After Noah and his sons depart the Ark following the Great Flood, he plants a vineyard.

The Torah tells us that once the fruit had ripened, Noah drank the wine and became drunk — so drunk that he passed out naked in his tent. One of his sons – Ham – saw him in this state and informed his brothers, who restore their father’s dignity in a very dignified fashion.

When Noah awoke and realized what had happened, he was so upset that he cursed Canaan. Canaan!? Why did Noah curse Canaan? Canaan had nothing to do with what happened? Strangely enough, Canaan is mentioned at the beginning of the episode as Ham’s son, and then mentioned again several times. What is the secret of Canaan’s connection to the incident of Noah’s drunkeness?

Rabbi Dunner unlocks this puzzling narrative and offers a range of ideas to explain the curious inclusion of Canaan in a story with which he seems to have had no involvement whatsoever.

NOACH 2018 – SOURCE SHEET

Itai Kagan – Why was Canaan cursed?