זוהר, הקדמה ל״דZohar, Introduction 34

Section 34 of 34 in Introduction — 14 segments

Segment 1א׳

פִּקּוּדָא אַרְבֵּיסַר לְנַטְרָא יוֹמָא דְשַׁבַּתָּא, דְּאִיהוּ יוֹמָא דְנַיְיחָא מִכָּל עוֹבָדֵי בְּרֵאשִׁית. הָכָא כְּלִילָן תְּרֵין פִּקּוּדִין. חַד נְטִירָא דְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת. וְחַד לְקַדְשָׁא הַהוּא יוֹמָא בְּקִדּוּשֵׁיהּ. לְנַטְרָא יוֹמָא דְּשַׁבַּתָּא כְּמָא דְּאַדְכַּרְנָא וְאַתְעַרְנָא עֲלַיְיהּוּ דְּאִיהוּ יוֹמָא דְנַיְיחָא לְעָלְמִין. וְכָל עֲבִידָן בֵּיהּ אִשְׁתַּכְלְלוּ וְאִתְעֲבִידוּ עַד דְּאִתְקַדַּשׁ יוֹמָא.

The fourteenth precept is to observe the Sabbath day, which was the day of rest from all the works of Creation. This precept comprises two parts, one to rest on the Sabbath, and one to invest it with holiness. We have to observe that day as a day of rest, as has already been said, for the reason that it was a day of rest from the beginning, the whole work of Creation having been completed before this day was sanctified.

Segment 2ב׳

כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְקַדַּשׁ יוֹמָא אִשְׁתָּאַר בְּרִיאָה דְרוּחִין דְּלָא אִתְבְּרֵי לוֹן גּוּפָא. וְכִי לָא הֲוָה יָדַע קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְאַעְכָּבָא לְקַדְּשָׁא יוֹמָא עַד דְּיִתְבְּרוּן גּוּפִין לְהָנִי רוּחִין. אֶלָא אִילָנָא דְדַעַת טוֹב וְרָע אַתְעַר הַהוּא סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא דְרַע וּבָעָא לְאִתְתַּקְּפָא בְּעָלְמָא וְאִתְפָּרְשׁוּ כַּמָּה רוּחִין בְּכַמָּה זַיְינִין לְאִתְתַּקְּפָא בְּעָלְמָא בְּגוּפִין.

After the day was sanctified there was left a residue of spirits for which no bodies had been created. Why, it may be asked, could not God have waited to sanctify the day until He had created bodies for those spirits? The reason is that from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil there went forth the “evil power” to seize control of the world, and so a number of diverse spirits set out to acquire for themselves bodies by force.

Segment 3ג׳

כֵּיוָן דְּחֲמָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כָּךְ, אַתְעַר מִגּוֹ אִילָנָא דְחַיֵּי נְשִׁיבָא דְרוּחָא וּבָטַשׁ בְּאִילָנָא אָחֳרָא וְאַתְעַר סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא דְטוֹב וְאִתְקַדַּשׁ יוֹמָא. דְּהָא בְּרִיאוּ דְּגוּפִין וְאִתְעָרוּ דְרוּחִין בְּסִטְרָא דְטוֹב אִיהוּ בְּהַאי לֵילְיָא, וְלָא בְּסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא.

As soon as the Holy One, blessed be He, saw this, He raised out of the tree of life a wind that blew and lashed against the other tree so that the “beneficent power” arose and the day was sanctified. For the creation of bodies and the stirring of spirits on that night comes about under the influence of the “beneficent power” and not of the “evil power”.

Segment 4ד׳

וְאִלְמָלֵא אַקְדִּים סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא בְּהַאי לֵילְיָא עַד דְּלָא יַקְדִּים סִטְרָא דְטוֹב, לָא יָכִיל עָלְמָא לְמֵיקַם קַמַּיְיהוּ אֲפִילּוּ רִגְעָא חָדָא. אֲבָל אַסְוָותָא אַקְדִּים קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּדָלִיג קַמֵּיהּ קִדּוּשָׁא דְיוֹמָא וְאַקְדִּים קַמֵּי סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא וְאִתְקְיַּים עָלְמָא. וּמַה דְּחֲשִׁיב סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא לְאִתְבְּנֵי בְּעָלְמָא לְאִתְתַּקְּפָא, אִתְבְּנֵי בְּהַאי לֵילְיָא סִטְרָא דְטוֹב וְאִתְתַּקַּף וְאִתְבְּנוּן גּוּפִין וְרוּחִין קַדִּישִׁין בְּהַאי לֵילְיָא מִסִּטְרָא דְטוֹב. וּבְגִין כָּךְ עוֹנָתָן דְּחַכִּימִין דְּיָדְעֵי דָא מִשַּׁבָּת לְשַׁבָּת.

Had the “evil power” forestalled on that night the “beneficent power”, the world could not exist, on account of the evil spirits, for an instant. But the Holy One, blessed be He, provided the cure in advance; He hastened the sanctification of the day before the evil power prevailed, and so the world was established, and instead of the evil power becoming master of the world as it thought to be, on that night it was the “beneficent power” which obtained the victory, and therefore sacred bodies and spirits are being built up on that night under the influence of the “beneficent power”. It is for that reason that the marital intercourse of the wise and learned men who know this is weekly, from Sabbath to Sabbath.

Segment 5ה׳

דְּהָא כְּדֵין חָמַאת דָּא סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא דְּכַמָּה דְאִיהִי חֲשִׁיבַת לְמֶעְבַּד, עֲבִידֵי (עביד) סִטְרָא דִקְדוּשָׁה. אָזְלָא וּמְשַׁטְּטָא בְּכַמָּה חַיָּילִין וְסִטְרִין דִּילָהּ וְחָמַאת כָּל אִנּוּן דְּקָא מְשַׁמְשֵׁי עַרְסַיְיהוּ בְּגִלּוּיָא דְגוּפֵיהוֹן לִנְהוֹרָא דְּבוּצִינָא, וְכָל אִנּוּן בְּנִין דְּנָפְקִין מִתַּמָּן הֲווּ נִכְפִין דְּשָׁרוּ עֲלַיְיהוּ רוּחִין מֵהַהוּא סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא. וְאִנּוּן רוּחִין עַרְטִילָאִין דְּחַיָּיבַיָא דְּאִקְרוּן מַזִּיקִין וְשָׁרִיאַת בְּהוּ לִילִי"ת וּקְטִילַת לוֹן.

It is, moreover, the night on which the “evil power”, being supplanted by the “beneficent power”, roams about the world, accompanied by his many hosts and legions, and pries into all places where people perform their conjugal intercourse immodestly and by the light of a candle, with the result that the children born of such intercourse are epileptics, being possessed by spirits of that “evil power,” which are the nude spirits of the wicked, called demons (shedim); these are pursued and killed by the demon Lilith.

…and 9 more segments in this section.

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Zohar — Vocalized Zohar, Israel 2013, via Sefaria

English: The Zohar — Soncino Press, London 1933 (public domain)