Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

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בלה תובשחמ
and He alone is responsible for supporting all of us as well.
Perhaps we can also suggest another reason that Noach needed to spend his own
money to feed others on the teiva. We are affected by everything we see. Noach
grew up in a society that did not value anyone but self. Additionally, Noach
witnessed the destruction of everyone around him. It is possible that after living
in that world and witnessing what occurred in the world, Noach would become
desensitized to the value of other people’s lives. In order to balance the potential
indifference to others, Hashem asked Noach to invest his own money for others
well being. In Sha’ar Ahava, the author of the Orchos Tzaddikim suggests that the
way to obtain compassion for someone else is to invest in their good fortune. The
more we do for someone else, the more we will like them. Similarly, Rav Dessler
writes that the root of the Hebrew word for love is hav, which means to give.
This also explains why Hashem forced Noach to feed each animal every day.
There were already so many miracles happening to enable to teiva to survive the
flood; would it have been a big deal for Hashem to miraculously feed the animals?
The answer is that feeding the animals was a crucial part of the development of
Noach’s character. Despite all the destruction to others and living in a generation
in which theft was a normal part of life, Noach was being trained in having
compassion for others. He was forced to perform kind acts everyday to root out
potential indifference that could have sneaked in subconsciously. Noach was
asked to use his own money to support life in the teiva to implant in himself a
sense of responsibility for those around him.
From here we learn another critical lesson. We can’t subject ourselves to certain
environments and think we walk out of that situation unscathed. We are affected
by our surroundings and by what we see and experience even if we only see them
unintentionally. When being part of an experience or habit, we must realize that
these too are having an affect on us.
Yehi ratzon mi-lifnei Avinu she-bashamayim that He open our eyes and hearts
to have the sensitivity to realize that Hashem is constantly doing miracles for us
and to be aware of how our environments are affecting us. He should give us the
wisdom to know how to parlay that into getting closer to Him.