זוהר, וירא כ״גZohar, Vayera 23

Section 23 of 36 in Vayera — 25 segments

Segment 1א׳

וַיִּסַּע מִשָּׁם אַבְרָהָם אַרְצָה הַנֶּגֶב. כָּל מַטְלָנוֹי הֲווּ לְסִטְרָא דְּדָרוֹמָא יַתִּיר מִסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא, בְּגִין דְּהָא בְּחָכְמָתָא עֲבַד לְאִתְדַּבְּקָא בְּדָרוֹמָא:

AND ABRAHAM JOURNEYED FROM THENCE TOWARD THE LAND OF THE SOUTH. All his journeyings were toward the side of the South, which he preferred to the other sides, in that it is the side of Wisdom.

Segment 2ב׳

וַיֹּאמֶר אַבְרָהָם אֶל שָׂרָה אִשְׁתּוֹ אֲחוֹתִי הִיא. תָּנִינָן (כיון) לָא לִיבָּעֵי לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ לְסָמְכָא עַל נִיסָא, וְאִי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אַרְחִישׁ נִיסָא לְבַּר נָשׁ, לָא אִית לֵיהּ לְסָמְכָא (תדיר) עַל נִיסָא זִמְנָא אָחֳרָא. בְּגִין דְּלָאו בְּכָל שַׁעֲתָא וְשַׁעֲתָא אִתְרְחִישׁ נִיסָא.

AND ABRAHAM SAID OF SARAH, HIS WIFE, SHE IS MY SISTER. It is a dictum of our teachers that a man should not rely on miracles, and even if the Holy One, blessed be He, has once performed a miracle for him he should not count on it another time, for miracles do not happen every day.

Segment 3ג׳

וְאִי יֵיעוּל בַּר נָשׁ גַּרְמֵיהּ בְּאֲתַר דְּנִזְקָא אִשְׁתְּכַח לְעֵינָא, הָא פָּקַע כָּל זְכוּתֵיהּ דְּעֲבַד בְּקַדְמִיתָא וְאוּקְמוּהָ. כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (בראשית ל״ב:י״א) קָטוֹנְתִּי מִכָּל הַחֲסָדִים וּמִכָּל הָאֱמֶת וְגו'. וְאַבְרָהָם כֵּיוָן דְּסָלִיק מִמִּצְרַיִם וְאִשְׁתְּזִיב זִמְנָא חָדָא, הַשְׁתָּא אַמַּאי אָעִיל גַרְמֵיהּ בְּצַעֲרָא כְּקַדְמִיתָא וְאָמַר אֲחוֹתִי הִיא.

And whoever runs into obvious danger may thereby exhaust all his merit previously accumulated. This has been made clear in explanation of the verse, “I am not worthy of all the mercies, and of all the truth, etc.” (Gen. 32, 11). Now, seeing that Abraham had already had once a miraculous deliverance when he journeyed into Egypt, why did he put himself now again into a similar difficulty by saying “she is my sister”?

Segment 4ד׳

אֶלָּא אַבְרָהָם לָא סָמִיךְ עַל גַּרְמֵיהּ כְּלוּם, וְחָמָא שְׁכִינְתָּא תָּדִיר בְּדִיּוּרָהּ דְּשָׂרָה וְלָא אַעֲדֵי מִתַּמָּן, וּבְגִין דְּהֲוַת תַּמָּן, אַסְמִיךְ אַבְרָהָם וְאָמַר אֲחוֹתִי הִיא כְּמָה דִכְתִיב (משלי ז׳:ד׳) אֱמֹר לַחָכְמָה אֲחוֹתִי אָתּ. וּבְגִין כָּךְ אָמַר אֲחוֹתִי הִיא (ס"א את):

The answer is that Abraham did in no way rely on himself, but he saw the Shekinah constantly in the abode of Sarah, and that emboldened him to declare “she is my sister”, in the sense of the verse “Say unto wisdom, Thou art my sister” (Prov. 7, 4).

Segment 5ה׳

וַיָּבֹא אֱלהִים אֶל אֲבִימֶלֶךְ וְגו'. וְכִי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אֲתָא לְגַבַּיְיהוּ דְּרַשִּׁיעַיָּא כְּמָה דִכְתִיב, (במדבר כ״ב:ט׳) וַיָּבֹא אֱלהִים אֶל בִּלְעָם. (בראשית ל״א:כ״ד) וַיָּבֹא אֱלהִים אֶל לָבָן. אֶלָּא הַהוּא מְמַנָּא שְׁלִיחָא דְּאִתְפַּקְּדָא עֲלַיְיהוּ הֲוָה, בְּגִין דְּכֻלְהוּ כַּד עָבְדֵי שְׁלִיחוּתָא נַטְלֵי שְׁמָא דָא, וּמִסִּטְרָא דְדִינָא קָא אַתְיָין. וְעַל דָּא וַיָּבֹא אֱלהִים אֶל אֲבִימֶלֶךְ בַּחֲלוֹם הַלַּיְלָה וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ הִנְךָ מֵת עַל הָאִשָּׁה אֲשֶׁר לָקַחְתָּ וְגו'.

AND GOD CAME TO ABIMELECH, ETC. Can that be? Does, then, the Holy One, blessed be He, come to the wicked? The same question is raised by the words, “and God came unto Balaam” (Num. 22, 9), and again, “and God came to Laban” (Gen. 31, 24). In all these cases, however, it was, in fact, only a heavenly messenger who was dispatched to them, and who in executing their message assumed that divine name (Elohim), since they were emissaries of justice. Hence: AND GOD CAME TO ABIMELECH IN A DREAM OF THE NIGHT, AND SAID TO HIM, BEHOLD, THOU SHALT DIE BECAUSE OF THE WOMAN WHOM THOU HAST TAKEN, ETC.

…and 20 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)