זוהר, פנחס מ׳Zohar, Pinchas 40

Section 40 of 129 in Pinchas — 15 segments

Segment 1א׳

רעיא מהימנא אָמַר רַעְיָא מְהֵימָנָא, לֵית קָרְבְּנִין, אֶלָּא לְרַחֲקָא סִטְרִין מִסְאֲבִין, וּלְקָרְבָא דַּרְגִּין קַדִּישִׁין. וְאִתְּמַר בְּחִבּוּרָא קַדְמָאָה, דִּלְהוֹן, (ערקין דכבדא, אלין אישים וכל אינון חיילין ואתמר) עַרְקִין דְּכַבְדָא אִית מִנְּהוֹן רַבְרְבִין, אִית מִנְּהוֹן רַבְרְבִין וּזְעִירִין, וּמִתְפַּשְׁטִין מִנְּהוֹן לְכַמָּה סִטְרִין. וְאִלֵּין נַטְלִין אֵבָרִין וְאֱמוּרִין וּפְדָרִין דְּמִתְאַכְּלִין כָּל הַלַּיְלָה, דְּהָא קָרְבָּן כֹּלָּא לַיְיָ.

Ra'aya Meheimna. The Faithful Shepherd said: Offerings are only to remove the unclean sides and to bring near the holy grades. And it was said in the first composition concerning them (a variant adds: the veins of the liver: these are the fire-offerings and all those hosts; and it has been said) that of the veins of the liver there are great ones among them; there are among them great and small; and from them they spread to many sides. And these take the limbs, and the sacrificial parts and the fat pieces that are consumed all the night; for the offering is all to the Lord.

Segment 2ב׳

אָמַר בּוּצִּינָא קַדִּישָׁא, רַעְיָא מְהֵימָנָא, וַהֲלֹא אַמְרַת לְעֵיל דְּקָרְבְּנִין דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לָאו אִינּוּן אֶלָּא לְקָרְבָא י' בְּה' ו' בְּה'. אֶלָּא, אַף עַל גַּב דְּכָל קָרְבָּנִין צְּרִיכִין לְקָרֵב קַמֵּיהּ, אִיהוּ פָּלִיג לְכָל מַשִּׁרְיָין, מַאֲכָלִין דְּקָרְבְּנִין, לְכָל חַד כַּדְקָא חֲזֵי לֵיהּ, לְשִׂכְלִיִּים, מְזוֹנֵי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וּמִשְׁתְּיָיא דְּיִינָא וּמַיָּא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא. לְטִבְעִיִּים, דְּאִינּוּן שֵׁדִים דְּאִינּוּן כִּבְנֵי אָדָם, יָהִיב לוֹן אִלֵּין מַאֲכָלִין טִבְעִיִּים, דְּנָחִית אֶשָּׁא דִּלְהוֹן, לְמֵיכַל לוֹן.

The Holy Lamp said: Faithful Shepherd, did you not say above that the offerings of the Holy One, blessed be He, are only to bring near Yod with He, Vau with He? Rather, although all the offerings must be brought near before Him, He divides among all the camps the foods of the offerings, to each one as befits him: to the intellectual ones, the food of the Torah, and the drink of the wine and the water of the Torah; to the natural ones, which are demons that are like human beings, He gives these natural foods, for their fire comes down to eat them.

Segment 3ג׳

כְּמָה דְּאוֹקְמוּהָ רַבָּנָן, אִי זָכוּ, הֲוָה נָחִית כְּמוֹ אַרְיֵה דְּאֶשָּׁא לְמֵיכַל קָרְבְּנִין. וְאִי לָא, הֲוָה נָחִית תַּמָּן כְּמִין כַּלְבָּא דְּאֶשָּׁא. וְאוֹף הָכִי כַּד מִית בַּר נָשׁ, אִי זָכֵי, נָחִית בִּדְמוּת אַרְיֵה, לְקַבְּלָא נַפְשֵׁיהּ. וְאִי לָאו בִּדְמוּת כֶּלֶב, דְּאָמַר דָּוִד עָלֵיהּ, (תהילים כ״ב:כ״א) הַצִּילָה מֵחֶרֶב נַפְשִׁי מִיַּד כֶּלֶב יְחִידָתִי.

As the Rabbis have explained: if they were worthy, there would come down as it were a lion of fire to eat the offerings; and if not, there would come down there a kind of dog of fire. And so too when a man dies: if he is worthy, it comes down in the likeness of a lion to receive his soul; and if not, in the likeness of a dog, of which David said, “Deliver my soul from the sword, my only one from the power of the dog” (Ps. 22, 21).

Segment 4ד׳

וּבְגִין לְשֵׁיזָבָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא גּוּפֵיהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל מִנְּהוֹן וְנַפְשֵׁהוֹן. מָנֵי, לְקָרֵב קָרְבְּנִין דִּבְעִירָן וְגוּפָן בְּאַתְרַיְיהוּ, לְקַיֵּים (משלי כ״ה:כ״א) אִם רָעֵב שׂוֹנַאֲךָ הַאֲכִילֵהוּ לָחֶם וְאִם צָּמֵא הַשְׁקֵהוּ מָיִם. אֲבָל קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, לָא נָטִיל אֶלָּא רְעוּתָא דְּלִבָּא, וּתְבִירוּ דִּילֵיהּ (דאיהו ישראל). הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (תהילים נ״א:י״ט) זִבְחֵי אֱלֹהִים רוּחַ נִשְׁבָּרָה לֵב נִשְׁבָּר וְנִדְכֶּה אֱלֹהִים לֹא תִבְזֶה. כְּגַוְונָא דִּכְלֵי חֶרֶס, דְּאִתְּמַר בְּהוֹן נִשְׁבָּרוּ נִטְהָרוּ.

And in order that the Holy One, blessed be He, should save the bodies of Israel from them, and their souls, He commanded that offerings of beasts and bodies be brought near in their place, to fulfil “If your enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink” (Prov. 25, 21). But the Holy One, blessed be He, takes nothing but the desire of the heart and its brokenness (a variant adds: which is Israel). This is what is written: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (Ps. 51, 19). As with earthen vessels, of which it is said: once broken, they are purified.

Segment 5ה׳

כַּהֲנָא מוֹחָא. לֵוִי לִבָּא. גּוּפָא יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְאִתְּמַר בְּהוֹן, כֹּהֲנִים בַּעֲבוֹדָתָם, וּלְוִּיִם בְּדוּכָנָם, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמַעֲמָדָם. וְאִי כָּבֵד בָּעֵי לְקָרְבָא לְגַבֵּי דְּלִבָּא, חֶלְבֵּיהּ דְּאִינּוּן מִסְאֲבִין, אִיהוּ לָא נָטִיל. אֶלָּא שַׁמְנוּנוֹ דְּחֵלֶב טָהוֹר. כְּגַוְונָא דְּאִית בְּגוּפָא, חֵלֶב טָהוֹר וְחֵלֶב טָמֵא, דָּם צָּלִיל בְּלָא פְּסוֹלֶת, וְדָם עָכוּר בַּפְּסוֹלֶת. וְעַרְקִין דְּלִבָּא, חַיָּילִין קַדִּישִׁין. וְעַרְקִין דְּכָבֵד, חַיָּילִין מִסְאֲבִין. אוּף הָכִי אִינּוּן מַשִׁרְיָין דְּיֵצֶּר הָרָע, וּמַשִׁרְיָין דְּיִצֶּר הַטוֹב, אִלֵּין מְמָנָן עַל עַרְקִין דְּלִבָּא, וְאִלֵּין מְמָנָן עַל עַרְקִין דְּכַבְדָא. אוּף הָכִי תְּרֵי אוֹמֵי, יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאוּמִין דְּעָלְמָא עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת.

The priest is the brain, the Levite the heart, the body Israel. And it is said of them: the priests at their service, the Levites on their platform, and Israel at their station. And if the liver seeks to draw near to the heart, its fats, which are unclean, it does not take — only the richness of pure fat. As in the body there is pure fat and unclean fat, clear blood without dross and turbid blood with dross. And the veins of the heart are holy hosts, and the veins of the liver are unclean hosts. So too these are the camps of the evil inclination and the camps of the good inclination: these are appointed over the veins of the heart, and those are appointed over the veins of the liver. So too there are two peoples: Israel, and the idolatrous nations of the world.

…and 10 more segments in this section.

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Zohar — Vocalized Zohar, Israel 2013, via Sefaria

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