Massekhet Zevakhim contains hardly any aggadah. The place where the Red Heifer a slaughtered and burned created an opportunity on dappim TB Zevakhim 113-144 to discuss the extent of Noah’s flood. Obviously, Red Heifer’s ritual had to take place in an area where it could not come in contact with a dead body outside of Jerusalem. Reish Lakish requires the spot to be inspected for impurity while Rabbi Yoḥanan holds that the entire land of Israel is already inspected for impurity. All this leads to the discussion of the extent of the flood waters.
“The Master says
that Rabbi Yoḥanan said to Reish Lakish: But is not all of Eretz
Yisrael inspected for impurity? Since Reish Lakish’s response to this
question is not mentioned, the Gemara clarifies: With regard to what do they
disagree? One Sage, Reish Lakish, holds that the flood
in the time of Noah descended upon Eretz Yisrael, and its residents
perished. It is therefore necessary to inspect the place where the red heifer
is burned to ascertain whether it is a gravesite. And one Sage,
Rabbi Yoḥanan, holds that the flood did not descend upon Eretz
Yisrael, and there is no reason to suspect there are lost graves there.” (Sefaria.com translation)
The argument
in counterargument goes on for more than an amud,
one side of a daf. Hear is but one
example to the lengths the discussion goes. “Reish Lakish raised an
objection to Rabbi Yoḥanan: With regard to the flood, it is stated: “All in
whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, whatsoever was on the
dry land, died” (Genesis 7:22). Granted, according to my opinion, that
I say the flood descended upon Eretz Yisrael, due to that reason all
living creatures on Earth died, even those in Eretz Yisrael. But
according to your opinion that the flood did not descend on Eretz Yisrael, why
did they die there? Rabbi Yoḥanan responds: They died due to the heat
that accompanied the floodwaters, and that spread to Eretz Yisrael as well.
Those corpses were then buried in known locations.” (Sefaria.org translation)
The Gemara
also explains that the fish survived the flood waters. “And why does the
Torah call it “dry land” during the flood? There was no dry land during
the flood. It is in accordance with the opinion of Rav Ḥisda, as Rav
Ḥisda says: During the generation of the flood no decree was decreed upon the
fish in the sea, as it is stated: “Whatsoever was on the dry land, died”
(Genesis 7:22), i.e., only those creatures that had been on dry land, but
not the fish in the sea.” (Sefaria.org translation) I remember
learning somewhere that the fish were saved because they did not corrupt their
ways like humankind and other animals. Rashi on Genesis 6:12 comments: “FOR ALL
FLESH HAD CORRUPTED— even cattle, beasts and fowl did not consort with their
own species (Genesis Rabbah 28:8).”
The rabbis
had a great imagination. If the floodwaters did descend upon the Land of Israel,
they had to answer why there were no unknown dead bodies’ graves. Where did
they go? “But even according to the opinion of Rabbi Shimon
ben Lakish, that the flood descended upon Eretz Yisrael and the corpses of
those who perished in the flood might impart impurity there, though the flood
did indeed descend upon Eretz Yisrael, no trace of the dead remains
there. As Reish Lakish says: Why is Babylonia called Metzula (see
Isaiah 44:27)? It is because all the dead of the flood, throughout the
world, sank [nitztalelu] there. And Rabbi Yoḥanan says: Why is
Babylonia called Shinar? It is because all the dead of the flood were
deposited [ninaru] there. Evidently, even Reish Lakish says that all
who died in the flood, including those from Eretz Yisrael, sank in Babylonia.”
(Sefaria.org translation)
Even the
Gemara says in its own way “Come on!” “The Gemara responds: It is impossible
that the corpses of some of those in Eretz Yisrael who perished in the
flood were not stuck in the mud and remained there.” (Sefaria.org
translation)
If you enjoy
the back-and-forth of the aggadah’s imagination,
go study these two dappim.
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