זוהר, כי תשא י׳Zohar, Ki Tisa 10

Segment 1א׳

אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי, לָאו הֲוָה אַבָּא רַחֲמָן עַל בְּנוֹי כְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וּקְרָא הוּא דִּכְתִּיב, (מלכים א ח׳:נ״ו) לֹא נָפַל דָּבָר אֶחָד מִכֹּל דְּבָרוֹ הַטּוֹב וְגוֹ'. תָּא חֲזֵי רַחְמָנוּ דִּילֵיהּ, אִלּוּ אָמַר לֹא נָפַל דָּבָר אֶחָד מִכֹּל דְּבָרוֹ וְלָא יַתִּיר, נֹחַ לְעָלְמָא דְּלָא אִתְבְּרֵי. אֲבָל מִדְּאָמַר מִכֹּל דְּבָרוֹ הַטּוֹב, וְאַפִּיק בִּישׁ לַאֲחוֹרָא, דְּהָא מִלָּה דְּבִישׁ לָא בָּעֵי לְמֶעְבַּד.

Said R. Jose: ‘There never was a father as merciful and loving to his children as the Holy One to Israel. That lovingkindness is expressed in thc words: “Blessed be the Lord that hath given rest unto his people… there hath not failed one word of all his good words which he promised” (I Kings 8, 56). Observe His great mercy and love, how it is spccially manifested in this passage. For had it merely said, “There hath not failed one word of all his words”, it would have been better for the world and all the people thereof never to have been created; but as it says, “of all His good words”, evil and punishment were not included, for the Lord prefers if possible to leave His intention of punishment unfulfilled’

Segment 2ב׳

וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּאַגְזִים, וְאָרִים רְצוּעָה, אָתָאת אִמָא וְאִתָּקָפָת בִּדְרוֹעֵיהּ יְמִינָא, וְקָם רְצוּעָה בְּקִיּוּמֵיהּ, וְלָא נָחִית לְתַתָּא, וְלָא אִתְעַבִיד, בְּגִין דִּבְעֵיטָא חֲדָא הֲווֹ תַּרְוַויְיהוּ, אִיהוּ דְּאַגְזִים, וְאִיהוּ דַּאֲחִידַת בִּיְמִינֵיהּ.

And even when He threatens and raises the lash (to punish), the “Mother” (the Shekinah) comes and takes hold of His Right Arm so that the lash remains suspended, but does not descend, because both are of one counsel, He in threatening, and she in holding his hand.

Segment 3ג׳

וְאִי תֵּימָא מְנָלָן. מִמִּלָּה דְּאִיהִי בְּאִתְגַּלְּיָא, דִּכְתִּיב לֵךְ רֵד כִּי שִׁחֵת עַמְּךָ, שָׂרֵי לְאָרָמָא רְצוּעָה, וּמֹשֶׁה דְּלָא הֲוָה יָדַע אָרְחָא דְּאִמָא, שָׁתִיק. כֵּיוָן דְּחָמָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כַּךְ, אַנְקִיד לֵיהּ, וּבָטַשׁ בֵּיהּ וְאָמַר וְעַתָּה הַנִּיחָה לִּי, מִיָּד אַרְגִּישׁ מֹשֶׁה, וְאָחִיד בִּדְרוֹעֵיהּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דִּכְתִּיב זְכוֹר לְאַבְרָהָם, דָּא דְּרוֹעֵיה יְמִינָא, וּבְּגִין כָּךְ לָא נָחִית רְצוּעָה.

If you ask, Whence do we know all this? we answer, from the following clear statement. “And the Lord said to Moses: Go, get thee down, for thy people have corrupted themselves” (Ex. 32, 7). The Lord began to lift the lash, and Moses, not knowing the ways of the “Mother”, was silent in fear. As soon as the Holy One perceived this, He pricked him and incited him by saying, “Now, therefore, let Me, that My wrath may wax hot against them.” Moses divined immediately what this foreboded, and realized what he must do: so he seized the Holy One’s arm, for it is written that he said, “Remember Abraham”, etc. (Ibid., v. 13), on account of which the lash did not descend.