"It was at the end of 40 days" counting from when?
Rashi, Hadar Zekenim: It was 40 days after Rosh Chodesh Av, when the tops of the mountains were seen.
Moshav Zekenim, Rosh, from Seder Olam: It was 40 days after Rosh Chodesh Sivan, from when the water started descending.
QUESTIONS ON RASHI
Rashi writes: "Forty days - from when the mountaintops became visible." Perhaps it means 40 days from when the Ark landed on 17 Sivan?
Gur Aryeh: If we count 40 days from 17 Sivan, and add 21 days from when Noach opened the window until the dove did not return, we reach only the middle of Av, when only the mountaintops were visible. Why then would the dove not return, and how could it have returned with an olive leaf 7 days prior?
Rashi writes: "The window that he had made - for illumination (Tzohar); this is not the door made for entry and exit." How does Rashi know this?
Gur Aryeh: If it refers to the door, then the words "that he had made" are superfluous, for the door was a necessary component of the Ark. Therefore, it must be interpreted as the window made for illumination, for he could have used a precious stone as an alternative light source (see Rashi to 6:16).
Rashi writes: " The window that he had made - for illumination." Rashi to 6:16 cites an alternate opinion, that Noach in fact used a precious stone for illumination. How does that opinion interpret this Pasuk?
