Hava Nedeber Ivrit: The Flood And The Covenant
By NIRA LEV
Seepur Noach and Ha'mabul,
like most of the seepurim in Sefer
Bereshit, expresses some of the
most profound teachings of the
Tanach, and communications
universal moral truths. Seepurim at
mabul were very widespread
ba'olam ha'atik but seepur
ha'mabul in the Torah and the
meser it conveys is unlike any other
account and it is distinct in the
emet nitzchit that it proclaims.
Sefer Bereshit tells how
HaShem decided to wipe out
mankind because ha'aretz "mal'ah
chamas," and "kol basar" was
corrupt. However, adam tzadik
named Noach was to be saved from
the mabul. Noach was instructed to
build a tevah, to provision it and
take aboard his mishpacha together
with zachar and nekevah
representatives of "kol ha'chay."
When all was done, "mey
ha'mabul" came "al ha'aaretz"
and all earthly existence was blotted
out. Then the mabul stopped and
when Noach finally disembarked he
promptly built a mizbe'ach and
offered korbanot to Ha'Shem.
Ha'Shem, in turn, karat brit
with Noach, pledged never again
tot visit a mabul upon mankind and
set up the keshet be'anan as an
everlasting semel of his brit.
Despite the numerous
similarities between seepur
ha'mabul in the Torah and the
Mesopotamian traditions, the
mashma'ut and the meser of the
biblical version can be evaluated by
examining the niggudim between
seepur ha'mabul as we know it and
all other seepurim.
Seepur ha'mabul ba'torah is
the only one where hashkafat -
ha'olam is thoroughly monotheistic.
Ha'olam corrupted itself before
Ha'Shem, and He decided to
punish man. Noach was saved
because he was "eesh tzadik
tamim" who "walked" with
Ha'Shem. Noach does not
demonstrate any yozma and he
clearly follows the hora'ot Ha'Shem
gives him.
Highly significant is the fact that
the vessel that saved Noach is a
tevah, not an oniyah or seerah.
The Hebrew word tevah used to
describe this vessel occurs
elsewhere in the Tanach in this
sense only in connection with the
salvation of Moshe ha'tinok who
was put in a tevah to save him from
drowning. The building of a tevah
rather than an oniyah is intended in
both cases to attribute the hatzalah
of the geebor solely to Ha'Shem,
and not to human skill.
Seepur ha'mabul has an
unambiguous meser moosari,
unlike any other mabul account.
The seebah for the mabul is the
sh'cheetut of the people and
Noach was saved because he was
a tzadik tamim. Ha'Shem cares
about the olam He created and, like
in the seepur about Sdom and
Amorah, here too we see that this
olam is governed by chok and
moosar. There is sachar and there
is onesh, and there is ach'rayut
ishit. Seepur ha'mabul ends with
an important meser to mankind: the
brit between Ha'Shem and
ha'adam. We see here matchalah
chadasha for bney- ha'adam.
Noach is blessed like Adam
ha'rishon. The brit is for kol
ha'enoshut and the keshet
be'anan becomes its symbolic
guarantee.
Meelon (Dictionary)
seepur
ha'mabul
seepurim
story
the flood
stories
meaning
mashma'ut
contrasts
niggudim
contrast
niggud
ha'shkafat ha'olam . the world view
initiative
yozma
instructions
hora'ot
a ship
oniyah
a boat
seerah
baby
tinok
the baby
ha'tinok
saving, deliverance
hatzalah
hero
geebor
moral
moosari
reason
seebah
corruption
sh'cheetut
Sodom
Sdom and Amorah
and Gomorrah
law
chok
morality
moosar
reward
sachar
punishment
onesh
personal
ach'rayut ishit
responsibility
beginning
hatchalah
new
chadash
human beings,
bney-ha'adam
mankind
all mankind
kol ha'enoshut
Genesis
the Bible
about
in the world
world
ancient
message
eternal truth
the earth
was filled with
evil, injustice
all flesh
"kol basar"
a man
adam
righteous
tzadik
tevah ....an ark, a chest-like vessel
male
zachar
female
nekevah
"kol ha'chay" . . all living creatures
the water
"mey ha'mabul'
of the flood
on the land
"al ha'aretz"
an alter
mizbe'ach
sacrifice
korbanot
a rainbow
keshet
a cloud
anan
in the cloud
be'anan
a symbol
semel
covenant
brit
Sefer Bereshit
Ha'tanach
al
ba'olam
olam
atik
meser
emet nitzchit
ha'aretz
"mal-ah chamas"
A Noah Poem
Puzzle By Judy Silberg Loebl
Unscramble the animals listed below. Place the letters with the corresponding
numbers inside the ark. If you correctly place all the letters into the ark
you will find a poem about Noah. Some letters are given to help you get started.
GDO
D
0
G-
122
25
107
88
15
RFOG
SEVLOW
47 98
18 5
55 120 16 65 113 74
ACT
RAGFEFI
58
73
91
NHE
69 17 110
2
TOGA
BAEZR
24
52 119
87 118
KNUKS•
23 71 105 1
7
SREGIT
54
96
30
45 59 86 10
PPPTASUMHOIO
40 114 100
89 75 12 63 121 33
99 41 84 42 104
SLAM
3
90
27
Answers On Page L-7
48
ROSHE
116
38
78
95
61
ABBIRT
92 101
13
60
8
26
WCO
37
51
102
20
46
XFO
EACLM
81
43
82
28
36
0
D
YTRUKE
108
67
77
10
T
31
MKEOYN
23
N
W
I
A
11
29
83
68
76 21 97 56
W D
63 64
Y
0
TRALLOIAG
91
94 19 103 34
92 93
79 117 85 70
108 109 110
SLETTUR
94
96
95
IT
112 113
111
68
67
69
44
45
98 99
97
I
116
85
86
N
87
D
72
71
D
117
W
89
88
T
T
I
A
114 115
70
R
84
82 83
81
ND
Y
D
65 66
A
80
78 79
75 76 77
73 74
111 106 4 109
I
43
42
41
A
60 61 62
58 59
57
I
ONLI
40
39
54 55
52 53
51
A
H
56
50
48 49
46 47
AEEHLNPT
72 32 66
38
0! ! !
T
39
37
34 35 36
30 31 32 33
29
26 27 28
12
11
_____ 0 SL
24
25
N
22
18 19 20 21
17
13 14 15 16
H
9
8
7
49
KAY
53
6
3 4 5
2
1
9
100
101 102 103 104 105
90
N
106
107
N I)
122
118 119 120 121
93 14 44 50 35 64 6
NECKICH
62 112 22
115 57 80
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
L-3