Parashat HaShavua 5781: Noach

(3) In the course of time, Cain brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit of the soil; (4) and Abel, for his part, brought the choicest of the firstlings of his flock. The LORD paid heed to Abel and his offering, (5) but to Cain and his offering He paid no heed. Cain was much distressed and his face fell.

(1) And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground (Gen. 4:3). The process of time (lit. “end of days”) may imply either the end of a year, the end of two years, after a certain number of days, or after forty years. Our sages, of blessed memory, said that Cain and Abel were forty years old when Cain brought of the fruit of the ground. What did he bring as his offering? He brought only the leftovers of his meal. However, the rabbis maintained that Cain brought flaxseed, while Abel brought firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof (ibid., v. 4). That is why it is ordained that wool and flax must not be mixed, as it is said: Thou shalt nor wear mingled stuff, wool and linen together (Deut. 22:11).³¹The source of the law of shatnez, prohibiting the wearing of wool and linen together. The Holy One, blessed be He, declared: It is not fitting that a sinner’s offering and the sacrifice of a virtuous man should be coupled. Hence it is forbidden to combine them in a garment.

(4) May He remember all your meal offerings, and approve your burnt offerings. Selah.

(11) “What need have I of all your sacrifices?” Says the LORD. “I am sated with burnt offerings of rams, And suet of fatlings, And blood of bulls; And I have no delight In lambs and he-goats. (12) That you come to appear before Me— Who asked that of you? Trample My courts (13) no more; Bringing oblations is futile, Incense is offensive to Me. New moon and sabbath, Proclaiming of solemnities, Assemblies with iniquity, I cannot abide.

(1) Why do I need your many sacrifices: Because the primary point of a sacrifice is to repent and if you remain rebellious the sacrifice does not help.

(20) Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking of every pure animal and of every pure bird, he offered burnt offerings on the altar. (21) The LORD smelled the pleasing odor, and the LORD said to Himself: “Never again will I doom the earth because of man, since the devisings of man’s mind are evil from his youth; nor will I ever again destroy every living being, as I have done. (22) So long as the earth endures, Seedtime and harvest, Cold and heat, Summer and winter, Day and night Shall not cease.”

(1) ויאמר ה' אל לבו, “The Lord said to Himself, etc.” According to Nachmanides this strange formulation simply means that G’d did not reveal His thoughts to anyone at that time. Only when Moses received the Torah, did G’d reveal what His thoughts had been at the time. He had not revealed to Noach what precisely His reaction had been to Noach’s sacrifice, i.e. that on account of it He would not again use the deluge as a means to punish mankind.

(8) Rabbi Simeon said: The Holy One, blessed be He, pointed out the altar with a finger to Abraham our father, and said to him: This is the altar. That was the altar whereon Cain and Abel sacrificed; it was the same altar whereon Noah and his sons sacrificed, as it is said, "And Abraham built the altar there" (Gen. 22:9). "And Abraham built an altar there" is not written here, but "And Abraham built the altar there." That was the altar whereon the first ones (of old) had sacrificed.

(9) They arrived at the place of which God had told him. Abraham built the altar there; he laid out the wood; he bound his son Isaac; he laid him on the altar, on top of the wood.

Rabbi Ḥanina said: Whoever is appeased by his wine has in him an element of the mind-set of his Creator, as it is stated: “And the Lord smelled the sweet savor."

Rav Yehuda said: One who goes out during Nisan and sees trees that are blossoming recites: Blessed…who has withheld nothing from His world, and has created in it beautiful creatures and trees for human beings to enjoy. Rav Zutra bar Toviya said that Rav said: From where is it derived that one recites a blessing over scent? As it is stated: “Let every soul praise the Lord” (Psalms 150:6). He explains the verse: What is it from which the soul derives benefit and the body does not derive benefit from it? You must say: That is scent.