Midrash for Genesis 7:10

(Lev. 9:1) “And it came to pass on the eighth day….” This text is related to [the verse] (in Eccl. 8:5), “Whoever observes a commandment shall not know anything evil.” Who is this?¹Cf. Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 2:4. Aaron, of whom it is said (in Lev. 8:33, 35), “And you (i.e., you and your sons) shall not go out from the door of the tent of meeting for seven days […]. And you shall remain at the door of the tent of meeting day and night for seven days.” Moses said to them, “Observe mourning for seven days, before it comes to you.” (Lev. 8:35, cont.) “And you shall observe the charge of the Lord.” Moses said to them, “Observe the charge of the Lord, for so did the Holy One, blessed be He, observe seven days of mourning before He brought the flood.” Where is it shown that He mourned [before the flood]? Where it is stated (in Gen. 6:6), “Then the Lord regretted that He had made humanity on the earth, and He was grieving in his heart.” [The expression] “He was grieving” can only mean, He mourned. For so it says concerning David (in II Sam. 19:3), “And the victory [on that day] was turned into mourning for all the people because [on that day they heard it being said,] ‘The king was grieving over his son.’”²Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 2:4; Gen. R. 27:4. So also Ezra said to Israel when they were weeping, each one for his brother and each one for his child (in Neh. 8:10), “Go, eat choice foods and drink sweet drinks…. Do not be grieving, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” It is therefore stated (in Gen. 6:6), “and He was grieving in his heart.” At that time the Holy One, blessed be He, observed the seven days of mourning, before He brought the flood. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 7:10), “And it came to pass after seven days [that the waters of the flood came upon the earth].” And so Moses was saying to Aaron the priest and to his sons, “Just as the Holy One, blessed be He, mourned over His world before He brought the flood, so [you are to] observe the [required] mourning before it touches (i.e., harms) you.” So they observed [the mourning], but they did not know for what reason they were observing it. Why? (Eccl. 8:5:) “Whoever observes a commandment shall not know anything evil.” (Eccl. 8:5, cont.:) “And a wise heart shall know [there is] a time of judgment.” This is Moses, to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, had already said (in Exod. 29:43), “And there I will meet with the Children of Israel, and there shall be sanctification³This translation leaves in doubt who or what is sanctified. A more traditional translation would read, “It (i.e., the door of the Tabernacle) shall be sanctified.” through My glory.” [In other words,] I (the Holy One, blessed be He,) will be sanctified there through My glory. Now Moses ministered during the seven days of priestly ordination, but he was afraid, saying, “Perhaps divine judgment will strike him (i.e., Aaron).” Thus it is stated (ibid.), “and there shall be sanctification through My glory.” Still he did not act, but said to Aaron, “Observe seven days of mourning.” [Aaron] said to him, “Why?” [Moses] said to him, “For so the Holy One, blessed be He, has told me – (in Lev. 8:35) “for so I have been commanded.” When they had observed the seven days of mourning and [when] the eighth day had come, Nadab and Abihu went in to make an offering (rt.: qrb). Divine judgment struck them, and they were destroyed by fire. It is so stated (in Lev. 10:2), “So fire came forth from before the Lord and consumed them, so that they died before the Lord.” Moses came and said to Aaron (in Lev. 10:3), “This is what the Lord spoke, ‘Through those who are near (rt.: qrb) to Me, I will be sanctified.” Where did he speak? In the Sinai Desert. (Exod. 29:43), “And there I will meet with the Children of Israel, and there shall be sanctification through My glory.” And so did Moses say to Aaron, “The time that He said to me, ‘Through those who are near to Me, I will be sanctified,’ I thought that He would strike me or you. But now I know that they are greater than I and than you.” (Lev 9:3:) “And Aaron was silent” – the thing was consolation for him. Ergo (Eccl. 8:5), “Whoever observes a commandment shall not know anything evil.”

(Lev. 9:1:) AND IT CAME TO PASS ON THE EIGHTH DAY…. This text is related (to Eccl. 8:5): WHOEVER OBSERVES A COMMANDMENT SHALL NOT KNOW ANYTHING EVIL. Who is this?¹Tanh., Lev. 3:1; cf. above, Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 2:4. Aaron, of whom it is said (in Lev. 8:33, 35): AND YOU (i.e., you and your sons) SHALL NOT GO OUT FROM THE DOOR OF THE TENT OF MEETING FOR SEVEN DAYS < …. > AND YOU SHALL REMAIN AT THE DOOR OF THE TENT OF MEETING DAY AND NIGHT FOR SEVEN DAYS. Moses said to them: Observe mourning for seven days. (Ibid., cont.:) AND YOU SHALL OBSERVE THE CHARGE OF THE LORD. Moses said to them: Observe THE CHARGE OF THE LORD, for so did the Holy One observe seven days of mourning before he brought the flood. Where is it shown that he mourned? Where it is stated (in Gen. 6:6): THEN THE LORD REGRETTED THAT HE HAD MADE HUMANITY ON THE EARTH, [AND HE WAS GRIEVING IN HIS HEART]. HE WAS GRIEVING can only mean "he mourned," for so it says concerning David (in II Sam. 19:3): AND THE VICTORY [ON THAT DAY] WAS TURNED INTO MOURNING FOR ALL THE PEOPLE BECAUSE [ON THAT DAY THEY HEARD IT BEING SAID:] THE KING WAS GRIEVING OVER HIS SON.²Above, Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 2:4; Gen. R. 27:4. So also Ezra said to Israel, when they were weeping, each one for his brother and each one for his child (in Neh. 8:10): GO, EAT CHOICE FOODS AND DRINK SWEET DRINKS…. DO NOT BE GRIEVING, FOR THE JOY OF THE LORD IS YOUR STRENGTH. It is therefore stated (in Gen. 6:6): AND HE WAS GRIEVING IN HIS HEART. At that time the Holy One observed the seven days of mourning, before he brought the flood. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 7:10): AND IT CAME TO PASS AFTER SEVEN DAYS [THAT THE WATERS OF THE FLOOD CAME UPON THE EARTH]. And so Moses was saying to Aaron the Priest and to his sons: Just as the Holy One mourned over his world before he brought the flood, so < you are to > observe the < required > mourning before he touches (i.e., harms) you. So they observed < the mourning >, but they did not know for what reason they were observing it. Why? (Eccl. 8:5:) WHOEVER OBSERVES A COMMANDMENT SHALL NOT KNOW ANYTHING EVIL; AND A WISE HEART SHALL KNOW < THERE IS > A TIME OF JUDGMENT.

(Gen. 7, 10) And it came to pass after the seven days that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. What is the nature of these seven days? Rab said: "The seven days of mourning for Methushelach. From this you may learn that the lamentation [upon the death] of the righteous delays evil dispensation from coming." Another explanation is given: Atter the Holy One, praised be He! caused the entire order of creation to be changed that the sun [instead of rising in the East and setting in the West], shall rise in the West and set in the East. Again another explanation is: The Lord appointed for them at first a long time for repenting, and thereafter a short time. And still another explanation is: The seven days in which it was given them a taste of the world to come, for the purpose that they shall know what good they are losing. (Ib. ib. 2) Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee seven pair of each, the male and his female. Have these animals wives? R. Samuel b. Nachmeni said in the name of R. Jonathan: "It means from those with whom a crime was not committed." But how did he know this? R. Chisda said: "He passed them by the ark, and those whom the ark admitted, he was certain no crime was committed, and those whom the ark did not admit, he knew that a crime must have been committed." R. Abahu said: "It means from those animals which came by themselves."