זוהר, בהר י״אZohar, Behar 11

Segment 1א׳

אֶלָּא וַדַּאי הָכָא בְּרָזָא דְּגִלְגּוּלָא, גּוֹלֵל אוֹר מִפְּנֵי חֹשֶׁךְ, עַבְדָּא דְּאַבְרָהָם דְּנָפַק מֵחֹשֶׁךְ, וְדָא זַרְעָא דְּחָם, דַּיוֹ לְעֶבֶד לִהְיוֹת כְּרַבּוֹ דְּאִיהוּ אַבְרָהָם, דְּנָפַק מִתֶּרַח עוֹבֵד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה. וְחֹשֶׁךְ מִפְּנֵי אוֹר, דָּא יִשְׁמָעֵאל דְּנָפַק מֵאַבְרָהָם, וְעֵשָׂו מִיִּצְּחָק.

But assuredly here it is in the mystery of transmigration: “rolling away light before darkness” — this is the servant of Abraham, who came forth from darkness, and this is the seed of Ham; it is enough for the servant to be like his master, who is Abraham, who came forth from Terah, a worshipper of idols. “And darkness before light” — this is Ishmael, who came forth from Abraham, and Esau from Isaac.

Segment 2ב׳

וְרָזָא תַּעֲרוֹבֶת טִפִּין, בַּאֲתַר דְּלָאו דִּילֵיהּ גָּרִים דָּא. מַאן דְּעָרִיב טִפָּה דִּילֵיהּ, בְּשִׁפְחָה מַחֲלַת בַּת יִשְׁמָעֵאל, אוֹ בְּבַת אֵל נֵכָר, דְּאִינּוּן רָע חֹשֶׁךְ, וְטִפָּה דִּילֵיהּ טוֹב אוֹר, (בראשית א׳:ג׳-ד׳) וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאוֹר כִּי טוֹב. מְעָרֵב טוֹב עִם רָע, עָבַר עַל מֵימְרָא דְּמָארֵיהּ, דְּאָמַר (בראשית ב׳:י״ז) וּמֵעֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע לֹא תֹאכַל מִמֶּנּוּ.

And the mystery of the mingling of drops in a place that is not his own brings this about. One who mingles his drop with a maidservant, with Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, or with the daughter of a strange god — who are evil, darkness — while his drop is good, light, “and God saw the light, that it was good” (Gen. 1, 3-4): he mingles good with evil, and he has transgressed the word of his Master, who said, “and of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat of it” (Gen. 2, 17).

Segment 3ג׳

קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, בְּהַהוּא דְּעִרֶב (רב), אַרְכִּיב לֵיהּ, וְאַיְיתֵי לֵיהּ בְּגִלְגּוּלָא לְקַבְּלָא עוֹנְשֵׁיהּ. חָזַר בְּתִיּוּבְתָּא, אִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְאַפְרִישׁ טוֹב מֵרָע, דְּאִינּוּן אָסוּר וְהֶתֵּר, טוּמְאָה וְטָהֳרָה, כָּשֵׁר וּפָסוּל. בְּדָא אִתְפְּרַשׁ רָע מִטוֹב, דְּאִתְּמַר בֵּיהּ וַיִּיצֶּר, יְצִּירָה לְטָב, וִיצִּירָה לְבִישׁ. בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא אַפְרִישׁ לוֹן, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יָרִית לֵיהּ נִשְׁמְתָא מִנֵּיהּ, לְמֶהֱוִי שַׁלְטָא עַל תַּרְוַויְיהוּ, בְּחַד דְּאִיהוּ אוֹר. עָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי. וּבְחַד דְּאִיהוּ חֹשֶׁךְ, עָלְמָא דֵּין. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וַיִּפַּח בְּאַפָּיו נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים.

The Holy One, blessed be He, grafted that one who mingled, of the mixed multitude, and brought him in transmigration to receive his punishment. He returned in repentance, laboured in the Torah, and separated good from evil, which are the forbidden and the permitted, the unclean and the clean, the fit and the unfit. By this evil was separated from good, of which it is said, “and He formed” — a formation for good and a formation for evil. Through the Torah He separated them, and the Holy One, blessed be He, caused him to inherit a soul from Himself, to rule over them both: over the one which is light, the world to come, and over the one which is darkness, this world. This is as it is written, “and He breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.”