Consequences of Mortality

Torah Study 12/20 Genesis 6:1-3

People … Daughters … back to 120 years

“Most enigmatic verses”

In the beginning people tried to “be divine” and they lived such long lives it is easy to imagine that they didn’t even consider their immortality.

It is all about seeing the boundary between human and Devine.

This does seem to be a fragment with reference to a possible larger documentation about this.

Three Readings of this:

1. Benei Elohim” seen as the daughters and sons of God
Link to interesting article on this topic
Seraphim,Cherubim & Ezekiel's Wheels Aliens,Nephilim & the Days of Noah

“Divine beings” mythological concept that is referenced in many other places in the Bible such as:

• Isiah 14 –“fallen from heaven”, “son of dawn” (reference to Lucifer and Paradise Lost by Milton)
• Psalm 29 – “Ascribe to the Lord … divine beings…” (sometimes Kings sometimes not)
• Psalm 89:7 – “A God … in the council of the holy ones…” image of a King surrounded by a court.
• 1st Kings 22:19 “Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left.”

However throughout the Bible it emphasizes that there is only ONE God and yet we have this image of God surrounded by other divine beings that can be confusing….

2. Sons of Rulers and Magistrates (Rashi)
The term “Elohim” doesn’t always refer to Diety. Sometimes, as in Exodus, it can refer to judges or magistrates.
There is a yearning for humans to unite with the divine or with a higher class which can be related to the desire to move toward the divine.
What is wrong with what is happening? An improper co-mingling of humans?
(God viewed people as abusing their power and thus lowered the life span)

3. (Leon Kass) The Beginning of Wisdom: Reading Genesis (BOOK)

Points out that Adam was alive the whole time that these generations were growing. Noah was the first birth after Adam dies – the first natural death.
This shattered expectations and changes attitudes of man.
There are different reactions.

They go “wild”
They are offended and angry
They achieve ‘glory through warring’

Ref: Homer Epoch – a quest for immortality.

1. They go out to ‘meet death’ as a challenge
2. Death is the ‘mother of beauty’ and they create beautiful objects to transcend their mortality.
3. Heroic ambition to seek beautiful – as in women – (Helen of Troy)

Looking for what leads up to the flood:

Male attitudes toward the ‘daughters’

The line of Seth and the line of Cain get mixed and leads to corruption.

What role does ‘beauty’ play in this? Appearances are deceiving.
Beauty does not satisfy the desires and it doesn’t ward off death.
Sometimes what looks good turns out to be bad.
Human love of beauty often has unfortunate consequences.

Paul Simon poem: Leaves Green turn Brown…

Book of Job gives a wider perspective of this.

Why is the life span shortened to 120 years?

One thought is that it was to ‘curb power’ – the longer one lives the ‘more trouble they can cause’ and arrogance will be tempered with a shorter life.

This is a sign of our “learning” God testing to see if a shorter life span will curb corruption.

“Memento mori is a Latin phrase that may be translated as "Remember that you are mortal," "Remember you will die," "Remember that you must die," or "Remember your death". It names a genre of artistic creations that vary widely from one another, but which all share the same purpose, which is to remind people of their own mortality.”
In ancient Rome, the phrase is said to have been used on the occasions when a Roman general was parading through the streets of Rome during the victory celebration known as a triumph. Standing behind the victorious general was a slave, and he had the task of reminding the general that, though he was up on the peak today, tomorrow was another day. The servant did this by telling the general that he should remember that he was mortal: "Memento mori." It is also possible that the servant said, rather, "Respice post te! Hominem te esse memento!": "Look behind you! Remember that you are but a man!", as noted in Tertullian in his Apologeticus.[1]
(wikipedia)

These influences are reflected in art as well – symbols of death in many paintings to remind man to lead a virtuous life.

This is also evident in our Yom Kippur liturgy – to focus on our end of days to help us remember to live a better life.