זוהר, אחרי מות נ״זZohar, Achrei Mot 57

Segment 1א׳

רִבִּי אַבָּא, הֲוָה אָזִיל לְקַפּוּטְקִיָּא, וַהֲוָה עִמֵּיהּ רִבִּי יוֹסֵי. עַד דַּהֲווֹ אַזְלֵי, חָמוּ חַד בַּר נָשׁ, דְּהֲוָה אָתֵי, וּרְשִׁימָא חַד בְּאַנְפּוֹי. אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא, נִסְטֵי מֵהַאי אוֹרְחָא, דְּהָא אַנְפּוֹי דְּדֵין אַסְהִידוּ עָלֵיהּ, דְּעָבַר בְּעֶרְיָיתָא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, בְּגִינֵי כַּךְ אִתְרְשִׁים בְּאַנְפּוֹי. אָמַר לֵיהּ רִבִּי יוֹסֵי, אִי הַאי רְשִׁימָא הֲוָה לֵיהּ כַּד הֲוָה יַנוּקָא, מַאי עֶרְיָיתָא אִשְׁתְּכַח בֵּיהּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ, אֲנָא חֲמֵינָא בְּאַנְפּוֹי, דְּאַסְהִידוּ בְּעֶרְיָיתָא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא.

THE NAKEDNESS OF THY SISTER… THOU SHALT NOT UNCOVER. R. Abba was once going from Cappadocia to Lydda in company with R. Jose. As they were going they saw a man approaching with a mark on his face. Said R. Abba: ‘Let us leave this road, because that man’s face testifies that he has transgressed one of the precepts of the Law against illicit intercourse.’ Said R. Jose: ‘Suppose this mark was on him from his boyhood; how can it show that he has transgressed by illicit intercourse?’ R. Abba replied: ‘I can see that he has by his face.’

Segment 2ב׳

קָרָא לֵיהּ רִבִּי אַבָּא, אָמַר לֵיהּ אֵימָא מִלָּה, הַאי רְשִׁימָא דְּאַנְפָּךְ, מַה הוּא. אָמַר לוֹן, בְּמָטוֹתָא מִנַּיְיכוּ, לָא תַּעֲנְשׁוּ יַתִּיר לְהַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ, דְּהָא חוֹבוֹי קָא גָּרְמוּ לֵיהּ. אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא מַהוּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ, יוֹמָא חַד הֲוִינָא אָזִיל בְּאָרְחָא אֲנִי וַאֲחֹתִי, שָׁרֵינָא בְּחַד אוֹשְׁפִּיזָא, וְרָוִינָא חַמְרָא, וְכָל הַהוּא לֵילְיָא אֲחִידְנָא בַּאֲחֹתִי. בְּצַפְרָא קַמְנָא, וְאוּשְׁפִּיזָאִי קָטַט בְּחַד גַּבְרָא, עָיֵילְנָא בֵּינַיְיהוּ, וְקַטְרוּ לִי דָּא מֵהַאי גִּיסָא, וְדָא מֵהַאי גִּיסָא, וּרְשִׁימָא דָּא הֲוָה עָיֵיל לְבֵי מוֹחָא, וְאִשְׁתְּזַבְנָא עַל יְדָא דְּחַד אַסְיָיא דְּאִית בְּגַוָון.

R. Abba then called him and said: ‘Tell me, what is that mark on your face?’ He replied: ‘I beg of you, do not punish me further, because my sins have caused this.”How is that?’ said R. Abba. He replied: ‘I was once travelling with my sister, and we turned in to an inn, where I drank much wine. All that night I was in company with my sister. When I got up in the morning I found the host quarrelling with another man. I interposed between them and received blows from both, one on one side and one on the other, and was severely wounded, but was saved by a doctor who was living among us.’

Segment 3ג׳

אָמַר לֵיהּ, מַאן הוּא אַסְיָיא. אָמַר לֵיהּ, רִבִּי שַׂמְלָאי הוּא. אָמַר לֵיהּ מַאי אַסוּותָא יָהַב לְךָ. אָמַר לֵיהּ אַסוּותָא דְּנַפְשָׁא. וּמֵהַהוּא יוֹמָא אַהֲדַרְנָא בִּתְשׁוּבָה. וּבְכָל יוֹמָא חֲזֵינָא אַנְפָּאִי בְּחַד חֵיזוּ, וּבָכֵינָא קָמֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דְּהוּא רִבּוֹן עָלְמִין עַל הַהוּא חוֹבָה. וּמֵאִינּוּן דִּמְעִין אַסְחֵינָא אַנְפָּאִי. אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא, אִי לָאו דְּאִתְמְנַע מִנָךְ תְּשׁוּבָה, אַעְבַרְנָא מֵאַנְפָּךְ הַהוּא רְשִׁימָא. אֲבָל קָרֵינָא עָלָיךְ, (ישעיהו ו׳:ז׳) וְסָר עֲוֹנֶךָ וְחַטָּאתְך תְּכוּפָּר. אָמַר לֵיהּ, ג' זִמְנִין אֵימָא. אָמַר לֵיהּ ג' זִמְנִין, וְאִתְעֲבָר רְשִׁימָא.

R. Abba asked who the doctor was, and he replied: ‘It was R. Simlai.’ ‘What medicine did he give you?’ asked R. Abba. He replied: ‘Spiritual healing. From that day I repented, and every day I looked at myself in a mirror and wept before the Almighty for my sin, and from those tears my face was healed.’ Said R. Abba: ‘Were it not that you might cease repenting, I would cause that scar to be removed from your face. However, I will say over you the verse, “And thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin purged” (Isa. 6, 7). Repeat that three times.’ He repeated it three times and the mark vanished;