זוהר, בראשית כ״גZohar, Bereshit 23

Segment 1א׳

דָּבָר אַחֵר וְנָהָר יוֹצֵא מֵעֵדֶן. בְּוַדַּאי לְעֵילָא בְּעֵץ חַיִּים תַּמָּן לֵית קְלִיפִּין נוּכְרָאִין הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (תהילים ה׳:ה׳) לא יְגוּרְךָ רָע. אֲבָל בְּעֵץ דִּלְתַתָּא אִית קְלִיפִּין נוּכְרָאִין וַדַּאי. וְאִיהוּ נָטוּעַ בְּגִנְתָא דְעֵדֶן דִּזְעֵיר אַפִּין. דְּאִיהוּ חֲנוֹךְ מטטרון דְּגַּן עֵדֶן דִּלְעֵילָא. דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לֵית תַּמָּן עַרְטוּמָא, לְמֶיהֱוֵי תַּמָּן נִפְתָּל וְעִקֵּשׁ. וּבְגִין דָּא וְנָהָר יוֹצֵא וְגו' וְיָכִילְנָא לְמֵימַר בְּמטטרון יוֹצֵא מֵעֵדֶן מֵעִדּוּן דִּילֵיהּ. לְהַשְׁקוֹת אֶת הַגָּן גַּן דִּילֵיהּ פַּרְדֵּס (תיקון כ"ד) דִּילֵיהּ דְּתַמָּן עָאלוּ בֶּן עֲזַאי וּבֶן זוֹמָא וְאֱלִישָׁע. וּקְלִיפִּין דִּילֵיהּ מִסִּטְרָא דָא טוֹ"ב וּמִסִּטְרָא דָא רַע. וְדָא אִסּוּר וְהֶתֵּר כָּשֵׁר וּפָסוּל טוּמְאָה וְטָהֳרָה.

Another explanation of the words, “a river goes forth from Eden.” Assuredly, above, in the Tree of Life, there are no alien shells; as it is written, “evil shall not sojourn with You” (Ps. 5, 5). But in the tree below there are alien shells indeed. And it is planted in the garden of Eden of zeir anpin (the Lesser Countenance), who is Enoch-Metatron of the Garden of Eden above; for with the Holy One, blessed be He, there is no guile there, that anything twisted or crooked should be found there. And therefore, “a river goes forth,” etc. And we may say it of Metatron: “goes forth from Eden” — from his own delight (idun). “To water the garden”: his own garden, his own Paradise, which Ben Azzai and Ben Zoma and Elisha entered. And its shells: from this side good, and from this side evil. And this is forbidden and permitted, fit and unfit, unclean and clean.

Segment 2ב׳

קָם חַד סָבָא וְאָמַר רִבִּי רִבִּי הָכִי הוּא וַדַּאי. אֲבָל עֵץ חַיִּים לָא אִתְקְרֵי אִיהוּ. אֶלָּא הָכִי הוּא רָזָא דְּמִלָּה וַיִּיצֶר חַד יְצִירָה דְּטוֹב וְחַד יְצִירָה דְּרָע. דָּא אִיהוּ עֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע. עֵץ דָּא אָדָם זְעֵירָא מִסִּטְרָא דְּחַיִּים מִנֵּיהּ וּמִסִּטְרָא דְמוֹתָא מִנֵּיהּ. תַּמָּן ב' יְצִירוֹת דִּילֵיהּ דְּאִנּוּן אִסּוּר וְהֶתֵּר, וְעֲלֵיהּ אִתְּמָר וַיִּיצֶר יְיָ אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאָדָם עָפָר מִן הָאֲדָמָה.

An old man rose and said: ‘Rabbi, Rabbi, so it is assuredly. But it is not called the Tree of Life. Rather, this is the inner meaning of the matter. “And He formed”: one formation of good and one formation of evil. This is the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This tree is the lesser Adam: from one side of it comes life, and from the other side of it comes death. There are his two formations, which are the forbidden and the permitted; and of him it is said, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground.”

Segment 3ג׳

וַיִּפַּח בְּאַפָּיו נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים. דָּא שְׁכִינְתָּא עִלָּאָה. עֵדֶן תְּיוּבְתָּא. וְעֲלָהּ אִתְּמָר וְעֵץ הַחַיִּים בְּתוֹךְ הַגָּן דָּא עַמּוּדָא דְאֶמְצָעִיתָא. הַגַּ"ן שְׁכִינְתָּא תַּתָּאָה. תְּלַת קְטִירִין אִנּוּן נִשְׁמָתָא רוּחָא נַפְשָׁא לְגַבֵּיהּ. וּבְהוֹן וַיְהִי הָאָדָם לְנֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה. דְּאִיהוּ מִפִּיו מַמָּשׁ אִתְקְרֵי לִשְׁכִינְתָּא דְּאִיהִי נִשְׁמַת חַיִּים. מִיָּד דְּאָמַר מִלִּין אִלֵּין סָלִיק לְעֵילָא. אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן חַבְרַיָיא בְּוַדַּאי מַלְאֲכָא הֲוָה. וּבְוַדַּאי סָמִיךְ אִית לָנָא מִכָּל אֲתַר.

AND HE BREATHED INTO HIS NOSTRILS THE BREATH OF LIFE. This is the supernal Shekinah: Eden, repentance. And of her it is said, “and the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden” — this is the Central Column. “The garden” is the lower Shekinah. Three knots are his: neshamah, ruah and nefesh (soul, spirit and vital soul). And through them, “and man became a living soul.” For it is literally from His mouth, and it is called to the Shekinah, who is the breath of life.’ As soon as he had said these words he ascended on high. Said R. Simeon: ‘Companions, assuredly he was an angel. And assuredly we have support from every quarter.’