זוהר, נח ל״הZohar, Noach 35

Segment 1א׳

רַבִּי יְהוּדָה קָם לֵילְיָא חַד לְמִלְעֵי בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא בְּפַלְגוּ לֵילְיָא בְּבֵי אוּשְׁפִּיזָא בְּמָתָא מַחְסֵיָא. וְהֲוָה תַּמָּן בְּבֵיתָא חַד יוּדָאי דְּאֲתָא בִּתְרֵי קְסִירָא דְקַטְפִירָא. פָּתַח רַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְאָמַר (בראשית כ״ח:כ״ב) וְהָאֶבֶן הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתִּי מַצֵּבָה יִהְיֶה בֵּית אֱלֹהִים. דָּא הִיא אֶבֶן שְׁתִיָּה דְּמִתַּמָּן אִשְׁתִּיל עָלְמָא וְעֲלָה אִתְבְּנֵי בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא.

R. Judah one night, whilst staying at an inn in Matha-Mehasia, rose at midnight to study the Torah. At the time there happened to be there a certain Judean traveller who had with him two sacks of clothes. R. Judah began to expound the verse, “And this stone which I have set up for a pillar shall be God’s house” (Gen. 28, 22). ‘That stone’, he said, ‘was the foundation stone out of which the world evolved, and on which the Temple was built.’

Segment 2ב׳

זָקַף רֵישֵׁיהּ הַהוּא יוּדָאי וְאֲמַר לָהּ הַאי מִלָּה אֵיךְ אֶפְשָׁר, וְהָא אֶבֶן שְׁתִיָּה עַד לָא אִתְבְּרֵי עָלְמָא הֲוַת וּמִינָהּ אִשְׁתִּיל עָלְמָא, וְאַתְּ אֲמַרְתְּ וְהָאֶבֶן הַזֹּאת אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתִּי מַצֵּבָה. דְּמַשְׁמַע דְּיַעֲקֹב שַׁוֵי לָהּ הַשְׁתָּא דִּכְתִיב, (בראשית כ״ח:כ״ב) וַיִּקַּח אֶת הָאֶבֶן אֲשֶׁר שָׂם מֵרַאֲשׁוֹתָיו. וְתוּ דְּיַעֲקֹב בְּבֵית אֵל הֲוָה וְהַאי אַבְנָא הֲוַת בִּיְרוּשָׁלַ ם.

The Judean raised his head and said, ‘How is this possible? This foundation stone was created before the world, to be the point from which the world evolved, and yet you say that it is referred to in the verse, “and this stone which I have set up for a pillar”, which indicates that Jacob put it there, this being the same stone of which it is said, “and he took the stone that he had put under his head” (Ibid. I8). A further difficulty is that Jacob was in Bethel, whereas the foundation stone is in Jerusalem.’

Segment 3ג׳

רַבִּי יְהוּדָה לָא אַסְחַר רֵישֵׁיהּ לְגַבֵּיהּ, פָּתַח וְאָמַר (עמוס ד׳:י״ב) הִכּוֹן לִקְרַאת אֱלקֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל. וּכְתִיב, (דברים כ״ז:ט׳) הַסְכֵּת וּשְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל. מִלֵּי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא בָּעְיָין כַּוָּונָה. וּמִלִּין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא בָּעָאן לְאִתְתַּקָּנָא בְּגוּפָא וּרְעוּתָא כְּחֲדָא. קָם הַהוּא יוּדָאי וְאִתְלַבַּשׁ, וְיָתִיב לְגַבֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי יְהוּדָה, וְאָמַר זַכָּאִין אַתּוּן צַדִּיקַיָא דְּמִשְׁתַּדְּלֵי בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא יוֹמָא וְלֵילֵי.

R. Judah, without turning his head, recited the verse, “Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel” (Amos 4, 12), and also “Be attentive and hearken, O Israel” (Deut. 27, 9). ‘We learn from here, he said, ‘that the study of the Torah must be approached with proper preparation, not only of the mind but also of the body.’ The Judean then arose and put on his garments, and seating himself beside R. Judah, said, ‘Happy are ye righteous who give yourselves up to the study of the Torah day and night.’