זוהר, ויחי י״גZohar, Vayechi 13

Segment 1א׳

וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת בְּנֵי יוֹסֵף וַיּאמֶר מִי אֵלֶּה. רִבִּי אַבָּא פָּתַח, (ישעיהו מ״ט:כ״א) וְאָמַרְתְּ בִּלְבָבֵךְ מִי יָלַד לִי אֶת אֵלֶּה, מַאי קָא מַיְירֵי, יִשְׂרָאֵל לְתַתָּא, חָזֵי דְּיֵיתוּן בְּנוֹהִי דְיִשְׂרָאֵל קָדָמֵיהּ, כַּד יֵיתוּן (ישעיהו י״א:י״א) מֵעֵילָם וּמִשִּׁנְעָר וּמֵחֲמָת וּמֵאִיֵּי הַיָּם וְאַכְנָשׁוּ כֻּלְּהוּ וִיהוֹן סַגִּיאִין. תֵּימָא שְׁכִינְתָּא מֵאָן אִינוּן כֻּלְּהוֹן, וְלָא בְּהוֹן פְּסוּל מִבְּנִי נוּכְרָאָה. יִיִמְרוּן לֵיהּ, אֲנַחְנָא כֻּלָּנָא מִבֵּרַךְ, וְלֵית בְּנָא נוּכְרָאָה בַּהֲדָן, דְּיִתְפָּרְשׁוּן דָּא מִן דָּא וְכָרַת לְהוֹן כְּחֲדָא, וְיִתְגַּיְירוּן, יְתוּבוּן גִּיּוּרִין עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל, וִיהוֹן כְּחֲדָא.

AND ISRAEL SAW JOSEPH’S SONS, AND SAID: WHO ARE THESE? R. Abba discoursed on the verse: And you will say in your heart: Who has borne me these? (Is. 49, 21). What does this speak of? Israel below sees the children of Israel coming before him, when they come “from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea” (Is. 11, 11), and they are all gathered in and become many. The Shekinah will say: Whose are all these, and is there no blemish in them from the sons of strangers? They will say to Him: We are all of the blessed, and there is no stranger among us — that they should be distinguished one from another, and He joined them together; and they will be converted, the proselytes returning with Israel, and they will be as one.

Segment 2ב׳

תָּנָא, קָשִׁים גֵּרִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּסַפַּחַת בְּעוֹר הַחַי, לְאַרְעֲהוֹן. כְּתִיב (ישעיה יא) כִּי יְרַחֵם ה' אֶת יַעֲקֹב וּבָחַר עוֹד בִּיְרוּשָׁלַ ם וְנִלְוָה הַגֵּר עֲלֵיהֶם וְנִסְפְּחוּ עַל בֵּית יַעֲקֹב, כַּד יְתוּבוּן לְאַרְעֲהוֹן בְּרָיָא, וִיהֶוְיָין רְחִימוּ בְהוֹן, (זכריה י״ד:ט׳) יִהְיֶה ה' אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד, יִתְלַוּוּן גִּיּוֹרִין עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל וִיהֶוְויָין לְהוֹן כְּעוּמְקָא בְּבִשְׂרֵיהוֹן.

It has been taught: Proselytes are as hard for Israel as a scab in the living skin — for their land. It is written: “For the Lord will have compassion on Jacob, and will yet choose Jerusalem, and the stranger shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob” (Is. 11). When they return to their land whole, and there is love among them, “the Lord shall be One and His name one” (Zech. 14, 9), the proselytes shall be joined with Israel and shall be to them as a deep place in their flesh.

Segment 3ג׳

וְכָל כָּךְ לָמָּה. תָּא שְׁמַע, אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, עַל תְּחוּמִין דְּאַרְעָא, דְּכָל חַד יְהֵא רַעֲוָא לְמֵידַר בְּאַרְעָא דְיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְתִסְתָּעַר דִּיּוּרִין. כְּתִיב, (ישעיהו נ״ד:ב׳) וִיתֵדוֹתַיִךְ חֲזֵקִי, צָבֵי לְמֵימַר, סִיכְיָא דְּהַוְיָין עִמָּךְ מֵעִקָּרָא, אַתְקִיף יַתְהוֹן, וְסַיַּיע יַתְהוֹן יַתִּיר מִשְׁאָר עַמָּמִין. כִּבְיָכוֹל דְּאַתְּ סָכֵי לְאִתְתַּקְּפָא יַתְהוֹן בְּכָל עַמְּמַיָא אָחֳרָא, וִיהוֹן סַגִּיאִין:

And why all this? Listen, R. Simeon said: because of the borders of the land, that every one will desire to dwell in the land of Israel, and it will teem with dwellers. It is written: “and strengthen your stakes” (Is. 54, 2). It means to say: the stakes that were with you from the beginning — strengthen them, and support them more than the rest of the nations; as it were, that you look to make them strong among all the other nations, and they will be many.