Parashat Noah: Midrash
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Devash: Midrash

Midrash מִדְרָשׁ

The beginning of Parashat Noah tells us that the world was full of wickedness, and that God decided to destroy it all, saving only Noah, his family, and some of every species. But the Torah does not tell us whether God gave the world a chance to do תְּשׁוּבָה (teshuvah, repentance) first. This leaves us with the question:

Would God really take such drastic action without first giving people a chance to correct their behavior and do better?

This midrash suggests that God did warn the world to do teshuvah.
מדרש תנחומא, נח ה׳
מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה הָיָה מַתְרֶה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּדוֹר הַמַּבּוּל, שֶׁמָּא יַעֲשׂוּ תְשׁוּבָה. כֵּיוָן שֶׁלֹּא עָשׂוּ תְשׁוּבָה, אָמַר לוֹ: עֲשֵׂה לְךָ תֵּבַת עֲצֵי גֹפֶר. עָמַד נֹחַ וְעָשָׂה תְשׁוּבָה וְנָטַע אֲרָזִים. וְהָיוּ אוֹמְרִין לוֹ, אֲרָזִים אֵלּוּ לָמָּה? אָמַר לָהֶן, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְבַקֵּשׁ לְהָבִיא מַבּוּל לָעוֹלָם, וְאָמַר לִי לַעֲשׂוֹת תֵּבָה, כְּדֵי שֶׁאִמָּלֵט בָּהּ אֲנִי וּבֵיתִי. וְהָיוּ מְשַׂחֲקִין מִמֶּנּוּ וּמַלְעִיגִין בִּדְבָרָיו.
Midrash Tanchuma, Noach 5
For 120 years, God warned the generation of the flood, so that they might do teshuvah. Since they refused, God told Noah to build a תֵּיבָה (teivah, ark) of gopher-wood. Then Noah arose, repented his sins, and planted cedar trees. They asked him: “What are these cedars for?” “God intends to bring a flood on the earth, and instructed me to build a teivah so that I and my family might escape,” he replied. They laughed at him and ridiculed his words.
According to this midrash, God tried to warn the world to do teshuvah for 120 years! But the people refused to listen. Still, God gave them another chance. By telling Noah to build a teivah, God provided an opportunity for people to be curious about what Noah was doing. They would then ask Noah why he was doing all that work, and Noah would warn them that God would destroy the world unless they did teshuvah. Instead of taking that warning seriously, though, they just laughed at Noah.
  • How does this midrash change the way you understand our parashah?
  • This midrash teaches that even Noah did teshuvah before building the teivah. Why is it important for the person teaching about teshuvah to first do teshuvah himself?
  • Is it ever fair to punish someone without warning them first?