זוהר, שלח לך כ״טZohar, Sh'lach 29

Segment 1א׳

אָמַר לֵיהּ, מַאי חִדּוּשָׁא הֲוָה הַשְׁתָּא, כַּד אָתִית לְגַבָּי. אָמַר, רַב מְתִיבְתָּא פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (בראשית מ״ו:ד׳) וְיוֹסֵף יָשִׁית יָדוֹ עַל עֵינֶיךָ. חֶדְוָה הוּא. אֲמַאי סְתִימוּ דְּעַיְינִין לְמִיתָא. בְּגִין דְּעַיְינִין, גַּוְונִין דְּהַאי עָלְמָא אִינּוּן, וְחֵיזוּ וּדְיּוּקְנָא דְּהַאי עָלְמָא בְּהוּ, אִיהוּ אַסְתִּים מִנֵּיהּ הַאי עָלְמָא, חֵיזוּ דְּהַאי עָלְמָא. אַסְתִּימוּ עֵינוֹי, כָּל חֵיזוּ דְּהַאי עָלְמָא, הָא אִתְחֲשָׁךְ מִנֵּיהּ. וְחֶשְׁכִין מִנֵּיהּ חֵיזוּ דְּעֵינוֹי, לֵית לֵיהּ חֵיזוּ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, מִתַּמָּן וּלְהָלְאָה. אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, יָאוּת תִּקּוּנָא דְּקַדְמָאֵי, וְחָכְמְתָא דִּלְהוֹן יַתִּיר מִמַּלְאָכִין קַדִּישִׁין.

He said to him: What new thing was there just now, when you came to me? He said: The Head of the Academy opened and said, “And Joseph shall put his hand upon your eyes” (Gen. 46, 4). It is a joy. Why is the closing of the eyes for the dead? Because the eyes are the colours of this world, and the sight and the image of this world are in them; he closes off from him this world, the sight of this world. Once his eyes are closed, all the sight of this world is darkened from him. And when the sight of his eyes is darkened from him, he has no sight in this world from then onward. R. Simeon said: Fitting is the ordinance of the ancients, and their wisdom is greater than that of the holy angels.

Segment 2ב׳

אָמַר לֵיהּ, יוֹסֵף אֲמַאי יָשִׁית יָדוֹ מִכָּל בְּנוֹי. וְאִי תֵּימָא עַל בְּשׂוֹרָה דִּילֵיהּ, מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ וְיוֹסֵף חַי תִּרְאֶה. אָמַר לֵיהּ יָשִׁית יָדוֹ בְּגִין דִּרְחִימוּ דִּילֵיהּ הֲוָה, וּבְגִין כָּךְ דָּא אַסְתִּים מִינֵּיהּ נְהִירוּ דְּהַאי עָלְמָא, וְדָא נָטִיל לֵיהּ. מַאן דְּאַסְתִּים עֵינוֹי, רְחִימָא דִּילֵיהּ אַחְזֵי הָכִי: חֵיזוּ דִּילָךְ דְּהַאי עָלְמָא אִתְאֲבִיד, הָא אֲנָא חֵיזוּ דִּילָךְ בְּאַתְרָךְ. מִכָּאן וּלְהָלְאָה יִתַּתְקְנוּן לָךְ חֵיזוּ אַחֲרָא, דְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא.

He said to him: Why Joseph, to put his hand, out of all his sons? And if you should say, because of his own tidings, it should have said, “And you shall see Joseph alive.” He said to him: “Shall put his hand” — because of the love that was his; and therefore this one closed off from him the light of this world, and this one took it. Whoever closes his eyes, his beloved one shows him this: your sight of this world is lost; see, I am your sight in your place. From here onward another sight shall be set in order for you, of that world.

Segment 3ג׳

אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, מַה אִתְהֲנֵי הַאי לְמִּיתָא, וּמַה תּוֹעַלְתָּא אִית לֵיהּ בְּהַאי. מַאן דְּיִבְעֵי לְמִשְׁאַל יוֹמָא מַה דְּאִצְטְרִךְ לְאַפְקְחָא עֵינוֹי, בְּגִין לְאַחֲזָאָה דְּעֲדַיִין אִזְדְּמַן אִיהוּ, לְאָתָבָא לְחֵיזוּ דְּהַאי עָלְמָא כִּדְבְּקַדְּמִין.

R. Simeon said: What does this profit the dead, and what use has he in it? Whoever would ask by day for what he needs must open his eyes, in order to show that he is still ready to return to the sight of this world as before.