The story of Noah may seem strange by modern standards for how minimal the role of the wives seems to be, but there is more nuance when you look below the surface of the text.

וַיֹּאמֶר יי לנֹחַ בֹּֽא־אַתָּה וְכׇל־בֵּיתְךָ אֶל־הַתֵּבָה כִּֽי־אֹתְךָ רָאִיתִי צַדִּיק לְפָנַי בַּדּוֹר הַזֶּה׃

“Then (Adonai) said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, with all your household, for you alone have I found righteous before Me in this generation’” (Genesis 7:1).

Where did Noah’s righteousness come from? Many commentators suggest the answer is in his name. A name represents a person’s spiritual activities. The midrashic collection Bereshit Rabbah (29:5) suggests that his righteousness actually comes from his descendants –  a reversal of the more common idea that the merit of our ancestors provides us merit.  My own theory below accords well with this idea, and that his wife and daughters-in-law also contribute significantly to these righteous descendants. 

In fact, this........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)