Tensions, struggles and forbidden sexual relations in Noah’s Ark: The narrative of the “uncalm ark” in the Aggadic homilies

Resumo

The biblical text does not mention any events that occurred in the ark during the flood. The impression formed by the verses is that life in the ark involved no problems and everything seems to have proceeded smoothly (7:15–8:19). The creatures in the ark, apparently, existed harmoniously side by side with no territorial boundaries, tensions, or rivalries. The current study discusses three midrashim that refute the impression formed by the text. The midrash portrays negative occurrences within the ark. One deals with forbidden sexual relations in the ark, the second relates to the rivalry and confrontation between the cat and the mouse, and the third is about the lion that injures Noah and renders him disabled. The midrashim relating that which occurred within the ark strengthen the insight whereby the evil urges of the creatures, and first and foremost of humankind, did not change, and the attempt to create a new ideal and sinless system did not meet with success.