זוהר, חיי שרה י״אZohar, Chayei Sara 11

Section 11 of 27 in Chayei Sara — 9 segments

Segment 1א׳

וַתָּמָת שָׂרָה בְּקִרְיַת אַרְבַּע. רַבִּי אַבָּא אָמַר כְּגַוְונָא דָא לָא הֲווּ בְּכָל נְשֵׁי עַלְמָא דְּהָא אִתְּמָר חוּשְׁבַּן יוֹמָהָא וּשְׁנָהָא וְקִיּוּמָהָא בְּעָלְמָא וְהַהוּא אֲתַר דְּאִתְקַבְרַת בֵּיהּ. אֶלָּא לְאַחֲזָאָה דְּלָא הֲוָה כְּשָׂרָה בְּכָל נְשֵׁי עָלְמָא.

AND SARAH DIED IN KIRYATH-ARBA, ETC. R. Abba said: ‘Of Sarah alone among all women do we find recorded the number of her days and years and the length of her life and the place where she was buried. All this was to show that the like of Sarah was not to be found among all the women of the world.

Segment 2ב׳

וְאִי תֵימָא הָא מִרְיָם דִּכְתִיב (במדבר כ׳:א׳) וַתָּמָת שָׁם מִרְיָם וַתִּקָּבֵר שָׁם. בְּגִין לְאַחֲזָאָה סָרְחָנָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל קָא אֲתָא, דְּהָא מַיָיא לָא אָזְלֵי לְהוּ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל אֶלָּא בִּזְכוּתָא דְמִרְיָם. אֲבָל לָא אִתְּמָר בְּמִיתָתָהּ כְּמָה דְאִתְּמָר בְּשָׂרָה.

You may object that we find a somewhat similar record in connection with Miriam, of whom it is written, “And Miriam died there, and was buried there” (Num. 20, 1). But the object there was to show the unworthiness of Israel, for whom water was made to flow forth only through the virtue of Miriam. Hence Miriam’s death was not recorded with such full details as that of Sarah.’

Segment 3ג׳

רַבִּי יְהוּדָה פָּתַח (קהלת י׳:י״ז) אַשְׁרֵיךְ אֶרֶץ שֶׁמַּלְכֵּךְ בֶּן חוֹרִין וְשָׂרַיִךְ בָּעֵת יאכֵלוּ. הַאי קְרָא (צה ב) אוּקְמוּהָ חַבְרַיָיא, אֲבָל אִית לָן לְאִסְתַּכָּלָא בֵּיהּ, דְּזַכָּאִין אִינוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יָהַב לוֹן אוֹרַיְיתָא לְמִנְדַע כָּל אוֹרְחִין סְתִימִין וּלְאִתְגַּלְּיָיא לוֹן רָזִין עִלָּאִין וְהָא אִתְּמָר.

R. Judah discoursed on the verse: Happy art thou, O land, when thy king is a free man (Eccl. 10, 17). ‘This verse,’ he said, ‘the companions have already explained, but further lessons may be derived from it. Happy are Israel, to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Torah, by the study of which all hidden paths should be made known to them and sublime mysteries should be revealed to them.

Segment 4ד׳

אַשְׁרֵיךָ אֶרֶץ, דָּא אֶרֶץ הַחַיִּים, בְּגִין דְּמַלְכָּא דִילָהּ אַזְמִין לָהּ כָּל בִּרְכָאן דְּאִתְבָּרְכָא מֵאֲבָהָן עִלָּאִין, רָזָא דְוא"ו דְּאִיהוּ קַיְימָא לְאַרְקָא עֲלָהּ בִּרְכָאן תָּדִיר, וְאִיהוּ בֶּן חוֹרִין בֶּן יוֹבֵלָא דְּאַפִּיק עַבְדִּין לְחֵירוּ, בְּרָא דְּעַלְמָא עִלָּאָה דְּאַפִּיק תָּדִיר כָּל חַיִּין וְכָל נְהִירוּ וְכָל מְשַׁח רְבוּת, וְכֹלָּא אָעִיד (נ"א אנגיד) הַאי בְּרָא בּוּכְרָא לְהַאי אֶרֶץ כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (שמות ד) בְּנִי בְּכֹרִי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּבְגִין כָּךְ אַשְׁ"רֵיךְ אֶרֶץ.

The “land” here is “the land of life”, and it is “happy” because its King showers upon it all the blessings pronounced upon it by the patriarchs. This is through the mystic influence of the Vau, who is always in readiness to pour on it blessing, and who is the “son of freedom” and “son of Jubilee”, who obtains for slaves their freedom. He is a scion of the supernal world, and the author of all life, of all illuminations, and all exalted states. All this does the first-born son draw towards that land. Hence, “Happy art thou, O land.”

Segment 5ה׳

וּמַה דְּאִתְּמָר אִי לָךְ אֶרֶץ שֶׁמַּלְכֵּךְ נַעַר כְּמָה דְאוּקְמוּהָ, דְּהַאי אֶרֶץ תַּתָּאָה וְעַלְמָא תַּתָּאָה לָא יָנְקָא אֶלָּא מִגּוֹ שָׁלְטָנוּתָא (דעילא) דְּעָרְלָה. וְכֹלָּא מֵהַהוּא מַלְכָּא דְּאִקְרֵי נַעַר כְּמָה דְאוּקְמוּהָ. וַוי לְאַרְעָא דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ לִינָקָא הָכִי.

On the other hand, the words “Woe to thee, O land, when thy King is a boy” (Ibid.) refer to the nether earth and the nether world which draw their sustenance only from the dominion of the uncircumcised, and from that king called “boy”. Woe to the land that has to draw its sustenance in this manner!

…and 4 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)