זוהר, בלק כ״גZohar, Balak 23

Section 23 of 47 in Balak — 6 segments

Segment 1א׳

(במדבר כ״ב:ט׳) וַיֹּאמֶר מִי הָאֲנָשִׁים הָאֵלֶּה עִמָּךְ. דַּרְגָּא דִּילֵיהּ, מִסִּטְרָא אַחֲרָא דִּשְׂמָאלָא הֲוָה, דְּקָא אִצְטְרִיךְ לְמִשְׁאַל. וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּחַבְרַיָּיא אַתְּעֲרוּ בְּדָא, בְּגַוְונָא אַחֲרָא, וְאִינּוּן אַמְרֵי דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא (עבד ביה) נִסְיוֹנָא עֲבַד לֵיהּ בְּמִלּוֹי. תְּלָתָא הֲווֹ, חַד חִזְקִיָּה. וְחַד יְחֶזְקֵאל. וְחַד בִּלְעָם. תְּרֵין לָא קַיְימוּ כְּדְקָא יֵאוֹת, וְחַד קָאִים. וּמַנוּ. יְחֶזְקֵאל. דִּכְתִּיב, (יחזקאל ל״ז:ג׳) הֲתִחְיֶינָה הָעֲצָמוֹת הָאֵלֶּה, וְאִיהוּ תָּב וְאָמַר, וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ אֱלֹהִים אַתָּה יָדָעְתָּ. חִזְקִיָּהוּ אָמַר, (מלכים ב כ׳:י״ד) מֵאֶרֶץ רְחוֹקָה בָּאוּ אֵלַי מִבָּבֶל. בִּלְעָם אָמַר בָּלָק בֶּן צִפּוֹר מֶלֶךְ מוֹאָב שָׁלַח אֵלַי, חָשִׁיב אֲנָא בְּעֵינֵי מַלְכִין וְשַׁלִּיטִין. וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא שָׁאִיל לֵיהּ לְמִטְעֵי לֵיהּ, דִּכְתִּיב, (איוב י״ב:כ״ג) מַשְׂגִּיא לַגּוֹיִם וַיְּאַבְּדֵם וְאוֹקְמוּהָ.

“And he said, What men are these with you?” (Num. 22, 9). His grade was from the other side of the left, which had need to ask. And although the Companions have roused themselves over this in another manner, and they say that the Holy One, blessed be He, made trial of him in his words — there were three: one Hezekiah, one Ezekiel, and one Balaam. Two did not stand as they should, and one stood. And who was he? Ezekiel, as it is written, “Can these bones live?”, and he turned and said, “And I said, O Lord God, You know” (Ezek. 37, 3). Hezekiah said, “They are come from a far country, from Babylon” (II Kings 20, 14). Balaam said, “Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, has sent to me” — I am esteemed in the eyes of kings and rulers. And the Holy One, blessed be He, asked him in order to lead him astray, as it is written, “He increases the nations and destroys them” (Job 12, 23); and this has been explained.

Segment 2ב׳

חַד כּוּתִי שָׁאִיל לְרִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, אָמַר לֵיהּ, חֵילָא תַּקִּיפָא חֲמֵינָא בֵּיהּ בְּבִלְעָם, יַתִּיר מִמֹּשֶׁה. דְּאִילּוּ בְּמֹשֶׁה כְּתִיב וַיִּקְרָא אֶל מֹשֶׁה. וּבְבִלְעָם כְּתִיב, וַיִּקָּר אֱלֹהִים אֶל בִּלְעָם, וּכְתִיב וַיָּבֹא אֱלֹהִים אֶל בִּלְעָם.

”And God met Balaam, And God came to Balaam’.

Segment 3ג׳

אָמַר לֵיהּ, לְמַלְכָּא דְּיָתִיב בְּהֵיכָלֵיהּ עַל כֻּרְסְיָיא, חַד סְגִיר קָרָא לְתַרְעָא. אָמַר, מַאן הוּא דְּבָטַשׁ לְתַרְעָא. אָמְרוּ, סְגִיר פְּלָן. אָמַר לָא יֵיעוּל הָכָא, וְלָא יְטַנֵּף הֵיכָלָא, יְדַעְנָא דְּאִי בִּשְׁלִיחָא אֵימָא לֵיהּ, לָא חָיִישׁ. וְיֵיזִיל בְּרִי וְיִסְתְּאַב וְיִקְרַב בַּהֲדֵיהּ. אֲבָל אֲנָא אֵיזִיל, וְאַגְזִים בֵּיהּ, דְּיִרְחַק אָרְחֵיהּ מִמוֹתָבָא דִּבְרִי, וְלָא יִסְאַב לֵיהּ. אַקְדִים מַלְכָּא, וְאָתָא לְגַבֵּיהּ, וְאַגְזִים. וְאָמַר לֵיהּ, סְגִיר סְגִיר, מְנַע רַגְלָךְ מֵאָרְחָא דִּבְרִי שָׁארֵי תַּמָּן, וְאִי לָאו, אוֹמֵינָא, דְּחֲתִיכִין יַעַבְדוּן גוּפָךְ בְּנֵי שִׁפְחוֹתַי.

He replied: A king was once sitting on his throne in his palace when a leper came to the gate. Who is knocking at the gate? he asked. They said: A certain leper. He said: He must not enter here and defile the palace. I know that if I tell this to a messenger he will take no notice, and my son will come in and be defiled by contact with him. I will therefore go and threaten him so that he shall go away from the abode of my son and not defile him. So the king got up and went to him and threatened him, saying: Leper, leper, keep away from the path of my son, and if not I will tell the sons of my handmaidens to cut you in pieces.

Segment 4ד׳

רְחִימָא דְּמַלְכָּא קָרֵי לְדָשָׁא. אָמַר מַלְכָּא, מַאן הוּא. אָמְרוּ, רְחִימָךְ פְּלַנְיָא. אָמַר, רְחִימָא חֲבִיבָא דְּנַפְשָׁאי, לָא יִקְרֵי לֵיהּ קָלָא אַחֲרָא, אֶלָּא אֲנָא. צָוַוח מַלְכָּא וְאָמַר, פְּלַנְיָא פְּלַנְיָא עוּל, חֲבִיבָא דְּנַפְשָׁאי, רְחִימָא דִּילִי, אַתְקִינוּ הֵיכָלִין לְמַלְּלָא עִמֵּיהּ.

Then the friend of the king called at the door. Who is it? said the king. They replied: Your friend, So-and-so. He said: It is my friend, the beloved of my soul; no other voice shall call him in save mine. The king then cried out saying: Enter, beloved of my soul, my own friend; prepare the palace that I may converse with him.

Segment 5ה׳

כַּךְ בִּלְעָם אִיהוּ סְגִיר, רְחִיקָא מִבְּנֵי נָשָׁא, קָרָא לְתַרְעָא דְּמַלְכָּא, שְׁמַע מַלְכָּא, אָמַר סְגִיר מִסְאֲבָא לָא יֵיעוּל, וְלָא יְטַנֵּף הֵיכָלָא דִּילִי. אֲנָא אִצְטְרִיךְ לְמֵיזָל לְאַגְזְמָא לֵיהּ, דְּלָא יִקְרַב לְגַבֵּי תַּרְעָא דִּבְרִי, וְלָא יִסְאַב לֵיהּ, וְעַל דָּא וַיָּבֹא אֱלֹהִים אֶל בִּלְעָם וְגוֹ'. אָמַר לֵיהּ, סְגִיר סְגִיר לֹא תֵלֵךְ עִמָּהֶם, לֹא תָּאוֹר אֶת הָעָם כִּי בָרוּךְ הוּא. לָא תִּקְרַב לְגַבֵּי דִּבְרִי, הֵן לְטָב הֵן לְבִישׁ, מְסָאָב אַנְתְּ בְּכֹלָּא. אֲבָל בְּמֹשֶׁה כְּתִיב, וַיִּקְרָא אֶל מֹשֶׁה, קָלָא דְּמַלְכָּא, וְלָא עַל יְדֵי שְׁלִיחָא אַחֲרָא. מֵאֹהֶל מוֹעֵד מֵהֵיכָלָא קַדִּישָׁא, מֵהֵיכָלָא מְתֻקְּנָא, מֵהֵיכָלָא יַקִּירָא דְּעִלָּאִין וְתַתָּאִין תְּאִיבִין לְגַבֵּיהּ, וְלָא יַכְלִין לְמִקְרַב לְגַבֵּיהּ.

So when Balaam, who was rejected of men like a leper, called at the gate of the King, the latter, on hearing, said: The unclean leper shall not enter and defile my palace. It is necessary for me to go and threaten him so that he shall not approach the gate of my son and not defile him. Therefore it says, “God came to Balaam”. He said to him: Leper, leper, “thou shalt not go with them, thou shalt not curse the people for he is blessed”. You shall not come near my people either for good or for evil, being wholly unclean. But of Moses it is written, “He called unto Moses”, with the voice of the King and not through a messenger, “from the tent of meeting”, from the holy palace which higher and lower angels desire to approach but are not allowed.

…and 1 more segment in this section.

Become a premium member

Or start free — a free account opens your first 5 gematria searches in full. Create free account

The daily learning is free on your account, every day.

Zohar — Vocalized Zohar, Israel 2013, via Sefaria

English: The Zohar — Soncino Press, London 1933 (public domain)

English: rendered from the Aramaic for this app — The Gematria's own rendering program. A rendering of the words, not a commentary; the Zohar is learned with a teacher