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I can't find any proof about how many animals of every kind were created in the creation of the world. Is that information mentioned anywhere? Before this question, I mistakenly thought that the phrase pairs of all creatures was about Noah and the creation of the world.
So, is there any information about the number of animals created?
In the Artscroll Stone chumash, there is a reference to R. Hirsch in 1:27 "although all living creatures were created male and female."
But this might indicate some combination within a single entity.
Rashi on 2:19 writes:
It also teaches you here that at the time of their forming, immediately on that day, He brought them to man to name them (Avoth d’Rabbi Nathan, ch. 1).
But what was brought immediately?
on 2:21 Rashi writes:
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall: [Gen. Rabbah 17:4] When He brought them [the animals], He brought before him of every species, male and female.
If what was brought immediately was a male and a female, then what was created was a pair.
However, there is no reason to think that this means "only one pair".
The meforshim bring out that the initial creation of the animals was the appropriate amount for each species to be able to have a full existence. Thus,passenger pigeons, which could not survive as less than massive flocks were created in that number. Also, herbivores were created to be able to be in balance with the amount needed to eat the vegetation. Appropriate sized herds were created all ove the world. Rabbi Hirtz, as an example mentions this.
This is why Rav Hirsch points out that there was a miracle when they left the ark to enable them to survive. At the creation of the vegetation, spread out over the Earth, sea creatures throughout the oceans, and land animals throughout the world in the amounts appropriate to their species.
I speak of this at Ceationism and Evolutionhttp://sabbahillel.blogspot.com/2011/10/breishis-creationism-and-evolutionism.html)
Just as the Torah states that the trees were created bearing ripe fruit, animals must have been created with appropriate age distribution in the herds, passenger pigeons require massive flocks to survive, mushrooms require dead trees on which to grow ...
