וַיִּטַּע כָּרֶם. מֵהֵיכָן הָיוּ נְטִיעוֹת, מֵחַרְצַנִּים שֶׁהִכְנִיס בַּתֵּבָה. וַיִּקַּח שֵׁם וָיֶפֶת. וַיִּקְחוּ לֹא נֶאֱמַר אֶלָּא וַיִּקַּח. מְלַמֵּד, שֶׁשֵּׁם נִתְחַזֵּק תְּחִלָּה בַּמִּצְוֹת. וַיֵּלְכוּ אֲחֹרַנִּית, שֶׁהָיוּ מְהַלְּכִין לַאֲחוֹרֵיהֶן. וַיְכַסּוּ אֵת עֶרְוַת אֲבִיהֶם, שֶׁהָיָה בִיאָתָן כְּדֶרֶךְ הֲלִיכָתָן. מַה פָּרַע לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא? לְשֵׁם פָּרַע לוֹ שְׂכָרוֹ מִצְוַת תְּכֵלֶת, תְּפִלִּין, שֶׁהָיָה מְכַסֶּה בָּהּ, וּלְיֶפֶת, נָתַן לוֹ קְבוּרָה בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל. And he planted a vineyard (Gen. 9:20). Where did he obtain the shoots for the vineyard? He obtained them from the grape seeds he had brought into the ark.24See Pesikta Rabbati 23. The grapes came from the Garden of Eden. And Shem and Japheth took a garment (Gen. 9:23). Since the singular, “he took,” is written in this verse and not the plural, “they took,” we may deduce that Shem was the first to perform the righteous deed (covering his father). They went backward (ibid.) implies that they walked backwards as they approached Noah. And they covered the nakedness of their father (ibid.) indicates that they went toward him with their faces turned away.25Turning their backs to their father would have been an act of disrespect. How did the Holy One, blessed be He, reward them? He rewarded Shem with the commandment to wear the purple strings upon the tallit since he had covered him with a tallit, and He granted Japheth the privilege of burial in the land of Israel.26According to some sources, Shem received a tallit and Japheth was given a cloak fastened with buckles, as a sigh of his importance. See Bereshit Rabbah 36:6, Buber Tanhuma, Noah 21.
וַיֹּאמֶר אָרוּר כְּנָעַן וְגוֹ', חָם רָאָהוּ לִכְנַעַן נִתְקַלֵּל. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, אֵין הַקְּלָלָה שׁוֹכֶנֶת בִּמְקוֹם הַבְּרָכָה, שֶׁהֲרֵי בֵּרַךְ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא נֹחַ וּבָנָיו שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹהִים אֶת נֹחַ וְאֵת בָּנָיו וּכְנַעַן נִתְעַבֵּר בַּתֵּבָה, רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה אוֹמֵר כְּנַעַן רָאָה וְהִגִּיד לְחָם אָבִיו וְחָזְרָה קְלָלָה לְעִקָּרָהּ לְפִיכָךְ וַיֹּאמֶר אָרוּר כְנָעַן, And he said: Cursed be Canaan. Though Ham observed his father’s nakedness, Canaan was cursed. R. Judah said: Inasmuch as a curse cannot prevail where a blessing has already been pronounced, and the Holy One, blessed He, had already blessed Noah and his sons, as it is said: And God blessed Noah and his sons (Gen. 9:1), Canaan must have been born while they were in the ark. R. Nehemiah held: Canaan had actually discovered Noah’s nakedness and had informed his father, Ham, concerning it. Therefore, this curse was directed against the one who was responsible for the sin (that was committed). Hence, it is written: Cursed be Canaan.
וְרַבּוֹתֵינוּ אָמְרוּ עַד שֶׁהָיָה נֹחַ בַתֵּבָה אָמַר בְּלִבּוֹ, הַלְוַאי שֶׁיִּהְיוּ לְבָנַי אֵלּוּ עֲבָדִים, שֶׁיִּהְיוּ בָּנַי יוֹשְׁבִין וַעֲבָדִים מְשַׁמְּשִׁין לִפְנֵיהֶם, אֶלָּא כְּשֶׁאֵצֵא מִכָּאן מַה שֶּׁאֲנִי מוֹלִיד אֶעֱשֶׂה אוֹתָן עֲבָדִים לָהֶם. מִיָּד אָמַר לְחָם, אַתָּה לֹא הִנַּחְתָּ לִי לְהוֹלִיד בֵּן רְבִיעִי שֶׁיְּהֵא עֶבֶד, לְפִיכָךְ בֵּן רְבִיעִי שֶׁאַתָּה מוֹלִיד יִהְיֶה עֶבֶד. וַיֹּאמֶר אָרוּר כְּנָעַן, עַל דַּעְתֵּהּ דְּמָאן דְּאָמַר שֶׁחָם עָמַד וְסֵרַס אֶת אָבִיו. Our sages stated: While Noah was in the ark, he said to himself: Would that my sons possessed slaves so that they might remain seated while being served. When I depart from this place, I shall produce a descendant who will be their slave. Following this incident, he said to Ham: You prevented me from begetting a fourth son who would serve you, therefore your fourth son shall become a slave. Hence, he said: Cursed be Canaan. This is the opinion of those who contend that Ham castrated his father.
אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ, וַהֲרֵי אַף מִשֶּׁל שֵׁם הָיוּ עֲבָדִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כִּי יִמָּכֵר לְךָ אָחִיךָ הָעִבְרִי אוֹ הָעִבְרִיָּה (דברים טו, יב). אֶלָּא בָּנָיו שֶׁל שֵׁם יוֹצְאִין לְחֵרוּת בְּשֵׁשׁ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וּבַשְׁבִיעִית יֵצֵא (שמות כא, ב). וְשֶׁל חָם אֵינָן יוֹצְאִין לְחֵרוּת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְהָיָה כִּי יֹאמַר אֵלֶיךָ לֹא אֵצֵא מֵעִמָּךְ וְגוֹ' וְלָקַחְתָּ אֶת הַמַּרְצֵעַ וְגוֹ' וְהָיָה לְךָ עֶבֶד עוֹלָם (דברים טו, טז-יז). הֱוֵי, עֶבֶד עֲבָדִים יִהְיֶה, שֶׁאֵינוֹ נוֹטֵל חֵרוּת וְיוֹצֵא לְעוֹלָם. וּמִי גָרַם לוֹ כָּל הָאֲרִירָה הַזֹּאת, עַל שֶׁבִּזָּה אֶת כְּבוֹד אָבִיו. כָּךְ עָתִיד הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִפָּרַע מִבְּנֵי בָּנָיו שֶׁל חָם וּלְבַזּוֹתָם עַל יְדֵי מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כֵּן יִנְהַג מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר אֶת שְׁבִי מִצְרַיִם וְאֶת גָּלוּת כּוּשׁ עָרוֹם וְיָחֵף וְגוֹ' (ישעיה כ, ג). R. Simeon the son of Lakish maintained: Shem’s descendants also became slaves, as it is said: And if thy brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee (Deut. 15:12). Shem’s descendants, however, are freed at the expiration of six years, of servitude, as it is written: Then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free (ibid.), while the descendants of Ham are never freed, as is said: You may hold them to service forever (Lev. 25:46). Therefore, he remains a lifelong slave and does not go forth into the world a free man. Why was this curse imposed upon him? Because he was responsible for his father’s degradation. Thus, the Holy One, blessed be He, brought retribution upon the descendants of Ham by humiliating them by means of the king of Asshur, as it is said: So shall the king of Assyria lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Ethiopia, young and old, naked and barefoot (Isa. 20:4).
אֲבָל יֶפֶת שֶׁכִּבֵּד אָבִיו, מַה פָּרַע לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא? כְּשֶׁיָּבֹא גוֹג וּמָגוֹג עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמַפִּילָן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְהָיָה בַיּוֹם הַהוּא אֶתֵּן לְגוֹג מְקוֹם שָׁם קֶבֶר וְגוֹ' (יחזקאל לט, יא). Since Japheth honored his father, how will the Holy One, blessed be He, reward him? When Gog and Magog attack Israel, they will be defeated, as it is said: And in that day I will give unto Gog a place fit for burial in Israel (Ezek. 39:11).
וּלְשֵׁם מַה פָּרַע לוֹ? כְּשֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ בְנֵי אַהֲרֹן לְהַקְרִיב, וַתֵּצֵא אֵשׁ מִלִּפְנֵי ה' (ויקרא י, ב), וְלֹא הָיוּ בִגְדֵיהֶם שְׂרוּפִים, אֶלָּא שְׂרוּפֵי הַנְּשָׁמָה וְלֹא הַגּוּף, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אֹתָם, וְלֹא הַגּוּף, אֹתָם וְלֹא בִגְדֵיהֶם, עַל שֶׁהָיוּ מִבְּנֵי בָנָיו שֶׁל שֵׁם בֶּן נֹחַ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: בְּנֵי שֵׁם עֵילָם וְאַשּׁוּר וְאַרְפַּכְשַׁד וְגוֹ'. וּכְתִיב יַפְתְּ אֱלֹהִים לְיֶפֶת (בראשית טו, כז), וְאַף עַל פִּי כֵן וְיִשְׁכֹּן בְּאָהֳלֵי שֵׁם. How was Shem rewarded? When Aaron’s two sons entered the tent of meeting to offer a strange fire, There came forth fire from before the Lord and consumed them (Lev. 10:2). Their souls were consumed but not their clothing or their bodies, as it is said: them (ibid.). This happened because they were descended from Shem. This concerns the righteous. Whence do we know about what happens to wicked men? When Sennacherib departed from Jerusalem, the bodies of his forces were consumed but not their clothing. Why did this happen to them? Because they too were the descendants of Shem the son of Noah, as it is said: The sons of Shem: Elam, and Asshur, and Arpachshad (Gen. 10:22). And it is written: God enlargeth Japheth (ibid. 9:27); yet even so: And he shall dwell in the tents of Shem (ibid., v. 26).