Are You a Raven or a Dove?

Personalities are not etched in stone. People can and do change. Never give up on a human being!

Sending the Raven and the Dove; in That Order

When Noach wanted to know whether the waters of the flood that destroyed the world had subsided and it was time for him to leave the ark, he first sent a raven.

In this week’s Parsha we are informed that the raven, however, just “circled the ark until the earth dried” never carrying out its mission. Noach then sent a dove, which did fulfill its mission.

Since every detail of the Torah is precise and we must learn a lesson from its every nuance, we must try to understand why did Noach send a raven first and then a dove, and why was the raven incapable of fulfilling its mission unlike the dove??

Reserved for a Future Mission

Rashi, citing the Midrash, interprets the “circling of the raven until the earth dried” in a rather novel way:

The raven that Noach sent did not really complete its mission at that juncture in history, but was reserved for a future mission in the days of Elijah the Prophet, over 1,500 years later! In the days of Elijah there was a drought caused by Elijah’s declaration that there would be no rain. Elijah was fed by the ravens that provided him with food. Accordingly, the meaning of the words “until the earth dried up” refers to the future drought in the days of Elijah.

Offhand it is difficult to comprehend what our Sages meant when they said that the raven’s mission was not fulfilled until the days of Elijah.

A Raven’s Personality

The raven is characterized in rabbinic literature as a bird that lacks compassion, even for its own progeny. By contrast, the dove is the symbol of love and compassion.

When Noach sent the bird to determine whether the water had subsided, he was interested in more than the physical angle. Noach knew that the physical aspects of the flood were expressions of the spiritual side of the flood. The flood was intended not only to punish the evildoers, but more importantly to refine the world that had become so corrupted.

As time progressed, Noach wanted to know whether the nature of the world had changed. To verify this he sent the raven, the bird that is known for its lack of compassion to see whether the “new world” that had been brought about by the flood had the effect to alter nature; specifically the nature of a cruel bird.

Noach realized that this level of refinement was not yet achieved. But, this did not mean that the flood had no effect on the world. The flood purified the world, providing it with the potential to change. There would eventually come a time when the level of refinement will succeed in even effecting a reversal of nature. In the days of Elijah—a prophet who is known for his body ascending into paradise, indicating the degree to which he was able to achieve the refinement of his body — even the raven would change and bring food to the drought stricken Elijah.

The above is based on a premise that contrary to what may appear the reality the world does change irreversibly for the better with the passage of time.

This premise may appear to some to be at odds with a Talmudic statement to the effect that the generations decline.

In truth, there is no contradiction. While the good that we accomplish digs deep into the “psyche” of the world. To ensure free choice, the surface and superficial evil can become stronger. So while we may see more evil in the world, deep down in the earths bowels there is refinement occurring each and every time we perform a Mitzvah. Our potential has increased exponentially from the time of the flood until the present.

The Messianic Age will finally make our internal virtue be in sync with the surface. The external and internal dimensions of the world will be mirror reflections of the other’s goodness.

Two Personality Types

Returning to the dove and the raven:

The dove and raven are representative of two personality types. The dove personality is naturally kind and compassionate, whereas the raven personality is naturally cruel, insensitive and selfish.

There are those who are inclined to think that we should give up on the “raven” personality. Even a deluge of purifying waters, i.e., education using the pure and refreshing waters of Torah, will not enable the raven-personality to fulfill his or her G-d given mission to be a source of comfort for the world. Many educators will argue that we should not waste our resources on the raven personality whose character can never be changed.

To dispel this notion, our Sages tell us that while the raven failed in his initial mission in the days of Noach, it was not a reason to give up on the raven. The world had not yet had the chance to change, but Noah was confident that it will change. And in fact, the change had already occurred although imperceptible to us.

This situation can be compared to an earthquake is but the end result of small imperceptible seismic changes, which only the most sophisticated instruments can detect. Noah had this fifth sense and detected the change and realized that it would ultimately reach critical mass in the days of Elijah.

Only in the times of Elijah — the prophet who is charged with the responsibility to announce the coming of Moshiach — will the world reach the critical mass necessary for the transformation of the raven-type into kind and compassionate people.

Witnessing Profound Changes in Society

The lesson for our times is clear. Living as we are in momentous times that are clearly approaching the coming of Moshiach, we are witness to an incredible phenomenon. Notwithstanding the evil that has hit us recently, we have seen profound character changes in many people. The “ravens” have turned into “doves” and are fulfilling their original mission. of being the messengers of hope.

While the last reserves of evil are making their way to the surface and rearing their ugly heads, even more powerful reservoirs of goodness and holiness that lie dormant are waiting to be tapped. Indeed, in the wake of the recent catastrophe (i.e., the events that have become known simply as 911) that was generated by the most evil elements of society we have seen the reaction of so many who were willing to risk their lives to save others.

Not all of those people were natural doves; many were closer to the raven type who rose to the occasion and experienced the transformation into the dove personality.

As the Rebbe told us over two decades ago. “Moshiach is on his way. All that we have to do is to add in goodness and kindness and that will hasten his coming even more.”

From the book Light from the Future: Parshas Noach by Rabbi Heschel Greenberg, published by the Jewish Discovery Center.