CHANGE MAKERS
“…Noach was a righteous man, flawless in his generation, and Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9). With these credentials, why wasn’t Noach tapped to be the progenitor of God’s chosen nation? The Alshich notes that Noach walked with God, but wasn’t so connected to the rest of humanity. If we compare him to Abraham, we […]
Noah and the Paradox of Bad Press
“These are the generations of Noah – Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generation…” (Genesis 6:9). The text could have just told us Noah was righteous. What is added by telling us he was righteous “in his generation”? In his commentary to this verse, Rashi (11th century, France) says that some of our […]
Noah Illuminated
“Make a tzohar for the ark…” (Genesis 6:16). Rashi* cites two views regarding what the tzohar was. One understanding is that it was a window that functioned as a skylight for the ark. The other view is that it was a luminous stone. Previously, Rashi presented two views of what was meant by the qualifier […]