Chapter Previewהַקְדָּמָה
In this aliyah, Hashem commands Noach to enter the teivah with his entire family, as he alone was found righteous in his generation. Hashem instructs him to bring seven pairs of the tahor animals and birds, and two of the animals that are not tahor, in order to keep their seed alive. Hashem warns that in seven days, He will bring forty days and forty nights of rain to blot out all existence from the earth.
Noach carries out Hashem's command, entering the teivah at six hundred years old along with his family and the animals. The Torah describes how the waters of the Mabul began, with the fountains of the great deep bursting apart and the floodgates of the sky breaking open on the seventeenth day of the second month.
All introductions, summaries, and contextual notes are the editor's commentary and are not part of the original text.אַלע הַקְדָּמוֹת, סִכּוּמִים, און הערות זענען דעם רעדאַקטאָר'ס באַמערקונגען און זענען נישט קיין טייל פונעם אָריגינעלן טעקסט.
פָּסוּק א
Pasuk 1
וַיֹּאמֶרAnd He saidיְהוָהHashemלְנֹחַto Noachבֹּאcomeאַתָּהyouוְכָלand allבֵּיתְךָyour householdאֶלintoהַתֵּבָהthe arkכִּיforאֹתְךָyouרָאִיתִיI have seenצַדִּיקrighteousלְפָנַיbefore Meבַּדּוֹרin the generationהַזֶּה׃this
פָּסוּק ב
Pasuk 2
מִכֹּלFrom allהַבְּהֵמָהthe animalהַטְּהוֹרָהthat is pureתִּקַּחyou shall takeלְךָfor yourselfשִׁבְעָהsevenשִׁבְעָהsevenאִישׁa maleוְאִשְׁתּוֹand its mateוּמִןand fromהַבְּהֵמָהthe animalאֲשֶׁרwhichלֹאnotטְהֹרָהpureהִואit isשְׁנַיִםtwoאִישׁa maleוְאִשְׁתּוֹ׃and its mate
פָּסוּק ג
Pasuk 3
גַּםAlsoמֵעוֹףfrom the birds ofהַשָּׁמַיִםthe heavensשִׁבְעָהsevenשִׁבְעָהsevenזָכָרmaleוּנְקֵבָהand femaleלְחַיּוֹתto keep aliveזֶרַעseedעַלuponפְּנֵיthe face ofכָלallהָאָרֶץ׃the earth
פָּסוּק ד
Pasuk 4
כִּיForלְיָמִיםto daysעוֹדmoreשִׁבְעָהsevenאָנֹכִיIמַמְטִירwill make rainעַלuponהָאָרֶץthe earthאַרְבָּעִיםfortyיוֹםdayוְאַרְבָּעִיםand fortyלָיְלָהnightוּמָחִיתִיand I will blot outאֶת—כָּלallהַיְקוּםthe existenceאֲשֶׁרthatעָשִׂיתִיI madeמֵעַלfrom uponפְּנֵיthe face ofהָאֲדָמָה׃the ground
פָּסוּק ה
Pasuk 5
וַיַּעַשׂAnd he didנֹחַNoachכְּכֹלaccording to allאֲשֶׁרthatצִוָּהוּHe commanded himיְהוָה׃Hashem
פָּסוּק ו
Pasuk 6
וְנֹחַAnd Noachבֶּןwas the son ofשֵׁשׁsixמֵאוֹתhundredשָׁנָהyearsוְהַמַּבּוּלand the Floodהָיָהwasמַיִםwatersעַלuponהָאָרֶץ׃the earth
פָּסוּק ז
Pasuk 7
וַיָּבֹאAnd he enteredנֹחַNoachוּבָנָיוand his sonsוְאִשְׁתּוֹand his wifeוּנְשֵׁיand the wives ofבָנָיוhis sonsאִתּוֹwith himאֶלintoהַתֵּבָהthe arkמִפְּנֵיbecause ofמֵיthe waters ofהַמַּבּוּל׃the flood
פָּסוּק ח
Pasuk 8
מִןFromהַבְּהֵמָהthe animalהַטְּהוֹרָהthat is pureוּמִןand fromהַבְּהֵמָהthe animalאֲשֶׁרwhichאֵינֶנָּהis notטְהֹרָהpureוּמִןand fromהָעוֹףthe birdוְכֹלand everythingאֲשֶׁרthatרֹמֵשׂcreepsעַלuponהָאֲדָמָה׃the ground
פָּסוּק ט
Pasuk 9
שְׁנַיִםtwoשְׁנַיִםby twoבָּאוּthey cameאֶלtoנֹחַNoachאֶלintoהַתֵּבָהthe arkזָכָרmaleוּנְקֵבָהand femaleכַּאֲשֶׁרasצִוָּהcommandedאֱלֹהִיםGodאֶת—נֹחַ׃Noach
פָּסוּק י
Pasuk 10
וַיְהִיAnd it wasלְשִׁבְעַתat the sevenהַיָּמִיםof the daysוּמֵיand the waters ofהַמַּבּוּלthe Floodהָיוּwereעַלuponהָאָרֶץ׃the earth
פָּסוּק יא
Pasuk 11
בִּשְׁנַתIn the year ofשֵׁשׁsixמֵאוֹתhundredשָׁנָהyearsלְחַיֵּיto the life ofנֹחַNoachבַּחֹדֶשׁin the monthהַשֵּׁנִיthe secondבְּשִׁבְעָהon the seventeenthעָשָׂר·יוֹםdayלַחֹדֶשׁof the monthבַּיּוֹםon the dayהַזֶּהthisנִבְקְעוּburst openכָּלallמַעְיְנֹתthe fountains ofתְּהוֹםthe deepרַבָּהgreatוַאֲרֻבֹּתand the windows ofהַשָּׁמַיִםthe heavensנִפְתָּחוּ׃were opened
פָּסוּק יב
Pasuk 12
וַיְהִיand there wasהַגֶּשֶׁםthe rainעַלuponהָאָרֶץthe earthאַרְבָּעִיםfortyיוֹםdayוְאַרְבָּעִיםand fortyלָיְלָה׃night
פָּסוּק יג
Pasuk 13
בְּעֶצֶםIn the strength ofהַיּוֹםthe dayהַזֶּהthisבָּאenteredנֹחַNoachוְשֵׁםand Shemוְחָםand Chamוָיֶפֶתand Yephesבְּנֵיthe sons ofנֹחַNoachוְאֵשֶׁתand the wife ofנֹחַNoachוּשְׁלֹשֶׁתand the three ofנְשֵׁיthe wives ofבָנָיוhis sonsאִתָּםwith themאֶלintoהַתֵּבָה׃the ark
פָּסוּק יד
Pasuk 14
הֵמָּהTheyוְכָלand allהַחַיָּהthe beastלְמִינָהּaccording to its kindוְכָלand allהַבְּהֵמָהthe cattleלְמִינָהּaccording to its kindוְכָלand allהָרֶמֶשׂthe creeping thingהָרֹמֵשׂthat creepsעַלuponהָאָרֶץthe earthלְמִינֵהוּaccording to its kindוְכָלand allהָעוֹףthe birdלְמִינֵהוּaccording to its kindכֹּלeveryצִפּוֹרbirdכָּלof everyכָּנָף׃wing
פָּסוּק טו
Pasuk 15
וַיָּבֹאוּAnd they cameאֶלtoנֹחַNoachאֶלtoהַתֵּבָהthe arkשְׁנַיִםtwoשְׁנַיִםby twoמִכָּלfrom allהַבָּשָׂרthe fleshאֲשֶׁרwhichבּוֹin itרוּחַbreath ofחַיִּים׃life
פָּסוּק טז
Pasuk 16
וְהַבָּאִיםAnd those that enteredזָכָרmaleוּנְקֵבָהand femaleמִכָּלof allבָּשָׂרfleshבָּאוּthey cameכַּאֲשֶׁרasצִוָּהhad commandedאֹתוֹhimאֱלֹהִיםGodוַיִּסְגֹּרand closedיְהוָהHashemבַּעֲדוֹ׃behind him
Chapter Summaryסִכּוּם
The aliyah details Noach's entry into the teivah with his family and the designated pairs of tahor and tamei animals as Hashem commanded. Once they are all inside, the Mabul begins in earnest on the seventeenth day of the second month of Noach's six hundredth year, with torrential rain falling for forty days and forty nights, and Hashem Himself shuts Noach safely inside.
לְמַעֲשֶׂהWhat To Take Home
The Torah tells us that Noach went into the teivah "mipnei mei hamabul", because of the waters of the flood. Rashi brings down a famous, sharp chiddush here: Noach was actually lacking in emunah. He believed and he didn't believe that the flood would really happen, and he didn't enter the teivah until the rising waters literally forced him inside. Lichoira, this is mind-boggling. Noach spent one hundred and twenty years building a massive ark, warning his entire generation, and following every single command of Hashem. How could we say he lacked emunah?
The yesod here is that there is a deep difference between intellectual emunah and lived emunah. It is one thing to know something in your mind, to talk about it, and even to spend years preparing for it. But it is a completely different level of avodah to let that truth penetrate your heart so deeply that it dictates your actual movements. Until the water was touching his ankles, Noach's emunah remained somewhat theoretical. He had the head-knowledge, but the ratzon to fully step into the teivah and leave the old world behind was held back by a subtle, lingering doubt.
We often suffer from this same disconnect in our own avodas Hashem. We know Hashem runs the world, we know the power of tefillah, and we know the importance of Torah. Yet, we often hesitate to fully "step into the teivah", to commit ourselves completely to the truth we claim to believe. We wait until a crisis, a spiritual flood, forces our hand. The lesson of Noach is that we must bridge the gap between what we know and how we live.
Today, take one area of your life where you know the right thing to do but have been hesitating to fully commit. Don't wait for the "waters" of life to force you; make the move and step fully into that mitzvah or kabalah right now.