זוהר, ויצא ט״וZohar, Vayetzei 15

Segment 1א׳

דָּבָר אַחֵר (בראשית כ״ח:י׳) וַיֵּצֵא יַעֲקֹב מִבְּאֵר שָׁבַע וַיֵּלֶךְ חָרָנָה, רִבִּי אַבָּא פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (תהילים ק״ו:ג׳) אַשְׁרֵי שֹׁמְרֵי מִשְׁפָּט (שם) עֹשֵׂה צְדָקָה בְּכָל עֵת. אַשְׁרֵי שׁוֹמְרֵי מִשְׁפָּט, זַכָּאִין אִינוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל, דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יָהַב לוֹן אוֹרַיְיתָא דִקְשׁוֹט לְאִשְׁתַּדָּלָא בָהּ יְמָמָא וְלֵילֵי. דְּהָא כָּל מַאן דְּאִשְׁתַּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, אִית לֵיהּ חֵירוּ מִכֹּלָּא, חֵירוּ מִן מוֹתָא דְּלָא יָכְלָא לְשַׁלְּטָאָה עֲלֵיהּ, וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ. בְּגִין דְּכָל מַאן דְּאִשְׁתַּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא וְאִתְאֲחִיד בָּהּ, אִתְאֲחִיד בְּאִילָנָא דְחַיֵּי. וְאִי אַרְפֵּי גַרְמֵיהּ מֵאִילָנָא דְחַיֵּי, הָא אִילָנָא דְמוֹתָא שַׁרְיָא עֲלוֹי, וְאִתְאֲחִיד בֵּיהּ. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (משלי כ״ד:י׳) הִתְרַפִּיתָ בְּיוֹם צָרָה צַר כֹּחֶכָה. הִתְרַפִּיתָ, אִי אַרְפֵּי יְדוֹי מֵאוֹרַיְיתָא.

[The following is an alternative exposition of this section. AND JACOB WENT OUT FROM BEER SHEBA, AND WENT TOWARD HARAN. R. Abba discoursed on the verse: Happy are they that keep justice, that perform acts of charity (zedakah) at all times (Ps. 106, 3). ‘Happy are Israel’, he said, ‘to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Law of truth so that they should exert themselves in its study day and night, as whoever exerts himself in the study of the Torah achieves complete freedom, even from death, which can no more prevail over him, as already explained elsewhere. For whoever exerts himself in the study of the Torah and lays hold of it, lays hold of the tree of life; and whoever relaxes his hold of the tree of life, behold the tree of death overshadows him and takes hold of him. So Scripture says: “If thou relaxest in the day of adversity, thy strength is narrow indeed” (Prov. 24, 10), signifying that whoever relaxes in the study of the Torah, in the day of adversity his strength (Koah-KoH=the strength of KoH) is narrow indeed, to wit, the strength of KoH that continually follows on the right of the man that walks in the ways of the Torah, and forms his constant guard, so that the evil power is prevented from approaching him and is powerless to accuse him.

Segment 2ב׳

בְּיוֹם צָרָה צַר כֹּחֶכָה, מַאי צַר כֹּחֶכָה. צַר כֹּחַ כֹּה, דְּהָא אִיהִי תָּדִיר לִימִינָא. וּנְטִירוּ דִילָהּ תָּדִיר עַל בַּר נָשׁ כַּד אָזִיל בְּאוֹרְחוֹי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא, וּכְדֵין דָּחֵי לֵיהּ לָרַע לְבַר דְּלָא יִקְרַב לְגַבֵּיהּ דְּבַּר נָשׁ, וְלָא יָכִיל לְקַטְרְגָא לֵיהּ. וְכַד בַּר נָשׁ אַסְטֵי מֵאָרְחוֹי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא וְאִתְרַפֵּי מִנָּהּ, כְּדֵין צַר כֹּחַ כֹּה, בְּגִין דְּהַהוּא רַע, דְּאִיהוּ שְׂמָאלָא שַׁלִּיט עֲלֵיהּ דְּבַר נָשׁ, וְדָחֵי לֵיהּ לְהַאי כֹּה לְבַר, עַד דְּדָחִיק לֵיהּ אֲתַר בְּעָקוּ.

signifying that whoever relaxes in the study of the Torah, in the day of adversity his strength (Koah-KoH=the strength of KoH) is narrow indeed, to wit, the strength of KoH that continually follows on the right of the man that walks in the ways of the Torah, and forms his constant guard, so that the evil power is prevented from approaching him and is powerless to accuse him. But of him who turns aside from the ways of the Torah and relaxes his hold of it, it is said: “narrow indeed is the strength of KoH”, as the evil power, represented by the left, obtains dominion over that man and thrusts aside that KoH, so that he has no room to move.

Segment 3ג׳

דָבָר אַחֵר צַר כֹּחֶכָה, דְּכַד בַּר נָשׁ אָחִיד בְּאָרְחֵי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא, אִתְרָחִים לְעֵילָא וְאִתְרָחִים לְתַתָּא, וּרְחִימָא דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הֲוִי, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (שמואל ב י״ב:כ״ד) וַיְיָ אַהֲבוֹ, דְּהֲוָה רְחִימוֹי דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְרָחִים לֵיהּ. וְכַד בַּר נָשׁ אַסְטֵי מֵאָרְחֵי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא, כְּדֵין צַר כֹּחַ כֹּה, צַר דִּילֵיהּ, וּמָארֵי דְבָבוּ אִיהוּ לְגַבֵּיהּ, וְשַׁלִּיט עֲלוֹי הַהוּא דְאִקְרֵי רַע. עַד דִּמְקַטְרֵג בֵּיהּ בְּהַאי עַלְמָא, וּבְעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי.

According to another interpretation, the term “zar” (narrow) signifies here “adversary”; for when a man holds fast to the ways of the Torah he is beloved both on high and below, and is the favourite of the Holy One, blessed be He, as we read: “And the Lord loved him” (II Sam. 12, 24); but when a man turns aside from the ways of the Torah, then zar kohekoh, that is, the strength of KoH becomes his enemy, and makes the evil one obtain dominion over him so as to accuse him in this world and the world to come.