Rabbi Abba said that in Gehenom, there are compartments upon compartments, seconds, thirds, and so on until seven; the friends have already explained this issue. Blessed are the righteous who guard themselves from the sins of the wicked and do not follow in their paths nor defile themselves. For when a person who has become impure dies and passes onto the World of Truth, he goes down into Gehenom. There he descends, until he reaches the lowest compartment.
And there are two compartments close to each other that are called Sheol and Avadon. Whoever reaches Sheol is judged and punished there and is then raised to a different, but higher, compartment. This continues until he is released from there. But those who go down and reach Avadon are never raised from there again. That is why it is called Avadon (Eng. 'perdition'), because they are lost there forever.
Come and behold: Noah the righteous warned the people of his generation, but they did not heed him until the Holy One, blessed be He, brought the punishment of Gehenom upon them. What is the punishment Gehenom? It is fire and snow, water and fire; the first is cold, the other boiling. And all of that generation were sentenced to punishment in Gehenom and lost from the world.
After that punishment, the world was able to exist and function correctly. Noah entered the ark and brought into it all the species of creatures. So, of course, Noah was a fruit tree yielding fruit. And then all the species of the world emerged from the ark just as it happened above (meaning just as in Yesod and Malchut above).
Come and behold: when the fruit tree yielding fruit is joined with the fruit tree (Malchut) then all the species of above, great and small living creatures and all their varieties come forward, each with other members of its species. As it is written: "both small and great beasts" (Tehilim 104:25). So was the case with Noah and the ark. They all emerged from the ark (they were all corrected while in the ark). And the world existed just as above. And this is why Noah is called a husbandman, that is the husband of the earth, and "a righteous man", as has been previously explained.
Rabbi Chiya said: For 300 years before the Great Flood, Noah warned them to change their ways but they did not listen to him until the time when the Holy One, blessed be He, had finished waiting for them to repent. Then they were lost from the world. Come and behold, it is written: "And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them" (Ibid. 1), who they went naked in front of everyone. And then, what is written? "And the sons of Elohim saw the daughters of men (Ibid. 2). This was the main cause to continue sinning until it finally caused them to be destroyed. And because of that they followed the Evil Inclination, held fast to its trunk and roots, rejected the holy faith from among themselves, and became defiled. So it is written: "The End of all Flesh is come before Me" (Ibid. 13), to teach that they were guilty.
רַבִּי אַבָּא אָמַר, בַּגֵּיהִנָּם אִית מְדוֹרִין עַל מְדוֹרִין תִּנְיָינִין תְּלִיתָאִין עַד שֶׁבַע. וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ חַבְרַיָיא. וְזַכָּאִין אִנּוּן צַדִּיקַיָא דְּאִנּוּן מִסְתַּמְּרִין מֵחוֹבֵי חַיָּיבַיָא וְלָא אָזְלֵי בְּאָרְחַיְיהוּ וְלָא מִסְתָּאֲבֵי בְּהוּ. וְכָל מַאן דְּאִסְתָּאַב כַּד אָזִיל לְהַהוּא עָלְמָא, נָחִית לַגֵּיהִנֹּם. וְנָחִית עַד מְדוֹרָא תַּתָּאָה.
Rabbi Abba said that in Gehenom, there are compartments upon compartments, seconds, thirds, and so on until seven; the friends have already explained this issue. Blessed are the righteous who guard themselves from the sins of the wicked and do not follow in their paths nor defile themselves. For when a person who has become impure dies and passes onto the World of Truth, he goes down into Gehenom. There he descends, until he reaches the lowest compartment.
וּתְרֵין מְדוֹרִין אִנּוּן דִּסְמִיכִין דָּא עִם דָּא שְׁאוֹל וַאֲבַדּוֹן. מָאן דְּנָחִית לִשְׁאוֹל דַּיְינִין לֵיהּ תַּמָּן וּמְקַבֵּל עָנְשֵׁיהּ וּסְלִיקוּ לֵיהּ לִמְדוֹרָא אָחֳרָא עִלָּאָה. וְכֵן דַּרְגָּא בָּתַר דַּרְגָּא עַד דְּאִנּוּן סָלְקִין לֵיהּ. אֲבָל מָאן דְּנָחִית לַאֲבַדּוֹן לָא סָלְקִין לֵיהּ לְעָלְמִין. וּבְגִין כָּךְ אִקְרֵי אֲבַדּוֹן דְּהָא אָבִיד הוּא מִכֹּלָּא.
And there are two compartments close to each other that are called Sheol and Avadon. Whoever reaches Sheol is judged and punished there and is then raised to a different, but higher, compartment. This continues until he is released from there. But those who go down and reach Avadon are never raised from there again. That is why it is called Avadon (Eng. 'perdition'), because they are lost there forever.
תָּא חֲזֵי נֹחַ זַכָּאָה, הֲוָה אַתְרֵי בִּבְנֵי דָרֵיהּ וְלָא הֲווּ שָׁמְעֵי לֵיהּ. עַד דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אַיְיתֵי עֲלַיְיהוּ דִינָא דְּגֵיהִנֹּם. מַאי דִינָא דְּגֵיהִנֹּם אֶשָׁא וְתַלְגָא. מַיָיא וְאֶשָׁא. דָּא צְנִינָא וְדָא רְתִיחָא. וְכֻלְהוּ בְּדִינָא דְּגֵיהִנֹּם אִתְדָּנוּ וְאִתְאֲבִידוּ מֵעָלְמָא.
Come and behold: Noah the righteous warned the people of his generation, but they did not heed him until the Holy One, blessed be He, brought the punishment of Gehenom upon them. What is the punishment Gehenom? It is fire and snow, water and fire; the first is cold, the other boiling. And all of that generation were sentenced to punishment in Gehenom and lost from the world.
וּלְבָתַר אִתְקְיַּים עָלְמָא כְּדְקָא חָזֵי לֵיהּ. וְעָאל נֹחַ בַּתֵּבָה וְאָעִיל בָּהּ כָּל זִינָא וְזִינָא (ד"א מבריין) דְּעָלְמָא. וַדַּאי נֹחַ עֵץ עוֹשֶׂה פְּרִי הֲוָה. וְנָפְקוּ מִן תֵּבָה כָּל זְיָינֵי עָלְמָא כְּגַוְונָא דִלְעֵילָא.
After that punishment, the world was able to exist and function correctly. Noah entered the ark and brought into it all the species of creatures. So, of course, Noah was a fruit tree yielding fruit. And then all the species of the world emerged from the ark just as it happened above (meaning just as in Yesod and Malchut above).
תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּד הַאי עֵץ עוֹשֶׂה פְּרִי אִתְחַבַּר בְּעֵץ פְּרִי כָּל אִנּוּן זַיְינִין דִּלְעֵילָא חֵיוָון רַבְרְבָן וּזְעֵירָן וְכַמָּה זַיְינִין וְכָל חַד לְזִינֵיהּ כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (תהילים ק״ד:כ״ה) חַיּוֹת קְטַנּוֹת עִם גְּדוֹלוֹת. כְּגַוְונָא דָא נֹחַ בַּתֵּבָה. וְכֻלְהוּ נָפְקוּ מִן תֵּיבוּתָא וְאִתְקְיַּים עָלְמָא כְּגַוְונָא דִלְעֵילָא. וּבְגִינֵי כָךְ נֹחַ אִישׁ הָאֲדָמָה אִקְרֵי. נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק אִקְרֵי וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ.
Come and behold: when the fruit tree yielding fruit is joined with the fruit tree (Malchut) then all the species of above, great and small living creatures and all their varieties come forward, each with other members of its species. As it is written: "both small and great beasts" (Tehilim 104:25). So was the case with Noah and the ark. They all emerged from the ark (they were all corrected while in the ark). And the world existed just as above. And this is why Noah is called a husbandman, that is the husband of the earth, and "a righteous man", as has been previously explained.
רַבִּי חִיָּיא אָמַר תְּלַת מְאָה שְׁנִין עַד לָא אָתֵי טוֹפָנָא הֲוָה נֹחַ אַתְרֵי בְּהוּ עַל עוֹבָדֵיהוֹן וְלָא הֲווּ שָׁמְעִין לֵיהּ. עַד דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אַשְׁלִים זִמְנָא דְּאוֹרִיךְ לוֹן וְאִתְאֲבִידוּ מֵעָלְמָא. תָּא חֲזֵי, מַה כְּתִיב לְעֵילָא וַיְהִי כִּי הֵחֵל הָאָדָם לָרוֹב עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה וּבָנוֹת יֻלְדוּ לָהֶם. וְהֲווּ אָזְלִין עַרְטִילָאִין לְעֵינֵיהוֹן דְּכֹלָּא. מַה כְּתִיב, (בראשית ו׳:ב׳) וַיִּרְאוּ בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים אֶת בְּנוֹת הָאָדָם וְגו'. וְדָא הֲוָה יְסוֹדָא וְעִקָּרָא לְמֵיגַד בְּחוֹבֵיהוֹן עַד דְּגָרִים לוֹן לְאִשְׁתֵּצָאָה מֵעָלְמָא. וּבְגִין כָּךְ אִתְמַשְׁכָאן בָּתַר יֵצֶר הָרָע וּבְגִזְעוֹי וְשָׁרְשׁוֹי. וְדָחוּ מְהֵימְנוּתָא קַדִּישָׁא מִבֵּינַיְיהוּ. וְאִסְתָּאֲבוּ (נ"א ואיתאבידו) כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמָר. בְּגִין כָּךְ קֵץ כָּל בָּשָׂר בָּא לְפָנַי, לַאֲלָפָא קָטֵיגוֹרְיָא עֲלַיְיהוּ:
Rabbi Chiya said: For 300 years before the Great Flood, Noah warned them to change their ways but they did not listen to him until the time when the Holy One, blessed be He, had finished waiting for them to repent. Then they were lost from the world. Come and behold, it is written: "And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them" (Ibid. 1), who they went naked in front of everyone. And then, what is written? "And the sons of Elohim saw the daughters of men (Ibid. 2). This was the main cause to continue sinning until it finally caused them to be destroyed. And because of that they followed the Evil Inclination, held fast to its trunk and roots, rejected the holy faith from among themselves, and became defiled. So it is written: "The End of all Flesh is come before Me" (Ibid. 13), to teach that they were guilty.