זוהר, כי תצא ו׳Zohar, Ki Teitzei 6

Segment 1א׳

כִּי יִקַּח אִישׁ אִשָּׁה חֲדָשָׁה לֹא יֵצֵא בַּצָּבָא וְגוֹ'. וְשִׂמַּח אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ אֲשֶׁר לָקָח. פִּקּוּדָא (טו) דָּא, חָתָן לְמֶחְדֵּי בְּאִתְּתֵיהּ שַׁתָּא חַד, דִּכְתִּיב נָקִי יִהְיֶה לְבֵיתוֹ שָׁנָה אֶחָת. וְאִינּוּן י"ב יַרְחִין אִינּוּן מִדִילָהּ. דְּהָא שָׁנָה אִיהִי כַּלָּה, וְלֵית כַּלָּה בַּר בְּי"ב יַרְחִין, דִּכְתִּיב, (מלכים א ז׳:מ״ד) עוֹמֵד עַל שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר בָּקָר. וְהוֹאִיל וְלֵית תִּקּוּנָא דְּכַלָּה, בַּר בְּי"ב, אִצְטְרִיךְ חָתָן לְמֶחְדֵּי לָהּ, וּלְבֵיתָה, לָהּ וּלְתִקּוּנָהָא, כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָּא. וְעַל דָּא יַעֲקֹב כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ, (בראשית כ״ח:י״א) וַיִּקַּח מֵאַבְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם. אַבְנֵי הַמָּקוֹם י"ב הֲווֹ, וּמַאן דְּחַדֵּי לְכַלָּה, חַדֵּי לְעוֹלֵימְתָהָא, וְעוּלֵימָתָן י"ב הֲווֹ. וְכֹלָּא אִיהוּ רָזָא דְּשָׁנָה. בְּגִין כַּךְ אִצְטְרִיךְ לְחָתָן לְמֶחְדֵּי בְּאִתְּתֵיהּ שָׁנָה אֶחָת.

“When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out in the host,” etc.; “and he shall cheer his wife whom he has taken.” This precept (15): the bridegroom is to rejoice with his wife for one year, as it is written, “he shall be free for his house one year.” And those twelve months are hers, for the year is the bride, and there is no bride save in twelve months, as it is written, “standing upon twelve oxen” (I Kings 7, 44). And since there is no perfecting of the bride save in twelve, the bridegroom must gladden her and her house, her and her adornments, after the pattern of what is above. And therefore of Jacob it is written, “and he took of the stones of the place” (Gen. 28, 11): the stones of the place were twelve; and one who gladdens the bride gladdens her maidens, and the maidens were twelve. And all of it is the mystery of the year. For this reason the bridegroom must rejoice with his wife one year.

Segment 2ב׳

וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא, דְּחֶדְוָה דָּא, לָאו דִּילֵיהּ הִיא, אֶלָּא דִּילָהּ. דִּכְתִּיב וְשִׂמַּח אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ. וְיִשְׂמַח אֶת אִשְׁתּוֹ לָא כְּתִיב, אֶלָּא וְשִׂמַּח, יַחְדֵּי לְכַלָּה. כְּגַוְונָא דָּא, לָאו חֵדוּ לְכַלָּה, בַּר בְּגוּפָא וְתִקוּנָהָא. וּמַאן חַדֵּי לוֹן. צַדִּיק. וְעַל דָּא נָקִי יִהְיֶה לְבֵיתוֹ. נָקִי, דְּלָא יַעֲמוֹל בְּמִלֵּי דְּעָלְמָא, דִּיהֵא בֵּיהּ רַעֲוָא לְמֶחְדֵּי לָהּ. נָקִי מִכֹּלָּא. נָקִי לְמַסִּין וּלְאַרְנוּנִין וְגוּלְגַלְתִּין. נָקִי דְּלָא יִפּוּק לְחֵילָא לְאַגָחָא קְרָבָא. לְאִשְׁתַּכְּחָא חֶדְוָה עֵילָּא וְתַתָּא, וּלְאַתְעֲרָא חֶדְוָה לְעֵילָּא. זַכָּאִין עַמָּא קַדִּישָׁא, דְּמָארֵיהוֹן חַדֵּי בְּהוֹן, זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, וְזַכָּאִין אִינּוּן בְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי.

And we have explained that this gladness is not his but hers, as it is written, “and he shall cheer his wife.” It is not written, “and he shall rejoice with his wife,” but “and he shall cheer” — he is to gladden the bride. In this same way there is no gladness for the bride save in the body and its adornments. And who gladdens them? The Righteous One. And therefore, “he shall be free for his house”: free, that he shall not labour in the affairs of the world, so that there may be in him a will to gladden her; free of everything; free of taxes and of levies and of poll-dues; free, that he shall not go out with the host to wage war — so that gladness may be found above and below, and that gladness may be roused above. Happy is the holy people, whose Master rejoices in them; happy are they in this world, and happy are they in the world to come.