זוהר, תרומה נ״בZohar, Terumah 52

Segment 1א׳

פָּתַח רִבִּי יוֹסִי וְאָמַר, (דברים ח׳:י׳) וְאָכַלְתָּ וְשָבָעְתָּ וּבֵרַכְתָּ אֶת יְיָ' אֱלֹהֶיךָ עַל הָאָרֶץ הַטּוֹבָה אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לָךְ. אִי בְּאַרְעָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל מְבָרְכֵינָן, לְבַר מֵאַרְעָא מְנָלָן. דְּהָא בְּגַוְונָא דָּא לָא אִצְטְרִיךְ. אֶלָּא, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כַּד בָּרָא עָלְמָא, פָּלִיג אַרְעָא, יִשׁוּבָא אִיהוּ לִסְטַר חַד, וְחַרְבָּא אִיהוּ לִסְטַר אָחֳרָא. פָּלִיג יִשׁוּבָא, וְאַסְחַר עָלְמָא סַחֲרָנֵיהּ דִּנְקוּדָה חֲדָא. וּמַאן אִיהוּ, דָּא אַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא, אַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא אֶמְצָעִיתָא דְּעָלְמָא. וּבְאֶמְצָעִיתָא דְּאַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא, אִיהוּ יְרוּשָׁלַ ם. אֶמְצָעִיתָא דִּיְרוּשָׁלַ ם אִיהוּ בֵּית קֹדֶשׁ הַקֳּדָשִׁים, וְכָל טִיבוּ וְכָל מְזוֹנָא דְּכָל יִשׁוּבָא, תַּמָּן נָחִית מִלְּעֵילָּא. וְלֵית לְּךָ אֲתָר בְּכָל יִשׁוּבָא דְּלָא אִתְּזַן מִתַּמָּן.

R. Jose began: ‘It is written, “When thou hast eaten and art full, then thou shalt bless the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee” (Deut. 8, 10). It is evident from this verse that grace after meals is a duty in the Land of Israel; but whence do we know that it is a duty in other lands also? Now, when the Holy One created the world, He divided it into two parts: one part that should be habitable and the other a desert, the former on one side and the latter at the other. Then He redivided the habitable part in such a manner that it formed a circle, the centre of which is the Holy Land. The centre of the Holy Land is Jerusalem, and, again, the centre of Jerusalem is the Holy of Holies, to which all the abundance of nourishment and all good things for the whole inhabited world flow in from above, and there is no place in this inhabited world that is not nourished and sustained from that source.

Segment 2ב׳

פָּלִיג חַרְבָּא. וְלָא אִשְׁתְּכַח חַרְבָּא תַּקִּיפָא בְּכָל עָלְמָא, בַּר הַהוּא מִדְבָּר, דְּתַבְרוּ (קפ"ד) חֵילֵיהּ וְתֻקְפֵּיהּ יִשְׂרָאֵל אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה, כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמֵר (דברים ח׳:ט״ו) הַמּוֹלִיכֲךָ בַּמִּדְבָּר הַגָּדוֹל וְהַנּוֹרָא. בְּהַהוּא מַדְבְּרָא, שַׁלְטָא סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא, וּבָעַל כָּרְחֵיהּ אַזְלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל עָלֵיהּ, וְתָבְרוּ חֵילֵיהּ, אַרְבְּעִין שְׁנִין. וְאִי יִשְׂרָאֵל יִשְׁתַּכְחוּ זַכָּאִין בְּאִינּוּן אַרְבְּעִין שְׁנִין, הֲוָה מִתְעַבְּרָא הַהוּא סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא מֵעָלְמָא, וּמִדְקָא אַרְגִּיזוּ לֵיהּ לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כָּל אִינּוּן זִמְנִין, אִתְתָּקַּף הַהוּא סִטְרָא אָחֳרָא, וְנָפְלוּ כֻּלְּהוּ תַּמָּן תְּחוֹת רְשׁוּתֵיהּ.

The desert land He also divided, and there is no desert in the world so terrible and sinister as that where for forty long years Israel wandered, before its power was destroyed, of which it is written: “Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness” (Deut. 13, 15). There the “other side” reigned, and the children of Israel in despite of it traversed the desert forty years long, to break its power. Had they throughout that long period been worthy in heart and served the Holy One with faithfulness, the “other side” would have been wiped off the face of the earth; but they, time after time, provoked the Holy One to anger, and in like measure did the “other side” prevail, so that they became subject to its power.

Segment 3ג׳

וְאִי תֵּימָא, וְהָא מֹשֶׁה דְּסָלִיק עַל כָּל בְּנֵי עָלְמָא, הֵיךְ מִית תַּמָּן. לָאו הָכִי, דְּהָא מֹשֶׁה מְהֵימָנָא לָא הֲוָה בִּרְשׁוּתֵיהּ, אֶלָּא בְּהַר הָעֲבָרִים. מַאי הָעֲבָרִים. פְּלוּגְתָּא. דְּאִתְפְּלָגוּ עָלֵיהּ שַׁלִיטִין עִלָּאִין דִּלְעֵילָּא, וְלָא אִתְמְסָר בִּידָא דִּמְמָנָא וְשַׁלִיטָא אָחֳרָא, וְאִשְׁתְּאָר הָכִי, עַד דְּאָתָא מֹשֶׁה עַבְדָּא מְהֵימָנָא, וְשָׁלִיט עָלֵיהּ, וְאִתְקְבָר תַּמָּן, וְלָא אִתְעַסָּק בֵּיהּ בִּקְבוּרָתֵיהּ, בַּר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בִּלְחוֹדוֹי, דִּכְתִּיב, (דברים לה) וַיִקְבֹּר אוֹתוֹ בַגַּי.

It might be remarked, “How came it, then, that Moses, who was the most worthy and faithful of all men, died there?” The answer would be: “Not so; the faithful Moses was not in the power of the “other side”, for he died in Abarim (lit. quarrels. Deut. 32, 49). It was so called because the celestial principalities competed in wrath for it, but it was not given over to any of them, but was left as it was till Moses came and took possession of it, and there he was buried, and the Holy One alone attended to his burial and no one else, since it is written: “And (he) buried him in a valley” (Ibid. 34, 6), without mention of a subject.