זוהר, תרומה ס״אZohar, Terumah 61

Segment 1א׳

זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן כָּל אִינּוּן דְּמִשְׁתַּדְּלֵי בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא. וּבְגִין דְּכַד בָּרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָלְמָא, אִסְתָּכַּל בָּהּ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וּבָרָא עָלְמָא, וּבְאוֹרַיְיתָא אִתְבְּרֵי עָלְמָא, כְּמָה דְּאוּקְמוּהָ, דִּכְתִּיב, (משלי ט) וָאֶהְיֶה אֶצְלוֹ אָמוֹן, אַל תִּקְרֵי אָמוֹן אֶלָּא אוּמָן.

And, indeed, blessed are they who endeavour to comprehend the Torah. When the Holy One resolved to create the world, He guided Himself by the Torah as by a plan, as has been pointed ou in connection with the words “Then I was by him as amon” (Prov. 8, 30), where the word amon (nursling) may also be read uman (architect).

Segment 2ב׳

וְכִי אוֹרַיְיתָא אוּמָנָא הֲוָה. אִין. לְמַלְכָּא דְּבָעֵי לְמֶעְבַּד פְלַטְרִין, אִי לָא שַׁוִּי לְגַבֵּיהּ אוּמָנָא, לָא יָכִיל לְמֶעְבַּד פְּלַטְרִין. כֵּיוָן דִּפְלַטְרִין אִתְעָבִידוּ, לָא סָלִיק שְׁמָא, אֶלָּא דְּמַלְכָּא. אִלֵּין פְּלַטְרִין דְּעָבַד מַלְכָּא, מַלְכָּא שַׁוִּי בְּאִינּוּן פְּלַטְרִין מַחֲשָׁבָה.

Was the Torah, then, an architect? Yes; for if a King resolves to build him a palace, without an architect and a plan how can he proceed? Nevertheless, when the palace has been built, it is attributed to the King: “here is the palace which the King has built”, because his was the thought that thus has been realized.

Segment 3ג׳

כַּךָ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, בָּעֵי לְמִבְרֵי עָלְמָא, אִסְתָּכַּל בְּאוּמָנָא, וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּאוּמָנָא עֲבַד פְּלַטְרִין, לָא סָלִיק שְׁמָא אֶלָּא דְּמַלְכָּא, אִלֵּין פְּלַטְרִין דַּעֲבַד מַלְכָּא, וַדַּאי מַלְכָּא בָּנָה פְּלַטְרִין. אוֹרַיְיתָא צווַֹחַת וָאֶהְיֶה אֶצְלוֹ אָמוֹן, בִּי בָּרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָלְמָא, דְּעַד (נ"א אלא עד) (ס"א לא אתברי) אִתְבְּרֵי עָלְמָא, אַקְדִּימַת אוֹרַיְיתָא תְּרֵין אַלְפֵי שְׁנִין לְעָלְמָא, וְכַד בָּעָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְמִבְרֵי עָלְמָא, הֲוָה מִסְתַּכָּל בָּהּ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, בְּכָל מִלָּה וּמִלָּה, וְעָבִיד לָקֳבְלָהּ אוּמָנוּתָא דְּעָלְמָא. בְּגִין דְּכָל מִלִּין וְעוֹבָדִין דְּכָל עָלְמִין, בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא אִינּוּן. וְעַל דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הֲוָה מִסְתָּכַּל בָּהּ, וּבָרָא עָלְמָא.

Similarly, when the Holy One, blessed be He, resolved to create the world, He looked into His plan, and, although, in a sense, it was the plan which brought the palace into being, it is not called by its name, but by that of the King. The Torah proclaims: “I was by Him an architect, through me He created the world!”-for the Torah preceded the creation of the world by two thousand years; and so, when He resolved to create the world He looked into the Torah, into its every creative word, and fashioned the world correspondingly; for all the words and all the actions of all the worlds are contained in the Torah. Therefore did the Holy One, blessed be He, look into it and create the world.