The Weekly Shtikle - Noach

This past Wednesday, 28 Tishrei, was the 23^nd yahrtzeit of my dear friend, Daniel Scarowsky, z"l.

This week's shtikle is dedicated leiluy nishmaso, Daniel Moshe Eliyahu ben Yitzchak.

 

A special Weekly Shtikle mazal tov to my nephew Yaakov Yeres of Cherry Hill on his bar mitzvah this Shabbos. Mazal tov to the extended Yeres and Stark families.

There are many questions surrounding Noah's sending of the two birds at the end of the episode of the mabul. Last year, we explored what the actual purpose was in the first place. Another interesting issue that is discussed is whether Noach was even permitted to send these birds out. After all, he was commanded to enter the teivah and waited explicitly for HaShem's direction to leave.

One of the most fascinating approaches comes from Netziv in Ha'amek Davar. He suggests that this raven and dove were actually not from the pairs of animals brought along for survival. Rather, as a member of the nobility, Noach possessed these birds as pets which was evidently customary even in earlier times. Therefore, these birds were allowed to be let out. (See a further discussion there as to why these specific birds were chosen.)

It occurred to me that this interpretation might explain another nuance in the pesukim. Both the raven and the dove are referred to (8:7-8) in the definite form – ha'oreiv and ha'yonah. If Noach just took any one of those birds, it should have just said, for example, vayeshalach yonah. But if these were his own special birds that he owned, the use of the definite form is much more understandable.

*****

On the lighter side (since, as illustrated below, the teiva was quite heavy): A good friend of mine and noted author, Mordechai Bodek, wrote a homourous book called Extracts From Noah's Diary. Every year since, I have forgotten to insert a plug for the book. This year (with his help,) I finally remembered.

Have a good Shabbos and Chodesh Tov.

Eliezer Bulka
WeeklyShtikle@weeklyshtikle.com

Shtikle Blog Weekly Roundup:

Al Pi Cheshbon: The Weight of the Teiva and The Constant Rate of Recession 
AstroTorah: Sailing the Friendly Skies by R' Ari Storch

AstroTorah: The World's First Boat?

AstroTorah: Interesting Calendrical Facts About the Mabul

Dikdukian: Noach's Three Sons

Dikdukian: Different Ways to Wake Up

Dikdukian: Take it Easy

Dikdukian: Geshem vs. Gashem

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