Why did it rain for exactly 40 days and 40 nights during the Great Flood? The answer will revolutionize how you understand both life and death.

In this mind-bending episode of Breakneck Through the Bible, Rabbi Bentzi Epstein reveals the connection between the flood's duration and the formation of human life—uncovering ancient Jewish wisdom about when the soul enters the body. Discover the significance of the number 40 throughout Jewish tradition, from Moses on Mount Sinai to the weeks of pregnancy, and learn why this number represents the ultimate completion of spiritual cycles. We'll explore the mystical depths of Hebrew letters as numbers, revealing how the very word for "year" contains hidden mathematical truths about time itself.

The episode reaches its emotional peak with an extraordinary tale about Noah's injury in the ark. When exhaustion leads to a moment's delay in feeding the last lion on earth, the consequences seem devastatingly unfair—until Rabbi Epstein unveils a breathtaking insight about kindness that will forever change how you view your own acts of giving.

Plus: Why Noah's ark had no rudder, the crucial difference between written and oral Torah, and a revolutionary perspective on who's really helping whom when we perform acts of charity.

Could a single person have stopped the Great Flood? Learn the profound power of individual righteousness as we continue our journey through Noah's story.

Rabbi Epstein unpacks the startling revelation that if just one more person had joined Noah's family, the entire world might have been spared—highlighting Noah's tragic failure to influence even a single soul during his 120 years of ark-building. This episode explores the Jewish understanding of communal righteousness, comparing the power of nine righteous individuals to Abraham's later negotiations for Sodom.

We also examine our responsibility as stewards of creation, wrestling with complex questions about animal extinction and humanity's role in a world divinely designed. What's the purpose of non-kosher animals? The answer challenges our assumptions about knowledge, medicine, and the hidden functions of all God's creatures.

The episode concludes with a beautiful insight about why God Himself had to close the ark door—a divine gesture that answers Noah's impossible dilemma and reveals the perfect harmony of the Creator's plan. Join us for a journey that will transform how you see your own potential to influence the world around you.

Why did God choose water to destroy a corrupt world? In this fascinating episode of Breakneck Through the Bible, Rabbi Bentzi Epstein reveals a stunning Talmudic insight that will transform how you view the oceans surrounding our continents. Discover why water wasn't just for cleansing, but served as God's "army" - a constant reminder of divine boundaries we too often forget.

We also learn why Noah and his family were commanded to separate from their wives during humanity's darkest hour, and what this teaches us about empathy in times of suffering. Finally, we explore the ancient understanding of kosher and non-kosher animals that predates the giving of the Torah, raising profound questions about Noah's spiritual knowledge. Why did God command seven pairs of kosher animals but only one pair of non-kosher ones? The answer reveals God's masterful planning for humanity's future and the deeper purpose behind every creature's existence on the ark.