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Bereshit 8

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1 וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים אֶת־נֹחַ וְאֵת כָּל־הַחַיָּה וְאֶת־כָּל־הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר אִתֹּו בַּתֵּבָה וַיַּעֲבֵר אֱלֹהִים רוּחַ עַל־הָאָרֶץ וַיָּשֹׁכּוּ הַמָּיִם׃

2 וַיִּסָּכְרוּ מַעְיְנֹת תְּהֹום וַאֲרֻבֹּת הַשָּׁמָיִם וַיִּכָּלֵא הַגֶּשֶׁם מִן־הַשָּׁמָיִם׃

3 וַיָּשֻׁבוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ הָלֹוךְ וָשֹׁוב וַיַּחְסְרוּ הַמַּיִם מִקְצֵה חֲמִשִּׁים וּמְאַת יֹום׃

4 וַתָּנַח הַתֵּבָה בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי בְּשִׁבְעָה־עָשָׂר יֹום לַחֹדֶשׁ עַל הָרֵי אֲרָרָט׃

5 וְהַמַּיִם הָיוּ הָלֹוךְ וְחָסֹור עַד הַחֹדֶשׁ הָעֲשִׂירִי בָּעֲשִׂירִי בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ נִרְאוּ רָאשֵׁי הֶהָרִים׃

6 וַיְהִי מִקֵּץ אַרְבָּעִים יֹום וַיִּפְתַּח נֹחַ אֶת־חַלֹּון הַתֵּבָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה׃

7 וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת־הָעֹרֵב וַיֵּצֵא יָצֹוא וָשֹׁוב עַד־יְבֹשֶׁת הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ׃

8 וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת־הַיֹּונָה מֵאִתֹּו לִרְאֹות הֲקַלּוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה׃

9 וְלֹא־מָצְאָה הַיֹּונָה מָנֹוחַ לְכַף־רַגְלָהּ וַתָּשָׁב אֵלָיו אֶל־הַתֵּבָה כִּי־מַיִם עַל־פְּנֵי כָל־הָאָרֶץ וַיִּשְׁלַח יָדֹו וַיִּקָּחֶהָ וַיָּבֵא אֹתָהּ אֵלָיו אֶל־הַתֵּבָה׃

10 וַיָּחֶל עֹוד שִׁבְעַת יָמִים אֲחֵרִים וַיֹּסֶף שַׁלַּח אֶת־הַיֹּונָה מִן־הַתֵּבָה׃

11 וַתָּבֹא אֵלָיו הַיֹּונָה לְעֵת עֶרֶב וְהִנֵּה עֲלֵה־זַיִת טָרָף בְּפִיהָ וַיֵּדַע נֹחַ כִּי־קַלּוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ׃

12 וַיִּיָּחֶל עֹוד שִׁבְעַת יָמִים אֲחֵרִים וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת־הַיֹּונָה וְלֹא־יָסְפָה שׁוּב־אֵלָיו עֹוד׃

13 וַיְהִי בְּאַחַת וְשֵׁשׁ־מֵאֹות שָׁנָה בָּרִאשֹׁון בְּאֶחָד לַחֹדֶשׁ חָרְבוּ הַמַּיִם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ וַיָּסַר נֹחַ אֶת־מִכְסֵה הַתֵּבָה וַיַּרְא וְהִנֵּה חָרְבוּ פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה׃

14 וּבַחֹדֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי בְּשִׁבְעָה וְעֶשְׂרִים יֹום לַחֹדֶשׁ יָבְשָׁה הָאָרֶץ׃ ס

15 וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹהִים אֶל־נֹחַ לֵאמֹר׃

16 צֵא מִן־הַתֵּבָה אַתָּה וְאִשְׁתְּךָ וּבָנֶיךָ וּנְשֵׁי־בָנֶיךָ אִתָּךְ׃

17 כָּל־הַחַיָּה אֲשֶׁר־אִתְּךָ מִכָּל־בָּשָׂר בָּעֹוף וּבַבְּהֵמָה וּבְכָל־הָרֶמֶשׂ הָרֹמֵשׂ עַל־הָאָרֶץ [כ= הֹוצֵא] [ק= הַיְצֵא] אִתָּךְ וְשָׁרְצוּ בָאָרֶץ וּפָרוּ וְרָבוּ עַל־הָאָרֶץ׃

18 וַיֵּצֵא־נֹחַ וּבָנָיו וְאִשְׁתֹּו וּנְשֵׁי־בָנָיו אִתֹּו׃

19 כָּל־הַחַיָּה כָּל־הָרֶמֶשׂ וְכָל־הָעֹוף כֹּל רֹומֵשׂ עַל־הָאָרֶץ לְמִשְׁפְּחֹתֵיהֶם יָצְאוּ מִן־הַתֵּבָה׃

20 וַיִּבֶן נֹחַ מִזְבֵּחַ לַיהוָה וַיִּקַּח מִכֹּל הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהֹורָה וּמִכֹּל הָעֹוף הַטָּהֹר וַיַּעַל עֹלֹת בַּמִּזְבֵּחַ׃

21 וַיָּרַח יְהוָה אֶת־רֵיחַ הַנִּיחֹחַ וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל־לִבֹּו לֹא־אֹסִף לְקַלֵּל עֹוד אֶת־הָאֲדָמָה בַּעֲבוּר הָאָדָם כִּי יֵצֶר לֵב הָאָדָם רַע מִנְּעֻרָיו וְלֹא־אֹסִף עֹוד לְהַכֹּות אֶת־כָּל־חַי כַּאֲשֶׁר עָשִׂיתִי׃

22 עֹד כָּל־יְמֵי הָאָרֶץ זֶרַע וְקָצִיר וְקֹר וָחֹם וְקַיִץ וָחֹרֶף וְיֹום וָלַיְלָה לֹא יִשְׁבֹּתוּ׃

   

From Swedenborg's Works

 

Arcana Coelestia #885

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885. That a “leaf” signifies truth, is evident from many passages in the Word where man is compared to a tree, or is called a tree, and where “fruits” signify the good of charity, and a “leaf” the truth therefrom (which indeed they are like); as in Ezekiel:

And by the river upon the bank thereof, on this side and on that side, there cometh up every tree for food, whose leaf doth not fall, neither is the fruit consumed, it is reborn every month, because the waters thereof issue out of the sanctuary; and the fruit, thereof shall be for food, and the leaf, thereof for medicine (Ezekiel 47:12; Revelation 22:2).

Here “tree” denotes the man of the church in whom is the kingdom of the Lord; its “fruit” the good of love and of charity; its “leaf” the truths therefrom, which serve for the instruction of the human race and for their regeneration, for which reason the leaf is said to be for “medicine.” Again:

Shall He not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit, thereof that it wither? it shall wither in all the plucked off [leaves] of its shoot (Ezekiel 17:9).

This is said of the vine, that is, the church, in a state of vastation, whose good, which is the “fruit” and whose truth, which is the “plucked off [leaf] of the shoot” thus withers.

[2] In Jeremiah:

Blessed is the man that trusteth in Jehovah; he shall be like a tree planted by the waters; his leaf shall be green; and he shall not be anxious in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

where the “green leaf” denotes the truth of faith, thus the very faith which is from charity. So in David (Psalms 1:3); and again in Jeremiah: There shall be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the fig-tree, and the leaf is fallen (Jeremiah 8:13);

“grapes on the vine” denote spiritual good; “figs on the fig-tree” natural good; “leaf” truth, which in this case is “fallen.” Likewise in (Isaiah 34:4). The same is meant by the fig-tree which Jesus saw and found nothing thereon but leaves, and which therefore withered away (Matthew 21:19-20; Mark 11:13-14, 20). Specifically, by this fig-tree there was meant the Jewish Church, in which there was no longer anything of natural good; and the religious teaching or truth that was preserved in it, are the “leaves;” for a vastated church is such that it knows truth, but is not willing to understand it. Similar are those who say that they know truth or the things of faith, yet have nothing of the good of charity: they are only fig-leaves, and they wither away.

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Foundation for the permission to use this translation.

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