In the Talmud, Sanhedrin 108b, Rabbi Chana bar Bizna brings a conversation between Eliezer (Avraham’s servant) and Shem (Noach’s son):
Eliezer asks Shem:
“It is written in Breisheet 8:19, ‘Every living thing, every creeping creature, every bird, everything that creeps on the earth, departed from the ark according to their families.’ This implies that each species was tended to individually in the Ark. How were you able to cope with providing each species with their particular needs?”
Shem answers: “We endured great distress in the Ark. Any creature whose habit it was to be fed by day, we fed by day, and any creature whose habit it was to be fed by night, we fed by night. With respect to the creature known as zikita (a type of small bird), Father (Noach) did not know what it ate and he was therefore unable to feed it. One day, he was sitting and cutting up a pomegranate. A worm fell out, the zikita ate it. From then on, he would knead bran in water. When it became wormy, the zikita would eat it.”
Shem continues: “As for the lion, a fever seized it and sustained it, and therefore it refrained from devouring other animals.”
Shem concludes: “Father found the avarshinah, a bird referred to as chol- lying in its quarters in the Ark. Father said to it: ‘Don’t you need food?’ The avarshinah responded: ‘I saw that you were busy feeding all of the other animals so I decided that I would not trouble you with feeding me too.’ Noach answered: ‘May it be God’s will that you never die.’”
This Agadeta teaches that Noach went out of his way to cater to needs of each type of animal and God and the animals helped out in making sure that this huge task would run as smoothly as possible.
May we all have the strength that Noach had to successfully perform the tasks that we are given.
