Parshas Noach: Sixth Aliyah
“his tent (oholo)”: this alludes to the Ten Tribes, who were referred by the name of Samaria, which was called Oholah, who were exiled on account of wine, as it is written in Amos 6:6, “who drink from basins of wine.”
“And Shem and Yafes took (vayikach)”: It uses vayikach in its singular form. This teaches us that Shem exerted himself to the fulfill the commandment more than Yafes. Therefore his sons merited tallis with fringes, and Yafes merited burial for his sons. Hence, Gog will be buried in Israel. But regarding Ham who disgraced his father, it is stated, “So shall the king of Assyria lead the captivity of Egypt and the exile of Cush, youths and old men, naked and barefoot, with bare buttocks, etc.”
“and their faces were turned backwards.”: why is this stated a second time? To teach us that when they drew near their father and they had to turn around to cover him, they turned their faces backwards.
“his small son”: the worthless despicable one, as in Jeremiah 49:15 “Behold I have made you small among the nations; despised among men.”
“Cursed be Canaan”: You have caused me to be incapable of begetting another fourth son to serve me. Cursed be your fourth son, that he should minister to the children of these older ones [Shem and Yafes], upon whom the burden of serving me has been placed from now on. Ham’s reason for castrating Noah was “The first man Adam had two sons and one killed the other, so as to inherit the world, and our father has three sons and still desires a fourth son!”
“Blessed be the Lord, the G-d of Shem.”: who is destined to keep His promise to his seed to give them the land of Canaan.
“be”: Canaan be to them a vassal paying tribute.
“and may He dwell in the tents of Shem.”: May He cause His Presence to rest in Israel. Our sages say, although G-d will beautify Yafes, insofar as Cyrus, who was of the sons of Yafes, built the Second Temple, the Shechinah did not rest therein. But where did it rest? In the First Temple, built by Solomon, who was of the sons of Shem.
“and may Canaan be a slave”: Even after the descendants of Shem are exiled, some of the descendants of Canaan will be sold to them as slaves.
“Tiras”: This is Persia, one of the sons of Yafes.
“he began to be a mighty man.”: Nimrod caused the entire world to rebel against the Holy One, blessed be He, with the plan of the Generation of the Dispersion.
“a mighty hunter”: Nimrod ensnared people’s minds with his speech and misled them to rebel against the Omnipresent.
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“before the Lord”: He intended tto projoke Him to His Face.
“therefore it is said”: about any man who is brazenly wicked, who recognizes his Master and intends to rebel (limrod) against Him, it is said “This one is like Nimrod, a mighty hunter.”
Lahabim: people whose faces were like flames.
Gvul=end and an edge. Gvul Hakenaani = end of the Canaanite land.
“according to…their tongues, in their lands”: the importance of lineage, language and land in dividing nations.
Shem…father of all the people of the other side [of the river] → reminiscent of Yivri (to cross over. hebrew). Shem was the brother of Yafes who was older than him.
Shem was 100 years old two years after the Flood. Yafes was older because Noah was 500 years old when he first had cihldren, adn the flood came to pass in the six hundredth year. Therefore his eldest son was 100 years old at the time of the flood, and Shem did not reach 100 years old until two years after the flood.
Shem was the brother of Yafes, but not the brother of Ham, for these two honored their father, and Ham disgraced him.
“was divided”: the tongues became confused, scattered from the valley and dispersed throughout the entire world. Eber was a prophet, since he named his son for a future event. Peleg resembles the world niflege meaning dispersed. At the end of Peleg’s days, they were dispersed. His brother Joktan was his junior and he begot many families before that, while the whole earth was only one tongue.
Joktan: because he was humble and considered him small(katan). Therefore he merited to raise all these families.
according to their tongues, in their lands, according to their nations: importance of language, land, and bloodline in dividing nations.
