nakedness of his father” (וירא ערות אביו) and tells his brothers outside (v. 22). Shem and Japheth take a garment and enter the tent backwards. With eyes averted, they cover their father (v. 23). When Noah awakens, he realizes what Ham had “done to him” (עשה לו, v. 29). He then blesses Shem and Japheth, but curses Ham’s youngest son, Canaan (vv. 25–27). Exegetes since antiquity have identified Ham’s deed as either voyeurism, castration, or paternal incest. This last explanation seems to be enjoying
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