מדרש אויף איוב 38:41

(Deut. 7:12:) “And it shall come to pass if you heed [these statutes].” This text is related (to Prov. 5:6), “She does not steer a straight path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.” R. Abba bar Kahana said, “That you should not practice give and take among the commandments of Torah to see which reward of Torah and commandment is greatest and perform that one.²M. Ps. 9:3; see Deut. R. 6:2. Why? (Ibid.:) ‘Her ways wander, and she does not know it.’ The paths of [rewards of] the Torah have been moved.” R. Hiyya said, “A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had an orchard and introduced workers into it, but the king did not disclose the reward (i.e., the payment) for his seedlings to them; because if he revealed the reward for his [various] seedlings, one would see which seedling increased [their] reward, and plant that one. The work in the orchard would end up with some of it suspended and some of it carried out. Similarly the Holy One, blessed be He, did not reveal the reward for each and every commandment in the Torah; for if he had revealed it, the commandments would have been found with some of them carried out and some of them suspended.” And R. Aha said in the name of R. Abba bar Kahana, “The Holy One, blessed be He, has made the reward for fulfilling a commandment moved around in this world, so that Israel would totally fulfill them.”³yPe’ah 1:1 (15d); yQid. 1:7 (61b); PR 23/24:2. R. Simeon ben Johay taught, “For two commandments did the Holy One, blessed be He, reveal their reward. These are the lightest of the light and the weightiest of the weighty ones. The lightest of the light ones is sending away [the mother from] the nest; and there it is written (in Deut. 22:7), ‘and you will prolong your days.’ The most weighty is honoring parents, about which it is [also] written (in Deut. 5:16 // Exod. 20:12), ‘so that you will lengthen your days.’⁴So also M. Sam. Note that they are equal with regard to reward [in] this world.” R. Abba bar Kahana said, “If in regard to paying a debt, length of days is written,⁵Enoch Zundel, in his commentary, ‘Ets Yosef, on Tanh., Deut. 3:2, suggests the debt here is the debt to parents for bearing, rearing, and education. how much the more so when it is a case of damage to purse and loss of life.” R. Levi said, “They said something greater than that: A case of paying a debt is more important than a case of damage to purse and loss of life.” R. Abba bar Kahana said in the name of Rabbi, “Just as the giving of their reward is great, so [too] are their punishments great.” That is what is written (in Prov. 30:17), “The eye that mocks a father and scorns obeying a mother will have the wadi ravens pluck it out and the young eagles devour it.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “A raven, which is cruel to its young, will come and pluck it out without profiting from it; an eagle, which is merciful to its young, will come and will profit from it.” And where is it shown that a raven is cruel to its young? Where it is stated (in Job 38:41), “Who provides prey for the raven, when its young cry unto God and wander about without food.” It also says (in Ps. 147:9), “to young ravens when they cry out.” When the raven reproduces, it reproduces white [young].⁶PRE 21. Then the male says to the female that another bird has begotten it. So they reject and forsake them. What does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He brings forth gnats from their dung.⁷See Lev. R. 19:1. Then [the gnats] fly, and [the young] eat them.⁸Cf. Yalqut Shim’oni, Deut. 846: “Then they fly over them, eat, and become black.” This is what is written (in Job 38:41), “Who provides prey for the raven.” But the eagle is merciful, as it is written (in Deut. 32:11), “As an eagle stirs up its nest and hovers over its young]; it spreads its wings, takes them up, and bears them aloft on its pinions.” As it is not confident about them because of other birds who pursue them. What does it do? It places them on its wings and says, “Better that the arrow should go through me and not through my children.”

R. Simeon ben Johay taught: For two commandments the Holy One did reveal their reward. These are the simplest of the simple and the most weighty of the weighty ones. The simplest of the simple ones is (Deut. 22:7): YOU SHALL SURELY LET THE MOTHER <BIRD> GO AND TAKE <ONLY> THE YOUNG FOR YOUR SELF, SO THAT IT WILL GO WELL WITH YOU, AND YOU WILL PROLONG YOUR DAYS. The most weighty is (in Deut. 5:16 // Exod. 20:12): HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER …, SO THAT HE WILL LENGTHEN YOUR DAYS…..⁷So also M. Sam. 7; cf. Mark 7:10–11 // Matthew 15:4–5. Note that they are equal this world with regard to reward. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: If in regard to paying a debt, about <which> length of days is written,⁸Enoch Zundel, in his commentary, ‘Ets Yosef, on the parallel in Tanh., Deut. 3:2, suggests the debt here is the debt to parents for bearing, rearing, and education. how much the more so when it is a case of damage to purse and loss of life. R. Levi said: They said something more significant than that. A case of paying a debt is more important than a case of damage to purse and loss of life. R. Simeon ben Johay said: Just as their reward is great, so are their punishments great. That is what is written (in Prov. 30:17):THE EYE THAT MOCKS A FATHER AND SCORNS OBEYING A MOTHER WILL HAVE THE WADI RAVENS PLUCK IT OUT AND THE YOUNG EAGLES DEVOUR IT. Why will ravens pluck it out and eagles devour it? The Holy One said: A raven, which is cruel to its young, will come and pluck it out without profiting from it; an eagle, which is merciful to its young, will come and will profit from it. And where is it shown that a raven is cruel to its young? Where it is stated (in Job 38:41): WHO PROVIDES PREY FOR THE RAVEN, [WHEN ITS YOUNG CRY UNTO GOD AND WANDER ABOUT WITHOUT FOOD]. It also says (in Ps. 147:9): TO YOUNG RAVENS WHEN THEY CRY OUT. When the raven reproduces, it reproduces white <young>.⁹PRE 21. Then the male says to the female that another bird has begotten it. So they reject and forsake them. What does the Holy One do? He brings forth gnats from their dung.¹⁰See Lev. R. 19:1. Then <the young> fly, and eat, and from that become black.¹¹Similarly Yalqut Shim’oni, Deut. 846: “Then they fly over them, eat, and become black”; but cf. the parallel in Tanh., Deut. 3:2, which omits any reference to the ravens becoming black. This is what is written (in Job 38:41): WHO PROVIDES PREY FOR THE RAVEN. But where is it shown for the eagle, that it is merciful? Where it is written (in Deut. 32:11): AS AN EAGLE STIRS UP ITS NEST <AND HOVERS OVER ITS YOUNG>. However, no one trusts them because of other birds who pursue them. What does it do? (Ibid., cont.:) IT SPREADS ITS WINGS, TAKES THEM UP, <AND BEARS THEM ALOFT ON ITS PINIONS>. Ergo (in Prov. 30:17): THE WADI RAVENS PLUCK IT OUT, AND THE YOUNG EAGLES DEVOUR IT.

“And a woman, if her bloody discharge will flow many days not at the time of her menstruation, or if it will flow beyond her menstruation; for all the days of the discharge of her impurity she shall be like during the days of her menstruation; she is impure” (Leviticus 15:25).
“And a woman, if her bloody discharge will flow many days,” this is what the verse said: “His head is the finest gold; [his locks are curls, black as a raven]” (Song of Songs 5:11). “His head [rosho],” this is Torah, as it is written: “The Lord made me at the beginning [reshit] of His way” (Proverbs 8:22),¹This chapter of Proverbs is stated as though from the perspective of wisdom, which is understood to refer to Torah. as Rav Huna said in the name of Reish Lakish: The Torah preceded creation of the world by two thousand years, as it is stated: “I was with Him, as a protégé; [I was a delight day after day]” (Proverbs 8:30), and the day of the Holy One blessed be He is one thousand years, as it is stated: “For one thousand years in Your eyes [are like yesterday]” (Psalms 90:4).
“The finest gold,” these are matters of Torah, as it is stated: “They are more desirable than gold, than quantities of fine gold” (Psalms 19:11). Matters that were created from the beginning were engraved in the finest gold.²Some interpret this as a reference to the Ten Commandments. According to the Sages, they were engraved upon tablets of sapphire, which were as valuable as fine gold (Etz Yosef).
“His locks are curls [taltalim],” this is the scoring.³Indentations made in the parchment to ensure that the lines of the Torah are written straight. “Black [sheḥorot] as a raven [kaorev],” these are the strokes of the letters – this is the statement of Rabbi Eliezer. Rabbi Yehoshua says: In whom are the piles⁴Taltalim is expounded as tilei tilim, piles upon piles. [of halakhot] sustained? It is in one who begins early [mashḥir] and ends late [maariv] in their [study]. Rabbi Shmuel bar Ami said: Matters of Torah require beginning early and ending late, as it is stated: “Who prepares for the raven its prey, [when its young cry to God, wandering without food]?” (Job 38:41).⁵Some assert that this verse addresses the unstated question: If a person commits himself to Torah study how will he earn a living? The verse indicates that just as God supports the ravens He supports those who study Torah and rely upon Him (see Etz Yosef). Learn from Elijah. Through his beginning early and ending late in Torah, did I not already appoint ravens for him, as it is stated: “The ravens would bring him bread and meat….” (I Kings 17:6). From where would they bring it to him? It was from the table of Yehoshafat.
Rabbi Shmuel bar Ami said: Matters of Torah require beginning early and ending late. From where will sustenance come? “Who prepares for the raven its prey, [when its young cry to God, wandering without food]?” So too, if a person does not become cruel to his body, to his children, and to his household, like this raven, he will not merit matters of Torah.⁶If a person does not fully dedicate himself to Torah study, even at the expense of his livelihood, he will not excel in Torah scholarship. Rabbi Asi was inquisitive. He saw a certain raven. It prepared a nest, produced eggs, produced fledglings. He took them and placed them in a new pot and sealed it over them for three days. After three days, he opened it to see what they were doing. He found that they had produced excrement, the excrement produced gnats, and [the ravens] were flying above them and eating them. He read this verse in their regard. “Who prepares for the raven its prey, [when its young cry to God, wandering without food]?”
Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish, Rabbi Yoḥanan said: The song of Torah is only at night, as it is stated: “Arise, sing out at night” (Lamentations 2:19).⁷This means that the primary time for Torah study is at night, when people are generally not working. Reish Lakish said: During the day and at night, as it is stated: “You shall ponder it day and night” (Joshua 1:8). Reish Lakish was interpreting verses and when he would arrive at these verses: “She rises while it is yet night” (Proverbs 31:15), [and] “Arise, sing out at night” (Lamentations 2:19), he said: Rabbi Yoḥanan taught me well. He then said: Do you not see how my Torah study shines on my face? Why? It is because it is during the day and at night.