AND NOAH THE HUSBANDMAN BEGAN AND PLANTED A VINEYARD. R. Judah and R. Jose differed as to the origin of this vine. One said that it came from the Garden of Eden and Noah now planted it here. The other said that it had been on the earth before the Flood and Noah had plucked it and now replanted it. On the same day it blossomed, ripened, and brought forth grapes. Noah then pressed out from them wine, drank of it and became drunken.
R. Simeon said: ‘There is a mystical allusion in this verse. When Noah began to probe into the sin of Adam, not for purpose of practising it but in order to understand it, and so warn the world against it, he pressed grapes in order to make researches into that vineyard. But when he reached that point he was “drunken and uncovered”-he lost his (mental) balance and uncovered the breach of the world which hitherto had been closed up. WITHIN HIS TENT. It is written oholoh (lit. her tent), an allusion to the idea contained in the passage, “And come not nigh the door of her house” (Prov. 5, 8), “her tent” implying the tent of that vineyard.
The same explanation applies to the case of the sons of Aaron, who, we have been taught, were drunk from wine (when they sinned). Who then, gave them wine at that place to drink? And is it conceivable that they would dare to get drunk at such a time? But in reality the wine which made them drunk was this same wine of Noah, as it is written, “and they offered strange fire before the Lord” (Lev. 10, 1), an analogous term to which is found in the passage, “That they may keep thee from the strange woman” (Prov. 7, 5): all these terms allude to one and the same thing.
The same sense, then, underlies the verse, “And he drank of the wine and was drunken, and he was uncovered within his tent.” This, as explained, was observed by Ham, the father of Canaan, and Canaan seized the opportunity to work his will by removing from that righteous man the mystical symbol of the covenant; for this, according to tradition, is what he did.
Therefore Noah said, CURSED BE CANAAN. since through him the curse returned to the world. A SLAVE OF SLAVES HE SHALL BE: these words correspond to those addressed to the serpent: “cursed art thou from all cattle, etc.” (Gen. 3, 14). Hence, while all others will be saved in the world to come, he will not be saved; all others will obtain their freedom, but not he. This is a mystery known to the adepts in the ways and paths of the Torah.
וַיָּחֶל נֹחַ אִישׁ הָאֲדָמָה וַיִּטַּע כֶּרֶם. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי. חַד אָמַר מִגַּן עֵדֶן (אתרכבת) אִתְתַּרְכַת וּנְצִיב לָהּ הָכָא. וְחַד אָמַר בְּאַרְעָא הֲוַת וְעָקַר לָהּ וְשָׁתַל לָהּ, וּבְהַהוּא יוֹמָא עַבְדַת אִיבִּין וְנִיצַת לַבְלְבִין וְעֲנָבִים וְהֲוָה סָחִיט לָהּ וְשָׁתֵי מִן חַמְרָא וְרָוֵי.
AND NOAH THE HUSBANDMAN BEGAN AND PLANTED A VINEYARD. R. Judah and R. Jose differed as to the origin of this vine. One said that it came from the Garden of Eden and Noah now planted it here. The other said that it had been on the earth before the Flood and Noah had plucked it and now replanted it. On the same day it blossomed, ripened, and brought forth grapes. Noah then pressed out from them wine, drank of it and became drunken.
רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אָמַר רָזָא דְּחָכְמְתָא אִיהוּ הָכָא בְּהַאי קְרָא. כַּד בָּעָא נֹחַ לְמִבְדַּק בְּהַהוּא חוֹבָא דְּבָדַק אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן. לָאו לְאִתְדַּבְּקָא בֵּיהּ, אֶלָּא לְמִנְדַע וּלְאַתְקָנָא עָלְמָא וְלָא יָכִיל. סָחַט עֲנָבִים לְמִבְדַּק בְּהַהוּא כֶּרֶם. כֵּיוָן דְּמָטָא לְהַאי, (ד"א כדין) וַיִּשְׁכָּר וַיִּתְגָּל. וְלָא הֲוָה לֵיהּ חֵילָא לְמֵיקַם. וּבְגִין כָּךְ וַיִּתְגָּל גַּלֵּי פִּרְצָה דְעָלְמָא דְּהֲוָה סָתִים. בְּתוֹךְ אָהֳלֹה כְּתִיב בְּה"א. וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב וְאַל תִּקְרַב אֶל פֶּתַח בֵּיתָהּ. בְּתוֹךְ אָהֳלָהּ דְּהַהוּא כָּרֶם.
R. Simeon said: ‘There is a mystical allusion in this verse. When Noah began to probe into the sin of Adam, not for purpose of practising it but in order to understand it, and so warn the world against it, he pressed grapes in order to make researches into that vineyard. But when he reached that point he was “drunken and uncovered”-he lost his (mental) balance and uncovered the breach of the world which hitherto had been closed up. WITHIN HIS TENT. It is written oholoh (lit. her tent), an allusion to the idea contained in the passage, “And come not nigh the door of her house” (Prov. 5, 8), “her tent” implying the tent of that vineyard.
כְּגַוְונָא דָא בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן דְּתָנִינָן שְׁתוּיֵי יַיִן הֲווּ. וְכִי מַאן יָהִיב לוֹן חַמְרָא בְּהַהוּא אֲתַר לְמִשְׁתֵּי. אִי סַלְקָא דַעְתָּךְ דְּאִנוּן חֲצִיפִין הֲווּ דְּרָווֹ חַמְרָא. לָאו הָכִי, אֶלָּא וַדַּאי מֵהַהוּא חַמְרָא רָווֹ דִּכְתִיב, (ויקרא י׳:א׳) וַיַּקְרִיבוּ לִפְנֵי יְיָ אֵשׁ זָרָה. כְּתִיב הָכָא אֵשׁ זָרָה וּכְתִיב הָתָם (משלי ז׳:ה׳) לִשְׁמָרְךָ מֵאִשָּׁה זָרָה וְכֹלָּא חַד מִלָּה.
The same explanation applies to the case of the sons of Aaron, who, we have been taught, were drunk from wine (when they sinned). Who then, gave them wine at that place to drink? And is it conceivable that they would dare to get drunk at such a time? But in reality the wine which made them drunk was this same wine of Noah, as it is written, “and they offered strange fire before the Lord” (Lev. 10, 1), an analogous term to which is found in the passage, “That they may keep thee from the strange woman” (Prov. 7, 5): all these terms allude to one and the same thing.
וְכֵן כְּגַוְונָא דָא וַיֵּשְׁתְּ מִן הַיַּיִן וַיִּשְׁכָּר וַיִּתְגָּל. וְעַל דָּא אִתְעַר חָם אֲבִי כְנָעַן כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמָר וְאִתְיְהִיב אֲתַר לִכְנַעַן לְשַׁלְטָאָה, וּמַאי דְּהֲוָה הָדֵין צַדִּיק בְּרָזָא דִּבְרִית סֵרְסוֹ. וְתַנְיָא דְּאַעֲבַר מִינֵיהּ הַהוּא קִיּוּמָא.
The same sense, then, underlies the verse, “And he drank of the wine and was drunken, and he was uncovered within his tent.” This, as explained, was observed by Ham, the father of Canaan, and Canaan seized the opportunity to work his will by removing from that righteous man the mystical symbol of the covenant; for this, according to tradition, is what he did.
וּבְגִין כָּךְ אָמַר אָרוּר דְּהָא לְוָוטִין אִתְעָרוּ בְּקַדְמִיתָא עַל יְדֵיהּ בְּעָלְמָא. (ועל דא ויאמר ארור כנען דהא לווטין ייתון על עלמא כקדמיתא). עֶבֶד עֲבָדִים יִהְיֶה כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר אָרוּר אַתָּה מִכָּל הַבְּהֵמָה וְגו'. כֹּלָּא יִתְתַּקַּן לְזִמְנָא דְּאָתֵי וְהוּא לָא יִתְתַּקַּן. וְכֹלָּא יִפְקוּן לְחֵירוּ וְהוּא לָא יִפּוּק. וְרָזָא אִיהוּ לְאִנוּן דְּיָדְעֵי אָרְחוֹי וּשְׁבִילֵי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא.
Therefore Noah said, CURSED BE CANAAN. since through him the curse returned to the world. A SLAVE OF SLAVES HE SHALL BE: these words correspond to those addressed to the serpent: “cursed art thou from all cattle, etc.” (Gen. 3, 14). Hence, while all others will be saved in the world to come, he will not be saved; all others will obtain their freedom, but not he. This is a mystery known to the adepts in the ways and paths of the Torah.