זוהר, כי תצא י״אZohar, Ki Teitzei 11

Segment 1א׳

אַדְּהָכִי, הָא נוּנָא רַבָּא אִזְדְּמַן לְגַבֵּיהּ, וְאָמַר רַעְיָא מְהֵימָנָא, (במדבר כ״ד:כ״א) אֵיתָן מוֹשָׁבֶךָ וְשִׂים בַּסֶּלַע קִנֶּךָ. תַּנְיָא דִּמְסַיֵּיעַ לָךְ. דְּהָא נוּנִין בַּסֶּלַע קִנָּא דִּלְהוֹן, אֵיתָן בְּהִפּוּכָא, תַּנְיָא. אֵיתָנִים בְּהִפּוּךְ אַתְוָון, תַּנָּאִים. אִסְתְּמַּר מִנַּיְיהוּ, דְּהָא אַנְתְּ כְּבַד פֶּה וּכְבַד לָשׁוֹן, וּמַאן דְּבָעֵי לְאַתְקְפָא בַּסֶּלַע דְּנוּנֵי יַמָּא, דְּמָארֵי מַתְנִיתִין, דְּאִינּוּן תַּנָּאִים, בָּעֵי לְמֶהֱוֵי תַּקִּיף, לִישָׁנָא חֲדִידָא חֲרִיפָא, (דלינקוב) לִינְקוּב עַד דְּמָטֵי לִתְהוֹמָא רַבָּא דְּתַמָּן.

Meanwhile a great fish presented itself before him and said: Faithful Shepherd, “Firm is your dwelling-place, and your nest is set in the rock” (Num. 24, 21) — a baraita that supports you. For the fishes have their nest in the rock: eithan, with its letters reversed, is tanya; eithanim, with its letters reversed, is Tannaim. Take heed of them, for you are heavy of mouth and heavy of tongue; and one who would take hold in the rock of the fishes of the sea, who are the Masters of the Mishnah, who are the Tannaim, must be strong, with a sharp and keen tongue (a variant reads: that it may bore), to bore until he reaches the great abyss that is there.

Segment 2ב׳

(חבקוק ב׳:ג׳) כִּי עוֹד חָזוֹן לַמּוֹעֵד וְיָּפֵחַ לַקֵּץ וְלֹא יְכַזֵּב, וְאוֹקְמוּהָ דְּהַאי קְרָא נוֹקֵב וְיּוֹרֵד, עַד תְּהוֹמָא רַבָּא. מַאן הוּא דְּנָחִית לִתְהוֹם רַבָּא, לְאַשְׁכְּחָא זִמְנָא דָּא, אֶלָּא אַנְתְּ, דְּאִתְּמַר בָּךְ (תהילים ל״ו:ז׳) צִדְקָתְךָ כְּהַרְרֵי אֵל מִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ תְּהוֹם רַבָּה. כַּמָה מָארֵי מַתְנִיתִין, דְּבָעוּ לְנַחְתָּא לְעוּמְקָא דַּהֲלָכָה, לְאַשְׁכְּחָא תַּמָּן קֵץ דְּפֻרְקָנָא, וְנַחְתּוּ תַּמָּן, וְלָא סְלִיקוּ. וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּלִישָׁנְהוֹן הֲוַת כְּפַטִּישׁ יְפוֹצֵץ סֶלַע, חֲלִישׁ פַּטִּישׁ דִּלְהוֹן, לְנַקְבָא בְּהַהוּא סֶלַע. וּמַאן דִּנְקִיבוּ דִּילֵיהּ בְּהַהוּא סֶלַע בְּלָא רְשׁוּ, אָתָא חִוְיָא לְנַשְּׁכָא לֵיהּ. וְאִית אַחֲרָנִין דִּנְקִיבוּ לָהּ, עַד דְּמָטוּ לִתְהוֹמָא רַבָּא, וְלָא סְלִיקוּ מִתַּמָּן.

“For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it declares of the end, and does not lie” (Hab. 2, 3) — and they have explained that this verse bores and descends to the great abyss. Who is he that goes down to the great abyss to find this appointed time? None but you, of whom it is said, “Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains; Your judgements are like the great deep” (Ps. 36, 7). How many Masters of the Mishnah sought to go down into the depth of the halachah, to find there the end of the redemption, and went down there and did not come up. And though their tongue was as a hammer that shatters the rock, their hammer was too weak to bore through that rock. And one whose boring in that rock is without permission — a serpent comes to bite him. And there are others who bored it until they reached the great abyss, and did not come up from there.