Midrasz do Rodzaju 8:1

Another interpretation (of Eccl. 9:14-15): THERE WAS A LITTLE CITY, i.e., the world;⁴Gen. R. 33:2; Eccl. R. 9:14/15:1. WITH FEW PEOPLE IN IT, i.e., the generation of the flood; AND A GREAT KING CAME AGAINST IT, i.e., the Supreme King of Kings, the Holy One; AND BUILT GREAT SIEGE WORKS AGAINST IT, as stated (in Gen. 6:13): BEHOLD, I AM DESTROYING THEM WITH THE EARTH. (Eccl. 9:14-15:) NOW THERE WAS FOUND IN IT A PERSON WHO WAS POOR AND WISE, i.e., Noah; WHO MIGHT HAVE DELIVERED THE CITY BY HIS WISDOM. (Gen. 7:1:) COME YOU AND ALL YOUR HOUSE INTO THE ARK. (Eccl. 9:15, cont.:) BUT NO ONE THOUGHT (ZKR) ABOUT THAT POOR PERSON. The Holy One said: No one remembered (ZKR) him, but I am remembering (rt.: ZKR) him, as stated (in Gen. 8:1): THEN GOD REMEMBERED (rt.: ZKR) NOAH.

Rabbi Yehudah the son of Simon interpreted this reading as applying to generations: "and the earth was formless and void" (tohu vavohu), this is Adam the first, since he was made made entirely into nothing. "And void" (vavohu), this is Cain, who sought to return the world to "formlessness and void". And "darkness" (choshech), this is the generation of Enosh, on whom further [it says] "and their works were in darkness (bemach'shach)" (Isaiah 29:15) and they said "who is watching us and who will see us?". "On the face of the deep (tehom)", this is the generation of the flood, as it is said "On this day all the springs of the deep (tehom) were broken open" (Genesis 7:11). "And the spirit (ruach) of God fluttered over the face of the waters" on which it is further said "And God caused a wind (ruach) to pass over the earth" (Genesis 9:1). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: "how long shall the universe accustom itself to deep darkness? Let the light come!": "And Hashem said let there be light", this is Abraham. See! It is written "Who has raised (heʿir) up one from the east, righteousness" (Isaiah 41:2); do not read "raised up (heʿir with an ayin), but rather "illuminate" (heʾir with an alef). "And Hashem called the light 'day'", this is Jacob. "And the darkness he called night", this is Esau. "And it was evening", this is Esau. "And it was morning", this is Jacob. "And there was evening", the evening of Esau. "And there was morning", the morning of Jacob. "One day (yom echad)" as it is written "And there shall be one day (yom echad) which shall be known as the Hashem's, not day, and not night" (Zechariah 14:7). There is another issue with one day, that the Holy One, blessed be He, have him "one day", and what is this? Yom Kippur.

And the water exterminated all flesh that was upon the earth, man and cattle, and beasts of ‎the field, and creeping things, and the fowls of heaven, all perished, save Noah and those with ‎him in the ark. And the waters increased greatly and grew in strength upon the earth, and they ‎lifted up the ark and raised it from the ground. And the ark moved on upon the face of the ‎waters. And the ark was rolling upon the waters, this way and that way, and all the living ‎beings, that were in it were turned over and shaken about, even as a pottage is shaken in a ‎pot; and the ark was likely to be shattered into pieces. And all the animals that were in the ark ‎were frightened, and the lions were roaring, and the oxen were lowing, and the wolves were ‎howling, and every bird in the ark uttered shrieks after its own language, and the noise re-‎echoed in the distance. And Noah and his sons also were crying and weeping in their trouble, ‎and they were greatly terrified as if they had reached the gates of 'death. And Noah prayed ‎fervently, and he cried unto the Lord on account of that trouble, and he said: Oh Lord help us, ‎for there is in us no strength to bear this great evil wherewith thou hast surrounded us; for the ‎wild breakers encircle us, and the whirlpools of the lower regions terrify us and the snares of ‎death are before us. Answer us Lord, oh answer us! Let thy countenance shine upon us and be ‎gracious unto us, redeem us and save us, oh Lord! And the Lord hearkened unto the voice of ‎Noah, and the Lord remembered him. And a wind passed over the earth and the waters ‎became quiet, and the ark came to rest. And the fountains of the deep were stopped and the ‎windows of heaven also, and it ceased to rain upon the earth. And the waters began to ‎decrease in those days, and the ark rested among the mountains of Ararat. And Noah opened ‎the windows of the ark at that time, and Noah cried out in prayer to the Lord once more at ‎that time, saying: Oh Lord, thou who hast created the earth the heavens and all that is in them, ‎oh deliver us from this prison, and from this danger wherein thou hast cast us; for I am almost ‎exhausted with my sighs. And the Lord hearkened unto the voice of Noah and he said unto ‎him: After thou shalt have been in the ark a full year thou shalt go out of it. And it was at the ‎end of a year of Noah's dwelling in the ark that the waters dried up from the earth, and Noah ‎removed the covering of the ark At that time, on the twenty-seventh day of the second ‎month, the earth was perfectly dry; but Noah, and his sons, and all with him, did not leave the ‎ark until the Lord would tell them to leave it. And on the day that the Lord ordered them to go ‎forth, all went out from the ark. And all the animals went their own ways and returned to their ‎former places.‎

And God remembered Noah (Gen. 8:1). May it please our master to teach us the benediction recited upon witnessing a rainbow. Thus did our masters teach us: Upon seeing a rainbow, one should recite the benediction: Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, King of the universe, who doth remember His covenant, is faithful in His covenant, and fulfills His word. This blessing is found in the Mishnah.¹²Actually it is found in Berakhot 59b and not in the Mishnah. How do we know that it is also derived from the Torah? Because it is written: I have set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be as a sign of a covenant (Gen. 9:13).

(Ps. 36:7:) “Your righteousness (rt.: tsdq) is like the mighty mountains; [Your judgments are like the great deep].” R. Judah bar Simon said, “The charity (rt.: tsdq) which You did with Noah in the ark was like the mighty mountains.³³Lev. R. 27:1. [Thus it is stated (in Gen. 8:4),] ‘And the ark came to rest in the seventh month on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.’ And the judgments are those which You rendered with [his] generation and carried out strictly with them as far as the great deep. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 7:11), ‘on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth.’ Moreover, when You remembered him, You did not remember him alone, as stated (in Gen. 8:1), ‘Then God remembered Noah, all the beasts, and all the cattle […].’” When R. Joshua ben Levi went away to Rome, he saw there two marble columns covered with bedding³⁴Gk.: koitai (“beds”). so that they would neither be cracked in the burning heat nor frozen in the cold.³⁵Above, Gen. 2:8; Gen. R. 33:1; PRK 9:1. He [also] saw there a certain pauper with a reed mat under him and a reed mat over him. With reference to the columns, he read (Ps. 36:7), “Your righteousness (i.e., your charity) is like the mighty mountains.” Indeed, when You give, You bestow abundantly. But with reference to the pauper, he read (ibid., cont.), “and Your judgments are like the great deep.” [Indeed,] when You are striking, you deal strictly. What is the meaning of (Ps. 36:7, cont.), “You save man and beast, O Lord.” Alexander of Macedon went off to the king of Qatsia beyond the mountains of darkness.³⁶Lev. R. 27:1; PRK 9:1; Tamid 32ab. He arrived at the province named Carthage, which was entirely [inhabited by] women. They came out to meet him. They said to him, “If you wage war with us and are victorious against us, your name will go forth in the world as one who destroyed [a province of] women; and if we wage war with you and conquer you, your name will go forth in the world for having women wage war with you and conquer you. Then you will never again stand up to [another] kingdom.” When he went away, he wrote over the entrance³⁷Gk.: pylai. gate, “I, King Alexander of Macedon, was a fool until I came to the province of Carthage and learned [to take] counsel from women.” He went to another province named Africa. They came out to meet him with golden apples, with golden pomegranates and with golden bread. He said to them, “Is gold eaten in your land?” They said to him, “Was it not like this for you in your own country, why did you come to us?”³⁸Cf. Tamid 32b: “If you wanted [regular] bread, did you have no bread in your own place to eat that you should have taken [to the road] and come here?” He said to them, “I have not come to see your wealth. Rather I have come to see your laws.” While they were sitting [there], two men came before the king for judgment. One said, “Your majesty, I bought a deserted building from this man; and when I cleaned it out, I found a treasure in it. So I said to him, ‘Take your treasure, because I [only] bought a deserted building. I did not buy a treasure.’” But the other said, “Just as you are afraid of a punishment for robbery, so likewise am I afraid of punishment for robbery; for when I sold you the deserted building, I [also] sold you whatever was in it.” The king summoned one of them. He said to him, “Do you have a son?” He said, “Yes.” He called the other one. He said to him, “Do you have a daughter?” He told him, “Yes.” [The king] said to them, “Let them go and marry one another. Then both of them will use up the treasure.” Now Alexander began to be amazed. The king said to him, “What reason do you have to be amazed? For did I not judge well?” He told him, “Yes.” He said to him, “If this case had arisen in your land, what would you have done about it?” He said to him, “We would have taken the head off of this one and off the other one. Then the treasure would go to the house of the king.” He said to him, “But does the sun shine upon you?” He told him, “Yes.” “And does the rain come down upon you?” He told him, “Yes.” “Are there perhaps [some] sheep and goats in your land?” He told him, “Yes.” He said to him, “[Woe to] that man! It is for the sake of the sheep and the goats that the sun shines for you and that the rain comes down upon you. So it for the sake of the [flocks] that you are saved.” Thus it is written (in Ps. 36:7, cont.), “You save human and beast, O Lord.” For the sake of the beast does the Lord save man. Israel said, “Master of the world, we are like man; [but] save us like beasts,³⁹Unlike humans, cattle are not responsible for what they do wrong. since we are drawn after You like beasts, as stated (in Cant. 1:4), “Draw me after you […].” Where are we drawn after You? To the Garden of Eden, as stated (in Ps. 36:9), “They feast on the abundance of Your house, and You have them drink at the river of Your Edens.” R. Eleazar bar Menahem said, “’Your Eden’ (in the singular) is not written here, but ‘Your Edens,’ because each and every righteous person has an Eden for himself.” (Ps. 36:7, cont.:) “You save human and beast, O Lord.” R. Isaac said, “The ordinance for humanity and the ordinance for the beast are one. An ordinance for humanity is (Lev. 12:3), ‘And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.’ And an ordinance for the beast is (Lev. 22:27), ‘and from the eighth day on it shall be acceptable.’”

If a storm should arise after a man boards ship, they hurl the animals and all his possessions into the sea, only the man is saved. Those in charge of the vessel do not have the same concern for the man’s animals and possessions as they have for the man himself, but the Holy One, blessed be He, is as concerned for the beast as for the man, as is said: And His tender mercies are over all His works (Ps. 145:9). Hence, Scripture says: And God remembered Noah and every living thing (Gen. 8:1).

And God remembered Noah (Gen. 8:1). Scripture says elsewhere in reference to this verse: A righteous man regardeth the life of his beasts; but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel (Prov. 12:10). The Righteous One of the world, however, regardeth the life even of a beast, even when He is angered, for His ways are not the ways of man.

(Gen. 8:1:) THEN GOD REMEMBERED NOAH. [Let our master instruct us: In the case of one who sees the bow in the clouds, what blessing must he say?²⁵Tanh., Gen. 2:6. Thus] have our masters taught: One who sees a bow in the clouds must say a blessing. What blessing does he say? Blessed be the one who remembers the covenant, is trustworthy in his covenant, and has stood by his word. This is from the Mishnah,²⁶Actually the blessing is found, not in the Mishnah, but in the gemara, Ber. 59a. but where is it shown from the Torah? The text reads (in Gen. 9:13): I HAVE SET MY BOW IN THE CLOUD, AND IT SHALL BE A SIGN OF A COVENANT < BETWEEN ME AND THE EARTH >. The conduct of the Holy One is not like the conduct of flesh and blood. In what respect? With flesh and blood, as long as one's close friend is alive, love has its place; and if one dies, love ceases. The Holy One, however, is not like that. When Abraham died, his (the Holy One's) love was preserved for his son Isaac, as stated (in Gen. 25:11): AND IT CAME TO PASS AFTER THE DEATH OF ABRAHAM THAT GOD BLESSED HIS SON ISAAC.

Another interpretation: Someone boards a ship and there are cattle with him. Now, if a storm arose at sea, what would they do? They would cast the cattle into the sea and save the human, since they do not take pity on cattle as they would take pity on a human. But the Holy One is not like that. Just as he takes pity upon the human, so he takes pity upon the cattle. You know yourself that this is so. When the Holy One wanted to destroy his world in the generation of the flood, when they had sinned, he considered humanity as equal to the cattle, since it is stated (in Gen. 6:7): AND THE LORD SAID: I WILL BLOT OUT [… HUMANITY TOGETHER WITH CATTLE]. When he came to be reconciled, just as he was reconciled to the children of Adam and took pity upon them; so he showed pity to the cattle, according to what we have read on the matter (in Gen. 8:1): THEN GOD REMEMBERED NOAH < … AND ALL THE CATTLE >.

[(Gen. 8:1:) THEN GOD REMEMBERED NOAH.] This text is related (to Ps. 36:7 [6]): YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS LIKE THE MIGHTY MOUNTAINS (literally: MOUNTAINS OF GOD); < YOUR JUDGMENTS ARE LIKE THE GREAT DEEP; HUMAN AND BEAST YOU DELIVER, O LORD >.²⁸Tanh., Lev. 8:5; Gen. R. 33:1; Exod. R. 14:2; Lev. R. 27:1; Numb. R. 1:1; PRK 9:1. < The passage> is speaking allegorically about the righteous in their dwelling and speaking allegorically about the wicked in their dwelling. It speaks allegorically about the righteous [in their dwelling]. (So in Ezek. 34:14:) I WILL FEED THEM IN A GOOD PASTURE, [AND UPON THE MOUNTAINS OF] < THE LOFTY ONE OF ISRAEL SHALL BE THEIR FOLD >. It speaks allegorically about the wicked [in their dwelling]. (So in Ezek. 31:15:) THUS SAYS THE LORD [GOD]: IN THE DAY THAT HE WENT DOWN TO SHEOL, I CAUSED HIM TO MOURN; [I COVERED HIM WITH THE DEEP]. R. Judah bar Hama said: With what does one cover a vat? With < a lid of > its own kind < of material >. Certainly not with another article of silver or gold! Thus Sheol is darkness, and the deep which covers it is darkness. The wicked also, who are in its midst, are darkness, as stated (in Is. 29:15): AND THEIR WORKS ARE IN DARKNESS. Darkness will come, and darkness will cover < them up >.

[Another interpretation] (of Ps. 36:7 [6]): YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS LIKE THE MIGHTY MOUNTAINS; < YOUR JUDGMENTS ARE LIKE THE GREAT DEEP >. R. Judah bar Simon said: The righteous act which you did with Noah in the ark was LIKE THE MIGHTY MOUNTAINS.⁴¹Tanh., Lev. 8:6; Lev. R. 27:1. [Thus it is stated] (in Gen. 8:4): AND THE ARK CAME TO REST IN THE SEVENTH MONTH, ON THE SEVENTEENTH DAY OF THE MONTH, UPON THE MOUNTAINS OF ARARAT. And the JUDGMENTS are those which you rendered with his generation and carried out strictly with them as far as THE GREAT DEEP. [Thus it is stated] (in Gen. 7:11): ON THAT DAY ALL THE SPRINGS OF THE GREAT DEEP BURST FORTH. Moreover, when you remembered him, you did not remember him alone, as stated (in Gen. 8:1): THEN GOD REMEMBERED NOAH, ALL THE BEASTS, AND ALL THE CATTLE.

Another interpretation (of Ps. 36:7 [6]): YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS LIKE THE MIGHTY MOUNTAINS; < YOUR JUDGMENTS ARE LIKE THE GREAT DEEP >. R. Judah bar Simon said: The righteousness (i.e., mercy) which you showed with Noah in the ark caused his ark to rest for him upon the mountains, as stated (in Gen. 8:4): AND THE ARK RESTED [… UPON THE MOUNTAINS OF ARARAT]. YOUR JUDGMENTS are those which you carried out with the generation of the flood. You dealt strictly with them < even > unto the deep, as stated (in Gen. 7:11): ON THAT DAY [ALL THE FOUNTAINS OF THE GREAT DEEP] BURST APART. Then after the retributions, behold {it says} (in Ps. 36:7 [6], end): HUMAN AND BEAST YOU DELIVER, O LORD. When? When (in Gen. 8:1) GOD REMEMBERED NOAH.

(Gen. 8:1:) THEN GOD REMEMBERED NOAH. This text is related (to Prov. 10:7): THE REMEMBRANCE OF A RIGHTEOUS ONE IS FOR A BLESSING. This is Noah, concerning whom it is written (in Gen. 6:9): A RIGHTEOUS MAN. (Prov. 10:7, cont.:) BUT THE NAME OF THE WICKED SHALL ROT. This is the generation of the flood, which rotted from the world, as stated (in Gen. 7:23): AND HE BLOTTED OUT < ALL LIVING THINGS >. And what is the meaning of HE BLOTTED OUT? Compare what is stated (in Exod. 17:14): FOR I WILL UTTERLY BLOT OUT < THE REMEMBRANCE OF AMALEK >…. Ergo (in Prov. 10:7): BUT THE NAME OF THE WICKED SHALL ROT.

However, even when the Holy One, blessed be He, is angry, He remains merciful. He remembered Lot and rescued him because of the merit of Abraham, as is said: And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the Plain, that God remembered Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow (Gen. 19:29). In the Mishnah it was said that one should save the Sefer Torah case as well as the Sefer Torah, and the tefillin case as well as the tefillin. It teaches us: Happy are the righteous and those who cling to them. Scripture states: And God remembered Noah and every living thing and all the cattle (ibid. 8:1), all because of the merit of Noah. Similarly, God remembered Abraham and sent out Lot (ibid. 19:29). Woe to the wicked and to those who cling to them, as it is said: And He blotted out every living substance which was upon the face of the ground, both man and cattle (ibid. 7:23). Furthermore, it states: I will blot out man whom I have created (ibid. 6:7). The angels of destruction came as the emissaries of the Holy One, blessed be He, in order to destroy Sodom.

Another interpretation (of Gen. 8:1): THEN GOD REMEMBERED NOAH. It is written (in Prov. 12:10): A RIGHTEOUS ONE KNOWS THE SOUL OF HIS CATTLE.³³Tanh., Gen. 2:7. The righteous one of the world (i.e., God) even understands the soul of his cattle, even when he is angry. The characteristics the Holy One are not like flesh-and-blood character. In the case of flesh-and-blood character, when the province revolts against < the king >, he sends his legions³⁴Lat.: legiones. and destroys it. So he treats the good and the evil equally as one, as there is no one present to say: Such and such a person is blameless. Leave him alone. Instead one kills them all. But the Holy One is not like that. Rather, when the whole generation was provoking him, so that he was angry with them, and when only a single righteous one was present, he saved him. Thus it says (in Prov. 12:10): A RIGHTEOUS ONE KNOWS THE SOUL OF HIS CATTLE. So also it says (in Nahum 1:7): THE LORD IS GOOD, A STRONGHOLD IN THE DAY OF TROUBLE; AND HE KNOWS THOSE SEEKING REFUGE IN HIM. (Prov. 12:10, cont.:) BUT THE COMPASSION OF THE WICKED IS CRUEL. These < wicked > are the generation of the flood, since they were cruel. Our masters have said: When the Holy One caused the deep to arise and they saw the fountains rising up over them, what did they do? They had a lot of children. So each and every one, taking his child, set him on the deep; but the waters prevailed. Thus it says: BUT THE COMPASSION OF THE WICKED IS CRUEL. [And where is it shown that they did this?] Where Job said so (in Job 24:20): COMPASSION FORSAKES HIM; THE WORM SWEETLY FEEDS ON HIM; IT SHALL NO LONGER BE REMEMBERED, < i.e., > the compassion of the one whose children they were.³⁵The usual interpretation of the verse renders rhm as “womb” rather than “compassion” and understands “him” as what is no longer remembered, but this translation makes more sense in the present context. What did the Holy One do to them? He brought a flood down upon them from above and destroyed them. Thus it is stated (ibid., cont.): AND UNRIGHTEOUSNESS IS DESTROYED AS A TREE. R. Berekhyah said: They were more than solid enough, and they had < physical > height (rt.: QWM). Thus, if he had not punished them from above, the waters would not have overcome them. Thus Job has said (in Job 22:20): SURELY OUR ADVERSARIES (rt.: QWM) WERE DESTROYED, AND FIRE HAS CONSUMED THEIR REMNANT. How so? When the Holy One saw that they had not died in the ocean depths below, he brought down fire upon them from above, which burned them up. Thus it is stated (ibid.): SURELY OUR ADVERSARIES WERE DESTROYED, < AND FIRE CONSUMED THEIR REMNANT >. Moreover, the fowl, the cattle, and the wild animals turned on them and they diminished their numbers, as stated (in Gen. 7:21): AND ALL FLESH WAS DIMINISHED IN NUMBER…. When they themselves saw that they were lost, they sought to overturn the ark. What did the Holy One do? He surrounded the ark with lionesses, which ate them, as stated (in Gen. 7:16): AND THE LORD SHUT < HIM > IN. What is the meaning of SHUT IN (rt.: SGR). < Its meaning is > like that used in the context (of Dan. 6:23 [22]): MY GOD SENT THE³⁶The Masoretic Text reads HIS. ANGEL WHO SHUT (rt.: SGR) THE LIONS' MOUTHS.

Another interpretation (of Gen. 8:1): THEN GOD REMEMBERED NOAH, < ALL THE BEASTS, AND ALL THE CATTLE >. If he remembered Noah, why < also > the beasts and the cattle? May the name of the Holy One be blessed, who never deprives any creature of its reward. If even a mouse has preserved its family³⁷As in English, the Hebrew word for “family” can also mean “species.” and not intermingled with another species, it deserves to receive a reward. But all the people from the generation of the flood did mingle their families, as stated (in Gen. 6:12): THEN GOD SAW THE WORLD; AND BEHOLD, IT WAS CORRUPT. Thus, just as he had exacted retribution from the humans who had sinned, so he exacted retribution from the cattle, the beasts, and the fowl. And where is it shown that retribution was exacted from them? Where it is stated (in Gen. 6:7): AND THE LORD SAID: I WILL BLOT OUT < THE HUMANITY WHICH I CREATED FROM UPON THE FACE OF THE GROUND, HUMANITY TOGETHER WITH CATTLE, CREEPING THINGS, AND THE FOWL OF THE HEAVENS >…. And why all those? In order to teach you that they also had mingled their families and were having intercourse with species that were not their own, each and every species with a species that was not its own. Then the Holy One called Noah and said to him: Choose for yourself cattle, beasts, and fowl [from those] who have not mingled their families, as stated (in Gen. 7:2): FROM EVERY CLEAN BEAST, < those > just as clean as when they were created. Then, when they went out from the ark, the Holy One testified concerning them that they had not mingled their families. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 8:19): THEY WENT OUT BY THEIR FAMILIES. The Holy One, therefore, remembered them along with Noah, as stated (in Gen. 8:1): THEN GOD REMEMBERED NOAH, < ALL THE BEASTS, AND ALL THE CATTLE >.

(Gen. 8:1, cont.:) AND GOD CAUSED A WIND TO PASS < OVER THE EARTH >. {Which wind? The Holy One passes over the wind} [Which one? The Holy One caused a wind to pass over the earth] and over the waters. Thus he restored them just as they were at their beginning. It is so stated (ibid.): AND GOD CAUSED A WIND TO PASS OVER THE EARTH, [AND THE WATERS SUBSIDED]. It is also written (in Gen. 1:2): AND THE WIND OF GOD WAS HOVERING OVER FACE OF THE WATERS. That very wind he caused to pass over them, and immediately they settled down.

Another interpretation (of Gen. 8:1): AND GOD CAUSED A WIND TO PASS OVER THE EARTH, AND THE WATERS SUBSIDED. They SUBSIDED in that the Holy One cooled his anger, [in the same way] that it is stated (in Esth. 7:10): AND THE ANGER OF THE KING SUBSIDED. And so he is going to do when he exacts retribution from the wicked and eradicates them from the world; however, he is creating the righteous as a new creation and setting within them a spirit, of which it is stated (in Ezek. 37:14): AND I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT WITHIN YOU SO THAT YOU SHALL LIVE. David said (in Ps. 104:29): WHEN YOU HIDE YOUR FACE, {O LORD,} THEY ARE TERRIFIED; < WHEN YOU TAKE AWAY THEIR SPIRIT, THEY PERISH AND RETURN UNTO THEIR DUST >. These are the wicked; but in regard to the righteous (according to Ps. 104:30): WHEN YOU SEND FORTH YOUR SPIRIT, THEY ARE CREATED. The Holy One said: In this world I exacted retribution from the wicked because they rebelled against me and I eradicated them from the world; but for Noah, his children, [and his descendants] I have done a good deed. Also, in the world to come I am exacting retribution from the wicked and doing a good deed for the righteous, for so has Isaiah stated (in Is. 40:10): BEHOLD, THE LORD GOD COMES IN MIGHT…. These < words > concern the nations of the world. For the righteous, however, (these words of ibid., cont. apply): BEHOLD HIS REWARD IS WITH HIM AND HIS RECOMPENSE BEFORE HIM.

“He found in it a poor, wise man, and he saved the city in his wisdom; but no one remembered that poor man” (Ecclesiastes 9:15).
“He found in it a poor, wise man, – this is Noah, as it is stated: “For I have seen you righteous before Me in this generation” (Genesis 7:1). “And he saved the city in his wisdom” – as he would say to them: ‘Alas, empty ones, the flood is coming tomorrow; repent!’ ⁸⁸Noah said to the people of his generation, attempting to save them. They would say to him: ‘If calamity will begin, it will begin from the house of that man.’⁸⁹This is a reference to Noah. When Methuselah died they said to him: ‘Is it not from the house of that man that the calamity began?’⁹⁰Methuselah, a righteous man, died just seven days before the beginning of the Flood. Noah was a direct descendant of his and mourned his death. “But no one remembered that poor man” – the Holy One blessed be He said to them: You did not remember him; I remember him, as it is stated: “The Lord remembered Noah…” (Genesis 8:1).