Genesis

בייה

We may not want to face it, but progressive evil is happening throughout our world, in every corner, nook, and cranny, like it was in Noah’s day. Noah was born into a world where the populace was trending towards constant evil. (Genesis 6.5) Says, ‘And God Saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.’

It wasn’t all that long ago that a few movements began with good intentions but, along the way, became embroiled in promoting prejudice, segregation, and hate. And now there is the worst kind of wickedness, evil, murder, hate, bigotry, and corrupt acts. Yet, there can be a safe, secure, beautiful earth as God intended. What God Intends is good for us and the future of our world. So, what do the nations and peoples of our world need to do?

Kayin/Cain and Hevel/Able were both born during the seven days of creation. How do we know this? (Genesis 5.3) informs us that Adam and Chavah/Eve did not have children for a period of time, one-hundred-thirty years. Then Seth was born at 130 years From Creation. After Seth’s birth, Adam lived eight hundred years. 130 + 800 = 930 years. (Genesis 5.5) – Then Seth lived one-hundred-five years and fathered Enosh 235 years From Creation. The one-hundred-thirty-year separation between Adam and Chavah/Eve had tragic results. During that period, our earth was only populated by Kayin’s/Cain’s descendants, who became evil and began practicing idolatry. Righteousness struggled to get a foothold on our earth. Only Adam and Eve thoughtfully observed the Mitzvot of The Torah. Unfortunately, during those 130 years, earth’s inhabitants were influenced and guided by the Yetzer Raw / the Evil Inclination.It was then that (Genesis 4.26) Says, ‘[It was then that] men began to call upon Lord by Name.’ (Genesis 4.26) Informs us ‘אָז Awz – Then הוּחַל Hoo Chal – men began לִקְרֹא Lih Kih Roh – to call [idols] בְּשֵׁם Bih Shaym – by the Name Lord.‘ The translation and understanding of (Genesis 4.26) are based on Hoo Chal – men began. The Torah informs us when men began to worship idols. Before this, men worshipped [the] Lord. Rabbi Avrohom Davis, The Mesudah Chumash A New Linear Translation Bereishis(Hoboken New Jersey, KTVA Publishing House, Inc., 1991) p 54.

The Torah informs us that in 687 From Creation, at the age of sixty-five, Chanoch/Enoch fathered מְתוּשָׁלַח – Mih Tu Shaw Lah Ach – Methuselach. That was nine-hundred-sixty-nine years before the destruction of the world by water.

Three hundred years before Chanoch’s/Enoch’s ascension into Heaven, he fathered a son whom he gave the prophetic name Methuselach. The name מְתוּשֶׁלַח consists of two words. The first two Letters of Methuselach’s name are מת Mat/Met, meaning death.The last three letters of Methuselach’s name is שלח Sheh Lah Ach, meaning to send, to launch. The Words Met and Sheh Lah are connected with the letter ו Vav, meaning and.When Met And Sheh Lah Ach are joined together, their combined meaning is ‘After this child dies, destruction will be launched.’ The people of earth did NOT heed that prophetic warning. People knew destruction was coming but did little or nothing except for Methuselach, Noach’s grandfather, and Noach himself. Why Noach? Noach was battle-tested. He had a proven track record before [the] Lord who sees, hears, and knows all. Noach was born into a troubled world! (Genesis 6) Informs us that the world’s inhabitants were so corrupt that they must be entirely destroyed. In Noach’s age, wickedness became so intent that righteous people would no longer marry or have children. The good people died off! Then, one-hundred-twenty years before the worldwide flood, God Instructed Methuselach and Noach to declare to the world’s inhabitants, ‘God Says, repent of your evil ways, and He will change the death decree He has made against you.’ Five years before the flood, Noach began constructing the Tava/Ark. Sefer HaYashar (Hoboken, NJ: KTAV Publishing House, Inc., 1993) p.16-18

No one responded. Methuselach died. (Genesis 7.1) Says, ‘[The] Lord Said to Noach, ‘You Come and all your household into the tava/ark; because I see you as entirely righteous before Me in this generation. For in another seven days, I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living substance I have made will be destroyed from off the face of the earth.’

(Genesis 7.13-17) Says, ‘In the same day entered Noach, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noach, and Noach’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark; They, and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. And they went to Noach into the ark, two and two of all flesh, where there is the breath of life. And those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had Commanded him; וַיִּסְגֹּר And He, Lord – Vah Yee Saeh Gohr – closed him in.’ Those in the Tava were safe, secure, and protected from all that was about to happen. They were Saeh Gohr – Closed in!

Recently, I watched an interview with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He was asked a question about Gaza. He said, ‘I have three goals. The first is to defeat Hamas, utterly defeat and destroy Hamas. The second Is to bring back our hostages, and the third is to ensure that we don’t have a similar threat in the future from Gaza and that what happens in Gaza is good for Israel, good for Palestinians, good for the Middle East. To do that, we need to demilitarize Gaza degazafie cultural things that have to be done before setting up something else. Deradicalize change the ideology.’

In other words, Israel and the people of Israel must be Saeh Gohr – Closed in! Israel must be safe, secure, and protected from all that was about to happen and from all that could happen if the Palestinian people are not demilitarized, degazafied, and deradicalized. Eradicating evil from the world is not sufficient! The world’s culture has to teach hope, loving kindness, and goodness. Their Ideology has to change.

(Genesis 6.6) speaks of [the] Lord having feelings of remorse for having created humankind. God is sharing His close, intimate feelings about fallen humanity. God did nothing wrong, yet He hurts and expresses feelings of sadness. (Genesis 7.4) says, ‘For in another seven days I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.’ Methuselach dies and is buried. During these seven days, God and the Angels of Heaven mourned, wept, cried, and comforted one another. They mourned for the righteous Methuselach and the wicked on earth. Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz and Rabbi Nosson Scherman, The Artscroll Tanach Series – Bereishis Vol. I(a) (Brooklyn, New York: Mesorah Publications, Ltd. 3rd Impression, 1989), p 244.

(Psalms 145.14) says, ‘[The] Lord Upholds all who fall and raises up all those who are bowed down.’ We have a promise, hope, and an opportunity to see our situation turn around with God’s Help. God patiently waited to the end for anyone who would repent before the flood.

(Isaiah 2.2-4) Reminds us, ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of [the] Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. And many people shall go and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of [the] Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths; for from Zion shall go forth Torah, and the word of [the] Lord from Jerusalem. And He shall judge among the nations, and shall decide for many people; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, nor shall they learn war any more.

May we use the tools of The Torah to restore, heal, and bring peace to ourselves and others. We can succeed despite past sins and mistakes. We can lift ourselves and others. We can be Saeh Gohr – Closed in closed in safe, secure and protected.

Good Sabbath.

Dr. Akiva Gamliel Belk

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