זוהר, פנחס נ״אZohar, Pinchas 51

Segment 1א׳

תִּקּוּנָא תְּלִיתָאָה סֵדֶר דִּבּוּרָא (ס"א חדר דדבורא) דִּצְּלוֹתָא, דְּבֵיהּ חֵיוָן אֶשָּׁא מְמַלְּלָן. וְהַאי הִיא (יחזקאל א׳:כ״ז) וָאֵרֶא כְּעֵין חַשְׁמַל כְּמַרְאֵה אֵשׁ בֵּית לָהּ סָבִיב. הַאי אִיהוּ רָזָא דְּחַשְׁמַל. דְּאִינּוּן חֵיוָן אֶשָּׁא, עִתִּים חָשׁוֹת עִתִּים מְמַלְּלוֹת. וְאִינּוּן דְּחָשׁוֹת לְסֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, בְּזִמְנָא דְּדִבּוּר נָפִיק מִפִּי הַקּוֹרֵא, אִיהוּ חָשִׁיב לְגַבַּיְיהוּ, כְּאִלּוּ מְקַבְּלִים אוֹרַיְיתָא בְּטוּרָא דְּסִינַי. וּבְזִמְנָא דְּאָמַר אִיהוּ אָנֹכִי, לָא אִשְׁתְּמַע קָלָא, וְלָא דִּבּוּרָא אַחֲרָא דְּחֵיוָן, אֶלָּא דִּילֵיהּ.

The third ordering: the order of the speech (a variant reads: the chamber of the speech) of prayer, in which the Hayyoth of fire speak. And this is “And I saw as the colour of hashmal, as the appearance of fire round about enclosing it” (Ezek. 1, 27). This is the mystery of hashmal: for they are Hayyoth of fire, at times silent, at times speaking. And those who are silent for the scroll of the Torah — at the time when speech goes forth from the mouth of the reader, it is accounted to them as if they were receiving the Torah on Mount Sinai. And at the time when he says Anochi (I), no voice is heard, and no other speech of the Hayyoth, but His alone.

Segment 2ב׳

כְּגַוְונָא דָּא, כַּד דִּבּוּרָא דָּא נָפִיק מִפּוּמֵיהּ דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, חַיוֹת אֵשׁ חָשׁוֹת. וּבְזִמְנָא דְּשָׁתִיק חַיוֹת אֵשׁ מְמַלְּלוֹת. הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִּיב, (שמות כ׳:ט״ו) וְכָל הָעָם רוֹאִים אֶת הַקּוֹלוֹת, קָלִין דְּחֵיוָן, דַּהֲווֹ שָׁאֲגִין. וְאֶת הַלַּפִּידִים, דַּהֲווֹ נָפְקִין בְּדִבּוּר דְּחֵיוָן, בְּכַמָּה מִינֵי נִגּוּן קֳדָם מַלְכָּא. וְאִלֵּין דְּאִינּוּן דְּחָשׁוֹת לְסֵפֶר תּוֹרָה, אִינּוּן בְּדִּיוּקְנַיְיהוּ דְּחֵיוָן. וּמָנֵי לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, לְאַעֲלָא לוֹן, בְּחֵדֶר דְּמַרְאֶה אֵשׁ בֵּית לָהּ.

In the same way, when this speech goes forth from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, the Hayyoth of fire are silent; and at the time when He is silent, the Hayyoth of fire speak. This is what is written, “And all the people saw the voices” (Ex. 20, 15) — the voices of the Hayyoth, which were roaring; “and the torches” — which went forth in the speech of the Hayyoth, in many kinds of melody before the King. And those who are silent for the scroll of the Torah are in the forms of the Hayyoth; and the Holy One, blessed be He, appoints them to be brought into the chamber of “the appearance of fire enclosing it”.

Segment 3ג׳

וְעוֹד אִינּוּן דְּחָשׁוֹת (ס"א ועוד אינון דנפיק מנייהו דבורא בצלותא דביה חיון אשא ממללן ואינון דחשות) בִּצְּלוֹתָא בח"י בִּרְכָאן, יִיעֲלוּן בְּחֵדֶר דְּמַרְאָה דָּא. וְעוֹד אִינּוּן דְּחָשׁוֹת לַהֲלָכָה, דְּאִתְּמַר בָּהּ, אַגְרָא דִּשְׁמַעְתְּתָא סְבָרָא, יֵיעֲלוּן בְּחֵדֶר דְּאִיהוּ הֵיכָל דְּמַרְאָה דָּא, דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, עָלָה אִתְּמַר (ירמיהו כ״ג:כ״ט) הֲלֹא כֹה דְּבָרִי כָּאֵשׁ נְאֻם יְיָ וּכְפַטִישׁ יְפוֹצֵּץ סָלַע. וְדָא סֶלַע דְּאִתְּמַר בֵּיהּ (במדבר כ׳:ח׳) וְדִבַּרְתֶּם אֶל הַסֶּלַע לְעֵינֵיהֶם וְנָתַן מֵימָיו. אִלֵּין דְּמִשְׁתַּדְּלִין בָּהּ לִשְׁמָהּ, נָפִיק לוֹן מַיָּא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא מְתִיקָן, וְאִתְּמַר בְּהוֹן, (במדבר כ׳:י״א) וַתֵּשְׁתְּ הָעֵדָה וּבְעִירָם. וְאִלֵּין דְּלָא מִשְׁתַּדְּלִין בָּהּ לִשְׁמָהּ, נָפִיק לוֹן מַיִם מְרִירִין, דְּאִתְּמַר בְּהוֹן (שמות א׳:י״ד) וַיְמָרַרוּ אֶת חַיֵּיהֶם בַּעֲבוֹדָה קָשָׁה: דָּא קוּשְׁיָא. בְּחוֹמֶר: דָּא קַל וָחוֹמֶר. וּבִלְבֵנִים: בְּלִבּוּן הֲלָכָה.

And further, those who are silent (a variant reads: And further, those from whom speech goes forth in the prayer in which the Hayyoth of fire speak, and those who are silent) in the prayer, in the eighteen blessings, shall enter the chamber of this vision. And further, those who are silent for the halachah, of which it has been said, “The reward of a teaching is the reasoning” — they shall enter the chamber which is the palace of this vision, of the Torah, of which it is said, “Is not My word like fire? says the Lord; and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” (Jer. 23, 29). And this is the rock of which it is said, “and speak to the rock before their eyes, that it give forth its water” (Num. 20, 8). Those who labour in it for its own sake — sweet waters of the Torah go forth for them, and of them it is said, “and the congregation drank, and their cattle” (Num. 20, 11). And those who do not labour in it for its own sake — bitter waters go forth for them, of which it is said, “And they made their lives bitter with hard (kashah) service” (Ex. 1, 14): this is the difficulty; “in mortar (chomer)”: this is the inference from minor to major (kal va-chomer); “and in brick (levenim)”: the clarifying (libbun) of the halachah.