זוהר, משפטים כ״טZohar, Mishpatim 29

Segment 1א׳

(שמות כ״ד:א׳) וְאֶל מֹשֶׁה אָמַר עֲלֵה אֶל יְיָ' וְגוֹ'. וְאֶל מֹשֶׁה אָמַר, (קל"א ע"א) מַאן אָמַר. דָּא שְׁכִינְתָּא. עֲלֵהּ אֶל יְיָ', כְּמָה דִּכְתִּיב, (שמות י״ט:ג׳) וּמֹשֶׁה עָלָה אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים וְגוֹ'. (ס"א ויקרא אליו יי') אֲמַאי כָּל דָּא, לְקַיְּימָא עִמְּהוֹן קַיָּים, בְּגִין דְּהָא אִתְפְּרָעוּ, מַה דְּלָא נָפְקוּ הָכִי מִמִּצְרַיִם, דְּאִתְגְּזָרוּ, וְלָא אִתְפְּרָעוּ, (מ' ע"א) וְהָכָא הָא אִתְפְּרָעוּ, וְעָאלוּ בִּבְרִית קַיָּימָא, דִּכְתִּיב, (שמות ט״ו:כ״ה) שָׁם שָׂם לוֹ חֹק וּמִשְׁפָּט. דַּיְיקָא וְשָׁם נִסָּהוּ, בְּהַאי אָת קַדִּישָׁא, דְּאִתְגַּלְיָיא בְּהוּ, וְהָכָא אִתְקַיָּים בְּהוּ, עַל יְדָא דְּמֹשֶׁה גְּזִירָה דְּקַיָּימָא, דִּכְתִּיב, וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה אֶת הַדָּם וַיִּזְרֹק עַל הָעָם וְגוֹ'.

AND TO MOSES HE SAID, COME UP UNTO THE LORD. Who said this? The Shekinah. “Come up unto the Lord”: as it is written, “And Moses went up to God” (Ex. 19, 3). And for what other purpcse was Moses called up? To establish the covenant, for until that time it had not yet been completed because of the incomplete circumcision of the Israelites, as it is written: “There (at Marah) he made for them a statute and an ordinance” (Ex. 15, 25), these referring to the two acts connected with circumcision; “and there he proved them” (Ibid.), that is, when the holy sign of the covenant was manifested in them. Then the covenant was established through Moses, as it is written: “And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant…”.(/bid. 24, 8).

Segment 2ב׳

אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק מַאי דִּכְתִּיב, וַחֲצִי הַדָּם זָרַק עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, בַּמִּזְבֵּחַ לָא כְּתִיב, אֶלָּא עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ דַּיְיקָא. וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶם מֵרָחֹק, מַהוּ מֵרָחֹק. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (ירמיהו ל״א:ג׳) מֵרָחוֹק יְיָ' נִרְאָה לִי. וּכְתִיב, (שמות ב׳:ד׳) וַתֵּתַצַּב אֲחֹתוֹ מֵרָחֹק. תָּאנֵי רִבִּי אַבָּא, דְּקַיְּימָא סִיהֲרָא בִּפְגִימוּתָא, וּבֵיהּ שַׁעֲתָא, זָכוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל יַתִּיר בְּחוּלָקָא קַדִּישָׁא, וְגָזְרוּ קַיָּימָא קַדִּישָׁא בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא.

R. Isaac drew attention to the verse: “And Moses took half of the blood and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled upon the altar” (/bid. 5, 6). ‘The “upon” ‘, said he, ‘is of special significance, indicating that the covenant was made with the highest grade.’ AND WORSHIP YE AFAR OFF. The words afar off contain the same indication as in the verses, “The Lord appeared to me from afar” (Jer. 31, 2), and “and his sister stood afar off’ (Ex. 2, 4): namely, as R. Abba pointed out, that until that time the Moon (that is, the Shekinah) was on the wane, for Her light was obscured from before the eyes of the Israelites; but when that hour was arrived they were made more worthy of their holy portion, and established a holy covenant with Her and with the Holy One in all His aspects.

Segment 3ג׳

וְאֶל מֹשֶׁה אָמַר עֲלֵה אֶל יְיָ'. מַאי טַעְמָא. אָמְרָה לֵיהּ שְׁכִינְתָּא, אִסְתְּלִיק לְעֵילָּא, דְּהָא אֲנָא וְיִשְׂרָאֵל, נִשְׁתַּתֵּף כַּחֲדָא בִּשְׁלֵימוּתָא עַל יְדָךְ, מַה דְּלָא הֲוָה עַד הָכָא. מַה כְּתִיב וַיִּקַּח מֹשֶׁה חֲצִי הַדָּם וְגוֹ', פָּלַג לֵיהּ לִתְרֵין. חֲצִי הַדָּם זָרַק עַל הָעָם, וַחֲצִי הַדָּם זָרַק עַל הַמִּזְבֵּחַ, כְּמָה דְּאוֹקִימְנָא. וּכְתִיב, הִנִּה דַּם הַבְּרִית אֲשֶׁר כָּרַת יְיָ' עִמָּכֶם. וַיָּשֶׂם בָּאַגָּנֹת, בָּאַגָּנַת כְּתִיב, חָסֵר וָא"ו. כְּמָה דִּכְתִּיב, (שיר השירים ז׳:ג׳) שָׁרְרֵךְ אַגַן הַסַּהַר אַל יֶחְסַר הַמָּזֶג.

Why did the Shekinah say to Moses, “Go up to the Lord”? In order that “Israel and I may now, through thy mediation, participate as one being in the Divine perfection, which has not been the case hitherto”. So what did Moses do? He divided the blood into two parts: “half of the blood he sprinkled upon. the altar”-according to the significance which we have already revealed-and the other half he sprinkled upon the people and said: “behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you” (v. 8).HE PUT THE BLOOD IN BASINS. This is an allusion to the words: “Thy navel is a round basin” (S.S. 7, 7), which is applied to the Shekinah.