זוהר, כי תצא א׳Zohar, Ki Teitzei 1

Section 1 of 30 in Ki Teitzei — 24 segments

Segment 1א׳

רעיא מהימנא (דברים כ״ב:י״ט) וְעָנְשׁוּ אוֹתוֹ מֵאָה כֶסֶף וְגוֹ'. פִּקּוּדָא דָּא, לָדוּן בְּדִין מוֹצִיא שֵׁם רָע. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, וְעָנְשׁוּ אוֹתוֹ מֵאָה כֶסֶף וְנָתְנוּ לַאֲבִי הַנַּעֲרָה כִּי הוֹצִיא שֵׁם רָע עַל בְּתוּלַת יִשְׂרָאֵל. רַבָּנָן, וְהַאי אִיהוּ בָּתַר נִשּׂוּאִין, דְּאָמַר לָא מָצָאתִי לְבִתְּךָ בְּתוּלִים, וְלָאו כָּל שֵׁם רָע שָׁקוּל, דִּמְרַגְלִים דְּאַפִּיקוּ שׁוּם בִּישׁ עַל אַרְעָא, אִתְעֲנָשׁוּ בְּגִינָהּ, וּמִיתוּ וְלָא זָכוּ לָהּ. וְאִתְּתָא קַרְקַע אִיהִי בְּאַרְעָא, כְּמָה דְּאוּקְמוּהָ, אֶסְתֵּר קַרְקַע עוֹלָם הָיְתָה.

Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd)... "and they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver" (Deuteronomy 22:19). We are commanded to punish whoever defames someone's character. This is the meaning of, "and they shall fine him a hundred shekels of silver, and give them to the father of the girl, because he has brought out an evil name upon a virgin of Yisrael." Sages, this applies to after the wedding, since he says, "I found not your daughter a virgin" (Ibid. 17). Not all evil names are alike, since the spies who spread an evil name on the land were punished for it by dying and not meriting it. A woman is like ground, it is like the explanation that Esther was the ground.

Segment 2ב׳

וְאִי תֵּימְרוּן שׁוּם בִּישׁ עָלָהּ, דְּאִסְתְּאָבַת בַּאֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ, וְזָכְתָה לְאִתְלַבְּשָׁא בָּהּ רוּחָא דְּקֻדְשָׁא. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (אסתר ה׳:א׳) וַתִּלְבַּשׁ אֶסְתֵּר מַלְכוּת. הָא אָמַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, (ישעיהו מ״ב:ח׳) אֲנִי יְיָ' הוּא שְׁמִי וּכְבוֹדִי לְאַחֵר לֹא אֶתֵּן וּתְהִלָּתִי לַפְּסִילִים. וְרוּחָא דְּקֻדְשָׁא שְׁכִינְתָּא הֲוַת, דְּאִיהִי שֵׁם דְּאִתְלַבְּשַׁת בְּאֶסְתֵּר.

You may say that Esther has a bad reputation (by saying) that she was defiled with Ahasuerus, yet she was worthy that the Holy Spirit, (Malchut), would be clothed in her as written, "Esther put on her royal apparel, מַלְכוּת" (Esther 5:1). Yet the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "I am Hashem, that is My name, and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to carved idols" (Isaiah 42:8). The Holy Spirit is the Shechinah and is a name that was clothed with Esther.

Segment 3ג׳

אֲבָל רַבָּנָן, וַוי לְאִינּוּן דְּאַכְלִין תֶּבֶן תְּבֵל דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא (חמור דאורייתא דאתחשיב ח'כם מ'ופלא ו'רב ר'בנן) וְלָא יָדַע בְּסִתְרֵי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, אֶלָּא קַלִין וַחֲמוּרִין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, קָלִין תֶּבֶן דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, חוּמְרָא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, חִטָּה, חֵט ה', אִילָנָא דְּטוֹב וְרָע.

Yet sages, woe to those who eat the chaff and ears of corn of the Torah, [whose Torah is a mixture of good and bad, like wheat and chaff] Such a man knows nothing of the mysteries of the Torah, but only light/leniencies and weighty precepts/stringinces; the light is the chaff of the Torah, and the weighty precepts of the Torah are wheat, [ This is the secret of] the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. [ The Sages said that this tree was wheat]

Segment 4ד׳

לֵית דַּרְכָּא דְּמַלְכָּא וּמַטְרוֹנִיתָא, לְמִרְכַּב עַל חֲמָרָא, אֶלָּא עַל סוּסְוָון. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (חבקוק ג׳:ח׳) כִּי תִרְכַּב עַל סוּסֶיךָ מַרְכְּבוֹתֶיךָ יְשׁוּעָה. דְּאֵין מְזַלְזְלִין בְּמַלְכוּתָא, לְמִרְכַּב מַטְרוֹנִיתָא עַל חֲמָרָא. כָּל שֶׁכֵּן מַלְכָּא, לֵית דֵּין אֲתָר הֶדְיוֹט עֶבֶד, דְּאָרְחֵיהּ לְמִרְכַּב עַל חֲמָרָא. וּבְגִין דָּא כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ בְּמָשִׁיחַ, (זכריה ט׳:ט׳) עָנִי וְרוֹכֵב עַל חֲמוֹר. עָנִי אִיהוּ תַּמָּן בְּסִימָן, עֵרוּבִין נִדָּה יְבָמוֹת, וּשְׁאַר מַתְנִיתִין בִּכְלָל. וְלָא אִתְקְרֵי תַּמָּן מֶלֶךְ, עַד דְּרָכִיב בְּסוּסְיָא דִּילֵיהּ כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל.

It is not the custom of the King and the Matron to ride a donkey (Heb. chamor), [Meaning, the literal understanding of the Torah is referred to as Chomer, which is similar to Chamor, and is comprised of wheat and the tree of knowledge of good and evil]. Instead they ride on horses. ['Horses' here corresponds to the secrets and mysteries of the Torah]. This is the meaning of, "you ride upon your horses, your chariots of salvation" (Habakuk 3:8). For Malchut is not treated lightly so as to have the Matron ride on a donkey, and even more so the King, for it is no place for commoners and servants, [The angel Metatron is called a commoner and servant] whose way is to ride a donkey. This is why it says of Messiah, "humble (Heb. ani), and riding upon an donkey" (Zechariah 9:9). Ani stands for the Mishnah orders of Eruvin, Nidah and Yevamot, [Ani also means "poor"] and the rest of the Mishnah in total. [ As long as a person does not know the mysteries of the Torah, but only knows the revealed Torah, one is "poor" in knowledge and it is like he is "riding on a donkey", which is the aspect of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. However, Hashem] is not considered a King until He rides on His horse, which is the Congregation of Yisrael [ This is Malchut/Kingship. See Song of Songs 1:9 "I have likened you, my darling, To a mare in Pharaoh’s chariots"].

Segment 5ה׳

קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כַּד אִיהוּ לְבַר מֵאַתְרֵיהּ, לָאו אִיהוּ מֶלֶךְ. וְכַד אִתְהַדָּר לְאַתְרֵיהּ, (זכריה יד) וְהָיָה יְיָ' לְמֶלֶךְ. וְהָכִי יִשְׂרָאֵל, אִתְּמַר בְּהוֹן, כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּנֵי מְלָכִים. כְּגַוְונָא דְּאַבָּא, אִינּוּן בְּנוֹי. לָאו אִינּוּן בְּנֵי מְלָכִים, עַד דִּיהַדְרוּן לְאַרְעָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. וְאִי תֵּימָא דְּהֶדְיוֹט דָּא, אַף עַל גַּב דְּאִיהוּ הֶדְיוֹט לְגַבֵּי מָארֵיהּ, עָלֵיהּ אִתְּמַר, אַל תְּהִי בִּרְכַּת הֶדְיוֹט קַלָהּ בְּעֵינֶיךָ. וְהֶדְיוֹט דָּא לְגַבֵּי מַלְכָּא עֶבֶד מְטַטְרוֹן. וְאָדָם קַדְמָאָה דְּלָא נָטַר יְקָר דְּיָהֲבוּ לֵיהּ, נַחְתּוּ לֵיהּ לְמֵיכַל עִם חֲמוֹרִים (חמריה), וְאָמַר אֲנִי וַחֲמוֹרִי נֹאכַל בְּאֵבוּס אֶחָד. וְיִשָּׂשׂכָר בְּהַאי חֲמָרָא, זָכָה לְאִתְקְרֵי (בראשית מ״ט:י״ד) יִשָּׂשׂכָר חֲמוֹר גָּרֶם.

The Holy One, blessed be He, outside His place is not a King. When He returns to His place, "Hashem shall be King" (Zechariah 14:9). It is said of Israel as well that all Israel are princes [Literally, 'the sons of kings']. Like the father, so are the sons. The children are not princes until they return to the land of Israel. You may say that he is a commoner, though he is a commoner in relation to his Master, do not treat lightly a blessing from a commoner, for this commoner is the servant Metatron. The first man, who did not keep the glory he was given [ because he ate from the Tree when he was not supposed to do so], was brought down to eat together with his donkey, and he said {to Hashem} 'I and my donkey shall eat from the same trough'. Issachar merited this donkey by being called, "Issachar is a strong donkey" (Genesis 49:14).

…and 19 more segments in this section.

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Zohar — Vocalized Zohar, Israel 2013, via Sefaria

English: Sefaria Community Translation (CC0)