We now need to explain why both the blessing and the commandment to be fruitful and multiply had to be recorded twice, both to Adam and to Noach. I will endeavour to explain this as best as I can, and in the process I hope to deal with several puzzling aspects of the deluge, the rainbow and the building of the Tower. I also hope to clarify what is meant by the statement that failure to procreate diminishes G–d's image in the world. I will explain the apparent inaccuracy of Rabbi Yaakov in Yevamot 63 when he speaks about diminishing G–d's דמות, whereas the verse cited in support of his observation mentions צלם, not דמות. The fact is that the Torah's report when describing man's creation mentions both צלם, and דמות.

The Zohar Parshat Noach, (Sullam edition page 14) writes as follows: Had Adam not sinned, he would not have begotten descendants that had their roots in the סטרא דיצר הרע, the emanations of the left side, the side of the evil urge, but his תולדות, descendants, would all have been rooted in the סטרא דרוחא קדישא, the side of the emanations housing the Holy Spirit. The reason that all the descendants of man failed to endure was that they were rooted in the סטרא אחרא, the left side source of the serpent's pollutants, or that such element was at least part of such descendants. Anything containing such an element cannot endure indefinitely. If, however, Adam had not sinned and had not been expelled from גן עדן as a result, his descendants would have been like the ministering angels and they would have lived forever. Since he sinned and begat children outside גן עדן because he did not merit to beget children within the garden, these children did not live forever and did not even become firmly rooted in this earth until Noach the righteous came along and entered the ark. All the generations of mankind had their origin in the ark; after leaving the ark mankind spread out all over the earth. So far the Zohar. [Another edition adds the words: This is why the Torah writes אלה, "These are the generations, these and not previous ones." Ed.] Anyone with eyes in his head who wants to explore this statement in depth will experience several revelations.

First of all, the universe was created for the sake of man who was formed in the image and likeness, i.e. בצלם ודמות of G–d, so to speak. This means that אדם התחתון is patterned after אדם העליון, a heavenly version of man. This means that not only his heavenly counterpart but also he himself is holy, or that "the book and the cover" are both holy. The book and the cover in this instance are the soul and the body. When in such a state, man's clothing are כתנות אור, garments woven of the original light with which G–d created the universe. The word דמות describes the holiness of the body, whereas the word צלם describes the state of man's soul. We have discussed this at length in the treatise תולדות אדם. As long as such ideal conditions prevailed man's immortality was not limited to his species, but each individual person enjoyed everlasting life. The system of procreation would have paralleled that of the angels who develop from one another much like a candle which can light another without the light of the original candle thereby decreasing or “aging.” As a result of this type of procreation G–d's צלם would have expanded continuously, each new human being would have had the צלם אלוקים transmitted to it with the drop of semen it originated from, though such a human being had not been formed by G–d Himself as had Adam. The drop of semen would not then have been described as "an evil smelling drop," as it is described nowadays in Avot 3,1.

Adam ruined this state of affairs by interfering with the סוד היין, the mystical properties of the grapes. [I suppose that this is based on the tree of knowledge having been a grape bearing tree. Ed.] He followed an evil path by squeezing a cluster of grapes (and consuming its juice). Had he not done so, that "wine" would have remained in the state of what our sages call the יין המשומר בענביו, "the wine that remained preserved within its grapes (compare Berachot 34).” In that event he would have been like "the cistern that does not lose a single drop” [hyperbole for total recall, see Avot 2,11. Ed.]. He would have retained all the holiness that had been his when he was created. When Adam sinned, he did not only lose some of his former glory, fall from a "high roof" (to the ground), but he fell into a "very deep pit" (below the ground). This was a בור רק, an empty pit [allusion to the pit Joseph had been thrown in. Genesis 37,24], since it did not even contain the ingredients for the survival of the species. The species was wiped out at the time of the deluge as a direct consequence of Adam having polluted that "drop of sacred semen," and made it "evil smelling." Due to G–d's personal intervention, Noach was saved seeing he was righteous, and the righteous are the foundation of the universe. The present universe was founded by him as a result.

We have discussed elsewhere that the צדיק is linked to the emanation יסוד, and that this emanation is linked to מלכות through the covenant of circumcision. Noach's position in the world was demonstrated by the fact that he was born circumcised, i.e. without foreskin, according to Avot de Rabbi Nathan 2,8. Our sages say that "he guarded the covenant," and that though he did not succeed in reversing the decline of mankind to the extent of restoring man's stature to what it had been prior to Adam's sin, i.e. to have man clothed in garments of light so that individual immortality would be restored, at least he succeeded in restoring the immortality of the species. The reason that Noach did not succeed beyond this is that he drank afterwards from the vineyard he had planted, something not unlike Adam who had squeezed the juice from the grapes of the tree of knowledge. Actually, when he planted the vineyard (the tree that G–d Himself had planted in גן עדן), Noach had intended to repair the damage done by Adam, but he sinned by indulging in too much wine. Proverbs 25,27: "It is not good to eat too much honey” alludes to that incident¹

footnotes: ¹ The author mentions in an annotation that Pardes Rimonim describes the whole subject matter of the vineyard, wine, etc as something that can either be a fountain of spirituality or a source of debauchery, drunkenness. Although Noach strove to regain the יין המשומר, the reservoir of spirituality which Adam had lost by imbibing from what had been forbidden to him, Noach debased himself when he planted that vineyard; the fruit of its wine did not become his כוס ישועות, cup of salvations, but turned out to be the גפן סדום, the vineyard of Sodom, and its grapes turned out to be ענבי רוש and אשכלות מררת למו, "the grapes for them are poison, a bitter growth their clusters" (Deut. 32,32). In short, Noach had drunk the wrong kind of wine..

[What had happened to Noach was similar to what happened to the colleague of Rabbi Akiva who investigated the mysteries of the link between G–d and man only to emerge with his mind deranged (Chagigah 14). One must not overestimate one's spiritual capacity, just as one must not underestimate it. Ed.]. In spite of all this, G–d swore not to cause the extinction of the human race again, as had occurred during the deluge. When G–d promised this, He alluded to His previous statement of קץ כל בשר, in Genesis 6,13; this suggests that the present condition of immortality of the species only will continue during the length of mankind's natural history. Only after the arrival of the Messiah will there be a change, and when "G–d will rejoice in His handiwork again" (Psalms 104,31), the state of the universe will revert to what it had been at the time Adam was created. We will return to this later. The "descendants" which are the true descendants G–d had wished to see will not occur till the Messiah; this is indicated in Ruth 4,12 ואלה תולדות פרץ, where we find the word תולדות, descendants, spelled with two letters ו, to indicate that such descendants will correspond to all that G–d has hoped for from mankind. Peretz, of course, is another name for the Messiah.

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman in Bereshit Rabbah 12,6 says that there are only two instances in which the word Toldot is spelled plene: the example of Ruth we have quoted and Genesis 2,4: אלה תולדות השמים והארץ בהבראם. Why do all the other instances have one letter ו missing? Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Avin says that this is due to the six (letter 6=ו) items that G–d has withdrawn from Adam. These are: His זיו, his resplendence [all the editions have זיווג which is an obvious error. Ed.], his life (immortality), his physical height, the fruit of the earth, the fruit of the tree, and the luminaries. All of these are to be restored in the world of the future. Another statement made in that Midrash 23,5 concerns Genesis 4,25, where Eve is reported as naming her third son שת, because "G–d has presented me with another offshoot in place of Abel." Rabbi Tanchum comments that Eve looked at the offshoot (seed) and realized that he had originated from a different sphere, and that would eventually be the Messiah.

What she meant to say was that this seed would not live indefinitely until the era of the Messiah, but would at that time fulfill the promise of Numbers 24,17: וקרקר כל בני שת, "and he will dig up the foundation of all the children of Sheth." In Kabbalistic terms: This means that the Messiah will remove all the קליפות, the negative influences surrounding the fruit, the pure interior. At that time the world will be founded on the principles envisaged by G–d at the time of Creation. G–d will then truly derive pleasure from His creatures, death will be banished and people will live forever wearing garments woven out of light -as I have explained in the introduction to my treatise תולדות אדם. Israel will then be known as אדם, בצלם ודמות עליון, as reflecting the likeness of man's celestial counterpart. Procreation will take place at a fast pace, as described in Shabbat 30: "In the future, a woman will give birth daily. When Noach came out of the ark, however, and his descendants are described (10,1), the word תולדת is spelled defective since only the survival of mankind as a species had been assured, seeing that man had forfeited the true צלם. What man had retained was only a דמיון הצלם, a resemblance of the Divine image, something more like the דמות. The so-called צלם nowadays is more like man's shadow, צל, sometimes more visible, other times less pronounced, depending on the spiritual level of the individual.

Bereshit Rabbah 24,6 comments on Genesis 5,1 זה ספר תולדת אדם, "This is the book of the descendants of man," that those mentioned now are descendants, whereas the previous ones were not descendants. What then were the earlier ones? Were they deities perhaps? [sarcastically] The answer given is that the generations אדם-שת-אנוש were indeed תולדות. [The Midrash goes on to elaborate on all the changes that took place on earth during Enosh's lifetime, indicating a radical decline in man's spirituality. Ed]

The commandment as issued to Adam was of one category, whereas the identically worded commandment when issued to Noach and his sons was of another caliber. The former emanated from the Holy Spirit, the "right" side of the emanations as we have stated, whereas the latter is rooted in man's sex drive, derives from the "left" side of the emanations. G–d pronounced His blessing in both instances; G–d's blessing is the covering they have in common.

This blessing which originates in very holy regions is extremely necessary as an accompaniment to the sexual act, even though that act nowadays cannot be compared in purity to the time Adam and Eve performed it in גן עדן. Adam was under the influence of צלם, whereas nowadays the highest level of man's holiness is דמות. When the Torah writes in 9,7: ואתם פרו ורבו שרצו בארץ, the meaning is: "prepare yourselves thoroughly so that you contain enough holiness to attract the blessing and sanctity from the "higher" regions, since now that you are dressed only in כתנות אור, garments made of hide, the sex act is rooted in ערוה, unchastity." But for the sin of Adam, obscenity would not have existed and the sexual act would have been the fulfillment of a מצוה, no different from the putting on of תפילין. Ever since the serpent seduced Eve the act became one of unchastity, ערוה. This is why it has become necessary to sanctify oneself prior to performance of the commandment to procreate, and why wherever the Torah mentions unchastity it also mentions קדושה, sanctity, to urge us to elevate such acts from merely being something profane to being something sacred.

You may well ask why the commandment of procreating, which was addressed to Adam has been recorded in the Torah altogether, seeing that its original dimension as applicable to Adam had already become incapable of fulfillment? This argument is especially strong seeing that Sanhedrin 59 states that any commandment issued to mankind as such which has been restated after the giving of the Torah at Sinai applies both to mankind at large and to Israel, whereas any that has not been restated applies to Israel only. The Talmud seems clear that the commandment to procreate is not one of the seven commandments that apply to all mankind. Why then was this commandment to Adam written down altogether? We must answer that the reason it was recorded was because of its applicability in an ideal world, a world after the arrival of the Messiah.

Let us get back to the basic difference between this commandment as issued to Adam and as issued subsequently to Noach and his family. In order to comprehend this properly, let me first explain a comment by the Zohar which writes that actually the performance of that commandment should originate in the סטרא דרוח קדישא, emanations on the right side, whereas nowadays it emanates from the side in which the evil urge resides. We have a statement in the Midrash Tanchuma Nasso 16 that at the time G–d created the universe He desired to have a residence on earth just as He has in the heavens.

We also have a statement by our sages explaining the two different introductions of the Psalms with ,לדוד מזמור or מזמור לדוד. In the former, the holy spirit came to David only after he had commenced to play the harp, whereas the words מזמור לדוד indicate that the holy spirit overcame David even before he commenced playing the harp (Pesachim 117). לדוד מזמור represented the highest spiritual achievement of man, seeing that he initiated his spiritual achievement. If man only responds to an "injection" of holy spirit the achievement is of a lower order. Malachi 3,7 exclaims: "Turn back to Me and I will turn back to you;" He asks Israel to initiate repentance. He urges us not to wait for G–d to initiate the Redemption since it would then be merely an act of love and mercy. When G–d says in Exodus 33,19 וחנותי את אשר אחון, ורחמתי את אשר ארחם, "I will be gracious to whom I choose, and I will be merciful to whoever I shall be merciful to," Shemot Rabbah 45,6 on this verse describes G–d as showing Moses all the rewards that he had stored up in His treasure chambers for the righteous. When Moses inquired who all these treasures were for, G–d answered that those people who possessed merit would receive some as a reward due them, whereas those who did not have any merits would receive a free gift from Him. Obviously, the amount of the handouts granted by G–d as unearned gifts is smaller than those gifts in store for the righteous.

In our times, when the Presence of G–d has withdrawn from earth, we have to strive to bring it back to us. In Adam's time however, before he sinned, G–d had a residence on earth, and all that Adam had to do was to increase this Divine Presence much as one adds light when kindling lights from a master candle. In the future this situation will prevail once more, as promised by G–d in Exodus 25,8: ושכנתי בתוכם, "I will dwell among them."

The Zohar refers to this as a time in the future when it says הוה עביד תולדות מסטרא דרוח קדישא, that the "descendants" will then originate from the side of the emanations which are the home of the Holy Spirit. At such a time, procreation will proceed along the lines originally planned. Nowadays, however, man must consecrate himself at the time he sleeps with his wife and he must concentrate on begetting children that will serve the Lord if he wants to succeed in having such children. After having observed the above his physical part will enjoy immortality as a species or by means of his children and grandchildren, and in addition his soul will enjoy individual immortality.

The Talmud (Sotah 2a) speaks about זווג ראשון, as well as זווג שני, "a first and a second matchmaking, mating." The "first one" is described as being proclaimed in Heaven, whereas the "second one" is man-made. The reference is to the commandment to be fruitful and multiply commanded to Adam and the subsequent commandment given to Noach and his descendants. The success of the second זווג, mating, marriage, which is on the basis of man's actions, depends on man's spiritual input being the first ingredient, whereas in the future, when the input from Heaven comes first, such זווגים, will be far superior to the matches being made on earth nowadays.

Having explained all this, we can now understand the difference between Genesis 6,1 את האלוקים התהלך נח, "Noach walked with the Lord," and Genesis 24,40 when Abraham describes himself in these words: ה' אשר התהלכתי לפניו, "G–d before Whom I walked" Noach needed G–d to "hold his hand," so to speak, whereas Abraham was self-propelled, took the initiative. Noach was afraid to mix with the corrupt society he lived in and isolated himself with only G–d as his companion because he was afraid of the possible influence on him of contemporary society. Abraham was not only confident that he would not succumb to the corrupt society around him, but he tried to lead his fellow-men back to the path of monotheism and a life of good deeds. I have elaborated on this elswewhere. This is the plain meaning of those verses.

According to the path we generally follow, it will be shown that Noach's strength was not as great as Abraham's in other matters. Abraham had "awakened" himself to recognize and serve his Creator. As a result he received considerable input from the Holy Spirit. This is what is meant when I said that rapprochement to G–d must proceed from "the bottom up," i.e. man must be the initiator Noach, on the other hand, relied on Divine inspiration to be the first step. Walking with G–d means after G–d had inspired him first. The "awakening" came from Above.

On Genesis 6,7 and 8, “כי נחמתי כי עשיתם. ונח מצא חן בעיני השם," Rav Kahana comments in Bereshit Rabbah 29,1 that the end of verse 6 shows that even Noach had not really been found to be worthy. He was "lucky" to have found favor in the eyes of G–d. Whereas Noach מצא, "found," G–d did not "find " The meaning is that Noach "found" that G–d awakened him, G–d however, did not "find," i.e. did not see in Noach, something He felt he had to "respond" to. The reverse was true of Abraham, as demonstrated by the verse we have quoted. This is also the meaning of ומצאת את לבבו נאמן לפניך, "You have found his (Abraham's) heart loyal before You." (Nechemia 9,8)

A view quoted in Midrash Rabbah 30,10 points out that the words בדורותיו, "in his generations," mean that had Noach lived in another generation, he would not have been considered outstanding, is well known. Whereas the Midrash compares the generations mentioned in our פרשה with those of Moses or Samuel, Rashi compares them with the generation Abraham lived in. The Torah says of Moses: בכל ביתי נאמן, "He is trusted throughout My household" (Numbers 12,7).

Chronologically, Abraham preceded Moses in this area of self-propelled upward spiritual motion. He did so so persistently that G–d revealed Himself to him to an extraordinary extent. When it came to the attachment, דבקות, to G–d and His ways, Moses excelled over Abraham. This is why G–d paid him the compliment recorded in Numbers. The ultimate compliment it is possible to pay a human being is to describe him as a fully fledged member of G–d's "household."

The reason that Moses separated from his wife, i.e. from family life and the fulfilment of the commandment to be be fruitful and multiply, is that משה עלה אל האלוקים, "Moses ascended to G–d" (Exodus 19,3). Having reached such a stage, further "upward" motion was not necessary. This is the deeper significance of someone becoming איש האלוקים, as described in the Zohar¹.

footnotes: ¹ If Ben Azzai refused to marry and procreate because "his heart cleaved to the Torah," this may have been due to his being descended from a root such as that of Moses (cf Yevamot 63).

Noach then was righteous in terms of his generation since he responded to inspiration from "above." G–d "encouraged" Noach during the one hundred and twenty years prior to the deluge. He sent him on a mission to warn his contemporaries to repent of their wicked ways. The Torah however, records only מקצת שבחו בפניו, וכלו שלא בפניו. The usual meaning of this concept is that one does not reveal all of a person's merits while he is alive, whereas when eulogizing such a person one must reveal all his merits. In this instance the meaning of שלא בפינו is that Noach did not initiate his role as the conscience of mankind, but he was prompted to do so by G–d.

This is the real meaning of "Noach found favor in the eyes of G–d, whereas G–d did not find." He stood out in his generation, since his generation did not respond to the exhortations, whereas Noach responded to G–d's "grace," i.e. וחנותי את אשר אחון. He had never become corrupt, nor was he put off by the failure of his fellow-men to heed him. Noach's contemporaries were ערלי לב, had uncircumcised hearts. When they did not respond to calls from above either, they demonstrated that they were also ערלי בשר, remained uncircumcised in their flesh and continued in their perversions. This is why both their bodies and their souls perished. This means that at the time of the resurrection their individual "files" will not be re-opened to determine if some of them qualify for another round of life on earth. Rabbi Aba in the Zohar, (Sullam edition page 75) comments as follows on Genesis 7,23: וימח את כל היקום … וימחו מן הארץ, "The words כל היקום אשר על פני האדמה, include all rulers past and present of the Gentile nations. Before G–d metes out retribution to the ordinary individual, He deals with those whose obligation it is to teach their subjects to be G–d-fearing, and who have failed to discharge their duties.

Although Noach did not compare favourably with Abraham, it is entirely possible that, had he lived during the time of Abraham, he would have been so inspired by Abraham that he would have equalled the latter in stature. After all, also Abraham had been told by G–d: "Walk before Me and become תמים, perfect" (Genesis 17,1). The view that Noach did not compare to Moses can be explained by the statement of Rabbi Berechyah in Bereshit Rabbah 36,3 who proves that Moses was more beloved of G–d than Noach since the Torah first refers to Noach as 6,9) ,איש צדיק) and later on as 9,20) איש האדמה). In the case of Moses we find him first referred to as an Egyptian, i.e. איש מצרי (Exodus 2,19), whereas later on he is called איש האלוקים (Deut. 33,1).

Rabbi Berechyah means to tell us that from the moment Moses had become an איש, he was headed towards his ultimate achievement. His early youth foreshadowed his career. This is true in spite of the fact that at one point the Midrash Shemot Rabbah 45,5 comments that when Moses began to prophesy he was a relative child, i.e. immature in the ways of prophecy, since he had asked to be shown G–d's glory. Moses progressed constantly, until at the end of his life the Torah testifies that no one ever again attained his stature as a prophet and a man of G–d. The reason that he is described as איש, a title denoting that he was someone of stature already when he was a young man, is to indicate that sparks of G–dliness already came forth from him, such as when -as an act of jealousy on behalf of G–d- he killed the Egyptian who had tortured a Jew. He displayed his close attachment to G–d already at that time. Our sages expressed this thought when they said that Moses slew the Egyptian by uttering the Ineffable Name of G–d when cursing the Egyptian (Midrash Hagadol Exodus 2,20). We observe that even when engaged in an act at the beginning of his spiritual development, Moses is already described in a complimentary fashion, –

– whereas Noach even at the height of his spiritual accomplishment, after he had been called צדיק, and after G–d had made a covenant with him and promised never again to bring a deluge, is still called איש האדמה, a man of the soil. All of this means that even Noach was included in G–d's comment in Genesis 6,7 כי נחמתי כי עשיתם, and that, if he was saved, this was due to the אדמה, which was destined to exist indefinitely and which could not be left to be completely desolate -or its existence would become meaningless. The meaning of איש האדמה, when viewed from this perspective is: "he remained as an איש, for the sake of the earth, אדמה." This consideration explains why at the very moment Noach is described as צדיק he is also called איש האדמה.

Yalkut Shimoni on Proverbs 31,30: שקר החן והבל היופי, אשה יראת ה' היא תתהלל, "Grace is deceptive, beauty is vain, a G–d fearing woman is the woman who is truly praiseworthy," explains the words שקר החן as applying to the grace of Noach, i.e. "Noach found favour, grace;" the words הבל היופי are taken to refer to the beauty of the original Adam, whereas אשה יראת ה' היא תתהלל is applied to Moses. [The Yalkut goes on to explain that the reason prophets are compared to women is that they do not feel ashamed to ask G–d for Israel's material needs, just as a wife is not ashamed to ask her husband. Ed.].

The above proves that the approach we have taken is based on ancient tradition. But I would like to suggest a mystical approach: We do not find that any person had enjoyed G–d's "light" from the time of Adam until the appearance of Chanoch whom G–d took from this earth and made into an angel (Genesis 5,24), the one usually referred to as Matatron. During the ten generations that elapsed between Adam and Noach, the latter was the outstanding צדיק of his time, refined enough to become the instrument of man's survival as a species. This is why the Torah reminds us that נח, whose name is half of that of חנוך, is referred to by the words זה ינחמנו, "This one will comfort us" (Genesis 5,29). His name also amounts to half the name of the angel מטטרון, Matatron, since the first three letters in that name equal 58, i.e. the same as the numerical value of נח. The remaining letters in the name of that angel spell נור, a burning light, to signify that חנוך had been turned into a flame of fire and become that angel. What had remained of חנוך after the 58=חן had been removed is וך, i.e. 26, a number equaling the numerical value of the Ineffable Name of G–d. Of the name מטטרון we are left with נור), a form of אש, fire, an allusion that "the Lord your G–d is אש אוכלה, a fire that consumes" (Deut. 9.3). We note that though there was an element of the quality of חנוך about נח, this was still שקר, deception, as it was not a true quality, seeing that even the "beauty" of אדם הראשון was only הבל, vain, since he had pursued values that are vain.

Alternatively, the word הבל as used by the Yalkut, refers to Adam's son הבל, who on the surface at least seemed to have pleased G–d since the Torah reports G–d as favoring his offering, i.e. וישע ה' אל הבל ואל מנחתו (Genesis 4,4). This indicates that the true beauty of Adam was Abel; Cain was rooted in the סטרא אחרא, as we have pointed out previously. Abel had a soul of a higher calibre, and Kabbalists consider that Moses was the reincarnation of הבל. According to that view, הבל-שת-משה, shared the same soul. The reason הבל represented Adam's beauty is that whereas Adam's "heel" was responsible for "darkening the light of the sun," the face of Moses is considered as having restored that darkened light; our sages compare him to the sun itself (Baba Batra 75). The personalities of הבל and subsequently שת developed through these reincarnations until eventually in the person of Moses they reached their zenith on which the Torah reports: ומשה עלה אל האלוקים, "and Moses ascended to G–d" (Exodus 19,3) and separated from his wife. At that point Moses became the "husband" of מטרוניתא [a heavenly being that was his זווג ראשון, ideal mate. Ed.], as mentioned in the Zohar. This is what the Yalkut had in mind when it explained the meaning of אשה יראת ה' היא תתהלל.

There is an enigmatic statement in the Talmud Chullin 139 which reads: משה מן התורה מנין? Whence do we have evidence in the Torah that Moses existed? The Talmud answers that this is proven from Genesis 6,3 where the Torah refers to G–d's spirit not being able to predominate in man while the latter is flesh, i.e. בשגם בשר. The numerical value of the word בשגם is 345, the same as the numerical value of the name משה. [The Talmud's query must be understood as "where is Moses' name alluded to already in the story leading up to the deluge?" Ed.]

Let us return to Noach who was the kind of צדיק who derived his original inspiration from "above," whereas an Abraham proceeded from "below" upwards. Moses ascended to the point where he became איש האלוקים. Both Noach and Moses spent time in an ark, i.e. תיבה. There is a world of difference between Noach's ark and the one Moses was placed in.

Before explaining the meaning of the "arks," let me mention a comment by the Zohar on Proverbs 18,10: 13 מגדל עוז שם ה' בו ירוץ צדיק ונשגב, "The name of the Lord is a tower of strength; the righteous runs towards it and is elevated." The "tower" is a reference to the ark, the "righteous" is a reference to Noach. While on the subject, I shall also explain the difference between the word Migdol in Samuel II 22,51, and the alternate reading of the same word as Magdil both in Samuel and in Psalms 18,51. We are in the habit of reciting this verse at the end of saying Grace, and our sages suggested that on weekdays we should recite the version Magdil, whereas on Sabbaths and New Moons we should recite the spelling Migdol. There is a further third spelling, Migdal David in Song of Songs 4,4 כמגדיל דויד צוארך, בנוי לתלפיות, "Your neck is the Tower of David, built as a landmark."

Before revealing the reasons for all this we must still refer to Bereshit Rabbah 29,3, and we shall then see that all these statements are in accordance with what we have written above. The Midrash in question states: Rabbi Simon states that G–d made three "discoveries." He "found" Abraham, as we know from Nechemiah 9,8: "You found his (Abraham's) heart trustworthy before You." He "found" David since we read in Psalms 89,21: "I have found My servant David." He also "found" Israel as we know from Hoseah 9,10: "I found Israel like grapes in the desert." When his colleagues asked him why he did not include Noach in G–d's "discoveries," seeing the Torah says "Noach found favor in the eyes of G–d," Rabbi Simon responded that Noach did indeed "find," whereas G–d did not "find." There are several difficulties here. Why does Rabbi Simon not list G–d's "discoveries" in their chronological order, i.e. Abraham, Israel, David?

We have already explained that Noach did not develop from the "bottom up," i.e. G–d did not discover that Noach had come closer to Him, but he had required an injection of Divine guidance before he walked with G–d. Abraham, on the other hand, developed from the "bottom" up, and this is why G–d said to him: "walk in front of Me and become תמים, perfect."

David was at times self-propelled, whereas at other times he waited for Divine inspiration, as we have explained in connection with the usage of מזמור לדוד, or לדוד מזמור, as the case may be. The words מגדול and מגדיל express similar ideas. מגדול is the house of the Lord i.e. the manifestation of some Divine Presence rising from earth heavenwards, since the vowel Chirik, the "dot" under the letter מ symbolises earth, and it concludes with the "dot" above the letter ו i.e. above the consonant instead of below it. מגדול therefore symbolises upward mobility, that David strove to elevate himself.

The word מגדיל, on the other hand, commences with the vowel Patach suggestive of G–d's outstretched hand, His initiating relations with man. Accordingly, the vowel Chirik in that word occurs later and under the letter ד near the end of the word. A complete treatise dealing with the symbolism of the vowels is found in Pardes Rimonim in the שער הנקודות. Consider also that the spelling מגדול used in Samuel represents a higher degree of sanctity, since the Holy Spirit with which the Books of Prophets have been composed is of a higher order than that of the Hagiographa, which include the Book of Psalms. It makes sense therefore, that on such days as Sabbaths and New Moons, days on which we are suffused with more spirituality than during the week, we should say מגדול rather than מגדיל. Both the Sabbath and the New Moon are days on which we are aware of our ultimate destiny to be worthy of the אור של בראשית, and of a world which is filled with sanctity daily, not only on the Sabbath.

We have explained in our commentary on בראשית, that the letter מ is an allusion to the מלאך המות, angel of death. Keeping this in mind, one may view the moral challenge of the ark i.e. מגדל, to Noach: the hope that he should be man enough when descending from the “מ” of that מגדול to become גדול, morally equivalent to what the last letter in that word גדול represents, and to thereby be able to overcome the power of the angel of death. In other words, he should fulfil the promise inherent in נח איש צדיק תמים, to be not only righteous but "perfect." The ark would then have become equivalent to the ultimate Temple, the מגדל עז, whose glory will outshine that of the previous Temples. He, Noach, would have been the צדיק that is described in Proverbs 18,10 as being elevated.

The מגדל עז, "tower of strength," which the Zohar had described as referring to the ark, refers to the three separate levels of accommodation in the ark. It symbolises the three domains of עולם העשיה, the lower level; the עולם היצירה, the middle level; and lastly the עולם הבריאה, the highest level of the emanations. The lowest level contained a lot of garbage, comparable to our world. The middle level which contained the animals may be understood to symbolize a world in which creatures can fly, similar to the Zohar's understanding of the commandment in Genesis 1,20: "let the waters swarm with living creatures and birds that fly over the earth, over the expanse of the heavens..”

The Zohar sees in this a reference to the angels who fly and whose residence is in the עולם היצירה. The word ועוף in that verse is understood as specifically referring to the archangel Michael, of whom we are told in Isaiah 6,6: "Then one of the Seraphim flew over to me with a live coal." The second time that word occurs, i.e. יעופף, refers to the archangel Gabriel of whom we are told in Daniel 9,21: והאיש גבריאל … מעף ביעף, "and the man Gabriel was lifted in flight, etc."

The third and highest level of accommodation in the ark was reserved for אדם, man, who is the יסוד העולם, foundation of the universe, seeing the image of Jacob is engraved in G–d's throne. Concerning all three levels of the ark, we apply the verse בראש מגדול הוא שם ה', בו ירוץ צדיק ונשגב of Proverbs, that G–d is above those levels.

It is worth remembering that whereas angels are considered spiritually stationary, man is equipped to advance from one spiritual level to another, level by level. Zachariah 3,7 describes the High Priest Joshua as one who is able to move amongst the angels who are described as merely מהלכים, stationary. If someone progresses faster than normal he is called רץ, running, and attains a station no one else can reach. All others can be viewed as מהלכים, stationary when compared to the runner. Proverbs then views such a צדיק as superior to the angels. G–d hinted to Noach that this would be his real task in building the ark. The ark was to be as much a spiritual sanctuary as a physical sanctuary. The צוהר, window, Noach was instructed to place in the ark was a hint that Noach should ascend "from the bottom up” as it were-spiritually. Alas, Noach failed in mastering that challenge.

[The author continues to see additional symbolisms in the juxtaposition of certain vowels in the words מגדול, מגדל. I have decided to omit those. According to these symbolisms it was David's task to rescue mankind from the effects of the Tower מגדל בבל, and this is why we have these various spellings of the word מגדל in the Book of Samuel. Ed.] The result of G–d's dispersing the people who had built the מגדל, Tower, in Genesis 11,5 was to create seventy nations. It will be the task of the Messiah, i.e. David reincarnate, to repair the damage caused at the time that Tower was built. He will conquer all those nations and he alone will rule. We find an allusion to this when the people of the generation of the Tower justified their action by saying: נעשה לנו שם, "Let us make a name for ourselves." We also find that it is said of David: ויעש דוד שם, "David made a name for himself" (Samuel II 8,13).

We must appreciate that when G–d created different worlds, He named, i.e. formed and defined them by means of a combination of the letters of the alphabet. Our sages say that Betzalel understood the mystery of the combinations of all of these letters which make up the names [definitions] of all things found in this world (Berachot 55 based on the word שם in Exodus 35,30). Early man, who was still בצלם אלוקים, was still able to understand the significance of the names of G–d, and used these names to serve Him in holiness and love in order to cleave to Him. This condition came to an end with the generation of Enosh, as we have explained earlier based on Bereshit Rabbah. When we read in Genesis 4,26 that during the lifetime of Enosh אז הוחל לקרא בשם ה', "then one began to profane the name of the Lord," the meaning is that people no longer used His Name in holiness but desecrated it. The expression הוחל indicates something that is profane, חולין. This situation continued until the advent of the deluge. When the Torah speaks about המה הגבורים אשר היו מעולם אנשי השם, "they were the heroes of old, men of the "Name" (Genesis 6,4), this means that these people used the name of G–d to manipulate the universe, as described in the Zohar, Sullam edition page 209. The expression אנשי השם in Genesis, and the expression ויקוב את השם in Leviticus 24,11, where the Torah refers to the blasphemer, suggests a similar misuse of the Holy Name of G–d in both instances. It was the ability of these people to use G–d's name in order to manipulate it that made them disregard the warnings of an impending deluge. All this is described at greater length in the Zohar. We find that the people of Jerusalem are described by the prophet Ezekiel 12,19 as also having displayed misplaced optimism concerning the prophecies of doom by Jeremiah. The people's very knowledge of G–d's name was what misled them. This is the justification for the reference in Ezekiel to these people as "dwellers in ruins" when in fact they were still dwelling in Jerusalem.

According to the Tziyoni, the instruction to Noach to build an ark meant that he was to employ combinations of the letters in G–d's name to do so and to build what could become the equivalent of a Holy Temple. The Tziyoni also quotes the verse from Proverbs about the מגדל עז, that the Zohar discussed. He demonstrates that the letters in G–d's Ineffable Name were manipulated in a manner which enabled Noach to build the ark according to the measurements reported in the Torah.

Even when the generation of the Tower set out to build the Tower saying "we want to make a name for ourselves, they still meant to serve and respect G–d. That part of their intention was laudable. Their sin consisted in their wanting to isolate G–d's name, (which represented the attribute of מלכות, dominion), to the heavens. They wanted a clear separation of earthly and heavenly authority. The earth was supposed to be under human sovereignty only. All this is explained in detail by Nachmanides, Rekanati and the Tziyoni. When G–d dispersed those people all over the earth, He only practiced the principle of מדה כנגד מדה, measure for measure. Just as they had tried to separate G–d from themselves, so G–d separated them from each other.

In the case of David we find the reverse process. David, who always tried to involve G–d in all that goes on here on earth, tried to build a sanctuary to provide G–d with a permanent abode here on earth, and thereby to reverse any separation between man and G–d. This is the deeper significance of the מגדל דוד … בנוי לתלפיות, "the tower of David built as an ornament" (Song of Songs 4,4). The Temple was the structure that all mankind is meant to turn to as a symbol of G–d's Presence on earth. Despite David's intentions and endeavors, G–d's ultimate Sanctuary has not yet been built on earth; a structure built by humans would not endure. This is what the Psalmist means when he says אם ה' לא יבנה בית שוא עמלו בוניו בו, "if G–d Himself does not build the house, its builders labor in vain with it" (Psalms 127,1).

When that time arrives, the Talmud's statement about the three "finds" that G–d has made will really be true. The word תלפיות, is the reference to that ideal world when all the potential G–d has placed in man will become realized. At that time the word תולדות, will once again be spelled plene, just as it had at the time when the Torah could still write אלה תולדות השמים והארץ בהבראם. The reason Israel is mentioned as the last of these finds -contrary to the chronological order- is, that at that time Israel will truly fulfill its function, only then will Israel truly be a “find.”

When the Midrash described the six attributes that were withheld from earth after the sin, three of these were attributes possessed by Adam such as the כתנות אור, the garments woven of "light,' referred to in the Midrash as זיוו, his 'life,' i.e. his unlimited lifespan, and his קומתו, exceptional physical height and stature. All these will be restored in the period under discussion. At that time all trees will not only bear fruit but produce wood that tastes just as the fruit, and the original “light” will be restored to this world.

We should remember that just as the "garment" of the body will be woven of light and will be prestigious, so the body itself will be the distinguished clothing of the soul. Israel experienced a glimpse of such a future while in the desert. This is why the Torah tells us in Deut. 8,4: שמלתך לא בלתה מעליך, “your clothing did not wear out, etc. during all these forty years. The first step in restoring man to the garments that he ought to be wearing were taken by two of Noach's sons when they covered their father by taking hold of the שמלה and covering him with it (Genesis 9,23).

By feeding all the animals in the ark for a full year, Noach himself had begun the process of repairing the damage done by Adam in the area of food. When Jacob prayed (Genesis 28,20) that G–d should give him "bread to eat and clothes to wear," he may well have referred to a world in which man would wear clothing made of light, and in which all the trees would bear fruit and their trunks would taste just as their fruit. Because Noach had commenced the process of repairing the damage to the production of food caused by Adam, he was given the right to improve his diet and that of mankind after him. He was allowed to include meat in his diet (Genesis 9,3). His son Shem, who had begun to repair the damage to the kind of clothing man was allowed to wear, merited that his descendants, Israel, when wearing ציציות on a four-cornered garment, could ignore the prohibition of mixing wool and linen. In other words, a linen garment may have ציציות made of wool. Ever since the dispute between Cain and Abel linen and wool symbolized their strife, hence the prohibition of mixing them. The people of Israel kept rising to higher spiritual levels until they qualified for food made in the heavens, i.e. the מן, Manna. The jewelry that the Jewish people wore from the time G–d revealed Himself until they forfeited it through participating in the sin of the golden calf, was symbolic of the כתנות אור Adam had worn before the sin (compare Exodus 33,5).