Difference between revisions of "The Flood Story: Undoing and Redoing Creation/0/en"
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Commentators as early as Philo,<fn>See his Questions and Answers on Genesis 2:13,14,17,31,51,56, and 66.</fn> have noted many similarities between the Flood narrative of Bereshit 6-9 and the description of Creation in Bereshit 1-2.<fn>Cassuto points to several of the similarities throughout his commentary on the story; see, for instance, his comments on 8:1,13,22. See also N. Sarna, Understanding Genesis (New York, 1966): 56 and numerous recent articles which list and analyze the parallels. See R. Z. Weitman, "הבריאה החדשה", Alon Shevut 78 (1980): 27-38, J. Berman, "המחדש בטובו מעשה בראשית", Megadim 9 (1990): 9-14, Y. Hershkovitz, "זכר ונקבה ברא אותם – עיון מחודש בפרשת המבול", Megadim 34 (2002): 9-25, Y. Grossman, <a href="http://www.etzion.org.il/vbm/archive/4-parsha/02noach.php">"בין העולם הראשון והשני"</a>, and E. Mayer, <a href="http://parshathemes.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/parshat-noach-creation-unzipped/">"Creation Unzipped"</a>.</fn> Some of the parallels are inverted and highlight how the Flood reversed the process of creation, while others correspond directly and demonstrate how the re-establishment of the world after the deluge mirrored the original creation. | Commentators as early as Philo,<fn>See his Questions and Answers on Genesis 2:13,14,17,31,51,56, and 66.</fn> have noted many similarities between the Flood narrative of Bereshit 6-9 and the description of Creation in Bereshit 1-2.<fn>Cassuto points to several of the similarities throughout his commentary on the story; see, for instance, his comments on 8:1,13,22. See also N. Sarna, Understanding Genesis (New York, 1966): 56 and numerous recent articles which list and analyze the parallels. See R. Z. Weitman, "הבריאה החדשה", Alon Shevut 78 (1980): 27-38, J. Berman, "המחדש בטובו מעשה בראשית", Megadim 9 (1990): 9-14, Y. Hershkovitz, "זכר ונקבה ברא אותם – עיון מחודש בפרשת המבול", Megadim 34 (2002): 9-25, Y. Grossman, <a href="http://www.etzion.org.il/vbm/archive/4-parsha/02noach.php">"בין העולם הראשון והשני"</a>, and E. Mayer, <a href="http://parshathemes.wordpress.com/2013/04/15/parshat-noach-creation-unzipped/">"Creation Unzipped"</a>.</fn> Some of the parallels are inverted and highlight how the Flood reversed the process of creation, while others correspond directly and demonstrate how the re-establishment of the world after the deluge mirrored the original creation. | ||
− | <h2 name=""> | + | <h2 name="">Undoing of Creation</h2> |
+ | <p>The similarities between Parashat Noach's description of the world's destruction and the original creation story are in content more than language.  They serve to underscore the obvious, that the deluge undid much of what the original creation had accomplished.</p> | ||
+ | <ul> | ||
+ | <li>Separated waters re-mingle – Hashem's original separation between the waters on high and below is undone, as both the heavens and the depths release the waters of the flood.</li> | ||
+ | <li>Land re-submerges – In Bereshit, the ingathering of the waters allows for the land to emerge, while in Parashat Noach, water floods back over all.</li> | ||
+ | <li>All die – The creation story describes the creation of bird, animal, beast and human, while the Noach account tells of their deaths.</li> | ||
+ | <li>Breath of life extinguished – Whereas Bereshit 2 emphasizes Hashem's breathing life into His handiwork, Bereshit 7 highlights the extinguishing of that breath.</li> | ||
+ | </ul> | ||
<answer text="Show / Hide Comparison Table"><multilang style="overflow: auto;"> | <answer text="Show / Hide Comparison Table"><multilang style="overflow: auto;"> | ||
<table xml:lang="he" dir="rtl"> | <table xml:lang="he" dir="rtl"> | ||
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</table> | </table> | ||
</multilang></answer> | </multilang></answer> | ||
+ | <p> </p> | ||
<h2 name="">2nd Chart</h2> | <h2 name="">2nd Chart</h2> |
Version as of 17:00, 23 October 2014
The Flood Story: Undoing and Redoing Creation
Introduction
Commentators as early as Philo,1 have noted many similarities between the Flood narrative of Bereshit 6-9 and the description of Creation in Bereshit 1-2.2 Some of the parallels are inverted and highlight how the Flood reversed the process of creation, while others correspond directly and demonstrate how the re-establishment of the world after the deluge mirrored the original creation.
Undoing of Creation
The similarities between Parashat Noach's description of the world's destruction and the original creation story are in content more than language. They serve to underscore the obvious, that the deluge undid much of what the original creation had accomplished.
- Separated waters re-mingle – Hashem's original separation between the waters on high and below is undone, as both the heavens and the depths release the waters of the flood.
- Land re-submerges – In Bereshit, the ingathering of the waters allows for the land to emerge, while in Parashat Noach, water floods back over all.
- All die – The creation story describes the creation of bird, animal, beast and human, while the Noach account tells of their deaths.
- Breath of life extinguished – Whereas Bereshit 2 emphasizes Hashem's breathing life into His handiwork, Bereshit 7 highlights the extinguishing of that breath.