TORAH/תורה

בְּרֵאשִׁית/Bereshit 9

And G-d said to Noach [showing him the bow]: This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between Me and between all flesh that is on the earth.

18

וַיִּֽהְי֣וּ בְנֵי־נֹ֗חַ הַיֹּֽצְאִים֙ מִן־הַתֵּבָ֔ה שֵׁ֖ם וְחָ֣ם וָיָ֑פֶת וְחָ֕ם ה֖וּא אֲבִ֥י כְנָֽעַן׃

And the sons of Noach who went out of the ark were Shem, Cham, and Yefeth; and Cham was the father of Kena'an [(the relationship being mentioned here to shed light on what is to follow vis-à-vis the cursing of Cham and Kena'an)].

19

שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה אֵ֖לֶּה בְּנֵי־נֹ֑חַ וּמֵאֵ֖לֶּה נָֽפְצָ֥ה כׇל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

These three are the sons of Noach, and from these did the whole earth spread.

20

וַיָּ֥חֶל נֹ֖חַ אִ֣ישׁ הָֽאֲדָמָ֑ה וַיִּטַּ֖ע כָּֽרֶם׃

Noach, the tiller of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard.

21

וַיֵּ֥שְׁתְּ מִן־הַיַּ֖יִן וַיִּשְׁכָּ֑ר וַיִּתְגַּ֖ל בְּת֥וֹךְ אׇהֳלֹֽה׃

And he drank from the wine and he was inebriated and he uncovered himself in the midst of his tent [ahalo, written "ahalah," an allusion to the ten tribes, called by the name of Shomron (Ahalah), who were exiled because of overindulgence in wine].

22

וַיַּ֗רְא חָ֚ם אֲבִ֣י כְנַ֔עַן אֵ֖ת עֶרְוַ֣ת אָבִ֑יו וַיַּגֵּ֥ד לִשְׁנֵֽי־אֶחָ֖יו בַּחֽוּץ׃

And Ḥam, the father of Kena'an saw the nakedness of his father (Kena'an saw it first and called his father after molesting his grandfather) and told his two brethren outside.

23

וַיִּקַּח֩ שֵׁ֨ם וָיֶ֜פֶת אֶת־הַשִּׂמְלָ֗ה וַיָּשִׂ֙ימוּ֙ עַל־שְׁכֶ֣ם שְׁנֵיהֶ֔ם וַיֵּֽלְכוּ֙ אֲחֹ֣רַנִּ֔ית וַיְכַסּ֕וּ אֵ֖ת עֶרְוַ֣ת אֲבִיהֶ֑ם וּפְנֵיהֶם֙ אֲחֹ֣רַנִּ֔ית וְעֶרְוַ֥ת אֲבִיהֶ֖ם לֹ֥א רָאֽוּ׃

And Shem took [(Shem, exerting himself on behalf of the mitzvah more than Yefeth did (for which reason his descendants merited the mitzvah of tzitzith)] and Yefeth, the garment [(for which reason he merited burial for his descendants (Yechezkel 39:11), (the descendants of Cham, who shamed his father, being led in nakedness into exile (Yeshayahu 20:4)], and they placed it on the shoulders of both and they walked backwards, and they covered the nakedness of their father, and their faces were [(kept)] turned backwards [when they drew near him to cover him], and the nakedness of their father they did not see.

24

וַיִּ֥יקֶץ נֹ֖חַ מִיֵּינ֑וֹ וַיֵּ֕דַע אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־עָֽשָׂה־ל֖וֹ בְּנ֥וֹ הַקָּטָֽן׃

And Noach awoke from his wine and he knew what his son had done to him.

25

וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אָר֣וּר כְּנָ֑עַן עֶ֥בֶד עֲבָדִ֖ים יִֽהְיֶ֥ה לְאֶחָֽיו׃

And he said: Cursed is Kena'an; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.

26

וַיֹּ֕אמֶר בָּר֥וּךְ יְהֹוָ֖ה אֱלֹ֣הֵי שֵׁ֑ם וִיהִ֥י כְנַ֖עַן עֶ֥בֶד לָֽמוֹ׃

And he said: Blessed is the L-rd, the G-d of Shem, and Kena'an will be a servant to him.

27

יַ֤פְתְּ אֱלֹהִים֙ לְיֶ֔פֶת וְיִשְׁכֹּ֖ן בְּאׇֽהֳלֵי־שֵׁ֑ם וִיהִ֥י כְנַ֖עַן עֶ֥בֶד לָֽמוֹ׃

G-d will "expand" Yefeth, but He will dwell in the tents of Shem, and Kena'an will be a servant unto him. [Even after the sons of Shem are exiled, servants will be sold to them from the sons of Kena'an.]

28

וַֽיְחִי־נֹ֖חַ אַחַ֣ר הַמַּבּ֑וּל שְׁלֹ֤שׁ מֵאוֹת֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וַֽחֲמִשִּׁ֖ים שָׁנָֽה׃

And Noach lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.

29

וַיִּֽהְיוּ֙* כׇּל־יְמֵי־נֹ֔חַ תְּשַׁ֤ע מֵאוֹת֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וַחֲמִשִּׁ֖ים שָׁנָ֑ה וַיָּמֹֽת׃ {פ}

And all the days of Noach were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.