(יב) וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְהִנֵּ֣ה נִשְׁחָ֑תָה כִּֽי־הִשְׁחִ֧ית כָּל־בָּשָׂ֛ר אֶת־דַּרְכּ֖וֹ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (ס) (יג) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֜ים לְנֹ֗חַ קֵ֤ץ כָּל־בָּשָׂר֙ בָּ֣א לְפָנַ֔י כִּֽי־מָלְאָ֥ה הָאָ֛רֶץ חָמָ֖ס מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם וְהִנְנִ֥י מַשְׁחִיתָ֖ם אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (יד) עֲשֵׂ֤ה לְךָ֙ תֵּבַ֣ת עֲצֵי־גֹ֔פֶר קִנִּ֖ים תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֣ה אֶת־הַתֵּבָ֑ה וְכָֽפַרְתָּ֥ אֹתָ֛הּ מִבַּ֥יִת וּמִח֖וּץ בַּכֹּֽפֶר׃ (טו) וְזֶ֕ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֖ה אֹתָ֑הּ שְׁלֹ֧שׁ מֵא֣וֹת אַמָּ֗ה אֹ֚רֶךְ הַתֵּבָ֔ה חֲמִשִּׁ֤ים אַמָּה֙ רָחְבָּ֔הּ וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים אַמָּ֖ה קוֹמָתָֽהּ׃ (טז) צֹ֣הַר ׀ תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֣ה לַתֵּבָ֗ה וְאֶל־אַמָּה֙ תְּכַלֶ֣נָּה מִלְמַ֔עְלָה וּפֶ֥תַח הַתֵּבָ֖ה בְּצִדָּ֣הּ תָּשִׂ֑ים תַּחְתִּיִּ֛ם שְׁנִיִּ֥ם וּשְׁלִשִׁ֖ים תַּֽעֲשֶֽׂהָ׃ (יז) וַאֲנִ֗י הִנְנִי֩ מֵבִ֨יא אֶת־הַמַּבּ֥וּל מַ֙יִם֙ עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ לְשַׁחֵ֣ת כָּל־בָּשָׂ֗ר אֲשֶׁר־בּוֹ֙ ר֣וּחַ חַיִּ֔ים מִתַּ֖חַת הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם כֹּ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־בָּאָ֖רֶץ יִגְוָֽע׃ (יח) וַהֲקִמֹתִ֥י אֶת־בְּרִיתִ֖י אִתָּ֑ךְ וּבָאתָ֙ אֶל־הַתֵּבָ֔ה אַתָּ֕ה וּבָנֶ֛יךָ וְאִשְׁתְּךָ֥ וּנְשֵֽׁי־בָנֶ֖יךָ אִתָּֽךְ׃ (יט) וּמִכָּל־הָ֠חַי מִֽכָּל־בָּשָׂ֞ר שְׁנַ֧יִם מִכֹּ֛ל תָּבִ֥יא אֶל־הַתֵּבָ֖ה לְהַחֲיֹ֣ת אִתָּ֑ךְ זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה יִֽהְיֽוּ׃ (כ) מֵהָע֣וֹף לְמִינֵ֗הוּ וּמִן־הַבְּהֵמָה֙ לְמִינָ֔הּ מִכֹּ֛ל רֶ֥מֶשׂ הָֽאֲדָמָ֖ה לְמִינֵ֑הוּ שְׁנַ֧יִם מִכֹּ֛ל יָבֹ֥אוּ אֵלֶ֖יךָ לְהַֽחֲיֽוֹת׃ (כא) וְאַתָּ֣ה קַח־לְךָ֗ מִכָּל־מַֽאֲכָל֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֵֽאָכֵ֔ל וְאָסַפְתָּ֖ אֵלֶ֑יךָ וְהָיָ֥ה לְךָ֛ וְלָהֶ֖ם לְאָכְלָֽה׃ (כב) וַיַּ֖עַשׂ נֹ֑חַ כְּ֠כֹל אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֥ה אֹת֛וֹ אֱלֹהִ֖ים כֵּ֥ן עָשָֽׂה׃ (ס)
(12) And God saw how corrupt the earth was, for all flesh had corrupted its ways on earth, (13) God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with lawlessness because of them: I am about to destroy them with the earth. (14) Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make it an ark with compartments, and cover it inside and out with pitch. (15) This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. (16) Make an opening for daylight in the ark, and terminate it within a cubit of the top. Put the entrance to the ark in its side; make it with bottom, second, and third decks. (17) “For My part, I am about to bring the Flood—waters upon the earth—to destroy all flesh under the sky in which there is breath of life; everything on earth shall perish. (18) But I will establish My covenant with you, and you shall enter the ark, with your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives. (19) And of all that lives, of all flesh, you shall take two of each into the ark to keep alive with you; they shall be male and female. (20) From birds of every kind, cattle of every kind, every kind of creeping thing on earth, two of each shall come to you to stay alive. (21) For your part, take of everything that is eaten and store it away, to serve as food for you and for them.” (22) Noah did so; just as God commanded him, so he did.
~ This is the eighth and last time that "God saw" appears in Bereshit. All the other times the expression is connected with the creation.
~ The next and last time of "God saw" appears connected to the slavery in Egypt:
~ What is the extent of the destruction?
~ How long has Noach been in the ark so far?
40+150+60+13+10 = 273 days
How much longer?
273+40+7+7+90+27 = 444 days
~ To whom does God say these words? Why?
~ Why do you think God is saying these words directly to Noach?
~ How does Noach deal with the trauma of seeing the entire world destroyed? How does his son deal with it?
Going back to the line: את האלוקים התהלך נח, “Noach walked with God;” [the attribute of Judgment]. That is, Noach walked with God, meaning, he did not have the strength to turn the attribute of Judgment into an attribute of Mercy. In this respect he was different from Avraham and Yitzchak, concerning both of whom the Torah writes that they “walked before God,” not merely “with God.” (Genesis 17:1 and 48:15) that means that they walked in front of the attribute of Judgment as they had the strength to turn the attribute of Judgment to Mercy, and with that understanding the patriarchs were "in front of" God.
~ How is Rashi's take different than Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev?
Or it's possible to say: "E"T God walked himself Noach" that the Blessed Creator clothes Godself, as it were, with letters. And this is E"T (Alef-Tav) that is, the 22 letters from Alef to Tav. So read: God walked, that is to say, Noach enabled God to walk. That is, God walked from alef to tav through the letters, and how brought this about? Noach.
Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, Baal Shem Tov's grandson. 1740–1809
~ What is he hinting at?
“God said to Noach: ‘Make for yourself a teivah (an ark/a word)…. Make a light for the ark/word’” (Genesis 6:14-17). This is the explanation of, “Make a light for the ark.” Rashi explains: “some say a window, and some say a precious jewel.” The difference between a window and a precious jewel is that a window has no light of its own. It is simply [a medium] for the light to enter through. But when there is no light, the window does not give light. With a precious jewel, however, even when there is no outside light the jewel shines of itself. So, too, there are people whose words are [like] a window, incapable of giving them light on their own. This is [what Rashi means by] “some say.” Their “saying” becomes a window. And there are some whose “saying” becomes a precious jewel and [their words] radiate.
~ When do words become windows, and when do they become jewels?
(תולדות יצחק פ' נח)
~ How does the Baal Shem Tov understand the messages of the ark?
~ How does this impact, according to the Toldot Yitzchak, how we speak?
(Toldot Yitzchak ben Levi, 1811)
צהר תעשה לתבה וגו'. האיר אדוני אבי זקיני [הבעל שם טוב] נ"ע, תבה מרומז על מלה, שהוא נקרא תיבה, וזהו מה שאמר צוהר תעשה לתבה, ואמר הוא ז"ל שתראה להאיר התבה היוצא מפיך וכו', תחתים שנים ושלישים תעשה, יש לומר כאן מדומז מה ששמעתי מן אא"ז נ"ע כי בכל דיבור ודיבור יש עולמות נשמות ואלהות, וזהו שמרמז כאן אצל התבה, ותיבה הוא פירוש דיבור וזהו תחתיים היינו עולמות שהוא מדרגה תחתונה, שניים הוא לשון משנה אותיות נשמה, והיינו נשמות, ושלישים היינו אלהות, על שם הכתוב (בפ' בשלח) ושלישים על כלו, שהוא על ידי שהוא מושל ומנהיג את הכל, וכל אלה, תעשה, היינו התבה והדיבור שתוציא מפיך יהיה בכוונה זו, ובמאמונה שלימה, שיש בכל דיבור תחתיים שניים ושלישים, והם עולמות ונשמות ואלהות כנ"ל, והבן:
(דגל מחנה אפרים נח, ובפ' שלח).
"Make an opening (tzohar) in the ark (teivah)" (Genesis 6:16) - My father, the Baal Shem Tov, may he rest in Eden, illuminated this passage. He said that teivah actually means 'word', and the meaning of making an opening for the word is that one should be careful to bring light into the words that come from your lips. The verse continues: "Make bottom and second and third floors." This seems to be what my father related to me, saying that in every word are worlds, souls, and divinities. This is what is meant by teivah, speech, which also has at its most basic level worlds. The second level is also known as mishneh, secondary, which has the same letters as neshamah, soul - this is the level of souls. And the third level (shelishim) is divinities, which is hinted at in the verse (Exodus 14:7), "Officers (shalishim) [ruling] over all of them," like the Divine who rules over all things. All of these levels you should "Make" - the speech and the word coming out of your mouth should have this intention and be in complete faithfulness, knowing that in each act of speech there are bottom and second and third levels, the worlds, souls and divinities - Be attentive to this!
~ The ark becomes the word spoken, in this case, in prayer. How can this change the way one approaches prayer?
וזהו הרמז בפסוק ונתנו איש כופר נפשו לה', כופר לשון דביקות מלשון (בראשית ו, ד) וכפרת אותו מבית ומחוץ בכופר אימתי הוא דבוק בה' בפקוד אותם, כשיודע האדם החסרון שלו אז הוא דבוק בה':
... And this is the hint in our verse "Every person will give kofer nafsho, a ransom for one's soul" (Exodus 30:12)
The word כופר kofer in our verse, translated as “ransom,” also appears in different meanings, one that is familiar being in Genesis 6:14: וכפרת אותו מבית ומחוץ בכופר; “smear it from the inside and the outside with כופר, kofer, awareness which is clinging to God, when God counts them, that is, when a person knows her shortcomings then she can actually cling to God.
Genesis 6,14. “you are to construct compartments in the ark.” The word קנים kanim is the plural mode of the word קן, ken, “nest,” as in “bird’s nest.” The word תיבה does not only mean “ark,” but also means: “word.” That is to say that you need to be aware and connected inside the ark, that is, speech, when you speak in service to the Holy One, in Torah and prayer.
Prayer asks that the neshama fulfill her role. When days and years pass without properly aligned prayer, battering-stones accumulate around the heart, through which we feel an inner spiritual lethargy. And when the good spirit returns, and the gift of prayer is given from above, we move forward with each prayer, removing the obstacles, and the many blockages which have gathered in the flowing river of the highest soul of life begin to clear. And with that neshama elevation gained through each prayer, relative to the value of its time, come known achievements as cures for the deficiencies of the past. Indeed, the lack is not filled all at once, but rather step by step, and the brilliance of prayer progressively reveals its lights.
(ליקוטים יקרים דף א', ועיין לקמן פ' ואתחנן אות כ"ב)