זוהר, תצוה ה׳Zohar, Tetzaveh 5

Segment 1א׳

וְתָּא חֲזֵי, אִלְמָלֵא חוּלָקָא יָהַב לְכֹלָּא, מְקַטְרְגָא לָא יָכִיל לֵיהּ לְבָתַר, וְאִי תֵּימָא אֲמַאי אַבְאִישׁ לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. אֶלָּא, בְּגִין דְּגָרִים לְכַסְיָּא נְהוֹרָא וּלְאִתְחַפְיָּא, וְאִיהוּ לָא קָרִיב קָרֵבְּנָא אַחֲרָא, לְאַתְּזָנָא בֵּיהּ אַחֲרָנִין, אֶלָּא עוֹלָה, דְּסַלְּקָא לְעֵילָּא, וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב, כָּכָה יַעֲשֶׂה אִיּוֹב כָּל הַיָּמִים, דְּאִלְמָלֵא סִטְרָא אַחֲרָא אִתְּזָנַת בְּחוּלָקָא, אִתְעֲבַר מֵעַל מַקְדְּשָׁא וְאִסְתַּלָּק מִנֵּיהּ, וְסִטְרָא דִּקְדוּשָׁה הֲוָה סָלִיק לְעֵילָּא לְעֵילָּא.

And observe: had he given a portion to all, the accuser would not have prevailed against him afterwards. And if you should say, why then did the Holy One, blessed be He, bring evil upon him? — it is because he caused the light to be covered and concealed, and offered no other sacrifice by which others might be nourished, but only a burnt-offering, which ascends above. And therefore it is written, “Thus did Job do all the days”. For had the other side been nourished with a portion, it would have passed away from the Temple and departed from it, and the side of holiness would have ascended higher and higher.

Segment 2ב׳

אֲבָל אִיהוּ לָא בָּעָא דְּאִתְהֲנֵי אַחֲרָא מִקָרְבָּנֵיה, וְאַעְדֵּי גַּרְמֵיהּ מִנֵּיהּ. מְנָא לָן. דִּכְתִּיב, (איוב א׳:א׳) וְסָר מֵרָע. וְעַל דָּא קָרִיב תָּדִיר עוֹלָה, דְּהָא עוֹלָה לָא אִתְהָנֵי מִנֵּיהּ סִטְרָא אַחֲרָא לְעָלְמִין. וּבְגִין כַּךְ, כָּל מָה דְּנָטִיל לְבָתַר, מִדִּידֵיהּ נָטִיל. וְעַל דָּא אִיּוֹב גָּרִים לְחַפְיָא עָרְלָה עַל בְּרִית קַיָימָא, דְּלָא הֲוָה אַעְדֵּי מִנֵּיהּ. וּבְגִין כַּךְ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְּעַר לְהַהוּא מְקַטְרְגָא, דִּכְתִּיב הֲשַׂמְתָּ לִבְּךָ עַל עַבְדִּי אִיּוֹב.

But he did not wish another to have benefit from his offering, and he withdrew himself from it. From where do we know this? Because it is written, “and shunned evil” (Job 1, 1). And therefore he continually offered a burnt-offering, for the other side never has benefit from a burnt-offering. And therefore all that it took afterwards, it took of his own. And so Job caused the foreskin to cover the covenant, since it had not been removed from him. And therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, roused that accuser, as it is written, “Have you considered My servant Job?”

Segment 3ג׳

תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּד בָּעָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְאִתְאַחֲדָא בְּהוּ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּמִצְרַיִם, לָא קַיְּימָא שַׁעֲתָא. בְּגִין דְּעָרְלָה חַפְיָא נְהוֹרָא, עַד זִמְנָא דְּהַהוּא מְקַטְרְגָא הֲוָה נָטִיל דִּילֵיהּ מֵאִיּוֹב, וְעַל דָּא פָּקִיד לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְמֵיכְלֵיהּ לְהַהוּא פֶּסַח בִּבְהִילוּ, עַד דְּהַהוּא סִטְרָא אַחֲרָא אִשְׁתָּדַּל בֵּיהּ בְּאִיּוֹב, וּפָקִיד לְאִתְעַבְּרָא עָרְלָה מִנַּיְיהוּ, וּכְדֵין אִתְאֲחָד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְהַהוּא סִטְרָא אַחֲרָא אִתְפְּרַשׁ מִן קֻדְשָׁא, וְאִשְׁתָּדַּל בֵּיהּ בְּאִיּוֹב, וְנָטִיל מִדִילֵיהּ. וּכְדֵין (שמות יב) פֶּסַח הוּא לַיְיָ' וַדַּאי. דְּעַד הַשְׁתָּא לָא הֲוָה פֶּסַח לַיְיָ'. זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן דְּיַדְעֵי וּמְיַחֲדֵי יִחוּדָא דְּמָארֵיהוֹן כְּדְקָא יֵאוֹת.

Observe: when the Holy One, blessed be He, wished to unite Himself with Israel in Egypt, the hour was not ready, because the foreskin covered the light, until the time when that accuser should take his own from Job. And therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, commanded them to eat that paschal offering in haste, while that other side was occupied with Job; and He commanded that the foreskin be removed from them. And then the Holy One, blessed be He, was united with Israel, and that other side was separated from holiness and occupied itself with Job and took of his own. And then, indeed, “it is a passover to the Lord” (Ex. 12); for until then it had not been a passover to the Lord. Blessed are they who know how to effect the unity of their Master in the proper fashion.