We often picture it as a peaceful, almost idyllic scene. But imagine being cooped up in that ark, not knowing when the flood would end. Tensions would be high. Well, the legends tell us it wasn't always smooth sailing. Take the story of the raven. Noah, needing to figure out if the waters had receded, decided to send out this bird. Seems simple enough. But the raven wasn't exactly thrilled about the assignment.
According to Ginzberg's retelling in Legends of the Jews, the raven threw a bit of a fit! The raven basically said, "Hey, you and God both have it in for me!" Harsh. But the raven had its reasons.
"The Lord, thy Master, hates me, and thou dost hate me, too," the raven complained. Why this animosity? The raven points out that Noah was instructed to bring seven pairs of clean animals into the ark, but only two pairs of unclean animals – and the raven, of course, fell into that latter category. "Thou hatest me, for thou dost not choose, as a messenger, a bird of one of the kinds of which there are seven pairs in the ark, but thou sendest me, and of my kind there is but one pair."
The raven even suggested Noah had ulterior motives! "Suppose, now, I should perish by reason of heat or cold, would not the world be the poorer by a whole species of animals? Or can it be that thou hast cast a lustful eye upon my mate, and desirest to rid thyself of me?" Can you imagine the audacity? Accusing Noah of that!
Noah, understandably, was taken aback. "Wretch!" he retorted, "I must live apart from my own wife in the ark. How much less would such thoughts occur to my mind as thou imputest to me!" Noah was making sacrifices too, and the raven's accusations were just over the line.
This little episode gives you a peek behind the curtain, doesn't it? It reminds us that even in the most extraordinary circumstances, human (and animal!) nature persists. There's jealousy, suspicion, and maybe even a little bit of paranoia. It makes the story of Noah's Ark feel so much more real, so much more… human.
What do you think? Does this change how you view the story of Noah? Does it make it more relatable, or does it diminish the grandeur of the tale? It's something to ponder, isn't it?