Neumann a bisele vine!
Neumann a bisele vine!
Mikhail Gorelik
Another couple of stories about Noah from midrashim, arranged by Bialik and Ravnitsky. Coming out of the ark, Noah began to “cultivate the land and planted a vineyard. And he drank the wine, and became drunk” (Bereshit 9:20, 21). In the midrash "Beresheet Rabbah" the question is raised: where did Noah get the planting material? And the answer is given: he prudently took cuttings of grapes, seedlings of olives and figs into the ark. I used to think that Noah was concerned with the restoration in the post-Flood world exclusively of the fauna, and the flora was to be restored by itself. We now know that this is not the case, at least not with regard to the three plants he took on board. I wonder if the Almighty commanded him or did he figure it out himself?
In his mind, he should have started with olives and figs, but he started with grapes, as if planning a big drink in advance and leaving urgent needs for later. One gets the impression (I'm already saying this, not a midrash) that Noah experienced tremendous stress during the flood and wanted to remove it in this way. Come on, brother, let's renounce, come on, brother, let's soar.
So he soared: "I drank too much and got drunk, and was disgraced." This is how it is said in the same midrash "Bereishit Rabbah".
And it also says: “I planted on the same day, I drank on the same day, I was disgraced on the same day.” The land, washed by the waters of the Flood, was monstrously productive in those days. Or maybe it's all about the blessing from above. As soon as he planted, the harvest is already ready. But it was still necessary to harvest, squeeze the juice out of the berries. And wait for the juice to turn into wine. And then there was no need to wait: the wine ripened at the moment. Drink and rejoice. But with joy, Noah did not succeed: it turned out to be a complete disgrace.
When the ark floated on the waters, nothing happened, one day was like another, no different at all, time passed slowly, and then it ran skipping.
The same midrash speaks of Noah's companion in setting up the vineyard and the terms of cooperation.
When Noah went to plant a vineyard, a certain spirit named Samdon appeared before him and offered to enter into company with him on an equal footing.
“But only,” said Samdon, “remember that if you begin to touch my share, you will pay bitterly for it.
As we know, Noah did touch Samdon's share, for which he paid.
Beresheet Raba commentator Reuven Kiperwasser writes:
“Thus, the vineyard was planted near the demonic lands, which clearly hints at the negative consequences of drinking wine. Thus, the demonic nature of the influence of wine on a person is emphasized.
Still, such a conclusion is of a local nature and refers to the interpretation of a particular place in the Torah. In a broader context, the attitude towards wine and, more broadly, towards alcohol in general in Judaism is not so unambiguous: wine is a necessary part of festive feasts, “wine gladdens the heart of a person” (Teilim. 104:15).
"Neyman a Bisele Vine" - how could it be without it? Noah's trouble is that he drank not "a bisele", but much, much more. Meanwhile, a lot more is offered to a person to drink if a person is a Jew, only once a year - during Purim. But Noah was not a Jew. And there was no Purim.
In Midrash Tanhuma, Satan goes on a date with Noah, completely corresponding to the demon Samdon from "Beresheet Rabbah": the names are different - the character is one. And it has the same function.
Noah planted the first vine. And Satan came and asked:
- What will happen from this landing?
“Vineyard,” Noah replied.
"Would you like to take me as a partner?"
Noah agreed. What did Satan do? He brought a sheep, a lion, a monkey, and a pig to the vineyard, and after slaughtering them, he watered the vineyard with their blood in turn.
A person who drinks wine discovers in turn the same natural properties of all these creatures: at first he is meek, like a lamb, then he becomes brave like a lion, as he gets drunk, he begins to grimace like a monkey, and, finally, wallows in the mud, like a pig.
All this happened to the righteous Noah.