הַקְשִׁיבִי לַיְשָׁה כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (איוב ד׳:י״א) לַיִשׁ אוֹבֵד מִבְּלִי טֶרֶף. לַיִשׁ דְּכַר. לַיְשָׁה נוּקְבָא. אַמַּאי אִקְרֵי לַיִשׁ, אִי מִשּׁוּם (משלי ל׳:ל׳) דִּכְתִיב לַיִשׁ גִּבּוֹר בַּבְּהֵמָה, אוֹ מִשּׁוּם דִּכְתִיב לַיִשׁ אוֹבֵד מִבְּלִי טָרֶף. אֶלָּא כֹּלָּא אִיהוּ לַיִשׁ גְּבוּרָה תַּתָּאָה וּדְאָתֵי מִגְּבוּרָה עִלָּאָה. לַיִשׁ אוֹבֵד מִבְּלִי טָרֶף, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּאִנּוּן נְחָלִין מִסְתַּלְקִין וְלָא עָאלִין לְגַוָּוהּ, כְּדֵין אִתְקְרֵי לַיְשָׁה דְּאֲבִידַת מִבְּלִי טֶרֶף. דִּכְתִיב לַיִשׁ אוֹבֵד מִבְּלִי טֶרֶף וּבְנֵי לָבִיא יִתְפָּרְדוּ. The term laisha is akin to the term laish in “the lion (laish) perisheth for lack of prey” (Job 4, 11). Why is the Community of Israel called “lion “? It might be in allusion to “the lion which is mighty among beasts” (Prov. 30, 30), or again to “the lion perisheth for lack of prey”. But indeed, the two aspects are combined in it. At one time it is laish (he lion), filled with the lower-world energy emanating from the higher-world energy; and then again it is reduced to the state of “a lion perishing for lack of prey”, when the rivers dry up and do not come to replenish her, at which time she is rather called laisha (lioness).

וּמַה דְּאָמַר לַיְשָׁה הַיְינוּ עֲנִיָּה עֲנָתוֹת מִסְּכֵּנָא דְּמִסְכֵּנוּתָא כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (ירמיהו א׳:א׳) מִן הַכֹּהֲנִים אֲשֶׁר בַּעֲנָתוֹת וּכְתִיב, (מלכים א ב׳:כ״ו) עֲנָתֹת לֵךְ עַל שָׂדֶיךָ. מַאי אִירְיָא. אֶלָּא כָּל זִמְנָא דְּדָוִד מַלְכָּא הֲוָה קַיָּים, אִסְתַּלַּק אֶבְיָתָר בְּעוּתְרָא וּבְכֹלָּא. לְבָתַר אָמַר לֵיהּ שְׁלֹמֹה עֲנָתוֹת לֵךְ עַל שָׂדֶיךָ. The name laisha is further explained by the words which immediately follow, aniah anathoth, which properly mean ‘poorest of the poor”. The word anathoth is found with a similar meaning in the passage “of the priests that were in Anathoth” (Jer. 1, 1). Another example of the word used in this sense is in the verse “Anathoth, get thee unto thine own fields” (I Kings 2, 26). The meaning of this verse is as follows. So long as King David was alive, Abiathar was wealthy and prosperous; but after David died, Solomon ordered him to get to his own fields, calling him “Anathoth”.

אַמַּאי קָרֵי לֵיהּ שְׁלֹמֹה הָכִי. אֶלָּא אָמַר לֵיהּ בְּיוֹמָךְ הֲוָה אַבָּא בְּמִסְכֵּנוּ וְהַשְׁתָּא לֵךְ עַל שָׂדֶיךָ. הַשְׁתָּא אִית לוֹמַר אַמַּאי אִקְרֵי אֶבְיָתָר עֲנָתוֹת. אִי תֵימָא דְּהֲוָה מִן עֲנָתוֹת, הָא תָּנִינָן דִּכְתִיב, (שמואל א כ״ב:כ׳) וַיִּמָּלֵט בֵּן אֶחָד לַאֲחִימֶלֶךְ בֶּן אֲחִיטוּב וּשְׁמוֹ אֶבְיָתָר. וְהוּא מִנּוֹב הֲוָה, דְּהָא נוֹב עִיר הַכֹּהֲנִים הֲוָה. וְאַף עַל פִּי דְּאָמְרוּ דְּהִיא נוֹב הִיא עֲנָתוֹת וְאַמַּאי לָהּ אִקְרֵי עֲנָתוֹת בְּגִין דְּנָחֲתַת לְמִסְכֵּנוּ וְאִתְאֲבִיד קַרְתָּא עַל יְדָא דְשָׁאוּל וְאִתְאֲבִידוּ כָּהֲנִי. אֶלָּא עֲנָתוֹת כְּפַר הֲוָה, וְלָאו הוּא נוֹב, וְעַל דָּא קָרֵי לֵיהּ אֶבְיָתָר עֲנָתוֹת, בְּגִין דְּאָמַר (מלכים א ב׳:כ״ו) וְכִי הִתְעַנִּיתָ בְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר הִתְעַנָּה אָבִי. וּמִקַּרְתָּא דְנוֹב הֲוָה, וְעַל מִסְכְּנוּ דְּדָוִד דְּהֲוָה בְּיוֹמוֹי אִקְרֵי לֵיהּ הָכִי. Why did he give him this name? It cannot be because this was the name of the town he came from, since it is written, “and one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped” (I Sam. 22, 20), which proves that he belonged to Nob, the city of the priests. Some, indeed, are of opinion that Anathoth and Nob are two names of the same place, the name “Anathoth” having been given to it on account of the poverty and destitution to which it had been reduced by Saul through the slaughter of all its priestly inhabitants. This, however, is incorrect, as Anathoth was distinct from Nob. The real reason why Solomon called Abiathar “Anathoth” is to be found in the words “and because thou wast afflicted (hithanitha) in all wherein my father was afflicted” (I Kings 2, 26); thus the name “Anathoth” alludes to the poverty and affliction which he underwent in the time of David.’

אָמַר רַבִּי חִיָּיא בְּמִסְכְּנוּתָא הֲוָה עָלְמָא מִיּוֹמָא דְּעֲבַר אָדָם עַל פִּקּוּדֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, עַד דְּאָתָא נֹחַ וְקָרִיב קָרְבָּן וְאִתְיְישַׁב עָלְמָא. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי לָא אִתְיְישַׁב עָלְמָא וְלָא נַפְקָא אַרְעָא מִזּוּהֲמָא דְּנָחָשׁ עַד דְּקָיְימוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עַל טוּרָא דְסִינַי וְאִתְאֲחִידוּ בְּאִילָנָא דְחַיֵּי כְּדֵין אִתְיְישַׁב עָלְמָא. R. Hiya said: ‘The world was in a state of poverty and misery from the time Adam transgressed the command of the Almighty until Noah came and offered up a sacrifice, when its prosperity returned.’ R. Jose said: ‘The world was not properly settled, nor was the earth purged from the defilement of the serpent, until Israel stood before Mount Sinai, where they laid fast hold of the Tree of Life, and so established the world firmly.

וְאִלְמָלֵא דְהָדְרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְחָאבוּ קַמֵּיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לָא הֲווּ מֵתִין לְעָלְמִין. דְּהָא אִתְפַּסַּק מִנַּיְיהוּ זוּהֲמָא דְנָחָשׁ. כֵּיוָן דְּחָבוּ כְּדֵין אִתְבָּרוּ אִנּוּן לוּחֵי קַדְמָאֵי, דְּהֲווּ בְּהוּ חֵירוּ דְּכֹלָּא. חֵירוּ דְּהַהוּא נָחָשׁ דְּאִיהוּ קֵץ כָּל בָּשָׂר. Had not Israel backslided and sinned before the Holy One, blessed be He, they would never have died, since the scum of the serpent had been purged out of them. But as soon as they sinned, the first tablets of the Law were broken-those tablets which spelt complete freedom, freedom from the serpent who is the “end of all flesh”.

וְכַד קָמוּ לֵיוָאֵי לְקַטְלָא קְטָלָא, כְּדֵין אִתְעַר חִוְיָא בִּישָׁא וְהֲוָה אָזִיל קַמַּיְיהוּ וְלָא יָכִיל לְשַׁלְטָאָה בְּהוּ, בְּגִין דְּהֲווּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִזְדָּרְזִין כֻּלְהוּ בְּחֲגִירוּ מְזַיְינָן וְלָא יָכִיל הַהוּא נָחָשׁ לְשַׁלְטָאָה בְּהוּ. וְכֵיוָן דְּאָמַר לְמשֶׁה (שמות ל״ג:ה׳) וְעַתָּה הוֹרֵד עֶדְיְךָ מֵעָלֶיךָ, אִתְיְיהִיב רְשׁוּ לְהַאי נָחָשׁ לְשַׁלְטָאָה עֲלַיְיהוּ. When the Levites rose up to slay the guilty, the evil serpent went in front of them, but he had no power over Israel, because they were girt with a certain armour which protected them against his attacks. When, however, God said to Moses, “Therefore now put off thy ornaments from thee” (Ex. 33, 5), this was the signal that they were placed in the power of the serpent

תָּא חֲזֵי, מַה כְּתִיב, (שמות ל״ג:ו׳) וַיִּתְנַצְּלוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת עֶדְיָם מֵהַר חֹרֵב. וַיִּתְנַצְּלוּ וַיְנַצְּלוּ מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ. אֶלָּא וַיִּתְנַצְּלוּ עַל יְדָא דְּאַחֲרָא בְּגִין דְּאִתְיְיהִיב רְשׁוּ לְנָחָשׁ לְשַׁלְטָאָה. אֶת עֶדְיָם מֵהַר חוֹרֵב דְּקִבְּלוּ מִטּוּרָא דְחוֹרֵב כַּד אִתְיְיהִיב אוֹרַיְיתָא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. (this is indicated by the form vayithnaselu, which shows that they were stripped by the hand of another). The ornaments referred to are those which they received at Mount Horeb at the time when the Torah was given to Israel.’

אָמַר רַבִּי חִיָּיא נֹחַ דְּהֲוָה צַדִּיק אַמַּאי לָא הֲוָה בָּטִיל מוֹתָא מֵעָלְמָא. אֶלָּא בְּגִין דְּעַד לָא סָלְקַת זוּהֲמָא מֵעָלְמָא. וְעוֹד דְּאִנּוּן לָא הֲווּ מְהֵימְנִין בֵּיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וְכֻלְהוּ אֲחִידָן בְּטַרְפֵּי אִילָנָא לְתַתָּא וּמִתְלַבְּשָׁאן בְּרוּחַ מְסָאֳבָא. R. Hiya said: ‘Why did not Noah, being a righteous man, cause death to vanish from the world? The reason is that the scum of the serpent had not yet been removed from the world, and further, that his generation did not believe in the Holy One, blessed be He, and all of them clung to the “lower leaves of the tree”, and were clothed with an unclean spirit.

וְתוּ לְבָתַר אוֹסְפוּ לְמֶחטֵי וּלְמֵהַךְ בָּתַר יֵצֶר הָרָע כַּד בְּקַדְמִיתָא: וְאוֹרַיְיתָא קַדִּישָׁא דְּאִיהִי אִילָנָא דְחַיֵּי אַכַּתֵּי לָא נָחִית לָהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּאַרְעָא. וְתוּ דְּאִיהוּ אַמְשִׁיךְ לֵיהּ בְּעָלְמָא לְבָתַר דִּכְתִיב וַיֵּשְׁתְּ מִן הַיַּיִן וַיִּשְׁכָּר וַיִּתְגָּל בְּתוֹךְ אָהֳלה וְהָא אִתְּמָר. Furthermore, they persisted in their sins, and followed their evil inclination as before, and the holy Torah, which is the Tree of Life, had not yet been brought down to the earth. Moreover, Noah himself drew death into the world, through his own sin, of which it is written, “And he drank of the wine and was drunken, and he was uncovered within his tent” (Gen. 9, 21), as elsewhere explained.’