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