This week's 10-Minute Torah (October 9, 2021): "Parashat Noah" 5782
Updated: Oct 4, 2021
Parashat Noach 5782 / פָּרָשַׁת נֹחַ
Read on 9 October 2021 / 3 Cheshvan 5782.
Parashat Noach is the 2nd weekly Torah portion in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading.
Torah Portion: Genesis 6:9-11:32 https://tikkun.io/#/r/1-6-9
Parashat Noach tells the stories of the Flood and Noah's Ark, of Noah's subsequent drunkenness and cursing of Canaan, and of the Tower of Babel
Triennial year 3
1: 11:1-4 · 4 p’sukim ·
2: 11:5-9 · 5 p’sukim ·
3: 11:10-13 · 4 p’sukim ·
4: 11:14-17 · 4 p’sukim ·
5: 11:18-21 · 4 p’sukim ·
6: 11:22-25 · 4 p’sukim ·
7: 11:26-32 · 7 p’sukim ·
maf: 11:29-32 · 4 p’sukim ·
Haftarah for Ashkenazim: Isaiah 54:1 - 55:5 · 22 p’sukim
Noah walked with G-d when the rest of the Earth was corrupt, Hashem approaches Noah and tells him He will destroy the Earth with a flood, but he is to save himself and his family by making an ark of gopher (cypress?) wood. Noah is to take two of all species with him, seven pair of all “pure” (kosher) species.
Hashem will make it rain for forty days and nights to flood the earth after the ark is built. Noah is six hundred years old when the Flood comes. The waters swelled on the Earth for 150 days (five months). The waters then started to subside.
In the tenth month, the waters drained enough for the ark to rest on Mount Ararat. Forty days later, Noah sent out a raven. Then he sent out a dove, which came back. Seven days after that, Noah sent the dove out again and this time the dove came back with an olive leaf. Seven days later he sent the dove out a third time and this time the dove did not return.
In the second month after the first year, the earth was dry. G-d told Noah to leave the ark, which he did with his family and the animals. Noah then built an altar and made burnt offerings to Hashem. Hashem was pleased and committed to never sending a flood to destroy humankind again. G-d made a covenant with humans with the rainbow as a sign.
Hashem said that now humans will be fruitful and multiply. Humankind can now eat the flesh of animals. The command against murdering humans is now set forth. This also includes suicide and public embarrassment.
Noah now plants a vineyard and becomes drunk. Ham sees his father naked and tells his brothers Shem and Japheth, who then, without looking at Noah, cover him to preserve his dignity. Ham and his son Canaan are cursed for their lewd behavior. Noah was 950 years old when he died.
The descendants of Noah are now enumerated. Nimrod was Noah’s grandson and a mighty hunter who ruled over Mesopotamia. Eber, the great-grandson of Shem is mentioned specifically since he was the patriarch of the “Hebrew” people.
The parashat closes with the story of the Tower of Babel. People spoke the same language. Building became more important than human life so Hashem confounded their speech and created different languages. Finally, the lineage introduces us to Avram (Abraham) and his wife Sarai (Sarah).