זוהר, הקדמה ל״גZohar, Introduction 33

Segment 1א׳

פִּקּוּדָא תְּלֵיסַר. לְמֶעְבַּד פּוּרְקָנָא לִבְרֵיהּ לְקַשְׁרָא לֵיהּ בַּחַיִּין. דִּתְרֵין מְמַנָּן נִינְהוּ חַד דְּחַיִּין וְחַד דְּמוֹתָא וְקַיָּימִין עֲלֵיהּ דְּבַּר נָשׁ, וְכַד יִפְרוֹק בַּר נָשׁ לִבְרֵיהּ, מִידָא דְהַהוּא מוֹתָא פָּרִיק לֵיהּ, וְלָא יָכִיל לְשַׁלְטָאָה עֲלֵיהּ. וְרָזָא דָא וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת כָּל אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה בִּכְלַל. וְהִנֵּה טוֹב דָּא מַלְאַךְ חַיִּים. מְאֹד דָּא מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת. וְעַל דָּא בְּהַהוּא פּוּרְקָנָא אִתְקַיֵּים דָּא דְּחַיִּים וְאִתְחַלָּשׁ הַהוּא דְּמָוֶת. בְּפוּרְקָנָא דָא קָנֵי לֵיהּ חַיִּים כְּמָה דְּאִתְמָּר. וְהַהוּא סִטְרָא בִּישָׁא שְׁבַק לֵיהּ וְלָא אָחִיד בֵּיהּ:

The thirteenth precept is to redeem the first-born son so as to attach him firmly to life. For every man is attended by two angels, one of life and one of death, and by redeeming his first-born son the father ransoms him from the angel of death, who therefore has no power over him. This is hinted in the words: And God saw everything that he had made, to wit, creation as a whole, and, behold it was good; this alludes to the angel of death. Through the act of redemption, then, the life-angel is strengthened, whilst the death-angel is weakened. By means of this redemption the child obtains life, as has already been stated; the evil power leaves him and has no more hold on him.