READING HEBREW
Noah s Favor Before God
IN THIS LECTURE: 1. Reading from the Torah 2. Reading from the Siddur 3. Reading from the Dead Sea Scrolls
Words of the Week Look for these words while reading son, (noun) son, foster - ב ן grandson. who, (relative pronoun) - א ש ר which, that. evil, (noun) bad, - ר ע ה wickedness. large, (noun) big, great, - ר ב vast, many. (noun) to walk, go - ה ל ך along, to follow. (noun) grace, favor, good - ח ן will, beauty. whole, (noun), perfect, - ת מ ים entire, complete. just, (adjective) - צ ד יק righteous, virtuous, pious. (noun) altar of - מ ז ב ח sacrifice. offering, (noun) burnt - ע ל ה sacrifice.
Reading Torah
ו י ח י ל מ ך ש ת י ם וש מ נ ים ש נ ה ומ א ת ש נ ה ו י ול ד ב ן When Lamech had lived 182 years, he begot a son. (Gen 5:28)
ו י ק ר א א ת ש מ ו נ ח ל אמ ר ומ ע צ ב ון י ד ינ ו מ ן ה א ד מ ה ז ה י נ ח מ נ ו מ מ ע ש נ ו א ש ר א ר ר ה יהוה And he named him Noah, saying, This one will provide us relief from our work and from the toil of our hands, out of the very soil which the LORD placed under a curse. (Gen 5:29)
ו י ר א יהוה כ י ר ב ה ה א ד ם ר ע ת ב א ר ץ ו כ ל י צ ר מ ח ש ב ת ל ב ו ר ק ר ע כ ל ה י ום The LORD saw how great was man s wickedness on earth, and how every plan devised by his mind was nothing but evil all the time. (Gen 6:5)
The Hebrew word י צ ר (yetzer) in the phrase י צ ר מ ח ש ב ת ל ב ו (yetzer machshevot libo) carries within itself the idea of something being produced or created. The phrase can be translated as creation/ desire/ result of thoughts of his heart. The totality of human fall is unmistakable and striking. Because of the full linguistic connection (Adam/man) in the text, we can see more clearly that Adam s failure affected his human offspring to the utmost degree.
ו י אמ ר יהוה א מ ח ה א ת ה א ד ם א ש ר ב ר את י מ ע ל פ נ י ה א ד מ ה מ א ד ם ע ד ב ה מ ה ע ד ר מ ש ו ע ד ע וף ה ש מ י ם כ י נ ח מ ת י כ י ע ש ית ם The LORD 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. (Gen 6:7)
ו נ ח מ צ א ח ן ב ע ינ י יהוה But Noah found favor with the LORD. (Gen 6:8)
The Hebrew for Noah is (noach). The word is נ ח derived from the verb which has a wide,לנוח range of meanings, but most of them contain the idea of rest and relief. The kind of rest Hebrew implies here is not relaxation from exertion, but stationary rest, the absence of activity and movement. A rest in a sense of pause.
In Modern Hebrew when we ask each other, Do you like (such and such)? We very often use this ancient biblical phrase: Did it find grace in your eyes? The word ח ן (chen) stands for grace/favor in Hebrew. The name נ ח (noach) Noah is the same word only reversed. (The reason that the נletter (nun) in Noah looks different from the same ןletter (nun) in grace is because it is one of final letters that look differently when they appear last in a word).
א ל ה ת ול ד ת נ ח נ ח א יש צ ד יק ת מ ים ה י ה ב ד ר ת יו א ת ה א לה ים ה ת ה ל ך נ ח This is the line of Noah. Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God. (Gen 6:9)
Eventually the time came to judge mankind s wickedness. Noah, his family and the animals entered the large boat he built. And then the rain came like it never did before. The waters flooded all the surroundings and people outside the ark perished. ו י ע ש נ ח כ כ ל א ש ר צ ו ה ו יהוה And Noah did just as the LORD commanded him. (Gen 7:5)
נ ח מ ז ב ח ו י ב ן ל יהוה ו י ק ח מ כ ל ה ב ה מ ה ה ט ה ר ה ומ כ ל ה ע וף ה ט ה ור ו י ע ל ע לת ב מ ז ב ח Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking of every clean animal and of every clean bird, he offered burnt offerings on the altar. (Gen 8:20)
The Hebrew word used for מ ז ב ח altar in this passage is (mizbeach). It is connected with the verb to slaughter and to sacrifice. Hebrew often takes a verb, and by attaching a prefix מ (mem), turns it into a noun. For example, the verb to fight מ but when the prefix,ל ל ח ם is (mem) is added it becomes war. (milchamah) a מ ל ח מ ה So likewise the verb to slaughter turned into noun altar with a prefix מ (mem).
ו י ר ח יהוה א ת ר יח ה נ יח ח ו י אמ ר יהוה א ל ל ב ו ל א א ס ף ל ק ל ל ע וד א ת ה א ד מ ה ב ע ב ור ה א ד ם The LORD smelled the pleasing odor, and the Lord said to Himself: Never again will I curse the ground because of man (Gen 8:21)
כ י י צ ר ל ב ה א ד ם ר ע מ נ ע ר יו ו ל א א ס ף ע וד ל ה כ ות א ת כ ל ח י כ א ש ר ע ש ית י since the devisings of man s mind are evil from his youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living being, as I have done. (Gen 8:21)
ו י ב ר ך א לה ים א ת נ ח ו א ת ב נ יו ו י אמ ר ל ה ם פ ר ו ור ב ו ומ ל א ו א ת ה א ר ץ God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, Be fertile and increase, and fill the earth. (Gen 9:1)
Reading Siddur
The Siddur (Jewish prayer book) contains many prayers of thanksgiving. Following are a few lines from the prayer said after the meal. It expresses thanks not only for the meal and sustenance, but for all matters of life.
נ וד ה ל ך יהוה א לה ינ ו... ו ע ל ת ור ת ך ש ל מ ד ת נ ו ו ע ל ח ק י ך ש ה וד ע ת נ ו ו ע ל ו ח ס ד ח י ים ח ן We thank you Lord our God for the Torah you have taught us, for the laws you have made known to us, for the life, grace and loving-kindness (from Brikhat Hamazon)
Reading Dead Sea Scrolls
In today s Isaiah reading the prophet criticizes the sacrifices, not a way of worship, but their intent. While the offerings are meant communicate devotion and closeness to God, their increased numbers do not correlate to how Israel s righteousness. In this case less is more and few offerings made with the right heart are better then many animals offered without real faith.
ל מ ה ל י ו ח ל ב מ ר יא ים ר ב ז ב ח יכ ם י אמ ר יהוה ש ב ע ת י ע ל ות ו ד ם פ ר ים וכ ב ש ים ו ע ת וד ים א יל ים ל א ח פ צ ת י "What are your multiplied sacrifices to Me? says the LORD. I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle; and I take no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs or goats. (Is. 1:11)
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