A person’s name helps to identify someone and it is sometimes instrumental in guiding the steps of a person’s life. My parents named me Daniel and I learned early on that my name comes from the Hebrew language and means “God is my judge!” When I learned this as a child it literally put the fear of God in me. I was not always a perfect child but my name was a constant reminder that God sees me and that one day I will stand before Him to give an account for my life. A name can literally be used to direct the course of one’s life. We see this illustrated in the second Torah reading for this year.

This week’s Torah Portion is called No’ach (Noah) and it focuses on the life of Noach from beginning to end: including the account of the ark, the flood, and the repopulation of the earth through Noach and his family. Noach’s name is very prophetic and he literally lived out the fulfillment of his name through simple obedience to the command of God.

Descending from the line of Adam and through his son Seth, we read about the ancestral line from which Noach came as well as his birth in Genesis chapter five:

Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years, and became the father of a son. Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the toil of our hands arising from the ground which the LORD has cursed.” – Gen. 5:28-29

Lamech named his son Noah, in the Hebrew נוח – No’ach – rest, because Lamech desired to see relief from the pain and toil of work as a result of the curse from the ground which the LORD pronounced upon it after the sin of Adam (Gen. 3:17-19).

No’ach – The One Who Gives Rest

Noach means “rest” and his father gave him this name in the hope that Noach would bring relief from the curse of the ground with which God had stricken it. How was this prophecy fulfilled in Noach’s life?

After the LORD destroyed all life on the earth by means of the flood (except for Noach and all who were with him in the ark: his family, the animals and the birds), we read the following account:

Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. The LORD smelled the soothing aroma; and the LORD said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done. – Gen. 8:20-21

Noach had obeyed God in everything He commanded him to do regarding building the ark, gathering his family, animals, and birds on board the ark, and then he offered burnt offerings to the LORD after they safely disembarked from the ark. The result was that God declared that He would never again curse the ground on account of man. It seems that in some manner relief from the curse of the ground was granted by the LORD at that time, however, what changed after the flood regarding the curse of the ground spoken of in Genesis chapter three?

The Curse Of The Ground

When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden and took of the fruit from which they had been forbidden to eat, the LORD cursed the serpent making him crawl on his belly, increased pain for the woman in child bearing, and made the following declaration to man:

Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you will eat the plants of the field; by the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. – Gen. 3:17b-19

We do not know to what extent the curse of the ground changed from before the flood until after the flood regarding the difficulty in growing plants and vegetation, however, there is one huge change which God made in relation to the food that mankind could eat which we read about in this week’s text.

The Covenant With Noach

God made a covenant with Noach and his sons at that time and promised them that He would never again destroy the earth in the same manner by flooding the entire earth with water. God gave the rainbow in the sky to remind us of this promise and to confirm the covenant that He made with Noach and his sons (Gen. 9:13-16). It was also at this time, after the flood, that God made a change in the human diet:

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given. Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood…” – Gen. 9:1-4

The previously established vegetarian diet which was given at the time of creation (Gen. 1:29-30) was now expanded for the human race, only they were not to eat the flesh with the blood still in it. Grilled meat, seasoned chicken, and fresh fish were now on the menu!

Physical Rest From The Curse

Up until the time of Noach, a plant-based diet consisting of fruits and vegetables was the extent of what everyone ate. The curse of the ground in Genesis chapter three made it difficult to grow food to eat. After God’s judgment was poured out on the earth through the global flood, God’s anger subsided and the burnt offerings which Noach presented upon the fire of the altar became a pleasing aroma to the LORD. What actually change at this point?

In looking carefully at the Hebrew text in Genesis 8:21 we literally read: וירח יהוה את ריח הניחוח – VaYarach Adonai Et Re’ach HaNi’cho’ach – And the LORD smelled the soothing aroma… The smell of the burnt offerings on the altar were literally “a tranquilizing smell” or a smell that gives one a sense of being at rest. The Hebrew word used for the phrase “soothing aroma” is ניחוח – Ni’Ho’ach and comes from the Hebrew root word נוח – Noach!

Through the Hebrew language we see the unique manner in which the name Noach is connected to a partial release from the curse on the ground. Again we don’t know how much farming changed from before the flood until after the flood, however, we do know that what was permitted to be eaten dramatically changed from a fruit and vegetable diet to an all-inclusive diet including meat, chicken, and fish (along with creeping things for those who like them).

There was a distinct physical relief for all of humanity after the flood with the ability to eat various types of meat, fowl, and fish without being solely dependent on the produce from the earth, however, the spiritual darkness of the curse still affected humanity and the earth in different ways. Sin that entered into the heart of man and woman at the moment of disobedience in the Garden of Eden produced and continues to produce a heavy weight of guilt upon the human soul and spirit.

Spiritual Rest From The Curse

It is only by means of the provision of God that a person can truly experience rest in one’s spirit and soul. When Yeshua walked on this earth He testified to this truth and invited everyone to find spiritual rest from the curse:

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. – Matthew 11:28-30

God created us with a body, soul, and spirit. Our souls long to be in community with the living God and free from the guilt of sin and disobedience. Physical food can never produce this relief for the soul. As Yeshua accurately stated above, it is only in Him that our souls can find true rest.

Overcoming The Curse Of Death

One final part of the curse in the Garden of Eden which has plagued humanity ever since the days of Adam and Eve is physical death.

…by the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return. – Gen. 3:19

There is no avoiding death. Just like Adam and Eve returned to the ground, so each of us have a limited number of years to live on this earth until we return to the ground as well.

Although physical death is unavoidable for each one of us, it is not the end of the story. The New Testament details how the coming of Messiah has provided a means of overcoming the curse of death by the power of the resurrection:

For since by a man came death, by a man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Messiah all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Messiah the first fruits, after that those who are Messiah’s at His coming, then comes the end, when He hands over the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be abolished is death. – 1 Corinthians 15:21-26

The curse of death is the final enemy that will be eliminated by the Messiah. Those who know God today through the Messiah have passed from death to life in the spiritual realm. Death no longer reigns in our hearts but rather eternal life with the living God.

Release From The Fear Of Death

Yeshua’s death and resurrection two thousand years ago have removed the fear of death from our lives. All of those who call upon His Name have the hope of resurrection and eternal life with the living God:

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. – Hebrews 2:14-15

Yeshua has shattered the power of the enemy in order to break the fear of death and to set us free to serve Him.

The physical and spiritual death that entered the world when Adam and Eve sinned caused humanity to live in fear and in pain resulting in both physical and spiritual death. It is only through the provision of God and the sacrifice of His Son Yeshua that we are released from the curse of sin and the fear of death. Just as Noach lived out the meaning of his name and was used by God to bring rest from the curse of the ground, so has Yeshua lived out the meaning of His Name, ישוע – Yeshua, to bring salvation to all who call upon His Name!

Shabbat Shalom!

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Torah Portion: Gen. 6:9-11:32

Haftara: Isaiah 54:1 – Isaiah 55:5

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Release From The Curse – Noach