The Flight of the Raven
As we near the end of the Noach story in Parshat Noach, the rain ceased months ago and the water is slowly receding. We can feel the limbo of the inhabitants. The noise, the smells, the stale air are palpable. When the text tells us that Noach opens the window to the ark, we, as readers, are relieved. We can imagine Noach looking out the window and taking a deep breath of fresh air. We can appreciate his possible uncertainty about the next steps, so we are not surprised when he decides to send out birds to scout out a place suitable for the inhabitants to exit. Then, in the blink of an eye, in two short lines, we are introduced to the raven, and its story concludes.
וַיְהִ֕י מִקֵּ֖ץ אַרְבָּעִ֣ים י֑וֹם וַיִּפְתַּ֣ח נֹ֔חַ אֶת־חַלּ֥וֹן הַתֵּבָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָֽׂה׃
וַיְשַׁלַּ֖ח אֶת־הָֽעֹרֵ֑ב וַיֵּצֵ֤א יָצוֹא֙ וָשׁ֔וֹב עַד־יְבֹ֥שֶׁת הַמַּ֖יִם מֵעַ֥ל הָאָֽרֶץ׃
At the end of forty days, Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent out the raven; it went to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth. Genesis 8:6-7
Following the brief account of the raven, we meet the dove. Lines 8-11 describe the story of the dove:
Then he sent out the dove to see whether the waters had decreased from the surface of the ground.
But the dove could not find a resting place for its foot, and returned to him to the ark, for there was water over all the earth. So putting out his hand, he took it into the ark with him.
He waited another seven days, and again sent out the dove from the ark.
The dove came back to him toward evening, and there in its bill was a plucked-off olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the waters had decreased on the earth.
Why the raven and why the dove were chosen has been a subject for much rabbinic commentary. At the conclusion of this post I will post links to commentary on the raven, who earns a spot in Sefer Breisheet. So many characters and objects in Torah are given the briefest of mentions, but each of these objects and characters holds relevance in the text and later in the studies of the rabbis. Yes, some characters merit chapters and even volumes of attention, but whether bird or animal, unnamed humans or angels, all deserve our time. Let's focus just for a moment on the raven's flight.
Wishing you a Shabbat Shalom,
Leann
The Flight of the Raven
The ark rocks like an oversized cradle on the water, blanketed in mist.
The bird,all sharpened edges,
oiled in black, sits alert,
cocking its head
as keen eyes survey the sky above,
perched on the shoulder of the man,
whose beard is weathered and gray.
“Be off with you now!” says the man.
“Fly!”
“See what you see.”
“Find what you find.”
The raven tilts its head,
as though searching for somethingin the wind.
It flexes its wings,
luminous feathers fan outward,
and with a burst, it rises.
The man lifts his head and watches.
Upward the raven flies.
Wings pushing, heart pumping.
Above it, heavy gray clouds carpet the sky.
Below it, waves ruffle the waters,
churning in shades of green and gray.
High above this watery world, the raven circles the ark.
and it appears smaller and smaller.
How tiny it looks from above,
like a toy bouncing on the waves.
The raven is free.
It glides between air currents;
feels the wind combing its feathers,
the sounds of waves muffled far below.
The sky belongs to it alone,
and so it dips and swoops,
circling in loops that grow wider and wider.
To fly is its pleasure, its earthly delight.
The man searches the sky.
The raven flies onward,
majestic, free,
its destination unknown.
Where is its destination?
The raven breathes beginnings, endings.
The water below, the sky above.
The solitary raven flies.
To Learn More:
Commentary on The Raven in Parshat Noach
הָֽעֹרֵ֑ב
Comments