זוהר, שמות ל״גZohar, Shemot 33

Section 33 of 52 in Shemot — 6 segments

Segment 1א׳

רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בַּר שָׁלוֹ ם הַוָה אָזִיל בְּאֹרְחָא וְרַבִּי אַבָּא הַוָה עִמֵיה עֲאלוּ לְחַד אֲתְרָא וּבַתוּ תָּמָן. אָכְלוּ כָּד בָּעוּ לְמִשְׁכָּב שָׁווּ רֶישֵׁיהוֹן בְּהַהוּא תִּלָא דְּאַרְעָא דְהָוָה חַד קִבְרָא תָּמָן עַד לָא דְמִיכוּ קָרָא חַד קַלָא מִן קִבְרָא אָמַר זָרְעַא לְאַרְעָא אַזְלָא. תְּרֵיסַר שְׁנִין הַוָה דְלָא אִתְעֲרִית בַּר הַאִידָנָא דְפַּרְצוּפָא דְבְּרִי חֲמִינָא הָכָא.

R. Judah bar Shalom was once walking together with R. Abba. They arrived at a place where they decided to spend the night. After taking a meal they lay down to sleep, putting their heads on some raised ground under which was a grave. Before falling asleep they heard a voice from the grave, crying: ‘Twelve years have I been sleeping here, and only now do I wake, for I now see the image of my son.’

Segment 2ב׳

אָמַר רִבִּי יְהוּדָה, מַאן אַתְּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ יוּדָאי אֲנָא, וַאֲנָא יָתִיב נְזִיפָא, דַּאֲנָא לָא יָכִילְנָא לְמֵיעַל, בְּגִין הַהוּא צַעֲרָא דִּבְרִי, דְּגַנְבֵיהּ הַהוּא עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת, כַּד אִיהוּ הֲוָה זְעֵירָא, וְאַלְקֵי לֵיהּ כָּל יוֹמָא, וְצַעֲרָא דִּילֵיהּ דָּחֵי לִי לְמֵיעָאל בְּדוּכְתָּאי, וּבְהַאי אַתְרָא לָא אִתְּעָרִית, בַּר הָאִידָּנָא.

R. Judah asked him who he was, and he said: ‘I am a Jew, and lie under a ban, not being able to enter the higher regions because of the sorrows of my son, who was stolen by a heathen when he was very young, and is sorely maltreated.’

Segment 3ג׳

אָמַר לֵיהּ וְאָתּוּן יַדְעִין בְּצַעֲרָא דְּחַיֵּי. אֲמַר לֵיהּ, שָׂרֵי קִבְרִי, אִי לָאו בָּעוּתָא דִּילָן עַל חַיֵּי, לָא יִתְקַיְּימוּן פַּלְגּוּת יוֹמָא (נ"א בעלמא), וְהָאִידָּנָא אִתְעָרִית הָכָא, דַּהֲווֹ אַמְרִין לִי כָּל יוֹמָא, דִּלַעֲגָלָא יֵיתִי בְּרִי הָכָא, וְלָא יָדַעְנָא אִי בְּחַיֵּי אִי בְּמוֹתָא.

Said R. Judah to him: ‘Do the dead know of the sufferings of the living?’ He replied: ‘If it were not for us, the dead, who intercede before the angel of the grave for the living, they would not remain alive for half a day. I have awakened now, for I was told that my son would come here, but I know not whether alive or dead.’

Segment 4ד׳

אֲמַר לֵיהּ רִבִּי יְהוּדָה, מַאי עֲבִידְתַיְיכוּ בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא. אִתְרְגִישׁ קִבְרָא, וְאָמַר, אַזִילוּ קוּמוּ, דְּהָאִידָּנָא יִלְקוּן לִבְרִי, תַּוְוהוּ, וְעָרְקוּ מִתַּמָּן כְּפַלְגוּת מִיל, יָתְבוּ עַד דְּנָהִיר צַפְרָא. קָמוּ לְמֵיזַל, חָמוּ חַד בַּר נָשׁ, דְּהֲוָה רָהִיט וְעָרַק, וַהֲוָה שָׁתִית דָּמָא אֲכַתְפוֹי, אַחְדוּ בֵּיהּ, וְסָח לְהוֹ עוֹבָדָא, אָמְרוּ לֵיהּ מַה שְּׁמֶךָ. אָמַר לְהוּ, לַחְמָא בַּר לֵיוָאֵי. אָמְרוּ, וּמַה (בר) לֵיוָאֵי בַּר לַחְמָא הֲוָה הַהוּא מֵיתָא, וּמִסְתָּפֵינָא לְאִשְׁתַּעוּיֵי יַתִּיר בַּהֲדֵיהּ. לָא אֲהַדְרוּ. אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא, הַאי דְּאָמְרוּ, דִּצְלוֹתְהוֹן דְּמֵתַיָּיא, מְגִינָן עַל חַיֵּי. מְנָלָן. דִּכְתִּיב, (במדבר י״ג:כ״ב) וַיַּעֲלוּ בַנֶּגֶב וַיָּבֹא עַד חֶבְרוֹן.

Then R. Judah asked him ‘What do ye do in that other world?’ The grave shook, and a voice was heard, saying: ‘Go away! For at this moment my son is being beaten. ‘ They ran from there for about half a mile and sat down until the morning. When they rose to go they saw a man running with blood streaming from his shoulders. They stopped him, and he told them what had happened to him. They asked him his name and he said: ‘Lahma the son of Levi.’ ‘Why,’ said they, ‘that is the son of the dead man!’ They were afraid to converse with him, neither did they return to the place of the grave. Said R Abba: ‘That the prayers of the dead protect the living we learn from Caleb, who went to Hebron to beg for the intercession of the patriarchs (v. Num. 13, 22).’

Segment 5ה׳

אָמַר רִבִּי יְהוּדָה, תָּא חֲזֵי, תְּרֵין נְדָרִין נָדַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְיַעֲקֹב. חַד, דְּיֵיחוּת עִמֵּיהּ לְמֵידָר עִמֵּיהּ בְּגָלוּתָא, וְחַד דְּיֵּסְקִינֵיהּ מִקִּבְרִיהּ, לְמֵחֱמֵי חֶדְוָותָא דְּסִיַּיעְתָּא קַדִּישָׁא דְּדַיְירֵי עִם בְּנוֹהִי, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, אָנֹכִי אֵרֵד עִמְּךָ מִצְרָיְמָה אָנֹכִי אֵרֵד עִמְּךָ בְּגָלוּתָא. וְאָנֹכִי אֲעַלְךָ גַּם עָלה, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (יחזקאל ל״ז:י״ב) וְהַעֲלֵיתִי אֶתְכֶם מִקִּבְרוֹתֵיכֶם עַמִּי. וּכְתִיב (תהילים קכ״ב:ד׳) שֶׁשָּׁם עָלוּ שְׁבָטִים וְגוֹ'.

R. Judah said: ‘The Holy One gave two promises (lit. vows) to Jacob: one, that He Himself would go down and stay with him in exile; and the second, that He would let him come out of his grave to behold the joy of the holy host of celestial beings who would dwell with his children in their captivity; as it is written: “I will go down with thee into Egypt and I will surely bring thee up again” (Gen. 46, 4); “I will cause you to come up out of your graves” (Ezek. 37, 12); “Whither the tribes go up ” (Ps. 122, 5).’

…and 1 more segment in this section.

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Zohar — Vocalized Zohar, Israel 2013, via Sefaria

English: The Zohar — Soncino Press, London 1933 (public domain)