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| | The Legends of the Jews
by Louis Ginzberg | | | | Volume I | Come back to Preface | | | Bible Times and Characters from the Creation to Jacob | |
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THE CREATION OF THE WORLD
THE FIRST THINGS CREATED
In the beginning, two thousand years before the heaven and the
earth, seven things were created: the Torah written with black
fire on white fire, and lying in the lap of God; the Divine
Throne, erected in the heaven which later was over the heads of
the Hayyot; Paradise on the right side of God, Hell on the left
side; the Celestial Sanctuary directly in front of God, having a
jewel on its altar graven with the Name of the Messiah, and a
Voice that cries aloud, "Return, ye children of men."[1]
When God resolved upon the creation of the world, He took counsel
with the Torah.[2] Her advice was this: "O Lord, a king without
an army and without courtiers and attendants hardly deserves the
name of king, for none is nigh to express the homage due to him."
The answer pleased God exceedingly. Thus did He teach all earthly
kings, by His Divine example, to undertake naught without first
consulting advisers.[3]
The advice of the Torah was given with some reservations. She was
skeptical about the value of an earthly world, on account of the
sinfulness of men, who would be sure to disregard her precepts.
But God dispelled her doubts. He told her, that repentance had
been created long before, and sinners would have the opportunity
of mending their ways. Besides, the Temple service would be
invested with atoning power, and Paradise and hell were intended
to do duty as reward and punishment. Finally, the Messiah was
appointed to bring salvation, which would put an end to all
sinfulness.[4]
Nor is this world inhabited by man the first of things earthly
created by God. He made several worlds before ours, but He
destroyed them all, because He was pleased with none until He
created ours.[5] But even this last world would have had no
permanence, if God had executed His original plan of ruling it
according to the principle of strict justice. It was only when He
saw that justice by itself would undermine the world that He
associated mercy with justice, and made them to rule jointly.[6]
Thus, from the beginning of all things prevailed Divine goodness,
without which nothing could have continued to exist. If not for
it, the myriads of evil spirits had soon put an end to the
generations of men. But the goodness of God has ordained, that in
every Nisan, at the time of the spring equinox, the seraphim
shall approach the world of spirits, and intimidate them so that
they fear to do harm to men. Again, if God in His goodness had
not given protection to the weak, the tame animals would have
been extirpated long ago by the wild animals. In Tammuz, at the
time of the summer solstice, when the strength of behemot is at
its height, he roars so loud that all the animals hear it, and
for a whole year they are affrighted and timid, and their acts
become less ferocious than their nature is. Again, in Tishri, at
the time of the autumnal equinox, the great bird ziz[7] flaps his
wings and utters his cry, so that the birds of prey, the eagles
and the vultures, blench, and they fear to swoop down upon the
others and annihilate them in their greed. And, again, were it
not for the goodness of God, the vast number of big fish had
quickly put an end to the little ones. But at the time of the
winter solstice, in the month of Tebet, the sea grows restless,
for then leviathan spouts up water, and the big fish become
uneasy. They restrain their appetite, and the little ones escape
their rapacity.
Finally, the goodness of God manifests itself in the preservation
of His people Israel. It could not have survived the enmity of
the Gentiles, if God had not appointed protectors for it, the
archangels Michael and Gabriel.[8] Whenever Israel disobeys God,
and is accused of misdemeanors by the angels of the other
nations, he is defended by his designated guardians, with such
good result that the other angels conceive fear of them. Once the
angels of the other nations are terrified, the nations themselves
venture not to carry out their wicked designs against Israel.
That the goodness of God may rule on earth as in heaven, the
Angels of Destruction are assigned a place at the far end of the
heavens, from which they may never stir, while the Angels of
Mercy encircle the Throne of God, at His behest.[9]
THE ALPHABET
When God was about to create the world by His word, the
twenty-two letters of the alphabet[10] descended from the
terrible and august crown of God whereon they were engraved with
a pen of flaming fire. They stood round about God, and one after
the other spake and entreated, "Create the world through me! The
first to step forward was the letter Taw. It said: "O Lord of the
world! May it be Thy will to create Thy world through me, seeing
that it is through me that Thou wilt give the Torah to Israel by
the hand of Moses, as it is written, 'Moses commanded us the
Torah.' " The Holy One, blessed be He, made reply, and said,
"No!" Taw asked, "Why not?" and God answered: "Because in days to
come I shall place thee as a sign of death upon the foreheads of
men." As soon as Taw heard these words issue from the mouth of
the Holy One, blessed be He, it retired from His presence
disappointed.
The Shin then stepped forward, and pleaded: "O Lord of the world,
create Thy world through me: seeing that Thine own name Shaddai
begins with me." Unfortunately, it is also the first letter of
Shaw, lie, and of Sheker, falsehood, and that incapacitated it.
Resh had no better luck. It was pointed out that it was the
initial letter of Ra', wicked, and Rasha' evil, and after that
the distinction it enjoys of being the first letter in the Name
of God, Rahum, the Merciful, counted for naught. The Kof was
rejected, because Kelalah, curse, outweighs the advantage of
being the first in Kadosh, the Holy One. In vain did Zadde call
attention to Zaddik, the Righteous One; there was Zarot, the
misfortunes of Israel, to testify against it. Pe had Podeh,
redeemer, to its credit, but Pesha: transgression, reflected
dishonor upon it. 'Ain was declared unfit, because, though it
begins 'Anawah, humility, it performs the same service for
'Erwah, immorality. Samek said: "O Lord, may it be Thy will to
begin the creation with me, for Thou art called Samek, after me,
the Upholder of all that fall." But God said: "Thou art needed in
the place in which thou art;[11] thou must continue to uphold all
that fall." Nun introduces Ner, "the lamp of the Lord," which is
"the spirit of men," but it also introduces Ner, "the lamp of the
wicked," which will be put out by God. Mem starts Melek, king,
one of the titles of God. As it is the first letter of Mehumah,
confusion, as well, it had no chance of accomplishing its desire.
The claim of Lamed bore its refutation within itself. It advanced
the argument that it was the first letter of Luhot, the celestial
tables for the Ten Commandments; it forgot that the tables were
shivered in pieces by Moses. Kaf was sure of victory Kisseh, the
throne of God, Kabod, His honor, and Keter, His crown, all begin
with it. God had to remind it that He would smite together His
hands, Kaf, in despair over the misfortunes of Israel. Yod at
first sight seemed the appropriate letter for the beginning of
creation, on account of its association with Yah, God, if only
Yezer ha-Ra' the evil inclination, had not happened to begin with
it, too. Tet is identified with Tob, the good. However, the truly
good is not in this world; it belongs to the world to come. Het
is the first letter of Hanun, the Gracious One; but this
advantage is offset by its place in the word for sin, Hattat.
Zain suggests Zakor, remembrance, but it is itself the word for
weapon, the doer of mischief. Waw and He compose the Ineffable
Name of God; they are therefore too exalted to be pressed into
the service of the mundane world. If Dalet Wad stood only for
Dabar, the Divine Word, it would have been used, but it stands
also for Din, justice, and under the rule of law without love the
world would have fallen to ruin. Finally, in spite of reminding
one of Gadol, great, Gimel would not do, because Gemul,
retribution, starts with it.
After the claims of all these letters had been disposed of, Bet
stepped before the Holy One, blessed be He, and pleaded before
Him: "O Lord of the world! May it be Thy will to create Thy world
through me, seeing that all the dwellers in the world give praise
daily unto Thee through me, as it is said, 'Blessed be the Lord
forever. Amen, and Amen.' " The Holy One, blessed be He, at once
granted the petition of Bet. He said, "Blessed be he that cometh
in the name of the Lord." And He created His world through Bet,
as it is said, "Bereshit God created the heaven and the earth."
The only letter that had refrained from urging its claims was the
modest Alef, and God rewarded it later for its humility by giving
it the first place in the Decalogue.[12]
THE FIRST DAY
On the first day of creation God produced ten things:[13] the
heavens and the earth, Tohu and Bohu, light and darkness, wind
and water, the duration of the day[14] and the duration of the
night.[15]
Though the heavens and the earth consist of entirely different
elements,[16] they were yet created as a unit, "like the pot and
its cover."[17] The heavens were fashioned from the light of
God's garment, and the earth from the snow under the Divine
Throne.[18] Tohu is a green band which encompasses the whole
world, and dispenses darkness, and Bohu consists of stones in the
abyss, the producers of the waters. The light created at the very
beginning is not the same as the light emitted by the sun, the
moon, and the stars, which appeared only on the fourth day. The
light of the first day was of a sort that would have enabled man
to see the world at a glance from one end to the other.
Anticipating the wickedness of the sinful generations of the
deluge and the Tower of Babel, who were unworthy to enjoy the
blessing of such light, God concealed it, but in the world to
come it will appear to the pious in all its pristine glory.[19]
Several heavens were created,[20] seven in fact,[21] each to
serve a purpose of its own. The first, the one visible to man,
has no function except that of covering up the light during the
night time; therefore it disappears every morning. The planets
are fastened to the second of the heavens; in the third the manna
is made for the pious in the hereafter; the fourth contains the
celestial Jerusalem together with the Temple, in which Michael
ministers as high priest, and offers the souls of the pious as
sacrifices. In the fifth heaven, the angel hosts reside, and sing
the praise of God, though only during the night, for by day it is
the task of Israel on earth to give glory to God on high. The
sixth heaven is an uncanny spot; there originate most of the
trials and visitations ordained for the earth and its
inhabitants. Snow lies heaped up there and hail; there are lofts
full of noxious dew, magazines stocked with storms, and cellars
holding reserves of smoke. Doors of fire separate these celestial
chambers, which are under the supervision of the archangel
Metatron. Their pernicious contents defiled the heavens until
David's time. The pious king prayed God to purge His exalted
dwelling of whatever was pregnant with evil; it was not becoming
that such things should exist near the Merciful One. Only then
they were removed to the earth.
The seventh heaven, on the other hand, contains naught but what
is good and beautiful: right, justice, and mercy, the storehouses
of life, peace, and blessing, the souls of the pious, the souls
and spirits of unborn generations, the dew with which God will
revive the dead on the resurrection day, and, above all, the
Divine Throne, surrounded by the seraphim, the ofanim, the holy
Hayyot, and the ministering angels.[22]
Corresponding to the seven heavens, God created seven earths,
each separated from the next by five layers. Over the lowest
earth, the seventh, called Erez, lie in succession the abyss, the
Tohu, the Bohu, a sea, and waters.[23] Then the sixth[24] earth
is reached, the Adamah, the scene of the magnificence of God. In
the same way the Adamah is separated from the fifth earth, the
Arka, which contains Gehenna, and Sha'are Mawet, and Sha'are
Zalmawet, and Beer Shahat, and Tit ha-Yawen, and Abaddon, and
Sheol,[25] and there the souls of the wicked are guarded by the
Angels of Destruction. In the same way Arka is followed by
Harabah, the dry, the place of brooks and streams in spite of its
name, as the next, called Yabbashah, the mainland, contains the
rivers and the springs. Tebel, the second earth, is the first
mainland inhabited by living creatures, three hundred and
sixty-five species,[26] all essentially different from those of
our own earth. Some have human heads set on the body of a lion,
or a serpent, or an ox; others have human bodies topped by the
head of one of these animals. Besides, Tebel is inhabited by
human beings with two heads and four hands and feet, in fact with
all their organs doubled excepting only the trunk.[27] It happens
sometimes that the parts of these double persons quarrel with
each other, especially while eating and drinking, when each
claims the best and largest portions for himself. This species of
mankind is distinguished for great piety, another difference
between it and the inhabitants of our earth.
Our own earth is called Heled, and, like the others, it is
separated from the Tebel by an abyss, the Tohu, the Bohu, a sea,
and waters.
Thus one earth rises above the other, from the first to the
seventh, and over the seventh earth the heavens are vaulted, from
the first to the seventh, the last of them attached to the arm of
God. The seven heavens form a unity, the seven kinds of earth
form a unity, and the heavens and the earth together also form a
unity.[28]
When God made our present heavens and our present earth, "the new
heavens and the new earth"[29] were also brought forth, yea, and
the hundred and ninety-six thousand worlds which God created unto
His Own glory.[30]
It takes five hundred years to walk from the earth to the
heavens, and from one end of a heaven to the other, and also from
one heaven to the next,[31] and it takes the same length of time
to travel from the east to the west, or from the south to the
north.[32] Of all this vast world only one-third is inhabited,
the other two-thirds being equally divided between water and
waste desert land.
Beyond the inhabited parts to the east is Paradise[33] with its
seven divisions, each assigned to the pious of a certain degree.
The ocean is situated to the west, and it is dotted with islands
upon islands, inhabited by many different peoples. Beyond it, in
turn, are the boundless steppes full of serpents and scorpions,
and destitute of every sort of vegetation, whether herbs or
trees. To the north are the supplies of hell-fire, of snow, hail,
smoke, ice, darkness, and windstorms, and in that vicinity
sojourn all sorts of devils, demons, and malign spirits. Their
dwelling-place is a great stretch of land, it would take five
hundred years to traverse it. Beyond lies hell. To the south is
the chamber containing reserves of fire, the cave of smoke, and
the forge of blasts and hurricanes.[34] Thus it comes that the
wind blowing from the south brings heat and sultriness to the
earth. Were it not for the angel Ben Nez, the Winged, who keeps
the south wind back with his pinions, the world would be
consumed.[35] Besides, the fury of its blast is tempered by the
north wind, which always appears as moderator, whatever other
wind may be blowing.[36]
In the east, the west, and the south, heaven and earth touch each
other, but the north God left unfinished, that any man who
announced himself as a god might be set the task of supplying the
deficiency, and stand convicted as a pretender.[37]
The construction of the earth was begun at the centre, with the
foundation stone of the Temple, the Eben Shetiyah,[38] for the
Holy Land is at the central point of the surface of the earth,
Jerusalem is at the central point of Palestine, and the Temple is
situated at the centre of the Holy City. In the sanctuary itself
the Hekal is the centre, and the holy Ark occupies the centre of
the Hekal, built on the foundation stone, which thus is at the
centre of the earth.[39] Thence issued the first ray of light,
piercing to the Holy Land, and from there illuminating the whole
earth.[40] The creation of the world, however, could not take
place until God had banished the ruler of the dark.[41] "Retire,"
God said to him, "for I desire to create the world by means of
light." Only after the light had been fashioned, darkness arose,
the light ruling in the sky, the darkness on the earth.[42] The
power of God displayed itself not only in the creation of the
world of things, but equally in the limitations which He imposed
upon each. The heavens and the earth stretched themselves out in
length and breadth as though they aspired to infinitude, and it
required the word of God to call a halt to their
encroachments.[43]
THE SECOND DAY
On the second day God brought forth four creations, the
firmament, hell, fire, and the angels.[44] The firmament is not
the same as the heavens of the first day. It is the crystal
stretched forth over the heads of the Hayyot, from which the
heavens derive their light, as the earth derives its light from
the sun. This firmament saves the earth from being engulfed by
the waters of the heavens; it forms the partition between the
waters above and the waters below.[45] It was made to crystallize
into the solid it is by the heavenly fire, which broke its
bounds, and condensed the surface of the firmament. Thus fire
made a division between the celestial and the terrestrial at the
time of creation, as it did at the revelation on Mount Sinai.[46]
The firmament is not more than three fingers thick,[47]
nevertheless it divides two such heavy bodies as the waters
below, which are the foundations for the nether world, and the
waters above, which are the foundations for the seven heavens,
the Divine Throne, and the abode of the angels.[48]
The separation of the waters into upper and lower waters was the
only act of the sort done by God in connection with the work of
creation.[49] All other acts were unifying. It therefore caused
some difficulties. When God commanded, "Let the waters be
gathered together, unto one place, and let the dry land appear,"
certain parts refused to obey. They embraced each other all the
more closely. In His wrath at the waters, God determined to let
the whole of creation resolve itself into chaos again. He
summoned the Angel of the Face, and ordered him to destroy the
world. The angel opened his eyes wide, and scorching fires and
thick clouds rolled forth from them, while he cried out, "He who
divides the Red Sea in sunder!"--and the rebellious waters stood.
The all, however, was still in danger of destruction. Then began
the singer of God's praises: "O Lord of the world, in days to
come Thy creatures will sing praises without end to Thee, they
will bless Thee boundlessly, and they will glorify Thee without
measure. Thou wilt set Abraham apart from all mankind as Thine
own; one of his sons Thou wilt call 'My first-born'; and his
descendants will take the yoke of Thy kingdom upon themselves. In
holiness and purity Thou wilt bestow Thy Torah upon them, with
the words, 'I am the Lord your God,' whereunto they will make
answer, 'All that God hath spoken we will do.' And now I beseech
Thee, have pity upon Thy world, destroy it not, for if Thou
destroyest it, who will fulfil Thy will?" God was pacified; He
withdrew the command ordaining the destruction of the world, but
the waters He put under the mountains, to remain there
forever.[50] The objection of the lower waters to division and
Separation[51] was not their only reason for rebelling. The
waters had been the first to give praise to God, and when their
separation into upper and lower was decreed, the waters above
rejoiced, saying, "Blessed are we who are privileged to abide
near our Creator and near His Holy Throne." Jubilating thus, they
flew upward, and uttered song and praise to the Creator of the
world. Sadness fell upon the waters below. They lamented: "Woe
unto us, we have not been found worthy to dwell in the presence
of God, and praise Him together with our companions." Therefore
they attempted to rise upward, until God repulsed them, and
pressed them under the earth.[52] Yet they were not left
unrewarded for their loyalty. Whenever the waters above desire to
give praise to God, they must first seek permission from the
waters below.[53]
The second day of creation was an untoward day in more than the
one respect that it introduced a breach where before there had
been nothing but unity; for it was the day that saw also the
creation of hell. Therefore God could not say of this day as of
the others, that He "saw that it was good." A division may be
necessary, but it cannot be called good, and hell surely does not
deserve the attribute of good.[54] Hell[55] has seven
divisions,[36] one beneath the other. They are called Sheol,
Abaddon, Beer Shahat, Tit ha-Yawen, Sha'are Mawet, Sha'are
Zalmawet: and Gehenna. It requires three hundred years to
traverse the height, or the width, or the depth of each division,
and it would take six thousand three hundred[37] years to go over
a tract of land equal in extent to the seven divisions.[38]
Each of the seven divisions in turn has seven subdivisions, and
in each compartment there are seven rivers of fire and seven of
hail. The width of each is one thousand ells, its depth one
thousand, and its length three hundred, and they flow one from
the other, and are supervised by ninety thousand Angels of
Destruction. There are, besides, in every compartment seven
thousand caves, in every cave there are seven thousand crevices,
and in every crevice seven thousand scorpions. Every scorpion has
three hundred rings, and in every ring seven thousand pouches of
venom, from which flow seven rivers of deadly poison. If a man
handles it, he immediately bursts, every limb is torn from his
body, his bowels are cleft asunder, and he falls upon his
face.[56] There are also five different kinds of fire in hell.
One devours and absorbs, another devours and does not absorb,
while the third absorbs and does not devour, and there is still
another fire, which neither devours nor absorbs, and furthermore
a fire which devours fire. There are coals big as mountains, and
coals big as hills, and coals as large as the Dead Sea, and coals
like huge stones, and there are rivers of pitch and sulphur
flowing and seething like live coals.[60]
The third creation of the second day was the angel hosts, both
the ministering angels and the angels of praise. The reason they
had not been called into being on the first day was, lest men
believe that the angels assisted God in the creation of the
heavens and the earth.[61] The angels that are fashioned from
fire have forms of fire,[62] but only so long as they remain in
heaven. When they descend to earth, to do the bidding of God here
below, either they are changed into wind, or they assume the
guise of men.[63] There are ten ranks or degrees among the
angels.[64]
The most exalted in rank are those surrounding the Divine Throne
on all sides, to the right, to the left, in front, and behind,
under the leadership of the archangels Michael, Gabriel, Uriel,
and Raphael.[65]
All the celestial beings praise God with the words, "Holy, holy,
holy, is the Lord of hosts," but men take precedence of the
angels herein. They may not begin their song of praise until the
earthly beings have brought their homage to God.[66] Especially
Israel is preferred to the angels. When they encircle the Divine
Throne in the form of fiery mountains and flaming hills, and
attempt to raise their voices in adoration of the Creator, God
silences them with the words, "Keep quiet until I have heard the
songs, praises, prayers, and sweet melodies of Israel."
Accordingly, the ministering angels and all the other celestial
hosts wait until the last tones of Israel's doxologies rising
aloft from earth have died away, and then they proclaim in a loud
voice, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts." When the hour
for the glorification of God by the angels draws nigh, the august
Divine herald, the angel Sham'iel, steps to the windows[67] of
the lowest heaven to hearken to the songs, prayers, and praises
that ascend from the synagogues and the houses of learning, and
when they are finished, he announces the end to the angels in all
the heavens. The ministering angels, those who come in contact
with the sublunary world,[68] now repair to their chambers to
take their purification bath. They dive into a stream of fire and
flame seven times, and three hundred and sixty-five times they
examine themselves carefully, to make sure that no taint clings
to their bodies.[69] Only then they feel privileged to mount the
fiery ladder and join the angels of the seventh heaven, and
surround the throne of God with Hashmal and all the holy Hayyot.
Adorned with millions of fiery crowns, arrayed in fiery garments,
all the angels in unison, in the same words, and with the same
melody, intone songs of praise to God.[70]
THE THIRD DAY
Up to this time the earth was a plain, and wholly covered with
water. Scarcely had the words of God, "Let the waters be gathered
together," made themselves heard, when mountains appeared all
over and hills,[71] and the water collected in the deep-lying
basins. But the water was recalcitrant, it resisted the order to
occupy the lowly spots, and threatened to overflow the earth,
until God forced it back into the sea, and encircled the sea with
sand. Now, whenever the water is tempted to transgress its
bounds, it beholds the sand, and recoils.[72]
The waters did but imitate their chief Rahab, the Angel of the
Sea, who rebelled at the creation of the world. God had commanded
Rahab to take in the water. But he refused, saying, "I have
enough." The punishment for his disobedience was death. His body
rests in the depths of the sea, the water dispelling the foul
odor that emanates from it.[73]
The main creation of the third day was the realm of plants, the
terrestrial plants as well as the plants of Paradise. First of
all the cedars of Lebanon and the other great trees were made. In
their pride at having been put first, they shot up high in the
air. They considered themselves the favored among plants. Then
God spake, "I hate arrogance and pride, for I alone am exalted,
and none beside," and He created the iron on the same day, the
substance with which trees are felled down. The trees began to
weep, and when God asked the reason of their tears, they said:
"We cry because Thou hast created the iron to uproot us
therewith. All the while we had thought ourselves the highest of
the earth, and now the iron, our destroyer, has been called into
existence." God replied: "You yourselves will furnish the axe
with a handle. Without your assistance the iron will not be able
to do aught against you."[74]
The command to bear seed after their kind was given to the trees
alone. But the various sorts of grass reasoned, that if God had
not desired divisions according to classes, He would not have
instructed the trees to bear fruit after their kind with the seed
thereof in it, especially as trees are inclined of their own
accord to divide themselves into species. The grasses therefore
reproduced themselves also after their kinds. This prompted the
exclamation of the Prince of the World, "Let the glory of the
Lord endure forever; let the Lord rejoice in His works."[75]
The most important work done on the third day was the creation of
Paradise. Two gates of carbuncle form the entrance to
Paradise,[76] and sixty myriads of ministering angels keep watch
over them. Each of these angels shines with the lustre of the
heavens. When the just man appears before the gates, the clothes
in which he was buried are taken off him, and the angels array
him in seven garments of clouds of glory, and place upon his head
two crowns, one of precious stones and pearls, the other of gold
of Parvaim,[77] and they put eight myrtles in his hand, and they
utter praises before him and say to him, "Go thy way, and eat thy
bread with joy." And they lead him to a place full of rivers,
surrounded by eight hundred kinds of roses and myrtles. Each one
has a canopy according to his merits,[78] and under it flow four
rivers, one of milk, the other of balsam, the third of wine, and
the fourth of honey. Every canopy is overgrown by a vine of gold,
and thirty pearls hang from it, each of them shining like Venus.
Under each canopy there is a table of precious stones and pearls,
and sixty angels stand at the head of every just man, saying unto
him: "Go and eat with joy of the honey, for thou hast busied
thyself with the Torah, and she is sweeter than honey, and drink
of the wine preserved in the grape since the six days of
creation,[79] for thou hast busied thyself with the Torah, and
she is compared to wine." The least fair of the just is beautiful
as Joseph and Rabbi Johanan, and as the grains of a silver
pomegranate upon which fall the rays of the sun.[80] There is no
light, "for the light of the righteous is the shining light." And
they undergo four transformations every day, passing through four
states. In the first the righteous is changed into a child. He
enters the division for children, and tastes the joys of
childhood. Then he is changed into a youth, and enters the
division for the youths, with whom he enjoys the delights of
youth. Next he becomes an adult, in the prime of life, and he
enters the division of men, and enjoys the pleasures of manhood.
Finally, he is changed into an old man. He enters the division
for the old, and enjoys the pleasures of age.
There are eighty myriads of trees in every corner of Paradise,
the meanest among them choicer than all the spice trees. In every
corner there are sixty myriads of angels singing with sweet
voices, and the tree of life stands in the middle and shades the
whole of Paradise.[81] It has fifteen thousand tastes, each
different from the other, and the perfumes thereof vary likewise.
Over it hang seven clouds of glory, and winds blow upon it from
all four sides,[82] so that its odor is wafted from one end of
the world to the other. Underneath sit the scholars and explain
the Torah. Over each of them two canopies are spread, one of
stars, the other of sun and moon, and a curtain of clouds of
glory separates the one canopy from the other.[83] Beyond
Paradise begins Eden, containing three hundred and ten worlds[84]
and seven compartments for seven different classes of the pious.
In the first are "the martyr victims of the government," like
Rabbi Akiba and his colleagues;[85] in the second those who were
drowned;[86] in the third[87] Rabbi Johanan ben Zakkai and his
disciples; in the fourth those who were carried off in the cloud
of glory;[88] in the fifth the penitents, who occupy a place
which even a perfectly pious man cannot obtain; in the sixth are
the youths[89] who have not tasted of sin in their lives; in the
seventh are those poor who studied Bible and Mishnah, and led a
life of self-respecting decency. And God sits in the midst of
them and expounds the Torah to them.[90]
As for the seven divisions of Paradise, each of them is twelve
myriads of miles in width and twelve myriads of miles in length.
In the first division dwell the proselytes who embraced Judaism
of their own free will, not from compulsion. The walls are of
glass and the wainscoting of cedar. The prophet Obadiah,[91]
himself a proselyte, is the overseer of this first division. The
second division is built of silver, and the wainscoting thereof
is of cedar. Here dwell those who have repented, and Manasseh,
the penitent son of Hezekiah, presides over them. The third
division is built of silver and gold. Here dwell Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, and all the Israelites who came out of Egypt, and the
whole generation that lived in the desert.[92] Also David is
there, together with all his sons[93] except Absalom, one of
them, Chileab, still alive. And all the kings of Judah are there,
with the exception of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, who presides
in the second division, over the penitents. Moses and Aaron
preside over the third division. Here are precious vessels of
silver and gold and jewels and canopies and beds and thrones and
lamps, of gold, of precious stones, and of pearls, the best of
everything there is in heaven.[94] The fourth division is built
of beautiful rubies,[95] and its wainscoting is of olive wood.
Here dwell the perfect and the steadfast in faith, and their
wainscoting is of olive wood, because their lives were bitter as
olives to them. The fifth division is built of silver and gold
and refined gold,[96] and the finest of gold and glass and
bdellium, and through the midst of it flows the river Gihon. The
wainscoting is of silver and gold, and a perfume breathes through
it more exquisite than the perfume of Lebanon. The coverings of
the silver and gold beds are made of purple and blue, woven by
Eve, and of scarlet and the hair of goats, woven by angels. Here
dwells the Messiah on a palanquin made of the wood of Lebanon,
"the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom of gold, the seat of
it purple." With him is Elijah. He takes the head of Messiah, and
places it in his bosom, and says to him, "Be quiet, for the end
draweth nigh." On every Monday and Thursday and on Sabbaths and
holidays, the Patriarchs come to him, and the twelve sons of
Jacob, and Moses, Aaron, David, Solomon, and all the kings of
Israel and of Judah, and they weep with him and comfort him, and
say unto him, "Be quiet and put trust in thy Creator, for the end
draweth nigh. "Also Korah and his company, and Dathan, Abiram,
and Absalom come to him on every Wednesday, and ask him: "How
long before the end comes full of wonders? When wilt thou bring
us life again, and from the abysses of the earth lift us?" The
Messiah answers them, "Go to your fathers and ask them"; and when
they hear this, they are ashamed, and do not ask their fathers.
In the sixth division dwell those who died in performing a pious
act, and in the seventh division those who died from illness
inflicted as an expiation for the sins of Israel.[97]
THE FOURTH DAY
The fourth day of creation produced the sun, the moon, and the
stars. These heavenly spheres were not actually fashioned on this
day; they were created on the first day, and merely were assigned
their places in the heavens on the fourth.[98] At first the sun
and the moon enjoyed equal powers and prerogatives.[99] The moon
spoke to God, and said: "O Lord, why didst Thou create the world
with the letter Bet?" God replied: "That it might be made known
unto My creatures that there are two worlds." The moon: "O Lord:
which of the two worlds is the larger, this world or the world to
come?" God: "The world to come is the larger." The moon: "O Lord,
Thou didst create two worlds, a greater and a lesser world; Thou
didst create the heaven and the earth, the heaven exceeding the
earth; Thou didst create fire and water, the water stronger than
the fire, because it can quench the fire; and now Thou hast
created the sun and the moon, and it is becoming that one of them
should be greater than the other." Then spake God to the moon: "I
know well, thou wouldst have me make Thee greater than the sun.
As a punishment I decree that thou mayest keep but one-sixtieth
of thy light." The moon made supplication: "Shall I be punished
so severely for having spoken a single word?" God relented: "In
the future world I will restore thy light, so that thy light may
again be as the light of the sun." The moon was not yet
satisfied. "O Lord," she said, "and the light of the sun, how
great will it be in that day?" Then the wrath of God was once
more enkindled: "What, thou still plottest against the sun? As
thou livest, in the world to come his light shall be sevenfold
the light he now sheds."[100] The Sun runs his course like a
bridegroom. He sits upon a throne with a garland on his
head.[101] Ninety-six angels accompany him on his daily journey,
in relays of eight every hour, two to the left of him, and two to
the right, two before Him, and two behind. Strong as he is, he
could complete his course from south to north in a single
instant, but three hundred and sixty-five angels restrain him by
means of as many grappling-irons. Every day one looses his hold,
and the sun must thus spend three hundred and sixty-five days on
his course. The progress of the sun in his circuit is an
uninterrupted song of praise to God. And this song alone makes
his motion possible. Therefore, when Joshua wanted to bid the sun
stand still, he had to command him to be silent. His song of
praise hushed, the sun stood still.[102]
The sun is double-faced; one face, of fire, is directed toward
the earth, and one of hail, toward heaven, to cool off the
prodigious heat that streams from the other face, else the earth
would catch afire. In winter the sun turns his fiery face upward,
and thus the cold is produced.[103] When the sun descends in the
west in the evening, he dips down into the ocean and takes a
bath, his fire is extinguished, and therefore he dispenses
neither light nor warmth during the night. But as soon as he
reaches the east in the morning, he laves himself in a stream of
flame, which imparts warmth and light to him, and these he sheds
over the earth. In the same way the moon and the stars take a
bath in a stream of hail before they enter upon their service for
the night.[104]
When the sun and the moon are ready to start upon their round of
duties, they appear before God, and beseech him to relieve them
of their task, so that they may be spared the sight of sinning
mankind. Only upon compulsion they proceed with their daily
course. Coming from the presence of God, they are blinded by the
radiance in the heavens, and they cannot find their way. God,
therefore, shoots off arrows, by the glittering light of which
they are guided. It is on account of the sinfulness of man, which
the sun is forced to contemplate on his rounds, that he grows
weaker as the time of his going down approaches, for sins have a
defiling and enfeebling effect, and he drops from the horizon as
a sphere of blood, for blood is the sign of corruption.[105] As
the sun sets forth on his course in the morning, his wings touch
the leaves on the trees of Paradise, and their vibration is
communicated to the angels and the holy Hayyot, to the other
plants, and also to the trees and plants on earth, and to all the
beings on earth and in heaven. It is the signal for them all to
cast their eyes upward. As soon as they see the Ineffable Name,
which is engraved in the sun, they raise their voices in songs of
praise to God. At the same moment a heavenly voice is heard to
say, "Woe to the sons of men that consider not the honor of God
like unto these creatures whose voices now rise aloft in
adoration."[106] These words, naturally, are not heard by men; as
little as they perceive the grating of the sun against the wheel
to which all the celestial bodies are attached, although the
noise it makes is extraordinarily loud.[107] This friction of the
sun and the wheel produces the motes dancing about in the
sunbeams. They are the carriers of healing to the sick,[108] the
only health-giving creations of the fourth day, on the whole an
unfortunate day, especially for children, afflicting them with
disease.[109] When God punished the envious moon by diminishing
her light and splendor, so that she ceased to be the equal of the
sun as she had been originally,[110] she fell,[111] and tiny
threads were loosed from her body. These are the stars.[112]
THE FIFTH DAY
On the fifth day of creation God took fire[118] and water, and
out of these two elements He made the fishes of the sea.[114] The
animals in the water are much more numerous than those on land.
For every species on land, excepting only the weasel, there is a
corresponding species in the water, and, besides, there are many
found only in the water.[115]
The ruler over the sea-animals is leviathan.[116] With all the
other fishes he was made on the fifth day.[117] Originally he was
created male and female like all the other animals. But when it
appeared that a pair of these monsters might annihilate the whole
earth with their united strength, God killed the female.[119] So
enormous is leviathan that to quench his thirst he needs all the
water that flows from the Jordan into the sea.[119] His food
consists of the fish which go between his jaws of their own
accord.[120] When he is hungry, a hot breath blows from his
nostrils, and it makes the waters of the great sea seething hot.
Formidable though behemot, the other monster, is, he feels
insecure until he is certain that leviathan has satisfied his
thirst.[121] The only thing that can keep him in check is the
stickleback, a little fish which was created for the purpose, and
of which he stands in great awe.[122] But leviathan is more than
merely large and strong; he is wonderfully made besides. His fins
radiate brilliant light, the very sun is obscured by it,[123] and
also his eyes shed such splendor that frequently the sea is
illuminated suddenly by it.[121] No wonder that this marvellous
beast is the plaything of God, in whom He takes His pastime.[124]
There is but one thing that makes leviathan repulsive, his foul
smell: which is so strong that if it penetrated thither, it would
render Paradise itself an impossible abode.[125]
The real purpose of leviathan is to be served up as a dainty to
the pious in the world to come. The female was put into brine as
soon as she was killed, to be preserved against the time when her
flesh will be needed.[126] The male is destined to offer a
delectable sight to all beholders before he is consumed. When his
last hour arrives, God will summon the angels to enter into
combat with the monster. But no sooner will leviathan cast his
glance at them than they will flee in fear and dismay from the
field of battle. They will return to the charge with swords, but
in vain, for his scales can turn back steel like straw. They will
be equally unsuccessful when they attempt to kill him by throwing
darts and slinging stones; such missiles will rebound without
leaving the least impression on his body. Disheartened, the
angels will give up the combat, and God will command leviathan
and behemot to enter into a duel with each other. The issue will
be that both will drop dead, behemot slaughtered by a blow of
leviathan's fins, and leviathan killed by a lash of behemot's
tail. From the skin of leviathan God will construct tents to
shelter companies of the pious while they enjoy the dishes made
of his flesh. The amount assigned to each of the pious will be in
proportion to his deserts, and none will envy or begrudge the
other his better share. What is left of leviathan's skin will be
stretched out over Jerusalem as a canopy, and the light streaming
from it will illumine the whole world, and what is left of his
flesh after the pious have appeased their appetite, will be
distributed among the rest of men, to carry on traffic
therewith.[127]
On the same day with the fishes, the birds were created, for
these two kinds of animals are closely related to each other.
Fish are fashioned out of water, and birds out of marshy ground
saturated with water.[128]
As leviathan is the king of fishes, so the ziz is appointed to
rule over the birds.[129] His name comes from the variety of
tastes his flesh has; it tastes like this, zeh, and like that,
zeh.[130] The ziz is as monstrous of size as leviathan himself.
His ankles rest on the earth, and his head reaches to the very
sky.[121]
It once happened that travellers on a vessel noticed a bird. As
he stood in the water, it merely covered his feet, and his head
knocked against the sky. The onlookers thought the water could
not have any depth at that point, and they prepared to take a
bath there. A heavenly voice warned them: "Alight not here! Once
a carpenter's axe slipped from his hand at this spot, and it took
it seven years to touch bottom." The bird the travellers saw was
none other than the ziz.[132] His wings are so huge that unfurled
they darken the sun.[133] They protect the earth against the
storms of the south; without their aid the earth would not be
able to resist the winds blowing thence.[134] Once an egg of the
ziz fell to the ground and broke. The fluid from it flooded sixty
cities, and the shock crushed three hundred cedars. Fortunately
such accidents do not occur frequently. As a rule the bird lets
her eggs slide gently into her nest. This one mishap was due to
the fact that the egg was rotten, and the bird cast it away
carelessly. The ziz has another name, Renanin,[135] because he is
the celestial singer.[136] On account of his relation to the
heavenly regions he is also called Sekwi, the seer, and, besides,
he is called "son of the nest,"[137] because his fledgling birds
break away from the shell without being hatched by the mother
bird; they spring directly from the nest, as it were.[138] Like
leviathan, so ziz is a delicacy to be served to the pious at the
end of time, to compensate them for the privations which
abstaining from the unclean fowls imposed upon them.[139]
THE SIXTH DAY
As the fish were formed out of water, and the birds out of boggy
earth well mixed with water, so the mammals were formed out of
solid earth,[140] and as leviathan is the most notable
representative of the fish kind, and ziz of the bird kind, so
behemot is the most notable representative of the mammal kind.
Behemot matches leviathan in strength, and he had to be
prevented, like leviathan, from multiplying and increasing, else
the world could not have continued to exist; after God had
created him male and female, He at once deprived him of the
desire to propagate his kind.[141] He is so monstrous that he
requires the produce of a thousand mountains for his daily food.
All the water that flows through the bed of the Jordan in a year
suffices him exactly for one gulp. It therefore was necessary to
give him one stream entirely for his own use, a stream flowing
forth from Paradise, called Yubal.[142] Behemot, too, is destined
to be served to the pious as an appetizing dainty, but before
they enjoy his flesh, they will be permitted to view the mortal
combat between leviathan and behemot, as a reward for having
denied themselves the pleasures of the circus and its
gladiatorial contests.[143]
Leviathan, ziz, and behemot are not the only monsters; there are
many others, and marvellous ones, like the reem, a giant animal,
of which only one couple, male and female, is in existence. Had
there been more, the world could hardly have maintained itself
against them. The act of copulation occurs but once in seventy
years between them, for God has so ordered it that the male and
female reem are at opposite ends of the earth, the one in the
east, the other in the west. The act of copulation results in the
death of the male. He is bitten by the female and dies of the
bite. The female becomes pregnant and remains in this state for
no less than twelve years. At the end of this long period she
gives birth to twins, a male and a female. The year preceding her
delivery she is not able to move. She would die of hunger, were
it not that her own spittle flowing copiously from her mouth
waters and fructifies the earth near her, and causes it to bring
forth enough for her maintenance. For a whole year the animal can
but roll from side to side, until finally her belly bursts, and
the twins issue forth. Their appearance is thus the signal for
the death of the mother reem. She makes room for the new
generation, which in turn is destined to suffer the same fate as
the generation that went before. Immediately after birth, the one
goes eastward and the other westward, to meet only after the
lapse of seventy years, propagate themselves, and perish.[144] A
traveller who once saw a reem one day old described its height to
be four parasangs, and the length of its head one parasang and a
half.[145] Its horns measure one hundred ells, and their height
is a great deal more.[146]
One of the most remarkable creatures is the "man of the
mountain," Adne Sadeh, or, briefly, Adam.[147] His form is
exactly that of a human being, but he is fastened to the ground
by means of a navel-string, upon which his life depends. The cord
once snapped, he dies. This animal keeps himself alive with what
is produced by the soil around about him as far as his tether
permits him to crawl. No creature may venture to approach within
the radius of his cord, for he seizes and demolishes whatever
comes in his reach. To kill him, one may not go near to him, the
navel-string must be severed from a distance by means of a dart,
and then he dies amid groans and moans.[143] Once upon a time a
traveller happened in the region where this animal is found. He
overheard his host consult his wife as to what to do to honor
their guest, and resolve to serve "our man," as he said. Thinking
he had fallen among cannibals, the stranger ran as fast as his
feet could carry him from his entertainer, who sought vainly to
restrain him. Afterward, he found out that there had been no
intention of regaling him with human flesh, but only with the
flesh of the strange animal called "man."[146] As the "man of the
mountain" is fixed to the ground by his navel-string, so the
barnacle-goose is grown to a tree by its bill. It is hard to say
whether it is an animal and must be slaughtered to be fit for
food, or whether it is a plant and no ritual ceremony is
necessary before eating it.[150]
Among the birds the phoenix is the most wonderful. When Eve gave
all the animals some of the fruit of the tree of knowledge, the
phoenix was the only bird that refused to eat thereof, and he was
rewarded with eternal life. When he has lived a thousand years,
his body shrinks, and the feathers drop from it, until he is as
small as an egg. This is the nucleus of the new bird.[151]
The phoenix is also called "the guardian of the terrestrial
sphere." He runs with the sun on his circuit, and he spreads out
his wings and catches up the fiery rays of the sun.[152] If he
were not there to intercept them, neither man nor any other
animate being would keep alive. On his right wing the following
words are inscribed in huge letters,[153] about four thousand
stadia high: "Neither the earth produces me, nor the heavens, but
only the wings of fire." His food consists of the manna of heaven
and the dew of the earth. His excrement is a worm, whose
excrement in turn is the cinnamon used by kings and princes.[152]
Enoch, who saw the phoenix birds when he was translated,
describes them as flying creatures, wonderful and strange in
appearance, with the feet and tails of lions, and the heads of
crocodiles; their appearance is of a purple color like the
rainbow; their size nine hundred measures. Their wings are like
those of angels, each having twelve, and they attend the chariot
of the sun and go with him, bringing heat and dew as they are
ordered by God. In the morning when the sun starts on his daily
course, the phoenixes and the chalkidri[154] sing, and every bird
flaps its wings, rejoicing the Giver of light, and they sing a
song at the command of the Lord.[155] Among reptiles the
salamander and the shamir are the most marvellous. The salamander
originates from a fire of myrtle wood[156] which has been kept
burning for seven years steadily by means of magic arts. Not
bigger than a mouse, it yet is invested with peculiar properties.
One who smears himself with its blood is invulnerable,[157] and
the web woven by it is a talisman against fire.[158] The people
who lived at the deluge boasted that, were a fire flood to come,
they would protect themselves with the blood of the
salamander.[159]
King Hezekiah owes his life to the salamander. His wicked father,
King Ahaz, had delivered him to the fires of Moloch, and he would
have been burnt, had his mother not painted him with the blood of
the salamander, so that the fire could do him no harm.[160]
The shamir was made at twilight on the sixth day of creation
together with other extraordinary things.[161] It is about as
large as a barley corn, and it possesses the remarkable property
of cutting the hardest of diamonds. For this reason it was used
for the stones in the breastplate worn by the high priest. First
the names of the twelve tribes were traced with ink on the stones
to be set into the breastplate, then the shamir was passed over
the lines, and thus they were graven. The wonderful circumstance
was that the friction wore no particles from the stones. The
shamir was also used for hewing into shape the stones from which
the Temple was built, because the law prohibited iron tools to be
used for the work in the Temple.[162] The shamir may not be put
in an iron vessel for safe-keeping, nor in any metal vessel, it
would burst such a receptacle asunder. It is kept wrapped up in a
woollen cloth, and this in turn is placed in a lead basket filled
with barley bran.[163] The shamir was guarded in Paradise until
Solomon needed it. He sent the eagle thither to fetch the
worm.[164] With the destruction of the Temple the shamir
vanished.[165] A similar fate overtook the tahash, which had been
created only that its skin might be used for the Tabernacle. Once
the Tabernacle was completed, the tahash disappeared. It had a
horn on its forehead, was gaily colored like the turkey-cock, and
belonged to the class of clean animals.[166] Among the fishes
there are also wonderful creatures, the sea-goats and the
dolphins, not to mention leviathan. A sea-faring man once saw a
sea-goat on whose horns the words were inscribed: "I am a little
sea-animal, yet I traversed three hundred parasangs to offer
myself as food to the leviathan."[167] The dolphins are half man
and half fish; they even have sexual intercourse with human
beings; therefore they are called also "sons of the sea," for in
a sense they represent the human kind in the waters.[163]
Though every species in the animal world was created during the
last two days of the six of creation,[169] yet many
characteristics of certain animals appeared later. Cats and mice,
foes now, were friends originally. Their later enmity had a
distinct cause. On one occasion the mouse appeared before God and
spoke: "I and the cat are partners, but now we have nothing to
eat." The Lord answered: "Thou art intriguing against thy
companion, only that thou mayest devour her. As a punishment, she
shall devour thee." Thereupon the mouse: "O Lord of the world,
wherein have I done wrong?" God replied: "O thou unclean reptile,
thou shouldst have been warned by the example of the moon, who
lost a part of her light, because she spake ill of the sun, and
what she lost was given to her opponent.[170] The evil intentions
thou didst harbor against thy companion shall be punished in the
same way. Instead of thy devouring her, she shall devour thee."
The mouse: "O Lord of the world! Shall my whole kind be
destroyed?" God: "I will take care that a remnant of thee is
spared." In her rage the mouse bit the cat, and the cat in turn
threw herself upon the mouse, and hacked into her with her teeth
until she lay dead. Since that moment the mouse stands in such
awe of the cat that she does not even attempt to defend herself
against her enemy's attacks, and always keeps herself in
hiding.[171] Similarly dogs and cats maintained a friendly
relation to each other, and only later on became enemies. A dog
and a cat were partners, and they shared with each other whatever
they had. It once happened that neither could find anything to
eat for three days. Thereupon the dog proposed that they dissolve
their partnership. The cat should go to Adam, in whose house
there would surely be enough for her to eat, while the dog should
seek his fortune elsewhere. Before they separated, they took an
oath never to go to the same master. The cat took up her abode
with Adam, and she found sufficient mice in his house to satisfy
her appetite. Seeing how useful she was in driving away and
extirpating mice, Adam treated her most kindly. The dog, on the
other hand, saw bad times. The first night after their separation
he spent in the cave of the wolf, who had granted him a night's
lodging. At night the dog caught the sound of steps, and he
reported it to his host, who bade him repulse the intruders. They
were wild animals. Little lacked and the dog would have lost his
life. Dismayed, the dog fled from the house of the wolf, and took
refuge with the monkey. But he would not grant him even a single
night's lodging; and the fugitive was forced to appeal to the
hospitality of the sheep. Again the dog heard steps in the middle
of the night. Obeying the bidding of his host, he arose to chase
away the marauders, who turned out to be wolves. The barking of
the dog apprised the wolves of the presence of sheep, so that the
dog innocently caused the sheep's death. Now he had lost his last
friend. Night after night he begged for shelter, without ever
finding a home. Finally, he decided to repair to the house of
Adam, who also granted him refuge for one night. When wild
animals approached the house under cover of darkness, the dog
began to bark, Adam awoke, and with his bow and arrow he drove
them away. Recognizing the dog's usefulness, he bade him remain
with him always. But as soon as the cat espied the dog in Adam's
house, she began to quarrel with him, and reproach him with
having broken his oath to her. Adam did his best to pacify the
cat. He told her he had himself invited the dog to make his home
there, and he assured her she would in no wise be the loser by
the dog's presence; he wanted both to stay with him. But it was
impossible to appease the cat. The dog promised her not to touch
anything intended for her. She insisted that she could not live
in one and the same house with a thief like the dog. Bickerings
between the dog and the cat became the order of the day. Finally
the dog could stand it no longer, and he left Adam's house, and
betook himself to Seth's. By Seth he was welcomed kindly, and
from Seth's house, he continued to make efforts at reconciliation
with the cat. In vain. Yes, the enmity between the first dog and
the first cat was transmitted to all their descendants until this
very day.[172]
Even the physical peculiarities of certain animals were not
original features with them, but owed their existence to
something that occurred subsequent to the days of creation. The
mouse at first had quite a different mouth from its present
mouth. In Noah's ark, in which all animals, to ensure the
preservation of every kind, lived together peaceably, the pair of
mice were once sitting next to the cat. Suddenly the latter
remembered that her father was in the habit of devouring mice,
and thinking there was no harm in following his example, she
jumped at the mouse, who vainly looked for a hole into which to
slip out of sight. Then a miracle happened; a hole appeared where
none had been before, and the mouse sought refuge in it. The cat
pursued the mouse, and though she could not follow her into the
hole, she could insert her paw and try to pull the mouse out of
her covert. Quickly the mouse opened her mouth in the hope that
the paw would go into it, and the cat would be prevented from
fastening her claws in her flesh. But as the cavity of the mouth
was not big enough, the cat succeeded in clawing the cheeks of
the mouse. Not that this helped her much, it merely widened the
mouth of the mouse, and her prey after all escaped the cat.[173]
After her happy escape, the mouse betook herself to Noah and said
to him, "O pious man, be good enough to sew up my cheek where my
enemy, the cat, has torn a rent in it." Noah bade her fetch a
hair out of the tail of the swine, and with this he repaired the
damage. Thence the little seam-like line next to the mouth of
every mouse to this very day.[174]
The raven is another animal that changed its appearance during
its sojourn in the ark. When Noah desired to send him forth to
find out about the state of the waters, he hid under the wings of
the eagle. Noah found him, however, and said to him, "Go and see
whether the waters have diminished." The raven pleaded: "Hast
thou none other among all the birds to send on this errand?"
Noah: "My power extends no further than over thee and the
dove."[175] But the raven was not satisfied. He said to Noah with
great insolence: "Thou sendest me forth only that I may meet my
death, and thou wishest my death that my wife may be at thy
service."[176] Thereupon Noah cursed the raven thus: "May thy
mouth, which has spoken evil against me, be accursed, and thy
intercourse with thy wife be only through it."[177] All the
animals in the ark said Amen. And this is the reason why a mass
of spittle runs from the mouth of the male raven into the mouth
of the female during the act of copulation, and only thus the
female is impregnated.[178] Altogether the raven is an
unattractive animal. He is unkind toward his own young so long as
their bodies are not covered with black feathers,[179] though as
a rule ravens love one another.[180] God therefore takes the
young ravens under His special protection. From their own
excrement maggots come forth,[181] which serve as their food
during the three days that elapse after their birth, until their
white feathers turn black and their parents recognize them as
their offspring and care for them.[182]
The raven has himself to blame also for the awkward hop in his
gait. He observed the graceful step of the dove, and envious of
her tried to enmulate it. The outcome was that he almost broke
his bones without in the least succeeding in making himself
resemble the dove, not to mention that he brought the scorn of
the other animals down upon himself. His failure excited their
ridicule. Then he decided to return to his own original gait, but
in the interval he had unlearnt it, and he could walk neither the
one way nor the other properly. His step had become a hop betwixt
and between. Thus we see how true it is, that he who is
dissatisfied with his small portion loses the little he has in
striving for more and better things.[163]
The steer is also one of the animals that have suffered a change
in the course of time. Originally his face was entirely overgrown
with hair, but now there is none on his nose, and that is because
Joshua kissed him on his nose during the siege of Jericho. Joshua
was an exceedingly heavy man. Horses, donkeys, and mules, none
could bear him, they all broke down under his weight. What they
could not do, the steer accomplished. On his back Joshua rode to
the siege of Jericho, and in gratitude he bestowed a kiss upon
his nose.[134]
The serpent, too, is other than it was at first. Before the fall
of man it was the cleverest of all animals created, and in form
it resembled man closely. It stood upright, and was of
extraordinary size.[185] Afterward, it lost the mental advantages
it had possessed as compared with other animals, and it
degenerated physically, too; it was deprived of its feet, so that
it could not pursue other animals and kill them. The mole and the
frog had to be made harmless in similar ways; the former has no
eyes, else it were irresistible, and the frog has no teeth, else
no animal in the water were sure of its life.[186]
While the cunning of the serpent wrought its own undoing, the
cunning of the fox stood him in good stead in many an
embarrassing situation. After Adam had committed the sin of
disobedience, God delivered the whole of the animal world into
the power of the Angel of Death, and He ordered him to cast one
pair of each kind into the water. He and leviathan together thus
have dominion over all that has life. When the Angel of Death was
in the act of executing the Divine command upon the fox, he began
to weep bitterly. The Angel of Death asked him the reason of his
tears, and the fox replied that he was mourning the sad fate of
his friend. At the same time he pointed to the figure of a fox in
the sea, which was nothing but his own reflection. The Angel of
Death, persuaded that a representative of the fox family had been
cast into the water, let him go free. The fox told his trick to
the cat, and she in turn played it on the Angel of Death.[187] So
it happened that neither cats nor foxes are represented in the
water, while all other animals are.[188]
When leviathan passed the animals in review, and missing the fox
was informed of the sly way in which he had eluded his authority,
he dispatched great and powerful fish on the errand of enticing
the truant into the water. The fox walking along the shore espied
the large number of fish, and he exclaimed, "How happy he who may
always satisfy his hunger with the flesh of such as these." The
fish told him, if he would but follow them, his appetite could
easily be appeased. At the same time they informed him that a
great honor awaited him. Leviathan, they said, was at death's
door, and he had commissioned them to install the fox as his
successor. They were ready to carry him on their backs, so that
he had no need to fear the water, and thus they would convey him
to the throne, which stood upon a huge rock. The fox yielded to
these persuasions, and descended into the water. Presently an
uncomfortable feeling took possession of him. He began to suspect
that the tables were turned; he was being made game of instead of
making game of others as usual. He urged the fish to tell him the
truth, and they admitted that they had been sent out to secure
his person for leviathan, who wanted his heart,[189] that he
might become as knowing as the fox, whose wisdom he had heard
many extol. The fox said reproachfully: "Why did you not tell me
the truth at once? Then I could have brought my heart along with
me for King Leviathan, who would have showered honors upon me. As
it is, you will surely suffer punishment for bringing me without
my heart. The foxes, you see," he continued, "do not carry their
hearts around with them. They keep them in a safe place, and when
they have need of them, they fetch them thence." The fish quickly
swam to shore, and landed the fox, so that he might go for his
heart. No sooner did he feel dry land under his feet than he
began to jump and shout, and when they urged him to go in search
of his heart, and follow them, he said: "O ye fools, could I have
followed you into the water, if I had not had my heart with me?
Or exists there a creature able to go abroad without his heart?"
The fish replied: "Come, come, thou art fooling us." Whereupon
the fox: "O ye fools, if I could play a trick on the Angel of
Death, how much easier was it to make game of you?" So they had
to return, their errand undone, and leviathan could not but
confirm the taunting judgment of the fox: "In very truth, the fox
is wise of heart, and ye are fools."[190]
ALL THINGS PRAISE THE LORD
"Whatever God created has value." Even the animals and the
insects that seem useless and noxious at first sight have a
vocation to fulfil. The snail trailing a moist streak after it as
it crawls, and so using up its vitality, serves as a remedy for
boils. The sting of a hornet is healed by the house-fly crushed
and applied to the wound. The gnat, feeble creature, taking in
food but never secreting it, is a specific against the poison of
a viper, and this venomous reptile itself cures eruptions, while
the lizard is the antidote to the scorpion.[191] Not only do all
creatures serve man, and contribute to his comfort, but also God
"teacheth us through the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wise
through the fowls of heaven." He endowed many animals with
admirable moral qualities as a pattern for man. If the Torah had
not been revealed to us, we might have learnt regard for the
decencies of life from the cat, who covers her excrement with
earth; regard for the property of others from the ants, who never
encroach upon one another's stores; and regard for decorous
conduct from the cock, who, when he desires to unite with the
hen, promises to buy her a cloak long enough to reach to the
ground, and when the hen reminds him of his promise, he shakes
his comb and says, "May I be deprived of my comb, if I do not buy
it when I have the means." The grasshopper also has a lesson to
teach to man. All the summer through it sings, until its belly
bursts, and death claims it. Though it knows the fate that awaits
it, yet it sings on. So man should do his duty toward God, no
matter what the consequences. The stork should be taken as a
model in two respects. He guards the purity of his family life
zealously, and toward his fellows he is compassionate and
merciful. Even the frog can be the teacher of man. By the side of
the water there lives a species of animals which subsist off
aquatic creatures alone. When the frog notices that one of them
is hungry, he goes to it of his own accord, and offers himself as
food, thus fulfilling the injunction, "If thine enemy be hungry,
give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to
drink."[192]
The whole of creation was called into existence by God unto His
glory,[193] and each creature has its own hymn of praise
wherewith to extol the Creator. Heaven and earth, Paradise and
hell, desert and field, rivers and seas--all have their own way
of paying homage to God. The hymn of the earth is, "From the
uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs, glory to the
Righteous." The sea exclaims, "Above the voices of many waters,
the mighty breakers of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty."
Also the celestial bodies and the elements proclaim the praise of
their Creator--the sun, moon, and stars, the clouds and the
winds, lightning and dew. The sun says, "The sun and moon stood
still in their habitation, at the light of Thine arrows as they
went, at the shining of Thy glittering spear"; and the stars
sing, "Thou art the Lord, even Thou alone; Thou hast made heaven,
the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all
things that are thereon, the seas and all that is in them, and
Thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth
Thee."
Every plant, furthermore, has a song of praise. The fruitful tree
sings, "Then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy, before
the Lord, for He cometh; for He cometh to judge the earth"; and
the ears of grain on the field sing, "The pastures are covered
with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they
shout for joy, they also sing."
Great among singers of praise are the birds, and greatest among
them is the cock. When God at midnight goes to the pious in
Paradise, all the trees therein break out into adoration, and
their songs awaken the cock, who begins in turn to praise God.
Seven times he crows, each time reciting a verse. The first verse
is: "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye
everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall come in. Who is
the King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in
battle." The second verse: "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; yea,
lift them up, ye everlasting doors, and the King of glory shall
come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the
King of glory." The third: "Arise, ye righteous, and occupy
yourselves with the Torah, that your reward may be abundant in
the world hereafter." The fourth: "I have waited for Thy
salvation, O Lord!" The fifth: "How long wilt thou sleep, O
sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?" The sixth:
"Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and
thou shalt be satisfied with bread." And the seventh verse sung
by the cock runs: "It is time to work for the Lord, for they have
made void Thy law."
The song of the vulture is: "I will hiss for them, and gather
them; for I have redeemed them, and they shall increase as they
have increased"--the same verse with which the bird will in time
to come announce the advent of the Messiah, the only difference
being, that when he heralds the Messiah he will sit upon the
ground and sing his verse, while at all other times he is seated
elsewhere when he sings it.
Nor do the other animals praise God less than the birds. Even the
beasts of prey give forth adoration. The lion says: "The Lord
shall go forth as a mighty man; He shall stir up jealousy like a
man of war; He shall cry, yea, He shall shout aloud; He shall do
mightily against his enemies." And the fox exhorts unto justice
with the words: "Woe unto him that buildeth his house by
unrighteousness, and his chambers by injustice; that useth his
neighbor's service without wages, and giveth him not his hire."
Yea, the dumb fishes know how to proclaim the praise of their
Lord. "The voice of the Lord is upon the waters," they say, "the
God of glory thundereth, even the Lord upon many waters"; while
the frog exclaims, "Blessed be the name of the glory of His
kingdom forever and ever."
Contemptible though they are, even the reptiles give praise unto
their Creator. The mouse extols God with the words: "Howbeit Thou
art just in all that is come upon me; for Thou hast dealt truly,
but I have done wickedly." And the cat sings: "Let everything
that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord."[194]
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