[Avodah] Questions on Parshat Noach

[Eli Altschuler]

On Oct 30, 2011, at 12:13 AM, Liron Kopinsky <liron.kopinsky at gmail.com>
wrote:
> Question 1:
> The Gemarrah in Brachot 61A says that adam was created last in creation
> but first for puranot, as it says (Gen 7:23)
...
> Just 2 pesukim earlier it says:
...
> Here, man is quoted last.

> 1a) Why is the order switched in these 2 pesukim?
> 1b) Why does the gemarrah seem to ignore the first pasuk when drawing its
> lesson about who was first in receiving punishment?

> Question 2:
> The standard answer to the question "Why was the dor hamabul punished so
> much more than the dor hapalaga, even though the dor hamabul were (only)
...
> If this is true, then why was the sin of the meraglim - where all of Bnei
> Yisrael were united in their sin - punished worse than the sin of the egel
> hazahav - where there was opposition and most people were not involved?

Good questions. One answer which touches the 1st question, but might
answer the 2nd, has to do with the switch in how God views us after the
Mabul to allow the earth to continue functioning. It was an even further
fall in Adam's status than we experienced after the original Gan Eden
fall - but possibly just as necessary.

Rav Matis points out that before the flood God says that since the heart
of man has become corrupt and he has brought evil, He will destroy all
of creation - animals and plants as well. In that scenario the entire
purpose of creation is in Adam - so that when he becomes corrupt there
is no longer any reason to allow the rest of creation to remain.

After the flood when God promises not to destroy the world again he
says "why should I destroy the rest of creation (animals, plants) just
because of the evil of man? In this new Adam status we are just another
part of the earth and creation - so that are viewed closer to animals -
and they are a new justification for keeping the world alive. This is
why we are also told then that we are allowed to start eating meat - we
have entered the food chain, so to speak. We are now part of the animal
kingdom - representing the animals new elevated status and our lowered
one. That's also why were given a special bracha to protect us from the
animals - before the flood we were such revered and distinct creatures
that the animals wouldn't dare attack us - but now we are more like them
and need special protection.