זוהר, מקץ ז׳Zohar, Miketz 7

Section 7 of 15 in Miketz — 8 segments

Segment 1א׳

וְיוֹסֵף הוּא הַשַּׁלִּיט עַל הָאָרֶץ וְגו', רִבִּי יֵיסָא פָּתַח וְאֲמַר, (תהילים כ״ז:ו׳) וְעַתָּה יָרוּם רֹאשִׁי עַל אוֹיְבַי סְבִיבוֹתַי וְאֶזְבְּחָה בְּאָהֳלוֹ זִבְחֵי תְרוּעָה אָשִׁירָה וַאֲזַמְּרָה לַיְיָ. תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְרָעֵי בֵּיהּ בְּבַר נָשׁ, זָקִיף לֵיהּ עַל כָּל בְּנֵי עַלְמָא. וְעָבִיד לֵיהּ רֵישָׁא דְכֹלָּא, וְכֻלְּהוּ שָׂנְאוֹי אִתְכַּפְיָין תְּחוֹתוֹי.

AND JOSEPH WAS THE GOVERNOR OVER THE LAND, ETC. R. Jesse discoursed on the text: And now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me; and I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices with trumpet-sound (Ps. 27, 6). ‘When God’, he said, ‘takes pleasure in a man, he raises him high above all his fellow-men and makes him chief over them all, so that all his enemies are subdued before him.

Segment 2ב׳

דָּוִד מַלְכָּא, שָׂנְאוּ לֵיהּ אֲחוֹי, דָּחוּ לֵיהּ מִנַּיְיהוּ. קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָרִים לֵיהּ עַל כָּל בְּנֵי עַלְמָא. אֲתָא חֲמוֹי, עָרַק מִקַּמֵיהּ. קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָרִים לֵיהּ עַל כָּל מַלְכוּתֵיהּ, וְכֻלְּהוּ הֲווּ כָּרְעִין וְסָגְדִין קַמֵּיהּ. וְיוֹסֵף דָּחוּ לֵיהּ אֲחוּי, לְבָתַר כֻּלְּהוּ כָּרְעוּ וּסְגִידוּ קַמֵּיהּ. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וַיָּבֹאוּ אֲחֵי יוֹסֵף וַיִּשְׁתַּחֲווּ לוֹ אַפַּיִם אָרְצָה.

King David was hated by his brothers and rejected by them, but God raised him high above all men. He had to flee from his father-in-law, but God made him ruler over the latter’s whole kingdom and all knelt and prostrated themselves to him. Joseph, again, was rejected by his brothers, but afterwards they all knelt down and prostrated themselves before him, as we read: “And Joseph’s brethren came, and bowed down to him with their faces to the earth.”

Segment 3ג׳

דָּבָר אַחֵר, וְעַתָּה יָרוּם רֹאשִׁי, מַאי וְעַתָּה, כְּמוֹ וְאַתָּה. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אָמַר, הָא אִתְּמָר, עֵת דְּאִיהוּ דַרְגָּא עִלָּאָה, וּמַאן אִיהוּ הַהוּא עֵת. דָּא ה"א, וְאִקְרֵי עַתָּה. וְעַתָּה, דָּא אִיהוּ וּבֵי דִינֵיהּ.

According to another interpretation, “and now my head shall be lifted up”: what is “and now” (ve-attah)? It is like “and You” (ve-attah). R. Judah said: ‘It has been stated: “time” (eth) is a supernal grade. And what is that “time”? It is the letter He, and it is called “now” (attah). “And now” — this is he and his court.’

Segment 4ד׳

יָרוּם רֹאשִׁי, לַאֲרָמָא לָהּ בִּיקָרָא וּמַלְכוּתָא. עַל אוֹיְבַי סְבִיבוֹתַי, אִלֵּין שְׁאָר מַלְכֵי אַרְעָא. וְאֶזְבְּחָה בְּאָהֳלוֹ, דָּא יְרוּשָׁלַ ם. בְּאָהֳלוֹ, דָּא אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד. זִבְחֵי תְרוּעָה, לְמִשְׁמַע כָּל עַלְמָא. אָשִׁירָה וַאֲזַמְּרָה, מֵהַהוּא סִטְרָא דִתְרוּעָה הִיא. דְּהָא מִתַּמָּן, מֵהַהוּא סִטְרָא דִתְרוּעָה, הִיא אַתְיָא שִׁירָה וְתוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא.

“My head shall be lifted up” — to raise her up in glory and kingship. “Above my enemies round about me” — these are the rest of the kings of the earth. “And I will offer in His tabernacle” — this is Jerusalem. “In His tabernacle” — this is the Tent of Meeting. “Sacrifices with trumpet-sound (teru’ah)” — for all the world to hear. “I will sing and I will sing praises” — from that side which is teru’ah; for from there, from that side which is teru’ah, come song and praise.

Segment 5ה׳

דָּבָר אַחֵר, וְעַתָּה יָרוּם רֹאשִׁי, דָּא כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. עַל אוֹיְבַי סְבִיבוֹתַי, דָּא עֵשָׂו וְכָל אֲפַרְכִין דִּילֵיהּ. וְאֶזְבְּחָה בְּאָהֳלוֹ, אִלֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל. זִבְחֵי תְרוּעָה, דִּכְתִיב, (תהילים נ״א:י״ט) זִבְחֵי אֱלהִים רוּחַ נִשְׁבָּרָה, בְּגִין לְאַעֲבָרָא דִינָא מֵעַלְמָא. אָשִׁירָה וַאֲזַמְּרָה, לְאוֹדָאָה וּלְשַׁבְּחָא לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, בְּלָא פְּסִיקוּ לְעוֹלָם.

Alternatively we may suppose this verse to be spoken by the Community of Israel, whose head will one day be raised above Esau and all his lieutenants. Then Israel will “offer in his tabernacle sacrifices with trumpet-sound”, or, rather, “sacrifices of breaking” (teru’ah) to wit, the broken spirit which is mentioned in the passage: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit” (Ibid. 51, 19), so as to cause severity to be removed from the world; “then I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord”, without ceasing, for evermore.

…and 3 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)

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