מדרש על בראשית 6:14

"You shall be aware," etc., R. Juda b. Chiya said: "Infer [from the verse cited in the Mishnah) that Cain made wounds and bruises on the body of his brother Abel, as he did not know by what member the soul departed until he reached his neck." R. Juda said again in the name of R. Chiya: "From the very day when the earth opened its mouth to receive the blood of Abel, it has not again opened, as it is said (Is. 24, 16) Frum the edge of the earth, etc. Hence it reads from the edge, but not from the mouth. Hezekiah, his brother, however, raised the following objection (Num. 26, 32) And the earth opened her mouth, etc. And he answered: "It opened for a bad cause, but not for a good cause." R. Juda said again in the name of R. Chiya: "Exile atones for every thing, for it is said (Ib. (Gen. 6, 14) And I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and at last it is written: And he dwelt in the land of Nod (only a vagabond)."

Make yourself an ark of acacia-wood (Gen. 6:14). R. Huna said in the name of R. Yosé: The Holy One, blessed be He, forewarned the generation of the flood to repent its misdeeds for one hundred and twenty years.¹¹This number is derived from And therefore shall his days be one hundred and twenty years (Gen. 6:3). When they refused to repent, He commanded Noah to build an ark of acacia-wood. Then Noah arose, repented his sins, and planted cedar trees. They asked him: “What are these cedars for?” “The Holy One, blessed be He, intends to bring a flood upon the earth, and He has ordered me to build an ark so that I and my family might escape,” he replied. They laughed at him and ridiculed his words. Nevertheless, he tended the trees till they grew large. Once again they asked him: “What are you doing?” He repeated what he had told them previously, but they continued to mock him. After some time, he cut down the trees and sawed them into lumber. Again they inquired: “What are you doing?” He warned them once again as to what would happen, but they still refused to repent. Thereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, brought the flood upon them, as it is said: And they were blotted out from the earth (Gen. 7:23).

(Mal. 1:2:) I HAVE LOVED YOU, SAYS THE LORD. See how he has cherished you. From the earth to the sky is a journey of five hundred years.³²Hag. 13a (bar.); yBer. 1:1 (2c). And likewise from the first sky to the second, from the second to the third, from the third to the fourth, from the fourth to the fifth, from the fifth to the sixth, and from the sixth to the seventh. Now it is unnecessary to calculate from the hoofs of the beasts (in Ezek. 1:5–13),³³For these calculations, see Hag. 13a (bar.) but the throne is above all of them. See how I cherished you! <I loved you so much> that I forsook³⁴The translation here follows the parallel text in Tanh., Exod. 7:9. The Buber text has the passive (hophal), “I was forsaken.” them all and said to you: Make me tent sheets of goats' hair, and I will come to dwell with you. R. Joshua ben Levi said: If the peoples of the world had known how good the Tabernacle was for them,³⁵Lev. R. 1:11; Numb. R. 1:3. they would have surrounded it with encampments and fortifications.³⁶Lat.: castra. Why? Before the Tabernacle was erected, the divine word went forth and entered into the midst of the tents belonging to the peoples of the world. Then they were seized with panic, since it is stated (in Deut. 5:23 [26]): FOR WHO IS THERE OF ALL FLESH THAT HAS HEARD THE VOICE OF THE LIVING GOD FROM THE MIDST OF THE FIRE, AS WE HAVE, AND LIVED? You heard it and are alive, but the peoples of the world heard it and were seized with panic in the midst of their tents. And you should not only say < this > about the Tabernacle, but even the Temple was good for them. Where is it shown? That is what Solomon ordained in his prayer (in I Kings 8:41, 43 // II Chron. 6:32, 33): AND LIKEWISE, <WHEN> THE FOREIGNER, WHO IS NOT OF YOUR PEOPLE ISRAEL, <COMES FROM A FAR COUNTRY FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR NAME>…, MAY YOU HEARKEN UNTO <HIM IN YOUR> HEAVENLY <ABODE>….³⁷Above, Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 6:14. But when Israel came to worship, what does he say (in vs. 39)? AND GIVE TO EACH ONE ACCORDING TO [ALL] HIS WAYS, SINCE YOU KNOW HIS HEART…. Yet in the case of the foreigner, whether they do or do not do <what is right >, give him whatever he asks, (according to vs. 43, cont.) SO THAT ALL THE PEOPLES OF THE EARTH [MAY KNOW] <YOUR NAME>…. Therefore, the Temple was good for the peoples of the world. [R. Samuel bar Nahman said: Before the Temple was built, the world rested upon a throne³⁸Gk.: thronos. of two legs; but since the Temple has been built, the world is firmly established³⁹Rt.: BSS; cf. Gk.: basis. and stands in its place. And you should not <only> say: The Temple. Even the Tabernacle was good for the peoples of the world.] Therefore the Holy One said to Moses: Make me a tabernacle (rt.: ShKN), because I desire to dwell (rt.: ShKN) with my children. When the ministering angels heard that, they said to him: Sovereign of the World, why are you leaving heavenly beings and descending to earthly beings? Your glory is that you <dwell> in the heavens, YOU WHO (according to Ps. 8:2 [1]) HAVE SET YOUR MAJESTY OVER THE HEAVENS. The Holy One said to them: By your lives, I am doing just as you said. Habakkuk said (in Hab. 3:3): GOD IS COMING FROM TEMAN. Then afterwards (in the same verse): AND THE EARTH IS FULL OF HIS PRAISE. The Holy One said to them: Now how are you surprised over this? Look at how I cherish the earthly beings, so as to descend and dwell under tent sheets of goats' hair. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 26:7): THEN YOU SHALL MAKE TENT SHEETS OF GOATS' HAIR.

(Ib. 6, 14) An ark of gopher wood. What does gopher mean? R. Adda, in the name of the school of Shila, said: "It means an oak tree," and according to others, a cedar tree. (Ib., ib. 16) A window shalt thou make. R. Jonathan said: "The Holy One, praised be He! said to Noah: "Set it with diamonds and pearls, so that it shall give you light as in the middle of the day'." (Ib.) With lower second and third stories shalt thou make it. The lower for manure, the second for animals and the third for man. (Ib. 8, 7) He sent forth a raven. Resh Lakish said: "The raven gave Noah a victorious answer. 'Thy Master hates me and thou doest the same. Thy Master hates me, for He said, From the clean fowl shalt thou taken seven and from the unclean only two; and thou hatest me as thou leavest alone the species of which thou hast seven, and sendest from a species of which thou hast only two. If I would be killed by the angel of heat or by the angel of cold, would not the world be lacking a creature of my species'?" (Ib., ib. 8) He then sent forth a dove from him. R. Jeremiah said: "Infer from this that clean fowls may be kept in the residence of the upright." (Ib., ib. 11) And the dove came in to him at the time of evening. R. Elazar said: "The dove said before the Holy One, praised be He! 'Sovereign of the Universe, Let my food be bitter as an olive-leaf, but given at Thy hand, rather than that sweet as honey and given by frail man'." And whence do we know that tereph (plucked off) refers to food? From the following passage (Pr. 30, 8) Let me eat the bread (hatripheni).

It is written (in Ps. 121:1): A SONG OF ASCENTS. I WILL LIFT UP MY EYES UNTO THE MOUNTAINS. FROM WHERE WILL MY HELP COME? It is also written (in Zech. 4:7): WHO ARE YOU, O GREAT MOUNTAIN, BEFORE ZERUBBABEL? BECOME LEVEL GROUND.⁸²Tanh., Gen. 6:14. What is the meaning of WHO ARE YOU, O GREAT MOUNTAIN? This is the Messianic King. Then why does it call him GREAT MOUNTAIN? Because he is greater than the ancestors, as stated (in Is. 52:13): BEHOLD, MY SERVANT SHALL BRING LOW.⁸³The Masoretic Text reads: SHALL PROSPER. HE SHALL BE EXALTED, LIFTED UP, AND BECOME EXCEEDINGLY TALL. HE SHALL BE EXALTED (rt.: RWM) more than Abraham, LIFTED UP more than Moses, AND BECOME EXCEEDINGLY TALL, more so than the ministering angels. < HE SHALL BE EXALTED > more than Abraham, of whom it is written (in Gen. 14:22): I HAVE RAISED (rt.: RWM) MY HAND UNTO THE LORD. < He shall be > LIFTED UP more than Moses, of whom it is stated (in Numb. 11:12): THAT YOU (the LORD) SHOULD SAY TO ME (Moses): LIFT THEM UP IN YOUR BOSOM AS THE NURSE LIFTS UP A SUCKLING CHILD. AND < he shall > BECOME… TALL (rt.: GBH), more than the ministering angels, of whom it is stated (in Ezek. 1:18): THEIR (the angelic wheels') RIMS (rt.: GBB) WERE BOTH TALL (rt.: GBH) < AND AWESOME >…. From whom did he arise? From [Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel < arose >] from David. Thus it is stated (in I Chron 3:10-24): AND SOLOMON'S SON WAS REHOBOAM, ABIJAH HIS SON, ASA HIS SON, JEHOSHAPHAT HIS SON, JORAM HIS SON, AHAZIAH HIS SON, JOASH HIS SON, AMAZIAH HIS SON, AZARIAH HIS SON, [JOTHAM HIS SON], AHAZ HIS SON, HEZEKIAH HIS SON, MANASSEH HIS SON, AMON HIS SON, AND JOSIAH HIS SON. NOW THE SONS OF JOSIAH WERE JOHANAN THE FIRST-BORN, JEHOIAKIM THE SECOND, ZEDEKIAH THE THIRD, AND SHALLUM THE FOURTH. THE SONS OF JEHOIAKIM WERE HIS SON JECONIAH AND HIS SON ZEDEKIAH. AND THE SONS OF JECONIAH, THE CAPTIVE, WERE SHEALTIEL HIS SON, MALCHIRAM, PEDAIAH, SHENAZZAR, JEKAMIAH, HOSHAMA, AND NEDABIAH. THE SONS OF PEDAIAH WERE ZERUBBABEL AND SHIMEI. THE SONS OF ZERUBBABEL WERE MESHULLAM AND HANANIAH, AND SHELOMITH WAS THEIR SISTER; ALSO HASHUBAH, OHEL, BERECHIAH, (HASARIAH) [HASADIAH], JUSHABHESED: FIVE (from after the exile). AND THE SONS OF HANANIAH WERE (PELITIA) [PELATIAH] AND JESHAIAH. AND THE SONS OF < JESHAIAH >: REPHAIAH; THE SONS OF < REPHAIAH >: ARNAN; THE SONS OF < ARNAN >: OBADIAH; THE SONS OF < OBADIAH >: SHECANIAH; THE SONS OF SHECANIAH: SHEMAIAH. THE SONS OF SHEMAIAH WERE HATTUSH, IGAL, [BARIAH], NEARIAH, AND SHAPHAT: SIX. THE SONS OF NEARIAH WERE ELIOENAI, HIZKIAH, AND AZRIKAM: THREE. AND THE SONS OF ELIOENAI WERE HODAVIAH, ELIASHIB, PELAIAH, AKKUB, JOHANAN, DELAIAH, AND ANANI: SEVEN. Now up to here the Scripture has given [you] detail. Who is Anani? This is the Messianic [King], as stated (in Dan. 7:13): AS I WAS LOOKING ON (IN A VISION AT NIGHT) [IN THE NIGHT VISIONS], BEHOLD, ALONG WITH ANANI⁸⁴The Masoretic Text vocalizes ‘anani as ‘anane, which means “clouds.” OF < HEAVEN, ONE LIKE A HUMAN BEING >…. What is the meaning of the SEVEN (in I Chron. 3:24)? [What is] that which is written about the Messiah? That which is stated (in Zech. 4:10): FOR WHOEVER HAS DESPISED THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS SHALL REJOICE TO SEE THE PLUMMET IN THE HAND OF ZERUBBABEL, < EVEN > SEVEN: (BEHOLD), [THESE ARE] THE EYES ('ene) OF THE LORD. THEY ROAM AROUND ALL THE EARTH. It is therefore stated (in Zech. 4:7): WHO ARE YOU, O GREAT MOUNTAIN, BEFORE ZERUBBABEL? BECOME LEVEL GROUND. This is what is written about him (in Is. 11:4): SO HE SHALL JUDGE THE POOR WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS AND DECIDE WITH EQUITY < FOR THE MEEK ('anawi) OF THE EARTH >….

Another interpretation: AND THE LORD SAW: This text is related (to Prov. 28:5): EVIL PEOPLE DO NOT UNDERSTAND JUDGMENT: These are the generation of the flood, who were sinning without considering that retribution was coming upon them. (Ibid., cont.:) BUT THOSE WHO SEEK THE LORD UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING. These are Noah and his children, who heard from the Holy One that he would bring the flood and stood in awe of the Holy One. Come and see why the Holy One told Noah and his children to make an ark.¹⁰⁶Cf. Sanh. 108ab. < He did so > for them to see him while he was working on it and repent. Otherwise, could not the Holy One have rescued Noah through the heavens or through other means instead of telling him (in Gen. 6:14): MAKE YOURSELF AN ARK OF GOPHER WOOD?¹⁰⁷The translation is emended slightly in agreement with Aggadat Bereshit 1:2. The Buber text translates as follows: Otherwise, could not the Holy One have rescued Noah through the heavens or through commands after he had told him: MAKE YOURSELF AN ARK OF GOPHER WOOD? (Gen. 6:16:) AND YOU ARE TO MAKE A WINDOW (for enlightenment)¹⁰⁸The Hebrew word for WINDOW here (tsohar) can also carry the connotation of enlightenment. FOR THE ARK. And why so? The Holy One said: For this reason: When I tell him to make an ark and he is busy at it, they will gather about him and say to him: Noah, what are you making? Then he will say to them: An ark, for the Holy One has told me that he is bringing a flood to the world because they are provoking him; and thereby they will repent. So the Holy One calculated, but they paid no attention to him. Ergo it says (in Prov. 28:5): EVIL PEOPLE DO NOT UNDERSTAND JUDGMENT.