We all know the classic story: two of every animal, safe from the flood. But what about the things that aren't exactly animals?

Genesis 6:19 tells us, "And of every living being, of all flesh, two of each you shall bring to the ark, to keep alive with you; they shall be male and female." Seems straightforward. But the rabbis of the Bereshit Rabbah, that incredible collection of rabbinic interpretations of Genesis, weren't so sure. They dug deeper.

Rabbi Hoshaya, in the Bereshit Rabbah, offers a mind-bending idea: even disembodied spirits, the mischievous mazikin, hitched a ride! How? Because the verse says "of every living being" – those beings "for whom souls were created, but bodies were not created for them." Talk about unexpected passengers! Imagine Noah dealing with those cabinmates!

And then there's the question of the re’em, a creature of legendary size and power. Think biblical unicorn… on steroids. Rabbi Yehuda said that the adult re’em was just too massive to fit inside the ark, but its offspring made the cut. Rabbi Nehemya, however, disagreed. He said that neither the adult nor the baby re’em could fit. Instead, Noah tied the giant beast to the ark, and as the ark sailed, the re’em plowed furrows in the ground. The Bereshit Rabbah illustrates how the ark travelled by referencing the distance from Tiberias to Susita, along the Sea of Galilee.

It's all based on a verse from Job 39:10: "Can you bind the re’em with his rope to a furrow? Will he loosen the soil of valleys after you?” The story gets even better. We hear that in the days of Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba, a young re’em wandered into the Land of Israel and started wreaking havoc, uprooting trees left and right. The community declared a fast, and Rabbi Ḥiyya prayed for deliverance. Miraculously, the mother re’em bellowed from the wilderness, and the errant youngster, hearing its mother’s call, obediently returned. Talk about a powerful maternal bond!

Finally, the Bereshit Rabbah reflects on the phrase “they shall be male and female." The rabbis deduce a lesson about courtship. "If you see a male pursuing a female, accept it; a female pursuing a male, do not accept it." It's a little window into ancient social norms. The text suggests a divinely ordained order: the male should take the lead.

So, what do we make of all this? The story of Noah's Ark isn't just a simple tale of animal rescue. It's a canvas for exploring the boundaries of creation, the nature of the supernatural, and even the nuances of social behavior. It reminds us that even the most familiar stories can hold hidden depths, waiting to be uncovered. And that sometimes, the weirdest details are the most fascinating.