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©
1996-2009 Torah Tots, Inc.
PARSHA ON PARADE IS DEDICATED TO
THE MEMORY
OF MY DEAR FATHER AND REBBI:
HARAV HAGAON RAV YESHAYA SHIMANOWITZ Z'TZL ,
ROSH YESHIVA
IN
YESHIVAS RABAINU YAAKOV YOSEF
(RABBI JACOB JOSEPH YESHIVA - RJJ)
IN NYC FOR OVER 23 YEARS.
NIFTAR ON 20 ADAR 5758 - MARCH 18, 1998.
MAY HE BE A MAYLITZ YOSHER FOR ALL OF KLAL YISROEL.
Menachim Z. Shimanowitz
You
too can dedicate a Parsha or any other section of Torah Tots in honor
or in memory of someone close to you.
For further info, click here.
PARSHA
FACTS |
NO MITZVOT IN THIS PARSHA
There are mitzvot in mentioned in Parshat Noach. For example, Be Fruitful & Multiply is repeated to Noach, having been previously said to Adam. However, we count mitzvot at their first occurrence.
NUMBER OF PESUKIM (SENTENCES): 153
NUMBER OF WORDS: 1861
NUMBER OF LETTERS: 6907
HAFTORA: (Additional portion, from Prophets, which is read after the Parsha)
Yeshayahu / Isaiah 54:1 - 55:5 (Ashkenazim);
Yeshayahu / Isaiah 54:1-10 (Sepharadim)
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פרשת נח
THE
PEOPLE
SIN
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In
our last episode Hashem spent six days creating the Heavens
and Earth. Just when He was about ready to sit back and
enjoy His perfect world, Adam and Chava "took a bite out
of crime," and sent the next nine generations plunging into idolatrous
chaos.
As our Parsha
opens, the polls show Hashem¹s ratings at an all-time
low. Apparently, the flood that destroyed one third of the world
during the time of Lemech didn't hold any water. Well, with ratings
like that, Hashem should open the flood gates full blast
and wipe out mankind for once and for all. Fortunately, Hashem
has lots of patience. But patience is wearing thin.
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TIME
TO
SHIP
OUT
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According
to the polls, if the world were hit with a flood today, only Noach
and his family would be willing to build an ark and live in cramped
quarters with a pair of each animal for 40 days and 40 nights. Noach
is easily the greatest Tzadik of his generation. While
the average citizen is busy worshipping idols, stealing from his
neighbor, acting like an animal and basically being immoral, Noach
spends his time praying to Hashem and studying the books
that holy grandpa Chanoch wrote.
One day, Hashem confides to Noach that He plans
to flood out the world and destroy all of mankind. According to
the plan only Noach and his family will survive. How? Hashem
gives Noach a blueprint for a giant wooden "Teva," (say
Tay-vah), - an Ark that will keep him and, oh, just a few other
passengers afloat....
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THE
TEVA
(ARK)
For
a fact filled sheet
'ALL ABOUT NOACH'
CLICK HERE
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What's an Ark? Sort of a ship. The Teva that Noach builds
is best defined as a wooden box with no steering wheel... and one
tiny window.
According to the plans, the Teva will be about 600
feet long, one hundred feet wide and sixty feet tall. Three floors
will be divided into about 900 rooms. The roof will be slanted
like the roof of a house so the rain will run off. Once the Teva
is complete the entire ship - inside and out - must be smeared
with tar to make it waterproof.
Well, needless to say, Noach has a huge task ahead of him (you
can't build a ship with a plowshare, you know!) On top of that,
Hashem wants Noach to use gopher wood. Do you know how
much gopher wood it takes to build a Teva of that size?
More than he¹ll find in downtown Kayinsville!
Needless to say, this is a BIG project. Luckily, Noach has about
120 years to complete the project. That gives mankind plenty of
time to do Tshuva (repent).
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A
TZADIK
IN HIS
TIME
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Of course, all the hammering doesn't make a dent in the people's evil
ways. Plenty of laughter and making fun, but no Tshuva in sight! Part
of the problem is that Noach is no Avrom. Noach may be the greatest
Tzadik of his time, but when it comes to Gemilut Chessed, Noach doesn't come close to Avrom's greatness. Noach should be out begging people to do Tshuva. He should be hanging up signs... running radio spots...
broadcasting on local cable stations... But instead, he sits in his
office and supervises construction until the last plank is in place.
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TWO
BY
TWO
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As soon as the Teva is complete, Hashem has a
new hat for Noach to wear - zoologist! Once the champagne bottle
is cracked on the S.S. Mabul, Noach and his family put on their
safari gear and head out to the jungles to gather up a male and
female of each species of animal. Noach is commanded to take aboard
an extra six pairs of each domestic kosher animal to be used for
sacrifices after the ship has landed.
Now, let¹s not forget the food! Along with the animals come tons and
tons of foods of every variety! You¹ve got hoards of hay, bunches of
bananas, slews of seeds and loads of leaves. And lots of super
pooper-scoopers for good measure!
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THE
FLOOD
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Seven days later, on the 17th of Cheshvan, rain begins to fall. While
your average citizen takes to the street with a chorus of, "Singin' In
The Rain," six hundred year old Noach, his wife Na'ama, their three sons
Shem, Chom and Yafes, together with their wives, enter the Teva. The
heavy downpour swells up the lakes, rivers and oceans. The dry land
quickly disappears in this massive onslaught of flood waters. People can
run but they can't hide. As the water levels rise higher and higher, the
evil people climb to their roofs, then seek refuge in the mountains. But
the flood waters rise high above the tallest peaks. It rains for forty
days and forty nights and when the rain ends every man, woman, child and
beast has perished. From here on in it's only Noach, his family and the
animals.
Back in the Teva, it's a tough life for the Noach family too. Day and
night animals of every size, shape, color and sound make a mockery out
of the "no noise between 10 P.M. and 8 A.M." policy. Imagine the feeding
schedule Noach has to keep! All kinds of animals from elephant to night
owl require food at all times of the day and night. Needless to say, no
one's getting any sleep aboard the Teva. The stench too - oi vay... so
many pooper-scoopers and no place to empty them out!
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HANG
OUT
TO DRY
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Forty days later, the rain ends, but the Noach family will be dishing
out nuts, grass, carrots and bark for another 110 days before the flood
waters begin to go down. The Teva finally hits solid rock on the tip of
Mount Ararat. Forty days later Noach opens up the porthole and takes in
a breath of fresh air.
Now that they¹ve made it through the rain, they¹ve got to wait
till the earth is dry enough before they can leave the Teva.
With only one window and no door, Noach can't just stick out his
foot to stomp on the ground. So he sends out a raven. The idea
is that the Raven will come back to the Teva if there
is no dry place to land. The raven circles the Teva and
makes a quick return. Seven days later Noach sends out a dove
to search for land. It, too, comes flying back to the Teva.
After another seven days, the dove is sent out again. This time
the bird is gone for hours. When it finally returns, there is
an olive leaf poking out of its beak. Okay, this is a good sign!
It shows there¹s some vegetation in them yonder hills! The third
flight, 7 days later, is "bon voyage" for the dove. It never returns.
It is time to jump ship! At Hashem's signal, the door, sealed with tar,
is stormed by the residents of the Teva. Probably with the aid of saws
and axes, a hole in the wall of the ark reveals a new world, bright and
green and ready to host a fresh start for these chosen few survivors.
Down the make-shift ramp, the animals head for the nearest stretch of
dry land.
For a Chronology of the Flood, Click here.
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HASHEM'S
BLESSINGS
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But this land is not the land they had left by any stretch of the
imagination. It would take years for the trees and grass to flourish
again. Noach and his family have been chosen to build a new world for
future generations. This world will be a second chance for mankind to
live a righteous life in the service of Hashem. According to plan, Noach
offers some of each kosher animal as sacrifices of gratitude to Hashem.
Hashem blesses Noach and his family. Through these few righteous people
the world will be repopulated. But living in a world filled with wild
animals and no protection is a little too rough for our heroes. Hashem
makes it a point to promise Noach that the wild animals will steer clear
of his family. Noach is also given permission to eat meat, a big boost
for mankind's culinary crew after ten generations of vegetables!
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THE
RAINBOW
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After witnessing the devastation of his world, Noach is just a little
shaken. After all, it is one thing to tell people to do tshuva,
but once Hashem's opted for all out destruction, what's
to stop Him from pulling the plug again. Hashem
assures Noach that He will never again destroy the whole
world with a flood. As a sign, Hashem whips out a rainbow
and flashes it across the sky. This is the sign of the treaty between
Hashem and Noach. Whenever you see a rainbow in the sky,
it is there to remind you that the world deserves to be destroyed.
It is only the covenant between Hashem and Noach that holds
back the flood gates. When you see a rainbow, you recite the following
Bracha: Boruch Ata Ado... Elohainu Melech Haolam Zocheir Habrit
V'ne'eman Bivrito Vkayam B'ma'a'moro. That means: Blessed are
You, Hashem, our G-d, Who remembers the treaty, is trustworthy
in His treaty, and fulfills His word.
The rainbow eases the tension. From here on in Noach and his family will
work to rebuild the world that Hashem created only 1600 years before.
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DA'VINE
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Noach pulls out his handy plowshare and takes up farming. Now, if you
were the only farmer on earth and you wanted to do some planting, what
kind of seed would you sow? Tomato, squash, wheat, snow peas,
watermelon? Not Noach. He plants a vineyard. Bad move! The last thing
Noach needs is a winery. Noach comes out with his own brand of wine
called "Brand me a drunk for the rest of the Parsha." One sip of the
strong stuff and the next thing you know, Noach is on the floor,
uncovered and drunk as a skunk!
Noach¹s grandson, Canaan, catches him in a drunk stupor. He
runs to tell his father, Cham, about it. Instead of making Noach
a pot of coffee, Cham and Canaan get a good laugh watching the
"Drunk Noach Show" Before too long, Shem shows up. He sees his
father's condition and runs to cover him up. He recruits Yefes
and, together, they walk backwards into their father's tent and
carefully cover him so that he won't be embarrassed when he wakes
up.
Noach sleeps off the wine. When he wakes up he remembers everything -
and, boy, is he mad! Noach curses his grandson Canaan and blesses Shem
and Yefes. It's clear that Canaan will never amount to any good. He's
just a bundle of bad genes. Noach declares that Canaan's descendants
will be servants and slaves. Shem, on the other hand, has shown great
respect for his father. It's a telltale sign that his descendants will
be righteous. And so we see that Avrohom, the father of the Jewish
people, the light of the world, descends from Shem.
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FROM
BRACHA
TO BABEL
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It only takes three hundred years before memory of the flood dries
up. A new generation of wicked people decides to challenge Hashem.
Their king, Nimrod, claims he is a god. He suggests that the people
of the world unite to build a huge city where they will all live
together in harmony - one language, one goal. Now, you don't just
challenge Hashem without a plan in your back pocket. On
the off-chance that those old folk tales of worldwide floods are
true, the first task at hand is to build a huge tower. This tower
will extend up to the very heavens, higher than any flood waters
can rise. Up in the tower, these rebels will do battle with Hashem.
Hashem is faced with a dilemma. On the one hand, Nimrod
and his buddies are a bunch of trouble-makers who deserve to be
destroyed. On the other hand, there is something to be said for
harmony and brotherhood... you don' t see cooperation like this
everyday! This world doesn't need another catastrophic event.
It just needs a little adjustment. Call it "Operation All Talk
No Action."
Up until now, mankind has always spoken only one language -- Hebrew. But
what would happen if Hashem threw another 70 languages into the cholent
pot! What if this bustling world of builders woke up one day in a
multi-cultural society? Instead of wiping out these wicked people,
Hashem confuses them! And let me tell you, without an intergalactic
translator, the workplace becomes a mumbo-jumbo mess! One worker asks
for a hammer and gets a brick instead! So much for urban planning!
Seventy Malachim (Angels) scatter the people throughout the world.
Now the seventy languages that mixed up a city of brotherhood
divides mankind into seventy unique nations. They will develop
cultures, laws and societies, the way it was meant to be.
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GENERATIONS
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There are ten generations
from Noach to Avrom. During this time, the population of the world
heads for a dead end relationship with Hashem. Under the
leadership of Nimrod, mankind has hit rock bottom. The world is
caught up in a dark ages of idol worship. Just when everything seems
hopeless, a three year old boy named Avrom comes up with a crazy
concept. Maybe there is only ONE G-d. Silly, huh? Every corner idol
shop, including his own father's, advertises hundreds of gods in
the window. How can one G-d control the stars, sun, and moon and
still answer your prayers for a successful crop and good health?
Somehow, little Avrom sifts through six hundred years of "Philosophy-101"
and concludes that Hashem is the true ruler of all creation!
Avrom lives in Ur Kasdim. A subject of King Nimrod, he is the first
to challenge idol worship in his time. Avrom risks his life - to
spread the truth, that Hashem is the One and only creator!
Avrom is destined for greatness. In a dark time when Hashem's hope for
humanity is dwindling, Avrom's eager-beaver attitude lights the world.
His life will be dedicated to spreading the word of Hashem.
For 77 years, Avrom makes a go of things in his home town of Ur Kasdim. He's
pretty successful too! But you would think with all the dedication,
Hashem would send a sign at some point, just to keep
the ball rolling. That sign comes a callin' 77 years later! Hashem
speaks to Avrom in a dream. He commands Avrom: "Leave this
land and go to the land that I will show you." With this command,
the first of Avrom's ten tests begins. Will he drop everything
he's got and follow Hashem?
Tune in next week when the story of Avrom picks up pace in the next
exciting episode of:
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See
the Midrash Maven on Noach
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