עֲשָׂרָה דוֹרוֹת מֵאָדָם וְעַד נֹחַ, לְהוֹדִיעַ כַּמָּה אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם לְפָנָיו, שֶׁכָּל הַדּוֹרוֹת הָיוּ מַכְעִיסִין וּבָאִין עַד שֶׁהֵבִיא עֲלֵיהֶם אֶת מֵי הַמַּבּוּל. עֲשָׂרָה דוֹרוֹת מִנֹּחַ וְעַד אַבְרָהָם, לְהוֹדִיעַ כַּמָּה אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם לְפָנָיו, שֶׁכָּל הַדּוֹרוֹת הָיוּ מַכְעִיסִין וּבָאִין, עַד שֶׁבָּא אַבְרָהָם וְקִבֵּל עָלָיו שְׂכַר כֻּלָּם:
Dez gerações de Adão até Noach. Para nos avaliar o quanto Ele é sofredor. Por todas essas gerações eles continuaram irritando-O—até que trouxe sobre eles as águas do dilúvio. [Você também não se admira que Ele tenha sofrido com os idólatras durante todos esses anos que eles subjugaram Seus filhos, pois Ele foi ainda mais com os idólatras das (dez) gerações de Adão até Noach.—até que foram destruídos no dilúvio.] Dez gerações de Noach até Abraão. Para nos avaliar o quanto Ele é sofredor. Por todas essas gerações eles continuaram irritando-O—até que Abraão veio e tomou sobre si a recompensa de todos. [Ele fez boas ações correspondentes ao que todos eles deveriam ter feito—portanto todos foram resgatados em seu mérito. E assim como ele tomou sobre si o jugo de mitsvoth neste mundo sobre e contra todos eles, ele também recebeu para que o mundo viesse recompensa sobre e contra todos eles. Pois todo homem tem duas ações, uma em Gan Eden; o outro, em Gehinnom. Se ele é meritório, ele recebe sua parte e a de seu vizinho (o malfeitor) em Gan Eden. Se ele é culpado, ele recebe sua parte e a de seu vizinho (o tsadic) em Gehinnom.]
Avot DeRabbi Natan
And why was it necessary to bring all those people into the world? This teaches you that even as all those generations continued to anger the Holy Blessed One, He did not bring the flood upon them because of the righteous and saintly among them. And some say that as long as Methuselah was alive, the flood did not come upon the world; and even when Methuselah died, it was still held off for another seven days, as it says (Genesis 7:10), “And it was seven days, [and the waters of the flood were on the earth].” What was happening during those seven days? These were the [seven] days of mourning for that righteous man, who had prevented the punishment. That is why it says, “And it was seven days.”
Another interpretation of, “And it was seven days”: This teaches that the Holy Blessed One fixed a specific time, after 120 years, hoping that they might repent. But they did not, and so it says, “And it was seven days” [i.e., the final seven days of the countdown].
Another interpretation of, “And it was seven days”: This teaches that the Holy Blessed One changed the order of the world [which was created in seven days] for them, and had the sun rise from the west and set in the east, hoping that maybe they would understand and become afraid and repent. But they did not, and so it says, “And it was seven days.”
Another interpretation: This teaches that the Holy Blessed One set a table for them, and gave them a taste of the World to Come, so that they would gather together and say to one another, “Oy, for we have lost all this goodness, and we have caused the destruction of our descendants (from the earth), as it says (Genesis 6:12), “And God saw the earth, and it had been destroyed.”