When Noach was told to board the ark (Breisheet 7:7), the
men and women were listed separately: “Noach went in, and his sons, his wife,
and his son’s wives, with him into the ark, because of the waters of the
flood.”
Rashi, quoting the Midrash in Tanchuma 11 states: The men
separately and the women separately, since they were forbidden to have marital
relations since the world was in a state of grief.
When the flood was over (Breisheet 8:16) and Noach and his
family were permitted to leave the ark, the men were listed with the women, not
separately: “Depart from the ark, yourself and your wife, your sons and your
son’s wives with you.”
Rashi points out that here husband and wife are mentioned
together since now that they left the ark they were permitted to resume marital
relations.
In Breisheet 9:1, God specifically tells Noach and his sons
to be fruitful and multiply the same way that he told Adam.
Radak mentions here that this is like a recreation of the
world after the destruction and it would only be fitting to bless them to be
fruitful and multiply.
It would not have made sense for Noach and his family to
procreate while they were on the ark while outside the rest of the world was
being destroyed. That must be why God asked them to enter the ark separately.
When Yosef was in
“Two sons were born to Yosef before the years of famine came.”
Rashi states that from here we learn that a person may not
have marital relations during years of famine.
In Judaism, there is a time for everything and having
children is a very important part of the religion but there are certain times
during the year and circumstances when marital relations are forbidden
including Tisha B’Av when the Beit HaMikdash was destroyed, Yom Kippur (a
Biblical commandment) and when sitting shiva.
As it says in Kohelet 3:1-2:
To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose
under the heaven; a time to be born and a time to die…
As we read Parshat Noach and we see the world being rebuilt
after the destruction lets hope for good news about the Jewish people, the
State of Israel and the entire world!
