A Supplement to Parshas Noach

This is the supplement to my Parshas Noach Thought based on the Gan. I made an offer to anyone who was inspired by his commentary to provide his additional insights about how the seeds of living human conflict also entered the Ark. "...v'Dodanim..." "...and the people of Dodan..." (10:4) The Torah lists the descendants of Noach's three sons. These became the nations and societies which filled the world and populated it. One of the grandsons of Yefes, through his son Yavan, was Dodan, who spawned a nation. The Gan observes that this nation, or person, is mentioned in Divrei HaYamim (Chronicles) 1:1:7, but is called Rodanim. The dalet is written there as a reish. The Gan suggests that this teaches us a lesson with the same theme as he introduced (in my Parsha Thought). Dodanim comes from the word Dod, which means an uncle, and is also a synonym for "dear friend". Rodan comes from the word Rodeh, which means to oppress. Dodan was in fact an "uncle" of us Shem-ites (Jews), and the descendants of Yavan (who became the Greeks) were in some ways dear ones to the Jewish people. After all, both cultures shared a love of intellectual exploration, aesthetic genius, understanding the cosmos and appreciating a unified society. Uncle Yefes, and his son Yavan, and his son Dodan, were at times in history on a parallel path with our own nation. However, with the passage of time and with the rise of idolatry, epicureanism and the misdirecting of those philosophical and theological values, the Greeks competed with us then persecuted us. They made that choice to embrace falsehood and to belittle truth. They became allegiant to that Sar of Sheker. Ultimately, they fell into misfortune. Visited Greece lately? "...Keetim..." "...the people of Keet..." (ibid.) Our sages, have taught that the people of Keet were the anthropological core of what would become the Romans. They too were at one time our dear ones (see Avoda Zara 9a). With time and tide, this changed dramatically and, as the Gan writes, "they are still, because of our iniquities, pursuing us......". They too adopted the ways of that Sar of Sheker. "...min ha'aretz ha'hi yatza Ashur..." "...Ashur left that land...and built Ninveh..." (10:11-12) Even before the dispersing of nations following the Tower of Bavel, the Torah tells us that Ashur left the region. The Gan notes that there are midrashim which teach that he went on to become the Nation of Ashur, whom we know as the Assyrians. He founded the metropolis of Nineveh. We know that Nineveh was the city which the prophet Yona was sent to save by inspiring them to repent their sinful ways. Why was Nineveh given this chance to repent? The Gan reasons that it was in the merit of Ashur, who must have detected early on the decadence of his civilization, and for that reason, he abandoned that part of the world, left the land, and set out to establish a better world for his descendants. In that merit, Ninveh, which at one time had been founded on more moral and humane principles, was given the opportunity to correct its now decadent ways. The Gan even cites a midrashic Targum which translates "min ha'aretz ha'hi" into the Aramaic "min aizta ha'hi" - Ashur departed by rejecting their falsehoods." The Gan then cites his father, Rabbeinu Yosi, that when we read in Tehillim (83:9) which lists the nations who conspire against Israel with treachery, the verse says "v'gam Ashur nilvah im'am" - even Ashur ended up joining them. This means that even though Ashur started off as one of our dear ones, he too ended up giving up truth for the decadent life, turning against truth, justice and morality. Each of these interpretations illustrate the inclination in ourselves to give allegiance to the Sar of Sheker, which leads us to impurity and misfortune, with which that force is allied. Good Shabbos. D Fox