Rashi on TanakhGenesis 7

For I have seen that you are righteous. Here it does not state צַדִּיק תָּמִים! [We learn] from this that we tell only part of a man’s good qualities in his presence, and all of them when he is not present.

[Ritually] clean. I.e., that is destined to be “clean” [and permitted] for Israel. We learn [from this] that Noach studied Torah.

Seven pairs. So that he might use some as sacrifices upon leaving [the ark].

Also of the birds of the heaven, etc. This verse is speaking of the “clean” [fowl] what is not explicit can be learned from that which is explicit.

Because in another seven days. This refers to the seven days of mourning for Mesushelach, the righteous one, for whose honor God had regard and postponed punishment. Go and calculate the years of Mesushelach and you will find that they ended during the six hundredth year of Noach’s life [We may learn all this from the additional word עוֹד …].

Because in another seven days. Why [the word] עוֹד? [It is] a period of time following a period of time, that which was added to the 120 years.

Forty days. This corresponds to the period of a fetus’ formation for they had sinned by troubling their Creator to form embryos for illegitimate children.

Noach did. This refers to his coming to the ark.

Noach and his sons. The men separately and the women separately, because the were forbidden marital relations since the world was in a state of grief.

Because of the waters of the Flood. Noach was also of those whose faith was weak; he believed and did not believe that the Flood will come and did not enter the ark until he was forced by the waters.

They came to Noach. Of their own accord.

Two by two. They were all equal in this number, [i.e.,] the minimum number was two.

In the second month. R. Eliezer says: this refers to Cheshvan R. Yehoshua says: this refers to Iyar.

Burst open. To release their waters.

The great deep. [A punishment] measure for measure; they sinned with “Great is the evil of man” and they were punished with “the Great deep.”

There was rain on the earth. And further on it states: “And the Flood was”? But, [it should be explained thus:] When He [God] brought them [flood waters] down He [first] brought them down mercifully so that if they repent they would yet be rains of blessing. And when they did not repent they became flood waters.

Forty days, etc. The first day is not included in this number because its night was not included with it, for it is written: [v. 11] “On that day all the wellsprings … burst open.” Consequently, the forty days ended on the twenty-eighth day of Kislev according to R. Eliezer[’s opinion], for when the months are counted regularly [then] one is complete and one deficient, so, there are 12 days of Cheshvan and 28 days of Kislev.

On that very day. Scripture teaches that the people of his generation were saying: “If we see him entering the ark we will break it up and kill him.” So God said: “I will bring him in before the eyes of everyone, then we shall see whose word prevails.”

Every bird, every winged creature. [The word צִפּוֹר] is in the construct state [meaning:] birds of every winged species [thereby] including locusts (כָּנָף means feather as [in the verse] “And he shall split it by its wings,” whereby even the feathers were brought up. Here, too, צִפּוֹר means any specie that had any semblance of feathers [wings].)

Hashem shut him in. He protected him so they would not break it. He surrounded the ark with bears and lions which killed some of them. The simple explanation of the verse is that He shut before him against the waters. Similarly, every time בְּעַד appears in Scripture has the meaning of כְּנֶגֶד —in front of, [as in] “In front of every womb,” “In front of yourself and in front of your children,” “Skin in front of skin,” “A shield in front of me” “Pray in front of your servants” [meaning:] opposite [on behalf of] your servants.

It rose above the earth. It [the ark] was immersed eleven cubits in water like a loaded ship that is partially immersed in water. This will be borne out by the forthcoming verses.

[They] were powerful. By themselves.

Fifteen amohs above them. [Meaning:] above the peaks of all the mountains, once the water reached the level of the summits.

Breath of the spirit of life. [Meaning:] a breath of the spirit of life.

Everything on dry land. But not the fish in the sea.

[He] obliterated. It is in the וַיִּפְעַל form and not in the וַיִּפָּעֶל form. This is from the forms [of the verbs:] וַיִּפֶן, וַיִּבֶן Every word whose last root letter is ה"א such as: בנה, מחה, קנה when a וי"ו and יו"ד are placed at the beginning is vocalized with a chirik under the יו"ד.

Only Noach. “Only Noach.” That is the simple explanation. [However,] Midrash Aggadah explains. he was coughing and spitting blood from the toil and burden of the animals Others explain: that [once] he was late in bringing food to the lion and he bit him. About such [as Noach] it is said: “The righteous one is punished in this world.”