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The
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Rabbi Ariel Bar Tzadok
Copyright © 1997 - 2003
by Ariel Bar Tzadok.
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The Secret of the Name "Noah"
The Ascent of the Fallen
Sparks
Translated from Sefer Mahsof HaLavan
of Rabbi Ya’aqob Abuhatzera
“These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, pure in his generation. Noah walked with G-d.” (Bereshit 6:9)
We can imply from this verse [the same meaning] as it is written regarding Hanokh (Enoch). Hanokh’s endeavors was to for the sake of sweetening the three [names of] Elokim of Katnut (forces of spiritual limitation).
Noah also endeavored to sweeten the three Elokim [names] of Katnut. Indeed, all righteous people who fear G-d and contemplate His Name do this; they endeavor to sweeten the Katnut. This is the work of the righteous. This is the essence of the rectification of the universe.
Noah personally made great endeavors in this matter. This is why Noah’s name is written three times in the above pasuk, to show that he endeavored to sweeten the three Elokim [names] of Katnut with three Havayot [names of YKVK].
The name Noah in gematria spells the Name YKVK when it is spelled out as follows: Yod (yod vav dalet), Key (hey yod), Vav (vav alef vav), Key (hey hey). This name adds up to 58, the gematria of Noah (nun het).
When one contemplates this specific spelling of the holy Name YKVK, one will find that it contains all four [spellings of] YKVK, which are AB, SAG, MAH and BEN. The letter Yod is spelled out how it appears in the Name AB. The first Key is spelled out as it appears in the Name SAG. The Vav is spelled out the way it appears in the Name MAH. The final Key is spelled out the way it appears in the Name BEN.
Thus this special spelling of the Name YKVK includes within it all four of the general spellings. Thus within Noah’s name itself there is a subtle hint to the unification (sweetening) that he sought to accomplish.
This then is how we understand the pasuk. “These are the generations of Noah,” refer to Noah’s good deeds just as our blessed Sages have described. The text then continues to enumerate what these good deeds were. It is said that they too are hinted at within Noah’s name.
The second mention of the name Noah in the above pasuk refers to the Name YKVK and we have already described. How did Noah merit having the name YKVK inscribed within his own? He was “a righteous man, pure.” He is called a “man” because he was able to overcome his evil inclination, as the pasuk says, “Happy is the man who fears HaShem.”
Noah is also called righteous because he guarded his holy covenant (sexual purity) appropriately. All who so safeguard their holy covenant are called righteous. Because he safeguarded his covenant [and did not sin with Potifera’s wife], Yosef was called HaTzadik (a righteous man).
Noah is called pure,
which means “complete,” in that he completely observed all the positive
and negative commandments. All his life Noah walked with G-d, meaning
each day he endeavored to sweeten the three names of Elokim of Katnut,
as described above.
“These are the generations of Noah,” this signifies that Noah
endeavored to raise up the sparks of holiness that had fallen into the
Klipot (domains of evil) of the three worlds Be’YaA (Beriah, Yetzirah
and Asiyah). This is hinted to directly by the word “man” (Ish, spelled
alef, yod, shin).
Regarding these three worlds, the world of Asiyah corresponds to the holy Name El Adonai, the world of Yetzirah corresponds to the holy Name El Havaya and the world of Beriah corresponds to the holy Name El Shadai. The initial letters of Adonai (alef), Havaya (yod) and Shadai (shin) spell out the word “Ish” (man). This signifies that Noah would elevate the sparks from these three worlds (hinted to within his name).
All ascent is to the Divine world of Atzilut. Atzilut itself is spelled alef, tzade, yod, lamed, vav tav. The middle letters of these letters spelled out (lamed, peh from Alef; dalet yod from Tzadi; mem, dalet from Lamed; vav, alef from Yod; yod, vav from Vav; and yod vav from Tav) numerically equal 210, which is the same number as HaTzadik (the righteous one), when adding one for the word itself.
This too signifies how Noah raised up the fallen sparks from the three worlds of Be’YaA and raise them to Atzilut, their place of origin. (We already have seen how the word Atzilut relates to the word Tzadik (righteous).
The pasuk concludes, “Noah walked with G-d.” This signifies that all of Noah’s intent and behavior was only for the sake of raising the sparks and to sweeten the Elokim [names] of Katnut... This is the work of all the righteous, those who fear HaShem and who contemplate His Name.
Rabbi Ya’aqob
Abuhatzera
Sefer Mahsof HaLavan
Parashat Noah