Consolations

Sources

And he named him Noah, saying, “This one will provide us relief from our work and from the toil of our hands, out of the very soil which יהוה placed under a curse.”

HE NAMED HIM NOACH, SAYING "THIS ONE WILL CONSOLE US" - I have explained in my commentary on Isaiah that the sense of the verb N-CH-M is the change of attitude; this is consistent with the idea of consoling mourners, as the mourner’s attitude changes from grief to happiness; this is also consistent with the idea of regret, as it says here, this “one will make us regret” – from now on we will refrain from our useless activities that have no positive effect for the benefit of humankind, and thereby, we will also find rest from our evil and the land which is cursed as the result of our evil ways…

Malbim on Genesis 5:29:1

ובן אדם ויתנחם, “nor is He a human being liable to repent what He had said.” There are three different kinds of “repents.” 1) One does not keep one’s word.” 2) One cannot keep it for reasons beyond one’s control. 3) One fails to keep a promise because the intended recipient had committed a sin against the party who made the promise. Concerning the latter two, Bileam says: “nor a human being who repents.”

Chizkuni, Numbers 23:19:2

It is reported that a daughter was born to Rabbi Shimon, son of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, and he was upset that he did not have a son. His father said to him: Propagation has come to the world through the birth of a daughter. Bar Kappara said to Rabbi Shimon: Your father has consoled you with meaningless consolation, as it is taught in a baraita: The world cannot endure without males and females, as both are needed for the perpetuation of humanity. But fortunate is he whose children are males and woe to him whose children are females…

Bava Batra 16b:9

It says with regard to Joseph’s remarks to his brothers: “And he comforted them and spoke to their hearts” (Genesis 50:21). Rabbi Binyamin bar Yefet said that Rabbi Elazar said: This teaches that he spoke to them words that are acceptable to the heart, and alleviated their fears. This is what he said: If ten lights could not put out one light, as all of you were unable to do me harm, how can one light put out ten lights?

§ Incidentally, it is related that the daughter of Rav Shmuel bar Yehuda died. The Sages said to Ulla: Arise; let us go console him. Ulla said to them: What business do I have with the consolation of Babylonians, which is actually heresy? As, they say while consoling mourners: What can be done? This seems to suggest that if it were possible to do something, acting against the Almighty’s decree, they would do so, which is tantamount to heresy. Therefore, Ulla declined to accompany the Babylonian Sages.

Bava Kamma 38a:15

“All his sons and all his daughters arose to console him, but he refused to be consoled; he said: For I will descend mourning to the grave, to my son. His father wept for him” (Genesis 37:35).
“All his sons and all his daughters arose” – how many daughters did he have? He had one, and if only he had buried her. It is, rather, that a person does not refrain from calling his son-in-law his son and his daughter-in-law his daughter. Rabbi Yehuda says: The tribes married their sisters. That is what is written: “All his sons and all his daughters arose to console him…

Bereshit Rabbah 84:21

[With] whom will I console you? Whom will I bring to you to console you and to say that also that certain nation suffered in the same manner as you?

Rashi on Isaiah 51:19:2

Relatedראו גם

Hosea (the Prophet)

Sheetsדפי מקורות

We use cookies to give you the best experience possible on our site. Click OK to continue using Sefaria. Learn More.OKאנחנו משתמשים ב"עוגיות" כדי לתת למשתמשים את חוויית השימוש הטובה ביותר.קראו עוד בנושאלחצו כאן לאישור