זוהר, הקדמה ה׳Zohar, Introduction 5

Section 5 of 34 in Introduction — 6 segments

Segment 1א׳

אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן עַל דָּא שְׁמַיָא וְחֵילֵיהוֹן בְּמָּ"ה אִתְבְּרִיאוּ, דִּכְתִיב (תהלים שם) כִּי אֶרְאֶה שָׁמֶיךָ מַעֲשֵׂה אֶצְבְּעוֹתֶיךָ וְגו' וּכְתִיב, (תהלים שם) מָ"ה אַדִּיר שִׁמְךָ בְּכָל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר תְּנָה" הוֹדְךָ" עַל" הַשָּׁמָיִם", עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם אִיהוּ לְסַלְקָא בִּשְׁמָא. בְּגִין דְּבָרָא נְהוֹרָא לִנְהוֹרֵיהּ וְאִתְלַבַּשׁ דָּא בְדָא וְסָלִיק בִּשְׁמָא עִלָּאָה. וְעַל דָּא בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלהִים, דָּא אֱלֹהִים עִלָּאָה, דְּהָא מָ"ה לָא הֲוֵי הָכִי וְלָא אִתְבְּנֵי.

R. Simeon said further: ‘The heavens and their hosts were created through the medium of Mah (What?), as it is written, “When I behold thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, etc… ‘O Lord our God (Adon), Mah, glorious is thy name in all the earth, whose majesty is rehearsed above the heavens.” (Ps. 8, 4, 2). God is “above the heavens” in respect of His name, for He created a light for His light, and one formed a vestment to the other, and so He ascended into the higher name; hence “In the beginning Elohim (God) created”, that is, the supernal Elohim. Whereas Mah was not so, nor was it built up

Segment 2ב׳

אֶלָּא בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּאִתְמַשְּׁכָן אַתְוָון אִלֵּין (מאילין) אֵלֶּ"ה מִלְּעֵילָא לְתַתָּא. וְאִמָּא אוֹזִיפַת לִבְרָתָא מֵאנַּהָא, וְקַשֵּׁיטָא לָהּ בְּקִישׁוּטְהָא. וְאֵימָתַי קַשֵּׁיטָא לָהּ בְּקִישּׁוּטְהָא כְּדַקָּא חַזֵי. בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּאִתְחֲזוֹן קָמָהּ כָּל דְּכוֹרָא, דִּכְתִיב אֶל פְּנֵי הָאָדוֹן יְיָ, וְדָא אִקְרֵי אָדוֹן כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (יהושע ג׳:י״א) הִנֵּה אֲרוֹן הַבְּרִית אֲדוֹן כָּל הָאָרֶץ. כְּדֵין נַפְקַת ה' וְאָעִילַת י', וְאִתְקַשִּׁיטַת בְּמָאנֵי דְכוּרָא לְקָבְלֵיהוֹן דְּכָל דְּכַר בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל.

until these letters Eleh (from the name Elohim) were drawn from above below, and the Mother lent the Daughter her garments and decked her out gracefully with her own adornments. When did she so adorn her? When all the males (of Israel) appeared before her in accordance with the command “all thy males shall appear before the Lord (Adon) God” (Exod. 34, 23). This term Lord (Adon) is similarly used in the passage “Behold the Ark of the covenant of the Lord (Adon) of all the earth” (Jos. 3, 11). Then the letter He (of Mah) departed and her place was taken by Yod (making Mi), and then she decked herself in male garments, harmonizing with “every male in Israel”.

Segment 3ג׳

וְאַתְוָון אָחֳרָנִין מָשְׁכָן לוֹן יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעֵילָא לְגַבֵּי אֲתַר דָּא (תהילים מ״ב:ה׳) אֵלֶּה אֶזְכְּרָה. אַדְכַּרְנָא בְּפוּמָאי וְשָׁפִיכְנָא דִּמְעָאי (ברעות נפשי בגין לאמשכא אתוון אלין) וּכְדֵין אֱדַדֵּם מֵעֵילָא עַד בֵּית אֱלֹהִים, לְמֶהֱוֵי אֱלהִים כְּגַוְונָא דִילֵיהּ. וּבְמַאי, (תהילים מ״ב:ה׳) בְּקוֹל רִנָּה וְתוֹדָה הָמוֹן חוֹגֵג. אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר שְׁתִיקָא דִילִי בְּנָא מַקְדְּשָׁא לְעֵילָא וּבְנָא מַקְדְּשָׁא לְתַתָּא. וּבְוַדַּאי מִלָּה בְּסֶלַע מִשְׁתּוֹקָא בִּתְרֵין. מִלָּה בְּסֶלַע מַה דְּאָמַרְנָא וְאִתְעַרְנָא בֵּיהּ, מִשְׁתּוֹקָא בִּשְׁתַּיִם מַה דְּשָׁתִיקְנָא דְּאִבְרוּ וְאִיבְנוּ תְּרִין עָלְמִין כְּחֲדָא.

Other letters, too, Israel drew from on high to that place. Thus it says: “These (Eleh) I remember” (Ps. 42, 5), i.e., I make mention with my mouth and I pour out my tears, and thus “I make them (the letters) flit” from on high “unto the house of Elohim” (Ibid.) to be Elohim (God) after his form. And with what? “With the voice of song and praise and amidst a festive throng” (Ibid.).’ Said R. Eleazar, ‘My keeping silence was the means of building the sanctuary above and the sanctuary below. Verily “speech is worth a sela, silence two”. Speech is worth a sela, namely, my exposition and remarks on the subject; but silence is worth two, since through my silence two worlds were built together.’

Segment 4ד׳

אֲמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן מִכָּאן וּלְהָלְאָה שְׁלִימוּ דִקְרָא, דִּכְתִיב, (ישעיהו מ׳:כ״ו) הַמּוֹצִיא בְּמִסְפָּר צְבָאָם, תְּרֵין דַּרְגִּין אִנּוּן דְּאִיצְטְרִיךְ לְמֶהֱוֵי רְשִׁים כָּל חַד מִינַיְיהוּ. חַד דָּא דְּאִתָּמַר מָ"ה. וְחַד מִ"י. דָא עִלָּאָה וְדָא תַתָּאָה. דָּא עִלָּאָה רָשִׁים וְאָמַר (שמות קסח ב', וקלח ב) הַמּוֹצִיא בְּמִסְפַּר צְבָאָם, הַמּוֹצִיא הַהוּא דְּאִשְׁתְּמוֹדַע וְלֵית כַּוָּותֵיהּ. כְּגַוְונָא דָא הַמּוֹצִיא לֶחֶם מִן הָאָרֶץ. הַמּוֹצִיא הַהוּא דְאִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעָא דָּא דַרְגָא תַתָּאָה, וְכֹלָא חַד. בְּמִסְפַּר שִׁתִּין רִבּוֹא אִנּוּן דְּקַיָּימִין כְּחֲדָא, וְאַפִּיקוּ חֵילִין לְזִינַיְיהוּ דְּלֵית לוֹן חֻשְׁבְּנָא.

R. Simeon said: ‘We will go on to expound the conclusion of the verse, viz. He who bringeth forth by number their host (Is. 40, 26). There are two grades which have to be distinguished, one of Mah and one of Mi-one of the higher and the other of the lower sphere. The higher is singled out here in the words, “He who bringeth forth by number their host”. “He who” expresses something definite and absolute, a being universally recognized and without equal. (Corresponding to this is the expression “He who bringeth forth bread from the earth”: here also “He who” implies the universally acknowledged one, though here visualised as the lower grade; the two, however, are one.) “By number”: six hundred thousand are they, and they have in turn produced according to their kinds beyond all number.

Segment 5ה׳

(נ"א כגוונא דא) לְכֻלָּם, בֵּין אִנּוּן שִׁתִּין, בֵּין כָּל חֵילִין דִּילְהוֹן, בְּשֵׁם יִקְרָא. מַאי בְּשֵׁם יִקְרָא. אִי תֵימָא דְּקָרָא לוֹן בִּשְׁמָהַתְהוֹן, לָאו הָכִי הוּא, דְאִם כֵּן בִּשְׁמוֹ מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ. אֶלָּא בְּזִמְנָא דְדַרְגָא דָא לָא סָלִיק בִּשְׁמָא (לעילא) וְאִקְרֵי מִ"י, לָא אוֹלִיד וְלָא אַפִּיק טְמִירִין לְזִינֵיהּ אַף עַל גַּב דְּכֻלְהוּ הֲווּ טְמִירִין בֵּיהּ. כֵּיוָן דְּבָרָא אֵלֶּ"ה וְאִסְתַּלַּק בִּשְׁמֵיהּ וְאִקְרֵי אֱלֹהִים, כְּדֵין בְּחֵילָא דִּשְׁמָא דָא אַפִּיק לוֹן בִּשְׁלִימוּ, וְדָא הוּא בְּשֵׁם יִקְרָא, בְּהַהוּא שֵׁם דִּילֵיהּ קְרָא וְאַפִּיק כָּל זִינָא וְזִינָא לְאִתְקַיְימָא בִּשְׁלִימוּתֵיהּ. כְּגַוְונָא דָא (שמות ל״א:ב׳) רְאֵה קָרָאתִי בְשֵׁם. אַדְכַּרְנָא שְׁמִי לְאִתְקְיָימָא בְּצַלְאֵל עַל קִיּוּם אַשְׁלָמוּתֵיהּ.

“All of them”, whether the six hundred -thousand or the rest of the hosts, “He calls by name”. This cannot mean by their names, for if it were so, it should have been written “by names”. What it means is that as long as this grade did not assume a name, and was still called Mi, it was unproductive, and did not bring into actuality the latent forces within it, each according to its kind. But as soon as it created ELeH (these), and assumed its rightful name and was called ELoHIM (God), then, by force of that name, it produced them in their complete form. This is the meaning of “calls by name”, to wit, He proclaimed His own name so as to bring about the emergence of each sort of being in its full form. (Analogous to this we read, “See, I have called by name” (Exod. 31, 2), to wit, I have bestowed my name on Bezalel (in the shadow of God) so that his work should emerge in perfection.

…and 1 more segment in this section.

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Zohar — Vocalized Zohar, Israel 2013, via Sefaria

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