[ד"א ויהיו בני נח], זש"ה בלהות אתנך ואינך ותבקשי ולא תמצאי עוד לעולם נאום ה' אלהים (יחזקאל כו כא), מדבר באומות העולם, מהו בלהות אתנך ואינך, אומות העולם לא היו ולא עתידין להיות, שנאמר בלהות אתנך ואינך, בלהות בל היות ואינך עכשיו, ותבקשי ולא תמצאי עוד לעולם הבא, אבל ישראל היו וגם עתידין להיות, היו עד שלא נברא העולם, שנאמר זכור עדתך קנית קדם (תהלים עד ב) והן עכשיו, שנאמר אתם נצבים היום כלכם (דברים כט ט), ועתידין להיות, שנאמר והיו לי (נאום ה' אלהים) [אמר ה' צבאות] ליום אשר אני עושה סגלה (מלאכי ג יז), אבל לאומות העולם בלהות, שלא היו בעולם, ולא היה להם (הזייה) [הוויה] בעולם, אבל בני נח היתה להם (הזייה) [הוויה] בעולם, שנאמר ויהיו בני נח.
[Another interpretation (of Gen. 9:18): AND THE CHILDREN OF NOAH < WHO WENT FORTH FROM THE ARK > EXISTED.] This text is related (to Ezek. 26:21): I WILL MAKE YOU INTO HORRORS, AND YOU ARE NO MORE; YOU SHALL BE SOUGHT, BUT YOU SHALL NEVER BE FOUND AGAIN, SAYS THE LORD GOD. < The text > is speaking about the nations of the world. What is the meaning of I WILL MAKE YOU INTO HORRORS, AND YOU ARE NO MORE? The nations of the world had no existence and are not going to exist, as stated: I WILL MAKE YOU INTO HORRORS, AND YOU ARE NO MORE. HORRORS (BLHWT) means "not to exist" (BLHYWT); AND YOU ARE NO MORE now. YOU SHALL BE SOUGHT, BUT YOU SHALL NEVER BE FOUND AGAIN in the world to come. But Israel had existence and is also going to exist. It existed before the world was created, as stated (in Ps. 74:2): REMEMBER YOUR CONGREGATION WHICH YOU ACQUIRED OF OLD. And it exists now, as stated (in Deut. 29:9 [10]): YOU ARE STANDING TODAY, ALL OF YOU. You are also going to exist, as stated (in Mal. 3:17): AND THEY SHALL BE MINE, SAYS THE LORD {GOD} [OF HOSTS], ON THE DAY THAT I PREPARE A PERSONAL TREASURE. The nations of the world, however, had horrors (i.e., nonexistence) in that they did not exist in the world; but the children of Noah did have {purification} [existence] in the world, as stated (in Gen. 9:18): AND THE CHILDREN OF NOAH < WHO WENT FORTH FROM THE ARK > EXISTED.
2
ד"א ויהיו בני נח, אמר ר' לוי בזכות שעשו בתבה יצאו מן התבה, ולמה כל י"ב חודש שעשו בתבה היו חוגרין מתניהם וזנין הבהמה והחיה, ובזכות כן יצאו מן התבה.
Another interpretation (of Gen. 9:18): AND THE CHILDREN OF NOAH < WHO WENT FORTH FROM THE ARK > WERE < SHEM, HAM, AND JAPHETH >. R. Levi said: It was by virtue of what they had done in the ark that they went forth from the ark. But < specifically > for what? The whole twelve months that they spent in the ark they had been girding up their loins and feeding the cattle and the beasts. So it was by virtue of this that they went forth from the ark.
3
(שנאמר) ויהיו בני נח היוצאים מן התבה [שם וחם ויפת], וכי שם היה גדול שהוא מקדימו, והלא כתיב אחי יפת הגדול (בראשית י כא), למה הקדים שם ליפת, שהיה כשר ומושלם לבוראו.
{Thus it is stated} (in Gen. 9:18): THE CHILDREN OF NOAH, WHO WENT FORTH FROM THE ARK, WERE [SHEM, HAM, AND JAPHETH]. Was Shem really the oldest in that he comes first? Is it not also written (in Gen. 10:21): < AND UNTO SHEM > … THE BROTHER OF JAPHETH, WHO WAS THE OLDEST? Why < then > did Shem precede Japheth? Because he was worthy (kasher) and virtuous for his creator.
4
וחם הוא אבי כנען (שם שם א), תנא אמר ר' ברכיה חם הוא אבי כנען הוא אבי פרוח (שלשה אלה בני נח).
(Gen. 9:18, cont.:) AND HAM IS THE FATHER OF CANAAN. There is a tradition that R. Berekhyah said: HAM IS THE FATHER OF CANAAN: He is the father of a peroah.62The word denotes something shameful. Parallel accounts in Gen. R. 36:2 and Yalqut Shim‘oni on Gen. 9:18 read pahatah, a word denoting a degraded person. Leqah Tov on Gen. 9:18 reads shefahot, a word meaning “female slaves.” This interpretation may have been suggested by deriving “Canaan” from the verb kana‘, which means, “he was humbled.” {(Gen. 9:19:) THESE THREE WERE THE SONS OF NOAH.}
[ד"א ויהיו בני נח], זש"ה בלהות אתנך ואינך ותבקשי ולא תמצאי עוד לעולם נאום ה' אלהים (יחזקאל כו כא), מדבר באומות העולם, מהו בלהות אתנך ואינך, אומות העולם לא היו ולא עתידין להיות, שנאמר בלהות אתנך ואינך, בלהות בל היות ואינך עכשיו, ותבקשי ולא תמצאי עוד לעולם הבא, אבל ישראל היו וגם עתידין להיות, היו עד שלא נברא העולם, שנאמר זכור עדתך קנית קדם (תהלים עד ב) והן עכשיו, שנאמר אתם נצבים היום כלכם (דברים כט ט), ועתידין להיות, שנאמר והיו לי (נאום ה' אלהים) [אמר ה' צבאות] ליום אשר אני עושה סגלה (מלאכי ג יז), אבל לאומות העולם בלהות, שלא היו בעולם, ולא היה להם (הזייה) [הוויה] בעולם, אבל בני נח היתה להם (הזייה) [הוויה] בעולם, שנאמר ויהיו בני נח.
[Another interpretation (of Gen. 9:18): AND THE CHILDREN OF NOAH < WHO WENT FORTH FROM THE ARK > EXISTED.] This text is related (to Ezek. 26:21): I WILL MAKE YOU INTO HORRORS, AND YOU ARE NO MORE; YOU SHALL BE SOUGHT, BUT YOU SHALL NEVER BE FOUND AGAIN, SAYS THE LORD GOD. < The text > is speaking about the nations of the world. What is the meaning of I WILL MAKE YOU INTO HORRORS, AND YOU ARE NO MORE? The nations of the world had no existence and are not going to exist, as stated: I WILL MAKE YOU INTO HORRORS, AND YOU ARE NO MORE. HORRORS (BLHWT) means "not to exist" (BLHYWT); AND YOU ARE NO MORE now. YOU SHALL BE SOUGHT, BUT YOU SHALL NEVER BE FOUND AGAIN in the world to come. But Israel had existence and is also going to exist. It existed before the world was created, as stated (in Ps. 74:2): REMEMBER YOUR CONGREGATION WHICH YOU ACQUIRED OF OLD. And it exists now, as stated (in Deut. 29:9 [10]): YOU ARE STANDING TODAY, ALL OF YOU. You are also going to exist, as stated (in Mal. 3:17): AND THEY SHALL BE MINE, SAYS THE LORD {GOD} [OF HOSTS], ON THE DAY THAT I PREPARE A PERSONAL TREASURE. The nations of the world, however, had horrors (i.e., nonexistence) in that they did not exist in the world; but the children of Noah did have {purification} [existence] in the world, as stated (in Gen. 9:18): AND THE CHILDREN OF NOAH < WHO WENT FORTH FROM THE ARK > EXISTED.
ד"א ויהיו בני נח, אמר ר' לוי בזכות שעשו בתבה יצאו מן התבה, ולמה כל י"ב חודש שעשו בתבה היו חוגרין מתניהם וזנין הבהמה והחיה, ובזכות כן יצאו מן התבה.
Another interpretation (of Gen. 9:18): AND THE CHILDREN OF NOAH < WHO WENT FORTH FROM THE ARK > WERE < SHEM, HAM, AND JAPHETH >. R. Levi said: It was by virtue of what they had done in the ark that they went forth from the ark. But < specifically > for what? The whole twelve months that they spent in the ark they had been girding up their loins and feeding the cattle and the beasts. So it was by virtue of this that they went forth from the ark.
(שנאמר) ויהיו בני נח היוצאים מן התבה [שם וחם ויפת], וכי שם היה גדול שהוא מקדימו, והלא כתיב אחי יפת הגדול (בראשית י כא), למה הקדים שם ליפת, שהיה כשר ומושלם לבוראו.
{Thus it is stated} (in Gen. 9:18): THE CHILDREN OF NOAH, WHO WENT FORTH FROM THE ARK, WERE [SHEM, HAM, AND JAPHETH]. Was Shem really the oldest in that he comes first? Is it not also written (in Gen. 10:21): < AND UNTO SHEM > … THE BROTHER OF JAPHETH, WHO WAS THE OLDEST? Why < then > did Shem precede Japheth? Because he was worthy (kasher) and virtuous for his creator.
וחם הוא אבי כנען (שם שם א), תנא אמר ר' ברכיה חם הוא אבי כנען הוא אבי פרוח (שלשה אלה בני נח).
(Gen. 9:18, cont.:) AND HAM IS THE FATHER OF CANAAN. There is a tradition that R. Berekhyah said: HAM IS THE FATHER OF CANAAN: He is the father of a peroah.62The word denotes something shameful. Parallel accounts in Gen. R. 36:2 and Yalqut Shim‘oni on Gen. 9:18 read pahatah, a word denoting a degraded person. Leqah Tov on Gen. 9:18 reads shefahot, a word meaning “female slaves.” This interpretation may have been suggested by deriving “Canaan” from the verb kana‘, which means, “he was humbled.” {(Gen. 9:19:) THESE THREE WERE THE SONS OF NOAH.}