(כח) וַֽיְחִי־לֶ֕מֶךְ שְׁתַּ֧יִם וּשְׁמֹנִ֛ים שָׁנָ֖ה וּמְאַ֣ת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד בֵּֽן׃(כט) וַיִּקְרָ֧א אֶת־שְׁמ֛וֹ נֹ֖חַ לֵאמֹ֑ר זֶ֞֠ה יְנַחֲמֵ֤נוּ מִֽמַּעֲשֵׂ֙נוּ֙ וּמֵעִצְּב֣וֹן יָדֵ֔ינוּ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵֽרְרָ֖הּ יהוה׃
(28) When Lamech had lived 182 years, he begot a son.(29) And he named him Noah, saying, “This one will provide us relief from our work and from the toil of our hands, out of the very soil which יהוה placed under a curse.”
(כה) וַיְחִ֣י מְתוּשֶׁ֔לַח שֶׁ֧בַע וּשְׁמֹנִ֛ים שָׁנָ֖ה וּמְאַ֣ת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיּ֖וֹלֶד אֶת־לָֽמֶךְ׃
(25) When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he begot Lamech.
ויולד בן ולא כתוב ויולד את נח, כמו שכתב באחרים לפי שממנו נבנה העולם שכל העולם חרב והוא ובניו נשארו. ד״א מתושלח השיא עצה ללמך שלא יקרא לו שם לפי שאנשי הדור מכשפים היו והיו מכשפים אותו אם ידעו שמו.
ויולד בן, “he begat a son;” the Torah did not write: “he sired Noach,” as it did in similar situations, i.e. Genesis 5,6; 5,9; Judges 11,1; Chronicles I 1,34, et al. The reason is that Noach warranted an extra verse seeing that the whole human race today exists thanks to him. The entire human race was destroyed during his lifetime; only he, his wife and his children and their wives, having been saved. A different interpretation: Metushelach, Lemech’s father, advised his son not to immediately name him as his contemporaries who were worshipping all kinds of idols, and who would curse and kill people who were monotheists, would try and kill him by telling their idols his name. After Noach had married and had sired a son, his father turned to his father again and was told then to call him Noach, as he had the potential to save all of mankind if they would follow his lifestyle. If not, they would all perish before they could harm him. (Compare Torah sh’leymah item 71 on this verse)
וַיְחִי לֶמֶךְ שְׁתַּיִם וּשְׁמֹנִים שָׁנָה וּמְאַת שָׁנָה וַיּוֹלֶד בֵּן, שֶׁמִּמֶּנּוּ נִבְרָא הָעוֹלָם. וַיִּקְרָא אֶת שְׁמוֹ נֹחַ לֵאמֹר זֶה יְנַחֲמֵנוּ (בראשית ה, כט). מִנַּיִן הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ לוֹמַר זֶה יְנַחֲמֵנוּ מִמַּעֲשֵׂנוּ וְגוֹ', וְכִי נָבִיא הָיָה. אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יְהוֹצָדָק, לְמוּדִין הָיוּ, שֶׁבְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לָאָדָם, אֲרוּרָה הָאֲדָמָה בַּעֲבוּרֶךָ בְּעִצָּבוֹן תֹּאכֲלֶנָּה כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ, אָמַר אָדָם, רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, עַד מָתַי. אָמַר לוֹ: עַד שֶׁיִּוָּלֵד אָדָם מָהוּל. כֵּיוָן שֶׁנּוֹלַד נֹחַ מָהוּל, מִיָּד יָדַע לֶמֶךְ וְאָמַר, וַדַּאי זֶה יְנַחֲמֵנוּ וְגוֹ'.
Lamech lived a hundred and eighty-two years and begot his son (Gen. 5:28), through whom the world was to be reestablished. He called him Noah (lit. “comfort, ease”), saying: This one will comfort us in our work and in the toil of our hand (Gen. 5:29). How did he know that this one would comfort us in our work? Was Lamech a prophet? R. Simeon the son of Yehozadak said: There was a tradition that when the Holy One, blessed be God, told Adam: Cursed be the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it (Gen. 3:17), Adam inquired: “Sovereign of the Universe, how long will the ground be cursed?” God replied: “Until a man-child already circumcised shall be born.” When Noah was born circumcised, Lamech understood immediately that this was the one concerning whom the Holy One, blessed be God, had said: This one will comfort us in our work (ibid. 5:29).
...Seeing that the rest of humanity was slated to perish during the deluge and none of them proclaimed the name of G’d you do not find the word בן, “son,” or the word שם, “name“ (allusion to the name of G’d) mentioned in connection with the birth of any of the other people listed in the Torah since Sheth. In Noach’s case, the word בן is not so much a description of his being a son,” but it is related to בנה, “built,” i.e. this person rebuilt the world after the deluge and assured its continued existence. In other words: this “son” was a “builder.”
זה ינחמנו, מן האדמה שהרי נאמר לאדם ארורה האדמה בעבורך כל ימי חייך ושנות אדם כלו לתולדות נח וחשב בלבו מה שקלקל זה יתקן זה.
זה ינחמנו מן האדמה, “this one will bring us consolation regarding the condition of the earth. Seeing that he had been born after the death of Adam, the curse decreed on earth as being effective during Adam’s lifetime could now be lifted. [According to my calculation Noach was born in the year 1056 after Adam had been created. Seeing that theTorah did not report anyone being born after Lemech, Noach’s father, who was born when Adam was still alive, there is no contradiction here. Ed.]
אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא: תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים מַרְבִּים שָׁלוֹם בָּעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְכׇל בָּנַיִךְ לִמּוּדֵי יהוה וְרַב שְׁלוֹם בָּנָיִךְ״.אַל תִּקְרֵי ״בָּנָיִךְ״ אֶלָּא ״בּוֹנָיִךְ״....
Rabbi Elazar said that Rabbi Ḥanina said: Torah scholars increase peace in the world, as it is said: “And all your children [banayikh] shall be taught of Adonai, and great shall be the peace of your children” (Isaiah 54:13). If all the children of Israel are taught of Adonai, there will be peace for all.The Sages interpreted this verse homiletically: Do not read your children [banayikh], but your builders [bonayikh]....