זוהר, עקב ג׳Zohar, Eikev 3

Segment 1א׳

אַדְּהָכִי, הָא בּוּצִינָא קַדִּישָׁא אָתָא לְגַבֵּיהּ. וְאָמַר, רַעְיָא מְהֵימָנָא, יוֹמָא חַד אֲזִילְנָא אֲנָא וְחַבְרַיָּיא לְאַכְסַנְיָא חֲדָא, וַהֲוָה תַּמָּן יַנוּקָא חֲדָא. קָם וְתָקִין לָן מְנַרְתָּא וּפָתוֹרָא אִיהוּ מִגַּרְמֵיהּ, כְּאִלּוּ הֲוָה מֵעֶשְׂרִין שְׁנִין, וְלָא הֲוָה אֶלָּא מִבֶּן חָמֵשׁ שְׁנִין. וְתָקִין פָּתוֹרָא מִכָּל מִינֵי מַאֲכָל וּמִשְׁתֶּה. אָמַר, הָא אוֹקְמוּהָ רַבָּנָן דְּבַעַל הַבַּיִת בּוֹצֵעַ וְאוֹרֵחַ מְבָרֵךְ, אֲבָל (איוב ל״ב:ו׳) צָעִיר אֲנִי לְיָמִים וְאַתֶּם יְשִׁישִׁים עַל כֵּן זָּחַלְתִּי וָאִירָא מֵחַוּוֹת דֵּעִי אֶתְכֶם. עַד דְּאֶטּוֹל רְשׁוּת מִכֶּם. אָמַר לֵיהּ, אֵימָא בְּרִי מַלְאָכָא דַּיְיָ'.

Meanwhile, here the Holy Lamp came to him and said: Faithful Shepherd, one day I and the Companions went to a certain lodging, and there was there a certain boy. He rose and set out for us a lampstand and a table by himself, as though he were twenty years old, and he was only five years old. And he set out the table with every kind of food and drink. He said: the sages have already explained that the master of the house breaks the bread and the guest blesses; but, “I am young in days, and you are very old; therefore I was afraid, and dared not declare my opinion to you” (Job 32, 6) — until I take permission from you. He said to him: speak, my son, angel of the Lord.

Segment 2ב׳

אָמַר לָן, אַתּוּן בָּעִיתוּן לֶחֶם תַּפְנוּקֵי בְּלָא קְרָבָא, אוֹ לֶחֶם בִּקְרָבָא. דְּהָכִי אוֹקְמוּהָ רַבָּנָן דְּמַתְנִיתִין, שְׁעַת אֲכִילָה שְׁעַת מִלְחָמָה. וְאִי בָּעִיתוּ לְמֶהֱוֵי קְרָבָא עָלֵיהּ, לֵית חַד אָכִיל, אֶלָּא מַאן דְּנָצַח קְרָבָא, אִיהוּ אָכִיל וּבוֹצֵעַ לְכֻלְּהוּ. אָמְרוּ לֵיהּ חַבְרַיָּיא, בְּרִי אַנְתְּ זְעֵיר, וַעֲדַיִין לָא יַדְעַת אֵיךְ מְגִיחֵי גַּבְרִין רַבְרְבִין בְּחַרְבָּא, בְּנִעְנוּעָ דְּחַרְבָּא. בְּרוֹמְחָא, בְּקַשְׁתָּא, בְּגִירִין דְּקַשְׁתָּא, בְּקִירְטָא, בְּאַבְנִין דְּקִירְטָא.

He said to us: do you want the bread of delights without battle, or bread with battle? For so the sages of the Mishnah have explained: the time of eating is the time of war. And if you wish there to be battle over it, not one of you eats, but whoever wins the battle, he eats and breaks bread for them all. The Companions said to him: my son, you are small, and you do not yet know how great men wage war with the sword, with the brandishing of the sword, with the spear, with the bow, with the arrows of the bow, with the sling, with the stones of the sling.

Segment 3ג׳

אָמַר לְהוּ, (מלכים א כ׳:י״א) אַל יִתְהַלֵּל חוֹגֵר כִּמְפַתֵּחַ. דְּהָא וַדַּאי בְּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע אוֹקְמוּהָ, כָּל הַקּוֹרֵא קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע עַל מִטָּתוֹ, כְּאִילּוּ אוֹחֵז חֶרֶב פִּיפִיּוֹת, דִּכְתִּיב, (תהילים קמ״ט:ו׳) רוֹמְמוֹת אֵל בִּגְרוֹנָם וְחֶרֶב פִּיפִיּוֹת בְּיָדָם. וְנִעְנוּעָא דְּחַרְבָּא, צָרִיךְ לְנַעְנְעָא לֵיהּ לְשִׁית סִטְרִין, כְּמָה דְּאוּקְמוּהָ, כְּדֵי שֶׁתַּמְלִיכוּהוּ עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם וְעַל הָאָרֶץ, וְעַל ד' רוּחוֹת הָעוֹלָם. וְדָא ו', גּוּף הַחֶרֶב. י', רֹאשׁ הַחֶרֶב. ה"ה, תְּרֵי פִּיּוֹת. נַרְתְּקָא דְּחַרְבָּא, אֲדֹנָי.

He said to them: “Let not him that girds on his armour boast like him that puts it off” (I Kings 20, 11). For assuredly, concerning the recitation of the Shema they have explained: whoever recites the Shema upon his bed is as though he held a two-edged sword, as it is written, “Let the high praises of God be in their throat, and a two-edged sword in their hand” (Ps. 149, 6). And the brandishing of the sword: one must brandish it to six sides, as they have explained, so that you may make Him King over the heavens and over the earth, and over the four winds of the world. And this is the Vau, the body of the sword. Yod is the head of the sword. He-He are the two edges. The sheath of the sword is Adonai.