Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah
Ramban on Genesis 6:8/רמב"ן על בראשית ו׳:ח׳
אוְטַעַם וְנֹחַ מָצָא חֵן בְּעֵינֵי ה' שֶׁהָיוּ כָּל מַעֲשָׂיו לְפָנָיו נָאִים וּנְעִימִים. וְכֵן "כִּי מָצָאתָ חֵן בְּעֵינַי וָאֵדָעֲךָ בְּשֵׁם" (שמות לג יז), כְּדֶרֶךְ "וַיִּתֵּן חִנּוֹ בְּעֵינֵי שַׂר בֵּית הַסֹּהַר" (בראשית ל"ט:כ"א), "וַתְּהִי אֶסְתֵּר נֹשֵׂאת חֵן בְּעֵינֵי כָּל רֹאֶיהָ" (אסתר ב טו). וְהִזְכִּיר זֶה כְּנֶגֶד מַה שֶׁאָמַר בְּדוֹרוֹ שֶׁהָיוּ כָּל מַעֲשֵׂיהֶם לְעִצָּבוֹן לְפָנָיו יִתְבָּרַךְ, וְאָמַר בּוֹ שֶׁהָיָה לְחֵן בְּעֵינָיו, וְאַחַר כֵּן סִפֵּר מַדּוּעַ הָיָה טוֹב לִפְנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים, כִּי הָיָה צַדִּיק תָּמִים:
1BUT NOAH FOUND GRACE IN THE EYES OF THE ETERNAL. The meaning thereof is that all his deeds were pleasing and sweet before Him. Similarly: For thou hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by name.518 This is like the verses: And He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison;519 And Esther obtained favor in the sight of all of them that looked upon her.520 Scripture mentions this in contrast to what it said concerning his [Noah’s] generation, namely, that all their deeds brought grief before Him, blessed be He. But of Noah it says that he found grace in His eyes, and afterwards it tells521. why he was pleasing before G-d: because he was a perfectly righteous man.Noach