Bereshit B: Chapter 69

"I shall destroy man"

Synopsis

God always gives ample warning before great judgments and catastrophes brought on by the negative actions of man. Sadly, in most cases we fail to heed the warnings. The Zohar empowers us to see the warning signs when they appear.

Creation Earth Face

425. "And Hashem said, 'I shall destroy man, whom I have created from the face of the earth'" (Beresheet 6:7). Rabbi Yosi quotes, "For My thoughts are not your thoughts" (Yeshayah 55:8). Come and behold: when a man wants to take vengeance on another, he keeps quiet and tells him nothing. Because if he discloses HIS INTENTIONS, his opponent will be on guard and hard to overpower.

425. וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶמְחֶה אֶת הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר בָּרָאתִי מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי פְּתַח, כִּי לֹא מַחְשְׁבוֹתַי מַחְשְׁבוֹתֵיכֶם. תָּא חֲזֵי כַּד בַּר נָשׁ בָּעֵי לְנָקְמָא מֵאַחֲרָא, שָׁתִיק וְלָא אֲמַר מִידֵי, דְּאִילוּ אוֹדְעֵיהּ, יִסְתַּמַּר, וְלָא יָכִיל לֵיהּ.

Judgment

426. Yet the Holy One, blessed be He, does not act in this manner. He does not execute judgment on the world before He declares and informs it OF HIS INTENTIONS once, twice, and three times. Then, no one may reproach Him and ask, 'What are You doing?' Nor can one guard against Him or stand up to Him.

426. אֲבָל קֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לָאו הָכֵי עָבִיד. לָא עָבִיד דִּינָא בְּעָלְמָא, עַד דְּאַכְרִיז וְאוֹדַע לְהוֹ, זִמְנָא, תְּרֵין וּתְלָתָא. בְּגִין, דְּלָא אִיתָאי דְּיִמְחֵי בִּידֵיהּ, דְּיֵימָא לֵיהּ מָה עֲבָדַת, וְלָא יִסְתַּמַּר מִנֵּיהּ, וְלָא יָכִיל לְקָיְימָא קַמֵּיהּ.

Creation Earth Face Judgment Noah

427. "And Hashem said, 'I shall destroy man, whom I have created from the face of the earth.'" He announced these words through Noah, and He warned them several times, but they did not listen. Eventually, He executed judgment and exterminated them.

427. תָּא חֲזֵי וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶמְחֶה אֶת הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר בָּרָאתִי מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה. אוֹדַע לוֹן, עַל יְדָא דְנֹחַ, וְאַתְרֵי בְּהוֹן כַּמָּה זִמְנִין, וְלָא שָׁמְעֵי. בָּתַר דְּלָא שְׁמָעוּ, אַיְיתֵי עֲלֵיהוֹן דִּינָא, וְאוֹבִיד לוֹן מֵעַל אַפֵּי אַרְעָא.

Adam Circumcision Curse Noah Universe

428. Come and behold what was said of Noah: "And he called his name Noah saying, This one shall comfort us (Heb. yenachamenu) from our work" (Beresheet 5:29). How did he know THAT HE WOULD COMFORT HIM AS SOON AS HE WAS BORN? It says that when the Holy One, blessed be He, cursed the world, saying, "cursed is the ground for your sake" (Beresheet 3:18). Adam said to Him, "Master of the universe, until when will the world be subject to this curse?" The Holy One, blessed be He, replied, "Until you beget a son who is born circumcised like yourself."

428. תָּא חֲזֵי, מַה כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ בְּנֹחַ, וַיִּקְרָא אֶת שְׁמוֹ נֹחַ לֵאמֹר זֶה יְנַחֲמֵנוּ מִמַּעֲשֵׂנוּ. מְנָא הֲוָה יָדַע. אֶלָּא, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּלַיְיט קֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָלְמָא, דִּכְתִיב, אֲרוּרָה הָאֲדָמָה בַּעֲבוּרְךָ. אֲמַר אָדָם קַמֵּי קֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם: עַד מָתַי יְהֵא עָלְמָא בְּלַטְיוּתָא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ עַד דְּיִתְיְלֵיד לָךְ בֵּן מָהוּל, כְּגַוְונָא דִילָךְ.

Adam Circumcision Curse Noah Shechinah

429. And they waited until the time when Noah was born. And when he was born, Adam saw that he was circumcised and marked with a sacred sign. And when he saw that the Shechinah embraced the baby, IT THEN BECAME CLEAR TO HIM THAT THE CURSE WOULD BE CANCELED DURING HIS LIFETIME, and so he named him in anticipation of what would transpire.

429. וַהֲווֹ מְחַכָּאן, עַד שַׁעֲתָא דְּאִתְיַלִּיד נֹחַ. וְכֵיוָן דְּאִתְיַילִיד, חָמָא לֵיהּ גְּזִיר, רָשִׁים בְּאָת קַדִּישָׁא. וְחָמָא שְׁכִינְתָא מִתְדַּבְּקָא בַּהֲדֵיהּ. כְּדֵין קָרָא שְׁמֵיהּ עַל מָה דְּעָבֵיד לְבָתָר.

Curse Earth Fruit Ground Noah

430. In the beginning, they did not know how to sow, reap, or plow, and they worked the earth with their hands. But Noah came along and manufactured tools needed for working the ground, so that it would bear fruit. Thus, it was written: "this one shall comfort us from our work and from the toil of our hands, because of the ground which Hashem has cursed." Noah liberated the earth from its curse. Before he came, the people used to sow wheat and reap thorns and thistles. Hence, he was called "a husbandman" (Beresheet 9:20).

430. בְּקַדְמֵיתָא, לָא הֲווֹ יָדְעֵי לְמִזְרַע, וּלְמֶחֱצָד, וּלְמֶחֱרַשׁ. וַהֲווֹ עָבְדֵי פּוּלְחָנָא דְאַרְעָא בִּידַיְיהוּ. כֵּיוָן דְּאָתָא נֹחַ, אַתְקִין אוּמְנוּתָא לְהוֹ, וְכָל מָאנִין דִּצְרִיכִין לְתַקְנָא אַרְעָא, לְמֶעְבַּד פֵּירִין. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב זֶה יְנַחֲמֵנוּ מִמַּעֲשֵׂנוּ וּמֵעִצְבוֹן יָדֵינוּ מִן הָאֲדָמָה. דְּאִיהוּ, אַפִּיק אַרְעָא, מִמַּה דְּאִתְלַטְיָיא. דַּהֲווֹ זָרְעִין חִטִּין, וְקָצְרִין גּוֹבִין וְדַרְדַּרִין. וּבְגִינֵי כָךְ, כְּתִיב, אִישׁ הָאֲדָמָה.

Curse Earth Ground Naomi Noah Righteous Sacrifice

431. Rabbi Yehuda said "a husbandman" often means that he was considered the "husband of the ground," as it says, "Naomi's man" (Rut 1:3). This is because he was called righteous, and nullified the earth's curse by means of the sacrifices he offered. Hence, it is written: "I will curse the ground any more for man's sake" (Beresheet 8:21). For this reason Noah was called "a man of the ground." And hence he was called NOAH (Eng. 'comfort'), because of what would one day occur.

431. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אֲמַר, אִישׁ הָאֲדָמָה, כד"א אִישׁ נָעֳמִי. בְּגִין, דְּאִקְרֵי צַדִּיק, וְאַפֵּיק לָהּ לְאַרְעָא, בְּקָרְבָּנָא דַּעֲבַד, מִמַּה דְּאִתְלַטְיָיא. דִּכְתִיב לֹא אוֹסִיף לְקַלֵּל עוֹד אֶת הָאֲדָמָה בַּעֲבוּר הָאָדָם. וּבְגִין דָּא, אִקְרֵי אִישׁ הָאֲדָמָה. וְעַל דָּא קְרָא לֵיהּ שְׁמָא, עַל מַה דְּיֵיתֵי.

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