זוהר, וירא כ״דZohar, Vayera 24

Segment 1א׳

וַיְיָ פָּקַד אֶת שָׂרָה כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמָר וְגו'. רַבִּי חִיָּיא פָּתַח וְאָמַר (זכריה ג׳:א׳) וַיַּרְאֵנִי אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל עוֹמֵד לִפְנֵי מַלְאַךְ יְיָ וְהַשָּׂטָן עוֹמֵד עַל יְמִינוֹ לְשִׂטְנוֹ. הַאי קְרָא אִית לְאִסְתַּכָּלָא בֵּיהּ. וַיַּרְאֵנִי אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל דָּא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן יְהוֹצָדָק. עוֹמֵד לִפְנֵי מַלְאַךְ יְיָ, מַאן מַלְאַךְ יְיָ. דָּא אֲתַר צְרוֹרָא (ס"א דנשמתין דצדיקיא צרירן) דְּנִשְׁמָתֵיהּ דְּצַדִּיק צְרִירָא בֵּיהּ, וְכָל אִנּוּן נִשְׁמָתִין דְּצַדִּיקַיָא קָיְימִין תַּמָּן, וְדָא הוּא מַלְאַךְ יְיָ.

AND THE LORD REMEMBERED SARAH AS HE HAD SAID, ETC. R. Hiya discoursed on the verse: And he showed me Joshua the High priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him (Zech. 3, 1). ‘This verse,’ he said, ‘must be carefully pondered. “Joshua the high priest” is Joshua the son of Jehozedek; “the angel of the Lord” before whom he was standing is the region of the “bundle of the souls” of the righteous, which is known as “the angel of the Lord”;

Segment 2ב׳

וְהַשָּׂטָן עוֹמֵד עַל יְמִינוֹ לְשִׂטְנוֹ. דָּא יֵצֶר הָרָע דְּאִיהוּ מְשׁוֹטֵט וְאָזִיל בְּעָלְמָא לְנַטְלָא נִשְׁמָתִין וּלְאַפָּקָא רוּחִין וּלְמִסְטֵי לוֹן לִבְרִיָּיתָא לְעֵילָא וְתַתָּא. וְדָא הוּא בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּאֲטִיל לֵיהּ נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר לְאֶשָׁא עִם אִנּוּן נְבִיאֵי הַשֶּׁקֶר, וְהַאי הֲוָה מַסְטִין לְעֵילָא בְּגִין דְּיִתּוֹקַד עִמְּהוֹן.

“Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him” is the evil tempter who roams to and fro through the world to snatch up souls and to lure beings to perdition, angels as well as human beings. Joshua had been cast by Nebuchadnezzar into the fire, along with the false prophets; and that was the moment seized by Satan to bring accusations against him on high in order that he should be burnt along with them.

Segment 3ג׳

דְּהָכִי הוּא אָרְחוֹי דְּלָאו אִיהוּ מְקַטְרֵג אֶלָּא בְּזִמְנָא דְּסַכָּנָה וּבְזִמְנָא דְּצַעֲרָא שָׁרְיָא בְּעָלְמָא, וְאִית לֵיהּ רְשׁוּ לְמִסְטֵי וּלְמֶעְבַּד דִּינָא אֲפִלּוּ בְּלָא דִינָא כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (משלי י״ג:כ״ג-כ״ד) וְיֵשׁ נִסְפָּה בְּלא מִשְׁפָּט. מַהוּ לְשִׂטְנוֹ, דְּהֲוָה אָמַר אוֹ כֻּלְהוּ יִשְׁתֵּזְבוּן אוֹ כֻּלְהוּ יִתּוֹקְדוּן. דְּהָא בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּאִתְיְיהִיב רְשׁוּתָא לִמְחַבְּלָא לְחַבָּלָא לָא אִשְׁתְּזִיב זַכָּאָה מִן חַיָּיבַיָא,

For this is the way of the Satan, to reserve his indictment for the hour of danger, or for a time when the world is in distress. At such a time he has authority both to accuse and to punish even without justice, as it says: “But there is that is swept away without a just cause” (Prov. 13, 23). Satan then was standing “to accuse him”, to wit, to plead that either they should all be delivered or all burnt in the fire. For when the angel of destruction obtains authorisation to destroy, he does not discriminate between innocent and guilty.