Tanach · Rishonim on Tanach · Ramban · Torah

Ramban on Genesis 7:8/רמב"ן על בראשית ז׳:ח׳

א[ח-ט] מִן הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְּהוֹרָה וּמִן הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר אֵינֶנָּה טְהֹרָה שְׁנַיִם שְׁנַיִם בָּאוּ אֶל נֹחַ פֵּרֵשׁ רַשִׁ"י (רש"י על בראשית ז':ט') כֻּלָּן הֻשְׁווּ בְּמִנְיַן זֶה, מִן הַפָּחוּת הָיוּ שְׁנַיִם. וַאֲחֵרִים אָמְרוּ (רד"ק) כִּי פֵּרוּשׁ שְׁנַיִם זוּגוֹת, לוֹמַר שֶׁהָיוּ בָּאִים זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה יַחַד. וְעַל דַּעְתִּי שֶׁכֵּן הָיָה שֶׁבָּאוּ מִכֻּלָּם שְׁנַיִם זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה מֵעַצְמָם, וְנֹחַ הוֹסִיף לְהָבִיא מִן הַטְּהוֹרִים שִׁשָּׁה זוּגוֹת, כִּי הַבָּאִים לְהִנָּצֵל בָּאוּ מֵעַצְמָם, וַאֲשֶׁר לְצֹרֶךְ קָרְבָּן טָרַח בַּמִּצְוָה, כִּי כֵן נֶאֱמַר לוֹ. וְטַעַם "וַיַּעַשׂ נֹחַ כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר צִוָּהוּ ה'" (בראשית ז':ה') אָמְרוּ בִּבְרֵאשִׁית רַבָּה (בראשית רבה ל"ב:ה'), זֶה שֶׁיָּכִין לִכְנוֹס בְּהֵמָה וְחַיָּה וְעוֹף, כְּלוֹמַר הַטְּהוֹרִים, שֶׁטָּרַח הוּא אַחֲרֵיהֶם וּלְקָחָם אֶל בֵּיתוֹ. וְהַכָּתוּב שֶׁאָמַר פַּעַם שְׁלִישִׁית "כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה אֱלֹהִים אֶת נֹחַ" (בראשית ז':ט') לוֹמַר שֶׁעָשָׂה כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּהוּ בִּכְנִיסַת הַתֵּבָה, כִּי הוּא נִמְשָׁךְ לְמַעְלָה עִם "וַיָּבֹא נֹחַ", לוֹמַר שֶׁבָּא נֹחַ וּבָנָיו וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וּנְשֵׁי בָנָיו אֶל הַתֵּבָה, וּמִן הַבְּהֵמָה וְהָעוֹף וְהָרֶמֶשׂ שְׁנַיִם שְׁנַיִם שֶׁבָּאוּ אֵלָיו אֶל הַתֵּבָה, וְכֻלָּם בָּאוּ אִתּוֹ שֶׁנִּכְנְסוּ בַּתֵּבָה מִפְּנֵי מֵי הַמַּבּוּל כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה אֹתוֹ אֱלֹהִים, וְחָזַר וּפֵרֵשׁ הַחֹדֶשׁ וְהַיּוֹם שֶׁבָּא הַמַּבּוּל וְכֵיצַד בָּא, וְאָמַר כִּי בְּעֶצֶם אוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם הוּא שֶׁבָּא נֹחַ אֶל הַתֵּבָה וְעִמּוֹ כָּל הַבָּשָׂר הַחַי, לֹא קֹדֶם לָכֵן:

1OF CLEAN BEASTS, AND OF BEASTS THAT ARE NOT CLEAN. 9. TWO AND TWO THERE CAME IN UNTO NOAH. Rashi explained: “They were all equal with respect to this number for the least number of any species was two.” Others⁷⁹ said that the meaning of “two” is pairs, meaning that they came couplewise, male and female together.In my opinion, the matter was thus: two — a male and a female — came of their own accord from each species, and Noah added by bringing six additional pairs from the clean ones since those that came to be saved arrived of their own accord while he busied himself for the sake of the commandment with those that were destined for sacrifice, for so it was told to him.⁸⁰ And the meaning of the verse, And Noah did according unto all that the Eternal commanded him,⁸¹ is, as the Rabbis have said in Bereshith Rabbah,⁷⁸ that he was to prepare to bring in the cattle, beast, and fowl, meaning the clean ones, those which he himself went after and brought to his house. The verse which states a third time, as G-d hath commanded Noah,⁸² means that he did as He had commanded him concerning entering the ark, for this verse is connected with the above verse: And Noah came in.⁷⁷ The verse thus states that Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives came into the ark along with two and two of the cattle and fowl and creeping things that came to him in order to enter into the ark. All of them came with him, entering the ark because of the waters of the flood,⁷⁷ as G-d commanded him. Scripture then returns and sets forth the month and the day in which the flood came⁸³ and how he entered the ark, stating that on that selfsame day when the rains began — and not before — Noah entered the ark, and with him were all living things.