Kiongozi ongezea nyama kidogo juu ya mke wa kwanza wa adam,kwenye bibilia imo?,iko kitabu gani na mstari upi?
The Story of Lilith
The Alphabet of ben Sira
Question
#5 (23a-b)
Tr. Norman Bronznick (with David Stern &
Mark Jay Mirsky) (Stern90 )
The Alphabet of ben Sira is the earliest
form we know of the Lilith legend familiar
to most people (that is, to most people who
are familiar with Lilith at all). It is here
that we find Lilith as Adam's first wife.
Scholars tend to date the Alphabet between
the 8th and 10th centuries, CE. Whether the
story itself is older, or, if so, how much
older is not possible to say. Amulets like the
one described in the first paragraph are, of
course, much older. The author of the
Zohar , R. Moses de Leon, was aware of the
Alphabet 's version of Lilith, at least
according to Gershom Scholem (Major
Trends in Jewish Mysticism , p. 174), but he
also knows other, probably older, Lilith
traditions which do not mesh well with this
one. No attempt is made, apparently, to
harmonize them. For one of these other
traditions, and comments on whether the
author was familiar with the Alphabet, see
Treatise on the Left Emanation . The idea of
Eve having a predecessor is also not new to
ben Sira, and can be found in Genesis
Rabbah . But those traditions make no
mention of Lilith, and, in fact, do not mesh
well with ben Sira's version of the story.
[AH]
S oon afterward the young son of the
king took ill, Said Nebuchadnezzar, "Heal
my son. If you don't, I will kill you." ben
Sira immediately sat down and wrote an
amulet with the Holy Name, and he
inscribed on it the angels in charge of
medicine by their names, forms and
images, and by their wings, hands, and
feet. Nebuchadnezzar looked at the
amulet. "Who are these?"
"The angels who are in charge of
medicine: Snvi, Snsvi, and Smnglof.
After God created Adam, who was alone,
He said, ' It is not good for man to be
alone ' (Gen. 2:18). He then created a
woman for Adam, from the earth, as He
had created Adam himself, and called
her Lilith. Adam and Lilith began to
fight. She said, 'I will not lie below,' and
he said, 'I will not lie beneath you, but
only on top. For you are fit only to be in
the bottom position, while am to be in
the superior one.' Lilith responded, 'We
are equal to each other inasmuch as we
were both created from the earth.' But
they would not listen to one another.
When Lilith saw this, she pronounced
the Ineffable Name and flew away into
the air. Adam stood in prayer before his
Creator: 'Sovereign of the universe!' he
said, 'the woman you gave me has run
away.' At once, the Holy One, blessed be
He, sent these three angels to bring her
back.
"Said the Holy One to Adam, 'If she
agrees to come back, fine. If not she
must permit one hundred of her children
to die every day.' The angels left God
and pursued Lilith, whom they overtook
in the midst of the sea, in the mighty
waters wherein the Egyptians were
destined to drown. They told her God's
word, but she did not wish to return. The
angels said, 'We shall drown you in the
sea.'
"'Leave me!' she said. 'I was created
only to cause sickness to infants. If the
infant is male, I have dominion over him
for eight days after his birth, and if
female, for twenty days.'
"When the angels heard Lilith's words,
they insisted she go back. But she swore
to them by the name of the living and
eternal God: 'Whenever I see you or your
names or your forms in an amulet, I will
have no power over that infant.' She also
agreed to have one hundred of her
children die every day. Accordingly,
every day one hundred demons perish,
and for the same reason, we write the
angels' names on the amulets of young
children. When Lilith sees their names,
she remembers her oath, and the child
recovers."