Talmud Bavli, Hullin Reader

And the keresh, even though it has only a single horn, is permitted. Rav Yehudah said: The keresh is the deer of the forest of Ilai; the tigris is the lion of the forest of Ilai. Rav Kahana said: There are nine cubits between one ear and the other ear of the lion of the forest of Ilai. Rav Yosef said: The hide of the deer of the forest of Ilai is sixteen cubits. The emperor said to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hananiah: Your God is compared to a lion, as it is written, "A lion has roared, who will not fear?" (Amos 3:8). But what is His greatness? A horseman can kill a lion! He said to him: He is not compared to such a lion; He is compared to the lion of the forest of Ilai. He said to him: I wish that you would show it to me. He said to him: You cannot look upon it. He said to him: In truth, I shall look upon it! He prayed for mercy, and the lion was uprooted from its place. When it was four hundred parasangs distant, it let out a single roar, and all the pregnant women miscarried, and the wall of Rome fell. When it had drawn near to three hundred parasangs away, it let out another roar, and the men's molars and teeth fell out, and even he himself fell from his throne to the ground. He said to him: I beg of you, pray for mercy upon it that it return to its place. He prayed for mercy upon it, and it returned to its place.

Rabbi Shimon ben Pazzi raised a contradiction: It is written, "And God made the two great lights" (Genesis 1:16), and it is written, "the greater light and the lesser light" (Genesis 1:16). The moon said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, is it possible for two kings to make use of one crown? He said to her: Go and diminish yourself. She said before Him: Master of the Universe, because I said before You a proper thing, shall I diminish myself? He said to her: Go and rule by day and by night. She said to Him: What is the advantage in that? What use is a lamp at noon? He said to her: Go, let Israel count days and years by you. She said to Him: As for the day, it is impossible that the seasons not be counted by it too, as it is written, "And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years" (Genesis 1:14). [He said:] Go, let the righteous be called by your name: "Jacob the small" (Amos 7:5), "Samuel the small," "David the small" (I Samuel 17:14). He saw that her mind was not set at ease. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Bring an atonement for Me, for I diminished the moon! And this is what Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Why is the goat of the New Moon different, that regarding it is said "for the LORD" (Numbers 28:15)? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Let this goat be an atonement for My having diminished the moon. Rav Asi raised a contradiction: It is written, "And the earth brought forth grass" (Genesis 1:12) on the third day of the week, and it is written, "And every plant of the field was not yet in the earth" (Genesis 2:5) on the eve of the Sabbath. This teaches that the grasses came out and stood at the surface of the ground, until Adam, the first man, came and prayed for mercy on their behalf, and rains came down and they sprouted - to teach you that the Holy One, blessed be He, desires the prayer of the righteous. Rav Nachman bar Pappa had a certain garden. He sowed seeds in it, but they did not sprout. He prayed for mercy, rain came, and they sprouted. He said: This is the very matter of Rav Asi.

Rabbi Shimon ben Pazi raised a contradiction: It is written (Genesis 1:16) "And God made the two great lights," and it is written (in the same verse) "the greater light and the lesser light." The moon said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, is it possible for two kings to make use of one crown? He said to her: Go and diminish yourself. She said before Him: Master of the Universe, because I said a fitting thing before You, shall I diminish myself? He said to her: Go and rule both by day and by night. She said to Him: What is the greatness in that? Of what use is a lamp at noon? He said to her: Go, let Israel count by you the days and the years. She said to Him: It is impossible for them not to count the seasons by the day as well, as it is written (Genesis 1:14): "And they shall be for signs and for appointed times and for days and years." He said: Go, let the righteous be called by your name: "Jacob the small," "Samuel the small," "David the small." He saw that her mind was not settled. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Bring an atonement for Me, for I diminished the moon! And this is what Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Why is the goat-offering of the New Moon different, in that it is said concerning it (Numbers 28:15) "for the LORD"? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Let this goat be an atonement for Me, for I diminished the moon.