זוהר, האדרא רבא ט״זZohar, Idra Rabba 16

Section 16 of 52 in Idra Rabba — 5 segments

Segment 1א׳

תִּקּוּנָא שְׁתִיתָאָה. מִתְתָּקֵן שַׂעֲרָא וְסָלִיק מִלְּרַע לְעֵילָּא, וְחָפֵי תַּקְרוּבְתָּא דְּבוּסְמָא טָבָא עַד רֵישָׁא דְּפוּמָא דִּלְעֵילָּא. וְנָחִית שַׂעֲרָא (דרישא) לְרֵישָׁא דְּפִתְחָא דְּאָרְחָא תַּתָּאָה דְּפוּמָא.

The sixth adornment. The hair is set in order and goes up from below upward, and covers the offering of good spice up to the upper corner of the mouth; and the hair (a variant adds: of the head) descends to the head of the opening of the lower path of the mouth.

Segment 2ב׳

קוּם רִבִּי יֵיסָא וְאַתְקִין תִּקּוּנָא דָּא. קָם רִבִּי יֵיסָא, פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (ישעיהו נ״ד:י׳) וְחַסְדִּי מֵאִתֵּךְ לֹא יָמוּש, וּכְתִיב (ישעיהו נ״ד:ח׳) וּבְחֶסֶד עוֹלָם רִחַמְתִּיךְ, הָנֵי קְרָאֵי קַשְׁיָין אֲהַדְדֵי.

Rise, R. Jesse, and set this adornment in order. R. Jesse rose, opened and said: “But My chesed shall not depart from you” (Isa. 54, 10); and it is written, “but with everlasting chesed will I have compassion on you” (Isa. 54, 8). These verses contradict one another.

Segment 3ג׳

וְלָא אַקְשׁוּ, דְּתָנֵינָן, אִית חֶסֶד וְאִית חֶסֶד. אִית חֶסֶד דִּלְגוֹ, וְאִית חֶסֶד דִּלְבַר. חֶסֶד דִּלְגוֹ, הָא דְּאַמָרָן דְּעַתִּיקָא דְּעַתִּיקִין, וְהוּא סָתִים בְּסִטְרָא דָּא דְּדִיקְנָא, דְּאִקְרֵי פְּאַת הַזָּקָן. וְלָא בָּעֵי בַּר נָשׁ לְחַבְּלָא הַאי סִטְרָא, מִשּׁוּם הַאי חֶסֶד דִּלְגוֹ דְּעַתִּיק יוֹמִין. וּבְגִין כָּךְ, בְּכֹהֵן דִּלְתַּתָּא כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ, (ויקרא כ״א:ה׳) לֹא יִקְרְחֻה קָרְחָה בְּרֹאשָׁם וּפְאַת זְקָנָם לֹא יְגַלֵחוּ. מַאי טַעְמָא. בְּגִין דְּלָא לְחַבְּלָא אוֹרְחוֹי דְּחֶסֶד דְּעַתִּיקָא, דְּכֹהֵן מִסִּטְרָא דָּא קָא אָתֵי.

But they do not contradict, for we have learnt: there is chesed and there is chesed. There is chesed within and there is chesed without. The chesed within is that of which we have spoken, of the Ancient of Ancients, and it is hidden in this side of the beard which is called “the corner of the beard”. And a man must not mar this side, because of this inner chesed of the Ancient of Days. And therefore of the priest below it is written: “They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard” (Lev. 21, 5). What is the reason? So as not to mar the paths of the chesed of the Ancient One, for the priest comes from this side.

Segment 4ד׳

וְתָאנָא בִּצְנִיעוּתָא דְּסִפְרָא, בְּכֹלָּא אִצְטְרִיךְ חֶסֶד לְאִתְרַבְּאָה וּלְמִבְנֵי, וְלָא לְקַטְעָא לֵיהּ, וְלָא אִשְׁתְּצֵי מֵעָלְמָא. וְהַאי דִּכְתִּיב וְחַסְדִּי מֵאִתֵּךְ לֹא יָמוּש, חֶסֶד דְּעַתִּיק יוֹמִין. וּבְחֶסֶד עוֹלָם, חֶסֶד דְּאִקְרֵי חֶסֶד עוֹלָם, וְהַאי הוּא אַחֲרָא דִּזְעֵיר אַנְפִּין, דִּכְתִּיב, (תהילים פ״ט:ג׳) אָמַרְתִּי עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה.

And it has been taught in the Book of the Hidden Mystery: in all things chesed must be increased and built up, and not be cut off, nor be blotted out of the world. And that which is written, “But My chesed shall not depart from you” — this is the chesed of the Ancient of Days. “But with everlasting chesed” — the chesed that is called everlasting (olam) chesed; and this is the other one, of the Small of Countenance, as it is written: “For I have said: For ever (olam) is chesed built” (Ps. 89, 3).

Segment 5ה׳

וְהַאי חֶסֶד דְּעַתִּיק דְּעַתִּיקִין, הוּא חֶסֶד דִּקְשׁוֹט. וְחֶסֶד דִּקְשׁוֹט לָאו בְּחַיֵּי גּוּפָא אִתְּמַר, אֶלָּא בְּחַיֵּי דְּנִשְׁמְתָא. וּבְגִין כָּךְ כְּתִיב, (מיכה ז׳:י״ח) כִּי חָפֵץ חֶסֶד הוּא. דָּא הוּא תִּקּוּנָא שְׁתִיתָאָה דְּדִיקְנָא יַקִּירָא, דְּעַתִּיק דְּעַתִּיקֵי.

And this chesed of the Ancient of Ancients is the chesed of truth. And the chesed of truth is not said of the life of the body, but of the life of the soul. And therefore it is written: “because He delights in chesed” (Micah 7, 18). This is the sixth adornment of the precious beard of the Ancient of Ancients.

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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