Prayers for: Mine Duhlah bas Maxine
Parsha
Noach
Perhaps I should
have started out last week as follows:
Perkei Avos Chapter
5:1 The world was created with ten
utterances. What does this come to teach us? Certainly, it could have been
created with a single utterance. However, this is in order to make the wicked
accountable for destroying a world that was created with ten utterances, and to
reward the righteous for sustaining a world that was created with ten
utterances.
Rabbi B. Wein Shlita wrote on torah.org: The ten generations
described in the Torah, from Adam until Noach, produced only chaos and eventual
destruction. There were a few individuals, such as Chanoch, who were moral and
positive people. However, they had little, if any, influence on the general
society in which they lived, and not even one person who would follow them and
their moral behavior.
Our world, and all our societies are, to a great
extent, copycat structures of those days. The general excuse for all immoral
behavior from childhood is the expression “everyone is doing it”. Somehow, this
excuse, that everyone is doing it, removes responsibility from any individual
who engages in any immoral activity. Thus, there develops a chain of almost
never-ending failure, excuses, and willingness to accept bad behavior as a
societal norm.
The ten generations that led up to the coming of the
Great Flood sank into this morass of evil without realizing it. They were
merely repeating the actions of the generations before them, and what they saw
was everyone else behaving in a similar fashion. Evil and immoral behavior are
very easily accepted in general and mass society. This notion explains Nazism
in Germany and Stalinism in the Soviet Union. It also helps describe much of
what is transpiring in Western society today.
The slow erosion of morality, good behavior and godly
faith is a constant challenge to all societies, and if no one stands up against
it, those societies are eventually doomed to their own self-destruction.
This week I am recuperating &
decided that the beginning and end of our Parsha is here:
5:2 There were ten generations
from Adam to Noah. This is to teach us the extent
of G‑d's tolerance; for all
these generations angered Him, until He brought upon them the waters of the
Flood. There were ten generations from Noah to Abraham. This is to teach us the extent
of G‑d's tolerance; for all these generations angered Him,
until Abraham came and reaped the reward for them all.
I think it best that we
remember where we left off last week.
5:32 And
Noah was five hundred years old; and Noah begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
One thing that I have not
found in the Midrash or other places is why Noach was 500 when Shem, Ham and
Yaphes were born. This leaves me with two possibilities that he had sons and
daughters who were not worthy of living or he did not want to bring in more
wickedness into the world. The last thought came from a cousin of mine who did
not have children with her husband after the holocaust, as they did not want to
bring in Jews who would suffer. In my humble opinion she was wrong for no more
Jews was a victory for the Nazis. As my late friend, Jack Kaplansky used to
say, “My children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren are my victory against
Hitler.”
6:1 And it came to pass, when men
began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto
them, 2 that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were
fair; and they took them wives, whomsoever they chose.
It is uncertain whether these
were sons of kings who like former Pharaohs and Emperors of Japan claimed
divinity or were two fallen angels that I mentioned from the Jewish Sources
with Names.
3 And the LORD said: 'My
spirit shall not abide in man forever, for that he also is flesh; therefore
shall his days be a hundred and twenty years.'
A fundamental change in the
longevity of mankind shall occur that they will not live for close to 1,000
years and get bored with their lives. The maximum shall be more like 120years
and during the course of centuries dropped even lover.
4 The Nephilim were in
the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto
the daughters of men, and they bore children to them; the same were the mighty
men that were of old, the men of renown.
These bored people committed
a number of sins. Immorality such as rape aka stealing wives, incest, adultery
but also stealing money, property eventually including murder and idolatry.
5 And the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually. 6 And it repented the LORD that He had made
man on the earth, and it grieved Him at His heart. 7 And the LORD
said: 'I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both
man, and beast, and creeping thing, and fowl of the air; for it repents Me that
I have made them.'
In their boredom, they forced animals into bestiality
among species and some with mankind.
8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
Under the influence of his
grandfather, who was the Tsaddik that kept the people alive from the evil
decree, he alone remained G-D fearing.
6:9 These are the generations
of Noah. Noah was in his generations a man righteous and whole-hearted; Noah
walked with God.
We have some ways of interpreting this. He was observant and for
not against G-D. Maybe like a small child going hand and hand with G-D for
Avraham like an older child who knew the way went before G-D or Moshe, the
mature one, spoke face to face. Rabbi B. Wein speaks of weakness in character
in a commentary that I brought down on Pasuk 9:21 below. I am not sure that it
was worth protesting the generation. It is like protesting Facebook or Twitter
Censor when it is clear they have an agenda. The first I push things to the
limit and the second I left one thing is for sure if you can censor a President
then it is not worth being a Don Quixote chasing windows of the wicked. Even on
a one to one basis I think the wicked generation laughed him off face to face.
Only rare individuals like Metushaleh could see the truth. If one eats pork,
the Tumay makes Mitumtam (stupid) his brain.
10 And Noah begot three sons,
Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 And the earth was corrupt before God, and
the earth was filled with violence.
The word used is Hamas. Hamas is an ideal name for the behavior of
certain characters.
12 And God saw the earth, and,
behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the
earth.
It was not like a donkey with the zebra but the corruption that
mankind brought upon the animal kingdom. (My spelling checker now is
politically correct saying humankind that too is corruption of the language.)
13 And God said unto Noah:
'The end of all flesh is come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence
through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
This corruption must be stopped once and for all! I did not create
the world for this!
14 Make thee an ark of gopher
wood; with rooms shalt thou make the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without
with pitch.
It had to be completely leak proof
both from the outside and inside.
15 And this is how thou shalt
make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty
cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
Rabbi Avigdor Miller Zal calculated
that this was the equivalent to a freight train 25miles or 40km long. I have
seen it shown as half an Empire State Building if stood up right.
16 A light shalt thou make to
the ark, and to a cubit shalt thou finish it upward; and the door of the ark
shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt
thou make it.
The Light was on top either some
material that glowed in the dark or glass. For this is different from windows
mentioned later. Possibly in some matter graphite leading to gold that becomes
a Tessler coil when wet or very humid that produces electricity as the Pyramids
suggest.
A skylight: Heb. צֹהַר, lit. light. Some say [that it was] a window, and some say
[that it was] a precious stone, which gave them light. — [Gen. Rabbah 31:11]
The lower floor of the Teva was
going to be for garbage if the case was so that one could not dump it overboard
during the rains. On the remaining two floors would be animals and food or
fodder for the animals.
17 And I, behold, I do bring
the flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath
of life, from under heaven; everything that is in the earth shall perish.
We do not see him as Avraham arguing
for the people of Sodom or Moshe praying for the Nation but as a man accepting
the decree.
18 But I will establish My
covenant with thee; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and
thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee. 19 And of every living thing
of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them
alive with thee; they shall be male and female. 20 Of the fowl after
their kind, and of the cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the
ground after its kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them
alive. 21 And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and
gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.'
Noach did so and began buying,
collecting or as the Midrash says they came to him.
22 Thus did Noah; according to
all that God commanded him, so did he.
Rabbi Simon Jacobson Shlita of
Chabad guides individuals. He wrote this week the following which must of
bothered Noach although the subject was to improve the reader: Do you feel overwhelmed and
inundated by the deluge of demands and expectations tugging at you from all
directions? Are your personal uncertainties, fears and anxieties flooding your
psyche? Are you burned out by information overload continuously streaming into
your mind and heart? (35 min.) https://www.meaningfullife.com/mlc-tv/help-im-drowning/?utm_source=Meaningful+Life+Center&utm_campaign=4c01b82984-WNC%24Help%21+I%27m+Drowning&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0bcb4308af-4c01b82984-83933393
7:1 And the LORD said unto
Noah: 'Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous
before Me in this generation. 2 Of every clean beast thou shalt take
to thee seven and seven, each with his mate; and of the beasts that are not
clean two [and two], each with his mate;
This is a deeper detail of 6:20
above and mentions clean and 7 extra words to describe those that are not clean
beasts.
3 of the fowl also of the air,
seven and seven, male and female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the
earth. 4 For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the
earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made
will I blot out from off the face of the earth.'
This is an indication that the
animals came by themselves unless he had collected them and it would take him
the 7 seven days of Shiva for Metushaleh to haul them into the Teva and attend
the mourning ceremony. The Midrash at this point talks about the sky being
bright like in the 7 days of creation. Velikovsky talks of perhaps an encounter
with another planet for this or some great asteroid, comet, etc.
For in another seven days: (Sanh.
108b) These are the seven days of mourning for the righteous Methuselah, for
the Holy One, blessed be He, had consideration for his honor, and delayed the
retribution. Go and calculate the years of Methuselah and you will find that
they ended in the six-hundredth year of Noah’s life. For
in another seven days: What is the meaning of
“another” ? A [period of] time following a [period of] time; this [period] was
added to the one hundred and twenty years. — [See Rashi 6:14] Forty
days: Corresponding to the [time required for the]
formation of the fetus, for they sinned by burdening the One Who formed them,
by fashioning the forms of mamzerim (children born of incestuous and forbidden
unions). - [Gen. Rabbah 32:5]
5 And Noah did according unto
all that the LORD commanded him. 6 And Noah was six hundred years old
when the flood of waters was upon the earth. 7 And Noah went in, and
his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him, into the ark, because of
the waters of the flood.
The door was painted with pitch and
sealed per Pshat. The Drush says that the L-RD sealed him in. It seems to me
enough a bucket of pitch with a pulley system to close the door.
And Noah…and his sons: The men separately and the women separately, because they were
prohibited from engaging in marital relations since the world was steeped in
pain. — [Tan. 11]
8 Of clean beasts, and of
beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of everything that creeps upon the
ground, 9 there went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, male and
female, as God commanded Noah.
They came to Noah: By
themselves. — [Tan. Noach 12]
10 And it came to pass after
the seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
It rained first light, medium, hard
and as we say raining buckets.
11 In the six hundredth year
of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on
the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the
windows of heaven were opened.
Fountains of the deep are rocks
inside the earth that store water as I mentioned in past years that now
released the water in the form of underground streams breaking through the
suffice as we sometimes see in Yellowstone Park in the form of Geysers.
In the second month: Rabbi
Eliezer says: This refers to Marheshvan; Rabbi Joshua says: this refers to
Iyar. — [Seder Olam Rabbah, ch. 4]
12 And the rain was upon the
earth forty days and forty nights.
And the rain was upon the earth: And
further (verse 17) Scripture says: “Now the Flood was [upon the earth].” But
when He brought them [the rains] down, He brought them down with mercy, so that
if they would repent, they would be rains of blessing. When they did not
repent, they became a flood. — [Midrash Hane’elam, Zohar Chadash 28a]
13 In the selfsame day entered
Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and
the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; 14 they, and
every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every
creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after its kind, and every fowl
after its kind, every bird of every sort. 15 And they went in unto
Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh wherein is the breath of
life. 16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh,
as God commanded him; and the LORD shut him in.
And the Lord shut him in: He
protected him (Targum Onkelos) that they should not break it; He surrounded the
ark with bears and lions, and they killed some of them (Tan. Buber Noach 10).
The simple meaning of the verse is that He closed [the ark] in front of him
against the water. Likewise, every בְּעַד
in Scripture is an expression of “in front of.” (Below 20:18): “in front of (בְּעַד) every womb”; (II Kings 4:4): “in front of you (בַּעֲדֵךְ) and in front of (וּבְעַד)
your sons”; (Job 2:4):
“skin in front of (בְּעַד) skin” ; (Ps. 3:4): “a shield in front of me
(בַּעֲדִי)”; (I Sam. 12:19): “Pray בְּעַד your servants,” meaning “in front” [on behalf] of your
servants.
As I wrote that with pulleys and
pitch this could have been done but it was to keep a panicked people from
trying to break in the last minute. They had had 120 years to make their own
Ark and save themselves but they scuffed at Noach and called him a folly. Now
it was too late.
17 And the flood was forty
days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bore up the ark, and it was
lifted up above the earth.
And it rose off the
earth: It was
submerged in the water eleven cubits like a loaded ship, which is partially
submerged in the water, and the following verses prove this. — [from Gen.
Rabbah 32:9] See Rashi below 8:3f.
18 And the waters prevailed,
and increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the
waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and
all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were
covered. 20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the
mountains were covered.
Fifteen cubits
above: Above the
peaks of all the mountains, after the waters were equal to [at the same level
as] the mountain peaks. — [from Gen. Rabbah 32:11]
Rabbi Pinchas Winston Shlita torah.org writes: THIS IS WHY the ark
sat eleven amos in the Flood waters, while the water itself rose 15 amos higher
than the tallest mountain. The ark was the world of man, and it was submerged
eleven Amos. The waters ascended in the opposite direction, towards Heaven 15 Amos
higher than the mountains.
The number
eleven has two connotations. Firstly, it corresponds to the concept of Da’as,
which in this case refers to godly knowledge. It is also the Gematria of the
final two letters of God’s name, Vav-Heh (6+5), which correspond to the Sefiros—Chesed
through Malchus—that run the world of man.
The fifteen
corresponds to Yud-Heh, the first two letters of the same name, and the Sefiros
of Keser, Chochmah, and Binah. These are levels of existence we won’t get to
know until the World-to-Come, beginning at 6000. So effectively, the 15 alludes
to Heaven.
The
message? The Flood pushed apart Heaven and Earth because that is what man did
through his perspective on life. As Rashi explains, the Hebrew word for “flood”
is mabul, which means confound. People accepted and lived with a confounding
and conflicting perspective on life, so they were punished with one.
It’s not
the way of a Tzelem Elokim, someone made in the image of God. As the Sforno
points out, Elokim is a name that alludes to man’s ability to discern truth, to
un-confound life.
21 And all flesh perished that
moved upon the earth, both fowl, and cattle, and beast, and every swarming
thing that swarmed upon the earth, and every man;
The breath of the spirit of
life: Heb. נִשְמַת, the breath (נְשָמָה) of the spirit of life [and not “soul”]. That were on the dry
land: But not the
fish, which were in the sea. — [Sanh. 108a]
22 all in whose nostrils was
the breath of the spirit of life, whatsoever was in the dry land, died. 23 And
He blotted out every living substance which was upon the face of the ground,
both man, and cattle, and creeping thing, and fowl of the heaven; and they were
blotted out from the earth; and Noah only was left, and they that were with him
in the ark.
At first some people took supplies
and climbed mountains but eventually with the water coming up from below and
buckets of rain from above they were unable to live. There is a legend from the
Midrash that Og Melech HaBashan clung to the Ark but it is a slap in the face
to the Pshat here. Also Moshe kills Og close to 950 years after the flood which
makes things next to impossible for the pre-flood lifespan.
24 And the waters prevailed
upon the earth a hundred and fifty days.
So they all drowned.
8:1 And God remembered Noah,
and every living thing, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and
God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters
assuaged; 2 the fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven
were stopped, and the rain from heaven was restrained.
The 15 meters above the mountains
had no more supply of water coming from depths after 150 days and evaporation
and the rocks below the earth began to absorb the waters of the flood.
3 And the waters returned from
off the earth continually; and after the end of a hundred and fifty days the
waters decreased. 4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the
seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
Ararat is a mountain range as is
Nevo, Alps, Rockies, Himalayans, etc. It was perhaps not in the highest area
but most of the peaks nearby and afar were covered.
5 And the waters decreased
continually until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the
month, were the tops of the mountains seen.
After two months, one could see the
whole mountain range about.
6 And it came to pass at the
end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had
made. 7 And he sent forth a raven, and it went forth to and fro,
until the waters were dried up from off the earth.
For a Raven can eat both carrion,
fish and other things.
8 And he sent forth a dove
from him, to see if the waters were abated from off the face of the
ground. 9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and
she returned unto him to the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole
earth; and he put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her in unto him
into the ark. 10 And he stayed yet other seven days; and again he
sent forth the dove out of the ark. 11 And the dove came in to him at
eventide; and lo in her mouth an olive-leaf freshly plucked; so Noah knew that
the waters were abated from off the earth.
Doves love olives. New branches
meant that life was returning to normal in the plant kingdom. Pigeons are often
bred to return home with messages.
12 And he stayed yet other
seven days; and sent forth the dove; and she returned not again unto him any
more. 13 And it came to pass in the six hundred and first year, in
the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from off
the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold,
the face of the ground was dried. 14 And in the second month, on the
seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth dry.
Finally the planet had returned to
normal and there was food for grazing.
15 And God spoke unto Noah,
saying: 16 'Go forth from the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons,
and thy sons' wives with thee. 17 Bring forth with thee every living
thing that is with thee of all flesh, both fowl, and cattle, and every creeping
thing that creeps upon the earth; that they may swarm in the earth, and be
fruitful, and multiply upon the earth.' 18 And Noah went forth, and
his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him; 19 every beast,
every creeping thing, and every fowl, whatsoever moves upon the earth, after
their families; went forth out of the ark. 20 And Noah built an altar
unto the LORD; and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and
offered burnt-offerings on the altar.
He may have taken only males for
burnt offerings as one ram could breed with two ewes.
21 And the LORD smelled the
sweet savor; and the LORD said in His heart: 'I will not again curse the ground
any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his
youth; neither will I again smite any more everything living, as I have
done.
There will never been a flood again
and never will everything on earth be killed.
22 While the earth remains,
seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and
night shall not cease.'
Nature had changed it was no longer
a mist coming out of the ground watering the world. It had season and
temperature changes and other variants that did not exist before the flood.
9:1 And God blessed Noah and
his sons, and said unto them: 'Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the
earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every
beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, and upon all wherewith the
ground teems, and upon all the fishes of the sea: into your hand are they
delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be for food for you;
as the green herb have I given you all.
Some claim from this Pasuk that
before the flood the earth was so rich that one could flood this and that vegan
product but from now on, anything that was living could be food.
4 Only flesh with the life
thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
One is forbidden to eat the blood or
conveyor of the soul.
5 And surely your blood of
your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it; and at
the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, will I require the
life of man.
In these sentences are the 7 Mitzvos
of the Bnei Noach.
6 Whoso sheds man's blood, by
man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made He man.
Blood in meat, murder of people are
forbidden.
7 And you, be ye fruitful, and
multiply; swarm in the earth, and multiply therein.'
The purpose in this world is to
reproduce.
8 And God spoke unto Noah, and
to his sons with him, saying: 9 'As for Me, behold, I establish My
covenant with you, and with your seed after you; 10 and with every
living creature that is with you, the fowl, the cattle, and every beast of the
earth with you; of all that go out of the ark, even every beast of the
earth. 11 And I will establish My covenant with you; neither shall
all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of the flood; neither shall there
any more be a flood to destroy the earth.' 12 And God said: 'This is
the token of the covenant which I make between Me and you and every living
creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I have set
My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and
the earth.
The rainbow is a sign that the
generation was unworthy but no flood will occur.
14 And it shall come to pass,
when I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow is seen in the
cloud, 15 that I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and
you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become
a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 And the bow shall be in the cloud;
and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between
God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the
earth.' 17 And God said unto Noah: 'This is the token of the covenant
which I have established between Me and all flesh that is upon the
earth.'
So if you see a rainbow it is
because of the righteousness of Noach and wickedness of our generation.
18 And the sons of Noah, that
went forth from the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth; and Ham is the father
of Canaan. 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and of these was the
whole earth overspread. 20 And Noah the husbandman began, and planted
a vineyard.
It seemed harmless enough but Noach
drank too much and his grandson castrated him to prevent dividing the world
further among another son.
21 And he drank of the
wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
From Rabbi B. Wein. In the eyes of Jewish scholarship
and tradition, Noach is found wanting, not so much for his own personal
failings after the Flood, but, rather, for his inability to stand against the
evil in his society. He builds an ark and warns against the impending disaster
that is about to befall the human race. However, he is unable to identify evil
for what it is, and to declare a viable alternative for human beings to adopt
and follow. There is a feeling of hopelessness that seems to envelop him and
his actions, and he fails in building a new world because of the belief that
“everyone does it” is a sufficient excuse for bad behavior and human
immorality.
It is because of this that Midrash and Jewish
tradition generally view Noach and his righteousness with a fair degree of
skepticism. His planting of the vineyard as his first project after emerging
from the ark is an example of the acceptance of the idea that if everyone does
it, then, somehow, it can be justified and even lauded. It is almost painful to
read in the Torah how Noach fails to remake the world after the Flood in a
better image and a more positive vein.
It is unknown if he knew the
result of drinking too much wine or drank because nobody from his friends or
generation was left.
22 And Ham, the father of
Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren
without. 23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon
both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their
father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's
nakedness.
His G-D
fearing sons walked backwards and covered him while the wicked one laughed.
24 And Noah awoke from his
wine, and knew what his youngest son had done unto him. 25 And he
said: Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his
brethren. 26 And he said: Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem; and
let Canaan be their servant.
Although he was drunk, he was aware
what was going on in his immediate area.
27 God enlarge Japheth, and he
shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and let Canaan be their
servant. 28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty
years. 29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years;
and he died.
So Noach was nourished most of his
life from the original earth and had the power within himself to live 950 years
as we see the weakened earth yield less crops and vitamins that people are
living only 200 years of age at the end. (Chapter ten and the 70 nations is
skipped this year.)
11:1 And the whole earth was
of one language and of one speech. 2 And it came to pass, as they
journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt
there. 3 And they said one to another: 'Come, let us make brick, and
burn them thoroughly.' And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for
mortar.
Midrash if a man fell from the
building it was par for the course but a brick falling as a tragedy.
4 And they said: 'Come, let us
build us a city, and a tower, with its top in heaven, and let us make us a
name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.'
The city was built in the lowest of
lands aka sea level and to rise to sky to make war against HASHEM not as a
praise but to wager war and not believe the covenant of HASHEM. Peleg was the
leader but even if he mustered all his strength could not stop these crazed
people.
5 And the LORD came down to
see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. 6 And
the LORD said: 'Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language;
and this is what they begin to do; and now nothing will be withholden from
them, which they purpose to do. 7 Come, let us go down, and there confound
their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.'
These 70 nations were one heart, one
mind and one language. But since they were getting wicked the L-RD did not
destroy them in their folly but confounded their speech.
8 So the LORD scattered them
abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth; and they left off to build
the city. 9 Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because the
LORD did there confound the language of all the earth; and from thence did the
LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. 10 These are
the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old, and begot Arpachshad two
years after the flood. 11 And Shem lived after he begot Arpachshad
five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.
His lifespan was 2/3rds of the
previous generations.
12 And Arpachshad lived five
and thirty years, and begot Shelah. 13 And Arpachshad lived after he
begot Shelah four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters. 14 And
Shelah lived thirty years, and begot Eber. 15 And Shelah lived after
he begot Eber four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.
16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begot Peleg. 17 And
Eber lived after he begot Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons
and daughters.
Half the lifespan as before the
flood.
18 And Peleg lived
thirty years, and begot Reu. 19 And Peleg lived after he begot Reu
two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters.
He is only living one third
of what his forefathers lived. The ability of plants and soil to sustain people
are much lower. Peleg has the letters of Pelog or division.
20 And Reu lived two and
thirty years, and begot Serug. 21 And Reu lived after he begot Serug
two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters. 22 And
Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor. 23 And Serug lived after
he begot Nahor two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters. 24 And
Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begot Terah. 25 And Nahor
lived after he begot Terah a hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and
daughters. 26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor,
and Haran. 27 Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah begot
Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begot Lot. 28 And Haran died in
the presence of his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the
Chaldees.
When he saw that Avram was protected
from the fire of the furnace, he jumped in with Avram but died then. For he did
not die as Avram lived on a complete Kiddush HASHEM.
29 And Abram and Nahor
took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's
wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of
Iscah. 30 And Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31 And
Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai
his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth with them from
Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran,
and dwelt there. 32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five
years; and Terah died in Haran.
The town of Haran in Turkey has a section preserved where people
live like they did in Avram’s time.
What is a London Girl like
me doing as the Northern Spokesman for the IDF?
My friend ‘Rafi’ Solomon Shlita
reads my stories each week and he remembers them better than I. But, this week
both of us will remember this story from Aish HaTorah. For he knows the major
since she was wee high.
Editor's note: Aish.com
congratulates IDF Major Keren Hagioff on her recent appointment as Prime
Minister Naftali Bennett's spokesperson for international media.
Major Keren
Hagioff’s remarkable rise through the ranks in the IDF has been powered by
immense grit, determination and a deep commitment to playing her part in
helping to defend the State of Israel.
Growing up in
Finchley, a leafy suburb of North West London’s Jewish bubble, a career in the
IDF was nowhere on the cards for Keren. “Far-fetched doesn’t come close,” she
told Aish.com. Today, Major Keren Hagioff is the IDF’s Northern Spokesperson,
busy day and night, responding to the most sensitive issues and threats facing
the State of Israel. “When I think about it, it is the craziest thing to think
this is where I am now.“
Spending a gap year
in Israel when she was 18 opened Keren’s eyes to the reality of Israelis her
own age serving in the army.
“Israel was
important to me and I didn’t feel it was fair that others would have to serve
in the army to ensure it could be a home for me as well.” The thought swirled
and wouldn’t leave her. Rather than return to London at the end of the year,
she signed up to volunteer in the IDF for two years.
Back home, Keren’s
decision took many by surprise. “Some of my friends said it was a rash
decision, and others told me to snap out of it, and that it didn’t suit the
kind of person I was. To be fair, I was a normal North West London girl, and no
one saw this coming.”
The doubters didn’t
make her change her mind. “It was very scary to step into the unknown. I didn’t
know what I would be doing or how it would end, but I did know that what I was
doing was worthwhile.”
She completed four
months of basic training and then an advanced course familiarizing herself with
kinds of ammunition, weapons and drills she had never heard of before.
“You always get
something from stepping out of your comfort zone in life,” she says. “It wasn't
that I was looking for adventure, I just really wanted to serve the country. We
would spend hours on end during the night in the field, sometimes literally
covered in mud, but I would wake up so grateful and excited knowing I was
living a dream. I was literally defending the State of Israel.”
Keren was assigned
to an adopted family on Kibbutz Lavi in the Upper Galilee. Shalom and Liat
Ashkenazi have seven children of their own and a further six lone soldiers who
they have opened their homes to. “They are amazing people, and have been such
an extraordinary support for me over the years,” she says.
Several months into
her service and mulling her next step in the IDF, Keren plucked up the courage
to ask whether she could take a course to become a commander in the unit.
“You don’t speak
Hebrew and you are really unfit,” came the curt reply from her own commander.
“The Officers Course is very physical.” With that the conversation ended.
“It kind of sucked
to hear that.” Yet Keren’s friends encouraged her to persist, and eventually
after pushing a few more times, she was given the green light to attend a one
month pre-officers course, a kind of filtering process to weed out those who
wouldn’t make the cut.
“I don’t think
anyone thought I would pass,” she laughs, “but by letting me try, at least it
would allow me to see that for myself!”
When the course
began, Keren, along with her cohort of hopeful cadets, received a hefty book
full of the material the soldiers needed to know. “We were given a week to
learn its content for a test.” Yet Keren’s Hebrew was a problem. “I didn’t even
understand the front cover.”
With the book in her hands,
mulling her pipedream of becoming an officer, Keren took a bus back to her host
family and gazed out of the window. As Israel’s terrain, rich in color and
history passed by, she remembered the reasons she had originally wanted to
serve, and got up from her seat, walked down the aisle towards an officer she
had seen earlier, and sat down in the empty seat next to him.
“Hello” she smiled,
showing him the book. “I am trying to become an officer. Would you teach me?”
And he did.
Arriving back to her
host family, Keren’s enthusiasm spread throughout Kibbutz Lavi. Liat, her host
mother, arranged a roster of volunteers to sit with her for two hours and plow
through the material she would be tested on.
“It was give it my
all, or give up,” she said. “I was busy, learning from 6AM to midnight every
day.”
At the end of the
week, exhausted, she returned to the base to take the test. To her complete
surprise, the entire cohort failed except Keren who scored 85%.
“I thought they got
it backwards – everyone passed but me!” Her determination had paid off.
Keren still had the
biggest test ahead of her – the officers course requirement to run 2 kilometers
in 11 minutes. Not known for her achievements on the running track, it was a
tall order. Her first timed run took 21 minutes.
Refusing to concede,
Keren threw herself at the challenge. “I ran whenever I could, on my free
weekends and on the base. ln the one hour we had free at the end of our day,
while others phoned friends or family, I would run.” By the end of the month,
she managed a time of 12 minutes 20 seconds. Despite her progress, it wasn’t
fast enough and Keren was notified that she hadn’t satisfied the requirements
to pass.
Packing up her bags,
broken, and about to get on the bus, Keren was called for a conversation with
the course’s commanding officer.
“I assumed they were
just concerned for my mental well-being as I had been very upset and teary.”
Instead, unbeknownst to her, other officers at the base had pleaded for Keren
to be allowed to stay.
“We will give you a
chance to continue,” a steely high-ranking soldier looked Keren in the eye,
stipulating that she would still need to take 40 seconds off her time in the
run – rules are rules. The course advanced, and two weeks later, after pushing
herself to the limits, the best time Keren could manage was 11 minutes 15
seconds. It was again not fast enough.
Called into a
military hearing to hear her fate, Keren was given the formality of a reply
before being sent home. Suddenly overcome by the energy, drive and mission that
had characterized her journey into the IDF, she looked the officer in the eyes
and gave the speech of her life.
“I have given
everything in my power to get to where I am right now,” she fired, with tears
in her eyes. “I have been running every morning, night and every weekend. When
the other soldiers were relaxing or hanging I was out running.” And then,
pointing to a picture of the State of Israel on the wall, her voice and spirit
grew, “That is why I am here! Just to give to Israel.”
And then, pointing
to the book she had learned about the history of the IDF, its wars and
achievements which sat on the officer desk, Keren concluded, “Allow me to
fulfil my potential. I want my name in that book, and you can give me the
opportunity.”
Blown away, the
officer said he had never seen so much motivation in a soldier. It was enough
to compensate for the 15 seconds Keren had slipped, and she kept her place on
the course. Ten weeks later she returned to her artillery unit as a commanding
officer.
Following her
service in the artillery corps, Keren’s military career continued to the IDF
Spokesperson, its voice to the outside world. Today, as the IDF Spokesperson
for Israel’s Northern Border, she is involved at the highest level,
communicating and countering threats from Syria, Hezbollah, and other proxy
Iranian groups.
“We are always ready
for the threats that Israel faces,” she says.
Being in a high
profile role in the IDF has made Keren an address for many other aspiring
soldiers who look to her for advice and inspiration. “Not a day goes by without
a message asking for advice on drafting into the army or from a lone soldier
who needs support. I am always happy to help."
Now at 30, and one
of the youngest officers to have reached the rank of Major, Keren is as
passionate as ever about why she joined the army 11 years ago. “Every day I
still wake up and realize I am fulfilling what I set out to do.” When she
enlisted, she wrote the reasons why she wanted to serve, on a piece of paper
and folded it up and tucked into her dog tag. “It’s still there now,” she
smiles.
“It’s always
important to remind yourself of why you are doing what you are doing. I still
feel that same excitement that I did when I joined the IDF.”
Looking back at the
influences which set her on her life's path, Keren says, “My family, community
and youth movement Bnei Akiva all instilled in me a love of Israel. Growing up,
my friends never wasted their time. We were a proactive group, always planning
new things to do together. We utilized our friendship, and we were also active
in looking for meaning.”
Keren says the words
of Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who had served as Chief Rabbi in the UK have also
served as a guide over the years. Addressing the questions many young people
face about how to live their lives, Rabbi Sacks advised, “Where what you want
to do meets what needs to be done, this is how a person can seek fulfil their
own personal mission in this world.”
”That has always
stayed with me.”
“I love Israel and
how our ancestors dreamed of being here, and the opportunity that this
generation has to be a part of the story. Although it’s not my place to tell
others what they should do, I do encourage people to look into what Israel has
achieved, because whatever you are interested in, there is an opportunity to
pursue your own dreams and make a meaningful contribution here in Israel."
She is the girl I sat near one Purim.
She was dressed as turtle and since she was an army officer. I jokingly on a
play of words in Hebrew asked if she was Tzav8 (emergency call up notice) Tzav
means turtle and the word for Command or Order is also pronounced the same way
but spelled differently in Hebrew. A Charming person click the link for photos.
Rafi and Betina Solomon were our hosts.
Ambulance
EMT on 9/11
One of the EMT’s of 9/11 was
taking some lightly and some more injured people. As they started to drive, a
seriously injured woman was brought to them. Part of the plane that hit the
building had chopped a big hole in her side. They never expected her to live
but kicked off a few walking people with minor injuries and rushed her to the
hospital. A while later, they visited the hospital to see if the people they
gathered were still there. The woman they thought would die was with her family
minus the sliced part of her body but living and in recovery mode. She said, “These
are the people who saved me!” as they received hugs from the family and the
good side of the woman.
Keren
Cunningham of Morgan Stanley.
She suffered minor cuts on her
feet and ruined shoes from the initial impact. She went down 40 or more floors
barefoot and wanted to take a train home to Brooklyn to her family. But there
were no trains running. Keren walked across the bridge to Brooklyn and managed
to get a ride to the house of an in-law and make calls regarding her children
and the rest of her family.
Only after she got home at night
did she take care of her wounds and learn the extent of what had happened on
the evening news.
Spanish Schindler: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314686
Public Opinion Poll. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314432
Israelis discover traitor immune cells. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israelis-discover-traitor-immune-cells-that-first-fight-then-aid-brain-cancer/
Milestone Neal Sher, 74, Nazi Hunter. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314692
Inyanay
Diyoma
Babi Yar 80 years after the Nazi Murders. https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20210929-the-first-major-massacre-in-the-holocaust-by-bullets-babi-yar-80-years-on
Shin Bet and MP’s to help clean up Arab illegal
arms. https://www.debka.com/bennett-at-un-names-three-secret-iranian-nuclear-sites-israel-wont-let-iran-have-a-nuclear-weapon/
You censor others you end up censoring yourself.
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314453
Bennett named 3 secret Iranian Sites. https://www.debka.com/bennett-at-un-names-three-secret-iranian-nuclear-sites-israel-wont-let-iran-have-a-nuclear-weapon/
2700yr. old toilet found. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314457
More concerns of building collapse. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314450
Herr Senator like father. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314439
Operation succeeded but no info. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314434
Azerbaijan no Israeli military presence. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314441
Dr. M. Sherman on Gaza policy of Lapid. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314393
C. Glick on Biden’s 2-State Solution. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314366
B. D. Yemeni Abbas’s UN address: https://www.ynetnews.com/article/s19kfqtxf
Ed-Op left must accept Abu Abbas is no friend. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bj9fmvo4t
Public Opinion Poll. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314432
Israelis discover traitor immune cells. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israelis-discover-traitor-immune-cells-that-first-fight-then-aid-brain-cancer/
From last week 96yr old Nazi flees trial. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hyuozzxvk
Jordan: Growing discontent with King. https://www.timesofisrael.com/pandora-papers-fuel-growing-domestic-discontent-with-jordans-abdullah/
David Schoen to head ZOA. https://www.timesofisrael.com/pandora-papers-fuel-growing-domestic-discontent-with-jordans-abdullah/
Top Binary Options Platform Rigged! https://www.timesofisrael.com/insider-filmed-saying-top-binary-options-platform-rigged-boosting-victims-suit/
17yr. old buried alive. https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-suspect-murdered-17-year-old-girl-was-buried-alive/
David Julius wins Nobel Prize in Medicine. https://www.timesofisrael.com/scientist-with-jewish-roots-wins-nobel-for-nerve-receptor-discoveries/
Enforcement of Green Pass starts Thurs. https://www.timesofisrael.com/businesses-ordered-to-scan-qr-codes-of-new-green-passes-starting-tuesday/
Attempted Iranian assassination of Israelis. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bjiftkvnt
DEA agent dies in shootout. https://www.aol.com/news/shots-fired-amtrak-train-arizona-181819278-004548964-013935426.html
Teens post KKK on Hillel House. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/10/04/florida-state-university-police-id-teens-who-posted-kkk-meeting-flyer-at-hillel-building/
Bederman stands with JDL. https://dianebederman.com/stand-up-for-the-jdl-jewish-defense-league/
101 Jewish Communities to get security. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314448
Adm. James T. Kirk oldest man in space. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314427
Israel has the lowest Covid rate in 2 mos. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/rkan10qvt
New Yom Kippur War Info. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/hy5expq4y
Israeli Police and FBI arrest 26 on fraud. https://www.timesofisrael.com/26-suspected-fraudsters-arrested-in-tel-aviv-in-joint-investigation-with-fbi/
Iran uses Facebook to spy on Israel. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314541
Facebook testimony. https://www.timesofisrael.com/facebook-knows-the-harm-its-causing-5-key-points-from-whistleblower-testimony/
Ingraham Facebook testimony may be a trap. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314568
Natural Immunity is better. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314561
Cost of housing in Israel. https://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-housing-prices-have-nearly-doubled-in-a-decade-with-no-signs-of-slowing/
Anti-Israel film wins the Israeli Oscars. https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-family-drama-let-it-be-morning-sweeps-ophir-awards/
Limited Jewish Prayer on Temple Mt. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314542
If Diplomacy fails: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314518
Israel opts to be first to buy Merck Pill. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314505
Pakistan’s Secret Service helps Taliban. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314546
Syria gets away with murder. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314552
J & J asks for booster approval. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314552
Azerbaijan closes Iranian Mosque. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314525
Medical Interns threaten to quit over 26hr
Shifts. https://www.timesofisrael.com/10-arrested-as-500-medical-interns-protest-against-26-hour-shifts/
Tel Aviv Central Bus Station to be removed. https://www.timesofisrael.com/transportation-minister-tel-aviv-bus-station-eyesore-to-be-cleared-by-2024/
If Gov. freezes settlements, it will fall. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314615
Be wary of Iranian Drones. https://www.timesofisrael.com/iranian-group-says-drones-main-pillar-of-quds-force-ops-abroad/
Myocarditis rare after Covid Vax. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/bkzdg11nny
Covid Vax and menstrual changes. https://www.ynetnews.com/health_science/article/hkln3eiek
Study Booster Shot and health. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314616
Billions to Arabs zero to Soldiers. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314580
Ganz – Bennett riff. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314619
Nazis in Brazil. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ry7hgg24t
Mossad Mission only helped Bennett. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/skk8jr5vf
Yale antisemite. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/10/06/yale-police-investigate-after-building-twice-vandalized-with-vile-antisemitic-racist-graffiti/
Riyadh Book Fair Antisemitism. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/10/06/lurid-antisemitic-propaganda-spotted-on-sale-at-saudi-flagship-book-fair-in-riyadh/
Quake not if but when? https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/10/06/only-a-question-of-when-israel-must-do-more-to-prepare-for-major-earthquake-threat-say-experts/
Zodiac Killer IDed? https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314617
Former Georgian President on Hunger Strike. https://www.timesofisrael.com/hunger-striking-former-georgian-president-pens-letter-from-prison/
Farewell visit from Angela. https://www.timesofisrael.com/after-delay-merkel-expected-in-israel-on-sunday-for-farewell-visit/
Jewish Dissent Murdered in Belarus. https://www.timesofisrael.com/death-of-jewish-dissident-in-belarus-prompts-protests-and-arrests/
Far Right Jewish Pundit in France. https://www.timesofisrael.com/far-right-jewish-pundit-seen-vaulting-le-pen-in-french-presidential-poll/
Of the last two articles, wouldn’t
they be better coming to Israel?
Bennett crosses Red Line: https://www.debka.com/exclusive-israel-may-accept-iran-as-nuclear-threshold-power-on-condition-of-us-russian-guarantees/
Rumors had it that she was the lover but she
says she was harassed by S. Peres. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bylbaunek
Live transports cruelty to animals. https://www.ynetnews.com/environment/article/r1gxml24y#autoplay
I grew up in an Irish Catholic Neighborhood and
experienced this from the age of zero. So Irish Antisemitism does not surprise
me. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/10/07/new-independent-report-demonstrates-horrific-levels-of-antisemitism-present-in-ireland-dublin-pro-israel-activist-says/
Irish Protestants
I found favorable behavior.
US Lawmakers call on Spanish Pres. To check into
rejection of Sephardic Jewish Applicants. https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/10/07/us-lawmakers-urge-spanish-president-to-investigate-mass-rejections-of-descendants-of-sephardi-jews-claiming-citizenship/
Chapelle faces backlash for antisemitic remarks.
https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/10/07/dave-chappelle-faces-backlash-over-jokes-in-netflix-comedy-special-about-world-dominating-space-jews/
Ben Dror Arab Sector Responsibility. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/ryz1jtynf
Out of control fire near Yerushalayim. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314684
Arsonist a deranged Orthodox Woman. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314659
Covid rate the lowest in 3mos. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314688
Argentina drops probe into ex-president. https://www.timesofisrael.com/argentina-court-drops-jewish-center-bombing-cover-up-claim-against-ex-president/
Billions to help Arabs. https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-unprecedented-billions-planned-for-under-served-arabs-devils-in-the-details/
Jared and Ivanka to visit Knesset for Accords
Conference. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314640
Baby Roe speaks. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314626
MK Porush sat on floor because of the Reform. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314635
Cracow Rebbe hosts Rabbi Pinto. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314635
Capitol Probe will not get out of hand. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314669
Arabs vandalize 80% of archeological sites. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314664
Soon pilot to end quarantine for children. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314667
OU honors first responders. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/314663
Have healthy and peaceful Shabbos,
Rachamim Pauli
