זוהר, שלח לך י״טZohar, Sh'lach 19

Segment 1א׳

כָּל אִינּוּן נְטוּרֵי קַיָּימָא קַדִּישָׁא, (ס"א בעון) דְּבָּעוּן לְאִתְחֲזָאָה קַמֵּי מַלְכָּא, דְּהָא לָא אִתְחָזוּן, אֶלָּא בְּגִין לְאַחֲזָאָה דְּאִינּוּן בְּנֵי גְּזִירוּ קַדִּישָׁא. וְעַל דָּא, (שמות כ״ג:י״ז) יֵרָאֶה כָּל זְכוּרְךָ, אִינּוּן בְּנֵי קַיָּימָא קַדִּישָׁא. דָּיִיק רַב מְתִיבְתָּא, זְכוּרְךָ, וְלָא זְכָרְךָ. דְּהָא זָכָר כְּתִיב, וְלָא זָכוּר, מַאי זְכוּרְךָ. אֶלָּא כָּל אִינּוּן דְּנַטְרִין קַיָּימָא קַדִּישָׁא, וְלָא חָבָאן בֵּיהּ, אִינּוּן הֲווּ בְּנֵי מַלְכָּא, דִּבְכֹּל יוֹמָא מִשְׁתָּבַח בְּהוּ וְדָכִיר לוֹן תָּדִיר. וְעַל דָּא זְכוּרְךָ, הֲהוּא דְּאִית בֵּיהּ קַיָּימָא קַדִּישָׁא, דְּדָכִיר לוֹן מַלְכָּא בְּכָל יוֹמָא, דְּלֵית שְׁבָחָא קַמֵּי מַלְכָּא עִלָּאָה, (אלא) כְּמַאן דְּנָטִיר קַיְּימָא דָּא.

All those keepers of the holy covenant (a variant reads: were required) who must appear before the King — for they appear only in order to show that they are sons of the holy circumcision. And therefore, “all your males shall appear” (Ex. 23, 17): those are the sons of the holy covenant. The Head of the Academy noted it closely: zechurcha, and not zecharcha; for zachar is written, and not zachur. What then is zechurcha? But all those who keep the holy covenant and have not sinned in it, they are the King's sons, of whom He boasts every day and whom He remembers continually. And therefore zechurcha: he in whom is the holy covenant, whom the King remembers every day; for there is no praise before the supernal King (but) as of one who keeps this covenant.

Segment 2ב׳

וְעַל דָּא בָּעֵי דְּיִתְחֲזוּן תְּלַת זִמְנִין בְּשַׁתָּא קַמֵּיהּ. תְּלַת זִמְנִין אֲמַאי. אֶלָּא בְּגִין אֲבָהָן קַדְמָאֵי, דְּקַבִּילוּ לְהַאי בְּרִית, קַדְמָאָה לְכָל פִּקוּדִין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וּבְגִין כָּךְ תְּלַת זִמְנִין אִינּוּן בְּשַׁתָּא. אַבְרָהָם קַבִּיל בְּרִית. יִצְחָק קַבִּיל בְּרִית. יַעֲקֹב הֲוָה שְׁלִים מְכֻּלְּהוּ, וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ, (בראשית כ״ה:כ״ז) וְיַעֲקֹב אִישׁ תָּם, שְׁלִים מִכֹּלָּא.

And therefore they must appear before Him three times in the year. Why three times? Because of the first patriarchs, who received this covenant, the first of all the commandments of the Torah; and therefore they are three times in the year. Abraham received the covenant, Isaac received the covenant, and Jacob was more perfect than them all; and therefore it is written of him, “And Jacob was a tam man” (Gen. 25, 27), perfect in everything.

Segment 3ג׳

אַבְרָהָם תָּמִים אִקְרֵי, וְלָא הֲוָה כָּל כַּךְ שְׁלִים, אֲבָל תָּם: שְׁלִים מִכֹּלָּא. מַה כְּתִיב בְּנֹחַ, (בראשית ו׳:ט׳) אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה בְּדוֹרוֹתָיו. הֲוָה רְשִׁים בִּרְשִׁימוּ קַדִּישָׁא בֵּינַיְיהוּ. וְאָמַר רַב מְתִיבְתָּא, בְּכָל אֲתָר דִּכְתִּיב תָּמִים, דְּרָשִׁים בִּרְשִׁימוּ קַדִּישָׁא, בְּאָת קַיָּימָא דִּבְרִית, וּבְגִין דְּנָטַר בְּרִית, אִקְרֵי תָּמִים בְּדוֹרוֹתָיו. מַה דְּלָא הֲווֹ כֻּלְּהוּ הָכִי, דְּאִינּוּן מְחַבְּלָן אָרְחַיְיהוּ.

Abraham is called tamim, and he was not so wholly perfect; but tam is perfect in everything. What is written of Noah? “A righteous man, tamim in his generations” (Gen. 6, 9): he was marked with the holy mark among them. And the Head of the Academy said: in every place where tamim is written, it is one who is marked with the holy mark, with the sign of the covenant; and because he kept the covenant he is called tamim in his generations, which they all were not, for they corrupted their way.