זוהר, האדרא רבא י״גZohar, Idra Rabba 13

Segment 4ד׳

וְתָאנָא, תִּקּוּנָא קַדְמָאָה דְּדִיקְנָא, וְתִנְיָינָא לְאָתָבָא (ס"א לאייתאה) (ס"א לאכפא) לִתְלִיתָאָה. דִּכְתִּיב, (איוב ל״ג:כ״ט) הֶן כָּל אֵלֶּה יִפְעַל אֵל פַעֲמַיִם שָׁלֹשׁ עִם גָּבֶר. (תרין נוסחי) וְתָא חֲזֵי דִתְרֵין תִּקּוּנִין קַדְמָאִין לְמֵיתֵי לְתְלִיתָאָה הֲווּ דְהוּא תִּקּוּנָא תְּלִיתָאָה. מֵאֶמְצָעִיתָא דִּתְחוֹת חוֹטָמָא, מִתְּחוֹת תְּרֵין נוּקְבִין. נָפִיק חַד אָרְחָא, וְשַׂעֲרָא אַפְסִיק (ס"א אתפסק) בְּהַהוּא אָרְחָא. אֲמַאי אִתְפְּסָק. מִשּׁוּם (דכתיב ועובר על פשע) דְּהַאי אוֹרְחָא אִתְתָּקַּן לְאַעְבְּרָא בֵּיהּ. וּבְגִין כַּךְ, יְתִיב תְּחוֹת נוּקְבֵי חוֹטָמָא הַאי אוֹרְחָא. וְשַׂעֲרָא לָא אִתְרַבֵּי בְּהַאי אוֹרְחָא, מִשּׁוּם דִּכְתִּיב וְעוֹבֵר עַל פֶּשַׁע, לְמֵיהַב אַעְבְּרָא עַד (על) פּוּמָא קַדִּישָׁא, דְּיֵימָּא סָלַחְתִּי. תָּאנָא, כַּמָה עַרְקִיסָאוֹת מְחַכָּאן לְהַהוּא פּוּמָא, וְלָא אִתְגְּלֵי לְחָד מִנַּיְיהוּ, דְּהָא אִסְתְּלַּק וְאִתְעַטָּר, יְדִיעַ וְלָא יְדִיעַ. תָּאנָא, בִּצְנִיעוּתָא דְּסִפְרָא, מַהוּ דִּכְתִּיב פֶּשַׁע. זָכוּ עוֹבֵר, לֹא זָכוּ פֶּשַׁע. (מאי משמע עובר על פשע, שפע דאקדים ש' לפ', לא זכו עומד ולא עובר) (האי) בִּזְעֵיר אַפִּין.

And it has been taught: the first adornment of the beard, and the second, to return (a variant reads: to bring) (a variant reads: to subdue) to the third, as it is written: “Lo, all these things does God work, twice, three times, with a man” (Job 33, 29). (Two versions.) And observe that the first two adornments were to come to the third, which is the third adornment. From the middle beneath the nose, from beneath the two nostrils, one path goes forth, and the hair is interrupted (a variant reads: is broken off) in that path. Why is it interrupted? Because (a variant adds: it is written, “and passes by the transgression”) this path is set in order for passage through it. And therefore this path sits beneath the nostrils of the nose; and hair does not grow on this path, because it is written, “and passes by the transgression” — to give passage as far as (a variant reads: upon) the holy mouth, that it may say, “I have pardoned.” It has been taught: how many hosts wait for that mouth, and it is not revealed to any one of them, for it is lifted up and crowned, known and not known. It has been taught in the Book of the Hidden Mystery: What is that which is written, pesha (transgression)? If they are worthy, “passes by”; if they are not worthy, pesha. (a variant adds: What is signified by “passes by pesha”? Shefa (abundance), which sets Shin before Pe; if they are not worthy, it stands and does not pass.) (a variant adds: This) in the Small of Countenance.

Segment 5ה׳

מַאי בֵּין הַאי לְהַאי. בִּזְעֵיר אַפִּין, כַּד נָחִית הַהוּא אוֹרְחָא מִתְּחוֹת נוּקְבֵי חוֹטָמוֹי, כְּתִיב, (במדבר י״ב:ט׳) וַיִּחַר אַף יְיָ בָּם וַיֵּלַךְ. מַאי וַיֵּלַךְ. דְּנָפִיק רוּחָא דְּרוּגְזָא מֵאִינּוּן נוּקְבֵי, וּמַאן דְּאַשְׁכַּח קַמֵּיהּ, אָזִיל וְלָא אִשְׁתְּכַח. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (ישעיהו מ׳:ז׳) כִּי רוּחַ יְיָ נָשְׁבָה בּוֹ וְאֵינֶנּוּ (ס"א כי רוח עברה בו ואיננו). בְּאֲרִיךְ אַפִּין כְּתִיב, (מיכה ז׳:י״ח) וְעוֹבֵר עַל פֶּשַׁע. וּכְתִיב, (איוב ל״ז:כ״א) וְרוּחַ עָבְרָה וַתְּטַהֲרֵם. וְתָאנָא, הָכָא כְּתִיב, עוֹבֵר עַל פֶּשַׁע בְּהַהוּא אָרְחָא. הָתָם, (שמות י״ב:כ״ג) וְעָבַר יְיָ לִנְגּוֹף אֶת מִצְרַיִם.

What is the difference between this and that? In the Small of Countenance, when that path descends from beneath the nostrils of His nose, it is written: “And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and He departed” (Num. 12, 9). What is “and He departed”? That a wind of wrath goes forth from those nostrils, and whoever it finds before it departs and is found no more. This is what is written: “for the breath of the Lord blows upon it, and it is gone” (Isa. 40, 7) (a variant reads: “for the wind passes over it, and it is gone”). Of the Long of Countenance it is written: “and passes by the transgression” (Micah 7, 18); and it is written: “but the wind passes, and cleanses them” (Job 37, 21). And it has been taught: here it is written, “passes by the transgression” — by that path; there, “For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians” (Ex. 12, 23).