We read about the raven (orev) in Parshat Noach (Breisheet 8:6-7):
At the end of forty days, Noach opened the window of the ark which he made. He sent out the raven, and it went out to and fro until the water on the land dried up.
Sforno explains that when the mountain peaks appeared, Noach sent the raven as his messenger to test whether the air was still too moist for the raven to tolerate. The air was in fact too moist and that is why the raven kept circling back and forth.
We meet up with the raven later in the Tanach in the story of Eliyahi HaNavi when he was hiding from Achav in the desert (Melachim I 17: 2-7):
The word of the Lord came to him. “Get away from here; turn and make your way to the east and hide in the Kerit Stream, which is east of the Jordan. You will be able to drink from the stream, and I have bid ravens to provide you with sustenance there.” He went and did as the Lord told him; he went and stayed in the Kerit Stream, which faces the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and bread and meat each evening, and he drank from the stream…
It is interesting to note that the raven, which is not a kosher animal (as we learn in Vayikra 11:15 and Dvarim 14:14) was given the important tasks of helping both Noach and Eliyahu.
Metzudat David comments that God specifically chose the ravens as a lesson for Eliyahu. Ravens are cruel to their young, yet they had compassion for Eliyahu. So too, Eliyahu should have mercy on the Jews who would suffer from the drought that was brought on by his decree.
In Biblical days, many ravens could be found near the Mediterranean Sea. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority points out that in the book The Birds of Israel by Hadoram Shirihai we learn that the Common Raven was once a common breeder throughout the Mediterranean region. Until the mid-20th century, a few hundred pairs nested on Mt. Hermon, in the Golan Heights, the Galilee, Mt. Carmel, Samaria and Judea south to Bethlehem. During the 1960s and 1970s, a drastic reduction was recorded, probably due to poisoning. During the 1980s, the population recovered somewhat, and at the end of the decade 25-30 pairs nested in Israel.
We must do our best to preserve the ravens and continue to show gratitude for their help during the days of Noach and Eliayhu.
