זוהר, אחרי מות נ״דZohar, Achrei Mot 54

Segment 1א׳

רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אָקִישׁ יְדוֹי וּבָכָה, וְאָמַר וַוי אִי אֵימָא וְגַלֵינָא רָזָא, וַוי אִי לָא אֵימָא, דְּיֵיבְדוּן חַבְרַיָּיא מִלָּה. (יחזקאל י״א:י״ג) אֲהָהּ יְיָ' אֱלֹהִים כָּלָה אַתָּה עוֹשֶׂה אֵת שְׁאֵרִית יִשְׂרָאֵל. מַאי אֲהָהּ. וּמַאי כָּלָה אַתָּה עוֹשֶׂה. אֶלָּא רָזָא דְּמִלָּה, בְּזִמְנָא דְּה' תַּתָּאָה אִתְתְּרָכַת מֵהֵיכָלָא דְּמַלְכָּא, ה' אָחֳרָא עִלָּאָה בְּגִינָהּ מַנְעַת בִּרְכָתָא. וּכְדֵין כְּתִיב, אֲהָהּ כָּלָה אַתָּה עוֹשֶׂה. בְּגִין דְּכַד אִיהִי (נ"א האי ה') אִתְמְנָעַת מִבִּרְכָאן, ה' אָחֳרָא מַנְעַת לוֹן מִכֹּלָּא. מַאי טַעֲמָא. בְּגִין דְּבִרְכָּאן לָא מִשְׁתַּכְּחֵי, אֶלָּא בַּאֲתַר דְּשַׁרְיָין דְּכַר וְנוּקְבָּא.

R. Simeon struck his hands together and wept, and said: Woe if I speak and reveal the mystery, and woe if I do not speak, for the Companions will lose the matter. “Ah, Lord God! Will You make a full end of the remnant of Israel?” (Ezek. 11, 13). What is “Ah”? And what is “Will You make a full end”? Rather, the mystery of the matter: at the time when the lower He is driven out from the palace of the King, the other, supernal He withholds blessing on her account, and then it is written, “Ah! Will You make a full end?” For when she is held back from blessings, the other He holds them back from all. What is the reason? Because blessings are not found save in a place where male and female dwell.

Segment 2ב׳

וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב, (ירמיהו כ״ה:ל׳) יְיָ' מִמָּרוֹם יִשְׁאָג וּמִמְּעוֹן קָדְשׁוֹ יִתֵּן קוֹלוֹ שָׁאֹג יִשְׁאַג עַל נָוִהוּ. עַל נָוִהוּ מַמָּשׁ. דָּא מַטְרוֹנִיתָא, וְדָא הוּא וַדַּאי. וּמַאי אוֹמֵר. אוֹי שֶׁהֱחֶרַבְתִּי אֶת בֵּיתִי וְכוּ'. בֵּיתִי זִוּוּגָא דְּמַטְרוֹנִיתָא. וְדָא הוּא וַדַּאי, עֶרְוַת אָבִיךָ וְעֶרְוַת אִמְּךָ לֹא תְגַלֵּה. דְּהָא מִכָּל סִטְרִין עֶרְיָיתָא הוּא. וּכְדֵין, (ישעיהו נ׳:ג׳) לָבְשׁוּ שָׁמַיִם קַדְרוּת וְשַׂק הוּשַׂם כְּסוּתָם דְּהָא אֲתַר אַחֲסָנַת בִּרְכָאן דְּמַבּוּעִין דְּנַחֲלִין דַּהֲווֹ נְגִּידִין וְשַׁקְיָין כַּדְקָא חֲזוּ, אִתְמְנָעוּ.

And therefore it is written, “The Lord shall roar from on high, and utter His voice from His holy habitation; He shall mightily roar because of His fold” (Jer. 25, 30). “Because of His fold” indeed: this is the Matrona, and this is assuredly so. And what does He say? “Woe, that I have laid waste My house,” and so forth. “My house” is the union of the Matrona. And this is assuredly “the nakedness of your father and the nakedness of your mother you shall not uncover,” for on every side it is nakedness. And then, “I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering” (Isa. 50, 3); for the place that is the inheritance of the blessings of the fountains of the streams, which used to flow and to water as was fitting, they were held back.

Segment 3ג׳

תָּנֵינָן, כַּד אִתְפְּרַשׁ מַלְכָּא מִמַּטְרוֹנִיתָא, וּבִרְכָּאן לָא מִשְׁתַּכְּחָן, כְּדֵין אִקְרֵי ו"י. מַאי טַעְמָא ו"י. דְּתַנְיָא, רֵישָׁא דִּיְּסוֹד י', דְּהָא יְסוֹד ו' זְעֵירָא הוּא, וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא ו' רַבְרְבָא עִלָּאָה. וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב וָ"ו תְּרֵין וָוִין כַּחֲדָא, וְרֵישָׁא דְּהַאי יְסוֹד י' הוּא. וְכַד אִתְרַחֲקַת מַטְרוֹנִיתָא מִמַּלְכָּא, וּבִרְכָּאן אִתְמְנָעוּ מִמַּלְכָּא, וְזִוּוּגָא לָא אִשְׁתְּכַח בְּרֵישָׁא דִּיְּסוֹד, נָטִיל ו' עִלָּאָה לְהַאי רֵישָׁא דִּיְּסוֹד דְּהוּא י', וְנָגִיד לֵיהּ לְגַבֵּיהּ, כְּדֵין הוּא ו"י, ו"י לְכֹלָּא, לְעִלָּאִין וְתַתָּאִין.

As we have learnt: when the King is parted from the Matrona and blessings are not found, then it is called Vai. What is the reason it is Vai? For it has been taught: the head of yesod is Yod, since yesod is a small Vau, while the Holy One, blessed be He, is the great supernal Vau. And therefore it is written Vau — two Vaus as one — and the head of this yesod is Yod. And when the Matrona is removed from the King, and blessings are held back from the King, and union is not found in the head of yesod, the supernal Vau takes this head of yesod, which is Yod, and draws it to itself; then it is Vai — woe to all, to those above and to those below.