Комментарий к Берешит 9:20

ויחל [AND NOAH] BEGAN — (The word may be connected also with a root meaning “profane”) He profaned (degraded) himself, for he should have occupied himself first with planting something different (Genesis Rabbah 36:3).

‘ISH’ (A MAN) OF THE GROUND. Rashi explained it as “the master [owner or lord] of the ground. This is similar to the expression, ‘ish’ (the man) of Naomi,”²³⁹Ruth 1:3. [which means the master of Naomi]. But this is not so. ‘Ish’ Naomi is an expression of the marital state, just as: ‘ish ve’ishto’ (a man and his wife).²⁴⁰Above, 7:2. Others²⁴¹Found in R’dak’s Book of Roots. have said that it means “the outstanding one of the earth, and its leader,” and they brought proof from similar verses: Gideon the son of Joash, ‘ish’ (a man) of Israel,²⁴²Judges 7:14. [meaning a chief of Israel]; Both ye sons of ‘adam’ and ye son of ‘ish;’²⁴³Psalms 49:3. Translated: both low and high. Art thou not ‘ish’ (a man)? And who is like to thee in Israel?²⁴⁴I Samuel 26:15. And there are many other similar verses according to their opinion.
In my opinion, Gideon the son of Joash ‘ish’ of Israel,²⁴²Judges 7:14. refers to his genealogy, i.e., that he was an Israelite. Art thou not a man?²⁴⁴I Samuel 26:15. means that “there is no one like you in Israel.” Similarly, strengthen yourselves, and be men,²⁴⁵Ibid., 4:9. means that they should not be weak like women. Both ye sons of ‘adam’ and ye sons of ‘ish,’²⁴³Psalms 49:3. Translated: both low and high. [means “both ye low-born and] ye men of higher station.” However, a man of the ground is like the men of the city,²⁴⁶Genesis 19:4. since Noah lived all over the earth and never built a city or country to which he should relate himself. Similarly, a man of the field²⁴⁷Ibid., 25:27. means one who constantly stayed there. In the Mishnah we find:²⁴⁸Aboth, I, 4. “Yosei ben Yoezer a man of Tzreidah, and Yosei ben Yochanan a man of Jerusalem.”
[It may be that a man of the ground means] that he was determined to work the ground, to sow and to plant, because he found the earth had been laid waste, for whoever dedicates himself to a certain purpose is so called, [i.e., ish of that purpose]. The men of the city²⁴⁶Genesis 19:4. means those that dwell in it. The men of David²⁴⁹I Samuel 23:3. are his servants, and a man of G-d²⁵⁰Deuteronomy 33:1. is one who is dedicated to His service. And so the Rabbis have said in Bereshith Rabbah:²⁵¹36:6. “A man of the ground [is so called just] as the castle guard is called by the name of the castle.” And the Rabbis also said²⁵²Ibid., 36:5. that Noah had a passion for agriculture. Thus [the word ish is here used to signify] a relationship.
The meaning of the word vayachel (and he began) is that he commenced the planting of vineyards. The preceding men had planted single vines, but Noah began to plant many rows of vines, which together comprise a vineyard. On account of his desire for wine, he did not plant the vine singly as other trees; rather, he made a vineyard.

Noach began. Since his first undertaking was an unworthy one it led to disgraceful consequences, illustrating that a small flaw at the outset of an endeavor leads to a large one in the end.