"He waited another seven days, and once again he sent out the dove from the Tevah. The dove came to him toward evening and there was a torn off olive leaf in its beak. Noach knew that the water had receded from the earth." (Bereishit 8:10, 11)

The world was still covered with water, but the dove brought an olive leaf from a tree in the Holy Land. Others say that it was from Gan Eden. (Bereishit Rabbah; Ramban, Cf. Yafeh Toar, Tetzaveh)

The account of the dove and Noah's ark alludes to the history of the Jewish People.

The dove's journey is recorded in the Torah as a prophecy for the future. K'lal Yisrael is likened to a dove. The nations are compared to water. Just as the dove found no resting place in the midst of the water, so too would K'lal Yisrael find no resting place in exile. Just as the dove returned home to the Tevah, so will Benei Yisrael in the future return to their land.

Rabbi Pinchas said: Every time the Jewish People were sent into exile, the Holy One blessed be He set a limit to the exile, and they were always aroused to repentance. But this final exile has no set limit, and everything depends upon repentance.

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Source: Me'am Lo'ez; Zohar

During the twelve months' duration of the mabul, the Heavenly planets did not operate in order. The inhabitants of the Tevah therefore could not tell from sun or moon whether it was day or night. Only the precious stones which Noach had brought into the Tevah served as an indication of the time. When they shone, the tevah's inhabitants knew it was night; when they dimmed, it was day.

The Tevah floated securely like a ship in the ocean, while the world around it was transformed into a tremendous no-man's land of water. It rained heavily for forty days. Each raindrop which Hashem sent down was previously boiled in Gehinnom. The rain was so hot that people's skin peeled on contact with it.   The drops did not consist only of water, but also of fire. In addition to the rain from above, all the wells and fountains of the earth opened up and poured forth boiling hot water. The giants of the Generation of the Flood had believed that they could prevent the wells from overflowing by merely stepping on them, but the water was so hot that this plan failed. What did this cruel generation do? They took their smallest children and put them into the opening to seal it. When the water continued to gush out, they placed one child after another at the opening of the fountain to save themselves. Where it not for the fire and water from above, they would have survived.

The water reached fifteen amot (30 feet) above the highest mountain tops, because this generation had sneered, We are giants, fifteen amot high, and if there will ever be a flood, we will stand on the mountain tops and be safe!" Now the water level was above their heads and they drowned.

The water of the mabul wore down the heaviest substances. Only the fish survived, because they had not sinned like the other creatures. Some say, the flood did not affect the sea at all. This was because G-d had given the fish a special blessing, as referred to in Bereishit so they did not die in the flood. They escaped to the depths of hte sea, where the water remained cool.

The flood did not cover Eretz Yisrael, not even in inhabited areas. The residents of the Holy Land did not die by drowning, but from the heat of the waters of the flood. The water was boiling hot; it made the entire world like a furnace, killing all air-breathing creatures. (Zevachim, loc. cit.)  G-d wrought another miracle for Noach. The waters of the flood were boiling hot, since it had been decreed that many of the sinners should be boiled alive. But in the vicinity of the Tevah, the waters were cool and pleasant. This was done for the benefit of Noach. (Pirkei Rabbi Eliezer; Zevachim 113)

Of all the creatures on earth, man died last. G-d delayed his doom as long as possible, giving him a chance to repent. (Bachya)

All human bodies totally disintegrated. Not a single bone was left intact, not even the smallest luz at the lower end of the spine (some say at the top end, depending on tradition).

The emperor Hadrian asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya, "From which part of the body will G-d in future revive the dead?" "From the spinal bone luz." answered Rabbi Yehoshua. "How do you know?" he questioned. "Bring me such a bone and I shall prove it," replied Rabbi Yehoshua. When the bone Luz was brought to Rabbi Yehoshua, he demonstrated to the emperor how although he ground it in a mill, it would not be crushed. He threw it into the fire and it did not burn. Neither did it dissolve in water. Finally Rabbi Yehoshua brought a hammer and struck the bone. The hammer cracked and the bone survived. (Bereishit Rabbah)

When a man dies, his bone luz is preserved, in order to form the basis from which the body will be reconstructed at the time of Techiyat HaMetim (Resurrection of the Dead).  But the Generation of the Mabul was so wicked that not one bone of their skeleton remained, net even the bone luz. None of them will be restored to life at the time when the dead will rise from their graves. They will not even be among those who will be revived to be judged and then doomed, the memory of the Generation of the Mabul was blotted out from the world.

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Source: Midrash Says; Me'am Lo'ez

1. Generation of Enosh
2. Generation of the Deluge
3. Generation of the Dispersal

Although mankind no longer lived in Gan Eden, their life-style before the mabul (flood) still resembled Gan Eden. (Midrash Hagadol)

Life was good. In fact, it was too good. It was a life of uninterrupted serenity and enjoyment. For example, children were conceived and born on the same day. A newborn child was immediately able to stand and walk, and also had the ability to speak. Furthermore, no child would ever die during his parents' lifetime. In fact, all parents would live to see not only their children but also their grandchildren. (Bereishit Rabbah)

• The generation before the mabul possessed enormous physical strength, as the verse says, "There were giants on earth in those days" (Bereishit 6:14) They were able to uproot whole cedar trees and considered lions and panthers as harmless as fleas. Their strength did not diminish in old age, but, on the contrary, it grew with age. This strength only disappeared after the mabul.
• They lived a very long life, hundreds of years. Only when they sinned did Hashem say, "and his days shall be a hundred and twenty years."
• They knew no suffering of any kind.
• They sowed only one every forty years and the earth produced a sufficient amount for the following forty years.
• They did not have to endure excessive heat or cold since there were no changing seasons, but the weather was a continuous, enjoyable and mild spring climate. It was only after the mabul that Hashem said, "Seed time and harvest and cold and heat and summer and winter and day and night shall not cease."

Hebrew Torah  - Transliterated & Translated

Chapter 9

Hebrew Torah  - Transliterated & Translated 

Bereishit 11:4
וְנַעֲשֶׂה-לָּנוּ שֵׁם
vena'aseh-lanu shem
so that we can make a name for ourselves.

According to the peshat (plain meaning) of the text, all these people wanted was to settle in one single location on earth in order to stay together. However, they did not find a location other thant he valley of Shinor in which to do this. This is why they wanted to build a city and a tower which could accommondate all of them. The purpose of the tower was to serve as a beacon so thaat people all over the earth would be able to see it and to orient themselves by means of it. They themselves would all live in a single city. This is the reason the Torah quoted them as saying "lest we will scatter. This is why G-d punished them by scattering them to teach them that they had contravened His commandment to fill the earth with their presence (v9:1). Yeshayahu 45:18 pointed out that G-d had made the earth in order for it to be settled by mankind.

From an homiletical point of view the operative clause in the verse are the words "let us make a name for 'ourselves.'" This is an oblique reference to idolatry. The word שם (shem) "name here and the same word in Shemot 23:13 "and you must not mention the name (שם) of any other deity," mean the same thing. We also have a Midraschic comment in Midrash Tehillim 1, that the word הבה (havah), introduces an evil thought, an evil intention as it does in Shoftim 20:7 "come up with a plan here and now!" Furthermore, we have a tradition that the word עיר "city" is reference to a deity as we find in Dani'el 4:10 that the words עיר וקדיש (ir vekadish) refer to a destructive angel (ha-satan or similar). According to one Midrash on the Ten Commandments, these people proposed to take spades planning to invade heaven to flood it and drain it in order to ensure that another deluge could not originate from that source. They wanted to take large chunks of heaven and to engage in war with the King of the heavens. The Tower had seventy steps in an easterly direction and seventhy steps in a westerly direction on its opposite side. G-d descended those seventy steps accompanied by seventy angels and He confused their language and their dialects. Thus far that Midrash.

In Bereishit Rabbah 38:6 it writes that these people said, "we do not agree that G-d should have exlusive right to heaven whereas we have only been assigned earth. Let us make war against Him."

Looking at this story from a rational point of view, the words "and let us make a name for ourselves," must be understood as follows: The people of that generation were very advanced in matters of philosophy and even technology. However, they used their intelligence in a sinful manner. They constructed the city and Tower to protect themselves against a deluge of fire (seeing tht G-d had promosed not to again bring a deluge of water). This is what the word "war" in the Midrash refers to. They prepared to contend with the heavenly forces, such as angels, against the will of HASHEM. They tried to isolate and tame the power of fire in order to neutralise its deadly effect so that it could not engulf their city.

There was another reason which motivated them. They had been witness to the fact that G-d had decreed death on Adam, while they perceived themseles as physically powerful and enjoying a much longer life span than the 120 years G-d appeared to have decreed. They thought that they were all powerful (G-d Himself in v6 questioned whether their power should not be curtailed). They planned to scale heaven wie alive and well in order to overcome the impediment to this imposed pon them by their mortality. Their principal aim was to overcome the decree issued against Adam which made all of them mortal also. all of their planning in building the Tower was designed to achieve immmortality. The reaon G-d had to scatter them was because they planned to nullify His world order. The Torah has worded its report in such a way that it did not spell out these people's evil intent in detail. Whereas the Torah revealed the sin of the generation of the deluge, it did not spell out the sin of the generation of the Tower.

The Torah did want us to know that basically, their sin was of the same category as that of the first man. This is why the Torah refers to the people in this paragraph as בני האדם (ben ha'Adam) "Adam's sons", to hint that what they did paralleled what Adam had done.  The extra letter ה (heh) before the word אדם (adam) stresses that they behaved not like ordinary human beings but like the first human being, Adam (as opposed to 5:1 where the Torah describes "this is the Book of the generations of man," without the letter ה in front of the word אדם.

The words "ben ha'Adam" are a hint that these people were like the first human being and the Torah had indicated that the people of the deluge had sinned by denying that there is something higher than the emanation "Keter", which had led to their destruction in the "lower universe." The word שם (shem - name) in this instance is reference to the highest emanation "Keter". They were under the mistaken impression that that emanation is the absolute highest level of heaven, i.e. celestial force which exists. The Attribute of Justice, even when in a dominant role, is always accompanied by some aspect of the Attribute of Mercy as represented by שם the Ineffable Name YKVK. In the case of the deluge, the principle of midah keneged midah (measure for measure) operated in such a away that as punishment for that generation's refusal to recognize anything beyond the emanation שם=כתר, they experienced the full impact of the unrelieved Attribute of Justice so that even the earth they had lived on was destroyed. The earth had been the creation of the Attribute of Justice, i.e. אלוקים (ELOKIM). The Attribute of Mercy, i.e. השם (HASHEM), had been "co-opted" only at the time when the Torah reported the creation of Adam (2:4) as a functioning human being.

Basically, man had tried to separate the role of the Attribute of אלוקים from the role of the Attribute of שם, or YKVK. G-d demonstrated to them that such an attempt if successful spells disaster both for them and for the earth they lived on. They had wanted only "nature," as represented by the Attribute of אלוקים.

It is quite possible that prior to the deluge such considerations had not had a philosophical basis, had been mostly based on an emotional resentment of authority from an extra-terrestrial force. At this time, it had been developed to a philosophy by highly intelligent people, people who had already learned of the value of co-operation, unity, working towards a common goal. This was why their newly developed approach was so dangerous.

G-d scattered them, i.e. separated them from their unity all over the globe as retaliation for their attempt to "scatter," i.e. separate His Attributes from one another. They had calculated the precise number of steps needed to ascend to heaven - 70. According to Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer, the number reflects 70 miles, a mile per step. The number may also allude to the 70 representatives of the 70 nations in the celestial spheres. According to tradition, Nevuchadnetzar, who was also from Bavel (though it was renamed Babylon) introduced the golden image of Baal into the remnants of the Holy Temple to symbolize that this philosophy had triumphed. In Yirmeyahu 51:44 the prophet predicts the eventual humiliation of that idol and that of the people who worshiped it. Dani'el 3:1 speaks of a huge gold image Nevuchadnetzar had put up in the valley of Dura in the land of Babylon. this valley may be identical with the valley described here in this chapter where the Torah described these people as וימצאו בקעה (vayimtzeu vik'ah), "they found a valley." All of this is part of the aforementioned hints the Torah provided concerning the sins of that generation.

May HASHEM protect us from committing similar errors.

The confusing of their languages was an example of the principle of the punishment fitting the crime, midah keneged midah (measure for measure). Their sin consisted of the words they spoke, i.e. "they said, 'Let us build a city for ourselves...'" Seeing they had put the power of speech to improper use, their power of speech now became impaired so that they no longer could understand each other.

The descendants of Noach who had numbered seventy at that time, were now divided into seventy nations, each with a distinctive language.

★ There are seventy "princes," i.e. representatives in the celestial spheres who represent these seventy nations before the throne of G-d. They correspond to the respective kings or heads of these nations here on earth. Each one of these seventy celestial "princes" is a part of the nation he represents, unlike Yaakov (Yirmeyahu 10:16) of whom the prophet said "unlike these is the portion of Yaakov, for it is He Who forms all things." Just as the Jewish people do not need intermediaries before G-d but have direct access to Him, so the Hebrew tongue is superior to all the other languages in the world. It is G-d's own language and as such it is as superior to other languages as is G-d Himself to any of the agents He has appointed in this world to do His bidding. It is the duty of Jews to draw the help from celestial sources by means of the Holy Tongue, Hebrew. Unless they are capable of praying in Hebrew their prayer loses in effectiveness.

May HASHEM continue to enlighten us with the Light of His Torah.

-Bachya; Chazal

Bereishit 6:12
וַיַּרְא אלוקים אֶת-הָאָרֶץ וְהִנֵּה נִשְׁחָתָה כִּי-הִשְׁחִית כָּל-בָּשָׂר אֶת-דַּרְכּוֹ עַל-הָאָרֶץ
Vayar Elohim et-ha'aretz vehineh nishchatah ki-hishchit kol-basar et-darko al-ha'aretz
ELOKIM saw the earth, and here it had become corrupt. All flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth.

At this point the Torah reverts to G-d's Name "Elokim" to indicate that the Attribute of Justice enters the picture at this stage. Seeing that the sins of that generation were so great the Attribute of Justice was poised over them.


וְהִנֵּה נִשְׁחָתָה
vehineh nishchatah
and here it had become corrupt.

What precisely did this "corruption" consist of? "All flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth." They were all destroying their own seed. They did not want to prcreate and used sexual union for pleasure only. This is what is meant by Yeshayahu 57:5 "the ones who slaughter their children." Chazal (Niddah 13) comment on this that a preferable reading to this passage would be "they squeezed out their semen before impregnating their wives." Seeing that they had become guilty of destroying semen which becomes a fetus after forty days, they were punished with a deluge which poured rain on them for forty days (based on Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer, Chapter 22).

Actually, the people of that time were guilty of four sins:

1) idolatry
2) sexual licentiousness including incest
3) murder
4) gratuitous violence

The reason for the forty days of rain may be broken down as follows: Thirty days of continuous rain descended because of their idolatry, i.e. they worshiped the sun for thirty days; however seeing the sun's influence on earth commences already five days before it becomes visible to us and it continues for five days after it has ceased to be visible, it was proper that they be punished on account of sun-worship for forty days. Whatever is true of the visible effect of the sun as well as its invisible effect, applies equally to the stars so that in respect of every form of worship of celestial constellations the number forty represented midah keneged midah (measure for measure) "the punishment fitted the crime." Similar considerations apply to the sin of sexual licentiousness and murder as in both instnces the gestation period of the human being was forty days before it became a real fetus. As to the violence, their fourth sin, the number forty is approprite for the duration of the days of rain as the Torah containing this legislation was given to Moshe after he had spent forty days on Mount Sinai.

The sin of corruption did not only include human beings but it had also corrupted the behavior of the animals. This is why Chazal (Sanhedrin 108) explained "the ones who had become guilty of wasting hot semen were punished by a deluge of hot water." This fact is based on the words used at the end of the deluge in v8:1 "and the waters cooled off."


וַתִּשָּׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ לִפְנֵי האלוקים
vatishachet ha'aretz lifnei ha'ELOKIM
the earth had become corrupt in the presence of ELOKIM

This is in reference to idolatry practiced by man. The Torah alluded to the fact that the sins of mankind included both trespasses against G-d as well as trespasses against society. They corrupted religion and they corrupted the basics of procreation. These latter sins also included indiscriminate robbery among the people. The Torah refers to this by writing, "the earth became filled with violence," and the repetition, "for the earth is filled with violence through them." Seeing that the Torah reports G-d's decision to bring on the deluge in connection with the report of the violence it is clear tht this sin weighted most heavily and that the decree to destroy mankind was not sealed until G-d had reviewed the indiscriminated violence on earth (Sanhedrin 108). There is support for this view in two verses in Sefer Yeshayahu. In Yeshayahu 54:14 it reads, You shall keep away from oppression [do not engage in it] and you shall have no fear, and from ruin and it shall not come near you." Teh same prophet had said a few verses earlier, "that this is like the deluge to Me..." (v9). In other words, the prophet, in the Name of G-d, warns the people that the deluge had been due to the violence and oppression practiced by people against each other. The reason that this was the "straw that broke the camel's back," i.e. the most critical sin was that it is a trespass against common sense. If there were no G-d at all, mankind would have to legislate laws controlling violence as otherwise civilisation would collapse of its own. A society which did not even observe such a code of laws could not expect to endure.

The very occurrence of the deluge is proof positive that the universe was a creation and that a Creator presides over it and watches it; it proves tht he same Creator punishes those who are guilty and saves the ones who deserve to be saved such as Noach and his family. It proves further that G-d's supervision is not limited to the celestial spheres but that it extends to our "lower" world also. Just as Adam was the ancestor of all human beings after him, so Noach became the ancestor of all human beings after the deluge. Just as Adam had three sons, Kayin, Hevel, and Shet, so Noach had three sons, Shem, Cham, and Yafet. Just as two of Adam's sons were his mainstay whereas the third one was cursed, so you find that one of Noach's sons was cursed. Just as Adam's third son was the one who became the link to posterity so Noach's third son is the true link to posterity as only the descendants of Shem are the ones who will qualify for resurrection. [According to Rashi, Shem was indeed the third, i.e. the youngest son of Noach.]

May HASHEM continue to enlighten us with the Light of His Torah.

-Bachya; Chazal

Noach Pardes - Noach

Noach Pardes - The Tower of Bavel