Chayei Sarah חיי שרה

My Musing
What does it mean to do more? Should extra be expected of us? How do we view the actions of the Patriarchs as models for us? And how literally should we take the examples?
After Abraham buries Sarah and establishes that Isaac will be married and taken care of, he marries another woman. Not unheard of- Abraham missed having a partner in his life. Many people remarry after losing their spouse.
But the midrash takes it to an ethical lesson. Abraham did not have to marry again, but he did and fulfilled the commandment to have children even more.
The midrash asks us to take this approach of not resting on our laurels to Torah study and prayer. You can never do enough. And that is the message behind the snipet about Rabbi Akiva- he put his allinto his prayer.

מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת חיי שרה סימן ה
(בראשית כה:א) "וַיֹּסֶף אַבְרָהָם וַיִּקַּח אִשָּׁה וּשְׁמָהּ קְטוּרָה"

“And additionally took a wife and her name was Ketura”

ילמדנו רבינו: כמה תפלות אדם מתפלל ביום?
רבי שמואל בר נחמן אמר, לפי שהיום משתנה ג' פעמים בכל יום, לפיכך צריך האדם להתפלל ג' פעמים בכל יום. בשחרית השמש במזרח, ובצהרים באמצע הרקיע, ובמנחה במערב.

Our master should instruct: How many devotional prayers should one recite in a day?
Rabbi Samuel bar Nachman said, because the day changes three times every day, therefore a person must pray three times a day. In the morning the sun is in the east, at noon it is in the sky, and in the afternoon it is in the west.

רבי יהושע בן לוי אמר, אברהם תיקן תפלת הבקר שנאמר (בראשית כב:ג) "וַיַּשְׁכֵּם אַבְרָהָם בַּבֹּקֶר וַיַּחֲבֹשׁ אֶת חֲמֹרוֹ, וַיִּקַּח אֶת שְׁנֵי נְעָרָיו אִתּוֹ, וְאֵת יִצְחָק בְּנו,ֹ וַיְבַקַּע עֲצֵי עֹלָה וַיָּקָם וַיֵּלֶךְ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר אָמַר לוֹ הָאֱלֹקִים"
יצחק תיקן תפלת מנחה שנאמר (בראשית כד:סג) "וַיֵּצֵא יִצְחָק לָשׂוּחַ בַּשָּׂדֶה לִפְנוֹת עָרֶב, וַיִּשָּׂא עֵינָיו וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה גְמַלִּים בָּאִים"
יעקב תקן תפלת הערב שנאמר (בראשית כח:יא) "וַיִּפְגַּע בַּמָּקוֹם וַיָּלֶן שָׁם כִּי בָא הַשֶּׁמֶש, וַיִּקַּח מֵאַבְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם וַיָּשֶׂם מְרַאֲשֹׁתָיו וַיִּשְׁכַּב בַּמָּקוֹם הַהוּא"

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said, Abraham established the Morning Prayer as it says, “And Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son; and he cleaved the wood for the burnt-offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.”
Isaac established the afternoon prayer as it says, “And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide; and he lifted up his eyes, and saw, and, behold, there were camels coming.”
Jacob established the evening prayer as it says, “And he encountered upon the place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep.”

רבי עקיבא, כשהיה מתפלל עם הצבור, היה מתפלל כדרכו וכשהיה מתפלל בינו לבין עצמו, אדם מניחו בזוית זו ומוצאו בזויות אחרת מפני כריעות והשתחויות.

Rabbi Akiva, when he would pray with the congregation would pray in the normal manner. And when he would pray by himself, a person would leave him in one corner and find him in another corner from the force of the prostrations.

ומה ראו לתקן ג' תפלות?
כדי שיהא אדם מוסיף בתפלתו. ולא בתפלה בלבד אלא אף בתורה יהא מוסיף והולך, ולא בתורה בלבד אלא אף בבנים. אם נשא אשה ומתה ישא אחרת ויעמיד ממנה בנים. תדע לך שהרי אברהם שמתה אשתו לא ישב לו אלא לקח אשה שנאמר "וַיֹּסֶף אַבְרָהָם וַיִּקַּח אִשָּׁה".

And what did the rabbis see in establishing three prayers?
So that a person would add to his prayer. And not only in prayer but also in Torah study he should add. And not in Torah study alone, but with children. If he married a woman and she passed away, he should marry another woman and have more children. Know that Abraham did not sit idle after his wife died, rather he took another wife as it says, ““And additionally took a wife”

Vayera וירא

My Musing
The punishment and annihilation of Sodom and Amora form the backdrop to most discussions of Divine punishment and retribution. The midrash, while not invoking the actual clause, is almost explicitly invoking the idea of measure for measure, midah keneged midah, in terms of meting out the punishment for Sodom. The midrash explains that the sin culture of Sodom was all encompassing, hence the punishment had to be all encompassing.

מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת וירא סימן ז
(בראשית יח:יז) "וַידֹוָד אָמָר הַמְכַסֶּה אֲנִי מֵאַבְרָהָם אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי עֹשֶׂה"

And the LORD said: 'Shall I hide from Abraham that which I am doing;

זה שאמר הכתוב (איוב כ:כג-כד) "יְהִי לְמַלֵּא בִטְנוֹ יְשַׁלַּח בּוֹ חֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ וְיַמְטֵר עָלֵימוֹ בִּלְחוּמוֹ. [יִבְרַח, מִנֵּשֶׁק בַּרְזֶל; תַּחְלְפֵהוּ, קֶשֶׁת נְחוּשָׁה ]"

It shall be for the filling of his belly; He shall cast the fierceness of His wrath upon him, and shall cause it to rain upon him into his flesh. [If he flee from the iron weapon, the bow of brass shall strike him through]

פורעניות שבאת על הסדומים היתה למלאות כריסן, לפי שמלאו כריסן מן העבירות ומן החמס ומן הגזל. לפיכך אף הפורעניות שבאת עליהן מלא כריסן. שנאמר, "יְשַׁלַּח בּוֹ [בָּםתהלים עח:מט] חֲרוֹן אַפּוֹ".
אמר רבי מאיר, 'במטר שבסדום הכתוב מדבר. דכתיב, "וְיַמְטֵר עָלֵימוֹ בִּלְחוּמוֹ" וכתיב (בראשית יט:כד) "וַידֹוָד הִמְטִיר עַל סְדֹם וְעַל עֲמֹרָה גָּפְרִית וָאֵשׁ מֵאֵת יְדֹוָד מִן הַשָּׁמָיִם"

The calamities that befell the residents of Sodom were a full belly, because they had filled their bellies from their sins, and from their violence and from their thievery. Therefore even the calamities that befell them were in their belly. As it says, “He shall cast the fierceness of His wrath upon him” Said Rabbi Meir, regarding the rain of Sodom the scripture is relating as it is written, “cause it to rain upon him into his flesh “ and it is written, “ And the Lord caused tor ain down on Sodom and Amora, ash and fire from the Lord from the heavens”

מהו "בִּלְחוּמוֹ"? על המלחמות שהיו נלחמים עם הקדוש ברוך הוא. שנאמר, (בראשית יג:יג) "וְאַנְשֵׁי סְדֹם רָעִים וְחַטָּאִים לַידֹוָד
מְאֹד": "רָעִים" זה לזה, "וְחַטָּאִים" בגלוי עריות, "לַידֹוָד" בחרופין וגידופין ובעבודת כוכבים ומזלות, "מְאֹד" בשפיכות דמים.

What is “into his flesh (lichumo)”?
Due to the wars (milchamot) that they fought against the Holy One blessed be He. As it says, “Now the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners against the LORD exceedingly.” “Wicked” – to each other, “and sinners”- in sexual immorality, “against the Lord” in their blasphemy and idolatry, “exceedingly” – with bloodshed.

אמר רבי יהודה בר רבי שלום בשם רבי יהודה בר רבי סימון, 'בשעה שבא אמרפל וחביריו להלחם עם הסדומים על ידי ששבו את לוט, שמע אברהם ויצא עליהם למלחמה והרג את המלכים. ברחו, שנאמר, (בראשית יד:טו) "וַיֵּחָלֵק עֲלֵיהֶם לַיְלָה הוּא וַעֲבָדָיו וַיַּכֵּם וַיִּרְדְּפֵם עַד חוֹבָה אֲשֶׁר מִשְּׂמֹאל לְדַמָּשֶׂק" וכתיב, (בראשית יד:י) "וְעֵמֶק הַשִּׂדִּים בֶּאֱרֹת בֶּאֱרֹת חֵמָר וַיָּנֻסוּ מֶלֶךְ סְדֹם וַעֲמֹרָה וַיִּפְּלוּ שָׁמָּה וְהַנִּשְׁאָרִים הֶרָה נָּסוּ"

Said Rabbi Yehudah bar Rabbi Shalom, in the name of Rabbi Yehudah bar Rabbi Simon, ‘at the moment when Amraphel and his minions came to do battle with the Sodomites, because they had taken Lot captive, Abrham heard and went out to war and killed their kigs. They fled, as it says, “And he divided himself against them by night, he and his servants, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.” And it is written, “Now the vale of Siddim was full of slime pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and they fell there, and they that remained fled to the mountain.”

התחיל אברהם מהרהר לומר המלכים באין להלחם על הסדומים, והמלכים נופלין. ואלו ברחו שנאמר, "וְהַנִּשְׁאָרִים הֶרָה נָּסוּ" אלו לא היו כשרין לא היו בורחין. אמר ליה הקדוש ברוך הוא, 'אלו "יִבְרַח, מִנֵּשֶׁק בַּרְזֶל; תַּחְלְפֵהוּ, קֶשֶׁת נְחוּשָׁה".

Abraham began to question in his heart saying, ‘the kings came to do battle on the Sodmites, and the kings fell. And they ran, as it says, “and they that remained fled to the mountain.” If they were proper they would not have to flee. Said to him, the Holy One, blessed be He, ‘These are “If he flee from the iron weapon, the bow of brass shall strike him through”

(איוב כ: כה-כו) "שָׁלַף וַיֵּצֵא מִגֵּוָה וּבָרָק מִמְּרֹרָתוֹ יַהֲלֹךְ עָלָיו אֵמִים. כָּל חֹשֶׁךְ טָמוּן לִצְפּוּנָיו תְּאָכְלֵהוּ אֵשׁ לֹא נֻפָּח יֵרַע שָׂרִיד בְּאָהֳלוֹ"
כל החשך הזה היכן היה טמון? לצפונה של סדום, שהיתה בימינה של ירושלים. שנאמר, (יחזקאל טז:מו) "וַאֲחוֹתֵךְ הַגְּדוֹלָה שֹׁמְרוֹן הִיא וּבְנוֹתֶיהָ הַיּוֹשֶׁבֶת עַל שְׂמֹאולֵךְ וַאֲחוֹתֵךְ הַקְּטַנָּה מִמֵּךְ הַיּוֹשֶׁבֶת מִימִינֵךְ סְדֹם וּבְנוֹתֶיהָ"

“He draweth it forth, and it cometh out of his body; yea, the glittering point cometh out of his gall; terrors are upon him. All darkness is laid up for his treasures; a fire not blown by man shall consume him; it shall go ill with him that is left in his tent.”
All this darkness where was it stored? North of Sodom, which is to the east of Jerusalem. As it says, “And thine elder sister is Samaria, that dwelleth at thy left hand, she and her daughters; and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.

מהו "יֵרַע שָׂרִיד בְּאָהֳלוֹ" שאפילו שריד שנשתייר משם רע רעה הרעה. "יֵרַע שָׂרִיד בְּאָהֳלוֹ" איזה? זה אשתו של לוט שנאמר, (בראשית יט:כו) "וַתַּבֵּט אִשְׁתּוֹ מֵאַחֲרָיו וַתְּהִי נְצִיב מֶלַח"

What is the meaning of “it shall go ill with him that is left in his tent.” That even the refugee that remained was evil and wicked. “it shall go ill with him that is left in his tent.” Which? This is the wife of Lot as it says “But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.”

Lech Lecha לך לך

My Musing
What does it mean to be blessed? For the Jewish people it means being a source of blessing.

Interestingly, the midrash works either way one translates וַאֲגַדְּלָה and וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ. Using the rule of the “vav hahipuch” the letter vav of inversion, the word that is normally understood as future tense, is read as past tense. And if we understand the idea of Abrham’s name becoming great among the nations, and that he is blessed, as already happening, the reason for Abraham having to leave his country is more evident. Abrham needs to go out of his comfort zone to become a source of blessing for the world. He is already blessed, but he needs to become a source of blessing.

מדרש תנחומא (ורשא) פרשת לך לך סימן ד
(בראשית יב:א,ב)" וַיֹּאמֶר יְדֹוָד אֶל אַבְרָם, לֶךְ לְךָ, מֵאַרְצְךָ וּמִמּוֹלַדְתְּךָ וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ, אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ. וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ וַאֲגַדְּלָה שְׁמֶךָ וֶהְיֵה בְּרָכָה "

Now the LORD said unto Abram: 'Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto the land that I will show thee.
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and be thou a blessing.

"וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ" שאני בכבודי מברכך. "וַאֲגַדְּלָה שְׁמֶךָ" ששמך מתגדל בעולם. "וֶהְיֵה בְּרָכָה " מהו? שברכתך קודמת לברכתי; בתחלה אומרים 'מגן אברהם' ואחר כך 'מחיה המתים'.

“And I will bless thee”, that I in my honor bless you. “And I will make your name great”, that your name will become great in the world. “And you will be a blessing” What is this? That your blessing comes before Mine. First we recite (in the Amida prayer) ‘shield of Abraham’ followed by ‘resurrects the dead’

דבר אחר: " וֶהְיֵה בְּרָכָה", אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא, 'משעה שבראתי עולמי הייתי זקוק לברך בריותי. ברכתי לאדם וחוה דכתיב (בראשית א:כח) "וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם אֱלֹקִים וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם אֱלֹקִים, 'פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְכִבְשֻׁה,ָ וּרְדוּ בִּדְגַת הַיָּם וּבְעוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם, וּבְכָל חַיָּה הָרֹמֶשֶׂת עַל הָאָרֶץ"

Another idea: “And you will be a blessing” Said to him the Holy One. Blessed be He, ‘from the time I created my world, I was required to bless my creations. I blessed Adam and Eve, as it is written, “And God blessed them; and God said unto them: 'Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that creepeth upon the earth.'”

לנח ובניו דכתיב (בראשית ט:א) "וַיְבָרֶךְ אֱלֹקִים אֶת נֹחַ וְאֶת בָּנָיו וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם, 'פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ"

I blessed Noah and his sons, as it is written, “And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them: 'Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth.

מכאן ואילך אתה היה עשוי על הברכות. כיון שעמד יצחק, ביקש אברהם לברכו. צפה שעשו ויעקב יוצאין ממנו ולא ברכו. אמר אברהם, 'יבא בעל העולם ויברך מי שירצה'. משל למלך שהיה לו פרדס, נתנו לאריס לעבדו ולשמרו. היה בתוך הפרדס אילן של סם חיים ואילן של סם המות דבקים זו בזו. אמר האריס, 'מה אעשה? להשקות אילן של חיים ולהניח את זה אי אפשר, שמים שזה שותה זה מינק ממנו. אלא אניח אותם עד שיבא בעל הפרדס ומה שירצה יעשה'.

From here on, you will be the maker of the blessing. When Isaac came, Abraham desired to bless him. He foresaw that both Jacob and Esau will come from him and he (Abraham) did not bless him (Isaac) Said Abraham, ‘Let the master of the world come and bless who He desires to bless’. This is analogous to a king who has an orchard and he entrusted the orchard to a sharecropper to work and care for it. In the orchard was a tree for the elixir of life and a tree of poison touching each other. Said the sharecropper, ‘what should I do? If I water the tree of life, I cannot just leave the tree of poison, that the water I give one, will go to the other. I will let them be, until the owner of the field comes and decides what he wants.

כן אברהם אמר שלא לברך את יצחק אי אפשר שעשו יוצא ממנו. אלא הריני מניחו לבעל הברכה עד שיעשה הקדוש ברוך הוא מה שיחפוץ. כיון שנסתלקו אברהם ויצחק ברך הקדוש ברוך הוא ליעקב לעצמו שנאמר,(בראשית לה:ט) "וַיֵּרָא אֱלֹקִים אֶל יַעֲקֹב עוֹד בְּבֹאוֹ מִפַּדַּן אֲרָם וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתוֹ"

So Abraham said so he did not bless Isaac because it is impossible that Esau will come from him. I will leave it alone for the Master of blessing, until the Holy One, blessed be He, does what He wants. When Abraham and Isaac were not longer, God blessed Jacob directly, as it says, “And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him”

דבר אחר: (בראשית יב:ג) "וַאֲבָרֲכָה מְבָרְכֶיךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ אָאֹר וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה"
אמר לו, 'עתיד אני להעמיד מבני בניך שבט שמברך ישראל, זהו שבט לוי'.
אמר לפניו, 'רבונו של עולם, ומי מברך לאותו שבט?'
אמר לו, 'משהן מברכין לישראל, אני מברך לאותו שבט. שנאמר, (במדבר ו:כז) "וְשָׂמוּ אֶת שְׁמִי עַל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַאֲנִי אֲבָרֲכֵם"

Another idea: “And I will bless them that bless thee, and him that curseth thee will I curse; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.'”
He said to him, ‘in the future I will raise children from your children, a tribe that will bless Israel, that is the tribe of Levi’
Said Abraham in front of Him, ‘Master of the Universe, and who will bless that tribe?’
He said to him, ‘When they bless Israel, I will bless that tribe. As it says, “So shall they put My name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them.'”

אמר להם הקדוש ברוך הוא לישראל, 'בעולם הזה שבט לוי מברך אתכם, ולעתיד לבא אני בכבודי אברך אתכם. שנאמר,(ירמיהו לא:כב) "כֹּה אָמַר יְדֹוָד צְבָאוֹת אֱלֹקֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹד יֹאמְרוּ אֶת הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה בְּאֶרֶץ יְהוּדָה וּבְעָרָיו בְּשׁוּבִי אֶת שְׁבוּתָם יְבָרֶכְךָ יְדֹוָד נְוֵה צֶדֶק הַר הַקֹּדֶשׁ"

Said to them, the Holy One, blessed be He, to Israel, ‘In this world, the tribe of Levi will bless you, and in the future I in mt honor will bless you. As it says, “Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: yet again shall they use this speech in the land of Judah and in the cities thereof, when I shall turn their captivity: 'The LORD bless thee, O habitation of righteousness, O mountain of holiness.'”

Noah נח

My Musing
This early Tanhuma comes from a time that the drasha, homiletic, had a component of halacha, Jewish Law. The concept of a cure, factors into this midrash. Don’t get hung up on the legal statement, the idea of the cure before the malady is the important piece. That explains the segue into the cure all of repentance. But how does the apparent tangent comment about leaving the ark fit into the theme of curative?
The cure for the now desolate world was in Noah and the other travelers of the ark. They must repopulate the world.

מדרש תנחומא )ורשא( פרשת נח סימן ח
(בראשית ח: טו- טז) "וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֶל נֹחַ לֵאמֹר. צֵא מִן הַתֵּבָה אַתָּה וְאִשְׁתְּךָ וּבָנֶיךָ וּנְשֵׁי בָנֶיךָ אִתָּךְ"

"And God spoke unto Noah, saying: ‘Go forth from the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee."

ילמדנו רבינו, 'מהו ליתן רוק תפל על גבי העין בשבת?'
אמר ר' חייא בר אבא בשם רבי לוי, אסור ליתן רוק על גבי העין בשבת, מפני שהוא כמרפא בשבת. בוא וראה שאין מכה בעולם שאין לה רפואה. ומה היא רפואתו של יצר הרע? תשובה.
דאמר ר' יהודה ב"ר שלום בשם רבי אלעזר, 'שלשה דברים מבטלין גזרה קשה, אלו הן: תשובה, ותפלה, וצדקה.'

Our master should instruct, is it permissible to place liquid on the eye on the Shabbat?
Said Rabbi Chiyah bar Aba in the name of Rabbi Levi, it is forbidden to place liquid on the eye on the Shabbat, since it is considered as a medicine. Come and see that there is no affliction in the world without its cure. And what is the cure for the evil inclination? Repentance.

As said Rabbi Judah bar Shalom in the name of Rabbi Elazar, "three things cancel the harsh decree, and they are: Repentance, and prayer, and righteousness"

אמר רבי יוסי, אף שינוי השם ומעשים טובים. לפיכך הקדוש ברוך הוא מקוה לדור המבול שמא יעשו תשובה. כיון שלא עשו תשובה, (בראשית ז:כג) " וַיִּמַח אֶת כָּל הַיְקוּם אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה מֵאָדָם עַד בְּהֵמָה עַד רֶמֶשׂ וְעַד עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וַיִּמָּחוּ מִן הָאָרֶץ וַיִּשָּׁאֶר אַךְ נֹחַ וַאֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ בַּתֵּבָה"

Said Rabbi Yosi, even changing the name and good deeds. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, hoped for the generation of the flood to repent. Since they did not repent, "And He blotted out every living substance which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and creeping thing, and fowl of the heaven; and they were blotted out from the earth; and Noah only was left, and they that were with him in the ark."

ושייר לנח בתבה. כיון שנחו המים היה צריך נח לצאת מן התבה. אלא אמר ברשות הקדוש ברוך הוא נכנסתי, שאמר לי (בראשית ז:א) "[וַיֹּאמֶר יְדֹוָד לְנֹחַ] בֹּא אַתָּה וְכָל בֵּיתְךָ אֶל הַתֵּבָה כִּי אֹתְךָ רָאִיתִי צַדִּיק לְפָנַי בַּדּוֹר הַזֶּה" ועכשיו איני יוצא אלא ברשותו. נגלה עליו הקדוש ברוך הוא שנאמר, "וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֶל נֹחַ לֵאמֹר. צֵא מִן הַתֵּבָה אַתָּה וְאִשְׁתְּךָ וּבָנֶיךָ וּנְשֵׁי בָנֶיךָ אִתָּךְ"

And Noah remained in the ark. When the waters receded Noah had to leave the ark. But he said that it was with the permission of the Holy One, blessed be He, that I entered, that He said to me, "[And the LORD said unto Noah:] 'Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before Me in this generation." And now I will not leave without His permission. The Holy One, blessed be He, revealed himself to him as it says, ""And God spoke unto Noah, saying: ‘Go forth from the ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with thee."