**In the year** 1536, the Holy One, blessed be He, said "My spirit shall not contend with man," and at that time Noah was 480 years old [(Tzemach David)]. He was commanded to build the ark and constructed it over 120 years [(see year 1656, five years)]. Some say that the dimensions of the cubits in the ark were according to the geometric measure, meaning that each cubit of the Torah was the measure of six handbreadths, and this measure is called "Pratika" [(Seder HaDorot there, and see Bereishit Rabbah chapter 31 in Ma'or Einayim and Yedei Moshe)]: