Talmud sobre Gênesis 6:28

May one²³This translation of צריך follows S. Liebermann. check dark passages²⁴Roofed public spaces. purposely²⁵As the parallel expression in the next paragraph shows, a word “during daytime” is missing here. by candlelight? The words of the rabbis imply that not as it radiates at night it radiates during the day, ²⁶Gen. r. 31:12, a much better text. As given here, the story is Babylonian and there is no reason why they should be fleeing, and why the earth under the place (under the open sky) where the twice-yearly assembly of scholars was held should have been tunnelled. In Gen. rabba the name is Rebbi Huna, the place is Tiberias, and they were hiding from soldiers. as Rav Huna said, when we were fleeing to these catacombs of the great assembly they were lighting candles for us. When they were faint, we knew that it was day; when they were bright we knew that it was night. This parallels what Rebbi Aḥawa bar Ze`ira²⁷The son of R. Zeˋira. In Gen. r. “R. Phineas in the name of R. Zeˋira”. In the Babli Sanhedrin 108b is a similar statement of R. Joḥanan. said, when Noah entered the Ark he brought with him precious stones and pearls. When they were dull, he knew that it was daytime; when they were shiny he knew that it was nighttime.Why? There are animals eating at daytime and there are animals eating at nighttime. But is there not written, make a skylight to the ark²⁸Gen. 6:16.? Following him who said that the stars were not operative in the year of the flood²⁹Gen. r. 25:2, interpretation of Gen.8:22..

HALAKHAH: “How is this? If he collected the produce from him,” etc. Rebbi Aḥa said, it is written: “For the earth was filled with oppression because of them.³¹Gen. 6:13. Gen. rabba 31(5), in the name of R. Ḥanina.” What was their oppression? If a person came carrying a box full of lupines they all asembled and each one was taking less than the worth of a peruṭah, a case which cannot be brought before the judges³²The farmer in the end was left with nothing but so many thieves took only a minute amount that he did not have a case against anybody.. Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said, “much, much”³³Gen. 6:5 about the generation of the flood; Gen. 18:20 about Sodom and Gomorrha, identical expressions. Gen. rabba 28(3); R. Berekhiah in the name of R. Joḥanan.. The acts of these were identical to the acts of those.

HALAKHAH: “How is this? If he collected the produce from him,” etc. Rebbi Aḥa said, it is written: “For the earth was filled with oppression because of them.³¹Gen. 6:13. Gen. rabba 31(5), in the name of R. Ḥanina.” What was their oppression? If a person came carrying a box full of lupines they all asembled and each one was taking less than the worth of a peruṭah, a case which cannot be brought before the judges³²The farmer in the end was left with nothing but so many thieves took only a minute amount that he did not have a case against anybody.. Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said, “much, much”³³Gen. 6:5 about the generation of the flood; Gen. 18:20 about Sodom and Gomorrha, identical expressions. Gen. rabba 28(3); R. Berekhiah in the name of R. Joḥanan.. The acts of these were identical to the acts of those.

What was the fence that Job made around his words? It says (Job 1:5), “A pure and righteous man, who fears God and turns away from evil.” This teaches us that Job distanced himself from anything that would bring him to sin, from any ugliness, and from anything even resembling ugliness. If that is so, then why do we have to also learn that he was “a pure and righteous man”? But instead, this is here to teach us that Job emerged [from the womb] already circumcised. Adam also emerged already circumcised, as it says (Genesis 1:24), “And God created the person in His image.” Seth also emerged already circumcised, as it says (Genesis 5:2), “He had a child in his likeness and image.” Noah also emerged already circumcised, as it says (Genesis 6:9), “A just and pure man in his generation.” Shem also emerged already circumcised, as it says (Genesis 14:18), “Malkitzedek, king of Shalem.”²Malkitzedek is understood in rabbinic tradition to be Shem. The Hebrew word shalem means “complete.” Jacob also emerged already circumcised, as it says (Genesis 25:27), “Jacob was a pure man, who sat in tents.” Joseph also emerged already circumcised, as it says (Genesis 37:2), “This is the progeny of Jacob: Joseph.” But shouldn’t it say [instead]: This is the progeny of Jacob: Reuben? What do we learn from [the fact that it says] Joseph? [We learn] that just as Jacob emerged already circumcised, (so, too,) Joseph emerged already circumcised. Moses also emerged already circumcised, as it says (Exodus 2:2), “She saw that he was good.” And what did his mother see in him that was lovelier and more praiseworthy than any other person? That he emerged circumcised. Bil’am the wicked also came out circumcised, as it says (Numbers 24:4), “The word of him who hears God’s speech.” (Samuel also emerged circumcised, as it says [I Samuel 2:26], “Young Samuel continued to grow and was good.”) David also emerged circumcised – as it says (Psalms 16:1), “A mikhtam³A ketem (which has the same Hebrew letters as mikhtam) can mean a type of spot or marking. of David. (Protect me, for I seek refuge in You).” Jeremiah also emerged already circumcised, as it says (Jeremiah 1:5), “Before I formed you in the belly, I knew you; and before you came out of the womb I consecrated you.” Zerubbabel also emerged already circumcised, as it says (Haggai 2:23), “On that day (I will take,) [declares the Eternal of Hosts, I will take] Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, declares the Eternal.” And it says (Job 31:1), “I have made a covenant with my eyes, so how can I gaze at a maiden [i.e., an unmarried woman]?” This teaches that Job was strict with himself and would not even look at a maiden. And if with a maiden – whom he could marry if he wished (to his son, to his daughter, or to [another] family member) – he was strict with himself and would not look at her, then all the more so [would he never look at] a married woman! And why was he so strict with himself not to look even at a maiden? Because Job said to himself: Perhaps I will look today, and tomorrow another man will come along and marry her, and then I will have looked at a married woman.

Rebbi Jehudah ben Pazi said, the Holy One, praise to Him, took a spoonful from the place of the altar and created Adam from it. He said, he shall have been created from the place of the altar so that he should be able to stand up¹⁰¹Gen. rabba 14(9), R. Berekhiah and R. Ḥelbo in the name of R. Samuel ben Naḥman. The altar, with definite article, is the altar in the Temple courtyard in Jerusalem which by tradition [Gen. rabba 34(8)] is the altar used by Adam, Noah, and Abraham.. That is what is written: “The Eternal Omnipotent formed Adam the first of dust from the earth¹⁰²Gen. 2:7.”, and it is written: “You shall build for me an altar of earth¹⁰³Ex. 20:24..” Since “earth” there means an altar, here also [it means] an altar. “His days should be a hundred and twenty years.¹⁰⁴Gen. 6:3.” Adam the first lived close to a thousand years and you say, “his days should be a hundred and twenty years”! But after 120 years he returns to be a spoonful of decay. That is difficult. For Og, the king of Bashan, 120 years, and for a newborn baby 120 years? Og [becomes] a spoonful of decay, and a newborn baby becomes a spoonful of decay. “¹⁰⁵Tosephta Ahilut 2:2; Kelim Baba Meṣi‘a 7:1, as legal principle independent of the story of 120 years. Quoted in the Babli, 50b, but there the rabbis derive the decay from the body of the hand, without the fingers. The spoonful of decay which they mentioned is from his finger joints and upwards, the words of Rebbi Meïr, but the Sages say, from a fully developed hand.” Rebbi Ze‘ira, Rebbi Ḥiyya in the name of Rebbi was illustrating that of Rebbi Meïr one way, that of the rabbis in another way.

BARAITHA.³⁸K 19. Ye that inflame yourselves among the terebinths. These are they who excite themselves and masturbate. To what is he comparable? To an animal; as an animal is not mindful [of what it does] he too is not mindful of what he does. Another explanation: As an animal is destined for slaughter and has no portion in the World to Come, he too has no portion in the World to Come.
GEMARA. It has been taught: He³⁹The man who excites himself with lustful thoughts and one who practises masturbation. trangresses the law on the ground of copulating and of being subjected to copulation.⁴⁰He is considered as having played the part of both male and female in intercourse. And why is this so [heinous]? Because he excites the evil inclination against himself. It has been taught:⁴¹Suk. 52a, b (Sonc. ed., p. 249). The evil inclination of a man grows more powerful within him daily, as it is stated, And that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.⁴²Gen. 6, 5. The Heb. for imagination (veẓer) is the same as for ‘inclination’. Hence our Rabbis expounded that thinking leads to desire, desire to love, love to pursuit and pursuit to [the sinful] act. This should make you realize how difficult is the return from one to the other. It is similar with repentance: abstinence leads to strictness, strictness to zeal, zeal to cleanliness, cleanliness to [levitical] purity, [levitical] purity to piety, piety to humility, and the greatest of them all is humility, as it is stated, The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to bring good tidings unto the humble.⁴³Isa. 61, 1. It does not mention the righteous, Israel, the pure or the pious, but to bring good tidings unto the humble.

MISHNAH: The generation of the Deluge has no part in the World to Come and they do not stand in judgment, as it is said²⁹⁶Gen. 6:3.: My Spirit shall not judge man forever. The people of Sodom have no part in the World to Come but they stand in judgment. Rebbi Neḥemiah says, neither of them stands in judgment, as it is said²⁹⁷Ps. 1:5.: Therefore, evildoers shall not rise in judgment, nor sinners in the company of the just. Therefore, evildoers shall not rise in judgment, that is the generation of the Deluge, nor sinners in the company of the just, these are the people of Sodom. They said to him, in the company of the just they will not rise; they will stand in the company of evildoers.

³⁰¹Babli 108a, Tosephta 13:6, Gen. rabba26(6),28(3). It was stated: Rebbi Neḥemiah says, one understands it from what was said²⁹⁶Gen. 6:3. My Spirit shall not judge man forever. Rebbi Jehudah says, My Spirit shall not judge him, for I shall not give My Spirit into them when I shall give My Spirit into people³⁰²At the resurrection. The interpretations differ in formulation, not in meaning.. Rebbi Simeon says, My Spirit shall not judge him, for I shall not give My Spirit into them when I shall distribute the rewards of the just. Others say, My Spirit shall not judge him, I shall not bring it back into its sheath³⁰³In the container where souls are kept to be born or resurrected.. Rebbi Joshua ben Levi said, mainly their³⁰⁴The generation of the flood. scalding was parboiling. What is the reason? At the time when they were scalded they shrank; in its heat they disappear from their place³⁰⁵Job6:17.. What is in its heat? In their boiling. Rebbi Joḥanan said, every single drop which the Holy One, praise to Him, rained on them, He brought to a boil in Hell and rained it on them³⁰⁶Gen. rabba 28(9) [M. Sokoloff, The Geniza Fragments of Bereshit Rabba(Jerusalem 1982) p. 120].. That is what is written, in its heat they disappear from their place. Jehudah ben Rebbi Ḥizqiah and Rebbi³⁰⁷Probably one should read “Jehudah and Hizqiah, the sons of R. Hiyya”, or a name in missing here. In Mishnah Idiut2:10, the Babli, Šabbat 33b, and Thr. rabba1(42), the statement is anonymous. In Gen. rabba 28(7) it is attributed to R. Johanan, a student of Hizqiah.
The statement is the basis of the rule that prayers for deceased parents may be said only for 11 months, so as not to declare one’s parents as evildoers. said, the Holy One, praise to Him, judges the evildoers in Hell for twelve months. First He brings the itch on them; then He brings them into fire and they say woe, woe; after that He brings them into snow and they say wai, wai. What is the reason? He brought me up from the noisy pit, from miry mud³⁰⁸Ps. 40:3.. What is from יָוֶן mud? From a place where one says woe. Why could they not receive their punishment³⁰⁹This refers to the statement of the Mishnah that the people of the Deluge have no part in the World to Come, i. e., that their souls were destroyed. and then take part in the World to Come? Because the scoffer will not hear rebuke³¹⁰Since the goal of punishment is reform, punishment of scoffers is useless. Their souls, instead of being punished, must be destroyed..

BARAITHA. Do not stumble through your eyes, for stumbling is only due to the eyes.⁸⁵Cf. j.Ber. I, 5, 3C: ‘The eye and heart are the two agents of sin’.
GEMARA. For so you find that ‘Azza and ‘Azza’el⁸⁶Two of the fallen angels (Yoma 67b, Sonc. ed., p. 316). [Cf. on the subject, Bamberger, Fallen Angels, pp. 178ff.] stumbled through their eyes; as it is stated, The sons of God saw the daughters of men⁸⁷Gen. 6, 2.. What did they do? At the Creation they spoke before the All-merciful, ‘What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?’⁸⁸Ps. 8, 5. The Holy One, blessed be He, replied, ‘You will see that you will err more than they’. He caused the evil inclination to hold sway over them and they descended [to earth]. And what if they were possessed of the evil inclination, what benefit did they derive from their association [with the daughters of men]? If you argue thus, how will you explain what is written And they bore children to them?⁸⁹Gen. 6, 4. Since [the minds of the women] were concentrated on the angels when they cohabited with their husbands, the result was that their children resembled angels.⁹⁰There was no physical contact between the angels and women.

BARAITHA. Do not stumble through your eyes, for stumbling is only due to the eyes.⁸⁵Cf. j.Ber. I, 5, 3C: ‘The eye and heart are the two agents of sin’.
GEMARA. For so you find that ‘Azza and ‘Azza’el⁸⁶Two of the fallen angels (Yoma 67b, Sonc. ed., p. 316). [Cf. on the subject, Bamberger, Fallen Angels, pp. 178ff.] stumbled through their eyes; as it is stated, The sons of God saw the daughters of men⁸⁷Gen. 6, 2.. What did they do? At the Creation they spoke before the All-merciful, ‘What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?’⁸⁸Ps. 8, 5. The Holy One, blessed be He, replied, ‘You will see that you will err more than they’. He caused the evil inclination to hold sway over them and they descended [to earth]. And what if they were possessed of the evil inclination, what benefit did they derive from their association [with the daughters of men]? If you argue thus, how will you explain what is written And they bore children to them?⁸⁹Gen. 6, 4. Since [the minds of the women] were concentrated on the angels when they cohabited with their husbands, the result was that their children resembled angels.⁹⁰There was no physical contact between the angels and women.

HALAKHAH: Some Tannaim state, membranes over the eyes and cataracts were disqualifying for it⁶⁶As they are disqualifying for sacrifices; Lev. 22:22–24. Mekhilta dR. Isamel Bo 4.. Some Tannaim state, membranes over the eyes and cataracts were not disqualifying for it⁶⁷Tosephta 8:11.. He who said, membranes over the eyes and cataracts were disqualifying for it, is understandable, since it is written, a perfect lamb⁶⁸Ex. 12:5.. He who said, membranes over the eyes and cataracts were not disqualifying for it, how does he confirm a perfect lamb? ⁶⁹The next sentences are from Soṭah 9:5, Notes 109–112. Even for offerings of the descendants of Noah it is impossible! Did not Rebbi Yasa say that Rebbi Eleazar made it clear to the colleagues, from all living, from all flesh⁷⁰Gen. 6:19. From all living creatures, each one with its entire flesh, i. e., a whole body. Babli Avodah zarah 5b.
Since Noah sacrificed some of the pure animals after the Flood, they must have conformed to the rules of sacrificial animals. But the Pesaḥ in Egypt was not an altar sacrifice., that they were complete in their limbs. There, some of them were for the altar, here nothing is for the altar. ⁷¹This sentence belongs to Soṭah, it has no place here.(Rebbi Ḥuna in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan, since you say, purgation is written there as for sacrifices, but here the altar has no part) But is was stated thus: Our forefathers in Egypt had three altars, the lintel and two door-posts. Some Tannaim state, four: the door-step, and the lintel, and two door-posts. Some Tannaim state, סַף is a vessel. Some Tannaim state, סַף is the door-step. He who said, סַף is a vessel, the cups, and the pruning knives, and the vessels for pouring⁷²1K. 6:50. The words are badly misspelled. The word is סף I.. He who said, סַף is the door-step, when they used My door-step and their door-step⁷³Ez. 43:8, סף II.. He who said, סַף is a vessel, is understandable⁷⁴Ex. 12:22.; from the blood in the סַף. He who said, סַף is the door-step, how does he confirm that סַף may mean a vessel? He brings a cup as סַף, puts it down on the door-step, dunks and sprinkles.

Would missing limbs disable it? That would not be even like sacrifices of the descendants of Noah¹⁰⁸All of mankind, who have to follow the “natural law” given to Noah. It is accepted both in the Yerushalmi (also Pesaḥim 9:4 36d line 71, Megillah1:13 72b line 39) and in the Babli (Avodah zarah 5b, 51a, Zebaḥim 116a, Temurah 7a) that a Gentile’s sacrifice on his own altar is accepted by Heaven if only the animal is of the pure kinds and not missing anything observable from the outside. Only in the Temple are Gentile sacrifices subject to the rules of Lev. 21:21–25. The same verse is quoted in the Babli as in the Yerushalmi.! Did not Rebbi Yasa say that Rebbi Eleazar explained to the colleagues: “From all living, from all flesh¹⁰⁹Gen. 6:19. The interpretation of the verse is: From all living creatures, each one with his entire flesh, i. e., a whole body.,” that they should be complete in their limbs? There, some were for the altar¹¹⁰Since Noaḥ used some of the animals for elevation sacrifices (Gen. 8:20) it is inferred that all pure animals entering his ark were acceptable sacrifices., but here¹¹¹The calf is buried at the place it is killed., the altar has no part. Rebbi Ḥuna in the name of Rebbi Jeremiah: Since you say, purgation is written there as for sacrifices¹¹²Deut. 21:8; the purpoise of the entire ceremony is to purge the Land from the guilt of innocent blood. The goal of purgation is spelled out for all purification and reparation offerings in Lev. 4 ff., it is as if some of it were for the altar. Does ṭerefa¹¹³Here, the word is used in its original meaning (Ex. 22:30) “Flesh torn on the field you shall not eat,” meaning that a carcass torn by a predator is forbidden as food. From this root, the technical term ṭerefa means that any life-threatening injury forbids the afflicted animal as food. There is no difference whether the injury is caused by outside action or sickness. For example, tuberculous lesions of the lung are a main source of ṭerefa. Obviously there are two kinds of ṭerefa: those that can be observed by outward inspection and those which can only be noted when the animal is cut up after slaughter. Since all animals offered on the altar (except birds) must be offered in pieces, it is clear that all kinds of ṭerefa are forbidden for the altar. But in the case of the calf, only what is verifiable on the living animal is intended. The position of the Babli, Ḥulin 11a, is that most animals do not have life-threatening internal injuries and, therefore, one may assume that a healthy-looking calf is healthy. (The list of what is considered life-threatening is in Mishnah Ḥulin 3:1,3). disable it? Since you say, it is as if some of it were for the altar, in that it should be clear to you that ṭerefa disables it. If its foot was undeveloped, as a donkey’s foot¹¹⁴The calf does not have split hooves., how do you treat that? If you treat it as if missing a limb, can it be enabled¹¹⁵It would seem natural to emend the text by switching the places of “enabled” and “disabled” and consider the text as declarative sentences. That is what all commentators and editors do but it is unacceptable since even the Genizah ms., which derives from an archetype different from the Leiden and Rome mss., does have “enabled” and “disabled” in the positions indicated. It seems necessary to treat the sentences as rhetorical questions.? If you treat it as a bodily defect, can it be disabled¹¹⁶Since it was slated in the Mishnah that bodily defects do not disable.? Does its blood prepare¹¹⁷If some of the killed calf’s blood comes in touch with fresh food, does it make that food susceptible to ritual impurity. For preparation for impurity, cf. Demay 2, Note 141, Terumot 1, Note 9, Mishnah Makhširin 6:4.? Since Rebbi Ḥiyya stated that its blood is impure¹¹⁸Since any impure fluid is impure at least in the first degree, it transmits its impurity and, therefore, does prepare for impurity., its blood prepares.

It is not permissible to make a scroll of the Shema‘ or of the Hallel for children,³³Extracts from Scripture may not be made for study by children. but if the scribe intends to add to it, it is permissible.³⁴From ‘but if’ to ‘permissible’ is an addition by GRA. R. Judah permits the writing of a scroll from In the beginning³⁵Gen. 1, 1. to the story of the flood,³⁶i.e. to Gen. 6, 8. In each instance the extract is a connected theme. and from the beginning of Leviticus to And it came to pass on the eighth day;³⁷Lev. 9, 1. but in the case of all the other books [of Scripture the writing of extracts is] forbidden.³⁸Only in the case of the Pentateuch were the two extracts mentioned allowed to be written for the instruction of children. V adds here, ‘if he intends to add to it, it is permitted’.

HALAKHAH: ¹¹⁴A somewhat extended version is Gen. rabba 31(8). Rebbi Yasa said, in four places it is said “make for yourself.” In three it is explicit, one is not explicit. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood¹¹⁵Gen. 6:14.. Make yourself two silver trumpets¹¹⁶Num. 10:2.. Make yourself flintstone knives¹¹⁷Jos. 5:2.. Make yourself a poisonous snake¹¹³Num. 21:8. He did not make explicit. Moses said, is its root not nḥš¹¹⁸The words for “brass” and “snake” both use the root nḥš whose meaning seems to be unrelated to both.? Therefore, Moses made a brass snake¹¹⁹Num. 21:9.. From there, Rebbi Meïr interpreted names¹²⁰Slightly differently Babli Yoma 83b.. There was a man called Kidor. Rebbi Meïr told them, guard yourselves from him, he is a bad person; for a generation of perverts they are¹²¹Deut. 32:20..

⁴⁷⁶Babli Zevaḥim115b, Tosefta Zevaḥim 13:1.“Everything is brought on an altar⁴⁷⁷A private altar when it is legitimate. The detailed rules of sacrifices spelled out in Lev. are valid only for places of public worship., domestic and wild animals⁴⁷⁸On a public altar only cattle, sheep and goats are permitted., large and small birds⁴⁷⁹On a public altar only pigeons and turtle doves are permitted., male and female⁴⁸⁰By the rules of Lev. 1:3,10, an elevation sacrifice can only be a male animal., whole [but not] (and)⁴⁸¹Clearly the text of the [corrector] is the only acceptable one. defective, pure⁴⁸²Kosher animals and birds, Lev. 11. but not impure. All are brought as elevation sacrifice and do not need stripping and partitioning⁴⁸³In the Babylonian sources (Note 476): they need stripping (remove the hide) and partitioning.. Gentiles today are permitted to do this.” From where male and female? Rebbi Abbahu in the name of Rebbi Yose bar Ḥanina: and the cows they offered as elevation offering to the Eternal.⁴⁸⁴1S. 6:14, referring to the cows which drew the cart on which the Philistines returned the Ark to Bet Shemesh. Since the place at Shilo was inactive without the Ark in the Tabernacle, it was a time when private altars were permitted. From where whole [but not] (and)⁴⁸¹Clearly the text of the [corrector] is the only acceptable one. defective? Rebbi Yasa said, Rebbi Eleazar made it clear to the colleagues, from all living, from integer flesh⁴⁸⁵Gen. 6:19. The animal must be complete from the outside. It does not need inspection of its internal organs as required for kosher consumption of the meat or as sacrifice on a public altar. Babli Zevaḥim 116a., that they should be complete in their limbs. Plucked? Rebbi Eleazar made it clear, any bird, any wing⁴⁸⁶Gen. 7:14. If the feathers are removed, the bird has no more wings., to exclude plucked ones. From where pure but not impure? Rebbi Abba the son of Rebbi Pappai, Rebbi Joshua from Sikhnin in the name of Rebbi Levi: Noah pondered a lesson from the Torah. He said, it already was said to me, like vegetables from the field I gave you everything⁴⁸⁷Gen.9:3. While Adam was created as a vegetarian (Gen. 1:29), Noah was told to be an omnivore.. Why did Scripture increase the pure ones? For sacrifices. And Gentiles today are permitted to do this. Rebbi Abba in the name of Rav Jehudah, it is forbidden to a Jew to help him and it is forbidden to become his agent⁴⁸⁸Since private altars were forbidden after the building of the Temple, Jews cannot be involved in any way in building or serving such an altar. Babli Zevaḥim 116b..

There were ten generations from Adam until Noah.
And why was it necessary to bring all those people into the world? This teaches you that even as all those generations continued to anger the Holy Blessed One, He did not bring the flood upon them because of the righteous and saintly among them. And some say that as long as Methuselah was alive, the flood did not come upon the world; and even when Methuselah died, it was still held off for another seven days, as it says (Genesis 7:10), “And it was seven days, [and the waters of the flood were on the earth].” What was happening during those seven days? These were the [seven] days of mourning for that righteous man, who had prevented the punishment. That is why it says, “And it was seven days.”
Another interpretation of, “And it was seven days”: This teaches that the Holy Blessed One fixed a specific time, after 120 years, hoping that they might repent. But they did not, and so it says, “And it was seven days” [i.e., the final seven days of the countdown].
Another interpretation of, “And it was seven days”: This teaches that the Holy Blessed One changed the order of the world [which was created in seven days] for them, and had the sun rise from the west and set in the east, hoping that maybe they would understand and become afraid and repent. But they did not, and so it says, “And it was seven days.”
Another interpretation: This teaches that the Holy Blessed One set a table for them, and gave them a taste of the World to Come, so that they would gather together and say to one another, “Oy, for we have lost all this goodness, and we have caused the destruction of our descendants (from the earth), as it says (Genesis 6:12), “And God saw the earth, and it had been destroyed.”

There were ten generations from Adam until Noah.
And why was it necessary to bring all those people into the world? This teaches you that even as all those generations continued to anger the Holy Blessed One, He did not bring the flood upon them because of the righteous and saintly among them. And some say that as long as Methuselah was alive, the flood did not come upon the world; and even when Methuselah died, it was still held off for another seven days, as it says (Genesis 7:10), “And it was seven days, [and the waters of the flood were on the earth].” What was happening during those seven days? These were the [seven] days of mourning for that righteous man, who had prevented the punishment. That is why it says, “And it was seven days.”
Another interpretation of, “And it was seven days”: This teaches that the Holy Blessed One fixed a specific time, after 120 years, hoping that they might repent. But they did not, and so it says, “And it was seven days” [i.e., the final seven days of the countdown].
Another interpretation of, “And it was seven days”: This teaches that the Holy Blessed One changed the order of the world [which was created in seven days] for them, and had the sun rise from the west and set in the east, hoping that maybe they would understand and become afraid and repent. But they did not, and so it says, “And it was seven days.”
Another interpretation: This teaches that the Holy Blessed One set a table for them, and gave them a taste of the World to Come, so that they would gather together and say to one another, “Oy, for we have lost all this goodness, and we have caused the destruction of our descendants (from the earth), as it says (Genesis 6:12), “And God saw the earth, and it had been destroyed.”

Rabbi Elazar ben Parta would say about the verse (Genesis 6:3), “My spirit shall not judge human beings forever,” that the Holy Blessed one said: I will not judge them until I double their reward, as it says (Job 21:13), “They spend their days well (and their years pleasantly), and they calmly go down into Sheol.” Rabbi Yosei HaGalili would say: See, it says, “My spirit shall not judge”; the Holy Blessed One said: I do not equate those with evil intentions to those with good intentions. Until when? Until their final judgment has been sealed. But when it is sealed, then both are judged equally (for their sins).

He would also say: The righteous have their desire for evil taken away and are given a desire for good, as it says (Psalms 109:22), “My heart has been hollowed out inside of me.” The wicked have their desire for good taken away and are given a desire for evil, as it says (Psalms 36:2), “Sin speaks to the wicked in his heart. There is no fear of God in his sight.” Those who are not entirely righteous or entirely wicked [beinomim] are given both, and those who move toward their evil desires are judged by them, while those who move toward their good desires are judged by them, as it says (Psalms 109:31), “For he who stands at the right of the needy, to save him from those who judge his soul.”
Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar would say: See, it says, “[My spirit] shall not judge,” for the Holy Blessed One said: ([I will not judge [the wicked] until I pay the righteous their reward. How long will this last? During the time [of the wicked] in this world. But in the World to Come, the verse says (Psalms 146:46), “His spirit leaves him, and he returns to the ground.”
Rabbi Akiva would say: See, it says (Genesis 6:3), “My spirit shall not judge human beings forever,” for the Holy Blessed One said:]) They cannot judge themselves, for they are just flesh and blood. Rather, their spirit is taken upward and says to God, Turn away from this one.
Rabbi Meir would say: See, the verse says, “[My spirit] shall not judge,” for the Holy Blessed One said: They have declared in this generation that God will not judge them, that there is no Judge in the world, for God has abandoned the world.
Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi would say: See, it says, “[My spirit] shall not judge,” for the Holy Blessed One said: They did not institute a court for themselves on earth, so I will institute a court for them on High.”