Parshas Noach - Better Bitter

Parshas Noach

Better Bitter

By: Daniel Listhaus

“...and again he [Noach] sent out the dove from the ark. The dove came back to him in the evening – and behold! An olive leaf it had plucked with its mouth. And Noach knew that the waters had subsided from upon the earth.”

-Noach 8:10-11

Safe inside the security of the teivah (ark), Noach had no way of knowing when the earth would be dry and ready for man again. After sending the raven out unsuccessfully, Noach sent out the dove to determine if the land was ready for them to exit the teivah. The first time the dove was sent, it returned right away because it could not find a place to rest. Noach then waited another period of seven days and sent out the dove a second time. This time, the dove came back with an olive branch in its mouth.

Rashi¹ comments that when the dove came back with the olive branch in its mouth, it was trying to tell Noach the following: “Better let my food be bitter as an olive and provided by the hand of Hashem, and not sweet as honey but provided by the hand of man.”

This Rashi is very difficult to understand for couple of reasons. First, why did the dove feel that it was not subject to show basic hakaras hatov (recognizing the good) towards Noach? Undeniably, Noach and his family put in a tremendous amount of effort building the teivah and continuously taking great care of each and every animal that was brought into the teivah. How could the dove be so inconsiderate to, at its first opportunity, figuratively slap Noach in the face and essentially say, “I am so glad this flood is over because I cannot stand another day being in this ark with you feeding me”? Noach just saved the dove's life and gave it the ability to reproduce and exist in the new world after the mabul, and these are the nicest words the dove could think of to express its thanks?

Furthermore, if you think about it, the dove's statement makes absolutely no sense. As religious Jews, we understand, at least at a very basic level, that everything comes from Hashem. When our salary check comes to us we realize that although we must be thankful of the boss for acting as a messenger and delivering our paychecks, it is really a payment from Hashem – who decides every Rosh Hashana how much money each of us will receive for the year. But, even with leaving all of this “religious stuff” aside, it does not take much to realize that Noach was not sustaining the occupants of the teivah by himself. The entire time Noach and the animals were in the teivah they experienced countless open miracles. There was not enough room in the teivah for the amount of animals that were in there, there could not have physically been enough food for all of the animals, and there was definitely not enough oxygen. The whole teivah was something which opposed teva (nature). Animals did not even behave in their normal ways of eating each other and getting aggravated over the lack of space. With all of this in mind, the dove's argument is even more difficult to comprehend. How could it be that after experiencing and being part of such a miraculous event, the dove failed to realize Hashem's part in the episode? Even forgetting the fact that the dove should be extremely thankful of Noach, was its statement accurate? Was it Noach who fed and took care of the dove for the year in the teivah, or was it pretty apparent that Hashem was present every step of the way?

Rashi² at the beginning of the parsha says that the decree that the world be destroyed was sealed on account of robbery. Noach, who was ish tzadik tamim haya b'dorosuv (a righteous man, perfect in his generations), was hand chosen by Hashem to be the one through which mankind will be given another chance after the mabul. Being in the teivah for a year was a very difficult challenge. Noach's patience and care for the animals was tested on a constant basis. Finally, at the end of the year, Hashem felt that the time was right for Noach to come back onto land. However, before Noach could leave, there was one last reminder which needed to be reinforced. It was necessary for Noach and his family to reminisce the sins of those who caused the world's destruction. The land would not fully dry and be prepared for mankind until Noach had recalled that it was robbery which sealed the decree of destruction.

When the dove brought back the olive branch, it was not an expression of personal feelings but rather a message from Hashem. The message was that just like the dove would rather be provided by Hashem and not depend on man, so too mankind could only exist in the world if we remember that we must depend on Hashem for providing us with a livelihood, and not take from others.

I think that this is what the Ramban³ is coming to teach us as well. On this verse, the Ramban offers the same explanation as Rashi regarding what the dove was implying with the olive branch. However, the Ramban adds a piece. He writes that the dove was telling Noach the following, “Better let my food be bitter as an olive and provided by the hand of Hashem, and not sweet as honey but provided by the hand of man. And certainly man should not want to depend their livelihood on others by taking from each other.”

Noach needed to be reminded of this lesson before leaving the teivah. That is why, as the passuk tells us, after Noach saw that the dove brought the olive branch, “And Noach knew that the waters had subsided from upon the earth.”

Stealing comes in many forms and is a subject which has become even more complicated in the modern, technologically advanced world we now live in. Let us all try to remember the olive branch of the dove to recall that our privilege to live and exist in this world is conditioned. We must continuously remind ourselves that we must depend on Hashem to provide for us, and that better something bitter, but from the hand of Hashem, than something sweet but from the hands of man.

1Beraishis 8:11

2Beraishis 6:13

3Beraishis 8:11