זוהר, משפטים כ׳Zohar, Mishpatim 20

Section 20 of 30 in Mishpatim — 17 segments

Segment 1א׳

(שמות כ״ב:ל׳) וְאַנְשֵׁי קֹדֶשׁ תִּהְיוּן לִי וְגוֹ'. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה פָּתַח, (איוב כ״ח:י״ב) וְהַחָכְמָה מֵאַיִן תִּמָּצֵא וְאֵיזֶה מְקוֹם בִּינָה. זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל, דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בָּעֵי לְיַקְּרָא לוֹן, יַתִיר (נ"א ביקרא דלהון) עַל כָּל שְׁאַר בְּנִי עָלְמָא. בְּקַדְמִיתָא אָמַר לוֹן, (שמות י״ט:ו׳) וְאַתֶּם תִּהְיוּ לִי מַמְלֶכֶת כֹּהֲנִים. לָא אַעְדֵי רְחִימוּתָא סַגִיאָה מִנְּהוֹן, עַד דְּקָרָא לוֹן וְגוֹי קָדוֹשׁ דְּאִיהוּ יַתִיר. לָא אַעְדֵּי רְחִימוּתָא מִנְּהוֹן, עַד דְּקָרָא לוֹן (דברים י״ד:ב׳) כִּי עַם קָדוֹשׁ אַתָּה. לָא אַעְדֵי רְחִימוּתָא מִנְּהוֹן, עַד דְּקָרָא לוֹן (שמות כ״ב:ל׳) וְאַנְשֵׁי קֹדֶשׁ תִּהְיוּן לִי דְּאִיהוּ יַתִיר מִכֹּלָּא.

AND YE SHALL BE MEN OF HOLINESS UNTO ME; AND FLESH THAT IS TORN BY BEASTS IN THE FIELD YE SHALL NOT EAT; YE SHALL CAST IT TO THE DOG (XXII, 30). R. Judah quoted here the verse: “And wisdom, where shall it be found? And where is the place of understanding?” (Job 28, 12). Said he: “Blessed are the Israelites for that the Holy One desires to honour them more than all the rest of mankind. At first He said unto them: “And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests” (Ex. 19, 6). His great love to them was, however, not satisfied until he had added: “and a holy nation” (Ibid.), which signifies a higher grade; His love was still not satisfied until He called them “a holy people” (Deut. 14, 2), which is a still higher grade;.and now He shows His endless love to them by calling upon them to be “men of holiness”, which is the highest grade and destiny of all.

Segment 2ב׳

כְּתִיב וְהַחָכְמָה מֵאַיִן תִּמָּצֵא. אוֹרַיְיתָא (בראשית מ"ז ע"ב) מֵחָכְמָה נַפְקַת, מֵאֲתָר דְּאִקְרֵי (נ"ט) קֹדֶשׁ. וְהַחָכְמָה נַפְקַת, מֵאֲתָר דְּאִקְרֵי קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים. רִבִּי יִצְחָק אָמַר, וְכֵן יוֹבְלָא אִתְקְרֵי קֹדֶשׁ. דִּכְתִּיב, (ויקרא כ״ה:י״ב) יוֹבֵל הִיא קֹדֶשׁ תִּהְיֶה לָכֶם. וְיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּלִילָן מִנַּיְיהוּ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וְאַנְשֵׁי קֹדֶשׁ תִּהְיוּן לִי.

For the Torah itself emanates from Wisdom, from the realm called.”holiness”, and Wisdom itself emanates from the region called “holy (lit. holiness) of holies”.’ Said R. Isaac: ‘The Jubilee is also designated “holiness”, as it is written: “For it is the jubilee; it shall be holiness (kodesh) unto you” (Lev. 14, 12). The Israelites who are destined to be “men of holiness” have a share in both (the Torah and the Jubilee).

Segment 3ג׳

בְּקַדְמִיתָא קָדוֹשׁ, וְהַשְׁתָּא קֹדֶשׁ. מַה (ויקרא רצ"ט ע"א) בֵּין הַאי לְהַאי. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסִי, דָּא לְעֵילָּא לְעֵילָּא, וְדָא לָאו הָכִי. דִּכְתִּיב, (ישעיהו ד׳:ג׳) וְהָיָה הַנִּשְׁאָר בְּצִיּוֹן וְהַנּוֹתָר בִּיְרוּשָׁלַ ם קָדוֹשׁ יֵאָמֶר לוֹ. בְּהַאי אֲתָר אִקְרֵי קָדוֹשׁ וּלְעֵילָּא לְעֵילָּא קֹדֶשׁ.

What is the difference in degree between “holy” and “holiness”?’ Said R. Jose: ‘The latter is the extremest, the utmost degree, but not so the former, for it is written: “And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy” (Isa. 4, 3), which signifies that the grade of “holy” is connected with that place (i.e. with the earthly Zion and Jerusalem), whereas “holiness” is connected with a higher place.’

Segment 4ד׳

רַבִּי אַבָּא הֲוָה אָזִיל בְּאָרְחָא, וַהֲווּ אָזְלֵי עִמֵּיהּ רִבִּי יוֹסִי וְרִבִּי חִיָּיא, אָמַר רִבִּי חִיָּיא, (ס"א דתנינן) וְאַנְשֵׁי קֹדֶשׁ תִּהְיוּן לִי, מְנָלָן. אֲמַר לֵיהּ, הָא רִבִּי יוֹסִי וְכֻלְּהוּ חַבְרַיָּיא שַׁפִּיר קַאמְרוּ, וְהָכִי הוּא. מְנָלָן. דִּכְתִּיב, (ירמיהו ב׳:ג׳) קֹדֶשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל לַיְיָ' רֵאשִׁית תְּבוּאָתֹה, רֵאשִׁית: וַדַּאי חָכְמָה אִקְרֵי רִאשִׁית, דִּכְתִּיב, (תהילים קי״א:י׳) רֵאשִׁית חָכְמָה יִרְאַת יְיָ'.

R. Abba was once walking in company with R. Jose and R. Hiya. Said R. Hiya: ‘How do we know that the expression, “and ye shall be unto Me men of holiness”, signifies the highest grade?’ Said R. Jose: ‘All the companions have interpreted it well; it is truly so, for it is written: “Israel is holiness (kodesh) to the Lord, the beginning (reshith) of his increase; all that devour him shall be guilty” (Jer. 2, 3). Israel is here designated “reshith“, and Wisdom is also called.”reshith״, as it says, “The beginning (reshith) of wisdom is the fear of the Lord” (Ps. 111, 10).

Segment 5ה׳

וּמִשּׁוּם דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל אִקְרוּן קֹדֶשׁ (ישראל) בִּשְׁלִימוּ דְּכֹלָּא, כְּתִיב (שמות כ״ב:ל׳) וּבָשָׂר בַּשָּׂדֶה טְרֵפָה לֹא תֹאכֵלוּ. דְּהָא יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּאִינּוּן שְׁלֵמִין עַל כֹּלָּא, לָא יַנְקִין מִסִּטְרָא דְּדִינָא קַשְׁיָא. לַכֶּלֶב תַּשְׁלִיכוּן אוֹתוֹ. לַכֶּלֶב וַדַּאי, דְּהוּא דִּינָא חֲצִיפָא תַּקִּיפָא עַל כֹּלָּא. כֵּיוָן דְּדִינָא תַּקִּיפָא שַׁרְיָא עֲלוֹי, וְאָטִיל זוּהֲמָא בֵּיהּ, אָסִיר לְהוּ לְאִינוּן דְּאִקְרוּן קֹדֶשׁ. אֶלָּא לַכֶּלֶב תַּשְׁלִיכוּן אוֹתוֹ וַדַּאי, דְּאִיהוּ דִּינָא חֲצִיפָא, דִּינָא תַּקִּיפָא יַתִּיר מִכֹּלָּא, דִּכְתִּיב, (ישעיהו נ״ו:י״א) וְהַכְּלָבִים עַזֵּי נֶפֶשׁ.

And because Israel is called “holiness”, the completion and harmony of all grades, they must not “eat flesh that is torn by beasts in the field”; they must not derive their nourishment from the side of severe judgement, but.”cast it to the dogs”, namely to the impudent and impure power on which judgement rests; so the people destined to be “men of holiness” should not be stained by the impurity of the principle of evil left in the flesh of the torn animal.’

…and 12 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