Noach Comfort & Pain: How Do We Respond?

(כח) וַֽיְחִי־לֶ֕מֶךְ שְׁתַּ֧יִם וּשְׁמֹנִ֛ים שָׁנָ֖ה וּמְאַ֣ת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד בֵּֽן׃(כט) וַיִּקְרָ֧א אֶת־שְׁמ֛וֹ נֹ֖חַ לֵאמֹ֑ר זֶ֞֠ה יְנַחֲמֵ֤נוּ מִֽמַּעֲשֵׂ֙נוּ֙ וּמֵעִצְּב֣וֹן יָדֵ֔ינוּ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵֽרְרָ֖הּ יְהֹוָֽה׃

Genesis 5:28-29

(28) When Lamech had lived 182 years, he begot a son.(29) And he named him Noah, saying, “This one will provide us relief*relief Connecting Noah with Heb. niḥam “to comfort”; cf. 9.20ff. from our work and from the pain of our hands, out of the very soil which יהוה placed under a curse.”

בראשית ג׳:ט״ז-י״ז

(טז) אֶֽל־הָאִשָּׁ֣ה אָמַ֗ר הַרְבָּ֤ה אַרְבֶּה֙ עִצְּבוֹנֵ֣ךְ וְהֵֽרֹנֵ֔ךְ בְּעֶ֖צֶב תֵּֽלְדִ֣י בָנִ֑ים וְאֶל־אִישֵׁךְ֙ תְּשׁ֣וּקָתֵ֔ךְ וְה֖וּא יִמְשׇׁל־בָּֽךְ׃ {ס} (יז) וּלְאָדָ֣ם אָמַ֗ר כִּֽי־שָׁמַ֘עְתָּ֮ לְק֣וֹל אִשְׁתֶּ֒ךָ֒ וַתֹּ֙אכַל֙ מִן־הָעֵ֔ץ אֲשֶׁ֤ר צִוִּיתִ֙יךָ֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר לֹ֥א תֹאכַ֖ל מִמֶּ֑נּוּ אֲרוּרָ֤ה הָֽאֲדָמָה֙ בַּֽעֲבוּרֶ֔ךָ בְּעִצָּבוֹן֙ תֹּֽאכְלֶ֔נָּה כֹּ֖ל יְמֵ֥י חַיֶּֽיךָ׃

Genesis 3:16-17

(16) And to the woman [God] said,“I will greatly expand your hard labor—and your pregnancies; In hardship shall you bear children. Yet your urge shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”*rule over you(17) To Adam [God] said, “Because you did as your wife said and ate of the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’Cursed be the ground because of you; By pain shall you eat of it All the days of your life:

בראשית ו׳:ו׳-ח׳

(ו)וַיִּנָּ֣חֶם יְהֹוָ֔ה כִּֽי־עָשָׂ֥ה אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֖ם בָּאָ֑רֶץ וַיִּתְעַצֵּ֖ב אֶל־לִבּֽוֹ׃(ז) וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהֹוָ֗ה אֶמְחֶ֨ה אֶת־הָאָדָ֤ם אֲשֶׁר־בָּרָ֙אתִי֙ מֵעַל֙ פְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֲדָמָ֔ה מֵֽאָדָם֙ עַד־בְּהֵמָ֔ה עַד־רֶ֖מֶשׂ וְעַד־ע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם כִּ֥י נִחַ֖מְתִּי כִּ֥י עֲשִׂיתִֽם׃(ח)וְנֹ֕חַ מָ֥צָא חֵ֖ן בְּעֵינֵ֥י יְהֹוָֽה׃ {פ}

Genesis 6:6-8

(6) And יהוה regretted having made humankind on earth. G*d's heart was pained 7) יהוה said, “I will blot out from the earth humankind whom I created—humans together with beasts, creeping things, and birds of the sky; for I regret that I made them.”(8) But Noah found favor with יהוה.

בראשית ו׳:י״א-י״ג

(יא) וַתִּשָּׁחֵ֥ת הָאָ֖רֶץ לִפְנֵ֣י הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַתִּמָּלֵ֥א הָאָ֖רֶץ חָמָֽס׃(יב) וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְהִנֵּ֣ה נִשְׁחָ֑תָה כִּֽי־הִשְׁחִ֧ית כׇּל־בָּשָׂ֛ר אֶת־דַּרְכּ֖וֹ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃ {ס} (יג) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֜ים לְנֹ֗חַ קֵ֤ץ כׇּל־בָּשָׂר֙ בָּ֣א לְפָנַ֔י כִּֽי־מָלְאָ֥ה הָאָ֛רֶץ חָמָ֖ס מִפְּנֵיהֶ֑ם וְהִנְנִ֥י מַשְׁחִיתָ֖ם אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Genesis 6:11-13

y(11) The earth became spoiled before God; the earth was filled with lawlessness.(12) When God saw how corrupt the earth was, for all flesh had corrupted its pathway on ha-aretz, the earth,(13) God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with lawlessness because of them: I am about to destroy them with the earth.

See my blog for more exploration

Comfort is good. Noach was a righteous dude, and walked with G*d, only the second connection since expulsion from Eden. And Noach finds grace/ hen in G*d's eyes. R Rami Shapiro's book, amazing Chesed, says that hesed/grace is like the sun, a gift of shefa that always shines down. It's like love.

Midrash Tanhumah explains G*d's relationship to Noach with this story. "This is like one (echad) who was traveling along and saw another traveler (echad) and sought his company. To what extent? Til he formed bonds of love with him" Echad + Echad in gemaatria 13 + 13 = , also Ahavah, love adds up to 13, 13 + 13 = 26, which is the gematria for G*d's name YHVH

From this love, according to the same midrash, Noach learns the feeding schedule of the animals, how to keep them alive.

This comfort is in stark contrast to Lamech's pain, and G*d's
I also see the hyperlinks between Adam and Chava's pain, and cursing of the land to the naming of Noach in Tityatzev, G*d's sorrow and pain, and a warning about what to do with that pain. Do we project? Run away? Lash out? and an answer from Torah.
What do we do with raw emotions of hurt, sadness and pain.

בראשית ד׳:ו׳

(ו) וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהֹוָ֖ה אֶל־קָ֑יִן לָ֚מָּה חָ֣רָה לָ֔ךְ וְלָ֖מָּה נָפְל֥וּ פָנֶֽיךָ׃

Genesis 4:6

(6) And יהוה said to Cain,
“Why are you distressed,
And why is your face fallen?

Cain never answer's G*d question.
There are no more words.
Even Noach doesn't talk to G*d.
What if Cain had given voice to his rage, or if Noach had discussed the situation with G*d,
And with the lack of words, destruction begins.
The universe is young, and G*d in pain and sadness destroys creation.
Does this mean we should be like this, destroy when we feel sad or hurt?
Well, NO!
The ending of Noach comes a promise never again to destroy with water! The rainbow is that sign.
From Grace and love, we must learn the "feeding schedule of the animals" This earth is a teva, an ark in space, lonley and precious.

Miryam (Margo) Wolfson