(יא) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר ה' לִשְׁלֹמֹ֗ה יַ֚עַן אֲשֶׁ֣ר הָֽיְתָה־זֹּ֣את עִמָּ֔ךְ וְלֹ֤א שָׁמַ֙רְתָּ֙ בְּרִיתִ֣י וְחֻקֹּתַ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוִּ֖יתִי עָלֶ֑יךָ קָרֹ֨עַ אֶקְרַ֤ע אֶת־הַמַּמְלָכָה֙ מֵֽעָלֶ֔יךָ וּנְתַתִּ֖יהָ לְעַבְדֶּֽךָ׃ (יד) וַיָּ֨קֶם ה' שָׂטָן֙ לִשְׁלֹמֹ֔ה אֵ֖ת הֲדַ֣ד הָאֲדֹמִ֑י מִזֶּ֧רַע הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ ה֖וּא בֶּאֱדֽוֹם׃
(11) And the LORD said to Solomon, “Because you are guilty of this—you have not kept My covenant and the laws which I enjoined upon you—I will tear the kingdom away from you and give it to one of your servants...(14) So the LORD raised up an adversary against Solomon, the Edomite Hadad, who was of the royal family of Edom.
שמעון בן לקיש הוא שטן - הוא יצר הרע - הוא מלאך המות" - כבר באר כל מה שזכרנוהו באור שלא יסופק על בעל שכל. וכבר התבאר לך שענין אחד בעצמו יכונה בשלושת השמות האלה ושכל הפעולות המיוחסות לכל אחד מאלו השלושה הם כולם פועל דבר אחד. וכן אעוד אמרו 'חכמי המשנה' הקדמונים "תנא יורד ומתעה עולה ומשטין נוטל רשות ונוטל נשמה".
R. Simeon, son of Lakish, says: "The adversary (satan), evil inclination (yeẓer ha-ra’), and the angel of death, are one and the same being." Here we find all that has been mentioned by us in such a clear manner that no intelligent person will be in doubt about it. It has thus been shown to you that one and the same thing is designated by these three different terms, and that actions ascribed to these three are in reality the actions of one and the same agent.
Reish Lakish says: Satan, the evil inclination, and the Angel of Death are one, that is, they are three aspects of the same essence. He is the Satan who seduces people and then accuses them, as it is written: “So the Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with vile sores” (Job 2:7). He is also the evil inclination, as it is written there: “The impulse of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continuously” (Genesis 6:5); and it is written here: “Only upon himself do not put forth your hand” (Job 1:12). The verbal analogy between the various uses of the word “only” teaches that the evil inclination is to be identified with the Satan. He is also the Angel of Death, as it is written: “Only spare his life” (Job 2:6); apparently Job’s life depends upon him, the Satan, and accordingly the Satan must also be the Angel of Death.
ואחר שבארו לנו ש'יצר הרע' הוא ה'שטן' והוא 'מלאך' בלא ספק - רצוני לומר שהוא גם כן יקרא 'מלאך' מפני שהוא בתוך 'בני האלוקים' - יהיה גם כן 'יצר טוב' 'מלאך' באמת; אם כן זה הענין המפורסם בדברי ה'חכמים ז"ל' שכל אדם נלוו אליו 'שני מלאכים' - אחד מימינו ואחד משמאלו - הם 'יצר טוב' ו'יצר רע'; ובבאור אמרו 'ז"ל' ב'גמרא שבת' בשני המלאכים האלה - אמרו "אחד טוב ואחד רע". וראה כמה גילה לנו זה המאמר מפליאות וכמה הסיר מדמיונות בלתי אמיתיות:
According to our Sages the evil inclination, the adversary (satan), and the angel [of death], are undoubtedly identical; and the adversary being called "angel," because he is among the sons of G-d, and the good inclination being, in reality, an angel, it is to the good and the evil inclinations that they refer in their well-known words, "Every person is accompanied by two angels, one being on his right side, one on his left." In the Babylonian Gemara (Shabbath 119b), they say distinctly of the two angels that one is good and one bad.
ואמר רבא וכן בלולב רב אחא בר יעקב ממטי ליה ומייתי ליה אמר דין גירא בעיניה דסטנא ולאו מלתא היא משום דאתי לאיגרויי ביה:
When Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov would move the lulav to and fro, he would say: This is an arrow in the eye of Satan, as despite his best efforts, the Jewish people continue to joyously fulfill mitzvot. The Gemara notes: That is not a proper manner of conduct, as it will induce Satan to come to incite him to sin. Gloating due to his victory over the evil inclination will lead Satan to redouble his efforts to corrupt him.
Abaye said: A person should not say that, as Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said, and it was also taught in the name of Rabbi Yosei: One must never open his mouth to the Satan, i.e., one must not leave room for or raise the possibility of disaster or evil. This formula, which states that the entire debt owed due to his transgressions has not been collected, raises the possibility that further payment will be exacted from him.