(21) God created the great sea monsters, and all the living creatures of every kind that creep, which the waters brought forth in swarms, and all the winged birds of every kind. And God saw that this was good.
התנינם THE GREAT SEA MONSTERS — the large fishes that are in the sea; and according to the statement of the Aggadah (Talmud Bava Batra 74b) it means here the Leviathan and its consort which God created male and female. God, however, killed the female and preserved it in salt for the benefit of the righteous in the time to come, for had they been permitted to be fruitful and to multiply the world could not have endured because of them.
(5) Who can uncover his outer garment?
Who can penetrate the folds of his jowls? (6) Who can pry open the doors of his face?
His bared teeth strike terror. (7) His protective scales are his pride,
Locked with a binding seal. (8) One scale touches the other;
Not even a breath can enter between them. (9) Each clings to each;
They are interlocked so they cannot be parted. (10) His sneezings flash lightning,
And his eyes are like the rays of dawn. (11) Firebrands stream from his mouth;
Fiery sparks escape. (12) Out of his nostrils comes smoke as from a steaming, boiling cauldron. (13) His breath ignites coals;
Flames blaze from his mouth. (14) Strength resides in his neck; Power leaps before him. (15) The layers of his flesh stick together;
He is as though cast hard; he does not totter. (16) His heart is cast hard as a stone,
Hard as the nether millstone. (17) Divine beings are in dread as he rears up;
As he crashes down, they cringe. (18) No sword that overtakes him can prevail,
Nor spear, nor missile, nor lance. (19) He regards iron as straw,
Bronze, as rotted wood. (20) No arrow can put him to flight;
Slingstones turn into stubble for him. (21) Clubs are regarded as stubble;
He scoffs at the quivering javelin. (22) His underpart is jagged shards;
It spreads a threshing-sledge on the mud. (23) He makes the depths seethe like a cauldron;
He makes the sea [boil] like an ointment-pot. (24) He makes a path shine after him;
He considers the deep to be hoary. (25) There is no one on land who can dominate him,
Made as he is without fear. (26) He sees all that is haughty;
He is king over all proud beasts.
(24) How many are the things You have made, O LORD; You have made them all with wisdom; the earth is full of Your creations. (25) There is the sea, vast and wide, with its creatures beyond number, living things, small and great. (26) There go the ships, and Leviathan that You formed to sport with.
לשחק בו. שלש שעות ביום כך אמרו רבותינו במסכת ע"א.
To sport with: three hours during the day. So did our Sages say in Talmud Avodah Zarah (3b).
לשחק בו. כמו יקומו נא הנערים וישחקו לפנינו, שבני אדם ינסו בו את כחם :
To sport with: As young men make sport in public, seeking to find those against whom to test their strength.
(ז) ביי השריץ מן המים לויתן נחש בריח, מדורו במים התחתונים, ובין שני סנפיריו הבריח התיכון של ארץ עומד, וכל התנינים הגדולים שבים מזונו של לויתן והקב"ה שוחק עמו יום יום והוא פותח פיו והתנין הגדול שבא יומו להאכל הוא בורח ונס ונכנס לתוך פיו של לויתן והקב"ה שוחק בו, שנאמר (תהלים קד, כו): "לִוְיָתָן זֶה יָצַרְתָּ לְשַׂחֶק בּוֹ".
(7) On the fifth day God brought forth from the water the Leviathan, the flying serpent, and its dwelling is in the lowest waters; and between its fins rests the middle bar of the earth. All the great sea monsters in the sea are the food for the Leviathan. Every day it opens its mouth, and the great sea monster destined to be eaten that day (tries) to escape and flee, but it enters the mouth of the Leviathan; and the Holy One, blessed be God, plays with it, as it is said, "Leviathan that You formed to sport with" (Ps. 104:26).
(25) Can you draw out Leviathan by a fishhook?
Can you press down his tongue by a rope? (26) Can you put a ring through his nose,
Or pierce his jaw with a barb? (27) Will he plead with you at length?
Will he speak soft words to you? (28) Will he make an agreement with you
To be taken as your lifelong slave? (29) Will you play with him like a bird,
And tie him down for your girls? (30) Shall traders traffic in him?-a
Will he be divided up among merchants? (31) Can you fill his skin with darts
Or his head with fish-spears? (32) Lay a hand on him,
And you will never think of battle again. (1) See, any hope [of capturing] him must be disappointed;
One is prostrated by the very sight of him. (2) There is no one so fierce as to rouse him;
Who then can stand up to Me? (3) Whoever confronts Me I will requite,
For everything under the heavens is Mine. (4) I will not be silent concerning him
Or the praise of his martial exploits.-a
(1) On that day the LORD will punish with God's great, cruel, mighty sword Leviathan the Elusive Serpent—Leviathan the Twisting Serpent; God will slay the Dragon of the sea.
Rabba says that Rabbi Yoḥanan says: In the future, the Holy One, Blessed be God, will make a feast for the righteous from the flesh of the leviathan, as it is stated: “The ḥabbarim will make a feast [yikhru] of him” (Job 40:30). And kera means nothing other than a feast, as it is stated: “And he prepared [va’yikhreh] for them a great feast [kera]; and they ate and drank” (II Kings 6:23). And ḥabbarim means nothing other than Torah scholars, as it is stated: “You that dwell in the gardens, the companions [ḥaverim] hearken for your voice: Cause me to hear it” (Song of Songs 8:13). This verse is interpreted as referring to Torah scholars, who listen to God’s voice. And Rabba says that Rabbi Yoḥanan says: In the future, the Holy One, Blessed be God, will prepare a sukka for the righteous from the skin of the leviathan, as it is stated: “Can you fill his skin with barbed irons [besukkot]” (Job 40:31). If one is deserving of being called righteous, an entire sukka is prepared for him from the skin of the leviathan; if one is not deserving of this honor, a covering is prepared for his head, as it is stated: “Or his head with fish-spears” (Job 40:31). If one is deserving at least of this reward, a covering is prepared for him, and if one is not deserving, a necklace is prepared for him, as it is stated: “And necklaces about your neck” (Proverbs 1:9). If one is somewhat deserving, a necklace is prepared for him, and if one is not deserving even of this, only an amulet is prepared for him from the skin of the leviathan, as it is stated: “Or will you bind him for your maidens” (Job 40:29), i.e., a small amulet is prepared for him, like the amulets tied on children’s necks. And with regard to the remaining part of the skin of the leviathan, the Holy One, Blessed be God, spreads it on the walls of Jerusalem, and its glory radiates from one end of the world until the other end. As it is stated: “And nations shall walk in your light, and kings at the brightness of your rising” (Isaiah 60:3).
ועוד דרז"ל לויתן דג טהור שנאמר (איוב מ״א:כ״ב) מפלי בשרו דבקו וכתיב (שם) תחתיו חדודי חרש אלו קשקשים הקבועים בו. הסעודה השכלית בגוף ובנפש היא לזמן התחייה.
And our rabbis also taught in a midrash: “Leviathan is a pure fish” [i.e., a kosher fish with fins and scales] as it is said, “The layers of his flesh stick together,” and it is written, “his underparts are jagged shards” – these are the scales fixed to him. And the meal for both the body and soul will occur at the time of the resurrection of the dead.