"In the tenth month, on the first day, the mountains became visible." What calendar date was that?
Rashi, Ramban and Seforno: It was Rosh Chodesh Av, the 10th month from when the Flood began (in Marcheshvan).
Ramban and Targum Yonasan: It was Rosh Chodesh Tamuz (the 10th month of the year).
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes: "If you propose that 'the tenth month' [when the mountaintops were revealed] would mean Elul...." How deeply would the Ark have been submerged according to this possibility?
Gur Aryeh: There would then be 90 days from 1 Sivan to 1 Elul, and the water would have receded 1 Amah per six days. On 17 Sivan, the waters would have receded 2 2/3 Amos, meaning the Ark would have been submerged 12 1/3 Amos.
Rashi writes: "The month that the Torah calls "Rishon" is none other than Tishrei."Perhaps it means Nisan, and ten months elapsed between when the Ark landed and the water dried up?
Gur Aryeh: Just as "the second month" means Marcheshvan at the beginning of the Flood (7:11);, it must mean Marcheshvan when the earth dried out as well (8:14). Therefore, "the first month" must be Tishrei. Although other dates during the Flood are in fact counted by other methods, each one has a reason (refer to 8:5:1.3:1), but the Torah would not switch its method of counting from Tishrei to Nisan in mid-topic.
Rashi writes: The seventh month is counted... from when the rain stopped; the tenth month.... from when it fell; and the first month... is Tishrei. How can it be that each date is counted by a different method?
Gur Aryeh: Each date uses the count that is appropriate to that event. The beginning of the Flood was in the "second month" (7:11) counting from Tishrei, when the world was judged and HaSh-m finalized His decree. The Ark came to rest in the "seventh month" (8:4) counting from when the rain stopped, because it was only in Kislev, towards the end of the 40 days of rain, that the Ark was lifted off of the ground (refer to 7:17:1.1:1); and now it came to rest again after 7 months had passed. The mountaintops were revealed in the "tenth month" (in this verse), counting from when the rains fell, Marcheshvan, when the ground was first covered. The earth dried up and the Flood ended in the "first month" (8:13), counting from the judgment in Tishrei, just as the beginning of the Flood was counted.
