The Raven, the Dove, and the Faithful Messenger

"And Noah opened the window" (Genesis 8:6). This supports what Rav Abba bar Kahana said, "window." "And he sent forth the raven" (Genesis 8:7). This is what is written, "He sent darkness and made it dark" (Psalms 105:28). "And it went to and fro." It began answering him back: "Of all the beasts and birds here, you send out no one but me!" Noah said to it, "What need does the world have of you? Not for eating and not for offering." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Accept it, for the world will need it in the future." He said, "When?" He said, "When the waters dry up; a certain righteous man will arise and dry up the world," as it is written, "And the ravens brought him bread" (I Kings 17:6). Resh Lakish said: The raven gave Noah a triumphant answer. It said to him, "Your Master hates me and you hate me. Your Master hates me, for He said, 'Of every clean animal take seven,' but of the unclean two; and you hate me, for you left a species of which there are seven and sent out a species of which there are two. Were the prince of heat or the prince of cold to strike me, would the world not be lacking one creature? Or perhaps you need my mate?" He said to it, "Wicked one! With what is permitted to me it was forbidden me; with what is forbidden me, how much more so!" From where do we learn it was forbidden him? As it is written, "And you shall come into the ark, you and your sons" (Genesis 6:18), separately; from here that marital relations were forbidden them. Our Rabbis taught: Three engaged in relations in the ark, and all were punished: Ham, the dog, and the raven. The dog became tied, the raven spits, and Ham was struck in his skin, and from him came Cush, as it is written, "And the sons of Ham, Cush and Egypt" (Genesis 10:6). "And he sent forth the raven" to know what was in the world, and it went and found the carcass of a man cast upon the tops of the mountains and settled down to eat, and did not return to its mission. And he sent forth the dove, and it completed its mission. From here they said: one who sends matters by the hand of an unclean person is like one who sends by the hand of a fool, but one who sends matters by the hand of a clean person is "like a faithful envoy to those who send him" (Proverbs 25:13). "And he sent forth the dove from him" (Genesis 8:8-11). From here that the dwelling of clean birds is beside the righteous. "And behold, a plucked olive leaf was in its mouth." The dove said before the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master of the world, let my food be bitter as an olive but given by Your hand, and not sweet as honey and given by the hand of man." And how do we know that this word taraf is an expression of food? As it is said, "Feed me [hatrifeni] with my allotted bread."