זוהר, הקדמה כ״זZohar, Introduction 27

Segment 1א׳

פִּקּוּדָא שְׁבִיעָאָה לְמִגְזַר לִתְמַנְיָא יוֹמִין וּלְאַעֲבָרָא זוּהֲמָא דְּעָרְלְתָא, בְּגִין דְּהַהִיא חַיָּה אִיהִי דַרְגָא תְּמִינָאָה לְכָל דַּרְגִּין, וְהַהִיא נֶפֶשׁ דְּפָרְחָא מִינָהּ אִצְטְרִיכָא לְאִתְחֲזָאָה קַמָּהּ לִתְמַנְיָא יוֹמִין כְּמָה דְאִיהִי (בראשית ל"ג א) דַרְגָּא תְּמִינָאָה.

The seventh precept is to circumcise the male child on the eighth day after birth and thereby to remove the defilement of the foreskin. The “living” (hayah) of which we have spoken forms the eighth grade in the scale, and hence the soul which has flown away from it must appear before it on the eighth day.

Segment 2ב׳

וּכְדֵין אִתְחַזֵּי וַדַּאי דְּאִיהִי נְפֶשׁ חַיָּה. נֶפֶשׁ דְּהַהִיא חַיָּה קַדִּישָׁא וְלָא מִסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא. וְדָא אִיהוּ יִשְׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם. בְּסִפְרָא דַּחֲנוֹךְ יִתְרַשְׁמוּן מַיָא דְזַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא רְשִׁימוּ דְּנֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה. וְדָא רְשִׁימוּ דְּאָת יוּ"ד דְּאִתְרְשִׁים בְּבִשְׂרָא קַדִּישָׁא מִכָּל שְׁאָר רְשׁוּמִין דְּעָלְמָא.

And in this way it is made clear that this is really a “living soul”, emanating from that holy “living” and not from the “unholy region”. And this is alluded to in the words: Let the waters swarm, which in the Book of Enoch are explained thus: Let the water of the holy seed be stamped with the stamp of the “soul of the living”, which is the form of the letter yod impressed on the holy flesh in preference to all other marks.

Segment 3ג׳

וְעוֹף יְעוֹפֵף עַל הָאָרֶץ. דָּא אֵלִיָּהוּ דְּטָאס כָּל עָלְמָא בְּאַרְבַּע טָאסִין לְמֶהֱוֵי תַּמָּן בְּהַהוּא גְזִירוּ דִּקְיָימָא קַדִּישָׁא. וְאִצְטְרִיךְ לְתַקְּנָא לֵיהּ כּוּרְסַיָּיא וּלְאַדְכְּרָא בְּפוּמֵיהּ דָּא (לך לך צ"ג ע"א) כֻּרְסְיָיא דְּאֵלִיָּה"וּ. וְאִי לָאו לָא שָׁארֵי תַּמָּן.

The words, “and let winged beings fly on the earth” are a reference to Elijah, who traverses the universe in four swoops in order to be present at the initiation of the child into the holy covenant. It is proper to prepare for him a seat and to proclaim, “This is the throne of Elijah”; otherwise he will not be present.