בראשית, פרק ח׳, פסוק י״ב

The tension inside the Ark reaches its peak as the flood nears its end. Following earlier attempts that failed to deliver the hoped-for news, a final sending of the dove marks a critical turning point. Before this release, Noah experiences a distinct period of waiting. While some view the specific description of his waiting as a simple stylistic variation common in biblical narratives [קאסוטו, ברכת אשר], others uncover deeper psychological layers in this delay. This period may reflect a mutual expectation, where the dove itself had grown accustomed to the seven-day cycle and was actively waiting to be released [משכיל לדוד]. Alternatively, Noah's waiting was an exercise in restraint born of disappointment. Having hoped to leave the Ark after the initial seven days, his expectations were dashed, forcing him to suppress his eagerness and wait an additional week [רש״ר הירש, מחוקקי יהודה]. This accumulated delay ultimately spanned three weeks [מחוקקי יהודה]. Yet, it was also a natural, rational pause, as it was becoming increasingly clear that the earth was steadily drying [שפתי חכמים].

Upon its final release, the dove does not return. The primary approach among commentators is that the bird finally found a resting place on the earth and among the newly exposed trees, proving capable of sustaining itself. For Noah, this severed the bird's dependence on the Ark and served as a definitive sign that the ground was dry and life was beginning anew [רד״ק, ביאור שטיינזלץ, קאסוטו].

Other perspectives examine the dove's failure to return through the lens of its specific nature. One approach suggests that the dove was a trained messenger. Because it could not find anything to bring back in its beak this time, it was afraid to return empty-handed. Finding a suitable resting place outside, it chose to stay, even at the cost of abandoning its mate left behind in the Ark [העמק דבר]. Another explanation draws on the natural behavior of birds, noting that domesticated doves tend to flee their owners if they have not yet laid eggs in their nest. Since this dove had not laid eggs in the Ark, it departed the moment it found an alternative home, an event calculated to have taken place on the first day of the month of Elul [מלבי״ם]. Ultimately, this departure was absolute and permanent, and the dove never returned to Noah again [אבן עזרא, מחוקקי יהודה].