דֶּרֶךְ־אֶרֶץ קָּדְמָה לַתּוֹרָה
“Derekh eretz precedes the Torah.”
Leviticus Rabbah 9:3
“But Noah found favor in HaShem’s eyes.”
Genesis 6:8
“Even Noah was included in the decree to be wiped out in the Flood, but he found favor in God’s eyes” (Sanhedrin 108a).”
REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: GENESIS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (p. 134). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.
אֵלֶּה, תּוֹלְדֹת נֹחַ-נֹחַ� אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה, בְּדֹרֹתָיו:
“These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous and wholesome man in his generation.”
Genesis 6:9
Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generations (6:9)
“Among our sages, there are those who interpret this as being in praise of Noah: If he was righteous in his generation, then certainly he would have been even more righteous if he would have been in a generation of righteous people. And there are those who interpret this as a condemnation: In relation to his generation he was righteous, but had he been in Abraham’s generation, he wouldn’t have been regarded as anything.”
Rashi cited at Chabad.org, Noach, Parsha In-Depth
“Although the generation was steeped in idolatry and immorality, its final decree was issued because of theft (Rashi). The Torah is the mainstay of the world. However, God did not give the Torah until Year 2448 from Creation. The Flood took place some 800 years prior to that. If there was no Torah to sustain the world and show people the right path, why were they punished? The answer is that the Torah was present, albeit in a concealed manner. It manifested itself in commerce and in the way people acted towards each other, falling under the category of derekh eretz (literally, "the way of the land"—i.e., respect for others). By stealing from each other, the Generation of the Flood showed that it couldn’t care less about derekh eretz. Its decree was sealed on that account (Likutey Halakhot VIII, p. 219b-220a).”
REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: GENESIS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (pp. 129-130). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.
“Now the earth had become corrupt before G-d…”
“The wording of this verse, corrupt before HaShem, implies that only in Hashem’s eyes was the world corrupt; in the eyes of men, seemingly, everything was proper.”…Thus sins which appear to be purely “private” do not remain that way forever. Eventually the attitude they create breaks out into the open and leads to a climate of anarchy…”
Kol Dodi on the Torah, Rabbi David Feinstein, Mesorah Publishing, ltd., pg. 29
“For all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth “Flesh” refers to sexuality. When people grow debauched, they “corrupt their way” in the sense of harming themselves. Thus, the Generation of the Flood brought about its own demise ( Likutey Moharan I, 31:4)”
REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: GENESIS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (p. 129). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.
“The generation of the Flood was not wiped out from the world until they wrote gemom’siot for (the union of a man to) a male or to an animal.”�Genesis Rabbah 26:5
דּוֹר הַמַּבּוּל לֹא נִמּוֹחוּ מִן הָעוֹלָם עַד שֶׁכָּתְבוּ גִּמּוֹמְסִיּוֹת לְזָכָר וְלִבְהֵמָה.
This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license by Ted Eytan, Wikimedia Commons.
June 26, 2015
Tammuz 9, 5775
Now when Jerusalem was captured in the ninth year of Zedekiah king of Judah, in the tenth month Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came to Jerusalem and laid siege to it; 2 in the eleventh year of Zedekiah, in the fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the city wall was breached.
Jeremiah 39:2, NASB
“A person who guards the covenant—i.e., his sexual purity—is considered to be a tzaddik (Zohar I, 59b). Noah was called a tzaddik (Genesis 6:9) because in a generation steeped in sexual immorality, he maintained the highest standards of personal purity. Since all tzaddikim maintain such standards, they are associated with the rainbow-covenant that God made with Noah. Thus, they can arouse the brilliant illumination of the rainbow; this illumination parallels the revelation of Torah mysteries (Likutey Moharan I, 42).”
REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: GENESIS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (pp. 142-143). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.
“For this to Me is like the waters of Noah.”
Isaiah 54:9
כִּֽי־מֵ֥י נֹ֙חַ֙ זֹ֣את לִ֔י
“When G‑d said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me,” Noah said: “What will You do with me?” But he did not pray for mercy for the world, as Abraham would pray for the city of Sodom. . . . This is why the Flood is called “the waters of Noah” (Isaiah 54:9)—he is culpable for them, because he did not appeal for mercy on the world’s behalf.”
Zohar cited at Chabad.org
"When Noah left the ark and saw that the world was destroyed, he began to pray. “Foolish shepherd!” God reprimanded him. “Why didn’t you pray for mercy for your generation before the Flood struck?” Moses, in contrast, was a true shepherd, for he prayed for and was willing to give up his life for his flock (Zohar I, 106a).”
REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: GENESIS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (p. 139). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.
חָמָס
Hamas
108
גיהנם
מֵ֥י נֹ֙חַ֙
Gehinnom
108
Waters of Noach
108
וַתִּשָּׁחֵ֥ת הָאָ֖רֶץ לִפְנֵ֣י הָֽאֱלֹקים וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א הָאָ֖רֶץ חָמָֽס׃
“The earth became corrupt before G-d,�the earth was filled with violence (hamas).”
Genesis 6:11
“God saw that the evil of man was great upon the earth, and every inclination of the thoughts of his heart were only evil all day long. Only evil all day long The final letters of raK rA koL ha-yoM (רק רע כל היום, only evil all day long) spell the word AMaLeK (עמלק). Amalek represents the forces of evil that direct a person to think evil thoughts. Therefore we are commanded: “Remember what Amalek did to you” (Deuteronomy 25:17)—be aware of his attempts and attacks in order to overcome him (Likutey Halakhot II, p. 205a).”
REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: GENESIS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (p. 126). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.
“Though he was a great tzaddik, Noah did not pray for his fellow man with a readiness for self-sacrifice, as Moses did for the Jewish nation . . . He lacked that full da'at to rectify Adam’s sin and stop the Flood, he fell down naked, like Adam (Genesis 2:25), without garments (Likutey Halakhot I, p. 92-47a)”
REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: GENESIS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (p. 144). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.
“The word ChaM literally means “hot.” ChaM represents a defiled covenant, the demeanor of one who “warms” himself up to sin (Likutey Halakhot I, p. 95a). Furthermore, the numerical value of the name ChaM is 48. A person’s burning desires in this world can be countered by the forty-eight ways with which the Torah is acquired (Avot 6:6) (Likutey Halakhot I, p. 134a).”
REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: GENESIS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (p. 143). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.
Middot
“Greater is Torah than priesthood and kingship, for kingship is obtained with thirty levels, and priesthood with twenty-four, and Torah is obtained with forty-eight things.”�Pirkei Avot 6:6, Sefaria.org
“In Noach, we read about the great flood. The Hebrew word for flood, mabul, also means disorder and confusion. In a world full of disorder, our priorities can become skewed and distorted.”
Weisberg, Chana. Shabbat deLights: Enlightening Insights on the Weekly Torah portion (p. 24). Chabad.org and EZRA. Kindle Edition.
“In fact, there is a flood in almost every generation. In some generations, the “flood” is physical; it may be a wildfire, a tsunami, an earthquake, or a volcanic eruption. In other generations, the flood is not physical but spiritual. Just as a physical flood may involve water falling down from heaven or surging up from the sea, in a spiritual flood the intellectuals inundate us with anti-religious messages from above, and from below, the masses initiate a deluge of dissatisfaction with the religious experience.”
R’ Adin Steinsaltz. Talks on the Parasha . The Toby Press llc. Kindle Edition.
“The Hebrew word for "ark," teivah, also means "word." "Come into the word," says G-d; enter within the words of prayer and Torah study. Here you will find a sanctuary of wisdom, meaning and holiness amidst the raging floodwaters of life.”
Baal Shem Tov
“And they coming entered, male and female, of all flesh unto him, as the L-rd had instructed him; and the Word of the L-rd covered over the door of the ark upon the face thereof.”
Targum Pseudo-Jonathan
Teivah (ark) also means “word.” A person’s “ark,” his refuge from the floodwaters of negativity that overwhelm him, consists of his rectifying his every “word.”
REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: GENESIS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (p. 131). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.
Thus, our Sages associate the ark’s compartments with bird's nests—which are reminiscent of the bird sacrifices that a person brings in the course of rectifying his speech. And when a person attains exemplary speech, that creates purity and eventually leads to peace and unity ( Likutey Moharan I, 14:9)
REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: GENESIS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (p. 132). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.
“Put the door of the ark in its side Petach (door) literally means "opening." Words of truth create an opening so that other people may see how to emerge from their darkness (Likutey Moharan I, 112)”
REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: GENESIS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (p. 133). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.
“. . . just as the dove brought light to the world, so you bring light to the world, as it says, ‘And nations shall walk in your light’ (Isa. LX, 3). When did the dove bring light to the world? In the days of Noah, as it says, ‘And the dove came in to him at eventide; and lo in her mouth an olive leaf freshly plucked’ (Gen. 8:11)”
Song of Songs Rabbah 1:66, 4:2
Soncino Press Edition
“And the dove came to him at the evening time, and, behold, a leaf of olive gathered, broken off, she brought in her mouth, and which she had taken from the Mount of the Meshiha.”
Jerusalem Targum
“The olive branch alludes to the oil that would be lit in the Menorah in the Temple. This light would be able to illumine even the darkness of life–the floodwaters that threaten to engulf a person…"
REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: GENESIS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (p. 138). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.
“Noah was a tzaddik who was able to draw Torah to himself (Noah studied Torah [Rashi on Genesis 7:2] ). Therefore his teivah , his words of Torah, became his protection against the floodwaters that engulfed the rest of mankind that had rejected G-d. Yet Noah’s teivah was not capable of saving others. In contrast, Moses also entered an “ark” (when his mother placed him in the river as a baby) (Exodus 2:3) . Since Moses was destined to receive the Torah and bring it down for all mankind, his teivah his words of Torah—was great enough to save everyone (Likutey Halakhot I, p. 382)."
REBBE NACHMAN'S TORAH: GENESIS - Breslov Insights into the Weekly Torah Reading (p. 131). Breslov Research Institute. Kindle Edition.
G‑d spoke to Noah, saying:
“Go out of the ark . . .” (8:16)
This, too, is a divine command. G‑d commands us to “enter into the ark,” into the sanctums of spirituality we are to create in the material world. But then we must “go out of the ark” to carry forth its sanctity to the ends of the earth.
The Chassidic Masters
Cited at Chabad.org
“In Tanna D’Vei Eliyahu, we learn that “Derech eretz kadma l’Torah–proper behavior precedes Torah.” . . . derech eretz is an ahakdama (introduction) to Torah. By reading the introduction to a book, one gets a fair impression of the book’s quality and content. So too, by judging a person’s derech eretz, we get a fair impression of the value of his Torah study and religious observance.”
Rebbe, Biala. Mevaser Tov on the Weekly Torah Portion (p. 15). Mevaser Tov Weekly. Kindle Edition.
“Where there is no Torah, there is no right conduct (derekh eretz); where there is no right conduct (derekh eretz), there is no Torah. Where there is no wisdom, there is no fear of God; where there is no fear of God, there is no wisdom. Where there is no understanding, there is no knowledge; where there is no knowledge, there is no understanding. Where there is no bread, there is no Torah; where there is no Torah, there is no bread. He used to say: one whose wisdom exceeds his deeds, to what may he be compared? To a tree whose branches are numerous but whose roots are few, so that when the wind comes, it uproots it and overturns it, as it is said, “He shall be like a bush in the desert, which does not sense the coming of good. It is set in the scorched places of the wilderness, in a barren land without inhabitant” (Jeremiah 17:6). But one whose deeds exceed his wisdom, to what may he be compared? To a tree whose branches are few but roots are many, so that even if all the winds in the world come and blow upon it, they cannot move it out of its place, as it is said, “He shall be like a tree planted by waters, sending forth its roots by a stream. It does not sense the coming of heat, its leaves are ever fresh. It has no care in a year of drought; it does not cease to yield fruit” (17:8).”
Pirkei Avot 3:17, Dr. Joshua Kulp, Sefaria.org
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”
Matthew 7:24-26, ESV
“Civility (derekh eretz) preceded the Torah by twenty-six generations. That is what is written: “To guard the path to the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24). “Path,” this is civility (derekh eretz), and then “the tree of life,” this is the Torah.”
Vayikra Rabbah 9:3, Sefaria.org
“I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.”�John 14:6
אָנֹכִי
הַדֶּרֶךְ וְהָאֱמֶת וְהַחַיִּים