Midrash sur La Genèse 2:2

A Question.⁹Sections 2 and 3 of “In the Beginning” and the fourth section of “Noah” were taken from the She’iltot of R. Ahai, a distinguished Babylonian scholar who left Palestine in the middle of the eighth century. See Jewish Encyclopedia 1:279. Why are the House of Israel required to rest on the Sabbath day? They do so because when the Holy One, blessed be He, created His world, He completed the work of creation in six days and rested on the Sabbath day; He blessed that day and sanctified it, just as one who completes the building of his home commemorates the event with a celebration called a hilul (a ceremony of dedication upon the completion of a home), as it is written: And on the seventh day God finished (va-yikhal) His work (Gen. 2:2). Furthermore, the Merciful One declares: “Rest on the Sabbath day, just as I rested upon it,” as it is said: And He rested on the seventh day, wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it (Exod. 20:11).

(Exod. 21:1:) AND THESE ARE THE ORDINANCES (mishpatim). This text is related (to Prov. 29:4): BY JUSTICE (mishpat) A KING SUSTAINS THE LAND.⁶Gen. R. 14:1; Exod. R. 30:13; cf. Tanh., Exod. 6:2. This refers to the Holy One. (Ibid., cont.:) BUT A PERSON OF REMOVALS (temurot) WILL DESTROY IT. This refers to the first Adam who was separated out in a removal (temurah). R. Jose ben Qetsartah said: Where is it shown that he was separated out in a removal?⁷Above, Gen. 2:1; Tanh., Gen. 2:1;yShab. 2:4 (5b); Gen. R. 17:8. Where it is stated (in Gen. 2:6–7): BUT A MIST WENT UP FROM THE EARTH <AND WATERED THE WHOLE FACE OF THE GROUND>. THEN THE LORD FORMED <THE HUMAN OUT OF DUST FROM THE GROUND>.⁸See above, Gen. 2:2; Tanh., Gen. 2:1. <It is> like the wife of a priest putting water into the midst of her dough and after that taking the hallah.⁹Cf. Numb. 15:20, which identifies hallah and temurot. Ergo, it says (in Prov. 29:4): BUT A PERSON OF REMOVALS (temurot) WILL DESTROY IT. When the Holy One commanded him to eat from this and not to eat from that, he transgressed the command. What did he bring about? (Gen. 3:17:) CURSED IS THE LAND BECAUSE OF YOU. Ergo, (in Prov. 29:4): <BUT A PERSON OF REMOVALS > WILL DESTROY IT.

(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.