זוהר, פנחס ק״דZohar, Pinchas 104

Segment 1א׳

וּבַחֹדֶשׁ הָרִאשׁוֹן וְגוֹ'. רִבִּי אַבָּא פָּתַח, (תהילים מ״ב:ב׳) כְּאַיָּל תַּעֲרוֹג עַל אֲפִיקֵי מָיִם כֵּן נַפְשִׁי תַעֲרוֹג אֵלֶיךָ אֱלֹהִים. הַאי קְרָא אוֹקְמוּהָ, כְּתִיב הָכָא אַיָּל וּכְתִיב הָתָם אַיֶּלֶת בְּגִין דְּאִית דְּכַר וְאִית נוּקְבָּא (ואף על גב דאית דכר ונוקבא, כולא חד. האי איל, איהו אקרי דכר. ואיהו אקרי נוקבא. הדא הוא דכתיב כאיל תערוג ולא כתיב יערוג. וכלא חד. אילת השחר).

“And in the first month,” etc. R. Abba opened: “As the hart pants after the water brooks, so my soul pants after You, O God” (Ps. 42, 2). This verse has been explained. Here it is written “hart” (ayyal), and there it is written “hind” (ayyelet), because there is male and there is female. (a variant adds: And although there is male and female, all is one. This hart is called male, and is called female. That is what is written, “As the hart ta'arog (she pants)” — and it is not written ya'arog (he pants). And all is one. The hind of the dawn.)

Segment 2ב׳

מַאי אַיֶּלֶת הַשַּׁחַר. אֶלָּא דָּא אִיהִי חַיָּה חֲדָא רַחֲמָנִית, דְּלֵית בְּכָל חֵיוָן דְּעָלְמָא רַחֲמָנִית כְּוָותָהּ. בְּגִין דִּבְשַׁעֲתָא דִּדְחִיקַת לָהּ שַׁעֲתָא, וְאִצְטְרִיכַת לִמְזוֹנָא לָהּ וּלְכָל חֵיוָן. אִיהִי אַזְלַת לְמֵרָחִיק לְאֹרַח רְחִיקָא. וְאָתִיאַת וְאוֹבִילַת מְזוֹנָא. וְלָא בָּעָאת לְמֵיכַל, עַד דְּתֵיתֵי וְתִתְהַדָר לְאַתְרָהָא. אֲמָאי. בְּגִין דְּיִתְכַּנְשׁוּן לְגַבָהּ שְׁאַר חֵיוָן, וּתְחָלֵק לוֹן מֵהַהוּא מְזוֹנָא. וְכַד אָתַת, מִתְכַּנְּשִׁין לְגַבָּהּ כָּל שְׁאַר חֵיוָן, וְהִיא קַיְּימָא בְּאֶמְצָעִיתָא, וּפַלְגַת לְכָל חַד וְחַד. וְסִימָן, (משלי ל״א:ט״ו) וַתָּקָם בְּעוֹד לַיְלָה וַתִּתֵּן טֶרֶף לְבֵיתָהּ וְגוֹ'. וּמִמַּה דִּפְלִיגַת לוֹן, אִיהִי שַׂבְעָה, כְּאִלּוּ אָכְלָה יַתִּיר מֵיכְלָא מִכֹּלָּא. (אימתי פליגת לון).

What is “the hind of the dawn”? Rather, this is one compassionate creature; among all the creatures of the world there is none so compassionate as she. For when the hour presses upon her, and she needs food for herself and for all the creatures, she goes far off, on a distant road, and comes back and brings food. And she will not eat until she has come and returned to her place. Why? So that the other creatures may gather to her, and she may divide among them from that food. And when she comes, all the other creatures gather to her, and she stands in the middle and divides to each and every one. And the sign is: “She rises also while it is yet night, and gives food to her household,” etc. (Prov. 31, 15). And from what she divides among them she is sated, as though she had eaten more food than all. (When does she divide it among them?)

Segment 3ג׳

וְכַד יֵיתֵי צַפְרָא דְּאִקְרֵי שַׁחַר. יֵיתֵי לָהּ חֲבָלִים דְּגָלוּתָא. וּבְגִין דָּא, אִתְקְרִיאַת אַיֶּלֶת הַשַּׁחַר. עַל שֵׁם קַדְרוּתָא דְּצַפְרָא. דַּחֲבָלִים לָהּ כַּיּוֹלֵדָה. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (ישעיהו כ״ו:י״ז) כְּמוֹ הָרָה תַּקְרִיב לָלֶדֶת תָּחִיל תִּזְעַק בַּחֲבָלֶיהָ וְגוֹ'. (אמר רעיא מהימנא בההוא זמנא שייך אחרי זה)

And when the morning comes, which is called shachar, the pangs of the exile come upon her. And therefore she is called the hind of the dawn, on account of the blackness of the morning; for she has pangs like a woman in childbirth. That is what is written, “Like as a woman with child, that draws near the time of her delivery, is in pain and cries out in her pangs,” etc. (Isa. 26, 17). (The Faithful Shepherd said: “At that time” — belongs after this.)