Noah's Vineyard and the Curse of Drunkenness

(יח) וַיִּֽהְי֣וּ בְנֵי־נֹ֗חַ הַיֹּֽצְאִים֙ מִן־הַתֵּבָ֔ה שֵׁ֖ם וְחָ֣ם וָיָ֑פֶת... (יט) שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה אֵ֖לֶּה בְּנֵי־נֹ֑חַ וּמֵאֵ֖לֶּה נָֽפְצָ֥ה כׇל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ (כ) וַיָּ֥חֶל נֹ֖חַ אִ֣ישׁ הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה וַיִּטַּ֖ע כָּֽרֶם׃ (כא) וַיֵּ֥שְׁתְּ מִן־הַיַּ֖יִן וַיִּשְׁכָּ֑ר וַיִּתְגַּ֖ל בְּת֥וֹךְ אׇהֳלֹֽה׃ (כב) וַיַּ֗רְא חָ֚ם אֲבִ֣י כְנַ֔עַן אֵ֖ת עֶרְוַ֣ת אָבִ֑יו וַיַּגֵּ֥ד לִשְׁנֵֽי־אֶחָ֖יו בַּחֽוּץ׃ (כג) וַיִּקַּח֩ שֵׁ֨ם וָיֶ֜פֶת אֶת־הַשִּׂמְלָ֗ה וַיָּשִׂ֙ימוּ֙ עַל־שְׁכֶ֣ם שְׁנֵיהֶ֔ם וַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙ אֲחֹ֣רַנִּ֔ית וַיְכַסּ֕וּ אֵ֖ת עֶרְוַ֣ת אֲבִיהֶ֑ם וּפְנֵיהֶם֙ אֲחֹ֣רַנִּ֔ית וְעֶרְוַ֥ת אֲבִיהֶ֖ם לֹ֥א רָאֽוּ׃ (כד) וַיִּ֥יקֶץ נֹ֖חַ מִיֵּינ֑וֹ וַיֵּ֕דַע אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־עָ֥שָׂה ל֖וֹ בְּנ֥וֹ הַקָּטָֽן׃ (כה) וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אָר֣וּר כְּנָ֑עַן עֶ֥בֶד עֲבָדִ֖ים יִֽהְיֶ֥ה לְאֶחָֽיו׃ (כו) וַיֹּ֕אמֶר בָּר֥וּךְ יי אֱלֹ֣קֵי שֵׁ֑ם וִיהִ֥י כְנַ֖עַן עֶ֥בֶד לָֽמוֹ׃ (כז) יַ֤פְתְּ אֱלֹקִים֙ לְיֶ֔פֶת וְיִשְׁכֹּ֖ן בְּאׇֽהֳלֵי־שֵׁ֑ם וִיהִ֥י כְנַ֖עַן עֶ֥בֶד לָֽמוֹ׃

(18) The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth... (19) These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole world branched out. (20) Noah, the tiller of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard. (21) He drank of the wine and became drunk, and he uncovered himself within his tent. (22) Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside. (23) But Shem and Japheth took a cloth, placed it against both their backs and, walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness; their faces were turned the other way, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness. (24) When Noah woke up from his wine and learned what his youngest son had done to him, (25) he said,

“Cursed be Canaan;

The lowest of slaves
shall he be to his brothers.” (26) And he said,

“Blessed be the God of Shem;

Let Canaan be a slave to them.

(27) May God enlarge Japheth,

And let him dwell in the tents of Shem;

And let Canaan be a slave to them.”

Zohar 1:192a: "And Noah, the tiller of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard"

In their comments on these words, Rabbi Jehuda and Rabbi Jose differed, one affirming that Noah planted a vine taken from the garden of Eden, the other maintaining that he had plucked it by its roots before entering the ark and now planted it in suitable soil, after which it brought forth grapes, the juice of which he drank and became intoxicated.

Said Rabbi Simeon: In this verse is included a fragment of the hidden wisdom. Noah, desirous of investigating the cause of man's fall from his primal state of holy innocence - not with the intention of imitating it but of healing the sin of the world - soon realized his inability to achieve his object.

(ז) מָה הָיָה אוֹתוֹ הָאִילָן שֶׁאָכַל מִמֶּנּוּ אָדָם וְחַוָּה, רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר חִטִּים הָיוּ, כַּד לָא הֲוָה בַּר נָשׁ דֵּעָה אִינּוּן אָמְרִין לָא אֲכַל הַהוּא אִינְשָׁא פִּתָּא דְּחִטֵּי מִן יוֹמוֹי. ... רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר אִלְעָאי אָמַר, עֲנָבִים הָיוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים לב, לב לג): עֲנָבֵמוֹ עִנְבֵי רוֹשׁ אַשְׁכְּלֹת מְרֹרֹת לָמוֹ, אוֹתָן הָאֶשְׁכּוֹלוֹת הֵבִיאוּ מְרוֹרוֹת לָעוֹלָם.

(7) What was the tree from which Adam and Eve ate? Rabbi Meir said, it was wheat. When a person lacks knowledge people say "That person has not eaten bread made from wheat even a day." ... R. Judah b. Ilai: It was grapes, as it is said, "Their grapes are grapes of poison, death-bitter clusters they have." (Deut. 32:32) These clusters brought bitterness to the world.

א"ר חנן לא נברא יין בעולם אלא לנחם אבלים ולשלם שכר לרשעים שנא' (משלי לא, ו) תנו שכר לאובד ויין למרי נפש.

Rav Ḥanan says: Wine was created in the world only to comfort mourners in their distress, and to reward the wicked in this world (so that they will have no reward left in the World-to-Come), as it is stated: “Give strong drink to him that is ready to perish, and wine to the bitter of soul.” (Pro. 31:6) “Him that is ready to perish” refers to the wicked, who will perish from this world, while “the bitter of soul” denotes mourners.

אמר ר' חייא כל המתיישב ביינו יש בו דעת ע' זקנים יין ניתן בע' אותיות וסוד ניתן בע' אותיות נכנס יין יצא סוד.

R. Chiya said : "Whoever remains clear-minded when drinking possesses the qualities of seventy sages." The word yayin (wine) has the value of seventy and sod (secret) also has the value of seventy, i.e., as soon as wine enters, one's secrets escape.

אלא על פיתן ושמנן משום יינן ועל יינן משום בנותיהן ועל בנותיהן משום דבר אחר ועל דבר אחר משום ד"א.

They issued a decree prohibiting [idolaters'] bread and their oil because of their wine. And they issued the decree prohibiting their wine to the fact that it leads to familiarity, and Jews will come to marry their daughters. And they issued a decree prohibiting their daughters due to "something else." And they further issued a decree on "something else" due to "something else."

אתמר מפני מה אסרו שכר של עובדי כוכבים רמי בר חמא אמר רבי יצחק משום חתנות רב נחמן אמר משום גילוי...

רב פפא מפיקין ליה לאבבא דחנותא ושתי

רב אחאי מייתו ליה לביתיה ושתי

ותרוייהו משום חתנות רב אחאי עביד הרחקה יתירתא

רב שמואל בר ביסנא איקלע למרגואן אייתו ליה חמרא ולא אשתי אייתו ליה שיכרא ולא אשתי

בשלמא חמרא משום שימצא שיכרא משום מאי משום שימצא דשימצא.

It was stated: Why did the Sages prohibit the idolaters' beer? Rami bar Ḥama says that Rabbi Yitzḥak says: For fear that they will marry them.

Rav Naḥman said: Out of fear of exposure... Rav Pappa had them bring out the beer belonging to gentiles from the store to the entrance of the store, and he would drink it there.

Rav Aḥai had them bring the beer to his house, and he would drink it there.

And both of them did so out of concern for marriage with gentiles. Rav Aḥai established an extreme preventive measure for himself beyond what is required by halakha.

Rav Shmuel bar Bisna happened to come to Marguan, and they brought him wine but he did not drink it. Next they brought him beer but he did not drink it. He did not drink the wine due to his suspicion that it might have been used for idolaters' libations, but why did he not drink the beer? It was due to a suspicion of a suspicion.