Sonic Bloom - Dvar Torah

The Raven and the Dove In the story of Noah there are many stories one can learn.The one I'll be talking about is the story of the raven and the dove. The dove as a symbol of peace is mentioned first when the Torah describes a scene in which a dove was released by Noah after the flood. Noah first sent a raven and then a dove to look for land. The raven flew back and fourth and Noah did not know if the water had receded off the earth. The raven had not fulfilled its mission. So Noah sent a dove to see if the water had abated from the surface of the earth. Noah knew that if the dove did not find a resting place it would return to him, which it did. And the dove came back to him at evening and behold in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off. So Noah knew that the waters were abated from off the earth Seven days later Noah again sent out the dove but the dove did not return as the surface of the earth had dried up.This was the news that Noah had patiently been waiting for. In this story, the dove was loyal and reliable whilst the raven was not. The raven did not even complete its mission but instead it flew back and fourth around the ark. This teaches us that that the kosher animal, the dove, had a special relationship with Noah and Noah could trust the dove whilst could not trust the raven. Today the dove is a symbol of peace,purity,love and hope. The dove is faithful and does not ever leave its partner. We can compare this to our faithful relationship with G-d. As a symbol for hope the dove flying to the horizon reminds us that no matter what is happening in our lives, there are always new possibilities and hope open to us. The dove, a beautiful white bird, is the universal symbol for peace love and harmony. Since then the white dove, especially the one with an olive branch in its beak represents the hope for peace. Often, the dove is represented as still in flight to remind the viewer of its role as messenger of peace. The peace symbolized by the dove is that of the deepest kind. The idea of the dove of peace is reflected in many artworks and scriptures along the generations reminding us that there is always hope and there are always new possibilities waiting, just around the corner. How can we apply this lesson from the Torah in our relationships with others? Do the people we surround ourselves with on a daily basis have the devout qualities of the dove? Can we ourselves embrace these qualities to make us better people and hopefully fill our lives with peace hope and love. These qualities can have a positive effect on the lives around us and together, by embracing these qualities, we can make the world a better place.