<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">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.<div><br></div><div>This follows, of course, the fiasco of Cain's inferior offering.</div><div><br></div><div>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. </div><div><br></div><div>I'm reminded of the famous story in the<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; "> 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.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; "><font face="Arial, Helvetica" size="3"><p>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.</p><p>ri</p></font></span><div><br></div></body></html>