"Tzohar" means "light." How exactly did Noach illuminate the Ark?
Rashi #1: Noach lit up the Ark by means of a window.
Rashi #2, Targum Yonasan: He used a precious stone. 1
According to Targum Yonasan, he specially went to the River Pishon (where precious stones were to be found, see Bereishis 2:12) to fetch it.
What is he meaning of, "you shall finish it to one Amah from above"?
Rashi: The Ark narrowed to one Amah 1 on top, lest water collect on top, causing the Ark to sink. 2
Hadar Zekenim, Riva: The Tzohar narrowed to one Amah on top. The Ark as a whole, however, narrowed to one finger-width on top, as we would expect. If it was an Amah, water would collect on top!
Da'as Zekenim: The Tzohar came to within one Amah of the top of the Ark.
Why did the entrance have to be at the side of the Ark?
Rashi: To prevent the water from seeping into the Ark. 1
Gur Aryeh: This must be the reason that the Teivah was constructed differently than most boats, in which the entrance is from the top.
What purpose did the three floors serve?
Rashi: The top floor served as the living-quarters of Noach and his family, the middle floor for the animals, and the bottom-floor for waste-disposal. 1
Targum Yonasan: Noach built the stalls for the animals - the number of which he goes into in detail, 2 on all three floors. The family's living -quarters and waste disposal areas are not specified. 3
Gur Aryeh: The Pasuk could have sufficed to write, "make three levels." The verse in fact states, "make lower, second and third levels," which implies that each had a designated function.
According to the commentary 'Na'ar Yonasan,' the Ark contained well over a thousand stalls, plus ten rooms to store the food.
Although it is not clear that this is what Targum Yonasan holds, the implication is that he does.
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes: "'Tzohar' means 'window,' or alternatively, 'a precious stone for illumination.'" What is the difference of opinion between the two explanations?
Gur Aryeh: The second approach says that had the Torah meant "window," it would have used the term "Chalon." According to the first explanation, this type of window is called "Tzohar" because it is meant for illumination (rather than for letting objects in and out, or for ventilation). Noach was to determine the window's size and location in accordance with this function.
Rashi writes: "... a precious stone for illumination." Why didn't Noach take a lamp? Additionally, later on (8:6), the Torah tells us that there was a window on the Teivah; why was that not sufficient for illumination?
Gur Aryeh: The Teivah was constructed to be parallel to the world as a whole. Therefore, it had three levels, representing the three realms of Creation. The precious stones represented the world's luminaries. 1
We learn from here that the Teivah was not merely a means of salvation. Rather, while the world was being destroyed, HaSh-m gave Noach a virtual world to live in, including sources of light. Refer to 6:15:1.1:1 (EK).
Rashi writes: "... the Teivah's covering... narrowed to one Amah at the top." Does this refer to the length or the width?
Mizrachi: The length was one Amah at the top, and the width was one Tefach. Thus, the top of the cover was in the same proportion as the Teivah itself - the length was six times the width. 1
Gur Aryeh: One Tefach is the minimum possible covering from a Halachic perspective. If the width was one Tefach, the length in proportion had to be one Amah.
Rashi writes: "The upper level was for man, the middle for the animals, and the bottom-floor for waste-disposal." Is there a reason for a specific order?
Gur Aryeh: While our text in the Gemara has the same order as Rashi, Gur Aryeh cites Midrashim according to which the middle level was designated for man. This would give them maximum protection both from the turbulent waters below and from the rain above. The Midrashim further differ based on whether the top or the bottom level would be more comfortable for the animals.
