Genesis-Chap-8-1-22
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Colour coded
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1. Torah = History & Law, 2. Nevi’im = The Prophets. 3. *Ketuvim = all other Writings.
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Please Note: Some
alterations or (additions) have been made relating to ‘Names’ and ‘Attributes’
of אֱלֹהִים - Elohim, having been
corrected like it once was pre the “Masoretic Text”.
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Remember the following truth from our beloved Torah!
“Ye
shall NOT ADD
TO THE WORD which I command
you, NEITHER SHALL YE DIMINISH FROM IT,
that ye may keep the commandments of יְהוָה
אֱלֹהֵיכֶם - the LORD your Eloleichem, which I command you”. Davarim -
Deuteronomy 4:2. (JPS-1917).
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With Rabbi, Dr. Reuven Ben Avraham-Goossens, PhD.
Introduction:
In Chapter 8, we witness the
shift from judgment to remembrance. The waters
have done their work, and now the focus turns to the restoration of life. This
chapter is a beautiful lesson in patience and partnership;
while אֱלֹהִים - Elohim (God) causes the wind to blow, Noah must actively
test the world outside to see if it is ready to sustain life again. It is a
transition from a floating sanctuary back to a grounded reality.
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Below you will find Genesis Chapter 8 (JPS-1917), ‘Text’ with Explanations, below the verses:
Verse 1: “And אֱלֹהִים - Elohim remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that were
with him in the ark; and אֱלֹהִים - Elohim made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;
Explanation: The word “remembered”
in Torah doesn't mean אֱלֹהִים - Elohim forgot; it signifies that אֱלֹהִים - Elohim acted on their behalf.
The “wind” (ruach) reminds us of the very first breath of
creation in Genesis 1:2.
Verse 2: The fountains also of the deep and the windows of heaven were stopped,
and the rain from heaven was restrained;
Explanation: The “de-creation” is reversed. The chaotic waters that were let loose are now put back into their assigned boundaries.
Verse 3: And the waters returned from off the earth continually; and after the
end of a hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.
Explanation: This highlights the gradual nature of recovery. Healing rarely happens in an instant; it is a steady recession of the “flood” in our lives.
Verse 4: And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the
month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
Explanation: Resting on a
mountain symbolizes a new
Verse 5: And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month; in the tenth
month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.
Explanation: Clarity begins to return. The first sight of the mountain tops represents the first signs of hope after a long period of isolation.
Verse 6: And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the
window of the ark which he had made;
Explanation: Noah moves from being a passenger to an active participant in his own rescue.
Verse 7: And he sent forth a raven, and it went forth to and fro, until the
waters were dried up from off the earth.
Explanation: The raven, a hardy bird, survives by flying back and forth but offers no specific “message” of peace.
Verse 8: And he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from
off the face of the ground;
Explanation: The dove represents a different kind of sensitivity, she looks for a place to rest, not just a place to scavenge.
Verse 9: But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, and she returned
unto him to the ark, for the waters were on the face of the whole earth; and he
put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her in unto him into the ark.
Explanation: This is a tender moment. Noah doesn’t just let her in; he reaches out his hand to bring her back to safety.
Verse
10: And he stayed yet other seven
days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark;
Explanation: Noah exhibits sacred patience, waiting for the right cycle of time.
Verse
11: And the dove came in to him at
eventide; and, lo, in her mouth an olive-leaf freshly plucked; so Noah knew
that the waters were abated from off the earth.
Explanation: The olive leaf is bitter, but it represents growth. It is better to have a bitter leaf of freedom than the sweet food of captivity.
Verse
12: And he stayed yet other seven
days; and sent forth the dove; and she returned not unto him any more.
Explanation: The dove’s departure signals that the world is finally hospitable again.
Verse
13: And it came to pass in the six
hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the
waters were dried up from off the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the
ark, and looked, and, behold, the face of the ground was dried.
Explanation: Noah literally changes his perspective by removing the roof. He is preparing his mind for a world without walls.
Verse 14: And in
the second month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, was the earth
dry.
Explanation: The earth is now fully firm, ready for the heavy steps of animals and men.
Verse
15: And אֱלֹהִים - Elohim spoke unto Noah, saying:
Verse 16: ‘Go
forth from the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons’ wives with
thee’.
Explanation: Just as אֱלֹהִים - Elohim commanded him to enter, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim now commands him to leave. We often need Divine encouragement to step back into the world after a trauma.
Verse
17: Bring forth with thee every
living thing that is with thee of all flesh, both fowl, and cattle, and every
creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that
they may may swarm in the earth, and be fruitful, and
multiply upon the earth.’
Explanation: The mission is renewed: to fill the world with life, movement, and vitality.
Verse
18: And Noah went forth, and his
sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him;
Verse 19: Every beast, every creeping
thing, and every fowl, whatsoever moveth upon the
earth, after their families, went forth out of the ark.
Explanation: Notice the word “families”. Even the animals are organized by their connections to one another.
Verse
20: And Noah builded
an altar unto יְהוָה - the LORD; and
took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt-offerings
on the altar.
Explanation: Noah’s first act is gratitude. Before building a house for himself, he builds an altar for אֱלֹהִים - Elohim.
Verse
21: And יְהוָה - the LORD smelled
the sweet savour; and יְהוָה - the LORD said in
His heart: ‘I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the
imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite
any more every thing living, as I have done’.
Explanation: אֱלֹהִים - Elohim acknowledges human nature with all its flaws. This is a moment of Divine Empathy, אֱלֹהִים - Elohim decides to work with humanity as we are, rather than demanding perfection.
Verse
22: While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and
summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease;’”.
Explanation: This is the promise of rhythm. The world will no longer be interrupted by total chaos; the seasons provide a reliable heartbeat for existence.
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My Closing Message:
Chapter 8 teaches us that even
after the greatest storms, there is a "remembering."
אֱלֹהִים - Elohim remembers us, but we must also remember our duty to
the world. Noah shows us that while we wait for the "waters" to
recede in our own lives, we must keep opening the window, keep sending out the
dove, and eventually, be brave enough to remove the covering and step out into
the sun. The promise of the seasons is a promise of stability
and a second chance.
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