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ambiguous wording of the verse, the answer seems to be his lack of
leadership. Although he was certainly righteous enough for God to pekudei י ֵדּוק ְּ פ
choose him to save a remnant of humanity and animals from the
flood, he never attempted to dissuade God from flooding the world
and wiping out humanity. Furthermore, he made no real attempt
to persuade his contemporaries to repent and change their ways.
The Sages deliberately compare Noah to Abraham for Abraham did £The Temple Below – The Temple Below – The Temple Below –
££
plead for the people of Sodom, despite their evil ways.
The Temple Above
The Temple Above
The Temple Above
After the sin of the Golden Calf Moses pleads with God to forgive
10
the people: “And now if You would forgive their sin – but if not erase
me from Your book that You have written” (Exodus 32:32). Going
even further than Abraham in his attempt to save Sodom, Moses In Pekudei’s first verse the Hebrew word for Tabernacle appears
risks his very life. Through this incredible act of leadership and twice in succesion: “These are the accountings of the Tabernacle, the
show of compassion for his people, Noah’s soul was rectified. This Tabernacle of Testimony, which was carried out by the directive of
rectification is alluded to by Moses’ use of the word mecheni (“erase Moses” (Exodus 38:21). The rest of the portion contains a meticulous
me”), for when the letters of the Hebrew word are permuted they read accounting of all the materials used in the Tabernacle, as well as an
“mei noach” (the waters of Noah). Furthermore, the Torah employs exceedingly detailed description of the Tabernacle’s consecration on
the very same Hebrew word for “erase” in describing humanity’s the first day of the month of Nisan.
destruction at the time of the flood (Genesis 6:7; 7:23). Rashi comments that this repetition of the word “tabernacle”
There are actually many strong ties linking Noah and Moses. Both alludes to the two Temples in Jerusalem, which would be built and
were saved from drowning by arks: Noah from the flood, and Moses destroyed. Both Temples were constructed upon the basic model of
from Pharaoh’s decree that every newborn Hebrew male be cast the Tabernacle. Another explanation for this repetition is that it
in the Nile. Both souls are also obviously linked by water. Indeed, alludes to the lower earthly Temple and its complement, the heavenly
Pharaoh’s daughter gives Moses his name when she rescues him from spiritual Temple.
the Nile, saying, “for I drew him from the water” (Exodus 2:10). Rashi actually uses the concept of earthly and heavenly Temples
Moses’ intrinsic connection to water is also evident in the first letter to explain a passage in the Song of the Sea:
of his name being a mem, the same as the first letter of the Hebrew You will bring them and implant them on the mount of your
word for “water” (mayim). heritage, the foundation of Your dwelling place that You, God, have

The numbers 120 and forty further tie Noah and Moses’ souls made – the Sanctuary my Lord that your hands have established.
together. According to tradition, Noah spent 120 years building the God will reign for all eternity. (Exodus 15:17-18)
ark, and Moses lived to the age of 120. The rain fell for forty days Rashi, quoting Midrashic sources, comments that the lower Temple
and forty nights during Noah’s flood. The number forty appears is precisely situated so that it is exactly opposite God’s heavenly
repeatedly in Moses’ life: he spent his first forty years in Egypt and throne of glory, “the foundation of Your dwelling place” (Midrash
fled at the age of forty; he herded Jethro’s flocks for his second forty Tanchuma, Pekudei 2). On the same passage, he recalls the tradition
years; and during his last forty years, he led the Jewish people in that another Temple will be erected in the future. When will that be?
the desert. This division of Moses’ life into three forty-year periods

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