בַּר אֲמוֹרָאֵי לְאַתּוּיֵהּ, וּרְגַשׁ וּבָעֵי לִשְׁמְטֵיהּ לְאַטְמֵיהּ, וּשְׁדָא זִיקָא דְּחַלָּא וּנְחַת. נְפַק בַּת קָלָא אֲמַר לָן: מַאי אִית לְכוּ בַּהֲדֵי קַרְטַלִיתָא דִּדְבֵיתְהוּ דְּרַבִּי חֲנִינָא בֶּן דּוֹסָא, דַּעֲתִידָה דְּשַׁדְיָא תְּכֶלְתָּא בָּהּ לְצַדִּיקֵי לְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי!

i.e., a diver [bar amoraei] went into the water to bring up this chest, and the fish became angry and sought to sever his thigh, but the diver threw upon it a flask of vinegar and they descended and swam away. A Divine Voice emerged and said to us: What right do you have to touch the crate of the wife of Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa, as she is destined to insert sky-blue wool in it to be used in the ritual fringes of the righteous in the World-to-Come?

רַב יְהוּדָה הִינְדוּאָ מִשְׁתָּעֵי: זִימְנָא חֲדָא הֲוָה אָזְלִינַן בִּסְפִינְתָא, וְחָזֵינַן הַהוּא אֶבֶן טָבָא דַּהֲוָה הָדִיר לָהּ תַּנִּינָא, נְחֵית בַּר אֲמוֹרָאֵי לְאַתּוּיָהּ. אֲתָא תַּנִּינָא קָא בָּעֵי לְמִבְלַע לָהּ לִסְפִינְתָא, אֲתָא פִּישְׁקַנְצָא פְּסַקֵיהּ לְרֵישֵׁיהּ, אִתְהַפִּיכוּ מַיָּא וַהֲווּ דָּמָא, אֲתָא תַּנִּינָא חַבְרֵיהּ שְׁקַלֵיהּ וְתַלְיֵהּ לֵיהּ וְחָיָה. הֲדַר אֲתָא קָא בָּעֵי בָּלְעָא לִסְפִינְתָא, הֲדַר אֲתָא צִיפָּרָא פְּסַקֵיהּ לְרֵישֵׁיהּ, שְׁקַלוּהָ לְהַהִיא אֶבֶן טָבָא שַׁדְיוּהָ לִסְפִינְתָא, הֲוָה הָנֵי צִיפָּרֵי מְלִיחֵי בַּהֲדַן, אוֹתְבִינְהוּ עֲלַיְיהוּ, שְׁקַלוּהָ וּפְרַחוּ לְהוּ בַּהֲדָהּ.

Rav Yehuda from India relates: Once we were traveling in a ship and we saw a certain precious stone that was encircled by a snake. A diver descended to bring it up, and the snake came and sought to swallow the ship. A raven came and cut off its head, and the water turned into blood due to the enormousness of the snake. Another snake came, took the precious stone, and hung it on the dead snake, and it recovered. It returned and again sought to swallow the ship, and yet again a bird came and cut off its head, took that precious stone, and threw it onto the ship. We had with us these salted birds; we placed the stone on them, and they took the stone and flew away with it.

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: מַעֲשֶׂה בְּרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ שֶׁהָיוּ בָּאִין בִּסְפִינָה, וְהָיָה רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר יָשֵׁן וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ נֵעוֹר, נִזְדַּעְזַע רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְנִנְעַר רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר. אָמַר לוֹ: מַה זֶה יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, מִפְּנֵי מַה נִזְדַּעֲזַעֲתָ? אָמַר לוֹ: מָאוֹר גָּדוֹל רָאִיתִי בַּיָּם. אָמַר לוֹ: שֶׁמָּא עֵינָיו שֶׁל לִוְיָתָן רָאִיתָ, דִּכְתִיב: ״עֵינָיו כְּעַפְעַפֵּי שָׁחַר״.

§ Apropos the stories of large sea creatures, the Gemara discusses the large sea creatures mentioned in the Bible. The Sages taught: There was an incident involving Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua, who were traveling on a ship, and Rabbi Eliezer was sleeping and Rabbi Yehoshua was awake. Rabbi Yehoshua trembled, and Rabbi Eliezer awoke. Rabbi Eliezer said to him: What is this, Yehoshua; for what reason did you tremble? Rabbi Yehoshua said to him: I saw a great light in the sea. Rabbi Eliezer said to him: Perhaps you saw the eyes of the leviathan, as it is written: “And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning” (Job 41:10).

אֲמַר רַב אַשִׁי, אֲמַר לִי הוּנָא בַּר נָתָן: זִימְנָא חֲדָא הֲוָה קָא אָזְלִינַן בְּמַדְבְּרָא, וַהֲוַאי אַטְמָא דְּבִשְׂרָא בַּהֲדַן, פְּתַחְנָא וְנַקֵירְנָא וְאַנַּחְנָא אַעִשְׂבֵּי, אַדְּמַיְיתִינַן צִיבֵי חֲלַם אַטְמָא, וְטָוֵינָן. כִּי הֲדַרַן לְבָתַר תְּרֵיסַר יַרְחֵי שַׁתָּא, חֲזִינְהוּ לְהָנְהוּ גּוּמְרֵי דְּהָווּ קָא מְלַחֲשִׁי. כִּי אֲתַאי לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּאַמֵימָר, אֲמַר לִי: הַהוּא עִישְׂבָּא – סַמְתְּרֵי הֲוָה, הָנְהוּ גּוּמְרֵי דְּרִיתְמָא הָווּ.

Rav Ashi said: Huna bar Natan said to me: Once we were traveling in the desert, and we had a thigh of meat with us. We cut open the thigh and tore off the sciatic nerve and the forbidden fat and put it on the grass. By the time that we brought wood, the thigh had repaired itself, and we roasted it. When we returned to that place after twelve months of the year had passed, we saw that those coals were still glowing. When I came before Ameimar, he said to me: That grass was a drug of life [samterei], while those coals were of broom.

״וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הַתַּנִּינִם הַגְּדוֹלִים״ – הָכָא תַּרְגִּימוּ: אַרְזִילֵי דְּיַמָּא. רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אָמַר: זֶה לִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ בָּרִיחַ וְלִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ עֲקָלָתוֹן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִפְקֹד ה׳ בְּחַרְבּוֹ הַקָּשָׁה״ וגו׳.

The verse states: “And God created the great sea monsters” (Genesis 1:21). Here, in Babylonia, they interpreted this as a reference to the sea oryx. Rabbi Yoḥanan says: This is leviathan the slant serpent, and leviathan the tortuous serpent, as it is stated: “In that day the Lord with His sore and great and strong sword will punish leviathan the slant serpent, and leviathan the tortuous serpent” (Isaiah 27:1).

(סִימָן: כָּל שָׁעָה יַרְדֵּן) אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב: כָּל מַה שֶּׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּעוֹלָמוֹ – זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בְּרָאָם, אַף לִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ בָּרִיחַ וְלִוְיָתָן נָחָשׁ עֲקָלָתוֹן – זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בְּרָאָם, וְאִלְמָלֵי נִזְקָקִין זֶה לָזֶה – מַחֲרִיבִין כָּל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ; מֶה עָשָׂה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא? סֵירֵס אֶת הַזָּכָר, וְהָרַג הַנְּקֵבָה וּמְלָחָהּ לַצַּדִּיקִים לֶעָתִיד לָבֹא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְהָרַג אֶת הַתַּנִּין אֲשֶׁר בַּיָּם״.

§ The Gemara provides a mnemonic for the following statements of Rav Yehuda citing Rav: Everything; time; Jordan. Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: Everything that the Holy One, Blessed be He, created in His world, He created male and female. Even leviathan the slant serpent and leviathan the tortuous serpent He created male and female. And if they would have coupled and produced offspring, they would have destroyed the entire world. What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do? He castrated the male and killed the female, and salted the female to preserve it for the banquet for the righteous in the future. As it is stated: “And He will slay the serpent that is in the sea” (Isaiah 27:1).

וְאַף בְּהֵמוֹת בְּהַרְרֵי אֶלֶף – זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בְּרָאָם, וְאִלְמָלֵי נִזְקָקִין זֶה לָזֶה – מַחֲרִיבִין כָּל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ; מֶה עָשָׂה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא? סֵירֵס הַזָּכָר, וְצִינֵּן הַנְּקֵבָה וּשְׁמָרָהּ לַצַּדִּיקִים לֶעָתִיד לָבֹא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הִנֵּה נָא כֹחוֹ בְמָתְנָיו״ – זֶה זָכָר, ״וְאוֹנוֹ בִּשְׁרִירֵי בִטְנוֹ״ – זוֹ נְקֵבָה.

And He created even the beasts on the thousand hills (see Psalms 50:10) male and female. And they were so enormous that if they would have coupled and produced offspring, they would have destroyed the entire world. What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do? He castrated the male and cooled the sexual desire of the female and preserved it for the righteous in the future. As it is stated about the beasts: “Lo now, his strength is in his loins” (Job 40:16); this is referring to the male. The continuation of the verse: “And his force is in the stays of his body”; this is the female, alluding to the idea that they did not use their genitals for the purpose of procreation.

הָתָם נַמִי לִיסַרְסֵיהּ לַזָּכָר וְלִיצַנְנָהּ לַנְּקֵבָה! דָּגִים פְּרִיצִי. וְלִיעֲבִיד אִיפְכָא! אִיבָּעֵית אֵימָא: נְקֵבָה מְלִיחָא מַעֲלֵי; אִיבָּעֵית אֵימָא, כֵּיוָן דִּכְתִיב: ״לִוְיָתָן זֶה יָצַרְתָּ לְשַׂחֶק בּוֹ״, בַּהֲדֵי נְקֵבָה לָאו אוֹרַח אַרְעָא. הָכָא נַמִי לִימְלְחָה לַנְּקֵבָה! כַּוְורָא מְלִיחָא מַעֲלֵי, בִּשְׂרָא מְלִיחָא לָא מַעֲלֵי.

The Gemara asks: There too, with regard to the leviathan, let Him castrate the male and cool the female; why was it necessary to kill the female? The Gemara answers: Fish are unrestrained, and therefore even if the female was cooled, the female would still procreate. The Gemara suggests: And let Him do the opposite, and kill and preserve the male leviathan. The Gemara responds: If you wish, say that the salted female is better; if you wish, say instead that since it is written: “There is leviathan, whom You have formed to sport with” (Psalms 104:26), the male must be left alive for sport, because it is not proper conduct to sport with a female. The Gemara asks: Here too, with regard to the beasts, let Him preserve the female in salt, instead of cooling it. The Gemara answers: Salted fish is good, but salted meat is not good.

וְאָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב: בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבִּיקֵּשׁ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִבְראוֹת אֶת הָעוֹלָם, אָמַר לוֹ לְשַׂר שֶׁל יָם: פְּתַח פִּיךָ וּבְלַע כָּל מֵימוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם. אָמַר לְפָנָיו: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, דַּי שֶׁאֶעֱמוֹד בְּשֶׁלִּי. מִיָּד בָּעַט בּוֹ וַהֲרָגוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״בְּכֹחוֹ רָגַע הַיָּם וּבִתְבוּנָתוֹ מָחַץ רָהַב״.

And Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: At the time when the Holy One, Blessed be He, sought to create the world, He said to the minister of the sea: Open your mouth and swallow all the waters of the world, so that there will be room for land. The minister of the sea said before Him: Master of the Universe, it is enough that I will stay within my own waters. God immediately struck him and killed him; as it is stated: “He stirs up the sea with His power, and by His understanding He smites through Rahab” (Job 26:12).

אֲמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק, שְׁמַע מִינָּהּ: שָׂרוֹ שֶׁל יָם רַהַב שְׁמוֹ, וְאִלְמָלֵא מַיִם מְכַסִּין אוֹתוֹ – אֵין כָּל בְּרִיָּה יְכוֹלָה לַעֲמוֹד בְּרֵיחוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״לֹא יָרֵעוּ וְלֹא יַשְׁחִיתוּ בְּכָל הַר קָדְשִׁי וגו׳ כַּמַּיִם לַיָּם מְכַסִּים״, אַל תִּקְרֵי ״לַיָּם מְכַסִּים״, אֶלָּא: לְשָׂרָהּ שֶׁל יָם מְכַסִּים.

Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Conclude from here that the name of the minister of the sea is Rahab, and were it not for waters of the sea that cover him, no creature could withstand his smell, as his corpse emits a terrible stench. As it is stated: “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Isaiah 11:9). Do not read this phrase as “cover the sea”; rather read it as: Cover the minister of the sea, i.e., the term sea is referring to the minister of the sea, not to the sea itself.

וְאָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב: יַרְדֵּן יוֹצֵא מִמְּעָרַת פַּמְיָיס. תַּנְיָא נַמִי הָכִי: יַרְדֵּן יוֹצֵא מִמְּעָרַת פַּמְיָיס, וּמְהַלֵּךְ בְּיַמָּהּ שֶׁל סִיבְכִי וּבְיַמָּהּ שֶׁל טִבֶּרְיָא, וּמִתְגַּלְגֵּל וְיוֹרֵד לַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל, וּמִתְגַּלְגֵּל וְיוֹרֵד עַד שֶׁמַּגִּיעַ לְפִיו שֶׁל לִוְיָתָן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״יִבְטַח כִּי יַגִּיחַ יַרְדֵּן אֶל פִּיהוּ״. מַתְקִיף לָהּ רָבָא בַּר עוּלָּא: הַאי בִּבְהֵמוֹת בְּהַרְרֵי אֶלֶף כְּתִיב! אֶלָּא אֲמַר רָבָא בַּר עוּלָּא: אֵימָתַי בְּהֵמוֹת בְּהַרְרֵי אֶלֶף בְּטוּחוֹת? בִּזְמַן שֶׁמַּגִּיחַ יַרְדֵּן בְּפִיו שֶׁל לִוְיָתָן.

And Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: The Jordan issues forth from the cave of Pamyas. That is also taught in a baraita: The Jordan issues forth from the cave of Pamyas, and travels in the Sea of Sivkhi, i.e., the Hula Lake, and in the Sea of Tiberias, the Sea of Galilee, and rolls down to the Great Sea, and rolls down until it reaches the mouth of the leviathan. As it is stated: “He is confident, though the Jordan rush forth to his mouth” (Job 40:23). Rava bar Ulla strongly objects to this explanation of the verse, stating: But this verse is written about the beasts on the thousand hills. Rather, Rava bar Ulla said that this is the meaning of the verse: When are the beasts on the thousand hills confident? When the Jordan rushes forth into the mouth of the leviathan.

(סִימָן: יָמִים גַּבְרִיאֵל רָעֵב) כִּי אֲתָא רַב דִּימִי אֲמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן, מַאי דִּכְתִיב: ״כִּי הוּא עַל יַמִּים יְסָדָהּ וְעַל נְהָרוֹת יְכוֹנְנֶהָ״? אֵלּוּ שִׁבְעָה יַמִּים וְאַרְבָּעָה נְהָרוֹת שֶׁמַּקִּיפִין אֶת אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן שִׁבְעָה יַמִּים: יַמָּהּ שֶׁל טִבֶּרְיָא, וְיַמָּהּ שֶׁל סְדוֹם, וְיַמָּהּ שֶׁל חֵילָת, וְיַמָּהּ שֶׁל חֵילָתָא, וְיַמָּהּ שֶׁל סִיבְכִי, וְיַם אַסְפַּמְיָא, וְיָם הַגָּדוֹל; וְאֵלּוּ הֵן אַרְבָּעָה נְהָרוֹת: יַרְדֵּן, וְיַרְמוּךְ, וְקֵירוֹמְיוֹן, וּפִיגָה.

§ The Gemara provides a mnemonic for the upcoming statements of Rav Dimi: Seas; Gabriel; hungry. When Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia, he said that Rabbi Yoḥanan said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods” (Psalms 24:2)? These are the seven seas and four rivers that surround Eretz Yisrael. And these are the seven seas: The Sea of Tiberias, the Sea of Sodom, i.e., the Dead Sea, the Sea of Ḥeilat, the Sea of Ḥeilata, the Sea of Sivkhi, the Sea of Aspamya, and the Great Sea, i.e., the Mediterranean. And these are the four rivers: The Jordan, the Jarmuth, and the Keiromyon, and the Piga, which are the rivers of Damascus.

כִּי אֲתָא רַב דִּימִי אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן: עָתִיד גַּבְרִיאֵל לַעֲשׂוֹת

When Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia he said that Rabbi Yonatan says: In the future, Gabriel will perform