לקוטי שיחות חלק ט״ו - נח ה

Parshas Noach

1. At the end of the sidrah, Rashi pauses on the word "b'Charan" and explains: "The nun^[1] is inverted^[2], to tell you that until Avram there was the burning anger of the Omnipresent (in the world^[3])."

The simple meaning of this is (not that the inverted nun means "until Avram there was the burning anger of the Omnipresent" — for what connection does this matter have to an inverted nun? — but rather) that the inverted nun comes to allude that, beyond the simple meaning of "b'Charan" — in the city of Charan — the word has an additional connotation (meaning): "charon (af)," burning anger. What connection does the matter of burning anger have to this verse? Rashi explains that until Avram there was the burning anger of the Omnipresent.

This, however, is not understood: Rashi's interpretation of the word "b'Charan" ("burning anger") must surely fit the content of the verse — and the verse is speaking not about Avram but about Terach: "And Terach died in Charan." Why, then, does Rashi say "until Avram there was burning anger"? He should seemingly have connected the matter of "burning anger" with Terach^[4].

2. The explanation of this is: since the verse says "And Terach died in Charan," if one were to learn that the "burning anger" of the Omnipresent was directed at Terach, one would have to say that the "burning anger" against him lasted until his death^[4]. But one cannot learn so, because according to Rashi's view^[5], Terach did teshuvah a long time before his death^[6].

Rashi must therefore learn that the burning anger of the Omnipresent alluded to in this verse is not connected with Terach; rather it refers to G‑d's "burning anger" that was in the world in general^[7].

This, however, raises the question: if so, what connection does the "burning anger" in the world have with the verse "And Terach died in Charan"? That burning anger has nothing to do with Terach in particular — and especially since he did teshuvah before his death!

To this Rashi says "until Avram, etc.": this is connected with "Avram" — with the verse immediately after the inverted nun: "And G‑d said to Avram, 'Lech lecha.'" That is, with the inverted nun in the word "b'Charan" the Torah alludes that until Avram there was the burning anger of the Omnipresent, and with the "arrival" of Avram, who "began to shine"^[8] — he illuminated the world with G‑dliness, as it is written^[9], "And he called there in the name of G‑d, the G‑d of the world" — the burning anger was removed from the world.

3. This still needs to be understood: true, immediately after the word "b'Charan" comes the verse "And G‑d said to Avram, etc." — yet it is nevertheless difficult to learn that the inverted nun of "b'Charan" should refer to a subsequent verse^[10].

The explanation of this is: a straight (final) nun is a (final) letter that underscores an end and conclusion (of a word); and among the final letters themselves, it has the appearance^[11] of a long line that divides two sides, in the manner of a complete separation. For in a straight nun^[12] there is no break (as there is, for example, in a kuf, between the reish and the line) through which one could pass from one side to the other.

And from the fact that the Torah chose to alter specifically the nun of "b'Charan" in order to point to burning anger —

and moreover — only the nun, although seemingly the whole word ought to have been altered, the word that means charon (especially since in a number of places in the Torah^[13] it is written without a vav) —

this is proof that at the same time it alludes that the burning anger is cut off at the end of the parshah^[14]. And therefore Rashi learns "until Avram there was burning anger, etc." — until Avram there was burning anger, and here it was cut off.

4. One can still ask, however: although the nun alludes to a separation between two sides — and in our case, between the conclusion of Parshas Noach and the beginning of Parshas Lech Lecha — there are nevertheless two ways of expressing this separation: (a) that the "burning anger" continued until the conclusion of the era of Parshas Noach — the positive aspect, that the "burning anger" lasted until then; (b) that the "burning anger" was until the era of Parshas Lech Lecha — the negative aspect, that at that point the "burning anger" ceased.

Since Rashi is explaining the word "b'Charan," he should seemingly have said (according to the first way) that the burning anger lasted until the conclusion of the era of Parshas Noach. Why does Rashi say "until Avram, etc.," where the emphasis is on the cessation (nullification) of the "burning anger"?

In truth, however, this is no difficulty: the (era of) Parshas Noach concludes with the verse "And Terach died in Charan" — and Terach's death (as Rashi explains in the comment just before) took place more than sixty years after Avram came to the Land of Canaan. Accordingly, Rashi cannot say that the burning anger of the Omnipresent in the world lasted until Terach's death, for when Avram came and illuminated the world (at least sixty years before Terach's death), the burning anger had already been cut off.

Rashi is therefore precise in saying "until Avram, etc." — thereby he underscores that the cessation indicated by the nun, of the burning anger, although it is alluded to at the conclusion of the parshah, is not connected with the time of "And Terach died," but with the general time at which the era of "until Avram" — the ten generations before Avram — concludes: the beginning of the era of Avram.

5. This, however, calls for explanation: why does the Torah need at all (to place an inverted nun and) to relate that throughout the ten generations until Avram there was G‑d's burning anger in the world? It is self-evident: since they sinned so greatly, served idols^[15], etc., it is understood^[16] that G‑d was displeased with their conduct, and there was burning anger of the Omnipresent in the world!

The explanation of this is: when one learns in the parshah about the people of those generations and sees that they lived far longer than 120 years^[17], it is difficult to understand: how is it that wicked people should live so long?

One might therefore come to the reasoning that although they sinned, nevertheless (for some reason or other — for example: one nation and one language for all of them, peace, honoring one's father — as Rashi says here) something in their conduct was pleasing to G‑d and He was satisfied with them. The Torah therefore cautions, by placing an inverted nun, that G‑d was not only not satisfied with them, but on the contrary: there was burning anger of the Omnipresent. Why, then, were they granted such length of days? Because so it arose in the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, and the reason for it we do not know^[18].

Or (in the manner of the simple meaning): it is logically understandable that Adam, the handiwork of G‑d, should have been the longest-lived (were it not for the sin of the Tree of Knowledge), and that the further a generation is from him, the weaker it is in general, and the closer to the lifespan of our generations.

6. Although explicitly, in the way of the simple meaning, Rashi does not explain here a reason why the ten (twenty) generations lived so long, he nevertheless alludes to it according to the way of the hidden dimension of the Torah. And as has been discussed many times, in Rashi's commentary there is concealed "the wine of Torah"^[19] (pnimiyus haTorah).

Our Sages say^[20] that the twenty-six generations before the Giving of the Torah "were sustained by the kindness of the Holy One, blessed be He." It is explained in Chassidus^[21] that these generations were nourished by the level of kindness that is above hishtalshelus, the chain of descending worlds, where "If you sin, what do you do to Him? If your transgressions are many, what do you do to Him? If you are righteous, what do you give Him?"^[22] — it is higher than mitzvos and transgressions having any place there^[23]. And therefore even transgressors can receive vitality from there^[23*].

And just as there is a general difference between the twenty-six generations before the Giving of the Torah and those after the Giving of the Torah, so too there is a particular distinction within the twenty-six generations themselves: in the first twenty generations, before the "two thousand years of Torah"^[24], the matter of being sustained by the kindness of the Holy One, blessed be He, that is above hishtalshelus was present more than in the last six generations^[25].

And it is this matter that Rashi alludes to with the words "charon af." Seemingly one could ask: why does Rashi need to add the word "af"? All that is relevant here is the word "charon," with which he interprets the allusion of "Charan"^[26].

But with the word "af" there is alluded the matter of "they were sustained by the kindness of the Holy One, blessed be He," the level of kindness that is above hishtalshelus — for "af" points to the level of light that is above hishtalshelus, as will be explained.

7. Rashi writes in Parshas Beshalach^[27] that charon derives from "charah"; and the word "charah" is found not only with af (charah af^[28]), but also in connection with "garon," the throat, as it is written^[29], "nichar geroni," and as Rashi explains, "nichar" is from the expression "charah" (the throat is parched).

These two interpretations are also present in the matter of "Charan": (a) as Rashi explains here: the burning anger of the Omnipresent; (b) Charan (with the kollel) is numerically equal to garon^[30] — and Charan (whose letters spell nichar) alludes to the matter of "nichar geroni"^[31], the throat is parched, and consequently the voice cannot pass through the throat as it ought to.

The difference between the two matters is:

The "throat" is an intermediary between the head, the brain, and the heart^[32]. That is, the influence of the intellect in the brain that descends into the emotions in the heart passes through the throat; and when the throat is in a state of "nichar geroni," it does not allow the influence of the intellect to descend into the heart. "Af," the nose, by contrast, is higher than the throat, and the matter of "af" is higher than Chochmah: for Chochmah is the beginning of hishtalshelus, but scent reaches higher than hishtalshelus^[33].

And this is what Rashi is precise about in our verse with the expression "charon af": here charon is not meant in the sense of "nichar geroni," because since the discussion here concerns the generations before the two thousand years of Torah, which were sustained from the kindness that is above hishtalshelus (above Chochmah), what takes place with the throat, which is an intermediary between Chochmah and what is lower, is consequently not relevant here. Rashi therefore emphasizes "charon af," which points to the level of light that is above hishtalshelus.

And on this Rashi says that such an order, that those who transgress His will should receive the influence from above hishtalshelus, was only "until Avram," because this was an order of the two thousand years of tohu; but when the two thousand years of Torah began, the "charon af" — the influence from above hishtalshelus — was cut off. Then began the measuring according to Torah, that all influences must pass through the reckoning of the intellect of the Torah^[34].

8. This is also the explanation and the inner reason why the matter of "until Avram there was the burning anger of the Omnipresent" is alluded to specifically in the alteration of a straight nun^[35]:

With the beginning of the two thousand years of Torah, which began with Avraham Avinu^[36], the encompassing light (or makif) was drawn down inwardly; and when the light that is above hishtalshelus is in a state of being drawn down inwardly, there can be no nurture from it for the chitzonim, the external forces;

as is known^[37], the kelipos can draw nurture from the encompassing level that is above hishtalshelus only when the light remains in the state of makif; whereas when the encompassing light is drawn down inwardly, the influence is drawn down only into holiness.

And this is alluded to in a straight nun, in which we find two matters that are at opposite extremes^[38]: (a) the numerical value of nun points to the fiftieth gate, which is higher than hishtalshelus^[39]; (b) its form and shape^[40], having a long leg, point to drawing down to the very lowest level^[41].

That is to say, the matter of the straight nun is to draw the light that is above hishtalshelus, the "above without end," into the "below without limit," whereupon the nurture of the kelipos is nullified, and the influence arrives only at the realm of holiness.

And as is explained in Likkutei Torah^[42] on the matter of the straight nun in "u'vo sidbakun," "and to Him you shall cleave"^[43]: that the ultimate elevation of "and to Him you shall cleave" must be drawn down to the very lowest level, until even the level of Asiyah becomes "entirely holy to G‑d," whereupon "there will be no nurture at all for the sitra achra and the chitzonim."

And the two thousand years of Torah are an introduction and preparation for the two thousand years of the days of Mashiach, when all the encompassing lights of the present will be drawn down inwardly^[44], and consequently there will be (as he concludes there in Likkutei Torah), "and I will remove the spirit of impurity from the land"^[45], with the coming of our righteous Mashiach^[46], speedily, in the very near future.

(From a talk of Shabbos Parshas Noach, 5727)

Key Lesson

Rashi's inverted nun in "b'Charan" teaches that the ten generations before Avram lived long lives not because G‑d was pleased with them, but because they drew from a Divine kindness that transcends the measure of mitzvos and sin — a kindness that, precisely because it remained above and encompassing, could also nourish the wicked. With Avraham the two thousand years of Torah began: that transcendent light was drawn inward and channeled through the measure of Torah, so that it flows only into holiness, just as the straight nun stretches from the "fiftieth gate" down to the very lowest level. Our task is to continue drawing that light inward into every part of life, preparing for the days of Mashiach, when all the encompassing lights will be revealed within and the spirit of impurity will be removed from the earth.