Water, Water Everywhere ...

Sara Lebovits shared her summary for today.

Today we in class we learned Pasuk ches. We did the Rashi Vayikra Elokim Rakia Shamayim which explains Shamayim in 3 different ways: 1. it carries water 2. there is water in it 3. a mixture of heat and water because heat causes the water to rise and become the Rakia.

We also learned Pasuk tes. We read the Rashi Yikavu Hamayim that explains that the waters were spread all over the earth and were gathered into a sea. In Tehilim it says: “ You placed a border it cannot pass, it cannot return to engulf the earth” This teaches us that Hashem made borders for the water that it can’t pass- water comes up onto the shore and then goes back because of its borders.

Sometimes the water does rise past those boundaries.
The Midrash asks: Why is the water used for destruction? It tells us a Mashal of a king that builds a palace to dwell in and populates it with mute people. These people would show him respect using signs, hand motions, and movements. The king thought: if these mute people honor me so well, how much more so people who can speak would do an even better job of respecting me. So the king brought in people who could speak and they seized the palace and said it was theirs. Then the king took it back and gave it back to the mute people.

The Nimshal is that with creation of the world, the praise of Hashem came from the water. So Hashem said if water praises Me, how much more so man will praise Me. However, then the Dor Hamabul, Dor Haflaga and Dor Enosh sinned so Hashem said I will put things back to the way they were; when water covered the world.