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<DIV>I noticed a curious thing in the parsha yesterday, something that had never
struck me before:</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Noach's father and father-in-law both had the same name --
Lemech! </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Noach's father, the other Lemech, was a seventh generation descendant of
Shes.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Both Lemech's had this curious "thing" about the number seven. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The Shesite Lemech, besides being the seventh generation descendant of
Shes, lived seven hundred and seventy years. (Ber. 5:31)</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.....</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>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.
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT lang=0 color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><B>--Toby
Katz<BR>==========<BR><BR><BR><BR>_____________________</B></FONT></DIV></DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>