CHAPTER XXIII
The winds blowing under the wings of the Kerubim
R. Ishmael said: Metatron, the Angel, the
Prince of the Presence, said to me :
(1) There are numerous winds blowing under the wings of the Kerubim. There blows "the Brooding Wind", as it is written (Gen. i. 2): " and the wind of God was brooding upon the face of the waters".
(2) There blows "the Strong Wind", as it is said (Ex. xiv. 21): "and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night".
(3) There blows "the East Wind"as it is written (Ex. x. 13): "the east wind brought the locusts".
(4) There blows "the Wind of Quails" as it is written (Num. xi. 31): "And there went forth a wind from the Lord and brought quails".
(5) There blows "the Wind of Jealousy" as it is written (Num.v.14): "And the wind of jealousy came upon him".
(6) There blows the "Wind of Earthquake" as it is written (i Kings .xix. 1 1): "and after that the wind of the earthquake ; but the Lord was not in the earthquake".
(7) There blows the "Wind of H' " as it is written (Ex. xxxvii. i) : "and he carried me out by the wind of H' and set me down".
(8) There blows the "Evil Wind " as it is written (i Sam. xvi. 23): "and the evil wind departed from him".
(9) There blow the "Wind of Wisdom" and the "Wind of Understanding" and the "Wind of Knowledge" and the "Wind of the Fear of H'" as it is written (Is. xi. 2): "And the wind of H' shall rest upon him; the wind of wisdom and understanding, the wind of counsel and might, the wind of knowledge and of the fear.
(10) There blows the "Wind of Rain", as it is written (Prov. xxv. 23): "the north wind bringeth forth rain".
(11) There blows the "Wind of Lightnings ", as it is written (Jer.x.13, li. 16): "he maketh lightnings for the rain and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasuries ".
(12)There blows the "Wind, Breaking the Rocks", as it is written (i Kings xix. n): "the Lord passed by and a great and strong wind (rent the mountains and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord)".
(13) There blows the "Wind of Assuagement of the Sea", as it is written (Gen. viii. i): "and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged".
(14) There blows the "Wind of Wrath", as it is written (Job i. 19) : "and behold there came a great wind from the wilderness and smote the four corners of the house and it fell".
(15) There blows the " Storm-Wind ", as it is written (Ps. cxlviii. 8) : "Storm-wind, fulfilling his word".
(16) And Satan is standing among these winds, for "storm-wind " is nothing else but "Satan", and all these winds do not blow but under the wings of the Kerubim, as it is written (Ps. xviii. n) : "and he rode upon a cherub and did fly, yea, and he flew swiftly upon the wings of the wind".
(17) And whither go all these winds? The Scripture teaches us, that they go out from under the wings of the Kerubim and descend on the globe of the sun, as it is written (Eccl. i. 6) : " The wind goeth toward the south and turneth about unto the north ; it turneth about continually in its course and the wind 14 returneth again to its circuits ". And from the globe of the sun they return and descend upon the rivers and the seas, upon] the mountains and upon the hills, as it is written (Am.iv.13): "For lo, he that formeth the mountains and createth the wind".
(18) And from the mountains and the hills they return and descend to the seas and the rivers ; and from the seas and the rivers they return and descend upon (the) cities and provinces ; and from the cities and provinces they return and descend into the Garden, and from the Garden they return and descend to Eden, as it is written (Gen.iii. 8): "walking in the Garden in the wind of day". And in the midst of the Garden they join together and blow from one side to the other and are perfumed with the spices of the Garden even from \ts remotest parts, until they separate from each other, and, filled with the scent of the pure spices, they bring the odour from the remotest parts of Eden and the spices of the Garden to the righteous and godly who in the time to come shall inherit the Garden of Eden and the Tree of Life, as it is written (Cant. iv. 16) : "Awake, O north wind; and come thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden and eat his precious fruits".
