בראשית, פרק ח׳, פסוק ד׳

After months of violent storms and endless tossing upon massive waters, a profound turning point arrives. The era of destruction concludes, and the gradual restoration of the world begins. The very concept of the ark coming to a rest echoes the name of Noah [קאסוטו], serving as a symbol of tranquility. Furthermore, this physical grounding mirrors a spiritual one, representing the Holy Spirit resting upon the survivors who were saved from the floodwaters [בעל הטורים].

Determining the exact date when the ark finally settled has sparked considerable debate. The primary approach among commentators suggests that the seventh month refers to the month of Sivan. This calculation begins not from the start of the rainfall, but from its cessation in Kislev. According to this timeline, the water levels decreased at a steady pace of one cubit every four days. Because the ark rested on the seventeenth day, before the mountain peaks were even visible, these scholars conclude that the structure was submerged eleven cubits deep within the water [רש״י, רא״ש, מזרחי, הדר זקנים, חזקוני]. This raises a natural question: if the water receded so slowly at first, how did the earth dry so rapidly later on? The explanation is that once the mountain peaks emerged, the wind and open air took control, accelerating the drying process [גור אריה, דברי דוד, חזקוני].

Conversely, other scholars reject this calculation entirely. They argue that an eleven-cubit submersion would have caused the ark to sink under its immense weight and structural design. Instead, they identify the seventh month as Nissan, counting directly from the onset of the rains in Cheshvan. In this view, the one hundred and fifty days of surging waters include the initial forty days of rain, totaling exactly five months. On the seventeenth of Nissan, God sent a fierce east wind that dramatically and suddenly dried the waters, allowing the ark to settle immediately [רמב״ן, רבנו בחיי, הטור הארוך, שד״ל, ביאור יש״ר, קאסוטו, מלבי״ם]. Adding a symbolic layer, another perspective suggests the seventh month hints at Tishrei, the traditional time of mercy and forgiveness, when God judges the world with a balance of justice and compassion [צרור המור].

Regarding the resting place, the ark did not land on a single, specific mountain named Ararat. Rather, it settled on an unspecified peak within a broad, mountainous region known by that name [רד״ק, שד״ל, קאסוטו, ביאור יש״ר]. Historically identified as a mountainous area north of Assyria, often associated with Armenia, the ark likely did not strike the highest peak in the range. Instead, it was caught on a relatively lower mountain as the water levels began to drop [מלבי״ם, רד״ק, שד״ל]. Traditional translations further pinpoint this location as the Kardu mountains, or Kurdistan [ברכת אשר, אם למקרא, קאסוטו].

This geographic identification is reinforced by ancient historians outside of Jewish tradition, who recorded early beliefs that remnants of the ark survived in the Armenian mountains. According to these historical accounts, local inhabitants would harvest pieces of the ark's wood and its protective pitch to use as amulets and charms for the atonement of sins. This practice sheds light on the origins of ancient idolatry centered around the worship of wood and planks [אם למקרא, קאסוטו]. On a deeper, conceptual level, the name Ararat is linked to the Hebrew word for a curse. The ark finding its resting place there symbolizes the mitigation of harsh judgment and the lifting of the ancient curse brought upon the world by the sin of the first man and the primordial serpent [צרור המור].