זוהר, פקודי ל״וZohar, Pekudei 36

Segment 1א׳

וְתָא חֲזֵי, בְּכֹלָּא בָּעָא אַהֲרֹן לְאִתְדַכְּאָה, דְּאִלּוּ אִיהוּ לָא הֲוָה, לָא נָפַק עֶגְלָא. מַאי טַעְמָא. בְּגִין דְּאַהֲרֹן אִיהוּ (רפ"א ע"א) יְמִינָא. וְאִיהוּ תּוּקְפָּא דְּשִׁמְשָׁא, וְדַהֲבָא מִשִׁמְשָׁא. רוּחַ מִסַאֲבָא נָחַת, וְאִתְכְּלִיל תַּמָּן, וְאִסְתְּאָבוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאִסְתְּאַב אִיהוּ, עַד דְּאִתְדָּכוּ.

Observe that Aaron had to purge himself, for but for him the calf would not have emerged. For Aaron belonged to the “right side”, he symbolized the strength of the sun, the source whence gold originates; and so the unclean spirit came down and insinuated itself, with the result that the Israelites were defiled, and Aaron also.

Segment 2ב׳

מַאי טַעְמָא אִסְתְּאַב. בְּגִין דְּנָפַק עֵגֶל, דְּאִיהוּ מִסִּטְרָא דִּשְׂמָאלָא, דְּאִיהוּ שׁוֹר, וּמִימִינֵיהּ עֵגֶל. וְאִיהוּ שְׂמָאלָא, כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמַר, דִּכְתִּיב (יחזקאל א׳:י׳) וּפְנִי שׁוֹר מֵהַשְּׂמֹאל לְאַרְבַּעְתָּן. וְאַהֲרֹן דְּאִיהוּ יְמִינָא, אִתְכְּלִיל בֵּיהּ שְׂמָאלָא, וְנָפַק עַל יְדֵיהּ. וְעַל דָּא, אִתְיְיהִיב לֵיהּ עֵגֶל, כְּמָה דְּאִיהוּ גָּרִים.

Aaron was defiled through the emergence of the calf that belongs to the left side, as it says: “and the face of the ox on the left side” (Ezek 1, 10). Thus, though Aaron was of the “right side”, the “left side” was there in absorption, the side that gave occasion for the calf.

Segment 3ג׳

וּבְגִין כָּךְ, כַּד הַאי רוּחָא מְסַאֲבָא אִתְתָּקַּף, וְשָׁלִיט כְּמִלְּקַדְּמִין עַל עָלְמָא, דְּהָא בְּזִמְנָא דְּחָאבוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל, אַמְשִׁיכוּ עָלַיְיהוּ הַהוּא יֵצֶר הָרָע כְּמִלְּקַדְּמִין. כַּד אִתְדָּכוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּבָעוּ לְאִתְדַכָּאָה, אִצְטְרִיכוּ לְקָרְבָא שָׂעִיר, בְּגִין דְּשעִיר אִיהוּ חוּלָקָא דְּהַהוּא יֵצֶר הָרָע, הַהוּא רוּחַ מְסַאֲבָא כִּדְקַאמְרָן.

In this way the unclean spirit prevailed and regained his former rule over the world. For Israel, through their sin, drew to themselves the evil impulse as formerly. And in order to purge themselves they needed to offer up a goat, inasmuch as the goat is the portion of the evil impulse, that is, the unclean spirit, as already said.