[Avodah] two Lemech's

[T613K at aol.com]

I noticed a curious thing in the parsha yesterday, something that had never 
 struck me before:
 
Noach's father and father-in-law both had the same name --  Lemech!  
 
The Lemech who was a fifth generation descendant of Kayin (or sixth  
generation if you count Kayin himself as the first), and who killed Kayin, had a  
daughter named Na'amah.  Rashi says Na'amah was Noach's wife (although the  
Chumash itself does not say it explicitly). (BTW the Chumash also does not 
say  explicitly that Lemech killed Kayin.)
 
Noach's father, the other Lemech, was a seventh generation descendant of  
Shes.
 
Both Lemech's had this curious "thing" about the number seven.  
 
The Kainite Lemech said, "Ki shiv'asayim yukam Kayin, veLemech shiv'im  
veshiv'ah."  (Various translations are possible.  ArtScroll: "If Cain  suffered 
vengeance at seven generations, then Lamech at seventy-seven."   
Silbermann:  "If Cain be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and  sevenfold.") 
(Ber. 4:24)
 
The Shesite Lemech, besides being the seventh generation descendant of  
Shes, lived seven hundred and seventy years. (Ber. 5:31)
 
If Lemech A was (inadvertently?) prophesying something about Lemech B, the  
life-span of Lemech B could be a fulfillment of "then Lamech at seventy and 
 seven."  Not that it would really make sense in context.  But there  /is/ 
that thing about sevens.....
 
Anyway, I wonder if anyone else here ever noticed that Noach's father  and 
father-in-law were both Lemech's? and whether the name has any significance, 
 or whether the two Lemech's had some [cosmic] relationship?  Other than  
being the forebears, both of them, of all of humanity alive today.  

--Toby  Katz
==========



_____________________

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.aishdas.org/pipermail/avodah-aishdas.org/attachments/20091018/69e71ec8/attachment-0001.htm>