Halakhah к Берешит 7:11

Judah the Persian also said that the years referred to in the story of Noah were solar years, since he found that the Deluge commenced “in the six-hundredth year of Noah’s life” (Genesis 7:11), and it subsequently states “in the six-hundredth and first year” (ibid. 8:13).²² The duration of the flood is measured relative to the age of Noah, and a person’s age is based on solar years, as are all living things (cf. note 69). Therefore the years referred to in the story of Noah must be solar years. For this reason an additional ten days were added to the number of months,²³ The Deluge commenced on the seventeenth day of the second month (Genesis 7:11). The earth dried and Noah exited the Ark one year later on the twenty seventh day of the second month (ibid. 8:14). Thus Noah remained in the Ark one full year and an additional ten days. for this number is approximately the excess of a solar year over a lunar year.²⁴ A solar year is approximately 365 days while an ordinary lunar year (12 months) is approximately 354 days, a difference of about eleven days. But this figure contradicts Judah the Persian’s own words, since he now admits that a month is based on the moon. He also said that the Ark came to rest after five months,²⁵ The rain began on the seventeenth of the second month (Genesis 7:11) and the Ark came to rest on Mount Ararat on the seventeenth of the seventh month (ibid. 8:4), a span of five months. a total of “one hundred and fifty days” (ibid. 8: 3). ²⁶ From this Judah the Persian again derived that the years enumerated in the Noah story are solar, because in a lunar calendar five months would consist of approximately 5 ׳ 29.5 = 147.5 days, less than 150 days. Because of this problem, the Gaon (Rabbi Saadia)²⁷ Rabbi Saadia ben Yosef Al-Fayyumi (892–942) was Gaon of the academy at Sura. was forced to set Tishre as the beginning of Noah’s years.²⁸ Rabbi Saadia Gaon disagreed with Judah the Persian and was of the opinion that the months recorded in the Noah story were lunar months. To resolve the seeming contradiction between five months and 150 days, Rabbi Saadia said that the months used in the story of Noah were numbered from Tishre, and the year of the Deluge was a leap year with Marheshvon and Khislev both full months. Hence we have 14 days of Marheshvon, 30 days of Khislev, 29 days of Tevet, 30 days of Shevat, 30 days of Adar i, and 17 days from Adar ii, a total of exactly 150 days. In his Alternative Commentary to Genesis (7:11), Ibn Ezra criticizes Rabbi Saadia’s solution by claiming that a year cannot have so many consecutive full months of thirty days. But this is not necessary,²⁹ Such a solution is not necessary to counter Judah the Persian. for even according to the months of a solar year (1⁄12 of 365 days), the count would be two days longer than what is recorded in Scripture.³⁰ 5 ׳ (1⁄12 ׳ 365) = 152+ days, more than the 150 days stated in Scripture. Ibn Ezra’s resolution of the seeming contradiction (150 days verses five months) is given in his Alternative Commentary to Genesis (7:11): The months in the story of Noah are solar, but based on a calendar similar to that of the Egyptians, where eleven months of the year are thirty days long and one month has 35 days. So five standard months would be 5 ׳ 30 = 150 days. Even if Noah counted by solar years, it would be of no consequence.³¹ It is of no importance how Noah calculated the year, for our laws are based on the teachings of Moses. Hence, we must search for the Torah’s year from Moses (the Pentateuch) or from the holy scribes (the Rabbis). We will begin with them.