Said R. Eleazar: ‘Thirteen springs.1These are supposed to symbolize the forces of judgement which issue from the Sefirah Malkuth. emerge in the upper world, on the right side, which give rise to thirteen deep streams. Of these streams, whilst some are rising others are falling, and their waters mingle with each other.
These thirteen streams, issuing from thirteen springs, branch out besides into a thousand rivers, flowing in all directions, namely, four hundred and ninety-nine and a half to the one side, and four hundred and ninety-nine and a half to the other side, the remaining two half rivers being joined into one and metamorphosed into a Serpent,
whose head is red as the rose, and whose scales are solid as iron, and who has fins by means of which he propels himself through all the rivers. When he raises his tail he strikes against all fishes coming in his way so that none of them dare stand in his path.
His mouth emits a flaming fire. When he sets out to traverse the rivers, all the fishes fall a-trembling, take flight and precipitate themselves into the great ocean. Once every seventy years he crouches on the one side and once every seventy on the other side; the thousand rivers less one are thus filled with him. So he remains for a time;
but when he bestirs himself there issues from him a strip of fire in his scales, which stand out and quiver, and the waters of the rivers become turbid and assume a dark-blue colour, and waves surge in every direction. He then lifts his tail and lashes with it upwards and downwards, so that everything flees before him;
until finally a flame of fire is projected from the North and a proclamation goes forth, saying: “Arise, ye old females,1Alluding to Lilith, the night-demon, and her female retinue, According to the commentators, there is, besides old Lilith, also young Lilith, who is at the service of Asmodeus. be scattered into all the four corners, for, behold, there is awakened the one who is about to put fetters on the jaws of the monster.” So Scripture says: “And I will put hooks in thy jaws”, etc. (Ezek. 29, 4). Then they all scatter, and the monster is seized and pierced through his jaws and thrust into the cavern of the great abyss, so that his power is broken. After that he is brought back to his rivers.
This performance is repeated every seventy years in order to prevent him from doing damage to the heavenly regions and their foundations. For this we all give thanks and offer up praise, as it is written: “O come, let us bow down and bend the knee; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker” (Ps. 95, 6).
The superior dragons abide on high, to wit, those that were blessed, as we read: “And God blessed them ” (Gen. 1, 22). These rule over all the other fishes, of whom it is written, “and fill the waters in the seas” (Ibid.) Concerning this it is written: “How manifold are thy works, O Lord! In wisdom hast thou made them all” (Ps. 104, 24).’
אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, בְּסִטְרָא יְמִינָא עִלָּאָה, נָפְקִין תְּלֵיסָר מַבּוּעִין עִלָּאִין, נָהֲרִין עֲמִיקִין, אִלֵּין סַלְּקִין, וְאִלֵּין נַחְתִּין, עָיִיִל כָּל חַד בְּחַבְרֵיהּ. חַד אַפִּיק רֵישֵׁיהּ, וְאָעִיל לֵיהּ בִּתְרֵין גּוּפִין, חַד גּוּפָא דְּנַהֲרָא נָטִיל מִיָּמִין לְעֵילָּא, אַפְרִישׁ לְתַתָּא אֶלֶף יְאוֹרִין, נָפְקִין לְאַרְבַּע סִטְרִין.
Said R. Eleazar: ‘Thirteen springs.1These are supposed to symbolize the forces of judgement which issue from the Sefirah Malkuth. emerge in the upper world, on the right side, which give rise to thirteen deep streams. Of these streams, whilst some are rising others are falling, and their waters mingle with each other.
מֵאִינּוּן נַהֲרִין מַבּוּעִין תְּלֵיסָר, מִתְפָּרְשָׁן תְּלֵיסַר יְאוֹרִין, עָאלִין וְנַטְלֵי מַיָּא, אַרְבַּע מֵאָה וְתִשְׁעִין וְתִשְׁעָה יְאוֹרִין וּפַלְגָּא, מִסִּטְרָא דָּא. וְאַרְבַּע מְאָה וְתִשְׁעִין וְתִשְׁעָה יְאוֹרִין וּפַלְגָּא, מִסִּטְרָא דָּא בִּשְׂמָאלָא. אִשְׁתְּאַר פַּלְגָּא מִכָּאן, וּפַלְגָּא מִכָּאן, וְאִתְעָבִיד חַד. דָּא אָעִיל בֵּין יְאוֹרִין, וְאִתְעָבִיד חִוְיָא.
These thirteen streams, issuing from thirteen springs, branch out besides into a thousand rivers, flowing in all directions, namely, four hundred and ninety-nine and a half to the one side, and four hundred and ninety-nine and a half to the other side, the remaining two half rivers being joined into one and metamorphosed into a Serpent,
רֵישָׁא: סוּמָקָא כְּוַרְדָּא. קַשְׁקַשׁוֹי: תַּקִּיפִין כְּפַרְזְלָא. גַּדְפּוֹי: גַּדְפִּין שָׁטָאן וְאִתְפָּרְשָׁן לְכָל אִינּוּן יְאוֹרִין. כַּד סָלִיק זַנְבֵּיהּ, (נ"א לגביה) מָחֵי וּבָטַשׁ לִשְׁאַר נוּנִין, לֵית מַאן דְּיֵקוּם קָמֵיהּ.
whose head is red as the rose, and whose scales are solid as iron, and who has fins by means of which he propels himself through all the rivers. When he raises his tail he strikes against all fishes coming in his way so that none of them dare stand in his path.
פּוּמֵיהּ: מְלַהֲטָא אֶשָּׁא. כַּד נָטִיל בְּכָל אִינּוּן יְאוֹרִין, מִזְדַּעְזְעָן שְׁאַר תַּנִּינַיָיא, וְעַרְקִין וְעָאלִין בְּיַמָּא. חַד לְשִׁבְעִין שְׁנִין רָבִיץ לְסִטְרָא דָּא. וְחַד לְשִׁבְעִין שְׁנִין רָבִיץ לְסִטְרָא דָּא. אֶלֶף יְאוֹרִין חָסֵר חַד אִתְמַלְיָין מִנֵּיהּ. דָּא תַּנִּינָא, רָבִיץ בֵּין אִינּוּן יְאוֹרִין.
His mouth emits a flaming fire. When he sets out to traverse the rivers, all the fishes fall a-trembling, take flight and precipitate themselves into the great ocean. Once every seventy years he crouches on the one side and once every seventy on the other side; the thousand rivers less one are thus filled with him. So he remains for a time;
כַּד נָטִיל נָפִק חַד פָּסוּתָא דְּאֶשָּׁא בִּקְלִיפִין, כֻּלְּהוּ קַיְימִין וְזַעְפִּין בְּזַעְפּוֹי, (נ"א וזקפין בענפוי) מִתְעָרְבִין אִינּוּן יְאוֹרִין לְעֵין (נ"א העין) תִּכְלָא אוּכָמָא. וְגַלְגְּלִין נַטְלִין לְאַרְבַּע סִטְרֵי דְּעָלְמָא. זָקִיף זַנְבֵּיהּ, מָחֵי לְעֵילָּא, מָחֵי לְתַתָּא, כֹּלָּא עַרְקִין קָמֵיהּ.
but when he bestirs himself there issues from him a strip of fire in his scales, which stand out and quiver, and the waters of the rivers become turbid and assume a dark-blue colour, and waves surge in every direction. He then lifts his tail and lashes with it upwards and downwards, so that everything flees before him;
עַד דְּלִסְטַר צָפוֹן, קָם חַד שַׁלְהוֹבָא דְּאֶשָּׁא, וְכָרוֹזָא קָרֵי, אִזְדָּקָפוּ סַבְתִּין אִתְבְּדָרוּ לְד' זָוְיָין, הָא אִתְּעַר מַאן דְּשַׁוֵּי קֳדְלַא, עַל אַנְפּוֹי דְּתַנִּינָא, כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמַר, (יחזקאל כ״ט:ד׳) וְנָתַתִּי חַחִים בִּלְחָיֶּיךָ וְגוֹ'. כְּדֵין כֻּלְּהוּ אִתְבַּדְּרוּן. וְנַקְטִין לֵיהּ לְתַנִינָא, וְנָקְבֵי אַנְפּוֹי בִּסְטַר עִלְעוֹי, וְעָאלִין לֵיהּ לְנוּקְבָּא דִּתְהוֹמָא רַבָּא, עַד דְּאִתְבַּר חֵילֵיהּ, כְּדֵין אֲהַדְרוּ לֵיהּ לְנַהֲרוֹי. (נ"א לנחרוי)
until finally a flame of fire is projected from the North and a proclamation goes forth, saying: “Arise, ye old females,1Alluding to Lilith, the night-demon, and her female retinue, According to the commentators, there is, besides old Lilith, also young Lilith, who is at the service of Asmodeus. be scattered into all the four corners, for, behold, there is awakened the one who is about to put fetters on the jaws of the monster.” So Scripture says: “And I will put hooks in thy jaws”, etc. (Ezek. 29, 4). Then they all scatter, and the monster is seized and pierced through his jaws and thrust into the cavern of the great abyss, so that his power is broken. After that he is brought back to his rivers.
חַד לְשִׁבְעִין שְׁנִין עַבְדִין לֵיהּ כְּדֵין, בְּגִין דְּלָא יְטַשְׁטֵשׁ אַתְרִין דִּרְקִיעִין וּסְמָכַיְיהוּ. וְעָלַיְיהוּ כֹּלָּא אוֹדָן, וּמְבָרְכָאן וְאַמְרִין, (תהילים צ״ה:ו׳) בּוֹאוּ נִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה וְנִכְרָעָה נִבְרְכָה לִפְנֵי ה' עוֹשֵׂנוּ.
This performance is repeated every seventy years in order to prevent him from doing damage to the heavenly regions and their foundations. For this we all give thanks and offer up praise, as it is written: “O come, let us bow down and bend the knee; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker” (Ps. 95, 6).
תַּנִּינַיָיא עִלָּאִין אִילֵין (ס"א לעילא) קַיְימִין אִינּוּן דְּמִתְבָּרְכָאן, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (בראשית א׳:כ״ב) וַיְבָרֶךְ אוֹתָם אֱלהִים. אִלֵּין שַׁלְטִין עַל כָּל שְׁאַר נוּנִין, דִּכְתִּיב וּמִלְאוּ אֶת הַמַּיִם בַּיַּמִּים. וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב, (תהילים ק״ד:כ״ד) מָה רַבּוּ מַעֲשֶׂיךָ ה' כֻּלָּם בְּחָכְמָה עָשִׂיתָ.
The superior dragons abide on high, to wit, those that were blessed, as we read: “And God blessed them ” (Gen. 1, 22). These rule over all the other fishes, of whom it is written, “and fill the waters in the seas” (Ibid.) Concerning this it is written: “How manifold are thy works, O Lord! In wisdom hast thou made them all” (Ps. 104, 24).’