10/15/2026 - Yitzy Parnes / Did Noach's sons count?
Oct 15, 2026 · 5 min · 4 segments
Send us Fan Mail Did Noach's sons count?
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Yitzy ParnesGuest
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- Bereshit×2TzadikVayeira×2
Oct 15, 2026 · 5 min · 4 segments
Send us Fan Mail Did Noach's sons count?
Yitzy ParnesGuest
So in the end of Parashat Bereshit, in Perek Hey, Pasuk Lamed Beis, Rashi asks a question.
Rashi's question is, why is it that everybody else starts having children at a hundred, but Noach has his children at five hundred? So Rashi, he's bringing, uh, a Midrash Rabba, and Rashi says, Rashi says as follows, "Am Rab Yudim," Rab Yudim says, "Ma Tam Kohador Is Chalidu L'Mei Hashana, V'Zeil Chamish Mei." Why is it that everybody else is having children at one hundred, and Noach is having children at age five hundred? "Am HaKadosh Baruch Hu," Hashem said, "Im Reshayim Heim," if the children of Noach are Reshayim, "Yehavdu Bamayim V'Rala Tzadik Zeh." They're gonna die in the Mabul, in the water, and it's gonna be bad for Noach, who's a Tzadik.
"Ve'Im Tzadikim Heim," and if Noach's children are Tzadikim, "Atshrich Alav," blast his teivah, his harbeh, I'm gonna be matshrich him, putting him out of his way to make many teivahs.
And I'm just gonna jump through because there's a few achronim that deal with this, this, this line.
They would have potentially saved their town because they would have been, uh, ten Tzadikim, and they would have saved their town.
Therefore, they would-- Noach could have been put out of his way to make multiple teivahs, and Hashem didn't want that.
Therefore, "Kavash Es Mayonai, V'Lo Hoidit Al Chamish Mei Hashana." Therefore, Hashem held Noach back from having children until age five hundred.
Why? "Shelo He Yefes Hagadol She'Banav," so that Yefes, the oldest of his sons, "Roi LeOnshem Lefnei HaMabul," he was not Roi for Onshem before the Mabul.
And if he's not Roi LeOnshem before the Mabul, therefore, if he's not considered, quote-unquote, a gadol, if he's not Roi LeOnshem, then he's not gonna be part of the minyan, he's not gonna be counted as a tzadik potentially that would have the koach to be matzil his town, his city.
And Rashi goes on to say that until Matan Torah, the age for being Roi LeOnshem is one hundred.
Rashi's explaining why is it that Noach had to wait till age five hundred to have children.
The reason why he had to wait was so that his sons would not be counted, would not be considered, quote-unquote, tzadikim to be part of a count to potentially be matzil, to protect against the Mabul from coming and having to save his town, which would have forced Noach to have to build multiple teivahs, which Hashem didn't want to put Noach out of his way.
So in the end of Parashat Bereshit, in Perek Hey, Pasuk Lamed Beis, Rashi asks a question.
Rashi's question is, why is it that everybody else starts having children at a hundred, but Noach has his children at five hundred? So Rashi, he's bringing, uh, a Midrash Rabba, and Rashi says, Rashi says as follows, "Am Rab Yudim," Rab Yudim says, "Ma Tam Kohador Is Chalidu L'Mei Hashana, V'Zeil Chamish Mei." Why is it that everybody else is having children at one hundred, and Noach is having children at age five hundred? "Am HaKadosh Baruch Hu," Hashem said, "Im Reshayim Heim," if the children of Noach are Reshayim, "Yehavdu Bamayim V'Rala Tzadik Zeh." They're gonna die in the Mabul, in the water, and it's gonna be bad for Noach, who's a Tzadik.
"Ve'Im Tzadikim Heim," and if Noach's children are Tzadikim, "Atshrich Alav," blast his teivah, his harbeh, I'm gonna be matshrich him, putting him out of his way to make many teivahs.
And I'm just gonna jump through because there's a few achronim that deal with this, this, this line.
They would have potentially saved their town because they would have been, uh, ten Tzadikim, and they would have saved their town.
Therefore, they would-- Noach could have been put out of his way to make multiple teivahs, and Hashem didn't want that.
Therefore, "Kavash Es Mayonai, V'Lo Hoidit Al Chamish Mei Hashana." Therefore, Hashem held Noach back from having children until age five hundred.
Why? "Shelo He Yefes Hagadol She'Banav," so that Yefes, the oldest of his sons, "Roi LeOnshem Lefnei HaMabul," he was not Roi for Onshem before the Mabul.
And if he's not Roi LeOnshem before the Mabul, therefore, if he's not considered, quote-unquote, a gadol, if he's not Roi LeOnshem, then he's not gonna be part of the minyan, he's not gonna be counted as a tzadik potentially that would have the koach to be matzil his town, his city.
And Rashi goes on to say that until Matan Torah, the age for being Roi LeOnshem is one hundred.
Rashi's explaining why is it that Noach had to wait till age five hundred to have children.
The reason why he had to wait was so that his sons would not be counted, would not be considered, quote-unquote, tzadikim to be part of a count to potentially be matzil, to protect against the Mabul from coming and having to save his town, which would have forced Noach to have to build multiple teivahs, which Hashem didn't want to put Noach out of his way.
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