This week we are reading the Sidra of No’ach. It is interesting to note that if we change the order of the two letters that make up this name, we form the Hebrew word CHEN, which means favour or beauty. The last verse of the Sidra BERESHIT reads: “No’ach found favour in the eyes of God.” We see that, some biblical names reflect the personalities of the people who have them. This is one of the reasons why Jewish tradition is opposed to any one changing his name. The second reason for not changing our names is because we believe that when our parents give us our name, some idea inspires them and we owe it to them to keep that idea alive.
Some writers have put together, rather humorously, a number of important lessons that we can learn from the story of No’ach. One: Don’t miss the boat. Two: Remember that we are all in the same boat. Three: Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark. Indeed, he was warned about the flood 120 years before it started. Four: Stay fit. No’ach was 600 years old when the Almighty asked him to construct the Ark. Five: Don’t listen to critics. No’ach didn’t listen to anyone, although people mocked him. Just get on with the job that needs to be done. Six: Build your future on high ground. Seven: Speed is not everything; the snails were on board with the cheetahs. Eight: When you are stressed, float awhile. Nine: Remember the Ark was built by an amateur, the Titanic by professionals. Ten: No matter what the storm, when God is with you, there is always a rainbow waiting.
The tradition about the flood was widespread amongst many ancient peoples, in particular amongst the Assyrians and Babylonians, who lived in Mesopotamia and Syria. Similar stories existed before the Torah was given. But, in the Torah the story was rewritten according to its moral teachings. All ancient cultures agreed that the flood destroyed life on Earth and that one single person survived. The survivor offered up sacrifices after his miraculous escape.
However, there are conspicuous and extremely significant differences between the way pagan nations told the story and the way the Torah reports it. According to one pagan account, the flood was brought by one of the gods for his own benefit, because human beings were making such noise that he couldn’t tolerate it. According to the Torah, the flood was a punishment for violence and injustice. Pagan accounts, also, do not give any reasons why the gods allowed one person to survive whereas, according to the Torah, No’ach deserved to be saved it on the grounds of his righteousness. Pagan stories tell about various disputes amongst the gods regarding the bringing on of the flood. Obviously the Torah does not mention any arguments. In the Torah, God is the only power that controls the forces of nature.
The story of the flood emphasises the concept of the unity of God and his righteousness. It is about justice and punishment for wrongdoing.
The Almighty asked No’ach to make an ark, so that people would see him working hard preparing for the imminent flood. Rashi explains that God’s reasoning, in choosing this method of rescue, was to provide time for No’ach’s contemporaries to repent. The Rabbis stressed that God really didn’t want to bring the flood, but, unfortunately, at the end, he was left with no alternatives.
The flood started on the 17th day of the second month, which is the month of Cheshvan, when we always read the story in the synagogue. Before the Exodus, the Israelite year began in Tishrei. The flood stormed the Earth for a period of five months, until the 17th of the seventh month, which is now Nissan. On that day, the waters began to subside and the mountains began to be visible again. The Ark remained standing on one of the mountains of Arrarat, which are two mountainous rocks in Armenia. One of them is large and the other small. The larger one is always covered with snow and in Persian it is known as No’ach’s mountain.
On the first day of the first month, the beginning of the year, the anniversary of the creation of the world, the waters disappeared. Life on earth began again, but the surface of the earth was still wet and muddy. On that day No’ach removed the cover of the Ark. The earth became completely dry 12 months and 10 or 11 days, after the flood had begun. This means that the flood lasted one entire solar year.
Some of our ancient rabbis did not have an entirely positive view of No’ach’s character. In the first instance, they criticised him for not trying to save the world from destruction. Secondly, there were critical of his actions after the flood, when he came out of the Ark. The Torah tells us that he planted a vineyard and subsequently became drunk from the wine. The Midrash describes the moment when he planted the vineyard. Satan approached him during the planting and said to him: What are you planting here? No’ach replied: I am planting a vineyard. Then Satan offered him a partnership in the business to which No’ach agreed. Then, Satan slaughtered several animals; first a lamb and then a lion, then a pig and finally a monkey. Then Satan took the blood of each of those animals and made it to flow under the vine. With this, he wanted to send a clear message to No’ach regarding the nature of wine. Before a person drinks it, he is as innocent as a lamb; if he drinks it in moderate quantities, he feels as strong as a lion; if it continues to drink excessively, he resembles a pig and, finally, if he becomes drunk, he behaves like a monkey, most indecently.
Indeed, this is what happened to No’ach. After he drank too much wine, he became involved in a very unpleasant incident with his youngest son, whom he was forced to curse. Our rabbis said that from being a righteous man, ISH TZADDIK, No’ach descended into being a man of the soil, ISH HA’ADAMAH. A lowly man. Sadly, No’ach did not succeed in becoming a role model for subsequent generations.