זוהר, נח ח׳Zohar, Noach 8

Segment 1א׳

רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אֲזַל לְגַבֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקוֹנְיָא חָמוֹי. כֵּיוָן דְּחָמָא לֵיהּ אַתְקִין לֵיהּ תּוּפְסִיתָא (ס"א טופסיסא) דְּקוּמְרָא בְּמָטוּן דְּקוּלְפָא וִיתִיבוּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ חָמוֹי אֶפְשָׁר דְּשָׁמַעְתְּ מֵאָבוּךְ הַאי דִכְתִיב (איכה ב׳:י״ז) עָשָׂה יְיָ אֲשֶׁר זָמַם בִּצַּע אֶמְרָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר צִוָה מִימֵי קֶדֶם.

R. Eleazar went to see R. Jose, the son of R. Simeon, the son of Lakunia, his father-in-law. The latter, as soon as he saw him, spread out for him a carpet under a canopy, on which they sat down. He asked his son-in-law, ‘Did you happen to hear from your father the interpretation of the verse: The Lord hath done that which he devised, he hath performed his word that he commanded in the days of old (Lam. 2, 17)?’

Segment 2ב׳

אָמַר לֵיהּ הָא אוּקְמוּהָ חַבְרַיָא. בִּצַּע אֶמְרָתוֹ, דְּבָזַע פּוֹרְפִּירָא דִּילֵיהּ. אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה מִימֵי קֶדֶם, דְּהָא פּוֹרְפִּירָא פָּקִיד לָהּ מֵאִנּוּן יוֹמֵי קַדְמָאֵי עִלָּאֵי, וּבְיוֹמָא דְּאִתְחָרִיב בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא בָּזַע לָהּ. בְּגִין דְּהַאי פּוֹרְפִּירָא אִיהִי יְקָרָא דִילֵיהּ וְתִיקוּנָא דִילֵיהּ וּבָזַע לֵיהּ.

He answered, ‘Our colleagues have interpreted it thus. They take the words bitza imratho (“He hath performed his word”) to mean “He rent his purple cloak”- that cloak which “he commanded from days of old”, that is, which He had appointed from the beginning of things. On the day the Temple was destroyed He rent that purple cloak which was His glory and ornament.’

Segment 3ג׳

אָמַר לֵיהּ עָשָׂה יְיָ אֲשֶׁר זָמַם. וְכִי מַלְכָּא חָשִׁיב (קודם) לְאַבְאָשָׁא לִבְנוֹי עַד לָא יֵיתוּן לְמֶחְטֵי. אָמַר לֵיהּ לְמַלְכָּא דְּהֲוָה לֵיהּ מָאן יְקָר, וּבְכָל יוֹמָא הֲוָה דָּחִיל עֲלֵיהּ דְּלָא יִתְבַּר וְהֲוָה מִסְתַּכֵּל בֵּיהּ וְתַקִּין בְּעֵינוֹי. לְיוֹמִין אֲתָא בְּרֵיהּ וְאַרְגִּיז לֵיהּ לְמַלְכָּא, נְטַל מַלְכָּא הַהוּא מָאן יְקָר וּתְבַר לֵיהּ. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב עָשָׂה יְיָ אֲשֶׁר זָמָם.

Said R. Jose: ‘What of the words “the Lord hath done that which he (had already) devised”? Does a king devise evil against his sons before they sin?’ R. Eleazar replied: ‘Imagine a king who possessed a precious vase, and who, being constantly apprehensive lest it should be broken, had it ever under his eyes, and never lost sight of it for a moment. One day his son came and provoked him to anger, so that in his rage he took up the vase and broke it in pieces. In this way the Lord “hath done that which he had already devised”.