זוהר, שלח לך ד׳Zohar, Sh'lach 4

Segment 1א׳

אָמַר רִבִּי חִיָיא, כְּתִיב (במדבר ט״ו:ל״ב) וַיִּמְצְאוּ אִישׁ מְקוֹשֵׁשׁ עֵצִים בְּיוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת. מַאן עֵצִים הָכָא. וּמַאן הוּא דָּא. אֶלָּא דָּא צְלָפְחָד, וַהֲוָה דָּיִיק עַל אִלֵּין אִילָנִין, הֵי מִנַּיְיהוּ רַב עַל אַחֲרָא, וְלָא חָשַׁשׁ לִיקָרָא דְּמָארֵיהּ, וְאַחְלַף שַׁבָּת לְשַׁבָּת. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (במדבר כ״ז:ג׳) כִּי בְחֶטְאוֹ מֵת, בְּחֵטְא ו' מֵת. (ורזא דכלא ודאי מקושש עצים) בְּגִין כַּךְ, הֲוָה דִּינֵיהּ סָתִים, וְלָא אִתְפְּרַשׁ דִּינֵיהּ. כְּדִינִין אַחֲרָנִין. בְּגִין דְּמִלָּה דָּא בָּעֵי בַּחֲשַׁאי וְסָתִים וְלָא גַּלְיָיא. וְעַל דָּא לָא אִתְּמַר בְּאִתְגַּלְיָיא, וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עֲבַד יְקָר לִיקָרֵיהּ.

R. Hiya said: It is written, “And they found a man gathering sticks upon the sabbath day” (Num. 15, 32). What are the sticks here, and who is this man? It is Zelophehad; and he was scrutinising these trees, which of them was greater than the other, and he had no care for the honour of his Master, and he exchanged one Sabbath for another. This is what is written, “for he died in his own sin” (Num. 27, 3): he died through the sin of the Vau. (And the mystery of the whole matter is certainly “gathering sticks”.) Therefore his judgement was sealed up, and his sentence was not set out as the other sentences are, because this matter requires silence and concealment and not disclosure. And therefore it was not said openly, and the Holy One, blessed be He, showed honour to His own honour.

Segment 2ב׳

רִבִּי יוֹסֵי אָמַר, שְׁאַר עֵצִים בַּהֲדֵי שַׁבָּת הֲוָה מְקוֹשֵׁשׁ, וְקַבִּיל עוֹנְשָׁא לְפוּם שַׁעֲתָא, וְאִתְכְּפַר חוֹבֵיהּ. וְעַל דָּא אִתְקָשֵּׁי מֹשֶׁה בְּדִינָא דִּבְנָתָא, דְּלָא יָדַע אִי אִתְכַּפָּר לְמֶהֱוִי לִבְנָתֵיהּ חוּלָק וְאַחֲסָנָא אִי לָאו. כֵּיוָן דְּדָכַר שְׁמֵיהּ (דצלפחד) קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דִּכְתִּיב כֵּן בְּנוֹת צְלָפְחָד דּוֹבְרוֹת, אִתְיְדַע דְּהָא אִתְכַּפָּר חוֹבֵיהּ.

R. Jose said: He was gathering other sticks together with the Sabbath, and he received his punishment there and then, and his sin was atoned for. And therefore the case of the daughters was hard for Moses, for he did not know whether atonement had been made, so that his daughters should have a portion and an inheritance, or not. Once the Holy One, blessed be He, mentioned his name (Zelophehad’s), as it is written, “The daughters of Zelophehad speak right”, it was known that his sin had been atoned for.

Segment 3ג׳

תָּא חֲזֵי, ב' אִילָנִין אִינּוּן, חַד לְעֵילָּא, וְחַד לְתַתָּא, בְּדָא חַיִּין, וּבְדָא מוֹתָא. מַאן דְּאַחְלָף לוֹן, גָּרִים לֵיהּ מוֹתָא בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, וְלֵית לֵיהּ חוּלָקָא בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא. וְעַל דָּא אָמַר שְׁלֹמֹה, (משלי כ״ה:ט״ז) דְּבַשׁ מָצָאתָ אֱכוֹל דַּיֶּךָּ וְגוֹ'.

Observe that there are two Trees, and Malkuth. one higher and one lower, in the one of which is life and in the other death, and he who confuses them brings death upon himself in this world and has no portion in the world to come.’