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The Zohar · Vayeshev

זוהר, וישב כ״גZohar, Vayeshev 23

Section 23 of 25 in Vayeshev — 16 segments

Segment 1א׳

וַיְהִי אַחַר הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה חָטְאוּ מַשְׁקֵה מֶלֶךְ מִצְרַיִם וְגו'. רִבִּי יְהוּדָה פָּתַח, (עמוס ג׳:ד׳) הֲיִשְׁאַג אַרְיֵה בַּיַּעַר וְטֶרֶף אֵין לוֹ הֲיִתֵּן כְּפִיר קוֹלוֹ מִמְּעוֹנָתוֹ בִּלְתִּי אִם לָכָד. הֲיִשְׁאַג אַרְיֵה בַּיַּעַר. תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּמָּה אִית לוֹן לִבְנֵי נָשָׁא לְאַשְׁגָּחָא בְּפוּלְחָנָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. דְּכָל מַאן דְּאִשְׁתַּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וּבְפוּלְחָנָא דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, דַּחַלְתֵּיהּ וְאֵימָתֵיהּ הוּא עַל כֹּלָּא. דְּהָא כַּד בָּרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עַלְמָא, עֲבַד כָּל בִּרְיָין דְּעַלְמָא, כָּל חַד וְחַד בְּדִיוּקְנֵיהּ כְּדְקָא חָזֵי לֵיהּ. וּלְבָתַר בָּרָא לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ בְּדִיוּקְנָא עִלָּאָה, וְשַׁלְטֵיהּ עַל כֻּלְּהוּ, בְּדִיוּקְנָא דָא.

AND IT CAME TO PASS AFTER THESE THINGS, THAT THE BUTLER OF THE KING OF EGYPT AND HIS BAKER OFFENDED, ETC. R. Judah opened his discourse with the text: Will a lion roar in the forest when he hath no prey? win a young lion give forth his voice out of his den, if he has taken nothing? (Amos 3, 4). ‘It well boots a man’, he said, ‘to be assiduous in the worship of the Holy One, blessed be He, for then his fear and dread is upon every creature. For when God created the world, He made each creature in its proper likeness; and finally He created man in the supernal image and gave him dominion over all through this image.

Segment 2ב׳

דְּכָל זִמְנָא דְּבַר נָשׁ קָאִים בְּעַלְמָא, כָּל אִינוּן בִּרְיָין דְּעַלְמָא זָקְפִין רֵישָׁא, וּמִסְתַּכְּלָן בְּדִיוּקְנָא עִלָּאָה דְּבַר נָשׁ. כְּדֵין כֻּלְּהוּ דַּחֲלִין וְזָעִין מִקַּמֵּיהּ, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (בראשית ט׳:ב׳) וּמוֹרַאֲכֶם וְחִתְּכֶם יִהְיֶה עַל כָּל חַיַּת הָאָרֶץ וְעַל כָּל עוֹף הַשָּׁמַיִם וְגו', וְהַנֵּי מִילֵי, כַּד מִסְתַּכְּלָן וְחָמָאן בֵּיהּ, הַאי דִיוּקְנָא, וְנִשְׁמָתָא בֵּיהּ.

For as long as a man is alive the other creatures look up to him and, perceiving the supernal image, shake and tremble before him, as we read: “And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, etc.” (Gen. 9, 2). But this is only when they are aware of that image and soul in him

Segment 3ג׳

אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, אַף עַל גַּב דְּנִשְׁמָתָא לָאו בֵּיהּ, צַדִּיקַיָא לָא מִשְׁתַּנְיָין מִכְּמָה דְּהֲוָה דְיוּקְנְהוֹן בְּקַדְמִיתָא. וְכַד בַּר נָשׁ לָא אָזִיל בְּאָרְחוֹי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא, הַאי דִיוּקְנָא קַדִּישָׁא אִתְחַלַּף לֵיהּ. וּכְדֵין חֵיוַת בְּרָא וְעוֹפָא דִשְׁמַיָא יָכְלִין לְשַׁלְּטָאָה עֲלֵיהּ, בְּגִין דְּאִתְחַלַּף לֵיהּ הַאי דִיוּקְנָא קַדִּישָׁא, אִתְחַלַּף לֵיהּ הַאי דִיוּקְנָא דְבַר נָשׁ.

(though R. Eleazar said that the image of the righteous does not change even when their soul (neshamah) is no longer in them). But when a man does not walk in the ways of the Torah, that divine image is altered, and the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky obtain power over him; because the divine image in him, the very form which makes him a man, is changed.

…and 11 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)