Bar’chu
et YHVH ha-m’vorach, Baruch YHVH ha-m’vorach l’O’lam va-ed! Baruch ata YHVH
Eloheinu
melech ha-olam asher bachar banu m’kol ha-amim, v’na-tan lanu eht Torah-to.
Baruch
atah YHVH, noteyn ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Bless
YHVH the blessed One; Blessed is YHVH, the blessed One for all eternity.
Blessed are you, YHVH, our Elohim, King of the Universe, you have selected us
from among all the peoples, and have given us your Torah. Blessed are you,
YHVH, giver of the Torah. Ameyn.)
2Pe 1:12 And
so I intend to remind you of these matters again and again, though you
know them and have been established in the present truth. (present application
of ancient truth)
2Pe 2:4 For if Elohim
did not spare the messengers who sinned, but sent them to Tartaros, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be kept
for judgment, - Τάρταρος Tartaros̄ (the deepest abyss of Hades); to incarcerate
in eternal torment: - "Tartarus occurs in the Septuagint of Job
40:20, 41:21 but otherwise is only known in Hellenistic Jewish literature from
the Greek text of 1 Enoch 20:2 where Uriel is the jailer of 200 angels that
sinned."
2Pe 2:5 and did
not spare the world of old, but preserved Noaḥ, a proclaimer of righteousness,
and seven others, bringing in the flood on the world of the wicked,
2Pe 2:6 and having
reduced to ashes the cities of Seḏom and Amorah condemned them to destruction
– having made them an example to those who afterward would live wickedly,
2Pe 2:7 and
rescued righteous Lot, who was oppressed with the indecent behaviour of the
lawless1 Footnote: 1The Greek word here, and in 3:17, is athesmos
(not the usual one, anomos) but it also means “lawless.”
2Pe 2:8 (for day
after day that righteous man, dwelling among them, tortured his righteous being
by seeing and hearing their lawless(Torahless) works),
2Pe 2:9 then
יהוה knows how to rescue the reverent ones from trial and to keep
the unrighteous unto the day of judgment, to be punished,
Gen 6:9 This is
the genealogy of Noaḥ. Noaḥ was a righteous man, perfect in his generations.
Noaḥ walked with Elohim. (The Hebrew word for “perfect” (8549) is an adjective
and comes from the verb “tammam”(8552) “tammam” means to “complete or to make
it to the end”)
Gen 6:10 And Noaḥ
brought forth three sons: Shĕm, Ḥam, and Yepheth.
Noach means “rest”. Shem means “name” and implies
authority honour and character (Ha Shem). Ham or Cham means “hot”. Canaan was the son of
Cham. Yepeth means “opened” the 3rd son of Noah whose descendants after the
flood settled on the coastal lands of the Mediterranean spreading north into
Europe and parts of Asia.
Gen 6:11 And the
earth was corrupt before Elohim, and the earth was filled with violence.
The Hebrew says
- “All the earth had become corrupt”.
The Hebrew word for “corrupt” is “shachat” This word clearly conveys a meaning
that an object or person in this state is beyond human redemption.
According to popular
opinion it was sin and rebellion that caused the flood to come, yet the word
“sin or rebellion” is not used once in this parasha. (Ezek 16:49,50)
“Shachat” is the Hebrew
word used as the reason for the destruction of the flood. It is found in
different places in the scriptures:
Jer 18:4 And the
vessel that he made of clay was ruined (shachat) in the hand of the potter, so
he remade it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do. The
vessel could not be repaired, it had to be remade.
Gen 6:12 And
Elohim looked upon the earth and saw that it was corrupt – for all flesh had
corrupted their way on the earth –
niphal verb is used which means “become corrupt” (nishchat)
Gen 6:13 and
Elohim said to Noaḥ, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth
is filled with violence (Heb - chamas) through them. And see, I am going to
destroy them from the earth.
Vs 11,12,13 all
contain word ‘shachat’ Strongs 7843 which means “marred beyond recognition”
Gen 6:14 “Make
yourself an ark of gopherwood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and
outside with tar. (Ex 2:3)
‘’Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov explains the
relevance of the divine instruction to Noah, “Come into the ark,” to our daily
lives. The Hebrew word for “ark,” teivah, also means “word.” Come
into the word, says the Almighty to each one of us; enter within the words of
prayer and Torah study. Here you will find a haven of wisdom, meaning
and sanctity amidst the raging floodwaters of life.’’
Gen 6:15 “And this
is how you are to make it: The length of the ark is three hundred cubits, its
width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.
Gen 6:16 “Make a
window for the ark, and complete it to a cubit from above. And set the door of
the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks.
Gen 6:17 “And see,
I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is
the breath of life from under the heavens – all that is on the earth is to die.
Gen 6:18 “And I
shall establish My covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you and
your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.
Gen 6:19 “And of
all the living creatures of all flesh, two of each, you are to bring into the
ark, to keep them alive with you – a male and a female.
Gen 6:20 “Of the
birds after their kind, and of the cattle after their kind, and of all creeping
creatures of the earth after their kind, two of each are to come to you, to
keep them alive.
Gen 6:21 “As for
you, take of all food that is eaten and gather it to yourself. And it shall be
food for you and for them.”
Gen 6:22 And Noaḥ
did according to all that Elohim commanded him, so he did.
Vs 22 also appears
in Ex 40:16 And Mosheh did according to all that יהוה had
commanded him, so he did.
We see many
comparisons between the ark of Noach and the tabernacle of Moshe. Both were
designed and initiated by YHVH and built by man. Both had three main sections.
Both had one entrance. Both were made with wood and covered. Both were mobile,
one moved by water and one moved through the desert. Both travelled, one for
period for 40 days and one for 40 years. Both had special features that
measured one cubit by one cubit, the window in the ark and the golden altar of
incense and both point us to Messiah’s ministry and our call to be co heirs
with him.
Gen 7:1 And
יהוה said to Noaḥ, “Come into the ark, you and all your household,
because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.
Gen
7:2 “Of all the clean beasts take with
you seven pairs, a male and his female; and of the beasts that are unclean two,
a male and his female;
Gen
7:3 and of birds of the heavens seven
pairs, male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth.
Gen
7:4 “For after seven more days I am
sending rain on the earth, forty days and forty nights, and shall wipe from the
face of the earth all that stand that I created.”
Gen
7:5 And Noaḥ did according to all that יהוה commanded him.
Gen
7:6 Now Noaḥ was six hundred years old
when the flood-waters were on the earth.
Gen
7:7 And Noaḥ and his sons and his wife
and his sons’ wives went into the ark because of the waters of the flood.
Gen
7:8 Of the clean beasts and of the
beasts that are unclean, and of birds, and of all that creep on the earth,
Gen
7:9 two by two they went into the ark to
Noaḥ, male and female, as Elohim had commanded Noaḥ.
Gen
7:10 And it came to be after seven days
that the waters of the flood were on the earth.
Gen
7:11 In the six hundredth year of
Noaḥ’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on that
day all the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the windows of the
heavens were opened.
Gen
7:12 And the rain was on the earth forty
days and forty nights.
Gen
7:13 On that same day Noaḥ and Shĕm and
Ḥam and Yepheth, the sons of Noaḥ, and Noaḥ’s wife and the three wives of
his sons with them, went into the ark,
Gen
7:14 they and every living creature
after its kind, and every beast after its kind, and every creeping creature
that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every
bird of every sort.
Gen
7:15 And they went into the ark to
Noaḥ, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life.
Gen
7:16 And those going in, male and female
of all flesh, went in as Elohim had commanded him, and יהוה
shut him in.
Gen
7:17 And the flood was on the earth
forty days, and the waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high
above the earth.
The torrential rains lasted for forty days and nights. The
waters rose to great heights and covered even the highest mountains, killing
all humans and animals; everything died aside for Noach and the other occupants
of the teivah. After the waters raged on the earth another 150 days,
YHVH caused the waters to subside. The teivah eventually rested on the
Ararat Mountains and shortly thereafter the mountain peaks came into view. Noach
opened the window of the teivah and dispatched birds to see whether it
was time to leave the teivah. First he sent a raven, which refused to
execute its mission and just circled the ark. He then sent out a dove. On its
second attempt the dove went and did not return, signaling that the earth was
once again habitable. After one full year in the teivah, the earth had
dried.
Gen
7:18 And the waters were mighty and
greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the
waters.
Gen 7:19 And the waters were exceedingly mighty on the
earth, and all the high mountains under all the heavens were covered.
Gen
7:20 The waters became mighty, fifteen
cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.
Gen
7:21 And all flesh died that moved on the
earth – birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping creature that creeps on
the earth, and all mankind.
Gen
7:22 All in whose nostrils was the
breath of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died.
Gen
7:23 So He wiped off all that stand,
which were on the face of the ground – both man and beast, creeping creature
and bird of the heavens. And they were wiped off from the earth. And only Noaḥ
was left, and those with him in the ark.
Gen
7:24 And the waters were mighty on the
earth, one hundred and fifty days.
One of the
first things that strikes a person when reading this account of Noach is that
YHVH protected the righteous man Noach and his family and destroyed all other
life on earth. Yahshua says the same
pattern will be repeated in the last days.
Mat 24:37 “And as
the days of Noaḥ, so also shall the coming of the Son of Aḏam be.
Mat 24:38 “For as
they were in the days before the flood, eating and drinking, marrying and
giving in marriage, until the day that Noaḥ entered into the ark,
Mat 24:39 and they
did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also shall the
coming of the Son of Aḏam be.
The “mikvah” represents a kind of dying to self and to any
kind of notion that we can somehow make it on our own. This ordained “mikvah”
or emersion of people is YHVH’s chosen method of bringing about a NEW CREATION
-Resurrection through death. According to the Sages the “Mikvah”, or ritual
bath must contain 40 “seah” of rainwater (a seah is a typical halachic
measurement that corresponds to approximately 20 litres). The “forty” being a
hidden reference to the forty days and nights that rain came upon the earth
during the flood.
The sages teach ““What is the meaning of this Mitzvah? What
is the Mikvah’s religious purpose? We understand that a ritual bath with 40
measures of water must be a place of transformation and rebirth. This is indeed
the case. After all, who goes to a Mikvah? In Temple times, Mikvah immersion
was an integral part of regaining ritual purity; especially important for Kohanim,
but also, at times, vital for all Hebrews. Restored purity conferred new status
on the individual; he was spiritually refreshed, reborn. Nowadays, the Mikvah
is only halakhically required for converts and married women. When a
gentile converts, he or she takes on a new religious identity. A convert, say
the Sages, is like a newborn child. What about a woman, whose visits are
coordinated with her monthly cycle? Quite simply, a woman’s physical change at
that time of the month indicates that her body’s preparation to create life was
not actualized. The ritual impurity that results reflects the Torah’s
recognition of this loss of potential life. The Mikvah’s 40 seah of water
soothe and restore; they help a woman become sensitive to the potent, spiritual
force inherent in her body’s ability to create life.
Hasidic men, unwilling to cede the Mikvah experience entirely to women, immerse every erev Shabbat, to elevate themselves in preparation for the seventh day. Ashkenazic men typically limit their Mikvah use to the days immediately prior to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. In tandem with repentance, the Mikvah helps us refashion our inner selves.” End quote.
Hasidic men, unwilling to cede the Mikvah experience entirely to women, immerse every erev Shabbat, to elevate themselves in preparation for the seventh day. Ashkenazic men typically limit their Mikvah use to the days immediately prior to Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. In tandem with repentance, the Mikvah helps us refashion our inner selves.” End quote.
We now can understand
the importance of this practice by Yochanan the immerser prior to Yashua’s
first coming. Will we see an emergence of this practice again in these days?
We see this doctrine or “teachings of immersions” is one of
the foundational principles of our faith in Messiah Yahshua. We see that unless
this and other foundational principles are established in our lives we will not
be able to move on into spiritual maturity.
Heb 6:1 Therefore, having left the word of the
beginning of the Messiah, let us go on to perfection,1 not laying
again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of belief toward
Elohim, Footnote: 1Mt. 5:48.
Heb 6:2 of the teaching of immersions, and of
laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of everlasting
judgment.
Heb 6:3 And this
we shall do, if Elohim indeed permits.
There is a reference
to the events of this parasha in the apostolic writings that gives us important
insight into the significance of this event:
1Pe 3:18 Because
even Messiah once suffered for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to
bring you to Elohim,1 having been put to death indeed in flesh but
made alive in the Spirit, Footnote: 1Rom. 5:18.
1Pe 3:19 in which
also He went and proclaimed unto the spirits in prison,
1Pe 3:20 who were
disobedient at one time when the patience of Elohim waited in the days of
Noaḥ, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight beings,
were saved through water,
1Pe 3:21 which
figure now also saves us: immersion – not a putting away of the filth of the
flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward Elohim – through the
resurrection of יהושע Messiah,
1Pe
3:22 who, having gone into heaven, is at
the right hand of Elohim, messengers and authorities and powers having been
subjected to Him.
Baruch atah YHVH, Eloheynu, Melech ha-‘Olam, asher natan
lanu Toraht-emet, v’chay-yeh o’lam nata-b’tochenu. Baruch atah YHVH, noteyn
ha-Torah. Ameyn.”
(Blessed are you Yahveh, our Elohim, King of the Universe,
you have given us your Torah of truth, and have planted everlasting life within
our midst. Blessed are you, YHVH giver of the Torah – Ameyn)