Daf Ditty Shabbes 90

Daf Ditty Shabbes 90: The Raven

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
“’Tis some visitor,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more.”

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Nameless here for evermore.

And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each purple curtain

Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
“’Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door—
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door;—
This it is and nothing more.”

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,

“Sir,” said I, “or Madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you”—here I opened wide the door;—
Darkness there and nothing more.

Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Daf Ditty Shabbes 90

Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;

But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Lenore?”
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Lenore!”—
Merely this and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,

Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
“Surely,” said I, “surely that is something at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore—
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;—
’Tis the wind and nothing more!”

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In there stepped a stately Raven of the saintly days of yore;
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or stayed he;
But, with mien of lord or lady, perched above my chamber door—
Perched upon a bust of Pallas just above my chamber door—
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,

By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it wore,
“Though thy crest be shorn and shaven, thou,” I said, “art sure no craven,
Ghastly grim and ancient Raven wandering from the Nightly shore—
Tell me what thy lordly name is on the Night’s Plutonian shore!”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so plainly,

Though its answer little meaning—little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his chamber door—
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his chamber door,
With such name as “Nevermore.”

But the Raven, sitting lonely on the placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did outpour.
Nothing farther then he uttered—not a feather then he fluttered—
Till I scarcely more than muttered “Other friends have flown before—
On the morrow he will leave me, as my Hopes have flown before.”
Then the bird said “Nevermore.”

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,

“Doubtless,” said I, “what it utters is its only stock and store
Caught from some unhappy master whom unmerciful Disaster
Followed fast and followed faster till his songs one burden bore—
Till the dirges of his Hope that melancholy burden bore
Of ‘Never—nevermore’.”

But the Raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling,

Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird, and bust and door;
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of yore—
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore
Meant in croaking “Nevermore.”

This I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing

To the fowl whose fiery eyes now burned into my bosom’s core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease reclining
On the cushion’s velvet lining that the lamp-light gloated o’er,
But whose velvet-violet lining with the lamp-light gloating o’er,
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an unseen censer
Swung by Seraphim whose foot-falls tinkled on the tufted floor.
Daf Ditty Shabbes 90

“Wretch,” I cried, “thy God hath lent thee—by these angels he hath sent thee
Respite—respite and nepenthe from thy memories of Lenore;
Quaff, oh quaff this kind nepenthe and forget this lost Lenore!”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!—

Whether Tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee here ashore,
Desolate yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted—
On this home by Horror haunted—tell me truly, I implore—
Is there—is there balm in Gilead?—tell me—tell me, I implore!”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

“Prophet!” said I, “thing of evil!—prophet still, if bird or devil!

By that Heaven that bends above us—by that God we both adore—
Tell this soul with sorrow laden if, within the distant Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore.”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

“Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!” I shrieked, upstarting—
“Get thee back into the tempest and the Night’s Plutonian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken!—quit the bust above my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!”
Quoth the Raven “Nevermore.”

And the Raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting

On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon’s that is dreaming,
And the lamp-light o’er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor
Shall be lifted—nevermore!

Edgar Allan Poe “The Raven”

Daf Ditty Shabbes 90

‫שׁכֵּן ָראוּי ַלעֲשׂוֹת ִמ ֶמּנָּה ׇדּ ְרבָן ָקטָן‬

ֶ :‫שׁמְעוֹן בֶּן ֶא ְל ָעזָר אוֹמֵר‬ ֶ ‫מִינֵי מַתָּ כוֹת — ׇכּל‬.
ִ ‫ ַרבִּי‬,‫ ְלמַאי חֲזוּ? תַּ נְי ָא‬.‫שׁהֵן‬

We learned in the mishna: The measure that determines liability for carrying out various kinds of
metals is any amount. The Gemara asks: For what use is any amount of metal suited, that it
renders one liable for carrying it out? It was taught in a baraita: Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says:
Because a small amount of iron is fit to make a small nail.

‫ לכלייא‬:‫ לְמַאי חַזְיָא? ְֵַָאָמר רב יוֹסף‬.‫ ֹלא יִפְחוֹת מֵאַמָּה עַל אַמָּה‬:‫ אֲחֵרִים אוֹמְרִים‬,‫ הָאוֹמֵר ״הֲרֵי עָלַי בַּרְזֶל״‬:‫תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן‬
‫ ֹלא יפחוֹת‬,‫ נחשׁת‬.‫ אמּה על אמּה‬:‫אָמר רב יוֹסף‬ ֹ ְִֵֶַָ ?‫ וכמּה‬.‫ ֹלא יפחוֹת מכּלייא עוֹרב‬:‫ אחרים אוֹמרים‬,‫דאָמרי‬ ְֲִֵַָ ‫ ואיכּא‬.‫עוֹרב‬
‫שׁ ְמּ ַח ְטּטִין בָּהּ אֶת‬
ֶ :‫ למאי חזיא? אָמַר ַא ָבּי ֵי‬.‫ ֹלא יפחוֹת מצּינּוֹרא קטנּה שׁל נחשׁת‬:‫ תּניא רבּי אליעזר אוֹמר‬.‫ממּעה כּסף‬
‫ ַהפְּתִ ילוֹת וּ ְמ ַקנְּחִין ַהנֵּרוֹת‬.

Since the Gemara is discussing the measure that determines liability for carrying out metal on
Shabbat, it discusses the related halakhot of objects consecrated to the Temple. The Sages taught
in a baraita: In the case of one who vows without specifying an amount, and says: It is
incumbent upon me to donate iron to the Temple, Aḥerim say: He must donate no less than a
cubit by a cubit of iron. The Gemara asks: For what use is metal that size suited? Rav Yosef said:
For a raven impediment. The roof of the Temple was covered with iron surfaces with protruding
Daf Ditty Shabbes 90

nails to prevent ravens from perching there. And some say a slightly different version. Aḥerim
say: He must donate no less than the iron necessary for a raven impediment. And how much
iron is that? Rav Yosef said: A cubit by a cubit. One who vows to donate copper must donate no
less than the value of a ma’a of silver. It was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Eliezer says: One
must donate no less than the amount needed to forge a small copper hook. The Gemara asks:
For what Temple use is that suited? Abaye said: They use it to scrape the wicks from the
candelabrum, and clean the lamps with it.

RASHI:

TOSAFOS:

The Baraisa states that if someone makes a pledge to give iron to the Beis Hamikdash, the
minimum amount of iron he must give is a panel of one amah square. As Rav Yosef explains, the
function of such a plate is that the roof of the Beis Hamikdash was covered with these iron
panels. Rashi explains that the iron had razor sharp edges, and nails were affixed upon them.
This layer upon the roof was designed to keep ravens from landing upon the roof.

‫שיורי בנין בהמ"ק לא משיירינן איבעי ליה לשיורי באמה כליא עורב‬
The Gemara (Moed Katan 9a) states:

One may not leave any part of the building of the Temple undone, as a Mitzva should be
completed as quickly as possible. The Gemara modifies its previous opinion: Solomon should
have left the cubit-wide plates with spikes, which were designed to eliminate the ravens,
unfinished. The roof of the Temple was fitted with sharp metal spikes to deter the ravens, who
were attracted by the smell of the sacrificial meat, from perching there. Although this was not
Daf Ditty Shabbes 90

considered a part of the building itself, delaying its installation would have allowed Solomon to
delay the celebration of the Temple dedication.

‫אמה כליא עורב צורך בנין הבית הוא אלא מדמייתר קרא מכדי כתיב ארבעה עשר יום שבעת ימים ושבעת ימים למה לי‬
‫שמע מינה הני לחוד והני לחוד‬

The Gemara rejects this opinion as well:

The cubit-wide plates with spikes to eliminate the ravens was a necessary element in the building
of the Temple, and consequently Solomon could not delay its construction either. Rather, the
proof is from the redundancy in the verse. Since it is written “fourteen days,” why do I need the
verse to specify “seven days and seven days”? Learn from it that these seven days of celebrating
the Temple dedication must be discrete, and similarly, these seven days of celebrating the
Festival must be discrete, due to the principle that one may not mix one joy with another.

Ben Yehoyada notes that this arrangement of sharp iron plates actually kept away all birds. Why,
then, is this layer specifically referred to as “raven-chaser”, and not simply as a “bird-chaser”?

Gemara (Kesubos 49b) describes the raven is characteristically known as a cruel bird.

‫כי הוה אתו לקמיה דרב חסדא אמר להו כפו ליה אסיתא בצבורא וליקום ולימא עורבא בעי בניה וההוא גברא לא בעי‬
‫ ט( לבני עורב אשר יקראו לא קשיא הא בחיורי הא באוכמי‬,‫בניה ועורבא בעי בניה והכתיב )תהלים קמז‬

When they would come before Rav Ḥisda to register a similar complaint, he would say to them:
Turn over a mortar for him in public, as a raised platform, and let that father stand up and say
about himself: The raven wants to care for its sons, and yet this man does not want to support
his sons. The Gemara questions this statement: And does the raven want to feed its sons? But
isn’t it written: “He gives to the beast its food, to the young ravens that cry” (Psalms 147:9)?
This verse indicates that the parents of young ravens do not feed them. The Gemara responds:
This is not difficult, as in this case it is referring to white ones, and in that case it is referring to
black ones. There are different types of ravens, some of which feed their young while others do
not.

Psalm 147: 9 praises the Almighty because:

.‫ ֲאשֶׁר יִק ְָראוּ‬,‫ִל ְבנֵי ע ֵֹרב‬ ;‫ט נוֹתֵ ן ִל ְב ֵהמָה ַל ְחמָהּ‬ 9 He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young
ravens which cry.

Why is the raven mentioned in this verse? It is because the adult bird does not provide for its
own young.
‫‪Daf Ditty Shabbes 90‬‬

‫‪The midrasnhic ambivalence toward the raven is clearly seen in Noah’s critique of the choice of‬‬
‫‪raven:‬‬

‫וַיְשַׁלַּח אֶת הָ ֹערֵב‪ ,‬הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב )תהלים קה‪ ,‬כח(‪ :‬שָׁלַח חשְֶׁך וַיַּחְשְִׁך‪ .‬וַיֵּצֵא יָצוֹא וָשׁוֹב‪ ,‬רַבִּי יוּדָן בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן ‪,‬‬
‫אָמר לוֹ מה צּרְך‬ ‫רַבִּי סִימוֹן הִתְחִיל מְשִׁיבוֹ תְּשׁוּבוֹת‪ְִֵֶַָ ,‬אָמר לוֹ מכּל בּהמה חיּה ועוֹף שׁיּשׁ כּאן אין אתּה משׁלּח אלּא לי‪ֹ ֶַ ,‬‬
‫לעוֹלם בְּך‪ֹ ,‬לא לאכילה וֹלא לקרבּן‪ .‬רבּי בּרכיה בּשׁם רבּי אבּא בּר כּהנא ַאָמר‪ְִֶַָ ,‬אָמר לוֹ הקּדוֹשׁ בּרוְּך הוּא קבּלוֹ‪ ,‬שׁעתיד‬ ‫ְֲִֵֶַָ‬
‫אָרץ‪ ,‬עתיד צדּיק אחד לעמד וּליבּשׁ את העוֹלם‪ ,‬ואני‬ ‫העוֹלם להצטרְך לוֹ‪ֵַָ ,‬אָמר לוֹ אימתי‪ְִֵֶַָ ,‬אָמר לוֹ עד יבשׁת המּים מעל ה ְֲִֵֶַָ ֹ‬
‫מצריכוֹ לוֹ‪ ,‬הדא הוּא דכתיב )מלכים א יז‪ ,‬ו(‪ :‬והערבים מבאים לוֹ לחם וּבשׂר בּבּקר ולחם וּבשׂר בּערב‪ .‬רבּי יהוּדה ורבּי‬
‫שׁאָן וּשׁמהּ ערבי‪ ,‬רבּי נחמיה ְִֵַָאָמר עוֹרבים ממּשׁ היוּ‪ ,‬וּמהיכן היוּ מביאים‬ ‫נחמיה‪ ,‬רבּי יהוּדה אוֹמר עיר היא בּתחוּם בּית ְִֶַָ‬
‫לוֹ משּׁלחנוֹ שׁל יהוֹשׁפט‪ .‬דּרשׁ רבּי עקיבא מעשׂה דּוֹר המּבּוּל בּגנזק שׁל מדי וֹלא בכוּ‪ ,‬וכיון שׁהזכּיר להם מעשׂה איּוֹב‬
‫מיּד בּכוּ‪ ,‬וקרא עליהם המּקרא הזּה )איוב כד‪ ,‬כ(‪ :‬ישׁכּחהוּ רחם מתקוֹ רמּה עוֹד ֹלא יזּכר ותּשּׁבר כּעץ עולה‪ .‬ישׁכּחהוּ‬
‫שׁמִּתְּ קוּ ִרמָּה ֵמהֶן‪ .‬עוֹד ֹלא יִזָּכֵר‬
‫שׁכַּח ַר ֲחמָיו ֵמהֶם‪ .‬מְתָ קוֹ ִרמָּה‪ֶ ,‬‬ ‫רחם‪ ,‬הן שׁכּחוּ רחמי מן הבּריּוֹת‪ ,‬אַף ַהקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוְּך הוּא ִ‬

‫שׁבַּר ְואֵינוֹ ַמ ֲעלֶה ֲחלִיפִין‪ְ ,‬ואֵיזֶה זֶה דּוֹר‬

‫שׁנִּ ְ‬
‫שּׁבֵר‪ ,‬כְּדָ בָר ֶ‬
‫וַתִּשָּׁבֵר כָּעֵץ עַוְלָה‪ ,‬אָמַר ַרבִּי ַאבָּהוּ תֵּ ָעקֵר אֵין כְּתִ יב‪ֶ ,‬אלָּא תִּ ָ‬
‫ַה ְפ ָלגָה‬

‫‪Gen Rabba 33:5‬‬

‫‪In The Image of Black in Jewish Culture, A History of the other, Abraham Melamed outlines the‬‬
‫‪history of blackness and the raven as the epitome of blackness.‬‬
‫‪Citing midrashim he articulates the ambivalence of the rabbis of the bird’s cruelty and its‬‬
‫‪etymological similarity to rev of darkness of night.‬‬
‫‪he distinguishes between the black vs white ravens as metaphors for cruelty vs kindness.‬‬
Daf Ditty Shabbes 90
Daf Ditty Shabbes 90

Yet in other midrashim the raven becomes the example for Adam as to how to bury the corpse of
Abel:

‫אמר קין לפניו רבון העולמי' גדול עווני מנשוא שאין בו כפרה ונחשב לו הדבר הזה כתשובה שנא' גדול עווני מנשוא‬
‫ מה עשה הקב"ה נטל אות אחת מעשרים ושתים אותיות‬.‫ולא עוד אלא יעמד אח בארץ ויזכיר את שמך הגדול ויהרגני‬
‫שבתורה וכתב על זרועו של קין שלא יהרג שנא' וישם יי לקין אות הכלב שהיה משמר צאנו של הבל הוא היה שומרו‬
‫מכל חית השדה ומעוף השמי' והיו אדם ועזרו יושבים ובוכים ומתאבלי' עליו ולא היו יודעים מה לעשות להבל שלא היו‬
‫נהוג' בקבורה בא עורב אחד שמת לו אח' מחבריו לקח אותו וחפר באר' וטמנו לעיניהם אמ' אדם כעורב אני עושה מיד‬
‫לקח נבלתו של הבל וחפר בארץ וטמנה ושלם הקב"ה שכר טוב לעורבים בעולם הזה ומה שכר נתן לה' כשהן מולידין‬
‫את בניהם רואים אותם לבנים ובורחי' מפניה' וסבורים שהם בני נחש והקב"ה נותן להם מזונם בלא חסור ועוד אלא‬
‫שהן קוראים ליתן מטר על הארץ והקב"ה עונה אותן שנאמר נותן לבהמה לחמה לבני עורב אשר יקראו‬.

Cain spake before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of all the worlds ! "My sin is too
great to be borne" (Gen. 4:13), for it has no atonement. This utterance was reckoned to him as
repentance, as it is said, "And Cain said unto the Lord, My sin is too great to be borne" (ibid.);
further, Cain said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Now will a certain righteous one arise on
the earth and mention Thy great Name against me and slay me.

What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He took one letter from the twenty-two letters, and
put (it) upon Cain's arm that he should not be killed, as it is said, "And the Lord appointed a sign
for Cain" (Gen. 4:15).

The dog which was guarding Abel's flock also guarded his corpse from all the beasts of the field
and all the fowl of the heavens.

Adam and his helpmate were sitting and weeping and mourning for him, and they did not know
what to do (with Abel), for they were unaccustomed to burial.

A raven (came), one of its fellow birds was dead (at its side). (The raven) said: I will teach this
man what to do. It took its fellow and dug in the earth, hid it and buried it before them. Adam
said: Like this raven will I act. He took || the corpse of Abel and dug in the earth and buried it.

The Holy One, blessed be He, gave a good reward to the ravens in this world. What reward
did He give them? When they bear their young and see that they are white they fly from them,
thinking that they are the offspring of a serpent, and the Holy One, blessed be He, gives them
their sustenance without lack, as it is said, "Who provideth for the raven his food, when his
young ones cry unto God, and wander for lack of meat" (Job 38:41). Moreover, that rain should
be given upon the earth (for their sakes), and the Holy One, blessed be He, answers them, as it is
said, "He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry" (Ps. 147:9).

.‫ ֲאשֶׁר יִק ְָראוּ‬,‫ִל ְבנֵי ע ֵֹרב‬ ;‫ט נוֹתֵ ן ִל ְב ֵהמָה ַל ְחמָהּ‬ 9 He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young
ravens which cry.
Daf Ditty Shabbes 90

In the story of the ark, the midrash compares the two birds Noah sent out to determine the
feasibility of and life:

The Talmud recounts that the raven lodges a complaint: He accuses Noach of acting with cruelty
and prejudice, for his expulsion would result in the extinction of the species.7 In fact, that is just
one of many accusations the raven puts forth:

"And he sent forth a raven."

Resh Lakish said: The raven gave Noach a triumphant retort. It said to him, 'Thy Master hateth
me, and thou hatest me. Thy Master hateth me - [since He commanded] seven [pairs to be taken]
of the clean [creatures], but only two of the unclean. Thou hatest me - seeing that thou leavest the
species of which there are seven, and sendest one of which there are only two. Should the angel
of heat or of cold smite me, would not the world be short of one kind? (Talmud Sanhedrin 108b)
The Talmud suggests that the raven was cast out because it broke protocol and had relations on
the Ark. While the dove was sent on a reconnaissance mission, the raven was simply expelled.
The raven, for his part, refused to leave.

) ‫וישלח את העורב אמר ר"ל תשובה ניצחת השיבו עורב לנח אמר לו רבך שונאני ואתה שנאתני רבך שונאני מן‬
‫הטהורין שבעה מן הטמאים שנים ואתה שנאתני שאתה מניח ממין שבעה ושולח ממין שנים אם פוגע בי שר חמה או שר‬
‫צנה לא נמצא עולם חסר בריה אחת או שמא לאשתי אתה צריך‬
With regard to the verse: “And he sent forth the raven, which went forth to and fro, until the
waters were dried up from the earth” (Genesis 8:7), Reish Lakish says: The raven provided a
convincing response to Noah; when it did not wish to leave the ark the raven said to him: Your
Master, God, hates me, and you hate me. Your Master hates me, as He commanded to take from
the kosher species seven and from the non-kosher species two. And you hate me, as you disregard
those from the species of seven, i.e., the kosher birds, and instead dispatch one from the species
of two, i.e., the non-kosher birds. If the angel of heat or the angel of cold harms me and kills me,
will the world not be lacking one species of creature, as there was only one pair of ravens? Or
perhaps you are sending me because it is my wife that you need, in order to engage in
intercourse with her.

‫אמר לו רשע במותר לי נאסר לי בנאסר לי לא כ"ש‬

Noah said to the raven: Wicked one! If with the woman who is generally permitted to me, my
wife, intercourse is forbidden to me, then with regard to domesticated and undomesticated
animals, which are generally forbidden to me, is it not all the more so the case that they are
forbidden to me?

The Talmud describes the raven as having a winning argument. He accuses both Noach and God
of hating him: God had shown an obvious preference for other species, commanding Noach to
Daf Ditty Shabbes 90

preserve seven of each. And surely it would have been more prudent for Noach to send a bird
from one of the species of which more than two of a kind had been on board the Ark.

"And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noach opened the halon [e.v. 'window'] of the
Ark." This supports the view that it was a window [trapdoor].

"and he sent forth a raven": thus it is written, He sent darkness, and it was dark" (Ps. 105:28).

.(‫דבריו )דְּ בָרוֹ‬-‫ אֶת‬,‫מָרוּ‬-‫וְֹלא‬ ;‫ ַויּ ַ ְחשְִׁך‬,‫שׁלַח חֹשְֶׁך‬

ָ ‫ כח‬28 He sent darkness, and it was dark; and they
rebelled not against His word.

"And it went forth to and fro (yatzo va'shov). R. Judan said in the name of R. Judah b. R. Simon:
It began arguing with him: 'Of all the birds that thou hast here thou sendest none but me!' 'What
need then has the world of thee?' he retorted; 'For food? For a sacrifice ?' (Midrash Rabbah 33:5)

Then the raven goes even further and hurls a bizarre accusation:

Or perhaps thou desirest my mate!' - 'Thou evil one!' he exclaimed; 'even that which is [usually]
permitted me has [now] been forbidden: how much more so that which is [always] forbidden
me!' And whence do we know that they were forbidden? - From the verse, And thou shalt enter
into the Ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and the wives of thy sons with thee; whilst further
on it is written, Go forth from the Ark, thou, and thy wife, and thy sons, and thy sons' wives with
thee. Whereon R. Johanan observed: From this we deduce that cohabitation had been forbidden.
(Talmud Sanhedrin 108b)

The raven accuses Noach of fancying his spouse; Noach honors the accusation with a response,
proving the raven's charge outrageous: If, while on the Ark, he has maintained abstinence from
his own wife, how much more so would he avoid intimacy with the raven's spouse, who is
always off limits! What could have made the raven construe the situation in this manner? The
Talmud portrays this as a case of projection. The raven was one of three who broke boundaries
on the ark and engaged in illicit sexual behavior:

Our Rabbis taught: Three copulated in the ark, and they were all punished - the dog, the raven,
and Ham. The dog was doomed to be tied, the raven expectorates [his seed into his mate's
mouth]. And Ham was smitten in his skin. (Talmud Sanhedrin 108b)

When we compare the two verses which describe the sending of the raven and dove respectively,
we notice a second difference: When Noach sends the dove, the word used is me'ito : literally
rendered, he sent the dove "from himself" (an idiom that is difficult to translate). The reader is
left with the impression that Noach had a close relationship with this dove - perhaps it was his
personal pet. This sort of modifier is totally absent in the case of the raven.
Daf Ditty Shabbes 90

The dove's mission was successfully completed when it returned with the olive branch in its
beak, creating the enduring image of peace. But what of the raven? Why was it sent and how did
it fare? The Chizzkuni suggests an ominous mandate for the raven:

The raven was sent because its nature is to eat carcasses, and if the water subsided, it would find
corpses strewn on the shore.
(Chizzkuni Bereishit 8:7)

In contrast to the olive branch in the mouth of the dove, eternal symbol of peace, we have a vivid
image of the predatory, carnivorous raven descending upon corpses, perhaps even mutilating one
to bring something back to Noach. The image persists even though the raven apparently fails to
even leave the immediate vicinity of the Ark - and doesn't bring back any flesh.

While the Chizzkuni's may be the correct reading of the text and of Noach's motivation for
sending the raven, we are still baffled as to why this is not stated explicitly - namely that the
raven was also sent to see if the water had subsided. This, coupled with the other outstanding
textual oddity - the dove described as having been sent "from him" - leaves us searching for the
deeper meaning of the narrative.

Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehudah Berlin ("The Netziv") in his Torah commentary Ha'amek Davar
(Gen 8:7) raises some important questions: Why were the raven and dove singled out? There are
many birds that fly farther and better then these two. Furthermore, who gave Noach permission
to release these birds prior to the time when all the other inhabitants of the Ark would be
released? The Netziv theorizes that these two birds were not of the "two by two" brought to the
Ark, rather they were Noach's pets. With this suggestion, the Netziv solves one problem, but
exchanges it for another: While we may now know why Noach was permitted to send these
birds, we don't know how he brought them to the Ark in the first place.

The Ohr Hachaim also questions why the raven was sent, but rejects the suggestion that it was
in order to check the water level: The Torah surely would have stated this, as it does
subsequently regarding the dove's mission. Rather, in keeping with a Talmudic tradition, the Ohr
Hachaim reveals why the raven was sent: because Noach didn't want it around.
Daf Ditty Shabbes 90

The Raven in Mythology1

In other cultures the raven has a special place as a mediator for human anthropomorphic
projections:

A distinct black shape, tumbling in the updrafts of a mountain crag – a raven at play. The
‘gronking’ call of a raven is one of the most evocative sounds of Britain’s uplands. The raven is
probably the world’s most intelligent and playful bird. In the world of myth, it is a bird of
paradox, and something of a dark clown. Its association with playful intelligence is perhaps
exceeded by its image as a bird of death. Its harsh call, and its presence in remote wild places
and at scenes of death, has earned it a reputation as a bird of ill-omen. After all, the old
collective noun for a group of ravens is an ‘unkindness’. Yet there is so much more to the raven.

An old Scottish name for the raven is ‘corbie’, which is thought to have been derived from the
Latin ‘corvus’. One Scottish legend reflects the dark beliefs about this bird. It tells of an evil hag
called Cailleach who appeared in the form of a number of birds, including the raven, and feasted
on men’s bodies.

This large crow appears again and again in Celtic lore. In Welsh folklore, Bran the Blessed
(Bran is Welsh for raven) is a kind of primordial deity and guardian of Britain whose totem is a
raven. Bran ordered for his own head to be cut off, after which it could still speak words of
prophecy. Eventually it was said to have been buried beneath Tower Hill, at the Tower of
London. The presence of ravens at the Tower is an echo of this legend and the prophecy says that
if the ravens ever leave the tower, Britain will fall (hence their wings are clipped, just in case!).
Interestingly this Welsh word appears in Scotland, and Strath Bran, in the north of the Trees for
Life Target Area translates as ‘Strath’ or Valley of the Raven. They are still present there today.

Arthur, another legendary guardian of Britain, is also associated with ravens. In Cornwall,
which is also steeped in Celtic lore, it was believed that Arthur didn’t really die, but was
magically transformed into this bird.

The Celts were a warlike people, and the presence of ravens on the battlefield would have been
very familiar to them. The Irish goddess, Morrighan, had a number of different guises. In her
aspect as bloodthirsty goddess of war, she was thought to be present on the battlefield in the form
of a raven.

1 Anon, Gantz, J. (translator).(1976). The Mabinogion. Penguin: London.

Buczacki, S. (2002) Fauna Britannica. Hamlyn: London
Sturluson, S. 2006. The Prose Edda – Norse Mythology. Penguin: London.
Daf Ditty Shabbes 90

Odin, the chief of the Norse gods, was accompanied by a pair of ravens, Hugin (thought) and
Munin (memory), who would fly far and wide to bring news to Odin. One of Odin’s names,
Hrafnagud, means the ‘Raven God’.

Our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have observed the keen intelligence of this bird. It has a
well-documented habit of deliberately revealing the whereabouts of deer, so that wolves can find
their quarry, and leave spoils, which the ravens could eat. Even some modern deer-stalkers report
that ravens will help them to locate deer, as the birds know that they will receive the ‘gralloch’ or
guts after the deer is killed. However, there was apparently a belief among some stalkers that
three ravens was a bad omen.

The indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest of North America were well aware of the raven’s
multifaceted nature, and Raven was revered as a major deity and something of a trickster. He
features frequently in the distinctive artwork of these people.

There is probably more folklore concerning the raven than any other bird in Britain. While some
of this is somewhat sinister, the more we get to know this playful and intelligent bird, the more
respect we might realise it deserves.

In Cervantes’ “Don Quixote”, the hero says that Arthur was not killed at all, but was turned into a
raven. Arthur is also sometimes associated with the cult of Mithras, which was popular with the
Roman legions. The cult organization was based upon seven ranks that a worshipper could pass
through, and the first of these was Raven. The raven, reprising his most common role in terms of
masculine European mythology, was Ahura-Mazda’s messenger and represented Mercury.
Initiates are shown on frescoes and mosaics as holding a cup and the caduceus. Also along these
lines, Lugus was a Gaulish god of intelligence, and a mighty warrior. A relief from Senlis shows
Lugus with ravens and geese, and the ravens appear to be speaking to him. Both Lugus and Odin
are also linked with the Roman Mercury, bringing us to the connection between ravens and the
art of the healer.

In nearly all cultures, the raven or crow was originally white. In one of the Greek tales, Coronis,
the daughter of Phlegyes was pregnant by Apollo. Apollo left a white crow (or raven) to watch
over her, but, just before the birth, Coronis married Ischys. The crow informed Apollo of this,
and Apollo was not impressed. He killed Coronis and Ischys, and turned the crow black for being
the bearer of bad news. Luckily, Apollo retrieved the unborn child at the funeral, for the child
became Aesclepius, the father of medicine.
Daf Ditty Shabbes 90