found only in the water.[115]

The ruler over the sea-animals is leviathan.[116] With all the
other fishes he was made on the fifth day.[117] Originally he was
created male and female like all the other animals. But when it
appeared that a pair of these monsters might annihilate the whole
earth with their united strength, God killed the female.[119] So
enormous is leviathan that to quench his thirst he needs all the
water that flows from the Jordan into the sea.[119] His food
consists of the fish which go between his jaws of their own
accord.[120] When he is hungry, a hot breath blows from his
nostrils, and it makes the waters of the great sea seething hot.
Formidable though behemot, the other monster, is, he feels
insecure until he is certain that leviathan has satisfied his
thirst.[121] The only thing that can keep him in check is the
stickleback, a little fish which was created for the purpose, and
of which he stands in great awe.[122] But leviathan is more than
merely large and strong; he is wonderfully made besides. His fins
radiate brilliant light, the very sun is obscured by it,[123] and
also his eyes shed such splendor that frequently the sea is
illuminated suddenly by it.[121] No wonder that this marvellous
beast is the plaything of God, in whom He takes His pastime.[124]

There is but one thing that makes leviathan repulsive, his foul
smell: which is so strong that if it penetrated thither, it would
render Paradise itself an impossible abode.[125]

The real purpose of leviathan is to be served up as a dainty to
the pious in the world to come. The female was put into brine as
soon as she was killed, to be preserved against the time when her