holy snake

7/29/2019 Holy Snake

1/12

1


2/12

2

ince the dawn of mankind, the archetypal symbol of

the serpent has coiled itself around the globe.

Germinating in the fertile soil of the Ancient Near East,

the serpents widespread popularity and presence in

nearly all world mythology owes itself to the events

surrounding the origin of mankind. A comparative study inworld folklore reveals striking parallels, and common tangents

to the Biblical account throughout variegated legends that all

trace back to a singularity, the origin of the concept. These

trails lead us to the most turbulent location on earth: the

Land of Shinar, Ancient Bablyon . . . Modern Day Iraq.

Mankind knew the history ofthe First Man, the cataclysmic deluge and the salvation of Noah on the

Ark1. Yet, united in rebellion under the blasphemous world dictator2 Nimrod, humanity sought to escape

the judgment of God by building a massive Ziggurat3, whose pinnacle could escape another flood. In

response to mankind's united revolt, the Creator confused their languages and divided world into

seventy4

nations, scattering them throughout the four corners of the earth. The Hebrew word, "Bavel"

itself means confusion, and is the origin of the English word, "babbling." Each of the seventy nations

took with them kernels of truth regarding their shared history, which in the evolution of their oral

traditions and thought became mythologized in their stories and myths.

The Torah, however, gives us the historical5 account of the events that occurred in the Garden of

Eden. Genesis, records that the "serpent was more cunning that all the beasts of the field,"6 and entered

into a conversation with Eve. It is important to note that he did not approach Adam directly, preferring

1Over 500 stories in various cultures have survived with an astonishing degree of agreement. The most notable of these being

the Epic of Gilgamesh and Eridu Genesis.2 b. Eruvin 53a3

Contrary to the popular depictions of the Tower of Babel as if it were The Leaning Tower of Pisa.4The number 70 is derived from the number of the descendents of Shem, Ham and Japheth in Genesis 10. 70 equals

Gog and Magog. Cf. Revelation 20:8, Ezekiel 38:1-39:29. Israel offered up 70 bulls during the festival of Sukkot on behalf of the

nations (Numbers 29).5

However, the events in Genesis have multiple levels of deeper meaning. The Zohar says, Woe to the sinners who consider the

Torah as mere worldly tales, who only see its outer garment; happy are the righteous who fix their gaze on the Torah proper.

Wine cannot be kept save in a jar; so the Torah needs an outer garment. These are the stories and narratives, but it behooves

us to penetrate beneath them.Zohar III:152a, Soncino Press Edition6

Genesis 3:1


3/12

3

rather to strike at the weakest point, like Amalek7

who attacked Israel from behind8, assailing women,

children and the infirm. The serpent questions the validity of God's word, and subsequently tricks Eve

into eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam, the ruler of the earth9, seeing what his

wife has done, follows suit in eating of the forbidden fruit, sinning against the Word of God. In doing so,

he obeyed his wife who listened to the tempter, subjecting himself to the authority of the serpent. By

this action, he essentially gave his crown of glory to the snake.

We must ask ourselves why was the form of a snake chosen? Why not a

cow or a donkey, a lion or a bear? In Hebrew the word for snake is

nachash. This is etymologically related to the word for copper which

nechoshet, which is a shiny metal. The skin of the serpent is mesmerizing,

the shiny scales are dazzling. The old adage is All that glitters is not gold

fits nicely into this situation. This allure proved successful. Like a boa

constrictor, Satan solidified his grip upon the earth in dethroning Adam10.

This was the desire of the evil one, to exalt himself as king. As the Wisdom

of Solomon says,

"Nevertheless through the jealousy of the devil death came intothe world: and they that do hold of his side do find it."

Wisdom of Solomon 2:27

The idea of original sin is a cardinal doctrine of Christianity, and as a result seems foreign to Jewish

thought. In fact, the misconception that this doctrine is alien to Judaism is so often repeated that it is

accepted as fact. In order to break down the barriers of misunderstanding, we must return to the

sources. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul11

lays the theological foundation for the doctrine,

Therefore, as sin entered into the world through one man, and death through sin; and so death

passed to all men, because all sinned.

Romans 5:12

This statement was later added to and explained by non-Jewish church fathers such as Augustine of

Hippo. When Augustine enunciated his understanding of original sin, he experienced opposition with

the church fathers struggling with the idea, eventually confirming his views ofmassa damnata,

(condemnation of the masses) to be referring to spiritual death. As a result, it became necessary to

baptize infants to save them from hell. All of this comes from a goyishe12 misunderstanding of the Bible.

7 The Gematria of , Amalek, is 240, equivalent to Safek, Doubt.8

Deuteronomy 25:179

Genesis 1:2810

Adam was king over all the earth. Genesis 1:28-30.11

The New Testament acknowledges that Pauls letters are hard to understand (2 Peter 3:16). The first mistake in interpreting

Pauls writings is to begin with the premise that he was a Hellenist Jew, and the founder of the Christian church. Instead,

Shaul of Tarsus was a Rabbinic student of Rabban Gamliel, a great Jewish mystic and a genius. Jewish scholar Alan F. Segal

writes, ""Without knowing about first-century Judaism, modern readers - even those committed by faith to reading him - are

bound to misconstrue Paul's writing."Alan F. Segal, Paul the Convert, Yale University Press, pg. xii12

A Gentile, non-Jewish understanding. Popularly called Greek Thinking.


4/12

4

To properly understand the Biblical concept of original sin we must strip away the later Christian

accretions, and return to the core of the doctrine that Paul taught. Where did Paul learn this? Did he

invent this dogma, or did he learn this from his teachers? To find the answer, we must not look to the

Church Fathers. We must look to the Rabbis. We must return to the Jewish soil from which He grew.

The term original sin never occurs in the Bible. It should not be surprising then that one cannot

find the doctrine of original sin developed in Jewish theology under that title. Rather, the parallel

concept in Judaism is called, The Counsel of the Serpent. As the Targum to Ruth illustrates,

Now Oved begot Jesse, who was called Nahash, because no corruption and perversion, for

which he might be delivered into the hands of the angel of death, who would take his life from

him, were found in him. He lived a long time, until the serpent's counselto Eve, Adam's wife, to

partake of the fruit of the tree, the eating of which resulted in wisdom to distinguish between

good and evil, was recalled before God. Because of that counsel, all inhabitants of the earth are

mortal, and as a result of that blunder, the righteous Jesse died. He is Jesse, who was the father

of David, the king of Israel.

Targum Ruth 4:22, Translated by Samson H. Levy

An illuminating account is recorded in the Midrash Rabbah, where Moshe is at the close of his life,

and is speaking with HaShem,

Moses pleaded: ' Master of the Universe, there are thirty-six transgressions punishable by

extinction enumerated in the Torah, for the commission of any one of which a man is liable to

be put to death. Have I then transgressed any one of them? Why do You decree death upon

me? God replied: You are to die because of the sin of the first man who brought death into the

world.

Deuteronomy Rabbah 9:9, Soncino Press Edition

This text is not only linguistically but theologically similar, illustrating the exact point of Paul in 1

st

Corinthians,

For since death came through a man, also the resurrection of the dead has come through a

man. For just as in connection with Adam all die, so in connection with the Messiah all will be

made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:21-22

The Talmud brilliantly looks into the problem of suffering and death without sin, and eventually

ascribes suffering and death in the world to the serpent,

Our Rabbis taught: Four died through the counsel of the serpent, namely, Benjamin son of

Jacob, Amram the father of Moses, Jesse the father of David, and Kilab the son of David.Baba Batra 17a, Soncino Press Edition, Cf. Shabbat 55b

The Soncino footnote explains the meaning of the phrase the counsel of the serpent,

The counsel given by the serpent to Eve, which brought death on all mankind, and not for any

sin they themselves committed. [The reference is to physical death only and is thus not to be


5/12

5

confused with the doctrine oforiginal sin involving the condemnation of the whole human

race to a death that is eternal.]

Soncino Footnote to Baba Batra 17a

Note that the concept is so similar that the Soncino translators have to caution the reader not to

confuse this passage with the doctrine of original sin. Then they go on to explain what the doctrine of

original sin is, which involves the condemnation of the whole human race to a death that is eternal.

This view belongs to Augustine, not to Paul.

The Zohar comments on this passage in the Talmud,

For, indeed, there is not a righteous man upon earth that doeth good and sinneth not(Eccl.

VII, 20). And even the sinless ones who only died because of the counsel of the Serpent1

will

arise and be counselors to the Messiah.

Zohar II:54a, Soncino Press Edition

The Soncino commentators then make an interesting statement,

Benjamin, Amram, Jishai, and Kaleb, David's son, were sinless and died not for their own sins,

but because of the serpent's counsel, i.e. of original sin]

Soncino Footnote to Zohar II:54a

Now the Soncino translators describe the phrase counsel of the serpent as original sin. There is

actually no contradiction between the Soncino commentary on the Talmud and the Soncino

commentary on the Zohar. It is original sin but not the Augustinian version of it. The Talmud and the

Zohars interpretations of original sin are in absolute harmony with the Pauline concept described in

the New Testament. Man has brought death into the world by allowing himself to be bitten by sin, and it

is the poison of the serpent that has spread itself throughout the Soul of Adam, as Paul states,

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Messiah Yeshua our

Lord.

Romans 6:23

The Zohar uses almost word for word language,

R. Yesa said: Adam appears to every man at the moment of his departure from life to testify

that the man is dying on account of his own sins and not the sin of Adam, according to the

dictum, there is no death without sin. There are only three exceptions, namely, Amram, Levi,

and Benjamin, who were deprived of life through the prompting of the primeval serpent; some

add also, Jesse. These did not sin, and no ground could be assigned for their death save the

prompting of the serpent, as we have said.

Zohar I:57b, Soncino Press Edition

The Jewish Encyclopedia summarizes the various texts related to Adams downfall,

The sin of Adam, according to the Rabbis, had certain grievous results for him and for the earth.

The Shekinah left earth after his fall (Gen. R. xix.; Tan., Peude, 6). He himself lost his personal

splendor, deathlessness, and gigantic stature (see Adam). All men were doomed thenceforth to


6/12

6

die; none not even the most just, might escape the common fate: the old temptation of the

serpent suffices to bring on death (B. B. 17a; Shab 55b).

Jewish Encyclopedia, Fall of Man

The brilliant scholar of Jewish mysticism, Gershom Scholem concludes that this not only effected all

of humanity, but also the entire world,

Since Adam was truly, and not merely metaphorically, all-embracing, his fall was bound likewise

to drag down and affect everything. . . "

Gershom Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, pg. 279

The fall of Adam was the most cataclysmic event of human history. This one act of rebellion is the

source of all death, wars, disease and famine that has ravaged the earth. So it is without little wonder

that the serpent is one of the most reviled creatures on earth. The reptilian, fork-tongued, slithery

creature is the iconic symbol of evil, deceit and Satan. As we see in Genesis,

"And I will put hatred between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He

shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

Genesis 3:15

This famous passage is a well known Messianic prophecy. The Targum (an ancient Aramaic

interpretive translation) on this passage also identifies this as a messianic prophecy,

"And it shall be when the sons of the woman consider the Torah, and perform (its) instructions,

they will be prepared to smite you on your head to kill you. But when the sons of the woman

forsake the commandment of the Torah, and perform not (its) instructions, you will be ready to

wound them in their heel, and hurt them. Nevertheless there shall be a medicine for the sons of

the woman, but for you, serpent, there shall be no medicine. However, for these there shall be a

remedy for the heel in the days of the king Meshiha."

Targum Jonathan on Genesis 3:15


7/12

7

In Parashat Chukkat, we read of an another incident of

snake poison, that that occurred in the Wilderness of Zin,

"And the people spoke against God and againstMoshe, "Why did you bring us up from Egypt to die

in the wilderness? There is no bread, neither is there

any water! And our soul loathes this worthless bread.

And HaShem sent fiery serpents among the people,

and they bit the people; and many people of Israel

died."

Numbers 21:5-6

God judged the people with the fiery serpents13

, and many died. This caused Israel to repent, and like

the Targum says God will provide the cure in "the days of King Meshiha, so too here, HaShem provides

the cure,

"Therefore the people came to Moshe and said, "We have sinned, for

we have spoken against HaShem, and against you. Pray to HaShem,

that he take away the serpents from us. And Moshe prayed for the

people. And HaShem said to Moshe, "Make yourself a fiery serpent,

and set it upon a pole, and it shall come to pass, that whoever has

been bitten, when he looks upon it, shall live. And Moshe made a

serpent of copper, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a

serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of copper, he

lived."

Numbers 21:7-9

This is one of the most unusual accounts in the Torah.

At first glance, it would seem to imply some type of

magical property was invested in this copper serpent.

In fact, archaeological excavations in the ancient

Yemeni city of Timna, modern day Beihan as Qisab, have

unearthed copper serpents, probably used as healing idols of sorts14

. Perhaps this story, like the myths

of creation, disseminated into the nations, surfacing in well known symbols today such as the caduceus15

and the Rod of Ascelpius. In truth, however, it was not the serpent that healed, but God, when an

Israelite believed the word spoken to Moshe. It was by emunah (faith), as the Wisdom of Solomon

states,

13John Gill notes the possibility they had wings, see Isaiah 14:29. Herodotus said the serpents only existed in Arabia, whose wings had no

feathers, but were like a bat. Another serpent described said that their bite would cause death by incurable, intolerable burning thirst. The

phrase seraf in this text seems to imply a spiritual component to the snake.14

This evidence confirms 2 Kings 18:4, where the copper snake became Nechushtan, an idolatrous symbol.15

Both of these symbols are used in the medical field today, although the caduceus is used mistakenly so. The Rod of Asclepius is used as the

logo of the American Medical Association.


8/12

8

"For when the horrible fierceness of beasts came upon them, and they perished with the stings

of crooked serpents, your wrath did not endure forever. Although they were troubled for a small

season, that they might be admonished, they had a sign of salvation, to make them remember

the commandments of your Torah. For he that turned himself toward it was not saved by the

thing that he saw, but by You, because you are the Savior of all. . . . For you have power of life

and death: You lead to the gates of Sh'ol, and bring up again."

Wisdom of Solomon 16:5-13

Like the Copper Serpent, ancient Jewish literature records a belief of healing a fatal snake bite from

another source: The Name of Yeshua.

',

,'.

R. Eleazar b. Damah was bitten by a snake. And Jacob of Kefar Sama came to heal him in the

name of Jesus16and R. Ishmael did not allow him [to accept the healing]. They said to him,

You are not permitted [to accept healing from him] ben Dama. He said tohim, I shall bringyou proof that he may heal me. But he did not have time to bring the [promised] proof before

he dropped dead.

Tosefta, Hullin 2:22, translated by Jacob Neusner, Hendrickson Publishers, pg. 1380, Cf. b.

Avodah Zarah 27b, Jerusalem Talmud, Shabbat 1:4, Ecclesiastes Rabbah 1:24, 7:39

In Hebrew, every letter is also a number. Thus different combinations of different Hebrew letters

yield different numerical results. The Torah is thus revealed not only as a historical, or theological

document, but also mathematical. This is called Gematria. There are numerous forms of gematria,

methods of determining mathematical values of Hebrew words and phrases. There are also methods

called chilufei otiyot, or letter exchanges. These ciphers are code systems involving exchanging certain

letters for others. The most well known form of chilufei otiyot is called atbash. Expressed in English

terms, this would involve exchanging the letter A for Z, the letter B for Y, and so forth. The first

becomes last, the second becomes the second to last.

With this understanding in mind, an illuminating story regarding the nature of the very word sin is told

16I have dropped the pejorative Pandira from this text.


9/12

9

"The Kabbalists tell us that at one time the Hebrew word for "sin" was san which consists of two

letters, samekh and nun. The samekh is for the word sam "poison" and the letter nun is for

nahash "snake." Thus sin was personified as "poisonous snake."

Heaven on your Head, Rabbi S.Z. Kahana, Research Centre of Kabbalah, pg. 234

The story continues that Satan entered a dispute with God, claiming that man cannot truly have free

will if the word for sin resembles a "poisonous snake." So God, usingatbash system, reversed the letters

on the Hebrew alephbet, leaving the word comprised of the letters Chet, and Tet. However, God decided

to add the letterAleph, to remind man that he is created in His Image.

In the Torah, the staff of Moshe becomes the instrument of salvation for the Hebrews. In an unusual

passage, HaShem changes the staff of Moshe into a snake:

And the HaShem said unto him, What is that in your hand? And he said, A rod. And he said,

Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses fled

from before it. And the HaShem said to Moshe, Put forth your hand, and take it by the tail.

And he put forth his hand and caught it and it became a rod in his hand.

Exodus 4:2-4

In a fascinating comment, the Zohar likens the rod of Moshe to Metatron", who is the Divine Angel ofthe HaShem,

The rod of the God" is Matatron, who has life on one side and death on the other, AS HE

CHANGES FROM A SERPENT TO A ROD AND FROM A ROD TO A SERPENT."

Zohar, Vol I:262, Beresheet A, Kabbalah Centre

In the thirteenth century, a Jewish mystic named Rabbi ben

Jacob HaCohen likened the Messiah to a snake17

. At first glance, itseems totally antithetical to liken the sinless Redeemer to the

archetypal symbol of evil. Yet, in mystical Judaism the Messiah is

The Holy Snake." This is derived from the fact that the Hebrew

word, Mashiach, has the gematria of 358, equivalent to nachash,

snake. We see that Moshe's staff that became a snake swallows up

17Dr. Abraham Elkayam, Department of Philosophy, Bar-Ilan University.

http://www.biu.ac.il/JH/Parasha/eng/lekh/elkayam.html


10/12

10

the snakes of Egypt, which is an earthly pattern of things in the Heavenly Realm.

Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburg of the Gal Einai Institute states,

"Just as Amalek represents the epitome of evil, so does the positive snake represent the

epitome of good. Mashiach himself is referred to as "the holy snake," as alluded to by the

phenomenon that the numerical value of Mashiach (358) is the same as that of the word for

"snake" (nachash). In the Zohar it is told that when the holy snake, Mashiach, will kill the evil

snake (overcome the fear of insanity), he will thereby merit to marry the Divine princess, to

unite with the origin of the souls of Israel and so to bring redemption to the world."

Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburg18

The gematria values of the words Mashiach and nachash imply a connection between the two, and

reveal the secret of this passage in Exodus. When the fiery serpents were biting and bringing death to

the Israelites in the desert, God commanded Moshe to make a symbol of a bronze serpent, and lift it up,

and everyone who looked to it would be saved (Numbers 21:5-9). This was a precursor to the crucifixionof the Holy Snake, the Mashiach, as the Master Himself says,

As Moshe lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.

That whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:14-15

Let us examine the Exodus account of the Moshe-Pharoah encounter more closely,

And Moshe and Aaron went to Pharaoh, and they did as HaShem had commanded.

Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it

became a serpent. Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers.

Now the magicians of Egypt also did in like manner with their enchantments.

For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron's

rod swallowed up (vayivla) their rods.

Exodus 7:10-12

The Hebrew word for "swallow up" is vayivla, and is the same root word Isaiah 25:8. This word

connects the two verses and unlocks the plan of redemption. As Moshe's staff-turned-snake swallowed

up the evil serpents, so will the Messiah swallow up death! And whoever looks to the Son of Man, will

be saved. The King Messiah is hidden in every jot and tittle of the Torah, and the plan of salvation isrevealed in its words.

18http://www.inner.org/healing/healing35.htm
http://ol%28%27http//www.inner.org/healing/healing35.htm');http://ol%28%27http//www.inner.org/healing/healing35.htm');http://ol%28%27http//www.inner.org/healing/healing35.htm');http://ol%28%27http//www.inner.org/healing/healing35.htm');


11/12

11

The eternal life, spoken of here, is a fulfillment of all of the prophets,

He will swallow up (bila) death in victory! Adonai HaShem will wipe away tears

from all faces, and shall take away the rebuke of his people from all the

earth, for HaShem has spoken it.

Isaiah 25:8

The Midrash Rabbah interprets this verse as a Messianic Prophecy,

when God created His world, there was no Angel of Death in the worldMessiah would arise,and in his days God would cause death to be swallowed up, as it says, He will swallow up death

forever.

Exodus Rabbah 30:3, Soncino Press Edition

The Zohar reveals the identity of the Rod of Moshe in a jaw dropping statement,

the staffgiven to you will be a Tree of Life - denoting Vav, which is the son of Yud Hei.

Zohar, Exodus, Mispatim 38419

Upon the execution stake, the King Messiah defeated death. Three days later, He arose from the dead

. . . in the Garden

20

. He first appears to Miryam of Magdala as the Gardener.

Yeshua said to her, Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?

She, supposing him to be the gardener, said to him, Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me

where you have laid him, and I will take him away.

John 20:15

Why does John include the unusual detail that she supposed him to be the gardener? The answer is

found in Genesis,

The HaShem G-d planted a garden eastward21

, in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had

formed.

Genesis 2:8

As Adam is formed from the dust of the earth, so is the Son of Man raised from the dust. The Messiah

is the Gardener who desires to be close to us, and walk with us again. The Messiah speaks with the

19Kabbalah Centre, http://www.zohar.com/zohar.php?vol=20&sec=691

20The Rod of Aharon also resurrected, cf. Numbers 17:8

21The word for eastward is miqqedem, which links this passage to Micah 5:2, which means Messiah origins are miqqedem, i.e. He is

coming to Beit-Lechem from the Garden of Eden above.


12/12

12

woman alone in the garden to bring tikkun22 for the snake speaking with the first woman in the

garden23

. Now The Holy Mashiach has reversed the curse and will return us to the Garden of Eden. The

Holy Snake has crushed the head of the primeval serpent, and he has destroyed death.

I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride

adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, Behold, Gods dwelling is with

people, and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them

as their God. He will wipe away from them every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more;

neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more. The first things have passed away.

He who sits on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new.

Revelation 21:2-5

22Repair, restoration. Tikkun olam means the Repair of the World.

23The Messiah rewinds the tape so to speak, as He repairs the damage in the order it was caused. Thus the Zohar states, Messiah shall

reveal himself in the land of Galilee; for in this part of the Holy Land the desolation first began, and therefore he will manifest himself there

first.Zohar II:7b, Soncino Press Edition

holy snake

Documents