זוהר, בלק ו׳Zohar, Balak 6

Segment 1א׳

רִבִּי יִצְחָק וְרִבִּי יְהוּדָה הֲווֹ אָזְלֵי בְּאוֹרְחָא, מָטוּ לְהַהוּא אֲתָר דִּכְפַר סִכְנִין, דְּהֲוָה תַּמָּן רַב הַמְנוּנָא סָבָא, אִתְאֲרָחוּ בְּאִתְּתָא דִּילֵיהּ, דְּהֲוָה לָהּ בְּרָא חֲדָא זְעֵירָא, וְכָל יוֹמָא הֲוָה בְּבֵי סִפְרָא, הַהוּא יוֹמָא סָלִיק מִבֵּי סִפְרָא, וְאָתָא לְבֵיתָא, חָמָא לוֹן לְאִלֵּין חַכִּימִין. אָמַר לֵיהּ אִמֵּיהּ, קָרִיב לְגַבֵּי אִלֵּין גּוּבְרִין עִלָּאִין וְתִרְוַוח מִנַּיְיהוּ בִּרְכָאָן. קָרִיב לְגַבַּיְיהוּ, עַד לָא קָרִיב, אַהֲדָר לַאֲחוֹרָא. אָמַר לֵיהּ לְאִמֵּיהּ, לָא בָּעֵינָא לְקָרְבָא לְגַבַּיְיהוּ. דְּהָא יוֹמָא דָּא לָא קָרוּ קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע, וְהָכִי אוֹלְפֵי לִי, כָּל מַאן דְּלָא קָרֵי קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע בְּעוֹנָתֵיהּ, בְּנִדּוּי הוּא כָּל הַהוּא יוֹמָא.

Once, when R. Isaac and R. Judah were on a journey, they came to a place called Kfar Sachnin, where Rab Hamnuna the Elder used to live. They put up at the house of his wife. She had a young son who was still at school, and when he came from school and saw the strangers his mother said to him: ‘Go up to these distinguished gentlemen that you may obtain a blessing from them’. He began to approach, but suddenly turned back, saying to his mother: ‘I don’t want to go near them, because they have not recited the Shema this day, and I have been taught that if one does not recite the Shema at the proper time, he is under a ban the whole of that day.’

Segment 2ב׳

שָׁמְעוּ אִינּוּן, וְתַוְּוהוּ, אָרִימוּ יְדַיְיהוּ וּבָרִיכוּ לֵיהּ. אָמְרוּ וַדַּאי הָכִי הוּא. וְיוֹמָא דָּא אִשְׁתָּדַּלְנָא בַּהֲדֵי חָתָן וְכַלָּה, דְּלָא הֲוָה לוֹן צָרְכַיְיהוּ, וַהֲווּ מִתְאַחֲרָן לְאִזְדַּוְּוגָא, וְלָא הֲוָה בַּר נָשׁ לְאִשְׁתַּדְּלָא עָלַיְיהוּ, וַאֲנָן אִשְׁתָּדַּלְּנָא בְּהוּ, וְלָא קָרֵינָן קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע בְּעוֹנָתֵיהּ, וּמַאן דְּאִתְעַסָּק בַּמִּצְוָה, פָּטוּר מִן הַמִצְוָה. אָמְרוּ לֵיהּ, בְּרִי, בְּמָה יַדְעַת. אָמַר לֵיהּ, בְּרֵיחָא דִּלְבוּשַׁיְיכוּ יְדַעְנָא, כַּד קָרִיבְנָא לְגַבַּיְיכוּ. תַּוְוהוּ. יָתְבוּ, נַטְלוּ יְדַיְיהוּ וְכָרִיכוּ רִפְתָא.

When the others heard him they were amazed, and they lifted up their hands and blessed him. They said: ‘Indeed this is so; to-day we were busy looking after an engaged couple who had no means of their own, and were therefore delaying their marriage. There was no one to provide for them, so we did so, and so omitted to say the Shema at the proper time, since if a man is engaged on one mizvah (religious precept) he is exempt from performing another (which might interfere with it).’ They then asked him how he knew. He replied: ‘I knew by the smell of your clothes when I came near you.’ In great surprise they sat down, washed their hands and broke bread.

Segment 3ג׳

רִבִּי יְהוּדָה הֲווֹ יְדוֹי מְלוּכְלְכָן, וְנָטִיל יְדוֹי, וּבָרִיךְ עַד לָא נָטִיל. אָמַר לֵיהּ, אִי תַּלְמִידֵי דְּרַב שְׁמַעְיָה חֲסִידָא אַתּוּן, לָא הֲוָה לְכוּ לְבָרְכָא בְּיָדַיִם מְזוּהֲמוֹת, וּמַאן דְּבָרִיךְ בְּיָדַיִם מְזוּהֲמוֹת, חַיָּיב מִיתָה.

R. Judah’s hands were dirty, but he commenced to say the blessing before he had poured water on them. Said the boy to them: ‘If you are the disciples of R. Shemaya the Saint, you ought not to say a blessing with dirty hands, as this renders one liable to death.’