36. Rabbi Shimon said, Now it is proper to reveal secrets that are attached above and below. It is written, "Come to Pharaoh," but it should have said 'Go to Pharaoh.' What is the meaning of "Come?" HE ANSWERS, He brought MOSES in to the innermost rooms, to a very powerful crocodile, from which many levels evolve and come down. And what was it? It was the secret of the great serpent.

37. Moses was afraid and approached only the rivers that were at his grade. But he feared THE SERPENT itself, and did not approach because he saw that it was rooted in high sources.

38. When the Holy One, blessed be He, saw that Moses was afraid and that other appointed messengers above could not approach him, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "Behold, I am against you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the great crocodile that couches in the midst of his streams" (Yechezkel 29:3). The Holy One, blessed be He, had to wage war with him and no other. He said, "I am Hashem." WE INTERPRET THIS TO MEAN I AND NOT A MESSENGER. They explained the secret of the wisdom of, "the great crocodile that couches in the midst of his streams," to those scholars of jurisprudence, who recognize the secret of their Master.

39. Rabbi Shimon opened the discussion, saying: "And Elohim created the great crocodiles (Heb. taninim), and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind" (Beresheet 1:21). This passage was explained. Yet "And Elohim created the crocodiles," is a secret. It is the Leviathan and his spouse. "Taninim" is spelled without the Yud because the Holy One, blessed be He, killed the female and brought her up for the Righteous, as it was explained. THEREFORE, ONLY THE ONE GREAT CROCODILE (TANIN) REMAINED. AND KNOW THAT THE LEVIATHAN IS A KOSHER FISH, AS OUR SAGES SAY.

40. The great crocodile IS THE MALE LEVIATHAN THAT REMAINED ALIVE. IT IS SAID ABOUT HIM, "THAT COUCHES IN THE MIDST OF HIS STREAMS." There are nine rivers that he lies in, CORRESPONDING TO NINE SFIROT: CHOCHMAH, BINAH, DA'AT, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD. And there is one river whose waters are quiet. THIS IS KETER. The blessings of the waters of the Garden, WHICH IS MALCHUT OF ATZILUT, pour into it three times a year. THIS IS THE SECRET OF THE THREE COLUMNS - RIGHT, LEFT AND CENTRAL, OF WHICH IT IS SAID, "THREE TIMES A YEAR SHALL ALL YOUR MALES APPEAR" (DEVARIM 16:16). If they pour in twice, MEANING ONLY TWO COLUMNS, RIGHT AND LEFT, the river is blessed, but not as much BECAUSE THE CENTRAL COLUMN IS MISSING. If only one pours in, MEANING EITHER ONLY THE RIGHT OR ONLY THE LEFT, it is not BLESSED BY IT. THE NINE RIVERS, THE LOWER NINE SFIROT, RECEIVE FROM THE RIVER, WHICH IS KETER.

41. This crocodile comes into that river, WHICH IS KETER OF THE RIVERS, becomes strengthened by it, continues to swim and enters into the sea, WHICH IS MALCHUT OF ATZILUT, where it swallows many kinds of fish and rules. THESE ARE LEVELS IN THE SEA THAT ARE INFERIOR TO HIM; HE SWALLOWS THEM AND THEY BECOME PERFECTED IN HIM. He returns to that QUIET river, and these nine rivers continue to rise TO HIM, MEANING TO RECEIVE THEIR SUSTENANCE, BECAUSE THEY RECEIVE THEIR SUSTENANCE FROM THE QUIET RIVER, WHICH IS THEIR KETER. There are various kinds of trees and vegetation around THE RIVER. It is the first river AMONG THE RIVERS, NAMELY KETER.

42. AND NOW HE EXPLAINS THE SYSTEM OF THE EMERGENCE OF THE TEN RIVERS. Three drops emerge from the left side, from one conduit that is drawn and emerges, THAT IS, YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN. THEY ARE FROM THE THREE COLUMNS - RIGHT, LEFT, AND CENTRAL-INCLUDED IN THE LEFT COLUMN. Every drop spreads into three drops AND THEY BECOME NINE DROPS. One river is formed from each separate drop. These are the nine rivers that grow strong and continue to flow and encircle all the firmaments.

43. After these drops finish coming out, of those that remain, NAMELY ALL THE ASPECTS OF KETER AND CHOCHMAH THAT ARE ABOVE BINAH THAT ARE NOT DRAWN THROUGH THE THREE COLUMNS, THERE remains one drop. It emerges silently and falls AMONG THE RIVERS. And from it, one river is formed. This is the river that we said flows silently, NAMELY THE QUIET RIVER MENTIONED ABOVE.

44. The stream that comes out and flows, YESOD IN ZEIR ANPIN, pours out other drops of blessings from the right side, THAT IS, WHEN IT BESTOWS UPON MALCHUT FROM THE THREE COLUMNS THAT ARE INCLUDED IN THE RIGHT COLUMN. FROM WHATEVER WAS LEFT OF THESE DROPS AND DID NOT EMERGE WITH THEM AT THE TIME, NAMELY THOSE SFIROT ABOVE BINAH THAT ARE NOT DRAWN WITH THE THREE COLUMNS AS MENTIONED, there remains one drop from these blessings that EMERGES SILENTLY AND falls into that quiet river. THUS THE QUIET RIVER ALSO HAS THE ILLUMINATION OF THE RIGHT. This is the best river.

45. When these four rivers that emerge from the Garden of Eden separate, that river called Pishon falls into the QUIET river and merges with it. Therefore, the Kingdom of Babylon is associated with this RIVER, for Pishon is the Kingdom of Babylon. BECAUSE PISHON IS THE FIRST STREAM OF THE FOUR RIVERS AND BABYLON IS THE FIRST OF THE FOUR EMPIRES, OF WHICH IT IS SAID, "YOU ARE THE HEAD OF GOLD" (DANIEL 2:38), AND THEREFORE PISHON IS BABYLON. From this QUIET river, all the other rivers are sustained and filled.