זוהר, יתרו י״בZohar, Yitro 12

Segment 1א׳

רזא דרזין (שמות י״ח:כ״א) ואַתָּה תֶחֱזְה מִכָּל הָעָם. זֶה סֵפֶר תוֹלְדוֹת אָדָם. דָּא סֵפֶר מֵאִינּוּן סִפְרִין, סְתִימִין ועֲמִיקִין, (נ"א דא ספרא מאינון סתימין ועמיקין) אָמַר ר' שִׁמְעוֹן, אֲרִימִית יְדָי בְּצַּלּוּ לְמַאן דְּבָרָא עָלְמָא, דְּאַף עַל גַּב דִּבְּהַאי קְרָא גָּלוּ קַדְמָאֵי סְתִימִין עִלָּאִין, אִית לְאִסְתַּכְּלָא וּלְעַיְינָא בְּרָזִין דְּסִפְרָא דְּאָדָם קַדְמָאָה, דְּמִתַּמָּן אִתְמַשְּׁכָא סִפְרָא גְּנִיזָא דְּשְׁלֹמֹה מַלְכָּא.

MOREOVER, THOU SHALT LOOK ABOUT AND CHOOSE OUT OF ALL THE PEOPLE, ABLE MEN. R. Isaac and R. Jose were one day studying the Torah in Tiberias. R. Simeon passed by and asked them what they were engaged upon. They answered him: ‘The words which we have learned from thee, Master,’ ‘Which?’ said he. They replied: ‘It arises out of the verse: “This is the book of the generations of man; in the day when God created man, in the likeness of God made he him” (Gen. 5, 1). We were taught,’ they said, ‘that this verse indicates that the Holy One showed to the first man all the future generations of mankind: all the leaders, all the sages of each period.

Segment 2ב׳

זֶה: דְּתַלְיָא בֵּיהּ כֹּלָּא. זְה: אִילָנָא דְּחַיִּי. זֶה: וְלָא אַחֲרָא דְּגַלֵּי. (מאי) זֶה: כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמֵר, (שמות י״ב:ב׳) הַחֹדֶשׁ הַזֶּה לָכֶם רֹאשׁ חֳדָשִׁים, זְה נִיסָן וְלָא אַחֲרָא.

that there are two books, an upper and a lower book. The lower book is the “book of remembrance”, and the upper one is called ” this”. And in order to show that the two are not separated, but form one, it is written “this is the book”.

Segment 3ג׳

זֶה סֵפֶר, לְאַשְׁגָּחָא וּלְגַלָּאָה תוֹלְדוֹת אָדָם, אִילָנָא דְּגַלֵּי תוֹלְדוֹת אָדָם. וְעָבִיד אִיבִין לְאַפָּקָא לְעָלְמָא. זְה סֵפֶר, לְמִנְדַּע חָכְמְתָא סְתִימָא וַעֲמִיקָא, דְּאִתְּמְסַר לְאָדָם קַדְמָאָה, בְּדִיּוּקְנָא דִּבְנֵי נָשָׁא, חָכְמְתָא דָּא אִתְמְסַר לִשְׁלֹמֹה מַלְכָּא, ויָרִית לָהּ וְכָתַב בְּסִפְרֵיהּ.

“This is the book” — to look into and to reveal the generations of man: the tree that reveals the generations of man and puts forth fruits to bring out into the world. “This is the book” — to know the hidden and deep wisdom that was delivered to the first man, in the figures of human beings. This wisdom was delivered to King Solomon, and he inherited it and wrote it in his book.