זוהר, תרומה פ״הZohar, Terumah 85

Segment 1א׳

כְּגַוְונָא דָּא, קָשִׁין זִוּוּגִין קָמֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כִּקְרִיעַת יַם סוּף, מַה קְרִיעַת יַם סוּף קָטִיל לְאִלֵּין בְּהַאי סִטְרָא, וּמְקַיֵים לְאִלֵּין בְּהַאי סִטְרָא, אוּף הָכָא בְּזִוּוּגִין, כְּתִיב (תהילים ס״ח:ז׳) מוֹצִיא אֲסִירִים בַּכּוֹשָׁרוֹת, וְתָנֵינָן בְּכִי וְשִׁירוֹת, מַיִּית הַאי, וְיָהִיב אִתְּתֵיהּ לְהַאי, וּלְזִמְנִין לַחַיָּיבָא מִזְדַּמְנָא לֵיהּ אִתְּתָא מָעַלְיָא. אֲבָל רָזִין סְתִימִין אִינּוּן בְּכֹלָּא וְכֹלָּא הוּא בְּדִינָא, וּמַה דְּאִתְעֲרוּ חַבְרַיָּיא בְּהָא, וַדַּאי הָכִי הוּא.

As at the dividing of the Red Sea those who stood on the one side of the sea were drowned, and the others were saved, so in marriages also there is weeping for some and singing for others; He allows one man to die and gives his wife to another man, and at times a bad man gets a good wife. These happenings are great mysteries, but it all conforms to justice, and all that the Companions have said on this subject is quite true;

Segment 2ב׳

וּמַה דְּאִתְעֲרוּ לִפְנֵי, וְלא (קנ"ג ע"ב) מִלְּפָנַי, לִפְנֵי הַהוּא דְּקָאִים לִפְנֵי, קָמֵיהּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְשִׁמֵּשׁ קַמֵּיהּ, וְעַל דָּא לָא אָמְרוּ דְּקָשִׁין זִוּוּגִין לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. וְכֵן קָשִׁין מְזוֹנוֹתָיו שֶׁל אָדָם לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אֶלָּא לִפְנֵי, וּלְהַאי קַשְׁיָין כָּל הָנֵי, דְּהָא לָאו בִּרְשׁוּתֵיהּ קַיְימֵי, אַף עַל גַּב דְּאִיהוּ עָבִיד, בִּרְשׁוּתָא אַחֲרָא עָבִיד. (ד"א ל"ג אבל אף על גב דאיהו עביד)

as is also that which they have stated concerning the difference between “before” (liphne, lit. the face of) and “from before” (miliphne). These matrimonial decisions are arranged by him who stands before the Holy One and ministers before Him. Therefore the aforementioned dictum does not run, “hard are unions to the Holy One”, but “before (to the face of) the Holy One”; i.e. to him who is appointed over the arrangement of marriages and over the supply of food, since the power is not his, he is merely the administrator and under authority.

Segment 3ג׳

כְּתִיב (ויקרא כ״ב:ג׳) וְנִכְרְתָה הַנֶּפֶשׁ הַהִיא מִלְּפָנַי. מַאי מִלְּפָנַי. אֶלָּא דָּא עָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, הַהוּא דְּכָל חַיִּין קַיְימִין תַּמָּן. דָּבָר אַחֵר, דָּא צִנּוֹרָא עִלָּאָה, נָהָר דְּלָא פַּסְקִין מֵימוֹי לְעָלְמִין. וְכֹלָּא חַד, וְדָא אִיהוּ דְּנָטִיל כָּל עִדּוּנִין דְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי. וּמֵאִינּוּן עִדּוּנִין עִלָּאִין תִּשְׁתֵּצֵי, (האי נפש) מֵאֲתָר דְּהַהוּא נֹעַם יְיָ' תַּמָּן, וְדָא אִיהוּ מִלְּפָנַי.

It is written: “And that soul shall be cut off from before Me” (Lev. 22, 3). What is “from before Me”? It is the world to come, that place where all life subsists. Another interpretation: it is the supernal channel, the river whose waters never cease. And all is one; and this is that which takes all the delights of the world to come. And from those supernal delights that soul shall be cut off, from the place where the pleasantness of the Lord is — and this is “from before Me”.