[Avodah] Noach Why Did Some Come On Their Own and Others Didn't?

[Cantor Wolberg]

R' Yaakov Kamenetsky notes that verse 9 of Chapter 7 states that the  
unclean animals came to Noah on their own ('Two by two they came to  
Noah into the Ark," etc., but verse 2, which states: "Of every clean  
animal TAKE UNTO you seven pairs," etc., implies that the clean  
animals did not come, for Noah had to personally get them. The unclean  
animals were in the Ark only to preserve their species, but the clean  
animals had the additional purpose of being offerings after the Flood  
was over. God wants offerings to come as a result of human effort.  
Therefore He commanded Noah to search them out and bring them. Ramban  
comments that one pair of every species, the clean ones included, came  
of its own accord, meaning that God caused them to come instinctively.  
As for the additional six pairs of the kosher animals that Noah would  
use later for offerings, he had to gather them himself. [For God to  
have sent these animals to Noah without any effort on his part would  
have diminished the significance of his offerings. It is his own  
desire and his own exertions that give value to the offering]. Stone  
Chumash.

This follows, of course, the fiasco of Cain's inferior offering.

I see a different reason for why the unclean animals came on their  
own, whereas, the clean animals, Noah had to get them.  The unclean  
animals were not going to be sacrificed, so they were safe and secure  
in the Ark.  The fate of the clean animals, on the other hand, was not  
anything they looked forward to, hence, they had to be found.  
(Obviously, this is metaphoric). Nobody wants to rush to his or her  
death, even as a sacrifice.

I'm reminded of the famous story in the Talmud (Bava Metzia 85a) which  
tells about the famed author of the Mishna, Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. The  
rabbi was walking down the street one day, when a little calf ran up  
to him and hid under his cloak. Apparently, the calf had run away from  
the slaughterhouse.
The rabbi said to the calf, "Go back to be slaughtered, for this you  
have been created." At this point, a Divine decree was made against  
him because he had not shown pity on the creature. As a result he  
became sick and suffered for many years, until one day he showed pity  
on a family of young rats and was suddenly healed.

ri


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