Noach 8:7 · unit 1

TT #30 · Parashas Noach · Third Aliyah · Passuk 8:7

The Complete Passuk

וַיְשַׁלַּ֖ח אֶת־הָֽעֹרֵ֑ב וַיֵּצֵ֤א יָצוֹא֙ וָשׁ֔וֹב עַד־יְבֹ֥שֶׁת הַמַּ֖יִם מֵעַ֥ל הָאָֽרֶץ׃

And he sent out the raven; it went to and fro until the waters had dried up from the earth.

Chabad.org — 8:7

Source Citation

Torah Temimah points to Sanhedrin 108b (Reish Lakish — the raven’s answer to Noach).

Sefaria — Sanhedrin 108b

E-Daf image — Sanhedrin 108b (size=3)

Shas / HebrewBooks PDF of the daf

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text
וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת הָעֹרֵב — אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: תְּשׁוּבָה נִצַּחַת הֱשִׁיבוֹ עוֹרֵב לְנֹחַ. אָמַר לוֹ: רַבָּךְ שׂוֹנְאֵנִי וְאַתָּה שְׂנֵאתָנִי. רַבָּךְ שׂוֹנְאֵנִי — שֶׁאָמַר מִן הַטְּהוֹרִים שִׁבְעָה וּמִן הַטְּמֵאִים שְׁנַיִם, וְאַתָּה שְׂנֵאתָנִי — שֶׁאַתָּה מַנִּיחַ מִבֵּין שִׁבְעָה וְשׁוֹלֵחַ מִמִּין שְׁנַיִם.

English: “And he sent out the raven” — Reish Lakish said: The raven gave Noach a crushing answer. It said to him: “Your Master hates me and you hate me. Your Master hates me — for He said of the pure seven and of the impure two; and you hate me — for you leave those of the seven and send one of the two. If the angel of heat or cold strikes me, one creature will be missing from the world.”

On the daf / in context: The raven protests being chosen for a dangerous mission when it belongs to the scarcer impure category (only one pair on the ark).

Type of Learning

Custom (aggadic dialogue explaining the raven’s reluctance).

What Is Learned

The raven objected that it was unfair to risk the only remaining pair of its species while pure birds were present in sevens.