Parallels from Creation, Flood, and Exodus in Jewish Thought

Hashem’s Recreations Unveiled: Parallels from Creation, Flood, and Exodus in Jewish Thought

In the intricate weave of Torah narratives, Rabbi David Fohrman’s insights into Parashat Noach illuminate a profound pattern. The Flood story acts as a deliberate echo of Creation, signifying not mere destruction but a divine recreation of the world. This perspective, drawn from close textual analysis, reshapes our view of Noah’s era from punitive cataclysm to purposeful renewal.

Building on this, Jewish sources reveal similar motifs in the Exodus, portraying it as another cosmic reboot. From Midrash to Kabbalah, these recreations—Creation, Noah, and Egypt—demonstrate Hashem’s ongoing cycle of dismantling chaos to foster order. Notably, this theme extends to mystical cycles of 49,000 years. This blog explores these interconnections, enriched by Fohrman’s lens and additional rabbinic wisdom.

Fohrman’s Lens: Creation Echoed in the Flood

Rabbi Fohrman’s transcript highlights striking parallels between Genesis 1-2 and the post-Flood recovery in Genesis 8-9. The primordial world begins as “tohu va’vohu” (formless and void), with darkness over the deep and a “ruach Elohim” (wind/spirit of God) hovering over chaotic waters—a scene evoking crashing waves in a water-dominated realm.

In Noach, the Flood mirrors this: waters inundate the earth, creating a similar watery chaos. Therefore, recovery begins with Hashem sending a “ruach” (wind) over the waters (Genesis 8:1), paralleling Creation’s day one. On day one, light emerges from darkness.

Day two of Creation sees Hashem forming the firmament to separate waters above and below (Genesis 1:6-8). Fohrman notes the Flood’s dual water sources—fountains of the deep (below) and windows of heaven (above)—merged to flood the world. Then, those waters are separated to end it (Genesis 8:2). This recreates the sky as a divider, restoring cosmic order.

Day Three

On day three, the waters receded, dry land appeared, and vegetation sprouted (Genesis 1:9-13). Similarly, post-Flood waters subside, revealing mountains (dry land). Additionally, Noah’s dove returns with an olive leaf, signaling the regrowth of trees (Genesis 8:8-11).

Fohrman skips day four’s heavenly lights, explaining they weren’t destroyed—only the terrestrial world was affected. Day five introduces birds (Genesis 1:20-23), a theme echoed when the dove doesn’t return, implying that avian life thrives (Genesis 8:12). Finally, day six brings animals and humans (Genesis 1:24-31). In Noach, Hashem commands that the ark be exited, and that the earth be repopulated (Genesis 8:15-19).

This sequence underscores the Flood as recreation: not annihilation for punishment, but renovation of a corrupted world. As Fohrman emphasizes, the Torah emphasizes the corruption of the earth (Genesis 6:11-13), making humanity’s demise incidental to the renewal of the earth. Post-Flood changes—like permitting meat-eating—signal a new human role as stewards, not mere co-tenants.

Extending the Pattern: Exodus as Recreation

Jewish sources extend this recreation motif to the Exodus, viewing it as a third divine renewal mirroring Creation and the Flood. Midrashim and commentators like Ramban (Nahmanides) draw explicit parallels, portraying the liberation from Egypt as a new genesis for Israel and the world. The plagues deconstruct Egypt—turning the Nile to blood (reversing life’s waters), darkness (undoing day one’s light)—echoing the Flood’s judgment on corruption. Then, redemption rebuilds.

Echoing Creation’s chaotic waters and ruach, the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night guides Israel (Exodus 13:21-22), separating light from darkness amid wilderness uncertainty. At the Red Sea, a strong east wind (ruach) divides waters (Exodus 14:21), standing as walls—mirroring day two’s separation and the Flood’s receding floods. In addition, dry land appears in the sea’s midst (Exodus 14:22), akin to day three. The Midrash states that the Israelites ate from the third-day trees during the passage (Shemot Rabbah).

Manna From Heaven

Vegetation follows: manna from heaven provides daily sustenance (Exodus 16), like Creation’s sprouting plants or the Flood’s olive branch. Quail arrive as birds (Exodus 16:13), paralleling day five and the dove’s freedom. At Sinai, the Revelation establishes a new covenant (Exodus 19-20), evoking humanity on the sixth day under divine mandate. The tabernacle’s construction explicitly mirrors Creation’s seven phrases (Exodus 25-31), with “vayechal” (completed) linking to Shabbat rest. As in the Flood, heavenly elements (day four) persist unchanged, focusing renewal on earthly bonds.

Kabbalistic views deepen this: the Exodus allegorizes spiritual birth, escaping “Mitzrayim” (narrowness) into expanded consciousness. Zohar sees plagues and the splitting of the sea as rectifying cosmic imbalances stemming from Creation’s tzimtzum. For example, Rabbi Fohrman’s works, like “The Exodus You Almost Passed Over,” explore alternate paths—e.g., Pharaoh’s potential cooperation mirroring Jacob’s burial procession. These stories highlight choice in recreation. Finally, Midrash Tehillim ties Exodus to universal redemption, a “down payment” on Creation’s promise.

Unifying Threads: From Biblical Events to Cosmic Cycles

These recreations aren’t isolated; they form a divine pattern. Creation establishes order; Noah purifies a tainted world; Exodus liberates and covenants a nation. Shabbat commemorates both Creation and Exodus, blending universal genesis with particular redemption (Exodus 20:11, Deuteronomy 5:15). In addition, Fohrman’s insight—that recreation targets the environment, with humanity as partners—applies across these stories. Adam tends Eden, Noah rebuilds after the Flood, and Israel constructs the Mishkan.

Kabbalah expands this to vast scales. Sefer HaTemunah describes seven 7,000-year Shemitot cycles (49,000 years), each under a Sefirah, culminating in Jubilee renewal. Midrash speaks of 974 generations (or worlds) created and destroyed before ours, symbolizing iterative refinements. Our era, under Gevurah (severity), is marked by trials like Egypt’s bondage. The Exodus stands as a microcosm of cosmic tikkun. This aligns with Fohrman’s “new world” post-Flood, where humanity gains agency—echoed in Exodus’s shift from slaves to priests.

Conclusion: Participating in Eternal Renewal

Incorporating Rabbi Fohrman’s parallels enriches our grasp of Hashem’s recreations as progressive: physical in Creation, moral in Noah, spiritual in Exodus. These stories invite us into the divine process, urging tikkun olam amid cycles of 49,000 years. In other words, as Kabbalah teaches, each personal “exodus” from constriction mirrors these events, fostering growth. By studying Torah anew, we join Hashem’s ongoing creation, awaiting the ultimate Jubilee.

Hazan Gavriel ben David