What an awesome task! During the twelve months of the great flood Noah dutifully fed all the thousands of animals that were housed in the ark. Each day he fed the bears, hippos, crocodiles, kangaroos, cows, and gazelles, etc. This great responsibility required Noah to devote most of his time and energy to caring for the fowl, fish, and beasts.
Noah fulfilled his caretaker role with great mercy, dedication, and sacrifice. He made sure that each species received its required food on a precise schedule.
Only once during this intense period of service, was Noah a bit lax. Specifically, one day he was late in feeding the lion. The grouchy lion struck out at Noah and injured him with his powerful paw.
Yet, this is hard to understand! Is it any wonder that after such an intense and dangerous effort he ran late on one occasion? In light of all of his kindness and dedication to feed all of HaShem’s creations, why didn’t HaShem protect him?
aShem shows continuous mercy and goodness to all of His creations. Our Sages encourage us to emulate HaShem, "Just as HaShem is merciful and kind, so too, you should also be merciful and kind." Any deficiency in showing mercy to HaShem’s creations is a spiritual imperfection. Therefore, Noah’s slight flaw in mercy rendered him vulnerable to the lion’s anger.
Of course, we are not on the level of Noah. However, this incident highlights the great importance of acting with mercy and kindness. May we be inspired to show compassion, sensitivity, and care to all of HaShem’s creations. In turn, HaShem will care for us with abundant and continuous mercy, love, and care. [Based on Da’as Torah of Rav Yerucham of Mir]
TODAY: Act compassionately and kindly to a family member or friend.
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