זוהר, הקדמה ט״זZohar, Introduction 16

Segment 1א׳

אָמַר לֵיהּ רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, הַאי קְרָא דִּכְתִיב, (ירמיהו י׳:ז׳) מִי (שמות צ"ה ע"ב) לא יִרָאֲךָ מֶלֶךְ הַגּוֹיִם כִּי לְךָ יָאָתָה, מַאי שְׁבָחָא אִיהוּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ אֶלְעָזָר בְּרִי, הַאי קְרָא בְּכַמָּה דוּכְתֵּי אִתְּמָר, אֲבָל וַדַּאי לָאו אִיהוּ (נ"א הכי) דִּכְתִיב, (ירמיהו י׳:ז׳) כִּי בְכָל חַכְמֵי הַגּוֹיִם וּבְכָל מַלְכוּתָם דְּהָא אֲתָא לְמִפְתַּח פּוּמָא דְחַיָּיבִין דְּחָשְׁבִין דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לָא יְדַע הִרְהוּרִין וּמַחְשָׁבִין דִּילְהוֹן. וּבְגִין כָּךְ אִית לְאוֹדָעָא שְׁטוּתָא דִלְהוֹן. דְּזִמְנָא חָדָא אֲתָא פִּילוֹסוֹפָא חָדָא דְּאוּמוֹת הָעוֹלָם לְגַבָּאי, אָמַר לִי אַתּוּן אָמְרִין דֶּאֱלָהֲכוֹן שַׁלִּיט בְּכָל רוּמֵי שְׁמַיָא. כֻּלְהוּן חַיָּילִין וּמַשִּׁרְיָין לָא אִדַּבְּקָן וְלָא יָדְעֵי אֲתַר דִּילֵיהּ. הַאי קְרָא לָא אַסְגֵּי יְקָרֵיהּ כָּל כָּךְ. דִּכְתִיב כִּי בְכָל חַכְמֵי הַגּוֹיִם וּבְכָל מַלְכוּתָם מֵאֵין כָּמוֹךָ. מַאי שִׁיקּוּלָא דָא לִבְנֵי נָשָׁא דִּי לֵית לוֹן קִיּוּמָא.

R. Eleazar said to his father: ‘Regarding what is written in the same passage, Who will not fear thee, O King of the Gentiles? For it befitteth thee (Jer. 10, 7), is this such a high eulogy?’ His father said to him: ‘Eleazar, my son, this passage has been variously explained, but for its full meaning we must go to its continuation, which reads: For among all the wise men of the Gentiles, and in all their royalty, there is none like unto thee. (Ibid.) The purpose of this verse is to express the view of the sinners, who fancy that God does not know their thoughts, and to answer them according to their folly. Once,’ he continued, ‘a Gentile philosopher came to visit me and argued with me thus: You say that your God rules in all the heights of heaven, and that all the heavenly hosts and legions cannot approach Him and do not know His place. If so, then this verse, saying “For among all the wise men of the Gentiles, and in all their royalty there is none like unto thee”, does not extol Him very highly, for what special glory is there for Him not to find among perishable men His like?

Segment 2ב׳

וְתוּ דְּאַתּוּן אָמְרִין (דברים לה) וְלא קָם נָבִיא עוֹד בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּמשֶׁה, בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא קָם אֲבָל בְּאוּמוֹת הָעוֹלָם קָם. אוּף הָכִי אֲנָא אֵימָא בְּכָל חַכְמֵי הַגּוֹיִם אֵין כָּמוֹהוּ, אֲבָל בְּחַכְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אִית. אִי הָכִי אֱלָהָא דְאִית בְּחַכְמֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כְּוָותֵיהּ לָאו אִיהוּ עִלָּאָה שַׁלִּיטָא. אִסְתַּכַּל בַּקְּרָא וְתִשְׁכַּח דְּדַיִּיקְנָא כְּדְקָא יְאוּת.

And further, you infer from the passage which says “And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses” (Deut. 34, 10), that only in Israel hath there not arisen, but among the other nations of the world there did arise one like him; and on this analogy I am justified in inferring that only among the wise of the Gentiles there is none like Him, but among the wise of Israel there is. If that is so, such a God, the like unto whom is to be found among the wise men of Israel, cannot be all-powerful. Look closely into the verse and you will find that it bears out my inference.

Segment 3ג׳

אֲמִינָא לֵיהּ וַדַּאי שַׁפִּיר קָא אֲמַרְתְּ. מָאן מְחַיֶּה מֵתִים אֶלָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בִּלְחוֹדוֹי, אֲתָא אֵלִיָּהוּ וְאֱלִישָׁע וְאַחֲיוּ מֵתַיָיא. מָאן מוֹרִיד גְּשָׁמִים אֶלָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בִּלְחוֹדוֹי אֲתָא אֵלִיָּהוּ וּמְנַע לוֹן וּנְחִית לוֹן בִּצְלוֹתֵיהּ. מָאן עֲבַד שְׁמַיָּא וְאַרְעָא אֶלָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בִּלְחוֹדוֹי, אֲתָא אַבְרָהָם אִתְקַיָימוּ בְּקִיּוּמוֹהִי בְּגִינֵיהּ.

I replied to him: Indeed, what you say is actually true. Who raises the dead to life? Only the Holy One alone, blessed be He; yet Elijah and Elisha came and raised the dead to life. Who causes rain to fall? Only the Holy One alone, blessed be He; yet Elijah came and kept back the rain and then made it descend again, through his prayer. Who made heaven and earth? The Holy One alone, blessed be He; yet Abraham came and they were firmly established for his sake.