זוהר, לך לך ה׳Zohar, Lech Lecha 5

Section 5 of 35 in Lech Lecha — 11 segments

Segment 1א׳

וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ אֶל אַבְרָם לֶךְ לְךָ, אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר לֶךְ לְךָ, לְגַרְמָךְ לְאַתְקָנָא גַּרְמָךְ, (לאתתקפא) לְאַתְקָנָא דַּרְגָּא דִילָךְ. לֶךְ לְךָ, לֵית אַנְתְּ (ס"א כדאי) לְמֵיקַם הָכָא בֵּין חַיָּיבִין אִלֵּין.

the word “thee” here, says R. Eleazar, means “for thine own advantage, to prepare thyself, to perfect thy degree”. “Get thee forth”: that is, it is not fitting for thee to remain here among these sinners.

Segment 2ב׳

וְרָזָא דְמִלָּה לֶךְ לְךָ דְּהָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יָהִיב לֵיהּ לְאַבְרָהָם רוּחָא דְחָכְמְתָא, וְהֲוָה יָדַע וּמְצָרֵף (צנורי) סִטְרֵי דְּיִישׁוּבֵי עָלְמָא, וְאִסְתַּכַּל בְּהוּ וְאַתְקַל בְּתִיקְלָא וְיָדַע חֵילִין דִּי מְמַנָּן עַל סִטְרֵי יִישׁוּבָא.

The real truth of the matter is this. God inspired Abram with a spirit of wisdom so that he was able to discover by means of certain tests the characters of all the inhabited countries of the world. He surveyed them and weighed them in the balance, and discovered the (heavenly) powers to which each is entrusted.

Segment 3ג׳

כַּד מָטָא לְגוֹ נְקוּדָה דְּאֶמְצָעִיתָא דְיִישׁוּבָא תָּקִיל בְּתִיקְלָא וְלָא הֲוָה סָלִיק בְּיָדֵיהּ. אַשְׁגַּח לְמִנְדַע חֵילָא דִי מְמַנָּא עֲלָהּ וְלָא יָכִיל לְאִתְדַּבְּקָא בִּרְעוּתֵיהּ,

When he came to the central point of the inhabited world he tried to weigh it, but obtained no response. He tried to find the power to which it was entrusted, but could not grasp it, though he weighed again and again.

Segment 4ד׳

תָּקִיל כַּמָּה זִמְנִין וְחָמָא דְּהָא מִתַּמָּן אִשְׁתִּיל כָּל עָלְמָא, אַשְׁגַּח וְצָרַף וְתָקַל לְמִנְדַע וְחָמָא דְּהָא חֵילָא עִלָּאָה דְּעֲלָהּ לֵית לֵיהּ שִׁעוּרָא עָמִיק וְסָתִים וְלָאו אִיהוּ כְּגַוְונֵי דְּסִטְרֵי דַּרְגֵּי דְיִשּׁוּבָא.

He noted that from that point the whole world was planted out, and he once more tested and weighed and found that the upper power in charge of it was one which could not be gauged, that it was recondite and hidden, and not like the (powers in charge of) the outlying parts of the inhabited world.

Segment 5ה׳

אַשְׁגַח וְתָקִיל וְיָדַע דְּהָא כְּמָּה דְּמֵהַהִיא נְקוּדָה אֶמְצָעִיתָא דְּיִשּׁוּבָא מִנֵּיהּ אִשְׁתִּיל כָּל עָלְמָא לְכָל סִטְרוֹי. הָכִי נָמֵי יָדַע דְּהָא חֵילָא דְּשָׁרֵי עֲלָהּ מִתַּמָּן נָפְקוּ כָּל שְׁאָר חֵילִין דִּמְמַנָן עַל כָּל סִטְרֵי עָלְמָא, וְכֻלְהוּ בֵּיהּ אֲחִידָן. כְּדֵין (בראשית י״א:ל״א) וַיֵּצְאוּ אִתָּם מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִים לָלֶכֶת אַרְצָה כְּנַעַן.

He once more reflected, and came to the conclusion that as the whole world had been planted out in all directions from that point in the centre, so the power in charge of it was the one from which issued all the powers in charge of the other quarters of the world and to which they were all attached: hence “they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees to go to the land of Canaan”.

…and 6 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)