Our Parsha this Holy Shabbos is Parashas Noach and the Haftorah which makes reference to Noach and the Parsha is in Yeshayahu Isaiah 54 : 1 - 10 for Sephardim and Isaiah 54 : 1 - 55 : 5 for Ashkenazim . The Parsha begins by mentioning the offspring of Noach , who were Shem then Cham and Yafes . Though Yafes is the oldest , Shem is mentioned first , as the holiest of the three sons , in Torah , the next would have been Yafes and then Cham , but Cham is mentioned in between , who was punished to serve the other brothers . The Parsha starts out by telling us that Noach was an " Ish Tzaddik Tamim Hayah Bedorosaiv " - " Righteous man , perfect in his generations " and our Rabbis give different interpretations to this . On the one hand , Noach is looked upon as standing out in his very bad generation , as the one who was righteous and perfect , unlike those around him and in this interpretation , he is looked upon with great holiness and courage as standing against a whole world and still remaining holy unlike those around him who had walked away from HaShem , perpetrating violence and thievery , but not Noach , who remained apart from them and stood against the wave of negativity of his time and so was he , as a single family , left to be the ones remaining from all those others who perished in the Mabul Flood . The other Rabbinical opinion is one of being not as righteous as he might have been and this opinion states that he was righteous ( only ) ( with ) in his own generation , for this opinion makes out that had he lived at the time of Avraham , he would not have appeared so righteous in comparison . Where HaShem Says to Avraham , Walk before me and be perfect , here in this Sedra , HaShem Tells us that Noach walked with G-D . This alone can have various interpretations that can go along with both Rabbinical opinions . On one hand , HaShem Asks Avraham to Walk before Him , for Avraham is very holy And HaShem Gives the holy ones great kavod , where Noach has to only walk side by side with HaShem . For the other opinion , Avraham could have been asked to walk before HaShem as a sign of love to Avraham , where Noach could walk alongside HaShem as a friend . But what ever opinion one chooses , one should never judge one generation with another , for each generation brings its own tests and levels to climb . Thus one should not compare one man to another in holiness , for what Noach did , to stand against an entire World against him , is truly an act of love for HaShem and certainly deserving of walking alongside HaShem in loving friendship and togetherness and at one of purpose and intention for how humanity should behave with strict holiness and morality . Could any of us be like Noach and stand against an entire World . Doubtful . What courage and holy moral love of HaShem , that certainly takes and that Noach must have had . Torah Informs us that the Earth had become corrupted for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the Earth . Corrupted , for people had become very Violent - Chamas ( in Hebrew ) , similar to how people behave today actually and they would rob each other of even the minutest things , just to show to be within the law of what constitutes limits to robbery . The ones who judged also became corrupt and when robbing goes so far as to rob ' illegally ' in an apparent legal yet illegal way and those in charge go along with it , like what happened in Sodom and Amorah ( Gomorrah ) , this is a break up of the very moral fiber of civilization and society . Such a generation thus does not deserve to continue , for it only gets worse for even those who are still there to uphold and enforce the Law , no longer do and that is a show of hopeless break up of society. HaShem Mentions how all flesh had corrupted itself . This also refers to the immoral acts that took place between humans and animals and also between two different species , which was forbidden , For HaShem Had Warned That each is to stay with its own kind . This generation of the Mabul had reached a point of no return and only holy Noach and his holy wife Naamah ( descendant of Kayin ) and their three sons and their son's wives were worthy to be in the Ark . HaShem Appears to Noach and tells him to build a Teivah - An Ark with three levels and a window which some believe was a precious stone And That HaShem Will Destroy all that are outside of the Ark . The same word Teivah , appears in reference to the Teivah - Basket , made to save Moshe as a baby in Miztrayim , when it was put upon the Nile , showing a spiritual link between Moshe and Noach . Both holy men . HaShem Saw To it that the non Kosher Animals would come to Noach on the Ark two pairs each and the Kosher Animals , seven pairs each , Noach would need to bring himself . The building of the Ark took 120 years , a long time , so that people might question Noach about it and he might try to bring the people around , telling them of the deluge to come and that they must return to HaShem . Interesting again , how Moshe lived till 120 . Also very interesting how Moshe spent 40 years pleading for the people and this Parsha mentions About HaShem Sending rain for 40 days and 40 nights while Noach and his family would be in the Ark . No wonder our Rabbonim put forward the idea that Moshe's Neshoma was the same as Noach , where as if Moshe was needing to make up for pleading for the people when Noach needed to do more of that . Both were put in a " Teivah " - " Ark / Basket " on the water And Were Saved . Both were very holy men . Noach didn't make as much effort as he should in trying to change his generation , not that he did not try with a few people , but not like Avraham , who made it his life work to bring people to HaShem . This could be one of the reasons Why HaShem Said To Noach , " Asei Lecha Teivat " - " Make for yourself an Ark , " For HaShem May Have Been Trying To Hint That he needs to be more open to others and not just his own family , in saving their Neshomas . We see HaShem Say similar words To Avraham , in the next Parsha " Lech Lecha , " - " Go for yourself " , for Avraham , who did differently , spent his life doing for HaShem and not just for his own family , constantly bringing people to HaShem . We see that Moshe was also asked to make a Tabernacle That HaShem Can Let His Shechinah Dwell Within . This Is The Way Of HaShem and this is how we are to be , totally giving beyond our own surroundings , to go out into the World and make it a World Where HaShem Can Dwell Among us . HaShem Had Before This , Sent Warning floods and other disasters To Wake the people up , but , like what happens in our present time , people ignored it and still do . Even when the time of the Mabul came , Noach was not totally sure That HaShem Would Go Through With It . We note that a seven day delay is mentioned and this refers to that Noach sat Shiva for Metushelach , who had just past away . HaShem Himself Had To Shut Noach and the family Into the Ark , for Noach still hoped it would pass , but it did not and after many arduous years of work , for which the animals too helped carry while lions sat guard over Noach and his family , the Mabul began . Forty Days and Forty Nights was the rain upon the Earth . HaShem Brought flood waters of heat from below from Gehinnom and masses of water from Above . All died , except Og ( the giant , descendent of the Nephilim fallen angel mixing with the daughters of men - where Og was finally killed in Moshe's time ) , for whom Noach had made a platform for him outside the Ark with a cover and Noach fed him too . This was the Og who later tried to get Sarah for himself , by trying to entice Avraham into war . This was the same Og who , at Yitzchak's weaning , thought to himself that he could crush Yitzchak within his fingers and from that moment on , Did HaShem Decree That this Giant Og , descended from the Nephillim , would fall by a descendant of Yitzchak , who was Moshe Rabbeinu . The people outside tried to climb to higher ground , but the water massed higher and higher and all were drowned . The evil people that died , died with their bodies leaving and their souls still in anger and these became Mazikin Demons . The animals in the Ark had to have constant attention and feeding , for different animals have different feeding patterns . Once in feeding , Noach ran a bit late in feeding the Lion , for Noach was so busy and the lion took a claw scratch at him . After many days , Noach noticed that one of the birds looked completely starved and was sitting very quietly and humbly , hardly showing itself and Noach realized that it had not been fed in a long time . Noach asked the bird why it had not alerted him for feeding and the bird said it had seen that Noach was so busy that it did not want to be a bother and thus was prepared to hurt its own self than trouble Noach . For this action , HaShem Blessed the bird and it became what we today know as the mystical bird the Phoenix , that rises again , For HaShem Had Blessed it With continual life in reward for its action , to be prepared to lose its life for Noach's sake . So the family of Noach was kept very busy . HaShem Commanded that all pairs and couples on the Ark were not to be together sexually , but two disobeyed and these were Cham ( Noach's son ) and the kelev , the dog . HaShem Remembered Noach and all that were in the Ark , which means That HaShem Was Ready To Let the Mabul period end and on the 17th of the Seventh month , the Ark came to rest on the Mountains of Ararat , one of the tallest mountains in that region near modern day Iraq . Noach first sent the raven but it returned and had a negative thought that Noach wanted its mate . So it did not want to go anymore . How totally wrong of it . Noach then sent out the dove but it too returned for the water had not totally subsided yet . Noach waited another seven days and sent out the dove again and this time it returned with an olive leaf in its mouth . Olive leaves are usually a bit bitter and according to Rashi , it was saying , better a bit of bitterness From HaShem's Hand then food from man . Some of our Rabbonim even think the olive leaf may have come from Gan Eiden or even Israel . All were Commanded to leave the Ark and as soon as that happened , Noach made korbanos And HaShem Shows His Upset At man And Assures That there will never be another full World flood And HaShem Placed His Kashes - Rainbow Bow as a sign that there will never be another Full World Flood . The Bow faces upwards , to show HaShem's Mercy That He Points His Arrow Away From us . But with the Rainbow we are to remember that at such a time as it appears , HaShem Is Showing us His Displeasure With us . Within the word " Kashti " - " My Bow , " is the word ' Kasheh , ' which means ' Hard , ' Showing How Hard HaShem Tries To Have Mercy With us day after day . So started the seasons at that time . Noach walked out into an empty World and he was depressed and so planted Vineyards with the thought to make wine . Satan came to him and showed him three animals and when Noach asked what these are about , Satan allied it with the results of drinking , for the first drink , one becomes like a monkey jumping around , then if one continues to drink one becomes like a lion , bold and aggressive and if one continues to drink even more, one becomes like a pig , rolling in the dirt . During one of the occasions that Noach had too much to drink , his son Cham saw his own Father undressed and having drunk over much . Cham first saw his Father's nakedness and should have turned his gaze away from his Father's nakedness , but did not and told his two brothers " Bachutz " - " Outside . " This word " Bachutz " - " Outside " refers to that Cham spoke and slandered his Father Outside , in other words loudly that others could hear . Shem and Yafes walked backwards , so as to respect their Father and covered him . Because Shem was the main one who wanted to cover his Father , so also do we Jews , as one reason , Get Blessed with wearing Tzitzis , for we are descended from Shem , who was Melchitzeddek in Avraham's time . Noach's son Cham had a son called Canaan , referred to as his own son , but it was Cham's son Canaan . According to Ramban , Canaan was Cham's firstborn son . This would mean that Canaan was conceived at a time That Was Forbidden By HaShem for couples to be together in that way sexually in the Ark and so was he the result of sin and the negativity that follows it . Canaan did not want Noach to have any more offspring and according to a number of opinions , came and castrated his own Grandfather . According to other opinions , he raped his own Grandfather . Noach cursed him , to have to serve his brothers . Noach passed away at the age of 950 . The Torah then gives the descendants of the three sons of Noach and it is from these that the 70 nations of the World came . All at the time were of one language Ivrit Hebrew . We note how one of the nations that are to fight at the End of Days , Magog , descends from Yafes . When mentioning Cham's descendants , we note how , when referring to Cush , the first 5 sons are mentioned and then separately is Nimrod mentioned separately as a son of Cush . One of the reasons that Nimrod is mentioned as a separate son , is That HaShem Wanted To Specifically Point Out That Nimrod had human parents , though he had everyone believing otherwise , for he told people he was a deity . The name Nimrod , has within it Marad , which refers to Rebelling , for it was Nimrod who caused the People in his time , to rebel against HaShem . He had gotten the special garments That Were Originally Made By HaShem For Adam , When Adam and Chava Were Forced To Leave The Garden . These Garments were passed down to Adam's son Shais and down the line to Noach and Cham , who stole them and so did Nimrod acquire them , for this garment would subdue animals and so , did Nimrod give the false idea to others that he was a Mighty Hunter . HaShem Calls him Might Hunter before HaShem , for Nimrod wanted to get all people to literally hunt Hashem and remove Him , Chas Ve Shalom and so , when Nimrod started to build the Tower of Bavel , he had a sword put on the top so as to point upwards as a defiant attack on HaShem . It was from Cham that Egypt Mitzrayim came and also the Pelishtim Philistines from where modern day Greece came . From Canaan , son of Cham , came the nations That HaShem Wanted Destroyed in Canaan . From Shem , down the line , came Eiver , who ensured to be Eiver - On the other side - Away of those that did not want to follow HaShem , for Eiver , followed HaShem and his line stayed away from idol worshippers . It was through his line down the line from Shem , that Avram descended and so were we known as Ivrim , - Jews - Those on HaShem's Side , The Other side of and away from idolatry that the rest of the World followed then , as do some now . It was at this time when Nimrod instituted the building of the city and Tower of Bavel , that Avraham was 48 years old and refused to take part even though people taunted him and wanted him to help , for he was a tall strong man and the bricks were heavy . The one difference That HaShem Did Not Completely Destroy the Generation of the Dispersal ( Bavel ) Like HaShem Did in Destroying the Generation of the Mabul - Flood , was because at least in the project of the building of the Tower of Babel , the people at least had peace with each other . Many sadly tried to push HaShem away . The people at the time believed in the idea that every 1656 years , the World has a flood , thus trying to push away HaShem's Providence and so it was decided that they would build a tower to reach Heaven and thus avoid another flood . Also some led by Nimrod wanted to wage war against HaShem . They feared being dispersed And So Did HaShem Make that one of their punishments - being dispersed . In Bereshis Yud Alef Beis ( Genesis 11 : 1 ) Torah Says " Vayehi B'nas'am MiKedem " - " And it came to pass when they migrated from the East , " the word " MiKedem " - " East " can have a deeper meaning for according to Rabbi Shimon , when people migrated from " Kedem " the letters of the word " Kedem " can also refer to " Kadmono shel Olam " ( KDM ) " The Primordial And Principal One " In Whom everyone believed - HaShem Ha Kadosh Baruch Hu HaShem The Holy One Blessed Be He ( Kabbalah Online Chabad ) . So according to the Zohar 1 , 74b , " They abandoned their belief in G-D to worship idols . " HaShem Came Down With a host of 70 Angels ( Midrash Says Bereishis - Rabbi Weissman ) so as to show and teach us that even the Leader need confer with His generals . HaShem Noticed how a falling man in this tower building project had no value , but a falling brick , people would mourn over . HaShem Felt their ingratitude And So Came Down To Judge the sons of man . The Tower was immense . It had stairs for going up on its eastern side and stairs for going down on its western side . Its structure was built to last and atop , Nimrod set an idol with sword in hand pointing upwards . The Tower was so tall that a man walking in its shadow , would have to walk for three days before finally coming out of its shadow . Its top was sometimes covered in low cloud and its bottom was so very wide that it could take a long time to walk around it . Its top could not be seen from the bottom and its bottom could not be seen from its top . HaShem Punished them In Three Different Ways . Firstly the ones who wanted to rebel and attack HaShem , faced lighting and fire and destruction . The ones who wanted to make a place for themselves and worship idols , were turned into monkeys and those that joined the rest of the project , had their language and dialects confounded so that they could not understand each other . If one would ask for a hammer , the other would not understand and give him a brick . Fighting broke out between them and many were killed . The builders of the Tower were dispersed and went different places in their own language . Thus was their coming together to sin , punished by them separating . So was the Tower called Bavel for the word refers to Confounding of the Language and so were they scattered over the Earth . And what of the Tower ? The bottom third was swallowed by the Earth and the top third was struck and destroyed by lighting bolts and fire , leaving only the middle part that remained , which was still very tall . After this , The Holy Torah gives the line from Shem to Avraham , another ten generations like the ten generations from Adam to Noach . The Father of Avram was Terach , who begot Avram , Nahor and Haran ( from whom was born Lot , Avram's Nephew ) . Nimrod had set himself up as a ruler and had built a massive palace . All who came to him , had to ensure that they would be physically lower than him in his presence . Terach , Avram's Father was his viceroy at the time . The astrologers warned Nimrod that a baby was just born who would topple Nimrod and show Nimrod up as not being a deity . Nimrod was informed that this would be the son of Terach and so , did Nimrod tell Terach to bring his new child to be killed . Terach requested Nimrod to not kill his son but Nimrod threatened Terach's whole family that they would be burnt if Terach did not listen and so , did Terach request three days to prepare his family for the giving up of his newborn Avram . Terach , instead took another boy , the son of a slave woman that served him and gave it to Nimrod as his own . Terach was not sure that this would be enough and so , Avram was put in a cave at three years old and it was then , that Avram , being a lover of Astronomy even at that age , that he noticed how the Sun ( that was believed to be a deity at the time ) went away and was replaced by the Moon ( also believed to be a deity ) and so they could not be deities , as they both were overcome by the other . Avram watched the natural happenings of nature and realized that there must be A Divine And Beautiful Intelligence Behind this all and so , did Avram find HaShem . HaShem Had Waited twenty generations For this holy soul to come . Many years later , Avram left the cave and was more open with his inner thoughts and started even at a young age to try to get people to leave their false beliefs and follow HaShem Only . Terach his Father had a shop that sold idols . Avram constantly tried to get through to his Father , but his Father would not listen . One day , Avram was put in charge of his Father's shop . Avram's Mother had made a special food and Avram decided to leave it in front of one of the idols to prove that they cannot eat , as they are but stone and wood . His Father still would not change then . So when his Father left him in the shop , a woman walked in requesting an idol and Avram asked her how she can buy something that is so not alive that it won't and can't even eat a meal . Another man came in and said that he wanted an idol for protection as his idols were robbed and Avram pointed out to him that the idols won't ever protect anyone as they can't even protect themselves from being stolen . Another elderly man came in and showed interest in a newly made idol . Avraham said to him , ' How can you follow something that is so much younger than you and that was just made yesterday . ' So did Avraham go out of his way to do away with idolworship. So did Avraham go out of his was to teach about HaShem The One And Only True Creator In this World . Avram had had enough of these idols and one day while his Father was out , he took a big hammer and smashed all the idols but one , the largest one and when his Father returned and saw the destruction , he asked his son what had happened . His son answered and said that he had brought food for them and put it in front of one of the idols and the big one got jealous and took a hammer and smashed all the others and Avram said that if his Father doesn't believe him , he can go look and see the hammer still in the hands of the biggest idol . Terach was furious and told his son that is impossible as the idols are not alive and so did Avram say then , ' How can you sell and trick people with these idols and believe in them . ' Terach felt obligated to report this incident to Nimrod , who had also heard about it and realized now that this was the son he was supposed to have brought to kill . Nimrod called Avram and at the same time , was Haran , Avram's brother , there too in front of Nimrod . Avram refused to bow lower than Nimrod . As one entered Nimrod's place , there was an idol of Nimrod and no one was allowed to be taller than it , but Avram stood up erect for he was a very tall man . When Avram entered , Nimrod got off his throne and lowered himself so that all in front of him had to go even lower , as was his law , but Avram refused and still stood erect . Avram was not shy and spoke loudly of HaShem Shaddai As Maker of the Heavens and Earth and all of Creation . Nimrod told Avram that he is standing before a deity and Avram responded that if he is divine , let him prove that he can make the sun rise and set in the opposite direction from where it sets . Nimrod knew he was beaten and so did he have Avram put in prison . It was here , that Avram met his beloved Servant Eliezer , for Eliezer was Nimrod's son . HaShem Brought these two holy men together And Saved Avram , even in the prison , for Nimrod had not wanted to give Avram even food And HaShem Sent His Angels to feed Avram . Eliezer was most interested in Avram And In HaShem The One And Only and fully believed in Avram and his G-D . Eliezer became totally faithful to HaShem and would visit Avram in the prison and learn from him and also bring him food . Eliezer left with Avram when they all left Ur Kasdim and totally turned his back on his idol worshiping father Nimrod , so as to totally follow HaShem . A very holy man was Eliezer and very very beloved to Avram . Nimrod had a furnace built , hotter than any other and so was the place called Ur Kasdim - Ur The Fire Furnace of the Chaldees . Avram had to watch this furnace being built and when the time came , they planned to throw Avram in it . HaShem Sent an Angel To Save Avram and he walked out unscathed . They asked Haran , Avram's brother, what he believes and when and only when he saw that Avram escaped unharmed , did he say he also believes as Avram ( not in full faith but only because of what he had just seen ) and so was Haran burnt in the Furnace in front of Terach his Father , as the Torah portion says Haran died in the lifetime of Terach his Father . Avram and Nahor his brother took themselves wives . Avram married Yiscah who was Sarai and Nahor married Milcah , both were daughters of Avram's brother Haran . Things became very dangerous for Terach and Avram and so did they all leave Ur Kasdim for Canaan and when they settled in Haran , Terach years later passed away at 205 , when Yitzchak ( Avram's son ) was already 35 years old . Terach realized the truth before he passed on and so , in Haran , the part of him that was not following HaShem , ended ( died ) in Haran , for what happened to Avram being saved and Haran being burnt for having no Emunah Faith and Trust in HaShem , woke Terach up to the truth . So ends the Parsha . So here we have three different men . Noach , Avraham and Nimrod . With these different men , so can we see the choices in life we are faced with and their results . To live a life like Nimrod , to totally turn away from HaShem , Chas Ve Shalom and fight HaShem every step of the way and think of being deified , lands one in Gehinnom and set for destruction which is exactly what happened to Nimrod who faced a fate of death at the Spiritual hands of the very holy man Avram that he wanted to kill , for he ( Avraham ) faced the big battle with the four kings against five in Avram's time . To live a life like Noach that starts out righteous and must continue so , leads one with a base of a good beginning , but this is not enough for one must do for all and not just for ones own family . To live a life of and like Avraham , is how HaShem Would Like us to be . We are here to bring HaShem's Light to all the dark corners of this World . To live each day as Avraham did , in total service of HaShem and to ensure very importantly that we are to bring up our children in the way of our Fore-Fathers , even today , that our children continue in the path of Torah as deep and full as Moshe taught us . That is the way to live . Not to be like Nimrod , who seeks only to serve himself and be served , for Nimrod was unlike Noach and Avraham who both were only seeking to serve our Creator and like Avraham , looking always to the welfare of others , to bring them closer to The Shechinah Of HaShem and even if the people they were trying to save were not the best people , like Sodom and Amorah ( Gomorrah ) Admah and Zeboiim , to still speak for them and try to save them By HaShem , as Avraham did . That Is The Path To HaShem . That Is The Path To Peace . That Is The Path To The End Of Days . That Is The Path To HaShem's Light And Love . What we choose , is who we are and who we are , is what we choose , so always must we choose and be As HaShem Is . For to emulate HaShem , is to define ourselves As HaShem Wants us to be . We are to be a Light to the Nations and a Light to all around us . That Light that we must carry in love , we must make ourselves worthy to carry. The Light Of HaShem . To Light up this World , is to fulfill our destiny , a destiny That HaShem Set For us all at Creation . So go out into the World around you and fulfill your destiny That HaShem Has Set For you . Be as Avram and make every moment last an eternity , by bringing this World and all around you , to The Light Of HaShem Ha Kadosh Baruch Hu HaShem The Holy One Blessed Be He . I wish HaShem With Everlasting And Deepest Forever Love , A Very Beautiful And Sweet Shabbos Kodesh With Eternal And Most Special Love and to all my fellow Jews and to all of Creation , the children of the holy Noach and holy Naamah , a Very Beautiful and Sweet Shabbos Kodesh with love .