זוהר, וישב ג׳Zohar, Vayeshev 3

Section 3 of 25 in Vayeshev — 12 segments

Segment 1א׳

רִבִּי חִיָּיא פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (איוב לה) לָכֵן אַנְשֵׁי לֵבָב שִׁמְעוּ לִי חָלִלָה לָאֵל מֵרְשַׁע וְשַׁדַּי מֵעָוֶל. כִּי פֹעַל אָדָם יְשַׁלֶּם לוֹ וּכְאֹרַח אִישׁ יַמְצִאֶנּוּ. תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּד בָּרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עַלְמָא, עֲבַד לֵיהּ עַל דִּינָא, וְעַל דִּינָא אִתְקַיַּים. וְכָל עוֹבָדִין דְּעַלְמָא אִינוּן קָיְימִין בְּדִינָא. בַּר דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּגִין לְקַיְימָא עַלְמָא וְלָא יִתְאֲבִיד, פָּרִישׂ עֲלֵיהּ רַחֲמֵי, וְאִינוּן רַחֲמֵי מְעַכְּבֵי לְדִינָא דְּלָא יִשְׁתְּצֵי עַלְמָא, וְעַל רַחֲמֵי אִתְנַהִיג עַלְמָא וְאִתְקְיַּים בְּגִינִיהּ.

R. Hiya discoursed on the text: Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: Far be it from God that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty that he should commit iniquity. For the work of man will he requite unto him, and cause every man to find according to his ways (Job 34, 10-11). ‘God,’ he said, ‘in creating the world, meant it to be based on justice, and all that is done in the world would be weighed in the scales of justice, were it not that, to save the world from perishing, God screened it with mercy, which tempers pure justice and prevents it from destroying the world. The world is thus governed in mercy and thereby is able to endure.

Segment 2ב׳

וְאִי תֵימָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָבִיד דִּינָא בְּבַר נָשׁ בְּלָא דִינָא. הָא אִתְּמָר, דְּכַד דִּינָא שַׁרְיָא עֲלֵיהּ דְּבַר נָשׁ כַּד אִיהוּ זַכָּאָה. בְּגִין רְחִימוּתָא דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בֵּיהּ אִיהִי, כְּמָה דְאִתְּמָר. דְּהָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא רָחִים עֲלֵיהּ בִּרְחִימוּ לְקָרְבָא לֵיהּ לְגַבֵּיהּ, מְתַבַּר גּוּפָא בְּגִין לְשַׁלְטָאָה נִשְׁמָתָא, וּכְדֵין אִתְקְרִיב בַּר נָשׁ לְגַבֵּיהּ בִּרְחִימוּ כְּדְקָא יְאוּת. וְנִשְׁמָתָא שָׁלְטָא וְגוּפָא אִתְחַלָּשׁ.

But, you may ask, is not a man often punished by God undeservedly? The answer is, as has been affirmed, that when suffering befalls a righteous man, it is on account of the love which God bears to him. He crushes his body in order to give more power to his soul, so that He may draw him nearer in love.

Segment 3ג׳

וּבַעְיָא גּוּפָא חוּלְשָׁא וְנַפְשָׁא תַּקִּיפָא דְּאִתְתַּקַּף בִּתְקִיפוּ, וּכְדֵין אִיהוּ רְחִימָא דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. כְּמָה דַאֲמְרוּ חַבְרַיָיא, יָהַב קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לַצַּדִּיק צַעֲרָא בְּעַלְמָא דֵין, בְּגִין לְמִזְכֵּי לֵיהּ לְעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי.

For it is needful that the body should be weak and the soul strong, that so a man may be beloved of God, as the Companions have affirmed, that the Holy One inflicts suffering on the righteous in this world in order that they may merit the world to come.

Segment 4ד׳

וְכַד נִשְׁמָתָא חָלְשָׁא וְגוּפָא תַקִיפָא, אִיהוּ שָׂנְאֵיהּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּלָא אִתְרָעֵי בֵּיהּ, לָא יָהִיב לֵיהּ צַעֲרָא בְּהַאי עַלְמָא אֶלָּא אוֹרְחוֹי מִתְתַּקְנָן וְהוּא בִּשְׁלִימוּ יַתִּיר. בְּגִין דְּאִי עָבַד צְדָקָה אוֹ טִיבוּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מְשַׁלֵּם לֵיהּ אַגְרֵיהּ בְּהַאי עַלְמָא וְלָא יֶהֱוֵי לֵיהּ חוּלַק בְּהַהוּא עַלְמָא. וְדָא הוּא דְּתִרְגֵּם אוּנְקְלוּס (דברים ז׳:י׳) וּמְשַׁלֵּם לְשׂוֹנְאָיו וְגו', וּמְשַׁלֵּם לְשַׂנְאוֹהִי טַבְוָון דְּאִינוּן וְגו' (איהו). וּבְגִין כָּךְ הַהוּא זַכָּאָה דְּאִתְבַּר תָּדִיר אִיהוּ רְחִימָא דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְהַנֵּי מִילֵי כַּד בָּדַק וְלָא אַשְׁכַּח חוֹבָא בִּידֵיהּ דְּאִתְעַנַּשׁ עֲלֵיהּ.

But he who is weak of soul and strong of body is hated of God. It is because God has no pleasure in him that He inflicts no pain upon him in this world, but permits his life to flow smoothly along with ease and comfort, in that for any virtuous act he may perform he receives his reward in this world, so that no portion should be left him in the next world. This is in accordance with Onkelos’s paraphrase of the text: “And he repayeth them that hate him to their face” (Deut. 7, 10), which reads: “And he repayeth them that hate him in this world.” The righteous man, then, who is continually broken in body is the beloved of the Holy One, blessed be He.

Segment 5ה׳

הָכָא אִית לְאִסְתַּכָּלָא בְּכַמָּה סִטְרִין. חַד, דְּהָא חָמִינָן דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא לָא שַׁרְיָא בְּאֲתַר עֲצִיבוּ אֶלָּא בְּאֲתַר דְּאִית בֵּיהּ חֶדְוָה. אִי חֶדְוָה לֵית בֵּיהּ, לָא שַׁרְיָא שְׁכִינְתָּא בְּהַהוּא אֲתַר. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (מלכים ב ג׳:ט״ו) וְעַתָּה קְחוּ לִי מְנַגֵּן וְהָיָה כְנַגֵּן הַמְנַגֵּן וַתְּהִי עָלָיו (יד יי) רוּחַ אֱלהִים, דְּהָא שְׁכִינְתָּא וַדַּאי לָא שַׁרְיָא בְּאֲתַר עֲצִיבוּ. מְנָלָן מִיַּעֲקֹב. דִּבְגִין דְּהֲוָה עָצִיב עֲלֵיהּ דְּיוֹסֵף אִסְתַּלְקַת שְׁכִינְתָּא מִנֵּיהּ, כֵּיוָן דְּאָתָא לֵיהּ חֶדְוָה דִּבְשׂוֹרָה דְיוֹסֵף מִיָּד וַתְּחִי רוּחַ יַעֲקֹב אֲבִיהֶם. הָכָא בְּהַאי זַכָּאָה דְּאִתָּבַר כֵּיוָן דְּאִיהוּ חֲלָשָׁא וְאִתָּבַר בְּמַכְאוֹבִין, אָן הוּא חֶדְוָה דְּהָא אִיהוּ בַּעֲצִיבוּ וְלֵית עִמֵּיהּ חֶדְוָה כְּלָל.

Now various difficulties are raised by this statement. In the first place we know that the Shekinah does not dwell amid sad surroundings, but only where there is cheerfulness. For this reason Elisha said: “But now bring me a minstrel, and so it came to pass that when the minstrel played, the hand of the Lord came upon him” (II Kings 3, 15), and we learn the same lesson from Jacob, from whom the Shekinah departed during the years that he was grieving for Joseph, but to whom it returned as soon as the glad tidings about Joseph reached him, when, as it says, “the spirit of Jacob their father revived” (Gen. 45, 27). That being so, where, we may ask, is the cheerful spirit in the righteous man who is broken in body, seeing that he is tormented by his sufferings?

…and 7 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)