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Video Study for Parasha Noach

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muman613:
This week we read the second portion of the book of Beresheit/Genesis which is primarily the story of the life of Noach and the flood which Hashem brought to the world due to the wickedness of the people of the land. The people of Noachs time were SO WICKED that even the animals were corrupted. This is why the animals had to die from the flood along with the people.

But Noach was commanded to gather two of each species of non-clean, and seven of each species of clean (kosher) animals and take them into the ark which he was told to build. This is one example of how the laws of the Torah were known to the righteous long before the actual giving of the Torah at Sinai.

Another interesting aspect which the Talmud explores is just how righteous Noach was. He is compared to Moses and it is said that while he was righteous in his generation (a very very wicked generation) he did not rise to the level of Moses. The reason for this is because Noach was given over 100 years to build the ark and during that time he could have brought some of his neighbors to recognize Hashem and do teshuva. But he did not, preferring to just save his family. In comparison Moshe was more concerned with the People/Nation of Israel than he was about himself. He was prepared to be wiped out of the Torah when the nation sinned at the Golden Calf.

The portion ends with the relation of the events of the Tower of Babel, an attempt of humanity to reach the heavens and 'stick a finger in the eye of G-d' so to speak. Hashem destroyed this tower and scattered mankind across the globe and giving each a different tongue (language).


--- Quote ---G‑d instructs Noah—the only righteous man in a world consumed by violence and corruption—to build a large wooden teivah (“ark”), coated within and without with pitch. A great deluge, says G‑d, will wipe out all life from the face of the earth; but the ark will float upon the water, sheltering Noah and his family, and two members (male and female) of each animal species.

Rain falls for 40 days and nights, and the waters churn for 150 days more before calming and beginning to recede. The ark settles on Mount Ararat, and from its window Noah dispatches a raven, and then a series of doves, “to see if the waters were abated from the face of the earth.” When the ground dries completely—exactly one solar year (365 days) after the onset of the Flood—G‑d commands Noah to exit the teivah and repopulate the earth.

Noah builds an altar and offers sacrifices to G‑d. G‑d swears never again to destroy all of mankind because of their deeds, and sets the rainbow as a testimony of His new covenant with man. G‑d also commands Noah regarding the sacredness of life: murder is deemed a capital offense, and while man is permitted to eat the meat of animals, he is forbidden to eat flesh or blood taken from a living animal.

Noah plants a vineyard and becomes drunk on its produce. Two of Noah’s sons, Shem and Japheth, are blessed for covering up their father’s nakedness, while his third son, Ham, is punished for taking advantage of his debasement.

The descendants of Noah remain a single people, with a single language and culture, for ten generations. Then they defy their Creator by building a great tower to symbolize their own invincibility; G‑d confuses their language so that “one does not comprehend the tongue of the other,” causing them to abandon their project and disperse across the face of the earth, splitting into seventy nations.

The Parshah of Noach concludes with a chronology of the ten generations from Noah to Abram (later Abraham), and the latter’s journey from his birthplace of Ur Casdim to Charan, on the way to the land of Canaan.
--- End quote ---

Here is the animated G-dcast presentation which tackles whether Noach was indeed 'righteous'.



It appears from the comments on this video that non-Jews don't quite get it...

Rabbi Finkelstein talks about the Tower of Babel:

muman613:
Rabbi Weisblum on topics in our Parasha:



Rabbi Kogan's latest talk on this weeks portion:

muman613:
Rabbi Chaim Miller gives us the 'Kabbalistic' or 'Mystical' insight into this portion:



And a fairly Yeshivish view of the portion from Rabbi Shafier:

muman613:
Rabbi Nagin gives a lecture from last year:



And Rabbi Chaim Richman gives us some thoughts on the Parasha:

muman613:
A 22 minute talk on Noach by Rabbi Richman:

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