זוהר, ויחי נ״זZohar, Vayechi 57

Segment 1א׳

שִׁמְעוֹן וְלֵוִי אַחִים, אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק, הָכָא אָחִיד לוֹן בְּסִטְרָא שְׂמָאלָא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא. דְּחָמָא עוֹבָדִין דְּדִינָא קַשְׁיָא, דְּלָא יָכִיל עַלְמָא לְמִסְבַּל. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי, בִּרְכְתָא דִּלְהוֹן אָן הִיא. אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק, שִׁמְעוֹן לָא אִתְחֲזֵי לְהַאי, דְּחָמָא לֵיהּ כַּמָּה עוֹבָדִין בִּישִׁין. וְלֵוִי דְּאָתֵי מִסִּטְרָא דְּדִינָא קַשְׁיָא, וּבִרְכְתָא לָא תַלְיָא בֵּיהּ. וְאֲפִילּוּ כַּד אֲתָא משֶׁה, לָא תָּלֵי בִּרְכָתֵיהּ בֵּיהּ. דִּכְתִיב, (דברים ל״ג:י״א) בָּרֵךְ ה' חֵילוֹ וּפוֹעַל יָדָיו תִּרְצֶה, בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא תַּלְיָיא.

SIMEON AND LEVI ARE BRETHREN. R. Isaac said: ‘He joined them to the left side of the Shekinah, since he saw deeds of vengeance which the world could not endure.’ R. Jose said: ‘Where is their blessing?’ R. Isaac answered: ‘Simeon was not meet for a blessing, since Jacob saw that he had wrought much evil; nor was Levi, because he came from the side of stern justice, and blessing did not attach to him. Even Moses did not bless him directly, but left it to the Almighty, as it is written: “Bless, Lord, his substance and accept the work of his hands” (Deut. 33, 11).

Segment 2ב׳

תָּא חֲזֵי, כְּתִיב, (תהילים ק״ד:כ״ה) זֶה הַיָּם גָּדוֹל וּרְחַב יָדַיִם שָׁם רְמֶשׂ וְאֵין מִסְפָּר חַיּוֹת קְטַנּוֹת עִם גְּדוֹלוֹת. זֶה הַיָּם גָּדוֹל, דָּא שְׁכִינְתָּא דְּקָיְימָא עֲלֵיהּ דְּיַעֲקֹב כַּד בָּעָא לְאִסְתַּלְּקָא מֵעַלְמָא. וּרְחַב יָדַיִם, דְּהָא כָּל עַלְמָא אִמְלֵי וְאִשְׁתְּלִים וְאִתְצַמְצֵם תַּמָּן. שָׁם רֶמֶשׂ וְאֵין מִסְפָּר, דְּכַמָּה מַלְאֲכֵי עִלָּאֵי וְקַדִּישָׁאֵי אִשְׁתַּכְּחוּ תַּמָּן. חַיּוֹת קְטַנּוֹת עִם גְּדוֹלוֹת, אִלֵּין אִינוּן י"ב שְׁבָטִין, בְּנוֹי דְּיַעֲקֹב, דְּאִשְׁתַּכָּחוּ בְּהוֹן בִּשְׁלִימוּ. חַד אַיָּלָה, וְחַד זְאֵב, וְחַד אֲרִי, וְחַד טָלֶה. אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק, אַרְיֵה חַד, וְטָלֶה חַד, חַד זְאֵב, וְחַד גְּדִי, וְכֵן כֻּלְּהוּ, לְאִשְׁתַּכְּחָא חַיּוֹת קְטַנּוֹת עִם גְּדוֹלוֹת.

It is written: “Yonder is the sea, great and wide, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts” (Ps. 104, 25). The “sea” refers to the Shekinah, which stood over Jacob when he was about to depart from the world. It is called “great and wide” because all the world was compressed into it. There were “creeping things innumerable”, because numbers of celestial holy angels are found there; while the “small and great beasts” refer to the twelve tribes, the sons of Jacob, of whom one was called a hind, one a wolf, one a lion, and one a lamb.’ R. Isaac said: ‘First a lion, then a lamb, then a wolf, then a kid, and so forth, so that there should be great and small beasts.’

Segment 3ג׳

רִבִּי יְהוּדָה אָמַר, כֻּלְּהוּ שַׁפִּיר. אֲבָל יְהוּדָה אַרְיֵה, שִׁמְעוֹן שׁוֹר, וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ חַבְרַיָיא דְּהֲווּ מַשְׁגִּיחִין דָא לָקֳבֵל דָּא, דָּא מִימִינָא, וְדָא מִשְׂמָאלָא. לְתוֹרָא דְּעוֹבָדוֹי בִּישִׁין, אָמְרוּ נְצַיֵּיר אִקּוּנִין דְּאַרְיֵה בְּקוֹפְטֵיהּ, וְיִסְתַּכֵּל בְּדָא וְיִדְחַל מִנֵּיהּ, כָּךְ שִׁמְעוֹן שׁוֹר, יְהוּדָה אַרְיֵה.

R. Judah said: ‘Simeon was an ox and came before Judah, who was a lion, and the Companions have laid down that they faced one another, one on the right and one on the left. It was as if a man had a vicious ox and said: Let us put the figure of a lion in his stall so that he shall see it and be afraid of it.