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This week's Torah portion includes the story of Noah and the great flood. This is perhaps one of the most beloved and well-known Bible stories. God was dismayed with the deterioration of mankind and opted to destroy His creation and start again, selecting Noah as progenitor. According to the Jewish Sages, the effects of the flood were less severe in the Land of Israel than elsewhere. The purpose of the flood was to eradicate the evil that had become overwhelmingly prominent and to purify the world. Since the Land of Israel is intrinsically pure, it did not require the same type of cleansing and purification as the rest of the world. In fact, whenever the Bible discusses sinning as a cause of exile of the Jewish People from the Land of Israel, it states that the land will purge itself of sinners as God does not tolerate impurity on the soil of the Land of Israel. This commentary appears in The Israel Bible alongside countless commentaries highlighting the Land of Israel's unique status in the Bible. Continue studying the Book of Genesis with an emphasis on God's relationship to the people and the Land of Israel.
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