Noach the Righteous: 10 Little-Known Facts About the Man Who Survived the Flood

Noach, the tenth generation from Adam, was the only person who merited being saved — together with his family, from the Generation of the Flood. Following are ten fascinating facts about the man who “found favor in the eyes of God,” of whom the Torah testifies: “a righteous and wholehearted man in his generations.”

1. The First Human Born with Separated Fingers

The Yalkut Reuveni teaches that from the creation of man until the birth of Noach, people were born with fully joined hands, without separated fingers. Noach was the first human born with distinct fingers. The Midrash explains: “Before Noach was born, people’s hands were completely joined, without separation of fingers, because they did not need to work the land. Noach was born with separated fingers, and from this Lamech understood that he would need them for agricultural labor.”

2. The World Was Restored Through Noach

The Midrash Tanchuma states that when Noach was born, the world returned to proper order: “Before Noach was born… people would sow wheat and reap thorns and thistles. Once Noach was born, the world was restored — what they sowed, they reaped; they sowed wheat and reaped wheat.”

3. Noach Was Born Circumcised

The Midrash Tanchuma (Bereishit 11) relates that when God cursed the ground after Adam’s sin, Adam asked, “Master of the Universe, how long will this last?” God answered, “Until a man is born circumcised.” The Midrash continues: “When Noach was born circumcised, Lamech immediately knew and said: ‘Surely this one will comfort us.’”

4. Noach Learned the Entire Torah

Rashi derives this from Noach’s knowledge of which animals were pure and impure — seven of each pure species and two of each impure species entered the Ark. How did Noach know this distinction? Rashi explains: “From the pure animals — those destined to be declared pure for Israel, we learn that Noach studied Torah.”

5. Noah Lived to See the World Rebuilt

The Midrash Tanchuma states: “Our sages said: Noach did not die until he saw the world resettled and until he saw seventy nations descend from him.”

6. Noach’s Tireless Care for the Animals

The verse “He who captures souls is wise” is applied to Noach. The Midrash explains: “This refers to Noach, who sustained and provided for every animal… each species was fed according to its needs — the camel with straw, the donkey with barley, and so on.”

The sages further describe his devotion: “Some animals eat once a day, some twice, some three times; some at the beginning of the night, some in the middle, some at dawn… For twelve months in the Ark, Noach did not sleep — neither by day nor by night, because he was constantly caring for the living creatures with him.”

7. Saved Through Kindness to Animals

Yalkut Tehillim (37) records that Avraham asked Malki-Tzedek, king of Salem (who was Shem, son of Noach): “By what merit were you saved from the Ark?”
He answered: “By the merit of charity we performed there.”

Avraham responded: “What charity did you do in the Ark? Were there poor people there? Only Noach and his sons were present!”
Malki-Tzedek replied: “We performed kindness with the animals, beasts, and birds. We did not sleep as we constantly fed each one.”

The Midrash concludes that Avraham said: “If these people were saved by showing kindness to animals, how much more so will I be rewarded if I perform kindness with human beings, who are created in the image of God.”

8. Noach Educated His Children in Faith

Radak explains that Noach was saved because he served God and educated his children accordingly: “Just as he devoted himself to serving God, so did he teach and train his children to turn away from the ways of the wicked and to serve God and cling to Him. Had they not done so, they would not have been saved from the Flood.”

9. Noach Excelled in Three Moral Areas

The Kli Yakar explains that the Generation of the Flood corrupted themselves in three sins: idolatry, sexual immorality, and theft. Noach was protected from all three: “‘Righteous’ — he did not steal; Wholehearted’ — he was guarded against immorality; ‘He walked with God’ — he did not turn to other gods.”

10. Innovators Who Improve the World Can Merit Eternal Reward

Rabbi Yerucham, in Da’at Torah (Bereishit 5:29), writes profound words about Noach’s kindness: “He also merited greatly by introducing new innovations to improve the world, all for the purpose of rest. And this rest was not, Heaven forbid, mere indulgent comfort, but a rest born of love… Through this he found favor in the eyes of God and merited eternal victory.”

Rabbi Yerucham continues: “It is astounding: according to this, anyone who introduces innovations that improve the world deserves great reward for the immense kindness they bring. And if they do so for the sake of Heaven, their reward is truly awe-inspiring.”