זוהר, שופטים ג׳Zohar, Shoftim 3

Section 3 of 5 in Shoftim — 8 segments

Segment 1א׳

(ארבעים יכנו וגו' ר"פ ע"ב) (דברים י״ט:ט״ו) לֹא יָקוּם עֵד אֶחָד בְּאִישׁ לְכָל עָוֹן וְגוֹ'. עַל פִּי שְׁנֵי עֵדִים אוֹ עַל פִּי שְׁלֹשָׁה עֵדִים יָקוּם דָּבָר. פִּקּוּדָא דָּא, לְהָעִיד עֵדוּת בְּבֵּית דִּין, דְּלָא יַפְסִיד חַבְרֵיהּ מָמוֹנָא בְּגִינֵיהּ, אִי אִית לֵיהּ עֵדוּת בַּהֲדֵיהּ. וְלֵית סַהֲדוּתָא פָּחוּת מִתְּרֵין, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב עַל פִּי שְׁנַיִם עֵדִים וְגוֹ' יָקוּם דָּבָר, לֹא יָקוּם עַל פִּי עֵד אֶחָד. וּבְגִין דָּא אוּקְמוּהָ מָארֵי מָתְנִיתִין, מִי מֵעִיד עַל הָאָדָם, קִירוֹת בֵּיתוֹ. וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא אַנְשֵׁי בֵּיתוֹ מְעִידִין עָלָיו. מַאי קִירוֹת בֵּיתוֹ. אִינּוּן קִירוֹת לִבּוֹ. (ישעיהו ל״ח:ב׳) וַיַּסֵּב חִזְקִיָּהוּ פָּנָיו אֶל הַקִּיר, וְאוֹקְמוּהָ רַבָּנָן, מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהִתְפַּלֵל חִזְקִיָּהוּ מִקִּירוֹת לִבּוֹ.

(“Forty stripes he may give him,” etc., 280b) “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity,” etc. (Deut. 19, 15). “At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall a matter be established.” This precept: to give testimony in court, so that his fellow should not lose money on his account, if he has testimony concerning him. And there is no testimony with fewer than two. This is what is written: “At the mouth of two witnesses,” etc., “shall a matter be established”; it shall not be established at the mouth of one witness. And therefore the sages of the Mishnah have explained: who testifies about a man? The walls of his house. And not only that, but the people of his household testify against him. What are the walls of his house? They are the walls of his heart. “Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall” (Isa. 38, 2) — and the Rabbis have explained: this teaches that Hezekiah prayed from the walls of his heart.

Segment 2ב׳

אַנְשֵׁי בֵּיתוֹ, אִינּוּן רמ"ח אֵבָרִים דִּילֵיהּ. דְּהָכִי אוּקְמוּהָ מָארֵי מָתְנִיתִין, רָשָׁע עֲוֹנוֹתָיו חֲקוּקִים עַל עַצְמוֹתָיו. וְהָכִי צַדִּיק, זָכִיוֹתָיו חֲקוּקִים לוֹ עַל עַצְמוֹתָיו. וּבְּגִין כָּךְ אָמַר דָּוִד (תהלים לט) כָּל עַצְמוֹתַי תֹּאמַרְנָה. וּבְגִינֵהּ אִתְּמַר, וּמִי מְעִידִין עַל הָאָדָם קוֹרוֹת בֵּיתוֹ. גַּרְמִין בְּנוּיִין עַל מוֹחָא דְּאִיהוּ מַיָּא. וְעָלַיְיהוּ קָא רָמִיז, (תהילים ק״ד:ג׳) הַמְקָרֶה בַמַיִם עֲלִיּוֹתָיו, הַמְקָרֶה לָשׁוֹן קוֹרוֹת.

The people of his household are his two hundred and forty-eight limbs. For so the sages of the Mishnah have explained: as for the wicked man, his iniquities are engraved upon his bones; and so too the righteous man, his merits are engraved for him upon his bones. And therefore David said, “All my bones shall say” (Ps. 39). And concerning this it is said: and who testify about a man? The beams of his house. The bones are built upon the brain, which is water. And to them it alludes: “Who lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters” (Ps. 104, 3) — ha-mekareh, an expression of korot, beams.

Segment 3ג׳

וַאֲמַאי בְּגַרְמִין יַתִּיר מִבִּשְׂרָא וְגִידִין וּמִשְׁכָא. בְּגִין דְּגַרְמִין אִינּוּן חִוָּורִין, וּכְתִיבָא אוּכָּמָא, לָא אִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעָא אֶלָּא מִגּוֹ חִוָּורוּ. כְּגַוְונָא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, דְּאִיהִי חִוָּורוּ מִלְּגָאו, אוּכָם מִלְּבַר. אוּכָם וְחִוָּור, חֹשֶׁךְ וְאוֹר. וְאִית חֹשֶׁךְ תְּכֵלֶת, וְאִתְּמַר בֵּיהּ (תהילים קל״ט:י״ב) גַּם חֹשֶׁךְ לֹא יַחֲשִׁיךְ מִמֶּךָּ. וּתְכֵלֶת אוּכָם, אִיהוּ נוּקְבָּא לְגַבֵּי חִוָּורוּ.

And why upon the bones more than upon flesh and sinews and skin? Because the bones are white, and black writing is made out only from within whiteness. It is after the manner of the Torah, which is white within and black without. Black and white, darkness and light. And there is a darkness that is blue, and of it is said, “even the darkness is not too dark for You” (Ps. 139, 12). And blue is black; it is female over against the whiteness.

Segment 4ד׳

וְלֹא עוֹד, אֶלָּא דְּגוּפָא עַל גַּרְמִין עָתִיד לְמֵיקָם. וּבְגִין דָּא זַכְווֹי וְחוֹבוֹי חָקוּקִין עַל גַּרְמִין דִּילֵיהּ, וְאִם יִזְכֶּה יְקוּם גּוּפָא עַל גַּרְמִין דִּילֵיהּ. וְאִי לָאו, לָא יְקוּם, וְלָא יְהֵא לֵיהּ תְּחִיַּית הַמֵּתִים. וְלָא עוֹד, אֶלָּא תְּרֵין סָהֲדִין אִינּוּן עַל בַּר נָשׁ, עַיִן רוֹאָה וְאוֹזֶן שׁוֹמַעַת, וּבֵּית דִּין סוֹפֵר, וְדָן חוֹבוֹי. וְלֹא עוֹד, אֶלָּא שִׁמְשָׁא וְסִיהֲרָא סָהֲדִין עַל בַּר נָשׁ, כְּמָה דְּאוֹקְמוּהָ (תהילים פ״א:ד׳) תִּקְעוּ בַחֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר בַּכֶּסֶה לְיוֹם חַגֵּנוּ. מַאי בַּכֶּסֶה. בְּיוֹמָא דְּסִיהֲרָא מִתְכַּסָה. וַאֲמַאי מִתְכַּסֵּת. בְּגִין דְּכַד מָטֵי רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה, יֵיתֵי סָמָאֵל לְמִתְבַּע דִּינָא לִבְנוֹי קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְהוּא יֵימָא לֵיהּ דְּיֵיתֵי סָהֲדִין. וְהוּא יֵיתֵי לְשִׁמְּשָׁא עִמֵּיהּ. אָזַל לְמַיְיתֵי סִיהֲרָא, וְהִיא מִתְכַּסָא. בְּאָן אֲתָר מִתְכַּסֵּת. אֶלָּא סְלִיקַת, לְהַהוּא אֲתָר, דְּאִתְּמַר בֵּיהּ בַּמְכוּסֶּה מִמָּךְ אַל תַּחְקוֹר, לְפַיְּיסָא לֵיהּ עַל בְּנָהָא.

And not only that, but the body is destined to rise upon the bones. And therefore his merits and his sins are engraved upon his bones; and if he is worthy, the body will rise upon its bones. And if not, it will not rise, and he will have no resurrection of the dead. And not only that, but there are two witnesses over a man, an eye that sees and an ear that hears; and the court writes down and judges his sins. And not only that, but the sun and the moon are witnesses over a man, as has been explained: “Blow the horn at the new moon, at the time of its covering for our feast day” (Ps. 81, 4). What is “at the time of its covering”? On the day when the moon is covered. And why is she covered? Because when the New Year comes, Samael comes to demand judgement upon His children before the Holy One, blessed be He, and He tells him to bring witnesses. And he comes to bring the sun with him. He went to fetch the moon, and she is covered. In what place is she covered? She has ascended to that place of which it is said, “Into what is concealed from you do not search”, to appease Him concerning her children.

Segment 5ה׳

וְהַאי הוּא דְּאָמַר קְרָא, תִּקְעוּ בַחֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר בַּכֶּסֶה לְיוֹם חַגֵּנוּ. לַאֲתָר דְּבֵיהּ סְלִיקַת שְׁכִינְתָּא, דְּאִתְּמַר בֵּיהּ וּבַמְכוּסֶּה מִמָּךְ אַל תַּחְקוֹר. וְחוֹבִין בְּאִתְכַּסְיָיא, תַּמָּן צָרִיךְ לְמֵידָן בֵּינוֹ לְבֵין קוֹנוֹ. וְחוֹבִין דְּאִתְגַּלְיָיא דְּעָבַד לוֹן, אִתְּמַר (משלי כ״ח:י״ג) מְכַסֶּה פְּשָׁעָיו לֹא יַצְלִיחַ. דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא מִסִּטְרָא דְּכֶתֶר אִיהִי עָלְמָא דְּאִתְכַּסְּיָא, וְאוֹקְמוּהָ מָארֵי מָתְנִיתִין, דְּצָרִיךְ בַּר נָשׁ לְחַבְּרָא לָהּ לְהַהוּא אַתְרָא. בְּהַהוּא זִמְנָא מָטֵי זִמְנָא דְּרַחֲמֵי, וְאַעְבַּר דִּינָא. וּבְגִין דָּא לְחַבְרֵיהּ אָמַר לְזַכָּאָה לֵיהּ בְּעֵדוּתֵיהּ, אֲבָל לְרָשָׁע אֵין מְזַכִּין לוֹ.

And this is what Scripture said: “Blow the horn at the new moon, at the time of its covering for our feast day” — to the place to which the Shekinah has ascended, of which it is said, “and into what is concealed from you do not search.” And sins done in concealment must be judged there, between him and his Maker. But of sins done openly it is said, “He who covers his transgressions shall not prosper” (Prov. 28, 13). For the Shekinah, from the side of keter, is the concealed world; and the sages of the Mishnah have explained that a man must join her to that place. At that time the time of mercy arrives, and judgement passes away. And therefore it was said of his fellow, to acquit him by his testimony — but a wicked man they do not acquit.

…and 3 more segments in this section.

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Zohar — Vocalized Zohar, Israel 2013, via Sefaria

English: rendered from the Aramaic for this app — The Gematria's own rendering program. A rendering of the words, not a commentary; the Zohar is learned with a teacher