Leviathan

8 texts

The great sea monster that God created on the fifth day, destined to be served as a feast for the righteous in the world to come.

Rabbah bar bar Chana Sees a Fish That Carries a World

Talmud Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

Rabbah bar bar Hana was the Talmud's greatest traveler of the impossible. His sea voyages, recorded in Bava Batra 73a–b, describe creatures so vast they reshape the geography aroun...

The Frog as Large as a Fortress and the Giant Bird

Talmud Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

The impossible creatures of Rabbah bar bar Hana's voyages continue in Bava Batra 73b, each one more staggering than the last—a catalog of wonders that pushed the boundaries of the ...

The Wave That Nearly Swallowed the Ship

Talmud Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

Rabbah bar bar Hana's journeys were not limited to the sea. An Arab guide led him across the desert to the most sacred and terrifying locations in biblical geography. According to ...

Leviathan and the Banquet at the End of Days

Talmud Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

At the end of days, God will host a banquet for the righteous, and the main course will be the Leviathan. According to Bava Batra 74b, this is not metaphor. The Sages described the...

God Builds Jerusalem From Precious Stones

Talmud Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

The future Jerusalem will be built from precious stones so massive they defy imagination. According to Bava Batra 75a, God will take gems thirty cubits by thirty cubits, carve gate...

The Trees and Canopies of the World to Come

Talmud Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

The righteous in the World to Come will not all share the same reward. According to Bava Batra 75b, there are tiers—and every righteous person who sees a canopy grander than their ...

Eyes of a Leviathan

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

The Leviathan — the great sea creature that God created on the fifth day — was so enormous that the sages struggled to find words adequate to describe it. The Talmud (Bava Batra 74...

Joseph and the Hand of God in Every Hardship

Midrash Aggadah Midrash Aggadah

There is nothing more beloved than the Mincha prayer. The afternoon offering — the one between the morning and the evening — is the prayer that comes at the moment when the day is ...