| 1And the Lord said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, for it is you that I have seen as a righteous man before Me in this generation. |
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אוַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ לְנֹ֔חַ בֹּֽא־אַתָּ֥ה וְכָל־בֵּֽיתְךָ֖ אֶל־הַתֵּבָ֑ה כִּי־אֹֽתְךָ֥ רָאִ֛יתִי צַדִּ֥יק לְפָנַ֖י בַּדּ֥וֹר הַזֶּֽה: |
| for it is you that I have seen as a righteous man before Me: But it does not say: “a righteous man, perfect” [as it does in 6:9]. From here [we deduce] that we tell part of a person’s praise in his presence and all of it in his absence. — [Gen. Rabbah 32:3] |
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כי אותך ראיתי צדיק: ולא נאמר צדיק תמים. מכאן שאומרים מקצת שבחו של אדם בפניו וכולו שלא בפניו: |
| 2Of all the clean animals you shall take for yourself seven pairs, a male and its mate, and of the animals that are not clean, two, a male and its mate. |
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במִכֹּ֣ל | הַבְּהֵמָ֣ה הַטְּהוֹרָ֗ה תִּקַּח־לְךָ֛ שִׁבְעָ֥ה שִׁבְעָ֖ה אִ֣ישׁ וְאִשְׁתּ֑וֹ וּמִן־הַבְּהֵמָ֡ה אֲ֠שֶׁ֠ר לֹ֣א טְהֹרָ֥ה הִ֛וא שְׁנַ֖יִם אִ֥ישׁ וְאִשְׁתּֽוֹ: |
| Of all the clean animals: that are destined to be clean for Israel. We learn [from here] that Noah studied the Torah. — [Zev. 116a] |
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הטהורה: העתידה להיות טהורה לישראל, למדנו שלמד נח תורה: |
| seven pairs: in order that he might offer up some as a sacrifice upon leaving [the ark]. — [Tan. Vayakhel 6] |
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שבעה שבעה: כדי שיקריב מהם קרבן בצאתו: |
| 3Also, of the fowl of the heavens, seven pairs, male and female, to keep seed alive on the face of the earth. |
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גגַּ֣ם מֵע֧וֹף הַשָּׁמַ֛יִם שִׁבְעָ֥ה שִׁבְעָ֖ה זָכָ֣ר וּנְקֵבָ֑ה לְחַיּ֥וֹת זֶ֖רַע עַל־פְּנֵ֥י כָל־הָאָֽרֶץ: |
| Also, of the fowl of the heavens, etc.: Scripture speaks of the clean [fowl], and we learn that which is not explicit from that which is explicit. [i.e., Just as in the case of the animals, seven pairs of clean ones were to be brought into the ark, so was it in the case of the fowl, that seven pairs of clean ones were to be brought in, while of the unclean species, only one pair was to be saved.] |
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גם מעוף השמים וגו': בטהורים הכתוב מדבר. וילמד סתום מן המפורש: |
| 4For in another seven days, I will make it rain upon the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will blot out all beings that I have made, off the face of the earth." |
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דכִּי֩ לְיָמִ֨ים ע֜וֹד שִׁבְעָ֗ה אָֽנֹכִי֙ מַמְטִ֣יר עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם וְאַרְבָּעִ֖ים לָ֑יְלָה וּמָחִ֗יתִי אֶת־כָּל־הַיְקוּם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשִׂ֔יתִי מֵעַ֖ל פְּנֵ֥י הָֽאֲדָמָֽה: |
| 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. |
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כי לימים עוד שבעה: אלו שבעת ימי אבלו של מתושלח הצדיק שחס הקב"ה על כבודו ועכב את הפורענות. צא וחשוב שנותיו של מתושלח ותמצא שהם כלים בשנת שש מאות שנה לחיי נח: |
| 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] |
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כי לימים עוד: מהו עוד, זמן אחר זמן, זה נוסף על מאה ועשרים שנה: |
| 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] |
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ארבעים יום: כנגד יצירת הולד שקלקלו להטריח ליוצרם לצור צורת ממזרים: |
| 5And Noah did, according to all that the Lord had commanded him. |
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הוַיַּ֖עַשׂ נֹ֑חַ כְּכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֖הוּ יְהֹוָֽה: |
| And Noah did: This refers to his entrance into the ark. |
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ויעש נח: זה ביאתו לתיבה: |
| 6And Noah was six hundred years old, and the flood came about, water upon the earth. |
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ווְנֹ֕חַ בֶּן־שֵׁ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת שָׁנָ֑ה וְהַמַּבּ֣וּל הָיָ֔ה מַ֖יִם עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ: |
| 7And Noah went in and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him into the ark because of the flood waters. |
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זוַיָּבֹ֣א נֹ֔חַ וּ֠בָנָ֠יו וְאִשְׁתּ֧וֹ וּנְשֵֽׁי־בָנָ֛יו אִתּ֖וֹ אֶל־הַתֵּבָ֑ה מִפְּנֵ֖י מֵ֥י הַמַּבּֽוּל: |
| 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] |
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נח ובניו: האנשים לבד והנשים לבד, לפי שנאסרו בתשמיש המטה, מפני שהעולם היה שרוי בצער: |
| because of the flood waters: Noah, too, was of those who had little faith, believing and not believing that the Flood would come, and he did not enter the ark until the waters forced him to do so. — [Gen. Rabbah 32:6] |
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מפני מי המבול: אף נח מקטני אמנה היה, מאמין ואינו מאמין שיבא המבול ולא נכנס לתיבה עד שדחקוהו המים: |
| 8Of the clean beasts and of the beasts that are not clean, and of the fowl, and all that creeps upon the earth. |
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חמִן־הַבְּהֵמָה֙ הַטְּהוֹרָ֔ה וּמִ֨ן־הַבְּהֵמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵינֶ֖נָּה טְהֹרָ֑ה וּמִ֨ן־הָע֔וֹף וְכֹ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־רֹמֵ֖שׂ עַל־הָֽאֲדָמָֽה: |
| 9Two by two they came to Noah to the ark, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. |
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טשְׁנַ֨יִם שְׁנַ֜יִם בָּ֧אוּ אֶל־נֹ֛חַ אֶל־הַתֵּבָ֖ה זָכָ֣ר וּנְקֵבָ֑ה כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־נֹֽחַ: |
| they came to Noah: By themselves. — [Tan. Noach 12] |
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באו אל נח: מאליהן: |
| two by two: They were all equal in this number; the smallest number was two. |
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שנים שנים: כלם הושוו במנין זה, מן הפחות היו שנים: |
| 10And it came to pass after the seven days, that the flood waters were upon the earth. |
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יוַיְהִ֖י לְשִׁבְעַ֣ת הַיָּמִ֑ים וּמֵ֣י הַמַּבּ֔וּל הָי֖וּ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ: |
| 11In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on this day, all the springs of the great deep were split, and the windows of the heavens opened up. |
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יאבִּשְׁנַ֨ת שֵֽׁשׁ־מֵא֤וֹת שָׁנָה֙ לְחַיֵּי־נֹ֔חַ בַּחֹ֨דֶשׁ֙ הַשֵּׁנִ֔י בְּשִׁבְעָֽה־עָשָׂ֥ר י֖וֹם לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֗ה נִבְקְעוּ֙ כָּל־מַעְיְנוֹת֙ תְּה֣וֹם רַבָּ֔ה וַֽאֲרֻבֹּ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם נִפְתָּֽחוּ: |
| in the second month: Rabbi Eliezer says: This refers to Marheshvan; Rabbi Joshua says: this refers to Iyar. — [Seder Olam Rabbah, ch. 4] |
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בחדש השני: רבי אליעזר אומר זה מרחשון, רבי יהושע אומר זה אייר: |
| were split: to emit their waters. |
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נבקעו: להוציא מימיהן: |
| the great deep: Measure for measure. They sinned with [Gen. 6:5]“the evil of man was great,” and they were punished with “the great deep.” - [Sanh. 108a] |
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תהום רבה: מדה כנגד מדה, הם חטאו ברבה רעת האדם (בראשית ו ה) ולקו בתהום רבה: |
| 12And the rain was upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. |
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יבוַיְהִ֥י הַגֶּ֖שֶׁם עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֔וֹם וְאַרְבָּעִ֖ים לָֽיְלָה: |
| 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] |
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ויהי הגשם על הארץ: ולהלן הוא אומר (פסוק יז) ויהי המבול, אלא כשהורידן, הורידן ברחמים שאם יחזרו יהיו גשמי ברכה, וכשלא חזרו היו למבול: |
| forty days, etc.: The first day does not count because its night was not included with it, [i.e., on the night preceding it, no rain fell] for it is written (verse 11): “on this day, all the springs were split.” The result is that the forty days ended on the twenty-eighth of Kislev, according to Rabbi Eliezer. For the months are counted according to their order, one full [composed of thirty days], and one defective [composed of twenty-nine days], leaving twelve days of Marcheshvan and twenty-eight of Kislev [totalling forty]. |
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ארבעים יום וגו': אין יום ראשון מן המנין לפי שאין לילו עמו, שהרי כתיב ביום הזה נבקעו כל מעינות, נמצאו ארבעים יום כלים בכ"ח בכסליו, לרבי אליעזר שהחדשים נמנין כסדרן אחד מלא ואחד חסר, הרי שנים עשר ממרחשון ועשרים ושמונה מכסליו: |
| 13On this very day, Noah came, and Shem and Ham and Japheth, Noah's sons, and Noah's wife and his sons' three wives with them, into the ark. |
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יגבְּעֶ֨צֶם הַיּ֤וֹם הַזֶּה֙ בָּ֣א נֹ֔חַ וְשֵֽׁם־וְחָ֥ם וָיֶ֖פֶת בְּנֵי־נֹ֑חַ וְאֵ֣שֶׁת נֹ֗חַ וּשְׁל֧שֶׁת נְשֵֽׁי־בָנָ֛יו אִתָּ֖ם אֶל־הַתֵּבָֽה: |
| On this very day: Scripture teaches you that the people of his generation were saying, “If we see him going into the ark, we will break it and kill him.” Said the Holy One, blessed be He, “I will bring him in before the eyes of all, and we will see whose word will prevail!” - [Sifrei Ha’azinu 337] |
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בעצם היום הזה: למדך הכתוב שהיו בני דורו אומרים אילו אנו רואים אותו נכנס לתיבה אנו שוברין אותה והורגין אותו, אמר הקב"ה אני מכניסו לעיני כלם ונראה דבר מי יקום: |
| 14They, and every beast after its kind, and every domestic animal after its kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every fowl after its kind, every bird of every wing. |
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ידהֵ֜מָּה וְכָל־הַֽחַיָּ֣ה לְמִינָ֗הּ וְכָל־הַבְּהֵמָה֙ לְמִינָ֔הּ וְכָל־הָרֶ֛מֶשׂ הָֽרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ לְמִינֵ֑הוּ וְכָל־הָע֣וֹף לְמִינֵ֔הוּ כֹּ֖ל צִפּ֥וֹר כָּל־כָּנָֽף: |
| bird of every wing: It [the word צִפּוֹר is in the construct state [meaning]:“birds of every type of wing,” to include locusts. (The word כָּנָף means feather, as (Lev. 1:17):“And he shall split it apart with its feathers (בִכְנָפָיו)” for even its feathers were included in the burnt offering. Here too, [the meaning is] any bird with any kind of appearance of feathers). [Chul. 139b] |
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צפור כל כנף: דבוק הוא, צפור של כל מין כנף, לרבות חגבים (כנף לשון נוצה כמו (ויקרא א יז) ושסע אותו בכנפיו שאפילו נוצתה עולה, אף כאן צפור כל מין מראית נוצה): |
| 15And they came to Noah to the ark, two by two of all flesh in which there is the spirit of life. |
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טווַיָּבֹ֥אוּ אֶל־נֹ֖חַ אֶל־הַתֵּבָ֑ה שְׁנַ֤יִם שְׁנַ֨יִם֙ מִכָּל־הַבָּשָׂ֔ר אֲשֶׁר־בּ֖וֹ ר֥וּחַ חַיִּֽים: |
| 16And those who came male and female of all flesh came, as God had commanded him, and the Lord shut him in. |
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טזוְהַבָּאִ֗ים זָכָ֨ר וּנְקֵבָ֤ה מִכָּל־בָּשָׂר֙ בָּ֔אוּ כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה אֹת֖וֹ אֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיִּסְגֹּ֥ר יְהֹוָ֖ה בַּֽעֲדֽוֹ: |
| 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. |
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ויסגור ה' בעדו: הגין עליו שלא ישברוה, הקיף התיבה דובים ואריות והיו הורגים בהם. ופשוטו של מקרא סגר כנגדו מן המים וכן כל בעד שבמקרא לשון כנגד הוא (בראשית כ יח) בעד כל רחם, (מ"ב ד ד) בעדך ובעד בניך, (איוב ב ד) עור בעד עור, (תהלים ג ד) מגן בעדי, (ש"א יב יט) התפלל בעד עבדיך, כנגד עבדיך: |
