Observe this. It is written, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman” (Gen. 3, 15). The term ebah (enmity) is akin to a similar word in the verse, “they are passed away as the ships of ebeh” (Job 9, 26), for on the great ocean there float numerous ships and boats of many kinds, and those in which the serpent sails are called “ships of ebeh” (enmity).
The “woman” referred to here is the God-fearing woman; “thy seed” refers to the idolatrous nations; “her seed” to Israel; “he shall bruise thy head”, to wit, the Holy One, who will one day destroy him, as it is written: “He will swallow up death for ever” (Is. 25, 8), and also, “and I will cause the unclean spirit to pass out of the land” (Zech. 13, 2).
“In the head” means in the time to come when the dead will come to life; for then the world will be the “head”, since it will be established by the “head”, that is, the supernal world. “In the heel” means now in this world, which is merely “heel” and not endowed with permanence, and so the serpent bites and mankind is in disgrace.
See, now, a man’s days were created and are located in the supernal grades, but when they draw to the end of their term, when they reach the Scriptural limit of threescore and ten (Ps. 90, 10), there remains then no grade any more for them to abide in, and so “their pride is but travail and vanity” (Ibid,), and they are as nought.
Not so the days of the righteous. They have a permanent abiding. Thus we read “And the life of Sarah was” (vayihyu, lit. “and they were” or “remained”); similarly, “And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life” (Gen. 25, 7). You may object that similarly in the case of Ishmael it is written, “And these are the years of the life of Ishmael” (Ibid. 17). Ishmael, howcver, had in fact repented of his evil ways, and the days of his life thus attained permanency.’
תָּא חֲזֵי, כְּתִיב, (בראשית ג׳:ט״ו) וְאֵיבָה אָשִׁית בֵּינְךָ וּבֵין הָאִשָּׁה. מַאי וְאֵיבָה כְּדִכְתִיב (איוב ט׳:כ״ו) חָלְפוּ עִם אֳנִיּוֹת אֵבֶה. דְּהָא כַּמָּה אַרְבִין שָׁטָאן גּוֹ יַמָּא רַבָּא, וְאִית אַרְבִין וּסְפִינָן מִתְפָּרְשָׁן דָּא מִן דָּא. וְאִינוּן אַרְבִין דְּהַאי נָחָשׁ שָׁאט בְּגַוַּויְיהוּ אִקְרוּן אֳנִיּוֹת אֵבָה.
Observe this. It is written, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman” (Gen. 3, 15). The term ebah (enmity) is akin to a similar word in the verse, “they are passed away as the ships of ebeh” (Job 9, 26), for on the great ocean there float numerous ships and boats of many kinds, and those in which the serpent sails are called “ships of ebeh” (enmity).
בֵּינְךָ וּבֵין הָאִשָּׁה. דָּא אִשָּׁה יִרְאַת יְיָ. וּבֵין זַרְעֶךָ, אִלֵּין שְׁאָר עַמִּין עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת. וּבֵין זַרְעָהּ, אִלֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל. הוּא יְשׁוּפְךָ רֹאשׁ, דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּזַמִּין לְבַעֲרָא לֵיהּ מֵעַלְמָא דִּכְתִיב, (ישעיהו כ״ה:ח׳) בִּלַּע הַמָּוְת לָנֶצַח. וּכְתִיב, (זכריה י״ג:ב׳) וְאֶת רוּחַ הַטֻּמְאָה אַעֲבִיר מִן הָאָרֶץ.
The “woman” referred to here is the God-fearing woman; “thy seed” refers to the idolatrous nations; “her seed” to Israel; “he shall bruise thy head”, to wit, the Holy One, who will one day destroy him, as it is written: “He will swallow up death for ever” (Is. 25, 8), and also, “and I will cause the unclean spirit to pass out of the land” (Zech. 13, 2).
רֹאשׁ, דָּא לְזִמְנָא דְאָתֵי דְיִתְעָרוּן מֵתַיָא. דְּהָא כְּדֵין לֶהֱוֵי עַלְמָא רֹא"שׁ, דְּיִתְקַיַּים בָּרֹא"שׁ דְּאִיהוּ עַלְמָא עִלָּאָה. וְאַתָּה תְּשׁוּפֶנּוּ עָקֵב. דָּא בְּהַאי עַלְמָא הַשְׁתָּא דְאִיהוּ עָקֵב וְלָאו אִיהוּ בְּקִיּוּמָא וְהַהוּא חִוְיָא נָשִׁיךְ לְעַלְמָא וְאַחְשִׁיךְ אַנְפּוֹי בִּרְיָין.
“In the head” means in the time to come when the dead will come to life; for then the world will be the “head”, since it will be established by the “head”, that is, the supernal world. “In the heel” means now in this world, which is merely “heel” and not endowed with permanence, and so the serpent bites and mankind is in disgrace.
תָּא חֲזֵי, יוֹמִין דְּבַר נָשׁ אִתְבְּרִיאוּ וְקָיְימוּ בְּאִינוּן דַּרְגִּין עִלָּאִין, כֵּיוָן דִּמְסַיְימוּ לְאִתְקַיְימָא בְּאִינוּן דַּרְגִּין דִּכְתִיב, (תהילים צ׳:י׳) יְמֵי שְׁנוֹתֵינוּ בָּהֶם שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה וְגו', מִכָּאן וּלְהָלְאָה לֵית דַּרְגָא לְאִתְקַיְּימָא. וּבְגִין כָּךְ וְרָהְבָּ"ם עָמָל וָאָוֶן. וְאִינוּן כְּלָא הֲווּ.
See, now, a man’s days were created and are located in the supernal grades, but when they draw to the end of their term, when they reach the Scriptural limit of threescore and ten (Ps. 90, 10), there remains then no grade any more for them to abide in, and so “their pride is but travail and vanity” (Ibid,), and they are as nought.
אֲבָל אִינוּן יוֹמִין דְּצַדִּיקַיָא הֲווּ וְאִתְקָיְימוּ כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה. וְכֵן וְאֵלֶּה יְמֵי שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי אַבְרָהָם. וְאִי תֵימָא הָכִי נָמֵי כְּתִיב בְּיִשְׁמָעֵאל דִּכְתִיב, (בראשית כ״ה:ז׳) שְׁנֵי חַיֵּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל. אֶלָּא בִּתְשׁוּבָה אַהֲדַר, וְעַל דָּא קָרֵי (ביומוי) וַיִּהְיוּ:
Not so the days of the righteous. They have a permanent abiding. Thus we read “And the life of Sarah was” (vayihyu, lit. “and they were” or “remained”); similarly, “And these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life” (Gen. 25, 7). You may object that similarly in the case of Ishmael it is written, “And these are the years of the life of Ishmael” (Ibid. 17). Ishmael, howcver, had in fact repented of his evil ways, and the days of his life thus attained permanency.’