זוהר, בראשית כ״דZohar, Bereshit 24

Segment 1א׳

פָּתַח קְרָא אֲבַתְרֵיהּ: וַיִּקַּח יְיָ אֱלהִים אֶת הָאָדָם וַיַּנִּיחֵהוּ בְּגַן עֵדֶן וְגו'. וַיִּקַּח מֵאָן נָטִיל לֵיהּ. אֶלָּא נָטִיל לֵיהּ מֵד' יְסוֹדִין דְּאִתְּמָר בְּהוֹן וּמִשָּׁם יִפָּרֵד וְהָיָה לְאַרְבָּעָה רָאשִׁים. אַפְרִישׁ לֵיהּ מִנְּהוֹן וְשַׁוֵּי לֵיהּ בְּגִנְתָּא דְעֵדֶן.

AND THE LORD GOD TOOK THE MAN AND PUT HIM IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN, ETC. From whence did he take him? He took him from the four elements which are hinted at in the verse “and from there it parted and became four heads”. God detached him from these and placed him in the Garden of Eden.

Segment 2ב׳

כְּגַוְונָא דָא יַעֲבֵד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְבַּר נָשׁ דְּאִתְבְּרֵי מֵד' יְסוֹדִין. בְּזִמְנָא דְתָב בִּתְיוּבְתָּא וּמִתְעַסֵּק בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא. קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא נָטִיל לֵיהּ מִתַּמָּן. וְעֲלַיְיהוּ אִתְּמָר וּמִשָּׁם יִפָּרֵד. אַפְרִישׁ נַפְשֵׁיהּ מִתַּאֲוָה דִּילְהוֹן וְשַׁוֵּי לֵיהּ בְּגִנְתָּא דִילֵיהּ דְּאִיהִי שְׁכִינְתָּא. לְעָבְדָהּ בְּפִקּוּדִין דְּעֲשֵׂה. וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ בְּפִקּוּדִין דְּלֹא תַעֲשֶׂה. אִי זָכָה לְנַטְרָא לָהּ אִיהוּ יְהֵא רֵישָׁא עַל ד' יְסוֹדִין. וְאִתְעֲבִיד נָהָר דְּאִתְשַׁקְיָין עַל יָדֵיהּ וְלָא עַל יְדָא אַחֲרָא וְאִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעִין בֵּיהּ דְּאִיהוּ רִבּוֹן וְשַׁלִּיט עֲלַיְיהוּ.

So does God do now to any man created from the four elements when he repents of his sins and occupies himself with the Torah; God takes him from his original elements, as it is said, “and from there he parts”, i.e. he separates himself from the desires which they inspire, and God places him in his garden, which is the Shekinah, “to dress it”, by means of positive precepts, “and to keep it”, by means of negative precepts. If he keeps the law, he makes himself master of the four elements, and becomes a river from which they are watered, and they obey him and he is their ruler.

Segment 3ג׳

וְאִי עָבַר עַל אוֹרַיְיתָא אִתְשַׁקְיָין מִמְּרִירוּ דְאִילָנָא דְּרַע דְּאִיהוּ יֵצֶר הָרָע. וְכָל אֵבָרִין דְּאִנּוּן מֵד' יְסוֹדִין אִתְּמָר בְּהוֹן (שמות א׳:י״ד) וַיְמָרַרוּ אֶת חַיֵּיהֶם וְגו' וַיְמָרַרוּ בִּמְרִירוּ דְּמָרָה. וּלְגַבֵּי אֵבָרִין קַדִּישִׁין דְּגוּפָא דְּאִנּוּן מִסִּטְרָא דְטוֹב עֲלַיְיהוּ אִתְּמָר (שמות ט״ו:כ״ג) וַיָּבוֹאוּ מָרָתָה וְלֹא יָכְלוּ לִשְׁתּוֹת מַיִם מִמָּרָה וְגו'. כְּגַוְונָא דָא אָמְרוּ מָארֵי מַתְנִיתִין וַיְמָרַרוּ אֶת חַיֵּיהֶם בַּעֲבוֹדָה קָשָׁה בְּקוּשְׁיָא. בְּחוֹמֶר בְּקַל וָחוֹמֶר. וּבִלְבֵנִים בְּלִבּוּן הִלְכְתָא. וּבְכָל עֲבוֹדָה בַּשָּׂדֶה דָּא בָּרַיְיתָא. אֶת כָּל עֲבוֹדָתָם וְגו' דָּא מִשְׁנָה.

But if he transgresses the law, they are watered from the bitterness of the tree of evil, which is the evil inclination, and all his limbs are full of bitterness; but when the members of the body are kept holy from the side of good, it may be said of them that “they came to Marah and were not able to drink waters from Marah, for they were bitter” (Ex. 15, 23). Similarly, the study of the Talmud is bitter compared with that of the esoteric wisdom, of which it is said, “And God showed him a tree” (Ibid.); this is a tree of life, and through it “the waters were sweetened”.