“For this is as the waters of Noah to me; as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I would not be furious with you nor rebuke you….neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, says the Lord who has mercy on you.” (Yeshayahu 54:9-10)

“…and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, as the loving promises of David.” (Yeshayahu 55:3)

The haftarah for Parshat Noah (Yeshayahu 54:1 – 55:5) is connected to the Torah portion in two ways: 1) it compares the flood in the time of Noah to the exile of the Jewish people, and 2) it compares the covenant with Noah following the flood to the covenants of God to his people and to the Beit David (House of David). These chapters of the prophet Yeshayahu are characterized by orations of comfort. For that reason, this section also appears in our liturgy as two of the seven haftarot of comfort that are recited in the weeks following Tisha B’Av. But, how does the memory of the flood correlate to these words of comfort?

Two Sources of Comfort – The Prophet and God

This section of the prophet Yeshayahu is characterized by an unusual change in the style of speech. The first six verses of this section reflect indirect speech, while verses seven and onward reflect direct speech. The transition is evident in verses six and seven:

כי כאשה עזובה ועצובת רוח קראך ה' ואשת נעורים כי תמאס אמר אלקיך.

ברגע קטן עזבתיך וברחמים גדולים אקבציך.

For the Lord has called you a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, but can a wife of youth be cast off?, says the Lord. For a small moment have I forsaken you, but with great mercies will I gather you.

The phrase “says the Lord” (“אמר אלקיך”) at the end of verse 6 can be seen both as the completion of the previous section and the opening of the section that begins with verse 7 which is characterized by direct speech [1] , as if it reads:

אמר אלקיך: "ברגע קטן עזבתיך …"

Your Lord says: “For a small moment have I forsaken you …”

This transition would indicate that the first section, through verse six, is delivered by the prophet Yeshayahu, while in verses seven and onward, God Himself addresses words of comfort to the Jewish people, characterized as a barren woman. Apparently, the words of the prophet did not succeed in comforting the suffering woman and, as a result God intervened personally. This same process is reflected in a midrash relating to the opening lines of the seven haftarot of comfort:

תקנו לומר בתחילות הפטרות הנחמות: "נחמו נחמו עמי" (ישעיהו מ:א), כלומר שהקב"ה אמר לנביאים: "נחמו נחמו עמי". על זה משיבה כנסת ישראל: "ותאמרציון עזבני ה'" (ישעיהו מט:יא), כלומר איני מתפייסת מנחמת הנביאים…. הנביאים חוזרים ואומרים לפני הקב"ה: הנה כנסת ישראל לא נתפייסה בתנחומים שלנו. על זה חוזר הקב"ה ואומר: "אנכי אנכי הוא מנחמכם" (ישעיהו נא:יב) …משיבה כנסת ישראל: "שוש אשיש בה'" (ישעיהו סא:י), כלומר עתה יש לי לשוש ולשמוח.

They set to say at the beginnings of the haftarot of comfort: “Be comforted, Be comforted, my people” (Yeshayahu 40:1), that is to say that God said to the prophets: “Comfort my people.” To this, the congregation of Israel responded: “And Zion said, God has abandoned us” (Yeshayahu 49:14), that is to say: “I am not comforted by the conselation of the prophets.” The prophets returned and said to God: “Behold, the congregation of Israel is not comforted by our consolation. To this God responded; “I, I am the one who will comfort you” (Yeshayahu 51:12)…. The congregation of Israel responded: “I will greatly rejoice in God” (Yeshayahu 61:10), that is to say now I can greatly rejoice….

The qualitative difference between the consolation of the prophets and the consolation delivered directly by God finds expression in our haftarah. The message of the prophet is one of objective redemption characterized by increased population and resettlement of the land:

הרחיבי מקום אוהליך ויריעות משכנותיך יטו אל תחשכי האריכי מיתריך ויתידותיך חזיקי. כי ימין ושמאל תפרצי וזערך גוים יירש וערים נשמות יושיבו. כי מי נח זאת לי אשר נשבעתי מעבר מי נח עוד על הארץ כן נשבעתי מקצף עליך ומגער בך. כי ההרים ימושו והגבעות תמוטינה וחסדי מאתך לא ימוש וברית שלומי לא תמוט אמר מרחמך ה'. (ישעיהו מד:ב-ג)

Enlarge the place of your tent and stretch out the curtains of your habitations; spare not, lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you shall break forth to the right and to the left, and your seed shall possess nations, and inhabit desolate cities.” (Yeshayahu 54:2-3)

But the personal consolation of the grieving woman is done by her husband and lover, God who returns to her and reassures her:

ברגע קטן עזבתיך וברחמים גדולים אקבצך. בשצף קצף הסתרתי פני רגע ממך ובחסד עולם רחמתיך אמר גואליך ה'. כי מי נח זאת לי אשר נשבעתי מעבר מי נח עוד על הארץ כן נשבעתי מקצף עליך ומגער בך. כי ההרים ימושו והגבעות תמוטינה וחסדי מאתך לא ימוש וברית שלומי לא תמוט אמר מרחמך ה'. (ישעיהו מד:ז-י)

For a small moment have I forsaken you, but with great mercies will I gather you. In the overflowing of wrath I hid my face from you for a moment, but with everlasting faithful love will I have mercy on you, says your redeemer, God. For this is as the waters of Noah to me; as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so I have sworn that I will not be furious with you nor rebuke you. For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but my faithful love shall not depart from you, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, says the Lord who has mercy on you. (Yeshayahu 54:7-8)

God speaks to the heart of His beloved, reassuring her that they will return to their state of love that preceded this brief moment of anger. The grieving Jewish people will soon understand that their current sadness will seem like a short moment when compared to the kindness and mercy that will follow for eternity.

The Waters of Noah

Why are the “waters of Noah” (מי נח) mentioned in God’s consolation to Israel? The answer to this question hinges on our understanding of the unique expression “שצף קצף”. According to Dunash, cited by Rashi, it refers to a “small anger”. This interpretation creates an inverse parallelism between the exile and the flood – that the anger of God against His people is minor as compared to the anger against humanity at the time of the Noah. Buber and Rosenzweig interpret “שצך קצף” as a “flood of anger”, creating a direct parallelism between the exile and the mighty waters of the flood. Nevertheless, just as God promised never again to flood the earth, so too He promised his people: “I will not be furious with you nor rebuke you”.

A number of classical commentators interpret the phrase “כי מי נח” (“as the waters of Noah”) as a variant reading “כימי נח” (“as in the days of Noah”). According to this reading, the verse takes on a different meaning: “Just as in the days of Noah I swore that the waters of Noah will not again cover the earth, so I now swear not to be angry with you.”

This appears to be the interpretation of the Malbim:

"כמו שנשבעתי בימי נח שלא אביא מבול לעולם כי חסתי על העולם כולו שלא יאבד, כן את חשובה בעיני ככלל העולם."

“Just as I swore in the days of Noah that I would never again bring a flood, for I took pity on the world that it should not be totally destroyed, so you are as important in my eyes as the entire world.”

Although here the Malbim seems to equate the importance of the Jewish people and the world, in the continuation of his interpretation (verse 10), he posits that God’s promise to the Jewish people actually exceeds his promise to Noah:

"גם אם יצוייר שההרים ימושו ושאמחה כל היקום אר על פני האדמה ושאבטל שבועת המבול, חסדי מאתך לא ימוש."

“Even if the ‘hills would depart’ and I would wipe out all living beings from the face of the earth, and I would nullify the oath of the flood, nevertheless my kindness would not be removed from you.”

The Malbim seems to follow the interpretation of Dunash, that God’s anger against the Jewish people was relatively small compared to His anger at the time of the flood. Conversely, the promise of redemption for the exiled Jews also exceeds the promise to Noah following the flood. While God’s promise to Noah was formal and legalistic in nature, the oath to the people of Israel is filled with love and comprised of the divine qualities of kindness and peace:

"…וחסדי מאתך לא ימוש וברית שלומי לא תמוט אמר מרחמך ה'."

“…neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, says the Lord who has mercy on you.”

The covenant of peace, reminiscent of the priestly covenant with Pinchas (Bemidbar 25:11), promises peace (שלום) and perfection (שלימות) in the relationship between God and His people. In addition to the covenant of peace, God enacts, as well, the covenant of David, which extends the redemption to the entire world:

הן עד לעמים נתתיו נגיד ומצוה לאמים. הן גוי לא תדע תקרא וגוי לא ידעך, אליך ירצו למען ה' אלקיך ולקדוש ישראל כי פארך." (ישעיהו נה:ד-ה)

Behold, I have made him a witness to the people, a leader and commander of nations. Behold, you shall call a nation that you know not and that does not know you, and they shall run to you because of the Lord your God, and for the Holy One of Israel, for He has glorified you. (Yeshayahu 55:4-5),

Abarbanel – Reliving the Flood

Abarbanel, who personally experienced the pain of the Spanish expulsion, finds a descriptive parallelism between the flood and the exile. He offers two explanations, the first based on the reading “כימי נח” (as the days of Noah):

"כי אם יהיה 'כימי נח' מגזרת 'יום', … מה שקרה לישראל … כן קרה לדור המבול … ישראל פרו ורבו ותימלא הארץ אותם ומלאה הארץ חמס מפניהם, ונתן ה' להם מקום לשוב בתשובה ולא שבו עדיו. ומפני זה שיבלת מים שטפתם זרם מים רבים שהוא הגלות. האמנם שיישארו מהם אחד מעיר ושניים ממשפחה כאותם שניצולו בתיבה, והם היו לראש פינה וירבו ויעצמו בארץ, ויישבע ה' שלא הביא עליהם עוד גלות."

“If it is ‘כימי נח’ referring to ‘days’,…it implies that what happened to the Jews…also happened to the generation of the flood. The Jews were fruitful and multiplied, and the land was filled with them, and the land was filled with corruption before them. And God gave them the opportunity to repent, but they did not return to Him. And because of this, a current became a mighty stream of water, which is the exile. Ultimately, there remained one from a particular city and two from a family, like those who were saved in the ark, and they became the cornerstone as they increased and grew strong in the land. And God promised that he would not bring upon them another exile.”

Abarbanel’s second explanation is based on the reading “כי מי נח” (“as the waters of Noah”). This interpretation is consistent with his commentary on the Torah in which he explained the covenant of Noah as the restraint of the waves of the sea so that they not flood the dry land:

"כמו אותה השבועה וברית שנשבעתי לנח על עניין המים כן נשבעתי לישראל על עניין הגלות. ולכן קראם מי נח, לפי שגזר הקב"ה על גאון המים בזכות נח: עד פה תבוא ולא תוסיף וחזר שבועתו אליהם שלא יבואו עוד בגלות."

“Just like the oath and covenant that I swore to Noah regarding the water, so I swear to Israel regarding the exile. Therefore he called them ‘the waters of Noah’ – for God decreed on the water because of Noah: “to here you may come, and no further”…And his oath repeated itself to them that they would not come again into exile.”

In the first image, the exile is compared to a current of water that grows into a mighty and threatening torrent, and in the second it is compared to a stormy sea. In the first image, the covenant of redemption is represented by the lack of floods, while in the second image, it promises a secure life on the shore, safe from the threat of the waves.

Conclusion

We might think it strange that the great flood during the time of Noah be used as a reference point in delivering words of comfort to a people suffering in exile. Yet, whether by comparison or by contrast, the events of the flood and its aftermath contain a message of hope for the Jewish people for a marvelous and everlasting redemption.

[1] This phenomenon is discussed by Ibn Ezra who terms it “מושך עצמו ואחר עמו”. For other examples, see: עזרא ציון מלמד, מפרשי המקרא (חלק ב), הוצאת מאגנס, ירושלים, תשל"ח, עמ' 569