זוהר, שלח לך כ״וZohar, Sh'lach 26

Segment 1א׳

אִי רִבִּי, אִי רִבִּי, כַּמָה חַדְתִּין מִלִּין מִגּוֹ רַב מְתִיבְתָּא. זַכָּאָה אִיהוּ מַאן דְּאַזְעַר גַּרְמֵיהּ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, כַּמָה אִיהוּ רַב וְעִלָּאָה בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא. וְהָכִי פָּתַח רַב מְתִיבְתָּא, מַאן דְּאִיהוּ זְעֵיר, אִיהוּ רַב. וּמַאן דְּאִיהוּ רַב, אִיהוּ זְעֵיר. דִּכְתִּיב, (בראשית כ״ג:א׳) וַיִּהְיוּ חַיֵּי שָׂרָה מֵאָה שָׁנָה וְעֶשְׂרִים שָׁנָה וְשֶׁבַע שָׁנִים. מֵאָה דְּאִיהוּ חֶשְׁבּוֹן רַב, כְּתִיב בֵּיהּ שָׁנָה, זְעִירוּ דְּשָׁנִין, חַד אַזְעִיר לֵיהּ. שֶׁבַע, דְּאִיהוּ חֶשְׁבּוֹן זְעֵיר, אַסְגֵּי לֵיהּ, וְרַבֵּי לֵיהּ דִּכְתִּיב שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים. תָּא חֲזֵי, דְּלָא רַבֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אֶלָּא לִדְאַזְעִיר. לָא אַזְעִיר אֶלָּא לִדְרַבֵּי. זַכָּאָה אִיהוּ מַאן דְּאַזְעִיר גַּרְמֵיהּ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, כַּמָּה אִיהוּ רַב בְּעִלּוּיָא בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא.

Ah, Rabbi, ah, Rabbi, how many new words come from the Head of the Academy! Happy is he who makes himself small in this world — how great and supernal he is in that world! And so the Head of the Academy opened: he who is small, he is great; and he who is great, he is small. As it is written, “And the life of Sarah was a hundred years and twenty years and seven years” (Gen. 23, 1). Of the hundred, which is a great number, “year” is written of it, the smallest of years: one thing made it small. Of the seven, which is a small number, it increased it and made it great, for it is written “seven years”. Observe: the Holy One, blessed be He, makes great none but him who makes himself small, and makes small none but him who makes himself great. Happy is he who makes himself small in this world — how great he is in exaltation in that world.