זוהר, בלק י״חZohar, Balak 18

Segment 1א׳

וַיַּרְא בָּלָק, רִבִּי חִזְקִיָּה פָּתַח, (ישעיהו נ״ו:א׳) כֹּה אָמַר יְיָ שִׁמְרוּ מִשְׁפָּט וַעֲשׂוּ צְדָקָה כִּי קְרוֹבָה יְשׁוּעָתִי וְגוֹ'. כַּמָה חֲבִיבִין יִשְׂרָאֵל קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דְּאַף עַל גַּב דְּאִינּוּן חָאבוּ קַמֵּיהּ, וְחָבִין קַמֵּיהּ בְּכָל זִמְנָא וְזִמְנָא, אִיהוּ עָבִיד לוֹן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, זְדוֹנוֹת כִּשְׁגָגוֹת.

AND BALAK SAW. R. Hizkiah opened: “Thus says the Lord: Keep justice and do righteousness, for My salvation is near to come”, etc. (Isa. 56, 1). How beloved are Israel before the Holy One, blessed be He! For although they have sinned before Him, and sin before Him at every time and season, He makes their presumptuous sins for Israel as errors.

Segment 2ב׳

וְהָכִי אָמַר רַב הַמְנוּנָא סָבָא, תְּלַת דִּינִין בָּבֵי דִּינָא, תַּקִּינוּ (ס"א רבנן) בְּסִדְרֵי מַתְנִיתָא. חֲדָא, קַדְמִיתָא, בְּאַרְבַּע אָבוֹת נְזִיקִין הַשּׁוֹר וְכוּ'. תִּנְיָינָא, טַלִית דְּאִשְׁתְּכַח. תְּלִיתָאָה, שׁוּתָּפִין וְרָזָא דַּאֲבֵידָה. מַאי טַעְמָא. אֶלָּא, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּכָל זִמְנָא, עָבִיד לוֹן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל זְדוֹנוֹת כִּשְׁגָגוֹת. וְאִינּוּן דְּסִדְּרוּ מַתְנִיתִין דִּתְלָתָא בָּבֵי, הָכִי סִדְּרוּ, אֹרַח דִּקְרָא נַקְטוּ, דִּכְתִּיב, (שמות כב) עַל כָּל דְּבַר פֶּשַׁע, וְהַאי פֶּשַׁע אִיהוּ דְּלָאו בְּזָדוֹן, וּמַאן אִיהוּ. עַל שׁוֹר, עַל חֲמוֹר, עַל שֶׂה, דָּא בָּבָא קָמָא, דְּהָכָא הוּא בְּאִינּוּן מִלִּין. עַל שַׂלְמָה, דָּא בָּבָא מְצִיעָא, עַל כָּל אֲבֵדָה, דָּא בָּבָא תְּלִיתָאָה.

And so said Rab Hamnuna the Elder: three judgements did the courts establish in the orders of the Mishnah. The first, in the four principal causes of damage: the ox, and so forth. The second, the cloak that was found. The third, partners, and the mystery of a lost article. What is the reason? It is that the Holy One, blessed be He, at every time makes the presumptuous sins of Israel as errors; and those who arranged the Mishnah of the three Babas arranged it so, taking the order of the verse, as it is written, “for every matter of trespass” (Ex. 22) — and this trespass is that which is not presumptuous. And what is it? “For an ox, for an ass, for a sheep”: this is Baba Kamma, for here the matter lies in these things. “For a garment”: this is Baba Metzia. “For any manner of lost thing”: this is the third Baba.

Segment 3ג׳

דְּאֹרַח קְרָא נַקְטוּ. דְּכַד מָטָא לְבָבָא מְצִיעָא, הֲוָה אָמַר, שֵׁירוּתָא דְּקָא נַקְטוּ בְּטַלִית דָּא, אֲמַאי. כֵּיוָן דְּאִשְׁתְּכַח קְרָא, אָמַר, ודַּאי דָּא הֲלָכָה לְמֹשֶׁה מִסִּינַי, וּבִיאֲרוּ כָּל מִלֵּי דְּרַבָּנָן.

For they took the order of the verse. When he came to Baba Metzia, he would say: the opening they took with this cloak — why? Once the verse was found, he said, assuredly this is a halachah of Moses from Sinai, and they explained all the words of the Rabbis.