Who is Lilith in the Bible and in Jewish tradition?

In the Bible

Isaiah prophesies the desolation of Edom: “Wildcats shall meet hyenas… there too the lilith shall repose” (Isaiah 34:14). Translations render it “night creature”, “screech owl” or “night monster”. The word is related to layla, “night”.

In the Talmud

The Talmud mentions Lilith as a demon: it is forbidden to sleep alone in a house for fear of her, and it describes a creature “with long hair like Lilith” and wings. These passages reflect beliefs about demons common in the ancient world. Maimonides rejected belief in demons altogether; other authorities treated such passages as folk belief that does not define Jewish law.

Adam’s first wife?

The story of Lilith as the first woman, created from the earth like Adam, who refused to be subordinate and flew away, appears first in the Alphabet of Ben Sira, written perhaps in the ninth or tenth century. Its humour is often crude, and its status was never that of Midrash or Talmud. The idea of a “first Eve” drew on a Midrash about the two accounts of creation in Genesis 1 and 2.

Folk customs

In some communities amulets with names of angels were hung near a newborn and mother to ward off Lilith. Rabbinic authorities were divided about such practices; they are not part of mainstream halachah. In modern times Lilith has become a literary and feminist symbol – a far cry from the brief references in the sources.