The Egyptian riverside is infested with a multitude of reptiles: turtles, lizards, snakes, and crocodiles. In the two Torah portions that precede Parashat Bo, on one occasion Moses’ staff turned into a serpent (and Moses fled from it) and on a second occasion, Aaron’s staff became a tanin reptile. In the Torah account of creation, Rashi associates the great taninim with the leviathan. These reptiles are thus interchangeable. By meditating on these different creatures, we can develop our understanding of Pharaoh’s power and comprehend why Moses feared it.
“On that day God will visit with His harsh and great and strong sword upon the leviathan lock-serpent and upon the leviathan warped-serpent and He shall kill the tanin in the ocean.” The “leviathan lock-serpent” is straight, like a lock that passes from one side through the other. The “leviathan warped-serpent” is coiled around until its tail is in its mouth. This pair of reptiles is associated with the basic Kabbalistic pair of igulim (“circles”) and yosher (“straightness”). The circles represent the cyclic world of nature as a closed system that never produces new energy, as dictated by the law of energy conservation. The line represents the light of Torah and mitzvot, which constantly generate new energy.
The ancient nations of the world were well-versed in mathematics, and the Egyptian wise men were particularly renowned for their knowledge of the natural world. Pharaoh represents the cyclical form of natural philosophy. He is the “leviathan warped-serpent,” the great reptile of Egypt. He worships the powers of nature and attempts to identify himself with them, claiming, “Mine is my river and I have made myself.” Pharaoh recognizes the power of nature as God. This is reflected in the numerical value of the Divine Name, Elokim, which is 86, the numerical value of “nature.” He is not prepared to acknowledge God’s Essential Name, Havayah. This Name relates to God’s power to override the laws of nature and control it as He wills.
Although Pharaoh’s perception is false, it is rooted in a high spiritual level at which the Almighty appears to the world by power of the circle. Within the sefirot, this corresponds to the keter (the sefirah of crown), which circumscribes the head.
Moses represents the Torah, which is the straight line that runs directly through the cycles of nature. Unlike a circle, on which every point is identical, a line has a distinct beginning and an end. Philosophically, a line is a progressive scale that begins at one extreme and ends at another. The two extremes can be good or evil, permitted or forbidden, holy or secular, pure or profane. The top of the line and the bottom represent two contradictory options. This is where freedom of choice comes into play.
The line begins with chochmah (the sefirah of wisdom) and descends through all the sefirot that follow. Moses thus represents the “leviathan lock-serpent”—the initial ray of Divine revelation that descends level by level to penetrate the lowest levels of reality.
