R. Judah discoursed on the verse: Have the gates of death been revealed to thee? Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death ? (Job. 38, 17). ‘God’, he said, ‘addressed these words to Job when He saw him perplexed by the problem of divine justice. Job had said: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him (lo) (Ibid. 13, 15). The word lo is written with an aleph, meaning “not”, and is read as with a vau, meaning “in Him”.
God said in reply to him: “Am I the one that kills the sons of men? Have the gates of death been revealed to thee? And seest thou the gates of the shadows of death? There are ever so many gates open on that side, over which death ruleth, hidden away from the sons of men, who know them not.”
There are here mentioned both “death” and “the shadow of death”. These are a pair, the one being the angel of death, the other his rider,1The grade Geburah. who also is his protecting shadow and strength, the two being linked together and forming but one being.
All the grades that issue from them and are attached to them form their “gates”. Corresponding to the gates on high, of which it is written: “Lift up your heads, O ye gates, etc.” (Ps. 24, 7), and which are called rivers and brooks flowing through the six directions of the world, there are these gates of death and the shadow of death emanating from the other side, forming certain grades that rule over the world. The “gates of death” and the “gates of the shadow of death” are female and male combined into one.
Hence, in answer to Job’s complaints: “As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away, so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more” (Job 7, 8), and so forth, God said to him: “Are those gates revealed unto thee as being all in my power, and destined one day to be destroyed from off the world, as it is written: ‘He shall swallow up death for ever’? (Is. 25, 8.)”
פָּתַח רִבִּי יְהוּדָה וְאָמַר (איוב ל״ח:י״ז) הֲנִגְלוּ לְךָ שַׁעֲרֵי מָוֶת וְשַׁעֲרֵי צַלְמָוֶת תִּרְאֶה. הַאי קְרָא, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָמַר לֵיהּ לְאִיּוֹב, כַּד חָמָא דְּאִיּוֹב דָּחִיק גַרְמֵיהּ עַל דִּינוֹי דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. תָּא חֲזֵי, אִיּוֹב אָמַר (איוב י״ג:ט״ו) הֵן יִקְטְלֵנִי לוֹ אֲיַחֵל, כְּתִיב לא בְּאל"ף וְקָרֵי לוֹ בְּוא"ו, וְכֹלָּא אִיהוּ.
R. Judah discoursed on the verse: Have the gates of death been revealed to thee? Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death ? (Job. 38, 17). ‘God’, he said, ‘addressed these words to Job when He saw him perplexed by the problem of divine justice. Job had said: “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him (lo) (Ibid. 13, 15). The word lo is written with an aleph, meaning “not”, and is read as with a vau, meaning “in Him”.
אָמַר לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְכִי אֲנָא קָטִיל בְּנֵי נָשָׁא, הֲנִגְלוּ לְךָ שַׁעֲרֵי מָוְת וְשַׁעֲרֵי צַלְמָוֶת תִּרְאֶה, כַּמָּה תַּרְעִין אִינוּן פְּתִיחָן בְּהַהוּא סִטְרָא. וּמוֹתָא שָׁלְטָא עֲלַיְיהוּ, וְכֻלְּהוּ סְתִימִין מִבְּנֵי נָשָׁא, (ס"א ולא יכלין לאסתמרא מנייהו בגין דאינון סתימין מבני נשא) וְלָא יָדְעִין אִינוּן שְׁעָרִים.
God said in reply to him: “Am I the one that kills the sons of men? Have the gates of death been revealed to thee? And seest thou the gates of the shadows of death? There are ever so many gates open on that side, over which death ruleth, hidden away from the sons of men, who know them not.”
וְשַׁעֲרֵי צַלְמָוֶת תִּרְאֶה. מַאן אִינוּן שַׁעֲרֵי מָוֶת ומַאן אִינוּן שַׁעֲרֵי צַלְמָוֶת. אֶלָּא מָוֶת וְצַלְמָוֶת כְּחֲדָא אִינוּן, וְזִוּוּגָא חָדָא אִינוּן. מָוֶת הָא אִתְּמָר, דָּא מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוְת, וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ. צַלְמָוֶת, צֵל מָוֶת. הַאי אִיהוּ מַאן דְּרָכִיב עֲלֵיהּ, וְאִיהוּ צִלָּא דִילֵיהּ, וְתוּקְפָא דִילֵיהּ, לְאִזְדַּוְּוגָא כְּחֲדָא, בְּקִשּׁוּרָא חַד וְאִינוּן חַד.
There are here mentioned both “death” and “the shadow of death”. These are a pair, the one being the angel of death, the other his rider,1The grade Geburah. who also is his protecting shadow and strength, the two being linked together and forming but one being.
וְכָל אִינוּן דַּרְגִּין דְּנָפְקֵי מִנַּיְיהוּ וּמִתְקַשְּׁרָן בְּהוּ אִינוּן שְׁעָרִים דִּלְהוֹן כְּמָה דִלְעֵילָא, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (תהילים כ״ד:ז׳) שְׂאוּ שְׁעָרִים רָאשֵׁיכֶם וְגו'. וְאִלֵּין (אינון שערים) אִיקְּרוּ נַהֲרִין וְנַחֲלִין, שִׁית סִטְרִין דְּעָלְמָא. אוּף הָכִי אִינוּן שַׁעֲרֵי מָוֶת, וְשַׁעֲרֵי צַלְמָוֶת מִסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא, דַּרְגִּין יְדִיעָן דְּשָׁלְטִין בְּעַלְמָא. שַׁעֲרֵי מָוְת וְשַׁעֲרֵי צַלְמָוֶת, דָּא נוּקְבָא וְדָא דְכוּרָא, וְתַרְוַויְיהוּ כְּחֲדָא.
All the grades that issue from them and are attached to them form their “gates”. Corresponding to the gates on high, of which it is written: “Lift up your heads, O ye gates, etc.” (Ps. 24, 7), and which are called rivers and brooks flowing through the six directions of the world, there are these gates of death and the shadow of death emanating from the other side, forming certain grades that rule over the world. The “gates of death” and the “gates of the shadow of death” are female and male combined into one.
וְעַל דָּא, אָמַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לֵיה לְאִיּוֹב, בְּגִין כָּל אִינוּן מִלִּין, דְּאִיהוּ אָמַר (איוב ז׳:ט׳) כָּלָה עָנָן וַיֵּלַךְ כֵּן יוֹרֵד שְׁאוֹל לֹא יַעֲלֶה, וְכָל אִינוּן שְׁאָר מִלִּין. אָמַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הֲנִגְלוּ לְךָ שַׁעֲרֵי מָוֶת, לְמִנְדַע דְּהָא כֻּלְּהוּ בִּרְשׁוּתִי, וְכֻלְּהוּ זְמִינִין לְאִתְבַּעֲרָא מֵעַלְמָא, דִּכְתִיב, (ישעיהו כ״ה:ח׳) בִּלַּע הַמָּוְת לָנֶצַח וְגו'.
Hence, in answer to Job’s complaints: “As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away, so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more” (Job 7, 8), and so forth, God said to him: “Are those gates revealed unto thee as being all in my power, and destined one day to be destroyed from off the world, as it is written: ‘He shall swallow up death for ever’? (Is. 25, 8.)”