זוהר, הקדמה כ״חZohar, Introduction 28

Segment 4ד׳

וְכַמָּה אִדְרִין סְתִימִין אָחֳרָנִין וְהֵיכָלִין אָחֳרָנִין בְּכָל גַּדְפָא וְגַדְפָא. וּמִנַּיְיהוּ נָפְקוּ רוּחִין לְאַפְרָשָׁא (שלח לך קס"ח ע"א) לְכָל אִנּוּן גִּיּוֹרִין דְּמִתְגַּיְּירִין. וְאִקְרוּן נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה, אֲבָל לְמִינָהּ. וְכֻלְּהוּ עָאלִין תְּחוֹת גַּדְפוֹי דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא וְלָא יַתִּיר.

There are besides under each wing other concealed enclosures and divisions from whence there emanate souls which are assigned to all the proselytes who enter the fold-these are indeed termed “living soul”, but “according to its kind”: they all enter under the wings of the Shekinah, and no farther.

Segment 5ה׳

אֲבָל נִשְׁמְתָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל נָפְקָא מִגּוֹ גּוּפָא דְּהַהוּא אִילָנָא, וּמִתַּמָּן פָּרְחִין נִשְׁמְתִין לְגוֹ הַאי אֶרֶץ גּוֹ מְעָהָא לְגוֹ לְגוֹ. וְרָזָא (מלאכי ג׳:י״ב) כִּי תִהְיוּ אַתֶּם אֶרֶץ חֵפֶץ. וְעַל דָּא יִשְׂרָאֵל בֵּן יַקִּיר דְּהָמוּ מְעָהָא עֲלֵיהּ וְאִקְרוּן (ישעיהו מ״ו:ג׳) הָעֲמוּסִים מִנִּי בָּטֶן וְלָא מְגַדְּפִין לְבַר. וְתוּ גִּיּוֹרִין לֵית לוֹן חוּלָקָא בְּאִילָנָא עִלָּאָה כָּל שְׁכֵּן בְּגוּפָא דִּילֵיהּ. אֲבָל חוּלָקָא דִלְהוֹן בְּגַדְפִין אִיהוּ וְלָא יַתִּיר. וְגִיּוֹרָא תְּחוֹת גַּדְפֵי שְׁכִינְתָּא וְלָא יַתִּיר (לך לך צ"ו ע"א) גֵּירֵי הַצֶּדֶק אִנּוּן דְּתַמָּן שָׁרָאן וְאִתְאַחֲדָן וְלָא לְגוֹ כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמָר. וּבְגִין כָּךְ תּוֹצֵא הָאָרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה לְמִינָהּ. וּלְמָאן, בְּהֵמָה וָרֶמֶשׁ וְחַיְתוֹ אֶרֶץ לְמִינָהּ כֻּלְהוּ שָׁאֲבִין נֶפֶשׁ מֵהַהִיא חַיָּה, אֲבָל כָּל חַד לְמִינָהּ כְּדְקָא חָזֵי לָהּ:

The soul of Israel, on the other hand, emanates from the very body of that tree and from thence flies off into the very bowels of that earth. This is hinted in the words: “For ye shall be a delightsome land” (Mal. III 12). It is for that reason that Israel is called a “darling son”, for whom the bowels, as it were, of the Shekinah yearn, and that the children of Israel are called “those who are born from the womb”, and not merely from the outer wings. Furthermore, the proselytes have no portion in the celestial tree, much less in the body of it; their portion is only in the wings and no more. The righteous proselytes, therefore, rest underneath the wings of the Shekinah and are united to it there, but penetrate no further, as has already been explained. Therefore we read: Let the earth bring forth a living soul according to its kind, namely, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind, that is to say, all derive their soul from that source called “living”, but each according to its kind, from the grade appropriate to itself.