Midrash su Genesi 6:1

(Fol. 10, b) And it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus. R. Levi, and according to others, R. Jochanan, said: "There is a tradition among us from our ancestors [who reicev it from] the men of the Great Assembly, that wherever Vayehi (it came to pass) occurs, it refers to some disaster. (Ruth 1) And it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, there was Haman; (Jud. 1) And it came to pass in the days of the Judges, there was hunger; (Gen. 6, 1) And it came to pass when men began to multiply, and soon after this it is written, And the children of man, etc. — [which caused the flood]; (Ib. 11, 2) And it came to pass as they journeyed toward the east, then there came the dispersion; (Ib. 14, 1) And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel … there was a war. (Josh. 5, 13) It came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, etc. and he saw a man with a drawn sword in his hand; (Ib. 6, 27) And the Lord was (Va'yehi) with Joshua, and soon after this. And the children of Israel committed a trespass; (I Samuel) There was (Va'yehi) a certain man of Romathaim, and afterward, Hannah he loved, but the Lord had shut her womb; (Ib. 8, 1) It came to pass when Samuel became old … and his sons walked not in his way; (Ib. 18, 14) And David was successful all his ways, and soon follows, Saul was in dread of him; (II Sam. 7, 1) And it came to pass when the king dwelt in his house. But thou canst not build the Temple. But is it not written (Lev. 9, 1) And it came to pass on the eighth day, and we have been taught in a Baraitha: "That particular day caused as great rejoicing before the Holy One, praised be He! as did the day of creation, for it is written here. And it came to pass (Va'yehi) on the eighth day, and it is written (Gen. 1, 5) And it was (Vayehi) evening and it was morning the first day. [Hence we find Vayehi when a misfortune does not follow.] There also the tragedy of Nadab and Abihu happened (Lev. 10, 1-7). But is it not written (I Kings 6, 1) And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the going forth of the children of Israel out of Egypt, and it is also Written (Gen, 29, 16) While Jacob saw Rachel, and in Genesis (1, 5) And it was evening, and it was morning, the first day — and so on the second and third days although no disaster occurred? We must therefore say that wherever it is said, (Vayehi) It came to pass, there may or may not be a calamity; but whenever it is said, (Vayehi Bimai), And it came to pass in the days of, there a misfortune surely took place. There are five expressions, It came to pass in the days of, viz., in the days of Ahasuerus, the Judges, Amraphel, Ahaz (Is. 7) and Yehoyakim (Jer. 1) [and in every instance there was trouble] .

(Gen. 6, 1) And it came to pass when men began to multiply — and daughters were born unto them. R. Jochanan said: "With a daughter comes multiplication into the world." Resh Lakish, however, maintains that with a daughter strife comes into the world. Resh Lakish said to R. Jochanan: "According to your opinion, that multiplication comes with daughters; then why was not Job doubled with daughters just as he was with sons and with all his property?" He answered: "Although they were not doubled in number, nevertheless they were in beauty, as it is written (Job 42, 13-15) He had also fourteen sons and three daughters, And he called the name of the first Yemimah, and the second, Keziah, and the third Keren-hapuch; i.e., Yemimah because she was bright as the day, Keziah because her perfumery odor spread like that of cassia; Keren-hapuch, because, said R. Chisda, she spread forth a savor like garden comes, as it is written (Jer. 4, 30) Thou circle with paint thine eyes." To R. Simon, Rabbi's son, a daughter was born; and he became dejected. His father said to him: "With thy daughter came multiplication." Bar Kapara said to him: "Your father offered you a vain consolation, for we are taught in a Baraitha: The world cannot be without male and females. However, happy is he whose children are males, and woe to him whose children are females. The world cannot be without a spice dealer and a tanner; happy is he who is a spice dealer and woe to him who is a tanner."

And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth (Gen. 6:5). Our sages taught: As punishment for lewdness (in the world) androlepsia⁴¹Reprisal taken against all men regardless of guilt or innocence. appeared, destroying the virtuous together with the wicked. R. Azariah said: The Holy One, blessed be He, would overlook everything but lewdness. Observe that when they were immersed in lewdness, it is written in Scripture: The sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were fair; and they took them wives, whomsoever they chose (Gen. 6:1), and after that it is said: And it repented the Lord that He had made man on the earth … and He said: I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the earth (ibid. 6:6–7). Likewise in reference to the Sodomites, it is said: But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, compassed the house around … and they called unto Lot … For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxed great before the Lord; the Lord hath sent us to destroy it (Gen. 19:4, 13). Why is the Lord repeated twice in this verse? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I am He who exacted punishment upon Zimri, Samson, and Amnon, and I am He who will bestow a reward upon the one who refrains from lewdness, even as I did for Joseph, Jael, and Palti.

And when Lamech was one hundred and eighty-one years of age, he went and took Ashmia, ‎the daughter of Elisha, son of Enoch his uncle, to wife, and she conceived. At that time the ‎sons of man sowed and had somewhat of a harvest in return. But the people did not turn from ‎their evil ways and they revolted against their masters.‎ And after a year came around the wife of Lamech bare a son, and Methuselah called his name ‎Noah, saying: The earth has ceased in his days to destroy the seed. But Lamech his father ‎called him Menachem, saying: This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our ‎hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath cursed.‎ And the boy grew up and was weaned, and he walked in the paths of his sire Methuselah, ‎ever upright and perfect with the Lord.‎And at that time all the sons of man, as they increased and multiplied begetting sons and ‎daughters upon the face of the earth, turned from the ways of the Lord.‎ And they taught one another their wickedness, and they grew more and more refractory and ‎rebellious against the Lord.‎ And every man manufactured his own god, and they plundered and robbed and persecuted ‎every man his neighbors and his relatives, and they corrupted the earth, and all the earth was ‎full of violence.‎ And even their judges and overseers would go among all the daughters of man, and take them ‎to wives by force even from the sides of their husbands, if so they chose.‎ And also of the cattle and of the beasts of the fields, and of the birds of the air, the sons of ‎man would bring together and train them to mate each other, one kind with another kind, in ‎order to provoke the Lord with such transgressions.‎ And God saw the whole earth and behold it was corrupt, for all flesh hath perverted its ways ‎upon the earth, all men as well as all the animals.‎ And the Lord said, I will wipe out the man whom I have created from the entire face of the ‎earth, all flesh, even from man unto the fowl of heaven, the cattle and the beast of the field; ‎for it repenteth me having made them.‎ And the few good men that still remained upon the earth died in those days, before the Lord ‎was to bring about the evil which he resolved to do unto all flesh, for it so pleased the Lord ‎that they should not live to see the great curse which the Lord had pronounced, to come over ‎the sons of man. Noah and his sons however found grace in the eyes of God, and the Lord ‎selected them to preserve through them seed upon the whole earth. ‎

And it was, when men begun (Gen. 6:1) - said Rabbi Simon: In three places this language is used, and it means rebellion. "[And to Seth, in turn, a son was born, and he named him Enosh;] it was then that men began [to invoke Ad-nai by name.]" (Gen. 4:26); "[Cush also begot Nimrod,] he began to be [a man of might on earth.] (Gen. 10:8). They answered back to him: behold, it is written "[and Ad-nai said, 'If, as one people with one language for all] this is how they have begun to act, [then nothing that they may propose to do will be out of their reach.] (Gen. 11:6) - he answered to them: here the Holy One bent the head of Nimrod and said: ""this" [one] will make them rebel against Me." "To increase on Earth" - that they were spilling their seed on the trees and the stones, and because they were associating in depravity He increased the females for them, as it is written "and daughters were born for them" (Gen. 6:1). he wife of Rabbi Shimeon Bar Ami gave birth to a girl. His father-in-law Rabbi Chia Rabbah said to him: The Holy One of Blessing began to bless you! He asked: From where [do you derive this?] He said: "And it was, when men begun to increase, daughters were born for them". [Rabbi Shimeon] went to his father, who said to him: The Babylonian made you happy. He said: Yes, and this he said to me. The father said to him: Even so, there is need for wine and there is need for vinegar, the need for wine is greater than the need for vinegar; there is need for wheat and there is need for barley, the need for wheat is greater than the need for barley. From the moment a man marries his daughter away, and brings out his belongings, he says to her: 'may you never long for here [home]' Rabban Gamliel married his daughter off, she said to him: Dad, bless me. He answered: 'may you never long for here [home].' A son was born to her, she said: Dad, bless me. He said "may the word 'vay' never cease from your lips". She said to him: Dad, two happy moments I had and you gave me curses! He said to her: Both of them are blessings, if you feel content in your home you wll not long for here, and if your son lives 'vay' will not cease from your lips: 'Vay, my son does not drink enough!' 'Vay, my son does not eat enough!' 'Vay, today my son didn't go to the synagogue!'