זוהר, פקודי ה׳Zohar, Pekudei 5

Segment 1א׳

פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (תהילים מ״ח:ג׳) יְפֵה נוֹף מְשׂוֹשׂ כָּל הָאָרֶץ הַר צִיּוֹן יַרְכְּתֵי צָפוֹן קִרְיַת מֶלֶךְ רָב. תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּד בָּרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָלְמָא, אַשְׁדֵּי חַד אַבְנָא יַקִּירָא מִתְּחוֹת כֻּרְסֵי יְקָרֵיהּ, וְשָׁקַע עַד תְּהוֹמָא, וְרֵישָׁא חֲדָא דְּהַהוּא אַבְנָא נָעִיץ גּוֹ תְּהוֹמֵי, וְרֵישָׁא אַחֲרָא לְעֵילָּא, וְהַהוּא רֵישָׁא אַחֲרָא עִלָּאָה, אִיהוּ חַד נְקוּדָה (עילאה) דְּקַיְּימָא בְּאֶמְצָעִיתָא דְּעָלְמָא, וּמִתַּמָּן אִתְפָּשַׁט עָלְמָא לִימִינָא וּשְׂמָאלָא וּלְכָל סִטְרִין, וְאִתְקָיָּים בְּהַהִיא נְקוּדָה אֶמְצָעִיתָא, וְהַהִיא אַבְנָא אִתְקְרֵי שְׁתִיָּה, דְּמִנָהּ אִשְׁתִּיל עָלְמָא לְכָל סִטְרִין. תּוּ (ויחי רל"א ע"א) שְׁתִיָּ"ה, שָׁת יָ"הּ, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא שַׁוֵּי לָהּ לְמֶהֱוֵי יְסוֹדָא דְּעָלְמָא וּשְׁתִילוּ דְּכֹלָּא.

R. Judah further cited in regard to this the verse: “Beautiful bowery, the joy of the whole earth; even Mount Zion, the uttermost parts of the north, the city of the great king” (Ps. 48, 3). ‘Observe’, he said, ‘that when the Holy One, blessed be He, was about to create the world, He detached one precious stone from underneath His Throne of Glory and plunged it into the Abyss, one end of it remaining fastened therein whilst the other end stood out above; and this other and superior head constituted the nucleus of the world, the point out of which the world started, spreading itself to right and left and into all directions, and by which it is sustained. That nucleus, that stone, is called sh’thyiah (foundation), as it was the starting-point of the world. The name sh’thyiah, furthermore, is a compound of shath (founded) and Kah (God), signifying that the Holy One, blessed be He, made it the foundation and starting-point of the world and all that is therein.

Segment 2ב׳

בִּתְלַת גַּוְונִין אִתְפַּשְּׁטַת אַרְעָא סַחֲרָנֵיהּ דְּהַהוּא נְקוּדָה, אִתְפַּשְּׁטוּתָא קַדְמָאָה, סַחֲרָנֵיהּ דְּהַהוּא נְקוּדָה, כָּל צָחוּתָא וּזְכוּתָא דְּאַרְעָא קַיְּימָא תַּמָּן, וְתַמָּן אִיהוּ. וְהַאי קַיְּימָא לְעֵילָּא עַל כָּל אַרְעָא סַחֲרָנֵיהּ דְּהַהוּא נְקוּדָה. אִתְפַּשְּׁטוּתָא תִּנְיָינָא, סַחֲרָנֵיהּ דְּהַהוּא אִתְפַּשְּׁטוּתָא קַדְמָאָה, לָאו אִיהוּ צָחוּתָא וְזָכּוּתָא כְּהַהוּא קַדְמָאָה, אֲבָל אִיהוּ דָּקִיק וְצַח בְּצָחוּתָא דְּעַפְרָא, יַתִּיר מִכָּל שְׁאַר עָפָר אַחֲרָא. אִתְפַּשְּׁטוּתָא תְּלִיתָאָה, אִיהוּ חָשׁוּךְ וְגָסוּ דְּעַפְרָא יַתִּיר מְכֻּלְּהוּ, וְסַחֲרָנֵיהּ דְּהַאי, קַיְימִין מַיִין דְּיַמָּא דְּאוֹקְיָּינוֹס, דְּאַסְחַר כָּל עָלְמָא. אִשְׁתְּכַח דְּהַהוּא נְקוּדָה קַיְּימָא בְּאֶמְצָעִיתָא, וְכֻלְּהוּ גַּוְונִין דְּאִתְפְּשָׁטוּתָא דְּעָלְמָא סַחֲרָנֵיהּ.

Now, the earth’s expansion round the central point was completed in three concentric rings, each of a different hue and texture. The first ring, the nearest to the Point, is of the purest and most refined earth-material; the second expansion, surrounding the first, is of a less polished, less refined earth-material than the first, but is superior to the one surrounding it; the third expansion consists of the darkest and coarsest earth-material of all. Then, surrounding that expansion, come the waters of the ocean that surrounds the whole world. Thus the point is in the centre, and the various expansions encircle it.

Segment 3ג׳

אִתְפַּשְּׁטוּתָא קַדְמָאָה אִיהוּ בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא, וְכָל אִינּוּן הֵיכָלִין וַעֲזָרוֹת, וְכָל הַהוּא תִּקּוּנָא דִּילֵיהּ, וִיְרוּשָׁלַ ם, וְכָל מָתָא מִשּׁוּרָא וּלְגוֹ. אִתְפַּשְּׁטוּתָא תִּנְיָינָא, כָּל אַרְעָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל דְּאִתְקַדְּשַׁת בִּקְדוּשָּׁה. אִתְפַּשְּׁטוּתָא תְּלִיתָאָה, אִיהוּ כָּל שְׁאַר אַרְעָא, אֲתָר בֵּי מוֹתְבָא דִּשְׁאַר עַמִּין. וְיַמָּא דְּאוֹקְיָּינוֹס דְּסָחֲרָא כֹּלָּא.

The first expansion embraces the Sanctuary and all its courts and enclosures and all its appurtenances, as well as the whole city of Jerusalem bounded by the wall; the second expansion embraces the whole of the Land of Israel, the Land which was declared holy; the third expansion comprehends the rest of the earth, the dwelling-place of all the other nations. Then comes the great ocean which surrounds the whole.