Machshavot HaLev - Yeshivat Lev HaTorah

26
Noach
The Raven and the Dove
Orel Neiman
I n this week’s parsha, we learn many lessons from the animals in the ark. Two
animals in particular that we can learn from are the raven and the dove. During the
mabul, Noah sent out the raven (8:7) to see if there was any dry land and the raven
refused to fly away. The Gemara in Sanhedrin (108b) says that the raven argued with
Noah saying, ינתאנש התאו ינאנוש ךבר, “your Master (Hashem) hates me and you hate
me.” The raven thought that Hashem hated him because he was of the impure animals
and Hashem only let two of every impure animal in the ark, while He let seven of
every pure animal in the ark. The raven said Noah hated him because, of all the birds
Noah could choose to send out, he sent him out. If the raven died on this mission,
there would be no more ravens in the world, while if Noah sent out a pure bird, its
species would still be preserved.
The Gemara continues by saying that the raven was so suspicious of Noah, even
though Noah had supported it during the entire time it was on the ark, that it accused
Noah of sending it out in order to have access to the female raven. Before the flood,
there was a lot of perversion and corruption amongst the people and the animals and
many animals crossbred. Although the animals on the ark had not done so, perhaps
the raven was influenced by this corruption, and projected its own corrupt morals on
Noah. That is why it falsely accused Noah. Noah, being a pure person, screamed at the
raven and said that Hashem forbid relations on the ark even between spouses, so such
an accusation would be absurd! Finally the last wicked thing the raven did was, even