Chapter 07 - Rashi
(To Chumash Text)

Verse 1: For I have seen that you are righteous.

Here it does not state {Hebrew Ref} ! [We learn] from this that we tell only part of a man's qualities in his presence, and all of them when he is not present.53

Verse 2: [Ritually] clean.54

I.e., that is destined to be "clean" [and permitted] for Israel. We learn [from this] that Noach studied Torah.55

Seven pairs.56

So that he might use some as sacrifices upon leaving [the ark].57

Verse 3: Also of the birds of the heaven, etc.58

This verse is speaking of the "clean" [fowl] what is not explicit can be learned from that which is explicit.59

Verse 4: Because in another seven days.60

This refers to the seven days of mourning for Mesushelach, the righteous one, for whose honor G-d had regard and postponed punishment.61 Go and calculate the years of Mesushelach and you will find that they ended during the six hundredth year of Noach's life62 [We may learn all this from the additional word {Hebrew Ref} .. .].

Because in another seven days.

Why [the word] {Hebrew Ref} ? [It is] a period of time following a period of time, that which was added to the 120 years.63

Forty days.

This corresponds to the period of a fetus' formation for they had sinned by troubling their Creator to form embryos for illegitimate children.64

Verse 5: Noach did.

This refers to his coming to the ark.65

Verse 7: Noach and his sons.

The men separately and the women separately, because the were forbidden marital relations since the world was in a state of grief.66

Because of the waters of the Flood.67

Noach was also of those whose faith was weak; he believed and did not believe that the Flood will come and did not enter the ark until he was forced by the waters.68

Verse 9: Two by two.69

They were all equal in this number, [i.e.,] the minimum number was two.

They came to Noach.

Of their own accord.70

Verse 11: In the second month.

R. Eliezer says: this refers to Cheshvan71 R. Yehoshua says: this refers to Iyar.72

Burst open.

To release their waters.

The great deep.

[A punishment] measure for measure; they sinned with "Great is the evil of man"73 and they were punished with "the Great deep."74

Verse 12: There was rain on the earth.

And further on it states: "And the Flood was"?75 But, [it should be explained thus:] When He [G-d] brought them [flood waters] down He [first] brought them down mercifully so that if they repent they would yet be rains of blessing. And when they did not repent they became flood waters.76

Forty days, etc.

The first day is not included in this number because its night77 was not included with it, for it is written: [v. 11] "On that day all the wellsprings ... burst open."78 Consequently, the forty days ended on the twenty-eighth day of Kislev according to R. Eliezer['s opinion],79 for when the months are counted regularly [then] one is complete and one deficient,80 so, there are 12 days of Cheshvan81 and 28 days of Kislev.

Verse 13: On that very day.82

Scripture teaches that the people of his generation were saying: "If we see him entering the ark we will break it up and kill him." So G-d said: "I will bring him in before the eyes of everyone, then we shall see whose word prevails."83

Verse 14: Every bird, every winged creature.

[The word {Hebrew Ref} ] is in the construct state [meaning:] birds of every winged specie [thereby] including locusts84 ( {Hebrew Ref} means feather as [in the verse] "And he shall split it by its wings,"85 whereby even the feathers were brought up.86 Here, too, {Hebrew Ref} means any specie that had any semblance of feathers [wings].)

Verse 16: Hashem shut him in.87

He protected it so they would not break it.88 He surrounded the ark with bears an lions89 which killed some of them.90 The simple explanation of the verse is that He shut the door before him against the waters. Similarly, every time {Hebrew Ref} appears in Scripture has the meaning of {Hebrew Ref} ---in front of, [as in] "In front of every womb,"91 "In front of yourself and in front of your children,"92 "Skin in front of skin,"93 "A shield in front of me"94 "Pray in front of your servants"95 [meaning:] opposite [on behalf of] your servants.

Verse 17: It rose above the earth.

It [the ark] was immersed eleven cubits in water like a loaded ship that is partially immersed in water. This will be borne out by the forthcoming verses.96

Verse 18: [They] were powerful.97

By themselves.98

Verse 20: Fifteen amohs above them.99

[Meaning:] above the peaks of all the mountains, once the water reached the level of the summits.100

Verse 22: Breath of the spirit of life.101

[Meaning:] a breath of the spirit of life.102

Everything on dry land.

But not the fish in the sea.103

Verse 23: [It] obliterated.

It is in the {Hebrew Ref} form104 and not in the {Hebrew Ref} form.105 This is from the forms [of the verbs:] {Hebrew Ref} Every word whose last root letter is {Hebrew Ref} such as: {Hebrew Ref} when a {Hebrew Ref} and {Hebrew Ref} are placed at the beginning is vocalized with a chirik106 under the {Hebrew Ref} .

Only Noach.107

"Only Noach." That is the simple explanation. [However,] Midrash Aggadah108 explains. he was coughing and spitting blood from the toil and burden of the animals109 Others explain:110 that [once] he was late in bringing food to the lion and he bit him.111 About such [as Noach] it is said:112 "The righteous one is punished in this world."113