זוהר, לך לך י״חZohar, Lech Lecha 18

Section 18 of 35 in Lech Lecha — 10 segments

Segment 1א׳

אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן תָּא חֲזֵי, מַה כְּתִיב וַיֵּלֶךָ לְמַסָּעָיו, לְמִפְקַד אַתְרֵיהּ וְדַרְגּוֹי. לְמַסָּעָיו לְמַסָּעוֹ כְּתִיב, מַאן מַסָּעוֹ. דָּא דַרְגָּא קַדְמָאָה דְּאִתְחֲזֵי לֵיהּ בְּקַדְמִיתָא, כְּתִיב הָכָא מַסָּעוֹ וּכְתִיב הָתָם (מלכים א ו׳:ז׳) אֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה מַסַּע נִבְנֶה. וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא אֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה וַדַּאי. מַסַּע כְּמָה דְאִתְּמָר.

Said R. Simeon, Let us proceed. AND HE WENT ON HIS JOURNEYS, i.e. to revisit his place and his grades, until he reached the first grade where the first revelation had taken place. “On his journeys”: all those grades, grade after grade, as has been said.

Segment 2ב׳

וַיֵּלֶךָ לְמַסָּעָיו. (עיין פי' בס' הגלגולים דף ו' ע"ג סוף פ' ו) כָּל אִנּוּן דַּרְגִּין דַּרְגָּא בָּתַר דַּרְגָּא כְּמָה דְאִתְּמָר. מִנֶּגֶב וְעַד בֵּית אֵל לְאַתְקָנָא אַתְרֵיהּ וּלְחַבְּרָא לוֹן בְּיִחוּדָא שְׁלִים. דְּהָא מִנֶּגֶב וְעַד בֵּית אֵל אִשְׁתְּכַח רָזָא דְחָכְמְתָא כְּדְקָא יְאוּת.

EVEN TO BETHEL: to prepare his place and to combine “the South” and “Bethel” in a complete unity, since from the South to Bethel comprised the whole gamut of Wisdom.

Segment 3ג׳

אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר הָיָה שָׁם אָהֳלֹה בַּתְּחִלָּה, אָהֳלה בְּהֵ"א, מַאן אָהֳלה, דָּא בֵּית אֵל. אֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה כִּדְאֲמָרָן. תוּ רְשִׁים וְאָמַר אֶל מְקוֹם הַמִּזְבֵּחַ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה שָׁם בָּרִאשׁוֹנָה דִּכְתִיב לַיְיָ הַנִּרְאֶה אֵלָיו. וּכְדֵין וַיִּקְרָא שָׁם אַבְרָם בְּשֵׁם יְיָ. כְּדֵין אִתְדָּבַּק בִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא שְׁלֵימָתָא.

UNTO THE PLACE WHERE HIS TENT HAD BEEN AT THE BEGINNING, to wit, Bethel, the “perfect stone”. The spot is further defined as THE PLACE OF THE ALTAR WHICH HE HAD MADE THERE AT THE FIRST, as it was said, “to the Lord who appeared unto him”, and therefore now ABRAM CALLED ON THE NAME OF THE LORD, in proof that he had attained to perfect faith.

Segment 4ד׳

תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּקַדְמִיתָא סָלִיק מִתַּתָּא לְעֵילָא דִּכְתִיב וַיֵּרָא יְיָ אֶל אַבְרָם. וּכְתִיב לַיְיָ הַנִּרְאֶה אֵלָיו. וְדָא הוּא דַּרְגָּא קַדְמָאָה כִּדְאֲמָרָן אֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה (מסע נבנה וכתיב למסעו). וּלְבָתַר הָלוֹךְ וְנָסוֹעַ הַנֶּגְבָּה. דַּרְגָּא בָּתַר דַּרְגָּא עַד דְּאִתְעַטַּר בַּדָּרוֹם חוּלָקֵיהּ וְעַדְבֵיהּ. לְבָתַר סָתִים מִלָּה כַּד סָלִיק וְאָמַר לַיְיָ סְתָם, דָּא עָלְמָא עִלָּאָה. וּמִתַּמָּן נָטִיל בְּדַרְגִּין וְנָחִית מֵעֵילָא לְתַתָּא וְאִתְדָּבַּק כֹּלָּא בְּאַתְרֵיהּ כְּדְקָא יְאוּת.

Note this. At first Abram proceeded from the lower to the higher, as it is written, “And the Lord appeared to Abram”, and again, “to the Lord who appeared to him”, and then “going on his journeys to the South”-grade after grade until he was endowed with the South which was his rightful portion.

Segment 5ה׳

וְהָכָא כַּד תִּסְתַּכֵּל בְּדַרְגִּין תִּשְׁכַּח רָזָא דְחָכְמְתָא עִלָּאָה. מַה כְּתִיב וַיֵלֶךְ לְמַסָּעָו מִנֶּגֶב מִסִּטְרָא דְּיָמִינָא שֵׁירוּתָא דְּעָלְמָא עִלָּאָה סְתִימָא עֲמִיקָא לְעֵילָא עַד אֵין סוֹף, וְנָחִית דַּרְגָּא בָּתַר דַּרְגָּא (עד) מִנֶּגֶב וְעַד בֵּית אֵל מֵעֵילָא לְתַתָּא.

From thence he began to reverse the process and descended from the higher to the lower, so as to fix all in its proper place. On the return journey, too, the mention of his stages contains an allusion to the higher Wisdom. It is written, “And he went on his journeys from the South”, i.e. from the side of the Right, from the very beginning of the upper world, the mysterious and recondite, reaching to the Limitless (En Sof), and then descended stage by stage “from the South to Bethel”,

…and 5 more segments in this section.

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Zohar — Vocalized Zohar, Israel 2013, via Sefaria

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