Noach 6:14 · unit 1

TT #9 · Parashas Noach · First Aliyah · Passuk 6:14

The Complete Passuk

עֲשֵׂ֤ה לְךָ֙ תֵּבַ֣ת עֲצֵי־גֹ֔פֶר קִנִּ֖ים תַּֽעֲשֶׂ֣ה אֶת־הַתֵּבָ֑ה וְכָֽפַרְתָּ֥ אֹתָ֛הּ מִבַּ֥יִת וּמִח֖וּץ בַּכֹּֽפֶר׃

Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with compartments, and you shall cover it inside and outside with pitch.

Chabad.org — 6:14

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to the identification of “atzei-gopher” (Sanhedrin 108b / school of R’ Shila).

Sefaria — Sanhedrin 108b

E-Daf image — Sanhedrin 108b (size=3)

Shas / HebrewBooks PDF of the daf

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text

עֲצֵי גֹּפֶר — מַאי גֹּפֶר? אָמְרִי דְּבֵי רַבִּי שִׁילָא: זוֹ מַבְלִיגָה, וְאָמְרִי לַהּ גּוּלְמִישׁ.

English: “Gopher wood” — What is gopher? The school of R’ Shila said: This is a kind of cedar (or a resinous wood called mabligah / gulmish).

On the daf / in context: The unusual term “gopher” is identified with a specific durable, resinous wood suitable for an ark that must withstand prolonged immersion. Onkelos renders it as a type of cedar.

Type of Learning

Custom (lexical identification of a rare biblical term).

What Is Learned

“Atzei-gopher” refers to a particular species of strong, resinous wood (commonly identified with a type of cedar or similar).

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