213. "And Elohim remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark" (Beresheet 8:1). Rabbi Chiya quoted the verse, "A prudent man foresees evil, and hides himself" (Mishlei 22:3), saying that this verse refers to Noah who entered the ark and hid himself in it. And he entered the ark only when the waters forced him to do so. As was previously explained, before he went into the ark, he saw the Angel of Death walking among the people and encircling them. Because Noah saw the Angel of Death, he entered the ark and hid. Thus, it is written: "A prudent man foresees evil, and hides himself." "Foresees evil" refers to the Angel of Death from whom he hid, as it is written: "from the waters of the flood." OR IN OTHER WORDS, FROM THE ANGEL OF DEATH WHOM HE SAW ON THE WATERS OF THE FLOOD.
214. Rabbi Yosi said that the verse "A prudent man foresees evil, and hides himself" means, as has been stated, that when death rages throughout the world, a wise man will hide and not appear in the open. This prevents the Angel of Destruction from seeing him, because when THE ANGEL OF DESTRUCTION gets permission to destroy, he destroys everything in front of him and everyone who openly passes before him. An allusion to this appears at the end of the verse that reads, "but the simple pass on, and are punished" (Ibid.), referring to those who pass in front of him, are seen by him, and therefore punished. Another explanation is that "pass on (Heb. avru)" means that those who transgress (Heb. avru) the commandments of their Master are therefore punished. According to yet another explanation, a "prudent man foresees evil, and hides himself" refers to Noah, while "the simple pass on, and are punished" refers to the people of his generation.
215. He hid himself IN THE ARK, and remained inside IT all this time. What does it say afterward? It says, "And Elohim remembered Noah." So Rabbi Shimon said, Come and behold: While Judgment is executed, there is no remembrance. But after Judgment has been executed and the wicked have been removed from the world, then the word "remember" is mentioned. THIS IS because when Judgment prevails in the world, there is no SUPERNAL mating above and the Angel of Destruction rages throughout the world. THUS THERE IS NO POSITIVE REMEMBRANCE, AS REMEMBRANCE MEANS MATING.
216. But after Judgment is passed and is completed, and the wrath is appeased, everything returns to its proper order, NAMELY THE SUPERNAL MATING COMMENCES AND MERCY IS REVEALED IN THE WORLD. This is why the text reads, "And Elohim remembered Noah." Because the term "remember," WHICH MEANS MATING, applies to Noah, as indicated by the words, "Noah was a righteous man." AND HE IS A THRONE FOR THE SUPERNAL MATING, SO THAT WHEN THE MATING COMMENCED, ELOHIM REMEMBERED NOAH.
217. It is written: "You rule the raging of the sea; when the waves thereof rise up, You still them" (Tehilim 89:10). When the sea is stormy, the waves mount on high and the waters of the deep go up and down, the Holy One, blessed be He, sends forth a thread OF CHESED from the right side, pulls back its waves, and appeases its rage; but there is nobody who can grasp Him.
218. Jonah fell into the sea and a fish swallowed him. SO HE ASKS: Why did his soul not leave him at once? AND HE ANSWERS: Because the Holy One, blessed be He, controls the raging of the sea.
219. The 'raging of the sea' is the thread from the left, which causes THE WAVES OF the sea to rise, and rises with it. But had the other thread OF CHESED, not arrived from the right, it would have never risen. For when that thread FROM THE LEFT goes down to the sea and is held by the sea, the waves 'awaken' and begin to 'roar' for prey, until the Holy One, blessed be He, restrains the waves, holds them back, and they return to their place.
220. As it is written, "You rule the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof rise up, You still (lit. 'praise') them." ONE INTERPRETATION IS THAT PRAISE (HEB. TESHABECHEM) IS THE SAME AS breaking (Heb. teshabrem) and pulling them back to their place WITH THE THREAD OF CHESED. A different interpretation is that the meaning is literally 'You praise them.' That is, the fact that the waves rise with the desire to see is praiseworthy. From this we can learn that whoever seeks and longs for knowledge, even if he is incapable of attaining it, is praised for his effort.
221. Rabbi Yehuda said that when Noah was in the ark, he was afraid that the Holy One, blessed be He, might never remember him. But after Judgment was executed and the evil people were removed, what does the scripture say? It says, "And Elohim remembered Noah." AND THE REASON FOR THIS SHALL BE EXPLAINED PRESENTLY BY RABBI ELAZAR.
222. Rabbi Elazar says, Come and behold: When Judgment prevails in the world, it is inappropriate for a person's name to be mentioned above, because if his name is mentioned, his sins will be remembered and they will come to judge him.