there refers to one day, so, too, here it refers to one day. “And their descendants are before their eyes” – as they would [live to] see their children and their children’s children. “They send out their youngsters [avileihem] like a flock” – Rabbi Levi said: In Arabia they call a baby avila.5And this is how we know that avileihem means “youngsters.” “And their children dance” (Job 21:11) – in the manner of demons, as it says: “And demons will dance there” (Isaiah 13:21).6They were able to dance with extraordinary robustness and intensity, as demons dance. When one of them would give birth during the day, she would say to her [newborn] son: ;Go out and get me a flint rock to sever your umbilical cord.’7Newborns were able to walk and fully function as soon as they were born, “like flock.” [If she gave birth] at night, she would say to her son: ‘Go out and kindle a lamp for me with which to sever your umbilical cord.’ There was an incident involving a certain woman who gave birth at night. She said to her son: ‘Go and kindle me a lamp so I can sever your umbilical cord.’ He went out and encountered the demon Shemadon. He [the demon] said to him: ‘Go announce to your mother that the rooster has crowed.8Demons can do no harm during the day. Had it not been that the rooster crowed, I would have smitten you and killed you.’ He [the baby] said to him: ‘You go announce to your mother that my mother has not yet severed my umbilical cord,9And I have not reached my full strength. as had she severed it, I would have smitten you and killed you.’ That is what is written: “Their houses are peaceful without fear” (Job 21:9) – [without fear] of demons; “and the rod of God is not upon them” (Job 21:9) – [they were spared] from suffering. When He concealed his face from them [and finally punished them], who could say to Him: ‘Your conduct is not appropriate [kashura]?’10Who can question or criticize God’s actions? This is the meaning of “He conceals His face; who can see Him [yeshurenu]?” In what way did He conceal his face from them? In that He brought the Flood upon them. That is what is written: “He obliterated all existence…” (Genesis 7:23). “To a nation and to a person alike” – “to a nation” – this refers to the generation of the Flood; and to a person” – this refers to Noah. “Alike” – as the world was founded from him. He was [equally] able to establish His world from a whole nation or from a single person,11This is the meaning of “to a nation and to a person alike.” as it is stated: “The sons of Noah, who emerged from the ark.”12And they went on to repopulate the entire world.
