15. Rabbi Elazar opened his discourse WITH THE VERSES: "THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF NOAH" AND "Come, behold the works of Hashem, who has made desolations in the earth" (Tehilim 46:9). AND HE ASKS, "Come, behold (Heb. chazu)--"what is the meaning of "behold?" AND HE ANSWERS: It is related to the verse, "a grievous vision (Heb. chazut) has been declared to me (Yeshayah 21:2). Because by His deeds, the Holy One, blessed be He, reveals his prophecy to man. AND WHEN A PROPHECY IS REVEALED BY PRECEDING GRIEVOUS DEEDS, IT IS CALLED 'A GRIEVOUS VISION.' "Who has made desolations (Heb. shamot)" assuredly alludes to names (Heb. shemot), for a name is the cause of everything that happens. THIS MEANS THAT WE SHOULD CONSIDER THE NAME OF WHATEVER HAPPENS. FOR THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, PUTS THE NAME IN THE MOUTH OF MAN SO HE CAN NAME EVERYTHING ON EARTH. SO THE VERSE IS ACTUALLY CALLING US TO GO AND OBSERVE THE WORKS OF HASHEM THROUGH THE NAMES BY WHICH THEY ARE CALLED BY MAN ON EARTH. BECAUSE THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, PUTS NAMES IN THE MOUTH OF MAN AS PROPHECY, BY PRECEDING THEM BY ACTIONS.

16. The verse states, "And he called his name Noah, saying: This..." (Beresheet 5:29). RABBI ELAZAR ASKS: Why does the verse read, "saying: This?" AND HE ANSWERS: The word "saying" refers to the Female Principle, WHICH IS MALCHUT, while "This" refers to the Righteous, WHO IS NOAH. AND THE PROOF THAT IS it is written here and elsewhere, "This one shall comfort us" (Ibid.), "This is Hashem; we have waited for Him" (Yeshayah 25:9). AND WE LEARN THROUGH ANALOGOUS MEANING: THE WORD "THIS" REFERS HERE TO HASHEM, WHO IS CALLED RIGHTEOUS, AND THEREFORE THE MEANING OF "THIS" IN ANY OTHER VERSE MEANS RIGHTEOUS AS WELL. HERE, IT REFERS TO NOAH, WHO IS RIGHTEOUS, LIKE HASHEM. LIKEWISE, THE VERSE THAT STATES, "AND HE CALLED HIS NAME NOAH," REFERS TO THE SUPERNAL FEMALE PRINCIPLE OR MALCHUT, WHO CALLED HIM NOAH, FOR THE FEMALE WAS SAYING, "THIS," THAT IS, NOAH "SHALL COMFORT US." Blessed are the righteous who are marked with the imprints of the ring of the King, THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, for they are marked with His name. And He has put "names" on earth, MEANING IN MAN'S MOUTH, so that everything can be called by its name correctly.

17. The verse states: "And he called his name (Heb. et) Noah," and it is also written: "And he called his name Jacob" (Beresheet 25:26). Why does it not say et IN REGARD TO JACOB, AS WITH NOAH? Because each one refers to a different level. As it is written in the verse: "I saw (et) Hashem" (Yeshayah 6:1). It does not say 'I saw Hashem,' but "Et Hashem." THIS INDICATES THAT THE PARTICLE ET (THE) HAS A SPECIFIC MEANING. Here too, it is written of Noah: "And he called his et name Noah." As for, "And he called his name Jacob," in reality his level is that of the Holy One, blessed be He, and this is why the particle et is not mentioned there. But with Noah, the particle et is mentioned so as to connect him with the Shechinah, WHICH IS THE FEMALE PRINCIPLE. BECAUSE THE SHECHINAH IS CALLED ET, THE PARTICLE ET DOES NOT APPEAR IN JACOB'S NAME. FOR HIS LEVEL IS THAT OF A CHARIOT FOR THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, WHILE NOAH, WHO IS THE SECRET OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND IS ALWAYS CONNECTED WITH THE SHECHINAH, HAS THE WORD ET PRECEEDING HIS NAME.