Parashat Noach

Noah is righteous in a corrupt generation, so God tells him to build an ark. The flood covers the earth for a year, and when the waters recede Noah sends out a raven and then a dove. God sets the rainbow in the sky as a sign that the world will never again be destroyed by water, and gives Noah's descendants the seven basic laws. Noah plants a vineyard and is shamed by his drunkenness. The nations spread out across the earth, build a tower at Babel to make a name for themselves, and are scattered into many languages. The portion closes with the line that leads to Abram.