זוהר, נח כ״זZohar, Noach 27

Segment 1א׳

וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת הַתֵּבָה וַתָּרָם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ. רַבִּי אַבָּא פָּתַח (תהילים נ״ז:ו׳) רוּמָה עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם אֱלֹהִים עַל כָּל הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדֶךָ. וַוי לוֹן לְחַיָיבַיָא דְּאִנּוּן חָטָאן וּמַרְגִּיזִין לְמָארֵיהוֹן בְּכָל יוֹמָא. וּבְחוֹבַיְיהוּ דַּחְיָין לָהּ לַשְּׁכִינְתָּא מֵאַרְעָא. וְגָרְמִין דְּתִסְתַּלֵּק מֵעָלְמָא. וּשְׁכִינְתָּא אִקְרֵי אֱלֹהִים. וְעֲלָהּ כְּתִיב רוּמָה עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם אֱלהִים.

AND THEY BORE UP THE ARK, AND IT WAS LIFTED UP ABOVE THE EARTH. R. Abba connected this text with the verse: Be thou raised above the heavens, O Elohim, thy glory be above all the earth (Ps. 57, 6). ‘Woe,’ he said, ‘to the sinners who daily provoke their Master, and through their sins repel the Shekinah and cause it to disappear from the world, wherefore the Scripture says: “Be thou raised above the heavens, O Elohim” (the Shekinah being called Elohim).

Segment 2ב׳

תָּא חֲזֵי, מַה כְּתִיב וַיִּשְׂאוּ אֶת הַתֵּבָה דְּדַחְיָין לָהּ לְבַר. וַתָּרָם מֵעַל הָאָרֶץ, דְּלָא שַׁרְיָיא בְּעָלְמָא וְאִסְתַּלְקַת מִנָּהּ. וְכַד אִסְתַּלְקַת מֵעָלְמָא, הָא לֵית מַאן דְּיַשְׁגַּח בְּעָלְמָא וְדִינָא שָׁלְטָא (בדינא) כְּדֵין עֲלוֹי. וְכַד יִתְמָחוּן חַיָּיבֵי עָלְמָא וְיִסְתַּלְּקוּן מִנֵּיהּ (דעלמא), שְׁכִינְתָּא אֲהַדְרַת מְדוֹרָהּ בְּעָלְמָא.

So here, the words, “and they bore up the ark” indicate that they thrust her forth, and the words, “it was lifted up above the earth”, that she found no more rest in the world, and so departed altogether from it. And in the absence of the Shekinah there is no one to take thought for the world, with the result that divine justice is exercised upon it with rigour. But when the wicked are blotted out and removed from the world, the Shekinah again takes up her abode therein.’

Segment 3ג׳

אָמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי יֵיסָא, אִי הָכִי הָא אַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל דְּאִתְמָחוּן חַיָּיבַיָא דְּהֲווּ בְּהַהוּא זִמְנָא אַמַּאי לָא אֲהַדְּרַת שְׁכִינְתָּא לְאַתְרָהּ כְּדִבְקַדְמִיתָא. אָמַר לֵיהּ בְּגִין דְּלָא אִשְׁתָּאֲרוּ בָהּ שְׁאָר זַכָּאֵי עָלְמָא. אֶלָּא (אבל) בְּכָל אֲתַר דְּאֲזְלוּ נַחְתַת וְשַׁוִּיאַת מְדוֹרָהּ עִמְּהוֹן. וּמַה בְּאַרְעָא נוּכְרָאָה אָחֳרָא לָא אִתְפָּרְשָׁא מִנַּיְיהוּ, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן אִי אִשְׁתְּאָרוּ בְּאַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא.

R. Jose put to R. Abba the question: ‘Why, after the sinners in the land of Israel were wiped out, did the Shekinah not return to her former habitation?’ R. Abba replied: ‘It is because the remnant of the righteous did not remain there, for wherever these went the Shekinah descended and made her habitation with them. We thus see that in a strange land she does not separate from them; how much more would she cling to them had they remained in the Holy Land!