זוהר, תצוה ט׳Zohar, Tetzaveh 9

Segment 1א׳

תְּרֵין נַהֲמֵי אָכְלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל, חַד, כַּד נָפְקוּ מִמִּצְרַיִם, אָכְלוּ מַצָּה, לֶחֶם עוֹנִי. וְחַד בְּמַדְבְּרָא, לֶחֶם מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם. (חד בפסח וחד בשבועות) דִּכְתִּיב, (שמות ט״ז:ד׳) הִנְנִי מַמְטִיר לָכֶם לֶחֶם מִן הַשָּׁמָיִם וְעַל דָּא קָרְבָּנָא דְּיוֹמָא דָּא נָהֲמָא אִיהוּ. וְעַל נָהֲמָא, אִתְקְרִיבוּ כָּל שְׁאַר קָרְבָּנִין. דְּנָהֲמָא אִיהוּ עִקָר, דִּכְתִּיב, (ויקרא כ״ג:י״ח) וְהִקְרַבְתֶּם עַל הַלֶּחֶם שִׁבְעַת כְּבָשִׂים וְגוֹ', וּכְתִיב (ויקרא כ״ג:י״ז) מִמּוֹשְׁבוֹתֵיכֶם תָּבִיאוּ לֶחֶם תְּנוּפָה וְגוֹ', דְּדָא אִיהוּ נָהֲמָא דְּאֲחְכִּימוּ בֵּיהּ יִשְׂרָאֵל, חָכְמְתָא עִלָּאָה דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְעָאלוּ בְּאָרְחָהָא.

The children of Israel ate, when they left Egypt, two kinds of bread: one on their leaving, unleavened bread, the “bread of affliction”; and the other in the wilderness, “bread from heaven” (Ex. 16, 4). Therefore the essential sacrifice of the day (Pentecost, when the Torah was given) was bread (Lev. 23, 17), and the others were additional to this, as it is written: “And ye shall offer with the bread some lambs”, etc. (Ibid. 18), for this was the bread by means of which the Israelites were endowed with the superior wisdom of the Torah, and entered into her ways.

Segment 2ב׳

הַשְׁתָּא אִית לָן לְאִסְתַּכְּלָא, בַּפֶּסַח נָפְקוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מִנָּהֲמָא דְּאִתְקְרֵי חָמֵץ, כְּתִיב, (שמות י״ג:ז׳) וְלָא יֵרָאֶה לְךָ חָמֵץ, וּכְתִיב (שמות י״ב:י״ט) כִּי כָּל אוֹכֵל מַחְמֶצֶת מַאי טַעֲמָא. בְּגִין יְקָרָא דְּהַהוּא נַהֲמָא דְּאִתְקְרֵי מַצָּה. הַשְׁתָּא דְּזָכוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְנַהֲמָא עִלָּאָה יַתִּיר לָא יֵאוֹת הֲוָה לְאִתְבַּטְּלָא חָמֵץ, וְלָא אִתְחַזְיָא כְּלַל. וַאֲמַאי קָרְבָּנָא דָּא, חָמֵץ הֲוָה, דִּכְתִּיב סֹלֶת תִּהְיֶינָה חָמֵץ תֵּאָפֶינָה. וְתוּ, דְּהַשְׁתָּא בְּיוֹמָא דָּא אִתְבָּטַּל יֵצֶר הָרָע, וְאוֹרַיְיתָא דְּאִתְקְרֵי חִירוּ אִשְׁתְּכַחַת.

Now one has to consider: On the Passover the Israelites emerged from their subsistence on the [spiritual] bread called “leaven” to be nourished by the more honourable bread called Mazzah (unleavened). Now, when the Israelites were worthy (on the Day of Pentecost) to eat a more excellent bread, would it not have been more appropriate that the “leaven” should have been abolished altogether and not been in evidence at all? Why, then, was that sacrifice based chiefly on leavened bread, as it is written: “They (the two loaves) shall be baken with leaven” (Lev. 23, 17)? Moreover, on that day (Pentecost) the “evil inclination” (leaven) came to naught, and the Torah, called “Freedom”, was then given.

Segment 3ג׳

אֶלָּא, לְמַלְכָּא דְּהֲוָה לֵיהּ בַּר יְחִידָאי, וְחָלַשׁ. יוֹמָא חַד הֲוָה תָּאִיב לְמֵיכַל, אָמְרוּ יֵיכוּל בְּרֵיהּ דְּמַלְכָּא (ס"א מיכלא דאסוותא דא) אַסְוָותָא דָּא, וְעַד דְּיֵיכוּל לֵיהּ, לָא יִשְׁתְּכַּח מֵיכְלָא וּמְזוֹנָא אַחֲרָא בְּבֵיתָא. עָבְדוּ הָכִי. כֵּיוָן דְּאָכַל הַהוּא אַסְוָותָא, אָמַר מִכָּאן וּלְהָלְאָה יֵיכוּל כָּל מָה דְּאִיהוּ תָּאִיב, וְלָא יָכִיל לְנַזְקָא לֵיהּ.

We may, however, explain by the following parable. A king had an only son who fell seriously ill. After a time the prince expressed a desire to eat, but he was forbidden to eat any food other than that prescribed by the physicians, and orders were given that for the set term of that diet no other viands should be found in the palace. All was carried out accordingly. But when the prince was come to the end of the period of his special diet the ban was lifted, and it was intimated that now he was free to eat whatsoever he fancied, since it would not harm him.