זוהר, וארא י״זZohar, Vaera 17

Section 17 of 22 in Vaera — 30 segments

Segment 1א׳

(דכתיב) (שמות ז׳:כ״ח) וְשָׁרַץ הַיְאוֹר צְפַרְדְּעִים וְעָלוּ וּבָאוּ בְּבֵיתֶךָ. ר' שִׁמְעוֹן פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (ירמיהו ל״א:ט״ו) קוֹל בְּרָמָה נִשְׁמָע נְהִי בְּכִי תַמְרוּרִים רָחֵל מְבַכָּה עַל בָּנֶיהָ וְגוֹ'. תָּא חֲזֵי, הַאי קְרָא אוּקְמוּהָ בְּכַמָּה אַתְרֵי. וְהַאי קְרָא קַשְׁיָא, רָחֵל מְבַכָּה עַל בָּנְיהָ, בְּנָהָא דְּרָחֵל יוֹסֵף וּבִנְיָמִין הֲווֹ וְלָא יַתִּיר, וְלֵאָה (כולהו) שִׁית שְׁבָטִין הֲווֹ דִּילָהּ, אֲמַאי בָּכַת רָחֵל וְלֹא לֵאָה.

AND THE RIVER SHALL SWARM WITH FROGS, WHICH SHALL GO UP AND COME INTO THINE HOUSE. R. Simeon quoted here the verse: “A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, because they were not” (Jer. 31, 16).

Segment 2ב׳

אֶלָּא הָכִי אָמְרוּ כְּתִיב, (בראשית כ״ט:י״ז) וְעֵינֵי לֵאָה רַכּוֹת. אֲמַאי רַכּוֹת. בְּגִין דְּכָל יוֹמָא נַפְקַת לְפָרָשַׁת אֹרְחִין, וְשָׁאָלַת עַל עֵשָׂו, וַהֲווּ אַמְרִין לָהּ עוֹבָדוֹי דְּהַהוּא רָשָׁע, וְדָחִילַת לְמִנְפַּל בְּגוֹ עַדְבֵיהּ, וַהֲוַת בָּכַת כָּל יוֹמָא, עַד דְּאִתְרְכָּכוּ עֵינָהָא.

Rather, thus they said: it is written, “And Leah’s eyes were weak” (Gen. 29, 17). Why weak? Because every day she went out to the crossroads and asked after Esau, and they would tell her the deeds of that wicked man; and she was afraid to fall into his lot, and she wept every day, until her eyes grew weak.

Segment 3ג׳

וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָמַר, אַנְתְּ בָּכַת בְּגִין הַהוּא צַדִּיקָא, דְּלָא תֶּהֱוֵי בְּעַדְבֵיהּ דְּהַהוּא רָשָׁע. חַיָּיִךְ, אַחֲתָךְ תָּקוּם בְּפָרָשַׁת אֹרְחִין, וְתִבְכֵּי עַל גָּלְוּתְהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאַתְּ תָּקוּם לְגוֹ וְלָא תִּבְכֵּי עָלַיְיהוּ וְרָחֵל אִיהִי בָּכַת עַל גָּלְוּתְהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל.

And the Holy One, blessed be He, said: You wept for the sake of that righteous man, that you should not be in the lot of that wicked one. By your life, your sister shall stand at the crossroads and weep over the exile of Israel, and you shall stand within and not weep over them. And it is Rachel who weeps over the exile of Israel.

Segment 4ד׳

אֲבָל הַאי קְרָא, אִיהוּ עַל מַה דְּאַמָרָן. אֲבָל רָזָא דְּמִלָּה, דְּרָחֵל וְלֵאָה תְּרֵי עָלְמִין נִינְהוּ. חַד עָלְמָא דְּאְתְכַּסְיָא, וְחַד עָלְמָא דְּאִתְגַּלְיָא. וְעַל דָּא, דָּא אִתְקַבְּרַת וְאִתְחֲפִיאַת לְגוֹ בִּמְעַרְתָּא וְאִתְכְּסִיאַת. וְדָא קַיְּימָא בְּפָרָשַׁת אָרְחִין בְּאִתְגַּלְיָא. וְכֹלָּא כְּגַוְונָא עִלָּאָה. וּבְגִין כַּךְ לָא אָעִיל לָהּ יַעֲקֹב בִּמְעַרְתָּא, וְלָא בַּאֲתָר אַחֲרָא, דְּהָא כְּתִיב (בראשית מ״ח:ז׳) בְּעוֹד כִּבְרַת אֶרֶץ לָבוֹא אֶפְרָתָה, וְלָא אָעִיל לָהּ לְמָתָא. בְּגִין דְּהֲוָה יָדַע דְּאַתְרָהּ הֲוָה בְּאַתְרָא דְּאִתְגַּלְיָא.

But this verse is upon what we have said. Yet the inner meaning of the matter is that Rachel and Leah are two worlds: one a world that is concealed, and one a world that is revealed. And therefore the one was buried and covered within the cave and hidden, and the other stands at the crossroads, revealed. And all is after the supernal pattern. And for this reason Jacob did not bring her into the cave, nor to any other place, for it is written, “when there was still some way to come to Ephrath” (Gen. 48, 7), and he did not bring her into the city — because he knew that her place was in the place that is revealed.

Segment 5ה׳

תָּא חֲזֵי, כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל הָכִי אִקְרֵי, רָחֵל. כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמֵר, (ישעיה נ"ב) וּכְרָחֵל לִפְנִי גּוֹזְזֶיהָ נְאֱלָמָה. אֲמַאי נְאֱלָמָה. דְּכַד שַׁלְטִין שְׁאַר עַמִּין, קָלָא אִתְפְּסָק מִינָהּ, וְהִיא אִתְאַלְּמַת.

The Community of Israel is called “Rachel”, as it says, “As a sheep (rahel) before her shearers is dumb” (Isa. 53, 7). Why dumb? Because when other nations rule over her the voice departs from her and she becomes dumb.

…and 25 more segments in this section.

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Zohar — Vocalized Zohar, Israel 2013, via Sefaria

English: The Zohar — Soncino Press, London 1933 (public domain)

English: Sefaria Community Translation (CC0)

English: rendered from the Aramaic for this app — The Gematria's own rendering program. A rendering of the words, not a commentary; the Zohar is learned with a teacher