זהר חדש, פרשת בראשית א׳–ל׳Zohar Chadash, Bereshit 1–30

Paragraph 4ד׳

וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאוֹר כִּי טוֹב, מַאי רָאָה. אָמַר רִבִּי חִיָּיא כִּדְקָא אֲמָרָן, חָמָא בְּעוֹבָדֵיהוֹן דְּרַשִׁיעַיָא, וּגְנִיז לֵיהּ. רַבִּי אַבָּא אֲמַר, וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאוֹר כִּי טוֹב, לִגְנֹז אוֹתוֹ. וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאוֹר כִּי טוֹב, דְּלָא אִשְׁתְּכַח בֵּיהּ רִיתְחָא. כְּתִיב הָכָא כִּי טוֹב, וּכְתִיב הָתָם (במדבר כ״ד:א׳) כִּי טוֹב בְּעֵינֵי ה' לְבָרֵךְ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְסֵיפֵיהּ דִּקְרָא אוֹכַח, דִּכְתִיב, (בראשית א׳:ד׳) וַיַּבְדֵּל אֱלֹהִים בֵּין הָאוֹר וּבֵין הַחשֶׁךְ. וּבְגִין כָּךְ לָא אִשְׁתְּכַח בֵּיהּ רִיתְחָא, וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּשָׁתֵּיף לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כַּחֲדָא.

"And God saw the light, it was good;" What was it that He saw, that was good? Rabbi Hiyya said that this implies that He foresaw the actions of the wicked, and still stored the light, for reasons we've said before. But, Rabbi Aba says, "And God saw the light, it was good;" because it was good to hide. He saw its radiance beaming from one end of the world to the other, and He saw that it was better to conceal it, so that sinners might not benefit from it. Rabbi Shimon said that no anger or judgement may be found in "And God saw the light, it was good;" After all, it is written, "Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel" (Num. 24:1) and this is proven by the verse's closing, "And God divided the light from the darkness" (Gen. 1:4), to snuff wrath, even though the Holy One, Blessed be He, later (re-)combined the two.

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תָּא חֲזֵי, נְהִירוּ עִלָּאָה לְמֶהֱוֵי נָהֵיר הַאי אוֹר. וּמֵהַהוּא נְהִירוּ חֵידוּ דְּכֹלָּא בֵּיהּ. וְהוּא יָמִינָא לְאִתְעַטְרָא גְּלוּפֵי גִּלּוּפִין בַּהֲדֵיהּ. וְהָא אִתְּמָר, דִּכְתִיב (תהילים ל״א:כ׳) מָה רַב טוּבְךָ אֲשֶׁר צָפַנְתָּ לִירֵאֶיךָ, דָּא אוֹר קַדְמָאָה, דְּגָנֵיז קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְצַדִּיקַיָא, לְאִינוּן דַּחֲלֵי חַטָאָה כִּדְקָאֲמָרָן. וַיְהִי עֶרֶב, מִסִּטְרָא דְּחשֶׁךְ. וַיְהִי בֹקֶר, מִסִּטְרָא דְּאוֹר. וּמִגּוֹ דְּאִינוּן דְּמִשְׁתַּתְּפִין כַּחֲדָא, כְּתִיב יוֹם אֶחָד.

Come and behold, the supernal radiance [Binah], continues to radiate. Through this radiance, it should bring gladness to all. This is the right, which was crowned with the right to make the engravings. It is written, "How great is Your goodness, which You have laid upon those who fear You and which You have wrought for they who trust in You" (Ps. 31:20). "How great is Your goodness" alludes to the primordial light that the Holy One, blessed be He, stored away. "They who fear You" alludes to the righteous who fear sin, who are aforementioned. "And there was evening and there was morning, the first day" (Gen. 1:5) "And there was evening" from the side of darkness [Nukva] "and there was morning" from the side of light [Zeir Anpin]. And since they join together as one, it is written they are the "first day."