What can be learned from the initial closeness between Noah and the dove, and the gradual distance that ultimately grows between them?
Whenever the dove appears in the Bible, it is almost always in the context of returning to its nest and family. In the story of the Flood, this is particularly evident when the dove returns to Noah and the Ark. We are also familiar with the age-old practice of using doves to deliver messages.
The Bible considers the dove to be man's best friend and as proof, in Shir HaShirim, one of the connotations for the beloved is 'my dove'. In contrast, whenever the raven is mentioned in the Bible, it is associated with a lack of permanency, a nomadic existence in the wilderness, living in abandoned, derelict sites.
It seems that the Torah is hinting at the difficulties of separation experienced by all parents as their child grows up and becomes independent. The gradual distancing between the dove and the Ark (and Noah) is a mirror image of the gradual separation of children from their parents as they build their internal world and learn to be autonomous personalities. The first time Noah sends the dove, it "didn't find a resting place" (8:9) and therefore returned to the familiar surroundings of the Ark where Noah lovingly welcomed it back home; on the second flight, the dove meets the reality that exists outside of the Ark (the olive branch); and only later on does the dove truly break away from the protective home it has known during the Flood and flies forth to begin anew, accompanied by God's blessing "be fruitful and multiply on the earth." (8:17)