Noach 6:12 · unit 1

TT #6 · Parashas Noach · First Aliyah · Passuk 6:12

The Complete Passuk

וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ וְהִנֵּ֣ה נִשְׁחָ֑תָה כִּֽי־הִשְׁחִ֧ית כׇּל־בָּשָׂ֛ר אֶת־דַּרְכּ֖וֹ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

God saw the earth, and behold it was corrupted, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth.

Chabad.org — 6:12

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Sanhedrin 108a (R’ Yochanan).

Sefaria — Sanhedrin 108a

E-Daf image — Sanhedrin 108a (size=3)

Shas / HebrewBooks PDF of the daf

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
כָּל בָּשָׂר — אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהִרְבִּיעוּ בְּהֵמָה עַל חַיָּה וְחַיָּה עַל בְּהֵמָה וְהַכֹּל עַל אָדָם וְאָדָם עַל הַכֹּל.

English: “All flesh” — R’ Yochanan said: This teaches that they caused animals to mate with wild beasts and wild beasts with animals, and everything with man and man with everything.

On the daf / in context: The inclusive language “kol basar” is taken to mean that the corruption of “way” extended even to inter-species mating, a hallmark of the generation’s complete moral collapse.

Type of Learning

Custom (diyuk from the broad term “all flesh”).

What Is Learned

The generation of the Flood corrupted the natural order itself by forcing unnatural matings across species and with humankind.