בראשית רבה ל״אBereshit Rabbah 31

Section 1א׳

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים לְנֹחַ קֵץ כָּל בָּשָׂר וגו' (בראשית ו, יג), (יחזקאל ז, יא): הֶחָמָס קָם לְמַטֵּה רֶשַׁע. הֶחָמָס קָם, אֶתְמָהָא, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם אֵינוֹ קָם וְאִם קָם לְמַטֵּה רֶשַׁע, לְחִיּוּבוֹ שֶׁל רָשָׁע, (יחזקאל ז, יא): וְלֹא מֵהֶם וְלֹא מֵהֲמוֹנָם וְלֹא מֵהֱמֵהֶם, לָא מִנְהוֹן וְלֹא מִמָּמוֹנָם וְלָא מִן תִּמְהָתְהוֹן, לָמָּה (יחזקאל ז, יא): לֹא נֹהַּ בָּהֶם, לֹא הָיָה לְשׁוּם בְּרִיָּה נַחַת רוּחַ מֵהֶם וְלֹא הָיָה לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא נַחַת רוּחַ מֵהֶם, לֹא נֹהַּ בָּהֶם, כְּהַהִיא דְּאָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא בַּר כַּהֲנָא (בראשית ו, ז ח): כִּי נִחַמְתִּי כִּי עֲשִׂיתִם, וְנֹחַ, אֲפִלּוּ נֹחַ שֶׁנִּשְׁתַּיֵּר מֵהֶם אֵינוֹ כְּדַאי אֶלָּא שֶׁמָּצָא חֵן, (בראשית ו, ח): וְנֹחַ מָצָא חֵן, וּלְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ שְׁטוּפִים בְּזִמָּה נִמּוֹחוּ מִן הָעוֹלָם.

“God said to Noah: The end of all flesh has come before Me, as the earth is filled with injustice because of them and, behold, I am destroying them with the earth” (Genesis 6:13). “God said to Noah: The end of all flesh [has come before Me, as the earth is filled with injustice…]” – “Injustice rises up into a rod of wickedness” (Ezekiel 7:11). Does injustice indeed rise up? That is a rhetorical question. God forbid; it does not rise up. But if it does rise up, it will be to act as a rod of wickedness, to bring culpability against the wicked. “Not among them and not among their multitudes [mehamonam] and not among anything of theirs [mehemehem]” (Ezekiel 7:11) – not from them, nor from their wealth [mamonam], nor from their offspring [timhatehon]. “And there is no mourning [noa] among them” (Ezekiel 7:11) – no person experienced any satisfaction [naḥat] from them, and neither did the Holy One blessed be He experience any satisfaction [naḥat] from them. “And there is no noa among them” – this is as Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: “As I regret that I made them. And Noah…” (Genesis 6:7–8) –even Noah, who remained from among them, it is not that he was worthy, but rather that he found favor [before God, as it is written:] “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (Genesis 6:8). And because they were steeped in licentiousness, they were obliterated from the world.

Section 2ב׳

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים לְנֹחַ קֵץ כָּל בָּשָׂר בָּא לְפָנַי, (איוב כד, יא): בֵּין שׁוּרֹתָם יַצְהִירוּ יְקָבִים דָּרְכוּ וַיִּצְמָאוּ. בֵּין שׁוּרֹתָם יַצְהִירוּ, שֶׁהָיוּ עוֹשִׂים לָהֶם בְּדָרִיּוֹת קְטַנּוֹת. יְקָבִים דָּרְכוּ וַיִּצְמָאוּ, אֲפִלּוּ יְקָבִים דָּרְכוּ וַיִּצְמָאוּ. אָמַר רַבִּי אַיְבוּ לָמָּה יְקָבִים דָּרְכוּ וַיִּצְמָאוּ, לְפִי שֶׁהָיְתָה מְאֵרָה מְצוּיָה בַּעֲמָלוֹ שֶׁל רָשָׁע, וּלְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ שְׁטוּפִּים בְּזִמָּה וְגָזֵל, נִמּוֹחוּ מִן הָעוֹלָם.

“God said to Noah: The end of all flesh has come before Me” – “They would make oil between their rows; they have trodden winepresses and are thirsty” (Job 24:11). “They would make oil between their rows” – they would make small oil presses. “They have trodden winepresses and are thirsty” – even though they trod winepresses, they were thirsty. Why have they “trodden winepresses and are thirsty”? It is because there was a curse on whatever the wicked produced. And because they were steeped in licentiousness and robbery, they were obliterated from the world.

Section 3ג׳

וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, (עמוס ה, י): שָׂנְאוּ בַשַּׁעַר מוֹכִיחַ וְדֹבֵר תָּמִים יְתָעֵבוּ, דַּהֲוָה אֲמַר לְהוֹן, רֵיקִים אַתֶּם מַנִּיחִים מִי שֶׁקּוֹלוֹ שׁוֹבֵר אֲרָזִים וּמִשְׁתַּחֲוִים לְעֵץ יָבֵשׁ, וּלְפִי שֶׁהָיוּ שְׁטוּפִים בְּגָזֵל נִמּוֹחוּ מִן הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים לְנֹחַ קֵץ כָּל בָּשָׂר בָּא וגו'.

“God said” – “They hated the admonisher at the gate, and they despised the speaker of uprightness” (Amos 5:10). He [Noah] would say to them: ‘Worthless people, do you forsake the one whose voice “shatters cedars” (Psalms 29:5), and bow down to a shriveled tree?’ And because they were steeped in robbery, they were obliterated from the world, as it is stated: “God said to Noah: The end of all flesh has come…”