זוהר, וישב כ״הZohar, Vayeshev 25

Section 25 of 25 in Vayeshev — 13 segments

Segment 1א׳

רִבִּי יְהוּדָה פָּתַח, (תהילים נ״א:י״ב) לֵב טָהוֹר בְּרָא לִי אֱלהִים וְרוּחַ נָכוֹן חַדֵּשׁ בְּקִרְבִּי, הַאי קְרָא אוּקְמוּהָ, אֲבָל לֵב טָהוֹר, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (מלכים א ג׳:ט׳) וְנָתַתָּ לְעַבְדְּךָ לֵב שׁוֹמֵעַ וְגו', וּכְתִיב (משלי ט״ו:ט״ו) וְטוֹב לֵב מִשְׁתֶּה תָּמִיד, וּבְגִין כָּךְ לֵב טָהוֹר וַדַּאי.

R. Judah opened a discourse on the verse: Create me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Ps. 51, 12). ‘The term “a clean heart”,’ he said, ‘finds its parallel in the passage: “Give thy servant therefore an understanding heart” (I Kings 3, 9), and also in: “But he that is of merry heart hath a continual feast” (Prov. 15, 15). This is assuredly the clean heart which David asked for.

Segment 2ב׳

וְרוּחַ נָכוֹן חַדֵּשׁ בְּקִרְבִּי, דָּא הוּא רוּחַ נָכוֹן וַדַּאי. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (בראשית א׳:ב׳) וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל פְּנִי הַמָּיִם. וְאִתְעָרוּ, זֶה רוּחוֹ שֶׁל מָשִׁיחַ. וְאִתְעָרוּ, (יחזקאל י״א:י״ט) וְרוּחַ חֲדָשָׁה אֶתֵּן בְּקִרְבְּכֶם. וְצַלֵּי דָוִד, הַהוּא רוּחַ נָכוֹן, חַדֵּשׁ בְּקִרְבִּי.

“And renew a steadfast spirit within me” indicates the spirit spoken of in the passage: “and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters”, this being, as has been pointed out, the spirit of the Messiah; the same is alluded to in the promise: “And a new spirit will I put within you” (Ez. 36, 26). David thus prayed for that steadfast spirit,

Segment 3ג׳

בְּגִין דְּאִית מִסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא, לֵב טָמֵא וְרוּחַ עִוְעִים, דְּאַסְטֵי לִבְנֵי עַלְמָא, וְדָא הוּא רוּחַ טוּמְאָה, דְּאִקְרֵי רוּחַ עִוְעִים. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (ישעיהו י״ט:י״ד) יְיָ מָסַךְ בְּקִרְבָּהּ רוּחַ עִוְעִים. וְעַל דָּא וְרוּחַ נָכוֹן חַדֵּשׁ בְּקִרְבִּי. מַאי חָדֵּשׁ. דָּא חִדּוּשָׁא דְּסִיהֲרָא. בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּאִתְחַדַּשׁ סִיהֲרָא, דָּוִד מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי וְקַיָּים וּבְגִין כָּךְ חָדֵּשׁ.

since on the sinister side there is the unclean spirit called the spirit of perverseness that leads people astray, that unclean spirit referred to in the statement: “The Lord hath mingled within her a spirit of perverseness” (Is. 19, 14). David thus prayed: “and renew within me a spirit of steadfastness”. The term “renew” also alludes to the renewal of the moon, a period which contains the assurance that David, King of Israel, is alive and in being.’

Segment 4ד׳

רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְרִבִּי יוֹסֵי הֲווּ אָזְלֵי בְאָרְחָא. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי לְרִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, הַאי דִּכְתִיב, (מלכים א כ״ב:כ״א-כ״ב) וַיֵּצֵא הָרוּחַ וַיַּעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי יְיָ וַיֹּאמֶר אֲנִי אֲפַתֶּנּוּ וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ אֵלָיו בְּמָּה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵצֵא וְהָיִיתִי רוּחַ שֶׁקֶר בְּפִי כָּל נְבִיאָיו וַיֹּאמֶר תְּפַתֶּה וְגַם תּוּכָל צֵא וַעֲשֵׂה כֵן. וְתָנִינָן דְּהֲוָה רוּחַ נָבוֹת הַיִּזְרְעֵאלִי. וְכִי נִשְׁמָתִין, כֵּיוָן דְּסָלְקִין וְקָיְימִין לְעֵילָא, אִינוּן יָכְלִין לְאֲתָבָא בְּהַאי עַלְמָא, וּמִלָּה תְּמִיהָה, דְּאָמַר אֵצֵא וְהָיִיתִי רוּחַ שֶׁקֶר בְּפִי וְגו'.

R. Eleazar and R. Jose were once walking on the road. Said R. Jose to R. Eleazar: ‘We read: “And there came forth the spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said: I will entice him: And the Lord said unto him: Wherewith? And he said: I will go forth and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all the prophets. And He said: Thou shalt entice him, and shalt prevail also; go forth and do so” (I Kings 22, 21-22). According to tradition that was the spirit of Naboth the Jezreelite. Can, then, a soul which has once ascended to the upper world return to this world? Further, the words “I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in his mouth” are very astonishing.

Segment 5ה׳

וְתוּ, מַאי טַעְמָא אִתְעֲנַשׁ עֲלֵיהּ אַחְאָב, דְּהָא דִינָא דְאוֹרַיְיתָא, דְּשַׁוֵּי שְׁמוּאֵל קַמַּיְיהוּ דְיִשְׂרָאֵל, הָכִי הוּא. דִּכְתִיב, (שמואל א ח׳:י״ד) אֶת שְׂדוֹתֵיכֶם וְכַרְמֵיכֶם וְזֵיתֵיכֶם הַטּוֹבִים יִקָּח. וְאִי אַחְאָב נָטַל הַהוּא כֶּרְם בְּנָבוֹת, דִּינָא הֲוָה. וְתוּ, דְּהֲוָה יָהִיב לֵיהּ כַּרְמָא אָחֳרָא, אוֹ דַּהֲבָא, וְלָא בָעָא.

And again, why was Ahab punished on account of Naboth, seeing that Samuel had so laid down the law to Israel, when he said to them: “And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them” (I Sam. 8, 14)? According to this, if Ahab took Naboth’s vineyard, he was within his rights, and all the more so, seeing that he offered him in exchange another vineyard or its equivalent in gold, which he refused.’

…and 8 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)