FREE AND THERE WAS LIGHT: FROM THE CREATION OF THE WORLD TO NOAHS ARK PDF Jakob Streit,Ekkehard Piening | 112 pages | 01 Jan 2006 | Awsna Publications | 9781888365740 | English | Boulder, United States Did the Bible copy the Flood account from other myths and legends? | Noah's ark is described in detail in the Torah as an enclosed four sided structure with only one opening to the outside, on the very top, as the verse says, " make a window for the ark. Some of the commentaries suggest that it was a skylight; others describe it as a type of precious stone that emitted light. How was it possible that one small opening, either a single window or a precious stone was able to light up the entire ark, especially since each type of animal had its own compartment Rashi on and each floor was separate from the next? Also, we know that the light of the sun and the moon did not penetrate during the Flood see Rashi so how could a window have helped anyway? There had to have been other light sources. Thus, we understand that Noah was not given every single small instruction about the ark's construction or furnishings, only those that were not obvious, and that details like bringing oil lamps and wicks and any other needs were left to Noah's judgment. Therefore, there must be And There Was Light: From the Creation of the World to Noahs Ark special intention in the commandment to make a " tzohar ", applicable not only for Noah's ark but for future generations. What is the difference between a window and a light producing stone? A window's light comes from outside, while a tzohar stone shines from within. Within this creation is hidden divine light, in every aspect of our day to day lives. Our purpose is to remove the concealment - to make a "window" within the concealment of nature so that the divine light can shine through. Chassidim tell a story about a man balancing his income and expenses, until he got to the sum total; "What is the real bottom line? What does the shining stone mean for us? Though a person must remove the concealment, he can also transform the world until the physical reality itself will shine with the divine light. We must cause the "stone" i. This is the businessman who realizes that the purpose of every challenge — i. He can do this by making it part of his business to learn Torah; or to "interrupt" his work to pray the afternoon prayers; or even to share a Jewish word with his business opponents across the table because this is the true purpose. It's a deal! Shabbat ShalomShaul. Copyright by KabbalaOnline. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work or portions thereof, in any form, unless with permission, in writing, from Kabbala Online. Text with broken underline will provide a popup explanation when rolled over with a mouse. Here's a great tip! And There Was Light: From the Creation of the World to Noahs Ark your email address to get our weekly email with fresh, exciting and thoughtful content that will enrich your inbox and your life. No Thanks. Weekly Magazine Daily Dose. Ask the Rabbi. Chabad Locator Find. Tools Directory of Tools:. Birthday Lookup. Candle Lighting Times. Chabad Locator. Date Converter. Email Lists. Event Directory. Greeting Cards. Halachic Times. Jewish And There Was Light: From the Creation of the World to Noahs Ark. Judaica Store. Knowledge Base. SMS Shabbat Times. Yahrtzeit Lookup. Popular Tools:. Shabbat Times. Email Subscriptions. More Sites Today is Wed. Classic Kabbalah. Details…were left to Noah 's judgment…. Our purpose is to remove …the concealment of nature so that the divine light can shine through…. By Shaul Yosef Leiter. Rabbi Shaul Yosef Leiter is a co-founder, executive director and featured teacher of Ascent-of-Safed. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with Chabad. Outside-In Perception Satisfaction. You may also be interested in How did Noah fit all the animals in the Ark? Feeding Animals. Life in a Box. Join the Discussion Sort By:. Newest Oldest. Posting Guidelines. Email me when new comments are posted. Please send me Chabad. We will not share your email address. Connie Canton, GA February 23, Current Torah Portion. Archives Bereishit - Genesis. Shemot - Exodus. Vayikra - Leviticus. Bamidbar - Numbers. Devarim - Deuteronomy. Daily Zohar - Hok L'Yisrael. Related Topics. Window 4 Noach 83 Ark, Noah's 32 Kabbalah The larger, bold text is the direct translation of the classic text source. Subscribe to get our weekly magazine! Kazenpioneer of TorahJudaism and Jewish information on the web. Noah's Ark - Wikipedia Searches for Noah's Ark have been made from at least the time of Eusebius c. Many searches have been mounted for the Ark, but no confirmable physical proof of the Ark has ever been found. The structure of the Ark and the chronology of the flood are homologous with the Jewish Temple and with Temple worship. For well over a century, scholars have recognized that the Bible's story of Noah's Ark is based on older Mesopotamian models. There are nine known versions of the Mesopotamian flood story, each more or less adapted from an earlier version. In the oldest version, inscribed in the Sumerian city of Nippur c. This story is known as the Sumerian Flood Story and probably derives from an earlier version. The Ziusudra version tells how he builds a boat and rescues life when the gods decide to destroy it. This basic plot is common in several subsequent flood-stories and heroes, including Noah. Ziusudra's Sumerian name means "He of long life. In the Atrahasis version, the flood is a river flood. The version closest to the biblical story of Noah, as well as its most likely source, is that of Utnapishtim in the Epic of Gilgamesh. From the fragments that survive, it seems little changed from the versions of two thousand years before. The parallels between Noah's Ark and the arks of Babylonian flood-heroes Atrahasis and Utnapishtim have often been noted. Atrahasis' Ark was circular, resembling an enormous quffawith one or two decks. Noah's Ark was rectangular with three decks. There is believed to be a progression from a circular to a cubic or square to rectangular. Professor Finkel concluded that And There Was Light: From the Creation of the World to Noahs Ark iconic story of the Flood, Noah, and the Ark as we know it today certainly originated in the landscape of ancient Mesopotamia, And There Was Light: From the Creation of the World to Noahs Ark Iraq. Linguistic parallels between Noah's and Atrahasis' arks have also been noted. The word used for "pitch" sealing tar or resin in Genesis is not the normal Hebrew word, but is closely related to the word used in the Babylonian story. However, the causes for God or the gods And There Was Light: From the Creation of the World to Noahs Ark the flood differ in the various stories. In the Hebrew myth, the flood inflicts God's judgment on wicked humanity. The Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh gives no reasons, and the flood appears the result of divine caprice. There is consensus among scholars that the Torah the first five books of the Bible, beginning with Genesis was the product of a long and complicated process that was not completed until after the Babylonian exile. The myth of the flood closely parallels the story of the creation: a cycle of creation, un-creation, and re-creation, in which the Ark plays a pivotal role. The Talmudic tractates SanhedrinAvodah Zarahand Zevahim relate that, while Noah was building the Ark, he attempted to warn his neighbors of the coming deluge, but was ignored or mocked. God placed lions and other ferocious animals to protect Noah and his family from the wicked who tried to keep them from the Ark. According to one Midrashit was God, or the angelswho gathered the animals and their food to the Ark. As there had been no need to distinguish between clean and unclean animals before this time, the clean animals And There Was Light: From the Creation of the World to Noahs Ark themselves known by kneeling before Noah as they entered the Ark. A differing opinion is that the Ark itself distinguished clean animals from unclean, admitting seven pairs each of the former and one pair each of the latter. According to Sanhedrin b, Noah was engaged both day and night in feeding and caring for the animals, and did not sleep for the entire year aboard the Ark. They did not procreate so that the number of creatures that disembarked was exactly equal to the number that embarked. The raven created problems, refusing to leave the Ark when Noah sent it forth and accusing the patriarch of wishing to destroy its race, but as the commentators pointed out, God wished to save the raven, for its descendants were destined to feed the prophet Elijah. According to one tradition, refuse was stored on the lowest of the Ark's three decks, humans and clean beasts on the second, and the unclean animals and birds on the top; a differing interpretation described the refuse as being stored on the topmost deck, from where it was shoveled into the sea through a trapdoor. Precious stones, as And There Was Light: From the Creation of the World to Noahs Ark as the noon sun, provided light, and God ensured the food remained fresh.