TORAH
FIVE BOOKS OF MOSES
NEVI'IM
PROPHETS
KETUVIM
WRITINGS
Chapter 6
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1When men began to increase on earth and daughters were born to them,
אוַיְהִי כִּי־הֵחֵל הָאָדָם לָרֹב עַל־פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה וּבָנוֹת יֻלְּדוּ לָהֶם׃
2the divine beings saw how beautiful the daughters of men were and took wives from among those that pleased them.
בוַיִּרְאוּ בְנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת־בְּנוֹת הָאָדָם כִּי טֹבֹת הֵנָּה וַיִּקְחוּ לָהֶם נָשִׁים מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר בָּחָרוּ׃
3Hashem said, “My breath shall not abide in man forever, since he too is flesh; let the days allowed him be one hundred and twenty years.”
גוַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה לֹא־יָדוֹן רוּחִי בָאָדָם לְעֹלָם בְּשַׁגַּם הוּא בָשָׂר וְהָיוּ יָמָיו מֵאָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה׃
4It was then, and later too, that the Nephilim appeared on earth—when the divine beings cohabited with the daughters of men, who bore them offspring. They were the heroes of old, the men of renown.
דהַנְּפִלִים הָיוּ בָאָרֶץ בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם וְגַם אַחֲרֵי־כֵן אֲשֶׁר יָבֹאוּ בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים אֶל־בְּנוֹת הָאָדָם וְיָלְדוּ לָהֶם הֵמָּה הַגִּבֹּרִים אֲשֶׁר מֵעוֹלָם אַנְשֵׁי הַשֵּׁם׃
5Hashem saw how great was man's wickedness on earth, and how every plan devised by his mind was nothing but evil all the time.
הוַיַּרְא יְהֹוָה כִּי רַבָּה רָעַת הָאָדָם בָּאָרֶץ וְכָל־יֵצֶר מַחְשְׁבֹת לִבּוֹ רַק רַע כָּל־הַיּוֹם׃
6And Hashem regretted that He had made man on earth, and His heart was saddened.
ווַיִּנָּחֶם יְהֹוָה כִּי־עָשָׂה אֶת־הָאָדָם בָּאָרֶץ וַיִּתְעַצֵּב אֶל־לִבּוֹ׃
7Hashem said, “I will blot out from the earth the men whom I created—men together with beasts, creeping things, and birds of the sky; for I regret that I made them.”
זוַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶמְחֶה אֶת־הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָאתִי מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה מֵאָדָם עַד־בְּהֵמָה עַד־רֶמֶשׂ וְעַד־עוֹף הַשָּׁמָיִם כִּי נִחַמְתִּי כִּי עֲשִׂיתִם׃
8But Noach found favor with Hashem.
חוְנֹחַ מָצָא חֵן בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה׃
9This is the line of Noach.—Noach was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age; Noach walked with Hashem.—
טאֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת נֹחַ נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה בְּדֹרֹתָיו אֶת־הָאֱלֹהִים הִתְהַלֶּךְ־נֹחַ׃
10Noach begot three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
יוַיּוֹלֶד נֹחַ שְׁלֹשָׁה בָנִים אֶת־שֵׁם אֶת־חָם וְאֶת־יָפֶת׃
11The earth became corrupt before Hashem; the earth was filled with lawlessness.
יאוַתִּשָּׁחֵת הָאָרֶץ לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים וַתִּמָּלֵא הָאָרֶץ חָמָס׃
12When Hashem saw how corrupt the earth was, for all flesh had corrupted its ways on earth,
יבוַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָאָרֶץ וְהִנֵּה נִשְׁחָתָה כִּי־הִשְׁחִית כָּל־בָּשָׂר אֶת־דַּרְכּוֹ עַל־הָאָרֶץ׃
13Hashem said to Noach, “I have decided to put an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with lawlessness because of them: I am about to destroy them with the earth.
va-YO-mer e-lo-HEEM l'-NO-akh KAYTZ kol ba-SAR BA l'-fa-NAI kee ma-l'-AH ha-A-retz kha-MAS mi-p'-nay-HEM v'-hi-n'-NEE mash-khee-TAM et ha-A-retz
יגוַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים לְנֹחַ קֵץ כָּל־בָּשָׂר בָּא לְפָנַי כִּי־מָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ חָמָס מִפְּנֵיהֶם וְהִנְנִי מַשְׁחִיתָם אֶת־הָאָרֶץ׃
6:13 I am about to destroy them with the earth
Rabbi Shnuer Z. Liadi (1745-1813)
According to one opinion in the Talmud (Zevachim 113b), the effects of the flood were less severe in the Land of Israel. Why did Hashem choose to spare this particular land? Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of the Chabad Hasidic dynasty in eighteenth century Russia, concludes that the purpose of the flood was to purify the world of its corruption. The flood, then, served as a kind of mikveh, a ritual bath, to bring about a process of purification. However, since Eretz Yisrael is intrinsically pure, it is impossible to corrupt and, therefore, did not need this type of purification. In fact, whenever the Torah discusses sins that can cause exile, it says that the land will purge itself of the sinners. Eretz Yisrael cannot be corrupted and does not tolerate impurity on its soil.
14Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make it an ark with compartments, and cover it inside and out with pitch.
ידעֲשֵׂה לְךָ תֵּבַת עֲצֵי־גֹפֶר קִנִּים תַּעֲשֶׂה אֶת־הַתֵּבָה וְכָפַרְתָּ אֹתָהּ מִבַּיִת וּמִחוּץ בַּכֹּפֶר׃
15This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark shall be three hundred amot, its width fifty amot, and its height thirty amot.
טווְזֶה אֲשֶׁר תַּעֲשֶׂה אֹתָהּ שְׁלֹשׁ מֵאוֹת אַמָּה אֹרֶךְ הַתֵּבָה חֲמִשִּׁים אַמָּה רָחְבָּהּ וּשְׁלֹשִׁים אַמָּה קוֹמָתָהּ׃
16Make an opening for daylight in the ark, and terminate it within an amah of the top.Put the entrance to the ark in its side; make it with bottom, second, and third decks.
טזצֹהַר תַּעֲשֶׂה לַתֵּבָה וְאֶל־אַמָּה תְּכַלֶנָּה מִלְמַעְלָה וּפֶתַח הַתֵּבָה בְּצִדָּהּ תָּשִׂים תַּחְתִּיִּם שְׁנִיִּם וּשְׁלִשִׁים תַּעֲשֶׂהָ׃
17“For My part, I am about to bring the Flood—waters upon the earth—to destroy all flesh under the sky in which there is breath of life; everything on earth shall perish.
יזוַאֲנִי הִנְנִי מֵבִיא אֶת־הַמַּבּוּל מַיִם עַל־הָאָרֶץ לְשַׁחֵת כָּל־בָּשָׂר אֲשֶׁר־בּוֹ רוּחַ חַיִּים מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמָיִם כֹּל אֲשֶׁר־בָּאָרֶץ יִגְוָע׃
18But I will establish My covenant with you, and you shall enter the ark, with your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives.
יחוַהֲקִמֹתִי אֶת־בְּרִיתִי אִתָּךְ וּבָאתָ אֶל־הַתֵּבָה אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ וְאִשְׁתְּךָ וּנְשֵׁי־בָנֶיךָ אִתָּךְ׃
19And of all that lives, of all flesh, you shall take two of each into the ark to keep alive with you; they shall be male and female.
יטוּמִכָּל־הָחַי מִכָּל־בָּשָׂר שְׁנַיִם מִכֹּל תָּבִיא אֶל־הַתֵּבָה לְהַחֲיֹת אִתָּךְ זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה יִהְיוּ׃
20From birds of every kind, cattle of every kind, every kind of creeping thing on earth, two of each shall come to you to stay alive.
כמֵהָעוֹף לְמִינֵהוּ וּמִן־הַבְּהֵמָה לְמִינָהּ מִכֹּל רֶמֶשׂ הָאֲדָמָה לְמִינֵהוּ שְׁנַיִם מִכֹּל יָבֹאוּ אֵלֶיךָ לְהַחֲיוֹת׃
21For your part, take of everything that is eaten and store it away, to serve as food for you and for them.”
כאוְאַתָּה קַח־לְךָ מִכָּל־מַאֲכָל אֲשֶׁר יֵאָכֵל וְאָסַפְתָּ אֵלֶיךָ וְהָיָה לְךָ וְלָהֶם לְאָכְלָה׃
22Noach did so; just as Hashem commanded him, so he did.
כבוַיַּעַשׂ נֹחַ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה אֹתוֹ אֱלֹהִים כֵּן עָשָׂה׃
