Saturday, 17 October 2020

Parsha: Noah, "Noah's Missing Year"


According to the Torah:
  1. Noah lived for 950 years.
  2. Noah was already 600 years old before the Flood happened.
  3. The Flood lasted for 1 full solar year according to Rashi and the text.
  4. Noah lived for another 350 years AFTER the flood.
  5. Noah's total life-span is 950 years.
  6. However, if 600 + 1 + 350 = 951, Then Noah SHOULD have lived 951 years!
One person, basing his reasoning on text and on the Rashi that the seasons were suspended, has asserted that time stood still for one year. I rejected this attempt at an answer because the text notes all the dates, and  Rashi's point about one solar year would be senseless if time stood still.
Where is Noah's missing year? Which commentaries deal with this?
Why did the Torah:

1) Increase Noah's Age by 1 year from BEFORE the Flood until After the Flood?
2) One attempted answer is that time stood still for that year of the flood. If so, then why does the Torah give a chronicle of 1 solar year replete with starting and ending dates? - Viz. 17th of the 2nd month until 27th of the 2nd Month
3) How did Rashi presume 1 year based upon the text?
4) List Time expended such as 40 days, 150 days, 1 week [3 separate times] etc.?
5) Give Noah's total age when embedded  in this calculation was suspended immeasurable time?
Shalom,
RRW

1 comment:

  1. One possible answer
    Noah's age as 600 years was "Choseir Achat"

    Just like the numbers
    40, 50, And 70 are treated by Chazal as "Choseir Achat" in other places.

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