Of the many personalities that we read about in the Torah portion of No’ach, Terach stands out as somewhat of an enigma. He fathered the first Jew who was the founder of monotheism, yet he was an idol worshipper and an idol merchant. In addition, Terach is credited with doing teshuvah towards the end of his life although he had previously delivered Avraham over to Nimrod who wanted to kill him.This article will discuss the history and lessons of this unique character.<h2>Meaning of

Terach Son of Nachor and Father of Avraham

Parshas Noach begins by describing Noach as “a righteous man, perfect in his generations.” Why does the Torah limit Noach’s righteousness to “in his generations”?Rashi offers two explanations:Some of our Sages interpret this in praise of Noach: How much more so that if he had lived in a generation of righteous people, he would have been even more righteous. Others interpret it disparagingly: Relative to his generation he was righteous, but if he had been in Avraham’s generation,

Staying Afloat

Rashi brings two opinions as to why the Torah emphasizes that Noach was righteous “in his generations”:Some of our Sages interpret this in praise of Noach: How much more so that if he had lived in a generation of righteous people, he would have been even more righteous. Others interpret it disparagingly: Relative to his generation he was righteous, but if he had been in Avraham’s generation, he would not have been regarded as significant at all.The two views Rashi outlines are n

Don’t Get the Wrong Impression

Noach’s dedication to the animals’ needs aboard the ark teaches us the extent to which we must go when we are charged with a Divine mission. Particularly, Noach’s devotion to providing his passengers with their sustenance serves as a metaphor for those who have been tasked with providing others with spiritual sustenance.Rashi describes the physical toll that tending the animals took on Noach:He was groaning and spitting blood because of the burden of tending to the cattle and th

The Only Self to Sacrifice is Your Own

In his prophecies of the messianic era, Yeshayahu foretells that “the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the young goat... and a small child shall lead them.”A similar atmosphere prevailed in Noach’s ark, where even the most fierce and predatory animals coexisted peacefully, despite their confinement to tiny quarters for an entire year. Moreover, the animals were so peaceful that Noach and his family alone successfully maintained them all and tended to thei

Living the Dream

Parshas Noach Rabbi Yissocher FrandIt is not easy to completely characterize the hero of this week’s parsha. Avrohom Avinu was a Tzadik. Yitzchak Avinu was a Tzadik. Yaakov Avinu was a Tzadik. The characterization of Noach is less cut and dry. The pasuk does acknowledge his Tzidkus: “...Noach was a righteous man, perfect in his generations...” [Bereshis 6:9]. The fact that the Torah writes such about Noach is, of course, in and of itself, a great accolade. And yet,

A Tale of Two Teivah Riders

I saw the following observation in a sefer called Nachlas Eliezer. The pasuk says: “And Noach build a Altar for Hashem...” [Bereshis 8:20] When Noach emerged from the Teivah, he built an Mizbayach and offered korbonos (sacrifices). The Medrash Rabbah [34:9] comments on the fact that the Torah uses the word VaYiven (he built) rather than Va’Ya’as (he made) in connection with the Altar. The Medrash explains that the reason for the choice of the word VaYiven is because it can also be read as VaY

The Pleasant Aroma of Mesiras Nefesh

Written by d fineWhen Noach goes out of the ark, the first thing he does (arguably, perhaps the korbanos he offered on his newly-built mizbayach came first) is plant a vineyard. And the ensuing happenings involve him getting drunk and not being particularly clothed. What’s going on?Well, one approach is that Noach was seeing whether the world had now returned to its lofty level before Adam’s sin; HaShem cursed Adam that thorns would grow from his plantings, and the ground would

Noach and the Vineyard

Written by d fineAfter the flood, HaShem gives special permission for Noach to eat meat (9:3). As Rashi underlines, Adam HaRishon was forbidden to eat meat, as were all other men forbidden to eat meat. What changed? One answer given is that the climate and nutritional makeup of the earth changed after the flood (remember, the flood was hot water, by the way). Thus, whereas man could previously survive on eating plants, they no longer proved nutritionally wholesome and energy-providing

Permission to Eat Meat After the Flood

Written by Rafi JagerRashi says that we see from the words “MiKol HaChai” (Noach 6:19) that even Sheidim were admitted to the Teivah. The Daas Zikeinim MiBaalei HaTosfos brings a Medrash that says that Sheker, the liar, came to Noach and asked to be admitted to the Teivah. Noach told him that only couples are allowed in the Teivah and Sheker has no mate. Sheker then went and found Pechas, the koach that makes people lose their money. Sheker asked Pechas if it would become its spouse so

Sheker and Pechas Enter the Teivah

Husband: My wife is missing. She went to rescue people from the flood yesterday and has not come home ... Sergeant at Police Station: What is her height? Husband: Gee, I'm not sure. A little over five-feet tall. Sergeant: Weight? Husband: Don't know. Not slim, not really fat. Sergeant: Color of eyes? Husband: Sort of brown I think. Never really noticed. Sergeant: Color of hair? Husband: Changes a couple times a year. Maybe dark brown now. I can’t remember. Sergeant:

Humor

A large-scale UK study has revealed that both sugary and “diet” soft drinks raise the risk of liver disease.Both regular and “diet” soft drinks may be far worse for liver health than believed. A massive study of over 120,000 participants found that consuming more than one can a day of either sugar-sweetened or low/no-sugar beverages sharply increased the risk of metabolic-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) and even liver-related deaths. Surprisingly, “diet” drinks carried simil

Even diet soda may be quietly damaging your liver scientists warn

At the end of last year, it wasn't so easy for me. Thank God, I was able to bring in the holidays and buy what I needed, but it was hard. I asked myself what I could save, and so the end fell on the etrog. In previous years, I used to buy an elegant etrog, the shofra deshupra, without looking at the money. I spent all the money they demanded of me without batting an eyelid, as long as I had an etrog that grew nicely. His face is smooth and shining, and his whole head says, "This is Kelly and

Dear Etrog Private Providence Issue 28

He leaned over the soft ground, grabbed a little of its soil, and rubbed the dirt with his fingers. A smile of happiness appeared on his face. Finally, his dream comes true. He got up, shook the dust off his clothes, and turned to conclude the deal. A strip of land extending over several dunams, in the village of Hittin, near Tiberias, was transferred to him.Rabbi Chaim-Elazar Wax was excited. For years he has been working from Kalisz, Poland, for the sake of the Land of Israel and its

Etrog from the Heart according to the Discourse of the Righteous

Rabbi Yaakov Shish relates: Two yeshiva students studied all the laws of the four species for six months. When the holiday of Sukkot arrived, they wanted an etrog that was as elegant as the great rabbis had, but the problem was that such an etrog could reach a thousand dollars or more. What did they do? They went to the orchard that grows etrogim and said to him, "We have studied the laws of the four species for six months, and we are familiar with these laws, let's make a deal." We will sort

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