The Flood's Geographic Scope in Jewish Sources

דָּרֵשׁ רָבָא: מַאי דִּכְתִיב ״לַפִּיד בּוּז לְעַשְׁתּוּת שַׁאֲנָן נָכוֹן לְמוֹעֲדֵי רָגֶל״? מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהָיָה נֹחַ הַצַּדִּיק מוֹכִיחַ אוֹתָם, וְאָמַר לָהֶם דְּבָרִים שֶׁהֵם קָשִׁים כְּלַפִּידִים, וְהָיוּ בּוֹזִים אוֹתוֹ. אָמְרוּ לוֹ: זָקֵן, תֵּיבָה זוֹ לָמָּה? אָמַר לָהֶם: הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מֵבִיא עֲלֵיכֶם אֶת הַמַּבּוּל. אָמְרוּ: מַבּוּל שֶׁל מָה? אִם מַבּוּל שֶׁל אֵשׁ, יֵשׁ לָנוּ דָּבָר אֶחָד וַעֲלִיתָה שְׁמָהּ. וְאִם שֶׁל מַיִם הוּא מֵבִיא, אִם מִן הָאָרֶץ הוּא מֵבִיא, יֵשׁ לָנוּ עֲשָׁשִׁיּוֹת שֶׁל בַּרְזֶל שֶׁאָנוּ מְחַפִּין בָּהֶם אֶת הָאָרֶץ. וְאִם מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם הוּא מֵבִיא, יֵשׁ לָנוּ דָּבָר וְעָקֵב שְׁמוֹ – וְאָמְרִי לַהּ: עִקֵּשׁ שְׁמוֹ. אָמַר לָהֶם: הוּא מֵבִיא מִבֵּין עִקְּבֵי רַגְלֵיכֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״נָכוֹן לְמוֹעֲדֵי רָגֶל״. תַּנְיָא: מֵימֵי הַמַּבּוּל קָשִׁים כְּשִׁכְבַת זֶרַע, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״נָכוֹן לְמוֹעֲדֵי רָגֶל״. אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: בְּרוֹתְחִין קִלְקְלוּ בַּעֲבֵירָה, וּבְרוֹתְחִין נִידּוֹנוּ. כְּתִיב הָכָא: ״וַיָּשֹׁכּוּ הַמָּיִם״, וּכְתִיב הָתָם: ״וַחֲמַת הַמֶּלֶךְ שָׁכָכָה״.

Rava taught: What is the meaning of that which is written: “A contemptible torch [lapid] in the thought of him that is at ease, a thing ready for them whose foot slips” (Job 12:5)? This teaches that Noah the righteous would rebuke the people of his generation, and he said to them statements that are harsh as torches [kelapidim], and they would treat him with contempt. They said to him: Old man, why are you building this ark? Noah said to them: The Holy One, Blessed be He, is bringing a flood upon you. They said to him: A flood of what? If it is a flood of fire, we have another item and it is called alita, and it is fireproof. And if it is a flood of water that He brings, if He brings the water from the earth, we have iron plates with which we can plate the earth to prevent the water from rising. And if He brings the water from the heavens, we have an item and it is called ekev, and some say it is called ikkesh, which will absorb the water. Noah said to them: If He wishes He will bring the water from between your feet and you can do nothing to prevent it, as it is stated: “For them whose foot slips.” It is taught in a baraita: The waters of the flood were as hard and thick as semen, as it is stated: “For them whose foot slips”; foot is a euphemism. Rav Ḥisda says: With hot semen they sinned, and with hot water they were punished. As it is written here, at the conclusion of the flood: “And the waters assuaged” (Genesis 8:1), and it is written there: “Then the king’s wrath was assuaged” (Esther 7:10). Just as the term “assuaged” there is referring to the heat of Ahasuerus’s wrath, so too, “assuaged” with regard to the flood is referring to the heat of the waters.

וַיִּמַח אֶת כָּל הַיְקוּם אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה אַחַר שֶׁאָמַר "וַיִּגְוַע כָּל בָּשָׂר" וְאָמַר "מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר בֶּחָרָבָה מֵתוּ", הוֹסִיף לֵאמֹר "וַיִּמַח", שֶׁנִּמְחוּ הַגּוּפוֹת וַיִּהְיוּ לְמַיִם, כְּעִנְיָן "וּמָחָה אֶל מֵי הַמָּרִים" (במדבר ה כג), כִּי הָיוּ הַמַּיִם רוֹתְחִין כְּדִבְרֵי רַבּוֹתֵינוּ (סנהדרין קח). אֲבָל אִם כֵּן יִהְיוּ הַדָּגִים מֵתִים. וְאוּלַי הָיָה כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמְרוּ בִּבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה ל"ב:י"א), "מִכֹּל אֲשֶׁר בֶּחָרָבָה", וְלֹא דָּגִים שֶׁבַּיָּם. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים אַף הֵן בִּכְלַל נֶאֱסָפִין, אֶלָּא שֶׁבָּרְחוּ לָאוֹקְיָנוֹס, וּמִכָּל מָקוֹם נִצּוֹלוֹ הַדָּגִים. וּשְׁנֵי הַדֵּעוֹת הָאֵלּוּ אֶפְשָׁרִיִּים, כִּי יִתָּכֵן שֶׁמֵּימֵי הַמַּבּוּל הָרוֹתְחִים יִתְעָרְבוּ בַּיַּמִּים וִיחַמְּמוּ עֶלְיוֹנֵי הַיָּם בִּלְבַד, וְהַדָּגִים יָבֹאוּ בְּעִמְקֵי הַמְּצוּלוֹת וְיִחְיוּ שָׁם. אוֹ כְּדִבְרֵי יֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים, שֶׁהָיוּ דְּגֵי הַיַּמִּים שֶׁבְּתוֹךְ הָאָרֶץ הַקְּרוֹבִים מֵהֶם לָאוֹקְיָנוֹס בּוֹרְחִים שָׁם בְּהַרְגִּישָׁם רְתִיחַת הַמַּיִם, וְנִצּוֹלִין מֵהֶם שָׁם. וַאֲפִלּוּ אִם יָמוּתוּ כֻּלָּם, הִנֵּה מַרְבִּית הַדָּגָה בָּאוֹקְיָנוֹס הִיא, וְשָׁם לֹא יָרַד מַבּוּל, כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית ז':י"ב) "וַיְהִי הַגֶּשֶׁם עַל הָאָרֶץ", וּמִשָּׁם יַחְזְרוּ הַדָּגִים אַחֲרֵי הַמַּבּוּל, כִּי מִן הַיָּם הָיוּ יוֹצְאִים כָּל הַיַּמִּים וְשָׁם הֵם שָׁבִים לָלָכֶת. וְעַל הַכְּלָל נִצּוֹלוֹ הַדָּגִים, שֶׁהֲרֵי לֹא נִכְנְסוּ מֵהֶם בַּתֵּבָה לְחַיּוֹת זֶרַע, וְנֶאֱמַר בַּבְּרִית (להלן ט ט י) "הִנְנִי מֵקִים אֶת בְּרִיתִי אִתְּכֶם וְאֵת כָּל נֶפֶשׁ הַחַיָּה אֲשֶׁר אִתְּכֶם בָּעוֹף וּבַבְּהֵמָה וּבְכָל חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ אִתְּכֶם מִכֹּל יֹצְאֵי הַתֵּבָה" וְלֹא הִזְכִּיר דְּגֵי הַיָּם:

AND HE BLOTTED OUT EVERY LIVING SUBSTANCE WHICH WAS UPON THE FACE OF THE EARTH. After having said, And all flesh perished, and having said, whatever was in the dry land, died, Scripture continues to say, And He blotted out, meaning that the bodies dissolved and became water, just as is in the verse, And he shall blot them out in the water of bitterness — for the waters of the flood were hot, as our Rabbis have said. But if so, the fish also would have died. Perhaps it was as the Rabbis have said in Bereshith Rabbah: “Whatever was in the dry land died, but not the fish in the sea. And some authorities say that they too were destined to be destroyed, but they fled to the Mediterranean.” Either way the fish were saved. Both of these opinions are plausible. For it is conceivable that the hot waters of the flood mingled with the seas, heating only their upper waters, while the fish descended to the depths of the ponds and lived there. Or, in accordance with the opinion of some authorities, it is possible that the fish in the waters of the countries near the Mediterranean fled there when they felt the heat of the water, and were thus saved. And even if all those outside the Mediterranean died, since the majority of fish are in the Mediterranean where the waters of the flood did not come down — as it is said, And the rain was upon the earth — the fish were thus saved. For none of the fish were brought into the ark to keep their seed alive, and at the time of the covenant it is said, I establish My covenant with you… and with every living creature that is with you, the fowl, and cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that go out of the ark, but it does not mention the fish of the sea.

פתח ר"ש ואמר וכו': פר"ש ואמר, ויאמר ה' אל נח בא אתה וכל ביתך אל התבה. מקרא זה העמדנו. אבל בוא וראה, וכי לא יכול הקב"ה לשמור את נח במקום אחד בעולם, שיהיה מבול בכל העולם, ולא יהיה באותו המקום. כמ"ש בגדעון, ויהי חורב אל הגזה לבדה. או לשמור אותו בארץ ישראל, שכתוב בה, לא גשמה ביום זעם, שלא ירדו עליה מי המבול.