וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶל־נֹ֥חַ לֵאמֹֽר׃

Nevertheless, Noah remained in the ark. Just as he did not enter the ark of his own initiative, so too, now he waited for a divine command to exit it. And indeed, God spoke to Noah, saying:

צֵ֖א מִן־הַתֵּבָ֑ה אַתָּ֕ה וְאִשְׁתְּךָ֛ וּבָנֶ֥יךָ וּנְשֵֽׁי־בָנֶ֖יךָ אִתָּֽךְ׃

Go out of the ark: You, and your wife, and your sons, and your sons’ wives with you.

כָּל־הַחַיָּ֨ה אֲשֶֽׁר־אִתְּךָ֜ מִכָּל־בָּשָׂ֗ר בָּע֧וֹף וּבַבְּהֵמָ֛ה וּבְכָל־הָרֶ֛מֶשׂ הָרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ הוצא [הַיְצֵ֣א] אִתָּ֑ךְ וְשָֽׁרְצ֣וּ בָאָ֔רֶץ וּפָר֥וּ וְרָב֖וּ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Every living being that is with you from all flesh, of the birds, and of the animals, and of every crawling creature that crawls on the earth, bring out with you. Remove them forcibly, as the animals had become accustomed to life in the ark. Although they were confined there, they had easy access to food. Moreover, some of them may have been in a state of hibernation due to the conditions. It was therefore necessary to compel them to leave. And they will teem [ veshartzu ] on the earth, by increasing greatly in number so that they will be found everywhere, like creeping animals [ sheratzim ], and be fruitful and multiply upon the earth. In this manner the world will be populated afresh.

וַיֵּ֖צֵא־נֹ֑חַ וּבָנָ֛יו וְאִשְׁתּ֥וֹ וּנְשֵֽׁי־בָנָ֖יו אִתּֽוֹ׃

Noah emerged, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him.

כָּל־הַֽחַיָּ֗ה כָּל־הָרֶ֙מֶשׂ֙ וְכָל־הָע֔וֹף כֹּ֖ל רוֹמֵ֣שׂ עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ לְמִשְׁפְּחֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם יָצְא֖וּ מִן־הַתֵּבָֽה׃

Every beast, every crawling creature and every bird, every creature that crawls on the earth, after their families, emerged from the ark.

וַיִּ֥בֶן נֹ֛חַ מִזְבֵּ֖חַ לַֽיהוָ֑ה וַיִּקַּ֞ח מִכֹּ֣ל ׀ הַבְּהֵמָ֣ה הַטְּהוֹרָ֗ה וּמִכֹּל֙ הָע֣וֹף הַטָּהֹ֔ר וַיַּ֥עַל עֹלֹ֖ת בַּמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃

Noah built an altar to the Lord, and he took from every pure animal and from every pure bird, and sacrificed burnt offerings on the altar.

וַיָּ֣רַח יְהוָה֮ אֶת־רֵ֣יחַ הַנִּיחֹחַ֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־לִבּ֗וֹ לֹֽא־אֹ֠סִף לְקַלֵּ֨ל ע֤וֹד אֶת־הָֽאֲדָמָה֙ בַּעֲב֣וּר הָֽאָדָ֔ם כִּ֠י יֵ֣צֶר לֵ֧ב הָאָדָ֛ם רַ֖ע מִנְּעֻרָ֑יו וְלֹֽא־אֹסִ֥ף ע֛וֹד לְהַכּ֥וֹת אֶת־כָּל־חַ֖י כַּֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִֽׂיתִי׃

The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma. This is a symbolic expression, which appears elsewhere in connection with offerings. Its plain meaning is satisfaction. And the Lord said in His heart, an anthropomorphic expression denoting divine contemplation: I will not continue to curse the ground anymore on account of man, as I did with the flood, as the inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth [ mine’urav ]. he Sages expound: From when he stirs himself [ ninar ] and emerges into the world, from birth. Man is not by nature evil. But he is given freedom to choose and is subject to constant temptation. And therefore I will not continue to smite every living being anymore, as I did. In order to repair the corruption of the evil inclination, mankind requires a fixed and stable world. Therefore, human history will know no more all-encompassing, catastrophic events like the flood, but rather there will be relatively moderate rises and falls.

עֹ֖ד כָּל־יְמֵ֣י הָאָ֑רֶץ זֶ֡רַע וְ֠קָצִיר וְקֹ֨ר וָחֹ֜ם וְקַ֧יִץ וָחֹ֛רֶף וְי֥וֹם וָלַ֖יְלָה לֹ֥א יִשְׁבֹּֽתוּ׃

As long as the earth endures, planting and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease. During the flood, the seasons of the year and the alternation between day and night came to a stop. Afterward, God reestablished regular time and its units, and determined that they shall not cease again. The world will follow its natural path, the human race will survive, and never again will there be a total flood.

וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֶת־נֹ֖חַ וְאֶת־בָּנָ֑יו וַיֹּ֧אמֶר לָהֶ֛ם פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֖וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

To establish the above promise, God turns to Noah and his family with blessings and commandments. In rabbinic and later literature these are called the seven Noahide mitzvot. God blessed Noah and his sons, and He said to them: Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. This blessing had already been given to Adam, but it seems that God canceled it with the flood. Therefore, this blessing is granted here once again.

וּמוֹרַאֲכֶ֤ם וְחִתְּכֶם֙ יִֽהְיֶ֔ה עַ֚ל כָּל־חַיַּ֣ת הָאָ֔רֶץ וְעַ֖ל כָּל־ע֣וֹף הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם בְּכֹל֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר תִּרְמֹ֧שׂ הָֽאֲדָמָ֛ה וּֽבְכָל־דְּגֵ֥י הַיָּ֖ם בְּיֶדְכֶ֥ם נִתָּֽנוּ׃

Fear of you and dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, upon every bird of the heavens, upon all that crawls on the ground, and upon all fish of the sea. Into your hand they are all given. Before the flood, relations between man and the animals were mostly peaceful. Although man had been given dominion over the animal world (1:28), and some engaged in animal husbandry, people were prohibited to exploit animals for food, and apparently they refrained from causing them any harm. Here God casts dread of man upon all other living creatures.

כָּל־רֶ֙מֶשׂ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הוּא־חַ֔י לָכֶ֥ם יִהְיֶ֖ה לְאָכְלָ֑ה כְּיֶ֣רֶק עֵ֔שֶׂב נָתַ֥תִּי לָכֶ֖ם אֶת־כֹּֽל׃

And in addition, every crawling creature that lives shall be yours for food; from now on you are permitted to eat animals. Like green vegetation I have given you everything; until now both you and animals were vegetarians, whereas now you are given permission to eat everything in the world.

אַךְ־בָּשָׂ֕ר בְּנַפְשׁ֥וֹ דָמ֖וֹ לֹ֥א תֹאכֵֽלוּ׃

After God has granted permission to eat animal flesh, He now places limits on this allowance. But flesh with its life, its blood, you shall not eat. One may not eat the flesh of an animal when it is still connected to its soul. This is the prohibition against eating a limb cut from a living animal. Although man is permitted to eat animals, this does not give him the right to act in a cruel manner.

וְאַ֨ךְ אֶת־דִּמְכֶ֤ם לְנַפְשֹֽׁתֵיכֶם֙ אֶדְרֹ֔שׁ מִיַּ֥ד כָּל־חַיָּ֖ה אֶדְרְשֶׁ֑נּוּ וּמִיַּ֣ד הָֽאָדָ֗ם מִיַּד֙ אִ֣ישׁ אָחִ֔יו אֶדְרֹ֖שׁ אֶת־נֶ֥פֶשׁ הָֽאָדָֽם׃

This verse states another limitation: But I will demand your blood of your lives, as your right to kill other creatures does not extend to people. Human beings cannot be compared to other living things. If someone’s blood is spilled, the responsibility is upon the person who spilled it. And similarly, from every beast I will demand it. Animals are held responsible for shedding human blood just as people are. When the Torah will be given, it will include a halakha that the court must sentence and put to death an ox or any other animal that kills a human being. And, as stated, from man, from every man for shedding the blood of his brother , will I demand the life of man.

שֹׁפֵךְ֙ דַּ֣ם הָֽאָדָ֔ם בָּֽאָדָ֖ם דָּמ֣וֹ יִשָּׁפֵ֑ךְ כִּ֚י בְּצֶ֣לֶם אֱלֹהִ֔ים עָשָׂ֖ה אֶת־הָאָדָֽם׃

One who sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed. This is the first appearance of the death penalty, which is imposed on a murderer. The verse provides the reason for all these commands: As He made man in the image of God. Man is not merely one of the creatures of the zoological system. Since he was created in the image of God, he must be treated with greater respect.

וְאַתֶּ֖ם פְּר֣וּ וּרְב֑וּ שִׁרְצ֥וּ בָאָ֖רֶץ וּרְבוּ־בָֽהּ׃ (ס)

And you, be fruitful and multiply; teem on the earth, and multiply on it. Some of the instructions that were given to Adam are still valid. Nevertheless, new commands are stated here that are appropriate for a changed world.