זוהר, חיי שרה ח׳Zohar, Chayei Sara 8

Section 8 of 27 in Chayei Sara — 11 segments

Segment 1א׳

מִדְרָשׁ הַנֶּעֱלָם וַיִּהְיוּ. רַבָּנָן פָּתְחֵי בְּהַאי קְרָא, (שיר השירים ז׳:י״ב) לְכָה דוֹדִי נֵצֵּא הַשָּׂדֶה נָלִינָה בַּכְּפָרִים. תָּנוּ רַבָּנָן הַיּוֹצֵּא לַדֶּרֶךְ יִתְפַּלֵּל שָׁלשׁ תְּפִלּוֹת, תְּפִלָּה שֶׁהִיא חוֹבָה שֶׁל יוֹם. וּתְפִלַּת הַדֶּרֶךְ עַל הַדֶּרֶךְ שֶׁהוּא עוֹשֶׂה. וּתְפִלָּה שֶׁיַּחְזוֹר לְבֵיתוֹ לְשָׁלוֹם. וְלֵימָא לְהוּ לְהַנֵּי שְׁלשָׁה, אֲפִילּוּ בְּאֶחָד יָכִיל לְמֶעְבְּדֵיהּ, דְּתָנִינָן כָּל שְׁאֵלוֹתָיו שֶׁל אָדָם יָכִיל לְמִכְלְלִינְהוּ בְּשׁוֹמֵעַ תְּפִלָּה.

Midrash ha-Ne'elam (the concealed Midrash). AND THEY WERE. The Rabbis opened their discourse on this verse: “Come, my beloved, let us go out into the field, let us lodge in the villages” (S. S. 7, 12). The Rabbis have taught: one who sets out on a journey should pray three prayers — the prayer that is the day’s obligation, the prayer of the way for the journey he is making, and a prayer that he may return home in peace. And let him say these three; even in one he can do it, for we have learnt that all of a person’s petitions he may include in “Who hears prayer.”

Segment 2ב׳

אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה כָּל עוֹבָדוֹי דְּבַר נָשׁ כְּתִיבִין בְּסִפְרָא, הֵן טַב הֵן בִּישׁ, וְעַל כֻּלְּהוֹן עָתִיד לְמִיתַּן דִּינָא, דְּתָנִינָן אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה אָמַר רַב, מַאי דִכְתִיב, (תהילים קל״ט:ט״ז) גָּלְמִי רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ, אוֹתָם הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁעָשָׂה הַגּוֹלֶם שֶׁאֵינוֹ מַשְׁגִּיחַ בָּעוֹלָם הַבָּא, כּוּלָּם רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ שֶׁעִיַּינְתָּ בָּהֶם. וְעַל סִפְרְךָ כּוּלָּם יִכָּתֵבוּ, לִיתֵּן עֲלֵיהֶם דִּין וחֶשְׁבּוֹן לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, הִלְכָּךְ יַקְדִּים אָדָם תְּפִלָּתוֹ תָּמִיד וְיוֹעִיל לֵיהּ.

R. Judah said: All a man’s deeds are written in a book, whether good or bad, and for all of them he is destined to give account. For we have learnt: Rab Judah said in the name of Rab, What is the meaning of the verse, “Your eyes saw my unformed body” (Ps. 139, 16)? Those deeds that the unformed body did — he who takes no heed of the world to come — all of them “Your eyes saw,” for You examined them. “And in Your book they were all written” — to give account and reckoning for them in the world to come. Therefore let a man always put his prayer first, and it will profit him.

Segment 3ג׳

אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְּחָק אֵין אָדָם עוֹשֶׂה עֲבֵירוֹת אֶלָּא מִי שֶׁהוּא גּוֹלֶם ולֹא אָדָם, וְהַיְינוּ הַהוּא דְּלָא מִסְתַּכַּל בְּנִשְׁמָתָא קַדִּישָׁא, אֶלָּא כָּל עוֹבָדוֹי כְּהַאי בְּעִירָא דְּלָא מַשְׁגַּחַת וְלָא יָדְעַת. אָמַר רַבִּי בּוֹ, וְכִי גוֹלֶם מִתְקְרֵי דָוד דְּאָמַר הַאי פְּסוּקָא. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי יִצְּחָק אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן אֲמָרוֹ, גָּלְמִי רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ, קוֹדֶם שֶׁזָּרַקְתָּ בִּי נְשָׁמָה, רָאוּ עֵינֶיךָ לְמֶעְבַּד בִּדְיוֹקְנִי בְּנֵי נָשָׁא דְדָמוּ לִי. וְעַל סִפְרְךָ כֻּלָּם יִכָּתֵבוּ, מַאן אִינוּן. יָמִים יוּצָּרוּ, כְּהַאי צּוּרָה דִידִי. וְלֹא אֶחָד בָּהֶם דְּלָא אִשְׁתָּאַר חַד מִנְּהוֹן.

R. Isaac said: No one commits transgressions except one who is an unformed body and not a man — that is, one who does not look to the holy soul, but all of whose deeds are like those of a beast that neither heeds nor knows. R. Bo said: And is David, who said this verse, called an unformed body? R. Isaac said to him: Adam said it. “Your eyes saw my unformed body” — before You cast a soul into me, “Your eyes saw” what to make in my likeness: men who resemble me. “And in Your book they were all written” — who are they? “Days were fashioned,” in this form of mine; “and not one among them,” for not one of them remained.

Segment 4ד׳

אָמַר רַבִּי בּוֹ, לָמָּה. אָמַר לֵיהּ תָּא חֲזֵי, כֻּלְּהוּ דְדָמוּ לֵיהּ אוֹ בִּרְמִיזָא דִילֵיהּ, לָא מֵתוּ בְּמִיתַת נַפְשְׁהוֹן, וְכֻלְּהוּ לָקוּ בְּהַהוּא עִנְיָינָא מַמָּשׁ. תָּא חֲזֵי, אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה דִּיוּקְנֵיהּ דְּאָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן וְשַׁפִּירוּתֵיהּ הֲוָה כְּזָהֲרָא דִּרְקִיעָא עִלָּאָה דְּעַל גַּבֵּי שְׁאָר רְקִיעֵי, וּכְהַהוּא נְהוֹרָא דְּגָנִיז קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְצַּדִּיקַיָּיא לְעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי, וְכָל אִינוּן דְּהֲווּ רְמִיזָא בֵּיהּ מִדִיוּקְנֵיהּ דְּאָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן בֵּיהּ לָקוּ וּמִיתוּ.

R. Bo said: Why? He said to him: Observe, all those who resembled him, or in whom there was a hint of him, did not die their own death, but all of them were stricken through that very matter. Observe: R. Judah said, the form of Adam and his beauty were like the radiance of the supernal firmament which is above the other firmaments, and like that light which the Holy One, blessed be He, stored away for the righteous for the world to come; and all those in whom there was a hint of the form of Adam were stricken through it and died.

Segment 5ה׳

דְּכָךְ אוֹרְחוֹי דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, יָהִיב עוּתְרָא לְבַר אִינִישׁ, לָמָּה, לְמֵיזַן עֲנָיִין וּלְמֶעְבַּד פִּקּוּדוֹי. לָא עָבִיד הַאי ואִתְגָאֵי (ואי אתגליא ביה) בְּהַהוּא עוּתְרָא, בֵּיהּ יִלְקֵי דִּכְתִיב, (קהלת ה׳:י״ב) עשֶׁר שָׁמוּר לִבְעָלָיו לְרָעָתוֹ. יָהִיב לֵיהּ בְּנִין, לָמָּה, לְמֵילַף לְהוּ אוֹרְחוֹי דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וּלְמִיטַר פִּקּוּדוֹי כִּדְאָמוּר בְּאַבְרָהָם (בראשית י״ח:י״ט) כִּי יְדַעְתִּיו לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר יְצַּוְּה אֶת בָּנָיו וְאֶת בֵּיתוֹ אַחֲרָיו וְשָׁמְרוּ דֶרֶךְ יְיָ לַעֲשׂוֹת צְּדָקָה וְגו'. לָא עָבִיד הַאי וּמִתְגָּאֶה בְּהוּ, בְּהוּ לָקֵי דִּכְתִיב, (איוב י״ח:י״ט) לֹא נִין לוֹ וְלֹא נֶכֶד בְּעַמּוֹ וְגו'. וְכֵן כְּהַאי גַוונָא כַּד יָהִיב קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מִשַׁפִּירוּתָא טָבָא עִלָּאָה דְאָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן לְהוּ, לָמָּה, בְּגִין לְמִיטַר פִּקּוּדוֹי וּלְמֶעְבַּד רְעוּתֵיהּ, לָא עָבְדוּ כְּדֵין אֶלָּא אִתְגָּאוּ בֵּיהּ. בֵּיהּ לָקוּ בְּהַאי שַׁפִּירוּתָא.

For such are the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He. He gives a man wealth — for what? To feed the poor and to perform His commandments. If he does not do this but exalts himself in that wealth, he is stricken through it, as it is written, “riches kept by their owner to his hurt” (Eccl. 5, 12). He gives him children — for what? To teach them the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, and to keep His commandments, as was said of Abraham, “For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness,” etc. (Gen. 18, 19). If he does not do this but exalts himself in them, he is stricken through them, as it is written, “He shall have neither son nor son’s son among his people,” etc. (Job 18, 19). And so likewise, when the Holy One, blessed be He, gave them of the good supernal beauty of Adam — for what? So that they should keep His commandments and do His will. They did not do so, but exalted themselves in it; through it they were stricken, through that very beauty.

…and 6 more segments in this section.

Become a premium member

Or start free — a free account opens your first 5 gematria searches in full. Create free account

The daily learning is free on your account, every day.

Zohar — Vocalized Zohar, Israel 2013, via Sefaria

English: rendered from the Aramaic for this app — The Gematria's own rendering program. A rendering of the words, not a commentary; the Zohar is learned with a teacher