The tremendous impact of the giving of the Torah at Sinai, the Midrash states, was felt throughout the world: "When the Torah was given to Israel, the sound reverberated from one end of the world to the other. All of the non-Jewish kings were seized with fear. They gathered around the evil prophet Balaam and asked, 'What is this tremendous sound that we hear? Perhaps a flood is coming to the world!' Balaam answered them, 'No, God has already sworn not to bring another flood.'
'Maybe not a deluge of water, but destruction by fire?'
'No, He already promised never to destroy all flesh.'
'So what is this tremendous sound that we hear?'
'God has a precious gift in His treasury (the Torah) that He wishes to bestow to His children.'" (Zevachim 116a)
How can the Midrash compare this extreme act of mass destruction - the Great Flood - to the most significant event in history, the Revelation of the Torah? Why did the voices from Sinai bring back fearful memories of the Flood?
God created the universe with a precise balance between its physical and spiritual aspects. According to the Midrash (Chagiga 12a), Adam's height stretched from the earth all the way to the heavens. What does this mean? Was he really that tall? This description of Adam comes to express the exact equilibrium between the physical (earthy) and spiritual (heavenly) components of the first man.
With the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, however, the delicate balance was disrupted. Adam's action, contrary to God's command, diminished mankind's spiritual stature. His physical qualities, however, remained as powerful as before. Thus, the people from that era lived remarkably long lives.
The imbalance between the physical and the spiritual led to a situation in which physical drives overpowered spiritual aspirations. "All flesh had perverted its way on the earth." (Genesis 6:11) To correct this imbalance, God brought the Great Flood. This catastrophic event severely weakened the material realm, and limited man's physical powers. Mankind after the Flood was greatly altered. His life span became shorter. His stature was diminished, both physically and spiritually.
This explanation sheds light on the Covenant of the Rainbow. Did not rainbows exist before the Flood? How did the rainbow suddenly become a symbol of protection from Divine retribution after the Flood?
In truth, the rainbow was created immediately before the Sabbath of Creation. (Avot 5:6) Before the Flood, however, the rainbow could not be seen. Keshet Be'Anan - the thickness and opacity of the cloud obscured the rainbow. Only after the Flood, in a diluted material world, did the rainbow become visible.
The rainbow symbolizes weakness. Physical weakness, that the cloud can no longer conceal. And spiritual weakness, that only a Divine promise prevents world destruction as punishment for its corruption. Only a few generations merited such holy tzaddikim that, due to their spiritual and physical strength, no rainbow could be seen in their days. (Ketubot 77b)
In addition to weakening the material universe, the aftermath of the Flood produced a bolstering of the spiritual side of the world, with the framework of the seven commandments of the Noahide Code. The Flood annulled all previous obligations, and initiated a new era of repairing the world, via the seven mitzvot of Bnei-Noah.
In a future generation, a second, superior path would become available to maintain the delicate balance of the universe. The Torah provided a new way to correct and purify the world. Therefore, the Midrash compares the Flood to the Revelation of the Torah. Both events served to protect the universe's inner equilibrium between materialism and spirituality.
The Midrash has Balaam quoting to the kings from the book of Psalms: "God sat enthroned at the Flood... God will give strength (Torah) to His people." (Psalms 29:10-11) The verse compares the effect of the Flood to that of the Torah. Yet the path of Torah is superior; instead of destroying and weakening the physical world, the Torah builds and strengthens. As the verse concludes, "God will bless his people with peace" - with a path of serenity and perfection.
[Based on Shemuot HaRiyyah 8, Noah 5690 (1929)]
'Maybe not a deluge of water, but destruction by fire?'
'No, He already promised never to destroy all flesh.'
'So what is this tremendous sound that we hear?'
'God has a precious gift in His treasury (the Torah) that He wishes to bestow to His children.'" (Zevachim 116a)
How can the Midrash compare this extreme act of mass destruction - the Great Flood - to the most significant event in history, the Revelation of the Torah? Why did the voices from Sinai bring back fearful memories of the Flood?
God created the universe with a precise balance between its physical and spiritual aspects. According to the Midrash (Chagiga 12a), Adam's height stretched from the earth all the way to the heavens. What does this mean? Was he really that tall? This description of Adam comes to express the exact equilibrium between the physical (earthy) and spiritual (heavenly) components of the first man.
With the sin of the Tree of Knowledge, however, the delicate balance was disrupted. Adam's action, contrary to God's command, diminished mankind's spiritual stature. His physical qualities, however, remained as powerful as before. Thus, the people from that era lived remarkably long lives.
The imbalance between the physical and the spiritual led to a situation in which physical drives overpowered spiritual aspirations. "All flesh had perverted its way on the earth." (Genesis 6:11) To correct this imbalance, God brought the Great Flood. This catastrophic event severely weakened the material realm, and limited man's physical powers. Mankind after the Flood was greatly altered. His life span became shorter. His stature was diminished, both physically and spiritually.
This explanation sheds light on the Covenant of the Rainbow. Did not rainbows exist before the Flood? How did the rainbow suddenly become a symbol of protection from Divine retribution after the Flood?
In truth, the rainbow was created immediately before the Sabbath of Creation. (Avot 5:6) Before the Flood, however, the rainbow could not be seen. Keshet Be'Anan - the thickness and opacity of the cloud obscured the rainbow. Only after the Flood, in a diluted material world, did the rainbow become visible.
The rainbow symbolizes weakness. Physical weakness, that the cloud can no longer conceal. And spiritual weakness, that only a Divine promise prevents world destruction as punishment for its corruption. Only a few generations merited such holy tzaddikim that, due to their spiritual and physical strength, no rainbow could be seen in their days. (Ketubot 77b)
In addition to weakening the material universe, the aftermath of the Flood produced a bolstering of the spiritual side of the world, with the framework of the seven commandments of the Noahide Code. The Flood annulled all previous obligations, and initiated a new era of repairing the world, via the seven mitzvot of Bnei-Noah.
In a future generation, a second, superior path would become available to maintain the delicate balance of the universe. The Torah provided a new way to correct and purify the world. Therefore, the Midrash compares the Flood to the Revelation of the Torah. Both events served to protect the universe's inner equilibrium between materialism and spirituality.
The Midrash has Balaam quoting to the kings from the book of Psalms: "God sat enthroned at the Flood... God will give strength (Torah) to His people." (Psalms 29:10-11) The verse compares the effect of the Flood to that of the Torah. Yet the path of Torah is superior; instead of destroying and weakening the physical world, the Torah builds and strengthens. As the verse concludes, "God will bless his people with peace" - with a path of serenity and perfection.
[Based on Shemuot HaRiyyah 8, Noah 5690 (1929)]