Noach 7:10 · unit 1

TT #21 · Parashas Noach · Second Aliyah · Passuk 7:10

The Complete Passuk

וַיְהִ֖י לְשִׁבְעַ֣ת הַיָּמִ֑ים וּמֵ֣י הַמַּבּ֔וּל הָי֖וּ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

And it came to pass after the seven days that the waters of the Flood were upon the earth.

Chabad.org — 7:10

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Sanhedrin 108b (Rav — the seven days of Methuselah’s mourning).

Sefaria — Sanhedrin 108b

E-Daf image — Sanhedrin 108b (size=3)

Shas / HebrewBooks PDF of the daf

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
וַיְהִי לְשִׁבְעַת הַיָּמִים — מַה טִּיבָם שֶׁל שִׁבְעַת הַיָּמִים? אָמַר רַב: אֵלּוּ יְמֵי אֲבֵלוּת שֶׁל מְתוּשֶׁלַח, לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁהַסְּפֵדָן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים מְעַכֵּב אֶת הַפֻּרְעָנוּת לָבֹא.

English: “And it came to pass after the seven days” — What is the nature of these seven days? Rav said: These are the days of mourning for Methuselah, to teach you that the eulogy (or mourning period) of the righteous delays the calamity from coming.

On the daf / in context: The seven-day delay before the Flood is identified with the mourning period for the righteous Methuselah. The presence (or the period) of the righteous holds back punishment.

Type of Learning

Custom (identification of the seven days with the mourning of a righteous man).

What Is Learned

The mourning period of the righteous delays calamity; the seven days before the Flood were the days of Methuselah’s mourning.