Genesis 1:21

The concept of תַ נִׁינִִׁ֖ם (Tanniním), symbolizing "sea monsters" or "great creatures," refers not just to powerful beings that inhabit the ocean's depths but to primordial forces and hidden aspects of creation. In gematria, תַ נִׁין (Tanin) equals 510, relating to the strength and control of the unknown.

This reading also invites us to distinguish the divine spark present in every living being from our essence or soul, as everything moves and exists through Him, implying that this infusion of life is in all creatures. This interpretation encourages us to understand, from the concept טָֽ וֹב (Tov), "good," that all creation has a positive purpose and is aligned with the divine will.

The concept of evil is simply the result of distancing ourselves from Him and from the harmony that flows through the entire universe. The world's diversity and complexity call us to be useful to His work so that the imbalance generated by His distance, respecting our will, does not create chaotic forces, which He nonetheless controls and balances according to His laws.

Thus, the most powerful and seemingly chaotic forces have a place in the divine order, as everything depends on His breath of life, His Néfesh Hachayá, which vibrates with His Word and infuses all of Creation.

The divine spark is present in all forms of life and calls us to reconnect voluntarily with Him through His work, offering our goodness, טָֽ וֹב (Tov), which is inherent to our essence and longs to align with that divine plan. We must find goodness in every aspect of our lives, even in parts that seem difficult to understand or accept.

Perhaps for this reason, those who perceive the Creator in everything suggest that there are up to 72 ways to name Him (Shem HaMephorash), titles and attributes that describe His different aspects and manifestations, all stemming from the combination of the Tetragrammaton, which, with its combinations, יהוה (Yod-He-Vav-He), provides us with the greatest insights to recognize ourselves as His children.

Each of these signs speaks of our essence: י (Yod), the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet, represents that starting point, the divine spark of creation, that elusive and indefinable essence. ה (He), which appears twice in the Tetragrammaton, is associated with revelation and expansion, symbolizing the breath of life and His divine presence. ו (Vav), as a connector, translated as "and," symbolizes the union between the divine and the earthly, the link between heaven and earth. ה (He) reinforces the idea of the manifestation of the divine in the physical world and the continuous process of creation and revelation.

This is why the Tetragrammaton is considered the purest and most direct representation of our Creator's being. These signs correspond to the different levels of existence and divine emanations (Sefirot) within the Tree of Life, so beyond understanding them as mere signs, they are a map describing how our loving Heavenly Father interacts with and sustains the universe.

Gematria (גימטריא) when it speaks of sea monsters intertwines them with themes of creation, chaos, redemption, and the balance of spiritual forces in the universe. Therefore, Leviathan (לויתן) itself should be understood as much more than a sea monster, as it represents the forces of primeval chaos, the hidden aspect of evil, but also a force that will be redeemed at the end of time.

In some texts, it is an androgynous creature, originally created alongside its female counterpart, but God killed the female to prevent the uncontrolled reproduction of chaotic forces. The word לויתן (Leviathan) has a numerical value of 496, and this is the same value as the word מלכות (Malchut), which is the lowest level of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, associated with the material realization of the spiritual world. This implies that Leviathan represents a powerful spiritual energy, which can be manifested in the physical world if it is purified or mastered.

The Other "sea monsters": Taninim (תנינים) — dragons or sea monsters, represent the primordial forces that God created and then restrained from invading the order of the world. Rahav (רהב): Another sea monster associated with chaos, sometimes considered a personification of cosmic pride or arrogance, mentioned in Isaiah 51:9 and Job 26:12, and also symbolizing the overflowing energy of merciless judgment.

In the mystical tradition of the Talmud and the Zohar: Leviathan will be served as food to the righteous in the messianic era (see Talmud Bavli,

Baba Batra 74b). This symbolizes that the forces of chaos will eventually be transformed into something positive and nourishing for the soul.

Even those monsters that represent chaos are equally symbols of the end of time, of that repressed potential that also manifests in our psyche and emotions that we must master.

The same can be understood of those winged birds (in Hebrew: עוף כנף — of kenaf), which appear in the context of creation on the fifth day: "וְּעוֹף יְּעוֹפֵף עַל -הָּ אָּרֶ ץ עַל -פְּ נֵי רְּ קִׁ יעַ הַ שָּ מָּ יִׁם ," Ve'of ye'ofef al ha'aretz al penei rakiá hashamayim. They symbolize the soul's capacity to soar.

Wings represent the emotional or spiritual qualities that allow us to "fly" above the mundane. Birds live in the physical world, but rise toward the heavens, just as the human soul lives in a body but seeks the spiritual.

This also speaks to the levels of angels and celestial beings, since in some Kabbalistic texts and the Zohar, certain types of birds represent angels or sefirot (divine manifestations). For example, the Zohar associates birds with spiritual messengers between worlds.

And all of this speaks to this duality of direction: above and below, where birds go to heaven but eat from the earth, which symbolizes the need to balance the spiritual and the physical. This connects to the Kabbalistic principle of Tiferet: harmony between opposites. Winged Bird: 156 and 150 for a total of 306, which in gematria is also equivalent to: ish levav = man of heart, which implies someone with emotional wisdom or elevation of the soul. This number is also close to ruach chochmah = spirit of wisdom. This suggests that winged birds are symbols of people with a spiritual heart and elevated wisdom, who transcend the earthly. Learning to rise above difficulties, without disconnecting from reality, calls us to seek the spiritual even while we live in the physical world. We use our "wings": qualities such as compassion, understanding, and intuition to ascend and develop balance. Like birds, who depend on the sky and the earth, we too must balance mind and body, matter and spirit.

It is about using our potential and talents for this transcendent goal, heeding the messages that reach our souls thanks to embracing divine wisdom from the heart, thus achieving our integral inner growth.