Noach 2025/5786 - The Ishbitzer dynasty commentaries

WISDOM OF THE ARK

Concerning the ark, God gave Noach advice and protection until the days of wrath would pass, and similarly all whose hearts are not yet refined can receive advice from the ark as to how to find refuge and protection from all evil that upsets the world.

Thus we find in the words of our sages (Tanna Dvei Eliyahu Rabba, Ch. 6), “If a man sees that suffering is coming upon him, he is to run to the inner chambers of the Torah, and it will give him advice as to how to survive.”

[Note: A - if you see suffering is coming, the ONLY thing you can do is to turn to Torah. You can't understand the purpose of the suffering without Torah. The Torah tells you what the suffering means or how to contextualise it. Here, you can ONLY get the Torah's hadrei hadarim if you have the yissurim - otherwise you won't be able to find it]

Advice from the ark based on that is written in the Gemara (Pesachim, 113b), “There are three whom the Holy One, blessed be He, loves—one who does not get angry, one who does not get drunk, and one who forgives.”

One who does not get angry is one who does not show any anger through actions. One who does not get drunk is one who possesses a settled mind, recognizing and believing in the Creator of the world. One who forgives means one who removes the anger from his heart, not leaving in his heart any grudges against his fellow man. The ark hints at these three aspects.

NO ANGER

“Make yourself an ark of gopher wood” means not to get angry, for gopher (gaphrit) or brimstone teaches of anger (cf. Rashi, ad. loc.) We are rather to take the anger and make an ark out of it, to make it a closed structure. Close the anger inside and don’t reveal it in external actions.

YISHUV HADA'AT - NO DRUNKENNESS - INSTEAD, PEACE OF MIND

“Make rooms in the ark” teaches of the next stage, order. In other words, don’t act like a drunk in a state of disorder, but rather attain peace of mind, for one who has many rooms must have a sense of order to know the location and function of each one. The order of the Mishna called Kanim teaches of this.Therefore one who doesn’t have peace of mind and a pure heart cannot understand the true depths of the Torah in the order of Kanim.

STAGE 3: "SEAL IT WITH PITCH" = ATONEMENT

“Seal it from within and without with pitch.” This is the third stage. Do away with all anger and forgive. “Sealing with pitch” or “ve’chaparta” in Hebrew is comprised of the same letters as “atonement,” capara, meaning to atone from the depth of your heart, so as not to leave even a residue of the anger against your fellow man.

ARK = LASHO

N

With the very measurements of the ark we may derive the word for tongue, lashon (Lamed Shin Nun) in Hebrew. “Three hundred cubits in length [Shin], fifty in width [Nun], and thirty in height [Lamed],” meaning not to have a lying tongue. Also, these measurements teach of the way of service commanded in the Shema, with all your heart, all of your soul and all of your possessions.”

WITH ALL YOUR HEART/SOUL/POSESSIONS

“

With all your heart,” or Levaveicha, is Lamed (30). “With all your soul,” or nafsheicha, is Nun (50). “With all your possessions” or me’odeicha is Shin (300), for me’odeicha, “possessions,” also translates as “much,” hence expansion. Thus me’odeicha signifies all one can fathom and expand upon in his mind, and the most one can fathom is hinted at in the letter Shin, the penultimate letter in the alphabet, the most we could ever fathom in our lifetimes. God hid the secret of the final letter of the alphabet, Tav, in the world to come. Furthermore, whenever the sages wanted to express a very large amount they said three hundred (Shin), as in (Chullin 90b), “three hundred kor,” or the three hundred Cohanim in the Mishnaic order Middot (Ch. 3, Mishna 8).

MAKE A LIGHT = ALL IN GOD'S HANDS

“Make a light for the ark” means to know that everything is in God’s hands, as light stands for clarity and knowledge.

COMPLETE = DON'T BE GREEDY

“Complete it to a cubit from above” means to constrict one’s self in all receptions of Divine effusion, so as not to be greedy.

PLACE AN ENTRANCE ON THE SIDE = PURSUE PEACE

“Place an entrance on the side of the ark,” in other words, similar to the explanation of the Midrash on the verse (Bamidbar Rabba, Ch. 19:16; Tehilim, 34:15), “seek peace and run after it Seek peace where you are, and run after it elsewhere.” This means that as far as you are concerned, do not create any obstacles to peace, rather run after your fellow man in the pursuit of peace to bring him close to you. However, this too is not always necessary, for in everything there is a certain amount of uncertainty. Sometimes we encounter people who are not fit to bring home, yet still we are not supposed to altogether reject them. And this is the meaning of, “place the entrance on the side,” as if to deal with them in a way that is not readily apparent.

SUB LEVELS

“Make lower second and third sublevels,” meaning that Noach was commanded to know how to conduct himself with his three sons, each according to his level.

With Ham he was to conduct himself on the lower level, speaking to him only on the surface. With Yaphet, on the second, and Shem on the third, with whom Noach could speak from the depth of his heart and reveal all his secrets.

All these were advice for Noach as to how to conceal himself before he had achieved completion. Then immediately after he had left the ark and had in fact achieved completion, he proceeded to do the opposite of what he was advised to do. This is as it says, “and he drank and became drunk.” Then he became angry with Ham, not exercising patience. When one achieves true completion it is then permitted for him to extend himself, for in such a state everything is according to God’s will.

“And he sent out the raven, which went back and forth ….” (Bereshit, 8:7)

RAVEN = ANGER & ITS PURPOSE

The raven hints at anger. Noach wanted to rid the world of the attribute of anger, yet the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him that there was still a need for the attribute of anger in the world, for sometimes when an evil desire comes to man he may save himself by entering into a state of anger.

This is the meaning of the verse, “the raven went back and forth until the waters dried from the land,” in other words, when evil lusts are eradicated there will be no need for anger, for water represents lust. Therefore in the Holy Temple there was a small hint of this, for there was an “ama caleh oreiv” (Mishna Middot, 4:6), a sharpened plate on the roof one cubit high that prevented ravens from roosting there (representing the eventual eradication of anger).

NOACH KNEW GOD'S THOUGHTS

“… and God said in His heart, I will no longer curse the earth because of man ….” (Bereshit 8:21)

Here Noach knew God’s thoughts. He had tremendous fear imprinted in his heart after the flood, which led him to understand that it is not befitting for man to extend himself as much as he wants, but must rather curb his spirit. From this he understood that similarly it was God’s will not to curse the land again.

(4)“And shall be fruitful and multiply, swarm in the earth, and multiply therein.” (Bereshit, 9:7)

Regarding this, the Midrash (Bereshit Rabba, 34:21) relates the following story. “A disciple of R. Yossi was sitting before him and could not understand his lesson. ‘Why can’t you grasp it?’ he asked. ‘Because I am an exile from home,’ he replied. ‘Where are you from?’ he asked. ‘From Gabat Shanimai,’ he answered. ‘What is the air like there?’ he asked. ‘When a child is born there we need to smear his head with a salve lest insects should eat him,’ he replied. Though the air of his hometown was infested and evil, still he was homesick and could not concentrate. ‘Blessed is He who inspires people with a love for their place!’ he exclaimed. In the future too it will be like this, as it is written (Yechezkel, 36:26), ‘And I will take away the heart of stone from your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh—lev basar,’ a heart which has no envy [boser] of his neighbor’s portion.” The sin of the generation of the flood was envy, where everyone had an evil eye on the portion of his neighbor. On this, God said to Noach, “and you shall swarm in the land,” for “swarming,” shratsu in Hebrew, indicates smallness, like the interpretation of Rashi of blessed memory on the phrase, “swarming creature” (on Bereshit 1:20, where he says, “every living thing that low to the ground is called sherets”). So this is “swarm in the land,” meaning to be satisfied with your portion no matter how small, and not to be jealous of the portion of your neighbor. “And increase therein” means that you will experience ever greater delights from your own portion, and increase therein.

(5)“And it shall be when I bring clouds over the earth, then the rainbow will appear in the cloud.” (Bereshit, 9:14) “Cloud” signifies fear and the concealment of His presence. “Rainbow” (or simply “bow”) signifies a stronghold. That is to say with powerful fear you shall find great security, and this is what the Holy One, blessed be He, promised Noach. This is as it is said in the holy Zohar (Bereshit, 72b), “do not expect the heels [arrival] of the Messiah until you see the luminous colors of the rainbow.” This means that once the great strengths of God are apparent and explicit before your eyes, then you may expect the arrival of the Messiah. We find this in the question of R. Shimon bar Yochai to R. Yehoshua ben Levi (Ketubot, 77b): As Yehoshua ben Levi proceeded on his way he found R. Shimon bar Yochai sitting on thirteen tables of gold. “Are you,” R. Shimon asked him, “the son of Levi?” “Yes,” he replied. “Has a rainbow ever appeared in your lifetime?” “Yes,” he replied. “If that is true then you are not the son of Levi” (the rainbow was a sign that God would never again destroy the world, which should not have been necessary in the generation of a Tsaddik such as Yehoshua ben Levi. as the Tsaddik’s merits alone should be enough to save the generation. See Rashi). But truly a rainbow had not appeared in his lifetime, but he thought, “I do not want to take the credit for myself.” Rabbi Shimon specifically asked him, “has the rainbow appeared [“nirata,” just as it is worded in the verse],” and not “have you seen [ra’ita],” for the meaning of “appeared” means occasionally but not constantly. Yet for Rebbi Shimon, the rainbow appeared constantly. The rainbow and the great strength of Israel is the “Shema’Yisroel - Hear O Israel,” which gives strength to the hearts of those who yearn for His mercies.

(6)“And it was, that the whole earth was of one language and one speech.” (Bereshit, 11:1) The verse is formulated “one language” (“one lip,” sfat echad) and not “one tongue” (lashon echad). This is because the principal tongue is the holy tongue, the Hebrew of the Tanach, emerging from that which is imprinted in the depths of the heart, where all the other languages are called stammering. Thus is it written (Yeshahya, 33:19), “of a stammering tongue, of no understanding,” meaning that it has no root of life in its heart, for understanding is in the heart. With the generation of the division of mankind (builders of the tower of Babel), even though they spoke in the holy tongue, their language was not from the root of life, but rather lip service. Their speech was more like the chirping of birds and other animals. So it was with the snake, where all the commentaries ask why it was not cursed by having its tongue removed (only its legs were removed). Truly it did not have a tongue at its roots since it spoke lashon hara (evil speech) against its Creator. This idea deserves deep consideration.

(7)“And the days of Terach were two hundred and five years. And Terach died in Haran.” (Bereshit, 11:32) Rashi explains (why the Torah mentions Terach’s death at the end of Parshat Noach, and not when he actually died, after Avraham has set off for Canaan,) that this is so Avraham will not be criticized for not fulfilling the commandment of honoring his father. It is said in the Midrash (Bereshit Rabba, 39:7), “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Avraham, you are exempt from honoring your father.” God also established a covenant with Noach, but He did not establish a covenant with Noach in the way that He established a covenant with Avraham Avinu. With Noach, God established a covenant regarding behavior (derech erets), as is explained above (see, “and God said in Heart”) where He says, “and I will establish My covenant with you and not destroy the world.” This is because after the terror of the flood Noach accepted upon himself not to extend himself as much as he wanted, and God agreed not to destroy the world. This being so, Noach began to involve himself in the world, using his wisdom in worldly endeavors (farming, etc.). However, he was not yet included in the realm of Torah. God’s covenant with Avraham Avinu centered around the Torah and he did not have to involve himself in worldly conduct, for worldly conduct (derech erets) precedes the Torah. Therefore he did not have to fulfill the mitzvah of honoring his father. One who is involved in Torah does not have to be engrossed in worldly conduct, for if he is truly involved in Torah than proper conduct will be inherent in everything he does, even unconsciously. Therefore it says, “and Terach died in Haran,” for “the evil are called dead even while they are alive.”

(8) When enumerating the ten generations from Adam until Noach (Bereshit, Ch. 5) it says, “and he lived … and all his days were …” Yet with the ten generations from Noach until Avraham (Bereshit, Ch. 10) it does not say “and all his days were.” This can be understood through the verse (Mishlei, 23:24), “The father of a Tsaddik will greatly rejoice, and he who gives birth to a sage shall take joy in him.” With the sage, it does not say “the father” as it says “the father of the Tsaddik.” When a man gives birth to a Tsaddik, then the father has a connection to him, for the level of Tsidkut—righteousness—that is active in the son exists in a hidden way with the father. Yet when a sage is born to him, meaning wise in words of Torah, then he is a completely new birth, and the son has no connection to the father, for he is a new entity. Therefore it does not say with the sage, “the father will take joy,” for he is no more connected to the father than the rest of the world. It says only “shall take joy in him,” meaning that the whole world will take joy in him, and they will no longer be involved with the father, only with him. For the sage is born of words of Torah, and then the whole world rejoices, becoming involved with the son but not with the father. Therefore, with the ten generations from Adam until Noach, it says “and all his days were,” even though he had already fathered a son, therefore it is fitting to remain involved with the father. Because “Noach was a righteous man [Tsaddik],” and still has a connection to his father. However, with the ten generations from Noach until Avraham, it does not say “and all his days were,” for Avraham Avinu was a sage in words of Torah, as we say that he fulfilled the entire Torah before it was given. Therefore he has no connection to his father, so then after each generation fathered a son the verse does not go back and deal with the father, saying “and all his days were,” for it is no longer necessary to deal with the father, but only to take joy in the son.

(1) אלה תולדת נח נח, “these are the generations of Noach, Noach;” why has the name of Noach been repeated here twice? He was exemplary vis a vis spiritual beings in the heavenly spheres as well as vis a vis his contemporaries on earth. (B’reshit Rabbah, 30,4) The meaning is to tell us that whenever we encounter such a construction of a person’s name appearing twice in a row, it is to remind us that the person concerned was a righteous person. An example for this is found in Genesis 2,11, where the name Avraham appears twice in a row. This interpretation has been challenged in the Jerusalem Talmud where it is pointed out that we find the same repetition of a man’s name applied to Avraham’s father Terach, a renowned idolater and seller of heathen images (Genesis 11,27) The answer provided by B’reshit Rabbah is that Terach, though an idolater had become a penitent. It is this very fact that convinced our sages that he had become a penitent before his death. This also explains why Avraham was told by G–d in Genesis 15,15, that he would join his fathers in the hereafter.

(13) Tosefta Why is "Noah Noah" (Gen. 6:9) written twice? Each and every righteous person in the world has two spirits. One stays in this world, while the other is in the World to Come. And so we find that the Holy One, blessed be He, named all the righteous twice: "Moses, Moses" (Ex. 3:4), "Jacob, Jacob" (Gen. 46:2), "Abraham, Abraham" (Gen. 22:11), "Samuel, Samuel" (I Shmuel 3:10) with the exception of Isaac. He is not named twice because when he approached the altar to be sacrificed, the soul that was within him in this world left him. And because it is said of Abraham, "blessed are You who resurrect the dead", so only the soul of the World to Come was returned to him. And that is why you shall find that the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, was not unified (on any righteous person in his lifetime). It was unified only on Isaac, because he was already considered as dead. He was like those who pass away from this world. The verse therefore states: "Behold, He puts no trust in His holy ones" (Iyov 15:15) because He does not unify His name on the righteous during their lifetimes.

(1) These are the generations of Noach, Noach was a righteous person, complete in his time (Genesis 6:9) It appears to me that the person who deals with serving the Blessed and Exalted Creator in all their deeds, meaning, even in physical things such as eating and drinking, that that person eats and drinks in holiness, in any instance trying to distance from the dross and to raise the spirituality in themselves, then in every time that they raise up and get to a different, more complete, level, this is called "generation". This is because the first aspect that they were acting on, all the days they are acting on that aspect, that aspect is called "generation". And after they fall into a different aspect, behold, that person is like one who came into a different generation. And this is the meaning of "a generation goes and a generation comes", as just explained, that the one who falls from one's first aspect in which they were acting until now, that aspect is gone from them, like "a generation goes". "And a generation comes" it is also as explained, that they came to a different aspect, and the text says that nevertheless the person needs to get through the method "and the land [eretz] stands forever", meaning, that the corporeality [artziut], that is, physicality, needs to be maintained so that one will act in it with holiness, as explained, and "stands forever [le'olam]" really means to the Upper World [olam]. And a person that acts as described come to a different aspect every moment, but to one who does not act with holiness, none of this applies, since they do not go to any other aspect at all.

“And Noah begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.”

In the Zohar (Noach 62a), it gives a parable about a person — one meritorious, one guilty, and one intermediate. My honored father of blessed memory explained that the true beginning of the World of Repair (Olam HaTikun) started from Noah onward. Before Noah, existence still belonged to the worlds of destruction (Almin de’Itcharev).

We see this in the text: “She bore Cain, and she continued to bear his brother Abel.” There is no connection expressed between one and the other. Only from Noah onward does the verse say, “He begot Shem, Ham, and Japheth,” indicating connection and unity among them.

The idea of worlds of destruction appears in Bereishit Rabbah (9): “This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, created worlds and destroyed them, saying, ‘These do not please Me; these do please Me.’”

But how can such a thing be said of the Creator, who “declares the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10)? How could He create worlds only to destroy them?

The meaning is that God desired that creation itself should have a claim and a prayer before Him. On its own, a created being has no standing to make a claim against its Creator. Yet when the Divine light is first revealed to a person — when one feels God’s will and presence — and that light is later withdrawn, the person then feels anguish and calls out in prayer, “Why have You lifted us up only to cast us down?”

So too, the Holy One wanted creation to have such a voice — a cry born of absence. He therefore created worlds, revealed His will to them, and then withdrew it. This concealment gave rise to the cry and the prayer of creation.

Similarly, the Zohar (Shelach 169a) teaches that in the future, resurrection will emerge “from the decay of the bones and the sorrow of man.” The verse says, “And He grieved in His heart” — yet how can grief apply to the Infinite? As Scripture says (I Samuel 15), “For He is not a man that He should regret.” This grief reflects the human side — the residue of pain and longing that remains within each being.

And in the Zohar (Bereishit 26a) it is written, “A mist rose from the earth — Alef-Dalet from the Name Adonai.” This symbolizes the cry that arises from creation’s earliest desire, when God first willed the world into being.

The World of Repair began with Noah, as it says (Job 26:11), “The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at His rebuke.” My honored father explained that this rebuke represents the restraint placed upon each being after the Flood — a limitation that prevents unchecked expansion. This restraint is the essence of the repaired world, granting creation lasting endurance for all generations.

ChatGPT translation, MJF 19th Oct ‘25

“These are the generations of Noah…”

It is written (Isaiah 58:13–14):

‘If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from pursuing your own affairs on My holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy one of the Lord, honored; and shall honor it, not doing your own ways, nor seeking your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words — then you shall delight yourself in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride upon the high places of the earth and feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.’

“Your foot” (raglekha) alludes to the end and completion of human expression — the farthest stage of human extension, when awareness (da’at) becomes hidden. The feet are most distant from the head, representing the power of outward movement in the human soul. Through the feet, a person can move far away, even beyond their boundary, forgetting the place from which they came.

Therefore Scripture says, ‘If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath,’ meaning that when one reaches the boundary — the sacred limit marked by the light of Shabbat — one should draw back their steps from extending farther, returning instead to the source from which one came. This is the essence of the Sabbath commandment.

During the week, a person spreads their creative power throughout the visible world until they risk forgetting their origin, thinking, “My own strength and the might of my hand made me this wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:17–18). Shabbat comes to remind one to contract that outward energy — to recognize that there is a Creator and Guide of the world.

Even in places where awareness seems hidden, the power of holiness within should act naturally, so that one’s “feet” no longer wander beyond their proper boundary.

For this reason, God placed the Sabbath after six days of labor — to hint that after one’s energy has expanded throughout worldly pursuits, the seventh day must be a return, a withdrawal of human action to restore that power to God. On that day one avoids worldly activity and turns entirely toward the Source, the origin from which one emerged.

As the Zohar (Beshalach 47b) teaches in its commentary on the same verse: “Whoever invites the Divine Guest must direct their effort toward Him and not toward another.”

This effort toward God means examining the inner essence within all one’s weekday actions — how they appear before God, and what face or form those actions and garments take in relation to the Divine will, which is the source of all deeds.

The root of all worldly matters lies in words of Torah. God gave the six days of labor so that a person could clothe words of Torah in worldly forms — expanding the boundary of holiness outward. This is the meaning of “Six days shall you labor…” (Exodus 20:9).

But the seventh day is set aside so that one ceases from further “clothing” of Torah in external garments, and instead contemplates its inner essence — Torah in its pure, unclothed form. One reflects upon one’s actions, discerning how they are clothed before the Divine will, seeing them as they stand revealed before God, for before Him there is no distinction between garment and essence. All is Torah.

Therefore, one must not on Shabbat expand those boundaries by dressing Torah further in worldly garments. Doing so would extend the Divine light into outer coverings so distant that its inner core could no longer be recognized — leading one to believe entirely that “my own power and strength have done this.” Such a person could no longer return to their true source.

Hence Scripture says, “If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath” — meaning, restrain yourself from further extension into worldly garments, and return instead to the naked root of your soul, the pure source itself.

As the Zohar teaches: “In Him one must engage — and not in another.”

ChatGPT translation, MJF 19th Oct 2025

And you shall call the Sabbath a delight.”

This means recognizing that the inner essence and Divine teaching (divrei Torah) present within every worldly matter should become most precious to you.You call the Sabbath delight when you reach the point where, on this day, you look back upon the week and perceive the love of the Giver within all the experiences and events that have passed during the six days of labor. This awareness is called delight (oneg).

As the Zohar (Bereshit 26a) teaches: “And a river — this is the central column… and at that time it is said… ‘Then you shall delight in the Lord.’”

The Zohar explains that nega (plague) is the opposite of oneg (delight), for both share the same letters, only inverted. And in the Zohar (Tazria 49b) it is written: “Nega is the closing of the supernal light, the closing of the supernal goodness.”

ChatGPT translation, MJF 19th Oct 2025

“And honor it by not doing your own ways, nor seeking your own pursuits, nor speaking your own words.”

This teaches that one must stop and rest from personal action even if in the middle of a task, without finishing what was begun before Shabbat. As it says in Midrash Tanchuma (beginning of Matot): “When the shofar was sounded, if a pot was still on the stove, they would set it down on the ground; if a woman was holding a candle, she would place it on the ground.”

The use of the letter mem in the words “ממעשות דרכיך, ממצוא חפצך” indicates interruption — stopping in the middle of one’s activity.

The reason is this: during the weekdays, even though one acts within garments — meaning worldly forms — there remains a faint remembrance of the inner point, the Divine source that enlivens everything. Yet if one were to complete the act — to finish “the garment” — on Shabbat itself, one would forget entirely the inner source that gives life to the garment and would cling only to the external form, separated from its root.

Therefore, one must stop in the middle of the matter at the onset of Shabbat, preventing further outward extension. Instead, one should turn back toward the root and source of all garments, drawing light even into the actions and creations of the weekdays, so that the expansion that occurred during the six days of work remains connected to holiness and does not become corrupted or estranged.

ChatGPT translation, MJF 19th Oct 2025

“And I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father.”

Our sages taught (Shabbat 118a): “A heritage without boundaries — not like Abraham, of whom it is written… but like Jacob, of whom it is said, ‘And you shall spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south.’”

All garments — meaning, all external forms — are limited by boundaries of space and time. Yet one who does not cling to the garment itself, but gazes instead toward the inner root that gives life to the world, connects to the infinite depth within the garment — a domain beyond limitation. This is called a heritage without boundaries.

The Talmud (Sanhedrin 97a) says: “The world shall exist for six thousand years.” This refers to the garments of this world, which will cease in the seventh millennium, for they are bound by the limits of time, just as they have spatial boundaries defined by six directions. When these limits fall away, the inner essence and eternal depth will be revealed.

One who possesses the light of Shabbat — who perceives only the inner dimension within all coverings — is already attached to that light beyond measure and limit. This is the heritage of Jacob your father, a heritage without boundaries — measure for measure.

ChatGPT translation, MJF 19th Oct 2025

Beit Yaakov on Torah, Noach 5:2

There are those who come into the world after some time and acquire the Torah’s teachings, which could not have been attained without failure, through the failures that occurred before their creation. Just as there were worlds that were destroyed before the world was created, as it is written (Bereishit Rabbah 9, Kohelet Rabbah, and in the Zohar, Parashat Acharei, folio 61a and elsewhere) that the Holy One, blessed be He, created worlds and destroyed them until He created this world, and He said, “The judgment of these is mine.” Certainly, the Holy One, blessed be He, did not regret His actions, for He is not a human being who experiences regret. And as it is stated in the Midrash on the verse “And He relented in His heart” (see Zohar, Bereishit 24d, in the commentary “Elo Toladot”), this was His will.

For it was the will of the Blessed One to create them so that fear would arise through them for the generations to come, so that they would not spread themselves as the world that preceded them had, which needed to be so. This is also the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, to establish the foundation of creation so that it would be governed in this way: that the first world should have great strength, and when it spread excessively, it was compelled to be destroyed. Through their failure, the world acquired the awe not to spread in the same way again. This occurs from one world to another until the world of rectification. This is the “second child.”

The worlds themselves desired to be created, to spread, and to be destroyed, so as to leave awe and continuity for those who would come after them, as it is stated in the Talmud (Rosh Hashanah 11) that, according to their view, they were created. They wished that the Holy One, blessed be He, would bestow goodness temporarily, and they would spread in it and then be destroyed immediately, so that awe would remain for the generations that follow, leaving a lasting imprint. This is the “second child.” In this way, the Holy One, blessed be He, grants goodness to man in a manner that requires effort: He gives him goodness, then takes it away, and through the outcry over the loss of the goodness, awe is established in him, as he sees that the goodness can be lost. Afterwards, when the Holy One, blessed be He, restores it a second time, it becomes permanent, as explained in Parashat Bereishit regarding the matter of Noah.

This process continues from generation to generation. The second generation inherits goodness through the awe established by the first generation. This inheritance occurs because the later generation follows the earlier one, even though it only receives a small portion of the earlier failures, as it is written (Zephaniah 3:7): “Though you take instruction from me, still you fear me little.” Yet the first generations endured much and acquired the Torah through their sacrifices, while the inheritors endure little and acquire it with minimal effort.

The generation before the Flood received goodness without limits, as it is stated (Job 21:14) “Leave Him alone, what does He know?” as it is explained in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 105a) regarding the generation of the Flood. That is, there the Divine Presence sets boundaries, as it is stated in the Talmud (Chagigah 12b) that God said to His world, “Enough; it will expand like two bubbles of two…” These are the boundaries established by the Holy One, blessed be He. The generation of the Flood did not respond with prayer, as noted above, and therefore they were destroyed. Through Noah, who said, “Bring it forth from the confines of my soul,” the world was perfected.

This matter is also reflected in “things that can be exchanged for money,” meaning that they suffered slightly from the failures inherited from the generation before the Flood, but only slightly, as one acquires through money. Hence the Talmud (Bava Metzia 48b) states “things that can be exchanged for money,” referring to one who repays from the people of the generation of the Flood—that is, all life in the world is in this manner. Therefore, anyone who primarily seeks to nullify matters and can be exchanged for money will be removed and separated from the world entirely. But regarding matters of life, at the root, the person desires life; only temporarily he errs in some detail, and the Holy One, blessed be He, decrees that he will be aided through repentance.

ChatGPT translation, MJF 23rd Oct 2025

These are the generations of Noah, etc. It is written (Proverbs 25:2–3): “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and the glory of kings to investigate a matter. Heaven for height, earth for depth, and the heart of kings cannot be investigated.” And in Bereishit Rabbah (9) from the beginning of the book until here: “The glory of God is to conceal a matter; from here onward, the glory of kings is to investigate a matter.”

This means that regarding the account of the act of Creation, the glory of God refers to the portion that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave to each creature, and thus it is said, “to conceal a matter.” The reason is that, as it is stated in the Talmud (Chagigah 16b and Bavli Berachot 1a), it is not the desire of a king to have his name mentioned on refuse. This means that if a person delves deeply into this matter, he will be greatly amazed: why was this deficiency placed in the generations, so that he would need to clarify himself through effort and labor, and why was he not created in the fullness of perfection, so that no further clarifications would be necessary?

Even though, at a deeper level, there is a beneficial purpose from the Holy One, blessed be He, to improve him in his ultimate outcome, at this level a deficiency in the act of the Holy One, blessed be He, appears to human eyes. It is therefore not the desire of the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, that His name be remembered on refuse. Hence it is “to conceal a matter,” which man cannot see or investigate.

But “the glory of kings” refers to what a person clarifies for himself through free will and effort in accepting the yoke of Heaven, illuminating for himself the recognition of the glory of Heaven in all matters of this world. Thus it is said, “to investigate a matter,” meaning that he should examine, reflect, and clarify to the utmost extent that all the matters of this world are invested with the glory of the Kingdom of the Holy One, blessed be He. He is therefore obligated to expand the Kingdom of Heaven even in this world.

ChatGPT translation, MJF 23rd Oct 2025

And this (Proverbs 25) “Heaven for height” refers to pure fear of the Lord. “Earth for depth” refers to the love of the Holy One, blessed be He. These two have limits and measure. But “the heart of kings” refers to the extent to which the matters of the Holy One, blessed be He, branch out and the degree to which one must clarify His glory in this world according to the understanding implanted in the human heart. This has no measure or boundary, for even in the most distant coverings, if one delves and reflects, he will still find the glory of Heaven.

As explained in the Talmud (Shabbat 11a), even if all the days were sufficient, one could not record the desecration of free will. What is meant by “the heart of kings cannot be investigated”? It refers to the vast void in the world that appears to human eyes as a place empty of Heaven’s glory. This is called the void of free will. A person must introduce Heaven’s glory even in this space and attribute the deficiency to himself. What seems empty and void exists due to human deficiency, and the more a person recognizes deficiency within himself, the more he finds Heaven’s glory in the lower realms.

As stated in the Jerusalem Talmud, Shabbat 1:4, it is not merely a matter of discussion. If it were, why would it require human effort? And in the Zohar (Amor 90a): one who is humble and of lowly spirit, and that place is more complete than all, because of the impediments that arise from pride, for truly, the more a person attributes deficiency to himself, the more he comes to recognize the removal of deficiency from the Holy One, blessed be He.

As explained regarding the verse “I shall see God with my flesh” (Job 19:26), the deficiencies a person finds in his own soul indicate “flesh,” as discussed in the Talmud (Sotah 45a), referring to “flesh” and “two.” Through this, a person comes to fully negate all deficiencies in the perfection of God’s governance.

ChatGPT translation, MJF 23rd Oct 2025

At the beginning of Creation, the Holy One, blessed be He, poured out His kindness in great abundance. The earliest generations expanded themselves greatly, until it became necessary to bring the Flood upon them, which itself was also a manifestation of His kindness.

As it is stated, “And the rain fell upon the earth,” and as Rashi explains, it is called rain because it begins in mercy. Yet in the Flood, there was an overflow beyond human comprehension, beyond the capacity of creation to contain, because the Holy One, blessed be He, elevated His attributes beyond measure and folded them prematurely, so that awe would be established and they would no longer expand excessively.

It is also remarkable why the Holy One, blessed be He, did not create the world from the outset in perfection and with the awe that emerged after the Flood. As the Midrash explains (from the beginning of the book until here): “The glory of God is to conceal a matter.” Essentially, those generations were not created for enduring existence but only for temporary life, and they bore no grievance over the premature folding of creation. Even a temporary life is considered a great kindness. The ultimate purpose was that the existence of creation would be strengthened through their failures.

In truth, creation initially lacked substance and declined from its source, for prior to emanation it was concealed within the essence of the Holy One, blessed be He. Thus creation constantly desired to return and be completed in its origin, until the world could have reverted to chaos as it had been before. But once the generations corrupted themselves through excessive expansion, creation was resolved to remain in a stable state to repair what had been spoiled by the first generations. As the Zohar (Beshalach 54a) states: from here, the images of the early righteous were connected in a bundle of all temporal lives to one another.

If you ask, since they were connected in a bundle of lives and enjoyed the delight of the upper realms, why would God afflict them in the lower world? The answer is that all those spirits and souls that existed in the highest levels were given by God to the lower world, especially now when God desires rectitude for Israel. There is delight for the soul in correcting what it corrupted, in clarifying what it did not corrupt, and therefore it descends again in the resurrection of the dead.

The spirit of an animal, which did not sin, does not return to life a second time. Likewise, all of creation desires rectitude for Israel after the failure of the first generations. For this reason, creation resolved and rested as a separate entity from its source, and the foundations were strengthened so that they would no longer collapse.

As the Midrash on Psalms (Psalm 145) states, “Every soul shall praise God”: this refers to the soul, which constantly rises and descends, seeking to leave the body. How does it remain within it? God fills the entire earth with His glory, placing it within the body, and the soul seeks to depart, sees its Creator, and returns. The soul constantly longs to return to the source from which it was derived.

When God reveals that He fills the entire earth with His glory, the soul returns to this world, for it is more precious to expand and increase His glory even in this low world, where light is concealed and darkness prevails, as it is written (Jeremiah 15:19), “If you bring forth the precious from the vile, you shall be as my mouth.”

For this reason, the soul returns to remain with the body, so that through it Heaven’s glory can be found even in the hidden darkness of this world. It has a strong inclination to remain within the body.

ChatGPT translation, MJF 23rd Oct 2025

Thus, the entire creation was strengthened through the awe that remained in the hearts of those who survived, to repair the failures of the generations before them and prevent further excessive expansion. The foundation of the world’s existence returned to its place so that it would no longer be nullified, for creation is fixed to correct the distortion caused by the expansion of the generations before the Flood.

For this reason, his name is Noah, from the root of the sages’ expression “resting” with him, as it is stated (Bava Metzia 48b) regarding one who fulfills his word in worldly matters. Through Noah, creation was established in its position, for its will rested to become a separate existence in order to correct the failures of the generations that preceded him.

Before the Flood, that existence prevailed according to its decree, representing the expansion of God’s divinity over all human beings. From this, great strength arose in the hearts of those generations, and they imagined that their will was the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, taking it to the extreme to expand in sin without limit. Noah was the first to submit to the Name of the Lord, becoming bound to the Divine Name, which concealed the uncontrolled expansion of God’s divinity. The light would proceed gradually and in order, according to the actions and merit of those below.

Noah became learned in awe to correct the obstacle, beginning to limit himself so that goodness in this world would expand only gradually, with mindfulness and proper conduct. The ultimate completion occurred with Abraham, peace be upon him. As the Talmud states (Berachot 7a), from the day God created the world, no human was called “Master” until Abraham came, as it is written (Genesis 15:8), “And he said, ‘Lord God, how shall I know that I shall inherit it?’” This refers to the full name Aleph–Dalet–Nun–Yud, a term of mastery.

In Noah, we find only the aspect of mastery in his call, as he became bound to the Name of the Divine Presence, as it is written (Genesis 10), “Blessed be the Lord, God of Shem,” and as our sages and the Tosafot explain there.

ChatGPT translation, MJF 23rd Oct 2025

These are the generations of Noah, etc. It is written (Job 24:18): “Light it is upon the waters, yet their portion is cursed on the earth.”

In the Talmud (Sanhedrin 106a) and in Bereishit Rabbah, at the beginning of the parashah, it is explained that from them a curse is taken for all who come into the world. This means that one who transgressed from the generation of the Flood will be held accountable for one who does not fulfill his word.

There are five stages in bringing any matter from potential to actualization. Their order, from highest to lowest, is: thought, reflection, desire, action, speech. Although the visible act appears last, in truth speech is the complete culmination, as it is stated in the Talmud (Shabbat 33a): “Even though the intellect advises, the heart understands, and the tongue articulates, speech completes it.” In the Zohar, Parashat Miketz (R.): thought is the service of everything, and speech is the completion of all.

While one is in thought, reflection, or desire, no one can discern the essence of his intention. Even if he translates his thought into action, the intention is not fully evident, since another could interpret his act differently from what he intended.Speech, however, explicitly reveals the intention of the actor in a way that allows no reversal or correction. At that moment, one is accountable to others for contradicting or failing to fulfill his original words.

This is as the verse states (Jeremiah 31:20): “Ephraim is a dear child to me, a child of play; for whenever I speak of him…” The Midrash (Vayikra Rabbah 2) explains: it is the speech I gave him that establishes existence in its root, through the power of speech, from which there is no return to the worlds.

ChatGPT translation, MJF 23rd Oct 2025

This acquisition began with the Flood and thereafter, because the generations before did not possess existence through the power of speech, only in the stages preceding speech. That is, there remained the possibility that the Holy One, blessed be He, would elevate His outpouring of kindness beyond human comprehension, and all would return to nothing. This occurred because creation had not yet been strengthened through awe and fear, one of the things for which the world was created, as explained in the Talmud (Chagigah 16b) and above (see section ד).

Only after God reprimanded what had been nullified at the time of the Flood did creation become strengthened through awe and fear. The hearts of those who remained were stirred by what had occurred to the previous generations, who believed they deserved eternal existence. Seeing the world built and then destroyed instilled fear in their hearts so that they would not fail as the earlier generations did. Those generations had expanded themselves in worldly desire until their hands reached their limit, yet they did not seek to attain existence in its root through effort and work. They were satisfied with temporary existence to enjoy the good of their days and the pleasures of the soul, without concern for what would ultimately be nullified when God would elevate His revealed kindness above human understanding, causing them inevitably to be nullified.

The Flood exemplifies this: God poured water abundantly upon them, so that they could not contain such great kindness, and they perished from the world. The essence of water is in kindness, as stated in the Zohar, Terumah 115a: it is only when it descends in overwhelming abundance that it becomes harmful to the recipient.

Subsequent generations observed the failures of those before them and discerned their root, according to the sages in the Talmud (Gittin 43b): a person does not fully comprehend the words of Torah except through failure in them. From this point, it is evident that God’s intention in creating the world was for man to acquire eternal life, not merely temporary existence. Man must strive to secure his world through permanent acquisition, so that even when light rises beyond his understanding, it will not be nullified.

Through the patience a person develops in restraining himself within limitations while having the power to expand, creation was immediately strengthened by the power of speech. That is, they felt certain that God would not destroy the world again after it had already endured such terrible devastation. Creation cried out before God, “You have lifted me up and cast me down” (Psalms 102:11). God had already committed Himself that the remnant of the passing world would endure forever.

For example, when a king sometimes bestows excessive gifts out of kindness upon a simple person, the recipient cannot yet be certain the gift will remain for generations. When the king takes back a portion, the recipient gains certainty about what remains, for he has a claim to the king: why was it given first and then taken back? The taking back ensures that what remains continues to engage him, that he remains connected to the king. Through what was left, he knows he can draw nearer to the king, who will then bestow even more.

ChatGPT translation, MJF 23rd Oct 2025

This is as it appears in Midrash Tanchuma (Parashat Noach): “The children of Noah who came forth from the Ark that God made for them possess existence in the world.”

But regarding the wicked, it is written (Ezekiel 26:21): “I will terrify you, and you shall be no more; you shall be sought, and you shall not be found forever. I will terrify you, and you shall be no more now; you shall be sought in the world to come, and you shall not be found for the future.”

Israel, however, have existed and are destined to exist. This is indicated by the verse (Psalms 74:2), “Remember Your congregation, which You have purchased of old”—of old, meaning before the world was created, and they, meaning now, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 29:9), “You are standing today,” and destined to be in the future, as it says (Malachi 3:17), “They shall be Mine, says the Lord of Hosts, on the day that I prepare a treasured possession.”

For this reason, one who does not strive to fulfill his word is destined to receive the punishment of the generation of the Flood. That generation also failed, because they did not intend to see the purpose for which they were created: to acquire eternal life and existence through the power of speech. They were satisfied with temporary existence, which ceases when God elevates His attributes beyond human comprehension. They did not perceive this and sought to receive goodness without effort, from the outpouring of God’s great kindness, without labor or limitation, and were therefore nullified, as explained above.

The true acquisition of existence began with Noah and his sons, and was completed in the seed of Israel with the coming of our father Abraham, peace be upon him, for all generations.

ChatGPT translation, MJF 23rd Oct 2025