Midrasch zu Bereschit 6:21

(Gen. 6:9:) THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF NOAH: Thus did R. Tanhuma bar Abba open < his teaching > in the academy: It is written (in Prov. 11:30): THE FRUIT OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS A TREE OF LIFE.⁷Cf. Gen. R. 30:6. R. Judah bar Shallum the Levite said:⁸Tanh., Gen. 2:2. When a righteous one is passing from the world without offspring, he is depressed and weeping. The Holy One says to him: For what reason are you depressed and weeping? For the reason that you have not raised up the fruit of offspring? In this world I have fruit more beautiful than offspring. Then he says to him: Sovereign of the World, what is that fruit? The Holy One says to him: This is < the > Torah, in which you were busy, for thus it is written: THE FRUIT OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS A TREE OF LIFE. Now there is no tree of life but Torah, as stated (in Prov. 3:18): < WISDOM > IS A TREE OF LIFE TO THOSE WHO TAKE HOLD OF IT. Who is this < righteous one > ? This is Noah. Our masters have said: Noah did not die until he had seen all the world in its entirety with its population,⁹Cf. Tanh., Gen. 2:2, which explains in this context that the Holy One treats a person with due consideration to ancestors and descendants. So also Gen. R. 29:5. not until he had seen the early days¹⁰Buber suggests emending “early days” to “fortress” (qatsrah), from the Latin castra. See ‘Arakh. 9:6. of Sepphoris, not until he had seen the seventy peoples who would go out from his loins; and of all these only he had his righteousness mentioned, as stated (in Gen. 6:9): THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF NOAH: [NOAH WAS A RIGHTEOUS MAN, PERFECT]. Shem, Ham, and Japheth < appear > (in the next verse), < but > only his (Noah's) righteousness is recorded here. Thus it is stated: NOAH WAS A RIGHTEOUS MAN. You yourself know that the above verse (Prov. 11:30) speaks about Noah, since there is written at the end of it: AND A WISE ONE WINS SOULS. Now this was Noah, since he had won souls. Thus he nurtured and fed them. And what did he feed them? R. Aqiva says: He fed fig cake to all of them, human, cattle, beast, and fowl, as it is stated (in Gen. 6:21): AND IT SHALL BE FOOD FOR YOU AND FOR THEM.¹¹Cf. Gen. R. 31:14. Now what is < the one > thing of which the children of Adam eat as well as the cattle, the beast, and the fowl? Thus he (Aqiva) says: This is fig cake. But our masters say: No! Rather each and every species ate what it had been used to: the camel, straw; the donkey, barley; the elephant, vine wood; the ostrich, glass. Ergo it says (in Prov. 11:30): AND A WISE ONE WINS SOULS.

And he that is wise winneth souls (ibid.). This applies to Noah, who fed and sustained the animals. What food did he feed them? R. Akiba maintained: All of them ate dried figs, as it is written: And it shall be for food for thee and for them (Gen. 6:21). Our sages, however, said: This was not so. He provided each of them with the kind of food it was accustomed to eat—straw for the camel, barley for the ass, and so forth. Each animal was fed what it was accustomed to eat. Hence, And he that is wise winneth souls.

(Gen. 30:22:) THEN GOD REMEMBERED RACHEL…. AND OPENED (rt.: PTH) HER WOMB. Let our master instruct us: Is it legitimate for one to wipe off a table on the Sabbath with a sponge.⁴⁸Gk.: spoggos. Thus have our masters taught (in Shab. 21:3): IN THE CASE OF A SPONGE, IF IT HAS A LEATHER HANDLE, ONE MAY WIPE WITH IT; BUT, IF NOT, ONE MAY NOT WIPE WITH IT. Now, if leather is not sewn to it, when one comes to wipe [on the Sabbath], the water enters. Then {it would absorb} [he would press down], the water would flow out, and he would be found squeezing on the Sabbath. Ergo (ibid.): IF IT HAS A LEATHER HANDLE, ONE MAY WIPE WITH IT; [BUT, IF NOT, ONE MAY NOT WIPE WITH IT], lest he squeeze and the water flows out. Come and see the works of the Holy One, that they are unlike the work of flesh and blood. In the case of flesh and blood, when one squeezes (rt.: 'TsR) on a sponge, the water flows down; < if > one opens his hand, the water does not flow down. With the Holy One, however, this is not so. If he squeezes, the water does not flow down, as stated (in Job 12:15): BEHOLD, HE SHALL SHUT UP (rt.: 'TsR) THE WATERS SO THAT THEY DRY UP. It is also written (in Deut. 11:17): AND HE SHALL SHUT UP (rt.: 'TsR) THE HEAVENS SO THAT THERE SHALL BE NO RAIN. However, if he opens up (PTH), then < the waters > come down, as stated (in Deut. 28:12): THE LORD SHALL OPEN (PTH) FOR YOU < HIS BOUNTEOUS TREASURY, THE HEAVENS, TO GIVE RAIN FOR YOUR LAND IN ITS SEASON >. R. Johanan said: There are four keys (rt.: PTH) in the hand of the Holy One which he has not delivered to the humans in the world, they are the following: the key of rains, the key of sustenance, the key of graves, and the key of barren women.⁴⁹Cf. above, 4:35; Frag. Targum, Gen. 30:22; Frag. Targum, Deut. 28:11; Ta‘an. 2ab; Gen. R. 73:4. Yet, when they were needed, the Holy One delivered them to the righteous. The key of rain he delivered to Elijah, as stated (in I Kings 17:1): DURING THESE YEARS THERE SHALL BE NEITHER DEW NOR RAIN EXCEPT AT MY (Elijah's) WORD. The key of sustenance he delivered to Noah, as stated (in Gen. 6:21): FOR YOUR PART, TAKE SOME OF EVERY KIND OF FOOD THAT IS EATEN…. < AND IT SHALL BE FOOD FOR YOU AND FOR THEM >. The key of graves he delivered to Ezekiel, as stated (in Ezek. 37:3-4 [4-5]): AND YOU SHALL SAY UNTO THEM: O DRY BONES … < YOU SHALL LIVE AGAIN >. The key of barren women he delivered to Elisha, as stated (in II Kings 4:16): < THEN HE (Elisha) SAID > AT THIS SEASON NEXT YEAR YOU SHALL BE EMBRACING A SON. Where is it shown that the Holy One has not delivered them to the humans in the world, but unlocks (rt.: PTH) them by himself? In respect to the key (rt.: PTH) of rains? Where it is stated (in Deut. 28:12): THE LORD WILL OPEN (rt.: PTH) FOR YOU < HIS BOUNTEOUS TREASURY, THE HEAVENS, TO GIVE RAIN FOR YOUR LAND IN ITS SEASON >. In respect to the key of sustenance? Where it is stated (in Ps. 145:16): < YOU > OPEN (rt.: PTH) YOUR HAND < AND SATISFY THE DESIRE OF EVERY LIVING BEING >. In respect to the key of graves? Where it is stated (in Ezek. 37:12): < THUS SAYS THE LORD GOD > : BEHOLD, I WILL OPEN (PTH) YOUR GRAVES < AND RAISE YOU UP OUT FROM YOUR GRAVES >. And in respect to the key of barren women, how is it shown? From what is written on the matter (in Gen. 30:22): THEN GOD REMEMBERED RACHEL < … > AND OPENED (rt.: PTH) HER WOMB.

"Noah, the tiller of the soil, was the first [vayyachel] to plant a vineyard (Genesis 9:20)": he was disgraced [nitchallel] and made debased [chullin]. Why? "To plant a vineyard". Should he not have planted something else to repair the world, a tree sapling or a tree cutting? Instead "To plant a vineyard"; from where did he acquire it? Rabbi Abba son of Kahana said: "He gathered to him planting vine shoots and saplings of figs, and cuttings of olives, and see! It is written: "For your part, take of everything that is eaten and store it away, to serve as food for you and for them (Genesis 6:21)": a man does not gather anything unless it is necessary for himself". "The tiller of the soil": there were three of them who were excited about the land to no benefit, and these are they: Cain, Noah, and Uzziah. Cain, "tiller of the soil (Genesis 4:2)", Noah "tiller of the soil", Uzziah: "and vine dressers in the mountains and on the fertile lands, for he loved the soil (2 Chronicles 26:10)". "The tiller of the soil": who made the face of the ground, and because of him the ground was preserved and by whom the entire face of the ground was filled. "The tiller of the soil": a stationed soldier, burgarius, is called by the name of his station, burg. Rabbi Berechya said: "Moses was favored for than Noah. Noah was called "a righteous man (Genesis 6:9)", he was called "the tiller of the soil", but Moses was called "an Egyptian (Exodus 2:19)", he was called "a man of God (Deuteronomy 33:1)". "To plant a vineyard": While he was walking "to plant a vineyard" the demon Asmodeus appeared to him and said to him: "Join with me! Though watch out that you not enter my side of the vineyard. If you enter into my side, I will hurt you".