זוהר, ויגש י׳Zohar, Vayigash 10

Segment 1א׳

וְהַקֹּל נִשְׁמַע בֵּית פַּרְעֹה. רִבִּי (אלעזר) אַבָּא פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (תהילים פ״ד:ג׳) נִכְסְפָה וְגַם כָּלְתָה נַפְשִׁי לְחַצְרוֹת ה' לִבִּי וּבְשָׂרִי יְרַנְּנוּ אֶל אֵל חָי. תָּא חֲזֵי, כָּל בַּר נָּשׁ דְּצַלֵּי צְלוֹתֵיהּ (וקם) קַמֵּי מָארֵיהּ, אִצְטְרִיךְ לֵיהּ לְאַקְדָּמָא לֵיהּ בִּרְכָאן בְּכָל יוֹמָא וְיוֹמָא, וּלְצַלֵּי צְלוֹתֵיהּ קַמֵּי מָארֵיהּ בְּזִמְנָא דְאִצְטְרִיךְ.

AND THE REPORT THEREOF WAS HEARD IN PHARAOH’S HOUSE. R. Abba opened a discourse on the verse: My soul yearneth, yea, even pineth for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy unto the living God (Ps. 84, 3). ‘Observe’, he said, ‘that before offering his prayer to his Master, a man should first recite some thanksgiving. He should also pray before his Master in the proper time:

Segment 2ב׳

בְּצַפְרָא, לְאַחֲדָא בִּימִינָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. בְּמִנְחָה, לְאַחֲדָא בִּשְׂמָאלָא. וּצְלוֹתָא וּבָעוּתָא, אִצְטְרִיךְ לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ בְּכָל יוֹמָא וְיוֹמָא בְּגִין לְאִתְאַחֲדָא בֵּיהּ. וְאוֹקִימְנָא, מַאן דְּצַלֵּי צְלוֹתֵיהּ, (וקם) קַמֵּי מָארֵיהּ, אִצְטְרִיךְ לֵיהּ דְּלָא לְמִשְׁמַע קָלֵיהּ בִּצְלוֹתֵיהּ. וּמַאן דְּאַשְׁמַע קָלֵיהּ בִּצְלוֹתֵיהּ, צְלוֹתֵיהּ לָא אִשְׁתְּמַע.

in the morning to unite himself to the right side of the Holy One, blessed be He, and in the afternoon to the left side. It is incumbent on man to offer up prayer and supplication each day so as to unite himself with God. It has been laid down that in praying before his Master a man should not make his voice heard, as if he does so his prayer will not be accepted, for the reason that prayer does not consist in audible voice nor is the voice prayer.

Segment 3ג׳

מַאי טַעְמָא. בְּגִין (שמות ר"ב ע"ב) דִּצְלוֹתָא, לָאו אִיהִי הַהִיא קָלָא דְּאִשְׁתְמַע. דְּהַהוּא קוֹל דְּאִשְׁתַּמַּע לָאו הִיא צְלוֹתָא. וּמַאן אִיהִי צְלוֹתָא. דָּא קָלָא אָחֳרָא, דְּתַלְיָא בְּקָלָא דְאִשְׁתְּמַע, וּמַאן הוּא קָלָא דְּאִשְׁתְּמַע. דָּא הַהוּא קוֹל דְּהוּא בְּוא"ו, קָלָא דְתַלְיָא בֵּיהּ, דָּא הַהוּא קֹל בְּלָא וא"ו.

Prayer consists in another voice attached to the voice which is heard. It thus behoves man to pray silently, to pray with that voice that is inaudible. It is thus written: “and the voice (veha-qol=and the report, lit. the voice) was heard”, where the term qol is written defectively, without a vau, pointing to the inaudible voice, like that of Hannah’s prayer, of which it is written: “but her voice could not be heard” (I Sam. 1, 13).