ויאמר. אמרו חז"ל עד שהיה נח בתיבה נתן בלבו ואמר מי יתן יהיו לבני עבדים שיהיו הם יושבים ועבדים משמשין לפניהם. ואמר כשאצא מכאן מה שאני מוליד עושה אותם עבדים לפני הלך כנען וסרסו אמר נח אתה מנעתני מלהוליד בן רביעי לעשותו עבד לאחיך הרי בנך הרביעי יהיה עבד לאחיו. וא"ת למה קלל כנען יותר מכל שאר בני חם בשלמא למאן דאמר סרסו ניחא כדפי' אלא למ"ד חם רבעו מה תאמר. והחכם ר' אהרן מצא במדרש שחם ראה וספר לאחיו כמלעיג ולא עשה דרך כבוד. אך בשוק גלה הדבר ושמע כנען הנבזה ורבעו הה"ד את אשר עשה לו בנו הקטן של חם דבני בנים הרי הם כבנים שהרי חם עצמו לא היה הקטן שהרי הכתוב מונה אותו אמצעי אלא ר"ל קטנו של חם והוא כנען ולכך כתיב וירא חם אבי כנען אבי של עבירה. ולמאן דאמר סרסו קורא חם בנו הקטן כלומר הבזוי כמו הנה קטן נתתיך בגוים. ועוד אמרינן בפרקי ר' אליעזר מה ראה לקלל בנו בעבד דכתיב בן יכבד אב ועבד אדוניו וה"פ אם בן יכבד אב הרי זה טוב ואם לאו יהיה עבד לאדוניו. ד"א לכן קללו בעבד לפי שהיה ראשון שראה הדבר והיה מוטל עליו אותו עבדות ולא עשה ושעבד אחיו לעשותה לכך נתקלל בעבד מדה כנגד מדה. ולכך כתיב נמי עבד עבדים ב' עבדות ששעבד חם לאחיו וכנען לאחיו. ויאמר (נח) ארור כנען, “Noach said: “Canaan be cursed and become a lowly slave to his brothers" Our sages in B’reshit Rabbah 36,7 state that already when Noach entered the ark, he had been upset that he did not have a young son who could perform for him many chores that it had now become his task to perform personally. He therefore had resolved that when he would sire more children after leaving the ark, he would train some as his servants. Upon hearing him say something of that nature, his grandson Canaan went ahead and castrated him to prevent him from having more children. Noach therefore decided to treat Canaan as if he had been his fourth son and decreed that he should become a servant to his brothers. If you were to ask why he cursed Canaan more than anyone of Cham’s other children, a question which is justified according to the opinion that it had been Canaan who had castrated him, [Canaan could not have been even one year old when Noach left the ark, so that Noach must have failed to impregnate with wife until he had grown up, Ed.] how do we answer the problem according to the opinion that it was his son Cham, and not his grandson who had castrated him? A sage by the name of Rabbi Aaron, found a Midrash that Cham had discovered his father in a state of nudity, and told his brothers about it in a derogatory manner, and he had been overheard by Canaan, who had decided to castrate his grandfather. This is the meaning of the puzzling words: את אשר עשה לו בנו הקטן, “what his son the minor had done to him” (9,24) Grandchildren are often referred to in the Torah as if they were children, not grandchildren. Actually, the line could not have referred to Cham, as he was not Noach’s youngest son, as the Torah lists him as his middle son. (10,1) The Torah, in referring to Canaan as Noach’s youngest son, meant his grandson. [At that time he only had one grandson, so that he did not have to be named. Ed.] We find proof that grandsons may be called younger sons in Ovadiah: 1,2: הנה קטון נתתיך בגוים, “here I will make you the least among the nations;”Furthermore, according to Pirkey de rabbi Eliezer, chapter 23, the line in Malachi 1,6: בן יכבד אב ועבד אדוניו, “a son is expected to honour his father, and a servant his master,” is interpreted as follows: when a son honours his father, all is well; if not, he will wind up as a servant to his master. [not found in my edition of the Pirkey de Rabbi Eliezer. Ed.] An alternate interpretation. The reason why Noach chose as punishment that the person who witnessed his disgrace become a slave was that seeing he was the one who saw his state of nudity first, it was his duty to do what any servant would to, i.e. to cover his nudity. Seeing that he had neglected to perform the duty of a servant, he was now condemned to remain a servant all the time. This is also why he used the expression עבד עבדים, “a servant of servants,” instead of simply עבד “servant.” Both Cham and his son Canaan were condemned to be servants to Cham’s brothers.
עבד עבדים. שאינו יוצא לחירות לעולם ומי גרם לו כל הקללה הזאת שביזה לאביו. וכן עתיד הקב"ה ליפרע מבניו ולבזותם דכתיב את שבי מצרים ואת גלות כוש נערים וזקנים יחדיו ערום ויחף וחשופי שת ערות מצרים שהוא יוליך אותן בבזוי ערומים. אבל יפת שכבד אביו פרע לו האל כשיבא גוג ומגוג ישפילו הקב"ה ומכסה עליו שנא' והיה ביום ההוא אתן לגוג שם מקור קבר. (וחם) [וגם] פרע לבני שם בשעה שנכנסו בני אהרן להקריב נשרפה נשמתן ולא גופן ולא לבושיהן לפי שהיו מבני בניו של שם וגם כשנשרף סנחריב מלך אשור נשרף בלא בגדיו לפי שהיה מזרעו: עבד עבדים, “a slave for evermore.” What caused him this terrible curse? It was all because he had shamed his father. As a punishment, in future his descendants would be put to shame, as we know from Isaiah 20,4: כאשר הלך עבדי ישעיהו ערום ויחף שלש שנים אות ומופת על מצרים ועל כוש, “just as My servant Yeshayahu had to go naked and barefoot, the captives of Egypt and the slaves of Nubia young and old will have to go naked and barefoot.” But Yephet who honoured his father will be honoured by G–d in the days of the wars preceding the final redemption when G–d will reward him by humbling Gog and Magog, and by covering the shame of Yephet. (Compare Ezekiel 39,11).” He will also compensate Shem, at the time when the two priests, sons of Aaron, prepared to offer their unauthorised incense in the Temple, when only their souls were burned, but their bodies as well as their garments were left intact by the heavenly fire and were buried in a dignified manner. This was because they had also been descendants of Shem. (Leviticus 10,2-7)