Musar zu Bereschit 6:26

We find that his service was out of love and not out of fear and this is the highest service. The Creator, blessed be He, did not praise him for fearing Him, nor did he say, “The seed of Abraham who fears me or is terrified,” but he said (Isaiah 41:8), “The seed of Abraham, My friend.” We have already said that fear is contained in love. Know that the service of the Creator, blessed be He, out of fear is not the service of the truly pious, but it is the service of the wicked or the nations of the world, as He has said to the wicked (Jeremiah 5:22), “Fear ye not Me?”, and He says concerning the Egyptians (Exodus 9:20), “He that feared the word of the Lord,” for they were not doing His command out of love, but out of fear. But to the pious he says (Deuteronomy 6:5), “And thou shalt love the Lord, thy God,” and (ibid., 11:13), “To love the Lord your God.” But he says in Job (Job 1:8), “A wholehearted and an upright man, one that feareth God, and shunneth evil,” and He did not say concerning him, “a lover of God.” And similarly it is said (Psalms 34:10), “O fear the Lord, by His holy ones,” and this is said of the wicked. For when the wicked cleave to the service of God and sanctify and cleanse themselves from their uncleanliness, they are called “holy ones” as it is said (Numbers 11:18), “Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow.” Whereas of the pious ones, whose heart is pure from the first day of their existence, it is said (Psalms 31:24), “O love the Lord all ye His godly ones; the Lord preserveth the faithful.” And of Enoch, it is said (Genesis 5:22), “And Enoch walked with God,” and it is not said, “And Enoch feared God.” And concerning Noah it is said (Genesis 6:9), “Noah was in his generations a man righteous and whole-hearted.”¹⁷Job was regarded by Jewish tradition as a gentile, as were Enoch and Noah. The latter two lived prior to the time of Abraham, the founder of Judaism. Thus the service of God through fear is not like the service of God through love.

And we find in Midrash Tehillim 49:2: "'To the chief musician, to the sons of Korach, a psalm.' This is as Scripture says (Koheleth 11:7): 'And sweet is the light, and good for the eyes.' How sweet is the light of the world to come. Happy is the man who has the good deeds to see that light, as it is written (Judges 5:31): 'And His lovers [will be] as the rising of the sun in his might.'" R. Abba said: "How sweet are those things which are compared to light. As it is written (Mishlei 6:23): 'For a mitzvah is a lamp, and Torah, light, etc.' Happy is the man who sees the Torah white as snow, for there is no end to its reward. When the Holy One Blessed be He will come to pay Israel the reward of the toilers in Torah and will bestow upon them of the secreted light in its merit — at that time they will say to the peoples of the world: 'We merited [this] because we occupied ourselves with Torah. And you used to say to us: "You are wearying yourselves for nothing." — See its reward!' As it is written (Psalms 49:2): 'Hear this [zoth] all you people.' And 'zoth' is the Torah.' (Psalms, Ibid.): 'Hear, all you dwellers of the earth [chaled]' — these are the men who raise rust [chaludah] in Gehinnom. And who are they? (Ibid. 3): 'Both the sons of "Adam" and the sons of "Ish."' "Adam" — this is Abraham, viz. (Joshua 14:15): 'the great man [Adam] among the giants.' Also the sons of Adam' — Yishmael and the sons of Ketura. 'Also the sons of Ish' — the sons of Noach, who was called ish tzaddik (Bereshith 6:9). Another interpretation: These are the idolators, who descend to Gehinnom. (Ibid.): "rich and poor together" — rich in Torah and poor in Torah. "rich" — Doeg and Achitophel. Even though they were heads of sanhedrin, they descended to Gehinnom. "and poor in Torah" — one who can learn but does not learn. Therefore, the sons of Korach said (Ibid. 4): 'My mouth shall speak wisdom' — the wisdom of Torah; 'and my heart shall meditate understanding' — the understanding of Torah. (Ibid. 5) 'I will incline my ear to a parable' — the parable of Torah." And this is the language of the holy Zohar, Parshath Vayeshev:"

The third level is the negative commandment that is rectified by a positive commandment: Our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Chullin 141a) [that] we do not give lashes for a negative commandment that is rectified by a positive commandment - for example (Deuteronomy 22:6), “you shall not take the mother from over the young,” is rectified by a positive commandment, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 22:7), “You shall surely send away.” But even though they would not give lashes through the court [in such a case], there were some with weighty punishments, such that it would reach the heavens and their judgement would be raised to the clouds. For example theft - as it is stated (Leviticus 19:13), “you shall not rob” (Leviticus 5:23) - is rectified by a positive commandment, as it is stated “and returned what he robbed.” Yet they said (Sanhedrin 108a), “The final judgement of the generation of the Flood was sealed only because of robbery, as it is stated (Genesis 6:13), ‘The end of all flesh has come in front of Me, for the earth is filled with extortion.’” And even though sexual immorality is weightier than robbery, it is the characteristic of the punishment of robbery to bring close its day and to quicken the future [consequences] to it. And they [also] said (Vayikra Rabbah 33:2), “[If you have] a seah full of iniquities, there is no prosecutor among all of them like robbery.” And King Solomon, peace be upon him, said about treasures [acquired] from dishonesty and fraud (Proverbs 21:6), “Treasures acquired by a lying tongue are like driven vapor, heading for death.” The explanation is [that] treasuries [acquired from] dishonesty and fraud are vanishing vapor, for their end is destruction. And while they are still in his possession, they are his enemies and seek the life of their master and cause his death - like the matter that is stated, (Habakkuk 2:9-11) “Ah, you who have acquired gains to the detriment of your own house, etc. For a stone shall cry out from the wall.” And in [the case of] robbing the poor, one is liable for death at the hands of the Heavens on account of it, as it is stated (Proverbs 22:22-23), “Do not rob the indigent for he is indigent; and do not crush the poor man in the gate. For the Lord will take up their cause and despoil those who despoil them of life.” Its explanation is, “do not rob from the indigent” because “he is indigent” and has no one to help him; “and do not crush the poor man in the gate,” with shame and disgrace. And “in the gate,” is to say, in public. And it is like the matter that is stated (Isaiah 3:15), “How dare you crush My people and grind the faces of the poor?” “For the Lord will take up their cause,” since they have no support, or someone to argue and take up their cause. “And despoil those who despoil them of life” - since the cry of the indigent has been brought to Him, He will not take money from you in place of the loot that you robbed, but rather God will remove your soul. And it is stated (Job 27:8), “For what hope has the impious man when he is cut down, when God takes away his life?” And it is also stated (Proverbs 1:19), “Such is the fate of all who pursue unjust gain; It takes the life of its possessor.” And one who torments and pains a widow or an orphan - whether with robbery, or fraud or shame or any type of pain - is liable for death at the hands of the Heavens. And likewise the judges who are able to rescue someone robbed from him who defrauded him, and do not judge [the case of an] orphan, have a death sentence upon them - as it is stated (Exodus 22:21-23), “You shall not ill-treat any widow or orphan. If you do oppress them, I will heed their outcry as soon as they cry out to Me. And My anger shall blaze forth and I will put you to the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children orphans.” Its explanation is, “and your wives shall become widows,” corresponding to the oppression of the widow; “and your children orphans,” corresponding to the oppression of the orphan - measure for measure. And even though these punishments are not written [about the following], one who pains any Israelite transgresses a negative commandment - as it is stated (Leviticus 25:17), “A man shall not oppress (tonu) his kinsman.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said (Bava Metzia 58b) the verse is speaking about verbal oppression. And that is from the contents of pain and torment, like the usage “(Isaiah 49:26), “I will make your oppressors (monayich) eat their own flesh.” And our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, [also] said (Bava Metzia 59a), “All the gates [of prayer] have been closed, except for the gates of [one who is praying as a result of his] oppression.” And where Scripture was speaking about financial oppression, it mentioned buying and selling, as it is stated (Leviticus 25:14), “When you sell property to your kinsman.” And they said (Bava Metzia 58b) [that] verbal oppression is greater than financial oppression, for this is upon his body and that is upon his money - and about [the former] it stated (Leviticus 25:17), “but you shall fear your God,” but about [the latter (25:14)], “but you shall fear,” is not stated.

Adam ruined this state of affairs by interfering with the סוד היין, the mystical properties of the grapes. [I suppose that this is based on the tree of knowledge having been a grape bearing tree. Ed.] He followed an evil path by squeezing a cluster of grapes (and consuming its juice). Had he not done so, that "wine" would have remained in the state of what our sages call the יין המשומר בענביו, "the wine that remained preserved within its grapes (compare Berachot 34).” In that event he would have been like "the cistern that does not lose a single drop” [hyperbole for total recall, see Avot 2,11. Ed.]. He would have retained all the holiness that had been his when he was created. When Adam sinned, he did not only lose some of his former glory, fall from a "high roof" (to the ground), but he fell into a "very deep pit" (below the ground). This was a בור רק, an empty pit [allusion to the pit Joseph had been thrown in. Genesis 37,24], since it did not even contain the ingredients for the survival of the species. The species was wiped out at the time of the deluge as a direct consequence of Adam having polluted that "drop of sacred semen," and made it "evil smelling." Due to G–d's personal intervention, Noach was saved seeing he was righteous, and the righteous are the foundation of the universe. The present universe was founded by him as a result.

The Zohar in its commentary on this פרשה, warns repeatedly that one must be careful not to expose oneself to danger at a time when danger lurks all around. We have discussed the letter מ as alluding to the angel of death. As long as the angel of death does not come face to face with a potential victim he has no control over such a person. It is best to hide in one's house during wars and other times when violence erupts, so as not to expose oneself to the forces of destruction.

Adam ruined this state of affairs by interfering with the סוד היין, the mystical properties of the grapes. [I suppose that this is based on the tree of knowledge having been a grape bearing tree. Ed.] He followed an evil path by squeezing a cluster of grapes (and consuming its juice). Had he not done so, that "wine" would have remained in the state of what our sages call the יין המשומר בענביו, "the wine that remained preserved within its grapes (compare Berachot 34).” In that event he would have been like "the cistern that does not lose a single drop” [hyperbole for total recall, see Avot 2,11. Ed.]. He would have retained all the holiness that had been his when he was created. When Adam sinned, he did not only lose some of his former glory, fall from a "high roof" (to the ground), but he fell into a "very deep pit" (below the ground). This was a בור רק, an empty pit [allusion to the pit Joseph had been thrown in. Genesis 37,24], since it did not even contain the ingredients for the survival of the species. The species was wiped out at the time of the deluge as a direct consequence of Adam having polluted that "drop of sacred semen," and made it "evil smelling." Due to G–d's personal intervention, Noach was saved seeing he was righteous, and the righteous are the foundation of the universe. The present universe was founded by him as a result.

Adam ruined this state of affairs by interfering with the סוד היין, the mystical properties of the grapes. [I suppose that this is based on the tree of knowledge having been a grape bearing tree. Ed.] He followed an evil path by squeezing a cluster of grapes (and consuming its juice). Had he not done so, that "wine" would have remained in the state of what our sages call the יין המשומר בענביו, "the wine that remained preserved within its grapes (compare Berachot 34).” In that event he would have been like "the cistern that does not lose a single drop” [hyperbole for total recall, see Avot 2,11. Ed.]. He would have retained all the holiness that had been his when he was created. When Adam sinned, he did not only lose some of his former glory, fall from a "high roof" (to the ground), but he fell into a "very deep pit" (below the ground). This was a בור רק, an empty pit [allusion to the pit Joseph had been thrown in. Genesis 37,24], since it did not even contain the ingredients for the survival of the species. The species was wiped out at the time of the deluge as a direct consequence of Adam having polluted that "drop of sacred semen," and made it "evil smelling." Due to G–d's personal intervention, Noach was saved seeing he was righteous, and the righteous are the foundation of the universe. The present universe was founded by him as a result.

[What had happened to Noach was similar to what happened to the colleague of Rabbi Akiva who investigated the mysteries of the link between G–d and man only to emerge with his mind deranged (Chagigah 14). One must not overestimate one's spiritual capacity, just as one must not underestimate it. Ed.]. In spite of all this, G–d swore not to cause the extinction of the human race again, as had occurred during the deluge. When G–d promised this, He alluded to His previous statement of קץ כל בשר, in Genesis 6,13; this suggests that the present condition of immortality of the species only will continue during the length of mankind's natural history. Only after the arrival of the Messiah will there be a change, and when "G–d will rejoice in His handiwork again" (Psalms 104,31), the state of the universe will revert to what it had been at the time Adam was created. We will return to this later. The "descendants" which are the true descendants G–d had wished to see will not occur till the Messiah; this is indicated in Ruth 4,12 ואלה תולדות פרץ, where we find the word תולדות, descendants, spelled with two letters ו, to indicate that such descendants will correspond to all that G–d has hoped for from mankind. Peretz, of course, is another name for the Messiah.

And in the general scope of cruelty is included him who robs his companion of anything and therefore caused him pain. And there is a great punishment in store for him who robs the poor — and one who does so is deserving of death as it is written: "Rob not the weak because he is weak" (Ibid. 22:22). And it is written: "For the Lord will plead their cause, and despoil of life those that despoil them" (Ibid. 22:23). And even though there be greater and more severe sins than robbery the punishment for robbing is very grievous, as it is written about the generation of the flood, "The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them" (Gen. 6:13). Our Rabbis said, "If there is a box filled with sins — there is no more severe accuser among them than robbery" (Sanhedrin 108a). And he who causes pain to an orphan or a widow through robbing them or shaming them or any kind of malicious pain is worthy of death through the power of Heaven. This is also true of judges who have the power to save them from the hand of their oppressors and do not fairly judge the case of the orphan or the widow — they are deserving of death as it is written: "You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child" (Exod. 22:21). And it is further written: "If you afflict him in any way, for if he comes unto me I will surely hear his cry" (Ibid. : 22). And it is written : "My wrath shall burn and I will slay you with the sword and your wives will be widows and your children will be orphans" (Ibid.:23). Measure for measure: "Your wives shall be widows" for "afflicting widows" and "your sons shall be orphans" for afflicting orphans."

כהן-לוים-ישראלים, in descending order, are similar to נשמה-רוח-נפש. The Torah describes "Adam" on three levels, Genesis 2,7, ויהי אדם לנפש חיה. In Genesis 6,3, we find רוח האדם. Finally, in Genesis 2,7, we find him also as נשמת האדם. Kabbalists have described this parallel relationship and have claimed that this is the source for our reciting one hundred benedictions daily. The Israelite, who represents the נפש level, gives ten percent of his harvest to the Levite, who represents the רוח level. The Levite in turn, gives ten percent of what he has received to the Priest, who represents the נשמה level. This means the Priest is entitled to the "number" one (one out of a hundred). The author of Shaarey Orah as well as the author of Tolaat Yaakov have elaborated on the significance of these various numbers in the alphabet. We find the whole Jewish people referred to as נפש (singular), when Jacob and his family moved to Egypt (Genesis 46,27).

We have a rule that in case a fire breaks out on the Sabbath, that whenever it is permitted to save the book, i.e. Torah scroll, it is also permitted to save the protective cover that such a Torah scroll is wrapped in together with the scroll (Shabbat 116). The relative importance of the body compared to the soul is similar to the importance in halachah of the ark of the Torah scroll to the Torah scroll itself. This is why in the future when the world will be full of knowledge of the Lord-a spiritual achievement-also physical matter such as the body will benefit through resurrection. It too will be able to absorb such knowledge. This is one of the important aspects in which the present sin-polluted world differs from an ideal world. The inferior status of matter in our world had its origin in Genesis 6,6, where the Torah says: ויתעצב אל לבו, He (G–d) was saddened concerning his (man's) heart. G–d saw that man no longer was using his body correctly, that the only area of spirituality left was man's heart. If man had "seen" with his heart instead of merely with his "eyes," [part of physical matter. Ed.] man's fall could have been avoided. We know from Samuel I 16,7: "for man 'sees' with the eyes whereas G–d 'sees' with the heart." Only G–d sees with His "heart." Man's decline began when the tree of knowledge appealed to Eve's eyes (Genesis 3,6). The purpose of man's creation had been to have the body as perfect as the soul, the body to be the היכל, "Sanctuary," whereas the soul would be the קדשי קדשים, "the inner Sanctuary." Both body and soul would have enjoyed a life of intelligence.

Chazal have said (Reishith Chochmah, Sha'ar Ha'anavah 4): "In three instances the Holy One Blessed be He overlooked idol worship; but He did not overlook machloketh. First, in the generation of Enosh, when men began to serve idols, as it is written: 'Then they began to call [idols] in the name of the L-rd.' But, because there was peace among them, the Holy One Blessed be He allowed them a hiatus. In the generation of the flood, however, because there was machloketh among them, so that they stole and plundered from each other, the Holy One Blessed be He did not relent, as it is written (Ibid. 6:"13): 'Because the earth was filled with violence by them, etc.' Second, in the generation of the desert when the Jews came to make the golden calf, the Holy One Blessed be He forgave them; but when they lapsed into machloketh, the Holy One Blessed be He did not overlook it. For wherever you find 'and they protested' [vayalinu] of machloketh, you find a great smiting, the most extreme instance being the Korach rebellion. Third, the image of Micah. Because there was peace among them, they were given a grace period, as it is written (Judges 18:30): 'And the children of Dan set up the image; and Yehonathan, the son of Menasheh, he and his sons were priests to the tribe of Dan until the day of the captivity of the land.' But when the tribes contended with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and there was no peace among them, they became scourges to each other. When the one sinned, the Holy One Blessed be He would bring the other upon him and exact payment from him, as it is written (II Chronicles 13:17): 'And Aviyya and his people slew them with a great slaughter, so there fell slain of Israel five hundred thousand chosen men.' And when the tribes of Judah and Benjamin sinned, the ten tribes came and exacted punishment of them, as it is written (Ibid. 28:6): 'For Pekach, the son of Remalyahu, slew in Judah a hundred and twenty thousand in one day.'" We are hereby taught that men of machloketh become instruments of destruction, one to the other.

At first glance we are perplexed why G–d should be mentioning or even alluding to periods of distress at the very time when the Torah reports creation, i.e. something positive. Do we not have a principle that at a time of joy one only concentrates on joyful matters?! (based on Rashi Genesis 6,7 and more ancient sources).

Having explained all this, we can now understand the difference between Genesis 6,1 את האלוקים התהלך נח, "Noach walked with the Lord," and Genesis 24,40 when Abraham describes himself in these words: ה' אשר התהלכתי לפניו, "G–d before Whom I walked" Noach needed G–d to "hold his hand," so to speak, whereas Abraham was self-propelled, took the initiative. Noach was afraid to mix with the corrupt society he lived in and isolated himself with only G–d as his companion because he was afraid of the possible influence on him of contemporary society. Abraham was not only confident that he would not succumb to the corrupt society around him, but he tried to lead his fellow-men back to the path of monotheism and a life of good deeds. I have elaborated on this elswewhere. This is the plain meaning of those verses.

Having explained all this, we can now understand the difference between Genesis 6,1 את האלוקים התהלך נח, "Noach walked with the Lord," and Genesis 24,40 when Abraham describes himself in these words: ה' אשר התהלכתי לפניו, "G–d before Whom I walked" Noach needed G–d to "hold his hand," so to speak, whereas Abraham was self-propelled, took the initiative. Noach was afraid to mix with the corrupt society he lived in and isolated himself with only G–d as his companion because he was afraid of the possible influence on him of contemporary society. Abraham was not only confident that he would not succumb to the corrupt society around him, but he tried to lead his fellow-men back to the path of monotheism and a life of good deeds. I have elaborated on this elswewhere. This is the plain meaning of those verses.

On Genesis 6,7 and 8, “כי נחמתי כי עשיתם. ונח מצא חן בעיני השם," Rav Kahana comments in Bereshit Rabbah 29,1 that the end of verse 6 shows that even Noach had not really been found to be worthy. He was "lucky" to have found favor in the eyes of G–d. Whereas Noach מצא, "found," G–d did not "find " The meaning is that Noach "found" that G–d awakened him, G–d however, did not "find," i.e. did not see in Noach, something He felt he had to "respond" to. The reverse was true of Abraham, as demonstrated by the verse we have quoted. This is also the meaning of ומצאת את לבבו נאמן לפניך, "You have found his (Abraham's) heart loyal before You." (Nechemia 9,8)

Now that our exile has lasted so long because of our many sins it is more important than ever that Israel should separate themselves from the vain things of the world and take hold of the Seal of the Holy One, Blessed be He, which is Truth — and sanctify themselves even in things that are permitted to them (Yebamoth 20a), and not to lie — not to a Jew and not to a heathen, and not to deceive them in any matter, as it is said, "The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies, neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth" (Zeph. 3:13). And it is further written, "And I will sow her unto Me in the land" (Hos. 2:25). Surely a man sows a seah in order to harvest many kurim, thus, the Holy One, Blessed be He, exiled Israel among the nations only so that proselytes might join them (Pesahim 87b). And so long as they conduct themselves among the heathens without guile, the latter will cleave to them. And behold the Holy One, Blessed be He, was furious with the wicked for their robbery, as it is said, "For the earth is filled with violence" (Gen. 6:11).

The attribute of Justice is not to be confused with עקא, distress, rather it means that man is to be treated according to his just deserts, be it reward or punishment. The only reason it is a source of distress to be judged by is the fact that we are all unable to measure up to its yardstick. It is thus quite normal that both Jacob and Esau were offspring of Isaac. One of them was destined for oblivion, the other for eternal life. Both are alluded to in the name קצחי. The קץ, "end," part of the name alludes to Esau, the סטרא אחרא to which the Zohar has linked it when commenting on קץ כל בשר בא לפני, "I have decided to put an end to all flesh" (Genesis 6,13). Samael is also referred to as קץ הימים, the end of all days, seeing he puts an end to our "days." The same word is also used to describe חשך, darkness. We read in Job 28,3: קץ שם לחשך, ולכל תכלית הוא חוקר, "He (G–d) sets bounds to darkness, to every limit man probes." Jacob, on the other hand, represents life, i.e. חי as in חי רב פעלים איש, (Samuel II 28,20). The Talmud Taanit 5 makes a point of telling us that יעקב אבינו לא מת, that our patriarch Jacob did not die. We derive all this information from the name קצחי.

This is the real meaning of "Noach found favor in the eyes of G–d, whereas G–d did not find." He stood out in his generation, since his generation did not respond to the exhortations, whereas Noach responded to G–d's "grace," i.e. וחנותי את אשר אחון. He had never become corrupt, nor was he put off by the failure of his fellow-men to heed him. Noach's contemporaries were ערלי לב, had uncircumcised hearts. When they did not respond to calls from above either, they demonstrated that they were also ערלי בשר, remained uncircumcised in their flesh and continued in their perversions. This is why both their bodies and their souls perished. This means that at the time of the resurrection their individual "files" will not be re-opened to determine if some of them qualify for another round of life on earth. Rabbi Aba in the Zohar, (Sullam edition page 75) comments as follows on Genesis 7,23: וימח את כל היקום … וימחו מן הארץ, "The words כל היקום אשר על פני האדמה, include all rulers past and present of the Gentile nations. Before G–d metes out retribution to the ordinary individual, He deals with those whose obligation it is to teach their subjects to be G–d-fearing, and who have failed to discharge their duties.

I have explained a Midrash in Bereshit Rabbah on Noach where Moses and Noach are contrasted. It says that Moses was more beloved than Noach, since the latter is first described as איש צדיק, a righteous man (Genesis 6,9), whereas later he is called איש האדמה, man of the earth (Genesis 9,20). Moses, on the other hand, is first called איש מצרי and later on he is called איש האלוקים.

– whereas Noach even at the height of his spiritual accomplishment, after he had been called צדיק, and after G–d had made a covenant with him and promised never again to bring a deluge, is still called איש האדמה, a man of the soil. All of this means that even Noach was included in G–d's comment in Genesis 6,7 כי נחמתי כי עשיתם, and that, if he was saved, this was due to the אדמה, which was destined to exist indefinitely and which could not be left to be completely desolate -or its existence would become meaningless. The meaning of איש האדמה, when viewed from this perspective is: "he remained as an איש, for the sake of the earth, אדמה." This consideration explains why at the very moment Noach is described as צדיק he is also called איש האדמה.

The Torah's greatest command is to see to it that its teachings expand to as many Jews as possible, certainly including one's own children, in order to perpetuate the chain of Torah knowledge in one's family. The latter is clearly stated in Deut. 11,19 and numerous other places. It is this the sages had in mind when they said (Rashi Genesis 6,9) that the principal descendants of the righteous are their good deeds. This means that it is the fondest hope of the righteous that they become fruitful and multiply in order that their children may perform good deeds such as the study of Torah for its own sake and all that results therefrom. Concerning such an attitude Solomon has said in Kohelet 12,11: "The words of the scholars are like goads and like well driven nails i.e. נטועים." Our sages understand the word נטועים here as referring to offspring. Just as a plant is called permanent when securely planted, so one's children assure one of a degree of permanence and continuity on earth by their very existence. Words of Torah have a similar characteristic. They are fruitful and multiply like an unending fountain whose waters never cease The important thing is that preoccupation with Torah should not become a sterile intellectual exercise but something dynamic, creative. This is the reason that the Rabbis said that when one teaches one's neighbor's child Torah it is as if one had begotten him, i.e. performed a dynamic life-giving act. The same applies in even greater degree to when one teaches Torah to one's own children. The earth was given to man on condition that he live according to these principles, and the atmosphere of the land of Israel is particularly suited to further Torah study. We find an allusion to this in the positioning of the verse (11,19) instructing us to teach our children Torah immediately before the verse: "so that you will enjoy long years on the land the Lord your G–d has sworn to your forefathers to give to them, etc." (11,21). This is why this dimension is mentioned in the above quoted prayer והערב נא which we recite every morning immediately following the benediction לעסוק בדברי תורה. Our sages have formulated this prayer/blessing to include both our own offspring, וצאצאינו, as well as that of others, i.e. וצאצאי עמך בית ישראל. Anyone failing to recite this benediction may find that his children themselves will not develop to be Torah scholars. If such failure occurs on a broad basis even the atmosphere of the land of Israel, which is so suited to the spread of Torah knowledge, will become "lost," i.e. it will no longer be a built-in assist to the spread of Torah. The land's characteristic is closely bound up with the scholars residing in it practicing the virtues associated with their Torah knowledge.

This was also the reason they told about the ילידי ענק ראינו שם, "we have seen the Anakites there" (13,28). These were some of the נפילים, disgraced angels, who had dropped from the heavens, and who still continued to live, having survived the deluge, a tribute to their virtues which they must have brought with them from the Celestial Regions. These people were still perceived to be part angels, since their parentage was partially angels. (Compare Genesis 6,2, and the statement of Rabbi Yossi in the Zohar on this verse, identifying them as two specific angels called Azza and Azza'el respectively.) Concerning this phenomenon the spies described the land as ארץ אוכלת יושביה היא, a land that consumes its inhabitants, meaning that it does not tolerate morally inferior inhabitants, which explained why the survivors in that land were the ones that possess superior virtues. They tried to prove this by saying that though they had been observed spying, giving the inhabitants every legal right to kill or otherwise punish them, these had not bothered to do so out of the goodness of their hearts, though they had ample provocation and could have treated them like hostile grasshoppers (compare 13,33).

There is an enigmatic statement in the Talmud Chullin 139 which reads: משה מן התורה מנין? Whence do we have evidence in the Torah that Moses existed? The Talmud answers that this is proven from Genesis 6,3 where the Torah refers to G–d's spirit not being able to predominate in man while the latter is flesh, i.e. בשגם בשר. The numerical value of the word בשגם is 345, the same as the numerical value of the name משה. [The Talmud's query must be understood as "where is Moses' name alluded to already in the story leading up to the deluge?" Ed.]

I have already said that man combines within himself elements of all parts of the universe. However, if someone has a face like a human being but acts like an ape, his power extends only within the domain of this physical universe. Afterwards his home would be in the world of the planets since the world of the planets has been assigned by G–d to the various nations, because its origin is also physical. Beneath that world of the planets you have the domain of the קליפות which spawn ghosts and various kinds of evil spirits. All magic, etc. originates in those spheres. The magicians of Egypt derived their power from these spheres. All of these phenomena have their limitations and set measurements. Israel, on the other hand, as a holy nation which cleaves to G–d enjoys an everlasting relationship with G–d and is not subject to limitations in size or function. The standard measure when building is the cubit which consists of 6 handsbreadths. When something approaches the end of its "measure," it is reduced to a single cubit. [We have an example of this description when Noach is instructed to build the slanting roof of the ark in Genesis 6,16: ואל אמה תכלנה מלמעלה Ed.] Pharaoh's body is described as only one cubit tall, since it symbolised a human being whose only place is this physical world. The physical universe is perceived as progressively reducing in size until finally it is only a single cubit high. Our sages have described the physical universe as comprising a distance of 500 years' walk. A man is presumed to walk an average of 10 Parsa-ot daily. [45 km] daily. Ed.] Every one of those 10 Parsa-ot comprises 4 Milin, and every one of those Milin equals 2000 cubits. A cubit is presumed to be the length of an average person's step. Just as there are 6 handsbreadths in a cubit, so there were 6 days during the course of which G–d created the physical universe. This universe is supposed to last for 6000 years. When Avital the scribe referred to the beard of Pharoh as being one cubit long, he referred to the world of the planets, since their size will also experience reduction to a single cubit, albeit 500 years' walk away from earth.

This statement of the Midrash also deserves further analysis. Why does this Midrash see a connection to the use of the word "שאו" in the Joseph story involving Pharaoh that we have cited? After all, we have a rule בשעת חדוה, חדוה. This means that at a time when joy prevails, no sour note is introduced. Rashi explains this on Genesis 6,6. In our case the restoration of the שכינה, the visible Presence of G–d, was certainly such an occasion; why then look for negative connotations of the word "שאו?"

The third and highest level of accommodation in the ark was reserved for אדם, man, who is the יסוד העולם, foundation of the universe, seeing the image of Jacob is engraved in G–d's throne. Concerning all three levels of the ark, we apply the verse בראש מגדול הוא שם ה', בו ירוץ צדיק ונשגב of Proverbs, that G–d is above those levels.

We must appreciate that when G–d created different worlds, He named, i.e. formed and defined them by means of a combination of the letters of the alphabet. Our sages say that Betzalel understood the mystery of the combinations of all of these letters which make up the names [definitions] of all things found in this world (Berachot 55 based on the word שם in Exodus 35,30). Early man, who was still בצלם אלוקים, was still able to understand the significance of the names of G–d, and used these names to serve Him in holiness and love in order to cleave to Him. This condition came to an end with the generation of Enosh, as we have explained earlier based on Bereshit Rabbah. When we read in Genesis 4,26 that during the lifetime of Enosh אז הוחל לקרא בשם ה', "then one began to profane the name of the Lord," the meaning is that people no longer used His Name in holiness but desecrated it. The expression הוחל indicates something that is profane, חולין. This situation continued until the advent of the deluge. When the Torah speaks about המה הגבורים אשר היו מעולם אנשי השם, "they were the heroes of old, men of the "Name" (Genesis 6,4), this means that these people used the name of G–d to manipulate the universe, as described in the Zohar, Sullam edition page 209. The expression אנשי השם in Genesis, and the expression ויקוב את השם in Leviticus 24,11, where the Torah refers to the blasphemer, suggests a similar misuse of the Holy Name of G–d in both instances. It was the ability of these people to use G–d's name in order to manipulate it that made them disregard the warnings of an impending deluge. All this is described at greater length in the Zohar. We find that the people of Jerusalem are described by the prophet Ezekiel 12,19 as also having displayed misplaced optimism concerning the prophecies of doom by Jeremiah. The people's very knowledge of G–d's name was what misled them. This is the justification for the reference in Ezekiel to these people as "dwellers in ruins" when in fact they were still dwelling in Jerusalem.

According to the Tziyoni, the instruction to Noach to build an ark meant that he was to employ combinations of the letters in G–d's name to do so and to build what could become the equivalent of a Holy Temple. The Tziyoni also quotes the verse from Proverbs about the מגדל עז, that the Zohar discussed. He demonstrates that the letters in G–d's Ineffable Name were manipulated in a manner which enabled Noach to build the ark according to the measurements reported in the Torah.

Whereas someone who fails to procreate by not emitting his semen is considered כאלו שופך דמים, as if he had spilled blood, a person who emits semen for purposes other than procreation has actually spilled blood and is guilty of death. This is why the people of the generation of the deluge were condemned to die, as we have outlined elsewhere. The important thing is that even if a person is סור מרע, abstains from doing evil by not wasting his semen and merely not impregnating his wife who is of childbearing age, he is still considered as if he had spilled blood. The reason is that man is to act like the אדם העליון (a facet of G–d), whose very function is the unending dispensation of שפע, abundance, acts of generosity. If, due to our sins, we do not experience this generosity on earth i.e. in the sphere of מלכות, from the emanation תפארץ which channels such שפע to Israel, as hinted at by the words אשר זרעו בו על הארץ [G–d's first command to provide that שפע in Genesis 1,11. Ed.], such שפע is granted to חצונים, unworthy creatures, and results in ותשחת הארץ, corruption of the earth (Genesis 6,11). The word זרעו should be read as 6) ,זרע-ו) since the sixth emanation is תפארת.

When the Talmud asked how we know from the Torah that there would be a Moses, a Haman, a Mordechai and an Esther, these are not idle questions. From the answer the Talmud gives it is evident that there must be a deeper reason for such enquiries. In the case of Moses, the Talmud cites Genesis 6,3 בשגם הוא בשר, that G–d indicated that He made an allowance for the spiritual inadequacies of man inasmuch as part of man is physical. The letters in the word בשגם have a numerical value of 345, the same as the numerical value of the name משה. The Torah alludes to an eventual Haman with the words המן העץ in Genesis 3,11. The letters of Haman are the same as the word Ha-min. When answering the question where Esther is alluded to in the Torah, the Talmud cites ואנכי הסתר אסתיר את פני, "I will keep My face hidden" (Deut 31,18). We have an allusion to Mordechai in the Torah, as we mentioned earlier, based on Exodus 30,23 ואתה קח לך בשמים ראש מר דרור, "And you, take yourself choice spices Mor deror." The translation of this spice in Aramaic is מירא דכיא.