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A Thousand Generations

G-d said to the angels, “Moshe has come to receive the Torah.” The angels replied, “The coveted and
treasured Torah that was stored by You as a treasure for nine hundred and seventy-four generations before
the world of created?” (Shabbos 88b)

‫ ח‬,‫)דבר צוה לאלף דור )תהילים קה‬


His Word (Torah) He commanded at (the end of) a thousand generations (Tehillim 105,8)

The Torah was destined to be given at the end of one thousand generations per the verse from Tehillim.
There were only twenty-six generations from Adam to Moshe. Thus, the period by which the Torah
preceded the world is referred to as “974 generations.”
1. Adam
How do we account for these 974 other generations? 2. Shes
3. Enosh
Rashi states that G-d saw that the world could not endure for that long (a thousand 4. Kenan
generations) without Torah, so He never created these 974 generations in order to 5. Mahalaleil
bring Torah earlier. 6. Yared
The Gemara in Chagigah (14a) states that G-d planted members of these lost 7. Enoch
generations in subsequent generations; and that they are the brazen persons in each 8. Mesushalach
generation. The second version of the Gemara’s conclusion, G-d drove them out of 9. Lemech
His world and placed in Gehinnom. But they didn’t have the opportunity to sin. The 10. Noah
11. Shem
Turi Even says that these 974 generations were dispersed in all the generations 12. Arpachshad
starting with Adam’s generation. 13. Shelach
A third Gemara mentions this concept (Zevachim 116a). At the time of Matan Torah, 14. Eiver
15. Peleg
the sound of G-d’s voice resounded from one end of the world to the other. All of the
16. Re’u
kings of the idolaters trembled in their palaces. They converged upon the wicked 17. Serug
Bilaam. The Kings were worried that HaShem would bring another flood, or that 18. Nachor
HaShem was judging the entire world in order to again destroy all flesh. Bilaam 19. Terach
explained that the noise was due to the wonderful object that HaShem had hidden 20. Avrohom
away for 974 generations before the world was created, and now He sought to give 21. Yitzchak
this item to His children. 22. Yaakov
23. Levi
Interestingly this verse from Tehillim is said during the Bris Milah ceremony, since 24. Kehas
most commentators (based on the context of the verses before and after in that 25. Amram
Tehillim) reference this verse to the covenant between Avrohom and HaShem (either at the Covenant
Between the Pieces or as a result of his circumcision). Thus, the reference is the everlasting nature of
the Covenant as a function of 1000 generations.
A possible connection between 1000 generations to the Giving of Torah, and the 1000 generations
connected to Avrohom. Avrohom was the start of the covenant of the Jewish people with Hashem,
which culminated with the Giving of the Torah through Moshe. Therefore Avrohom through Moshe
was the transfer period from before and after the Giving of the Torah. Avrohom was the beginning and
Moshe was the seventh to Avrohom (and all sevens are special).
The Lubavitcher Rebbe relates the 1000 generations to the concept that Tohu existed prior to the Tikkun
of the Giving of the Torah. Further, the Adar (in which the Pur fell) is ‫א)לף( דר‬. Also, the 1000
generations are reflected in holy matters and this is the concept of ‫מדר דר‬, the victory in the war over
Amalek and the restoration of the completeness of HaShem’s name and throne.
Finally, the commentator Drush Ohr HaChaim explains that the 974 generations refers to actual
generations of humans (called “primitives”) that existed prior to the “first” man. Thus, HaShem
actually hid the treasure of the Torah for a thousand generations.

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