זוהר, פנחס ע״חZohar, Pinchas 78

Segment 1א׳

פָּתַח וְאָמַר, אֵלִיָּהוּ רְחִימָא דְּמַלְכָּא עִלָּאָה, חָזָא מֵ"ם מִן מָוְת טָאס בַּאֲוִירָא, חָטַף לָהּ, וְשָׁתַּף לָהּ עִם ר"ח, דְּאִיהוּ יִצְּחָק, וְאִיהוּ בְּחוּשְׁבָּן פִּינְחָס, וְאִשְׁתְּלִים בָּהּ רמ"ח. לְבָתַר חָזָא ו' מִן מָוְ"ת טָס בִּרְקִיעָא, וְחָטַף לֵיהּ, וְשַׁוִּי לֵיהּ בְּרָמָ"ח, וְאִשְׁתְּלִים רוֹמַ"ח. הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִּיב, וַיִּקַּח רוֹמַח בְּיָדוֹ.

He opened and said: Elijah, the beloved of the supernal King, saw the Mem of mavet flying in the air; he snatched it and joined it with Resh-Heth, which is Isaac, and which is Phineas in the reckoning, and with it Resh-Mem-Heth was completed. Afterwards he saw the Vau of mavet flying in the firmament, and he snatched it and set it in ramach, and romach was completed. This is what is written, “And he took a spear in his hand.”

Segment 2ב׳

וְאִיהוּ, בְּמָה יָכִיל לַחֲטוֹף תְּרֵין אַתְוָון אִלֵּין. בִּתְרֵין רוּחִין דְּאִשְׁתְּמָרוּ (ס"א דאתטמרן) לְעֵילָּא, דְּאִשְׁתְּתָּפוּ בְּפִנְחָס. פְּנֵ"י חָ"ס. בִּתְרֵין פָּנִים אִלֵּין, חָס עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּלָא אִתְאֲבִידוּ, בְּחֵילָא דְּתַרְוַויְיהוּ, וַיִּדְקוֹר אֶת שְׁנֵיהֶם, בִּתְרֵין אַתְוָון מ"ו. וְהַיְינוּ בְּקַנְאוֹ אֶת קִנְאָתִי בְּתוֹכָם.

And he — with what was he able to snatch these two letters? With two spirits that were preserved (a variant reads: that were hidden) above, which were joined in Phineas: penei, chas. With these two faces (penei) he had pity (chas) on Israel, that they should not perish, by the power of both of them. “And he thrust both of them through” — with the two letters Mem-Vau. And this is “in that he was very zealous for My sake among them.”

Segment 3ג׳

וַאֲמַאי אִשְׁתְּתַּף בְּיִצְּחָק. בְּגִין דְּיִצְּחָק מָסַר גַּרְמֵיהּ לְמִיתָה. וּבְגִין דָּא אִשְׁתְּתַּף לֵיהּ לְיִצְּחָק, לְמֶהֱוִי לֵיהּ עֵזֶר. דְּמִסִּטְרָא דִּתְרֵין עִיזְלֵי דְּאַיַּילְתָּא, אִשְׁתַּתְּפֵי בֵּיהּ אַבְרָהָם וְיַעֲקֹב, דְּאַבְרָהָם דַּרְגֵּיהּ חֶסֶד אִשְׁתְּתַּף בח"ס דְּפִנְחָ"ס. יַעֲקֹב אִיהוּ פְּנֵ"י א"ל (ס"א יעקב איהו פנ"י דפנחס) דְּפִנְחָס בְּגִין דְּאִתְּמַר בֵּיהּ, (בראשית ל״ב:ל״ב) כַּאֲשֶׁר עָבַר אֶת פְּנֻיאֵל, (ס"א שם המקום פנ"י) פְּנֵ"י אֵ"ל. בְּגִין דְּכַד עָלְמָא אִיהוּ בְּדוֹחֲקָא, וְאִית צַּדִּיק בְּעָלְמָא מְקַנֵּי עַל בְּרִית, אֲבָהָן אִשְׁתָּתָּפוּ בֵּיהּ, וּבְגִינַיְיהוּ אָמַר מֹשֶׁה בְּדוֹחֲקָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, (שמות ל״ב:י״ג) זְכוֹר לְאַבְרָהָם לְיִצְּחָק וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל עֲבָדֶיךָ. וּבִתְלַת אַתְוָון יה"ו מִן אֵלִיָּהוּ, זָכָה לְה' מִן הַנָּבִיא, וְדָא אִיהוּ אֵלִיָּהוּ, ה' נָבִיא, (ס"א ודא רזא אל יהו נביא) וְאִשְׁתְּלִים בֵּיהּ יְדוָֹ"ד.

And why was he joined with Isaac? Because Isaac gave himself over to death. And therefore he joined himself to Isaac, to be a help to him. For from the side of the two fawns of the hind, Abraham and Jacob were joined with him: for Abraham, whose grade is chesed, was joined in the Heth-Samech of Phineas; Jacob is penei El (a variant reads: Jacob is the penei of Phineas) of Phineas, because it is said of him, “as he passed over Peniel” (Gen. 32, 32) (a variant reads: the name of the place is penei) — penei El. For when the world is in distress, and there is a righteous man in the world who is zealous for the covenant, the patriarchs are joined with him; and for their sake Moses said in the distress of Israel, “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants” (Ex. 32, 13). And by the three letters Yod-He-Vau of Eliyahu (Elijah) he merited the He of ha-navi (the prophet); and this is Eliyahu: He, navi (a variant reads: and this is the mystery: El, Yod-He-Vau, navi); and the Tetragrammaton was completed in him.