Genesis

בייה

Dear Ones, this is part four of our Israel/Canaan series. In our previous discussions, we were made aware that Noah and the other individuals on the Tava experienced many of the most trying stressors that are known for causing depression and sadness. Noah and the other survivors of the worldwide flood each experienced enormous STRESS caused by The Death of Loved Ones based on what is written in the Holy Scriptures.

I asked members of our group to reflect on the question, How long does the death of a loved one impact us? In reality, only the Lord God Knows. I think the Death of a Loved One is for an entire life. Those who have experienced The Death of Loved Ones know that anything can trigger feelings of loss for a loved one.

Divorce or Separation is another massive source of STRESS. Again, based on the writings in the Holy Scriptures, ALL humans experienced Separation while living and working on the Tava. The men and women lived, ate, and worked separately from each other. No babies were born on the Tava.

Moving is another source of enormous stress. Moving requires change. Even the thought of moving causes anxiety and anticipatory grief. Their move was different than most. Their precious things were left behind. Cherished items remained in their homes. They were only permitted to bring food for themselves and the animals, birds, and creeping things. That is it! Noah, Na’amah, their three sons, and their daughters-in-law moved into the Tava because the entire world was about to be flooded. Imagine the tole just from the daily building of the Tava. Who can imagine their thoughts of the coming destruction of the entire world?

How did they prepare for that traumatic event? They were being displaced from their family home, neighbors, and community. They left everything behind. Is it likely they experienced intense preoccupation? It is reasonable to think that they felt emotional stress, irritability, depression, and other stress-related problems.

Noah and other members of his family experienced Job Loss Employment Change. They were more or less forced into a serving mold while on the Tava. Noah was a Priest/Prophet. He discerned the purpose of the seven sets of clean animals and birds. He built an altar to [the] Lord. He took of every clean beast and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.’ The Holy Scriptures Inform us Noah found grace in the eyes of [the] Lord, Noah was righteous, he walked with God, and he was perfect in his generations. Throughout the Torah Narrative, [the] Lord God Spoke to Noah. However, Noah remained silent. There is no record of Noah interceding for the people of the flood, whereas Abraham interceded for the people in Sedom. Was Noah so burned out that he just wanted everything to cease?

After all that Noah had been through, he stumbles. He got drunk and acted differently than in the past. He allowed alcohol to dictate to him. Consider all Noah had been through. Given all the significant stresses he faced, he had a blowout! (Genesis 9.20 – 21) Says, ‘Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard, And he drank of the wine, and became drunk, and he lay uncovered inside his tent.’ But that is not all he did. Noah cursed his youngest son’s fourth child, Canaan. (Genesis 9.24-28), Says, ‘And Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his younger son had done to him. And he said, Cursed be Canaan; the lowest servant of servants shall he be to his brothers. And he said, Blessed be [the] Lord God of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant. God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall live in the tents of Shem, and Canaan shall be his servant.’ Alcohol changed Noah’s life and the lives of million down through the ages.

Ham did something to his father, but we can only speculate about what Ham did because the Torah doesn’t tell us. Midrashic Texts hypothesize about what Ham did to his father. I think that the Midrash offers some excellent possibilities. However, let’s stay with quoting just the Holy Scriptures as in previous discussions in this series.

(Genesis 8.13-14) Says, ‘And it came to pass in the six hundredth 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 dry. And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, was the earth dried.’ The Tava rested in the mountains of Ararat, somewhere around 5,137 meters or 16,854 feet above sea level. This is the point from where they began their journey to Jerusalem, whose elevation is 754.08 meters or 2,474 feet above sea level. Knowing this is important because Noah was the only one at that time who was qualified to be the High Priest. (Genesis 8.20) Says, ‘And Noah built an altar to [the] Lord, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar [near the HOLY TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM.’ After this (Genesis 9.1) Says, ‘God Blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.’ It was sometime after this that (Genesis 11.10) informed us, ‘These are the generations of Shem; Shem was a hundred years old and fathered Arphaxad two years after the flood [in 1659 From Creation.] Based on the known facts, It would have been sometime after the birth of Shem’s first son, Arphaxad, that Ham’s sons Kush, Egypt, Put, and finally, Canaan would begin being born. Then Canaan would have to grow and develop some, i.e., learn to walk, talk, and communicate.

Now, we return to Noah’s new endeavor, planting, growing, and harvesting grapes to turn into wine. He could not begin planting at 5,137 meters or 16,854 feet above sea level. He needed a warmer climate. The journey to Jerusalem took time. It appears that Noah had an ulterior motive for traveling to Jerusalem. Eventually, he harvested the grapes, drank the wine, got drunk, exposed himself, and lay naked. Ham did something to his father, resulting in Noah cursing Ham’s fourth child. From the description, It would appear that Noah was embarrassed, angry, and wanted revenge. Well, Noah’s curse on Canaan has had very long-lasting implications for much of the Mideast, especially for the Palestinian people living in Gaza. It is regrettable because these are the last actions and words of Noah recorded in the Torah. It is also unfortunate because Noah allowed all these stresses to build up. The burden was too much for him. The Lord God does not expect us to do all the heavy lifting. We must ask the Lord God for help and stay on The Torah’s path. (Psalms 55.23) Says, ‘Transfer, transmit, remove, dismiss onto The Lord, what you are given for He is your support your nourishment. He will not allow tottering, faltering, slipping, collapsing, declining for the righteous, to eternity.’

Good Sabbath.

Dr. Akiva Gamliel Belk

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