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The Zohar · Bereshit

זוהר, בראשית פ״וZohar, Bereshit 86

Section 86 of 102 in Bereshit — 23 segments

Segment 1א׳

תָּא חֲזֵי, אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם דָּא שְׁכִינְתָּא עִלָּאָה. וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ דָּא שְׁכִינְתָּא דִּלְתַתָּא בְּאִתְחַבְּרוּתָא דִּדְכַר וְנוּקְבָא כְּחֲדָא. וְהָא אִתְּמָר כְּמָה דְּאִתְעָרוּ בֵּיהּ חַבְרַיָיא עַד כְּעָן.

Similarly we can interpret the text “the heavens and the earth” to mean that the higher Shekinah and the lower Shekinah will be joined in the union of male and female; this has already been explained, as the colleagues have noted.’

Segment 2ב׳

בָּעוּ (ד"א בעא) לְמֵיזַל. קָמוּ. אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן מִלָּה הָכָא גַּבָּן. פָּתַח רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן וְאָמַר, תְּרֵי קְרָאֵי כְּתִיבֵי, (דברים ד׳:כ״ד) כִּי יְיָ אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֵשׁ אוֹכְלָה הוּא. וּכְתִיב הָתָם (דברים ד׳:ד׳) וְאַתֶּם הַדְּבֵקִים בַּיְיָ אֱלֹהֵיכֶם חַיִּים כֻּלְּכֶם הַיּוֹם. הָנֵי קְרָאֵי אוֹקִימְנָא לְהוּ בְּכַמָּה אֲתַר וְאִתְעָרוּ בְּהוּ חַבְרַיָיא. תָּא חֲזֵי, כִּי יְיָ אֱלהֶיךָ אֵשׁ אוֹכְלָה הוּא, הָא אִתְּמָר מִלָּה דָא בְּגוֹ חַבְרַיָיא דְּאִית אֶשָׁא אָכְלָא אֶשָׁא (ואיתאשא) וְאָכִיל לָהּ וְשָׁצֵי לָהּ. בְּגִין דְּאִית אֶשָׁא תַּקִּיפָא מֵאֶשָׁא וְאוּקְמוּהָ.

They now rose to depart, but R. Simeon said: ‘I have still one thing more to tell you. It says in one place “For the Lord thy God is a consuming fire” (Deut. 4, 24), and in another place “Ye that clave to the Lord your God are all of you alive this day” (Deut. 4, 4). The apparent contradiction between these texts has already been discussed among the colleagues, but here is another explanation. It has already been established among the colleagues that there is a fire which consumes fire and destroys it, because there is one sort of fire stronger than another.

Segment 3ג׳

אֲבָל תָּא חֲזֵי, מָאן דְּבָעֵי לְמִנְדַע חָכְמְתָא דְּיִחוּדָא קַדִּישָׁא. יִסְתַּכַּל בְּשַׁלְהוֹבָא דְּסָלְקָא מִגּוֹ גַּחֶלְתָּא. אוֹ מִגּוֹ בּוֹצִינָא דְּדָלִיק. דְּהָא שַׁלְהוֹבָא לָא סָלְקָא אֶלָּא כַּד אִתְאַחִיד בְּמִלָּה גַּסָּה (נ"א אחרא).

Pursuing this idea, we may say that he who desires to penetrate to the mystery of the holy unity should contemplate the flame which rises from a burning coal or candle. The flame cannot rise save from some concrete body.

…and 18 more segments in this section.

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Zohar — Vocalized Zohar, Israel 2013, via Sefaria

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