זוהר, תוספות כרך א י״בZohar, Addenda, Volume I 12

Segment 1א׳

סִתְרֵי תּוֹרָה (מזוהר ישן) מָה הֵשִׁיב הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךָ הוּא לְנֹחַ כְּשֶׁיָּצָּא מִן הַתֵּיבָה וְרָאָה אֶתּ הָעוֹלָם חָרֵב והִתְּחִיל לִבְכּוֹתּ לְפָּנָיו וְאָמַר רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם נִקְרֵאתָּ רַחוּם הָיָה לְךָ לְרַחֵם עַל בְּרִיוֹתֶּךָ וְכוּ'. הֶשִׁיבוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךָ הוּא וְאָמַר. רַעֲיאָ שָׁטְיָיא, הַשְׁתָּא אֲמַרְתָּ דָּא, לָמָה לֹא אֲמַרְתָּ בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְאֲמָרִיתּ לָךָ, כִּי אוֹתְּךָ רָאִיתִּי צַּדִּיק לְפָּנַי וְגוֹ'. וְאַחַר כָּךָ, הִנְנִי מֵבִיא אֶתּ הַמַּבּוּל מַיִם. וְאַחַר כָּךָ, עשה לְךָ תֵּיבַתּ עֲצֵּי גוֹפֶּר. כָּל הַאי אִתְּעֲכָּבִיתּ ואֲמָרִיתּ לָךָ בְּגִין דְּתַּבְעֵי רַחֲמִין עַל עַלְמָא. וּמִכְּדֵין שְׁמָעְתָּא דְתִּשְׁתְּזִיב בְּתֵּיבוּתָּא לָא עָאל בְּלִבָּךָ לְמִבְעֵי רַחֲמִין על יִשׁוּבָא דְעַלְמָא ועֲבָדְתּ תֵּיבוּתָּא וְאִשְׁתְּזִיבַתּ וּכְעַן דְּאִתְּאֲבִיד עַלְמָא פַּתָּחְתּ פּוּמָךָ לְמַלְּלָא קֳדָמָי בַּעְיָין וְתַּחֲנוּנִים. כֵּיוָן דְחָזָא נֹחַ כָּךָ, אַקְרִיב קָרֵבָּנִין ועֲלָוָון דִּכְתִּיב (בראשית ח׳:כ׳) וַיִּקַּח מִכָּל הַבְּהֵמָה הַטְהוֹרָה וּמִכָּל הַעוֹף הַטָהוֹר וְגוֹ'.

Sitrei Torah (from the Old Zohar). What did the Holy One, blessed be He, answer Noah when he went out from the ark and saw the world laid waste, and began to weep before Him and said: Lord of the world, You are called Merciful; You should have had mercy upon Your creatures, and so forth. The Holy One, blessed be He, answered him and said: Foolish shepherd! Now you say this? Why did you not say it at the time when I said to you, “for you have I seen righteous before Me,” etc.; and after that, “Behold, I do bring the flood of waters”; and after that, “Make yourself an ark of gopher wood”? All this while I delayed and spoke to you, so that you should ask mercy for the world. But from the moment you heard that you would be delivered in the ark, it did not enter your heart to ask mercy for the settled world; and you made the ark and were delivered. And now that the world is lost, you open your mouth to speak petitions and supplications before Me. When Noah saw this, he offered sacrifices and burnt-offerings, as it is written, “and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl,” etc. (Gen. 8, 20).

Segment 2ב׳

אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן בֹּא וּרְאֵה מָה בֵּין צַּדִּיקִים שֶׁהָיוּ לָהֶם לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אַחַר נֹחַ וּבֵין נֹחַ, נֹחַ לא הֵגִין עַל דוֹרוֹ וְלֹא הִתְּפָּלֵל עֲלֵיהֶם כְּאַבְרָהָם, דְּכֵיוָן דְּאָמַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךָ הוּא לְאַבְרָהָם (בראשית י״ח:כ״ג) זַעֲקָתּ סְדוֹם וַעֲמוֹרָה כִּי רַבָּה מִיָד וַיִּגַּשׁ אַבִרָהָם וַיֹּאמַר וְגוֹ' וְהִרְבָּה תַּחֲנוּנִים לִפְּנִי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךָ הוּא עַד שְׁשָׁאל שְׁאִם יִמְצָּא עֲשָׂרָה צַּדִּיקִים שֶׁיְכַפֶּר לְכָל הַמָּקוֹם בַּעֲבוּרָם, וְחַשָׁב אַבְרָהָם שֶׁהָיוּ בָּעִיר עִם לוֹט וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וּבְנוֹתָּיו עֲשָׂרָה צַּדִּיקִים וּלְפִּיכָךָ לא הִתְּפָּלֵל.

R. Johanan said: Observe the difference between the righteous men whom Israel had after Noah and Noah himself. Noah did not shield his generation and did not pray for them as Abraham did. For when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham, “Indeed, the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great” (Gen. 18, 23), at once “And Abraham drew near, and said,” etc.; and he multiplied supplications before the Holy One, blessed be He, until he asked that if ten righteous men were found He would pardon the whole place for their sake. And Abraham thought that there were in the city, with Lot and his wife and his daughters, ten righteous men; and therefore he did not pray.

Segment 3ג׳

אַחַר כַּךָ בָּא מֹשֶׁה וְהִתְּפָּלֵל וְהֵגִין עַל דוֹרוֹ כֵּיוָן שֶׁאָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךָ הוּא (שמות ל״ב:ח׳) סָרוּ מָהֵר מִן הַדֶּרֶךָ. מִיָד עֲמָד מֹשֶׁה בַּתְּפִּלָה וַיְּחַל משֹה וְגוֹ' עַד שֶׁאַחַזָתּוֹ חַלְחַלָה. רָבַּנָן אַמְרֵי, לֹא הִנִּיחַ משהֹ לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךָ הוּא עַד שֶׁנָתַּן נַפְּשׁוֹ עֲלֵיהֶם מִן הָעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וּמִן הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא דִּכְתִּיב (שם) וְאִם אַיִן מְחֵנִי נָא מִסִּפְּרֶךָ אשר כַּתָּבְתָּ אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי מֵהָכָא (תהילים ק״ו:כ״ג) וַיֹּאמֶר לְהַשְׁמִידָם לוּלֵא מֹשֶׁה בְּחִירוֹ עָמָד בַּפֶּרֶץ לְפָּנָיו.

Afterwards Moses came, and prayed, and shielded his generation. When the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “They have turned aside quickly out of the way” (Ex. 32, 8), at once Moses stood in prayer — “And Moses besought,” etc. — until trembling seized him. The Rabbis say: Moses did not let go of the Holy One, blessed be He, until he gave his soul for them, from this world and from the world to come, as it is written, “and if not, blot me, I pray, out of Your book which You have written” (Ibid.). R. Jose said: from here — “Therefore He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen stood before Him in the breach” (Ps. 106, 23).