זוהר, מטות א׳Zohar, Matot 1

Section 1 of 1 in Matot — 6 segments

Segment 1א׳

(במדבר ל״א:י״ח) וְכָל הַטַּף בַּנָּשִׁים אֲשֶׁר לָא יָדְעוּ מִשְׁכַּב זָכָר. תַּמָּן תָּנֵינָן, אָמַר רִבִּי יְהוּדָה, אֵין הָעוֹלָם מִתְנַהֵג אֶלָּא בִּתְרֵי גַּוְונִין, דְּאָתוּ מִסְּטַר אִתְּתָא דְּאִשְׁתְּכָחַת חַכִּימַת לִבָּא. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (שמות ל״ה:כ״ה) וְכָל אִשָׁה חַכְמַת לֵב בְּיָדֶיהָ טָווּ וַיָּבִיאוּ מַטְוְה אֶת הַתְּכֵלֶת וְאֶת הָאַרְגָּמָן. וּמַאי מַתְיָּין. אֶת הַתְּכֵלֶת וְאֶת הָאַרְגָּמָן, גַּוְונִין דִּכְלִילָן בְּגוֹ גְּוָונֵי.

“But all the women children that have not known man by lying with him” (Num. 31, 18). There we have learnt: R. Judah said, the world is conducted only by two colours, which come from the side of the woman who is found wise of heart. This is what is written, “And all the women that were wise-hearted spun with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, the blue and the purple” (Ex. 35, 25). And what do they bring? The blue and the purple — colours that are comprised within colours.

Segment 2ב׳

הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִּיב, (משלי ל״א:י״ג-י״ד) דָּרְשָׁה צֶמֶר וּפִשְׁתִּים וַתַּעַשׂ בְּחֵפֶץ כַּפֶיהָ. וּכְתִיב בְּיָדֶיהָ טָווּ, מַאי טָווּ. אָמַר רִבִּי יְהוּדָה, טָווּ בְּדִינָא, טָווּ בְּרַחֲמֵי. אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק, אֲמַאי אִתְקַרְיָא אִשָּׁה. אָמַר לֵיהּ דִּכְלִילָא בְּדִינָא, וּכְלִילָא בְּרַחֲמֵי.

This is what is written, “She seeks wool and flax, and works willingly with her hands” (Prov. 31, 13-14). And it is written, “spun with their hands.” What is “spun”? R. Judah said, they spun in judgement, they spun in mercy. R. Isaac said, why is she called “woman”? He said to him, because she is comprised in judgement and comprised in mercy.

Segment 3ג׳

תָּא חֲזֵי, דְּאָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, כָּל אִתְּתָא בְּדִינָא אִתְקַרְיָא, עַד דְּאַטְעֲמָא טַעֲמָא דְּרַחֲמֵי. דְּתַנְיָא, מִסִּטְרָא דְּבַּר נָשׁ, אָתֵי חִוָּורָא. וּמִסִּטְרָא דְּאִתְּתָא, אָתֵי סוּמָקָא. טַעֲמָא (ס"א אתתא) דְּאִתְּתָא מֵחִוָּורָא, וְחִוָּורָא עָדִיף.

Observe, for R. Eleazar said, every woman is called judgement until she has tasted the taste of mercy. For it has been taught: from the side of the man comes white, and from the side of the woman comes red. The taste (a variant reads: the woman) of the woman is from the white, and the white is superior.

Segment 4ד׳

וְתָּא חֲזֵי אֲמַאי אֲסִירָן נְשֵׁי שְׁאַר עַמִּין עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת, דְּיַדְעֵי מִשְׁכְּבֵי דְּכוּרָא. מִשּׁוּם דְּתָנֵינָן, אִית יְמִינָא, וְאִית שְׂמָאלָא. יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּשְׁאַר עַמִּין עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת. וְגַּן עֵדֶן, וְגֵיהִנָם. עָלְמָא דָּא, וְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי. יִשְׂרָאֵל לָקָבְלֵי דְּרַחֲמֵי, וּשְׁאַר עַמִּין עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת לָקֳבְלֵי דְּדִינָא. וּתְנָן, אִתְּתָא דְּאַטְעֲמָא טַעֲמָא דְּרַחֲמֵי, רַחֲמֵי נַצְחָא. אִתְּתָא דְּטַעֲמָא טַעֲמָא דְּדִינָא, דִּינָא בְּדִינָא אִתְדַּבְּקַת, וְעָלַיְיהוּ אִתְקְרֵי (ישעיהו נ״ו:י״א) וְהַכְּלָבִים עַזֵּי נֶפֶשׁ לֹא יָדְעוּ שָׂבְעָה.

And observe: why are the women of the other idolatrous nations forbidden, those who have known the lying of a male? Because we have learnt: there is a right and there is a left — Israel, and the other idolatrous nations; the garden of Eden, and Gehinnom; this world, and the world to come. Israel correspond to mercy, and the other idolatrous nations correspond to judgement. And we have learnt: a woman who has tasted the taste of mercy — mercy prevails. A woman who has tasted the taste of judgement — judgement cleaves to judgement; and of them it is said, “Yea, the dogs are greedy, they know not when they have enough” (Isa. 56, 11).

Segment 5ה׳

וְעַל דָּא תָּנֵינָן, הַנִּבְעֶלֶת לְעוֹבֵד כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת קְשׁוּרָה בּוֹ כַּכֶּלֶב. מַה כַּלְבָּא תַּקִּיפָא בְּרוּחֵיהּ חֲצִיפָא. אוּף הָכָא דִּינָא בְּדִינָא, חֲצִיפָא בְּכֹלָּא. הַנִּבְעֶלֶת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, תָּנֵינָן, כְּתִיב (דברים ד׳:ד׳) וְאַתֶּם הַדְּבֵקִים בַּה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם חַיִּים כֻּלְכֶם הַיּוֹם. מַאי טַעְמָא. מִשּׁוּם דְּנִשְׁמְתָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, אַתְיָיא מֵרוּחָא דֶּאֱלֹהִים חַיִּים. דִּכְתִיב (ישעיהו נ״ז:ט״ז) כִּי רוּחַ מִלְּפָנַי יַעֲטוֹף, מַשְׁמַע דִּכְתִיב מִלְּפָנַי. וּבְגִין כָּךְ, אִתְתָא דְּהִיא בְּתוּלְתָא, וְלָא אִתְדְּבָקַת בְּדִינָא קַשְׁיָא דִּשְׁאַר עַמִּין, וְאִתְדְּבָקַת בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, רַחֲמֵי נַצְחָא וְאִתְכְּשָׁרַת.

And therefore we have learnt: she who is possessed by an idolater is bound to him like a dog. As the dog is fierce in spirit and brazen, so here too: judgement with judgement, brazen in all. She who is possessed by an Israelite — we have learnt, it is written, “But you that cleave to the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day” (Deut. 4, 4). What is the reason? Because the soul of Israel comes from the spirit of the living God, as it is written, “For the spirit that enwraps itself is from Me” (Isa. 57, 16) — and the inference is from what is written, “from Me.” And therefore a woman who is a virgin, and does not cleave to the harsh judgement of the other nations, and cleaves to Israel — mercy prevails, and she is made fit.

…and 1 more segment in this section.

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Zohar — Vocalized Zohar, Israel 2013, via Sefaria

English: rendered from the Aramaic for this app — The Gematria's own rendering program. A rendering of the words, not a commentary; the Zohar is learned with a teacher