Study the Torah with Academic Scholarship

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use

Noah

Baruch Hashem: Only Non-Israelites Bless God in the Torah

Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham’s servant, Laban, and Jethro all bless YHWH, but, as Rabbi Pappias notes in the Mekhilta, the Israelites don’t. Only later in the Bible do we find David and Solomon blessing YHWH, but so do Hiram King of Tyre and the Queen of Sheba.

Staff Editors

,

,

Who Wrote the Story of Noah, and When?

Clue: Seven pairs of kosher animals are brought to the ark so that Noah can sacrifice to YHWH after the flood.

Dr.

Lisbeth S. Fried

,

,

The Original Primeval History of the Hebrews

Before the flood story was added, the primeval history focused on human mortality, family relationships, and etiological explanations for human behaviors and professions. Only later did this primeval history develop into a broader narrative that included stories of the flood and the Tower of Babel.

Prof.

David M. Carr

,

,

The Flood Changes God Not Humanity

When YHWH sees the evil ways of humanity, he initially decides to wipe them out, but then determines to save Noah’s family. After the flood and Noah’s sacrifice, YHWH promises that He will never again destroy the earth and all life, even though humanity will continue in its evil ways. Thus, the story chronicles not the moral and emotional advancement of humanity but of YHWH.

Prof.

Ronald Hendel

,

,

Noah, Hero of the Great Primeval Famine

Noah’s name expresses his father’s hope that Noah will bring comfort from the pain of the curse of the land, and before he plants his vineyard, he is called “a man of the land” (איש האדמה). These and other verses point to an older core narrative which spoke not of a flood but of a primeval famine that Noah brings to an end.

Prof.

Idan Dershowitz

,

,

Noah, Ham and the Curse of Canaan: Who Did What to Whom in the Tent?

A new solution to why Canaan (not Ham) was cursed.

Prof. Rabbi

David Frankel

,

,

Noah — A Relatable Ancestor of Humanity

Unlike Adam, Noah is born like a regular human. Unlike Utnapishtim, the Mesopotamian flood hero, and Noah’s great-grandfather Enoch, Noah is mortal. In Second Temple times, new retellings of his story present Noah as something more than human, but in rabbinic tradition, the biblical image of the all too human Noah prevails.

Dr.

Aryeh Amihay

,

,

A Textual Study of Noah’s Flood

Staff Editors

,

,

The Flood Story in Its Ancient Near Eastern Context

Prof.

Shalom E. Holtz

,

,

The Torah’s Version of the Flood Story

Dr. Rabbi

Norman Solomon

,

,

Noah’s Nakedness: How the Canaan-Ham Curse Conundrum Came to Be

Noah learns of the sin of his youngest son, (Ham), and yet curses Canaan (his grandson); is Canaan Noah's youngest son? Contrasting traditional and critical approaches.

Dr. Rabbi

Zev Farber

,

,

Noah’s Original Identity: The First Winemaker

Before Noah became the protagonist of the Israelite flood story, his original place in Israelite historiography was as the ancient farmer who discovered wine, bringing the world relief from the toil of work caused by God’s cursing the soil.

Dr. Rabbi

Zev Farber

,

,

The Motif of Releasing Birds in ANE Flood Stories

The ancient Near East had many versions of the flood story, such as Atrahasis, Ziusudra, Utnapishtim, etc., most of which predate the Torah’s account of Noah’s flood. But what is the earliest extant version of the releasing birds motif?

Dr.

Guy Darshan

,

,

No items found.