This shiur is dedicated to all those injured over the last two weeks – may Hakadosh Baruch Hu grant them all receive a Refuah Shleima, in body and soul. Our learning is directed as a Tefillah to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, that all captives be returned in full health to their families. Captivity is the hardest thing, Chazal say. May they and their families know no more suffering. The shiur is also dedicated to all those who gave their lives Al Kiddush Hashem. Holy Neshamot they all are.
I’d like to focus on one aspect of Parshat Noach that connects us to our Avodat Hashem in these difficult days. There is a common idea found in Sifrei Chasidut, whose origin is actually in Sifrei Halachah: The greater the preparation for something, the longer its impact will be felt. Each week on Yom Revi’i (Wednesday), we recite Tehillim 94 as the Shir Shel Yom and then append the first three verses from the following chapter:
לְכוּ נְרַ נְּנָה לַה' נָרִ יעָה לְצוּר יִשְׁעֵנוּ׃ נְקַדְּ מָה פָנָיו בְּתוֹדָה בִּזְמִרוֹת נָרִ יעַ לוֹ׃ כִּ י אֵ -ָדוֹל ל גה' ָדוֹל עַל־כָּל־אֱלֹהִ ים׃ ג וּמֶ לֶך
O Come, let us sing to the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise to Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great G-d, and a great King above all gods.
These pesukim are added as they represent the start of our preparation for Shabbat Kodesh, beginning on Wednesday. This is reflected in several Halachot. For instance, determining when one is allowed to board a ship knowing it will be at sea when Shabbat arrives, and until when one may recite Havdalah if the opportunity was not present immediately after Shabbat. If you prepare three days prior to Shabbat, its impact lasts until three days after (and Havdalah may be recited until Tuesday night). Shabbat, in essence, starts on Yom Revi’i and ends on Yom Shlishi. Rabbeinu Bachya (Kad HaKemach) speaks harshly to those who refer to Shabbat as Sof Shavuah – Weekend. Shabbat is the middle of the week, with several pesukim brought from the Nevi’im to support this idea, including reference to the Beit Hamikdash being in the middle of the world and Hakadosh Baruch Hu telling Bnei Yisrael, “If you don’t observe My middle, I will bring destruction to your middle.”
Two weeks ago, we ended the cycle of the holidays which lasted 52 days. רַ בּ ָ הנָאה ו ֹ שׁ ַ ע ְ – נָא equals 51, and on the 52nd day we remain alone with Hakadosh Baruch Hu, like a father and child. This is based on Rosh Chodesh Elul being the first day of the period. Bnei Ashkenaz, however, hold that the period actually begins earlier – on Tu B’Av, the 15th of Av. This is the day, says the Gemara, we begin wishing one another Shana Tova. I cannot explain the specifics of what happens in heaven on that day and what shifts begin to occur, but this is what Chazal say. Based on this calculation, there aren’t 52 days in play, but rather 67 days. If so, their influence stretches 67 days after the Holidays as well. Sifrei Chasidut say, the Siyum Yemei HaDin – the end of the days of Din - is on the final day of Chanukah. How does it Land on Zot Chanuka? If the preparation is 67 days, then 67 days after Simchat Torah is the day of Zot Chanuka.
Let’s take this idea another step forward. In the initial Parshiot of Bereishit, Chazal find connections to the chagim that just passed. Bereishit is tied to Rosh Hashanah via Creation taking place on the days leading up to Rosh Hashanah, and the holiday marking the day man was created. Shabbat is connected directly to Yom Shishi – thus we read י ו ם ה ַ שׁ ּ ִ שׁ ּ ִ י together with the words that follow, וּ הַ שׁ ּ ָ מַ יִם וְ הָ אָ רֶ ץ וַיְכֻל – as the sun of the sixth day did not set. It remained visible for 36 hours until Motzei Shabbat. It was like a summer Shabbat in Scandinavia. Similarly, Rosh Hashanah is observed over two days connected.
On Rosh Hashanah we also mention Noach several times in the section of Zichronot. The Zohar says (Noach), Yom Kippur also connects us to Noach. We read:
וֹן הַתֵּבָה אֲשׁ ֶר עָשָׂה׃ ִפְתַּח נֹחַ אֶת־חַל ץ אַרְ בָּעִים יוֹם וַי וַיְהִי מִק
And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noaĥ opened the window of the ark which he had made.
Forty days after Elul, he opened the windows. This text, the Zohar says, does not refer to the man named Noach but to the middah (attribute) that Noach carried – חֵ ן. It is difficult to translate this attribute without waving your hands in all directions and dancing around its meaning. It is also a subjective term, with different meanings for different people – there is no one word it translates to. This middah resides above nature and is what gave us life beyond what was deserved at the time, given the behavior of Noach’s era.
When Hakadosh Baruch Hu forgives, there is no reason. It is illogical in our eyes and undeserved. The forgiveness cannot be justified in any way other than by pointing to Hakadosh Baruch Hu and His attribute of Rachamim.
כִּי אַתָּה סָלְחָן לְיִשְׂרָ אֵל וּמָחֳלָן לְשִׁ בְטֵי יְשׁ ֻרוּן בְּכָל דּוֹר וָ דוֹר.
For You are the Pardoner of Yisrael, and the Forgiver of the tribes of Yeshurun in every generation.
We repeatedly sin and Hakadosh Baruch Hu repeatedly forgives us, time and time again, never giving up on us until the day our souls depart from our bodies. This attribute that opens the windows of Teshuva for us, says the Zohar, is the same attribute that opened the windows of the ark and led to life being granted anew.
The entry into the ark also connects to our holidays.
שִׁ בְעָה שִׁבְעָה אִישׁ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וּמִן־הַבְּהֵמָה ַח־לְך מִכֹּל הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהוֹרָ ה תִּק אֲשׁ ֶר לֹא טְהֹרָ ה הִוא שְׁנַיִם אִישׁ וְאִשְׁתּוֹ׃
Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, male and female: and of beasts that are not clean by twos, male and female.
The sets of seven are linked to our giving of Korbanot on Pesach and Succot, and the pairs of two reflect the two days of Rosh Hashanah and two days of Shavuot observed in Galut. Some address the Zohar’s linkage to days only observed in the diaspora and only based on doubt, and they answer with linage to another set of two days that is not doubt-based – namely, the two days of Purim which are based on whether one is in a walled city or not.
These ideas all serve as an introduction to our main focus. Noach himself, says the Zohar, represents Shabbat itself. His name literally means rest, and Shabbat is Yom Menucha. And Noach’s ark? It represents Succot. Just as the Succah protects Am Yisrael, Noach’s ark protected all within its frame. But what is the connection between these two? Why does the Zohar connect the Succah and ark? This will be the topic we dive into, beginning with a few short introductions.
Connections Between the Ark and the Succah
Sefer ha'Lekach ve'Halibuv (Yamim Noraim) brings an idea from the Shelah HaKadosh, who expands on an element of this Zohar. Until this year, I knew Hoshana Rabbah was the day the petakim – the notes of verdict – are handed to the messengers to carry forth. This includes positive elements, where our prayers were answered and granted, and also include negative verdicts. The petek used to enact the verdict is sent out on Hoshana Rabbah, and what is written in them will then come into effect at the time Hakadosh Baruch Hu determined they should. I found in the Zohar and writings of the Arizal this same idea. Not only is Hoshana Rabbah the day verdicts of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur put in motion, but it is also the day for appeals (see Rav Rosenblum English shiur – Hoshana Rabbah & Shmini Atzeret 5784). Appeals from both sides, in both directions. If one wins – i.e., is granted forgiveness by Hakadosh Baruch Hu – the prosecutor can appeal on Hoshana Rabbah. And if one loses their case, they too can appeal on Hoshana Rabbah. On the day after Yom Kippur, the kateigor (prosecutor) is up in arms after seeing our favorable verdict. They had a slam dunk case, which we cannot possibly defend against were it not for mercy. An appeal is immediately filed, and when the kateigor asks to be heard, he is always given a platform and microphone. An example is the case against the brothers of Yosef. For a thousand years they were left alone after having sold their brother into slavery, and then along came one kateigor asking to reopen the case, pointing to a pasuk in Mishpatim as the grounds for appeal. The case was immediately heard, and the rest of the story is well documented in the piyyutim of Asara Harugrei Malchut, recited on both Yom Kippur and Tisha B’Av.
In our case, the 21st of Tishrei – Hoshana Rabbah – is the date set to hear the appeal.
The Shelah HaKadosh says, we should not refer to the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as the Aseret Yemei Teshuva, but rather the Yud ('י) Yemei Teshuva. The word יוּד contains a י for the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur; a ד for the next four days until Succot; and a ו is for the next six days until Hoshana Rabbah. There are two periods of ten days where judgement occurs! We then enter the succah and sit under the צִ לָה דְּ מֵ הַ מְ נוּתָ א – the shade of Hakadosh Baruch Hu – which protects us from all evil and prosecution, including their appeal.
The ark protected Noach in same way. After entering into the ark, we’re told: וַ יה' בַּעֲדוֹ – And the Lord sealed him in. Hakadosh Baruch Hu stamped His seal on the door. Similar to when you are on an airplane, and they announce the doors are now being closed, followed by flight attendants going to each door, pulling levers in three different ways and attaching ribbons to mark them as locked. What does this mean for the ark? Why couldn’t Noach himself shut the door and lock it from the inside after boarding was complete?
A chotemet (seal) is something you place when sending goods to another person, so they know and trust its authenticity upon receipt. The Gemara says (Bava Kamma 60a):
כֵּיוָן שׁ ֶנִּיתַּן רְ שׁ וּת לַמַּשְׁחִית אֵינוֹ מַבְחִין בֵּ ין צַדִּ יקִים לִרְ שׁ ָעִים וְלֹא עוֹד צַדִּ יק וְרָ שׁ ָע ה שׁ ֶנֶּאֱמַר וְהִכְרַ תִּי מִמֵּך ַדִּ יקִים תְּחִל ָא שׁ ֶמַּתְחִיל מִן הַצ אֶל.
Once permission is granted to the destroyer to kill, it does not distinguish between the righteous and the wicked. And not only that, but it begins with the righteous first, as it is stated in the verse: “And will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked” (Ezekiel 21:8), where mention of the righteous precedes the wicked.
When there is decree of Din in the world, no differentiation occurs. Based on the Midrash (Bereishit Rabbah 26:5), Rashi says on the words קֵץ כָּל־בָּשָׂר, wherever you find lewdness and idolatry, punishment of an indiscriminate character comes upon the world killing good and bad alike. Mechilta d’Rabbi Yishmael says, when Noach entered the ark, do not think that he deserved to be saved! However, he found חֵ ן in the eyes of Hashem, despite being chayav. Whether because he committed these sins too, or because he didn’t prevent others from sinning, the only way for him to be saved was to have a seal of Hakadosh Baruch Hu on the door. When the kateigor sees that stamp, they back off. Where else do we see this? In the story of Yetziat Mitzrayim. Why was it necessary to place blood on the doorposts as a sign for the mashchit not to touch that home? The Ohr HaChaim Hakadosh says, the punisher will not differentiate between tzaddik and rasha, Only if he sees the stamp will he bypass the house. Similarly, the stamp of Hakadosh Baruch Hu saved Noach from punishment.
Similarly, the Midrash says, Hakadosh Baruch Hu places His name and stamp on the succah. The two names of Hakadosh Baruch Hu put together (26 + 65) equal the word סוכה (91). Thus, no kateigor can enter its walls, even after working overtime in the preceding days to construct their appeal. We’re saved from Din while inside the succah.
Another connection between the ark and succah is given to us by the Shem Mishmuel. The rules of the succah are similar to those of the Beit Hamikdash (and Mishkan and Beit Knesset). The Shechina is present in each:
חֲדָרָיו נָגִילָה וְנִשְׂמְחָה בָּך הֱבִיאַנִי הַמֶּלֶךְ
The king has brought me to his chambers. Let us delight and rejoice in your love.
We’re in the chamber of Hakadosh Baruch Hu – i.e., the succah – and thus we rejoice with simcha during the holiday. But what is the connection between the Beit Hamikdash and the ark? The answer is: its dimensions! Why are the detailed dimensions of the ark needed? Why couldn’t Noach visit his local Home Depot or Zim shipping dock to get guidance and best-practices for building a nice wooden ark? What is the significance of the dimensions given, which, as the Ramban points out, anyway had no chance of accommodating all the animals brought in? The Midrash says, it is because the teiva is Beit Hashem. It was not called a סִ י רָ ה or סְ פִ ינָה or אֳנִיָה. It was instead referred to as a תּ ֵ יבָה, which reassembled produces the House of G-d: בית ה'. The Beit Hamikdash also had dimensions, which surprised Moshe as they could not possibly hold the Shechina. Hakadosh Baruch Hu gave specific dimensions for the ark, which to the human eye could not possibly be sufficient. שׁ ְ תוּלִים בְּבֵית ה' – Chazal say this refers to Noach residing in the House of Hakadosh Baruch Hu. Just as no harm came to anyone in the Beit Hamikdash, and nobody was cramped, and no flies flew around the korbanot, so too in the ark, despite the obvious physical challenges and limitations in housing all these animals and their food all while riding turbulent waters.
The Malbim brings us another gem related to these dimensions and their relation to the seal of Hakadosh Baruch Hu being on the succah. If we lay out the two names of Hakadosh Baruch Hu found in the word סוכה, and multiply one by the other, the result is:
י – ה – ו – ה
א – ד – נ – י
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(10*1) + (5*4 = (03
)6*05 = (300
)5*10 = (50
Twenty, three hundred, and fifty are the three measurements given for the dimensions of the ark:
וְזֶה אֲשׁ ֶר תַּעֲשֶׂה אֹתָהּ שׁ ְ ל ֹ שׁ מ ֵ א ו ֹ ת הַ תֵּ בָ ה אַ מָּ ה אֹרֶ ךִ י ם ח ֲ מִ שׁ אַ מּ ָ ה רָ חְ בּ ָ הּ שׁ ְ ל ֹ שׁ ִ י ם ו אַ מּ ָ ה קוֹ מָ תָ הּ ׃
And this is the fashion of which thou shalt make it: the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
Rabbi Shimshon of Ostropola and the Vilna Gaon add a jarring idea that, unfortunately, resonates with us now more than ever. The Gemara says (Bava Kamma 23b) says:
אֶרֶ ס נָחָשׁ בֵּין שִׁינָּיו
The venom of a snake is constantly present between its fangs. They say the venom is between the שׁ ין within the letters of the word נ ָ ח ָ שׁ . What is in between the letters ש and נ in the word? The letter ח. That is the precise spot of the venom. The Satan (שטן) is the original snake, and it too holds the two letters ש and נ at the start and end of its name. When you combine the middle letters of the snake and the Satan – namely, ח and ט – the result is sin (חטא). The sin is the source of the snake’s venom! But there is one more layer to this idea. Pirkei deRabbi Elizer speaks of the most senior angel of destruction in the heavens, a twelve-winged angel whose name is ס -מ-א-ל. Chazal say we refer to him as ס-מ, because those two letters in his name are the source of evil, whereas the letters א-ל symbolize his good side. If we take the ס-מ of this angel and join it with the ח of the snake, we are left with: חָ מָ ס. The land was filled with violence: וַתִּ מָּ לֵא הָ אָ רֶ ץ חָ מָ ס. This is the pinnacle of evil. The worst we can ever find. And the letters that remain after forming חָ מָ ס are: ש -נ-א-ל. These are the exact dimensions of the ark! The ש is its 300 cubits in length, the נ is its 50 cubits in breadth, the ל is its 30 cubits in height, and the א represents: וְ אֶ ל אַ מּ ָ ה תְּכַלֶנָּה מִלְמַעְלָה – and finish it to one amah at the top. If you want to enter an ark of protection, you must surround yourself with these middot.
The Naming of Noach and the Power of Tefillah
Towards the end of last week’s Parsha, which we did not get to speak about too much due to the horrific events which took place in Eretz Yisrael, we read how the world filled up with mankind. Who was born, how long they lived, and which children they had. Notice how there is no explanation for any of these names though. We can imagine, or make something up, but we have no idea why Mehalalel received his name, nor Lemech. That is until Noach arrived on the scene.
וֹלֶד בֵּן׃ שְׁתַּיִם וּשְׁמֹנִים שׁ ָנָה וּמְאַת שׁ ָנָה וַי וַיְחִי־לֶמֶך ִ קְ רָ א אֶ ת ־ שׁ ְ מ וֹ נֹ חַ וַ יְבוֹן יָדֵינוּ מִן־הָאֲדָמָה אֲשׁ ֶר אֵרְ רָ הּ לֵאמֹר זֶה יְנַחֲמֵנוּ מִמַּעֲשֵׂנוּ וּמֵעִצה'׃
Lemech lived one hundred and eighty-two years and had a son. His son was named Noach, saying, This one will bring us rest from our work and the anguish of our hands, from the soil which Hashem has cursed.
Why was only the name Noach explained? Metushelach would have been a great name to expand on – maybe we’d even see more boys named after him today! We’re also not told who exactly gave out these names. Wer;re just told the name of the child that was born, once again, until Noach, where it says he was given the name. But the first pasuk ends simply saying Lemech had a son. It is only in the next pasuk that we are told he was named Noach. If it was Lemech who named him, it would have appeared together in one pasuk and not broken up as it is. Someone else named him Noach. Some say it was Metushelach, and some suggest it was others who lived at the time.
I’d like to dive into another answer I learned a number of years ago, which also appears in the writings of the Chida (Midbar Kedeimot). Noach was born quite differently than the rest of his generation. Firstly, he was the first to be born circumcised. Adam was created that way, but Noach was the first to be born that way. Secondly, he was the first to be born with fingers. Paaneach Raza says, until Noach, they all had fingers but the fingers were connected, either directly or with some type of web between them. The people around Noach were worried, maybe even horrified, upon seeing these deformities, and it led to them distancing themselves from him and leaving him without a name. The Chida then adds, Noach came down with 3 neshamot – those of Yosef, Noach, and Moshe Rabbeinu. Fis father, Lemech, saw these three neshamot come down and was faced with a choice of which of the three names to choose. Today, many of us carry multiple names, but back then each person had a single name only, and Lemech didn’t know which one to select. They approached the wise Metushelach, and he advised them to name the child Noach. The names (and neshamot) of Moshe and Yosef would not remain as a result. Yosef was rejected because he symbolized the resistance of arayot (sexual immorality) and Moshe was rejected because he stood for teaching Torah to the people. Neither were of interest to the wicked generation at the time, and thus Noach was all that remained from the options: ־נֹחַ וַיִשׁ ּ ָ אֶ ר אַ ך. He’d be the only to save the world.
The Midrash, also found in the Gemara (Chulin 139b), asks:
משה מן התורה מנין? ... ַם הוּא בָשָׂר בְּשׁ ַג וְ הָ יוּ יָמָ יו מֵ אָ ה וְ עֶ שְׂ רִ ים שׁ ָ נָה.
Where in the Torah is the existence of Moshe alluded to? “...since he is nothing but flesh. His days shall be a hundred and twenty years.”
This is a strange question, because we know the exact pasuk where he first appears. We are told of his birth! Therefore, the question really means, where can we find Moshe in the Torah before he was even born? It is in the words read just last week: ַם הוּא בָשָׂר בְּשׁ ַג. The numerical value of ַ ם ב ּ ְ שׁ ַ ג is the same as that of משה, and it is known that Moshe Rabbeinu lived a total of 120 years. Noach was saved in the merit of Moshe Rabbeinu! Moshe would descend from Noach and thus the world needed to be saved.
This is quite odd, however, because Avraham Avinu, Yitzchak Avinu, and Yaacov Avinu would also descend from Noach. Everyone did, following the flood! The answer is quite simple. Noach sinned in not having davened for his generation. Upon being told the flood would be coming and he should escape into the ark, he said nothing. The Zohar says, only when Noach opened the door to leave the ark, and saw the earth devastated and destroyed, did he ask why there was no compassion for the living beings of the world. Hakadosh Baruch Hu responded forcefully, even calling Noach a foolish shepherd (see Rav Rosenblum English Shiur – Bereishit 5784). Until then though, he thought only about himself. Fast-forward to Moshe, who began his life in a teiva as well, foating on the Nile. After the sin of the Golden Calf, Moshe responded in an opposite manner to Noach. Hakadosh Baruch Hu offered to build a new nation under Moshe, while destroying the rest of Bnei Yisrael. What was Moshe’s response?
אֲשׁ ֶר כָּתָבְתָּ׃ וְעַתָּה אִם־תִּשָּׂא חַטָּאתָם וְאִם־אַיִן מְחֵנִי נָא מִסִּפְרְ ך אֲשׁ ֶר כָּתָבְתָּ׃
And now, if You will bear their sin, good — do not erase me, but if not, erase me, I pray You, from Your book that You have written.
Moshe Rabbeinu wanted no part of it, and was not interested in a solution for himself. “Erase me from Your entire Torah, so that it not be said about me that I was not worthy enough to implore mercy for Israel.” מְ חֵ נִ י contains the letters of מֵ י נֹחַ – the waters (flood) of Noach. Moshe referenced the flood, not wanting the destruction to be called in his name, as it was for Noach. Additionally, the letters of מְ חֵ נִ י stand for Moshe, Noach, and Yosef. Moshe Rabbeinu was the opposite of Noach, and thus it was in his merit, and his tikkun of Noach’s actions (or inactions), that Noach was saved.
We learn one important idea here – one who doesn’t daven, and especially for others around them, the churban is called in his name! The power of Tefillah is that one can save the world, and by not utilizing that power, its destruction is brought instead.
The 120 years of Moshe Rabbeinu’s life are k’neged the 120 days he spent in heaven, according to Rabbeinu Bachya. Chazal say, Moshe composed ten of the Mizmorim found in Tehillim. One of them is Perek 91:
יֹשׁ ֵב בְּסֵתֶר עֶלְיוֹן בְּצֵל שׁ ַ -דַּ י יִ תְ לוֹ נָ ן׃
He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Chazal say, he composed this chapter representing the three times he was up in the Marom – 120 days in total. The numerical value of צֵל is 120. Bringing this back to our succah. the maximum height of a succah is 20 amot, which is equal to 120 tefachim. The Mahar”i Weil
