זוהר, תולדות ט״זZohar, Toldot 16

Segment 1א׳

(בראשית כ״ז:א׳) וַיִּקְרָא אֶת עֵשָׂו בְּנוֹ הַגָּדוֹל, דְּאִתְכְּלַּל מִסִּטְרֵיהּ דְּדִינָא קַשְׁיָא (שם) וַיֹּאמֶר הִנֵּה נָא זָקַנְתִּי לא יָדַעְתִּי יוֹם מוֹתִי. רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (תהילים פ״ד:ו׳) אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם עוֹז לוֹ בָךְ וְגו', זַכָּאָה בַּר נָשׁ דְּאִתְתַּקַּף בֵּיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וְיַשְׁוֵי תוֹקְפֵיהּ בֵּיהּ.

AND HE CALLED ESAU, HIS ELDER SON, who was derived from his own side of severe judgement, AND HE SAID: BEHOLD NOW, I AM OLD, I KNOW NOT THE DAY OF MY DEATH. R. Eleazar discoursed on the verse: Happy is the man whose strength is in thee, etc. (Ps. 84, 6). ‘Happy is the man’, he said, ‘who holds fast to the Holy One and places his strength in Him.

Segment 2ב׳

יָכוֹל כַּחֲנַנְיָה מִישָׁאֵל וַעֲזַרְיָה דְּאִתְתַּקָּפוּ וְאָמְרוּ, (דניאל ג׳:י״ז) הֵן אִיתַי אֱלָהָנָא דִי אֲנַחְנָא פָלְחִין יָכוֹל לְשֵׁיזָבוּתַנָא מִגּוֹ אַתּוּן נוּרָא יָקִידְתָּא וּמִן יְדָךָ מַלְכָּא יְשֵׁזִיב. תָּא חֲזֵי, דְּאִי לָא יְשֵׁזִיב וְלָא אִתְקְיַּים עֲלַיְיהוּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אִשְׁתַּכַּח שְׁמֵיהּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דְּלָא יִתְקַדַּשׁ בְּעֵינַיְיהוּ דְּכֹלָּא כְּמָה דְּאָמְרוּ. אֶלָּא, כֵּיוָן דְּיָדְעוּ דְּלָא אָמְרוּ כְּדְקָא יְאוּת, אַהֲדָרוּ וְאָמְרוּ, (דניאל ג׳:י״ח) וְהֵן לָא יְדִיעַ לֶהֱוֵי לָךְ מַלְכָּא וְגו'. בֵּין יְשֵׁזִיב, בֵּין לָא יְשֵׁזִיב, יְדִיעַ לֶהוֵי לָךְ מַלְכָּא וְגו'. וְתָנִינָן דְּמִלָּה אוֹדַע לְהוּ יְחֶזְקֵאל, וְשָׁמְעוּ וְקַבִּילוּ מִנֵּיהּ, דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לָא אִתְקְיַּים עֲלַיְיהוּ, בְּגִין דִּיקַבְּלוּן אַגְרָא. וּכְדֵין אַהֲדָרוּ וְאָמְרוּ, וְהֵן לָא יְדִיעַ לֶהֱוֵי לָךְ מַלְכָּא וְגו'.

Like whom, for instance? Shall we say, like Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, when they boldly said to the King of Babylon: “Behold, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of thine hand” (Dan. 3, 17)? Not so; for if God had not stood by them to deliver them, His name would not have been acclaimed holy as they declared it to be. But they themselves realized their mistake, and so they corrected themselves and said: “But if not, be it known unto thee, O King, etc.” (Ibid. I8), that is, whether our God deliver us or not, be it known unto thee that we will not serve thy gods, etc. Tradition tells us that Ezekiel said something to them which opened their eyes, namely, that God would not stand by them if they expected reward. It was then that they began all over again, saying: “But if not, be it known unto thee, O King, etc.”

Segment 3ג׳

אֶלָּא לָא יִתְתַּקַּף בַּר נָשׁ דְּיֵימָא, קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יְשֵׁזְבִינַנִי, אוֹ אִיהוּ עָבִיד לִי כָּךְ וְכָךְ, אֲבָל יְשַׁוֵּי תּוּקְפֵיהּ בֵּיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דִּיסַיֵּיעַ לֵיהּ, כַּד אִיהוּ אִשְׁתַּדַּל בְּאִינוּן פִּקּוּדִין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וּלְמֵיהַךְ בְּאֹרַח קְשׁוֹט. דְּכֵיוָן דְּאָתֵי בַּר נָשׁ לְאִתְדַּכָּאָה, מְסַיְיעִין לֵיהּ וַדַּאי, וּבְדָא יִתְתַּקַּף בֵּיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דְּאִיהוּ יְסַיֵּיעַ לֵיהּ, וְיִתְתַּקַּף בֵּיהּ, דְּלָא יַשְׁוֵי תּוּקְפֵיהּ בְּאָחֳרָא, וּבְגִין כָּךְ עוֹז לוֹ בָךְ. מְסִלּוֹת בִּלְבָבָם, דְּיַעֲבִיד לִבֵּיהּ כְּדְקָא יְאוּת בְּלָא הִרְהוּרָא אָחֳרָא, אֶלָּא כְּהַאי מְסִלָּה דְּאִיהִי מִתְיַישְׁבָא לְאַעֲבָרָא בְּכָל אֲתַר דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ, הָכִי נָמֵי.

A man, therefore, should not confidently affirm: “God will deliver me or will do for me this or that”; but he should endeavour to fulfil the precepts of the Law and to walk in the path of truth, and then put his full trust in Him that He will help him thereto. For assuredly whenever a man sets out to purify himself he is helped thereto from on high. A man should thus put his trust in God and not anywhere else. Hence the expression “whose strength is in thee”. The next words, “in whose heart are paths”, indicate that a man should purge his heart of all strange thoughts, so as to make it like a path that leads straight to the desired destination.