104. RABBI YEHUDA BRINGS HERE THE WORDS OF RABBI ELAZAR, TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THE GREAT CROCODILES (HEB. TANINIM) OF HOLINESS AND THE GREAT CROCODILE OF THE KLIPAH. FOR THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED PASSAGE OPENED WITH THE PHRASE, "WHEN PHARAOH SHALL SPEAK TO YOU...THEN YOU SHALL SAY TO AARON, TAKE YOUR ROD, AND CAST IT BEFORE PHARAOH, AND IT SHALL TURN INTO A SNAKE" (SHEMOT 7:9). AFTERWARDS, IT IS WRITTEN, "AND THE MAGICIANS OF EGYPT, THEY ALSO DID IN LIKE MANNER WITH THEIR SECRET ARTS. FOR THEY CAST DOWN EVERY MAN HIS ROD, AND THEY TURNED TO SNAKES (HEB. TANINIM)" (IBID. 11-12). AND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SERPENT OF HOLINESS OF AARON'S ROD AND THE SERPENT OF THE SORCERERS IS EXPLAINED IN THE WORDS OF RABBI ELAZAR. Rabbi Elazar said, On the supernal right side, NAMELY FROM THE RIGHT COLUMN OF BINAH, emerge thirteen supernal springs and deep rivers. THIS IS THE SECRET OF THE SUPERNAL THRONE WHICH IS BINAH. AND THERE ARE FOUR LEGS OF THE THRONE WHICH ARE CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT OF ZEIR ANPIN, EACH CONTAINING CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, SO THEY ARE TWELVE, AND BINAH ITSELF WHICH IS OVER THEM, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE THRONE, IS THIRTEENTH. THEY ARE DIVIDED INTO TWO COLUMNS, RIGHT AND LEFT, BECAUSE TIFERET IS ALSO DIVIDED INTO RIGHT AND LEFT, WHICH ARE CHESED AND GVURAH. THOSE ON THE RIGHT SIDE ARE CALLED SPRINGS, AND THOSE ON THE LEFT, RIVERS. The ones ascend, NAMELY THOSE THAT BELONG TO THE LEFT, WHICH ILLUMINATE FROM BELOW UPWARDS. And the others descend, NAMELY THOSE THAT BELONG TO THE RIGHT, ILLUMINATING FROM ABOVE DOWNWARDS. They interpenetrate each other, MEANING THAT THEY COMBINE ONE WITH THE OTHER, because one, WHICH IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN, withdraws, THAT IS, IT LESSENS its head OF THE LEFT COLUMN THAT IS CALLED RIVER, and brings it in two bodies CALLED STREAM AND RIVER. One body FROM THE ASPECT of river, WHICH IS LEFT AND CHOCHMAH, receives FROM THE CHASSADIM of the right above and brings forth TO THE LOWER BEINGS a thousand streams that emerge to four sides, WHICH ARE CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET AND MALCHUT, EACH CONTAINING 250 STREAMS.
105. From these thirteen rivers OF THE LEFT, and the springs ON THE RIGHT AS MENTIONED, emerge thirteen streams, WHICH ARE LIGHTS OF THE LEFT. Entering into them, 499 and one half FROM THE RIGHT and 499 and one half from the left, take water. One half on this side and one half from this side remain, and the two halves become one. This enters between the streams and turns into a serpent.
106. The head OF THE SERPENT (HEB. TANIN) is red like a rose. THE COLOR RED DENOTES JUDGMENTS THAT ARE DRAWN FROM BINAH. His scales are hard as iron, FOR THE ASPECT OF MALCHUT IS ESSENTIALLY CALLED IRON, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE ATTRIBUTE OF JUDGMENT. His wings are swimming wings, NAMELY FINS, and they go into all these streams THAT WERE MENTIONED. When he raises his tail, he smites and kicks the other fish, and no one can withstand him.
107. The mouth OF THE SERPENT is a flaming fire. When he swims in all these streams, NAMELY, WHEN HE DRAWS CHOCHMAH FROM ABOVE DOWNWARDS LIKE THE STREAMS, the other fish there, MEANING THE GRADES, tremble and flee from there to the sea, WHICH IS MALCHUT OF HOLINESS. Once in seventy years, he couches this way, NAMELY IN 499 AND ONE HALF STREAMS ON THE RIGHT AND COMPLETES THE HALF THAT IS MISSING ON THE RIGHT. And once in seventy years, he couches that way, NAMELY IN 499 AND ONE HALF STREAMS ON THE LEFT, AND COMPLETES THE HALF THAT IS MISSING ON THE LEFT, SINCE THE SERPENT IS CONSTRUCTED FROM THESE TWO HALVES THAT ARE MISSING IN THEM. THUS the thousand streams less one were filled by him, THAT IS, BECOME COMPLETED BY HIM. The serpent couches in the midst of the streams, BUT DOES NOT SWIM IN THEM. FOR CROUCHING DOES NO ACTION AND DOES NOT DRAW CHOCHMAH FROM ABOVE DOWNWARDS, UNLIKE SWIMMING, WHICH ACTS AND DRAWS FROM ABOVE DOWNWARDS, AND THEREFORE HIS ASPECT OF JUDGMENT IS REVEALED, AS IS MENTIONED AND WRITTEN BEFORE US.
108. BUT when he swims IN THEM, a flame of fire emerges among the Klipot. And THEN THE STREAMS all rise and storm, MEANING THAT THEY RAISE THEIR WAVES ABOVE AND BRING THEM DOWN, WHICH IS CALLED STORM IN RHETORICAL LANGUAGE. These streams mix ONE WITH THE OTHER, and receive the blue color that tends to black, WHICH IS THE COLOR OF MALCHUT. And wheels move ABOVE to the four directions, NAMELY THE WHEELS OF THE CHARIOT OF HOLINESS DRAW THE TOP THREE SFIROT BY THEIR TRAVELS, and the serpent straightens up his tail and smites upward THE WHEELS, THUS DAMAGING THEM, and smites below THE RIVERS. They all flee him.
109. Until a certain flame of fire arises in the north side, and a proclamation resounds, 'Stand in groups and disperse to four sides, for he who will put a snare upon the face of the serpent has awoken,' as it is written, "And I will put hooks in your jaws..." (Yechezkel 29:4). THIS REFERS TO THE SERPENT THAT COUCHES IN THE MIDST OF HIS STREAMS. Then all THE GROUPS scatter, take the serpent and puncture his face by the side of his jaws, and bring him into a hole in the great abyss, WHICH IS BINAH OF THE KLIPOT until his power is broken. Then he is returned to his rivers.
110. This is done to him once in seventy years, BECAUSE WHEN HE REACHES THE END OF SEVENTY YEARS WHICH IS HIS MALCHUT OF MALCHUT, THE POWER OF JUDGMENT IN HIS TAIL IS AGAIN STIMULATED, so that he would not ruin the places of the firmaments and their pillars. For this they all praise and laud, "Come, let us prostrate and bow down, let us kneel before Hashem our maker" (Tehilim 95:6).
111. BUT the supernal serpents that stand above IN HOLINESS, WHO ARE LEVIATHAN AND HIS SPOUSE, are the ones who were blessed as it is written, "And Elohim blessed them" (Beresheet 1:22). This rule over all the other fish, WHICH ARE THE VARIED LEVEL GRADES IN THE STREAMS, as it is written, "And fill the waters in the seas." And of this, it is written, "Hashem, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom have You made them all." (Tehilim 104:24).