Monday, March 9, 2015

The Flood Story of D

There was a time that the Torah Kedumah was combined with D and the Deuteronomistic history books. At that time, the following was added to the Torah Kedumah. It was likely a response to P, the competing priestly Torah, with H, the holiness code, being the competitor of D.

And Hashem said to Noah, "Come, you and all your household, into an ark, for I have seen you as virtuous in front of me in this generation. Of all the pure animals, take seven pairs, male and female, and of the animals that are not pure, two, male and female. Also of the birds of the skies seven pairs, male and female, to keep the seed alive on the face of the earth. "Because in seven more days I will rain on the earth, forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe out all of the substance that I have made from on the face of the earth." And Noah did according to all that Hashem had commanded him. And Noah and his sons and his wife and his son's wives with him came to the ark from before the waters of the flood. And seven days later the waters of the flood were on the earth. And there was rain on the earth, forty days and forty nights. And Hashem closed it for him.

And the flood was on the earth for forty days, and the waters multiplied and raised the ark, and it was lifted from the earth. And the water grew strong and multiplied very much on the earth, and the ark went on the face of the waters. And the waters had grown very, very strong on the earth, so they covered all the high mountains under the entire heavens. Fifteen cubits above, the waters grew stronger, and they covered the mountains. Everything that had breathing spirit of life in its nostrils, everything that was on the ground, died. And He wiped out all of the substance that was on the face of the earth, from human to animal to creeping thing and to birds of the skies, and they were wiped out from the earth, and just Noah and those who were with him in the ark were left.

And the rain was restrained from the skies. And the waters went back from the earth, going back continually. And it was at the end of forty days, and Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made. And he let a dove go from him to see whether the waters had eased from the face of the earth. And the dove did not find a resting place for its foot, and it returned to him to the ark, for waters were on the face of the earth, and he put out his hand and took it brought it to him to the ark. And he waited still another seven days, and he again let a dove go from the ark. And the dove came to him at evening time, and there was an olive leaf torn off in its mouth, and Noah knew that the waters had eased from the earth. And he waited still another seven days, and he let a dove go, and it did not come back to him ever again. And Noah turned back the covering of the ark and looked, and saw that the face of the earth had dried.


About the phenomenon of competing Torahs, the prophet fulminated:

אֵיכָה תֹאמְרוּ חֲכָמִים אֲנַחְנוּ וְתוֹרַת יְהוָה אִתָּנוּ אָכֵן הִנֵּה לַשֶּׁקֶר עָשָׂה עֵט שֶׁקֶר סֹפְרִים

(Yeremyahu 8:8)