Cursing Canaan/2/en

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Noach's Vineyard

Exegetical Approaches

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Canaan Sinned

Noach punished Canaan because Canaan had wronged him the most.

"אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לוֹ בְּנוֹ הַקָּטָן" – All these sources agree that the verse cannot be speaking of the action done by Cham, since he was not the youngest of Noach's sons.1  They disagree, though, regarding who is the subject of the phrase:
  • Canaan – Most of these commentators maintain that the term refers to Canaan, the youngest son of Cham.2  Seforno explains that Canaan is called Noach's son, despite his being his grandson, because 'בְּנֵי בָּנִים הֲרֵי הֵם כְּבָנִים', (a person's grandsons are like his sons). R. Yosef Kara, Ibn Ezra, and Ralbag assert, instead, that the "וי"ו" of "בְּנוֹ" refers back to Cham.3
  • Shem – R"Y Bekhor Shor, in contrast, suggests that the verse refers to Shem whom, he claims, was Noach's youngest son.4  According to him, the verse speaks not of the evil which was done to Noach, but rather the good.5  Its purpose is to emphasize that, of the three sons, Shem acted most appropriately and was thus the most blessed.
What did Canaan do?
  • Revealed Noach's nakedness – According to R"Y Bekhor Shor,6 the word "וַיִּתְגַּל" is not a reflexive form, but rather means that Noach was revealed by others.  As such, he suggests that it was Canaan who did so, while Cham simply saw the nakedness.
  • Castrated/sodomized Noach – The other sources maintain that Canaan did a much more severe act, with Rashbam, Ralbag and Seforno positing that he castrated his grandfather and the Bavli suggesting that he sodomized him.  All these sources are probably picking up on the language of "‎וַיֵּדַע אֵת אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה לוֹ",‎7 and thus look for an active crime that Canaan might have committed.8  Moreover, they all assume that his deed was worse than that of his father to justify his being cursed.
וְחָם הוּא אֲבִי כְנָעַן
  • Introduction – Rashbam and R"Y Bkehor Shor suggest that Cham is introduced as Canaan's father because this is relevant for later in the story.  This way the reader understands who Canaan is when he is cursed.
  • "Like father, like son" – According to Ibn Ezra, Ralbag and Seforno, on the other hand, the text comes to identify father and son in their evil ways.
וַיַּרְא חָם אֲבִי כְנַעַן אֵת עֶרְוַת אָבִיו – This position might understands this phrase to mean that Cham saw the sexual act that was done to his father. Unlike his brothers who covered thier father, he looked at his disgrace.
Measure for measure punishment – Ralbag posits that Canaan purposefully prevented Noach from having other children so as to maximize the inheritance and land that he would get.  Since he desired a larger dominion, Noach punished him that he would get the opposite, and be enslaved to his brothers.
Contrast to Shem/ Yefet – According to this approach there is a vast gap between Canaan and Shem/Yefet.  While the former committed an egregious sexual crime, the latter did not even look at their father.  Canaan therefore merited punishment while the others received a blessing.
Purpose of Story

Canaan Born from Cham's Sin

Canaan was cursed as an illegitimate child born of the illicit union between Cham and Noach's wife.

"וַיַּרְא חָם אֲבִי כְנַעַן אֵת עֶרְוַת אָבִיו" – This position compares the phrase to the similar one in Vayikra 18 "עֶרְוַת אֵשֶׁת אָבִיךָ לֹא תְגַלֵּה עֶרְוַת אָבִיךָ הִוא".  There, "revealing someone's nakedness" is a euphemism for having sexual intercourse.  Moreover, "עֶרְוַת אָבִיךָ" is equivalent to "עֶרְוַת אֵשֶׁת אָבִיךָ".  As such, in our verse, Cham "revealing his father's nakedness" would be a euphemistic way of saying that Cham slept with his father's wife.

Canaan Cursed for Cham's Sin

JosephusAntiquities of the Jews 1:6:1About Josephus, opinion in Bavli SanhedrinSanhedrin 70aAbout the Bavli, opinions in Bereshit Rabbah36:7About Bereshit Rabbah, Targum Pseudo-JonathanBereshit 9:20-27About Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, RambanBereshit 9:18, 20, 26About R. Moshe b. NachmanShadalBereshit 9:18-27About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto

Sources:Despite the fact that it was Cham who acted wrongly, for technical reasons Canaan was cursed instead.
"וַיַּרְא חָם אֲבִי כְנַעַן אֵת עֶרְוַת אָבִיו"

Canaan not Cursed

Canaan was never cursed; only Cham was.