{"id":2537,"date":"2013-09-29T11:48:22","date_gmt":"2013-09-29T11:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.matsati.com\/?p=2537"},"modified":"2013-09-29T11:48:22","modified_gmt":"2013-09-29T11:48:22","slug":"bits-of-torah-truths-parashat-noach-giving-rest-from-the-work-and-toil-of-our-hands","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/bits-of-torah-truths-parashat-noach-giving-rest-from-the-work-and-toil-of-our-hands\/","title":{"rendered":"Bits of Torah Truths, Parashat Noach, Giving rest from the work and toil of our hands?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>This weeks reading is from Parashat Noach (<em>Bereshit \/ Genesis 6:9-11:32<\/em>), which opens with the Lord seeing the wickedness of man on the face of the earth (<span style=\"font-size: medium;\">\u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05b9\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05e8\u05b7\u05d1\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e8\u05b8\u05e2\u05b7\u05ea \u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05dd \u05d1\u05bc\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 \u05d5\u05b0\u05db\u05b8\u05dc-\u05d9\u05b5\u05e6\u05b6\u05e8 \u05de\u05b7\u05d7\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05d1\u05b9\u05ea \u05dc\u05b4\u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9 \u05e8\u05b7\u05e7 \u05e8\u05b7\u05e2 \u05db\u05bc\u05b8\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd: \u05d5\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b4\u05e0\u05bc\u05b8\u05d7\u05b6\u05dd \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05b9\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9-\u05e2\u05b8\u05e9\u05b8\u05b9\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea-\u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05dd \u05d1\u05bc\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b4\u05ea\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05e6\u05bc\u05b5\u05d1 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc-\u05dc\u05b4\u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9<\/span>).\u00a0 The Scriptures tell us that the heart of man was consistently set upon evil (<em>Bereshit \/ Genesis 6:9<\/em>).\u00a0 The Aramaic Targum (Onkelos, <em>Bereshit \/ Genesis 6:10<\/em>) states that it grieved the Word (<span style=\"font-size: medium;\">\u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05de\u05b5\u05d9\u05de\u05b0\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9\u05d4\u05bc<\/span>) of the Lord God that He had made man.\u00a0 As a result, the Lord brought a great flood to destroy all life having breath from the face of the earth.\u00a0 God instructs Noach to build an ark to save a remnant of righteous people, and some of the clean and unclean animals.\u00a0 Following the flood the Lord God says in <em>Bereshit \/ Genesis 9:11<\/em> <span style=\"font-size: medium;\">\u05d5\u05b7\u05d4\u05b2\u05e7\u05b4\u05de\u05b9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea-\u05d1\u05bc\u05b0\u05e8\u05b4\u05d9\u05ea\u05b4\u05d9 \u05d0\u05b4\u05ea\u05bc\u05b0\u05db\u05b6\u05dd<\/span> <em>\u201cand I will establish my covenant with you,\u201d<\/em> declaring that He will establish His covenant with Noach.\u00a0 The Scriptures from this week\u2019s reading describes God\u2019s faithfulness to keep His promises in saving His people.\u00a0 Today we know the might and power of God according to His Word (the Bible) and by how He works in our lives.\u00a0 He has a plan for us to live and to dwell in our midst and this is achieved in His son Yeshua the Messiah.\u00a0 According to the Scriptures, Noach (<span style=\"font-size: medium;\">\u05e0\u05d7<\/span>) was the grandson of Methuselah (<em>Bereshit \/ Genesis 5:25-29, who lived 969 years<\/em>).\u00a0 Studying the genealogies, Noach was born 250 years following the death of Adam.\u00a0 Methuselah was the son of Lamech who was the fifth in descent from Cain and Lamech was the first man to take in marriage more than one wife (see <em>Bereshit \/ Genesis 4:23-24<\/em>).\u00a0 The word Noach (<span style=\"font-size: medium;\">\u05e0\u05d7<\/span>) when used as a noun is a proper name and when used as a verb (<span style=\"font-size: medium;\">\u05dc\u05e0\u05d5\u05d7<\/span>) means <em>\u201cto rest.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The meaning behind the name that Lamech gives to Noach is explained in <em>Bereshit \/ Genesis 5:29<\/em>, the Scriptures say <em>&#8220;This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.&#8221;<\/em>\u00a0 How did Noach give rest from the work and toil of our hands that arises from the ground which the Lord has cursed?<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">\u05db\u05ea\u05d1\u05d9 \u05d4\u05e7\u05d5\u05d3\u05e9 \/ The Holy Scriptures<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right; padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><span style=\"font-size: medium;\">\u05e1\u05e4\u05e8 \u05d1\u05e8\u05d0\u05e9\u05d9\u05ea \u05e4\u05e8\u05e7 \u05d4 \u05e4\u05e1\u05d5\u05e7 \u05db\u05d7-\u05dc<\/span><\/strong><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-size: medium;\">\u05db\u05d7\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05b0\u05d7\u05b4\u05d9-\u05dc\u05b6\u05de\u05b6\u05da\u05b0 \u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05ea\u05bc\u05b7\u05d9\u05b4\u05dd \u05d5\u05bc\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05de\u05b9\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05c1\u05b8\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b0\u05d0\u05b7\u05ea \u05e9\u05c1\u05b8\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b6\u05d3 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b5\u05df: \u05db\u05d8\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b4\u05e7\u05b0\u05e8\u05b8\u05d0 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea-\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05de\u05d5\u05b9 \u05e0\u05b9\u05d7\u05b7 \u05dc\u05b5\u05d0\u05de\u05b9\u05e8 \u05d6\u05b6\u05d4 \u05d9\u05b0\u05e0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05de\u05b5\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05de\u05b4\u05de\u05bc\u05b7\u05e2\u05b2\u05e9\u05b5\u05b9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05d5\u05bc\u05de\u05b5\u05e2\u05b4\u05e6\u05bc\u05b0\u05d1\u05d5\u05b9\u05df \u05d9\u05b8\u05d3\u05b5\u05d9\u05e0\u05d5\u05bc \u05de\u05b4\u05df-\u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b2\u05d3\u05b8\u05de\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b2\u05e9\u05c1\u05b6\u05e8 \u05d0\u05b5\u05e8\u05b2\u05e8\u05b8\u05d4\u05bc \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05b8\u05d4: \u05dc\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05b0\u05d7\u05b4\u05d9-\u05dc\u05b6\u05de\u05b6\u05da\u05b0 \u05d0\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05e8\u05b5\u05d9 \u05d4\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b4\u05d9\u05d3\u05d5\u05b9 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea-\u05e0\u05b9\u05d7\u05b7 \u05d7\u05b8\u05de\u05b5\u05e9\u05c1 \u05d5\u05b0\u05ea\u05b4\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05e2\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05e9\u05c1\u05b8\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d7\u05b2\u05de\u05b5\u05e9\u05c1 \u05de\u05b5\u05d0\u05b9\u05ea \u05e9\u05c1\u05b8\u05e0\u05b8\u05d4 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dc\u05b6\u05d3 \u05d1\u05bc\u05b8\u05e0\u05b4\u05d9\u05dd \u05d5\u05bc\u05d1\u05b8\u05e0\u05d5\u05b9\u05ea:<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 30px;\"><strong><em>Bereshit \/ Genesis 5:28-50<\/em><\/strong><br \/>\n<em>5:28 Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and became the father of a son.\u00a0 5:29 Now he called his name Noah, saying, \u2018This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.\u2019\u00a0 5:30 Then Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years after he became the father of Noah, and he had other sons and daughters. (NASB)<\/em><\/p>\n<p>This week\u2019s reading speaks of Noach and the wicked men on the earth in those days.\u00a0 The section of verses quoted above is actually from Parashat Bereshit that speaks of Lamech the father of Noah and the reason why Lamech named his son Noach.\u00a0 The Scriptures say <em>5:29 Now he called his name Noah, saying, \u2018This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the Lord has cursed.\u2019\u00a0 (NASB)<\/em>\u00a0 In the world today, I have to ask the question <em>\u201cwhat is the difficulty in the work of the ground?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 The reason I ask that question is that I really enjoy the work that I do.\u00a0 It is neither burdensome nor tiring, I am a scientist during the day and bible scholar at night, and I really enjoy the work that I do.\u00a0 So when reading these Scriptures about work and its burden, what do the Scriptures mean by <em>\u201cthe work and toil from the ground which the Lord cursed?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 What was it like in the garden of Eden?\u00a0 Did the generation during Noach\u2019s time remember Adam and Eve?\u00a0 Did Adam and Eve spend enough time in the garden to understand work and toil?\u00a0 All of these questions and more come to mind while studying these Scriptures.\u00a0 When thinking on the topic of toiling over work, our jobs might not be so difficult per say as much as it is difficult to balance the check book.\u00a0 We struggle each week to make a living, and to balance our bank accounts.\u00a0 This can become very burdensome, grinding, and toiling work.\u00a0 It is the sweat, anxiety, and pressure that is placed upon us constantly in the endless race of life that is the result of the curse and man is reduced to unending toil and sorrow to make a living.\u00a0 Work in and of itself is not the curse that was given to mankind, it is the toil to stay alive that is the curse.\u00a0 If one does not have work to do, then such a person of all people is most miserable.\u00a0 Work and being able to work is in fact a blessing from God (see <em>Devarim \/ Deuteronomy 8:18<\/em>) and is a part of the covenant blessing.\u00a0 The Scriptures also say <em>\u201cFor dust you are and to dust you will return\u201d<\/em> (<em>Bereshit \/ Genesis 3:19<\/em>).\u00a0 According to the Apostolic Writings, the rich man who built barns and filled them up said to himself, <em>\u201cTake life easy; eat, drink and be merry.\u201d<\/em> However, the Lord said to him, <em>\u201cYou fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you&#8230;\u201d<\/em> (<em>Luke 12:19-20<\/em>) and He asks the question <em>\u201cThen who will get what you have prepared for yourself?\u201d<\/em> (<em>Luke 12:20<\/em>).\u00a0 The author of the book of Ecclesiastes struggled with these concepts saying we amass property and all the good things of life, and then realize what a sense of futility there is in having to pass them along to somebody else, someone who didn\u2019t turn a finger to gain them.\u00a0 What then is the reason for our struggling and toiling in life?\u00a0 I believe this curse is intended to remind us of the truth of God\u2019s Word and to counteract the pride of life.\u00a0 We are not the masters of this world, we are not in control and we are not capable of handling and solving all of the problems in life.\u00a0 Death, suffering, toil, and subjection are limits that we cannot escape.\u00a0 These things remind us of the curse and cause us to look to and have a dependance upon the Lord God Almighty.\u00a0 We desperately need God and His Messiah Yeshua.\u00a0 The hour of greatest hope in our lives is when our eyes are opened to this basic truth realizing our own sinful lives and the need for salvation in God\u2019s Messiah.\u00a0 It is only when we say, <em>\u201cLord, I can\u2019t make it without you &#8230; I need you desperately\u201d<\/em> that the Lord begins a miraculous work in our lives.\u00a0 Thank You, Lord! for the trials and limitations of life that keep us dependent upon You in Yeshua the Messiah!\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.matsati.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/BTT_Parashat-Noach-2013-1.pdf\">BTT_Parashat Noach-2013 (1)<\/a>  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This weeks reading is from Parashat Noach (Bereshit \/ Genesis 6:9-11:32), which opens with the Lord seeing the wickedness of man on the face of the earth (\u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b7\u05e8\u05b0\u05d0 \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05b9\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9 \u05e8\u05b7\u05d1\u05bc\u05b8\u05d4 \u05e8\u05b8\u05e2\u05b7\u05ea \u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05dd \u05d1\u05bc\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 \u05d5\u05b0\u05db\u05b8\u05dc-\u05d9\u05b5\u05e6\u05b6\u05e8 \u05de\u05b7\u05d7\u05b0\u05e9\u05c1\u05b0\u05d1\u05b9\u05ea \u05dc\u05b4\u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9 \u05e8\u05b7\u05e7 \u05e8\u05b7\u05e2 \u05db\u05bc\u05b8\u05dc-\u05d4\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9\u05dd: \u05d5\u00a0\u00a0 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b4\u05e0\u05bc\u05b8\u05d7\u05b6\u05dd \u05d9\u05b0\u05d4\u05b9\u05d5\u05b8\u05d4 \u05db\u05bc\u05b4\u05d9-\u05e2\u05b8\u05e9\u05b8\u05b9\u05d4 \u05d0\u05b6\u05ea-\u05d4\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05d3\u05b8\u05dd \u05d1\u05bc\u05b8\u05d0\u05b8\u05e8\u05b6\u05e5 \u05d5\u05b7\u05d9\u05bc\u05b4\u05ea\u05b0\u05e2\u05b7\u05e6\u05bc\u05b5\u05d1 \u05d0\u05b6\u05dc-\u05dc\u05b4\u05d1\u05bc\u05d5\u05b9).\u00a0 The Scriptures tell us that the heart [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2537","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-bits-of-torah-truth"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2537","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2537"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2537\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2537"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2537"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.matsati.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2537"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}