זוהר, לך לך ח׳Zohar, Lech Lecha 8

Segment 1א׳

וַיֵּלֶךָ אַבְרָם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלָיו יְיָ. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר תָּא חֲזֵי, דְּהָא לָא כְּתִיב וַיֵּצֵא אַבְרָם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלָיו יְיָ. אֶלָּא וַיֵּלֶךְ. כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר לֶךְ לְךָ, דְּהָא יְצִיאָה בְּקַדְמִיתָא עֲבְדוּ דִּכְתִיב וַיֵּצְאוּ אִתָּם מֵאוּר כַּשְׂדִּים לָלֶכֶת אַרְצָה כְּנָעַן, וְהַשְׁתָּא כְּתִיב וַיֵּלֶךְ וְלָא כְּתִיב וַיֵּצֵא.

SO ABRAM WENT AS THE LORD HAD SPOKEN TO HIM, ETC. Said R. Eleazar: ‘It is not written “and Abram went forth”, but simply “Abram went”; the first step was “going forth”, as it is written, “and they went forth (vayez’u) from Ur of the Chaldees” (Gen. 11, 31), but the second step was “going”, corresponding to God’s command “Go (lech) thou” (Ibid. 12, 1).

Segment 2ב׳

כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלָיו יְיָ, דְּאַבְטַח לֵיהּ בְּכֻלְהוּ הַבְטָחוֹת. וַיֵּלֶךְ אִתּוֹ לוֹט, דְּאִתְחַבַּר עִמֵּיהּ בְּגִין לְמֵילַף מֵעוֹבָדוֹי, וְעִם כָּל דָּא לָא אוֹלִיף כּוּלֵי הַאי. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר זַכָּאִין אִנּוּן צַדִּיקַיָּיא דְּאוֹלְפֵי אָרְחוֹי דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּגִין לְמֵיהַךְ בְּהוּ וּלְדָחֲלָא מִנֵּיהּ מֵהַהוּא יוֹמָא דְדִינָא דְּזַמִּין בַּר נָשׁ לְמֵיהַב דִּינָא וְחוּשְׁבָּנָא לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא.

AS THE LORD HAD SPOKEN TO HIM: i.e. because he had received all those promises. AND LOT WENT WITH HIM: i.e. he attached himself to him to learn his ways, and in spite of this he did not learn them too well.’ Said R. Eleazar: ‘Happy are the righteous who learn the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, to walk in them and to go in fear of that Day of Judgement when man will be called to account before God.’

Segment 3ג׳

פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (איוב ל״ז:ז׳) בְּיַד כָּל אָדָם יַחְתּוֹם לָדַעַת כָּל אַנְשֵׁי מַעֲשֵׂהוּ הַאי קְרָא אוּקְמוּהָ. אֲבָל תָּא חֲזֵי בְּהַהוּא יוֹמָא דְּאַשְׁלִימוּ יוֹמוֹי דְּבַר נָשׁ לְאֲפָקָא מֵעָלְמָא, הַהוּא יוֹמָא דְּגוּפָא אִתְבַּר וְנַפְשָׁא בָּעְיָא לְאִתְפָּרְשָׁא מִנֵּיהּ, כְּדֵין אִתְיְיהִיב רְשׁוּ לְבַר נָשׁ לְמֶחֱמֵי מַה דְּלָא הֲוָה לֵיהּ רְשׁוּ לְמֶחֱמֵי בְּזִמְנָא דְּגוּפָא שָׁלְטָא וְקָאִים עַל בּוּרְיֵיהּ.

To illustrate this, R. Eleazar expounded the text: “By his hand every man sealeth, that all men may acknowledge their works” (Job. 37, 7). He said: ‘On the day when man’s time arrives to depart from the world, when the body is broken and the soul seeks to leave it, on that day man is privileged to see things that he was not permitted to see before, when the body was in full vigour.