Why Animals Fear Humanity and the Seven Laws Given to Noah

"And the fear of you." Because the generation of the Flood sinned, He gave the beasts dominion over them; and it was not because Noah and his sons were righteous that He placed the fear of them upon all the beasts. And thus they said: a beast does not kill a person until it appears in its eyes like cattle. And concerning seven commandments were Noah and his sons and his descendants commanded: concerning the laws, and concerning cursing the Name, and concerning idolatry, and concerning bloodshed, and concerning sexual immorality, and concerning robbery, and concerning a limb from a living animal. As it is said, "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying: Of every tree of the garden you may surely eat" (Genesis 2:16). "And He commanded"—these are the laws, as it is said, "For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household" etc. (Genesis 18:19). "The LORD"—this is the blessing [cursing] of the Name, as it is said, "And he that blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death" (Leviticus 24:16). "God"—this is idolatry, as it is said, "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:3). "The man"—this is bloodshed, as it is said, "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed" (Genesis 9:6). "Saying"—this is sexual immorality, as it is said, "Saying: If a man put away his wife" (Jeremiah 3:1). "Of every tree of the garden"—this is robbery, as it is said, "Of all that about which he has sworn falsely" (Leviticus 5:24). "You may surely eat"—this is a limb from a living animal, and so it says, "But flesh with its life, its blood, you shall not eat" (Genesis 9:4).