Noahide Seven Commandments Torah classes
I returned to Tubal’s room, the dagger hidden in my robe. He was pleased to see me and when we were alone he said, “You’ve found the dagger, haven’t you? I see it in your eyes.”
“Yes, I did.”
“Where is it?”
I showed it to him. He smiled widely. “This is one of my best daggers. Give it to me!”
“No,” I said. “If I do that, I would be assisting suicide, forbidden by ELoHiM.”
“You keep inventing all sort of prohibitions,” he said. “The Children of ELoHiM do not teach that. Come on, give it to me!”
“I can’t.”
“So why did you bring it?”
“To ask your permission to use it. I want to make it into a metal plough.”
His face went blank as he struggled to wrap his mind around what I had just said. Slowly he smiled. “You’re a genius, Noah. A metal plough—what an idea!”
“It’ll make the farmer’s life much easier,” I said. “I’ll tell everyone that it was your tool, your art, your invention. It’ll bring forth great happiness in your name.
“Give it to me and then you can do as you wish.”
I slid it back inside my robe.
“Go away,” he said. “Do whatever you want with it.”
I left. This dagger will one day atone for your sins, Tubal Cain, I told myself.
“My father Noah used to say that
The greatest agony you can inflict on EVIL
Is to convert its decorated death tools
Into the beautiful life-supporting tools
Of YHVH”
(My firstborn son Shem)
Could Lilith split?
“Grandpa, what happened to the Serpent’s female counterpart, Lilith?”
“If she existed, she must have been just a virtual creature designed to entice Adam in Eden. Some however hold that she not only existed, but also has entered our world to entice real men down here…”
“Can we recognize her…if she comes at us?”
“Lilith would do everything in her power to entice us to sin. Most likely she would emulate the Serpent and disguise herself as either a righteous or a wicked girl, to entice us one way or another. But why do you ask about her? She is only a legend!”
“Grandpa, suppose Lilith is here, among us. Could she fly fast, like a Demon?”
“What a strange idea! What’s on your mind?”
“Could Lilith have come to live among Cain’s Children?”
“I can’t believe you are serious. The only Demons I’ve known are people like you and me, who are evil in YHVH eyes. Do not believe in those superstitious ideas!”
I would have also asked him whether Lilith would split into two beautiful dancing girls, but I kept my mouth shut.
A plea to terminate life in MERCY
Enosh and I set in his room at Tubal’s house, when Tubal’s half-blind father Lemech rushed in followed closely by Tubal’s mother, Tzilah. Sure enough the clumsy Lemech stumbled over a nearby cabinet knocking it down with a loud clatter. Then Lemech fell on the cabinet only to be helped up by his wife.
“Where’s Enosh?” he demanded. Tzilah guided him to us.
“Enosh, are we alone?” Lemech asked in his harsh voice.
My grandpa answered, “Only my grandson Noah is here by my chair.”
Lemech said: “What I’m about to say, Enosh, should remain strictly confidential.”
“Speak out, Lemech.”
“Enosh, you and I are important people, each leading a clan,” Lemech said. “You lead Seth and I lead Cain.”
What a comparison, I giggled behind my hand.
“The only difference between us,” Lemech continued, “is that you have been blessed with many children, grandchildren and great grandchildren for eight generations. Your seed fill the Earth, whereas I have begotten only three sons and two daughters.”
“Each of your children is very special and talented,” Enosh said.
“Master Enosh,” Tzilah stepped forwards, “your wisdom is known all over the world. My husband and I wouldn’t do anything without first conferring with you.”
“Like what?” Enosh asked.
Ignoring his wife’s words, Lemech continued: “I have only few children, but the blame for this falls on my two wives’. They have rebelled against me since my marriage and thrown me out of my bed.”
Enosh coughed lightly. I could barely hide my laughter behind my hands.
“So I came to talk to you—man to man, as equals,” Lemech continued. “Only a man like you can understand me and give me the right advice.”
“Master Enosh,” Tzilah pleaded, “please help us, we would not do anything without your consent.”
“What’s bothering you, Tzilah and Lemech?” Enosh said softly.
“The Curse, Enosh, the Curse bothers me. Oh Enosh, the hand of ELoHiM is after me, I can feel it. His absolute justice suffocates me at night and makes me sweat with terror in the daytime. If Cain was punished sevenfold for slaying Abel, Cain’s killer will be punished seventy-seven fold! (Genesis 4: 24) I myself has sworn on that! And who is this Cain killer? It’s me, Enosh—me. My curse would befall on my own head, on my own children! I see it happening already—right now even as we speak. My poor son is dying and in such terrible pain…but that’s only the beginning. Who knows which of my children will suffer next? My entire family is about to disappear from the face of the earth without a trace, Enosh. And that is what I’ve come to talk about. I call on ELoHiM for justice, Enosh.”
“Call on ELoHiM for justice?” Enosh repeated slowly.
“Master Enosh,” Tzilah interrupted, forcing her way in front of her husband, who tried to hold her back.
Enosh turned to her. “What’s on your mind, Tzilah?”
Escaping from her husband’s grip she said: “Master Enosh, you have such a compassionate heart and I know you seek only the best for my son…”
“I care great deal about him,” Enosh said emphatically.
“You wouldn’t let him suffer too long…” she searched his eyes.
“Shut your mouth a minute,” Lemech interrupted. Stepping farther forwards in front of her he said: “Enosh, I call on ELoHiM for justice.”
“What is your claim?” Enosh said.
“Since when did I kill a man knowingly? Did I shoot Cain on purpose? Why accuse me of killing him? And my poor son—did I knowingly inflict his mortal wound?”
Editor: As it says —
“And Lemech said…Since when did I kill a man? And (since when did I) wound a boy to my punishment?” (Gen. 4:23)
“Calm down, Lemech,” Enosh said, “ELoHiM knows who is right and who is wrong. He is kind and fair. He’ll treat your family justly. He won’t punish your family if you don’t deserve it.”
Lemech looked down to the floor and his voice broke as he spoke:
“That is precisely what I’m worried about, Enosh. Let’s keep this between us. If ELoHiM were to treat me fairly and justly, my family should certainly be lost.”
My grandfather was deeply moved. As crooked as this man was, as murderous and corrupt as he was, he still had the courage and humility to do the unthinkable for his family—he confessed his sins before my grandpa.
“If you have repented sincerely, Lemech, the curse will not affect your family at all,” Enosh said warmly. “Don’t worry about ELoHiM’S verdict. Just follow YHVH and do her work, and you and your family will be saved from ELoHiM’S wrath. YHVH will forgive you and save you, and tear your verdict to pieces…”
“YHVH will tear ELoHiM’S verdict to pieces?” Lemech repeated in disbelief. For him, as the Children of ELoHiM’S leader, the All Mighty JUDGE was the ultimate authority.
“Yes, Lemech. Listen to me and spread my word to your entire family. Whoever pray to YHVH and walks her way shall not be touched by ELoHiM’S verdict.”
Editor: As it says about Enosh—”And he named him Enosh, it was then that they began calling in the name of YHVH.” (Gen. 4:26) For Enosh, MERCY was everything.
“Master Enosh,” Tzilah said, pushing her husband aside, “that’s not why I came to see you. I don’t care about our family’s future. I care about my boy.”
“Go on, mother,” Enosh said warmly.
“My heart bleeds when I see my poor child suffering so much, without hope of recovery,” she said.
“Yes, mother,” Enosh said. He inclined towards her with warmth.
Weeping profusely, she fell to the ground before my grandpa and embraced his legs and kissed them. She trembled, shook all over.
“Master Enosh,” Tzilah cried, “the soul of our nation, the living grandson of Adam and Eve, I beg you, allow my son die in peace. I could have done that by my own hands, I could have given him a poison…but I’m afraid to hurt his soul in the world to come. I wouldn’t do anything without your blessing.”
My grandpa bent over her. He placed his hands over her head as if he was going to touch her, but I knew he wouldn’t intentionally touch a married woman.
“What can I do for you, my child?” his asked, emphatically.
“In the name of MERCY, let him die,” she cried out.
She has just used the magic word, MERCY, I thought. Nothing would move my grandpa’s heart as invoking the All-Merciful YHVH.
“Mother, I hear you. Does your family support your plea?” he asked.
Lemech said: “I support it. That son of a bitch deserves dying. He caused me to murder Cain.”
“I have just told you to follow MERCY and learn to forgive,” Enosh said.
“Forgive that bastard?” Lemech said, “I should have smashed his head right away. Go ahead. Give him a dagger or a poison and let him kill himself. I won’t be sorry.”
Ignoring him, Tzilah said, “Our entire family— including my husband’s second wife Adah and her children Yaval and Yuval— they all support my plea.”
“I’ve heard you have a daughter,” Enosh said.
“Yes, her name is Naama,” Tzilah said.
“Does she agree?” Enosh asked.
Tzilah looked around helplessly, then said: “Naama is a teenager with an attitude, you know.”
“We need her consent too,” Enosh said.
Lemech shrugged, “Naama is there!” He pointed at the ceiling and walls.
“I don’t understand,” Enosh said, “she is where?”
She is a Demon, I laughed in my heart. But I did not say a word.
“She’ll be all right, I promise you,” Tzilah said, “I’ll talk to her…and one more thing…”
“Yes?” Enosh said.
Tzilah looked at me: “Master Enosh, your blessing is everything that I’ve ever cared for. But my son Tubal, in his mental distress and agony also requested Noah’s blessing. After all, my son Tubal saved Noah’s life and he’s entitled to have that small request granted.”
“So what is the problem?” Enosh looked at me.
“Noah has refused. He refused to handle Tubal his own dagger.”
All eyes turned to me.
“I did not know that Tubal had communicated with you about his death. Why didn’t you tell me about it? Did he give you a dagger?”
“Grandpa,” I said, trying to circumvent his question, “doesn’t ELoHiM forbid suicide?”
“Yes, of course,” Enosh said. “But…”
“That’s why I didn’t give him his dagger,” I said.
“You did the right thing. But…in this case we should act in MERCY.”
“What does it mean?”
“Well, we should consider render him his wish,” he said, “and you should have consulted me.”
“But Grandpa,” I weighted every word, “doesn’t YHVH forbid BLOODSHED as much as ELoHiM? How can we terminate Tubal’s life in the name of YHVH?”
“Noah,” Enosh said calmly, “this is different from a regular killing. We are dealing with a sick man in terrible pain with no hope for recovery. Why prolong his agony? Why not act in Mercy, in YHVH’S name, to alleviate his misery?”
“Despite ELoHiM’S prohibition against BLOODSHED?” I dared to confront him.
A fire flared in Enosh’s eyes. “Who is greater, Noah, ELoHiM or YHVH?”
I was stunned by how he used the theoretical story to implement a decision in real life. I knew that the GROOM would succumb to anything the BRIDE is asking, but I had never associated this with a life and death situation.
“But grandpa, YHVH herself hates tasking life away. She would consider us murderers and evil once we take Tubal’s life away!” I said.
“This would NOT be a murder, Noah. This would be an act of MERCY!” His face shined with excitement as he spoke to me. Turning to Tzilah he said, “Let Noah and I straighten out our differences between ourselves. Then we’ll give you our blessing.”
“It wouldn’t take too long?”Tzilah said.
“O no. Meanwhile, I’ll ask our court to send a representative to register the family’s consent to fulfill Tubals’ request, to comply with formality,” Enosh said.
“Register all of us?” Tzilah said.
“Yes, even the opinion of those who are missing today, like your daughter Naama. There should be unanimous decision of the family, with no descent.”
“I’ll take care of her,” Tzila said, “and she might also change Noah’s opinion.” How did she know that Naama could influence my mind? I wondered.
“Enough of all this talking! I want revenge! I want my son to die for what he did to me,” Lemech shouted as his wife pushed him out of our room.
“In the Infinite,
Part is equal to the Whole,
Small is as great as Large,
Many are equal to One,
Paradoxes resolve effortlessly
In the Infinite, unbelievably,
YHVH is greater than ELoHiM
YHVH is ELoHiM, and
YHVH listens to ELoHiM!”
(My son Shem)
Read also:”Genesis Vs. Science, Can They Match?” By Zvi Aviner, at www.smashwards.com