"Livia Aviv" - The Compassionate Lioness

The Biblical Lion - Blessing for Strength

(ט) גּ֤וּר אַרְיֵה֙ יְהוּדָ֔ה מִטֶּ֖רֶף בְּנִ֣י עָלִ֑יתָ כָּרַ֨ע רָבַ֧ץ כְּאַרְיֵ֛ה וּכְלָבִ֖יא מִ֥י יְקִימֶֽנּוּ׃

Genesis 49:9

(9) Judah is a gur aryeh (lion's cub);
On prey, my son, have you grown.
He crouches, lies down like an aryeh (lion),
Like a lavi (lion) who dare rouse him?

במדבר כ״ג:כ״ד

(כד) הֶן־עָם֙ כְּלָבִ֣יא יָק֔וּם וְכַאֲרִ֖י יִתְנַשָּׂ֑א לֹ֤א יִשְׁכַּב֙ עַד־יֹ֣אכַל טֶ֔רֶף וְדַם־חֲלָלִ֖ים יִשְׁתֶּֽה׃

Numbers 23:24

(24) Lo, a people that rises like a lavi (lion)
Leaps up like an ari (lion),
Rests not till it has feasted on prey
And drunk the blood of the slain.

דברים ל״ג:כ׳

(כ) וּלְגָ֣ד אָמַ֔ר בָּר֖וּךְ מַרְחִ֣יב גָּ֑ד כְּלָבִ֣יא שָׁכֵ֔ן וְטָרַ֥ף זְר֖וֹעַ אַף־קׇדְקֹֽד׃

Deuteronomy 33:20

(20) And of Gad he said:
Blessed be the One who enlarges Gad!
Poised is he like a lavi (lion)
To tear off arm and scalp.

דברים ל״ג:כ״ב

(כב) וּלְדָ֣ן אָמַ֔ר דָּ֖ן גּ֣וּר אַרְיֵ֑ה יְזַנֵּ֖ק מִן־הַבָּשָֽׁן׃

Deuteronomy 33:22

(22) And of Dan he said:
Dan is a gur aryeh (lion's cub)
That leaps forth from Bashan.

רש"י על דברים ל״ג:כ׳:ב׳

כלביא שכן. לְפִי שֶׁהָיָה סָמוּךְ לַסְּפָר, לְפִיכָךְ נִמְשַׁל בַּאֲרָיוֹת, שֶׁכָּל הַסְּמוּכִים לַסְּפָר צְרִיכִים לִהְיוֹת גִּבּוֹרִים (שם):

Rashi on Deuteronomy 33:20:2

כלביא שכן HE DWELLETH AS A LIONESS — Because he was near the border it therefore compares him to lions, for all who are near the border must be strong (that they may repulse attacks from neighbours) (Sifrei Devarim 355:3).

The Rabbinic Lion - A Metaphor for Torah Wisdom

סנהדרין צ״ה א:ב׳

מי דמי התם ארי הכא ליש אמר רבי יוחנן ששה שמות יש לארי אלו הן (בראשית מט, ט) ארי (שופטים יד, ה) כפיר (בראשית מט, ט) לביא (ישעיהו ל, ו) ליש (תהלים צא, יג) שחל (איוב כח, ח) שחץ

Sanhedrin 95a:2

The Gemara asks: Are these matters comparable? There, in Jeremiah, Nebuchadnezzar is called ari, as the verse refers to him with the term arye, and here, in Isaiah, Nebuchadnezzar is called laish. The Gemara explains that the verses are not contradictory, as Rabbi Yoḥanan says: There are six Hebrew terms for the lion, and they are: Ari, kefir, lavi, layish, shaḥal, shaḥatz.

גיטין פ״ג א:י״א

אָמַר לָהֶן רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ: אֵין מְשִׁיבִין אֶת הָאֲרִי לְאַחַר מִיתָה.

Gittin 83a:11

Rabbi Yehoshua said to them: Even though your objections are valid, one does not refute the opinion of a lion after his death. After a Sage has passed away one cannot reject his opinion based on a difficulty with it, as he possibly would have provided an answer had it been presented to him while he was still alive.

בבא מציעא פ״ד ב:י״ח

חֲלַשׁ דַּעְתֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי אֲתָא אֲמַר לֵיהּ לַאֲבוּהּ אֲמַר לֵיהּ בְּנֵי אַל יֵרַע לָךְ שֶׁהוּא אֲרִי בֶּן אֲרִי וְאַתָּה אֲרִי בֶּן שׁוּעָל

Bava Metzia 84b:18

Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi became offended. He came and told his father what had transpired. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said to him: My son, do not let his actions offend you, as he is a lion, son of a lion, and you are a lion, son of a fox. Rabbi Elazar’s father, Rabbi Shimon, was a renowned Sage, and therefore Rabbi Elazar’s sagacity is not surprising. In any event, this incident demonstrates the superiority of Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, to Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi with regard to knowledge of Torah.

The Prophetic Lion - God as King

עמוס ג׳:ח׳

אַרְיֵ֥ה שָׁאָ֖ג מִ֣י לֹ֣א יִירָ֑א אֲדֹנָ֤י יֱהֹוִה֙ דִּבֶּ֔ר מִ֖י לֹ֥א יִנָּבֵֽא׃

Amos 3:8

A lion has roared,
Who can but fear?
My Sovereign GOD has spoken,
Who can but prophesy?

רש"י על עמוס ג׳:ח׳:א׳

אריה שאג מי לא יירא. כך הקב"ה דבר אל הנביאי' להנבא מי לא ינבא:

Rashi on Amos 3:8:1

A lion has roared; who will not fear?—So has the Holy One, blessed be He, spoken to the prophets to prophesy. Who will not prophesy?

C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight,
At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more,
When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death,
And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.”

"Aviv" - God's Season of Mercy & Redemption

שמות י״ג:ד׳

הַיּ֖וֹם אַתֶּ֣ם יֹצְאִ֑ים בְּחֹ֖דֶשׁ הָאָבִֽיב׃

Exodus 13:4

You go free on this day, in the month of Abib.

רש"י על שמות י״ג:ד׳:א׳

בחדש האביב. וְכִי לֹא הָיִינוּ יוֹדְעִין בְּאֵיזֶה חֹדֶשׁ? אֶלָּא כָּךְ אָמַר לָהֶם, רְאוּ חֶסֶד שֶׁגְּמַלְכֶם, שֶׁהוֹצִיא אֶתְכֶם בְּחֹדֶשׁ שֶׁהוּא כָשֵׁר לָצֵאת, לֹא חַמָּה וְלֹא צִנָּה וְלֹא גְּשָׁמִים, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר, "מוֹצִיא אֲסִירִים בַּכּוֹשָׁרוֹת" (תהלים ס"ח) – חֹדֶשׁ שֶׁהוּא כָשֵׁר לָצֵאת (מכילתא):

Rashi on Exodus 13:4:1

בחדש האביב IN THE MONTH ABIB — But would we not know in which month they went out (even though it were not stated here)? But Moses spake to them as follows: See the kindness which God has bestowed on you — that He brought you forth in a month that is fitted for going out, not hot, nor cold nor rainy. In the same sense it says (Psalms 68:7) “He bringeth forth the prisoners בכשרות” i. e. in a month that is fitted (כשר) for going out (Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael 13:4:1).

דברים ט״ז:א׳

שָׁמוֹר֙ אֶת־חֹ֣דֶשׁ הָאָבִ֔יב וְעָשִׂ֣יתָ פֶּ֔סַח לַיהֹוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ כִּ֞י בְּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הָֽאָבִ֗יב הוֹצִ֨יאֲךָ֜ יְהֹוָ֧ה אֱלֹהֶ֛יךָ מִמִּצְרַ֖יִם לָֽיְלָה׃

Deuteronomy 16:1

Observe the month of Abib and offer a passover sacrifice to your God יהוה, for it was in the month of Abib, at night, that your God יהוה freed you from Egypt.

Jonathan Silverman