זוהר, יתרו י״טZohar, Yitro 19

Segment 1א׳

אָמַר ר' אַבָּא כְּתִיב (שמות כ׳:ט״ו) וְכָל הָעָם רֹאִים אֶת הַקּוֹלוֹת. רֹאִים, שֹׁמְעִים מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ. אֶלָּא הָכִי תָּנִינָן, אִינּוּן קָלִין, הֲווֹ מִתְגַּלְּפֵי בְּהַהוּא חֲשׁוֹכָא וַעֲנָנָא וְקַבָּלָא, וּמִתְחַזְיָין בְּהוּ, כְּמָה דְּאִתְחָזֵי גּוּפָא, וְחָמָאן מַה דְּחָמָאן, וְשַׁמְעִין מַה דְּשַׁמְעִין, מִגּוֹ הַהוּא חֲשׁוֹכָא וְקַבָּלָא וַעֲנָנָא, וּמִגּוֹ הַהוּא חֵיזוּ דַּהֲווֹ חָמָאן, הֲווֹ נְהִירִין בִּנְהִירוּ עִלָּאָה, וְיַדְעִין, מַה דְּלָא יָדְעוּ דָּרִין אַחֲרָנִין, דְּאָתוּ בַּתְרַיְיהוּ.

Said R Abba: ‘It is written: “And all the people saw the thunderings” (Ex. 20, 18). Surely it ought to be heard the thunderings? We have, however, been taught that the “voices” were delineated, carved out, as it were, upon the threefold darkness, so that they could be apprehended as something visible, and they saw and heard all those wonderful things out of that darkness, cloud and cloudy darkness; and because they saw that sight they were irradiated with a supernal light, and perceived things beyond the ken of all succeeding generations, and saw face to face (Deut. 5, 4).’

Segment 2ב׳

וְכֻלְּהוּ, הֲווֹ חָמָאן אַפִּין בְּאַפִּין, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (דברים ה׳:ד׳) פָּנִים בְּפָנִים דִּבֶּר יְיָ' עִמָּכֶם. וּמַאן הֲווֹ חָמָאן. תָּאנֵי רַבִּי יוֹסֵי, מִנְּהִירוּ דְּאִינּוּן קַלָן, דְּלָא הֲוָה קוֹל, דְּלָא הֲוָה נָהִיר בִּנְהִירוּ, דְּמִסְתַּכְלֵי בֵּיהּ כָּל גְּנִיזִין, וְכָל טְמִירִין, וְכָל דָּרִין דְּיֵיתוּן עַד מַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא. וּבְגִינֵי כַּךְ כְּתִיב וְכָל הָעָם רֹאִים אֶת הַקּוֹלת, רֹאִים רְאִיָּה מַמָּשׁ.

And whence did they derive the power so to see? According to R. Jose, from the light of those voices, for there was not one of them but emitted light which made perceptible all things hidden and veiled, and even all the generations of men up to the days of King Messiah. Therefore it says: “And all the people saw the voices”; they did actually see them.

Segment 3ג׳

אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, וְכָל הָעָם רֹאִים. רֹאִים: כְּמָה דַּאֲמֵינָא, דְּחָמוּ מִנְּהִירוּ דְּאִינּוּן קַלָן, מַה דְּלָא חָמוּ דָּרִין בַּתְרָאִין אַחֲרָנִין. אֶת הַקּוֹלֹת: כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (ישעיה ו) וָאֵרֶא אֶת יְיָ'. וָאֵרֶא יְיָ', לָא כְּתִיב, אֶלָּא אֶת יְיָ'. אוּף הָכָא, וְכָל הָעָם רֹאִים הַקּוֹלת לֹא נֶאֱמַר, אֶלָּא אֶת הַקּוֹלֹת.

The word koloth here is preceded by the particle eth, which, as usual, indicates that we are to understand another object in addition to the one mentioned: in this case another voice from below, which gathered into itself all the light emanating from the other voices in which they saw, in sublime wisdom, all the celestial treasures and all the hidden mysteries which were never revealed to succeeding generations and will not be revealed until King Messiah comes, when “they shall see eye to eye” (Isa. 52, 8).