Noah, a man of the soil, began, and planted a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked. When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, he said, “Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers.” (Genesis 9:20-25)
This passage yields a picture and a mystery.
The picture is this: two brothers walking backward, a garment laid across their shoulders, working together to cover their father’s nakedness, their faces turned away in respect. This is the picture you should have in your mind when you think about how Shem and Japheth covered their father’s nakedness, and also how the Levites worked together to prepare the Ark of the Covenant for transport. To explain, the Tabernacle was a mobile home, so to speak, that would move through the wilderness with the Israelites. It would be disassembled piece by piece and then reassembled at the next encampment. When you see pictures of the Ark of the Covenant (the most holy object in the universe), you tend to see the priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant out in the open. This is not accurate, because the Ark was never out in the open like it is commonly depicted nowadays. It was not exposed like you see in some pictures. Rather, the Ark was always covered during transport. As it says in Numbers 4:4-6, 15a:
“When the camp is to move, Aaron and his sons are to go in and take down the shielding curtain and put it over the ark of the covenant. Then they are to cover the curtain with a durable leather, spread a cloth of solid blue over that and put the poles in place . . . After Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, the camp is ready to move...”
When the sons of Aaron went to cover the Ark, they acted in a manner like Shem and Japheth. They would take up the curtain between their shoulders and, walking backward, cover the Ark without looking at it. This was a gesture of utmost respect for the Father and His place of privacy. And interestingly, it will be this Ark that imposes defeat upon the Canaanites––an echo of Noah’s curse imposed on Canaan for disrespecting his privacy.
This brings us to the mystery. Why did Noah curse Ham’s grandson Canaan? It’s a question that deserves to be asked because, after all, it was Ham who disrespected Noah––not Canaan! Canaan seems to have nothing to do with anything, so why does Canaan receive the curse? What is the logic behind this? I mean I see the prophetic connection to Israel moving into the land of Canaan and subduing the Canaanites, but I doubt Noah foresaw that future event. So something else has to explain why Noah cursed not Ham but Canaan. And from the text alone, there appears to be no decisive answer. At the end of the day, it remains a mystery.
But! Jewish tradition does offer us a thought worth entertaining. In fact, it’s the best explanation that I have encountered. I first heard it from Rabbi David Fohrman. Let me share it with you in my own words.
You have to get in Ham’s head. What is he thinking? Well, by the time this whole event happens, a number of years have passed since the flood. It is enough time such that Noah’s vineyard has come to maturity, and Noah’s youngest son Ham has had his fourth son. (Genesis 10:6 tells us that the sons of Ham are Cush, Mizraim, Put and Canaan.) Noah is over 600 years old, and Ham––more than 100 years old––naturally expects to live no less than his father. Ham assumes that he has at least another 500 years ahead of him. Already, he is seeing himself as a power-player on the world’s stage, a respected forefather above all subsequent generations. His two brothers, Shem and Japheth, are his equals, so Ham is one of three at this level. And he likes that share. A third of the earth sounds good to him.
But wait. Coming off the ark, God told Noah to be fruitful and multiply! Ham knows that his father Noah is faithful to God, a man who commits to doing whatever God commands him to do. No doubt: Noah will multiply. Noah will have more sons! And where will that leave Ham? With less and less share! In the end, Ham may not be one of three anymore. He may end up being one of 10 brothers! Or 15! That sounds like war to him. Just the thought of it makes him angry. So he makes his decision: he will act swiftly. He will strike at an opportune time. He will prevent his dad from having any more children.
The passage in Genesis is interesting, isn’t it? It says Ham saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. . .When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him...
What did Ham do to Noah?! If Ham had merely seen his dad naked, his dad wouldn’t have even realized it. No––something more serious had to have been done to Noah when he was naked, something that Noah realizes after he emerges from his drunken stupor. What did Ham do to Noah?
Tradition fills in the blank. Ham damaged his father’s male organ, thereby preventing Noah from having any more sons. Ham tells his brothers about it afterward, given that they are also benefactors. Both his brothers don’t react as Ham had expected. Shem and Japheth are mortified and ashamed. They cover their father’s nakedness; they cover what has been done to their father. They wonder what he will do when he wakes up.
Genesis tells us what Noah does: he curses Ham’s grandson Canaan. Why? Because Canaan is Ham’s fourth son (Genesis 10:6). Since Ham has prevented Noah from having a fourth son, Noah places the curse upon Ham’s fourth son. Since it was status and power that Ham had sought, Noah’s curse upon Ham diminishes the status and power of many in Ham’s lineage. It counteracts Ham’s motivation. And it humiliates Ham to no end.
Now why doesn’t Genesis just come out and say all of this plainly? Because the Torah is handling the matter with sensitivity. The Torah is avoiding details on purpose, in a manner that is respectful to Noah. The Torah is itself covering the wound, alongside Shem and Japheth. And because the details have been covered so respectfully, what exactly happened that day will remain a mystery.
