נח

This week, we discussed the word תולדות, and whether or not it means descendants, or stories. In some cases it means descendants, and in other places it means stories. In our readings, we read about נח and the flood.

I was recently reading a book that proves the truth of the Torah with historical facts, and I thought I would share the following: Many times, people find things in the Torah hard to believe, and therefore do not believe in the Torah at all. Some of the things written seem preposterous. (Quoting from the book now): One of the most famous Biblical stories thought to be sheer fantasy by Torah critics was the story of נח and the flood. Over the decades however, evidence from across the globe supports the account in the Torah. For instance, high on mountains in Michigan, in Vermont, and near Montreal, whale skeletons were found. In Alabama, farmers complained about the abundance of whale bones in their fields. In Georgia, whale bones were discovered. There are a great number of deep sea fish fossils lying on top of mountains. Furthermore, there are inscriptions all over the world about the flood. In 1853, during excavations at Ninveh, tablets were found containing the Epic of Gilgamesh. The pagan gods there are depicted as assembling to pass judgement on the wicked mankind. One righteous man was chosen for deliverance and commanded to erect a ship in which to rescue his kin and every sort of living creature. In the epic of Gilgamesh, the pitch that was used for smearing to waterproof the boat is described, and the dove coming back and forth.

The book goes on to prove more about the Torah and how stories we might not believe are actually written about in other peoples accounts (including the ten plagues).

So, as you read through Sefer Bereishet, keep in mind that all of this happened, even the business with the flood.