Glossary of Terms Used in the Noah Weekly Torah Portion

Noah

“Noah was a righteous man, perfect in his generations,” meaning that quality of bestowal that is now appearing in a person. Noah is righteous, from the right side, Hesed, in relation to that flood, in relation to those egotistical desires.

Flood

On the one hand, the flood is water. On the other hand, it is water with the force of Gevura, the power of fire, the destructive egotistical power. It is an incorrect connection between left and right, where the left, the ego, dominates the right.

The Ark

The “ark” is the quality of Bina, bestowal, Hassadim (mercy). It is a mother who tends to anyone who joins her and is under her influence.

Forty Days and Forty Nights

This period marks the difference between Malchut and Bina. Bina is called “blocked Mem” (final Mem in Hebrew). Mem is forty in Gematria. The ascent from the quality of reception into the quality of bestowal, from Malchut to Bina, means ascending to the degree of forty.

The Crow

The “crow” is the part of the left that requires correction, compared to the “dove,” which is from the right. Therefore, when the dove governs instead of the crow, when it returns with an olive leaf, it is clear that the correction has been completed and the ego is entirely under the domination of bestowal.

An Olive Leaf

The olive is used for many things, such as oil for lamps. Oil itself is one of the foundations of life. It is light of Hochma that can be inside the light of Hassadim, when we have entered a state that allows us to keep developing. Our development takes place through the light of Hochma, although the correction is done by the light of Hassadim. These are always two opposing forces.

Rainbow

The rainbow marks the covenant. If I make a covenant with you, it is not because we enjoy being together, because in that state there is no need to sign anything. Rather, it is a guarantee for tomorrow. We fear or anticipate that our relationship may deteriorate; therefore, by fore-signing we are forced to maintain good and proper relations.

In Hebrew, a rainbow is called “an arch in the cloud.” The cloud does not symbolize a good situation, but the arch, the connection between us that is over the cloud, ties us in a way that allows us to continue. We need that covenant, which is an everlasting pledge.

The Tower of Babel

This is the gigantic ego that intensified during the time of Nimrod. The ego is constantly growing: it appears in the form of evil waters, waters in Gevurot at the time of Noah, then the Tower of Babel, and then Pharaoh, the Romans and the Greeks. The ego constantly grows and wears different facades.