זוהר, ויקהל ל״חZohar, Vayakhel 38

Segment 1א׳

(שמות מ) וַיַּעַשׂ אֶת צִיץ נֶזֶר הַקֹּדֶשׁ. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה פָּתַח קְרָא בְּרוּת, (רות ב׳:ט׳) עֵינַיִךְ בַּשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר יִקְצֹרוּן וְגוֹ'. הַאי קְרָא אִית לְאִסְתַּכְּלָא בֵּיהּ, אֲמַאי אִצְטְרִיךְ הָכָא לְמִכְתַּב. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רִבִּי יִצְחָק, אִי הָכִי כַּמָּה קְרָאִין אִינּוּן בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא דְּאִתְחֲזִיאוּ דְּלָא אִצְטְרִיכוּ לְמִכְתַּב, וְחָמֵינָן דְּכֻלְּהוּ רָזִין עִלָּאִין. אָמַר רִבִּי יְהוּדָה, הַאי קְרָא מַאן דְּחָמֵי וְלָא אִסְתָּכַּל בֵּיהּ, כְּמָה דְּלָא טָעִים תַּבְשִׁילָא דָּמֵי.

R. Judah began a discourse on the verse: “Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them;… and when thou art athirst, go unto the vessels, and drink of that”, etc. (Ruth 2, 9). ‘This verse’, he said, ‘raises a problem; for the point of it is not at all apparent.’ R. Isaac interposed, saying: ‘But are there not many more verses in Scripture which seem to be needless, and the purpose of which is not apparent, yet we know that they conceal within them deep esoterical doctrines.’ Then R. Judah, resuming his discourse, said: ‘As regards this verse, whoever just looks at it and does not study it deeply is like a man who looks at a dish without tasting it.

Segment 2ב׳

אֶלָּא רָזָא הָכָא, וּבְרוּחַ קוּדְשָׁא אִתְּמַר, בְּגִין דְּחָמָא בֹּעַז דַּיָּינָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, עַנְוָותָנוּתָא דְּהַהִיא צַדֶּקֶת, דְּלָא מְסַלְּקָא עֵינָא לְמֵחמֵי בַּאֲתָר אַחֲרָא, אֶלָּא לְקַמָּהּ. וְחָמָאת כָּל מַה דְּחָמָאת, בְּעֵינָא טָבָא, וְתּוּקְפָּא דְּמִצְחָא לָא הֲוָה בָּה, שִׁבַּח עֵינָהָא.

In truth, there is an inner meaning in it, and it has been composed under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. It amounts to this. Boaz, the Judge of Israel, observed the modesty of that righteous woman in that she did not turn her eyes hither and thither, but only looked straight in front of her, and that she had a benignant eye, and that there was no trace of impudence in her. He thus spoke in praise of her eyes.’

Segment 3ג׳

בְּגִין דְּאִית עַיְינִין דִּבְגִינֵיהוֹן לָא שַׁלְטָא בִּרְכָתָא בְּהַהוּא אֲתָר, וְאִיהוּ עֵינָא טָבָא חָמָא בָּה, דְּכָל מַה דְּאִסְתַּכְּלַת הֲוָה בְּעֵינָא טָבָא. וְתוּ, דְּחָמָא, דְּהֲוָה אַצְלַח בִּידָהָא, כָּל מַה דַּהֲוַות לַקְטָא, אִתּוֹסַף בְּחַקְלָא. וּבֹעַז אִסְתָּכַּל דְּרוּחָא קַדִּישָׁא שַׁרְיָיא עָלָהּ, כְּדֵין פָּתַח וְאָמַר, עֵינַיִךְ בַּשָּׂדֶה אֲשֶׁר יִקְצֹרוּן וְגוֹ'. אִי תֵּימָא בְּגִין אִינּוּן לַקְטִין כָל אִינּוּן אַחֲרָנִין, הֵיךְ אָמַר דְּתֵּהַךְ אֲבַתְרַיְיהוּ, לָא אִצְטְרִיךְ לְמִכְתַּב אֶלָּא וְלָקַטְתְּ אַחֲרֵיהֶן, מַאי וְהָלַכְתְּ אַחֲרֵיהֶן, אֶלָּא בְּגִין עֵינָהָא קָאָמַר. עֵינָהָא דַּהֲווֹ גַּרְמִין (נ"א ברכאן סגיאין, ועל דא וכו'), בִּרְכָתָא לַקְטִין סַגִּיאִין וְעַל דָּא וְהָלַכְתְּ אַחֲרֵיהֶן, בָּתַר עֵינַיִךְ. כָּל שְׁאַר בְּנִי עָלְמָא לֵית לְהוּ רְשׁוּ לְמֵיהַךְ בָּתַר עֵינוֹי. וְאַנְתְּ לְבָתַר עֵינַיִךְ, דְּעֵינַיִךְ גַּרְמִין בִּרְכָאן סַגִּיאִין.

For there are eyes that throw a blight on any spot on which they are cast. But he observed in her a kindly eye, and he also saw that everything prospered in her hands, that the more she gleaned the more the gleaning in the field increased; and so Boaz recognized that the Holy Spirit hovered over her. Hence he thus addressed her, saying: “Let thine eyes be on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them”, to wit, “after thine eyes”. For the phrase “after them” cannot be construed as alluding to the gleaners, as if so it should have been written “and glean thou” instead of “and go thou”. Boaz thus bade her “go after” her eyes, having observed that her eyes carried with them a blessing and were the cause of a manifold increase in the gleaning. “Other people”, he as much as said, “are not permitted to follow after their eyes, but thou mayest follow thine eyes, for they are the begetters of manifold blessings.”’