זוהר, פנחס ט׳Zohar, Pinchas 9

Segment 1א׳

(במדבר כ״ה:י״א) פִּנְחָס בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן הֵשִׁיב אֶת חֲמָתִי מֵעַל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹ'. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה פָּתַח, (איוב ד׳:ז׳) זְכָר נָא מִי הוּא נָקִי אָבָד וְאֵיפֹה יְשָׁרִים נִכְחָדוּ, תַּמָּן תָּנֵינָן, מַאן דְּחָמֵי קֶשֶׁת בִּגְוָונוֹי (ס"א נהרין), אִצְטְרִיךְ לְבָרְכָא בָּרוּךְ זוֹכֵר הַבְּרִית. בְּגִין דְּדָא אִיהוּ בְּרִית קַיְּימָא קַדִישָׁא, דְּשַׁוִּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּאַרְעָא דְּלָא יֵיתֵי עָלָהּ מֵי טוֹפָנָא. בְּגִין דְּכַד סְגִיאוּ חַיָּיבִין בְּעָלְמָא, בָּעֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְאוֹבָדָא לוֹן, וּכְדֵין דָּכִיר לוֹן הַאי אוֹמָאָה דְּאוֹמֵי לְאַרְעָא, דִּכְתִּיב תְּרֵי זִמְנֵי לֹא לֹא. (בראשית ח׳:כ״א) לֹא אוֹסִיף לְקַלֵּל, וְלֹא אוֹסִיף עוֹד לְהַכּוֹת, דָּא אִיהוּ אוֹמָאָה. כְּמָה דִּכְתִּיב, (ישעיהו נ״ד:ט׳) אֲשֶׁר נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי מֵעֲבוֹר מֵי נֹחַ. (קשור עם הרעיא מהימנא)

“Phineas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned My wrath away from the children of Israel,” etc. (Num. 25, 11). R. Judah opened: “Remember, I pray you, who ever perished, being innocent? Or where were the upright cut off?” (Job 4, 7). There, as we have learnt: whoever sees the rainbow in its colours (a variant reads: shining) must bless, “Blessed is He who remembers the covenant.” For this is the holy, abiding covenant which the Holy One, blessed be He, set in the earth, that the waters of the flood should not come upon it. For when the wicked multiply in the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes to destroy them, and then He remembers for them this oath that He swore to the earth, as it is written twice, “not, not”: “I will not again curse,” “neither will I again smite any more” (Gen. 8, 21) — this is the oath; as it is written, “for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over” (Isa. 54, 9). (Connected with the Ra'aya Meheimna.)

Segment 2ב׳

רִבִּי יוֹסֵי אָמַר, קֶשֶׁת אָתָא לְאַגָּנָא עַל עָלְמָא. לְמַלְכָּא, דְּכָל זִמְנִין דִּבְרֵיהּ חָב לָקֳבְלֵיהּ, אָתָא מַלְכָּא לְאַלְקָאָה לֵיהּ, אִתְגַּלְיָא עָלֵיהּ מַטְרוֹנִיתָא בִּלְבוּשֵׁי יְקָר דְּמַלְכוּ, מַלְכָּא חָמֵי לָהּ סָלִיק רוּגְזָא דִּבְרֵיהּ, וְחַדֵי בָּהּ, דִּכְתִּיב, (בראשית ט׳:ט״ז) וּרְאִיתִיהָ לִזְכּוֹר בְּרִית עוֹלָם. וְעַל דָּא, לָא אִתְחֲזֵי קֶשֶׁת בְּעָלְמָא, אֶלָּא בִּלְבוּשֵׁי יְקָר דְּמַלְכוּ. וּבְשַׁעֲתָא דְּאִית צַדִּיק בְּעָלְמָא, אִיהוּ בְּרִית, לְמֵיקָם בְּרִית, וְאָגִין עַל עָלְמָא. לָא הֲוִי צַדִּיק, הָא קֶשֶׁת, לְאִתְחֲזָאָה דְּהָא עָלְמָא אִיהוּ קַיְּימָא לְאוֹבָדָא, אֶלָּא בְּגִין קֶשֶׁת דָּא. רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר, לְעוֹלָם לָא אִתְלְבַּשׁ קֶשֶׁת דָּא, אֶלָּא בִּלְבוּשָׁא דַּאֲבָהָן קַדְמָאֵי. יָרוֹק וְסוּמָק וְחִיוָּור. יְרוֹקָא, דָּא לְבוּשָׁא דְּאַבְרָהָם, אִצְטְבַּע לְבוּשָׁא (ס"א גוון) דָּא, כַּד נָפַק מִנֵּיהּ יִשְׁמָעֵאל. סוּמָקָא, דָּא גּוָֹון יִצְחָק. דְּאַתְיָא סוּמָקָא וְאִצְטְבַּע, כַּד נָפִיק מִנֵּיהּ עֵשָׂו. וְאִתְמְשַׁךְ הַהוּא סוּמָקָא לְתַתָּא, עַד כֹּכָבָא דְּמַאְדִּים, דְּאִתְאֲחִיד בֵּיהּ עֵשָׂו. חִוָּורָא, דָּא אִיהוּ לְבוּשָׁא טָבָא דְּיַעֲקֹב, דְּהָא לָא אִשְׁתָּנּוּ אַנְפּוֹהִי לְעָלְמִין. רִבִּי אַבָּא אָמַר יָאוּת הוּא, אֲבָל הָכִי אָמַר בּוּצִינָא קַדִישָׁא, חִוָּור, דָּא אַבְרָהָם. דְּאִתְלָבַּן בְּחִוָּורָא דְּנוּרָא. סוּמָקָא, דָּא יִצְחָק וַדָאי. יָרוֹק, דָּא הוּא יַעֲקֹב, דְּקַיְּימָא בֵּין תְּרֵין גַּוְונִין, וּכְתִיב בֵּיהּ בְּיַעֲקֹב, (ישעיהו כ״ט:כ״ב) לֹא עַתָּה יֵבוֹשׁ יַעֲקֹב וְלֹא עַתָּה פָּנָיו יֶחוָרוּ דְּהָא כָּל עַרְסֵיהּ שְׁלִים הֲוָה. וְהָכִי הוּא לֹא עַתָּה יֵבוֹשׁ יַעֲקֹב, לְאִתְחֲזָאָה בְּגָוְון סוּמָק, כְּיִצְחָק דְּנָפַק מִנֵּיהּ עֵשָׂו. וְלָא עַתָּה פָּנָיו יֶחוָרוּ, כְּאַבְרָהָם לְאִתְחֲזָאָה בְּגָוְון חִוָּור, דְּנָפַק מִנֵּיהּ יִשְׁמָעֵאל. אֶלָּא נָטַל גַּוְונִין, לְאִתְעַטְּרָא בְּהוּ, עַל אֲבָהָן דִּילֵיהּ, וּבְאִלֵּין לְבוּשִׁין מִתְלַבְּשַׁת קֶשֶׁת, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּאִתְחֲזֵי קַמֵּי מַלְכָּא. תָּא חֲזֵי, רָזָא דִּבְרִית קַדִּישָׁא, הִיא אָת יוֹ"ד, דְּמִתְעַטְּרָא בִּרְשִׁימוּ עִלָּאָה, וְהָא (ס"א ודא) אִיהוּ דְּאִתְרְשִׁים בִּבְרִית תָּדִיר לְעָלְמִין, וּבְגִין דְּקַנֵּי פִּנְחָס עַל בְּרִית, אִתְרְשִׁים בִּשְׁמֵיהּ הָכָא אָת דָּא, פִּנְחָס יוֹ"ד זְעֵירָא, אִיהוּ יוֹ"ד דְּאִיהוּ בְּרִית וַדַּאי, דְּנָפִיק מִגוֹ יוֹ"ד עִלָּאָה קַדִישָׁא. וְעַל דָּא, אִיהוּ קָאִים בְּקִיּוּמָא שְׁלִים קַמֵּי מַלְכָּא קַדִישָׁא, דְּלָא אִתְאֲבִיד מִגּוֹ עָלְמָא. וְהָכִי הוּא נָקִי מֵהַהוּא חוֹבָא דִּפְעוֹר, וְלָא אִתְאֲבִיד תָּדִיר מִגּוֹ קַדִישָׁא דְּעָלְמָא. (ס"א ולא אתאביד מגו עלמא) (איוב ד׳:ז׳) וְאֵיפֹה יְשָׁרִים נִכְחָדוּ, אִלֵּין נָדָב וַאֲבִיהוּא, דְּלָא אִשְׁתְּצִיאוּ מִן הַהוּא עָלְמָא בְּגִינֵיהּ.

R. Jose said: The rainbow comes to shield the world. It is like a king: whenever his son sins against him, the king comes to strike him; the Matrona appears before him in royal garments of glory; the king sees her, his anger at his son departs, and he rejoices in her, as it is written, “And I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant” (Gen. 9, 16). And therefore the rainbow is not seen in the world except in royal garments of glory. And at the time when there is a righteous man in the world, he is the covenant, to uphold the covenant, and he shields the world. When there is no righteous man, then the rainbow, to show that the world stands to be destroyed, were it not for this rainbow. R. Eleazar said: This rainbow is never clothed except in the garment of the first patriarchs: green and red and white. Green: this is the garment of Abraham; this garment (a variant reads: colour) was dyed when Ishmael came forth from him. Red: this is the colour of Isaac, for red came and was dyed when Esau came forth from him; and that red was drawn downward, as far as the star Mars, to which Esau is attached. White: this is the good garment of Jacob, for his face never changed. R. Abba said: That is well; but thus said the Holy Lamp: White — this is Abraham, who was whitened in the whiteness of fire. Red — this is Isaac, assuredly. Green — this is Jacob, who stands between two colours; and it is written of Jacob, “Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now grow white” (Isa. 29, 22), for his whole bed was complete. And so it is: “Jacob shall not now be ashamed” — to be seen in the colour red, like Isaac, from whom Esau came forth; “neither shall his face now grow white” — like Abraham, to be seen in the colour white, from whom Ishmael came forth. Rather, he took colours to be crowned with them, over his fathers; and in these garments the rainbow is clothed at the hour when it is seen before the King. Observe: the mystery of the holy covenant is the letter Yod, which is crowned with a supernal impress; and this (a variant reads: and that) is what is impressed in the covenant constantly, for ever. And because Phineas was zealous for the covenant, this letter was impressed here in his name — Phineas, with a small Yod: it is the Yod which is the covenant, assuredly, which comes forth from within the supernal holy Yod. And therefore he stands in complete endurance before the Holy King, for he was not lost from within the world. And so he is innocent of that sin of Peor, and was never lost from within the holiness of the world (a variant reads: and was not lost from within the world). “Or where were the upright cut off?” (Job 4, 7) — these are Nadab and Abihu, who were not wiped out from that world, because of him.

Segment 3ג׳

רעיא מהימנא אָמַר לֵיהּ רַעְיָא מְהֵימָנָא, שַׁפִּיר קָאַמְרַת, אֲבָל בְּגִין דְּאֵלִיָּהוּ דְּאִיהוּ פִּנְחָס, קַנֵּי עַל בְּרִית, צָּרִיךְ לְחַדְתָּא מִלִּין סַגִיאִין בֵּיהּ, דְּהַאי פַּרְשְׁתָא כְּתִיבָא בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא עַל שְׁמֵיהּ, דְּעָלֵיהּ אִתְּמַר (מלכים א י״ט:י׳) קַנֹּא קִנֵּאתִי, תְּרֵי קְנָאוֹת, חַד בְּשַׁדַּ"י דִּלְעֵילָּא, וְתִנְיָינָא בְּשַׁדַּ"י דִּלְתַתָּא, וּבְגִין דָּא עָבִיד תְּרֵין שְׁבוּעוֹת (נ"א בתרין לא לא) (ס"א בתרין זמנין) בְּתַרְוַויְיהוּ, וּתְרֵין זִמְנִין לֹא לֹא.

Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). The Faithful Shepherd said to him: You have spoken well. But because Elijah, who is Phineas, was zealous for the covenant, one must bring forth many new words concerning him; for this portion is written in the Torah in his name, since of him it is said, “I have been very zealous” (I Kings 19, 10) — two zealotries: one for Shaddai above, and the second for Shaddai below. And therefore he made two oaths (a variant reads: with two “not, not”) (a variant reads: two times) in both of them, and twice “not, not”.