Kommentar zu Bereschit 8:12

וייחל AND HE STAYED — This has the same meaning as ויחל (Genesis 8:10), only that the latter is the Kal, whereas the word here is the Hithpael: ויחל means “he waited” וייחל “he had patience”.

וייחל עוד, the word is in a passive mode, the root being יחל. If it had been in a hitpael mode, the letter י should have the vowel patach underneath it, but the fact is that it has the vowel kametz.

וייחל [means] he had forbearance. Rashi is saying that [the reflexive form וייחל was used because] the point was easy to understand without analysis: if the waters dried up in seven days, they will dry up more if Noach will wait another seven days. (Maharshal)

וַיִיָחֶל Niphal von חל׳, erwarten, auf etwas harren, eigentlich: der antizipierte Anfang von etwas, zur Unterscheidung von קוה, in welchem über den Eintritt des ersehnten Gegenstandes keine Meinung ausgedrückt ist, wovon man aber in יהל überzeugt ist. Der hier stehende Niphal, während sonst יהל nur im Piel und Hiphil vorkommt, ist nicht so vereinzelt, hat dann aber fast die entgegengesetzte Bedeutung. Jecheskeel 19, 5 ותרא ,כי נוחלה אבדה תקותה, sie sah sich in ihrer Erwartung getäuscht. Eine Analogie für diese den Begriff aufhebende Bedeutung des Niphal findet sich in: נהייתי נחלתי (Daniel 8. 17): ich bin in meinem Dasein gestört, gehemmt worden. תאוה נהיה eine überwundene Begierde. Demgemäß auch hier: Noa :(ProRaw Hirsch on Genesis 8: 13. 19) hatte geglaubt, nach Ablauf der ersten sieben Tage bereits hinaus gehen zu können, fand sich jedoch in seiner Erwartung getäuscht, und ließ in dieser zurückgehaltenen Erwartung noch sieben Tage verstreichen.

ולא יספה שוב אליו עוד, this is when Noach realised that the surface of the earth had dried sufficiently and that the pigeon had found a resting place on earth as well as on many trees so that it did not bother to come back to him. This happened in the 601st year of Noach’s life, seeing that the Torah mentions that it was on the first of the first month of that year. (verse 13) Noach’s 600th year had been completed on the 30th of Ellul, and he had entered the 601st year of his life on the first of Tishrey, which is the first month of the year. On the 17th day of the second month he had completed a full year’s stay in the ark. Even though the surface of the earth was “dry” in the sense that it was no longer covered by water, it was still too muddy, and the surface was misleading, seeing that beneath the immediate surface it was soft, spongy. It was not yet ready for walking on without risking that one would break through a very thin veneer of dry earth. This is why G’d had not yet commanded him to leave the ark (until the 27th of that month) At that time, as testified by the word יבשה, the earth had dried sufficiently to make using it as one’s habitat a safe endeavour. Noach did not want to leave the ark until he had been commanded to do so by G’d. He knew that G’d would issue such a command, just as He had at the time commanded him to enter the ark.