זוהר, בא ט״וZohar, Bo 15

Section 15 of 17 in Bo — 16 segments

Segment 1א׳

וּבְגִין דָּא אָמַר, (ישעיהו מ׳:כ״ה) וְאֶל מִי תְּדַמְּיוּנִי וְאֶשְׁוֶה יֹאמַר קָדוֹשׁ. לֵית בְּכָל בְּרִיָּה דְּאֶשְׁוֶה כְּוָותִי, וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּבָרָאתִי לָהּ כִּדְמוּת אַתְוָון דִּילִי, דַּאֲנָא יָכִיל לְמַחֲאָה הַהִיא צוּרָה, וּלְמֶעְבַּד לָהּ כַּמָּה זִמְנִין, וְלֵית אֱלוֹהַּ אַחֲרָא עָלַי דְּיָכִיל לְמִמְחֵי דִּיּוּקְנִי וּבְגִין דָּא (דברים ל״ב:ל״א) כִּי לא כְצוּרֵנוּ צוּרָם וְאוֹיְבֵינוּ פְּלִילִים.

Yet God says, “to whom then will ye liken me that I should be equal to him?” (Ibid. 40, 25), which means, “among all created things there is none that could be likened to Me even among the number of those whom I have created in the likeness of the signs of My Name; for I can efface the form and then create newly again and yet again, but there is no god above Me who could efface My likeness”.

Segment 2ב׳

וְאִי יִקְשֶׁה בַּר נָשׁ, דְּהָא כְּתִיב (דברים ד׳:ט״ו) כִּי לֹא רְאִיתֶם כָּל תְּמוּנָה. אִיהוּ יְתָרֵץ לֵיהּ, הַאי תְּמוּנָה חָזֵינָא, דְּהָא כְּתִיב (במדבר י״ב:ח׳) וּתְמוּנַת ה' יַבִּיט. וְלא בְכָל תְּמוּנָה אַחֲרָא (ס"א דברא ויצר באתווי), דְבָּר נַשׁ דְיָצַר בְּאַתְווֹי וּבְגִין דָּא אָמַר, (ישעיהו מ׳:י״ח) וְאֶל מִי תְּדַמְּיוּנִי וְאֶשְׁוֶה וְאֶל מִי תְּדַמְּיוּן אֵל וּמַה דְּמוּת תַּעַרְכוּ לוֹ.

Should one ask: “Is it not written, Ye saw no manner of similitude?” the answer would be: “Truly we did behold him under a certain similitude, for is it not written, ‘and the similitude of the Lord should he (Moses) behold, (Num. 12, 8)?,’ But only in the similitude which Moses beheld was the Lord revealed, not in any other similitude of any creature formed by His signs. Hence it is written: “To whom then will ye liken God? Or what likeness will ye compare unto him?” (Isa. 40, 18).

Segment 3ג׳

וַאֲפִילּוּ הַאי תְּמוּנָה, לֵית לֵיהּ בְּאַתְרֵיהּ, אֶלָּא כַּד נָחִית לְאַמְלְכָא עַל בִּרְיָין, וְיִתְפָּשַּׁט עָלַיְיהוּ, יִתְחָזֵי לוֹן לְכָל חַד, כְּפוּם מַרְאֶה וְחֶזְיוֹן וְדִמְיוֹן דִּלְהוֹן, וְהַאי אִיהוּ (הושע י״ב:י״א) וּבְיַד הַנְּבִיאִים אֲדַמֶּה.

Even that “similitude” was a likeness of the Holy One, blessed be He, not in His own place, for that cannot be penetrated, but in the aspect of the King when He shows forth His power to rule over the whole of His creation, appearing, therefore, to each of His creatures according to the capacity of each to comprehend Him, as it is written: “And through the prophets I am represented in similitudes” (Hos. 12, 11).

Segment 4ד׳

וּבְגִין דָּא יֵימָא אִיהוּ, אַף עַל גַּב דַּאֲנָא אֲדַמֶּה לְכוּ בְּדִיּוּקְנַיְיכוּ, אֶל מִי תְּדַמְּיוּנִי וְאֶשְׁוֶה, דְּהָא קֹדֶם דְּבָּרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דִּיּוּקְנָא בְּעָלְמָא, וְצִיֵּיר צוּרָה, הֲוָה הוּא יְחִידָאי בְּלא צוּרָה וְדִמְיוֹן, וּמַאן (נ"א ואית) דְּאִשְׁתְּמוֹדָע לֵיהּ, קֹדֶם בְּרִיאָה, דְּאִיהוּ לְבַר מִדִּיוּקְנָא, אָסוּר לְמֶעְבַּד לֵיהּ צוּרָה וּדְיוּקְנָא בְּעָלְמָא, לא בְּאוֹת ה', וְלֹא בְּאוֹת י' וַאֲפִילּוּ בִּשְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא, וְלא בְּשׁוּם אוֹת וּנְקוּדָה בְּעָלְמָא, וְהַאי אִיהוּ כִּי לֹא רְאִיתֶם כָּל תְּמוּנָה, מִכָּל דָּבָר דְּאִית בֵּיהּ תְּמוּנָה וְדִמְיוֹן לא רְאִיתֶם.

And therefore He says: “Although I represent Myself to you in your own likeness, to whom will ye liken Me that I should be equal to him?” For in the beginning, before shape and form had been created, He was without form and similitude. Therefore it is forbidden to one who apprehends Him as He is before creation to picture Him under any form or shape whatsoever, not even by His letters He and Van, nor by the whole of His Holy Name, nor by any letter or sign soever. The words, “For ye saw no manner of similitude” thus mean, “Ye saw nothing which could be represented by any form or shape, nothing which ye could present or simulate by any finite conception”.

Segment 5ה׳

אֲבָל בָּתַר דְּעָבַד הַאי דִּיּוּקְנָא דְּמֶרְכָּבָה דְּאָדָם עִלָּאָה, נָחִית תַּמָן, וְאִתְקְרֵי בְּהַהוּא דִּיּוּקְנָא יְדוָ"ד, בְּגִין דְּיִשְׁתְּמוּדְעוּן לֵיהּ בְּמִדּוֹת דִּילֵיהּ, בְּכָל מִדָּה וּמִדָּה, וְקָרָא: אֵל, אֱלֹהִים, שַׁדַּי, צְבָאוֹת, אדי"ד. בְּגִין דְּיִשְׁתְּמוּדְעוּן לֵיהּ, בְּכָל מִדָּה וּמִדָּה, אֵיךְ יִתְנַהֵג עָלְמָא, בְּחֶסֶ"ד וּבְדִינָא, כְּפוּם עוֹבָדֵיהוֹן דִּבְנֵי נָשָׁא, דְּאִי לָא יִתְפָּשַּׁט נְהוֹרֵיהּ עַל כָּל בִּרְיָין, אֵיךְ יִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעוּן לֵיהּ, וְאֵיךְ יִתְקָיֵּים, (ישעיהו ו׳:ג׳) מְלֹא כָל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ.

But when He had created the form of supernal Man it was to Him as a chariot, and He descended on it, to be known according to the style “TETRAGRAMMATON”, in order that He might be known by His attributes and perceived in each attribute separately. For this reason He let Himself be called “El, Elohim, Shaddai, Zebaoth, and TETRAGRAMMATON”, each being a symbol to men of His various Divine attributes, that it may be made manifest that the world is sustained by mercy and by justice, according to the works of men. Had the brightness of the glory of the Holy One, blessed be His Name, not been shed over the whole of His creation, how could He have been perceived even by the wise? He would have remained unapprehendable, and the words “The whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa. 6, 3) could never be spoken with truth.

…and 11 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)