Ilustration Credit: Elad Lifshitz, Dov Abramson Studio
Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
וְנֹחַ בֶּן שֵׁשׁ מֵאוֹת שָׁנָה וְהַמַּבּוּל הָיָה מַיִם עַל הָאָרֶץ׃
וַיָּבֹא נֹחַ וּבָנָיו וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וּנְשֵׁי בָנָיו אִתּוֹ אֶל הַתֵּבָה מִפְּנֵי מֵי הַמַּבּוּל׃
Noah was 600 years old, and the flood brought water upon the earth.
Noah came, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, into the ark because of the waters of the flood.
If it were me, I would have gotten into the תֵּבָה (teivah, ark) before the rain started! But in the pesukim, it sounds like the flood started first, and then Noah got on board. Is that really what happened? Why??
אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן נֹחַ מְחֻסָּר אֱמוּנָה הָיָה, אִלּוּלֵי שֶׁהִגִּיעוּ הַמַּיִם עַד קַרְסֻלָּיו לֹא נִכְנַס לַתֵּבָה.
R. Yohanan said: Noah didn’t have enough faith. If the water hadn’t reached his ankles, he wouldn’t have entered the teivah.
According to this midrash, even though Noah had spent years and years building the teivah, he didn’t really believe that the מַבּוּל (mabul, flood) would happen–until he saw the rain coming down, and he actually felt wet.
- Why do you think we have a hard time believing some things? Does that tell you anything about human nature?
- Noah was a great person, but he had trouble believing something very important. Can we still look up to Noah knowing that he wasn't perfect? How so?
The Kedushat Levi (Eastern Europe, 250 years ago) understands this midrash a little differently. He thinks Noah did believe that the mabul would happen. But he didn't believe enough in himself, and that's why he froze.
- Do you ever feel like you don't have enough courage to act? Can you think of a time when you could use a little more belief in yourself?
- The Kedushat Levi says: Learn from Noah, and believe more in yourself! What do you think it means to believe in yourself?
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