**Noah** [(the 10th generation)] was born in Year 1056, 182 years after Lamech, and lived 950 years. [(The Bachya writes that it was 1,042 years from Adam to Noah, which is an error; it should be Year 1056)]. All those born before Noah had hands that were smooth and undivided, without separation of fingers, for they did not need to work the ground. Noah was born with separated fingers, and from this Lamech understood that this one would be needed for agricultural work [(Midrash Avkhir).

Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer writes on this: "And from our toil and the pain of our hands from the ground"—until now we had pain of hands from working the ground from our work, and "from the pain of our hands" in gematria equals "hands without separation of fingers they were," and so it is concluded]. Noah fashioned tools for working the ground [(Zohar Bereishit)].

**It is written** [in the book Tzeidah LaDerech and Provisions for the Traveler at the beginning of the introduction (page 12 b): Noah lived with Adam, and Abraham with Noah.

Thus Abraham was the third from Adam HaRishon, as is evident from the calculation of their years. Jacob served Shem, and so it is concluded. See how he erred—Noah did not see Adam! Adam died in Year 930 of the first millennium, and Noah was born in Year 1056 of the second millennium.

In Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer chapter 8: "This is the book of the generations of Adam"—the Holy One, Blessed be He, calculated the year and afterward transmitted it to Adam HaRishon, and Adam HaRishon transmitted it to Enoch, and Enoch transmitted it to Noah, and Noah to Shem, and Shem to Abraham, and so it is concluded. And so it is in Yalkut Bereishit (section 41) and so it is at the beginning of the book Yuchsin.

In the book that Rabbi Moses Chagiz composed on the commandments in the introduction, and in the Sefer Mikach mentioned above Year 687, it is clear that Noah did not see Enoch, for God took Enoch in Year 987 of the first millennium, and Noah was born in Year 56 of the second millennium. Perhaps there is an omission by a scribe in Pirkei d'Rabbi Eliezer, and it should say: Enoch transmitted it to Methuselah (who was his son), and Methuselah to Noah.

But it is puzzling that the Yalkut and Yuchsin and other books did not notice this. The author of Zohar HaRakia corrects the error in the Yalkut, and the author of Ot Emet corrects this omission].

**And Noah grew** and walked in the ways of Methuselah, his grandfather's father, and he was righteous with HaShem. But all mankind departed from the ways of HaShem, and each one taught his fellow their evil ways. They made for themselves idols and were treacherous and oppressed, each one robbing his fellow and his relative. Their judges and officers went to all the daughters of men and took women by force from their husbands, whomever they chose, and also from among cattle, beasts, and birds.

They brought them and taught them to mate with species not their own, in order to anger HaShem. And HaShem said: "I will blot out man," etc. And everyone who walked in the ways of HaShem died in those days before HaShem brought the evil. Noah found favor in the eyes of HaShem, and He chose him and his sons to preserve seed [(Sefer HaYashar)].