Yeshivat Nahar Shalom

A historic Kabbalistic yeshiva in the heart of Jerusalem, dedicated to Torah study, spiritual growth, and community support.

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Yeshivat Nahar Shalom

6 Shilo Street (corner of Agrippas Street)

Jerusalem, Israel

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P.O. Box 1884

Jerusalem 9102701, Israel

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Essays

Who Brought the Wood to Build the Ark

By Yeshivat Nahar Shalom Staff•October 19, 2026
Og the King of Bashanwood for noah's arkthe cake that Noah gave ogthe name Og and cakeog returned noah's rope
who brought the wood

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Noah: "Make an ark!"  

But where will Noah bring wood for the ark?

Og the King of Bashan came to him.

He says to Noah: Whatever I eat, I am not full."

Noah says to him: "Listen, work with me, you will be full."

He says: "What do you need?"

He says: "The Holy One, blessed be He, commanded me to make an ark. I need wood. Can you bring me wood?"

He says: "Bring a rope, I will take it, I will bring it to you."

He says: "What will you give?" He says: "Bring the wood."

"Don't you have food to eat?" He says to him: "First give me to eat, I will go bring it for you."

Good. They brought a cake.

Og says: "This cake, I'll eat it? Will this satisfy me? I eat a whole house and am not full. You'll bring me this cake?" He (Noah) says: "Eat."

Indeed, he ate half a cake, he couldn't, he couldn't any more. He became full. The belly of a bear from a huge cake. He became full.

He went and brought wood with great joy.

Well, on the way the Satan meets him. He doesn't want this ark to exist.

He says to him: "What did you do?"

He says: "I brought to Noah, he wants to make an ark, I brought him wood."

He says: "What did he pay you?"

He says: "He paid me with food, I ate nicely, I wasn't full before, now I'm full."

He says: "Look, you think you're smart, look how foolish you are."

"What is it?"

"He gave you a small cake to eat, you became full. You, you eat whole trees and you're not full, he gave you a small cake and did witchcraft on you with it."

"What? You're right. How can this be? I ate a small cake and became full, he did witchcraft on me, huh? It's all illusion."

He says: "I am throwing all the wood away, he threw it all."

But the rope belonged to Noah.

So he came and returned the rope to him.

When he returned the rope to him, several pieces of wood were caught in it.

There was enough wood, just from being caught up in the rope, and he built the entire ark with it.

Look at that, how is that called? This is one of the reasons why he was called Og.

Because of the name of this cake that he ate—the name of this cake—he was called Og (Cake in Hebrew is spelled Ayin, Vav, Gimmel, Hei, while Og is spelled Ayin, Vav, Gimmel).