זוהר, האדרא רבא ב׳Zohar, Idra Rabba 2

Segment 1א׳

גַּלֵּי בְּרָזָא וּפָתַח וְאָמַר, כְּתִיב (בראשית ל״ו:ל״א) וְאֵלֶּה הַמְּלָכִים אֲשֶׁר מָלְכוּ בְּאֶרֶץ אֱדוֹם לִפְנֵי מְלָךְ מֶלֶךְ וְגוֹ'. זַכָּאִין אַתּוּן צַדִּיקַיָּיא, דְּאִתְגְלֵי לְכוֹן רָזֵי דְּרָזִין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, דְּלָא אִתְגַּלְּיָין לְקַדִּישֵׁי עֶלְיוֹנִין, מַאן יַשְׁגַּח בְּהַאי, וּמַאן יִזְכֶּה בְּהַאי, דְּהוּא סַהֲדוּתָא עַל מְהֵימְנוּתָא (דמהימנותא) דְּכֹלָּא (ק"ל ע"ב, קכ"ט ע"א, קל"ו ע"א). (דנהיר למאתאן ושבעין עלמין ומניה נהיר אורייתא דנהירין ביה צדיקייא לעלמא דאתי. הדא הוא דכתיב (משלי ד׳:י״ח) וארח צדיקים כאור נגה הולך ואור עד נכון היום. מן ההוא ארחא מתפרשן לשית מאה ותליסר אורחיה דפליג בזעיר אנפין דכתיב (תהילים כ״ה:י׳) כל ארחות יי חסד ואמת לנוצרי בריתו וגו') צְלוֹתָא בְּרַעֲוָא יְהֵא, דְּלָא יִתְחֲשָׁב לְחוֹבָא לְגַלָּאָה דָּא. וּמַה יֵימְרוּן חַבְרַיָיא, דְּהַאי קְרָא קַשְׁיָא הוּא, דְּהָא לָא הֲוָה לֵיהּ לְמִכְתַּב הָכִי, דְּהָא חֲזֵינָן כַּמָה מְלָכִים הֲווֹ, עַד דְּלָא יֵיתוּן בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְעַד לָא יְהִי מַלְכָּא לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וּמַה אִתְחֲזֵי הָכָא, וּבְדָא אַתְּעֲרוּ חַבְרַיָיא. אֶלָּא רָזָא דְּרָזִין הוּא, דְּלָא יַכְלִין בְּנֵי נָשָׁא לְמִנְדַּע וּלְאִשְׁתְּמוֹדַע וּלְמִרְחַשׁ בְּדַעֲתַּיְיהוּ בְּהַאי.

He revealed in mystery, and opened and said: It is written, “And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king,” etc. (Gen. 36, 31). Happy are you, righteous ones, to whom the mysteries of mysteries of the Torah are revealed, which are not revealed to the supernal holy ones! Who can look into this, and who can be worthy of this? For it is a testimony to the faith (a variant reads: of the faith) of all (folio 130b, 129a, 136a) (a variant adds: which shines to two hundred and seventy worlds, and from it shines the Torah, by which the righteous shine for the world to come. This is what is written, “But the path of the righteous is as the light of dawn, that shines more and more until the perfect day” (Prov. 4, 18). From that path six hundred and thirteen paths separate, which divide in the Small of Countenance, as it is written, “All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to those who keep His covenant,” etc. (Ps. 25, 10).) May the prayer be acceptable, that it not be reckoned a sin to reveal this. And what will the Companions say? For this verse is difficult: it ought not to have been written so, for we see how many kings there were before the children of Israel came, and before there was a king for the children of Israel. And what is to be seen here? And by this the Companions were roused. But it is a mystery of mysteries, which men cannot know, nor recognise, nor turn over in their minds.

Segment 2ב׳

תָּאנָא, (קל"ד, קמ"ב ע"א) עַתִּיקָא דְּעַתִּיקִין, טְמִירָא דִּטְמִירִין, עַד לָא זַמִּין תִּקּוּנוֹי (דמלכא), וְעִטּוּרֵי עִטּוּרִין, שֵׁירוּתָא וְסִיּוּמָא לָא הֲוָה. וַהֲוָה מַגְלִיף וּמְשַׁעֵר בֵּיהּ. וּפָרִיס קַמֵּיהּ חַד פַּרְסָא, וּבָה גְּלִיף וְשִׁיעֵר מַלְכִּין.

It has been taught: (folio 134, 142a) the Ancient of Ancients, the Hidden of the Hidden, before He prepared His adornments (a variant adds: of the King) and the crowns of crowns, there was no beginning and no end. And He was engraving and measuring within Himself; and He spread before Himself one curtain, and in it He engraved and measured kings.

Segment 3ג׳

וְתִקּוּנוֹי לָא אִתְקְיָימוּ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וְאֵלֶּה הַמְּלָכִים אֲשֶׁר מָלְכוּ בְּאֶרֶץ אֱדוֹם לִפְנֵי מְלָךְ מֶלֶךְ לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. מַלְכָּא קַדְמָאָה, לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל קַדְמָאָה. וְכֻלְּהוּ דִּגְלִיפוּ (ולא אתקיימו) בִּשְׁמָהָן אִתְקְרוּן. וְלָא אִתְקְיָימוּ, עַד דְּאָנַח לְהוּ, וְאַצְנַע לְהוּ, וּלְבָתַר זִמְנָא הוּא אִסְתְּלַּק (נ"א הוה מסתכל) בְּהַהוּא פַּרְסָא, וְאִתְתְּקַּן בְּתִקּוּנוֹי.

And His adornments did not endure. This is what is written, “And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom, before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.” The first King; over the children of Israel, the first. And all those that were engraved (a variant adds: and did not endure) were called by names; and they did not endure, until He set them aside and put them away. And after a time He ascended (a variant reads: He was gazing) in that curtain, and was set in order in His adornments.