זוהר, נח מ״אZohar, Noach 41

Segment 1א׳

מַתְנִיתִין. וַיְהִי כָל הָאָרֶץ שָׂפָה אַחַת וּדְבָרִים אֲחָדִים. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן פָּתַח (מלכים א ו׳:ז׳) וְהַבַּיִת בְּהִבָּנוֹתוֹ אֶבֶן שְׁלֵמָה מַסַּע נִבְנָה וּמַקָּבוֹת וְהַגַּרְזֶן כָּל כְּלֵי בַּרְזֶל לא נִשְׁמַע בַּבַּיִת בְּהִבָּנוֹתוֹ. (האי קרא אית לאסתכלא ביה), וְהַבַּיִת בְּהִבָּנוֹתוֹ. וְכִי לָא הֲוָה בָּנִי לֵיהּ שְׁלמֹה וְכֻלְהוּ אוּמָנִין דְּהֲווּ תַּמָּן, מַהוּ בְּהִבָּנוֹתוֹ.

AND THE WHOLE EARTH WAS OF ONE LANGUAGE AND OF ONE SPEECH. R. Simeon began his discourse with the verse: And the house in its being built, was built of stone made ready at the quarry; and there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house in its being built (I Kings 6, 7). He said: The phrase “in its being built” (behibbonotho) implies self-building, as though without the hands of artisans. Were not, then, Solomon with all his workpeople engaged in the work of building?

Segment 2ב׳

אֶלָּא כָּךְ הוּא כְּמָה דִכְתִיב, (שמות כ״ה:ל״א) מִקְשָׁה תֵּיעָשֶׂה הַמְנוֹרָה. אִם הִיא מִקְשָׁה מַהוּ תֵּיעָשֶׂה. אֶלָּא וַדַּאי כֹּלָּא בְּאָת וְנִיסָּא אִתְעֲבִיד אִיהוּ מִגַּרְמֵיהּ. כֵּיוָן דְּשָׁרָאן לְמֶעְבַּד עֲבִידְתָּא אוֹלִיף לְאוּמָנִין לְמֶעְבַּד בָּהּ מַה דְּלֹא הֲווּ יָדְעִין מִקַּדְמַת דְּנָא.

It was here as with the candlestick, in regard to which we read, “And thou shalt make… of beaten work will the candlestick be made” (Ex. 25, 31). If the candlestick was to be made of itself, why say “thou shalt make it”? In reality it was made of itself, by a miracle. So soon as the artisans set their hands to the work, it showed them how to proceed in a manner quite novel to them,

Segment 3ג׳

מַאי טַעְמָא בְּגִין דְּבִרְכְתָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא שְׁרָא עַל יְדַיְיהוּ, וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב בְּהִבָּנוֹתוֹ אִיהוּ אִתְבְּנִי מִגַּרְמֵיהּ, דְּהוּא אוּלְפָא אוּלְפַן לְאוּמָנִין הֵיאךְ שָׁרָאן לְמֶעְבַּד, וְלָא אִסְתַּלַּק מֵעֵינַיְיהוּ רְשִׁימוּ דְּהַהוּא עֲבִידְתָּא מַמָּשׁ וּמִסְתַּכְּלָאן בֵּיהּ וְעָבְדֵי עַד דְּאִתְבְּנֵי כָּל בֵּיתָא.

the reason being that the blessing of the Almighty rested on their hands; and similarly here, in the building of the Sanctuary. It was built of its own accord, though seemingly by the hands of the labourers; it showed the workers a design which guided their hands and from which they did not turn their eyes until the whole building of the house was completed.