זוהר, נח מ״בZohar, Noach 42

Section 42 of 44 in Noach — 26 segments

Segment 1א׳

תָּא חֲזֵי, וַיְהִי כָל הָאָרֶץ שָׂפָה אַחַת וְגו' לְבָתַר מַה כְּתִיב וַיְהִי בְּנָסְעָם מִקֶּדֶם. מֵהַהוּא קַדְמָאָה דְעָלְמָא. וַיִּמְצְאוּ בִּקְעָה בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר. דְּהָא מִתַּמָּן מִתְפָּרְשָׁן לְכָל אִנוּן סִטְרִין, וְאִיהוּ רִישׁ מַלְכוּ לְאִתְבְּדָרָא.

Hence it says: “And the whole earth was of one language”, and afterwards, “and it came to pass as they journeyed miquedem” (lit. from before), i.e. from that which is the starting-point of the world, “that they found a valley in the land of Shin’ar”, for from there they spread out in all directions, and that spot is the starting-point of differentiation.

Segment 2ב׳

וְאִי תֵימָא הָא כְּתִיב (בראשית ב׳:י׳) וְנָהָר יוֹצֵא מֵעֵדֶן לְהַשְׁקוֹת אֶת הַגָּן וּמִשָּׁם יִפָּרֵד. וַדַּאי הָכִי הוּא דְּכֵיוָן דְּנָטְלֵי מִתַּמָּן הֲוֵי פִּירוּדָא, וְכַד אִנוּן כְּנִישִׁין תַּמָּן לְיַנְקָאָה לָא הֲוִי פִּירוּדָא. וְכַד נָטְלִין הֲוֵי פִּירוּדָא, דִּכְתִיב וַיְהִי בְּנָסְעָם מִקֶּדֶם וַיִּמְצְאוּ בִּקְעָה כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמָר.

It may be objected that differentiation started later, as we read, “a river went forth from Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted”. The truth is that when they move from the first spot there is separation, and when they gather together to draw sustenance there is no separation, and when they journey again there is separation. Hence it is written, “And it came to pass when they journeyed from the East that they found a valley”, as has been explained.’

Segment 3ג׳

וַיְהִי כָל הָאָרֶץ שָׂפָה אֶחָת וּדְבָרִים אֲחָדִים דְּהָא כְּדֵין עָלְמָא בִּיסוֹדָא וְעִקָּרָא וְשָׁרְשָׁא חָדָא וּמְהֵימְנוּתָא חָדָא בֵּיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. מַה כְּתִיב וַיְהִי בְּנָסְעָם מִקֶּדֶם מִקַּדְמָאָה עִקָּרָא דְּעָלְמָא מְהֵימְנוּתָא דְּכֹלָּא. וַיִּמְצְאוּ בִּקְעָה. מְצִיאָה אַשְׁכָּחוּ וְנָפְקוּ בָּהּ מִתְּחוֹת מְהֵימְנוּתָא עִלָּאָה (וימצאו).

AND THE WHOLE EARTH WAS OF ONE LANGUAGE AND ONE SPEECH, i.e. the world was still a unity with one single faith in the Holy One, blessed be He. BUT AFTERWARDS THEY JOURNEYED AWAY miquedem (lit. from before), that is, from the One who is before all, from the foot of the world, who was the object of universal faith. AND THEY FOUND A PLAIN, that is, they made a discovery, by means of which they shook off their faith in the Most High.

Segment 4ד׳

תָּא חֲזֵי, נִמְרוֹד מַה כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ וַתְּהִי רֵאשִׁית מַמְלַכְתּוֹ בָּבֶל. דְּהָא מִתַּמָּן נְטַל לְאִתְאַחֲדָא בִּרְשׁוּ אָחֳרָא. וְהָכָא וַיִּמְצְאוּ בִּקְעָה בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר מִתַּמָּן נְטָלוּ בְּלִבַּיְיהוּ לְאֲפָקָא מֵרְשׁוּתָא עִלָּאָה לִרְשׁוּ אָחֳרָא:

So it is written of Nimrod: AND THE BEGINNING OF HIS KINGDOM WAS BABEL, this being the starting-point from which he commenced to attach himself to other powers. Similarly here, “they found a plain in the land of Shin’ar”, a place in which they conceived the idea of forsaking the Supernal Power for another power.

Segment 5ה׳

וַיֹּאמְרוּ הָבָה נִבְנָה לָנוּ עִיר וּמִגְדָּל וְרֹאשׁוֹ בַּשָּׁמַיִם וְנַעֲשֶׂה לָנוּ שֵׁם. רַבִּי חִיָּיא פָּתַח (ישעיהו נ״ז:כ׳) וְהָרְשָׁעִים כַּיָּם נִגְרָשׁ וְגו'. וְכִי אִית יָם נִגְרָשׁ. אִין, דְּכַד יַמָּא נַפְקָא מִתִּקּוּנֵיהּ וְאָזִיל (בלא הבלא) בְּלָא חַבָּלָא, כְּדֵין נִגְרַשׁ וְאִתְתְּרַךְ מֵאַתְרֵיהּ, כְּמַאן דְּרָוֵי חַמְרָא וְלָא יָתִיב עַל בּוּרְיֵיהּ וְסָלְקָא וְנָחֲתָא. מַאי טַעְמָא בְּגִין כִּי הַשְׁקֵט לא יוּכַל, וְיִגְרְשׁוּ מֵימָיו רֶפֶשׁ וְטִיט. דְּמַפְקוּ מֵימוֹי כָּל הַהוּא טִינָא דְיַמָּא וְכָל טִנּוּפָא לְשִׂפְוָותֵיהּ.

AND THEY SAID: COME, LET US BUILD US A CITY, AND A TOWER, WITH ITS TOP IN HEAVEN, AND LET US MAKE US A NAME. R. Hiya began his discourse with the text: And the wicked are like the driven sea (Is. 57, 20). ‘When can the sea be said to be “driven”? When it becomes violently disturbed and sways this way and that and is driven from its bed; it is then like a drunken man, reeling and staggering and heaving up and down. “For it cannot rest, and its waters cast up mire and dirt” (Ibid.), i.e. it throws up all the dirt and foul matter of the sea on to the shore.

…and 21 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