The Tikkunei Zohar, a foundational text of Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism), reads the story of Jonah – Jonah swallowed by the great fish – as a metaphor for the soul's struggles. That "great fish" that swallowed Jonah? It represents the naphsha, the soul. But where do those pesky organs come in?
The text connects different organs to aspects of spiritual struggle, citing verses from the Torah to back it up. It says the spleen is the source of "shortness of spirit," citing Exodus 6:9: "And they did not listen to Moses, from shortness of spirit and from hard servitude." Then there's the liver, connected to stubbornness and heaviness, like Pharaoh's heart in Exodus 7:14: "The heart of Pharaoh is kaved – heavy." (The word kaved also means liver in Hebrew). And finally, the gallbladder, the source of bitterness, echoing Exodus 1:14: "And they mare-ru – embittered – their lives." See how the language itself weaves these connections?
But the "great fish" isn't just the soul. The Tikkunei Zohar offers a more complex, even darker interpretation. It suggests the "great fish" also represents the ‘erev rav – the "mixed multitude" that left Egypt with the Israelites. The text equates this mixed multitude with a rav hovel, a "captain" or "chief destroyer." Who is this destroyer? None other than the leader of all the angels of destruction! This is powerful stuff.
The text goes on, linking the ‘erev rav to the children of Lylyt (Lilith), a powerful and often demonized figure in Jewish folklore. These are the ones, the text claims, through whom Israel sinned, "destroying their flesh with the sign of the covenant" – a reference to transgressions related to ritual purity and perhaps even idolatry.
And those fish the Israelites remember so fondly in the desert? (Numbers 11:5: "...we remember the fish...") The Tikkunei Zohar sees them as female fish – dagah – representing the argumentative and multitudinous (rav) nature of the mixed multitude, a constant source of trouble for Israel in exile. They are a "female fish" for Israel, a constant temptation and challenge.
So, what are we to make of all this? It's a complex tapestry of interconnected ideas. The Tikkunei Zohar invites us to see the internal world – our organs, our emotions – as reflections of larger spiritual battles. It paints a picture where the forces of destruction and temptation are not just external, but also internal, embodied in our own bodies and desires. It's a powerful reminder that the journey of spiritual growth is not just about grand gestures, but about the daily, gritty work of confronting our own "shortness of spirit," our stubbornness, and our bitterness. And maybe, just maybe, understanding where those feelings come from can help us navigate the turbulent waters of our own souls.