Egyptian-Hebrew stream·Zohar·Volume V — Devarim (Deuteronomy)

Source context

Theme

culminating Kabbalistic exposition in the fifth and final volume of the Zohar

Steiner

• GA 8, chapter 11Steiner cites the Zohar's teaching that nothing in the world is spiritually lost as evidence for the conservation and eternity of the soul's spiritual power, situating the Zohar within the esoteric substrata that informed early Christianity.
• GA 41b, part_7Steiner draws on Zohar passages — including vol. iii, p. 61 and p. 616 — on post-mortem soul states, reincarnating egos, and the soul's assumption of a shining garment above as cross-tradition congruence with theosophical teaching on repeated earth lives.
• GA 87, 1902-02-01Steiner states that without Jewish mysticism — of which the Zohar is the central document — no correct understanding of Christianity is possible.

Cross-tradition

• Vedantic teaching on ātman and subtle bodiesThe Zohar's doctrine of the soul receiving a 'shining garment' in post-mortem states shows cross-tradition congruence with Vedantic accounts of the subtle (sūkṣma) body persisting beyond physical death.
• Neoplatonic soul-descent doctrineThe Zohar's image of the soul putting on an earthly garment upon incarnation and a luminous garment upon ascent mirrors Neoplatonic (Plotinian and Iamblichan) accounts of the soul acquiring and shedding successive vehicular coverings through its descent and return.

Volume V

ANp THE Loxp sroxe UNTO Moses savING, WHEN 'A Woman, Enc. [42a] R, Abba ted here the verse: "By night 'upon my bed I sought him", ec. ($.S. tm, 1). "This verse' the aid, "ix spoken by the Community of arse ho in the exile ies in the dust, in an alien unclean land, and therefore complains of her bed and beseches "him whom her soul Joveth" to deliver her from thence. She "secks him but finds him not", fortis not his way to unite [425] with her save in his temple. She "call him and he answers not, for She dlvells among other peoples, and only his sons hear his voice." Isaac interpreted thus:"*""T make plaint to him of m

bed, that he may unite with me to gladden and bless me' for, as we hate learnt, from the union of the King with the Community of fsrael many righteous ones obtain a holy inheritance and many blessings accrue tothe world." Abba was once going from Kfar Kania tothe cave of Lydda, slong With R. Jose and R. Hiya, Suid R. Jose: "Te fs wriuen: "A Virtuous worn is crown to her Husband' (Prov. xt, 4). 'The virtuous woman', he said 'isthe Community of Israel, and "she that maketh ashamed" refers to the idolatrous rations whom God cannot abide, as it says "I abhorred them" (Lev. xx, 3) Said R. Abba: 'Assuredly itis s0; the 'Community of Tsral is called s "woman of valour" (Kay) Ibecause she isthe mistress of so many legions of saliant ones (Gayaliny" R. Abba then sad: 'Let each of us give some 'exposition of the Torah', and he himself commenced with the verse: "A virtous woman who can find ?" (Prov. axxt, 40). "The "virtuous woman", he said, is the Community of Tarel, as we have just explained. "Who shall find": who hall succeed in being wholly ia her and always with her ? "Far above rubies is her price" (michrah, lit. sling): those who do not truly and wholeheartedly cleave to her she sells into the hands of other peoples, and they are removed far from those precious holy pearls and have no share in them."

4'THe zomaR ¥ [abyse
Hiya then expounded the next verse: "The heart of her husband trusteth in her, and she shall have no lack of spoil". "The "husband", he esi, "is the Holy One, blessed be He, 'who hath appointed her' to govern the whole world and placed in her hands all his armoury and warriors; wherefore: she "lacketh not spoil." R. Jose took the next verse: "She ddoeth kim yood and not evil all the days of her life" "She 'provides good for the world, for the temple of the King fand those who frequent it. When is this ? When thos: "days 'of the heaven" shine upon her and unite with her fly, these being then the "days of her life", because the Tree of Life 'has ent to her life and shines upon her.' Said R. Abba: 'AIL this is well said, and all these verses can be applied to the 'Community of Israel." Iv A woman conceive seep. We have learnt that if a woman conceives the seed frst, the child io = male Said Ro Aha: 'But have we not learnt that God decrees whether the semen is to bemale or female? R. Jose replied: Indeed, God distinguishes whether the geem itself comes from male or female source,' and therefore He decrees whether the child isto be male or female.' R. Aha also asked why the word "conceive-seed" is used instead of merely "conceive

1Jose answered: 'A woman from the time she becomes
pregnant tll she is delivered can talk of nothing ut the child she i co bear, whether it is to be a boy or agit' TR Hiskiah addaced hece the verse: "O Lord, how manic fold are thy works" (Ps. ctv, 24) "How manifold, be sai, 'are the works of the Holy King in the world ! He a like a 'man who takes in his hand a number of [43] bundles of seed and sows them all at once, and in time each kind comes up separately. So the Holy One, blessed be He, accomplished iis work with wisdom; with Wisdom He took all together and sowed them and afterwards they all issued etch time, as it says: "In wisdom hast thow made them all R. Abba suid: 'They were all secreted in Wisdom, and they didnot iste into being save hy certain paths alongside " Acindig t the Zohar the see tet contains bth male a & era sleet Ze, Exe, 16, 4ger4g8] wt raznta! (vevivicus) 5 'of Understanding (Binah), whence they become firmly 'established. Observe that when a man goes to unite with his 'wife in sanctity, his holy thought awakens a spirit compound ced of male and female, and God signals to a messenger who is in charge ofthe conception of human beings and entrust

10him that spirit and informs him where to deposit it, and
alto lays varias injunctions on the sprit itaalf. Then the spirit goes down to earth along with a certain form which bore its image above, and in that form it is reated and goes about in this world; and so long as that form is with a man, he retains his form in this world. "In the bock of the sorceries of Asmodsi we find that 'one who knows how to practise magic from the side of the left should rise by the light of the lamp and utter certain incantations and call the unclean sides by their names and prepare his forms for those whom he invites and say he is ready for thet commands, 'Then that man passes out of the dominion of his Master and places himself in charge of the unclean side, And through his incantations two spirits appear in the shape of men which show him how to confer certain benefits or do certain kinds of harms at certain spectied times. 'eis forbidden to a man to abandon any vesel of his house into the possesion ofthe "other side", for many emissaries are in wait to punish such an act, and from that tre blessings do not rest upen him—all the more ifhe assigns tothe "other side" the mos: precious part of himself. For from that time bbe belongs to it, and when the time comes for the celestial form which has been given to him to depart from this world, the evil spit to which he clung comes and takes i, and itis never again restored to him. "When the soul is about to descend to this world, it frst goes down to the terrestrial Garden of Eden and sees there the lary of the souls of the righteous, and then itgoes dawn to Gehinnom and sees the wicked who ery "Woe, woe", and find no comparsion, That holy form stands by him until he emerges into the world, [430] after which it keeps him 'company and grows up with him. Observe that al spirits are 'compounded of male and female, and when they go forth into the world they go forth as both male and female, and

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afterwards the two elements ae separated, Ifa mans worthy they are afterwards united, and itis then that he truly meets 'mate and there ia perlect union both inepirtand es Hone fle wien here: "When al wonan eoneives oc and bears @ male", and not "male and female together", 'ince on account ofthe ways ofthe word they ae not united {Gt birth) a8 they were when they ised from on high, be- cause the frst man and his mate sinned before God. There- fore they are separated unt, if a man is worthy, it pleases God to restore to hit his mate, But ihe is not northy, she ven toanother, and they bear children whom they abould no' R, Eleazar sid: "Ths is nt x. All at fst comprise both male and female, and they are separated afterwards, But ifthe woman bears a male, they are then united fom the 'side of the right, and if she bears female, fram the side 'ofthe left, this side being then predominant. Hence, ifthe tale child fsues from the side of the lft, he i effeminate, tht if from the sie of the right, he has mastery over the female "Many mytiads are brought forth at every hour, but they are not called souls until they are settled in a body, and this ison ater thirty-three dys, UNCLEAN SEVEN DAYS. Because for ddo not go in to abide with her; for seven. seeks for it place in the body, and only on the eighth day does it settle there so that body and soul may appear before the Matrona and unite with Her. 'AND Sie SHALL CONTINUE IN THE BLOGD OF HER PURIFYING THREE AND THIRTY DAYS. Theseare to allow. the sprit to settle in the body. 'The three extra days are the first three after the circumeision, during which the child in pain and the spisit cannot sette down in the body. 'Site SHALL TovEM No HALLOWED THING. Every day the Community of Israel takes from the household of the King food forthe spirits of men and feeds (44a) them in holi- ress save for these, the spirits of which have nor yet settled g4o-q4] kr Tazmza" (Levrricus) 7 in the bodies. But after thirty-three days She tends them like all other human beings, because their spirits are united with their bodies as in all other men. In the case of « female double the number of days is eequited, because, as stated above, the side of the left is predominant, and therefore it takes twice as long in the case of a female for the spirit to be united with the body." R, Judah adduced here the verse: "Tere is nome holy 29 the Lord, for there is none beside thes, neither is there any rock ike our God!" (x Sam, 2). "Are tere then other holy tones oF ather rockt besides the Lord? Yer, there are hoy 'ones above as tin written: "The demand is by the ward of the holy ones (Dan. 1¥, 14), and Israel are holy below, but none are holy like the Lond, because "there is none beside thee", cha i, Goo's holiness isnot like their holiness, for He does not requite their holiness, but they could not be holy without Him. Also, "there ie no rock (zu) lke our God". of, as we may anlate, "no fashioner lke our Goa", as explained elsewhere; forthe Holy One, blessed be He, shapes a form within a form, and finishes it and breathes into it the breath of life and brings it out into the open." Hiya and R. Aha were sting one night with R. Abba. "They rose at midnight to study the Torah, and when they went outside they saw a star strike another star three times and put out its ight. 'They then heard two voices from diferent directions, one from the north above and one [448] Ielow, which prochimed: "Go now in ty your places, now the hollow ofthe aby is closed and the Holy One, blessed bbe He, goes into the Garden to have yous communion With the righteous there". The voice then died away, and RR. Aha and R. Abba turned their heads and said: 'Verily 'isis the hour when the Community of Tsracl arises 10 Join the Holy King. Verily the Commusiy of Israel meets the Holy One, blesed be He, only with song and praise until morning, and the King twines round her a thread of sgrice, and not round her alone but roundall who aecompany her, Let us go and join her.' So they all st down. 'R. Aha then discourse on the vers: "And the Lord God

8He ZOHAN Y [ea-4se
ssid, It i not good that the man should be alone", ete, (Gen. 11,18). He said: Was man then alone ? Is it not written, "male and female he created them", and we have learnt that man as ereated "with two faces" ? What it means, however, is that the male did not concern himself with the female and had no support from her; she was at his side and they were like one from the back. Therefore God sawed him in two and separated the female from him and brought her to the man, so that they should be face to face. And when the was gathered in to man, then God blessed them, like the reader of the service who blesses the bride with seven blessings, Therefore he who unites with the wife of another impairs the (divine) union, for the union of the Community of Israel is withthe Holy One, blessed be He, alone, whether itis time with him of mercy or of judgement. He who joins 'with the wife of another is like one who denies the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Community of Israel, and therefore he does not obtain forgiveness by repentance until he departs from the world, until he enters repentant into the other world to receive his punishment." R, Eleazar suid: 'He who denies the Community of larac ix not received at

1penitent until he bas been punished in Gehinnom; all the
more so if he denies both the Community of Israel and the Holy One, blessed be He, and all the more so if he caused God the trouble of forming a bastard in the wife of another: . Hiya said: 'Ir is written, "Whoso robbeth his father and bhi mother", ete. (Prov. xxvii, 24). The "father" here' he ssid, is the Holy One, blessed be He, snd the "mother" is the Community of Israel; and we have learnt, Whoever enjoys anything of this world without a blessing is like one 'who robs the Holy One and the Community of Israel. So hhe who has enjoyment of his wife without a blessing is like 'one who robs the Holy One and the Community of Israel, because their union is consummated by seven blessings ee because he impairs the celestial form and arrangeme! the more 0, then, one who covets the wife of another to cleave to her.' [454] R. Abba then disoursed on the verse: "And he said, 'over Jacob? Because the sum had rien and his strength was eippled. «For when 'the light appears, all the emissaries of punishment are restrained, and then the Community of Iseael communes with the Holy One, blessed be He, and that hour isa time of grace forall, and the King holds out to her and all who are 'with her his ecepte ofthe thread of grace so that they may be wholly united to the holy King. Observe this. When the Holy One, blessed be He, is in the company of the Com= 'unity of Israel, if she frst makes approaches to him and draws him towards her inthe strength of her lve and desire, then she is replenished from the side of the right and multi- tudes from the side ofthe right are found in all words. But ifthe Holy One, blessed be He, isthe first to make advances land she (456] only rouses herself afterwards, then all is on the side of the female and many multitudes arise on the side ofthe left in all worlds, Hence it is writen: "When a 'Woman conceives seed and bears a male", ete, che lower 'world being on the model of the upper, and in all things 2 'man should concentrate his thoughts above on the Holy 'One, blesed be He, that grace may abound in the world. 'Happy are the righteous who know how to concentrate theit thoughes on the holy King; of them ic is writen: "Ye who leave unto the Lord your God are all alive this day" (Deut tv, 4) RISING OK A SCAM OR ABRIGHT SPOT, ETC.R, Judah here cited the verse: "Look not upon me because I am swarthy, Ibecause the sun hath scorched me", et. (5.8.1, 6).'When the 'Moon was hiddenin theexteand she aw the yarningoof Iarael for her she said, "Look not on me", meaning," sce me, because Tam in darkness—for one thing because the sun has withdrawn his ight fom me, and for another because "the sons of my mother were incensed against me" (Id), 'these being the emissaries of the side of severity. "They * Here ftom in the et cern rections onthe conic of Jacob and the ng whi Reve appeted in vobvance ewer

10tute 20K Y lasb-4be
made me keeper of the vineyards that is of other nations, whereas "my own vineyard"—Isracl—Icannee Keep. Formerly { kept my own vineyard and through i the others wore also kept; row Ihave to keep the others that my own may be kept among them.' As R Hiya and R. Jose were 'once going along, they came to 2 field where there was a balsam tree on the right, Said R. Jose: 'A pall of smoke must come before our eyes; it is forbidden us to look upon any glad sight since the day when the Temple was destroyed." He then expounded the yerse: "The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof, the world and they that dell herein" (Ps, xxrv, 1). "This "earth", he said 'is the holy earth Which is called "the land of the living', while "the world" refers to other lands" R. Hiya said: "The "earth" is as 'ssid; the "fulness thereof" isthe wuls ofthe rightenus; the "world" is this earth, and "they that dell therein are mankind." Said R. Jose: 'If so, what do you make of the next verse: "For he hath founded it upon the sas and 'tablished it upon the waters" ? He replied: 'Asuredly that "land of the living" is established upon the seas and rivers which iue from that supernal River that proceeds from Eden." As they were going along they came across a man standing under a tree whose face was full ofthe marks of blows. They noticed [fa] that his face was all red from the blows. Said R. Hiya to him: 'Who are you ? He replied: 'Lama Jew.' Said R. Jose: "He must be a sinner, a8 otherwise his face 'would not have all those marks, and these are not what are Called "chastiservents of love" Said R. Hiya: 'Arsuredly that isso, for the "chastisements of love" are hidden from view. So with the plague of leprosy, of those marks which are visible to all itis writen, "And the priest shall ce and declare him unckan", for asuredly those come fom the side of uncleanness and 'are not chastisements of Jove. In the same way, he who reproves hie neighbour in love should not let other ten hearin order that he may not be ashamed and if he reproves him publicly he does not show true friendship. So God, in reproving a man, acts vith him lovingly, At first He siites him inwaedly. If he repent, 46a-468] xr TAaRIAY (tevETicus) n 'well and good, but if not, he sites him under his garments, and this is ealled "chastisement of love". IF he still does nat repent, God smites him on his face where all san see, 50 that they may know that he i sinner and not beloved of hhis Master' 'The man thereupon said to them: 'You are in

4conspiracy against me: of a autety you are of those who
frequent the bouse of R. Simeon ben Yobai, who have no fear of anyone, If my sons were to come up, they would punish you for speaking thus loudly.' They said: "The Law feaches Us to do s0, a5 1 says, "Wisdom erieth in the chiet places of concourse", ete. (Prov. 4, 1). If we were to be "afraid to speak words of the Torah before thee, we should bbe ashamed before God.' The man thereupon ited up his 'hands and wept. Meanwhile hissons came up. The youngest 'one said: "The support of heaven is here. King Solomon 'old: "AIL havo Tacen in the diye of ry vanity" (Keel. vs, 43). In the days of King Solomon the moon was ful, and Solomon was the wisest of men and he saw all: he saw AI" attached t0 the Moon and illuminating her like the sun. [Now when the righteous are numerous in the world, this AIM" does not depart from the Sun, and receives all anointing and joy from above 10 unite with the Moon, for 'whowe sake it isthusenriched. But when sinners ar numerous in the world, and the Moon is darkened, the "Righteous 'One persheth in his righteousness, that i, he ss allthis as he cannot unite with the Moon. 'Then, too, all the side fof the left is aroused, and the prosperity of sinners is ieokonads LAL benGs i tien fond tyson Wicked {an who probngeth fis ife sm his evidaing". Also we may' interpret the vords, there is righteous man that persheth fn his righteousness", to mean that when sinners multiply and judgemen:impends, the righteous man i seized for theie tng, ike my father, who has been punished for the sins of the townafotk who are all law-breakers, because he did not ide them or try t0 atop them, taking av his guide the vers, 'Quarrel not with evildoers, be not zealous against them that work unrighteousness' Hix father said: 'In truth God has punished me for this, because I had the power to 'prevent them and I did not do s0, and I did not reprove rs 'THE ZOMAKY [46 them either openly or secretly.' His other son then cited the verse: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground", ete. (Gen. tt, 7)- 'Man was formed with two {nelinations, the good and the evil, one corresponding to Water and the other to Fire. The werd "man" (adam) indicates a combination of male and female. 'The dust from which he was formed was that of the Holy Land, of the 'Sanetuary. "He breathed in his nostils the breath of life": this is the holy soul which derives from the life above. "And the man became a living soul": he was provided with holy soul from the supernal thing" which the 'earth brought forth. Now, a8 long as that bly soul is attached toa man, he ie beloved of his Master, he is guarded on all sides, he is marked out for good above and below, and the holy divine presence rests upon him. But if he perverts his ways the divine presence leaves him, the super-soul does not to him, and from the side of the evil serpent a spirit arises which can abide only in a place whence the heaven! holiness has departed, and so a man becomes defiled and bi flesh, his facial appearance and his whole being, is distorted. 'Observe that because this "living soul" is holy, therefor when the holy land absorbs it, it is called "Super-soul"" (nshamah); itis this which ascends and speaks before the holy King and enters without let or hindrance in all gates, and therefore it is called "speaking spirit". Hence the "Torah proclaims, "Keep thy tongue frem evil", ete. (Pa, xxtty, 14), because if a man's words, those words mount aloft and all proclaim "keep away from the evil word of so-and-eo, leave the path clear for the mighty serpent". 'Then the holy soul leaves hin and not able to speak: itis im shame and distress, and is not given a place as before. Hence itis written, "Whoso keepeth his mouth and his wegue keepeth his suul from troubles" (Prov. xx, 23). For that soul which was vocal is reduced to silence on account of the evil word. Then the serpent gets ready, andl when that evil word finds its way to him, then. 'many spirite bestir themselves, and one spirit comes down, from that side and fines the man who uttered the evil word, * e Taum Ono ac 8b-q7l] KI TARRIN! (Leviticus) 3 and lights upon him and defiles him, and he becomes leprous. And just as a man is punithed for uttering an evil word, $0 hes punished for not uttering a good word when he had the 'opportunity, because he harms that speaking spivit which was prepared to speak both above and below in holiness. Al the moreso if the people walkin crooked ways and he able to speak to therm and reprove them and does not do so.

80David said: "I eld my peace from good and my trouble
was stired" (Ps, xxx, 3), alluding to his leprosy" [47a] R. Hiys and R. Jose then came and kissed him, and they kept together the whote of chat journey. WHEN A PLAGUE OF LiPZosY 15 0N A MAN ESHALL HE sRouGHT UNTO THE PnizsT. R. Jose sid: "The Come 'anions have studied all the varices of this plague, and the priestused toknow which werechastisementsafioveand which Wwereasign that a man was rejected and spurnedby bie Master; for the plague lights upon mankind according wo their works Tes wrtten: "Incline not my heart to any evl thing, to be ed in deeds of wickedness" (Ps, cxtt, 4)' Suid R. 'Does God then lead men astray into the ways of sin Is and evildoing ? If so, how can the Torah say, "Uf thou Ihearkenest, if thou dost not hearken"" ? We sheuld, however, ttansate: "Do not incline, O my heart, to an evil thing {rord), for an evil word brings the plage of leprosy upon the worl". "The Companions hive pointed out that the [Aram translation of leprory (ire) means "shutting up and indicates shutting up oth above and below, Ina similar tense it ie written "He fath defied the sarcuary of the Lard" (Num. 30s, 20)" Said R. Eleazar: 'He defies i because the Divine Preerce departs from thence and the mighty serpent takes up his abode there and ests filth there nd cates defilement, and all because of mens sins" AND 1F A MAN'S HAIR RE FALLEN OFF HIS HEAD. R. Hiya cited here the verse: "Then saw that wisdom exclleth folly as light excelleth darkness" (Eccl. 1113) (478] 'Where', hh said, is the great wisdom in this remark of king Solomon ? Does set anyone, even one who fs no wisdom himself,

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now that wisdom is superior to fly alight darkness, therefore, does Sloman ay, Then Isa"? The that what i mean that therein to wlalom foe fly lef Cor tare Sere lly, wider anita word would not Derecogsized, Werbve arnt hatte incumbent on a man when he letras ied to lean slitle fly ale ence there is eerain Tent to wadom fro its thee i to ight rem darn We ave loess has apie ta the supers Wisdom, ToeR, Simeon si As The sper Wid de bbbepieeriresrorcuon ete ae fol tac aes forme pice sd nt feet woul tive ne superorty or excellence, and the prof of wiadom would not be distrib, Soon arth f there were no flly there would be no wisdom, Therefore did Rab Hamnuna the Elder when be intrctel the Companions inthe secrets of wear, sao ive then m dlciure fall of fall tat adem might banc therefrom, Therefore ict wrens are precios then wien oc tan Ronen ek folly (Eee m1)" R. Joe ssid "Ths means that ile {oly reyas ahd plays he amour of dra ad the tlory of heaven mare than anything ee. So the benefit of Hinson et from ie contrs with darkness, and sindarly 'hie sony known avd forts contrast with Black I Tene midst tthe ume with et aod Liters 2a doce not know what sweet x unl he een ter [4] "We ave learn: ani the Sree has eur aes tio, gbe, ent ik--od the highest of then aa Suid Re Judas Bars int writen, "When aman da) shal bring fom you an aferiog" (Le. 1.2), and who si that requires t bring an offering? Init nota siaper? Re Jase rplod: "The oflering isthe tainstay of the wel, ppc ent ae egy te eect er el rho Sng tore ? rely hs ean whois aled Adon? Eaid R. Judah: 'fo, what of the verse "When a tan (adn) ba othe skin of his flesh and ic beome in the Shin of fis fesh the plage of leprosy"? He replied: "This One God desires to eal more than all others td therefore it 'written concer him, "he shall be brought unto the kr taznra' (Leviticus) 45 isthe duty of anyone who sees him to bring him 'to the priest, in order that the holy image may not ret thus" Said R. Judah: "Bue itis written, "Now Moses the 'man (jih)!"s why is he not called "adn!" ?" He replied: "Because he was the "servant of the king", and therefore he is called ish in relation to the supernal Adim. But,' he suid, it written, "The Lord is a man (ish) of wat"

1"The secret of the Lord is to them that fear
Judah too am one of them, yet I have nat 'been privileged to hear this," Said the other: "Go to R. Abba, for [learnt it from him only on condition that I should not tell' So he went to R, Abba, and found him discoursing and saying: "When is there said to be completeness above ? 'When the Holy One, blessed be He, sits on his throne. For is written: "And upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man (adam) upon it above" (Ezek, 1, 26); the term "adam indicates wholeness and completeness" Said R. Judah: "Ged be blessed that Thave found you discoursing thus. Tell me:is it not written, "The Lord is a man (dh) of war" ?" Said R. Abba: 'Your 'question is 2 good one, and the answer is this. At the Red Sea there was not yet full consuramation, and therefore God as called ssh; but in the vision of Ezekiel there was full 'consummation, and therefore God was eilled adam,'***The law of thy mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver (Ps. ex1x, 72)" exclaimed R. Judah. "But, he con- tinued, 'it is also writen, "O Tord, thou preservest man (eden) and beast" (Ps. xxv, 7) Should not the term ih be used here ?" He si snalogous tothe express "From the cedar which is in Lebanon to the hyssop that 'pringeth out of the wall" (1 Kings v, 13); itis the way of the Scripture in such cases t0 mention the two extremes.' "Bug he went vo, it not written: "And there was no man (adam) t0 till the ground" (Gen, u, 3)? He answered 'Everything in the world was only made for the sake of 'man, and all things were kept back until he that was called Adam should appear, since his form was after the divine prototype, and when he was created all yas complete. TR. Jose said: "Phe Hayoth which Bzchel saw all had the

6'Tue z0nARY [s8e-49e
ten: "And the feecofaneagle andthe facet on ® (0) He replied: 'Alt had th face of man, but inthis face itl was seen the resemblance of an eagle ec" RE, Tsaae sid; 'Observe, that whoever is under the control of adam' is called "ish", because the complete form of 'Raum was only reached from another previous form. For iuhas been taught in the profound mysteries ofthe Book of Concealed Wisdors that when man was created in the holy superna form there came down with him two spit from {wo sides, one from the right and one from the lft, which 'between them formed the complete man. 'The one from the fight was called the holy neshamah, as it says: "And he breathed in bis nostrils the nezkomal of life" (Gen. 1,7), while the other was called "living soul! (nefedh hayah 'When man sinned there were formed from this spirit of the Jef erature whote body was not compote, and these are called "the plagues ofthe wns of men and they hear certain things on high which they communicate to those below. Now it has been taught: From the Lamp of Darkness! jnsued three hundeed and twenty-five sparks raced cut and Tinked together fram the side of Geburah, and when these entered the Body it was alle Th Said R. Judah: "Way 30 ? Isaac could not answer. So they went and asked R. Simeon, wo replied: 'Beezse the lower judgements are atached to the hair of this ong, he is called "Stern Judgement", but When the hair is removed he becomes mitigated and the lover judgements are not held in readiness, Therefore he is called clean, as having emerged from the side of unclemnnes, and here too itis written: "And if the hair of ik be fallen off his head, he is ald, he i clean." Silly among men, if one is from the side of judgement and is Hable to puish- 'ment, he is not purified until his hai is removed. So the LLevites who eame from this side were not purified uni their Ini was removed: and they required the Priests who came from the side of Lavingkindnes to assist them, just at above when that [sh desires tobe more exhilarated [49a] the sapernal * Aesaing the snthrpomorphicamtolien 49e4o!] xt raznra' (LeviTicus) 7 Lovingkindnesssdsplayedin im, and hebecomesmitgated, and this Ish becomes merged in Adam, 'AND IF 18 HAIH BE FALLEN OFF FROM THE FRONT PART (OF Mis MEAD. This front partis what is elled "the face 'of wrath", and all [angels] who depend from that "face" are bold, stern and cruel, But when the "hair" is removed from the side of that "face", all these are removed and rendered powerless, For, as we have learnt, all those who depend from the "hair of the head" are superior to the 'others and not bold-faced like them. Hence the fces of the Inter are red ike fre from the fashing of the Lamp of Darkness." Rabbi Isaac sid: "This plague i ealled""reddish- white" (Lev. mu, 42); it is stil @ plague if the white is visible and the red' has not disappeared. When, however, the whole has bacome white, mercy is present and judgement ce lcparts. 'Rabbi Abba said: 'Sometimes the Female is sullied by the sins of men and sometimes the Male, and the priest |knew from which side the punishment came, and he also knew the sacrifices which ought to be brough, as it is writen: "The sacrifices of Elam (i. sacrifice to avert punishment) area contrite spirit" (Ps 1, 18) (496] R. Jose 'quoted the verse: "O thou that hearest prayer unto thee shall all flesh come" (Ps. txv, 2). "This means, atthe time when the body is in pain from sickness and blows, and therefore ie sys Vall lest" and not all spirit, Similarly iis writen: "If there be a plague of leprosy in a man, he shall be brought 'unto the priest' the "priest" referring to the Holy One, blessed be He, since on Him depends all purification an« holiness." R, Issac aid: 'We have learat as follows. "Plague! 'means ster judgement impending over the world." Leprosy' 'means the shutting out from the world ofthe supernal light and goodness, "When it shall be in a man': this is he that is called man', "He shall be brought unto the priest": this isthe earthly priest, who is qualified to open what has been shut up and to kindle the lights, that blessings may 'through him be spread above and below, and the plague be removed and the light of mercy rest upon all"

18THE ZOHAR ¥, [496-500
R. Abba said: 'I am struck by the way in which men neglect the honour of their Master. It is writen concerning Torael: "I have separated you from the peoples to be mine"" (Lev. xx, 26), and again, "Ye shall sanctify yourselves and be hay, for 1 the Lord am holy" (Id. 7). IF they depart from God, where is their holiness, seeing that their thoughts turned from Him ? And Scripture cries to them saying Be tot a8 the horse or as the mule which have no under- standing" (Ps. 20x, 9). In what are human beings distin- 'guished from the horse and the mule ? By sanctification and felfperfection. Hence the marital intercourse of human beings should be at fixed times, that they may concentrate their thoughts on cleaving to the Holy One, bleswed be He. 'As has been pointed out, at midnight God enters the Garden of Eden to have communion with the righteous, and the Community of Israel praises the Holy One, blessed be He, and that is a propitious time to cleave to Hien. But as forthe 'Comiranions who study the 'Torah, the time of their inter- 'course is at the time of another intercourse, from Sabhath 'to Sabbath! for that isthe time when all above and below are biessed. But if men abandon Him and act like beasts, Where are those holy souls which they derive from above ? King Solomon also cries aloud: "Alo without knowledge the 'soul isnot good" (Prov. xtx 2), for they draw upon them selves a soul that is not good from the "other side". He 'who is inflamed with the evil inclination and turns not his thoughts to God draws upon himself @ soul which isnot 'good. Therefore evil diseases light upon men and their appearance testifies that God hes rejected them and will not haeed them until they (soa amend their ways, Similarly it ix 'written: "When ye be come into the land of Canaan «.. and Tputa plague of leprosy in z house ofthe land of your posses sion", ete. (Lev, x1¥, 34): Gad loved Taras] and bough them into the Holy Land to place His divine presence among therm and t make His abode with them, so that Israel should be holy above all other peoples, Now, when the wormen brought articles for the Tabernacle they wsed to specify what part 'each was for: "thi is for the holy place, this forthe curtain", tT goa-sob] KI TAZRIA' (LEVITICUS) 19 and so forth, and each thing went to its place in holiness. 'worship, or the "ether si 'name in connection with that ding, an unclean apiritreate upon it. Now the Canaanites were idoites, and whenever they erected a building they used to utter certain idolatrous formule, and a spirit of uncleanness rested on the building. But when the Isralites entered the land, God desired to purify them and sanctify the land and prepare a place for His divine presence, and so through that plague of leprosy they used to pull dawn buildings which had been erected in uncleanness. Now if they hed done so merely that they right find hidden treasures, they would have replaced the stones afterwards; but the text says, "and they shall take fot the stones . and he shall ake other mortar" in order that the unclean spirit may pass away and the holiness return and the Shekinah abide in Israel, 'Therefore, when man begins to se up a building he should declare that he is building for the service of God. 'Then the support of heaven is with him, and God assigns holiness to him and 'bids peace be with him. Otherwise he invites into his house the "other side"—all the more 30 if his inclination is to the "other side", for then, indeed, an unclean spicit will rest on the house, and that man will not leave this world 'until he has been punished in that house, and whoever stwells in it may come fo hurt, ft is asked, How is one to know such 2 house? itis one in which the man who built has come to harm, be or his family, whether through sickness tr loss of money, he and two others after him. Better a man 'should fly tothe mountains or live in a rd hut than dwell, there, Therefore Gad had pity on Israel, who knew nothing 'ofall those houses. He said: "You do not know, but I know 'them, and I wil inicate them with the plague. 'There isa plague in the howe; here is a greater plague which will drive it out." Hence "he shall break down the house, the 'stones thereof and the timber thereof". We may ask, since the uncleanness fas gone, why should he break doven the house ? 'The reason is that as long as the house stands [508] it belongs to the "other side", and it may return, If that is

20THE 2OHAR Y [39h
the case in the Holy Land, how much more so in other R. Eleazar: 'Especially since that evil spirit calls his companions there, and even a hawk's talons could fot scratch out the uncleanness from there. Therefore the Seripuure says, "Woe unto him shat buildeth his house by Jone was once going into a house, and as he was erosing the threshold he heard a voice ay: 'All now gather, hee is one of our adversaries. Let us do him some hurt before the goes eut again." Another voice said: 'We cannot do him anything unlews he Takes up his abode here." R. Jose drew back in great fear, saying: 'Assuedly, he who transpreses the words of the Companions endangers his Hiya to him: But idolaters and other people houses and come tono hurt? He replied; "They come from the same side as those spirits, but he that fea sn ean be hue by them. And even those other if they will ot come out in peace" Said RH written, "Their houses are safe from fear" (Job xxt, 9)? He replied 't may be that they have taken them over from other, and that they were built riginally in righteousness! TWEN NE THAT OWNETH THE HOUSE SHALL cont AND TELL THE PaiesT, THERE SEEMETH TO METO RE AS IT WERE A PLAGUE IN THE MOUSE. The meaning of this verse is as follows. When this plague (of leprosy) enters, another (of uncleanness) is revealed, and they attack one another. Hence it says, "there seemeth (li. is seen) to me. "Then the one that was concealed becomes visible and the 'one that was visible becomes hidden, and then reappears in the form of the leprosy, and this is what the owner tell" the priest, who takes the hint, 'Then the priest comes, and the stones and wood are removed, and then the rest ave blessed. Therefore it says, ""Thou shalt build goodly houses and divel therein' (Deut. vit, 12); these are good, but the others were not good. 'But', said R. Judah, 'if that is 0, 'what are we to make of the verse, "Houses full of all good things which thou flledst not" (Deut. v1, 11) ? How could they be full of good if an unclean spirit rested on them? sob-ste] wt TAzntAT (Leviricus) a R. Eleazar 'i means, with money, with silver, with 'gold, and 20 forth: just as itis said elsewhere, "for the good. ofall the land of Egypt is yours", although all the houses of Egypt were full of magic and inate." R. Simean said: 'All this wae indeed for the purpore of sancifying the land and removiag from it the unclean spt, and when the house 'was destroyed he used to find in it money for building another, and so they were not distressed by the loss of the hnouse, and besides, they dwelt there thenceforth in holiness." AND WHEW A MAN O# A WOMAN HATH IN THE SEIN OF THEIR FLESH bRIGHTsrOTS. R. Jose said: "The "bright spot" is surrounded with many regulations a3 complicated as the wickerwork of a basket, all depending on. the thade of colour.' R. Isaac said; 'Some authorities have formulated three hundred rules regarding the bright spor, and [learnt them all from my father. One black hair renders 'unclean, being like one witness; two render clean, being like wo witnesses" R. Hidkiah was once studying with R, Simeon. He said: 'Te is written, "a reddish-white plague". 'Thisis a plague, because the white doesnot retain its purity." [R. Simeon said: "Happy are lavael in that God desired to 'purify them, so that they ahould not come up for sentence fore Him. For like always goes to ike red to red and white te; right to right and lef to left. OF Esau itis written, "and he came forth ruddy", and therefore his own kind 'ests upon him. (51a) Tt is true, David is also called "ruddy" (1 Sam. xvi, 12), but whereas Esau's redness eame from the "dross of gold", David's came from the brightness of gold. 'Observe that if theres first redness and then it turns whitish, this isa sign of the commencement of purifying. If white 'appears first, and then it reddens, this isa sign that unclean 'ess is commencing. 'The priest knew all these colours, and if the colour of cleanness appeared, he used to shut up the 'man to see if another colour would appear, and if not, he 'would declare him clean.' 'As R. Isaac and R, Judah were once walking together, the latter remarked: 'It is written: "Elisha said to Gehasi, The py Midrah Rabab fcr

2'He zomAnV {sa
Jeprooy of Naaman shall cleave unto thee and unto thy seed forever" (2 Kings ¥, 27). Now, ithe sinned, why should his descendants be stricken ? . Isaac replied: 'Elisha saw more than most prophets. He saw that Gehazi would never have irtuour offspring, and therefore he cursed all of them. Moreover, he said to hin, 1 served Elijah faithfully, and therefore obtained two portions, but you, villain, have compromised me by swearing falsely and being covetous. 'You have transgressed the whole of the Law, and therefore dleserve to die in this world and the next, but because you have served me, your death shall only be in this world and shot the next! RR, Jose asked: Why should there be leprosy on wool and flax ¥ R. Isac replied: "I rests on all things and has sway cover all, It is written, "She seeketh wool and flax", and therefore the sway of this plague which comes from this same superal place extends overall, over these two articles, 'woo! an flax." Ri, Iraae was once going to his father's home when he saw a man turing aside from the road with a load on bis shoulders, He said to him: 'What is that bundle you hive fon your shoulders but the man seve him no answer, hie followed him till he saw him enter a cave. He went after him and saw a cloud of smoke aseend from benesth the ground, while the man went into hole and he lost sight of him. R,Tsaac then let the exve in great fear. As he vas siting there, R. Judah and R. Hiakiah passed by. He went 'upto them and told them what had happened. Said R. Judah: "Thank God for delivering you. 'That cave is where the lepers of Sarunia are, and all the inhabitants of that town ate 'magicians and go into the desert to get black snakes ten years old or more, and through not being careful of them they become leprous, and all their magic arts ae in that cave." 'They then left the spot. On their way they eame across 2 'man who had with him a sick chid tied to an ass, They ashed him why the boy was tied. He replied: ' live in a town of the Arameans, and my son here used to learn the Torah every day, and when he came home used to go over what the had lournt. 'Three years T lived in the same house and sie-si)] i TAzRIA (LEVITICUS) 3 'observed nothing wrong, but now one day when my son 'went into the house to repeat his lesson an evil spirit passed before him and distorted his eyes and his mouth and his hhands, so that he is not able to speak. So Tam going to the 'ave ofthe lepers of Serunis to see i they can show me how to cure hi." R. Judah said to him: [518] 'Do you know of any other person having come to hana in that house before ?" He replied: 'I know that a long time ago a man did come to hharm there, but people suid chat it was just an illness, while 'others said tha it was the evi spittof the house. Since then 'many people have been in the howe without sufering any hharm.' 'They said: "This proves the truth of what the 'Companions said. Woe to those wh distegard their words." Said R. Judah: 'Ie is written, "Woe to him that buildeth 'house without righteousness" (Jer. xxtt, 13), because 'wherever there is righteousness all evil spirits fy fom before it, Yet withal, whichever comes first wo the place takes possession of it? Said R, Hizkish: 'If so, the holy Name is 'merely on level with the unclean spirit?" He replied: 'Not

40If the holy spitt is there fist, vo evil spirits can appear
'there, much less approach, But if the evil sprit is theze first, the holy Name doesnot rex upon i Now Whe the plague of Teprosy ears, one had to purify the place and drive out the 'unclean spirit, and afterwards the house was taken down and built up again in holiness with the mention of the hholy Name; and still other mortar had to be used and the foundation was removed two handbreadths. Nowadays, however, that he plague docs not appear, there. being thus no one able to drive out the eyil spirit, what is the remedy ? 'The hest thing ix to remave from the house, but if this cannot be done, it should be rebuilt with fresh wood. 'and stones, and a Title away from the previous spot, with the mention ofthe holy Name. R, Isaac said to him: "Why 'should one take all this trouble in these days, since it is wwitten: "That which is erooked cannot be made straight" (cel. 1, 15)? Since the destruction of the 'Temple there is ho remedy; hence a man should be very careful. 'aid: 'Let us go along with this man-and see" Said R. Isaac: We may not. If we ere going (0 a great and

4'THe ZOARY [s1b-s20
Godl-fearing man, like Naaran to Elisha, we could accompany hr, But as be e going to such abandoned and godless people 'we must not' "But, said R. Judah, we have learnt that for healing sickness anything may be used save the wood of an Atherah 7 We replied: "This too is idolatry.' So they went 'on their way. The man then entered the eave with his son, land let him there while he went out to tether his ass. Mean~ while a cloud of smoke eame out and struck the boy on the head and killed him. When the father west in, he found him dead, s0 he took hirn and his ass, and on the next day came up with R. Isaac and R. Judah and R. Hinkiah, With many tears he related to them what had happeved. Said IK. Danes 'Did I not tell you many times that it was forbidden to enter there De ath rgheout who yak inthe wy 'of truth in this world and in the next.' R. Eleazar said: 'In all his actions a man should have in mind the holy Name 'and declare that all in forthe service of God, 30 that the "other side" should not rest on him, for this is ever ying in wait for man, 'Therefore it was that the warp and the 'woof used to become undean [52a] and the "other side" rested on them,' 'R, Eleazar was once going to ee his father-in-law accom panied by Abba, He said: 'Let us disarse on the Torah 'as we go' R, Eleazar then took as his text the verse: "Say,

1pray thee, thow art my sister" (Gen, x1, 13). "This, he
said, 'is very strange. Can we believe that a. God-fating rman like Abram should speak thin to hia wife in order that hhe might be well treated? "The truth is however, that Abram relied on the merit of his wife, and not on his own merit, to procure for him the money of the beathen, for a man 'obtains money through the merit of his wife, as itis written: "House and riches are an inheritance fom fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord (Prov, am, 14). Further, hhe saw an ange going before her; who said to him: "Fear not, Abram, God sent me to procure for her the money of the heathen and to protect her from all harm" Hence Abram did not fear fr his wife but for himself, since he saw the angel With her but nat with himself. Therefore be said toher: "Say, "Deut sz] Kr TaeKIA' (LEVITICUS) 35

1pray thee, that thou art my sister, that he (the angel) may

40good to me in this world, and that my soul may live in
the next world for thy sake, if thou departes not from the right way, for otherwise death aveaits me in this worl." 'R. Abba dacoursed on the verse: "As in the day of thy coming forth from the land of Egypt will T show unto him marvellous things" (Mle. wit, 15). He sid: "God will one day iverance to his tons as in the days when He sent to deliver Tsracl and inflicted plagues on Exypt for their sake, What is the difference between this deliverance and that of Egypt? 'The deliverance in Egypt was fromm one king and one eountry' here it will be fre all the kings of the earth. Then God will be glorified in all the world, and all shall now His dominion, as itis written: "The Lord shall bbe king over the whole earth" (Zech. xv, 9). And they stall bring Tsral a an offering to the Holy One, blessed be He, as itis written, "And they shall bring all your brethren", fe. (Isa. 2x, 30). Then the patearche shall rejoice to 4 the deliverance of their sons, and so it is writes the days of thy going forth fom Egypt I shall show him wonders

26[s2b-s3e
MEZORA' Leviticus x1¥, 1-39, 33 Axp tHE Loxp sroxe unto Mosts savine, Tuts SHALL DE THE LAW OF THE LEVER. R. Abba cited here the verse: "Be ye afraid of the sword, for wrath bringeth 'the punishments of the sword, that ye tay know there is 3 Judgement" (Job x1x, 29), 'Observe,' he said, 'that through 'the evil tongue of the serpent death came upon the world. 'The evil tongue is called a sharp sword" (Ps. Lvi, s), and therefore it says, "Be ye afraid of the sword", to wit, of the evil tongue. Why ? "For wrathful are the punishments of the sword", to wit the aword of the Lord, "that ye may know there isa judgement", for he that hath a sword ia his 'tongue is punished with the sword; hence it says, "this is the law of the leper" [539] R. Eleazar said: 'When man is on the point of leaving this world, his soul sufers many chastsements along with his body before they separate. Nor does the soul actually leave him until the Shekinah shows hersilf to him, and then 'the soul goes out in joy and love to meet the Shekinah. If he fs righteous, he claves and attaches himself to her. But ifnot, then the Shekiah departs, and the soul is left be 'mourning for its seperation from the body, like a eat which is driven away from the fre, Afterwards both are punished by the hand of Dumah, The body is punished in the grave and the soul in the fire of Gehinnom for the appointed period. When this is completed she rises from Gehinnore purified of her guilt lke iron purified in the fire, and she is 'carried up to the lowe: Garden of Eden, where she is cleansed in the waters of Paratise and perfumed with its spices, and there she remains tll the time comes for her to depart from the abode of the rightcous, 'Then she is carried up tage after stage until she is brought near like a sacrifice to the altar. Hence it is written, "This shall be the law of the leper 'onthe day of his cleansing: he shall be brought tothe priest", towit, to the angelic Priest above. This is the fate of a soul 30-538] rzona' (Leviticus) a7 'which hs not been defiled overmuch in this world, and which 'can yet be healed in this way; but otherwise, 'that which is 1, Isaac cited the verse: "The sun also ariseth and the 'sun goeth down" (Ecel.t, ).'When.a man's sal (neshamah' he sad, 'is with him in this world, then it may be ssid of 'him that 'the sun rseth andthe sun goeth down". And when. 'man departs from this world in a frame of repentance then "he hasteth to his place where he repent, God grants parden for all sins save for the ev tongue, as itis written: "This shall be the law of the leper", the word meporah (lepe) being interpreted as msi shem ra" (Glanderer)" R, Hiya said: 'Whoever spreads false reports, All his limbs become defiled and he is meet fer shutting up, because his evil speech rises aloft and calls down an unclean spirit on him. So it says: "How is the faithful city become an harlot" (Ie. 1,21). Becuse Jerusalem uttered evi speech, God departed from her and a apirit of murderers abode in her. Ifthat was the fate of Jerusalem the holy city, how much, more 0 must it be that of ordinary men Hence it says, 'This shall be the law ofthe leper"." R. Judah said: 'Zoth (this) indced shalt confrost him to punish hin for his evit speech. 'ON THE DAY OF IIS CLEANSING MESHALL BE BROUGHT 'TO THE PRresT. This shows that the prayer of an evil speaker does not ascend to the Almighty, but if he repents, then "Yon the day of his cleansing he thall be brought to the Priest 'THEN THE PRIEST SHALL COMMAND TO TARE FOR HIM THAT 15 TO BE CLEANSED TWO LIVING CLEAN 'inns, exc, When R. Isc and R, Jose were once studying swith R.Simcon, they said to him: 'We know the symbolism Of the cedar tee the shoots of which are tansplanted in Lebanon, as has been expounded. But what is the point of the hyasop ? He replied: 'eis written here, "two living clean birds and cedar wood and scarlet [536] and hyssop". CLT. Fein, sb; Shab, op. *The Sein,

8'THE ZOHARY 536
"Living" is a reference to two of the "living ereatur (Hayodl) that Ezekiel saw, denoting the place from whi the true prophets draw inspiration, "Cedar wood" we have explained, "Scarlet" indicates the place of Severity, which in associated with him at first. "Hyssop" is the lester Vaw Which gives sustenance to the Community of Ismael. All these again rest upon him because he has been purified." TR. Judah and R, Isaac were once travelling together. 'They stopped ar s certain feld to pray, and then went on R. Judah then commenced a discourse on the Torah, taking for his text: "She is-a tree of life to them that lay hold of 'aer and happy is every one that reaineth her" (Prov. ttt, 18). "The "tree of life" is the Torah, which is great and mighty 'nce, It is called Torah (lit, showing) because it shows and. reveals that which was hidden and unknown; and all life from above is comprised in it and issues from it, He that "takes hold" of the Torah takes hold of all, above and below. "They that retain hee" are those who put the profit of mer- chandise into the purses of students of the Torah; such become worthy of having progeny of faithful prophet. Such, too, retain" her from the beginning, which is Wislom, 0 the "end of the body", and become pillats ofthe faith" TR. Tszac discoursed on the vere: "And he called unto Moses, and the Lord spake unto him out of the tent of meeting, saying" (Lev. 1, 1). 'Who was it that called ? The One who abides in the sanctuary. Moses was greater than Aaron, for Moses was the guest of the King, and Aaron was. the guest of the Matrona. Just as a king might appoint for his queen a companion to attend to her and her house, and 330-54] gona' (ueviricus) 29 fell to him to purify all those who came before the Queen,

0that there should be none (544) unclean among those
who entered the sanctuary. Heice itis writen: "And he shall take for him that isto be cleansed two birds, ete" R, Judah cited the verse: "He that siteth in the heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in derision" (Ps. 1, 4). "The word "laugh", he said, has reference to Isaac, who came from the side of wine, which fis smiles and then rages and Salle So God ie patient with the wicked: if they turn to. Him, it is well, but if not, He destroys them from the future 'world and they have no share init." RR, Hiya discoursed on the verse: "Behold a day of the 'Lord cometh when thy spoil shall be divided inthe midst of thee" (Zech. xiv, 1), "This day he sid, *has been fixed from the creation of the world for punishing the wicked and for God to take vengeance on those that afflict Dal, 'That day ever comes and stands before God, and calls upon Him tw exceute judgement on the heathen.' R, Isac aid: "God has two Days; one that stays with Him and one that comes 'before Him, and with these He makes war on all, And when that Day comes to make war, it unites with another Day, and they join srms and make war on high and low, us 'written: "For there is day to the Lord of Hoss upon all that is proud and haughty and upon all that is lifted up, and it shall be brought low" (Is. i, 12)" R. Simenn drew a 'similar lesson from the verse: "And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days", ete, (Lev, x¥, 25)! "The "blood" i that referred The sword of the Lord i filled with blood' {this ie. the Sheinah shall Aaron come', ete. (Lev. 301 3)- Moses, however, was invited asa jest by the King himself, and afterwards "the Lotd spoke t9 him'. All Aarn's dis- <ourse was for the purpose of bringing harmony vetween 'he King and the Queen, and therefore he made his dvelling vith her to attend to her house, and for this he was perfected after the supernal model and was called "high priest". So he obtained all bis requests of the King, and therfore it {asue beyond the time of her impurity": this implies an 'excess of punishment, as itis written, "I will chastise you still more seven times for your sins" (Lev. xxvt, 18). "All the days of the issue of her uncleanness": this means that the wicked with their sins pollute both themselves and the sanctuary, and bring an unclean spirit upon themselves; but jn time to come God will purify Israel and remove from them. the unclean spirit." x Tue 20HAR ¥ Le-sub Once, when R. Hikiah was studying with R, Eleazar, they rose st midnight, and R. Eleazar discoursed on the verse: "On the day of good be of good cheer, and on the day of vil observe, for'God hath made one to match the other" (Eccl, vit, 14). When God', he said, 'lavishes kindness on the world, a'man should go abroad and show himself, for God's kindness then extends to all Therefore a man should do kindness that kindness may be shown to him. But at the time when judgement impends over the world = man should not show himself abroad [44] nor walk alone, for when judgement impends over te world ic impends over ail, and wil strike anyone i Hights upon, Therefore on that day look carefully on all sides and go not abroad, for God hhath made one to match the other; just as when kindness is abroad it extends 10 all, so when judgement is over the world it is over all, How many swords, then, suspended from the most high sword, sue forth and, seeing that highest sword red and bloody on all sides, decree punishments and set to-work I RR. Eleazar further discoursed on the verse: "Set me as a seal upon thy heart, ete. (8. vitt, 6). "The Community of Isriel says this to the Holy One, blessed be He, The seal is the seal of the phylacteries which a man plices cn his heart; for by so doing a man makes himself perfect after the supernal model. "For love is strong as death": there is 'nothing so hard in the world as the separation of the soul from the body when they have to part; and sinilar is the love of the Community of Israel for the Holy One, blessed bbe He. "Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol": ofall the grades of Gehinnom there is none ao hard as Sheol, and he who is Jealous of a beloved one finds it harder to part than the Sheol, which is the hardest prade of Gehinnom. "The flashes therect are flashes of fire": this is the fire that issues from the Shofar, compounded of sir and water, And with that flame the Community of Israel sets on fre the world when. shoe is passionate for the Holy One, blessed be He, and woe to hitn who crosses the path ofthat flame I" R. Eleszar further iscoursed. on the verse: "Many waters cannot quench love", ete. (Uhid 7). "This, he sai, isthe Right Arm which s4b-ssa) Nazona* (LEviTicvs) 3t desires to ind the phylactery onthe Left Arm, in accordance 'with the verse, "that his right hand might embrace me" (SS. 1, 6), Or agein, the "waters may be the primordial stream from which inaue other streams in every direction. ""IFa man were to give all the substance of his house for love it would be uterly contemned": this means tha if the Holy One, blessed be He, were to offer to the angels all the substance of His house in lieu of His uniting with the Com 'unity of Tsral, they would contemn it, [55a] since they 'have no joy save in the hour when the Community of Israel unites with the Holy One, blessed be He. When a'man pats 'on the phylactery of the hand, he should stretch out his Jefe arm as though to draw fo him the Community of Israel and to embrace her with the right arm, s0 as to 'copy the supernal model, as itis written, "O that his left Ihand were under «ny head and his right hand embraced 'me (8.5. 1,6), for then is that man wholly sanctified TR, Hihih spoke on the verse: "Hear righteousness, O 'Lord, attend unto my cry" (Ps. xvut, 1) He said: 'Beloved isthe Community of Irae! before the Holy One, blessed be He, and whenever she comes before Him, He is ready to receive her. Hence David said: "I am linked with the Com- 'munity of Irae, being before 'Thee as She is, and therefore, Ihearken, O Lord, unto Righteousness frst, and then give car unto my priyer"." He continues: 'Without feigned lips." What is this # We have learnt that every word of prayer 'that issues from a man's mouth ascends aloft through all firmaments to a place where it i tested, If is genuine, it to be fulfilled, but if not, 'of Joseph, "His fee: they hurt with fetter... until the time that his word came", that is, until the word of Joseph's [prayer came to heave! and was tested and then, "the king, sent and loosed him". Meanwhile day had arrived. Said R. Eleazar: 'It time for the Community of Israel to be united wi 'Spouse. Happy are the righteous who study the Torah by right and then come to unite themselves with the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Community of Israel." R, » tue ronAn ¥ Isse-s6a Etearar continved: 'eis writen: "Thus shall ye separate the hilven of feel from the uneesnnens (Levent 39)- When an unclean spirit ix rowed below, it rouse another unclean sprit above which obtains permision to go down to the word, when the pir of hanes which vsed to come down and smite it is no longer there. 'Then judgement confonts singer and there ate two harmful spirit in the orld, one of gldgement and one of tncleunaess" Sad Elearar: 'Here 1 must sy something that { have learnt ffocn my father. Just as when an unclean sir ess upon a owe, God seads a plague of leprosy to atic it and 80 ase the house to be prided, so if spin of uneleanness 'rests on a man and God desires to purify him, He rouses a tint ob ter iulgement Wich oootenda with that unclean pant unl [ssf expelled, Nor dove that sii of fade trent depart until a fat loosened the bodily ne, Then at lat isthe man purified and freed from the unclean spirits, 'Therefore we ve lear thatifa man wants todelehil esa esi iin eer eee dean spits found in hin al is ite fortis indeed shows that God desires to clear him out of the world (to come), Happy are the righteous on whom rests 2 spitit of holiness in thin word and in the world to come When it wat full day they went on their way, and R leat dacoured on the veo! "And Jncoh weit on His way, and the angels of God met him" (Gen. xxx, 1), "Obverve', he aid "tht all the time that Jac was wth Laban God did ot speak with him (ave atthe very end, when he was bout te depart), but ax soon m he bad eft fhm the angela cin wo mest an to excrete enya that the ange Yue hn (Hi Bc) mr at he se then 'This to indest that they were'some from the side of rerey and sore from the side of judgement and they met and were unite "in him'. Hence heeled the place moha- iam (li. two cap). Tes wtten of Esau, "And the fist tarar fart ret (Clem. 3201 of). Though st ee For ft he wn not realy the elder, since a the tine of treatin Ieaes thoughts were [56a fre ented on merey, "Yann 388 36a] ezona' (Leviticus) 3 represented by Jacob, and afterwards on judgement, repre- sented by Faun. Hence Jacob ae really reste. fit R, Judah used to teach as follows. Esau is ealed nt" and God is also called "frst, a8 itis written, "T am the first and Tam the last" ([sa, xiv, 6). The "fat will one day punish the "ist" and rebuild the other "frst, co wit, "A glorious throne set on high from the frst, the place of our Sancrary" (Jet ava, 12) We have earn One day te walls of Jeraalem will reach on high to the throne of the King, as it written, "At that time they shall call Jerussem the throne ofthe Lord!" Jer, 17)! [ses Leviticus 301, vith, 30 Anp The Lorn spoxr uTo Mosks AFTER Tits DEATH OF THE TWo SONS OF AARON. R. Judah said: 'Since it says here "the Lord spoke unto Moses", why does it repeat in the next verse, "And the Lord said unto Moses, Speak to Aaron thy brother", etc? The same question atises in other pices (c.g. Lev. f 1; Exodus 201, 1), and in all eases the answer isthe same, that the reference is ist to one grade (6f the Deity) and then to another; but all are equivalent and come from ane root. R, Isasc remarked: 'One verse says, "Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling" (Ps. 1, 12), and another verse sayy, "Serve the Lord with gladness, come before him with rejicing" (Pa, ¢, 2). 'The apparent contradiction is explained as follows. When a man comes to serve his Master he should do so frst in fear, and through that fear he wil ferwards perform the precepts of the Law in joy. Ie says, 'rejoice in trembling", hecaine it i forbidden to 8 man to rejoice orermuch in this world, but in the words and the precepts of the Torah itis quit right that he should rej R, Abba said: "The word "fear" [566] here esoterically alludes t the Holy One, blessed be He, asin the verse, "The fear ofthe Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Prov. t, 7)? 1, Eleazr said: Ifa man desires to serve his Master, from 'what place should he commence and in what place should ha frst aim at unifying the name of his Master? In "eae, 'with which the ascent heavenwards commences." Another interpretation is as follows, R. Jove suid: Why does the text say, "after the death of the two sons of 'Aaron, and not "lafter the death of Nadab and Abihu! since we know they were his sons ? 'The reason is to show that they had not yet emerged from the guardianship of their father, but they thrust themselves forward in his lifetime"

1Hi eid: 'One day Twas on my way to viet R. Simeon
$66-s7@] AWARE MoTH (LetrTtcUS) 35 to learn from him the portion of the Passover. In a certain mountain which I passed T saw some clefts in a rock and two 'men sitting in one, As T went along I caught the sound of their voices saying: "A song, a psaln ofthe sons of Korah." 'Why both song R, Simeon that this is x double song, and therefore superior to other songs. So, too, with the expressions, "A psalm, 'song for the Sabbath day" (Ps. xct, 1), or "Sang of songs (8S. 4 1): the doublin n of pre-eminence. 'This is the song of the Holy One, blessed be He, which was sung by the sons of Korah, those who sat at the doorway of Gehinnom: Therefore this Psalm is recited (in the morning prayers) on the sccond day of the week. T went up to them and asked them what they were daing in that place. They 'sid: "We are pediars, and two days in the week we go into a solitary place and study the Torah, because on other days people wil not let us." I said to them: "Happy i your portion." 'They continued: "Whenever the righteous are removed from the world, punishment is removed from the world and the death of the righteous atones forthe sins of the generation, Therefore we read the section dealing with the death of the sons of Aaron on the Day of Atonement that jt may atone for the sin of Israel, God says; Recount the death of these righteous ones, and it will be accounted to you as if you brought an offering on that day to make 'atonement for you. For we have lernt that so long as Tarael are in captivity, and cannot bring offerings on that day, the mention of the two sons of Aaron shall be their atonement. For so we have learnt, that Abihu was equal to his two brothers Elesrar and Ithamar, and Nadab to all together, and Nadab and Abihu were reckoned a8 equal tothe seventy 'elders who were associated with Moses; and therefore theit death was an atonement for Tsral."* R, [s7q] Hirkiah quoted in this connection the verse: 'Therefore thus sath the Lord to the house of Jacob who redeemed Abraham" (Isa. xxx, 22). 'We might think', he said, 'that the words "to the house of Jacob" are misplaced, Acerding (n snsther roing, "rennding tow ho oat ote ot TB Bats Ban, 70,

36THe zomAR Y (sz
'nut rally the vere is to be taken as it stands. For when 'Abram was cast into the furnace of the Chaldeans the angels 'sid before God: How shall this one be delivered, seeing that he has no merit of his ancestors to rely upon ? God replied: He shall be delivered forthe sake of his sons. But, 'they sai, Ismael will sue from hien ? 'There isaac who will azech forth his neck onthe altar. But Esa will issue from him ? There is Jacob whois the complete throne and all his sons who ae perfect before me. They said: Assuredly though this merit Abraham shall be delivered. Hence itis wrsten: "Jacob who redeemed Abraham". The verse con finues: "Jacob shall not now be ashamed . .. but when he seceth his children the workof my hands", et.'The reference therein "his children" isto Hananiah, Mishael and Azarah, who cast themselves int the ery furnace. We have learnt that when they were bound in order to be east into the fe, eachef them iftedup his voice and quoted a verseof Scripture in the presence ofall the princes and riers. Hananiah aid "The Lord is on my side, Iwill not fear what man ean do to me", ete. (Ps. exvit, 6), Misael said "Therefore fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, sith the Lord ete. (Jer. 39%, 10). When those present heard the name of Jacob they. all laughed in scorn, Azarah ssid: "Hear O Irae, the Lord four God the Lord is one" (Deut vt, 4). At tat moment God assembled His court and said to them: For the sake of wbich of those verses shill I deliver them ? They replied: "They shall know that thou alone whove name isthe Lord art most high overall the arth" (Ps. uxxxvit) God then turnel to His Theone and said: With which ofthese verses shall [deliver them ? The Throne replied: With the one at which they all laughed: as Jacob stood by Abraham in the furnace, so let him stand by these. Hence tis writen {n connection with them, "Not now shall Jacob be ashamed Now why were these delivered ? Because they prayed to God and unified His name in the Sting manner. The two sons of Aaron brought strange fie onthe altar and did not unify God's name in the Fiting manner, and therefore they wwereburnt" R.Tssac said I is writen here, "After the death of the 570-384] ANARE MoM (LE¥ITICUS) 7 two sons . .« and they died". Why this double mention of their death ? One referring to their actual death, the other to their having no children, for he who has no children is counted as dead." Il. Abba derived the same lesson from, this verse, "And Nadab and Abihu died . .. and they bad no children and Eleszar and Ithamar ministered," etc. (Num. tn, 4) Hesaid further that they di not die like others to have na chile: they died only ir own death but not that of thee souls, [576] because their souls entered i Teles fo Phineas a "thee" (Ex. ¥, : *For this reason whenever Phineas ic 'mentioned he is always called "the son of Eleazar the son 'of Aaron the Priest" (e. Num. ax, 7; Judges x%, 28)... 4 "Tt has been taught in the name of R. Jose that on thi day of Atonement it has been instituted that this portion should be read to atone for Iseacl in captivity. Hence we earn that if the chastisements of the Lord come upon a 'man, they are an atonement for his sins, and whoever sorrows for the sufferings of the rightsous obtains pardon for his . Therefore on this day we read the portion commencing fer the death of the two sons of Aaroa', thet the people 'may hear and lament the loss of the righteous and obtain forgiveness for their sins. For whenever a man #0 laments and sheds tears for them, God proclaims of him, "thine iniguity is taken away aed thy sin purged" (Isa. vt, 7). 'Also he may be assured that his sons will not di in his ife- time, and of him itis written, "he shall see seed, he shall prolong days! (Is, n11,19)- R, Simeon suid: I am amazed to see how little men pay heed to the will of their Master, and hov they allow them selves to be wrapt in sleep until the day comes which will over them with darkness, and when their Master 'demand [38a] reckening fram them. 'The Torah calls aloud tw them, but none inclines his ear. Mark now that in future generations the Torah will be forgotten, and there will be TB, Nedurn, Gb, Tae et here expounds the sgniiance of the 'Yad with which te ine Pcs writen in Nurnberg Ine a sation that by bis seal nthe mater ef Zire vst the 'mon of Nas nd Abs nd runt the eters ofthe Dine Name Ey THE ZOHARY (s8e tone to close and open. Alas for that generation | There will be no generition like the present until the Messiah Comes and knowledge shall be dif sed throughout the word, Teis written: "A river went forth fom Eden" (Gea 1,10) Jt hasbeen laid down that the name ofthat ever is Jubilee, tut in the book of Rab Hamnuna the Elder itis called Life, ecause life issues thence to the world, We have also laid down thatthe great and mighty Tree in which is food for Sil called the Tree of Life Becase ita roots are in that Life: We have learnt that that river sends forth deep streams vith the oil of plenitude to water the Garden and feed the and the shoots. These steams flow on and unite in two pillars which are called Jachin and Boas. Thence the streams flow on and come to rest in a grad called Zaddik, and from. hence they flow further tll they all are gathered into the place called Sea, which i the sea of Wisdom. But the cureent ff hat siver never ceases, and therefore the steams low back to the two pillan, Nezah and Hed, whence they traverse that Zaddik to find there blessings and joy. 'The Matrona is 'alled the "time" of the Zaddik, and therefore all who are fed below are fed from this place, as it is written: "The eyes ofall wait on thee and thou givese them their meat in de season" (Ps, exL¥, 15). When these two are joined, all worlds have gladness and blessing, and there is peace among Aipper and lower beings. But when through the sins of thig world there are 20 blessings fom these streams, and the "time" sucks from the "other side", then judgement im- pede over the world and there is bo peace: Now when 'mankind desire to be blessed, they can only be so through the priest, when he arouses his own Crown and bless the 'Matrona, so that thee are blessings in all worlds. We have tearnt that at that time Moses inguired of God concerning f the sons of men shall return to Thee, through they be blessed ? and God replied: Do not ask Me. Speak to Aaren thy brother, forin hishands are dstivered essings above and below.' 'R. Abba said: "There ae times when God is propitious and ready to dispense blessing to those that pray 10 Him, and times when He ix not propitious and ju s8a-588] AWARE MorH (.evITICUs) 2 Joose on the world, and times when judgement is held ia 'suspense. There ae seasons inthe year when grace isin the tecendant, and vasona when judgement is in the ascendant, fand seasons when judgement isin the ascendant but held in suspense. Similarly with the months [585] and similarly With the days of the week, and even with the parts of each day and each hour, 'Therefore it is written: "There is a time for every purpose" (Ess! 11, 2), and agsin, "My prayer is nto thee, © Lotd, ia an' acceptable time" (Ps tix, 14). Hence it says here: 'Let him not come at every time to the Sanetuary".' R, Simeon said: "This interpre tation of the word "time" is quite correct and here God swarmed Aaron not to make the same mistake ashi ons and tay to associate a wrong "time" with the King, even if he should see thatthe contol of the world has been committed for the time tothe hands of ances, nd though he has the power to unify with sand bring it near to Holiness. And If he wants to know with what he should enter, the answer is, with soth (Shin Shekinah), for that is the "ime" which in my name. R. Jose taught: Verily itis as the Holy Lamp (R. Simeon) explained the verse, 'He hath made everything. (hol) beautiful in its time (be'ito)"; that is to say, "He hath, 'made hol (Yeod) beautiful in. 'eth (Malkuth), and none should interpote between them"; and therefore Anron was wwamed that he should not come at every "tim Sanctuary, but only with soth.' Once when R. Eleazar was studying with his father he said to him: 'It is written of the sons of Aaron that a fre went forth from the Lord and consumed them, and also of the assembly of Korah that a fire went forth from the Lord and consumed them (Num. xvt, 35). Were they then in the same category?" R, Simeon, "There is a difference, because ofthe assembly of Korah it says that 'they perished from the congregation", but this word is not used of the sons of Aaron.' He further asked him: 'Since it says, "let AL, "Ver tin not ofa coment that this por shoud be united sd brought arto Holines (ke Ut is nsee should be Linked ih (God atthe mame Adana" tne ZoHARY [58-55 hin nt come a al deat the nce why dos it not specify at which time he should eome ?" He replied: te hve explined, thee vasa ceiain ne whch wasinown to the press, and here these words are inserted only a6 2 warring to Aaron, as We have explained.' He replied: "That jawhat I thought, only I wanted to make certain" R. Simeon 'oninued: 'Elazar, my son, note that all the offerings were acceptable to God, hut none so much asthe incense, where fore it was taken into the inmost shrine with the greatest privacy, and the severest punishment was inficted for its Fsinse? R. Simeon then expounded the vere: "In fragrance thine ointments are good" (S.S. 1,3). "This fragrance is the fodour of the incense, which is more subtle and iosimate thanany other, and when it ascends to unite withthe anoint- ingoi ofthe streams ofthe Source they stimulate one another, And then those oils are god for giving light, and the oi Fows from grade to grade through those grades which are called the Holy Name: hence it is written, "therefore do iaidens love thee" (Ibid), where 'lamath (maidens) may be read 'lamath (worlds) from thence blessings speead overall below. [39@] And because this incenie is bound up with the supernal ointment more closely it is more 'extezned by the Almighty Holy One, blessed be He, than alloferings and sacrifices. The verse continues: "Deaw me, 've will run after thee". 'Therefore the Community of Terae says; "Lam like incense and thow art ike i draw me afterthee, and we sallrur, Land all my hosts Le the King bring me to his chambers that we may all be glad and rejoice in thee"! Fon I Witt apreaR tN THE CLOUD UPON THE MERCY seat. R. Judah said: 'Happy are the righteous that God seeks to honour them. Ifa man rides on the horse of an earthly king he is put to death, but God let Elijah ride upon His, as it is written: "And El into heaven" (2 Kings 11,11) the coud, though it is witten here, "in the cloud I shall appear on the mercy seat", We have learnt that this was the place where the Cherubim abode, We have lease that three 599-592] AMARE stovH (LeviTicUS) " times a day a mircle wns accomplished with their wings. When the holiness of the King descended upon them they of themselves raised their wings and spread them out 40 a5 to cover the mercy seat. 'Then they folded their wings and stood rejoicing in the divine presence R. Abba said: "The high priest did not se the divine presence when he entered the sanctuary, and but a cloud eame down, and when it lighted on the mercy seat the Cherubim beat their wings and broke out into song. Whit did they chant ? "For great is the Lord and highly to be prised, he i tbe feared above all gods" (Ps. xcvi, 4). When they spread out 'their wings they said: "For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens" (Ibid. 5). And when they covered the merey seat they said: "Before the Lord for he cometh to judge the earth, he shall judge the world 'With righteousness and the peoples with equity" (Ps. xcvits, 9). Then the priest used to hear their voice in the sanctuary, and he put the incense in its place with all devotion 'that all might be blesed." R. Jose sad: "The word (mesharim, lit. equities) in the above qucted verse indicates that the Cherubim were male and female.' R. Isaac said: "From this we learn that where there is no union of male and female men are not worthy to behold the divine presence" {598} 'Trhas been taught in the name of R. Jove: Once the people were short of rain and they sent a deputation to R, Simeon, RR. Jesse, R. Hizhith and the rest of the Companions. R Simeon was on the point of going to visit R, Pinchas ben Jair, along with his son R. Eleazar. When ie saw them he 'exclaimed: "A song of ascents; Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in tunity" (Ps. 'eax, 1), The expression "in unity," he said, 'refers to the Chcrubim, When ther faces were turaed to one another,

4was well with the world—"how good and how pleasant",
'but when the male turned his face from the femal, it was ill with the world. Now, too, Tee that you are come because the male is not abiding with the female, If you have come only for this, return, because I see that on this day face will 'once more be turned to face. But if you have come to learn

'Tur Z0HAR Y 596

the Torah, sty with me 'They said: 'We have come for both purposes. Let, therefore, one of us go and take the good sews to oe fellows, and we wll stay here without Teacher 'As they sent slong, he took as ie text "Tam black burt comely, © ye daughters of Jerusalem' (SS. t, 5). "The Community of Israel says to the Holy One, blesed be He: Tam black in captivity but 1 am comely in. religious prac~ tices, for although Istal ate in esle they do not abandon these. "Tam black lke the tents of Kedar, to wit, the sons of Keturah, whose faces ae alvays awarthy, and yet Lam like the curtains of Solomen ike the brightness of the skies. "Look not upon me because Tam swarthy." Why am I svrarthy ? Because the sun hath gazed hard on me, but not Tooked upon me to illamie me as he should have done.

ly mother's sons were angry with me." 'These words are said by Tsral, and refer to the Chieftains appointed over the ether nations. Or they ray all be spoken by the Come munity of Tsracl and alae to the verse, "For he hath cast from earth to Heaven the beauty of Heel" (Lani 1 3). Or apn, the words, "how good, how pleasant it is for brethren to dvell together in unity" may refer 1 the Come anions when they sit together and there is no discord between them. At frst they are like combatants who seek to killone another, but afrwards they become friends and brotters! Then God saye; "Behold how good" ec, and He Iiromiflistena to them and delights im their converse. You, therfore, Companions tht ae gathered here, 24 you have bye close friends hithero, 20 may you never part until God shal ive you pad greeting and for you sake may there bbe peace i the world."

"They then went on their way tll they reached R. Pinchas ten Jair. R.Pinchas came out an kissed him, saying: "Tam privileged tokias the Shekiah.' He prepared for them couches 'with awnings. Said R. Simeon: "The Torah does not require this" So he removed them and they sat dovn. Said BR, Pinchas: 'Before we eat let us hear something from the reat Master, for R. Simeon always speaks his mind; he is

44man who says what he has to say without fear of heaven
"TIL Kid, 3 syb-60q] —_AyaRE MoTH (LEVITICUS) 8 for earth. He has no fear of heaven sinee God concurs (60a) 'with him, and he is no more afraid of men than a lon of R. Simeon then turned to R. leas his sony a9 'Stand up and say something new in the presence of R. Pinchas and the rest of the Companions! R. Eleazar there- 'upon arose and began with the text: "And the Lord spoke 'unto Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron" (Ley. xvi, 1). "This vere', he said, 'seems supertuous, 'ecing thatthe text proceeds, "And the Lord said to Moses, 'speak unto Aaron thy brother", which should properly be 'the beginning of the section, 'The explaation is this. When. God gave the incense to Aaron, he desired that no other man should use iin hislifetime, He sai to him: "Thou desirest tw increase peace in the world. By thy hand shall peace be increased above. Therefore the incense of spices shall be thy lifetime no other shall use it." Ni however, thrust themselves forward to offer it. We have learnt that Moses worried himself to find out what was the cause of their misfortune. Hence God spoke to him after their death and 'sid to him: "The cause is that they "drew near to the Lod, and thrust themselves forward in the lifetime of thei father." Now if the sons of Aaron brought this upon themselves through thrusting themselves forward in the lifetime of their father, what should T desceve if {thrust myself forward before my father and R. Pinchas and the rest of the Com= panions ?" Hearing this, R- Pinchas came up to him and kissed him and blewed him. RR. Simeon then discoursed on the verse: "Behold it is of Solomon, threescore ", ete, (S.S. Mt, 7). He sai the throne of glory of the King, Solomon, the "king to 'whom all peace telongs", Threescore mighty men are round shout it, clinging to its sides as emissaries from stern Judgement; they are called the sixty rods of fire wherewith, that Youths gir. On ite right hand isa ashing sword, on its left hand coals of fire with seventy thousand consuming + Meairon, " THE XOHAK TT [3ba-138b {and he acted toward me with guile) (Gen. xxvtt, 35) 1 has "already been pointed out thatthe simple term eayifra (und he 'alled), as when it says, "and he elled unto Moses, points to the lowest grate (of the Sephiroth). At no time di Jacob receivea name from a human being. So in another passage wwe find: "And the God of Israel ealled him £7 (God)" (Gen. 'Seat, 20), sigoifying thatthe God of Isracl called Jacob by the name of "1" (God), as though to say, "am the God of the supernal world and be tho the God ofthe worl below" 'Observe that Jacob knew that Esau was destined toally him= sel tat tortyous serpent, and hence in all his dealings with hhim he conducted himself like another tortwous serpent, {1386} using all cunning devices; and so it was meet. The same idea Was expressed by R, Simeon when, in expounding the verte, "And God created the great fishes, and every living creature that creepeth" (Gen. 1, 22), he said: "The "great fishes" are symbolic of Jacob and Esau, and "every living creature that creepeth" symbolises all the intermediate xrades.' Verily Jacab was eriowed with cunning to enable him to hold his-own with that other serpents ands it was meet. For the same reason erery New Moon a goat isto be offered up so as to draw the serpent to his own place and thus keep him away from the moon, 'The sime applies tothe Day of Atonement, whena goat istobe offered. Allthisiscunningly devised in order to gain dominion over him, and-make him impotent to do mischief. So Scripture saya! "And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities ito a land which is cut off" (Lev. xv1, 23), where the goat (sa'ir=Seie), as already explained, symbolises Esau, In all dealings with him 'cunning and eraft are employed, n accordance withthe words 'of the Scripture: "And with the crooked thou dost show thy- self sublle" (Ps. xvi, 27); an as the il serpent isresource- ful and crafty, trying 10 mislead the heavenly an well as the earthly beings, Tsrael anticipate him and. counter hie with similar rises and devices so to prevent him from working his evil will; just as Jacob, who was endowed with the true faith, inal his actions towards Esau had no aim bit to pre= vent theserpent from defiling the Sanctuary or even approach- ing it, and so achieving dominion over the world. There was 1386-1398) ToL'vori 48 however, no needeither for Abraham or for Isaac to use such, tortuous ways, secing that Esau, who was of the side of the serpent, had not yet appeared in the world, But Jacob, being the master of the household, had to counter the serpent, and

1give him no chance to tamish the Sanctuary of Jacob,
Hlenee Jacob had need of such shifts more than any other person. Israel, therefore, was chosen a the portion of the heritage of the Holy One, blessed be He, a itis writen: "For the portion of the Lord is his people, Jacob the lot of his inheritance" (Deut. xxx, 9). Ap THE ovs onzw. It was the side of Abraham which 'gave them their walty, and his merit was their support. He trained them in observing the precepts, for 90 we read: "For have known him, to the end that be may command his cfilden et." (Geo. xv, 19)-R. Eleszar id "Each one of 'them took his own way, [1390] one tothe side of true faith land the other t the side of entry and they had already ex ited the same tats whilst in the womb of their other, 'where each one ofthem inclined to his own side. Thus, when Eve she was pefrming sme god chon or appronhing goo spot in order to carryout some precept ofthe Torab, Jacob would gleefully thrust himself forward to come forth, 'ut did she happen to puss near an idolatrous shine, Esau would Kick and wnazele to come forth Thus when they were fully formed and emerged int the wor they separsted, each cone taking his owe way and being drawn to the place befitting Axp Isaac Lovep Esav, Fon THE HUNTER's CUN- NING WAS IN ALS MOUTH. So we translate in accordance with what has been said above, A MAN OF Tite FELD: 'this means that he was a highwayman who robbed and mur- dered peuple, white all the time pretending to his father that the was abroad performing his prayers, Again, he was a field- 'man in that his portion was not cast in inhabited land but in wild and desolate places, It may be asked, how came Tsaac to bbe unaware of Esau' evil deeds, seeing thatthe Shekinah was with him, asi proved by the fact of his subsequently blessing

6THE ZOHAR IL [1390-1306
Jacob, The truth is that the Shekinah, although continually With him, did not reveal to him Esau's evil career in order that Jacob should receive his blessing not by the will of Isaac, but solely by the will of the Holy One, bled be He- So it was destined to be, and when Jacob entered into the presence of his father the Shekinah accompanied him, and Thane thus felt hat there was before him one who was worthy of being blessed; and blessed he was by the will of the Shekinab, Axp JAcon Sop roTTAGE; AND ESAU CANE 1N FROM {WE Inyo, AND ie WAS FAuWT. R. Eleasar said: 'Ac- cording tothe received explanation, the pottage of lentils wae

2sign of mourning forthe death of Abraham. But if 0, we
should have expected Isaac to hive prepared it. The deeper 'explanation, therefore, is that Jacob corked [1398] that pot- tage in virtue of his clear discernment of the mde to which Esau adhered, Lentils form a red pottage which is cooling to tot blood. Hence Jacob purpesely chase such a dish 25 a means of weakening the strength and power of Esau, and the ffect was that Esau sold himself to Jacob asa save and sold tim his birthright. At that moment Jacob divined that forthe sake of one he-soat that his dercendants would bring 38 a 'acrifice to Esat's grade, the liter would consent to be 2 'lave to then and desiat fom attacking thera.' RC Judah said: "Ofa like manner were Jacob's dealings with Laban, who was

1magician, as it says: "I have observed the signs, and the
Lord hath blessed me for thy se" (Gen. xxx, 27); and nat- vithstanding thst Jacob ie designated a "simple ran", this 'rean only that he wan #9 in a dealings with anyone wha deserved tobe treated pently; bur where cunningand severity were necessary, he could use these also, For he was ofa two fold character, nd to him could be applied the words: "With the merciful thou dost show thyself merciful. .. And with the crooked thou dost show thyself subtle" (Ps. rv, 26-27), just as required. Anp THERE WAS A VAMINE IN THE LAND, BESIDE THE Fiast Fastin, eve. R. Judah discoursed here on the verse: 139-1494] roL'porH a7 'The Lond trieth the righteous; ut the ticked and him that loeth violence his sud hateth (Pa. Xt, §)- "Mowe gol', be 'sti, 'ae the ats ofthe Holy One, bleted be He, al based upon justice and truth, as it says: "The Rock, his work is perfect; forall his ways ae jstice;a God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is he" (Deut, xxxit, 4). For He did not punish Adam, the first man, until He had given him precepts to keep him in the right path and savehim from defiement; and not until he was unmindful and transgressed the command of his Master was he punished. [140g] Even thee God did not exact the full penalty from hin, but was Jong-suffering with him and permitied him to survive for one dday—to wit, x thousand years—sive seventy years which 'Adam presente of his alloted time to King David, who had wn of his own. In like manner, the Almighty does not mete 'out punishment to a man in strict accordance with the evil 'deeds to which he is addicted, or ete the world could not cedure. God is thus long-suering with the righteous, and fen more 30 with the 'wicked. Te fs forbearing with the wicked in order tha they may charge in their ways in com plete repentance and s0 establish themselves in this world and in the world to come, as Scripture says: "Hive 1 any pleasure sith the Lord God, in the death ofthe wicked, and not rather that he should return from his way and five (Gack. xvi, 23), ie. that he may live inthis world and in the 'world to come. 'The Almighty is aho forbearing with the Wicked for the sake a the goodly seed which may spring from them forthe benefit ofthe world, as there issued from 'Terah that goodly scion, Abraham, who was blessing forthe world, ue with the rightooue God ie strict, ¢ He knows that they 'wll turn aside neither tothe right nr to the left, and there fore He puts them tthe test; not fr His own sake since He Inova the firmness of ther faith, but so a to glorify them the 'more. It was for tha purpose that Ged—as we read—">proved (witseh) Abraham" (Gen. xxi, 1), oF, a8 we may alo trans Tate, "He raised his banner alot throughout the world" [for the term miso (he proved) implies the lifting of an ensign, aa itis written: "Lift up an ensign (nea) over the peoples" (is. xt, 10). 'The test continues: "The Lord teeth the

8THE ZONAR It [2400-1405
righteous" (Ps, x1, 5), For what reason ? Said R. Simeon: 'Hecause when God finds delight in the righteous, He brings upon them sufferings, ait is written: "Yer it pleased the Lord 'oceush him by disease" (I, tin, 20), as explained elsewhere. God finds delight in the soul but not in the body, as the soul resembles the supernal soul, whereas the body is not worthy to bellied o the superna essences, although the image ofthe body is part ofthe supernal syrbaliam, [1408] Observe that 'when God takes delight in the oul of a man, He afflicts the body in order that the soul may gan fll freedom. For so long. as the soul is together with the body it cannot exercise its full powers, but only when the body is broken and crushed, Again, "He eri , $0 as to make them firm like "a tried stone", the "coatly corner-stone" ment the prophet (Is, xx¥ atthe wicked and him that Joveth violence kis soul hateth." So we would naturally teans- late; but this is hardly admissible, and itis more probable thatthe yersealludes to that grade whence ll soulsderivetheit saxistence, and tells us that "thar grade hateth the soul of the wicked man", not wanting it atall, neither inthis world nor in the world to came. When God created Adam He gave him

1precept for his well-being ané endowed him with wisdom
through which he rose to the higher grades of contem- lation. Hut when Adam turned his thoughts to the lower world, he let himself be enticed by the evil tempter and clu to him, s0 that all that he had observed of the glory of his Master vanished from his mind. After him Noah at frst was

4man righteous and devout; but afterwards he also went
ownveards, and seeing the wine—wine a day old, not yet refined "he drank of the wine, and was drusken, and he vas uncovered within his tent" (Gen. 1x, 21), 'Then came Abraham, who contemplated the wisdom and glory of his Master. In his time "there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt tosojourn there" (Ibid bc subsequently he "went up out of Egypt, he and anid all that he had, and Lot with him, anto the South" (Cbid. 'iit, 1). That i, he ascended again to his own former grade, sa that he came out unscathed a6 he went in. 'Then came Isaac, of whom itis written: "And there was a famine in the 1406-1410] roL'pons 9 land, beside the first famine, etc." He went into Gerar and afterwards ascended again from thence unscathed, Thus God Breve the rghcoin ode to lif them in hisworld and in the world to come. AND THE MEN OF THE PLACE ASKED HIM OF HIS WIFE} AND WE SAID: Ste ts my stsTAR, Like Abraham before him, he referred with these words t the Shekinah, which was 'with him as well as with Rebekab his wife; fo like Abraham he carried out the injunction: "Say unto wisdom: 'Thou art 'my sister" (Prov. vit, 4). They were further entiled to call /hersister in virtue ofthe verve, "My sister, my love, my dove, 'my undefiled' (8.8, v, 2), fori efor this thatthe righteour cleave to God, Anp rr CAME TO PASS, WHEN HE HAD BEEN THERE A LONG TIME... WITH RERFRAN HIG WiFR. The par- ticle eth (with) indicates that it was the Shekinah that was with Rebekah, In any case it isnot to be supposed that Abi= melech saw Isaac having intercourse with his wife in the daytime, for this vould be contrary to the dictum: "Israel are holy and they abstain from cohabitation inthe daytime." But the truth is that Abimelech was an astrologes, and the 'window through which he looked was nothing but the planet- Ary constellation. (The word "window" is similarly used in the passage: "Through the window she Tooked forth, and peered, the mother of Sisera" (Jud. v, 28).] Abimelech by this means discovered that, contrary to Isaac's assertion, Rebekah was his wife. So ABIMELECH CALLED Isaac, ano aim, tre. R. Jose aaids 'Abimelech would have be" 'haved toward Isaac as he behaved toward Abraham, we nnot that God had reproved him in the previous case. Note that when Abraham said, "Surely the fear of God is not in this place" (Gen. xx, 11), his reason for thinking = was that the people lacked faith, and had they possessed faith, he 'would have had no need to act as he did' [r41a] R. Eleazar 'said: "The Shekinah does not abide outside the Holy Land, 'and thats what Abram meantby saying that "the Fear of God that this was not the place where

50THE ZOHAR It ow
'the Shekinah could find abode. Tsaas, however, held fast to 'the true faith under the inspiration ofthe Shekinah, which he saw residing, as it were, within his wife." Ax AMIMELECH CHARGED ALL THE PEOPLE, SAYING Hs rat Toucuern THis MAN on Mis Wire stALL SURELY BE PUT TO DEATH. Observe how long a sspite God gave 1 this weked people forthe sik ofthe kindness tit Abimelech showed to Israels first ancestors. I vas on this account that Isael could not touch them «ll many generations had elapeed. Abimelech thus did well to show Kindness to Abraham in saying to him: "Behold my lind is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee" (Gen. x1 13) Judah sid: Woe tothe wicked who when they do-akind- nes never do it perfectly. Ephton, fr instance, frst sid to Abraham: "Nay, my lord, te itd I give thee and the cave that is therin, I pve tthe, ete." (Cen, 2x, 11). But later on he said: "A piece of land worth four hundzed shel et" (Zid 13); and then we read: "And Abraham wwehed to Ephron the silver «current money withthe merchant" (id. 16), Similarly here, at first Abimelech said: "ie that oucheth this man, ete", but later on he said "Go from us, for thou art much mightier than we" (Gen, xx¥1, 16)" R. Bleazar said to R. Judah: 'Abimeech's kindoese 10 hin consisted in isnot taking anything from hin anvdsend= Jing him away with ll his possessions intact, and then going after him to make a covenant with hin" Axo Isaac icc AGAIN THE WeLLA, BTC. R. Blea 2ar said: 'In digging these wells Trac acted fituinaly, for he discerned from his knowledge of the mysteries of Wisdom that in this way he could attach himself more firmly to faith, Abraham likewise made a poist of digging a well of 'wate. Jacob found the well already prepared for him, and he sat dovin by it, 'Thus they all looked for a well and strove Hhmugh i¢ to preserve their faith pare and undiminished, 'And nowadays Isral hold fast to the well through the syrn- bolisn ofthe precepts of the Torah, as when each day every Isnelite performs the precept of the fringes in which he 1410-1428] row'bors st ceavelops hinself, and ofthe phylacteries which he puts on his head and on his arm. All these have a deep symbolism, since Gods foundin the man who crowns himself with the phyae- teries and envelops himself inthe fringes. Hence, whoever does not envelop himself in the latter, nor eown himsclE with the forme each day to invigorate himself in faith, makes itappear as though faith does not dwell within him, and fear ot his Master has departed from him, and so his prayer f not ast should te. Hence our ancestor stengthened themselves {nthe true faith in digging the well, symbolic of the supernal 'well, whichis the abode ofthe mystery of perfect faith." Anb nu mrstoveD FROM THENCE, AND BIGGED AN- 'orien wett, R. Hiya discoursed on the vere: And the Land wall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy sol in bright ress, and make strong thy bower (Is. uvit, 11), "The true ievers', he said, 'have derived strength from this verse, 'where promise is made to them of the world to come, for the 'word "continually" includes both this world and the world to come. Aguin, the term "continually", which seems super- 'uous, i an allusion to the continual burnt-offring whichis offered at dusk, and is held firm underneath the arm of I and is symbolic of the world to come, 'The term "guiding" is similarly used by David in the verte: "He guideth me in straight paths for his name's sake" (Ps, xxi, 3)."And satafy thy soul in brightness; this isthe clear mirror" from the contemplation of which all soals obtain delight and benefit "And make strong thy bones": these words do not seem to hharmonise with what has gone before, which we have iter- preted of the souls of the righteous ascending on high. We interpret them, therefore, to allude tothe resurrection of the dead, when the Holy One, blessed be He, will reconstitute the bones and restore the body to its former site. The zoul will then derive stronger illumination from the "clear mir- ror, s0 as toillumine the body to the fll extentof which Capable, Hence: "And thou shalt be like a wateced garden (fs. vi, 11), that i ike the celestial garden whose supernal waters never fil, but low on for ever and ever; {r416] "and Tike a spring of water, whose waters fail not" (i), alluding

3sue zomAK IE fou
to the river that issues from Eden and flowson forall eternity. (Observe that the "wellof living waters isa symbol within & symbol for guiding faith, There is the well which isthe very Sone ofthe waters, and there isthe well which fed by that sousce af water. There re thus two grades, which are, how fever, relly one with to aspects, mae and female, in Biting 'union. "The well and the isue of waters are one, designated by the name of "well, it being t nce the supernal never- censng fountain and the wel that is illed by t-And whoever 'gazes at that well gazesat the true object of faith, This s the symbol which the patriarchs transmitted in digging the well, in uch a way as 0 indicate that the source and the well are indissohible, AND SE CALLED Its NaME REOROTH (lit strets, broad places). By this he inated that his deseen- dans would one day tend that well in the fiting manner {through the mytial potency of eferings and burnt-oflenings (like Adam, when God "ipit him into the garden of Een to dss it and keep i" (Gen, i, 15), to wit, by atferings and buent-offerings), so that its springs should flow forth on every side, © Senpture says: "Let thy springs be di pened abroad, and courses of water in the street (rehabath)" (Prov. v) 16). Hence Here the name af Rehoboth (sree, broud place)" TE Simeon here diseoursed on the verse: Wispost eRreTst ALOUD IN THLE STHEET, SHEUETERETHJERVOICEIN THE oan Laces (Prov, 20) "This verse' he sai, 'contains a deep mystical teaching 'The term holhoth (it wisdom) implies the superioe Wisdom anv the lesser Wisdom which included in the superior Wisdom and abides therein, 'The superior Wisdom isan essence most recondite and concealed, unkown and uneveted, a8 Seripture says: "Man knowsth not the price thereof, ee." Job axvin, 19); and when it exe pands into x source of light, its iMlumination is that of the 'word to come, and that world is ereated by it for so we have learned, thatthe world to come was created by the there Wisdom remained hidden, the two being one. God as crowned, it was through the mystery oft 'word as already sai, There was joy at th lumination, but allwasinsilence without asound being hearlabeoad, Wisdom 14th} you'nors 3 then willed it 19 expand further, so that from that space there issued fice and water and air, as already said, from Which there sprang up a voice which issued forth abroad and was heard, as already suid. From that point onvcards all is 'exterior (Fug), whereas inthe interior the wice is silent and not heard abroad, Onee, however, the secret force has become audible, it is called "without" (fu). Hence itis incumbent on 'man to be zealous in searching after wisdom "in the wide places (bu-rehoboth). 'This refero to the femament, which Contains all the luminous stars, and which constitutes the fountain of perennial waters, referred to in the verse: "And a river went forth from Eien to wate the garden" (Gen. 11, 10) 'And there "she uttereth her voice", both the superior and the lower Wisdom, which in truth are one, Solomon alluded to this in saying: "Prepare thy work without" (ba-hus), and 'make it ready for thee in the field" (Prov. xxty, 27), where the word "without" is wed a in the verse "Wisdom erieth 'out without, indicating the point from which man ean com= 'mence to inquire and investigate, a4 now of the days past . .. and from one end of heaven unto another" (Deut.tv, 32). The "field" again is the "feld which the Lord hath blessed" (Gen. xxv, 27). When a man has penetrated into the mystery of Wisdom and perfected himself therein, then Solomon tells him to "build bis house" (Prov 3x1¥, 27), ie. to cultivate his soul in his body, so as to attain perfection. Hence, when Issac digged and prepared the well in peace he called it Rehoboth (wide places) and all was done fn the right manner. Happy the rightcous by whose works the Holy One sustains the world, asi says: "For the upright shall inhabit the land" (Prov. 1,21), where the term yishhena (they wil inhabit) may be read yashkine (they shall cause to be inhabited)," Awp 1 case To PASS, THLAT WHEN TeAAC Was OLD, AND NS eves Wene DIM. R, Simeon std: "Tei written! 'Anal God called the light day, and the darkness he called night (Gen.1, 5) hia verse has already been expeunded, but there is yet more to be learnt from it. For all the works of the 'Almighty are manifestations of truth and contain deep lessons; st 'Tue xoWAR tt [4b-1q30 and all the words of the 'Torah asist ith and are deeply Symbolical. Observe now that Tsaae wa not 0 fortunate

5Abraham, whose eyes were not blinded nor dimmed.
Herein is profound lesson touching faith, as has already been explaied elsewhere. By "the light" here is. meant Abraharn, wi isthe light of the day and whove light keeps fon expanding [14aa) and growing stronger like that of the day. Hence iis written: "And Abraham was old, advancing in'daye (Gen, 331, 1), hati, in illumination, and as he grew older his light continued to expard, so that he was "ahining more and more unto the perfec day" (Prov. 1V, 18). (On the other hand, "the darkness" ea desription of Isaac, 'who represents darkness and night, and hence when he was 'ld his eyes were dim, so tha he could not see. He had to 'become enveloped in darkness in order to become atached to his own proper grade." R. Bleacar his son ame and kissed his hand. He sid: 'So far understand. Abraham was bathed in light from the side of his grade; whereas Isaac became 'wrapt in darkness from the side of his ga. But why is it 'written of Jacob: "And the eyes of Israel were heavy for 10)? R, Simeon in answer said: 'Ie is written here "they were heavy", but not "they were dim' and further, tis not written "for hi od age", but "for old age, reerrieg tothe old age of Isaac, and implying that his yes were heavy asa result ofthe side of Isaac, but ail they 'were only so heavy as to prevent him seeing properly, but not dim Whereas Tnae's even were altogether dimmed, settled upon him and night took hold of hin, the called night." Aw ue cattep ESAU, HIS ELDER sn, who was de- rived from his own side of severe judgement, AND HE $10: Benoun Now, I aa oun, I KNOW NOT THE DAY OF 'man chose strength is inthe, etc (Ps, LXXXW, 6). 'man', he sai, 'who holds fast to the Holy One and places his strength in Him. Like whom, for instance ? Shall we say, lke Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, when they boldly sid to the 1424] TOL'DoTH 38 'Ring of Babylon: "Uchold, our God wham we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fey furnace; and he will deliver us out of thine hand" (Dan. at, 17) ? Not sn; for if 'God had not stood by them to deliver them, His name would 'ot have been acclaimed holy as they declared it to be. But they themselves realized their mistake, and so they eorrected themselves and suid: "But if not, be i known unto thee, King, ete." (Jbid. 18), that is, whether our God deliver us oF not, be itknown unto thee that we will not serve ty gods, ete. 'Tradition tells us that Ezekiel said something to them which 'opened their eves, namely, that God would not stand hy them if they expected reward. It was then that they began all over again, saying: "But if not, be it known unto thee, © King, ete." A man, therefore, should not confidently affirms "God will deliver me or will do for me this or that"; but he should endeavour to fulfil the precepts of the Law and to wal in the ppath of truth, and cher put his full crust in Him that He will help him thereto, For assuredly whenever a man sets out to purify himself he is helped thereto from on high. A' man should thus put his tra in God and not anywhere else, "Hence the expression "hose strength isin thee". 'The next words, "in whose heart are paths", indicate that a man should parge his heart of al strange thoughts, 30 as to make ie ike a path that Jeads straight to the destin 'According to another interpretation, the word "strength alludes to the Torah, of which we read: "The Lord gives strength unto his people" Ps, ary, 11). Tis thus hee indi- 'ated that a man should study the Torah in single-hearted 'devotion to the Almighty, and whoever labours in the Torah from worldly motives had better not have been born, 'The word mesiloth also may be translated not "highways" but "extolling" (cf the verse "Extol (solu) hitn that rideth upon the skies" (Ps, Levit, 5), I thas alludes to the men who Jahours in the 'Torah with the object of extolling God. and 'making Him the only objet of devotion inthe world. Observe that Jacob performed all his actions forthe sake of God, and therefore God was always with him and did not ever 1 His Presence from him. We know this from the fat that although Jacob was not present when Isaac called Esau his

6THE ZORAR IE focered
som, the Shekinah told Rebekah, who in her turn told Jacob." R Jose said: 'Observe that had Esau, God forbid, been blessed there and then, Jacob would never have been able to assert himself; but all was directed hy Providence, and everything fll into its right place." Axp Resexan Loven Jacos, and so she sent for him and ssid to him: BeHouD, HEARD THY FATHER SPEAR unto Esau THY aRorsen, savixe . . . Now THEREFORE, MY SON, HEAMKEN TO MY VOICE, ETC. It 'vas then the eve of Passover, a time when the evil tempter had to be removed, s0 as wo restore to power the moon, 10 symbolize the true object [1428] of faith. Rebeka therefore prepared two dishes. R. Judah ssid: 'Herein were fore- shadowed the two he-goate which the children of Jacob were in the future to offer, one for the Lord and the other for 'Azazel on the Day of Atonement. We see thus Rebekah offer~ ing "two kids of the goats", one for the supernal grade and the other with the object of subdluing the grade of Esau, s0 25 to deprive him of any power over Jacob, Hence "two kids of , both of which Isaac tasted and ate of. Similarly, she 'word "brought" intimates that the wine was fetched from a distant region, namely, from the region of Esau, R. Eleazar said: "There isan allusion here to that wine in which is all kind of eshibration, since Isaac and his side required to be Esau, ere. These were the garments of which Esau had despoiled Nimrod. 'They were precious garments. which, ime came into the hands of 'originally belinging to Adams, 'Nimrod, eho used them as his hunting dress, for so Scrip- tre says: "He was a mighty hunter before the Lord" (Gen. 1,9). Then Esau went out into the field and made war against Nimrod, and slew him and possessed himself of those gar- ments, ae it hinted in the passage: "And Eeau came in from the field, and he was faint" (Ibid. xx¥, 29), that i, fom Kill- ing, a in the passage, "Yor my soul fainteth before the 1438) rou'porn 7 smurderere" (Jer. ¥, 31) Now, Esau kept those garments in Rebekah's apartment, from whence he would fetch them whenever he went a-hunting. On that day, however, he went 'out into the field without them, and thus he stayed there Jonger than usual. Now when Esau put on those garments no aroma whatever was emited from them, but when Jacob put 'them on they were restored to thetr ight place, anda sweet odour was diffused from them. For Jacob inherited the beauty of Adam; hence those garments found in him their rightful owner and ths gave off their proper aroma, Said Jose: "Can it really beso, that Jacob's beat equalled that of Adam, scing that according fo tration, the fleshy part of Adamsheel outshonethe orb of thesun ? Would yos, then, say the sme of Jacob? Said R, Bleazar in reply: 'Assredly 'Adarn's beauty was a8 tation says, ht only at fst be he sinned, when no creature could cadure to gaze at his beauty: afer he sinned, nowever, his beauty was dimonished and his height was reduced to 4 hundred eubits, Observe further thet Adam's beasty is a symbol with which te true ith is clesely bound up, 'This is hinted atin the pass "And lt the graciousness of the Lord out God be upon us (Ps. xc, 17), a8 Well asin the expresion, "to behold the sraciousness of the Lord" (Ibid. xavtt, 4). And. Jacob assuredly participated of that beauty. 'The Whole, then, is 'deeply symbolic Ano we smenuny rit 91 BLESSED 11M. Observe that itis not written "the raiment", hut "his iment". 'This is explained by the text "Who 'coverest thyself with light ax with a garment" (Ps. c1v, 2). 'The word his" may alo be understood to indicate that it was only when Jacob put them on that the guements emitted theic sweet odour; and it was only the sweet odour difused bby them that made Isaacbless him, for only then did he feel that there was before him one deserving of the blessings, since othenvise all these divine aromas would noe have accompanied him. Henes the sequence of the verse: Asp WE SMELLED THE SMELL OF 115 RAIMENT, AND NLESSED MIM, AND SAID? SEE THE SMELL OF MY SON IS AS THE ry] 'THe ZOHAR [142-1430 SMELL oF THE F1¥LD WanicH THE Lowp MATH mLESsED. "The subject of the word "said is, according to some, the Stekinah, according to others, Isaac himself. "The field which the Lord huth blessed" alludes to the "field of apple 'ees, the field which the patriarchs cherish and cultivate. S0 Gon oly THEE OF THE DEW OF HEAVEN, AND OF {TE FAT PLACES OF THE FARTH, AND PLENTY OF CORN 'axp Wine. R. Abba said: 'We may bring into connection With thi passige the verse: "A song of Ascents In my dis- {ress Ialled unto the Lord and he answered me" (Ps: Xx, 1) Many songs and bymnns did David uster before the Almighty forthe purpose of perfecting his grade and making himself a name, as Seripture says (11 Samm. vit, 13), But this song. David recited when be con- templated this inedent of Jacob." K, Klewzar said Jocab who uttered this psa atthe moment when faid to him: "Come near, {pray thes, that I may' iy son, whether thou be my very soa Esau of not" {1430] moment of great distress for Jacob, as he fared that his father would recognize him. We read, however: "And he discerned him ot, because his hands rere hairy, a8 in 'other Essu's hands; so he blessed him." it was then that Jecob said: "In my distress I called unto the Lord, and he answered me. O Latd, deliver my sou from lying lips from a deceitful tongue" (Ps Cxx, 1-2). 'The "ing lips in refer~ ence to the grade of Esau, which is socalled because when the ight curses into the world it was by means of heaness, Observe that when Isaac said to Eau: "and go out into the field, and take me venisan", he added, I will bless thee before the Lord" (Gen, xxv, 7). Now, had Isaac said-simply, " ould have been no harm: Hut when he uttered the words "before the Lord", the 'Throne of Glory of the Almighty shook and trembled, saying: "Will the serpent now be re= leased from his cures and Jacoh become subject to them AAC that_ moment the angel. Michael, accompanied by the Shekinah, appeared before Jacob. Isaac felt all this, and he ko saw the Garden of Biden beside Jacob, and so he blessed 1434) ToLnorn 0 him in the presence of the angel, But when Esau entered there entered with him the Gehinnom, and thus we read: "And Ieaac trembled very envecdingly", as until that tine he had not thought that Esau was ofthat side. "And I have blessed hhim'"—he then said—yea, he shall be blessed". Jacob thus 'equipped himself with wisdom and cunning, s0 that the blessings reverted to himself who was the image of Adam, 'and were snatched from that serpent of the lying lips" who acted and spoke deceitflly in order to lead astray the world and bring curses on it. Hence Jacob came with eraft and mis led his father with the object of bringing blessings upon the 'world, and to recover from the serpent what hitherto he had 'withheld from the world, It was measure for measure, as ex pressed in the verse: "Yea, he loved cursing, and it came 'unto hin; and he delighted not in blessing, and iti far from him" (Ps. et, 17). Concerning him itis written: "Cursed art thou from among all eat, and from among all beasts of the field" (Gen. tm, 14). He remains in that curse for evermore, and Jacob came and took away from hitn the blessings; from the very days of Adam Jacob was destined to snatch from the serpent all hase blessings, leaving him still immersed in the curses witheat the possibility of emerging from ther. David also said concerning him: "What shall be gisen unto thee, 'nd what shall be done mare unto thee, thou. deceitful tongue ?" (Ps: exx, 3). That isto say, of what benefit was it to 'the serpent that he brought curses upon the world ? and his wife and brought evil upon them and upon the 'world, until Jacob came and took away from him all the blessings. "Sharp arrows of the mighty" (Ibid. 4) isan allu- sion fo Esau, who nursed his hzred toward Jacob on account 'of these blesings, as we read>"'And Esau hated Jacob he- cause of the blessing, etc." So Gon Give THRE OF THE DEW OF HEAVEN, AND OF THE FAT PLACES OF THE 'EARTH, that is to say, blessings from above ard from below in conjunction. AND PLENTY OF CORN AND WINE, in 'consonance with the texts yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nos hi seed begging bread" (Ps, xaxen, 25). This,

60Me xonaR tt [1431436
as wehave laid down, was utered by the Prince ofthe world; hence "plenty of corn and wine". Ler PEOPLES SERVE "rHsk: alluding to the time when King Solomon reigned in Jeniselers, a itis serittsns "Anil all Uhe kings of the earth ttc. . - . And they brought every man his present" (1t Chr. 18, 23-24). AND NATIONS NOW DoWN TO THEE, alludes tw the time when the Messiah sill appear, conceming whom itis written; "Yea, all kings shall prostrate themselves before 'him' (Ps. xn, 11)- R. Judah said: "The whole applies to the advent ofthe Messiah, of whom itis also written: "all nations shall serve him" (Ibid) Be (heveh) Lonp ovER THY BRETHREN. The irregular form heceh (be), instead of heyeh 'or tikyeh, has a deep mystical signification, being composed, as itis of the three letters which are the basis of faith: Hé at the fist, Vau in the centre, then Hé following, Hence: "Be (heveh) lord aver thy brethren", namely, to rule over them and subdue them at the time of King David. R. Jose said: "These blessings apply tothetime ofthe advent of the Messiah, since on account of Israel ansgressing the precepts of the "Torah Esau was able to take advantage of the blessing given, to him, "thou shalt shake his yoke from off thy neck" (Gen, XVI, fo)" R, Jose said 'All these [1436] blessings were from the side of Jacob's portion, so that Jucob only received what was his own, Isaae desired to transfer them to Esa, but Gad 'brought it to pass that Jacob eame into his own. Observe the paralidism, When the serpent brought curses upon the world God said to Adam: "Because thou hast hearkened unto the 'of thy wife . . . cursed isthe ground for thy sake, etc." (Gen, tt, 27), meaning thatit should not bring forth fruit or any vegetation in proper measure. Corresponding to this curse we have here the blessing, "of the fat of the earth". Again, there itis written: "In toil thou shalt eat it (Ibi here contes the corrective, "ofthe dew of heave says: "Thorns also and thisles shal it bring forth unto thee' (Ibid, 18) ind plenty of corn and wine". 'There we have "In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread" (Tbid. to}—here, "Let peoples serve, and nations bow dawn to thee" tilling the earth and cultivating the fel, "And aliens shall be your plowmen and your vine- 438] rou'porn 6 (Is. txt, 5), Jacob thus turned each curse into a blessing, and \What he took was his own, God brought allthis about so that Jacob should remain attached wo hisown place and portion, and 'that Esau should remain attached to hes place and portion' R. Hizkiah questioned this exposition, saying: 'Do we nat find that later on Esau received a similar blessing as regards the fat places of the earth and the dew of heaven, as we read: 'Behold, of the fat places of the earth shall be thy dwelling, "and of the dew of heaven from above" ?* Said R. Simeon in » being from entirely written: "So God give thee", whereas as regards Esau i is written merely: "OF the fat places of the earth shall be, etc.";a5 regards Jacob itis 'ofthe dew of heaven and of the fat places of the "but as regards Esau, "of the fat places" and then "of the dew of heaven", The difference between the two goes very deep. For the "dew of heaven" promised to Jacob is the 'sipernal diw chat flows from the Ancient nf Days, and is therefore called "dew of heaven", namely, of the upper hheaven, dew that flows through the grade of heaven, to fall on the "eld of eomieerated apples". Also, the earth mentioned in Jacob's blessing alludes to the supernal "earth of the Tiving". Jacob thus inherited the fruit of the supernal earth and the supernal heaven. Esau, on the other hand, was given his blessings on earth here below and in heaven here below. Jacob obtained a portion in the highes realm, but Esau only in the lowest, Further, Jacob was givea a portion both above and below, but Esau only here below. And although he was promised, "Andit shall come to pass when thou shalt break Foose that thou shalt shake his yoke from off thy neck" (Gen. Xxxvit, 40), this was only to be here below, but regarding the upper world i is written: "For the portion of the Lond is his people, Jacob the lot of his inheritance" (Deut. xxi, 9) 'Observe that as soon as Jacob and Esau commenced to aval themselves oftheir blessings, the former possessed him 'If of his portion on high, and the later of his portion here below. R. Jose theson of R. Simeon, the son of Laqunia, once 'aid to R. Eleazar: "Have you ever heard from your father 'hove it comes about that the blessings given by Isaac to Jacob

6cue zonAR 11 [rgyb-rg4e
ive not been fulfilled, while those given to Esau have all ben fulfilled in their entirety # R. Eleazar replied: 'All the blessings are to be fulfilled, ineluding. other blessings with, which God blessed Jacob. For the time being, hawever Jacob took his portion above and Esau here below. But ia tertime, when the Messiah will arise, Jacob will tke both, above and below and Esau will love all, being let with no portion of inheritance or Hemembrance whatever, 80 Serip- ture says: "And the house of Jacob shall be a fice, and the house of Joseph a lame, and the house of Esau for stubble, 'etc." (Obad. 1, 18), 60 that Esau will perish entirely, whilst Jacob will inherit both worlds, this world and the world to 'ome, OF that time itis Further writen: "And saviours shall feome upon Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's" ({hid., 21), that is t0 say, the Jkngdom which Esau has taken in this world shall revert to God. For although God rules both above and below, yet for the time being He has given to all the peoples each a portion andan heritance in thin world: but at that time He will take ninion from all of them, so that all will be His, as it "And the kingdom shall be the Lord's". It will be the Lord's alone, as itis further written, "And the Lord shall bb king over all the earth; in that day shall the Lord be One, and his name One" (Zech, xiv, 9)" An 1 CAME TO PASS AS JACOB WAS SCARCELY GONE four, ete. R, Simeon said: "The double form yazo yaza (lit. going out, went out) indicates that (1444) the Shekinah 'went out with him, For it had entered along with Jacob, and Jd been with him when he received his blessings and had cinfirmed them. And when Jacob went out the Shekinah 'went out with him, and hence the twofold expression yaz0 eed, implying a simultaneous going out of two" AND Esa ts suoTHeR CAME IN FroM itis HUNTING. Tt swasiceally "his cried ut to Taaae: an evil eye" (Prov. sx, 6). AND KALE MADESAVOURY FOOD, ... — LET My VATIUER ARISE, He spoke in a ough and overbearing manner, 'no sign of politeness, Observe 1442] rou'vor 63 the difference between Jacob and Esau, Jacob spoke to his father gently and modeotly, soit aay "He came to bia father and said: My father." He was careful not to startle him, and said in atone of enteaty: "Arise, I pray the, sit and eat of 'my venison." But Esau said: "Let my father arse", a3 though he were not addressing him personally. Also, when Esau entered the Gehinnom accompanied him, so that Isaac shook with fap, as i says: "And ase tretbled, greatly, exceedingly."The word "exceedingly is added wo show that no such fear and teror had ever assailed Tsaae since the day the was born; and not even when he lay bound on the altar with the knife flashing before his eyes was he so affrighted as When he saw Esau enter and the Gehinnom enter with him. He then sail: Berne THow cast, ax T HAVE BLESSED IM. 8A, AND HE SHALL Be BLESSED, because esa that the Shekinah had confirmed his blessings. According (o another explanation, Isc said: "And T have blessed him' and a heavenly woice answered: "Vea, and he stall be Blessed." Isaac indeed, wanted to eure Jacob, but the Holy One said t him: "0 Isaac, thou wik thereby be cursing thse since thou has already pronounced over him 'the words, 'Cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed 'he everyone that blesseth thee. Observe that all, bath above and below, canfrmed these blessings, and even he who was the portion that fll to the let of Esau consented to those blessings, an, moreover, actually himself blested Jacob, 36 itis written: "And he sid: Let me go forthe day break 'And he said will ot let thee go, except thou bless me! (Gen, xsi 27). 'The angel ad "Let me go because Jacob seized bold ef hies. You may wonder how could a man of flesh and blo take hold of an angel, whois pure sie, ia writen: "Who makest spi thy messengers, the fami fire thy minixers" (Ps cv, 4) But the truth is that when the angels, the messcagers of the Holy One, descend to earth, {hey make themselves corpoed, and put ona bodily vesture like to the deniaens of this world. For itis fiting not to deviate from the eustom ofthe place where one happens to te, as has already been explained, We find it thas writen of 'Moser when he ascended on high: "And he was there with University © McFa' Tulsa, O a

6rue z0uAW 1 [4ganage
the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water" (Ex. 2881, 38), in order not to deviate from the ester ofthe place to which he wert. Simi- lary we tead, as an eximple of the behaviour of angels on descending here below: "And he slood by them under the twee, and they did eat" (Gen. xvit, 8). So here, Jacob could hhave wrestled with the angel after the later had assumed bodily vesture after the manner of a being of this word, 'The 'eason, too, why Jacob had to wrestle with him the whole of shat night was eense oe Beings posses dominion oly in 'thenight,andso, correspondingly, Eau dominatesonly during the exile, which is none other than night. During the night, therefore, the ange! held fatto Jacob and wrested with him; but as soon as day broke his strength waned, and he could no 'ore prevail 0 that Jacob got the upper hand, since Jacob's domination ie in the daytime. (Hlece itis writen: "The burden of Dumah. One calleth unto me out of Sei: Watch= 'man, what of the night ? Watchman, what of the sight 2" (i. x41, 11), For the domination of Esau, who is identical With Seir, is ony inthe night.) The angel, therefore, feeling hi trength ebb asthe day broke, sid; "Let me go, for the day breaketh." Jacab's answer, "I will ot let thee go, except thow hast blessed me", [1448] is peculiar, since we should have expected "eseept thou eit bless me". By using the past , however, Jacob as much as said "eveepe thou acknow- sige those blessings with which my father blessed me, and 'wilt not contend against me on account of them". The angel, vrrare (ld, thereupon said: Thy name shale called no tore Jacob, but Isa; for thou hast striven with God and 'with men, and hast prevailed" (Gen. xt, 29). By the name sel he meant to mply: "We must needs be subservient to the, since thou att erowned with thy might above i a sue pernal grade." "Israel shall be thy name"; assuredly so, for "ou hast striven with Elohim". By this name he apparently referred to himself, but he eealy had a deeper meaning, vi "Chou hast strives t0 associate thyelf with God in «close usion, a symbolised by the junction of the sun moon." Hence he dil not say "thou hast prevailed aver God! "ith God", i. to unite closely with God 1448) rou'vorn 65 R, Simeon here discoursed onthe verse: When a man'rroays lease the Lord, he maketh ever his enemies to be at peace ith 'him (Brow. 74,7). "How greay', e said, is tincuinbenc on rman to direct his path toward the Holy One, blessed be He, '50 281 abserve the precepts af the Torah, For, according to 'our doctrine, two heavenly messengers are sentto accompany 'man in his path through life, one onthe right and one on the left; and they are also witnesses to all his acta They are called, the one, "good. prompter" * Should a man be minded to purify himself and to observe diligently the precepts of the Torah, prompter whois associated with him will 'prompter, who will then make his peace with him and become his servant. Contrariwis, should a man get outto defile him self, the evil prompter will overpower the good prompter: and so we are agreed, 'Thus when a man sets out to purify himself andhis good prompter prevails, then God makeseven hs enetnies to be at peace with him, that isto say, the evil pprompter submits himself to the good prompter. OF this Solomon suid: "Better is he that is lightly eteemed, and hath a servant" (Prov, x, 9), the servant i prompter. Hence inasmuch 38 Jacob put his Almighty, and all 8 Were for His sake, God "made 'even his enemies to be at peace with bin, to wit, Sarmue, Who is the power and stength of Esauj and, he having made 'peace with Jacob and consensed to the Blessings, Esau also onaented to them. For until Jacob was at peace with the hicfain of Eau, Ean wan not peace with Jacob. For i all tases power below depends on the corresponding power above: Any Issac TREMULED YERY ERCEEDINGLY, AND Wuo THEx (eplo) 18 He. . .? The term pho (it. hore) ean allusion ta the Shekinal that was peesent 'when Isaac blessed Jacob. Issac thus as much as said: "Who is he that stood here and confirmed the blessings I conferred 'upon him ? YEA, AND ILE SHALL BE BLESSED, seeing that 'God approved ofthese blessings." R. Judah said: For having caused his father thus to tremble, Jacob was punished by

66'THe ZOHAK tT Leaghgsa
'bing thrown into similar tremor when his sans showed him Joseph's coat and said, "This have we found" (Gen. xxxvt, 32)" (Note tht the word elo used by Isaac here is also used 'e heraidthe punishment of Jacob through the los of Josep, 'ho chen sn a eek Kis brethran, eid "Where (ep) ane they feeding the flock?" (hid. 16); and this although Ged approved of the blessings) AND ISAAC TREMMLED.& GkeaT reeMHLING, The term "great" is echoed by the Phrase "and thi great fre" (Deut xvi, 16), thus ntimating that the Gehinnom entered along with Esau. Veny © CeEDUNLY ('ad mead): the term me'od, on an analogy the same term in the clause, "and behold, it was very (me'od) good!" (Gen. 31), alludes to the angel of death; hence the exclamation: "Who then is he. [14ga Wuex Esau HEAND THE WoRDE OF HIS FATHER, rete, R. Hiya exeltimed: 'How much has Israel suffered an account of those tears which Esau shed before his father, in his desireto be blessed by him, ou of the great regard he had for his faher's words " Has OND NoT RIGHTLY CALLED ist JAcon? The form of the expression, instead of the contempt with. which NATH SUPPLANTED Mi THESE TWO TIMES. 'The word "ese" (ce) implies that the supplanting was of the sime 'haracter on both occasions since the word bedhorath (my birthright) consists ofthe same leiers as birkhati (ry bles ing). The word ze hasa similar force in the sentence: "Surely wwe had now (se, lit. this) returned a second time" (Gen. Xt, 10) where the letters of the word shacmu (we had re turned) can he transponed to form Bodbne (we are put to shame), ax much as to say: "if we delay longer, we shall bath return and he ashamed". Job mide use of a similar word play when he said: "And thow holdest me fo thine enemy" (eed) Gob sri, 24), 88 mu as to says "Thou hast turned about Zyvb (Job) into ayeb (enemy) Similarly here, Esau suid: "He first took my birthright behorari), and now he turned the same about into my blsing (reba), which he Tas also tke feom me 1454) rou! vorHt DeMOLo, L wave sane nist Hy LonD THEN SHALL 1 DO FOR THEE, MY SON? By, the word 'pho (then it. here) he implied th there was noone thereto Approve of a blessing for him, (saac thus blessed him vith 'worldly good he surveyed hin grade and aid, "And by shy 'sword shalt thou live, as muchas to say: "This is just 'suits yu, 1 shed blood and co make war." Tt was f reason, R. Eleazar explains, that he first aid to him: "And what then shall Ido for thee 2, seeing that I behold in thee harshness, the sword and blood, hut in thy brother the way of peace, Then he added "my son", as if to say, "my 0m thou Surely srt, and transit to thee allthis", Hence, ny 719 SWORD SHALT THOU LIVE AND THOU sWALT SERVE THY norte. 'This has not yet been fulfilled, seing that Esau has till now not yet served Jacob, since Jacob did not desire atthe time, and, indeed, himself many times elled im "my 'maste. The reason is that Jucob gazed into the. distant future nd therefore deferred the fullment of the blessings to the end of days, a already said. [AW R. Hiya and R. Jose were once walking together, they noticed R. Jesse the Elder coming up behind ther. So they 'at down and yaited for him unt Re came up to ther. As '00m ashe joined them they sid, "Nove we aba journey with sgorlspeed."Asthey proceeded, K Hiya said:* "eis time todo forthe Loed" (Ps. exis, 126)' R. Jose thereupon began to discourse on the verse: She openth her mouth with widon, 'andthe ls of kindness her tongue (Prov. x3%1, 26) "The 'word 'wisdom', he said, 'signifies the Beth of the word 'erashith (i. the Beginning), a already explained elsewhere, 'The Beh x closed tn on one side and open nthe her. {ria closed in on one side as symbolic of that which is written: "And thou shalt ee ry back' (Ex, ext, 23), and open on the ther side so a8 to ilumine the higher worlds. (Its azo 'open on one side in order to recive fromm the higher worlds, like hall in which guests gather ) For that reason itis placed at the beginning of the Torah, and was later on filled in. 'Again, "She openeth her mouth with wisdom", for x0 the thor booths rendered in te Chae version, eke Inetha (ith wisdom). "And the law of Kindness (ese) ison

6'rue zoMAR 11 [uggen4sb
her tongue", ein hersubsequent utterances 25 iti written: "And God said: Let there he light, and there waslight." The 'mouth' again i an alsin tothe He of the Divine Name, which contains the Whole, which fs both unrevealed and te- 'ale, and comprises both the higher and the lower emana- tions, being emblematic of both. "She openeth her mouth 'with wisdom", inasmuch a though heref hidden and abso- Tutely unknowable, a8 t say, "And ita hid fro the eyes of all Hsing, and kept close from the fowls of the ai" (Job 'xxil, 21), Yet when she begins to expand by means of the Wisdom to hich she is tached and in which she resides, she puts forth a Voice which s the "law of kindness (hesed). (Or again, the °mouth'" can be taken as alluding t the fina Hé ofthe Divine Name, whieh isthe Word that emanates from Wisdom, while the "law of kindness her tongue" signifies the Voice which is above the Word, controlling it and siding it, [1458] since speech cannot be formed without 'oie as has heen agreed." Ri. Hiya then followed with a discourse on the verse: J scidum diel ith prudence, and find cut knoecedge of devices (Prov. int, 12)" Wisdom" here', he sid, 'alludes to the Community of Israel; "prudence" sgnies Jab, the pric dent nan; and "knowledge of devies" alludes to Tsaa, who 'used devices for the purpose of blessing Esau. Hut since fom allied ite with Jacob, who was possessed of prus lence it was he who ves blested by bis father, ao that all and are fulfilled in him and in Some have been fulfilled in this work, and the rest wil be fulfilled on the advent of the 'Messith, when Israel willbe one nation on eath and one people of the Holy One, bested be He. So Serprure says: "And Iwill make them ome And they will exercite deminion both on high and ete below, as itis writen: "And, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man" (Das. Vit, 13) alluding tothe Messiah, concerning whom i ao writen: "And in the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set 'up a Kingdom, ete." (Ibid. 1,44). Hence Jacob desired that 1438) ToL'DoTH. 6 'the blessings should be reserved for that future time, and did 'not take them up immediately.' R. Jesse then followed with a discourse on the verse: Bu fear not thou, O Jacob my servant, nether be dismayed, O 'Israel, ete, (Jet. X4V1, 27). 'When Jacob, he sid, 'ose to leave his father, he became aware that he would not be able to avail himself ofthe blessings till a longtime had elapsed, -and he was greatly dismayed A voice then went forth and 'said: "But fear not thou, O Jacob . .. for Lam with thee" (Uhid. 27-28), i.e. will not forsake thes in this world. "For, lo, Twill save thee from afar" (Ibid), ie, at the time for Which thou hast reserved those blessings "and thy sed from the land of their captivity" (bid), that is to say: "Although 'Esau has already taken possession of his blessing and so will enslave thy children, I will free them from his hands, and then thy children will be masters over them." "And Jacob swill return' (Zhi), is he will return tohis blessings, "and he will be quiet and at ease" (Tid) from the kingdoms of Baby lonia, Media, Greece, and Edom, which have enslaved Isral, and none ahall make him afraid (Ibid), for ever and ever." "The three then proceeded on their way, when R. Jose re smatked: "Truly all that God does in the world i an emblem fof the divine Wisdom and is done with the object of mani- festing Wisdom tthe sons of men, so that they should learn from those worksthe mysteries of Wiséom, and al is accom- plished according to plan. Further, all the works of God are the ways of the Torah, for the ways of the Torah are the ways, of the Holy One, blessed be He, and no single word is con- tained in it but is an indication of ever so many ways and JJohanan evolve three hundred legal decisions, through es0- teric allusions, from the verse: "And his wife's name was 'Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Me- ahah" (Gen, 3x1, 39)—decisions which he revealed only to TR. Eleazar ? This shows that each incident recorded in the 'Torah contains a multitude of deep significations, and each 'word is itself an expression of wisdom and the doctrine of then, are all sacred, revealing 'wondrous thing, as we read: "Open thou mine eyes, that I P site zouaw 1. [eysb-14be 'ay behold wondrous things out of thy law'* (Ps xx, 18). Here is a proof. When the seepent had subverted Adam and bis wifeand infested her with purity, he world fell thereby in state of defilement, and was lad under a curse, and death ought intot- So the ward had to be punished through him until the tre of ife came and made atonement for man and prevented the serpent from ever again having dominion iver the sed of Juco, For each time the Israelites ofered up _vhe-sat the seerent wa subdued and ed eapive, aaleeady 'aid Tence Jacob brought his father two esgoats (iim), fone to subdue Es, who was hay (u'r), and the other to sutadue the grade to which Esau was beholden and to which he adhered, as han been said alreay. Ana its through this that the ward wl be preserved until a weman wil appear after the pattern of Eve and a man after the pattern of Adam, who wil ereumvent and outemanasuvre (246d) the evi ser- pent and him who vides on him, as explained elewhere." 1, Jose Further discourse as fllbws: And Eso rus a eur sing unter and Jacob ea a poet ma, cling intents (Gen, xv, 27). "in which way' was he "perfect"? Tn cha he 'eas dwelling in es, that he eld fast othe two sides, to that of Abraham and dh of Tac I dealing with Ean he savanced from the side of Isaac, a already sad, ad in the 'pint ofthe passage: "With the mercifl thou dost show thy selfmerciful..- and withthe erooked thou dost show thyself futile" (Ps. avi, 26-27) But when he came to zeceive the blessings, he came with help from on high, and with sspport from bath Abraham and Isaac and thusall was prescribed by wisdom, ab already sud above. For Jacob conquered the ser- pent with prudence and craft, but chiely by means of the he-goat; and although the serpent and Samac are the same, yet he also conquered Samael by another method, as de scribed inthe pasage, saying' "andthere wresleda man with him until the bresking ofthe day. And when he saw that he prevailed not agunst him (Gen, x38H, 35-20), Observe Bow reat Jacoh's merit must have heen, For as his adversary was intent on destoying him completly, and that night was the ge when the moon yas created, it was doubly unpropitions for Jacob, who remained behind al alone. For we have been 1466) you'vorn 7 'aught that a man should not go out alone i the night tine: 'how much les then inthe nghtwhen the lights were reated, since the avon ip defective, and on such «night she ev Dent is specially powerful, Samael thus came and atached him, in order to destroy him utteay. Jacob, however, had strong support on all sides, on the side of Isaac and on the 'side of Abraham, both of whom constituted the strength of Jacob, When Samael attacked Jacob's right he saw there 'Abraham equipped withthe strength of day, being ofthe side of the Right, the same being Mercy (Les), When he tacked islet he sw there Tsaae with the strength of stern judgement. When he atacked infront, he found Jacob strong On ether side by reason of thoe surrounding him, and thus wwe read: "Aed when he saw that he prevailed not aginst him, he touched the hollow of his thigh" (Gen, xx, 26), that's, a part that is outside ofthe trunk and one ofits p= pons. Hence, "the hollow of Jacob's thigh was strains {Ubid.), When day. appeared and night departed, Jacob's strength ineresed and Same!' waned, so that the later aid 'Let me go, for the moment ofthe recital uf the morning hymn had arrved" and i was therefore necesay for him 0 depart, He thus confirmed Jacob's blessings and added 0 them one blessing more, as it says: "And he blessed him there" (bid 30) any were the blessings which Jacob received a different imes, First he obtained blessings frm his father, through the exercise of craft; then a blessing fom the Shekinah tthe (Elohim) blesed Jacob"; another blessing he received from that angel, the chieftain of Esau hhim when he set out for Pads Almighty bless thee..." (Gea. xxvitt, 3). When Jacob save Himself equipped with all these blessings, he deliberated within himself, saying, "Of which of these blessings shall 1 _vail myself now 2" He decided to make use fr the time being 'ft least of tem, which was the lst; for although i tse it 'was pawerful, yet Jacob thought that it was not so strong in 'promises of dominion in this world as the others. Jacob hence "the forth it af the wes: n Tite ZoMAR IE [igha-1468 'aid: "Let me take this blessing to use forthe time being, and the others I will reserve against the time when Land my descendants after ie wl bein need of them —the ine that 4s, when ll the nations will asemble to exterminate my off spring from the world" 'To Jacob may be applied the words of the Scripture: "All nations eampass me about, verily, in the name of the Lord I will eut them of. They compass me about, yea, they compass me about... . 'They compass me about like bees, ete (Px exvin, 10-12) Here we have three times the words "compass me about", corresponding to the 'three remaining benedictions: his father's frst blessing, then Gedl's blessing, and thirdly the blessing of the angel. Jacob 'sid: "Those blessings will be needed at that time for use against all those kings and nations: I shall therefore reserve 'ther for that time, but now to cope with Esau this blessing Will suffice me." He yas ikea king who bad at hie disposal a 'numerous and powerfal army with skilled leaders, able and 'realy to engage in warfare with the mest powerful [1465] jersary. Being once informed that a highway robber was infesting the country, he merely said, "Let my gate-keepers setout to deal with hin." "OF all thy legions," he was asked, 'ust thow no athers wo send but these gateckecpers ?""To cope withtherobber these willsuiice," he answered," where- asall my legions and military leaders Ihave to keep in reserve for the time when 1 will need them to meet my powerful adversaries." Similarly Jacob said: "Kor dealing with Esau these blessings will sutfice me, but the others [will keep i reserve against the time when my children will need them to Withstand all those monarchs and rulers ofthe earth." When that time will come all those blessings will hecome operative, and the world will be established ona firm foundation, From that day onward that kingdom will gain the ascendaney over allother kingdoms, andit will endure forever, asit is written' "Teshall break in picees and consume all these kingdoms, but in shal stand for ever" (Dan. 11,44). This is "the stone that 'as cut out of the mountain without hari, ete" (Ibid, 43). The same stone is alladed to in the words; "From thenee, from the Shepherd, the stone of Israel" (Gen. xLtx, 24) "This stone is the Community of Israel, alluded to in the verse: 1408] vou'porit a "And this stone, which I have set up fora pillar, ete." (Gen. 22). R. Hiya cited the following verses in regard to Jacob's blessings: "A remnant shall rer even the rem nant ef Jacob" (Is. 31)."Thisina reference', he std, "to the remainder of the blessings. tis further writen: "And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples (ie. all the peoples, and not Esau alone), as dew fom the Lord, a8 showers upon the grass" (Micah v, 6)" R. Yesa said: 'It is 'ertten: "A som honoureth his father, and = servant is master" (Mal. 6), Such son was Esau, for there was not @ 'man in the world who showed s0 much honour to his father as he dd, and this it was that procured him dominion inthis world, The "servant honouring his master" ia typified by Eliezer the servant of Abraham, as already explained else- \where. 80, to, the tears which Esau shed made Israel subject to him, until the time when they will etura unto the Holy One with weeping and with tears, as it ys, "They shall 'came with weeping, ete" (Jer. xxxi, 9). And then will be fulfilled the prophecy: "And savioure shall come up on 'Moust Zion, to judge the Mount of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's" (Ob. 4, 22), Blessed be the Lord for [146b-1476 Gen. xxv, 1o-xxe, 5 Asp Jaco wer our ruom Buun-aneps AND WENT 'rowanb Hawax, R. Hiya drew a parallel between this statement and the verse: The sun ariseth, and the sun gocth doen, ard haseth to his plac where he arieth (cles. 8) "The sun arising' he said 'is parallel to Jacub when in Ber- sheba; and "the sun going dows" to Jacob om his way to 'we ead, he taried thee all ight, because 'and ab the sun hasteth to his pice [474] 'where he anseth,s0 Jacob "ay down in tat ple to seep Observe that although the sun imines all quarters ofthe 'world, yet he travels onlin two directions, as we read: "He socth toward the South, and tumeth about unto the Nosh" le. 6) ane being the right and the othe the lft Evety day, too, he emerges fom the East, turns tothe South, thento the North, then toward the Western side, and finally is gathered unto the West. As the sun emerges from the Kast, s0 Jacob went out from Beersheba, and ae the ni turne toward 'the Wes, 0 Jacob went toward Haran." R, Simeon suid that Jaca ent forth from the ambi ofthe Land of frac, and he "went into" another sphere; ass implied in the sentence, "and he went toward Haran" (lt. strange, alien). R. Hiya said: 'When the sun goes down to the West, the West is called the place ofthe sun and his throne, the place in which he abides, and to which be gathers in all his radiance, "This accords with the Rabbinic dieturn that God puts on phyli teres, tats, He takes up all he superna eroins to wit the 'mmblem of the supernal Father and the emblem of the pernal Mother (these being the plylatery worn on the hea), dnd theo He takes up the Right ad the Left, thereby carving the whole R. Hleazar said; "The "Beauty of Israel" takesup the whole and when the Commanity of Israeli drawn t- vward the world on high, i also caries the whole, the male 'orld ofthe Holy One a well asthe female world [1476] of {he Tely One for junta all the lights eat fom the one, 47b-uySa vavare ws

0the other carries the whole, one world being # represen
tation of the other. Hence Beer-sheba (lit. well of seven) signifies the Jubilee year, b'er (well) symbolisinga Sabbatical year; and the sun shines only from the Jubilee year, Hence "Jacob went out from Beer-skeba and went unto Haran", that isioward the West, whichis identical with the Sabbatical year! R. Simeon said: 'Beer-sheba symbolises the Sabbatical 'year, and Haran the year of 'arlah, inasmuch as he issued from 'the sphere of holiness into analien sphere, since he was ecing from his brother, a8 alread at Bethel, which is sill AND He LIOHTED UPON tHE RLACE, R. Hiya said: "This 'isthe place mentioned in the verse, "and he hasteth to his place" (Eccl. t, 5). AND TARNIED THERE ALL NIGHT, ECAUSE THE SUN CAME, i. came to ilhumine it, as it sa "he hasteth to his place where he shines". AND ie TOOK OF THE STONES OF THE PLACE, This isan allusion tothe twelve precious and wondrous stones of the upper layer. of which tis written, "Take you... twelve stones" Josh. 1,3), and urderneath which there are thousands and myriads of fhewn stones, Hence it anya "af the stones", and not simply the stones". AND FUT THEM UNDER HIS HEAD (lt, heads), The plural form shows that we should refer the "hi not to Jacob but tothe place, and understand the "heads" to be the four cardinal points of the world: he arranged the stones three to the {148a] North, three to the West, three to the Soath, and three to the East, and that place or spot was above them so that it should be established on them. 'The after he LAY DOWN IN THAT PLACE TO SLEEP, for now thatthe couch was properly aranged, he, namely the sur, lay and he lay doven in that plate © Sleep" are parallel to the test: "the sn ariseth and the sun Whit R. Tsaae was one day siting ac the entrance of the cave of Apikutha, a man passed by with his two sons. Said 'one of them tothe other: "The sun is most powerful when it 'sin the South, and were itnot fr the wind which tempers the hea, the world could not exist" Said the younger beosher:

6que zonan tt (1480-1486
If not for Jacob, the world could not subsist. For when the unity of God is proclaimed by his sons with the verse, "Fear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one (Deut. vi, 4), 'which is an expression of perfect and absolute oneness, then Jacob their father joins them, and takes possession of his house, where he abides in clese association with his fathers, 30 that male and female become united. Said R. Isaac to him= self: 'I wil join them and listen to what they haveto say." He accordingly went along with them, he man then commenced to discourse on the verse: Arte, O Lord, unto thy resting place, 'thou md the ark of thy sromgth (Ps. cast, 8) "David, he said, 'when he uttered these words, was lke'a man-saying 10a king, "Let your Highness arise and proceed to his abode of rest" Moses also addressed God similarly when be said: rise, O Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered" (Num. x, 35) 'The difference between the two is this. Moses spoke Tike a man giving orders in his own household, and so, a it were, bade the ord to make war against Hisenemies; whereas David solicited Him to retire to His place of rest, and i accordance with the rules of etiquette included in his invi- tation both the King and His Consort. Hence he si (Gl Lecds bats thy eahieg pines tovelanal boc of toy strength', so as not to separate them. From David's conduct fon this oceasion \te learn that anyone who invites a king should strive to entertain him in some novel 1488] fasion, so as to atford him special pleasure, If for instance, its the king's wont to be entertained by ordinary clowns and jesters, 'he should provide for him specially refined and courtly enter- tainers. Thus, when David invited the King and Elis Consort, he replaced the customary entertainers of the King with a higher order. So he said: "Let thy pricsts be clothed with righteousness, and let thy stints sing songs!" (Ps. Cxxxi 'Now the Levites were the regular musicians of the King, but David. having extended an invitation to Him, deviated from the normal practice and provided priests und saints to enter- tain Fim, God said to himn:"*David, I do not wish to burden thee overmuch." Said David in reply: "O my Master, when Thowartin Thy palace, Thou doest according to Thy will, ut now that have invited 'Thee, it is for me to arrange matters, 1486] vaverr " and itis my wil 0 bring before Thee these although it is nat their usual task," From here we learn again that in his own hhouse a man may arrange thingy as he pleases, but when ine vited out he mus! be at the command of his host and conform thy servant David's sake turn not avay the face of thine anointed" (Id 10) a6 muuch ast say: "Let not the arrange 'ments I have made be anoulled." God said to him: "David, even my vessels I will not make use of, but will use thine Instead" Nor did God str from there until He had bestowed 'upon hin a muuitude of gifts, as it writen: "The Lord 'swore unto Davi in truth; he will noe turn back from it of the feut of thy body will Tse upon thy throne" (bid. 1)! RR. sac went up to the man and kised him, saying: "I was "worth my while to come hither if only to hear this "The elder son ofthe man then dscoursed thus: And Jacob scent out from Beersheba, and tent unto Haran. 'Jaco, be 'sd, 'acted in conformity with the vese: "Therefore shall 'man leave his father and his mother, and shall leave unto his wife" (Gen. 1,24) Or agai, his ation may be regarded as symbolical of alter time when lara eft the Sanctuary and 'were driven intoexile among the natins, as described in the nd gone is from the daughter of Zion all her splen- dour" (Lam. 4, 6), as well asin the passage, "Judah is gone {nto eale because of afliton" (Zhi. 3). The younger son then began to dicourse thus: And he ighted upon the plac, and tarred there all night, ete. "Even + hing, he said, 'when Ihe desires ovis his consort, should oax he and use words dfendearment, and noe weather asa mere chattel; and though he should have « golden couch with embroidered coverings ina grand palace and she prepares forhim bed on a floor 'stones with a straw matress incumbent an hit Leave his oven couch and lie down on hers, 10 a8 to give her sate faction, and so that thei hearts may he united, ssithout any censtrant- We lan this lesson fom this text, which tells us that when Jacob went unto her, he "took from the stones of the place... and lay down in that place to slep", showing that he loved even the stones of that place." 'THE ZOuAR IT [486-149

1tsaae wept for joy and sid 'Secing that such pearls are
in your possesion, hot ean T help falloing you? sid shims "You must leave us, a we have to {W celebrate the wedding of eis my son". Tue then sak: tthe eds yo way! Cpl He ten ent the expo they treed ote wl sel ey toot Godt has heen affirmed by us, Moreover, these expositions came from the mouths ofthe descendants of R. Zadok the invald. He as called invalid because he fasted forty 'years, praying tht Jena should not be desired life-tine. He used wo discover within each word ofthe Torah 'pofand lessons, from which he deduced the proper rules for the conduct of life? Suid R. Isa: "Not many days elapsed hefore I again met that man, accompanied by his recognising me, he sid ¥ from inviting you to the marriage of my son for three reasons: first, beeause I cid not know you, and, since the style of an insitation must accord with the rank ofthe recip ient, was afraid lest you might happen to bea great man and. should unwittingly offend your dignity ; secondly, I thought 'ou might be im a hurry, and so 1 did not wish to incon- venience you; and thirdly, I did not wish to put you to shame inthe presence ofthe company af guests, a8 'us thit whoever sits at table gives them presents and its." 1 credit for your good intentions. is 'name, and he said: "Zadok the Little." On that occasion 1 learnt from him thirteen profound lessons in the 'Torah, and from his son { learnt three, one concerning, prophecy. ane coneerninyy dreams, and one concerning the difference be~ 'wveen prophecy and dreanss, He said that prophecy is of the male world, whereas dreams are of the female world, and from the one tothe other is descent of six grades. Prophecy is from both the right side and the lefe side, but dreams are only from the left side. Dream branches out into. many. srades in reaching here below; hence dreams are universally 1490-1498} vavere » ie throughout oe 'world, each man seeing the kind of ream that answers to his ovr yrade Prophec), on the other hand, is confined to ts on region. [1498] AND ite DREAMED. It may be asked, how came Jacob, the holy man, the perfection of the Patrarchs, to have a vision 'only ina dream, and that in such a hoy spot? he reason ix 'that Jacob at that time was not yet married, and that Isaae ra still alive, I true that we find him subsequently saying: "and Tsay ina dream" (Gen, x4, 1), ata time when he seas aleeady marred. But that wa ds othe inferiority of the place, as well as tothe fact that Isaac was stil alive. So when hhe-came into the Holy Land with all the tribes, with "the foundation of thehouse,the mother of the children rejoicing", 'we read, "and God spake unto Isracl in the visions of the night (Gen. xis, 2)—not dream", but "visions", which are of another and higher grade. Dreams are through the medium of Gabriel, who is the sit inspiration; but a vision eomes throagh the grade of the 'Hayyah that tules in the night, 'Truc, it says in one place, "Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision' (Dan. 'it, 10). The reason theres that a dream is more precise than «vision, and may explain what is obscure in 2 visi, and therefore Gabriel was sent 10 explain to Daniel what was ob- cure in his vision. A "vision" (mareh—vision, of mieror) i

430called because itis like a mirror, in which al images are
reflected, (Thus we read: "And Lappeared...a6 El Shaddai" (Ex, vt, 2), this grade being like a mirror which showed another form, since all supernal fortns are reflected in it.) AND BEHOLD A LADDER Ser UP oN THE EARTH. This ladder signifies the grade on which the other grades rest, to Wit, the "Foundation of the world". ASD THE ror oF IF REACHED TO HEAVEN, 50 as to be atached to it. For this sprade is the conclusion of the Body standing between the upper and the lover world in the sume way asthe sign of the covenant is situated at the end of the trunk of the body, be- 'tween the thighs AND BEHOLD, THE ANGELS OF Gop ASCENDING AND DESCENDING ON (1; thisalludes to the Be Tue 20HAR It [eggb-tsea (Chietains who have charge ofall the nations, and who ascend and eescend on that ladder When Israel are sinful, the ladder is lowered and the Chieftains ascend by i; but when faral are righteous, dhe ladder fsremoved an all the Chieftains ae lefblow and ate deprivedof thei dominion. Jacob thus aw in this dream the domination of Esau and the damnation of the other nations Accordingto another explanation theangels ascended and descended onthe top ofthe ladderfor when the {op vax detached, the ladder was lowered and the Chiefains ascended, but when t wasatached again, the ladder was lifted and they remained below, Buti comes tothe wie hing Tt says of Soloman that" In Gibeon the Lard appeared to him in dream by night" (1 Kings mt, 6). (130) Here we have "appearing" and "dream" combined, to show that there was there a mingling of two grades, a higher and a lower, the reason being that Solomon had not then yet attained his full development. But when he had perfected himualf ci writen of hits, "And God gave Salomon ise dlom" (bid, ¥, 9), alo" And Solomon's wisdom excelled, ete." (Ibid. 10}; for the moon then reached its fullness and the 'Temple was built, and thus Solomon saw wisdom eye t0 eye and had no need of dreams. After he sinned, however, he teas beholden again to deeims as before. Hence it says that xé appeared unto him twice" (Ubi. xi, o)—wvie, that i, in dreams, for communications through wisdom he had every day. Moreover, the dream-medivm of Solomon excelled that ofall other men inasmuch a it was a mingling of grade with rade of vision with vision. In his later days, however, dark- ness fell upon him on account of his sins, and the moon ned because he observed not the holy covenant and imsef up to strange women. his was the eoadition God sade with David saying: "If thy chikren keep my covenant "their children also for ever shal sit upon the throne" (Ps. exw, 12), where the expression "for ever" is of the 'ame import as the phrase "asthe days ofthe heaven above the earth" (Deut, x1, 21). And since Solomon did not Reep the covenant properly, the moon bean to sane, nd son the end he was beholden again to dreams; and likewise Jacob was beholden to dreams, as explained before 1509) vavere a Awn uEH0LD, THE Lox stoop (stab) UPON IF, EFC. Here Jacob discerned the essential unity ofthe object of fait "This implied in the term nitsab (fray knit), which implies 'that Jacl saw all rades stationed as ante on that adder 3038 to be knit into one whole. And inasmuch as that ladder s 'situated between two sides, God ssid to him: 1 AM THE Lonp, tie Gop oF ADRAMAM THY FATHER, AND THE Gop OF Isaac, these two being respectively of the '0 ses, one of the right and the othe othe left. According another explanation, the Lord was standing over hin, to wi, 'ver Jacoby 20 ato form the Divine Chariot, with the Com: of Teac, embodied in Jaca, asthe uniting linkin the midst between the ight andthe lef. That Jacob ws in the 'midst i proved by the fact that the text her calls Abraharh "thy father", buco Isaac thus showing that Jaob was next to Abraham; and hence the text naturally continues: THe LAND WHEREON THOU Lixst, showing that the whole Formed one sacred Chariot Here Jacl aa that he ws to he the crown of the patriarchs. 'The words "the God of thy father Abraham and the God of Isac" show that Jacob was attached to either side and holding fast to both of them. Hut 'as Jong ashe was not married this fat is not dislowed inthe 'ea, save to those who can read between the lines. After he 'marti and begat children, however, it was openly stated, x itis writen: "And he erected there a altar, and the God of Israel called him BU (godlike). From here we learn that who= ever is incomplete below remains incomplete on high Jacob 'was an exception, yet he too before marriage was not per- fected openly or rather, he only foresaw that he eventually would be perfected, I is true, God had already said to him, "And, behold, Tam with thee, and will keep thee whither- soever thou goes" This, however, oaly implies that God's 'ate and protection were always with him in the hour of need, in this world; but as regards the higher world, he was not sure of itil he had perfected himsel An JAcou AWAKENED OUT OF HIS SLEEP, AND IE SAtp: SURELY THE LORD 16 IN THIS PLACE, AND L KNEW IT Nor. How, we may ask, could he have known? be THE ZOHAN IT [1500-1508 'The truth is, however, that he meant mueh the same as Saul when he said: "and I have not entreated the Presence of the Lord" (1 Sam, sit 32), What Jacob eeally said was: "And 1 have not known Anokhi (I, je. the Shekinab)'";as much as to say: "Behold allthis revelation has been vouchsafed to me whilst yet I have not reached the stage of a knowledge of Anohhi (1) and sf entering under the wings ofthe Shekinab, to a8 t attain perfection". Similarly, Rebekah said: "IF it be 50, what boots me nuh (I) ?" (Gen, xxv, 22), because she saw every day the splendour of the Shekinah, [1508] but when she felt the pains of approaching childbirth, "she went to 'nyuire of the Lord" (bid), chats, she procected from the Shekinah grade to another grade, identical with the Lord Uehovah), Hence Jacob said: "Have I seen all this without Anowing Anobki?", because he was single, and had not yet come under the wings of the Shekinah, Strsightway nb ie was ArmaLD, axD stp: HOW FULL OF AWE is THIS PLAcK, The word "pluce" here has a twofold sig- nificance. It refers in the frst instance to the place mentioned hy Jacob in the preceding verse; but it also refers to the mark, 'ef the holy covenant which abeuld not be left inoperative (These two signifcations, however, are only two as 'one and the sime idea.) Jacob then said; 'Tis OTHER THAN THLE MOUSE OF Gon, implying: ot to remain ile; its covenant is not meant to exist in iso- bation. Te is in sooth 3 godly abode, to be uted for the peo notion of fecundity and for resiving blessing from all the bodily organs, For indeed this is TRE GATE OF HEAVER, 'rin other words, the gate of the Body, the gate assuredly through which pass the blessings downwards, so that it 1s sttached both om high and below: an high, a¢ being the gate 'of heaven, and below, as being sone other than the house of God." Hence "he was afraid, and said: How full of awe is this place !" But mankind (it may be added) pay no regard to its preciousness,x0-a thereby to hecome perfect on high and here bela." 'The father of the youth went up to him and kissed him, Ri. Isaac said: "When I heard hits speak thus, I wept and said 1c] vayege 8 Blessed be the Merciful One yeho has not allowed divine 'Wisdom to perish from the world. I followed them until we 'entered the next town, a distance of three parasangs, Hardly hhad they arrived in the town when the man had his son afimeed. [said to him: "You act upon your own words." Talo repeated the remark of R. Simeon, that all ehese verses are allegorical and have & profound significanes. When 1 repeated all this inthe presence of R. Simeon, he remarked to 'methat I should not think that allthis exposition was merely the youth's oven idea: it contains recandite thoughts which 'beat the seal of divine Wisdom." Asp Jacon vowen 4 vow, savin: Ir Gop wit BE WITH ate, Ec Said R. Judah> 'After receiving all these promises, how could Jacob still say, "Uf God will be 'with me, ete"? What Jacob meant, however, was this: "Some dreams are true-and dome not, saif this dream should eome true, and God will really be with me-as T have dream, then "the Lord shall beto me for God!" that is, I shall draw bless= ings fom the well-pring of the universal stream towards the region called Elohim.' For Israel being i the centre take first ff the original well-spring, and after the bounty reaches therm they pass it on tovard that region. Hence we muy render: and the Lord shall be toward me, first, and afterwards the 'whole will be drawn toward Elokin': ue. in the sime way a8 Ele will fulfil for me all these good promises, s0 will I 'draw toveard Hl feorn my region all shose blessings and wi 'make Him the all-comprehensive uniting foree. When will that be ? "When come hack 10 my father's house in peace" 'when I shall be stiled in my own grade, inthe grale of peace

4a8 to make perfeet my father's house, then "will the Lord
belaward me, toward Elohim (Goi)"" According to another 'explanation, Jacoh meant: "I desire to come fuck to my father's house in peace, because there isthe Holy Land, and there will become perfected, andl the Lord shall be my God. In that place wil I duly rise ftom this grade 10 anosher grade, fand there T Will engage myself in Mis worship." RL Hiya 'adduced here the verse: The tale of inigities ix ton hea' 'for me; our transgressions tho wilt pardon them (Ps. XW, 4).

84THE 20NAR Ht [isob-1510
The two halves ofthe verse', he sad, 'donot seem to fit one ancther. 'The truth is, however, that David first prayed for imal and then for mankind ix genera, a though to =4y, know my ovn sins, but there are a great number of sinners inthe world whose sins are much more grievous than mine; thie being s0, both mine [1514] and their, all our trans- igeessions, thou wilt pardon them." For when sinners become 'numerous in. the world, they go up to the place where the recirds are kept, a iti written, "thete isa sitting in judge- ment and the books are open" (Dan. vit, 10). 'That book stond, as it were, aver the head of David, and hence he said, The tale of iniquities is too heavy for me,and therefore", he 'went on, "our transgressions thou wilt pardon them". Jacob, being in a similar condition, fel distrustful, not of God, but of himself, and he feared lest his sins should prevent him from returning in peace and deprive him of God's provie care. THEN SHALL THE LoRD a MY Gop? ie. return in peace, I shall not eare even if the attribute ne merey becomes justice towards me, inasmuch a§ T will worship Him continually." R. Aha said that Jacob's words amounted to saying: 'Now T have no need of severity, but when Till return to my father's house, 1 myself 'with that attribute alo" Said R. Jose: "That is not s0, but 'what Jacob practically said was: Now I require the attribute Of divine justice to guard me (against my enemies) until T return in peace to my father's house, but then L will combine mercy with justice, and bind all attributes in a firm nity." Anp-Tuissroxe, Witten I HAVE SETUP FOWA PILLAR, SUALL BE Go's Horse: seeing that allwill be then wnited into one, and this stone will be blessed from the right and from the left, from on high and from below, for the reason that I will give the tenth of everything. We should have ex pected here, instead of Blokin, the name Jehneah, as in the test: "to prepare chambers in the house of the Lard (Je- Jhocah)" (Mt Chr. xxx, 20), also: "Let us 9 unto the house of the Lord (Jehurah)" (Ps. cxsih 1). But in truth, the name Elohim here points to the tribunal which represents the attri- bute of justice on its two superna sides, on the side of the tst0-1518) vavere 85 Tubilee year, known as Living God (Elohim layin), and on the side of Isaac, expressed simply by the term "God" (Blok. R, Eleazar aid: "The Jubilee Year, although i dee penses judgement, is yet altogether pervaded with merey and i the source of universal joy and gladness. But "the house of God (Elokim)" represents rigorous judgement only, on the ide ofthe left, either for good, in consonance withthe text, 'is eft hand be under my head" (S. 8.16), 0 for evil, a8 ivsays, "Out of the Nor the evil shall rea forth upon all the inhabitants ofthe land" (Jer. 1,14). Well then may it be called "the house of God (Elokim)"." R. Sirseon said: "The house of God (Elahin)" signifies the same 2 "the city ofthe reat king" (Ps. xivut, 3). Verily the superal world is not oly "King but "Great King and hat whats met Hiya and R. Hiskih were once sitting underneath a tree in the field of Ono. R. Hiya fell nto a slumber and be- held Elijah. He said to him: "The whole feld is iunined 'with our presence." Elnh answered: Tam come to tell you that Jerusalem is about t be lad waste together with al the towns of the ses, forthe reason that Jerusalem isthe em- bouitent of jodgement, and is preserved by judgement, and 'now judgement demands its destruction; and Samael has already been given power over it and over its mighty ones, have therefore come tadvise the sages thereof so that they 'may try to obtain for Jerusalem some years of grace. Jong as knowledge of the 'Torah is found thecet spared, the Torah being the tre of ife by which alive. Rut when the atady of the Torah ceases below, the tree of life disappears from the worid, Hence s0 long a8 the sages cling to the Torah, Samael has no power over them, as Seripture says: "The voice isthe voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau" (Gen. xxv, 22). The voce is the Torah, which is termed the voice of Jacob, and so long as that voice Pests lo ve ctevanis alee conianics and preva (o0Er the hinds of Esau). Heace the study of the Torah should sever cease." R. Hiya [1518] then avoke, ard they went and told the sages, Said. Jesse: 'We all know this, and soi is written; "Escept the Lord keep the city, the watchman, % rae zonal [rgb-asae vvaketh in vain! (Ps exert 1), a8 much as to say: "Isis those isho labour in the Torah who preserve the Holy City, and fot the wartlors and men of mighe™.! AND iE LOOKED, AND BEHOLD A WELL IN THE FIELD, rrre. R. Judah diacoursed on the verse: A pial (mismor= song, hymn) of Dacid echen he fled from Absalom his son (Ps. 1, 1). "The companions', he said, "have been perplexed hy the title "sone" given to this psalm. When his own son rose up against him, David should rather have uttered a lamentation, snes a litle hurt from one's kn is wore than a sgreat hurt from astranger. The truth, however, x that David was apprehensive lest the punishment for his sons might be remitted to the nest world, and 20 when he found that it waa being exacted from him in this word he rejoiced. Further, he 'was comforted by the fact that many, superior to himself, had had to flee alone, lke Jacobs, who "fled into the fel of Ara (Hos. x1, r3),allalone, and Moses, who fled from the face of Pharaoh (Ex. 1, 15), also alone; whereas he was accom panied by all the nobility and the valiant men of theland and the chiefs of Israel, who stood on his right hand and on his left co guard him on all sidex. Seeing himoelf thos fevoures, David broke out into song.' R, Judah further remarked: "The fugitives mentioned above in the course oftheir wanderings all came across that well. Why not David also ?'The reason is 'hat it was at thar time at enmity with him, wheres i wel- tomed Jacob and Moses and was eager to' approach them, and as soon as it saw them its waters rose to meet them, 'woman rejoicing to greet her husband. Why, it may be asked, 'was not Elijah when he fled also met by the well ?'The reason is that Elijah i beneath the well and not above it, as Moses and Jacob were, and hence he is an-angel who executes messages. So when it sayé that "Jacob looked, and behold, 2 vel in the field, there is here an inner meaning, to wit, that he discerned the Supernal well which corresponds to the well below. 'This ts bome out by the nett words: 'THREE FLOCKS OF sey LYING THERE my IT. Since they were only [1520] three, why is it writen, "And thither were all the locks gathered" ? Hut in truth the three allude to the South, 1520-1526) vavere 87 the Bast and the North, the South on one side the North on the other, and the East between them, al thre stinding by 'that well holding fast to it and filling ft. Why all this ? Fon OUT OF THAT WELL THEY WATERED THE FLOCKS, the allusion being the same asin the text allthe ayy of tel" (sr lea matostapsop alice rece tate " (Exel. 4 7), AND THEY ROLLED THE STONE FROM THE WELL's MOUTH: {e,they dispelled fromitthe rigidity 'of hard judgement, which congeals it as it were into stone, from which water cannot flow. For when those rversarse, the South, which is on the right, gathers stength and prevents the North from solidifying the water. Fora large river, witha areat volume of water, does no: become frozen and congealed

50soon a8 4 small river with asmall Volume of wate, Hence
'when those vers arrive, the South, which isthe right, pus forth its strength and the waters thaw and are loosened, 0 a8 to flow onward and give drink tothe flocks, ast water the Hayyoth of the field" (Ps, the stone back upon the well's mouth in is plce". because the world has need ofits judgement 90 as thereby to punish the guilty. 'Observe that Jacob, when he st by the well and sav the water rising up toward him, knew that there he would meet id so it was, as Scripture says: WHILE KING WITH THEM, RACHEL CAME WITH HeR FATHER'S sugEP, AND IT CAME TO Pass Wues Jacon saw Race, ETc. It was the sume with "Moses, who, when he sat down by the well, as son as he saw the water rising toward him knew that there he would meet his destined wifes and so indeed it turned ont, as we read "And the shepherds came and drove them away, etc.' (Ex. 14, 17), with the resule that there he met with Zip- porah. (rsab] I was the wel that served as medium to both of them Observe that in this ection the term "well" (érer) is mentioned seven times, which indiates the identification of this well with "Beer-Shebe" (the well of seven), In the narrative of Moses, on the other hand, the wellis mentioned

48ane zouAN UT [sab
only onee, when i says, "and he sat down by the well (id. The reason is that Moues completely separated himself from his house here below, wheress Jacob did not separate himself at all Moses adhered to one, the one of which we read: "My dove, my undefiled, is but one, she isthe only one of her mother" (8, S, vi, 9). Moses thus was master of the house and ascended on high; hence of imi s writen: "and lhe sat upon (al) the well", whereas of Jacob ie i+ merely 'written, "and he saw, and behold a ell in the Bel". {The following is an alternative exposition of this section. Ax Jacom Went OUT FuoM BEEK-SHEBA, AND WENT TOWARD Hanan, R. Abba discoursed on the verse: Happy are they that hep justice, that perform acts of charity (gedakal) at all nes (Ps, cvt, 3). appy are Israel' he said, 'to whom the Holy One, blesed be He, gave the Law of truth so that they should exert themselves in its study day and. a8 whoever exerts imc ia the study of the Torah schiewes 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 oft, lays hold ofthe tree of life; and whoever relaxes his hold of the tree off, behold the tre of death overshadows him and takes hold of him, So Scripture says: "IF thow re= lagest in the day of adversity, thy siengt is narrow indeed" (Pros. xxv, 10), signifying that whoever relaxes inthe study' of the Torah, in the day of adv: strength (Koah= Kolf= the strength of Kolf) is narrow indeed, to wit, the strenggh of Koff that continually follows on the right of the 'man that walks inthe ways ofthe Torah, and forms his con- stant guard, so that the evil power is prevented from ap- proaching him and ie powerless to aceuee him. Rut of him 'who turns aside ftom the ways of the Torah and relaxes his hold off, itis said: "narrow indeed ia the strength of Kalt", as the evil power, represented by the left, obtsins do- rninion vee that man and thrvste aside that Koll, £0 that he has no room to mave. According to another inter- pretation, the term "say" (narrow) signifies here adver- sary"; for when aman holds fast tothe ways of the Torah he 1s2b-1534] vareer 8» is beloved beth on high and below, ands the favourite ofthe Holy One, bleed he He, ae we real: "And the Lord loved 'him' (11 Sam. x11, 24); but when 4 man turns aside from the: sways ofthe Torah, then ser fico, that the srength of Koll becomes his enemy, ad makes the ev one obtain dominion ver him soto acute him in thie world and the 'ward 10 come. For the evil one, who is the same asthe ex tempter, dominates dhe world rom many sides, and exeries reat power therein; he ix indeed the very tame mighty Serpent hroagh whom Adam fell ito ain, and who entices 'mankind to draw hitm unto themselves until he draws out souls. Now hin power over the body and when he 'obtains that power over the body, the soul departs because 'the body has become defied, To obtain that dominion over the bod, however, the evil ne must receive authorisation, activin of the eo For, az alrealy explained, leftend identical with the "end of all sh Lis called "the end ofall flesh, Fut aot "the end of all spit". Each is an "end" in the rystial sense, but one presides over flesh, the other over Spt, the ner being the inner one, the Former the outer one; tne being right, the other lef, one being holy the other de- filed, as alrealy explained elsewhere, Now observe a deep and hholy'mystery of faith, the symbolism ofthe male principle and the female principle ofthe universe. In the former are 'comprised all holinesses and objects of faith, and allie, all Freed, all goodness, all illunnations [13a] emerge from thence; al blessings, all benevolent dews al races and kind- nestes-all these are generated from that side, which is elled the South, Contrarivise, from the side of the North there issue a varievy of grades, extending downwards, to the world 'below, Thine the rexiom of the dross of god, which comes {rom the side of impurity and loathsomenessand which forms alink between the upper and nether regions; and theres the Tine where the male and female principles join, forming © " 'rie roman tt bse together the rider on the serpent, and symbolised by Azazel [Now from thence there spread many grades which dominate the word, all of them presenting sides of defilement and acting as chieftains and prefects in the world, Observe that aan, when he emerged into the world, was red all over like a rove, and was hairy after the patter ofa goat (a), and from such a being came forth chieftains and prefects fully armed, who dominate the world, 'This has already been explained leewhere. Observe now the verse previously eted: "Happy are they that heep justice", to wi they who hep the faith of the Holy One, blessed be He, since God is justice, so that a 'man should be on is guard not to turn aside but t keep to the way of justice, as God is justice and all His waysare justice. "The vere proceeds: "that exerdise charity (sedakah) at al times", "The words "at all times" eannot be taken quite literally, ut refer to those who endeavour to follow the ways 'of the Torah and dispense charity to those who are in need of it, For when charity is given to the poor, its effect is felt both 'om high and here below. For that charity ascends on high and reaches wo the region of Jacob, who is the superna chariot, and causes blessings to flow toward that region from the very fountainof fountains: and from that charity he causes blessings to flow in abundance toall the over beings and to all char and host. All these ae blessed and increase in illumination, as is hefiting, fr they all are comprehended within the term "time" (th), This, then, isthe meaning ofthe words "that do charity in the whole of time". Observe that as long as Israel were in the Holy Land they drew the blessings frum fn high wo below, but after they went forth from the Holy 'Land they came under a strange power and blessings were withheld from the world. Jacob was at firs under sacred jurisdiction, but when he departed from the land he entered into a strange jurisdiction. And before he came under a strange jorisdiction the Holy One, blessed be He, appeared 'unto hin in a dream, and he saw wonderful things, and holy angels accompanied him until he sat down by the well and when he sat by the well the waters thereof rose toward hin, as portent that he would there meet his wife, and the same thing happened «0 Muses, 'The inward sigaifeance of the 1530-153) vavege a matter is that the well, feu rose when it saw its affinity, to form with him a uni AND Jaco WENT OW MIs JOURNEY, AND CAME 10 THE LAND OF THE CHILDKEX OF THK RAET (Gon. 2x08, 1), R. Abba said; 'Since Laban dwelt in. Haran, why did Jacob go further on ? 'That Laan dwelt in Haran we know from the verses: "And Jacob ssid unto them: My brethren, whence are ye ¥ And they said: Of Haran are we. And he said: Know ye Laban the son of Nahor ? And they said: We know him" (Phd, 4-5), 'The truth, however, is that Jacob said tohimsclf:"I wish tenterintocommunion withtheShekinah, or in other words, I desire to marry, Now, when the servant 'was sent to take a wie for my father, he found a well of vater through which he met my father's destined wife Nut, behold, inthis place have found neither spring, nor well; nor any 'water a all" Straightway he proceeded further, and came to the land ofthe children ofthe East", where he found a wel, as already said, and where he encoutered his wife Said R, Eleazar: "That place was asuredly Haran, but the well 'was in an outlying fed, and that is why it says that "Rachel (hid, 13) R. Bleasar funther re- ie Jacob had to find his wife by the well, why did he not mect there Leah, who was to be the mother of so many tribes ?'The answer is that it was not the will of God that Leah should be espoused to Jacob openly, and infact he 'married her without his knowledge, as itis written: "And it came to pass in the morning that, behold, it was Leah" (bid. 23). It was also in order to rivet his eye and heart on the beauty of Rachel, so that he should establish his prinsipal abode with her. [1536] How did Jacob know that she was Rachel ? We must suppose thatthe shepherds tld hin a8 it is written, "and, behold, Rachel his daughter came with the sheep (Uhid. 6) Aw jie ss1D: TL WILt SERVE THEE SEVEN YFARS FOR RacurL THY Yous DavenTEK. Why should Jacob have mentioned seven years rather than ten months or one year ? For one thing, Jacob did not want people to say that he

9'THE 20uAn 11 sss
lusted after Rachel's beauty. Also he knew that the wisdom of the moon requires a septennate; and all the seen supernal years hovered over Jacob before he married Rachel, so tha hin suociation with her shoul accomplah ite true purpose. For Jacob, before his marig2, fist made his wn all those 'years 30 that when at last he camse to her he should be a i trere the heaven to her earth, Hence it says: AND THEY ShEsED UNTO HIM AUT A-FEW DAYS. 'The inner mean= inggo the word ahadim (few, it united) i that al thote seven Years resembled in his ejex those superior years that bound together so ato form a complete whole and an ine sepanble unity. 'The yere continues: FOR THF LOVE ME AD FOR MER, that is, his desire to reproduce the superal patter, R. Abba said: "Jacob assuredly served seven years in 'der to join himself to the Sabbatical Year." Eleaza said "Observe thatthe Jubilee Year, wherever mentioned, syaie holies that which is undisclosed (to the human mind), 'whereas the Sabbatical Year symbolises the disclosed, So 'when Jacob had served theft seven yearsa voice went forth

5fom one world to the other
. ev, 48) The one world the upper world, which is veiled, the category ofthe Jubilee Vear. From thence isthe starting point; for those which ae veiled and undisclosed are from the category of the Jubilee Year." Hence they were Hidden from Jacob, who dhus mistakenly thought that his down seven years wete From the Sabbatical septeanate, 'helt inwardness was hidden from him in order that he should make a beginning from the highest world, from the Jubilee cycle which is undivcloed. And aftr the years symbolic of the Jubilee eyele, which is undisclosed, had passed, he served the years of the Sabbatical septennate which ate disclosed, He was thus erowned with the two worlds and laid hold of both of them, 'Observe that Leah bore six sons and one daughter. That was in the order of things, since six world-direetions were stationed above her, and the ax aons and one daughver formed a symbol of the grades. Rachel bare two righteous 'ones, and this was also in erdr, since the Sabbatical epten- rate is placed perpetually hetween to Righteous Ones, a it 1538] vavERE 3 is writens "he righteous ones shall inherit the land" (Ps. xxv, 26), one Righteous One on high and one below. From the one on high there i a flowing out of upper waters, land from the one below there is a reiprocal welling up af water from the female pri uated between two female principles, so the female principle below is situated between two Righteous Ones. 'Hence Joseph and Benjamin represent the two Righteous 'Ones. Joseph merited to he the (symbol of the) Righteous 'One on high in virtue of his having Kept under guard the sign cof the holy covenant. Benjamin was the Righteous One below, 'that the Sabbatical septennate vas crowned bewweea Righteous Ones, to wit, Joseph the righteous and Benjamin, the righteous, Tt may be asked, was Henjamin indeed a righteous man ? 'Yes, he was in that he never in his life transgressed in regard to the sign of the holy covenant. Its true, however, that he 'was never exposed to a temptation like that of Joseph, Ifs0, 'why was he called righteous ? 'The reson is that during the whole time of Jacob's mourning for the los of Joseph he abstained from conjugal intercourse. But, it may be ssid, when Joseph wascarried off, was not Benjamin a mere child > 'What, then, isthe point of saving ual intercourse 2"The an jugal intercourse even after he was marred. But again we may ask, how is this to be squared with the tradition that Joseph, when he came down to Egypt, asked himm whether he hhad a wife and children, and he answered, "Yes, and they are All named in memory of my brother, twit, Bela and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, ete." (Gen, x91, 21). How, then, can it be sai that he abstained fom conjugal relations ? "The teuth, however, is that Benjamin had no children at that time, but he had begotten them already when the brethren went (finally) to Egypt. Benjamin, then, assuredly observed conjugal abstinence all the time his father mourned. for Joseph, saying: "Behold, my brother Joseph constituted the ign-of-the-holy-covenant of my father, that sign being the oF 'THe ZOHAN It [rssb-1540 tend of the bodily trunk, Now that he is lost I fave to guard {54a the place of my bree". One may sil object that at the me when Joseph ws lost Benjamin had not yet proved himelf righteous, and he didnot, in fac, do ao uti the Hime 'when he withstood temptation. But the truth i that Jacob {knew that Joseph would guard that place, and the others ob- 'ined that knowledge from Jacob, Tt was for that reason that hae prolonged his stay with Laban until his body, as it were, 'was made cornplete, the completion being constituted by the sign of the holy covenant. Hence itis written: "And it came to pase when Rachel had borne Joseph, ete." (id. xs, 25), Jacob having said to Laban in so many words, "Now that my 'body has been: made complete [am desirous of going." In this way Benjamin knew that his brother was righteous, and. the trod in his footsteps. And after Joseph had been found he 'etutned home, had conjugal intercourse, and begat children, God thus deelared him righteous here below and Joseph righteous above. 'Tevas thus nthe order of things that Kachel bore wo Sons and Leah six sons and a daughter; and the firs seven years 'were thus veiled from Jacob as they represented the Jubilee cycle; and whilst in interton serving the Sabbatical seven sean, which are ofthe disclosed realm, Jacobi realty served the Jubilee eycle which belongs to the undiscloed realm, So 'Scripture says: "And Jaccb served seven years for Rachel", the term scven years being unqualified, implying that he served for Rachel seven yeatsof the supernal onder, and he thus laid hold of both worlds, From here we lesen that only throogh the disclosed can aman reach the undisclosed. Fits asked, how can the fist seven years correspond t the Jubilee cycle, seeing that in regard to the latter itis writen, "seven times seven years" (ev. xt¥, 8), and here thereare no seven, we the anawer is tha the seven tives ae represented in the seven days of festivity with which Jacob celebrated his marriage with Leah, 'The number was thus made complete, since each day may be regarded as sevenfold, in harmony withthe verse, "Seven times a day do I praise thee, because of thy rightcous ordinances" (Ps, ext, 164), and the seven years were thus to be multiplied by the seven days. But, it 54a] vavese 95 may be said, Jacob should have first served the Sabbatical 'seplennate and anached himself tothe grad of the Sabbatical yeat.The answers that since in intention he dd serve them, the effect was the sue a9 i he ad served then fn reality IR. Abba then came up to R. Eleasar and kissed itn, saying: "Blessed be the Merciful One for the exposition ofthis verse 'Concerning such a peivilege, i i written: "The Loed was pleased for his righteousness sak, to make the 'Torah great and glorious (Ie xu, 21) R Eleaar sad furher:" What has been said about Leah having. borne six sons and one daughter and Rachel having bone two sons is asuredly cor: rect; but how do the sons of the concubines fit into the scheme They constitute, ast wer, the four joints, the 0- falled hinder pars, alluded to in the statement: "and all thet hinder pars were inward" (1 Kings vt, a5). For the right arm contains three joints, the middle one of which is the langest and projects backwards, being as it were outside the 'boy. Theres simile join inthe Te arm, aswell inthe sight thigh and in the left thigh; and. when the whole is od, all of them look insard, in fulfilment of all ther hinder parts wore inward". Nov al the othe joints are inthe line ofthe boty, but these protude outside the arms and the thighs, Corespondingly, the sons of the handmaids, athough they are within the number, yet are not ofthe stme ran as the sons of Rackel and Leah, and thus Femain outside, According wo another explanation, these fout are the joints by which all the others ate moved.' R. Abba remarked: 'So asuredly itis, and thus the whole is properly eonstructed Asp tHe Lon saw THAT LEAH Was HATED. R, Elea 'ft is writen: "Who sets aright the foundation (Cagereth, lit. barten woman) ofthe house, a joyful mother of children. Halleluah" (Ps. exit, 9). "The foundation of the house" isan allusion to Rachel, whereas by "a joyful mother of children" is meant Leth, According to another explana- 'ion, the "Youndition of the house" is an allusion to the 'Sabbatical year, which constitutes the basis ofthis world; and 'a joyful mother of children" signifies the Jubilee year, on

6'rite ZouAR tt [es4o-ss4h
'which depend the joy and gadiessof ll the works; and this 'ersecomprchends them all na sacred symbolism, and hence the conclding word, "Hallejah, We an now understand swhy it says here that "Leah was hated. This seems strange, inview of the fat that children ofa hated woman are of alow type, whereas all Leas children were of high type. But the trath is thatthe Jubilee i «veiled world nothing of which [i548] is disclosed to human intelligence; hence Jacob was sthllysnayeare of Now the lower worl in ntl, and is the starting point for the ascending grades. Just as the Superoal Windom is «starting point of the whol, so is the lower world alo a manifestation of Wisdom, and starting paint ofthe whole. This world, therefor, is named "Thou {aah}, being symbole of the Sabbatical yar, and isitellc fle, whereas the upper world, symbote of the Jubilee, is famed He (hu'=he, eit), a it wholly veiled from human Understanding. Hence there isan inner significance in the 'words "and he lay with her that (ha) night". Hence, too, it js writen: "And the Leviteaball serve hu (him) (Nut. $v, 2,sbas to dra blessings for everyone fom it, tamely fram the uppee world, which remains forever veiled. Jacob, Fowever, hl no min tw attach himself the undisclosed, tut only 0 the disclosed, in harmony sith the reeondlite meaning of the vere, "and he ahall deave to his wife (Gen. 1,25). Als, frm the words: "And the Lord sa that Leah was hated" we may lear that 8 man isnot naturally tempted by his mother, and that hence he may' remain alone ever without any seniple, 'sake of Jacob that the world be- came firmly established. (For though we have sad elsewhere that it was forthe she of Abraham, the trth is that i was for the sake of Jacob that Abrahams was fol established, at itis written: "Thue sith the Lard, concerning the house of Jaco who redeemed Abraham" (Is. xx, 23).) For at frst Ged built up worlds and destroyed them, and only when Jacob came did the words take thei inal form, and were not in demolished a heretofore, Sa Scripture says: "But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O rae (Is, sta, 1}. Ital i alg called 154b-1550] VavEE 7 "son" to God, as it fs writen: "Torael is my son, my first- born', also, "Let my sun go that he may serve me" (Ex. 1%, {23-23}, There ig also the sane allusion i the verse: "What hhis name, and what is his son's name, if thow knowest (Prov, xxX, 4). AND SHE CALLED HIS SAME REUBEN (lit, x€6) 2 son), She did not give him amore specifi name, because he was to forma group with the other two, Simeon and Levi. The name Levi, being akin to the term lyoth (joining) (1 Kings Vt, 30), signifies the perfect combination of them into one scheme. RR. Judah said that the same idea is implied in the phrase: "The excellency of dignity, and the excelency of power" (Gen, x.tx, 3), which isrendered in the Chald 'Bishright, priesthood. and kingdom', Kingdom belo 'of power (Gebural). Hence the (Sen), simply. Abba said that the birth of 'that triad, 2s implied in the name Reuben, was the goal 'towards which Leah strove, as indicated in er utterance: "Now this time will my husband be joined unto me, because have borne him three sons" (Gen. xttx, 34), that is, three Joined together as one. Observe now that the Heavenly. "Thhrune consist of our three patriarchs, to whom King D: was subsequently joined, making together a tetrad, symbol 'of the Divine Tetragrammaton. Correspondingly se have Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, to whom later on there was joined Judah, Who inherited the kingship, Hence the significance 'of the pacrage: This time will I praise the Lord. Th she called his name Judah, And she left off beatin reason being that now all the four sippors of the Heavenly "Throne were completed. (Why did she say: "this time will L praie the Lord in regard to this son and not i regard to any of the others ?The tuth i that we leern from here that as lng (t55a) a8 the Community of Ise isin exile the Divine Name remains incomplete.) Observe that with the birth of three sons the Heavenly 'Theone was not yet made complete until Judah was born; hence only then Leah said, Ths time wil I praise the Lord", and nt in regard to any ofthe other sons; and hence again the term vatha'anod (and

8THe zomaR 1 Lusse-issb
she left of, it, stood, implying that the Heavenly 'Throne stood then fir on its supports. (This term also indicates that 'pt that point there is unity, but below tha is the world of Separation.) As for the two ober sons born subsequently With the same characteristics, these were united with the Dehers, constituting together unity symbolic of the six thrections of the world (Observe further that all the yeelve the oto parts of the Community of lari inthis world, to give full Rrength to the supernal light, enveloped in blackness, and restore the root principle of the Whole to its place. Ail the worlds are buileon the same para; and throagh this rela- tion the lower 'nord was completed on the pattern of the upper world By the birth of Issichar and Zebulun there was maid complete the number ss, symbalic of the six directions ofthe world. 'Then again the four sans ofthe handmaids were them, they being, asi were, the Four joints ed wth them, a area explained "nd their hinder parts were vt alton they were the sons Yet they belongetinwird. Re Hskiah said: 'We have armed that what the lower world produces belongs to the eategory af separation, ait is written "and from thence it was parted" (Gent, 1) Ifs, what about Joseph and Berjamin ? How tan Sou ay that they belonged wo the anme world ay the sthers, since they didnot issue from the upper world, and what the lower world brings fois for the lover world and tot for the upper work: and, io, they are separated from the others, since it has been lid down that whatever the lower world produces belongs tthe eategory of separation K. Abba came up and kissed him and sd "Thin sa eal Aifcuty, since is true thatthe upper world ketomes per- Feeted by the twelve which propery belong ti, Buti ean fe solved esotercally as follows. At every moment the Righteous One bh leaves and enter the lower word, Hence Jers built up in the place, wile he rot ie above. 'Chun he always present in the lower word (1558) Tis written: "And it-care to pass a her sol (nia) win departing, for she ied" (Gen. xxxy, 18), Now the Righteous One ie both in and. 1538] vavege 5 cout ofthis lower word. When he enter it he des oa eym- bolised by Joseph the rightew dors a0 as eymbolsed by Henjamin. Fence it saysin eonnee- tion withthe birth of Renjamin: soul" alludes to the Righteous One that was departing, to "wit, Benjamin, She called him Ben-oni (son of my sorrow), 'inking that what she bore belonged to the lower worl dhe world of separation, thus leaving only eleven as belonging to the upper world. tis father, however, called his Benjamin (en of the right hand) (bid), implying that he ascended on high to the upper world; for when Joseph disappeared Ben- Jamin took his place. 'Thus did the Righteous One both enter the lower world and leave it, Hence Joseph ané Benjamin andallthe others completed the numberof twelve, who formed. 'unity after the supernal pattern" 'Tats vioue wine I praise re Lon. R. Simeon ade duced here the were: "Twill price the Lord with my whole heart (lead), withthe counel ofthe upright, and with the congregation" (Ps. cxt, 2). "The intensified form lebab (heart is used here, he sid, wo show that David desired to praise the Lord with his whole being, including both bis good rompter(yetzer-tb) and his vil promptcr (yetzr-a) of in Ste terms, the right side and the left sie, the heart (eb), being syeuboie of South and North By the phrase "with the council of the upright" David implied the other directions, 'making up the six directions of the world, after the superna pater; "the congregation" is a reference to the realm of Judah, the term 'alah congregation) being skin to the term "eduth (estimony) inthe passage, "and my testimony (ee-edoth) that Ishall teach them" (Ps. exxxt, 13), a8 well

480 the vocable 'od (yet) in the passage, "but Judah yet
(Cot) euleth with God, ete" Hos.2it 1)- On the other hand, fa the vere: "L will praise thee with my whole hear (li), toward Elohin sl Taig praie uit te" (0d. cot David addeessed himself to one single realm, designated Elohim, singing praises othe grate associated wilh the right

109THe zouaK tt [assb-1560
side, Observe that Judah embraced all sides, having taken hold of the South as well as of the East; himself issuing from pin the North, he took hold of uings Were to the right, and attached himself tothe bods. Hence Leah's words: "This time T will praise the Lord. The words, "And ahe stood still not to hear any more" imply that there was now a firm standing, that all 'was now in order, since the Heavenly 'Throne was now (with the birth of Judah) made complete" RR, Simeon was once walking in the country when he met R. Abba and R Hiya and R. Jove: When he sae them he sxid> 'We aught to have here some new expositions of the TTorah, So the three of them sat down fora time, When he was about togo,cach one of them in turn discoursed on a Seriptural text. IR, Abba took the verse: And the Lord said unto Abram, after 'that Lot had separated from him: Lift up noe thine eyes, ete, (Gen, x111, 4). "Did Abrakam then', he asked, 'inherit only so much of land as was within his range of vision and no-more "a mere three, four, or, at most five parasangs ?This would contridit the next verse saying? "forall the land which thou seeat to thee Twill pive it" (Zid. 15). But the truth is that in surveying the four directions of the world he saw the whole land, since the four directions embrace the whole world. Furthermore, God raised him high above the Land of Israel [560] and made him see hove itis bound up with the four 'cardiral points, Abram this looked over the whole of the land. In a similar way, whoever sees R. Simeon sees the whole world, sees the delight of the upper world ané the lower 'world' R. Hiya followed with the text: "The land whereon thou les, to thee will I giveit, and to thy seed" (Gen. xxvin, 13). 'Did God, then', he asked, 'promise him no more than, that spot, a mere four o five cubits ? The truth, however, is that God at that moment folded up the whole ofthe land of Israel within those four cubits, 30 that that spot comprised the whole land. Now, ifthe whole land ean be socencentrated, hhow much more tly may it be said that R. Simeon, who is the light of the world, is of equal worth with the whole world!" R. Jose then took the passage: "This time will T praisethe Lord," Wasitnot, heasked, 'equally incumbent on 1360-1564] vavere 101 her to praise God forthe birth of er other sons? But the truth s that Jud, in virtue of being the fourth son, was the 'completion of the Heavenly 'Throne. Judah alone is thus the mainstay of the Heavenly 'Throne and is ita ervest supe port. For this very reason, moreover, vas he called Judah (HYD!) a word which contains the Divine Name withthe audition ofthe leter Daleth (out), panting tothe four supe ports ofthe Heavenly 'Throne. With how mich greater force an this be said of R, Simeon, wh ilumines the whole world 'with height ofthe Torah, and who kndles the ght of many lamps VEST, AND FOUND MANDRAKES IN THE FHHLD. R,Tsaae Aiscoursed on the verse: Hote manifold are thy works, O Lord! Tn wisdom hast thou made them all; the earth is full of thy 'creatures (Ps. ct, 24). 'Who', he sid, 'ean eount the works af the Amaya a here eos upon bos and 'upon legos of beings, each dering from the other, SE es in tien eee re! auses sparks toy off in all directions, so God broughe into being simultaneously manifold species and hosts, each difer- ing from the other, without number. The world was brought ino being by a word and a breath together, as iis writen "By the word ofthe Lord were the heavens made and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth' (PS. xx, 6) One is inoperative without the other, but from their com: bined aetion there came into being hosts upon hosts and legions upon legions, and all simultaneously. Now when God 'was about to create the world, He produced a secret spark fom which there ised and radiated all the lights which are disclosed, Fist there spread from it those lights which con- stute the upper worl, 'Then it continued its radiation, and the Arifier made it into ight without brightness, and thus He made the lover world. And by eason ofits being light, tout without illumination, it feels itll attracted towards [+368] the upper world, Nov itis tha light without illu- 'mination which through its auachmest to the upper world brought into being all those legions ard hosts of existences, oz 'THE ZOHAR It [1360-157 all the multitudicous species, of which itis wrtter, "How manifold are thy works, ete." And whatever is on earth has 'ta counterpart onbigh, there being no ubject, however small, 'in this world hut what subordinate to ts counterpart above which has charge over it; and so whenever the thing below bests itself, thereisasimultaneousstimulationofitscounter~ part above, as the 1wo realms form one interconnected whole. 'This may be illustrated from the verse: Give ate, L PRAY THEE, OF THY SON'S MANDRAKES. It yas not the man- drakes that made Rachel bear children, but God used them as an instrumeat for procuring the birth ofa child, Issachar, 'who should hold fast to the 'Torah more than all the other tribes. For Rachel at frst held fast ro Jacob and did not let him go to Leah a i is written: "Is i a siall matter that thou hast taken away my husband?" But afterwards Rachel said: "Therefore he shall ie with thee to-night for thy son's mandrakes." 'Thus the mandrakes were responsible for the birth of Issichar, through whom the fragrance of the Torah 'ascended to the presence of the Almighty, in harmony with the words: "The mandeakes give forth fragrance" (8, S. vil 1g)-and thus its further written: AN ate LAY WITH HER "TA (Hu) si80117, where the term hu (he) points anauredly to Him of the supernal world, which, as already' exphined, is biddden absolutely. For the Torah came forth fom the upper 'world, whichis everywhere pointed by the vocable hu (He), indicating realmundiselosed, Now Issachar took hold of the Torah, which is called the tree of life, meaning life of the "upper world, which is called hu (he)and not attak (thou). Tis dlear that it was not the mandrales that opened Rachel's womb, seeing thar itis written "and God heatkened to her, and opened her worh'"—God, and no other. For although the mandrakes ate endowed with certain power above, yet that power cannot influence the-birth of children, inasmuch

4children depend on fate (maz=e) and nothing else. Hove-
'ver, the mandrakes also ate a help to [2574] women who are Slow in child-bearing but not barren, the latter beng under the influence of massa.' Asp Lea west our To steer uta, AND gntp: 'THoL 1574] vaveEE 103 MUST COMELN UNTO aE, FT, This language appears on the surface to be immodest, but really it isa prof of Leah's 'modeaty that she maid nothing in the presence of her aister, that went out to meet Jacob, and there tld him in low tone that, though he properly belonged to Rachel yet I HAVE SURELY MIRED THEE, and have obtained permission f Rachel; and in order that he might not become confused in the sight of Rachel, she spoke 10 him outside and not in the hhouse. Moreover, ane door of Leah' tent faced on the road, tnd she brought him in by that door before be could enter into the tent of Rachel, so that she should not say anything inthe presence of Rachel, which would have been immodest, She further reflected that should Jacob once enter Rachel's tent, it would ot he right for her to make hie leave it she therefore intercepted him outside. Leah wert wo all this trouble because the Holy Spirit sired within her, and she 'knew that allthose holy tribes would issue from her; and she thus hastened the hour of union in her loving devotion to God, and under the same inspiration she called them by frames with deep symbolical meanings. 'ASR. Hiaand R. Jose were once walking onthe road, the latter aid Bvety time we walk together and discuss matters pertaining to the Torah, God performs for us miracles, and ow that we have along road before us let us occupy ourselves, inthe Torahand so God will oin us." R, Hiya then opened 'with the verse: Jn the first month, un the fourtecath day ofthe 'month at ecen,e shall eat unleavened bread (Es Lnleavened brea. he said, "is called in another place" 'of aflction'" (Deut. xv, 3), an expression on which the com= ppanions have commented 26 follows, When Israel were in Egypt they were under an alien power, arid when God desired to bring them near unto Himself, He assigned them the region ofthe bread of "uni affiction), the tern 'oni admitting Also of the reading "ani (poor, and thus poinvingg to King 'David, who ssid of himsll: "for Lam poor ('am) and needy" (Ps, exes, 1), Now this bread ofafiction is led magsak (unleavened tread), symbolic of the female principle, which, Without the male principle i, sto speak, in poserty. 'Thus Israel were fist heought near the grade symbolised by maz

104'THe oHAR Ht (es7a-i57
Bur afterwards God caused ther to enter other grades, until the male principle joined the female principle, and so mazzak received the addition ofthe letter wa, symbolic ofthe male principle, and became converted into. méztwh (command, recep). So. Scripture says: "For thi commande (Deut. xxx, 7): frst mazzah (anleavened bread), then miseah (ommandment)" 'Whilst they were going along they heard a voice saying: "Ye tet-dwellers who take a eraoked path, turn to the high round and do not descend by the path lading downwards RR. Jone said: "This peoves that God ia guarding our way "They then wok the mountain path and ascended a hill hat ssa inated betveen huge rocks, saying to themselves: Since 'God desires us to take this road, we are sure to see Something of note, of experience some miracle' They went on and sat dwn by-a cleft in the rock, and were amazed to see a man suddenly emerge from it.'Who are thou ? std R. Jose. 'T telong to the denizens of Arge.' he answered, 'Are there human beings there? they asked, "Yes," he answered, "nd they' sow and reap. Some of them are of a strange appearance, different from my own; and the reason Taseended 10 you isto Jeaen from you the name of the earth wherein ye dal? cart', X Jose replied, "is called ees, namely, the erg (ind) fifo whichis written: "As fr the earth ers), outa it cometh bread! (Job xxvty, 3) implying that only out ofthis arth cometh bread, but not ont of any ather, oF if i does come itis not bread of any ofthe seven kinds.' 'The man thereujon returned to his plas, leaving them astonished, "They ssid: "Assured, God wishes to recall something Your rminds through this incident." R. Hiva then said: "Assured fo. Now in regard to the vere yo have just ited, I remember that my grandfather pointed out to-me an exellent idea in connection with the unleavened bread, namely, that Gd fst gave Isat that bread from the land of life and afterwards He gave them bread from heaven; and 90 we have aimed. He further ssid that a [1574] man born into this world knows nothing until he tastes bread, and only then i there an awakening in him of intelligence and power of discernment, In the sme way, when Israel lek Egypt they were devod of 1576-1584) vavere 105 all knowledge until God made them taste bread ofthat arth called ces, of which it says: "As for the earth (eres, bread cometh of it." 'Then Israel began to know and to recognise God. God, however, desired that they should know also of that plie which is the fitting counterpart of this earth, but they were not able t do so unl they tasted bread from that place, to wit, heaven, as it says: "I will eause to rain bread from heaven for you" (Ex. x¥, 4). Ie was only then that they attained toa knowiedge anda vision ofthat realm.' R. Josecame 'up to R. Hiya and kissed him, saying: 'Assuredly this was the rection of which God desired to remind us, We learn, then, thatthe preliminary to Israels knowledge was bread." 'They then arose and proceeded on their way. Whilst walking they noticed two Damascene plums, a mate and a female, which led R. Jose to remark: "There is no species which is not divided into male and female. Further, whatever being exists on dry land has its counterpart in the sea.' R, Jose discoursed on the verse: AND JACOB CAME FIOM, Tite FiFLD 1x THE EVENING, AND LEAM WENT OUT TO MEET iat, 'Acconding to tration," he said, 'she knew of his coming through the braying ofan ass, and hence Seipture says: "isachar iv an aus large-baned" (Gen. xix, 14), where the word gurem (large-boned) can also be read garam (he caused) signifying thatthe ass was a cause of his birth. Leah said to herself; I assuredly know that should Jacob once enter Rachel's tent I shall not be able co et him out again, Iwill therefore await him here so that he may enter my tent, FOR TMAVE SURELY HIRED THEE WITH MY SON'S wAN= brakes. She mentioned the mandrakes to Jacob, because the thought this would predispose him in her favour, on their eficacy far childbirth Jacob, however, knew that it did not depend on the mandrakes but on heaven. By the words "for I have surely hited thee", Leah may have referred to the Torah, which Jacob embodied. Or she may hhave meant literally his own self, as much as to say' (158) "I have hiced thee so that T may bear thy very ima there we learn that whoever st rently the Torah hrrits the world to come and theinhertance of Jacob, 'namic Isachar may be divided ito the two words ye

106THe zoWAR It ste
(chore isa reward), found in the verse: "there ina reward to thy work" Ger. xxx 16) and again: "There is (je) an inheritance for the that love me, and fil ll hei rea sire" (Prov: wits)? Braver 1 WAVE noRNe HIM six sons. RL Hiskiah said: "The six sons prefigured the upward and downwaed and the four dictions of space, and the purpose of prolong- {ng the word ehad (in reciting the Shema) is toacclaim God as King on high and below and in the four directions of the 'world, and so truly one." R.tfizkiah further said:*A distine- tion ie to be drawn between "mountains of separation" 11, 17) and "mountains of spices" (Ibid, vil, 14). The latter re typified by the six sons of Leah, who included within themselves the other sic sons, thus constituting allthe twelve, with Leah presiding, as it were, over them, in fulfilment of the passage: "the mother ofthe children is joyful. Praise ye the Lord" (Ps, cxin, 9). Its therefore written "thou shalt 'not take the dam with the young" (Deut. xxi, 6), for the reason that she represents the undisclosed world, thoushalt in any wise let the dam go, but the young thou mayest take unto thyself" (6d. 7), inasmuch as she symbo- lises the world that is absolutely concealed, while "the young. 'thou mayest take unto thysel in harmony with the verse: "*For ask now of the days past et, and from the one end of heaven unto the other" (Ibid, 1, 32), Now, all these are called "mountains of pices", whereas all which isunderneath is called "the mountains of separation", in allusion to the pawsage: "and feom thence it was parted and became four heads? (Gen. 1t, 10)" R. Jesse said: "The sans of the hand- maids represented the four joims which were necessary for the perfecting ofthe whole,' R. Elerzar remarked: 'It was fot that reason that these joints project s espite te fat that they are all organic pars ofthe body, which otherwise is perfectly straight; and thus all the tribes ascend aa testi- mony on ripture says: "Whither the tribes went 'up; even the tribes of the Lord, as a testimony unio Israel, 0 give thanks unto the name of the Lord" (Ps. exxit, 4) R. Eleazar further cited the verse: 1584] vavere wey Joser, ere. With the bith of Joseph, Jacob sa that the 'adversary of Esau had appeared, and he therefore made ready to depart: Observe further that Jeph gave anit were, ity to Jacob, correspending to the Zaddikin whom the Rody ends, 'and 90 he merited in particular to be called rightem 'when Jacob say that the Body was rade complete, conceived the desire to depart, the completion of the body being the sign ofthe covenant. But forall that it was Benjamin 'who completed the numberof the twelve tribes. Why, the smay be asked, did Jacob, knowing that the number of the 'ribes as not yt Fal, not wat forthe bith of Benga complete the number ? 'The reason i that Jacob was guided by a further consideration. "Ite cleat, he said, "tht if the number of the tribes will be completed here, then divine will ret upon them in the appropriate manner; snot desirable that they should attain per= fection, but ony in the Holy Land." The proof tht all the twelve tribes together elect the full realisation ofthe lower 'world i to be seen i the fat that immediately Benjamin was born Rachel died, and this lowee world fell nto its proper plac, and attained through them perfect reabsation. Hence Benjamin had tbe born in the Hol Land and not elewhere, So Serres: "Anda forme when Lumera Pad, [Rachel died unto mein the lind of Canaan' (Gen, 'Rachel thus died there, and her place was filled by sword, hich astumed ts rightful place ina completed House But as long ax Rachel was alive the lower world could not be made perfected through them. Iitisasked why Leah did not dieat the same time, the answer is that the House was i the lover world, avd from it all were to be browghe to full sl realisation, but it was not in the upper world. This was the reason that Leah didnot die at that time. Moreover, all hat 'concerned Leahis kept under a vel, ss she typified the upper 'worl, which is veiled and undisclosed; and this is another reason why Leah's death isnot divulged like that of Rachel, Wis in accordance, to, with this diference between the Upper and the oer sori that Leak was buried away from 'ght in the eave of Machpelah; wheteas Rachel was buried

108'rate Z0KKR IT
hy the open road. Hence iis worlds, the disclosed and the undisclosed, though the whole Originates fromm the upper world; [1388] and when we offer blessings to Gol wee invariably associate Him with the two Worlds in such words as: "Blesed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from one worl! even unto the other werld" (Ps, ev1, 48). Ibis for this reason that the upper world is named Hu (Hie), whereas the lower world is named ttak (Thou), be 'auseitisblessed from the upper worldthroughthe Righteous One, 'Thus Scripture sys: Hlessed be the Lord out of Zion, who duwelleth is Jerusalem, etc" (Ps, cxxxv, 21): assuredly itis out of Zion that He is blessed. Observe that we similarly find the divine Name repeated twice in: "The Lord, the EX. ANY, 6), alluding tothe 'wo worlds, the hidden and the revealed; and this explains the tonal pause between the 10, Bat for all that, the one world and the other form together an absolute unity." AND IT CAME TO PASS, WiKEN RACHEL RAD BORNE Josren, re. R, Judah said: 'Jacob, as a straightforward 'man, did not wish to leave save by the permission of Laban, In the end, it is true, he did depart without asking Laban's permission, but this was because he feared that Laban would fot Iet him go, and in consequence the last af the twelve tribes would be horn in am alien land, Hence, when Ie sa thatthe time had come for Benjamin to he born, he fled, as it is written: So Hk FLED WITH ALL THAT HK MAD, For

25soon as Benjamin was born, the Shekinah attached herself
to the company of the tribes and made her home with them. And Jacob, theough his knowledge of the mystic symbolism, Yeas aware that a1 s00n asthe twelve tubes should be complete the Shekinah would make them her adornment and attach herself to them, and that Rachel would die and the Shekinah would take possesion of the House. Our tradition tells us thatthe lower world was assigned to Jacob inthe same way as i was later to. Mone, but this eaald not le sceomplished until there were the full twelve tribes in the House to whom the Shekinah eould attach herself, It was then that Rachel was removed, and the Shekinah took up her abode in the House 2580] vavene 109 'with all the tribes, and become the foundation of the House, Assuredly, "He sets in her place the foundation of the House"" (Ps, exttt, 9). Jacob thus said: "The time has now arrived for the number of the onl triber abe competed so that the upper wold willbe due to descend nto the House to become tached t0 them and tht poor woman (Racil) wil be 'hs otto make room for, Should she die ee, [shall pave be dha ts ace ray, Moreen he lo or the nd tnhere es iting ha the House hould be rade complete," Hence AND t esate 70 nase, eve," R Sine, on hear~ ingall this expostion, sid "Ateredly all Jotahs expo: sions are exellent, but this excel them al, Jaco ght indeed have departed at one, bt he delayed until Rachel tr pregnant ih Bejan, Then be Hed witht aking Persson, soa oto inger there ay more and that hie 'tion with al the tnbes night be elected in the Ging place BR. Abbe said: We read of Mons tht "be went and tired to Jethro his fatherinclw et." (Ex. 18). Now Motes, who wat the shepherd of Jets flock and lived with Him Jct with Laban, when be wibed to ge away fat laine his permission; why, then, didnot Jar, being 40 Upright a man, obsinpermiain rom Laban ble leving thar? The uth a traiton teaches ux, that co feared tes Laban might emplay sll sore of devices to make kim feaiig inte anger tbe ha due as Rr, Bowes oy he bad nthg of the Kind to Fear fron Jeti. aban es Srugician, and inal his dealings vith Jacob used magical ata Hc Jacob did nots o remain there any longer ine God Fal sid to his "Return sto the and of thy ater, x." (Gen. xxxt, 3). Jacob thus did not wish to stay and transgress: the command of Bs Master TA futher icons onthe verse: For dhe Leaders ofthe sons of Korah upon Alamath song (Pe 10, 1) is vere he ety properly considered, wil be fund wo contin ey yea allooo, Ad, td, all the Peeves Sr aeelercnt tates {eng and byrne sung anew and all the ange and hyena Sung by David and his astoestes contain deep allusions of triedom, Now Gadhas mind the lever world afterthe pattern ne THE ZONAR IT [1585-1590 of the upper world, and all the arrangements laid down by David and Solomon and by all the true prophets were [1590] after the supernal pattern. Observe that in the same -manner as thete are watches of the night on earth, so are there in heaven relays of angels who sing praises to their Masterand intone hymns continually; they all stand ranged in rows, facing each other, and producing one harmony af song and praise. 'Thus the' companicns have interpreted the phrase 'upon Alamoth. A song". The term "Alamoth", according tothem, has'a meaning similar to its homonyms in the verse 'There are theeescore queers, ad fourscore coneabines, and maidens (alamoth) without number" (S. S. vt 8), whilst the phrase "without number" finds its echo jn the passage: "Is there any number in his armies ?" (Job xxv, 3). Hence "maidens without number" all standing in rows upon rows, facing each other, to sing hymns and praises to their Master, ese are called "the maidens of song" because there are other maidens who do not chant hymns like these. 'There are three erders (of singers) arrayed on each one ofthe four of the world, and each order again is subdivided into three 'sub-orders. 'The firt order on the East contains thus three orders each with three sub-orders, amounting altogether to fine, each of sthich comprises thousands and tens of thou 'ands of angels. All these nine orders are guided by a signal of engraved letters to which they constantly look up. The same procedure is followed by de test of the orders, all of 'whomare similarly guided ty engraved letters, Furthermore, they ate arrayed ina series of ranks one abave the ther, all of them chanting praises in unison; and when those letters soar high ia the air the chief of them gives the command and a melodious ehanting is raivel. "Then one letter flies up from the lower world, rising and descending, until two letters fly down to meet it; they then jon together into a group of three, ling tothe letters YHV which are the three letters "Phe two superna letters which rise aloft are intertwined the one within the other, expressing the union of merey and severity. Hence they are two, and ate of the upper world, symbolising the male pri ciple. On the other hand, the ane that ascended from below 1599-1595] vavEe: m and joined them syrmbolises the female principle, and thus is 'embraced by the two, in the same way a8 the female ix em- braced by two arms, the right and the left so that a unity is 'both male and female. For when the world 'was created it was the supernal eters that brought into being all the works of the lower word, literally after their owe patter. Hence, whoever has a knowledge of them and is observant of them is beloved both on high and below.' R, Simeon said: 'All these lerters consist of male and female rmenging together into one union, symbolial of the upper waters and the lower waters, which aloform ane union. "Thi the type of perfect unity. Henee, whoever has a knowledge of them and is observant of them, happy is his portion in thi world and in the world to come; as therein is contained the root principle of true and perfect unity. Now, the three orders 'on each side at in perfect unison, being tuly symbolical of the supemal order. The second order on the South consis also of three orders each with three sub-orders, forming & {oral of nine, as said above, As for the leters, they are dis- tributed on all the sides, so as to become united later, inas- 'muich as there are letters of the female principle and letters of 'the male principle, the two classes of which come together to form a unity symbolical of the mystery of the complete divine Name. 'The third order on the North also comprises three orders cach with three sub-orders, amounting to nine, "The total numberof orders on all threesides thus amounts to twenty-seven, [1596] corresponding to the twenty-seven levers, inclusive af the five final letters. These twenty-seven, lesters distributed over the three sides consist of nine letters, ofthe female principle which join and become united with the 'other eighteen leticrs as has been explained, all being carried fut in proper order. Observe that after the pattern of the supernal Ieters there are other letters here below, the uppet letters being large ones and the lower letters small ones, 'but both of the same pattern. And they both contain the 'mystery f the male principle andthe femate principle, which together form a perfect unity." Axo Gop (Elokin) nemenmeneD Racust. The name ns site 200AR TT fer toh ie used ere becae Rachel was sill dependent upon a "heky star", and therfore also the tern remembering abhor) is wie here. OF Sarah, however, i 6 writen that the Lard visited (pagad) her" (Gen. aX, 2), Hecate she did ot depend ont hcky star, and 30 in her exe all ores 'were combined. The reaon why in her case the erm vit ing pc) sed, is that remembering" had already pre= ered, and the ey to chitin had already been handed fver, an it were, 10 the lower-world force, God having {leslred:" ut my covenant will establish with Fue, whom Sera fall bear uiny thes ets mes (ada 3) Sine, then, Ise had been "remembered" inthe higher per, he now was noticed within the sphere ofthe femae Principle under the proces of visiting", x0 a to elect a Unity of both fores.R. Ha here diacoursed on the verte! "And iter Tac hed groaning ofr chlex of erie, 'chon the Egyptians hep inbondage; and Thc remembered my Eosreel (Eevee epremeten Teareeeeneg er here' he sid, eeause it was proces aking pace on igh, above the sary course (massa), and in vrte ofthe male prinape, coming ontop ofthe process of pertesin exile here below, in virtue ofthe Ina similar sense tis writen: "And God remembered Rachel, which fs meaning mile to that ofthe pasage: "and I remembered my covenant" Now, if we sty thatthe term "isting" is used only of the female principle (he Shebinah, we are met witha dificult inthe tees have surly vinted you", For hnw could the Shekinah speak thus, fecing that she was here n eile, ann fat ow ou she Appenr to Moses stall? But in truth these idee sige ance inthis passage. Fors the sun, although is entre isin heaven, yet spreads hi power and might throughout the arth so thatthe whole earth Fl f his glory, s0, 38 long a8 the Temple was in existence, the whole ear, to wit the Holy Land, was fll of God's glory; but now tht Teac exile, the Shekini 'on high, but still her might surrounds Issa so as to shield them, even when they are in a strange land, For the Shekinah ie both here below and on high. The Shekinah on high abies inthe twelve holy chariots and the 1598-1604] vaveee 43 'twelve supernal Hayyoth; the lower Shekinah is among the telve holy tribes, and thus the upper Shekinah and the lower Shekinah are intertwined, and both operate together and simultaneously. Now, when tse ix in exile, the upper Shekinah is not complete because the lower Shekinah is ot 'complete, and that i what is meant hy the Shekinah beingin exile when Isral isin exile. Iislike aking who has lost a son, and who asa sign of his mourning turns aver his couch and spreads thistlesand thorns on its underside and then lays him self down on it, Similarly when Israel went into exile and the 'Temple was dentruyed, God took thorns and thistle and put them underneath Him, as it were, as it is writen: "And the angel ofthe Lord appeared unto him in aflame of fire out of the midst of a thorn-bush'" (Ex. 1,2), the reason being that Israel was in exile. It was now "visting", bering fd taken place already, a8 say bered my covenant." Fits, then, "completing the previous "rememberin 'vith Sarah it says: "And the Lord visited Sarah." But here in the case of Rachel, since she had not yet been "remen= bred! before, it does not say "visited but "remembered", 'aterm concerned with luck or fate (mazzal) R, Judah and R, Hizkiah were once going from Cappadocia to Lydia, the former riding whilst the latter was on foot. R, Judah dismounted and said: "From now onward let us occupy ourselves with expositions of the 'Torah, in harmon with the injunction: "Ascribe ye greatness unto our Go" (Deut, 21x11, 3)' Said R. Hiokiah: 'Ie is a pity we are not three, as then one could have expounded while the other two chimed jn.' R. Judah rejoined: "This only applies to the recital of benedictions, one mentioning the name of the Holy 'One, blessed be He, and the other to responding, in har- 'mony with the verse: "When I proclaim the name of the Lord, ascribe ye greatness unto our God" (Ibid:); but in regard tothe Torah, even to may sit together and praise the Almighty for the great boon of the 'Torab." R. Hiekiah then asked: Why are three required forthe recital of benedictions2" His companion replied: "I have just explained, but in truth m4 THE ZOHAR IE [1600 there isa mystic vietue in the number three for pronouncing the praises of the Almighty, ax in this way the blessings are 'established through a supertal symbolism.' Whilst they were 'proveeling on their way, FL Judah said: 'We have learned that there isa remembering for good and a remembering for ceil; a visiting for good anda il. Bs 'remembering for good are: "Rut ber the covenant of their ancestors" (Le God remembered Noah" (Geo. v1 'ered his covenant" (Ex. 11, 24). An example of remembering for evil in: So he remembered that thoy were but flesh"* (Ps, tevin, 39). Visiting for good we find in: "T have surely visited you" (Ex. 11, 16); visiting for evil we find in, "Then will [ sisi thei transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with strokes" (Ps. txxxtx, 33). In all these verses there are rmysticreferences, All those remembrances and vistations for good refer to grades ofthe trae object of faith embracing male and female, the one under remembrance, the esher under visiting, both being for good. Contrariwise, the remembrance and vistation for evil refer tothe other side (stra ahra), with allusioas to strange gods, and similarly embracing male and female in one union: the one (male) under remembrance, the other (female) under visitation, both unceasingly intent on evil. 'There are thus two parallel and opposing influences. From the one there flows allthe inspiration of true Faith and. all superna sanctifications; irom the other flows whatever is vil all kinds of death and a sorts and conditions of mischief in the world R. Hizkiah said: 'Assuredly itis so. Happy is fhe whese portion is firmly established on the good side, and who does notineline himselfto the other side, but delivered from them.' Said R. Judah:'Assuredly it isso, and happy is hhe who is able to escape that side, and happy are those righteous who are able to wage war against that side"

1Hizkiah asked: 'How 2" R. Judah, in reply, began to dis-
'course on the verse: For by wie guidance thou shale make thy war, et. (Prov. xx1¥, 6). "This war, he said, 'allades to the 'war axzinst the evil side, which man must combat and over- come, 18 a8 to be delivered from it. [t was in this way that Jacob dealt with Esau, ssho was on the other side, so a5 to 1604-1608] vaveee ns 'outwit him by craft, as was necesary in order to keep the "upper hand of him from the beginningto the end, as befitted, 'Moreover, the beginning and the end fitted into one another, the beginning being "my birthright" (beRhorath), while the end concerned "my blessing" (brklodhi), so that the two victories were embodied in two vocables of similar sound, Happy thus is he who escapes them and obtains mastery over them. Observe, again, that remembrance and visitation for good go togetherin the true faith, and happy is he who strives after true faith in accordance with that which is written: "Phy shall walk after the Lord, whe shall roa so." (Hos. Xi, (0)" Said R. Hirkiah; "Assured! Observe that when a man prays, he should not say: "0 re member me and visit me", since remembrance and visitation ean be for evil a well as for [1608] good, and the evil forees, ready to take the word out of the mouth of the suppiani, 'and thus to make remembrance of the sin of that man and boring puinishment on him. Unless, indeed. he be a pert righteous man, so that when search is rade for his sins he w be unaffected. It was so with Nehemiah when he sai "Remember me; © my God, for goed" (Nehem. xith 2 Again, when a man prays, itis best that he should merge hhimself in the general mass of the community. We may take 'example from the Shunammitess and her answer to Elisha, It happened to be the day of the New-Year on which the heavenly Court sits in judgement over the world, and God is cal King of Judgement, when Elks apo co her, and her: "Woukdst thou be spoken for to the 1), But she answered: "I dvsell amon, as much as to says "I have 00 desire to be marked out on high, but only to be counted 'mong the multitude, and not to stand out apart from ther." tis thus requiste for a man to mingle himself among the mass and not to isolate himself, so tha no special notice may bbe taken of his sins, as already explained." Judah discoursed on the verse: Have the gates of death teen revealed to thee? Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow (of death ? (Job, xewtt, 17). 'God', he said, 'addressed these 'words to Job when He sa him perplexed by the problem of

136tute zostan 11 [nbs
divine justice. Job had said: "Though be slay me, yet will T trast in hr (lh) (hid. xt, 19) "The word las writen with tn aleph, meaning "not, and i read with a a, meaning "in Him' God said in reply to him: "Am T the one that ill the wont of men ? Have the gates ofJeath ben revealed to thee? And seest thou the gates ofthe shadows of death ? 'There ae exer so many gates open on that side over which death ret, hidden avay from the sons of men, who know them not." There ate here mentioned both "death" and "the stad of death, 'These area pie the one being the angel fof deat, the other his rider! who also ix hie protecting Shadow and strength, the two being linked together and forming but one being All the grades tat issue from them an ae attached to them form their "eats", Coreaponding {o the gates on high, of which iti writen heads, O ye gates, ec" (Pa. xxv, 7), and rivers and trooks flowing through the x dieeiony of the 'word, there are thee gates of death and the shadow of death Emansting fom the other side, forming certain grades that rule over the world, 'The "gates of death and the "yates of the shadow of death" are female and male combined into one. Hence, i anewerto Job's comin; "As the cloud i coe surmed and vaniseth away, s0 he that goeth down to the grave shal ome up no more" Job vit, 8 and x0 forth, God Sid to hims"Are those gates revealed unto thee ax being al my power and destined one diy tobe destroyed from off ieee Ht aall swallow up death For vee? (le ay, 8) Axp Gon (Blohim) reMemorneD RaciteL, axp Gop (Elokin) WHARKENED UNTO HER AXD OPENED WEN Woum. The name Elohim (God) is mestioned here twice, 'once to represent the male world and tke other the female world, the tno haying been necessary, since the birth of chil- dren depends on fate (mazzal). Now when Rachel was moved toname heron Joseph, saying, " The Lordadd to me nother sen", Jacob knew that st was she that Was destined to con plete the number of the tribes, whilst she herself would not The grade Gara s6ob-s610] VAYEZE 7 'survive; hence he desired immediately to leave, but he could 'not carry out his wish, When, however, Benjamin was about to be born, Jacob fled and departed thence, so that the House should not be made complete and the world of holiness 'become bound up with itin a strange land. So Seripture says: "And the Lord said un'o Jacob: Return unto the land of thy fathers, and to thy kindred; and 1 will be with thee"! (Gen. xxx, 3) God, in effect, said to him: "Until naw Rachel wa 'with thee, being the bass ofthe House; henceforward I vill bbe with thee and will earry on the House with thee inits com plement of the twelve tribes". 'The same idea is implied in the verse: "'And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died unto me 'aa, it-ypon me") (Gen. xiv, 7). By. 'the word 'alai (on me) Jacob meant to say, "it was on account fof me and through me that she was thrust out and another 'one came and took over the house so as to inhabit it with me", AND We satb: Arvounr (nagehah) ste THE WAGES, 'ano [WILL Give 17, R. Isaac said: "The term saguebah (appoint, akin to negebch female) signifies tha the wicked Laban said to himself "I see that Jacob has an eye only for females, (s614] forthe ake of whom he will serve me." He therefore sad in effect; "Behold, a female shall be thy wage as before; tell me on what female thou hast cast thine eyes, and 1 will give her to thee in return for thy service." AND Jacon saiv: Tuow suatt Nov o1ve Me avouT. Jacob practically suid: Far be it fom me! For all my acts Varn ealous fr the glory ofthe Holy King, and hence th shalt not give me aught. as my mind is not set on that, but thou wilt do this thing for me, et." An te REMOVED THAT DAY THE ME-GoATS, R. Bleazar 'quoted here the verse: Lord, who shall sojourn in thy taber- acl... He that weatkeh in perfection, and worketh nightecus- 'ness, and speaketh truth in kis heart (Ps, XV, 1-2). "He that 'walketh in perfection", he suid, "refer ster he had circumcised himself, was 'worketh righteousness" refers 10 Tsaa teuth" refers to Jacob, who indeed attached himself to the

18'rue zouan 11 [ora
truth, Ithat sso, why then did he at towards Laban inthis way 2 The reason i that Jacab wanted tose ifthe hour was 'propitious for hm, fori ix permissible fora man totes his Ick before returning to his land, If he finds fortune favour- ale, well and good; but i not, let hin not air before his ick isin again, Tia written: So SHALL st¥ NIGHTEOU: WITNESS AGAINST ME. HEREAFTER, ETC., for he did not attempt to obtain from Laban anything for nothing, but he fcted throughout honestly and wprightly, and, moreover, he 'sked Laban for perminsion to depart, Hence Laban hinselh hid: [nav oasrnveo THesioNs, ax Tit LoxD mari BLESSED ME FOR THY SAKE. For Laban tested Jacob by all manner of divinatons, and found that he brought itm ick trough Jacob he obtained each montha hundred sheep snd a hundred lambs and a hundred he-goats more than his flock was wont to produce' R, Abia said: Jacob brought him iva thousand sheep and a thousand lambs and a thouand hhe-guats extra every month, "This is proved by the verse: Fow 1 WAS LITTLE WHICH THOU HADST REFORE T CAME, AND IT HATH INCREASID ABUNDANTLY: AND THE LonD HATH BLESSED THEE Fon MtY SAKE. For a bles ing from on high never resulta in leas than thousand of each kind: So that there was a surplus of a thousand in Laban's coves, andthe sume i his lambs, and in his goat, until he acquired geeat wealth, and all through Jacob. But when Jacob came for his recompense, he only abtained ten ofeach kind, ned even this he considered great ches. What a anal, part then did he take for himself of ll that he contributed for the benefit of Laban, and even that he had ta frce from him, av it ere, by means of the rods which he placed against the flock. Observe how Jacob in hi simplicity did everything posible to satisfy: Laban, and while bringing him al this 'realth he only asked for the spotted and speckled, But for all that Laban eonsented to this, he would not in the end let him ave them, but he took ten of each kind and sent them to him thiough his sons, saying: "Take these, and. whatever they wil bear of the sort you said shall be yours." Tei thus written ""And your father hath deceived me" (Gen. 4x, 7), sandals, "and thou hast changed my wages ten times" (Ib, s61a-1618) vavere ng 42), theterin moni (time, akin to minim ten of each kind. So whatever agreement Laban made Jacob, he went back on his word and took from him every= 'thing, until God had compassion on him, 20 that he wrested what wae his own from him by fore, ae it were," R, Elurar 'remarked that ll these verses contain deep lessons, based on what we have learned from tradition, to wit, that some blss- ings from above are obtained by action, some by speech, and others by devotion. So that whoever wishes to draw down to himself blessings muse exercise prayer, which consists of speech and devotion; yet there are blessings that cannot be obtained by prayer, but only by action, 'Observe that Jacob, the staple man, acted throughout with wisdom. AND HE SET THE RoDS—we read—WHLCH ME Tens 18 THE WATERING TROVOUS. 'This was all done with esaterc wisdom so a8 to deaw benediction from the icf well-spring that eaters all the supernal grades which 'were his lot and portion. 'The rods were symbolic of the grades embodying judgement, which he had "peeled, that fa, the seventy of which he had mollifed. "In the gute" (rehatin) Buds ts echo inthe paage; "The hing is bound to the gutters (rehati)" (8, S. vl, §) (1618) indicating that the supernal King fs ied and bound to those superaal aque- ducts whence flow benedictions for all, "Flowing in the 'watering troughs"; to wit, inthe rivers and broaks that ow 'on until they reach their final reservar. Agai flocks came to drink" is parallel withthe verse: "They give drink toevery animal ofthe field, the wild ases quench their thir Ps. civ. 11), both alhiding to the reservoir, the gather= ing place of all the waters whereto all resort to drink. "And they were heated" (ceyehamnal), When thenorh wind blows, the waters become frozen, they stop flowing, so that no one 'comes te drink of them. This ste time when judgementim- pends over the world, and the cold of the North freezes the waters. But when the south wind arises the waters became warmer, and, the ice being melted, flow on their way, and all come 16 drink of them; for the southern warmth having aused the waters to that, al come to drink with relish the

129THE Z0HAR 1 [rerb-1630
svaters after they have been freed from the icy grip of the North. 'Thue all that Jacob did contained 3 deep eymbolic purpose. Further it is written: ANb JAcon Took Hons OF Pursit PorLAK, ETC. R, Elearar discoursed here on the verse: For the Lord hath choten 'Tocob unto himself and Israel fr his oon treasure (Ps. ORV, 4)- From the actual words of the original', he suid, "we could ot tell whether i was the Lord who chose Jacob or vice- versa, That the former is meant we know from the parallel serse which says: "For the portion of the Lord isis people, Jacob the lot of his inheritance" (Deut. xxxi, 9). Neverthe- less, itis also true that Jacob on his part, too, has chosen his heritage and his portion, and, rising above all intermediate rrauls, has taken for his lot "rods of fresh poplar" libel = white), symbolic o the white grade of the Right side, and "of the almond and ofthe plane-tree", symbolic ofthe red grade of the Left side; "and peeled with streaks in them", signi fying that he remived severity from the Left, and linked the Left with the Right, while he entered between and laid hold 'of both of them together, so that there resulted ore united blend of two colours, but at the sare time "making the white appear", ue. predominate over the red. Why allthis 'So as to draw to the grad which was his own portion blessings from the universal well-spring, and to place that grade, which is the third, "in the putters in the vatering-troughs", as has been already expluined. Now from these operations of Wise dom blessings flow to the lower world, and all worlds are 'watered and beatified, as it says: "In the morning he devour- '0.1%, 27), and after that: Vand at even he divideth the spol" (Jid.), so that the blessings pass [162g] to all the lower worlds. Jacob, t00, took his partion of those blessings that rested upon him in this world, inasmuch as he 's the portion and lot of the Holy One, blessed be He.' R, Jesse the Younger wasa frequent Visitor atthe schoo! of I Sitneon. Kefesring one day to the verse: tupon the head of the righteous" (Prov. x, 6), he asked: "Why joes it say "upon the head of the righteous", and not simply R. Simeon in answer said "This is 620-162h] vavege mat 'an allusion to the Holy Crown, as has been explained else- where. Or again, the "head of che rightenus can he an allusion to Jacob, who received the blessings and transmitted them to the Righteous One, from whom they were diffused. toall sides, s tha all worlds were blessed. We have, however, affirmed that "Righteous" isthe name given tothe place of the covenant whence there ive fountains abrosd, and just as the aperture of « wine cask Uhough which the wine is drawn is called the top or head ofthe cask, soi this spot ealled "the hhead of righteous", when it wells forth ; Furthermore, whoever succeeds in keeping unsullied the sign of the holy covenant, and observes the precepts of the "Torah, is called righteous, and isso called from the crown of his head tothe sole of his foot; and when blessings flow into the world they rest upon his head, from whence they are diffused throughout the world, through the medium of the holy and worthy sons whom he brings up.' R. Jesse further cited the verve, J have Been young and now am od; yet have E tot sce the righteous fortahen (Pe. x33, 23) "These words' hhe said, 'according to our teaching, were uttered by the Chieftain of the world, who concentrated in them more wisdom than most people would think." R. Simeon said to him: "My son, that is quite tru, as it deals with the subject, of holy union, Its laudation of this unity, in which day is never found without night, for night is ever found in day, [Now the Righteous One hold fast co the upper world and also to the lower world. As forthe words "nor his seed beg king bread', the meaning is thit when the seed fows forward, hhe does not court the Female since she abides with him and. 'never pats from him, and hence is ever ina state of readiness {or him, For the seed does no flow save when the Female is present, [1626] and their mutual desires are blended into one indiasoluble eestasy. Hence he has no need toask for consent." R, Jesse remarked: "This surely is not the cae during the time of exile' R. Simeon rejoined: since it is weitten "his seed" but not he himsel 'outpouring of the blessings only occurs when there is close union of the female with the male, It may be asked then, does the assertion, "and T have not seen a righteous forsaken" ma THE ZONAR tt [2638 apply to the time of exile ? The truth js that the Righteous, (One is always closely hound tothe upper worl and xo Far is never abandoned. 'Thus at one time, that is, at the time of exile, the Righteous One is not forsaken from the side of the 'upper world, to which he holds fast, whilst at another time hie is not forsaken from the two sides, holding fast to both, the upper and the lower worlis, so that in fact he is never forsaken." "This Zaddilis also called "the firmament of the heaven' (Gen. 1, 17), Fer there are two similar frmaments, one at the beginning and one-at the end of the series of eight. The top tone isthe eighth firmament, the one in which there are set all the lesser and the greater star. Tt i the undisclosed upper firmament which upholds the totality of things and from 'ihich all existence flows. This s the eighth firmament count- ing from below. and is thus the top one and thestarting-point from which all things receive their existence. Correspondingly i from above, in which. spe. Thia Berament Supports the whole and forms the end of the whole: Thus the top firmament snd the end firmament are of thesamie pattern, forming together the river that flows on peresially so that the end is already enclosed in the beginning. Hence it says: "And God set them in the firmament of heaven." For what purpose #''To give light upon the earth." 'There is, however, a difference between the two firmament for while dhe upper ne sustains and nourishes the upper world in which it is set and all those upper sides, the lower firmament sustains and rnurtures the lower world and all hose lower ses. It may be asked, what ix meant here by the "upper world", seeing that the upper eighth firmament, which is hidden 'and undis- coverable, is itself the upper world and ie go elled ? But the truth is that while i itself forms the upper world proper, all 'thse that emanate from it are also designated by that names the same with those that emanate from the lower world, ignated hy i name, Yer all of ther form. ne ity) Bled be He for exer ar ever {Tia writen The trees of the Lord have their fil, the cedars of Lekanom which he hath planted, Wherein the birds make their nets; as for the vavege 133 stark (hasidal, the ir tres are her hose (Pa 1, 16-17). The alksion of Lebanon has been explained alreads elsewhere. 'Tye birds also are the two refereed to in many places [1634] asthose from which there emerge hosts of ther birds. They themselves, however, ae superior, as emanating from Leban- 'on, which is in the supeenal realm, They are hinted atin the words "Laban hid nwo daughters". The 'fir-rees" are the 'si supernal sons, symbolic of the ax directions ofthe world, asalready explained elsewhere, In them "the stork has made her house". Why is it called bere hy the feminine form 'esida (stork, tilled with mercy) ?"The truth is that this upper world is realy ofthe female principle, but we usually give ita masculine name (Reed) inasmuch asin ts unfolding {tis the source whence all beneficence ancl all light come forth, And thus, a it is hasdah, there springs fom it hesed (mercy), which isthe primordial light referred toin the state= ment: "And God said, Let there be light" (Gen, 1,3). It is thas that region of which it says: "firtrees are her house", 'where the word beoshim (trees) may be read berashin (at the heads, or head), signifying that there is another world (Geburah) which has its habitation below and constitutes the Court of Justice of this world It isto this that we can refer such expressions as: "And it repented the Lord . . . and it sieved him at his heart" (Ubi, 6), or "the fierce anger of tte Lord", for in the realms abyve there resides only fight spreading life all around, Hence the dictum: "there is no grief in the presence of God". Hence, too, it is written: "Serve the Lord with gladness} come hefore his presence with singing" (Ps. c, 2), the word "Lord alluding to the 'upper world, and the word presence" to the lower world. Hippy are Israel in this world and in the world to eome. So Scripture says: "Happy art thou, O Tsrae, who is ike unto thee 2A people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and that is the sword of thy exclleney lee." (Deut xxxt, 29), Asin We sey Tit mops Wien Me PEELED 1 THEE GUT Tuus, Ere. Said R, Bleazar; "There are sinners who either nplect altogether the words of the Torah, or if they do cast aan eye on them, think them mere folishness. But in truth the

134'THE ZONAR 11 L630
foolishness is in their own minds, since all the words of the 'Torah are sublime and precious, and of every word it is written "She is more precious than rubies; and all the things 'thou canst desire are not to be compared with her" (Prov. int, 13). Woe to all these foolish and senseless people, when the Holy One, blessed be He, will demand an account from them for theinsule done wo the Torab and they will be pan- ished for having rebelled agsint their Master. So Serie nan empty thing, empiness is from you that all the things one cn desire re not to her, Hove ean they say thatthe Torah i an empy thing secing that Solomon said: "f thou art vie, how fart wise for thyself" (Prov. 1, 1), implying that whoever 'becomes wise in the 'Torah benefits himself thereby ? 'Thus: the Torah iafiled with ll riches and noone can add thereto Grice' ler! Scie lied sind, caisiase Nal ee 5" (Ibid), since the worth of the Torah wil bein no wise diminished thereby, and the scoring wil ony recon the head ofthe scorer sotto ease him to perish in thi world and inthe world to come, Observe now. When the superal letter are joined together and attach themselves tothat grade which thet fal the auperal hoy rade, anit becomes Filled from them and enriched with blesings from the upper 'word this same grade isin readiness to "waterall the flocks" $ccording to thei quirements each one beng watered both iil julesteek ond ey. Mong Jost dase tats evening prayer and so restore the light ofthe moon and water her and enrich her with blesings on all ides Hence it vwrten, "Asd he aet the rods, ete" These rods signify 'everity and force, which ase fom the upernal Geburh dei to pt himself right with that rade, "set tat he remaved all the iluences of severity and fore symbolised hy the rods, and "placed them inthe utters, to wit, those four gutters! that stand wnderneath "the well, which the princes digged" (Num. xt, 18), the rll which van filed from shoe mupermal vers and foun: tains; for wen water comes forth out ofthat sacred. wel, "eth fut Hath Esk 630-1636] vavere 135 these four receive the whole of i, they being called gutters (rehatim=swift runner) for that reason, and to that source [263] they all come to drink, taking of those implements of severity and force what is fitting for each, So it says: against the flocks". Farther it is written, "and they con- ire Ue re) a whe ey stared 'with power to punia, they become heated thereby, and then they set out to roam te and fo in the world and closely in- spect the ways of men, whether for good or for evi Further 'we read: "And the flocks became heated at the sight of the rods", inasmuch as these rods become hot and take charge of the judgements to be reted out tothe world, and the sons of 'men receive their punishments through them, as we read "The sentence is by the decree of the angels, and the decision by the word of the holy ones" (Dan. 1¥, 14)" 'R. Hiya discoursed onthe verse: My soul cleavethanto thee; 'thy right hand holeth me fst (Ds. xis, 9). "King Davie he 'sid, 'could speak thus because his soul ever clave to God, and he had no care for worldly matters, and therefore God supported him and never let him go; and so it is with every rman who cleaves to Ged. Or again, David may have meant these words as a prayer that his grade should be erowned in the superna realm, for when that grade clings to the supernal arades to ascend after them, then the right hand of God lay hold of it, raises i, and unites it to itself, as we read: "And thy right hand would hold me" (Ps. cxxxtx, 10), als; hie right hand should embrace me" (6. 3): Hence David's words: "Thy right hand holdeth me fast" OF him who does hold fast to the Holy One, blessed be He, iis writ ten: "His left hand should be under my head, and his right hand should embrace me" (Ihid.), an expression indicative 'of perfect attachtnent and union." When the water pours into those gutter, they arefilled on all our sides, so that all the flocks can be watered each from its proper side. Now when Jacob essayed to perfect his rade, hhe chose for himself the right side which befitted im, and allowed the leftside which did not bei him to pare from him, as itis written: "and he put his own droves apart, and put them not unto Laban's Hocks". "Apart, that is by himself,

135ite coma LL [1636-1640
sso that he should not avail himself of alien idols of the other . Happy the portion of Israel of whom itis written: "For thou are holy people unto the Loed thy God, and the 1 hath chosen thee, etc" (Deut. atv, 2). Now Jacob was the crown of the patsiarchs and their epitome, summing them all 'up within himself, an he therefore set xbout to restore the Tight of the moon, as well as to institute the evening prayer; ani ll this work was well becoming him, as thereby he per- fected all those sides of holiness which belonged to his side, and separated his portion from the portion of the other ions. The former are the superna sides, sanctified with the ssupernal sanctites, whilst the latter are utterly defiled and unclean. So that Jacob, a5 already explained, "put his 6wn Adroves apart"; that is, he prepared himself for the adoption of faith which should keep him apart, sit is written: "and 'the Lord hth chosen thee to be his owa treasure out of all, peoples" (Deut, xv, 2); and put them not unto Laban's thats, he did not place his portion and Jot with them, Jacob thus, being the perfection of the patriarchs, established the true faith, and separated his own portion and lot from that of ther peoples. To such an action could be applied the sworde: "Tut ye that did cleave unto the Ls alive every one of you this day" (Ibid. 1v, 4) "Hippy is the portion of Israel, who are exalted above the iddatrous nations, in virtue of their grade being above on high, whereas the gride of the idolatrous people is down, blw, The former are of the side of holiness, the latter ofthe side of uncleanness; they are on the right, the others on the Te, But when the Temple was destroyed, then it could be said, "He hath drawn back his right hand" (Lam. tt, 3), wherefore alu itis writen: "Save me with thy right hand and answer me" (Ps, x, 7); and the left side has since been gathering force and unelesnness, and will continue to do s0 'until God shall rebuild the 'Temple and establish the world 'onts right foundation, and the night order shall be restored, ani the side of unelecnness shall pass out of the world as it ys: and I will cause the unclean spirt to pass out of the and" (Zech. x1, 2), [164a] also: "He will swallow up death for ever" (Is, 2x¥, 8). God will then remain alone, as it is 1644] VavEsE 17 'written: "And the idols shall utterly pass avay" ( 8), also: "and the Lord alone shall be exated in that day" (Cid 17), He alone, the, willbe left auf e written: "And there was no strange God with him!" (Deut. xxxtt, 13), the 'unclean host being thes extirpated from the world, so that both in the upper world and in the lower world there will be no other left save God alone, with Isacl, the holy people, mmhipping Him. For Israel will then be designated holy, as itis writen: "And it hall come fo pass, tht he that i left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written unto lfe in Jerusalem" (stv, 3). There will thus be one and only one King on high and below, and one and only one people to worship Him, as it is written: "And who s ike thy people Israel, a nation one in the earth « « .2" (1 Chron, xv Said R. Jesse: 'Behold, the Shekinah is near us. Let us there fore engage in an exposition of the 'Torah since whoso oceu~ pies himself with the Torah draws Her nearer to himself" R, Isaac then began a discourse on the verse: The Lord Hewth and Bed be my Rock, and exalted be the God of my saleation (Po, xvtt,47).°Thia verse, he aid 'meaning, We know that God is elled "the living on this verse indicates that the perfectly righteous man also is called "living one", so that there is 2 righteous living one on high, and correspondingly a righteous liring one here on ctth. On high it is God who ie called "living one and here = righteous man who is called "living one', ae ft "And Benaah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a (Sam. xu, 20). He was socalled because he was ¢ righteous man, and the righteous man is called "living fone". The words "bleseed by my Rock" have the same reference, since the Living One and the Blessed One are ever parted, and when united are called "well of living. 'watessy the one flows in, and the other is filled therewith, "Anil exalted be the God of my salvation" this indicates the supemal world, which is high and exalted overall, inasmuch * Acai tthe A

138He zonan 11 [640
a8 from it everything springs, even all the outpouring by which the well is filed, receiving therefrom blessings to spread light anny all the dwellers of the lower work. And 'when the whole i filled properly, then "exalted will be the eck of salvation"." R- Jesse then discoursed on the verse: Hewithdraceth not his yes fom the rghtnus; but ith kings Lupo the throne he stieth them forever, and they are exalted Gib conv, 7). 'When', he said, 'the domination of the Wwisked ceauet and they perish from the world, then the Fighteous obtain do 'He preserveth not the lifeof the wicked, burt giveth tothe poor tei right" (Ibid 6), 'The word, "He withdraweth not fom the righteous his eye" ae parallel to the text, "The eyes ofthe Lord are toward the Fighteous" (Ps xxiv, 16). "But with kings upon the throne" these are the kings whoare,asit were nied to thie thrones, nd whom He etteth forever sn that thes remain iramovably 'sublished. "And they are exaked", to wit, to rule over the World so that the throne remains firmly established on its supports Or, again, it may mean that they tute the throne an acti up on high so that ie should become united to is proper place and there should thus be a complete unity. 'Whilst they were proceeding on their way they caught sight of a man coming towards them, wih a child riding on his shoulders. Sad R Issac: "This man is without doubt a Judean, and he wants to give people a chance to do a good faction." Said R. Jese: 'Let us be the fist to take advantage nity" When he came upto them, R. Jesse asked to ie the talon pot set on the path ? The man

28t0 afford people an opportunity of doing a
pious action; for have two sons who were taken captive by brigand who pased through my native own, and now Tam «onthe road in order toafford people the opportunity of doing a good action, The two thereupon availed themselves ofthe ovzason anid ave ins fod to et, The Judean then begat a discourse om the verse) My food whichis resented unto me for am offering made by fe, of a meeetsacowr unto me, shall ye serve to offer nto mein due season (Sum, Xx, 2). "The offering brought unto the Holy One, bested be He, every 642-1648) vaveee, 129 day,' he suid, 'was forthe purpose of feeding the world and 'providing sustenance both for the upper world and the lower 'wot inasmuch asthe upper world moves in response to the ower world, with the result that every oneis supplied accord ing to his due. The words, "My food which is presented to sme as an offering", ae paralleled by the verse, "I have eaten 'my honeycomb with my honey: I have deunk my wine with iy milk" (8. S. ¥, 1); and "'made by fire" by the wor "Eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved" (Ibid.). Now, if God assigns food above in order that there from food may be dispensed below, with how much more 'reason must he who ofers food forthe preservation of a soul bbe rewarded, in that God will bless him and direct to him sustenance from on high, so thatthe worl will receive bless ings for his sake!" R, Isaac remarked: 'Assuredly this i the inner meaning of the verse" R. Jesse said: "This incident assuredly bears out the admonition ofthe Suges that no man 'should ever treat slightingly another man, for this man has 'occationed us a double privilege. "The stranger then continued his discourse on the above 'ere, but in the name of [1648] R. Eleaar. "The accusative particle "eth" here" he atid, 'alludes vo the Community of Israel; the "offering" isa connecting link (between high and tow}; "my food" is an allusion to the food that descends from on high in response to the stirring here below; "as a fire offering" includes all the other hosts which receive their necessary sustenance each one in proper messure: "of a 'sweet savour unto me" signifies the uniting of the whole in tne bond of unity and good will so as to form an emblem of the upper world; "shall ye observe to offer unto-me in due 'season' alludes tothe time when Abraham bestirred himself

10do the will of God, regarding wl written: "And
Abraham rose early inthe morning' (Gen. xxt, 3), and also tw the time when Isaac was bound on the altar, which was at cvertide.' Said R. Jesse: In that case, we should rather have 'expected the plural "seasons." 'The Judean in reply said: "Ac the time of the sactific, fire and water are intermingled ind become one, and hence it says "season" and not 'seatons". The expresion "ye shall observe to offer unto

130'THR ZOMAR 11 [2646
'me i used in connection with this offering only, the reason. being that this offering ascends to the highest grade in an intermingling of the Right and We Left, symbolied. by aham and Isaac' Said R. Jewe: If only to hear this 'was worth our while coming here. Happy are Israel in this ld and in the world to comet In regard to this itis written: "Thy people ae all righteous, they shall inherit the land for 'ever; the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, wherein T glory" (Tet, 23)" Now LABAN WAS GONE To SHEAR 115 sitEEP, ETC, R. Jose said: "The teraphim were idols, so called out of con- tempt, the name being akin to the word toreph (obscenity 'The proof that they were idols is found in Laban's questios "Wherefore hast thou stolen my gods ?" as well asin Jacob's words: "With whomsoever thou findest thy gods, ete." For Laban was a great sorcerer who practised all kinds of magical aris, and it was by such means that he learnt all that he 'wished to know.' I. Hiya said that the powers of the idol were derived from wizardry; R. Jose, from divination R. Judah said: "They were derived from a close observance ofthe times and mements for striking and for holding off. At 'one moment the craftsman would use his hand to beatit into shape, and another he would relax, Hence the term teraphim, akin to herephi (cela) (11 Sam. xxv, 16). For when the crafts- 'man vas making it, the man who knew the proper seconds hhours stood over him, saying now "strike", and now 'stay". There ix no other work which requires to he timed in this way. Now, this magic idol was continually uttering evil counsel, and prompting to mischief. Rachel thus feared lest it should counsel her father to do mischief to Jacobs, and by reason of her contempt forthe idol she placed it underneath, her, so that it was not able to speak: for whenever it was con= suited they used to sweep and elean up before it. The tera- phim were a male and a female image, and a number of 'ceremonies had to be performed before them before they 'would speak. Hence Laban delayed three days before pur 'suing, as he was unaware of Jacob's fight, as it says: AND UT 164-1654] vavere 4 'rurp." R. Judah further said: 'Laban prepared himssf in two ways: he equipped himself with all his magical arts and. lao with ordinary weapone in order vo destroy Jacob, as it 'written: "An Aramean was going to destroy my' father" (Deut. xxv §). So when God saw that he intended to desteoy Jacob, He warned him, saying: TaKE nee TO THYSELF ERGOOD OR BAD. 'This is borne out by Laban's words: Ir 18 18 THE POWER OF MY HAND TO DO YOU HURT, to wit, through his 'magical arts Observe that Laban covered in one day a dis tance that tok Jacob seven days, and alli erder to destroy hh utterly frst because he had fled, and secondly for the loss of the teraphim, Now, as regards Rachel slehough her purpose was to wean her father from idolatry, yet she was pulished by not surviving t bring up Benjamin or even to fivewith him single hour; and allon account ofthe pain she caused her father, notwithstanding her geod intention" IR, Isaac aid: 'Al this ceproof which Jacob administered to Laban served to. make him acknowledge the Holy One, blessed be He, a8 is proved from Laban's words: Siz, Goo Is WITNESS BETWIXT MUAND THLE, Bat observe that it is further written: THe Gon oF Avnasiast, Axo THE Goo oF Naton... jupoe seTwixt vs. This indi- ates that, sinner as he was, he reverted to his former idolatous worship, for after invoking the God of Abraham, he immedistey added "the God of Nahor", [1654] AND Jacow SWORE NY THE FEAR OF WIS FATHER IsAAc. Wihy by "the fear of feaac" and not by the God of Abraham ? Because he did not wish to trouble, as it were, the right-hand grade for the sake of Laban; furthermore, itis not right for a 'man to swear, even a teue oath, by the most high realm. R, Jose said: "Truly, Jacob's oath was most appropriate to the oceasion, For he said to himself: "Behold, he has invoked the God! of Abraham, but left out the name of my father: et 'me therefore make up the defciency." Hence he swore by the "fear of hie father Isaac'. Another explanation is that Jacob desired to tring the grade of severity on to his side to assist. him against Laban."

132'We ZOHAK 11 [650-1656
Awo JAcon WENT on 15 WAY, AND THE ANGELS OF Gon mir mim. R. Abba discoursed on the verse: Male and female created he them, ee, (Ge. , 2). How ine 'upon us' he sad, 'to study intently the words ofthe Woe to those whose heart is obdurste and whose eyes are blinded! Behold, the 'Torah io calling unto "Whoo is thoughtless, let him turnin hithe lacketh understanding, she saith to him: Come, ea, of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have mingled" (Prov, 1%, 4-3). But there is no one to pay avention to het. Observe that this verse contains sublime mysteries, thas an inner and an outer meaning. Thus, one meaning is that the sun and 'moon are closely united as is implied in the passage: "The 'sun and the moon standstill in her habitation" (Hab. 1,11); tnd another ia that Adam and Eve were created a8 united pair; and since they were coupled together, God blessed them. For blessing doesnot reside save ina spot where there are male and female. Observe that when Jacob set out on his Journey to Haran he was all by himself, not yet having mar- tied, What does Scripture say of that occasion ? "And he lighted upon (cayifga'=entreated) the place, ets." (Gen. 'sxV1, 11) and he was only promised deliverance ina dream. Bat now that he was wartied and vas comsing with all the tribes, heavenly legions entreated and supplicated him, as it 'were, for we read: "And the angels of God met (eayifge'n centreated) bien." Whereis before it was he who entreated the "place, now it was they who entreated hina, for the reason that it Was forthe sake of Jacob and the tribes tha they were 'watered frm the great oa. Moreover, whereas before he saw 'them only ina dream of the night, now he saw withopen eyes and in full daylight, a it is writen: AD JAcon $a1D WHEN HE saw THEM: THis 18 Goo's caME, ETC. [1658] How, it may be asked, did he recognise them ? The answer is that they were the same angels whom he had seen in his dream. Hence he called them Mehanaim (two camps), indicating the camp which had appeared to him on high and the camp which appeared now below. Why did they appear unto him te entreat him? Because the Shekinah accompanied him in order to bear aleng his houschold, and she was also 1638) vaveze 133 awaiting the birth of Benjamin so as to make her home with Jecob as pre-ordained. Its in allusion to this that Scripture 'ays: "And Jacob shall again be quiet and at eave, and none stall make himafraid (Jer. xxx, 10). Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen and Amen!" [650-1660 Gen, oat, 4-28x01, 43 And Jacom sent wussenonns (lit. angeb), ere. Re Judah discoursed on the tex: For he wil give hisangels charge aver the, to ep the inal thy 2a (Ps, xc, 81), "According to the companions" he sid, 'the moment a chld is bor into the world, the evl promprer straight, says, "sin eoucheth atthe door" (Gen. 1,7) the term being a designation of the evil prompter, who was aso called sin by King David in the verse: "and my sin is ever before ime" (Ps. Li, 5). He isso called because he makes man every: day 10 sin befote his Master, never leaving him from the day of his birth til the end of his life. But the good prompter first comes to man only on the day that he begins to purify himself, to wit, when he reaches the age of thirteen years, From that time the youth finds himself attended by two companions, one on his right and the other on his left, the former being the good prompter, the later the cv prompter. "These are two veritable angels appointed to keep man com= pany continually. Now when a man tries to be virtuous, the evil prompter bows to him, the right gains dominion over the left, and the two together join hands to guard the man in all angels 'R Eleazar applied this verse to Jacob when God assigned 'to him companies of angeleas an escort hecause he eame with thefull number of tribes, forming with them godly company, Hence it says: "And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of 'God met him" (Ge. xxx, 2), a8 already exphined, Here, therefore, when he was delivered from the hands of Laban and dissociated himself from himn, the Shekinah joined him, and sacred camps came to encircle him, so that [1660] "Jacab said when be saw them, ete." (Ibid. 3) It was from these angels that he sent a mission to Esau, as itsays: "And Jacob sent angels" (malabim).' R. Isaac said: Why, in one 166) vavisiiuatt 135 place in the Psalms docs it say "The ange! of the Lord en= campeth round about them that fear him and delivereth them" (Ps. xxx, 8), inthe singular, and in another place, "Por he will give hin angels change over thee" (id. xe, + jn the plural? 'The reason is that the term "angels" is reference to angels proper, whereas inthe verse: "The angel 'of the Lord encampeth', the reference is to the Shekinab, a inthe verse: "And the angel of the Lord appeared unto hin Jima lame of fire out ofthe midst of a bush" (Ex. 1,2). "This "the angel of the Lord encampeth round about those who fear him" to deiver them; and when the Shekinah abides Within aman, ever so many holy lepions rally round him. David uttered this verse when he escaped from Achisb the king of Gath, because the Shekinah encompassed him and delivered him from Achish and his pevple, and all those who assed him. It written in the same connection: "And he feigned himself mad (vayitholel) in their hands" (t Sar. 1x, 14). The term eayithale! here, in place of the more usual 'eayishtagea, cortains an allusion tothe kindred term used formerly by David when he said: "For I was envious of the 'madmen (holelin)" (Ps, uxett, 3). God thus said in effect 0 David: "As thos livest, since thou enviest madmen, thos thyself wile yet be driven to play the madman'; and soit 'eae to pass when he was brought before Achish and bis life 'was in danger: ke then "feigned himself mad (oayitholel) their hand", that is, he behaved like one of those madmen (holetin) whom he had once envied; nd only then did the 'Shekinah come t hit rescue. How, it may be asked, could this be, seeing thatthe Shekinah abides only in her own heri= tage, the Holy Land # The answer is that from there only she bestows blessings, but for purposes of protection she is 0 be found elsewhere alsa, So here, when Jacob departed from Laban, all the holy legions surrounded him, so that he was not left by him" A. Hiskiah asked "If that was s, how came Jacob, a stated later, to be "left atone" (Gen. xxxtt 25)?" Said R, Judah in reply: 'Because he exposed himself deliberately to danger, and therefore the angels deserted him, It yas to this that he alluded when he said: "I am not worthy of all the mercies

136'THe ZOWAR It [1660
and ofall the truth which thou hast shown unto thy servant" (ibid. 11) R. Isaac said that the reason why they departed. 'was to leave him alone with the chieftain of Esau, who came down to him with divine permission; and they meanwhile 'went off to chant the hymns for which the hour was then due and to sing the praises of the Holy One, blesied be He, and afterwards they returned to Jacob. "Now T am become two 'campa": to wit the camp of the Shekinal and hia own hax hold, so that he was complete on all sides, basing his portion 'both with the white and with the red. R. Eleszar said: "The sages have stated that on that night and at that hour the power of Esau was in the ascendant, and therefore Jacob was left alone, o, from another aspect, the sun was left alone, the light of the moon having been obscured. Nevertheless, the 'guardianship of Providence did not leave him entirely, so that his antagonist prevailed not against him, as it says: "And 'when he saw that he prevailed aot against him ..". He looked to Jacob's right, and there his gaze met Abrakam; he turned to his left, and there he sae Teaae; he looked st Jacob's body, and he saw that it was a fusion of the two sides, and so he touched the hollow of his thigh, which isa pillar adjoining. the body but is outside the body" In this way, then, the angel encompassed Jacob on all sides to deliver hirn; and when the Shekinah came down to abide with him, there joined him. 'multcudinous hosts and legions; and it was of those angels that he sent a party to Esau." Ax Jacon sent aNcets. Said R. Abba: What induced Jacob to make advances towards Esau ? Would he not have "done better ta leave him alone ? The truth i that Jacob to himself: "Cam well aware that Esau has great respect for his father and would never. cause him any vexation, and so T 'know that T have no ground to fear him so long as my father in alive. Let me, therefore, effect a reconciliation with him 'whilst my father is alive." Siraightway, then, Jacob "sent angels before him".' R. Sitnenn opened a discourse on the verse: Better ithe that is lightly esteemed, and hath a servant, than he that playeth the man oj rank, and lackith bread (Prov, 1668] vavtonuan 137 1X1, g) "This vere', he sai, peaks of the [1666] vil promp- ter, who lays plots and uneeasiggly brings up accusations against aman. Hepuffs up a man's heart, encouraging him to arrogance and conceit, and induces him to twil his hair and carry his head high, until he obtains an ascendancy over him and drags him down to Gehinnom. Better, therefore, is one who is "lightly exeemed" and who does not follow the evil prompter, but remains humble in heart and spirit and subi himself ro the will f the Holy One, blessed be He, 'The evil prompter is bowed down before such a one, and s0 far is he eum obtaining the mastery over the man that itis the man who obtains the mastery over him, ax it says, "but thou rayest rule over him" (Gen. 1¥, 7). Such a man is better 'than he who "pyeth the man of rank", who has a igh 'opinion of himsel,twirls his hair and is Full of conceit, as, already mentioned above, but "hcketh bread", (0 wit, the 'rue faith, which is referred to as "the bread Of his God!" (Law. xx, 22) (Ibid. 6). Again, "he who is lightly esteemed" fs exemplified in Jacob, who humbled himself before Esau so 'that the latter should in time become his servant, in fulfilment of the blesing: "Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee, ete" (Gen. xvi, 29). For Jacob's time had not yet arived, ashe deferred it tothe future, and in the im- radiate present be "esteemed himself lightly". But in the proper time "he that playeth the mnan of rank" will become the servant to him that lacketh bread", to the man who was allotted "plenty of corn and wine" (Ibid, 28). Jacob knew that it was forthe time being necessary for him to humble himself before Esau, and 0 made himself as one who "esteemed himself lightly". And, moreaver, he displayed therein more craft and subtlety than in all his other dealings 'with Esau; and had Esau realised this, he would rather have taken his own life than come to such a paws. Jacob thus acted throughout with wisdom, and to him can be applied the 'words of Hannah; "They that stive with the Lord shall be broken in pieces. and he will give strength unto his king, te" (1 Sam, 11, 10) Avo We comMANDED THEM, sAvING: THUS SHALL x

138'THE 20HAR IE [1668
Ye SAY NTO My Lono Esau: Tuus sArTH THY sex vast Jacos: I HAVE sojoURNED WITH LAMAN, AND staven UNTIL Now. He began by representing himself as Beau's servant, in order that the latter's thoughts might be diverted from the blessings which he had received from his father, and the enjoyment of which he was postponing for a future time, as already said. R. Judah said: 'What was Jacob's object in saying to Esau, "T have-sojourned with Laban" ? What had this to do with his message to Esau 2 The reason was that Laban the Aramean was famous throughout the world as 4 master magician and sorcerer whose spell no man 'could escape. He was, in fat, the father of Beor, who was the father of Balaam, mentioned in Seripture as "Balam the son 'of Beor, the soothsayer" (Josh, xitt, 23), But forall Laban's skill and pre-eminence in sorcery and magic, he could not prevail over Jacob, though he employed all his at to destroy him, as it says: "An Armean designed to destroy my father" (Dent. that Laban vas the 'magiéans, and that no one whom he wished to destroy could 'eseape from him, and that it was from hira that Balaam learnt all his kill Balan, of whom it is written: "for I know that hhe whom thou blesses is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cuned" (Num. xx, 6). Thus Laban and his magic were taniversally feared, Hence Jacob's frst intimation to Esau Was, "T have sojourned with Laban'; and lest Esau should 'think that it was merely a month, or, at most, year, headded: "and f stayed until now"—a space of twenty years. And lest 'sau should think that he had achieved nothing of conse- 'quence, be added: "And I have oxen and asses, these being the symbols of two grades of severity that are never combined together save to bring suffering on the world, (This is the 'underiying reason of the precepts "Thou shalt net plow with flocks, and men-servants, and maid-servants, these being, symbolic of the lower crowns whom God slew in Egypt, in the form of "the first-born of cattle, the first born of the captive" (Ex. xt, 29), and "the first-born of the maid= servant" (Ibid. x, 5). Straightway Esau was seized with fear 1666-1670) vavientant 439 and went forthto meet him, Indeed he wasas much afraid of Jacob ax Jacob was afraid of him, Jacob as ike a traveler 'who hears that robbers are lying in wait for him on the rowd. 'Meeting another man, he asks him to whom he belongs, and he replies: "I ama member of such and such a band of reb- bers", "Get thee hence," exclaims the wayfarer, "for [have about mea snake who kills anyone that approaches me." The 'man then returns to the chief ofthe brigands and warns him, 'saying: "A man is coming along this way who kas about hi a snake which bites anyane who approaches him [1674] and kills him." Hearing this, the chief of the brigands says: "I had better go out to meet that man and make peace with him." When the wayfarer sees him coming he exclaims: "Woe is me, he i and prostrate himself before him, whereupon the brigand regains hisselEassurance, thinking! "I he had with him such a dangerous stake as he said, he would not have bowed 50 much to me. But since he does bow so much before me, I will fot kill him" In the same way Jacob sent word to Es14, saying: "I have sojourned with Laban and sayed until now", as much as to say: have stayed with him twenty years and. Thave brought with me a deadly snake who slays people with his bite." Esau, on hearing this suid: "Woe is me, who can stand up heforehim 2" for he was afraid that Jacob would il him with his mouth, He therefore went forth to meet him and 'to make peace with him. But Jacob, we read as soon as he saw him, "was greatly afraid and distressed", and when he approached him he commenced bowing and Kneeling before him, ait sy and bowed hil othe ground even he came near to binscll "Had be really beens wellequipped ashe eid be 'would not have bowed before me", and he again began to carry himself haughtiy. 'tis written in reyard to Balaam: "And God came ato Balsam at night" (Num. xxtt, 20). Similarly in regard to Laban it is writen: "And God came to Laban the Aramean ina dream of the night, and said unto him:'Take heed to thy self that thou speak not to Jacob either good or bad" (Gen, sexx, 24). Instead of the words "that thou speak not", we

0THE ZOMAK IT [e670
should have expected here "that thou do-no evil to Jacob" [Wut the truth i that Laban in his pursuit after Jacob did not intend to contend apainat him with armed force, as he was well awate that Jacob and his sons were more than + match for him, but he designed to kill him with the power of his mouth, Hence: "that thou speak not", and not "that thou do not', Tes also writen: "It is in the power of my hand to do 'you hurt" (Gen. xxx, 29), Laban knew this from the warning, given him, as he himself continued: "But the God of your father spoke to me, ete." (Fd). And this i the very testi 'ony which God commanded the Israelites to proaounee, as itis written: "And thou shalt testifyand say before the Lord thy God: An Aramean intended to destroy my father, ete." (Deut, xv, §), Of Balaam it is further written: "and be went rot as at other times, to meet enchantments" (Num. sx, 1), 'cing his-wore, since he was an adopt in divinationa Laban also said: "I have observed th signs" (Gen. xxx, 29), that is 10 say, be tested Jacob's fertune by means. of his dlvinations, and when he set out to destroy him he also tended to accomplish his end by the same power of magic and scrcery, but God did not permit him, And it was in sllusion to this that Balsam hia grandson said: "For there i nt with Jacob, neither is there any divination with (Num. xan, 25), as much a to say: "Who can pre- 'ail against them, seing that when my grandfather sought to destroy their ancestor by means of enchantments and sore 'zries, he did not aueceed, as he was not permitted t curse him?" Laban, indeed, employed against Jacob all the ten kinds of magic and divination of the flashing of the under- 'world erovns, but could do him no hart, atin writen: "and hhe changed my wages ten times, but God suffered him not to Ihurt me" (Gen. xxx, 7), where the term monim (mes is akin to the terin minim, sigaifying "kinds". 'These ten kinds of Witchcraft are alluded to in the verse saying: "There shall rot be found anvong you Seothsayer, of an enchanter, ora sorcerer, ora charmer, of fone that consulteth a ghost oF a fasiliar spirit, or a necro- smancer" (Deut. xvt, 10-11). R. Joe said "Divination and cechantment are 0 different ars of the same potency. on against Isral,asit says: ons in their hand" (Num, xxtt, 7). Laban, on the other hand, used enchantments against Jacob, bur neither of them succeeded. Hence Baliam said: "For there is no en- 'chantment with Jacob, neither is there any di Israel" (oid, ett, 23), the frst half of the verse all against ther, seeing thatall tedivinations andsorceriesresid- 'ng in our crowns derive thei potency from the flashing of the supernal sovereignty, which ie attached to them, a3 it is 'written: "The Lord his God i with them, and the shout for the King is among them (bid. 22) R. Judah said be it from us to imagine that Balaam knew aught of the 'superna sanctity, [167] seing that God didnot choose any People oF tongue to make ase of His glory save His holy 'hildeen, to whom he said: "sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy (Lev. at, 44) Only those whore themaelves holy are permitted to make use of holy things; and itis only Israel who are holy, a8 itis weitten: "For thou art holy people" (Deut. xis, 2), that, thou alone at holy, but no ther poop. Contrarivie,thore who ars impure are brought ino contact with impurity and became more impure, and of such it is written: "he is unelean; he shall del alone; cout the carp shall hia doling be" (Lev. xt, 46) fo purity call unto impurity, ai says 43) where the text a : 'Was it becoming for a holy man like Jacob to admit that he had contarvinated himself with Laban and his enchantments ? Was this anything to his eedit #* R. Jose tw him: 'Although R. Judah has given an explanation, agree with you that we should seek another, For we find « 'Somewhat sitnilar difficulty in Jacob's words: "Iam Esau thy first-born' (Gen. xxvit, 19), where also we may ask: "Was, it becoming for a righteous man like Jacob to assume the fname of the impure Esau 2" 1 will answer both these diffi- culties, Thece isa tonal pause after the word

4THE ZOHAR IL
in this passage, s0 that what Jacob (who tam, but) Esau (is thy fiest-bor elsewhere, Similarly here Jacob meant to say: "Do not pay any regard tothe blessing which my father gave, nor imagine hus been fulfilled in me. For he blessed me saying, 'be ford over thy brethren', whereas of 2 truth 'lam thy servant Jacob, to my lord Esau' Again, he blessed me with 'plenty 'of corn and wine', but I have no stock ofthese, but 'oxen, and ases and flocks' and am only a shepherd in the field. Ofthe blessing 'of the dew of heaven, and of the fat places ofthe 'arth', rothing has been fulilled in me, seeing that 'T have sojourned with Laban', being merely a sojournes, without 30 ruich asa house that I can call my oven, let alone the fatness of the earth." The whole of Jacob's message was thus ealcu- lated to divert Esau's regard from those blessings, so that he should rot quarrel with him over them.' R. Abba said: 'It is writen of Jacob that he was "a perfect man, dwelling in tents" (Gen 2x¥, 27). The designation "perfect man" was. sven him because he resided inthe two supernal Tabernacles and embodied in himself both this side and that side, and thus was made complete, His language must not be construed into an admision that he had contaminated hiraself with the enchantments of Laban, and, withall due respect to R, Jucah, his heart was pure and full of thankfulness for the kindness and the truth that God had shown him, Thus Jacob's message to Fsau amounted to say ryone knows what kind of aman Laban is, and that no one ean escape him. Yet I stayed with him twenty years, and though he contended with me and sought to destroy me, yet God delivered me from. hand." Jacob's purpose in all his words was to prevent Esau that the blessings had been fulfilled, and 20

1grudge against himself, Regarding such con
duct Seripture say the ways of the Lord are right, ct." (Has. xt, 10), also: Thoushalt be whole-hearted vith the Lord thy God" (Deut. xvi 13)" ASD THE ANGELS nETUKNED TO Jacon, SAYING: We CAME TO THY HNOTHER EsAU, AND MOREOVER HE Coster TO MEET THF, AND FOUR HUNDRED MEN a6 7b-1684) Vavisunan 143 Wii sa. The word "Esau" after "thy beother" seems to be superfluous, since Jacob had no other brothers. I 838, hhowever, «hint 0 Jacob not to think that Esau had retraced his steps and entered on the path of rectitude, bur that hewas still the same wicked Esau a9 of old. And moreover "he cometh to meet thee", and that not by himself, but having "four hundred men with him'. Why all these details ? Be- 'cause God always delights in theprayer ofthe righteous, and He erowns Himself, as it were, with their supplications. So 'we affirm that the angel in charge of the prayers of Israel, Sandalphon by name, takes up ll those prayers and weaves 'out of them a crown for the Living One of the worlds. Allthe more, then, must we believe thatthe prayers of the righteous, 'which God takes delight are made into a crown for Him, Seeing that Jacob had with hima legions of holy angel, it may bbe asked why he was afraid. The truth is that the righteous rely noton their merits but on thei prayers and supplicatons to their Master, R. Simeon suid: "The prayer of a congre- sation ascends to the Almighty, and He is erowned therewith, bbeeause it comprises many hucsand directions, wherefore it ismadeintoa crown tobe placedon the head ofthe Righteous 'One, the Living One ofthe world: wherea the prayer of an inividoal is not many-sided and presents only one hue, and, Ihence is not so complete and acceptable as the prayer of « congregation, Jacob was many-sided, and therefore God. craved for his prayer, and hence itis written: "Then Jecob was greatly afraid and was distressed" R. Judah cited here the verse: "Happy i the man tht feareth aay; but he that hhardeneth his heart shall fll into evil" (Proy. sxvn, 14). [1684] "Happy is the people of Israel', he said, 'in whom the Holy One, blessed be He, finds delight, and to whom He has given the Torah of truth that thereby they may merit life 'ternal, For whoso labours in the Torah is vouchsafed fom heaven the bes if and is taken up into the life ofthe wold to.come, as itis written: "for that isthy life and the length of thy days" (Deut. x4%, 20); abo, "and through this thing 'yeshall prolong your days" (Ubi. 24x, 47), implying life in this world and in the world wo came.' R, Eleazar said: Who- fever labours in the Torah for its own sake vill aot die

44'rie Zowan it [1680
through the agency ofthe evil prompter (the same being the serpent and the angel of death), inasmuch ashe holds fatto the tree of life and relaxeth not. For this reason the bodies of the righteous who have laboured in the 'Torah remain n= defied after death, since the spirit of deflement does not hover over them. How eameit, then, that Jacob, who was the tree of Me itself, as it were, was afraid of Esau, who surely 'ould net prevail against him ? Had he not, too, the promise: "And, behold, Lam with thee" (Gen, xxvit, 15)? And had he not further protection in the escort of the host of holy angels, of whom it says, "and the angels of God met him" (Ud. soon, 2)?"The reason, however, of his fear was that he did not wish o rely ona miracle, ap he didnot consider him self deserving that a miracle should be wrought on his betalf. "The cause of his self-mistrust vas that he had not rendered filial service to his father and mother ashe should have done, and that he had not devoted himself to the Torah, and, further, that he had married two sisters, Bu, in truth, a man should always goin fear and offer up prayer to the Almighty, as it suys: "Happy is the man that feareth alway", "Te was the prayers offered up by the patriarchs that sus- ined the world, and by them are upheld all who dwell there- inj and the merits of the patriarchs will never be forgotten, inasmuch as they form the support of the upper and the lower reams; and Jacob's suppert is firmer than that of all the others. Hence itis that when the children of Jacob are 'oppressed, God looks at che image of Jacob and i filled with, pity for the world, This is hinted in the passage: "Then will remember my covenant with Jacob" (Lev. ), where the name Jacob is spelt plene with a ea, whichis itself the 3b. To look at Jacob was like looking at the "According to tradition, the beauty of Jacob was equal to that of Adam, the fist man.' R. Jose said; have. hheard it said that he who sees in his dream Jacob robed in his, mantle enjoys length of life.' R. Smeon said: 'We have learnt that no life-portion was originally assigned to David, hut 'Adam geve him seventy yeas of his own; and so David lined seventy years, 'Adam lived a thousand. years fess seventy; thus the first thousund years included the lives of 680-1685) VAvISHLAH 145, 'both Adam the frst man and King David. 'The Scripture', he said, 'alludes to this in the verse, "He asked life of thee, thou. savest it him; even length of days for ever and ever (Ps. 2X, 5). For when God created the Garden of Eden and placed init the soul of King David, He saw that it possessed no fife= [portion ofits own, and cast about fr a remedy. So when He created Adam the first man, He said, "Here, indeed, is the remedy"; and so it was that from Adam were derived the seventy years that David lived. Further, each of the patriarchs conceded him some years of his own life, that is to say, 'Abraham and Jacob and Joseph, but not Isac, because King 'David belonged tothe same side as himself Abraham allowed hhim fie years of the hundred and eighty years which he was properly entitled to live, s0 that he lived only a hundred and seventy-five year, five years less than his due, Jacob was also, due te live in this world as many years as Abraham, but he lived [1688] only a hundred and forty-seven years. Thus, "Abraham and Jacob between them conceded to David thirty- three years. 'Then Joseph should have lived a hundred and forty-seven years like Jacob, bis father, but he fell shart of that number by thirty-seven years. 'These, with the other thiry-three, completed the seventy year allotted to David, which were thus transferred to him out of the lives of the patriarchs. The reason why Tsaie did not transfer to him any. 'yearalie the others was that he was himself wraptin darkness, 'and David came from the side of darkness, and he whois in darkness possesses no light whatever, nor any life: itis for that reason that David possessed no life at all of his own. But those others, being possessed of light, could afford light to King David, who was beholden to them for light and for life, since of the darkside he had nolife at all, Hence Isaac didnot 'come into the reckoning: Why, it may be asked, was Joseph's contribution greater than those ofthe other two together ? Tt 'was because Joseph was reckoned the equivalent of the other two, since he was called "the righteous", and he was better able than the others to illumine the moon, and hence he con 'ceded to King David a geeater share of life than all the others. "To protect himself against Esau, Jacob resorted to prayer and did not rely upon his merit, since he desired to keep this

46'THe Zonan 11 [268
in reserve for the benefit of his descendants in the future, and rot to use it up now against Esau. Hence he now offered up bis prayer tothe Almighty, and did not rely upon his merits, nor ask for deliverance for their sake. Hence we read: AND fie sai: Le ESAU COME TO THE ONE. CAMP, AND SMITE (eM 1s LEFT SHALL ESCAPE, It 1"- Now the Shekinsh never departed, fiom the tent of Leah nor irom the tent of Rachel. Jaco' knew therefore, that they were under the protection of the Alz righty, and so he put the handenaids and their children for 'most, saying to himself: "If Esau slays them, well, he will shy them, but ax regards the others I have no fear, since the 'Shekinah is with them." Hence it says: Twex THE CAME. WHICH 1s LUFT SHALL scare, Having taken this step, hie next resorted to prayer; up it in written: And Jacob said, © Gon oF my rariten Ankanam, anv GoD oF at¥ varuer Tsaac, O Lonp, wiio SArnsT UNTO. ME: RETURN UNTO THY COUNTRY, AND TO THY KINDRED, AxD T WILL Do TitEE Goon." R. Jose discoursed on the verse: A. prayer of the poor, chen he fainteth (ya'atof) and fpoureth out his complaint before the Lord (Ps. ct, 1). He '4a has been laid down in many place, this psaim was eom- poed by King David when he contemplated the plight of the oor man, and that was when he fled from his father-inctaw. Tewas then that he composed a "prayer of the poor", as much 'sto say: "Behold, this is the prayera poor man offers up to the Almighty, and one which should ascend in advance of all caer prayers." 'The phrase, "a prayer of the poor", rds is parallel in the expression: "A prayer of Moses, the man of God" (tbid. xc, 1), the one alluding tothe phylactery of the head, the other to that of the arm, the two being inseparable and of equal importance, The reason why the prayer of the poor is admitted first into the presence of the Almighty is Foicated in the vene:""For he bath not despised nor abhorred the lowliness ofthe poor, tc" (Ibid. xxtt, 25). Acconding to aacherexpsion the term payer i a alin 1 Moses; "ofthe poor to David; "when he fuinteth" (ya! atof-= icove) co he monn Whe ions ea 1685-1694) Vavisitan 147 concealed from it. Observe tat the prayer of other people is justa prayec but the prayer of« poor nan breaks through all harriers and storms it way to the presence of the Almighty 'So Scripture says: "And it shall come to pass when he c tunto me, that Twill hear; for I am gracious (Ex. xx also: "I wil surely hear their ery" (Ibid. 22). David con- inues: "and poureth out his complaint before the Lord", ike one whe protests against she judgements ofthe Almighty" RR. Eleazar suid: "The prayer of the righteous is an object Joy for the Community of Israel, [1698] who weave out of crown by which toadorn themselves before the Holy One, blessed be He, Hence God holds it in special affection; He longs, as it were, forthe prayer ofthe righteous, when they rein strats, because they know how to appease their Master.' Note the words of Jacob's prayer: 0 Gop or my FATHEN ABRAHAM, AND Gob OF dty FATHER ISAAC, © Lonp, wno saipst oxto me: Reruex. Various strands are here fitly interwoven. "O God of my father Abraham" symbolises the Right; "God of my father Isaac" aymbolises the Left; while by the words "Who saidst unto me" Jacob interwove himself between the two. Laat Nor Wortity oF aLt Tix stenerEs. The connec- tion of those words with what precedes is as follows. Jacob sd in effect: "Thou hast promised me to deat well with me, bur [know thatallhy promises are conditional: Now, behold,

1possess no merits, so that fam not worthy ofall the mercies
and of al the truth which Thou hast shown unto Thy servant; And all that Thou hast done for me until thi day "Thou hast dlone not forsake of my merits but for Thine own ake. For be- hold, when rst eroseed the Jordan, fleeing from Esa, Las allalone, but Thou hast shown unto me mercy and truth, in that Thave sow erosed with wo companies." Up othis point Jacob was reiting the praise of the Almighty; he then pro- 'seeded to pray for his requirements. From Jacob all men can take example, when offering prayer, ist to recite the praises of their Master, and only then to present thee petition. So Jacob, after prising the Lard, continued: "Deliver me, I pray thee, from the hand of my brother, ffom the hand of

148're zomAR 11 [r690-169
Esau; for I fear him, lest he come and smite me, the mother with the children."" Here, too, a lesson that in praying a rman should state in precise terms what he requires. 'Thus Jacob commenced: "Deliver me, I pray thee," and since it 'might le eaid that he had alrvady been delivered from the hand of Laban, he added "from the hand of my beothee"; and since, again, the term covers all relatives, he added "from the hand of Esau" and yet again, lest it should be urged that he had no need of such 2 delivery, he ean- tinued: "for 1 fear him, lest he come and smite me, the 'mother with the children"; all this in order that there should be no possibility of misunderstanding. Awp THOU saipst: I Witt suRELY Do THER GOOD, 'arc. We find King David closing a prayer with the words? Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my hear bbe acceptable before thee" (Ps. xx, 15), the former of these clauses referring to what he had actually said explicitly, and the latter to his inner thoughts which he had only half ex- pressed, This division of prayer into clearly expressed ind hualf-expressed desires corresponds to a distinction in the divine grades, the clearly expressed prayer being addremed to the lower grade, the meditation of the heart to the higher and inner grade. Jacob divided his prayer similarly; frst he stoted what he desired distinctly, then he left his thought only the words alluding to the promise made to 'cannot be numbered for multitude", "There washerean under- lying thought which wat best let unexpressed. This division was necessary, as explained, s0 a8 to make the unification complete, Happy are the righteous who know how to express fittingly the praises of their Master, asa preliminary to their prayer. Of them itis written: "And he said unto me:"Thouart 'my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified" (Is. xL1X,3)- AND Jacow Was LEFT ALONE, ETC, R, Hiya discoursed 'om the verses There shall no evil befall the, neither shall ny 'plague come nigh thy tent (Ps. xc, 10). 'When God', he sid, 'created the world, He made on each day [1696] the work 1698] VavSMLAn 149 appropriate for that day. This has already been explained, [Now on the fourth day the lights were created; but the moon, 'was ereated without light, since she diminished herself. This is implied in the phrase "Let there be lights", wherein the term meoroth (lights) is written defectively (less the leter 'eau, asi were me'eroth (curses); for asa result ofthe mom's diminution, occasion was granted to all spirits and demons and hurricanes and devils to exercise say, so that all unclean, spirits rise up and traverse the world secking whom to seduce; they haunt ruined places, thick forests and deserts. "These areall from the side ofthe unclean spirit, which, ashas been said, issues from the erooted serpent, who is, indeed, the veritable unclean spirit, and whose mission is to seduce rman afte him, Hence itis thatthe evi prompter has sway in the word, following men about and employing all manner of 'uses and seductions to turn them aside from the paths ofthe Holy One, blessed be He, And inthe same way a he seduced. 'damn and thereby brought death into the world, 80 docs he ever seduce men and cause them to defile themselves; and 'whoever allows himself tobe defiled draws upon himself the unclean spirit and clings unto him, and numerous unclean influences are at hand to dofie him, 00 that he remaina pol- Juted in this world and in the world to come. Contrarivise, should a man strive to purify himself, the unclean spirit foiled and can no longer domiatehitn, Thus itis writ "No evil shall befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent.' R. Jose said: "Evil" here alludes to Lilith (nght- demon), and "the plague" to the other demons, as has been explained elsewhere. R. Eleazarsaid: 'Tt has been taught that 'man should not go out alone at night, and especially when the time ofthe creation of the moon recurs and it is without inthe same as at large, Now, the term "evil" here is an allusion to the evil serpent, while "the plague" alludes to him 'who Fides on the serpent, 30 that evil and plague work to- gether. It is true, we have also been taught that the term "plague" signifies "the plagues ofthe sons of man", which issued from Adam. For during all those years that Adam kept 'way from hia wife, unclean sptts came and conceived feom 'iit OMAR MT [r696-1700 him, and bore offspring, which are called "plagues of the off= spring of Adam"; and it has been afirmed that when a man issleping and isnot in control of himself, he isassailed by an tinckan spirit and sometimes by a number of unclean female 'spirits who draw him untothemselves, conceive from him and. give birth to spirits and demons, 'These sometimes appear in the form of human beings, save that they have ne hair on their heads Tis therefore incumbent on a man to be on his guard against them and not to let himself be contaminated by them, bbuto follow the paths ofthe Torah. For there iso man falls asleep on his bed in the night-time but he has a foretate of Seath, in that is soul (neskamal) departs from him and since his body i left without the holy soul, an unclea and hovers upon itand it becomes defiled, It has already been said elsewhere that 3 man should not pass his hands over his eyes when he wakes in the morning on account ofthe unclean spire hovering over his hands, Now, although Jacob, was beloved by the Almighty, yet when he was lft alone a strange spiric immediately. came and joined battle with him." R. icon said: Te is written of Balsam, "and he went shefi (to a bare height)" (Num, xxtt, 3). The word shfi signifies "alone", and it is also akin tothe term sheffon, inthe phrase "shefifon (x horned snake) in the path". So Balaam went alone, Tike a-snake that goes alone and lurks in by-paths and lanes, swith the object of attracting to himself the unclean spirit. For the who walks alone at eenain periods, and in eectain places, even in a town, attracts to himself the unclean spirit, Hence ra one should ever go ona lonely road, even in city, but 'only where people are abeut, nor should a man go out in the night-time, when people ae no longer about, Its fora similar reason that itis written; "his body shall not remain all night 'upon the tree" (Deut. xxi 23), [1704] 90 as not to leave the dead body, which is alone, without the spirit, ebave ground in the night. 'The wicked Balaam, however, for that very reasen went alone like the serpent, as already explained." Axo THERE WRESTLED (caye'oneg) A MAN WITH 111M, RK, Joshus the son of Levi said: 'From the word beke'geya (in hie wrestling) we learn that they raised a dust with their fet 700) VAvESHLAN 151 which reached the Throne of Glory, a8 this word finds » parallel in the phrase 'the dust 'abag) of his fet" (Nahum 1, 3). The angel here mentioned was Samael, the chieftain of Esau, and it was ight that hie dust should rise tothe Throne of Glory which i the seat of judgement.' R. Simeon ea "This dust ('abag) was not ordinary dust, but ashes, the resi 'due offre. Ie difers from dust proper in that itis sterile and "unproductive, whereas dust ('afar is that from which all uit 'and vegetation spring and is common tthe lower and higher existences.' R. Judah remarked: 'If se, how can we explain 'the passage: "He raseth up the poor out ofthe dust" (15 11,8) ? R. Simeon replied: "The dust possesses noting ofits 'oven, hence itis from the dust that the poor tan has to be 'alsed who assesses nothing of his own either. At the same time the dust isthe source of all fruifulness and ofall the produce of the world, and from it have been formed all things inthe world, sits written: "all are ofthe dust and all retura todust" (Eee. 1,20), including, according to tradition, even the solar sphere. But the dust called abag i forever barren, and hence, as the term raye'obey ("and he wrestled", ot "raised the dust") implies, the man came up, riding, a8 it 'were, upon that dust, in ordce to contest Jacob's right." Ustin THe pasani 'ment when his domi

16OF THE DAY; this being the mo-
ppsed aay and vanished. 'The same will happen inthe tate vo come For the present exile is ike the night, and in that night the barren dust rules over Torael, who are prostrate to the dust; and so i willbe unt the light willappear and the day will breake:then Tsral will obtain be given the kingdom, as they are the "And. the Kingdom and the dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given tothe people ef the kingdom an everlasting king: dors, and all dominions shall serve and obey them" (Dan vm 27). ANp ub sa1o: Let Me Go, ron THe Day DaFAKETH Aso uesatp: LWiL Nor Ler THEE GO, EXCEPT THOU

12Tne ZouAR tt [1700-1706
snus m&. R. Judah discoursed on the verse: Who isthe thet looketh forth as the den fair asthe moon, clear asthe sun, ter Iie at am army sith banners? (S. &, vt 10). "This verse he sid, 'refers to Israel, at the time when the Holy One, blessed 'be He, will raise them up and bring them out of captivity. At that time he wil ist open for them a tiny aperture of ligh, then another somewhat larger, and so on until He will throw open for them the supernal gates which face on all the four 'quarters of the world. And, indeed, this process i followed bby God in all that He does for Israel and the righteous among them. For we know that when a man has been longs darkness it is necessary, on bringing him into the light, first to make for him an opening as small as the eye of a needle, and then one alittle larger, and so on gradually until he can endure the full light, Itis the same with Israel, as we read: "By Uitele and little 1 will drive them oat from before thee, uml thou be increased, ete." (Ex. xxtt, 30). So, too, a sick 'ran who is recovering cannot be given 3 full dit all at once, tbat only gradually. But with Esau it was not 20. His light cameat a bound, butt will gradually be withdrawn from hi 'until Israel will come into their own and destroy him com = pletely from this world and froma the world to come, Because hhe plunged into the light all at once, therefore he will be utterly and completely exterminated. Israel's light, on the ther hand, will come lite by litle, ueel they will become 'stung. God will illumine them forever. All then will ak: "Who is she that Jooketh forth like the dawn', this being a reference to the first iny streak ofthe dawn, then "far a the moon', the light of the moon being stronger than that of the daven, and then "clear as the sun", that pressive ofthe ight in its full strength For, jst as when the 'davon emerges frm the darkness its light at fst faint, but sradually brightens tl full daylight is reached, so when Ged 'vil bestr Timsef to shine upon the Community of Tara, He will fst shed on ther a streak of ight like that of the days break which iol black, then increas it to make it fai es the moon", then "cla as the sun", unt it wil be "tremet= dous as an army with banners", a already explained." [1708] s7ob-171a] VAYISHLAR 53 'Nov in connection with Jacob itis not written: "for day- break has come (ba, hut "for davbreak has gone wp( "alah" For-at the moment when daybreak arrived, the Chieftain 'summoned all his stregth and struck out at Jacob in order 'thereby to impart pawer to Esau; but as soon asthe blackness 'of the dawn passed the light eame on and Jacob's power n= ceressed; for his time had then arrived to come into the light, asitis written: "And the sun rose upon him ashe passed over etic" In the next words, AND He LIMPED UPON HIS "Titi, there is hint that after Lara! in exile have endured 'many sufferings and pains, when daylight rises upon them and they attain to rest and ease they will a their memory go through again their past sufferings and affictions and will wonder how they could have endured them. So Jacob, 'Whe sun had risen upon him" was "imping upon hie thigh 'vexing himself for what had befallen But when the blackness of the easly dawn passed he made a prea effort and grasped his opponent, whose strength atthe same tie gave out, his dominion being only daring the night, whereas Jacob' has ascendancy in the daytime, Hence he said: Let te Go, FOW THe DAY BREAKETH, 60 that, as height have added, Tam now in thy power". , Hi ssid: "Had Jacob's strength nor filed hin a that spot (the sinew that shrank) he would have prevailed against the angel 20 completely that Esau's power would then have 'been broken both on bigh and below." R. Simeon remarked 'As the appearance of the bow 'that inthe eld in the day of rin, s0-nas the appearance 'of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it I fell 'upon my faee, ete." (Ex. 1, 28) This verse ilustrates the 'iference hetween the other prophets and Moses, of whom it {swritten, "And there bath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unity Mosea" (Deut. xxiv, to). For Moses gazed into the clear mirror of prophecy, whereas all the other prophets Iooked into a hazy minor. [17a] Moses received the divine 'message standing and with ll his senses impaired, and he comprehended it fully, sit is written: "even manifestly, and 'notin dark speeches" (Num. xi, 8); whereas other prophets

154'Tue 20mAR It tre
fell on their faces in a state of exhaustion and did not obtain a perfectly clear message, All those prophets thus failed to realise fully what God had in store for Esau in the future, with the exception of the prophet Obadiah, who, being himaelf a proselyte, originating from the side of Esau, was able to receive full message with regard to Esau, he reason why all the prophets except Moses were thus weak was that "he touched the hollow of Jacobs thigh through the sinew of the thigh-vein"—the sinew that draws tothe thigh all its energy; the energy of the thigh was thus broken, and Jacob remained imping upon his thigh", and hence the rest ofthe prophets, the exception of Moses, could not retain their faculties uring a vision and grasp it filly. Nove just athe prophets were thus wetkened, #0 when scholars are not encouraged and no one gives them pecuriary support the Torah is for- sgotten from one generation to another and its strength is weakened, those who toil init having no support, and the sinful kingdom increases in power with each day. Much evil 'therefore resus; since, 9 the upholders ofthe Torah become weaker, strength is thereby gained by him who has no legs to stand upon. For when God said to the serpent, "upon thy belly shale thou go" (Gen. 1, 14), the serpeat had his sup Ports and legs cut off so that he was left with nothing to stand 'on, But when lrael neglect to support the Torah, they thereby provide him vith supports ard legs on which to stand firm and upright. Many were the stratagems and cunning deviees to which the serpent-rider resorted on that night against Jacob, For he 'well knew that "the voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Feau" (Gen. sxe, 22), s0 that whenever the voice of Jacob s interrupted, the hands of Esau are reinforced. He therefore cst about on allsides for means of interrupting, his voice, but he found him strong on all sides, his arms strong on both sides and firmly upheld between them, and the Torah firmly entrenched therein. Seeing, therefore, that hie could not prevail against lim, he "touched the hollow of his thigh'. Foc he knew that when the supports of the Torah are broken, the Torah itself is shaken; hence he thought that in this way he should reap the benefit of what thie father had ayre-171b) vaytsutan 155 ssid, namely: "And it shall come to pass when thou shalt break loose, that thou shalt ohake hin yoke from thy neck' (Ibid, 40). His whole purpose in contending with Jacob was to break the force of the 'Torah, and when he sav that he could not strike atthe Torah itself, he weakened the power of its upholders; for without upholders of the Torah there will bb: no voice of Jacob", and the hands of Esav will operate. Jacob, on seeing this, as s00n as day broke, seized hold of him 1d didnot let him go, so that he blessed him and confirmed 'whim those blessings, and said to him: "Thy rame shall be called no more Jacob (¥a'ageb=supplanter), but Israel (Vera princehood and strength), s0 that na one can pre= 'ail against thee." Nove, from thit serpent ise numerous hosts which disperse themselves on every side to prowl about 'the world, Ieisincumbent, therefore, upon us to preserve in a 'complete state the sinew of the thigh-Vein, for although the serpenterider touched i,t retained its vitality, and we require its strength to establish ourselves in the world and to make sod the words: "For thou hast striven with God and with men, and hast prevailed." Wher the adversary sces that that partis not broken or consumed, his own strengthand courage isbroken [1716] and he ean no more do any harm to the sons 'of Jacob. Tes for that reason that we ae forbiiden to give that part (ofan animal) to anyone to eat and may not benefit ff it in any way, R. Jesse the elder connected the word vouched" in tha clause with the same word in the verse: "He that toucheth the dead, even any man's dead body, et." (Sum, xix, 11), Just asin the ater case', he sid, 'there i defilement, 0 here defilement is implied, that part of the body being an object of deflement, so that we may not put it twany use whatever.' Blessed be the Merciful One who gave the 'forsh to Isnel, whereby t merit this world and the world to come, as it is written: "Length of days is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honour" (Prov, ttt, 16). AND IE HIMSELF PASSED OVER BEFORE THEM, axD BOWAD HIMSELF TO THE GROUND SEVEN TIMES, UNTIL He CAME NEAK TO MIs BROTHER, Said R. Eleazar:

196'THE ZOHAR tT fb
written, "For thou shale bow down to no other god, for the Lard sshose names Jealous, rs jealous God" (EX xt, 14). 'Now; Jacu a the consummation ofthe patriarch, who wes selected as the choicest portion of the Almighty, and was 'brought specially near to Him and was perfected above and belo. Hove came it chen that auch a an should bow down tothe wicked Esau, who was of theside of another god, so that 'owing downto him was the sime as bowing down to another sed ?The proverb, its true ays, "When a fox isin honour, bow dovin to him. Ths, however, coud not apply to Esau who was like another god, belonging t that side and that portion to. whom Jacob seould in no way bow down. A Similar difficulty aries with the verse: "And thus ye shall Say: AIL hal | (lehay, lito the living one) and peace be both unto thee and peace be to thy house, and peace be unto all that thou hast" (1 Sam. ax¥, 6}. Nov, inasmuch as, according to our teaching, i ie Forbidden to give the first greeting to 4 wicked man, how could David have test such 2 message fo Nabal? There, however, the explanation is that David in reality addressed his words to God, as is implied in the ex- pression ekay (to the Living One) alkhough Nabal misunder- iwc theon wo adiremed to hitnel. Searly, when we ead? "And Unrael bowed himself upon the bed's head" (Gen, xvi, 31), we are not to suppose that he bowed down in 'worship tos son, bu that his obeinanice was directed towards the spot where the Shekinah rested, So inthis passage, the words: "and he himself passed over before them" refer 0 the celestial Shekinah who went before Jacob in order to alfiord him the promised protection from on high. When Jacob became aware ofthis he thought incumbent on him tomake obeisance towards the Holy One, blessed be He, who wing, asit wer, in front of him, andso "he howed hime? tothe ground seven times, until he came cart his brother Mark that i is not written, "and he bowed down to Esau tut simply "he bowed dawn", implying that he did 0 frcause he saw the Holy One, llesed be He, going before him, not that he-made obeisance by wa of worship to any 'ne ee. Everything as thus in order. Happy are the right= 'nus all of whose ations are forthe glory of their Master, atb-1724) VAYISHLAH 157 and with the object that they themselves should turn neither tothe right nor to the left" Axo EsaU RAN TO MeuT 11M, AND EMBRACED 1116, AND FELL ON HIS ECK AND KISSED HIM; AND THEE wet. The word zavaro (his neck) is used here instead of the more usual zavorav; while dots are placed ove the letters of the word eayishogolu (and he kissed him). Said. Toaa: 'Many are the methods by which the Seripture conveys 'econdte allusions, yt witha common purpose. Iis writen: "But the wicked are tke the troubled se; frit cannot ret, and its waters east up mire and diet (Is. yi, 20). This verse 'may be applied to Esau, all of whose actions were wicked and inte in an allusion to Jerusalem, which i indeed the neck of the universe, and the singular form sacar is used instead of 'the regula dual form aatorao as a hint that the seed of Esay 'wauld one day fall upon andl destoy one of the two Temples. Ain, the dots above the word vayishayeha (and he Kissed thi} indicate that he Lissed him reluctantly. The verse: but the kisses ofan enemg are importunate" (Prov. xxv, 6) has been applied by our teachers to Balam, who, although he blessed Israc, did itagainst his wills but Esau providesanother istration,' Jove sad: eis written: "For thou hast smitten allmy enemies upon the check, thou hast broken the weth the wicked" (Ps 1,8), and there isa tadion which reads heteshirbaboha (thou hast lengthened) instead of shibartha (Chow hast broken), to indicate that Fsau's teeth were sud enly lengthened to prevent him from biting.' We read funher: Ann ruey werr; both the one and the other with good cause, (2723) as the companions have expounded, For Esau waso evilly disposed to [acob that even at that very time he was planning hove to afflict him and being aecusations against him inthe distant future. Hence they wept: Jacob for fear lest he might not escape fom bis brother's onslaught, and Esau to think thats father was sill alive, so that he was unable to do any harm to Jacob.' R. Abba said: 'Assuredly

18'THe ZOMAW IT [rae
Esau's wrath was allayed at the moment he beheld Jacob, since his chieftain hud confirmed Jacob's claims, and there- fore it would have been vain for Esau to vent his wrath, For all the affairs of this world depend on what is done above, and whatever is agreed upon above is acepted below, and mo power can he exercised below until power is granted above, "Thus one world depends always on the other." Ler wy Lown, 1 PRAY THER, PASS OVEE BEFORE 11s SERVANT; AND I WILL JOURNEY ON GENTLY, ETC, R Eleazar said: "This hears out what wesaid before, namely, that Jacob did not vith as yet to avail himself uf the firt blessings that he received from his father, not one of whieh hud so far been fulfilled, since he reserved them for the end fof days when his drscendante should need them in their steuggle against the nations of the world, Hence, when Esaa said: "Let us take our journey, and let us go" that is, "Tet us share together this world and rule it in partnership", Jacob replied: "Let my lord, 1 pray thee, pass over before his servant", as much as to say: "Have thou first thy dominion 'ofthis world, and I wil journey on gently, and reserve myself for the world to come and for the latter days that How on ently - . . 'until Feome unto my lord unto Sele, je. L will 'endure subjection to thee until my time will eome to rule 'over the mount of Esau, as itis written: 'And saviours sball 'came up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall he the Lord's!" (Obs. 1,24)" Axp JAacom jourNeven To Succorm, axn ouvir MIM A MOUSE, AND MADE BOOTHS FOR HIS CATTLE THENEFORE THE NAME OF THE PLACE 15 CALLED Suc- corn. R, Hiya discoursed on the vene: Except the Lord tld the house, et. except the Lord keep the city, ete. (Ps 'CAA, 1). He said: When God resolved to ereate the world, He produced out of the primordial lamp of scintillation a nucleus that flashed forth from the midst of darkness and remained on high while the darkness went below It flashed along through a hundred paths and ways, some narrow and wpa-17al] YavisutaM 159 some broad, until the House of the world! was made. 'This House forins the centre of the universe, and it has many doors ani vestibules onallits sides, sacred and exalted abodes where the celestial birds build their nests, each according tots kind. From the midst of it rises a large tree, with mighty branches and abundance of fruit providing food for all, which rears itself to the clouds of heaven and is los to view between three rocks, from which it again emerges, xo that it i both above aan below them. From this tree the house is watered. In this house are stored many precious and undiscovered treasures, "Thus was the house built and completed. That tree is visible in the day-time but is hidden at night, whereas the house becomes manifest in the night and is hidden by day. As soon as darkness sets in ard all the doors on all sides are closed, innumerable spirits fly about, desiring to know what is in it 'They pass between the birds, bringing ther credentials, they flit about and see many things, until the darkness by whick the house is enveloped is aroused and sends forth a fame and strikes with mighty hammers, causing the doors to be 'opened, and splitting the rocks; then the flame goes up and down and strikes the world with blows that resound above and below, Then a [1726] herald ascends, attaches himself to the ether, and makes proclamation. Thatether emerges from the pillar of cloud of the inner altar, and spreads itself out into the four quarter of the world. A thousand thousand stand at the left side and a myriad of myriads stand at the right side, And the herald stands: his place and makes loud proclamation. Then innumerable are thove who chant hymns and make obeisance; and two doors open, one on the South and one on the North. The house then is lifted up and fasened between the to sides, whilst hymns are chanted and songs of praise ascend, Then some enter silently whilst the Ihouse is lit up on every side with six lights, bri explendent, and from thenes flow out six rivers of baloam from which all the "animals of the field" are watered, as it says: "They give drink to every animal of the field, the wild asses quench their thirst ete." (Ps.cty, 11) They thus continue "sho ofthe Word ee ee to Be meat ort emanation', vier a0 ing eet penetra the clone

160'THe oman tt [736
singing. praises until daybreak. At daybreak, the stars, the 'onatelaions and their hosts all commence to chant songs Of praise and hymns, as we read: "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sms of God shouted for joy" (Gob sxxvit, 1). Now observe the words: "Exeept the Lord build the hows they labour in vain that build it." 'This i a reference tthe Most High King who constantly builds the house and perfects it, but ely when acceptable worship ascends from below in due form. 'Then again the words "Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but 'ain refer tothe time when the darkness of the night sets and armed companies roan to and fro in the world, and the doors are shut, and the city is guarded on all sides so that tnd. the unclean may not come nea For henceforth there shall no more come unto thee the uncircumeised and the unclean" (Is. ttt 1), since God will one day remove them from the world, Who, then, the uncircumeised and whois the unclean ? They are both

36the sate that seduced Adam and is wife w fellow Kim
and to bring death into the world. He, too, will continue to defile this house until such time as the Holy One, blessed be He, will cause him to vanish from the world. Hence: "Except the Lord keep the ety, ete." "Observe tht Jacob "journeyed to Suecoth', whereas Esau "returned that day on his way unto Seir", ich one taking the road toward his own side, Esau betook himself toward the side of Sir, tnt is, toward the "strange woman', the strange od, which are both designated by the name Seir; whereas Jacob journeyed to Succoth (lit, tabernacles), «name indi 'of the true faith. "And built him a honte", co wit, the use of Jacob." Said R. Eleazar: 'Here isan indication that Jacob institued evening prayer. We read further: "and he 'made booths (uecoth) for his cattle; these were other taber- racles which he made for guarding them, but the former succath were bis awn portion' Axp Jacon came rrneecr shalom): perfect in © respeet; the sime allusion is contained in the word: 'Shalem (lit. in perfection) alse he set his tabernacle ayab-1734] vavismtant x61 1axvr, 3). For faith became his conatant companion when he 'tained perfection, when he was crowned in the spot appro= riate to him and then alo tht Tabernacle was crowned 'long with him who was the perfection of the patriarchs, icing completed by hissons. He was thus perfect onal sides: refect on high, perfect below, perfect in heaven and perfect én earth, Perfect on high in thathe was the consummation of the patriarchs, the glory of Tse, perfect below, through is oly sons; perfet in heaven and perfec on cath, so that "in perfection abo he set his tabernacle. Axp Divan rae paveiri oF Lean wet ovr. 'Th comspentdes eave remarbed that tte xix avasicy of srades and sides on high, cach oe diferen rem the other, Eerpent fal ser, one kind endeavouring to jain dominion 'er the other ard to devour prey, each according tits kind. From the side of the unclean sprit ever so many grades branch out and al of them fic in wait to bring accusations against each othe, Hence Tow mal 8 plow wrth an x and an ass together" (Deut, x, 1) inasmuch as, hay hs ae ee eth bing ote at Tankind, Observe further that the great desire ofthe unclean pede ito find mati of chrgeaguina th holy sides, Ts, Eco Jacob wae hay man, they al ly in wit for him and ontended with im, First the serpent bit his when he touched the hollow of his thigh, and now the aus bit him. 'Then it was Jacob imself who opposed the serpent, now it vas Simeon and Levi, who belonged tothe side (1734) of stern judgement, who stood pagans the aa snd prevailed ter him and completely subdue him, a8 we eas "And they fee Hamor (it as) and Sheckem his son with the ee of 'he sword." Now Simeon, who vas under the zaiacal ign of

1(Tauris), set upon the an 3 a to peeve he vo from
pining, a8 then the litter would have set upon bm, All came tw contend with Jacob, who, however, was dlvered from them and afterrar obtxined dominion over them. Then 'me the one wha is designated ax, and made hime peefest, mong the asses, that i, among those who wer ofthe side of the ass. For Joseph was designated ox, and of the Egyptian

162'THe ZonAR tT bi73a
Whose fh is as the flesh of asses 'utterly broke ther force. He also removed the ox from them, as it fs written: "And Moses took the bones of Joseph with hho" (Ex. x11, 19). Observe that when Simeon assailed the 'as (Hamor) on the frst occasion he frst made them see blood. —the blood of eireumcision—and after that "they slew all the males". God dealt in the same way through the hand of the Levite, Moses, with those other asses, the Egyptians. He first 'howedthem blood and afterwards "the Lord slew llth frst- 'born inthe land of Egypt" (Zbid. x1, 29). In connection wt Hamorit is writen: "They took their flocks and their herds and their connection with those other ames it is written: 'jewels of silver and jewels of gold, and raiment" (Ibid. 35), also: "And a mixed multitude went up also with them?and flocks and herds, ven very much cattle" (id. 38), Inthe same way, t00, s Simeon withstood this one ass, Levi \withstond that company of asses. They all conspired ageinst Jacob the holy man and essayed to bite him, but he together 'sons stood up against them and subdued them. But Esau is biting him and his children, who will stand up against him ? Jacob and Joseph, one 'other on the other side. So Seripture say of Jacob shall be a fre and the house of Joseph aflame, and the house of Esau for stubble, ete." (Oba. 1,18). Asp tury jounsnysDs AxD A rannon oF Gop was AND THEY DID NOT PURSUE AFTER THE So¥S OF JACOB, RR, Jose said: "They all eame together, but when they com= 'menced to gird on their arms a terror seized them and they left them alone. Hence "they did not pursue after the sons 'of Jacob" Pur AWAY THE STHANGE cops, ETC, These were the silver and gold vessels that they had taken from Sheckem, 1730-1736] VaYEEHUAH 163 and on which were engraved images of their gods. R. Judah said: Their idols themselves were made of silver and gold, and Jacob hid them therein order that his children should not 'make use of the side of idolatry, asa man is forbidden to have any benefit whatsoever from i AsR, Judah and R. Hizkish were once walking together 'on the road, the latter suid: "iis writen: "And he took the crown of Malcam from off his head; and the weight thereof 'was atalent of gold, and init were precious stones; andit was set on David's head' (it Sam. att, 30). Now, we have been taught that "Mileom the abomination of the Ammonit (eKings xt, 5) isthe same as Malcam in this verse, How, then, 'as this crown permitted to be set on David's head? And further, why is it called "abominati are referred to as "gods ofthe peoples" the like?" R. Judah replied: "Indeed, other idols are also called abominations, a3 we read: "And ye have seen their aborsinable things and their idols" (Deut. xxix, 16), As regards the identification of Malcam with Milcom, this certainly correct; nevertheless David was able to use the crown of Maleam because Ini the Gittit, before he keeame 'aproselyte, broke it, that is to say, he disfigured the: which was on it, and yo madeits use permissible,! andit was seton David's head. Theidol of the Arvmonites asa serpent 'graven deep on that erown, and for that reason it was alled abomination." R. Isaac said that the order "put away the strange gods" referred to the ether women who brought with 'them.on their personsall their ornaments. Henceit is written: AND THEY GAVE UNTO JACOB ALL THE FOREIGN GoDs, {0 wit, of those women, AND JAcon nip Tite (173b] 50, that is people should not derive any benefit whatever from the sil of idolatry. 'Observe the complete devotion of Jacob to the Almighty, as shown by his words: AND LET US ARISE, AND GOUF TO Bersi-Et, aNp TWILL MAKE TRERE AX ALTAR UNTO Gov, wito ANSWERED ME ts THE DAY OF MY DISTRESS, AND WAS WITH MEIN THE WaY Witte I WENT, From + ssseding tothe Rabbinical mle: "An Wdolater can render Si: do val od vd

16ie zoman tt 38
theselat words elem that incumbent on man rie {God an ro give Hin thanks for any src or any Kndnesx thar He has show him. Observe tat ist Jacob ahd: "tar te and po up to Beth", ths asocting Bis chilten ais eit hese Fl ce re bahay Tot" will ke", The reason wa that his tak delved Spon kim slog ice was be who hed peed throug all thon tibulatons fom these when e el fom his rsh, teres his sons were not born uni afer Hene edi ot Seuss them wit ish Te Elesar side 'From te we Tear tha he to whom a miracle ie vouched must Niel offer han jin she wh hasan meal should sy ase, ido ot ha ht exten nating AND Me BUILT THERE AN auTaR, ETC. There is no mentionhereof bation or offering. The reason is that Jacob's intention was only to complete the grade which required to wit, to join the lower grade, referred to byt to the upper, referred to by the word "Lord' Hence he only built an altar and did not offer drink-offerings for bumt-offerings. AND CALLED Tite PLACE EL-BrTH= EL: aname analogous to the Most High Name, inasmuch a8 when there is a plenitude of ght, then "like mother, like he two becoming one. BECAUSE THERE GoD Were) REVEALED ONTO 1tIM: the word Elohim (God) bere is an allusion to the seventy who are always attendant on the Shekinah, there being seventy thrones the Shekinah, Hence: "there God was revealed unto indicating the same place of which it i written: "And the Loed stood beside hie" (Gen. xett, 13) Axp Gob WENT UP FROM RIM IN THE PLACE WHERE He sroxe wrrst wim. R. Simeon said; 'From here we learn that Jacob formed the Holy Chariot together with the 'other patriarchs; further, that Jacob constitutes the supernal Holy Chariot which will restore the full ight of the moon, that he forms a Chariot by himself, as implied in the ment: "And God went up from him", It is written 'what great nation is there, that hath God so nigh unto them, rrsb-r740) vavesnnan 165 as the Lord our God is whensoever we call upon him ?"" (Deut. 1¥, 7). How dear', he exclaimed, 'must Israel be to the Almighty, seeing that there is no nation or language among all the dol-worshippes that has god to hearken unto them whereas the Holy One, blessed be He, i ready 10 Teccie the prayers and suppications of Inve i thee hour 'of need, to hearken to thetr prayer forthe sake of their rode? Axp Gop sar: THY NAME SHALL ME CALLED NO Mone Jacos, BUT IsaAEL SHALL BE THY NAME; AND (bic) CALLED iis NaME IsRAEL, "The subject of "and 'iled isthe Shekinah, a in the expression: ""And (he) called Unto Moses": whereas the name "God" earlier in the sen- tence refers tothe higher grade. The name Israel wae yiven him in viet of his having ackieved perfection, and so by this 'name he was raised to higher grade and was made perfect in that name. As R, Eleazar and R. Jose were once walking on the rd, the ater said to R. Eleszar:'Axsuredly it sas you 'aid, that Jacob was the consummation of the patriarchs and that he was attached to all the sides and so his name was tailed Tsral. But how comes i that God afterwards again called him many times by the name of Jacob, and that he is 'commonly called Jacob just as before 7 R, Eleazar replied: "That ia a good question. To find an answer, consider the vers: "The Lord will go forth as a mighty one, he wil stir up jealousy like a warrior" (Is. xun, 13). Why say as a 'mighty one, seing that He is a mighty one: and why say like a warrior, seeing that He isa warsior ? But the uth is that us we have learned, the same Jehveu (Lord) Is every 'where expresive of the attribute of merey. Now, assuredly, [1740] God is named Jehovah (Lord), asi is writen: "I am the Lord Jehovah (Ibid, 8) Yet we see that at times His 'ames called Elohim (God), which is everywhere expressive of judgement. The explanation is that when the eighteous are furnerous among mankind, He is called by the name of Jeleah (Lord), the name which implies mercy, but when inners abound, He is caled by the name af Elahin (God). Similirly with Jacob, When hei not among enemies, or in

166"Tue ZOHAR (74a
strange land, his name is Iracl, but when he is among ene- mies or in a strange land hie is called Jacob." R, Jose reoine "This doesnot quite solve the dificulty, seing that i written: "thy name shall no more he called Jacob", and yet all the tine we do eal him Jacob as for your remark that he 'sony called Jacob whenamong enemies or ina strange land, Ado we not ind it wrtten:""And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father's sojourning in the land of Canaan" (Gen. x9xvt 1), 'which was ot a strange land? R, Eleazar replied the names "Lard" and "God" 'the names Jacob and Ise for the words "thy name shall no more be called Jacob", that signifies merely that Jacob should not be his fixed name Said R Jose: "If that ssa, how pt that the name of Abrabamn became fixed after God haa said: "Neither shall thy name be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham" 'written: "but thy name shall be (eehayah), that is, abways, 'whereas here it is written: "but Israel shall be (yiyeH) thy 'name, that is, at Jeast on one oceasion, if not oftener, When, however, his posterity were crowned with priests and Levites, and were raised to high degrees, he was invested with the name of Israel in perpetuity Whilst they were walking, R. Jose suid to R, Eleszar: 'It has been said that with Rachel's death the house was trans- {ferred to Her who required to be adorned with twelve tribes. 'Nevertheless, why should Rachel have died rns the birth of Benjamin ? R. Eleazar in reply said: 'order that the Shekinah should be duly crowned and take her place in the house as "s joyful mother of children", With Benjamin, the Shekinah was equipped with the full twelve tribes, and with him the kingdom of heaven began to be made 'manifest on earth. Now the beginning of any manifestation is brought about with strin, and involves a doom of death before it can become established. Here, when the Shekinah 'was about to assume her rightful place and to take over the hhouse, the doom fell upon Rachel. Similarly, when the king- dom was about to be made manifest on earth, it commenced 'with a judgement, and the kingdom was-not established in its 740-1748] vavisitan 167 place until a doom had fallen upon Saul, in accordance with, his deserts; and only then was it established. It s-a general rule that beginnings are rough, whereas the subsequent 'course is smooth. 'Thus, on New Year's day (Rosh-hashana) 'the year opens with severity, asthe whole world passes under Judgement, each individual accordiag to his deeds, but soon after comes relief and forgiveness and atonement. The reason is that the beginning is from the left side, and ao it brings hharsh judgements, until the right side is aroused and ease follows. In time to come God wil frst treat the idolatrous nations gently and indulgently, bur afterwards with severity and stern judgement. So Seripture says: "The Lord will go forth as a mighty onc, he will stir up jealousy asa warrior; he will ery, yea, he will shout aloud, he wil prove himself mighty against his enemies" (Is. xi), 13); which interpreted means that first He will manifest Himself as Jehoeah (the Lord) in Hisattibute of mercy, then asa mighty one, but notin Hisfull right, then asa wareior, but notin His full war panoply, and finally, His whole might wil become manifest against them 'order to exterminate ther, so that "he will ey, yea, he wil 'shout aloud, he will prove himself mighty against his ene- fics." Again, itis written: "Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight againat those nations, as when he fighteth in the day 'of battle" (Zech, xiv, 3). Also: "Who is this that cometh from Edom with crimson garmests from Bozrah ? ete." (is. cx, 2)" [AND 17 CAME TO FASS, AB MER SOUL WAS IN DEPART ING—FOR SHE DIED —THAT SHE CALLED His NAME BEN- ONt; avr Wis Fatuer caLien stim Bexyamix. R, Judah discoursed on the verse: The Lord is good, a stronghold inthe day' of trouble; amd he keoweth them that fae refuge in him (Nahum 1, 7). "Happy', he said, 'is the man who finds his suength th the Holy One, bleed be He, since: His stcength is invincible, "The Lord is indeed "good to all" (Ps. caty, 9), "a stronghold", wherein is salvation, a8 we read: "He isa stronghold of [1748] salvation" (Fbid. xxv, 8) "inthe day of trouble", to wit in theday of Iraet's oppression at the hand of other nations, Now of him who relaxes his hold

168'tue zone ab
of the Holy One, blewed be He, it fs written: "If thou art faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is stritened" (Prov. xurv, 10), and the only way of holding firmly to God is tohold firmly tothe Torah; for whosoever holds firmly tthe 'Torah holds firmly to the tre of life, and, awit were, adde strength tothe community of Israel, But if he relaxes hishold 'of the Torah, then, as it were, he presses hard the Shekinah, 'which is the strength of the world. Again, when a man re- lases his hold of the 'Torah and walks in the wrong path, ever 'so many enemics are ready at hand to acts his accusersin the day of rouble, nay, even his own soul, which i his power and strengeh, turns against him, and becomes his enemy, so that may be said of him * follows the guidance of the 'Terah and walks in the stright path, many are the advocates that rise up 0 say a good 'word for him, 'Thus we read: "If there be for him an angel, an intercessor, one among a thousand, to youch for man's uprighiness; then he it gracious unto him, and sath: Deliver him from the pit, Ihave found a ransom" (Job xxxtt, 23,24). "These verses', continued R. Abba, 'present a difficulty. Is snot everything revealed before God, an angel to point out to Him the good or bad thi

1man, so that only when a man has defenders on his side to
recall his merits before Him, and no accusers, then He is gracious unto him, and saith: "Deliver him from going down, into the pit, Ihave found a ransom? But the language of the teat, ifproperly considered, contains the answer. For it would have sufficed tosay:""Ifthere befor him an angel"; who, then, is the "intercessor, one among a thousand" ? Iti one of the angels appointed to follow man on his left side, There are a thousand such, as it says, "A thousand may fall at thy side, and ten thousand a thy right hand" (Ps Now "one among thousand' isa designation ofthe evil prompter, who 4s the outstanding figure of the thousand on the left, singe he is the one who ascends on high and obtains authorisation, Hence, if man walks in the way of truth and the evil promp= ter becomes his servant, according to the words, "Better is he 1746-1754) VAYISHLAML 169, that i lightly esteemed, and hath a servant (Prov. 1, 0), then he ascends on high and becomes the man's advocate, pleading his merits before God, whereupon God says! "Deliver him from going down into the pit." Nevertheles, the evil prompter does not return empty-handed, aince another man is delivered into his power, one whose sins he hhas already set forth, and this one isa ransom for the other 'man, This is what i meant by the words: "I (God) have found a compensation" (for thee, the accuser), According to nother interpretation, the ransom consists in the merits of the man, through which he is freed fom the pit and from 'death It is therefore incumbent on a man to walk in the path 'of tit so thatthe accuser should be turned into his defender 'A similar procedure is employed by Israel on the Day of 'Atonement, when they tendera he-geat to the evil prompter and so engage his attention uatil he ascends and gives testi ese a ese eae thine adversary be hungry, give him bread 1 eat, eile beasts ie aa refering to the evil prompter. 'The words good, stronghold in the day ef trouble" apply to Jacob when. Esau came forward to accuse him, and the words: "and he 'knoweth them that put their trust in him"" were exemplified when the trouble of Dinah befell him. Observe that the accuser attacks 2 man only in time of danger; and so it was on account of Jacob having delayed to full his vows which he hhad made to God thatthe aceuser eame forward against him, [175 selecting the moment when Rachels life was in danger. eho," he sald, "Jacob has made vows and has not them he has wealth and children end is shore of nothing, yet he hat not paid his vow that he made before Thee; and Thou hhast not punished him." Then straightway "Rachel tavailed and she had hard labour", the term "ard" indicating that a severe doom was issued on high at the instigation of the angel of death' [Awp Racitet pimp. We have seen that Jacob, at the time 'Ena came up to him, put the handinaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and

170'Tue ZOHAN 1 [eye
Joseph hindermost. Why did he put Rachel hindermost ? Tecause he feared that the wicked Esau might observe her hheauty and assail him on sccount of her, Iti written further: "Then the handmaide came near, they and theie children, and they bowed down, And Leah also and her children came neat, and bowed down', the females before the males. But in regard to Rachel itis written? "and after came Joseph near and Rachel", tha is, Joseph in front of his mother, #0 a8 to rotet her. And here Rachel was punished atthe hand of the evil prompter, who availed himself of the moment of danger and brought sceusationszpainst her; and Jacob was punished for aot having paid his von. Jacob felt thi blow more acutely than all the other sufferings that befell hin. 'That her death was due to him we learn from his words: "Rachel died upon me" (Gen, XLvt, 7), oF, a8 we may translate, "on account of 'me, je, through my not having paid my vows, R. Jose said: 'Tet written: "the curse that is causeless shall come home' (Prov, xxvt, 2) This signifies that the curse of a righteous 'man, even if pronounced under a misapprehension, once 'uttered is eaught up by the © 'moment of danger. Nov Jacob sa soever thou finest thy gos he shall not ive" (Gen. xxx, 32); and although he was unaware that it was Rachel who had stolen them, the Satan (adversary) who perpetually dogs the footsteps of the sons of men, seized on that uterance. Hence We are taught that a man siould "ever open his mouth for the Satan", inasmuch as the later is sure to take hold of his 'utterance and use it to bring accusations on high and below; all the more so if i is the utterance of a righteous man or & sage, These, then, were the true causes of Rachel's death." AND 1 CAME TO PASS, AS EK SOUL DEPARTED—FOR five pep. R. Abba said 'What need is there t state thet shedied, after itsays that her soul departed ? The object is to mae it clear that her soul did not return again to her body, as sometimes happens with some people. 'Thus we read: "And his spirit returned unto him"; also: "And their heart departe 1750-1756) Vavtsntan mn 'xvi, 17). Butwhen Rache!'s soul pased out, it did not return, and 50 she died." AND SHIH CALLED 115 NAME BEN-O¥t (the son of my 'sorrow, in reference tothe doom thit was pronounced agsinst thee; but Jacob turned him round and attached him to the ight (Benyamin-the son of the right hand), as the West (of 'which Benjamin was symbolic) needed to be bound up with the right. Thus although he was Ben-oni (the zon of sort), derived from the side of chastisement, yet was he also Ben Gorin (che aonf the tight), ee the mother was bound op Wi the right and was buried by the toad, as explained elsen ere, Rachel's death and burialplace ate recorded, but death nor the burialplace of Leah is recorded although the matriarchs have a jowt symbolism, which has been explained elsewhere, Axp Jaconser up a rintan crow nee cHace, R. Jose said: "He did this in order that her burial-place should never beforgotten until the day when Gosishall raise the dead tolife. 'This is borne out by the phrase: "unto this day", which 'means until that great day.' R. Judah said: 'It means, untit the day when the Shekinah will return with the exiles of Israel to that spot, as itis written: "And there is hope for thy future, saith the Lord; and thy children shall return to their 'own border" Jer. xxx, 17) This isthe oath which God sware unto her; and Israel are destined, when they retuen from exile, to stop at Rachel's grave and weep there as she wept 'over Isrue's exile. It is thus written: "They shall come with 'weeping, and with su ns will I lead them" (Ibid. also: "for thy work shall be rewarded" (Ibid. 16). And at that [175] time Rachel who lies on the way' will rejoice with Taracl and with the Shekinah, 'The Companions have thus expounded allthis, Anp iT cmt 70 Pass, Waite IeuAEL DWELT IN THAT LAND, THAT REUBEN WENT AND LAY WITH BILWAn His FATHER'S CONCUBINE; AND ISRAEL HEARD OF IT. Now THE suns of Jacos Wete TWrLve, R. Elezar 'ite gouaR 11 lish The term del eh) incates that Leah and Rachel by that tie and the house had been taken over by the new misten (the Shek). In apite af the words ofthe text, weare not tomuppone that Reuben rally lay with Bilkal, "The teuth ip that during the lives of Leah and Rachel the Shekinah hovered over them; and now that they had died the $ there her abode, nary, in the tent of Bil have been found there had not Jacob formed a new union of male and female. But Reuben, in his pleasure at seeing ihah filling his mother's place, came and disarranged the 'ouch; and because the Shekinah rested on it ti writen, "And he lay with Bihah".' R. Jesse sad that Reuben li himself down to sleep on that ouch, thus showing disrespect to the Shekinah, Hence Reuben was not excluded from the of the tribes; and so Scripture relates thatthe aoms of Jacob sere twelve", commencing with Reuben, Jacobs fst Shoe, thus putting him atthe head of the tribes. R. Judah discoursed on the verse: Fur the ways ofthe Lord arc right and the jst d alk in them; but transgresors stumble 'therm (ito. x0¥, 10) "All the ways of God he suid, are Het and tre, but mankind know not and regard not what is that keeps them alive. Hence "the jos: do walk in them! because they know the ways of God, and they devote them. selies to the Torah; for whoever devotes himself to the "Torah knows those ways and follows them without turning either tothe right or the left. "Bur transgressors do stumble therein", to Wit, the sinners, since they labour not in the "Torah nor regard the ways ofthe Almighty, and know not which way they are walking. And since they ate thoughtlest and do not study the Torah, they stumble in thei ways in this 'werd and in the world to come, Now the soul of one who has laboured in the std ofthe Torah, when t leaves this world, ascends by the ways and paths ofthe Torah—ways and paths fariiar to them. They who know the ways and paths ofthe "Torah inthis world fallow them in the other world when they leave this world. Bur those who do not study the Torah in this weld and know not ts ways and paths, when they leave this 'world know not how to follow those waysand paths, and henee a73b-1760) Vayrenuan 3 stumble therein, 'They thus follow other ways which are not the ways ofthe Torah, and are visited with many chastise- 'ments. OF him who devotes himself tothe Torah, on the other hand, itis written: "When thou lest down, it shall watch over thee; and when thou avaest, it shall alk with thee" (Prov, Vi 22). "When thou lest down", to wit in the grave, the "Torah shall watch over thee against the judgement of the cother world; "and when thou awakest", that is, when the Holy One, blessed be He, will awake the spirits and soula m0 asto bring the dead to life again, it shall talk with thee, the 'Terah will speak in defence of the body, so that those bods whieh laboured to keep the Torah as required will ise up. "These itis who will ke the first to rive up, and of whom its 'writen: "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the arth shall awake, some to everlasting life ete-" (Dan, xi, 2) forthe reason that they occupied themselves with everlasting life, which is the Torah, Further, all the bodies of those who have devoted themselves to the Torah will be preserved, and the Torah will protect them, inasmuch as at that time the Holy One, blessed be He, will raise up « wind from all four 'of the world, a wind specially prepared to bring to ie all those who have laboured in the' Torah 20 that thy hould live for ever. It may be asked here, what of the dead 'ho were revived by the prophet's invocation, "Come from the four winds, O breath" (Ez. xxxvn, 9), and who yet did notsurvive, but died asecond time ? Theansweris that at that although the wind was compounded of all four winds, ie did not come down to give them permanent life, but only todemonstrate the modein which God will one day bring the dead to life, namely, by a wind (176a} formed in this fashion, 'So that although those who were then resurrected turned again into bones, since their resurtection was only meant as. proof to the world that God will one day raise the dead 10 Tif, we may stil belive that at the proper time the righteous will be resurrected foran everlasting life. For the Torah itself 'willstand by each one of those who have occupied themselves in the study of the Torah, recounting his merits before the Almighty.' R. Simeon said: 'All the words of the Torah, and allihe doctrine ofthe Torah to which a man devotes his mind

74sits zoH1an 11 {176
are ever blore the Almighty, and a that time the Torah will recount how the man devoted himself tothe 'Torah in this world, and thereat ich men il all ie for relating ify an we a lend Tard are righ and the jon dow do sumblesherein." Hiya cited in this conn ton: "Naw Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did unto all Irae and how that 'hey lay with the women that did service atthe dooe of the 'Sam. u, 22). "Are we to believe, he sad, 'tha the pests of the Lerd actually did auch s thing ? And what, in fae, were theie sins as recoeded by the Sceipure ?

1"dealt centempruoasly with the offering of
yan tha "the custom ofthe priests with the yeople was that, when any man offered sacrifice... Yea, 'pefore the fat was made te smoke, the priests servant eae, and said to the man that sterfced: Give esh wo roast forthe Nay, but thou shalt give it to me now, and if not, Til tke iby force" (ld. 16), In fat, they ony ook those portions that belonged tothe press, and it wasonly because they tested lightly the efferings that they were punished, Yer here Scripture tates that "they lay with the women that did service at the door ofthe tent of meeting", Assuredly they could not have committed so grave wan, and that in x0 sacred place, without the whole of Israel arising and slaying thes. 'The tuth is that what they did was te prevent the 'women from entering and aering their prayers until the other sacrifices had ben offered, because their offerings were ofa kind in which the priests had no portion. Its this ation of preventing them from entering the sanctuary which is described by the words: "shey lay with the women, ete." Similarly, in the ease of Reuben, we should not dream of taking literally the words "and he fay with Bubah. What he dias to prevent her from performing her conjugal duty t0 his father, and this was the abject of his diarranging ia father's couch; and, moreover, he did it in the presence of the Shekinah; forthe Shekinah is always preseat whenever marital intercourse is performed as a religious duty; and 'whoever obstructs such a performance causes the Shekinah 1760-1766} VavISHLATL 175 to depart from the world. So Scripture says: "Because thou \wentest up Co thy father's bed; then profanedst chou that one that went up to my couch" (Cen, x8, 4). Hence it is written: "that Reuben went and fay with Bihah, his father's eoncu bine; and Israel heard of it, Now the sons of Jacob were twelve"; that 5 to say, they were allincluded in the number, and their mers was inno wise abated.' RR, Eleazar asked: 'Why do we find jn this verse first the same Israel and then the name Jacob ? The reason may be given as follows, Reuben said to kimself: "My father was Fntended to raise twelve uibes and ao mote, yet now he ie about to beget more children, Does he then wish to disqualify tus and replace us with others?" So straightway he dsarranged the couch and prevented the intended intercourse, thereby "lighting, as iewere, the honour of the Shekinah that hovered ouch, Hence it is writen first "and Jerae heard", since it was ly that same that he was exalted among the twelve hidden ones which are the twelve pure rivers of bal- sam, and then "and the sons of Jaceb were twelve", alluding to the twelve wibes by whom the Shekinah was adorned and 'whom the Torsh again enumerated [1768] a befor, implying. that they wereall of them holy, all of them considered by the Shekinah worthy to behold the sanctity oftheir Master; for had Reuben really committed the act mentioned, he would 'ot have been included in the number, For all that, he was punished by being deprived of the birthright and by its 'transference to Joseph, as we read: And the sons of Reuten, the first-born of Istael—for he was the first-born; but for- 'tmuich as he defiled hie father's couch, his biethright was given unto the sons of Joseph' (t Chron. vi). We see from 'this how all that God does i planned with profound wisdom, and every act of a man leaves its imprint and is preserved before the Almighty. For on the night when Jacob Went into 'Leah, all his thoughts were eentred upon Rachel, and fom that intercoune, and from the fist germ, and under that intention Leah conceived; and we have affirmed that had not Jacab been unaware ofthe deception, Reuben would not have 'entered into the nutnber, Its for that reason that he did not receive a name of special significance, but was simply called

176THE ZOHAK 1 [1766
Reuben (rewshen--behold, a son). But forall that, the in- tended effet was produced, and the birthright reverted to the 'dest son of Rachel, as originally purposed. 'Thus everything me right in the end, forall the works ofthe Almighty are 'based on truth and right R. Hiskiah ore day found R. Jose cooking a dish from which jrease wan dripping on wo the fre, sending up a cloud Of smoke. He ssid then to him: "If the pillars of smoke which used once to ascend from the top ofthe altar had con~ tinued to go up lite this smoke, wrath would not havedescend- 'ed on the world and Israel would not have been eailed from thee land." R, Jose then opened a discourse on the verse: Who is this that cometh out ofthe wildernes lhe pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all poreders of the 'merchant (8.8.1, 6). When Israel', he said, 'were journey- ing in the wilderness, the Shekinah went in front of them, as iia writen: "And the Lord went before them by day pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar 'of fire, to give them light" (Ex. xi, 22). They on thei side followed its guidance; wherefore i is written: "Thus saith the Lord: I remember thee the affection of thy youth, the love of thine espousals; how thou wentest after me in the wilderness, ete" (Jer 1,2). The Shekinah was accompanied byall the clouds of glory, and when itjourneyed the Israelites took up their march, as it says: "And. whenever the cloud 'was taken up from over the tent, then after that the children of Tnrael journeyed, ets," (Num. 1%, 17). And when the 'Shekinah ascended, the cloud also ascended on high, 30 that, all men looked up and asked: "Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke ?" For the cloud of the Shekinah looked like smoke because the fre which Abraham and his son Isaac kindled chung to it and never left it, and by. reason of that fire it ascended both as cloud and smoke; but forall that it was "perfumed, or, as we may alo translate, hound up with myrrh and frankincense", tha i, with the 'loud of Abraham on the right and with the cloud of Isaac on

1lft. The words with all powders of the merchant" allude
to Jacob, or, according to another explanation, t» Joseph, whose bier aeeampanied the Isralites in the wilderness, 1766-1778] VAyISHLAR 7 fand the designation robhel (merchant of tale-bearer) is aiven to him because he brought evil reports of his brethren to their father; or, again, because just asthe seller of spices, keeps hisherbs and spices in bundles, so Joseph through one action kept the whole of the Torah, since all the precepts of the Torah are bound up with the preservation of the holy covenantin its integrity, The Shekinah was thus leagued with Abraham, Ista, and Jacob together with Joseph, inasmuch 'as the two later are one in essence, each one being the image of the other, as indicated in the words: "These are the off 'pring of Jacob: Joseph" (Gen, xxxvit, 2). Now, when the Israelites dwelt in their land and brought offerings, they all Adrew themselves nearer to God in manner dve; and when the work of steifce was performed and the smoke of the altar ascended in a straight column, they knew that it had kindled [1774] the lamp which they desired to kindle, and so all faces, shone and all lamps were it. But since the destruction of the 'Temple nota day passes butis visited with wrath and rage, anitsays:"and God hath indignation every day" (Ps. vil, 12), and joy has departed from on high and from below, and Israel hhave gone into exile and are subject to other gods, and the words of Seripture have been fulfilled, saying: "and there thou shaleserve other gods" (Deut. xvit, 6). Why allthis? "Because thou didst not serve the Lord thy God with joyful 'es, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance 'ofall things. 'Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemy, et. in want of al things" (oid, xxvii, 47-48), And sit will be 'until God willariseand redeem them from arsong the nations,

48we read. "then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity,
and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the peoples, whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee, If any of thine that are dispersed be in the 'uttermost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God sath the, ete." (Ibid 8, 3-4)" Now THESE ARE THE ceNeRaTioNs or Esau—rue Same 1s Epoat. The Scripture does not enumerate the sons. of Esau until after it has recorded the death of Isaac, whereas Jacob's sons were emumerated long before. The reason for

178'Tnx ROmAR 11 bre
s. Esau had neither portion nor inheri- tance nor loti Isaac, but only Jacob and his sons. Jacob and his sone ae therefore the portion ofthe Holy One, blessed be He, and they eter nto the reckoning; but Esau, who was not ofthe portion of thesde of rue fit, made up hie account, as it were, after the death of Iaaac, and his por took is course t9 another died and Esau retieed to it is written: "And Esau took his wives .. . and went into a land awa from his brother Jacob", that is, he relinquished to Jacob both the capital and the profit, or, in other words, the bondage of Egypt and the land, and he sold his own postion in the cave of Machpela and went away from the land an from the true faith, abandoning all completely. Observe, then, how much Jacob's portion was this enhanced in every respec, in that eau did not remain with him, but parted from himand went asvay Wo hs own pordon and lot, 50 that Jacob was left In possession of the heritage of his father and of his ancestors. Hence: "and he went into a land away from bis brother Jacob", the last phrase indicating that he bad no desire for Jacob's portion or inheritance or his meed of faith. Happy 'the portion of Jacob, of whom the Scripture says: "For the portion of the Lord is his people Jacob the fot of his inheritance" (Ubi. xt, 9). Asp THESE ARE THE KINGS THAT KEIGNED IN THE LAND OF Epos, BEFORE THERE RELONED ANY KING OVEN THE CHILDREN OF TaRAEL. R. Jesse disceuraed on the verse: Behold, I make the small among the nation, thow art greatly despised (Ob. 1, 2). 'When God', he said, 'made the 'world, He divided it into seven regions corresponding to the seventy Chieftains whom He placed in charge over the seventy nations, assigning to each the nation appropriate to him, a8 wwe read; "He set the borders of the peoples, according to the 'of the children of Israel" (Deut, xxxn, 8); and of all nations noone is 0 muuch despised before Him Chieftain of Esau. The reason of this is that the sie of Esau is the side of defilement; and the side of defilement is a77e-t77l) VAYISHLA 79 despicable before the Holy One, blessed be He, as it springs thee small among the nations; thou art grealy despised' it is written: "upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life" (Gen. th, 14), and also: 'eursed be thou from among all eatle, and from among all beasts of the field" (Jbid,) Observe that the lower grades forma hierarchy, one above the other, and each different from the other, yall linked and interlocked with each other. Sois kingdom separate from kingdom, yet is each linked 10 the other, All the grades are held, as it were, by one chain of a certain measurement, which in its turn is divided into three smaller chains which reach down and ae tied tothe stars and planets, s0 that each yrade is assigned one [1776] star or planet, 'Those stars in their turn operate under the grades above. Every grade has thus charge ofits own proper region, land, when they diverge, a chain is formed by which each grade is bound to its proper sce, The sides of the unclean frades, which are on the left side, diverge all of them into 'humerous ways and paths and distribute their power 10 thousands and myriads in the lower world; nd in reference to this it a5 said-to Edom: "Behold, I make thee small among the nations; thou art greatly despised." Now, in the text, "And these are the kings that reigned in the land of Talim! the words "in the land' indicate the side of his gras, that is, the grade of Esau, since itis written: "Esau— 'the same is Edom." All these things were this from the side fof the unclean spirit; and they were "before there reigned any king over the children of Israel, inasmuchas they embody the grades that stand first a the lower gates. Ft was this that Jacob had in mind when he said "Let my lord, pray tl jplos over before his servant' (Gen. xxxmt, 14), since Esau's grades were the first to gain an entrance. 'They thus reigned Ihefore there wasany'king over Israc, for as yet the time had not arrived for the kingdom of heaven to enter into power and to league itself with the children of Isael. When it did, i beyan with the leas ofthe tribes, which vas Benjamin, at it says: "There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them,

180rue zoman tt ft
te." (Ps, txvit, 28), and with him the kingdom began to advance, After that the kingdom came into its own place and 'was established, never to be removed.' 'R. Hiya diacoursed on the verses: Yet now hear, O Jacob iy servant, and Irae, whom Fac chosen; thus sith the Lord that made thee axd formed thee from the scomb, echo exill help thee: Fear not, O Jacob my sercant, and thou Jeskunun, cham T have chosen (Is; xutv, 1-2). 'Observe', he sad, 'how God 'hax promised Terie in many places to make them worthy of the world to come, as He has not chosen for his portion other people or language, but only Israel. It was for thi 'purpose that He gave them the Torah of truth, by whose 'means they may live virtuously and learn the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, 20 that they may inherit the Holy Land; for whoever is thought worthy of the Holy Land has a portion in the world to come. So Scripture says:""Thy people also shall be all righteous, they shall inherit the land for ever" (Ibid, 1x, 1). Nov, in the verses above queted three grades are mentioned: first Jacob, then Israel, and finally Jeshurun. Jacob and Israel have been explained, Jeshurun. Suggests the word shur (row, side) and indicates that he has his rank on this side and on the other, 'The thice nates, though representing different grades, are really the sarme. Jacobs is called "my servant" because sometimes he is like a servant who has orders from his master and is eager to execute his will, We read elsewhere: "the Lord that ereated thee, © Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel" (Ibid. x11, 1), and in the above verse we read: "Thus saith the Lord that wade thee." We have thus herein the terms "created", "formed", and "made", which represent different grades, 'one shove the other, but which allare essentially one. Happy the portion of Israel in whom the Holy One, blessed be He, finds delight above all the nations who worship idols, of Which iis written: "They are vanity, a work of delusios the time oftheir visitation they shall perish" (Jer. 15)- will come to pass on the day when God will destroy them from the world, 9 that He alone will remain as it says: "And. the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day" (Is. 1, 11)." R. Judah discoursed on the verse: Fear not, thow worm 177b-178a] vavesiLan 181 Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I help thee, sith the Lord, and thy 'Redeemer the Holy One of Lrael (Ibid. xu, 14). Observe', he said, 'that all the Gentiles have been placed under the charge of certain tutelary Chieftsing, stated, and that they all follow thei own gods, ast is written: fn the name of its god to robbery, violence, and fornication, [1782] ind other kinds bf wichodnens, and use all their power to injure and de harm Irael, on their part have no force or power toovereome them their mouth, like to the worm which has no strength, for power except in its mouth, by which, however, it wears through everything. Hence Tsrael are called "worm". Or again, as the silkworm, that precious creature which produces. from itself fine thread out of which is woven the costliest kingly raiment, leaves behind before it dies a seed out of which it comes to life as before; so Tsrie, although they. 'seemingly die, always re-emerge and persist in the world as before. So Scripture says: "Behold, as the clay in the potter's 'hand, 20 are ye in my hand, O house of Israel" (Jer. xvi, 6), 'The term homer (clay) signifes in reality the material of glass Which, when broken, can be refounded and made whole as before. "Fear not .. men of Israel life, for since the children have engr 'tree oflfethey will arise from the dust and will be established in the world as one united people to worship the Holy One, blessed be He, in harmony with the words: "That they 'ny call upon the name of the Lord, wo serve him with one 'consent (Zeph. 11, 9) 'R, Eleszar and R, Isaac were ane day travelling on the road, together when the time forthe reading of the Shema arrived. R. Bleazar paused and recited the Shem i After he had finished, R. Isaac said him leave from his Master and offer up his prayer" R. said in reply: 'When I left it was not yet time either for the reading of the Shemna or for saying prayers. Now that the sun thas risen T have said rny prayer. But all the same, before com- 'mening say journey I did offera prayer to Him and consulted

182'THE ZOuAR I [1780-1788
Him, as it were. I, however, did not say this prayer because 1 have been occupied in studying the 'Torah since midnight, and from the early dawn up to now it was not yet the time for prayer, for while the morning is still dark the Wife is con- versing with her Husband, being about to retire to her tent, where her maidens keep her company. Hence no man should then interrupe them afd break in with other words. Now, however, thatthe sun has risen it is the time for prayer, a is writen: "They shall fear thee with the sunrise" (Ps. 'uxt, 5), Which indicates the close connection between fear 'of God, or devotion, and the light of the sun, which makes it incumbent on man not to part them, but to associate them together.' The two then proceeded on their way, until they arrived at field, where they at dawn. Raising their eyes, they 'a a mountain, on the top of which they discerned strange creatures moving about, R. Isaac began to tremble, Said TR. Fewrar to him: 'Why are you afaid ? He answered: "Because this mountain looks s0 formidable and on it are strange creatures, which I fear will attack us" R, Eleazar then said to him: "Whoever is afraid of his sins has eause to fear "Those creatures are not ofthe dangerous kind that haunt the 'mountains? He then began to discourse on the verse: AND ANE THE CHILDREN OF Zingon: AIAN AND jrits 15 ANAH WHO FOUND THE YEMIM IN THE WiLDERESS. "In regard to this verse" he said, Sts agreed thac these yemim are not the same as the Exim men tionedt'in the verse: "The Emin wel therein aforetime but the children of Esau succeeded them" (Deut. th, "They were an unnatural kind of being which was fist erated fom the side of evil spirits and goblins atthe moment when the Sabbath was about ta be sanctified, and they remained unsubstanial and bodiles, since neither the sixth day nor the seventh day would own them. [1786] When, however, Cain was driven from the face of the earth and dvelt in the land of Naf, they spread from his side nd became corporeal, ut not for any length of time. 'They are therefore called _yarai (ays), ape in the sane way a yemin here, without & 3d, in allusion to the fact that they appear occasionally to 'men as they haunt the mountains, and for one moment in the 1788] VAYISHLAN 183 day astume bodily shape, but forthwith lose it again, Anah found them and they taught him to bring bastards into the world. For Anah himself was a bastard, the offspring of an incestuous intercourse between Zibeon and his own mothers and this came about through the side of the unclean spirit that attached itself to him, Those and numerous ether mon strous beings of many varieties are derived fom tut side and roam about in the wilderness and ean be seen there, a5 the 'wilderness iva desolate place and therefore isa suiuble haunt for them. For all tat, whoever walks in the ways ofthe Holy 'One, blessed be He, and fears Him, has no eause to feat them." Seid R. Eleazar: "That isso, but of all those whe labour in the 'Torah it is writen: "Phe Lord shall keep thee from all 'evil; he shall keep thy soul "The Lord shall guard thy going 'Out and thy coming in, from this time forth and for evee™ (Ps. exxt, 7-8). R. Eleazar discoursed on the verse: Hallelujah (praise ye the Lord). 1 will give thanks unto the Lord sith my whole heart, in the councll of the upright, and in the congregation. (Ps, &xt, 1). King David', he sai, "daily devoted himself to the worship of the Almighty, and he would rise a midnight and sing hymins and songs of praise and thanksgiving, 0 as to-esabith his place in the kingdom above. For a soon as the north wind began to blow at midnight he knew that the 'moment had come when God rose, asit Were, to duport Him= self with the righteous in the Garden of Eden; so he arose at that moment and busied himself with songs and thanks- givings until the moming. For, a8 we have affirmed, when the Holy One, blessed be He, appears in the Garden of Eden, 'He and all the rightevus in the Garden of Eden listen to the 'oice ofthe suppliant, as we read: "The companions hearken for thy voiee, case me to hear it" (8.8. vtt, 3); and, more- 'over, thread of grace is woven round him during the day, as it is written: "By diy the Lord will command his loving- kindness, and in the night his song shall be with me" (Ps. xu, 9), And furthermore, all the words ofthe Torah which fone utters in the night ascend and are woven into a garland

184'THE ZORAK It [1786-1700
thefore the Almighty. King David therefore devoted himself during the night to the service of his Master. Observe the heading Hallelujah (praise ye the Lord), for ve haye learned that of llth titles that David affixed to his sngs and hymns,

1mowt exellent was Hallelujah, embracing as it does in
fone single ward the name of God and the eal to praise, the rname being Yah, and the prabe coming from the Community of Tora, whe thankegivings to the Holy 'ne, blessed be He, for thee; hold not thy peace, and be not stil, O God" (Ps xxxti, 2), because the Community of Israel continually arranges and ofers up its thankspivings to Him, Now we read further: "I will give thanks unto the Lord with my whole heat (bab) thats, as already explained, with the good and the evil prompter, whoare always with a man: "in the council of the upright, and in the congregation" is an allusion to Israel, who are adorned withall grades—prists and Levites, the just and the pious. Te isthe same congregation of which wwe read: "God. standeth. inthe congregation of God (Ps. texan, 1), Hence a man should continually offer praise to God, sine: He takes delight in songs and hymns, and 'when a man knows how to offer praise to God in the proper 'manner, He accepts his prayer and delivers him, as we read 'Lwillset him on high, because he hath known my name. With Fong fe wit satay Bi, ete" (bic R. Jose dicoursed on the verse: Thow art my hiding-place, thou wilt preerce me from the adversary' with songs of del erance thou wilt compass me about. Selah (Ibid. xx41, 7). Tt is God', he sid, 'who isa hiding-place and a shield to the rman that walks in the ways of the Torah such a man is covered by the shadow of His wings s0 that no one can do htm mischief "Thou wilt preserve me from the adversary"; that is, from the adversary on high and from the adversary here below, both of whom areone and the same evil prompter, {170¢] who is the opponent above and the opponent below; fed if not for the esl prompter, man would have no adver- sary in the world, "With songs of deliverance thou wilt com- 'pass me aboat" is an allusion to those songs that possess rales of potency to save; with which, therefore, "Thou wil 798) VAYISHLAN 18s 'compass me about" to afford me deliverance when on a journey. (This verse is efficacious whether read forwards oF backwards.) Observe that all the songs and bymas that David sang contain deep allusions of wisdom, because he composed R. Eleazar discoursed on the verse: Thow didst thrust sore 'at me that I might fall; bt the Lord helped me (Ibid. exit, 13). 'We should have expected', he said * "they di thrust sore in teuth this alludes 'man, and tries to seduce him and lead hirm astray from Gd; the same ia, indeed, the evil prompter who follows man about, Ii t0 'thou didst thrust sore ate", seeing that he endeavoured by means of all sorts of alfictions to tum him aside from God. David thus said: "Thou didst thrust sore at me—to cause me to fall into Gehinnom—but the Lord helped me—so that 1 was not delivered into thy hand." It is, Hence, ineumbent on a man to 'be om his guard against the evil prompter, so tha he ahall not such a: man God guards in all 'his ways, as i i written: Then shalt thou wall in thy way securely, and thou shalt not dash thy foot" (Prov. 1 also: "When thou goest thy step shall not be straitened; and if thow runnest thou shalt not stumble" (Zaid. wv, 12); and "But the path of the righteous is as the light of dawn, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day" (Ibid.

118)!
'Said R. Judah: "Happy are israel whom the Holy One, blessed be He, fn this world and in the world 1 'come, as itis they shall inherit the land for ever" (Is. ux, 21). Blessed be the Lord, for evermore. Amen and Amen frrpe-1798 Gen. sexu, xt, 23 AxD JAcop DWELT IN THE LAND OF His FATHER'S SOJOURNINGS, IN THE LAND OF Caxaan. R. Hiya dis coursed on the verse: Many are the ils ofthe righteous, but the Land delivereth him cut of them all (Ps. xxxtv, 20). "Many, indeed', he said, 'are the adversaries with whom a human, 'being has to contend from the day that God breathes into him a soul in this world. For a soon as he emetges into the Tight of day, the evil prompter is at hand in readiness to joi him, scording to our interpretation of the verse: couch at the door" (Gen. 1, 7). In proof whereof note that the beasts from the day they are born are able to take care ofthemselves, and avoid fireand similar dangers, whereas. man, en the other hand, seems to feel at fist a natural propensity to throw himself into the fire, the reason being. te evil prompter dvells within him and from the begin~ i ways. So Scripture says: "Better i a ishing, who knoweth 'not how to receive admonition any more" (Heel, 13). The "child" here signifies the good prompter, who is <0 called because hei asit were, a youngster by the side of man, whom. he docs not join till he is at theage of thirteen years, a else- where affirmed. He is better, then, than "an old and foolish king", to wit, the evil prompter, who is called king and ruler over the sons of men, and who is assuredly old, since, as already said, so soon as a man is born and aces the light of day he [1798] attaches himself 10 im and he is foolish, not knowing how to receive admonition, since, as Solomon says 'of him also, "the fool walketh in darkness" (Ibid. 11,14). Tndeed, he comes from the very quarry of darkness, and light is for ever a stranger to him." R. Simeon said: "Tt has boen laid down that the "poor child here isthe good prompter, the sameas he who ssid of himelf: "I have been young, and 'now am old" (Ps. xxxvit, 25). He is called thas no possession whatever of his own, and is called "youth" 179i vavESHER 187 for the reason that he ix constantly renewed in the same way asthe moon; also he is wise, since wisdom dvells within him. He is better than the "old king", who is the evil prompter, as already said, since from his fist emergence he has never rid Ihimelf of his impurity, and he is footlah in that alle steps are toward the evil ways, and he turns the sons of men from the right path, employing all kinds of pretext to diver them from the good way to the evil. And he hastens to jon man on the very day he is born, in order that man may come to believe in him, and that when the good prompter arrives later he may be loth to believe him and think him a burden. Similarly our teachers have defined a "cunning wicked man to br one who comes first tothe juege and pleads his ease bofine his opponent arrives; as Scripture says: "He that pleadeth his cause fist seemeth just, et." (Prov. xvi, 17). In the same way the evil prompter is cunningly wicked, a5 wwe read: "And the serpent vas more cunning, ete." (Gen, 1, 1), and 30 he arrives first to take up his abode with ms and make his ease plausible o him, s0 that when his fellow, thats, the good prompter,accives, he finds himself obnox- fous to man, and is not able to raise his head, as though he were bowed down with a heavy burden, because of that ccunsingly wicked ane who kas got the start of him. Hence the words of Solomon: "the poor man's wisdom is despised, and his words are:not heard" (Eecl. tt, 16), because the other has anticipated him, Hence for a judge to receive the plead ings of on litigant in the absence of the other is ike acknow- edging strange gods. But the way of the righteous judge isto wait ll "his neighbour cometh and searcheth him out" (Prov, xvi, 17) Similarly the righteous man in he who docs 'not put eredlence in the evil prompter, but first waits for the arrival of the good promptet. For neglecting to do this the 'sonsof man will sturble in the world to came, The righteous 'man, on the other hand, endure 'world many trials for not believing in and not ssociting himself with the evil prompter, but the Holy One, blessed be He, delivers him from all is, as it says: "Many are the ills of the rigiteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all" (Ps, xxxi¥, 20). For God finds delight in such a man and delivers him from

188'THe ZONAR It [179b-1800
all ills in this world and in the world to come. Happy is his portion See how many ills befell Jacob in his effort not to be 'drawn to the evil prompter, and to keep himself far from his portion; and for this he endured many aflictions and ills 'without respite.' RU Hiya applied to Jacob the verse: I war not at ease, neither reas I quiet neither had I rest; bat trouble came (Job. it, 26). 'How many ills and sufferings,' he said, 'one after another come upon the righteous in this world that they may merit the world to come. Jacob as one of them, and could say of himsell, "I was not at ease" in the hhouse of Laban, from whom 1 could not escape; "neither 'was T quiet" on account of Esiu, through the pain inflicted 'on me by his Chieftain, and later on through fear of himse "either had 1 rest" in the afiai of Dinah and Shechem: "but trouble carne", to wit, the trouble and eonfusion of the loos of Joseph, which was the worst ofall, on account of his Tove for Joseph." Ano JAcoD DWELT INTHE LAND OF 115 FATHER'S S0JOURNINGS, 18 THE LAND OF CANAAN, [1803] R. Jose diacoursed ere on the verse: The righteous perdeth, dand noma layth it to heart, nd godly men are taken ty, tone comidering thatthe righteous is taken etcay fom the ceil "When God, he sai, 'surveys the world behaving and meet for chastisement, He frst emoves from it any righteous man that i present in 9 that chastsement should he visited on all the others and there should be none to shield them. For 36 long a there it

4rightous man in the world chastisement can
a8 we lar from Moses, of whom Ihe sid that he would destroy them, stood fore him in the breach, et." (Ps Ce, 33), God thus fist removes the righteous from the world, and only then calleets His account, as it were. We thus trnalate the con- clusion of the verse: "the righteous is taken away before (imipn) the evil to come", that is, before the evil is dee to befall. (According to another iterpretation, "from the evil

1come" isan allusion tothe evil prompter) Observe now
that although the gatoh was already de inthe hfestime of 1800) Vayesnes 189 Jacob, yet because he was a righteous man—the perfection of the patriarchs—the sentence was postponed; for whilst he 'was alive punishment could not befall the world, and even famine of Egypt ceased on his arrival. Neither did the cxilereally commerce during the life-time of Joseph since he 'was the image of his father, but as soon as he died the eap- sivity began in earnest ait says: "And Joseph died....come, Jet us deal wisely with them . . . and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, et." (Ex. 1, 6-14). Similarly, wherever a righteous man exists, God for his sake shields the world, and during his life-time no 'hastisement falls on the wold; and so we affirm. Axo Jacon WELT IN Tite LAND oF itts FaTHER's s0jouRNtNGS. The term migure (sojournings) ean be ren dered "apprehensions", being akin to the term magor in the phrase magor misabib, a terior on every side" (Jer. vt, 25), and so indicates that Jacob passed all his life in fear and anxiety. 'Tittse ARE THE GENERATIONS OF IACOR: JOSEPH. ETC. When Jacob was brought to rest in Joseph, and so the sun was united with the moon, then there commenced a produc tion of offspring, the progenitor being Joseph, For itis that perennially flowing stream which fructifes the earth and from which generations are propagated inthe world. For the sun, even when he approaches the moon, cannot cause vege tation without the help of that grade which goes under the name of Righteous Zaddit). It was, then, Joseph who was the grade of Jacob to bear fruit and bring forth offspring in the 'world, Hence: "These are the generations (tl'doth, lit. off- spring) of Jacob: Joseph. Or, again, we may take the words to signify that whoever looted at Joseph thought he was looking at Jacob, Hence this form of expression is used only in connection with Joseph ard not with any other of Jacob's sons—itis not written, for instance, "These are the ofspring of Jacob: Reuben", the reason being that Joseph was the ceact image of his father.

190THE ZOHAR 1 [1800-1808
Betna stveNTERN vans oLD. Ro Abba said: "This 'number of seventeen is significant, comeaponding as i docs to the seventeen years of joy and honour which Jacob fived in Egypt, with all his sons round him and Joseph asking, and 'which Ged vouchsafed him in return for the years during Which he mourned for Joseph, and dié not see him." R. Hiya discoursed on the text: Therefore hearhen anto me, 'ye men of understanding: Far be it from God that he should do weichedness; and from the Almighty that he should commit iniquity. For the work [ob] of man el he requite usto him, 'and cause every man to fd according this ways (Job XXXt¥, 2012). "God he oad, "in creating the world, meant it to be based on justice, and all that is done in the world would be 'weighed in the scales of justice, were ic not that, to save the world from perishing, God sereened it with merey, which tempers pure justice ard prevents it from destroying the 'world. The world in thus governed in mercy and thereby ix able to endure. But, you may ask, is nota man often punished bby God underervedly ? The answer is, as hax been afimed, that when suffering befalls a righteous man, itis on account 'of the love which God bears to him. He erushes his body in torder to give more power to his soul so that He may draw hh nearer in love. For i is needful thatthe body should be 'weak and the soul strong, that so a min may be beloved of God, as the Companions have affirmed, that the Holy: One inflicts sufering on the righteous in this world in order that they may merit the world ta come. Hut he who is weak of soul and strong of body is hated of God. Its because God has no pleasure in him that He inflicts no. pain upon him in this world, but permits his lie to flow ameothly along with ease and comfort, in that for any virtuous act he may perform he 'receives his eeward in this world, so that na portion should be left him in the next work, 'This is in accordance with Onke- Jos' paraphrase of the text: "And he repayeth them that hate him to their face" (Deut. vt, 10), which read: "And he repayeth them that hate hitn in this world." 'The righteous 'man, then, who is eontinually broken in-body is the beloved of the Holy One, blessed be He. Now various difficultie, are by this statement. Inthe 1808) VavEsite 198 first ples we know that the Shokinah doce net dwell amid 'sad surroundings, but only where there is cheerfulness. For is reason Elisha std: "But now bring me a minstrel, and 'ame to pass that when the minstrel played, the hand of the Lord eame upon him" (1 Kings ut, 15), and we learn the same leston from Jacob, from whom the Shekinah de- parted during the years that he was grieving for Joseph, but to whom it returned as soon as the glad tidings about Joseph reached him, when, a5 it says, "the sprit of Jacob heir father revived" (Gen, xL¥, 27). That being #0, where, we may ask, isthe cheerful spirit in the righteoas man wha is broken in body, seeing that he is tormented by his sufferings ? And farther, do we not know of many righteous men, beloved by. the Almighty, who were never 2 prey to acute suffering oF physical weakness ? Why this discrimination ? Why should these be physical wrerks and the others hale and hearty ? One 'explanition given is that the later were born of righteous parents, whereas the former, although themselves righteous, 'were not children of righteous parents. But the facts are against this, since we see many righteous men who are the Sons of righteous parznts, and who nevertheless ae afflicted 'with bodily ils and ave lifelong sulferers, But there is a deep mystery involved her, inasmuch ay all the ways of God are based on truth and righteousness. In connection with this verse I have found in the books of the ancients 2 mystial doctrine, and next to it another mystical doctrine, both being in essence one and the same, Tt amounts to the following. "There is a period when the moon is defective, judgement 'being visited upon her, and the sun being concealed from her. Naw its the moon that at all times and seasons releases souls to enter the soas af men—she having previeusly gath- cred them for the purpose. Of those souls, then, which she releases during the period that she is under sentence, every 'ne will always be the victim of degradation and poverty and suffer other chastisements, irrespective of whether he be sinful or righteous, Prayer, however, ean avert any sentence of punishment.) But those souls which the moon sends forth 'when she is in the aie of completeness, and the perennially flowing stream plays about her, are destined to enjoy

192THE ZOMAR IE [1808-18
abundance ofall good things—of riches, children, and bodi health—and all on account [1814] ofthe allotment (mazzal) that flowed forth and joined itself to that grade in order to be 'perfected and blessed by it. We see thus that all things are dependent on allotment (maszal), according to the dictum: "Children, life, and livelihood do not depend on a man's Hence: all those who are sorely te of being teuly righteous suffer through the mischance oftheir soul; but in compensation the Holy One, blessed be He, has compassion on them in the 'Would to come." R. Eleazr aids 'All the acts of the Almighty are in accordance with justice, and His purpose is to purify that soul from the scum that adheres to it inthis world, soa 'tw bring it into the world to come, When the body is crushed. in order that he may gain lifeeverlasting. In this regard itis written: "The Lord teieth the righteous, ete." (Pee, 5)" 'R. Simeon said: "It is written: 'unto the veil, nor come nigh unto the altar, because he hath 'a blemish; that he profane not my holy places, beesuse Tam the Lord who sanctify them" (Lev. xxt, 25), When the perennial stream releases human souls, and the Female be- 'comes pregnant, they all range themselves within the edifice. 'Now all those that go forth at the period when the moon it Aefective by reason of the evil serpent, although pure and holy, become bruised and defective in whatever place they each, and have to undergo pain and suffering. And these are thesouls in whom the Holy One finds delight in spite of their being sad instead of joyful. Exoterically speaking they are a counterpart of somethingabove, the body being impaired and the soul being within after the supernal pattem, each eorre= sponding to each, and these are the souls that require to be renewed with the renewal of the moon, and hence itis written 'concerning them? "And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from ane Sabbath to another, shall ll Resh come to worship before me" (Ts. 14V1, 23), the word lt" signifying that these souls will be renewed wholly with the renewal of the moon. For they are partners, as it 1810-1815] VavESHER 193 were, with the defective moon, for which reason she dwells in them always, without leaving them, in allusion to which the Seripture says: "I dwell .. with hit also tht is of « contrite and humble spirit... tb revive the heart of the contrite ones" (Is. Lvl, 15), also: "The Lord is nigh unto them that are of broken heart" (Ps. xxxiy, 19). These verses refer to those who are fellov-sufferers with the moon, in her defect, and regarding whom it is fly sid, "to revive the heart of the contrite ones", that is, to. make' those who participated inthe sufferings of the moon also participate in the new life to be bestowed on her inthe future, Such sutier= ings undergone by them ate called "sufferings in token of love". Happy is their portion in this world and in the world to come when they will be privileged tobe partners with her, in allusion to which iti "For my brethren and companions' sakes, ete." (Ibid. cxxt, 8)" R, Simeon further discoursed on the text: Behold, my servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up an 'shal be very hgh (Is. ti, 13). 'Happy is the portion of the righteous', he said, 'to whom the Holy One reveals the ways of the Torah that they may walk in them. 'This verse con tains an exoteie meaning. When God created the world, He 'made the moo, and made her small, for she possesses no ight of her own, but because she accepted her diminution she receives reflected fight from the aun and from the other superior luminaries. Now, 28 long as the Temple existed, Israel were assiduous in bringing offerings, which together with all the other services performed by the priests, Levtes, and TIsraclites had for their object to weave bonds of uni and to cause luminaries to radiate But after the Temple was destroyed there was a darkening of the lights, the moon frase fo cessive light from the mie, the latter [x88] havin 'withdrawn himself from her, so that not x day pases but is full of grievous distress and aflictions. The time, however, will come for the moon to resume her primordial light, and in allusion to this itis written: "Behold, my servant will prosper." That i to say, there will bea stirring in the upper realms as of one who catches a sweet odour and stands alert. 'He shall be exalted", from the side of the most exalted 'of scab, At that time, then, the Holy One will use a stirring, fn high with the object ef enabling the moon to shine with her full splendour, as we read: "Moreover the light of the men shal be as the light ofthe sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the Tight of the seven days" (Ibid. 25%, 26). 'There will thus be added to the moon an exalted spirt whereby' all the dead that are in the dust will be awaiened. 'This is the evoteric meaning of "ny servant", vie. the one that has in his band the hey of in Master. ', too, in the verse: "And Abraham sad unto his servant, <tc." (Gen, xxv, 2), the servant isan allusion te the moon as already. explained. Also, the servant is identical. with Meutron, who isthe servant and messenger of his Master, and who was, as we read further, the elder of bis house, the i "I have been young, and. 'ow am old!" (Ps, xexvrt, 25) "That ruled arr all that he had"; this applies to the same Metatron by reason of his displaying the three colours, green, white, and red. "Put, 1 pray thee, thy hand under my thigh'; this is symbolic ofthe foundation of the world, for this servant was destined to bring to life aguin the dwellers in the dust, and to be made 'the messenger by the spir fom on high to restore the spirita and touls to their places, tthe bodies that were decomposed "underneath the dust. We read further: "and Iwill make thee swear (weashie'akha) by the Lord, the God of heaven", the term eeashbe' ahha implying thatthe servant will be invested with the mystery ofthe seven (sheb') celestial lights Which constitute the mystery of sublime perfection. Further: "that thou shalt not take a wife far my son of the daughters of the anaanites." 'The "wife" is an allusion to the body Iving underground, and "to my son" ian allusion to the soul, inasmuch as all the souls tht jae from the celestial ever- flowing river are the children of the Holy One, essed be He. "The servant is thus hidden "ot to take a wife for my son of, the daughters of the Canainites", or, in other words, not to take for a soul any of the bodies of the idolatous nations whom the Holy One will inthe future shake out of the Holy 1815-1824] vavesuen 195 'Land, as we read: "and the wicked be shaken out of i" Job XOXVIH, 15), as one shakes dust from his garment. The servant is further bidden: "But thou shalt go unto my 'country, and to my kindred," "To my country" has alrady been explained; "to my kindred" is Observe now what is written further: 'camels represent the ten grades over which the servant 'exercises dominion, and which are ster the supernal pattern; "of the camels of his master" to wit, an exact pattern ofthe superior degrees, ws already sai; "having all goodly things of his masters in his hand", to wit all the superna spets 'that emerge from the superna luminaries; "and he aroseand went to Aram-Naharaim", to wit, the spot in the Holy Land where Rachel wept at the time the 'Temple was destroy "And he made the camels to kned down without the city by the well of water", that is, he fortified the energy of the souls before ther entering into the bodics for their rev "at the time of evening", to wit, the eve of Sabbath, [1824] 'which isthe sich millennium, the same period as that alluled to in the text: "and to his labour until the evening" (Ps. '1v, 23), alo in the words: "for the shadows of the evening, are stretched out" (Jer. vi, 4). We read further: "atthe time that women go out to draw water", 10 wit, the time when thove sho deew the waters of the Torah will rise from the dead before the rest of mankind, in virtue of their having taken hold of the tree of life. Further: "and the daughters of the men of the ety came out to draw water", to wit the bodes will come forth, as we read: "and the earth will tcow up the shades" (Is. x«vt, 19), implying that the earth will in future give up ail the bodies lying therein, "to draw water that i. to recive the soul in a perfected state. Further: Tet it come wo pass, thatthe damselto whom I shall sy, Let ddown thy pitcher, that T may drink." It is one of our afi 'mations that every soul that oeeupied itself inthis world in the study of the deep mysteries of Divine Wisdom, when it 'goes to heaven is raised t0-a high grad, high above those who Femained in ignorance; and it s they who will ie from the dead first. The words, then, "Let down thy pi

196THE onAR It [i820
signify the inquiry which the servant will make of each soul regarding her occupation in this world, We read, then, "and she wil say, Drink, and Iwill give thy camels drink so", that is do thou drink fist, and afterwards T wil give drink Ao the thes grades, for although thowe grades drink from the same wurce, they uliately derive their sustenance from the religioas activity of the righteous who Kew how to serve their Master properly, fort ishe righteous who know how to suply proper sustenance to each grade, "The sae be the says further, "that thou hast appointed forthe ton of my master"; that assuredly the body destined for that superior soul. Observe that as been aid before that the desire of the male towards the female forms a soul, and the deste ofthe female towards the male rises upwards to tuite wth the sul and form one being. 'The woman in thus the body which is destined forthe association of the soul hat is derived from the male. These bodies, then, are destined to Fs fst, a8 we sui ale other lands will he raised in' complete state and will be "enewed with the renewal of the moon, and the world wil be restored ots primeval state in allusion to which itis written: "Let the Lord rejoice i his works" (Ps e¥, 3). Hence we read: "Behold, my servant will understand", that i, he will now how to testore the souls each one to its place, "He 'shal be exalted and lifted up and shall be very high", rom the sige of all the superior grades a sid above, The next ven ays: "According as mary were appalled at thee—so0 marred was his visage unlike that of a man" (I. 0,14) "According 1 ou exposition, when the Temple was destroyed land the Shekinah went into exile into strange lands, then old, their Bren! cry without, the angels of peace weep bitterly (Ibid ext, 7), forall wept and mourned for the Shekih that was exiled from her place, and in the degree 'thatshe became altered fom what she was, to the same degree her Mester withdrew his ight and became altered from what the was, as it is writen: "The sun was darkened in his oing forth" (Ibid. xm, 10). Hence: 'so marred Was his visage." Accorting to another interpreution, the words, "so marred A Mind nah 1820-182] vavesien 197 vwas his visage unlike that of a man" are illustrated by the verse: "I clothe the heavens with blackness, and 1 make sackeloth their covering" (Ibid. 1, 3). For after the Temple was destroyed the heavens did not retain their former ilhi- 'ination. Esoterically speaking, benediction docs 00: abide save where male and female are together, and since at that time[1826] the male was not with he, all the souls that issued then were not the same as they had been when the sun was in union with the moon, as alrady said. This union is sym- bolizd by the relation of Jeph to Jacob, as expressed in the verse, "These are the generations of Jacob: Joseph "This form of expression implies that Jacob's image was com pletely reproduced in Joreph, and that whatever happened {to the one happened to the other also, the two being parallel and having the same esoteric symbolism. Axp Joseen sxoucur FviL RevORT oF THEM UNTO 'rwrim raTHER. This has been interpreted to mean that he accused them to his father of eating fesh cut from a living animal; he albo accused the sons of Leah of having treated 'with contempt the sons of the handmaids. How, it may be asked, could they have done this, seeing that the sons ofthe hhandmnsids were reckoned in the twelve wrbes?Or how could they have eaten flesh from alving animal, seeing that this distinctly forbidden tothe sons of Noah in the words: nly flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat" (Gen. tx, 4)? The truth i however, that it was ctly Joseph's tll, and he was punished fort. R Judah said: "The evil report of them that Joseph brought was that they cast their eyes on the daughters of the land whieh was equivalent to providing sustenance to the tnholy degrees that proceed from the unclean side." Now Isrart Loven Jost MORE THAN ALL HIS CHILDREN, BECAUSE He WAS THE SON OF MIs OLD AGE; AND HE MADE HIM A COAT OF MANY COLOURS. Said R. Eleazar: 'It is written: "Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee; hide 'thyself fora ttle moment, until the indignation be overpast"

198THe 204A 1 [1836-1830
(ls, xavt, 20), God holds Tora! in affection above the idola- {ous nations, and on that accaunt He warns therm and puts them on their guard in all theit deeds. There are three periods in a cay during which the world is Habe to chastise- rent, and at each of these periods it behaves a man to be specially on his guard. These are yell own and ace speifed elsewhere. Furthermore, at a time when judgement is at work pon the world and death rages in a city, a man should not walk by himself in the open street, as already mentioned above, but he should shue himself in after the example of 'Noah, who shut himself within the ark so that he should not bbe me by the destroying angel. Henee: "Come, my people, enter into thy chambers, and shut thy doors about thee", $0 'a not to be exposed to the destroying angel; "hide thyself for a tle moment", until the indignation be overpast, ax after the moment of judgement is passed the destroying angel has no more power to harm. And it is because God holds Israel in affection and draws them near to Himself tht all the idolatrous nations hate Ismael; for they see themselves kept a a distance whilst Israc! are brought neat. Similarly it was by reason of the love that Jacob showed tovards Joseph above all his other sons that they conspired to slay hhim, though he was their own brother. How much greater, then, must be the enmity of the idolatrous nations towards Israel! Observe the consequences that followed the excessive love shown to Joseph by his father: he was exiled from his father, and his father joined hrm in eile, and along with hem. [:83e] the Shekinah also went into exile. It is teue that the exile was realy the consequence of a divine deeree; yt the proximate cause was the coat of many colours which he made for hit specially. ANp Josep pagan A DnsaM, 67. On the subject of dreams, R. Hiya discoursed on the text: And he said: Hear rw m) words: If there be a prophet amung you, 1 the Lard do take myself hoon unto hi in eiion, 1 do speak with Kin in

4dream (Num. xit, 6). "God! he said, "has brought into
evisterce a series of grades, ove higher than the other, one Arawing sustenance fom theater, someon the right, thers 1834) vavesien 199 the Key all arnged ina pres rach. Now al the prophets drew their inspiration from one eles cran rete Tc oak as it says: "do make myself known unto him ina Wsion! the word vision" denoting, a8 has been explained, a medium reflecing a yarety of colours; and this i the "dull mirror 'The dream, on the other hand, isa sixtieth part of prophecy, and s0 forms the sixth grade removed from prophecy, which in the grade of Gabriel, the supervisor of dreams. Now & normal dream proceeds from that grade, and hence thee is nt a dream that has not intermingled with i some sprious er, 30 that i isa mixture of truth and falsehood, Hence 'Win tha all rest fellow thei interpretation, anita wits "And it eame to pass, as he interpreted to us, so it was (Gen, xt, 13); for since the dream contains both falhood. and truth the word has poster ove it, and therefore itis ad- 'visable that every dream should be interpreted. a good sense." R. Hiya further discoursed on the test: In @ dream, in a vision ofthe night, rohen deep ileepfalleth upon mer, in slum bering upon the bed; then he epencth the cars of men, end by 'heisthatsement sealeth the deree (Job xsxtt, 15-16). 'When 'aman retires to rest,' he sid, it behoves him first to actnow- ledge the Kingdom of Heaven! and then to say a short prayer. For when a man goes to bed and sleeps, his soul leaves him and soars aloft. God then reveals to the soul 'through that grade which presides over the soul future events, for things which correspond to a man's own thoughts, 0 at to serve as an admonition to him. For no revelation comes to man when his body i in full vigour, but an angel com Imunicites things to the soul, and the so tanita them to 'the man; dreams, then, originate on high when souls leave the bedies, each one taking its own route. 'There is a gradu ated series of the intimations by which deeper knowledge is conveyed to men, dreams forming one grade, vision avother rade, and prophecy a thie grade, i arising series. Awp JOSEPH DREAMED A DREAM, AND HE TOLD IT Yo 18 mRETuREN. AND THEY HATED HIM THE WORE "he: o rei the Shera.

220tne ZomAR tt [1830-1836
oR His pREAMS. From this we learn that a man should 'ot tel his dream save to fiend, otherwise the listener may pervert the signfiance of the dream and cause delay in its fultment. Joseph communicated his dream to his brethren, and they caused its folfiment to be delayed for twenty-two Years. Thus we find i writen; AND ut satb Uro THEM, Hea, Leway vou, 11s pxeast (1830) wattent L HAVE DREAMED. We see here how he begged his brethren to listen to him, and inssed on telling them his dream, which, had they given it another meaning, would have been fulfilled ly. But they ad to hime "Shale thou indood reign 'over us? or shalt thow have dominion over us?" and with these words they sealed their own doom. RR. Hiyaand R. Jose wed to study with R. Simeon. R. Hiya 'once pst 0 it the fellowingg question: 'We have Tear that a decam uniterpreted ialike a letter undesiphered. Does this 'mean that the dream comes true without the dreamer being conscious of it or that i remains unfulfilled? Simeon fnswered: "The dream comes tue, hut withoat the dreamer being aware of it. For nothing happens in the world but what i made known in advance either by means of dream or by means ofa proclamation; as it has been afirmed. that before any event comes to passin the world it i announced in heaven, whence it is braudeast into the world. So Seripture says: "For the Lord God will do nothing, but he reveaeth is counsels unto his servants the prophets" (Amos. i, 7) the ime when there were prophets in the world; i were no more, their place was taken by the Sages, who, ina sense, even exceled the prope; and inthe absence of Sages things to come are revealed in dreams, and if mot in deeams, through the medium of the bids of heaven; and s0'we have laid down." FLOCK 18 SitecHEM, R. Simeon said: "The dots on the top of the particle e¢h in this sentence indicate that the Shekinah accompanied them by reason of theie being a band of ten, (They were only ten because Joseph was not with them and Benjamin remained at home on account of his tender 1836] VAYESHER 201 age.) Hence, when they sold Joseph they were in the company of the Shekinah, and, furthermore, they associated the Shekinah with them in their oath (aot to reveal the afi of Joseph); and until the fate of Joseph became known, the SShekinah did not rest on Jacob. 'The proof thatthe Shekinah companied the brethren is the verse of the Palms which 'speaks of "the tribes of the Lord, a testimony unto Issel" (Ws. cxxt, 4) ttle which shows that they were all of them righteous and devout, constituting the support of the whole world, both on high and below.' R. Simeon further dixcoursed 'on the text: I rejoiced then they raid unto me: Lat ue go sto the house of the Lord (Ibi, cxxtt, 1). "This verse has been 'explained', he sid, 'as follows, David was minded to build 'the House of God, but he was commanded to leave the task 'his son, as we read: "Now it wasin the heart of David my father to build a house for the name of the Lord... never- 'theless thou shalt not build the house; but chy son that shall come forth out of thy loins, he shall build the house for my name" (1 Kings vitt, 18-19) 'The whole of Israel knew of this and they used to say: "When is David going to die 0 that Solomon his son may arise and build the House, and we shall be able to say, 'Our feet are standing within thy gates, © Jerusalem' (Ps, Cxxt, 2), for we will then go up and offer sacrifices?" But although David knew that they were m= patient for his death, yet he rejeiced to hear them speak ts 'on account of his son, who would take his place in carrying 'out the commend to build the House. David thus commenced to sing ite praises and said: "Jerusalem that art builded as a city that is compact together" (Ibid. cxtit, 3). According to 'our teachers, God fashioned the lower Jerusalem on the model of the heavenly Jerusalem, the one exactly facing the 'other, a8 itis written: "the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee co dell in, the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have esiablished" (Ex, xy, 17). The expression "that art builded" indicates that God wil in time to come cause the upper Jerusalem to descend below; this is further proved by the phrase "asa city that is compact (ske-hubrah) together", where the term hubrah (kt. she is joined), writen in the singular, indicates that the Mother has joined the 2oz THE ZONAR 11 [283b-a840 'Daughter and the two are become as one. We read further "Whither ehe tribes went up", they being the support of the world and the upholding of the lower world, and even of the tipper world, at it saya: "even the tribes of the Lord, as a testimony unto Teruel", the term "Tsrael" having its esoteric, significance; for they, being the support of the lower world, Act a8 a testimony to the upper world, and all in order "to sive thanks unto the name of the Lord" (Ps. cut, 4), ie. to acknowledge the name of God in all directions" [1844] Ano Isnatt sarp UNro Jossri: Do Nor nity one ken FEED THE FLOCK OF SHECHEM? Come, AND T WILL SEND THEE UNTO THEM. How came it chat Jacob the perfect man, ho loved Joseph above al his sons and leew that ll his brethren hated hit, sent im wo them ? The truth is that he harboueed no suspicion of them, knowing 'them to he all righteous; but God ought al this about in 'order to full the decree pronounced "between the pieces" (Gen. xy, 17). We have fend i tated in ancient Books that the sons of Jacob were ansious to obtain dominion over Joseph before he went down into Egypt, because they knew thatif he should go down there fist before they obtained dominion over hie the Egyptians would ebuin dominion aver Iara! in perpetuity; but by selling Joueph as slave they made themselves his masters, and since he later on rose to per and the Egyptians becane hip slave, forse Deca tasers ofall, Joseph was the symbol of the heavenly cove= nan', and so long ashe was alive the covenant of the Shekinah remined with Istacl in perfect harmony, but as soon as Joseph departed the covenant ofthe Shekinah together with Israel was plunged into captivity, as icsays: "Now there arose ane king over Egypt, who knew not Josep (Ex. 18). Te seo all Btngly oraned by Providenes. Ano A cena' MAN FOUND MIA: this was Gabriel, of 'the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the at the beginning" (Dan. 1x, 21). AND, BEHOLD, WAS WANDERING: indeed he was wandering both litenlly and metaphorically; he trusted his brethren and 3844) vavesiten sought thie affection but could nota for them but could not find them, Hence: AND THE MAN ASKED MIM, SAYING: WHAT SEEKEST THOU? MAN SAID: THEY ARE DePawT#O HENCE, ere. R. Judah discoursed on the test: O that thas ert as my: brother, that suched the breast of my mother! When I should find the eit cout, 1 would kiss thee; yea, and none could despise me (8. 8. 'inl 1). "The Companions, he said, "interpret this vere as boeing addressed by the Community of Issel to the King €© whom peace belongs. She atid to Hien: "O that thou wert as iy brother", 10 wit, as Joseph towards his brethren, to whom hie suid: "Now, therefore, fear ye not; Iwill sustain youand your litle ones" (Gen. 1 24), and whom he provided with food and fed in time of famine. According to another explan- atioo, the phrase "as my brother" refers to Joseph, who was, in the relation ofa brother towards the Shekinah, with whom hho was intimstely associated "that sucked the breast of my other", this expresses the perfect affection between them 'shen 1 should find thee without", to wit, in exile, in a strange land, "I would kiss thee", so that spirit should join ea, end none would despise me', despite my dwell- inva strange land. Observe that although when Joseph fell into their hands they did not act towards him as brothers, set chen they fll into his hands hedlid act towards them as a inrother, as tis written: "And he comforted them, and he spoke kindly unto them" (Gen. 1,21). AND Tiley sa1p on 1 ANoTitER (lt one man to his brother). "These are Simeon and Levi, ho were truly brothers in all respects, both being descended from the side of rigorous judgement; and hence twas tht their anger as the ange that causes death in the word, ast says: "Cursed be their ange, for it was fierce, and their wrath, for it was cruel" (Ibid. xu, 7). For there are two species of anger. "Therein anger which is blesed on high and below, and called "bleaed" (barubh), a8 explained in connection with the sentence: "Blessed he Abram of God Most Iligh, Maker of heaven and earth" (Ibid. x1¥, 19); and there is anger

24'THE ZONAR TL [2840-285
'which ie accursed on high and js called "cursed" (aru), and regarding this itis written: "Cursed be thou from among all cattle, and from among all beasts of the Feld" (Zid. 24), as well as "Cursed be their anger for it was fierce." 'Thi the recondite significance of the two mounts. Gerisitn an al set aside for theblessing and the curse (Deut. x1, 29), the two mounts corresponding to these two grades; and hence 'one is ealled cutsed and the other blessed. Simeon and Levi oth helonged to the side of severity from which side, in its extreme manifestation, issues the anger which is under a 'crse, All anger ies from the side of rigorous judgement, but in two directions, [+844] one referred to as blessed, the other as cursed. Similarly, from the side of Isaac there issued theo tons, one of whom was blessed and the other cursed on high and below; the two separated, each going off towanls his own side, the one making his abode inthe Holy Land, the 'other on Mount Seic, being as he was "a cunning hunter, a man of the field" (Gen. xxv, 27). The latter had his home in the desert, in regions of waste and desolation, while the 'dwelt in tents" (Ibid), all being fitly_ ordained. isthat thereare two grades, "blessed" and "cursed 'ach ranged on its own side, From the one issue all blessings in the upper and the lower worlds, all beneficence, all light, ail deliverance, all redemption; whilst the other is the source ofall curses, ail wars and bloodshed, all desolation and evil, Tis written? Feld ash my hana in tno~ 'erncy; 0 ell I compact thine altar, O Lord (De. xxv, 6). "The sner implication ofthis verse has been explained as follows. Every man has a foretaste of death during the night, because the holy soul then leaves him, and the unclean spirit rests 'on the body and makes it unclean. When, however, the soul returns to the body, the pollution disuppears, save from the 'man's hands, which retain jt and thus remain unclean. Hence 'aman should not pass his hands over his eyes before washing them. When he has washed them, however, he becomes sanctified and is called holy. For this sanctification two vessels are required, one hel above and the ather placed beneath, ss that he may be sanctified by the water poured on his 1842] VayesEn 205 hands from the vessel above. The lower vessel, then, is the vessel of uncleanness, receiving as it does the water of cen 'amination, whilst the upper vessel is a medium of saneti- fication, 'The upper one is to be referred to as "blessed", the lower as "cursed". Further, the water of contamination 'should not be emptied in the house, in order that no one 'may come near it; for it fornis-a gathering-place for the ements of the unclean side, and so one may receive injury from the unclean water. Neither may a man pronounce a benediction before the pollution is removed from his hands, 'Thus, before he sanctifies his hands of a morning, a man ix called unclean, and after that he is called clean. For this 'reason one should not allow water to be poured over his 'hands save by a man who has already washed his own han in harmony with the precept: "And the clean person shall sprinkle upon the unclean' (Num. xix, 19). We see that the 'ne with his hands washed isthe clean person, the other the unclean. Similarly with the two vessels, the upper and the lower, the one being the holy vessel, the other the unholy. Nor is it permitted to put the polluted water to any' use, oF 'even to [et it stay overnight in the house, but it must be 'emptied in a spot where people do not pass, as it is Hable to 'eause harm through the unclean spirit that clings to it. It is quite permissible, however, to let it flaw down a slope into the eacth, It must not be given to witehes, as by means of it they can do harm 10 people, One should, then, avoid this _yater, since itis water of curse, and the Holy One desiresto furify Tsracl so that they may be holy, asi is written: "Aad {Lill sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean; from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols, will cleanse you" (Ez. xxxvr, 25)" AND THEY TOOK HIM AND CAST HIM ETO TUE PI, RJdah here discoursed on the tent: Th lw of the Lard perfect, restoring the soul (Ps. xts, 8) "The study of the "Torah, he sid, 'procures fora man lif inthis world and in the world to come, s that he gains the two worlds; and even 'pe that studies the Torah for worldly motives and not purely for its own sake as be ought to, gains a good reward in tis

206'THe ZONAR 1 [184-1850
'world, and escapes punishment in the other. 'The Seriprure says: "Length of days isin her right hand; in her left hand are riches ard honour" (Prov. 1,16). Theres, indeed, length, 'of days for him who devotes himeelf to the Torah for its own. sake. For such a one thereis length of daysin the other world, where days-are indeed days, [18a] And further: "in her left hand ae tiches and honour", which means geod reward in this world. Moreover, if man has devoted himself to the 'Vorb for its own sske, when he departs this world the "Torah goes before him and proclaims his mer, and shields him against the emissaries of punishment, When a man's body is laid in the grave, the Torah keeps guard over it; it goes in front of his soul when it soars upwards, breaking, through all barsiers until the soul reaches its proper place; andi will stand by the man at the time when he is awakened at the resurrection of the dead, in order to defend him 'against any accusations. 'Thus Scripture further says: "When. thou liest down, it shall watch over thee; and. when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee" (Ibid. vi, 22), The "lying down" isan allusion to the time when man's body is lying in the grave and is being judged there: the Torah sill then, protect him; whilst "when thow awakest", that is, when the 'dead will rise from the dust, 'it shall talk with thee, that is, plead thy cause' R. Eleazar interpreted the dase "it shall. talk with thee" to mean that when they rise from the grave the Torah will not be forgoten of them, but they will know it mich as chey did when they left this world. For their Torah willbe preserved from thar time, will penetrate within them, nd wil talk, as it were, within thei very inwards; and more- 'ove, they will be more adept than they were previously, 40 that points which formerly baffled them in spite of all their Tabour will now be fully comprehended by them, the Torah itself speaking within them. Hence: "when thou awakes, i will alk with thee." R. Judah said: "In a similar way, who- ever devotes himself to the study of the 'Torah in this world will be privileged to study in the world to come; and s0 we affirm. On the other hand, the man who fails to study the 'Torah in this world, and so walks in darkness, when he leaves, this world is taken and cast into Gehinnom, a nethermost 1854] vavesiten 207 place, where there will be none to pity him, a place called "eurnultuous pit miry clay" (Ps, x4, 3)- Hence, of him who 'has not devoted himself to the study of the Torah in this 'world, but has besmirched himself with the offscovrings of this word, itis written: "And they took him and cast him into the pit", that is, into Gehinnom, a place where those 'who have not aboured inthe Tora ar brought to judgement. "And the pit was empty", inthe same way as he was empty why so ? "Because there was no water (ie. Torah) in im. Observe, too, how great is the punishment for neglect ofthe study of the 'Torah, seeing that Tact were not exiled. fom the Holy Land save for having abardoned the Torah, 28 t writen: "Whois the wise man that may understand thin. Wherefore is the land perished ? .. . And the Lord sath: Becanse they have forsaken my hw, ete." (Jer. 1%, 1)- R, Judah derived the same lesson from the verse: "Therefore my people are gone into captivity, for want of knowledge" (lo. ¥, #3), that i, because they have not applied thermeives tw the study of the 'Torah, which is the foundation of the "upper and the lower worlds, as it says: "Were it not for my covenant enduring day/and night, would not have appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth" (Jer. xxx, 25). AnD THEY cAsT iM INTO THE PIT, There is @ hint hore that they cast him ulkimately among the Exyptiant, « place where there was no sign of true faith. R. Isaac sid: 'Seeing that the pit contained serpents and scorpions, Low could Reuben have advised that Joxeph should be cast into in order that "he might deliver him out of their hand, 0 restore him to his father" ? Had he no fear of the serpents and scorpions attacking Joseph ? And if they did, how could he deliver himout oftheir hand, to restore him to his father ? 'But the truth is that Reuben peresved the intense enmity of the brethren towards Joseph and how intent they were on Killing him, and he therefore thought that it was better for him to fall int» the pit of serpents and scorpions than to he delivered ioto the hands of enemies who would have no 'mercy on him. Hence the saying: "Rather should a man throw himselfintoa fire or a pit fll of serpents and scorpions,

208THE ZONAR It [1850-1858
than be delivered into the hands of his enemies." [1856] The ina place infested with serpents and searpns, righteous, God may possibly perform a miracle for him, or itmay happen tha the merits of is ancestors may tand him in good stead and he will be delivered. But of those 'who ure delivered into the hands of thei enemies, few indeed are able to escape. Hence the expression "that he might deliver him out of their hand", as vel as wo say "Let his be delivered, at any rate, outof their hand, and if he is to die {in the pit, then it eannot be helped." Observe the great piety fof Reuben, He knew well the ruthlessness of Simeon and hen acting and planning in conjunction, as witnessed bby their treatment of Shechem, where they not only slew all the males, but took all their litle ones and their wives, all their silver and gold, all their eatte and precious vessels, and everything else they found in the ci it which was in the field, as we read the city and that which was in the field they took" (Gen. sxeutv, 38), Reuben thus suid to himaelf: "IFauch a great city a5 that could not escape them, should this youth fallinto their hhands they will not leave of him a single shred." Hence he He must at all costs be reseued from them, since they of him for his father to see again; whereas 'he i llled, his body, at any rate, wil emain for me to Hence the words: "to bring him even if he die there. Hence, 00, "The child isnot", that isto eay, not even ld did I find, Observe his tetfulnese in saying "Lee tus not take his life," "Do not ye take his life." Now Reuben was absent when Teseph was sold, as the brethren hnad each in turn to attend one day on their father, and that day happened to be Reuben's turn. He was anxious lest on that day Joseph should diappear, and therefore at once ME RETURNED UNTO THE Fit, BUT BENOLD Josten Was NOT 1 THLE PIT;—not even dead—AND HE RENT His CLOTIES. AND HE RETURNED UNTO IIS BRETHREN AND Sato; THe CHILD 1s NOT, ETC. For even Reuben did not know that Joseph haé been sold, As already said, the brothers associated the Shekinah with ther in the oath of 1855-186] vavestten 309 secrecy, and s0 Reuben did not learn of it until Joseph made himself known to his brethren. Reuben's attempt tw save Joseph's life was all the more disinterested, because he knew that the birthright had been taien away from him and given to Joseph, for we thus find that Moses interceded on behalf, praying: "Let Reuben live, and not die" (Deut xt, 6), i, let him live in this world and not die in the World to come; and this prayer was prompted by this ation 'of Reuben and also by his repentance for tha other action. For whoever repents of his sin, God preserves in this world 'and in the world to come. Ano THEY Took Josern's oar, AnD THEY KILLED 'A we-oaT, nrc. the reason being, as has been lid down, that the blood of a he-goat resembles that of a human being. We learn from this passage how particular God is with the righteous, even when they act correctly. For athough Jacob acted fittingly in bringing « he-goat to his father, who was 'of the side of severity, yet because he thereby deceived his father, he was punished through that other he-goat, the blood of which hs sons broughe for the purpose of deceiving him, Of Jacob itis writen: "And she put the akins of the ide of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of eck" (Gen, xxvtt, 16); correspondingly, we read of his so ind they dipped the coat in the blood, withthe object of deceiving him. It was measure for measure, Likewise, there wwe read: "And Isaac trembled very exceedingly" (Ibid. 33), and as a punishment Jacob trembled when his sons uttered the words: "know now whether itis thy son's coat oF not" [6a] R. Hiya added= "There i i written; whether thew be my very son Esau or not * (Ibid. 21): corespondingly, here iis writen, "whether it is thy son's oF not". We thus find that the Almighty is particular with the righteous to a hairbreadth.' R. Abba suid: 'When the brethren perceived the pain they hd eaused thie father, they were stricken with 'emree ancl exit about to ransom Joseph at all costs, ifs0 be they could discover his whereabouts. But when they found that they were unable to do so they turned on Judah, who the af of ita, An

210THE 20MAR It [1860
hitherto had een kng.over them, andl deposed him from his high estate. Hence eis writen: "And it came to pass at that time, that Judah went dawn from his brethren." * Te Judah dicoursed bere on the teat: The Lond alo thundered in the heacens, and the Most High gace forth his 'oder; histones and cols of fire (Ps xvii, 14).' When God, he said, "ereated the work, He constructed for it seven pillars: by which it was to be upheld. So Seripture says: Windom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars" (Prov. 1, 1)."These in tuen are upheld by one {grade feom among them called "the Rightemis One. the fverlasting. foundation" (Ibid, x, 23). Further, when the {world was create, it was started from that ape which isthe Clmination and perfection of the worl, the central point of the universe, which identical with Zion, asitis written: "A psalm of Ataph, Gol, God the Lord hath spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun uato the going, down thereof. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hhath shined forth" (Ps. 3). That i to say, God started the earth from Zion, from the spot where faith culminates in its fll perfection. Zion is thus the citadel and central point 'of the universe, from which it began to be fshioned and from which the whole world is nourished. 'This lesson is 'esoterially indicated in our text. For Zion and Jerusalem, while one, represent two degrees, the one being the channel Of judgement, the other of mercy fist there sues from one the sound of mercy, and afterwatds there comes forth from 'theother the voice of judgement, the two forming the source from which the paths of judgement and mercy issue and diverge. Henee the expresion "And the Lord also thundered in the heavens" indicates judgement, while "the Most High 'gave forth his voice" refers to mercy, and "ailstones and Goal offre' signify ater and ire that i, mersy and judge rest commingled." Observe that when Judah was born itis writen: "and she leftof bearing" (Gen, atx, 38), the reason being that Judah, conutituted the fourth of the four supports of the Heavenly 'Thone, Dut here itis writen: Axo JODAM WENT DOWN FROM 1S uaETHREN, that is, from his position as their 1860-1868) AYRSHIRE au king, because Joseph hid been taken down into Egypt, as explained, ANp JUDAIC SAW THERE 4 DAUOMTER OF A CERTAIN Caxaanrre, The term Canaanite has been explained by 'the Companions, AND SHE CONCEIVED; AND BORKA SON; AND HECALLED, iis Naste Ex Judah had three sins, and the only one who survived was Shelah. R. Eleazar and R. Jose and R. Hiya were 'once walking gether: Said K. Jose tw R, Eleazar. "Why lait that of the fine son of Judah ice writen: and he called he ame Er", whereas of the other two it ia written: "and she called his name Onan', "and she cilled his name Shelah"? R, Eleazar replied: "There is a deep mystic allusion in these sentences, which explains all, Thus Judah going down from is brethren aymbolizes the moon becoming obscured and descending from the perfected grade to another grade to 'hich the serpent becomes associated, as is indicated in the statement: "and he turned into a certain Adullamite, whose name was Hirsh!' Then we read: "And she conceived, and. bore a son; atid he called his name Er." 'The name reversal ofthe letters ra' (evil), for he was evil, having issued from the side of the evil prompter. 'The accusative particle 'th (he) insered before his name likewise (1868] hints atthe 'emergence of mother grade, that ofimpurity and defilement, from which grade Er was born. Nor was the defect made 'good until afterwards, when Shelah appeared, It says further: "And Br, Judah's first-born, was evil in the sight of the Lord", where the term "evil" finds its echo in the sentence: "for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth'" (Gen, vit, 21), Er was evil in tht he shed blood, by spiling the seed a the ground, and thersfore the Lord slew him. After that itis writen: Ann Ji sax: GO IN UNTO THY MOTHER'S WIFE, ETC,R. Simeon opened here discourse ch the text: J have roused up one from the narth, and be is come, from the rising of the sun one that calleth upon my name; an 'THE ZOHAN IT [1866 and he shall come upon rlersas upon mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay (Is. X11, 35). "How foolish', he said 'are the 'ns of men who neither know nor eare about the ways of the Almighty, their eyes being closed as in sleep. God made rman after the supernal pattern, each limb corresponding to 'something in the scheme of Wisdom, For when the whole body of man had been daly shaped with ll its members, God associated Himself with him and put a holy snul into him, so 'as to teach man to Walk in the Ways of the Torah and 10 'observe His commandments in order that he might attain to hie fall perfection. Hence, while the holy soul is 'man's body, it is incumbent on him to multiply the image of the King in the world. There is herein an esoteric thought involved, namely, that just as the celestial stream flows on for ever without ceasing, so must man ace that his own river and spring shall not eeae in this world. And long as 2 man js unsuceessfl in his purpose in this world, the Holy One, Iilesied be He, uproots him and replants him over and aver again. Observe, then, the meaning of the words: "I have roused up one from the north, and he is come", where the rousing alludes to the rousing and stirring up of the desire 'ofa man for mating in this world, which originates from the [North, whilst the words "and he is come" allude to the holy soul which descends from on high, whence God sends it, and comes into this world to enter into a man, as said above, om the rising of the sun' alludes to the place of that cdlestial ever-flowing river, whenee the soul issues and is illumined: "and there come rulers as mortar" signifies the heavenly forces which cause a rousing in the souls above corresponding to the stirring of the man in his body. For it is for this purpose that Gad ereates souls in couples and sends them down tothe world, so that there may be companion beth on high and below, and the well-spring ofall may be blessed. God made man that he should steadfastly walk in His ways, and never cut off his fount and well-spring; for ifa man cuts off his wel-spring on earth and eauses it to dry up, it is as though he causes the waters of the celestial river to fail, as described in the words: "The waters fail from the 'ea, and the rivers drained dry" (Job sty, 11). For inasmuch 1865-1874] vavesnen 23 'as man has been established in this word after the pattem of the upper world, he whose wellypring ceases to produce ife is beyond remedy, and of him is crooked cannot be made straight" (Esl 1) On the other hang, he who has aken «wet has not been blessed with offepring can be redeemed by his fear relative, that is, by his brother. He who dies without leaving children will not enter within the curtain of hesven and will have no share in the other world, and his soul will not be admitted to the place whereall souls are gathered and his image will be cut off from there. Of such a one it ix 'writen: "And this soul will be cutoff fom before me." Such 'being the ease, God has provided for such a man a rede [87a] to redeem him out of the hands of the destructive Angel, to wit, his brother who is near to him, So Scripture 'If brethren duvell together, etc." (Deut. x0¥, 5-1 also: "Go in unto thy brother's wife, and perform the duty 'of husband's bruther unto her, et" For the soul of ouch & 'man does not enter before the presence of the Holy One, blessed be He, but remains without, since he has not suc- ceeded in radiating light in this world by means ofthe body. He who has not succeeded in this place must go to ancther place where be may have better fortune. When wood smoul- ders without any flame, if tis stuck it flares up and throws. 'ut ight. Manis compared t6 wood, a it 24 'ofthe field is man" (id. xx, 19). Now a man who eats and. drinks and marries, but is not blessed with children is like the wood that burns without giving off any light, thats soul has not been illumined in its present body but has re 'mained in darkness. It is written: "He ereated it nota waste, he formed i be inhabited" (Ia. x.x, 18), that is, God made 'man for this purpose, and so deat kindly with the worl, 'Observe the Scriptural text: "And Abraham took another wife, and her name was Keturah" (Gen, xxv, 1). Herein is an allusion tothe soul which after death comes to earth to be 'built-up as before. Observe that of the body it is writ "And it pleaed the Lord to erush him by disease; to ce if his soul would offer itself in resttuion, that he might ee his 'ed, and prolong his days, and thatthe purpose ofthe Lord a4 Tite zoHAK [870 'might prosper by his hand." (Is. tat, 10). "That is to say, if the soul desires to be rchabiltated then he must see sed, for the soul hovers round about and isrendy to enter the seed of procreation, and thus "he will prelang his days, and the purpose of the Lord", namely the 'Tora, "will prospe in his hand" For although a man labours in the Torah day and night, yet if is soure remains fruits, he wll ind no pace bby which to enter within the heavenly curtain. As has been Pointed out, a well of water. if not fed by its source and Spring, it no ell, since the well and the source are one and they have a joint symbolism. Ti writ ain for you that ye rise early, and sit up late, ye that eat the bread of sul- nest; so he giveth unto his beloved sleep" (Ps. exavi, 3) Precious, indeed, se the words of the Torah, each one con- taining sublime ard holy mysteries, as has been aimed, that when God gave the Torah to Teac, He gave ito them with all ts sublime and holy treasures. The words: "I is vain foryou that ye rise earl" are addresed to those who are single, not exhibiting the proper union of male with female. Ta vain they rise cal, as we read: "There sone that i akon and he hath nota second . «yet, there is no end ofall his Inboue™ (Eccl. 1, 8). In vain, to, they "ait up late, , a wwe may translate they' "postpone rest ne woman isasturedly man's repose. They are addressed as "ye that eat the bread 'of sadness, forthe man who has children eats his bread in good cheer and gladness of heart; but to him that has no 'the brea he eats i bread of sadness "so he giveth Ieloved sleep", the heloved being he whose well- Spring is blesed, and to whom the Holy One vouchoafeth sleep in the ather world, as we read: "and how shalt lie dove and thy slep shall be sweet" (roy. 1,24), fr be has a shate i the word to come; the man wil se down and te blessed with the world t0 come. "There is one that is alone" (Eel. tv, 8) is an. allusion to the man who is im properly alone, without a wife; "and he hath nota second ho ene to uphold him, no son to estab his name in Iriel, 'orto bring him to his due meed; "yet theres no end of allhis labour", ashe is always labouring, day and night; "nether is his eje satisfied with riches" (id) and he has not the 380-187] vavesnen 25 -sense to reflect Yor whom, then, do [labour and bereave my soal (1876] of pleasure ?" (lbid,) You may say that he has pleasure in that he eats and drinks and feasts every day bi 'tis not so, inasmuch as his soul (neh) does nat share i hi pleasure, so that assuredly he bereaves hs soul of pleasure, ofthe blissful illumination of the world t come; fr itis let 'stunted without attaining its fll and proper growth. For God. 'ares for His works, and so desires that a man should be set right and not perish from the world tm come, as alzeady sud. R. Hiya pur the following question: "What is the postion of a man who is just and upright and occupies himself with the study of the Torah day and night, and devotes himself wholly to the service of the Almighty, and yet is not blessed With children in this world despite all his effort, or who his hildren and they die—what is his position in the world te 'come ? R. Jose replied: His good deeds and the Torah will 'shield him inthe world to come." R, Isaac said: "Of such iti written: "For thus sith the Lord concerning the eunuchs tht keep my Sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and hold fast my covenant: even unto them will give in my hhouse and within my walls a monument and a memorial biter than sons and daughters; I will give them an ever- lasting memorial that shall not be eut of (Is vt, 4-3), 56 that these have a share in the world to enme.' Said R. Jose 'All this is perfectly correct. But what of the following problem ? Suppose there isa perfectly righteous snan whe hha all these qualita and duly perfects himself, yet dics without issue. Now, seeing that he wll inert his pace inthe world to come, will his wife requiee to marry his brother oF not? If she has to do so, then the marrage will be purposcless, secing that the other brother inherits his own place in the 'other world, The truth, however is that she must still marcy the brother, hecause we cannot say defnitely. whether the departed was really perfect or not. And inany case her second marriage isnot purposles, since it can serve to redeem some other righteous man who has died withoat children and hes had no ransomer. The passage quoted above continues: "Two are better than one; because they have a good! reward for

216THE ZOMAK It [1876-1880
their labour" (Ecel. 1v, 9), alluding to those yho have per~ formed the duty of leaving children in this world, for whose 'sake they inherit portion in the world to come. $0 God has planted trees in this world; if they prosper, well and good, and if not, He uproots them and replants them time after time. All the ways of the Holy One are thus forthe purpose 'of achieving the good and the perfection of the world' Go IN UNTO THY aROTHER'S WIFE, AND PERFORM THE DUTY OF | HUSBAND'S BROTHER UNTO HER. Judah and all the other tribes were already cognisant ofthis duty, the main purpove of which is expressed in the sentence: "and raise up seed to thy brother", as that seed is neoéed for the 'purpose of putting things right by growing into human shape 'and form and thus preventing the stock from being severed from its root. And When all has been put right, then those concerned receive praise inthe other world, as the Holy One is pleased with them, Hence it says: "Wherefore I praised the dead that are already dead more than the fiving thac are yet ali better than they both is he that hith not yet 'heen, who hath not seen the evil work that is dane under the sun" (Ibid. v, 2-3), That is to say: I praised the dead that are already dead more than the living that have returned (feom the other world) to the days of their youth; but better ian they both is he that has nbt yet returned t the days 'of his youth, ashe has no need to rectify and to suffer for his former sins; for the Holy One [18a] has already given him a fitting place in the other world. Happy the portion of the justwho walkin the way of rath. OF hem itis written: "The righteous shall inherit the land! (Ps. xxx, 26). Asp rie THIxG WiseH Me DID WAS EVIL IN THE SIGHT 'OF THE LORD; AND HE SLEW HIM ALSO. R, Hiya dis 'coursed here on the text: In the morning sow thy seed, and the evening titthold not thy hand; for thou kwowest not which shall prosper, ts wr that ete. (Exc. ni, 6) "Tt behoves a an, hhesaid, 'to be wel on his guard against sin, and tobe heedful in his actions before the Holy One, blessed be He; for nu= merous messengers and chieftains roam about the world, 1884] vavesiten 27 spying out the works of the sons of man, to which they bear Witness, and all of which are recorded in a book. Now of the sins which defile a man, that which defies him the most, in this world and in the world to come, is the sin of spilling one's seed (semen). A man guilty of this si will not 'enter within the Heavenly Curtain, and will not bebotd the presence of the Ancient of Days. So we learn from the recur- Fence ofthe word "evil" here and in the verse "For thow art not 4 God that hath pleasure in wickedness; evil shall not sojourn with thee" (Ps. v, 5) It was on account ofthis sin, to9, thatthe prophet said tthe people, "your hands are full of blood" (Is 1,15). Happy the portion of him who fears his "Master, and json his guard aginet che evil habit, keeping him self pure soas to persevere in the fear of his Master, Observe, then, the admonition saying: "In the morning sow thy see." "This alludes to the period when a man is in his prime and in the flower of youth, when he sets out to bring forth offspring from the woman destined for him. 'Then isthe proper time for rearing chikdren, as ays: righty tan, so are the children of one's youth" (Ps. cxxvn, 4), a5 the father ean then teach them the ways of the Holy 'One and so gain reward inthe word to come, as itis writen: "Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of therm; they al not be put tohame, shen they speak with their enemies inthe gate" (Ibid. 5) ic. inthe next world when the accusers bring their indictment against him, sinee there is no greater reward in the next world than that of the man who has 'tained his children in the fear of their Master and in the ways of the Torah. So itis written of Abraham: "For I have known fhe, that he will command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice" (Gen, svt, 19); and it was that merit which bestaod him against all the accusers inthe othe world. Further: "and inthe evening withhold not thy hand", that is to say, from begeting children even in old age, "for thow knowest not which shall prosper", that is which shall stand up in thy defence in the other world; and in regard to this ivis writen: "Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord" (Ps, exxv, 3), where the phrase "heritage of the Lord" is a8 THE ZOHAR It [x880-1886 an allusion to the "bundle of soul" in the world to come, tnd the passage indicates that itis children that make a man worthy of entering that heritage ofthe Lord. Hence happy the man who isHlessed with them and who trains them in the ways of the Torah. 'wipownoop, Tamar was the daughter of a priest, and it 'can hardly be imagined that she set out with the intention of 'committing incest with her father-in-law, since she was by nature chaste and modest. She was indeed virtuousand did not prostitute herself, and it was out of her deeper knowledge and 'wisdom that she approached Judah, and-a desire tact kindly and faithfully (towards the dead), And it was because her act 'was based on a deeper knowledge that God aided her and she steaightway conceived. So that it was all ordained (1886) {Frou on high, Ifit is aked, why did not God cause those son tobe born from some other woman, the answer is that 'Tamar was necessary for this purpose, and not any other woman, "There were two women from whom the seed of Judah was to be built up, from whom were to descend King David, King Solomon, and the Messiah, vir. Tamar and Ruth. These two 'women had much in common, Both los their fist husbands, and both took similar steps to replace thems, 'Tamar enticed Judah because be was the next-of-kin to her sons who had ied, and "she saw that Shelah was grown up, and she was fot given unto him for wife". Ruth siailarly enticed Bows, as it says, "and she uncovered his feet and laid her down' (Ruth 11, 7), and afterwards she bore him Obed. Now we do hot ask why Obed was not horn from another woman, for assuredly Ruth was necessary for that purpose to theexclusion fof any other woman. From these two women, then, the seed of Judah was built up and brought to completion, and both fof them acted piously, and had for their aim to do kindness toward the dead, for the proper establishment of the world subsequently. And this hears out our exposition of the verse "Wherefore I praise the dead that are already deal" (Keel. 1y, 2), for whilst ther first husbands were alive there was no 'merit in them, bat afterwards they were good for something, 1886-1894) VAYRSHES 219 and so these two women exerted themselves to do kindness tnd truth with the dead; and God aided them in that work, and all vas done fitingly. Happy is he who exerts himaclt in the stidy ofthe Torah day and night, st says: "but thou 'shalt' meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest 'observe to do according to all that s written therein; for then thou shat make thy ways prosperous, ete." (Jos. 18). Awp JosePH was sKoucHT DowN To Eover, AND Potipnan souaut iat, exc. 'The expression' "was 'brought down" indicates that God approved of the act, s0 as to bring to fulfilment the announcement made to Abram between the pieces: "thy seed shall be a stranger, etc." (Gen. xy, 1). AND Poripuan soucHr win, for a sinful piupone TR Hlakiahdincoursed on the text: Who commandeth the 'sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars (Job 1x, 7). "God", ihe said, has et seven tars in the Srmament, and exch firma 'ent conting numerous angel appointed fo minister to the Holy On blesie es Ha exch ait having bia cn oe viee to petform before hix Master. All attend to the service to which they haye been apy ted and each one knows his task. 'Some of them serve as messengers, having charge in this 'world ofthe works of men; others are appointed to chant to Hi songs and hymns, But although this is their own par- ticular charge, there is no host in heaven or in the stars or in the constellations but chants praises tthe Holy One, bese be Hes for as soon ax night fll three hoss of angels range themclies in three quarters of the universe; and in each quarter there are myriads upon myriads all of whom have for their tak 189] to chant praises tothe Holy One, Over these three hosts there stands a sucred Heywh as chieftain, 'The chanting continues until daybreak, Axsoon ax day breaks all thoaeon the side ofthe South aswell tthe shining stars theak out into ang and praise to the oly One, ax we read: "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shaited for joy" Job sixvit, 7) the morning stare being the stars of the South, the direction implied in the sentence: "And Abraham got up early in the morning" THE ZONAR 11 [1890 27), whilst the "sons of God!" are those 01 left side who merge themselves in the right, When daylight arrives Inracl take up the song and offer praises to the Holy. One three times a day, corresponding to the three watches of the night. 'Thus through the angels and Israel together the flory of God is proclaimed day and night with six litnies, "The sscred Hayah that is in charge of the chaatings of the night on high similarly presides over the chantings of Israel hhere below; and all is performed in proper order. In regard. to this one itis also written: "She riseth also while it x yet night and giveth food to her household, and a portion to her maidens" (Prov. x0x1, 15), where the "houschold'" alludes to the heavenly hosts, whilst the word "maidens" signifies, Israel here below, The Holy One is thus extolled both on high aad here below.' R. Simeon said: "The clause "Who commandeth the sun, and it rseth not" applies to Joveph, 'whilst the sequel, "and sealeth up the stars", applies to his brethren, regarding whom he sid, "And eleveo stars bowed down to me." Alternatively, "Who commandeth the sun" isan allusion to Jacob at the time his sons said to him: "Know: 'now whether itis thy son's eat or not"; "that it shineth not" in reference to the time when the Shekinah departed from him; whilst 'sealeth up the stars" implies that through his sons Jacob's light was sealed and closed up, the sun for him was darkened and the stars did not shine—all hesause Joseph was separated from his father. And note that from the ay on which Joseph disappeared Jacob abstained from marital intercourse and observed all the other rites of 'mourning until the day the gvod tidings of Joseph reached him? Axp Tut Loup was With Joserit, AND te WAS A PROSPEROUS MAN; AND ME WAS IN THE HOUSE OF IIS MasTER THE EoyrTtan. R, Jose quoted here the verse: For the Lord loveth justice, andl forsaketh not his ssi they are preserved for ever" (Ps, xaxvit, 28), 'Observe', he said, 'that wherever the righteous walk, God protects them and never abandons them, as David said: "Yea, though 1 'walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I wil fear no 1iga-1896] = VavESHER an evil, for thou art with me; thy rod and staff they comfort sme" (Ibid. att, 4); wherever the righteous walk the She- {inal accompanies them and does not abandon them. Joseph walked through the valley of the shadow of death, having 'been brought down to Egypt, but the Shekinah was with him, as weread: "And the Lord vas with Joseph", and by reason, 'of the presence of the Shekinah all that he did prospered in his hand; so much 30 that ithe had something in his hand and his master wanted something of a different kind, it changed in his hand to the kind his master wanted. Hence, it says "made to prosper jn his hand", the reason beig that the Lord was with him. Observe, too, that itis not written here, signifying that he saw every day with his eyes ¢ God performed by the hand of Joseph hen« blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake", God guards the righteous, and for thir sakes He guards also the wicked, +0 that the wicked receive blessings through the righteous, So we find it written: "The Lord blessed the house of Obed 'edom ... because of the ark of God" (ut Sam, vi, 12). Others ace stained forthe sake of those righteous, but they are not lable to sustain or save themscives by their own merits. So Joseph, although his master was blesed for his sake, could not himself escape from him through his own merits and sgn his freedom, He seas even thrown afterwards into the 'dungeon, as we reads "His feet they hurt with fetter, his 'person was laid in iron' (Ps, cr, 18), until God liberated him and made him ruler overall the land of Exypr, and thos writen: "and he forsaketh not his saints; [1896] they are preserved for ever" God shies the righicous inthis world and in the world to come, as itis written: "So shal ll those that take refuge in thee rejoice, they shall ever shout fer joy, sand thou shalt shelter them; let them also that love thy name exule in thes" (Ibid. v, 12) AND 1T CAME TO PASS AFTER THESE THINGS THAT IIS MASTER's WIFE, ETC. R. Hiya discussed the text: Blear the Lond, se angele of hie, mighty in xtremgls, that ful his sword, hearhening unto the voice of his word (Thi. ct, 20). an THE 2ONAR TY © [896 "How greatly', he sad, it behoves a man to guard against sin and to pursue the straight path, so that the evil prompier, Tis dally asailant, should not tead i astray, And since be assails man perpewally, it behoves man to muster all his force against him and to entrench himself in the place of "strength: for as the evil prompter is mighty, it behoves man 1to_be mightier still; and those sons of men who do excel him in might are called "mighty in strenuth", dealing with hrm in his own coin, and they are "the angels of the Lard" who come from the side of Geburah (Might) to deal mighty ith, hhim. Such @ one was Joseph, who was called "righteous" and guarded in purity the sign of the holy covenant wih 'yas imprinted upon him.' R. Blewar sid: "The word 'after here alludes tothe evil promgter, being the name of a grade, a we have laid down, Joseph exposed himself to his accusations because he used to pay great attention to his pearance. That gave the evil prompter an opening

2cho, his father observes mourning for him, and
Ihe decks himaelf out and eurls his hair!" 'Thus the bear was let loose, as it were, and set upon hr." Asp 11 cae ro pass AFTER THESE THINGS, When God surveys the world with intent to judge it, and finds there wicked people, then, inthe words ofthe Scripture, "He shuts Lup the heaven, so that there shall be no rain, and the ground shall not yield her fruit" (Deut. xt, 17); through the sins of the sons of men heaven and earth are shut up and do not perform their funetione, Now those who do not guard in purity the holy covenant cause a division between Israel and their Father in heaven. So Scripture sys: "and ye turn aide and serve other gods, and. worship them. ... He shut up the Iheaven, so that these shall be no rain" (Ibid, x1, 16-17); for to be false to the holy covenant is equivalent to bowing 10 another god. But when the holy covenant is properly guarded by mankind, God showers blessings from above on to this 'world, as we read: "A bounteous rain didst thou pour down, (© God: thine inheritance and the weary one, thou confirmest i" (Ps, axvint, 19), "A bounteous (v'daboth, lit. favour) rain" is a rain'of favour, at a time when the Community 1896-1900] VavesneD 233 of Israel find favour in the eyes. of the Almighty and He desires,to shower upon them blesings; then. "Thine intesitanee", namely Israel, who are the inheritance of the Haly One, as it says: "Jacob the lot of his inheritance' (Deut, xxx, 9), and "the weary one" to wit, the Community of Israel, which i weary in a strange land, whichis parched, panting for drink, "with that rain of favour thou confirmest it"; Hence heaven and earth with all their hosts are upheld by that covenant, as Scripture says: "IF not for my covenant, day and night, the ordinances of heaven and. earth were 'as though I had not made them' (Jer. xexts, 25). Hence itis first written: "And Joseph was of beautiful form, and fai to ook upon", and immediately afterwards, "that his master's 'wife cast her eyes upon Joseph. AND Ir caste TO 145s, A5 SHE SPOKE TO JoserM DAY ny DAY. R. Eleazar discoursed on the verse: To keep thee from the eil teoman, etc. (Prov. Vi 24) "Happy", he said, 'are therighteous who know the ways of the Almighty and follow them, since they devote themselves to the Torah day and night; for whoso devotes himself tothe Torah day and night inherits two worlds, the upper world and the world (1904) below, He inherits this world, even if he does not study the 'Torah for its own sake; and he inherits the other world, if he 'does study the Torah for its own sake So it is written: "Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand are riches and honour" (Ibi. 1, 16); that is, whoever walks to the right of the 'Torah, for lim she is length of life in the 'world to come, where he will be invested with the glory of the'Torah, which isthe truest glory and the crovn of crowns; for the crown of the Torah isin the other world; but "in her Jeft hand are riches and honour", to wit, in this world; even for him who does not sudy it for its own sake, When R- Hiya same From Dobylonia to the Land of fara! he studied the 'Torah until his face shone like the sun, and when the students of the Torah stood up before him he would say: This one studies the Torah for its own sake, this one does not study the Torah for its own sake," For the former he 'would pray that they should always retain that frame of mind 2} site zona 1 i900 anil so merit the world to come; forthe latter he prayed hat their heart should be changed 20 that they should study the Torah for sown ske and' met fe everbating. One dy he save certtin ditcple whowe face was unnaturally pale, He 'sid to himself: "This young man is undoubtedly ansaid by 'Sinful iainaions" So he took him in hand an ntreted. him inthe words ofthe Torah unl he retared toa beter frame of mind. From that day the disciple resolved net to ene cages sel asrgten Weary eae Tea for ie own sake" R. Jone sid: "When a man perceives that cil thoughts are sailing him, he should study the Tera, Snd that wil drive them away? R. Hlensar said: "When the til side comes to wedce s man, he should draw i towards the Torah, and then it wll quit him, Foro we have ler, that when the ex ide stands up before the Almighty to cet the world fr its ell deeds, God in pity furnishes the tons of men witha device whereby to escape the accuser, 50 that he may not have power over them or their actions, Fi device conan in the study ofthe Torah, which will ave them from the evil power, a5 'oethe command= rent ea lamp, and theta ight and eprofe a instruction are the way of Me." The passage contin: "rTolkeep thee from the evil woman, from the smoathnes of the alien tongue (bid. Vt, 23-24), that i, from the side of tinleanness, or th other nde, tht is perpetually accusing the sons of men before the Almighty; and whilst i seduces ten here below fot the 'i busy on high pint- ing tie Hants efter Gaye te given over into its power, in the same way asi ated towards Job. Eapecialy a those periods when God tin judgement on the world docs i rie up to indict men and tnumerate ther sn. God, however, had compassion on eral and provided them with a device for eeaping from to wit. the trumpet (shofar which i to be blown on New Year's Day, andthe scapegoat which they give ion the Day of Atonement in onder that it may lave them alone and 'occupy tf with ts own portion. Of this it ix written: Her feet go down to death her steps tae hold on the nether sword v5) but ofthe tre faith ayn: "Her ways sgoa-190b] VAYESHES as sare ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace" (bid. 1, 17). This refs to the wars and paths of the Torah, We Jave here the two opposing ways the one of well-being, the ther of death, Happy is the portion of Israel who cleave faithfully tothe Holy One, who has afferded them a meansof 'cape from all the other sides, because they area holy people, His inheritance and portion. Happy arethey inthis world and in the world to come. When this evil side comes down and reams through the world and sees the works of mankind and tow they all act perversely in the world, it ascends and 'secuses them, and were it not that the Almighty has com- sassion on the works of His hands, nore would be left in the 'world on account ofthe accuser. Thus we read: "And it came

10pass, as she spoke to Joseph day by day", [1998] that isto
say, the accuser ascend every day and brings ever su many cil reports and calumnies in order to destroy mankind; "but Ihe hearkened not ato her", because He has compassion on the world; "to be by her that is, to permit the accuser to «exercise dominion over the world, which he cannot do without 'obtaining authorization. 'The virtuous man so guards his ways

28to keep afar from him the eel prompter, as iis written
"And it came to pass, as she spake to him day by day, that he Aearkened not unto hee"; for the unclean spirit, which isthe same as the evil prompter, tries day by day to seduce man to lie hy her, thats, todraw him into Getinnom, tobe with ber there; for observe that once a man yields to that side he is 'ore and more drawn towards it and defles himself with it in this world and in the other world, This unclean side is 'gly and filthy, and by itis punished he who goes astray from the Torah, and al those sinners that have no faith in the Holy 'One, blessed be He. It is further writen: "And it came to ass on a certain day", to wit, the day in which the evil Prompteris-at large in'the world, and comes to lead mea tbtray; the day when the sons of men "come into the howse to do their work', thats, to repent of ther sins or study the 'Torah and carry out the commandments of the Torch, since man's proper work in this world is nothing ele than the service ofthe Holy One. Hence it behoves him to be strong ana lion on every side, so thatthe other side should not get

236'THE ZOMAR IL [rg0b-r910
the mastery over him and should be powerless to seduce hhim. But when the evil prompter sees that there is no man to 'sand upagainse hima im, then "She caught hhim by the garment, saying: Lie with me", for when the evil 'prompter guins an ascendancy over a man, he decks him out With fine raiment and curls his hair and says "Lie with me", that is, attach yourself unto me. He that is righteous stands 'up to him and offers him battle; so Scripture says: "And he left his garment in her hand, and fled and got him out""—the righteous thus by an effort shakes him of and fles from hin

4that he should not have command ever him any more!
R. Issac said: "The righteous. will one day sce the evi prompter in the form of a huge mountain and they. will 'marvel at themselves, saying, How were we ever able to over 'throw that mighty meuntain ? Contrariwise, tothe wicked the ceil prompter will appear like a thread as thin asa hair, and they will say in astonishment, How wast that we ould not raster so fralla thread as this ? The righteous will weep for Joy and the wicked will weep from anguish. And the Holy 'One will sweep the evil one off the earth, He will slaughter him before their eyes, so that his power will forever be gone fram the world, 'The righteous will behold and rejoice, ax i says: "Surely the rigiteous shall give thanks unto thy name, the upright shall dwell in thy presence" (Ps. ex, 14). [1 AND 17 CAME TO PASS APTER THESE THINGS, THAT THE MOTLER OF THE KING OF EGYPT AND 1118 BAKER orrexpeD, ere. R Judah opened hie discourse with the test: Will lion roar in the fret when he hath mo prey? Wl «yng lon give fort his voice out of his den, if he has taken nating? (Arnos it, 4). "It well boots a man', he said, to be amiduous inthe worship of the Holy One, blessed be He, for then his fear and dread is upon every creature. For when God. created the world, He made each erature in its proper Hk 'He created man inthe supernal image and gave him dominion overall through this image. For a long asa mag is alive the other creatures look up to him and, peeing the supertal image, shake and tremble before hi as we read: "And the fear of you and the dread of you shall 1914) vavEsHE® 27 'be upon every beast ofthe earth, and upon every fowl ofthe air, ete" (Gen. 1x, 2) But this is only when they are aware of 'that image and soul in him (though R. Elearar said thatthe image ofthe righteous does not change even when their sos! (eshamal is no longer in ther). But when a man does ot walk in the ways of the Torah, that divine image is altered, and the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky obtain power over him; because the divine image in him, the very form which makes hits a mun, is changed, Observe how Ged 'tered the order of nature in order to execute His purpose. For the form of Daniel was not altered even when he was thrown into the Hons' den, and thus he was saved.' Said R. inkiah: If so, why sit sid, "My God hath sent his ang and hath shut the lions? mouths, and they have not hurt me" (Dan, vt, 93) # R fad said in reply ="Phe divine image of the righteous man sitself the very angel hat shuts the mouths 'of the beasts and puts them in shackles so that they do not ure him; hence Daniel's words: "My God hath sent his angel", to wit the one who bears the imprint of all the images of the world, and he firmly fixed my image on me, thereby shutting the lions' mouths, and making them power- less over me. Hence man has to look well to his ways and paths, s0-28 not to sin before his Master, and to preserve the image of Adam. Ezekiel guarded his mouth against forbidden food, as itis writen: "Neither eame ther abhorred flesh into 'my mouth" (Ez, 1, 14), and for this he was dignified with the title "son of Adam". OF Daniel alo it is written: "Bit Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself With the king's foot, nor with the wine which he drank" (Dan, 1, 8), in virwe of which he conserved the image of 'Adam; forall beings of the world fear the image of Adam, which is ruler and king over all" Said R. Jose: 'For this reason it behoves min to be on his guard against sin and to ten neither to the right nor to the left; and however careful the may be, he should still search himself daily for any sin 'When a man rises in the morning two witnesses join him and follow: him the whole day. When he opens his eyes, they say te him: "Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee" (Prov. 1v, 25): when he gets up af te zona tt [rgra-t935 and makes ready to wally they sy to him: "Make plan the paths of thy fet, ete." (id. 0) A man, therefore, should be fn his guard against hissns the whole day and every day, and 'when night comes it behoves him to look back and examine Ell the aeiona he fas done that day, so that he may repent himsei. So David said: "And my sin in ever before me" (Pst 5) as.an exhortation to repentance, Now, when Jae! were in the Holy Land sin never clung to them, beeause the offerings which they offered up [1918] made atonement for 'hem, Hut now that they are exiled from the Land and the offerings have ceased, itis the Torah and good deeds that make atonement for them, R, Isac remarked: 'So whosoever devotes himself to the study of he Torah and tothe perform nce of good deeds enables the Community of Tsral to ate its head in the midst of exile. Happy isthe portion of those 'who study diligently the Torak day and night." Observe now how God regulates events in such a way as to rave aloft the head of the righteous; for in order that Joseph, who was found righteous before Him, might be calted, He stirred is master to anger against his servant, as we read: "The butler of the king of Egypt and his baker Shended thee led the king of Egype"—all that Joseph the Fighteous sight be exalted And notice tha it was throgh a dream that Joseph was brouglt low by his brethren, and it 'was through a drearm that he was raised over his brethren and over the whole world. AND THEY DREAMED A DREAM, BOTH OF THEM, FACH MAN HIS DREAM, IN ONE NIGHT, \CH MAN ACCORDING TO THE TNTERPRITATION OP DREAM, ETC. Sexing that we have lad down that dreams follow theie imeepretation, it may be asked what 'made Joseph interpret the dream of one in a good sense and of the other in a bad sense. The explanation is that these dreamy concerned Jouep himself, and, because he penetrated to the root of the mater, he gave to each dream the fitting interpretation so that everything should fll in its place, Axp Josten sain unto TuEM: Do KOT INTERDRES TATIONS NELONG To Gop? THLL tt 948, T PRAY Tot, Joseph used this formula became it in necessary before inter- pretig a dream 1 entrust the iterpretation tothe Holy One, 1916-1924) VAvESHER 329 sine there, on high, isthe shaping ofall evens, and His the interpretation, Observe thatthe grade of dream isa low 'grade, the sixth from that of prophecy, and tha its intexpre= tation determines its effect, bring itself embodied in speech 'utterance. This is what is meant by Joseph's question: 'Do not interpretations belong to God (Elshin) ?" Assuredly

10Blehim. Now observe the verse: "And the chief bute told
this dream to Joseph, ete." R. Eleazar opened 2 discourse 'on the text: Adit came to pas, then they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha: Ask what 1 shall do for thee, byfore T 'am taken from thee. And Elisha said: I pray the, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. "The language wied EEijoh here he sai, "ie not atl surprising, for aure'y i 'only God who can grant whatever is asked of Him. And further, how could Elisha, knowing this, demand 'Let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me" ? But, indeed, thi was surely not beyond the power of one who had a grip of heaven and earth and of the whole world, for assuredly God 'ould perform the wil of Elijah, as of all righteous men, as, wwe read: "He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him" (Ps, ex1y, 19), and all the more when it was a question of Elijoh bequeathing the holy spirit he possessed to Elisha, 'who was his own servant, and concerning whom God had sai to him: "and Elisha, the 40n of Shaphat of Abel-mehulah shale thou anoint to be prophet in thy room" (1 Kings Ix, how he could beg fora doubleportion of his spirit, which was more than Elijah possessed. What Elisha really asked, hov= 'ever, wat not a double portion of the spirit, but the power to perfirm « double achievement with that same apie Ejah thereupon said: "Thou hast asked a hard thing; neverthe- les, if thou see me when Tan ten from thee, it shall be so 'unt thee; but if nf, it shall aot be 20" (1 Kings, 10). By the words, "if thou see me' he meant: IF thou canst pene- trate othe tue inwardness ofthe spirit that [bequeath thee tthe moment Iam taken from thee it shall be so unto thee For sich essence of the spit ax he should discern wi looking ae Ejah he would fly grasp_ (1924) And 39, who ever cantemplatesthat which he learns from his master whilst

230'THe oman HT [gz
atthe same time sesng that wisdom reflected in his fae, can thereby obtain an additional meed of spirit. So Joseph, in whatever he was about to do, used to contemplate in the spi of wind th image fi fate, and oe prespered 'mupmentation of opr: came upon him with a igher iuioaion When tat over sd eh: "hel ne was before me", Joseph was alarmed, not knowing what import it right have; but when he continued, "andi vine were three branches, straightway Joseph astirand received an influs of energy and illumin cause at the same time he gazed af the image of his father, and knew the meaning ofthe words he heard. We read, then, Axo 18 THLE VINE WERE THREE BRANCHES. "This assuredly vdings of unalloyed joy, 'was symbolic of the Commonity of Hsracl, and the three branches were the three higher grades ramifying fram that {to wit, Priests, Levies, and Israelites: and AS 17 WAS NunpING ts BLOSSOMS shor Four that is, by virtue of those thee orders the whole Community of Taal ascended and received the blessing from the Most High Ki THE CLUSTERS THERGOF BROUGHT FORTH. RIFE Guares, an allusion to the wine that is Rept tn stare in its rapes since the sx days of ecation. So far the dream was 'of good tidings for Joseph; te rest of the dream concerned solely the dreamer himself; for, indeed, some dreams there are which in part concern the dreamer himself and in part 'other people. Th this connestion we have been taught? To ce white grapes ina dream i of good omen tothe dreamer, 'but not black, the teason being tht these two ate emblems 'of to certain gras, one ofthe side of good, the other ofthe 'contrary se. Grapes in general are an allusion to faith, and hence they diverge within that category, one kind to the sideof good andthe other othe side of evi the one requiring to be exorcised by prayer, the other betokening provilential cate: Observe thatthe wife of Adam pressed for im grapes and thereby brought death eo him, and to the whole word Noah, again, eame upon these grapes and he was not duly circumspect, soit i writen of him: "And he drank of the "Foc the bangin of he ina nthe wot coe 1920-1928] VavEsiED 231 'wine, and he was drunken; and he was uncovered within fia tent" (Gen. 1%, 21). OF those same grapes the sons of Aaron drank, and they offered up sterifces whilst under the fluence of wine, as result of which they died, Hence it is writen: "their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters ate bitter" (Deut. xxi, 32), rerring to those grapes that caused all those ills; but the chief of the butlers saw in his dream the good grapes in that vineyard whence there ascends a pleasant and agreeable odour among the perfect grades in manner due. Thus Joseph, who penetrated tothe root af the 'whole matte, interpreted the dream aright; for inasmuch as the dream contained good tidings for himlf he the whole of it in a favourable sense, and a0 i was 'The text continues: 'TATION WASGODD, HESAIDUNTO JosEPIt: ALso saw IN MY DREAM, AND BEHOLD, THREE DASKETS OF WHITE BREAD WERE ON MY MEAD. Cursed be the wicked whose actions are all fraught with evl intent, thei utterances with malice. As soon as the chief baker opened his mouth with the word af (anger) Joseph was affrighted, perceiving as he did, that his words would be of evil import; and, indeed, in the words "and behold, three baskets of white bread upon my head" Joseph at once read the evil tidings of the destruc~ tion of the Temple and of the exile of Israel. For notice the rest of the dream, namely, "and the birds did eat them out of the basket upon my head": this was a reference to the 'other nations who would assemble against Israel, slay ther, devastte their dwellings, and scatter them into the four 'corner ofthe work Joteph noted allthis and knew chat that 'dream concerned Istael at the time when they should sin before the King; he thus strightway interpreted it in an evil sense, which interpretation was fulilled in the dreumer. 'Observe, then, thatthe two dreams belonged to two diferent 'grades: the one aw [1928] the upper grade ascending and the 'magn in its fullnes af ight; the other saw the moon in darke ness and under the domination of the evil serpent. Joseph a3 sre zowaR tt [93 therefore looked closely at that dream and interpreted it a8 of el presage. R. Judah opened a discourse on the verse: Create me a lear heart, O God, and rene sleadfat spirit eithin me (sui 12) "The term 'can heart") he maid "da fa parallel in the passage: "Give thy servant therefore anunder~ standing hear" (1 Kings 1 9), and also in of merry hear hath a contial feast" (Prov. X¥, 15) js asuredly the clean heart which David soked for. renew a steadfast spirit within me" indicates the sist spoken 'of in the pastage: "and the spirit of God hovered over the face ofthe waters! this being, as has heen pointed out, the spit ofthe Mesh the sme is alluded to in the promise: "And new spirit will | pe within you" (Ex. Xxx11, 36). David thus prayed for that steadfast sprit, since on the sinister side there is the unclean sprit called the sprit of perversencss that leads people astray, that unclean spitit Feferedtoin the statement: "The Lord hath mingled within her aspirt of perverseness" (Is. 0x, 14). David thus prayed: "and renew within me a sprit of steadfastness". 'The tem renew" also alludes to the renewal of the moon, a period which contains the assurance that David, King of Tel 38 alive nnd in being" R, Bleazar and R, Jose were once walking on the road, Said R, Jose to R. Eleazar: We read: "And there came forth the sprit, and stood before the Lord, and said: I will entice him: And tne Lord said unto him: Wherewith ? And be std:

1willgo forth and will bea lying spirit in the mouth ofall the
prophets. And He said: 'Thou shalt entice him, and shalt revel also; go forth and. do eo" (1 Kings xxi, 24-23), 'According. to tradition that was the spirit of Nabeth the Jereite. Can, then, a soul which has once ascended to the 'upper world return to this world? Furthe, the words will

0forth, and will bea lying sprit in his mouth?" are very
Ztonishing. And again, why was Aab punished on sceount of Nehoth, seeing that Samus! had so lad down the law to Irae, when he sid to them: "And he will take your fields, and your Vineyards, and your olveyards, even the best of them" (1 Sar. vit 14)? According to this, if Ahab took 1938} VavEsiER 233 Naboth's vineyard, he was within his rights, and all the more 130, Seeing that he ofered him in exchange anather vineyard or its equivalent in gold, which he refused,' R. Bleazar wid in reply: 'It is a proper question you ask, Observe that the 'traditional idemtifeation of that spirit with the spirit of Naboth does indeed raise a difficulty. For how could the spirit of Naboth stand up before the Almighty to ask per- 'mission to lie? If Naboth was a righteous man, how could hhe ast permission tole inthe other world, the world of truth, seeing that even in this world itis the part of a righteous man to keep afar from falsehood ? How much more 9, then, inthe Upper world ! On the other hand, if Naboth was not right- cous man, how could he have stood in the presence of the Almighty'? But the truth is that Naboth was not rigteous 'enough to stand in the presence of the Almighty, and that spirit was another one which has power in the world and continually ascends and stands before God, the sare that leads people astray by means of falschood. Now he who is ot eee Ce said:"I will go forth, and willbea lying spirit, et.", towhich thelbly Onereptiet: ge forthand do an oehas

1say: "go hence and be off from here. This in harmony
'with the Seriptural text: "He that speaketh faleehood shall rot be established before mine eyes" (Ps, ct, 7). And in regard to the other dificulty~if Ahab took Naboth's vine~ yard, why did he kill him ? Te was just because he killed Nabath without cause, before expropriating his vineyard, that Ahab was punished. So it is written: "Hast chow killed, and also taken possession ? (i Kings xxt, x9). Great, indeed, {s the number of those whom shat Iying spirit leads astray by 'means of falsehood, dominating the world from many sides and through many activities. Hence King David supplcated that he might be guarded against him and removed from defilement, saying: "Create me a clean heart, 0 God and renew a steadfast spirit within me", a steadfast spirit being. 'the opposite ofthat other spirit, In stm, there are two grades, 'one sicred and the other defiled, TR. Eleavar then opened a discourse on the text: dnd the Lor uttereth his voice before his army; for his camp is very @

4THE 20MAR IT [192b-1930
great, for he it mighty that execateth his word (Jocl 11,11). He said: 'The expression" and the Lord" (V=YHVH), a8 we have hid down, everywhere indictes the Lord in con- jjunetion with His Cour: of Justice; the "woice" here is the tame as "the voice of words" (Deut. 1, 12) heard by the Taraelites, where the term "words" again is identical with 'thesame term in the yerse "I am nota man of words" (Exod, 1y, 10), the man of words being the man of God (Deut. "yefore his army", to wit, eral; "for his eam 'Is there any number of his armies ?" (Job xxv, 3), [1934] inasmuch as the Holy One has ever 60 'muny chicfains and-emissuries who are at hand w bring. accusations against Israel, and therefore God goes before Israel in order to guard them, and so that their accusers ould not prevail against them: "for he is mighty that 'exccuteth his word", to wit, the righteous man, who devotes himself to the study of te holy Torah day and night. Aker- 'atively, the tere "mighty" here isan epithet of the aceuser, who appears frequently before the Almighty, and who is indeed mighty, strong as iron, hard as lin; and itis he that ashe first obtains authorization from i then takes avay man's soul here below. We read "For great ia the day of the Lord and very terrible; and who can abide it?" Joel n, 11), inasmuch as He is ruler 'overall, most high and most mighty, all being subject to His dominion. Happy are the righteous in whom the Holy One constantly finds delight, vo aa to vourhnafe to them the world to come and to make them participators in the joy with which the rightevus will one day exult in the Holy One, blessed be He, ag itis written: "So shall all those who take refuge in thee rejoice, they shall ever shout for joy, and thou shalt shelter them, and that thove that love chy name will emule in thee" (Ps, v; 12). Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen and Amen 1934) Gen, xt, -xtiv, 17 AND IT CAME TO rAss AT THLE END, R. Hiyaexpounded the word "end from the ext: He setteth an en fr darkness, and he scarcheth ou the farthest bund; aston of thick darke tes andthe shadows of death (Job xxvii, 3). "The end here mentioned is, he si, 'an allusion tothe "end ofthe let", which, after soaming to and fro in the world, finally ascends and presents itself before the Holy One, blessed be He, 10 tring sccusations aginst mankind. He "searcheth out to the farthest bound" (4abhlith= destusion), inasmuch as all his 'works are never for good, but always for destruction and for the uter annihilation of the world, He i "a store of sume ing" on which the wicked come to grief and which is found "a and of thick dckness, a darkness itself" (lid, 22). For there iea "land ofthe living" on high, whichis the Land of Israel, and a land below called "Land of darkness", The dlarkncs and the shadow of death here mentioned are iden- tical with the end that emerges. from the side of darkness, twhich is albo the "dass of gold. As we have aid down, behaves the sons of men to take due thought of divine wor- ship and to labour inthe 'Torah day and night, s0 35 to know how toserve the Holy One blessed be He. The Tara herself sunons man daly, saying: "Whos is thoughtless, et him turnin hither, et." (Prov. 1, 4-6) And whoever labours in the Torah and cleaves unto het i privileged to ake ld of the tree of life, asi is writen: "She isa teee of bie wo them that lay hold upon her" (Uhid 18). And whaso takes hold Upon the tree of fe this world wil also keep hold. iin the word to come, since the grades asigned to souls in the 'next world correspond to ther state on departing fom this 'world, Now the tree of life rarifes ito various degrees, al 'ilfering from one another, although forming a unity, inthe Shape of branches, aves, bark, stock, and roots. AIU the faithfal ones of Tsral lay hold upon the tee of life, some _srasping the stock, seme the branches, some the leaves, and 2x6 vale ZouAN IT [1930-1934 'others, again, the roots. But those who exert themselvesin the study of the Torah [1936] grasp the very trunk of the tree, and so lay hold upon all; and so we affirm." AND IT caME TO FASS aT THE END. What does the term "end" signify ? Said R, Simeon: It signifies the region 'wherein there is no emembering, which is identical with the end ofthe left, Why did it emerge at that moment ? Because Joseph said: "But have me in thy remembrance when it shall bbe well with thee" (Gen. xt, 14). It was hardly becoming for Joseph the righteous to beg to be remembered by the chief butler; but he was led todo so by his dream, which he thought betokened remembrance, In this, however, he was mistaken, 'since ll depended on God, and therefore the egion of forget- fulness placed itself before him, Hence the Seripture, after saying, "Yet did not the chief butler remember Joueph'" (hid. 23), udds the words "tut forgot him', alluding to the region of forgetfulness, which is identical with the end of the side of darkness." AT THE EXD OF TWo FULL YEAMS. 'The twn years were ymbulic of the two grades, the grade of forgetfulness and the grade of remembrance to which it gave place, THAT PHARAON DREAMED, AND, MEMOLD, HE STOOD BY 'Tuts n1veR. 'This dream was ane that concerned Joseph him= self, since the idea of river is closely connected with Joseph the righteous; and according to the lore of dreams a river seen ina dream is a presage of peace, for so it is writen: "Behold, Twill extend peace to her like a river" (Is opened a disourse on the text The ing by jutce eatalseth the land; but he that exucteh gifts overhroweth it (Prov. xxix, 4). "When God! he aaid, "created the upper world, Hes constituted tas to send forth celestial radiations in all directions, and He ereaed the upper heaven ard the 'upper earth in such a way thet they should provide fr the sustenance of the lower denizens. 'The "king" here is an allusion to the Holy One, blessed. be He, while "justice" Signifes Jacob, who forms the basis of the world, since the 1936-t94a) miare 237 basis of the word is justice, which establishes the earh with all equitementsand providesforits sustenance. Akterastvely, the "king" isthe Holy One, blessed be He, while "justice refers to Joseph, who established the land, a5 itis writen: 'And all countricn came into Egypt to Joneph to buy orn' and because God chose for Himeelf Jacob, He to be ruler over the land.' R. Jose said: "The * Joseph, while the words "hy justice esablisheth the land" luce to Jacob, seeing that before Jaco arrived in Egypt the existence ofthe people waa jeopardized by the famine; but a= 00m as Jacob set foot im Egypt the famine ceased throveh, his merits and the world was made secure. Alternatively, the king who by justice establisheth the land is exemplified in ing David, of whom it is written: "and David executed Jjustie and righteousness uno all his peopl' (at Sar, vm, 13): for David thereby upheld the world, which was pee- served after him for the sake of his merits. "But he that exactth gifts overthroweth it this is exemplified in Reho- hoa, For God for the sake of the righteous withholds punishment even when it has been decreed against the world; hence during David's lifetime the land was upheld nd after fis death se was preserved for his sake, a5 we read: "and 1 will defend the city for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake" (1 Kings xx, 6), Similarly, during the ifetime of Jacob, as well 38 that of Joseph, no punishment was en forced agninst the world. Again, "he that exacteth gifts 'overthroweth it" is exemplified in Pharaob, inasmuch as by hardening his heart before God he brought ruin on the land of Exypt, whereas before the land was preserved through Joseph in conjunction with Pharaoh's dreams [1944] AND, BEHOLD, THERE CAME UP OUT OF THE aIVER SEVER KINE, WELL FAVOURED AND PATFLESHED; AND THEY FED IN THE REED ORASS. The Fiver is men" tioned because from it all the lower grades receive their blessings. For the (cuperal) stream which flows perpetually 'waters and feeds the whole, and Joseph was himself the river bby means of which the whole of Egypt was blessed. By that (upper) river even grades are irrigated and blessed, they

238'rue zomun 11 Toye
being "well favoured and faflshed", AND THEY FED I 'Tut REFD 6HA38(ahu), "The word ala (meadow, or brother- hood) signifies hat ther en nearation between them "The thumber seven has everywhere a sirilar symbolism, eg the 'even maidens and the seven chamberlains mentioned in the Book of Esther (Esther 1, 9:1, 10) R. Isaac ssi thatthe seven good kine symbolize the superior grades, and the even Jean and ll-favoured kine other and lower grades; the former athe side of holiness, and the later ofthe side of defilement. SEVEN Fans oF CORN. RL Judah suid: "The frst seven cars were god a they eame from the right side, of whieh i ie written "that it was good (Gen. 1,4), and the second seven were il, as being lower than the others; the ist ones proceeded from the side of puiy, and the others from the Side of impuirit. 'They all symbolized two series of grades coirepeting wih eseholicr ad Phresh ance icon his dream, R. Jesse remarked: 'Can it indeed be that the wicked Pharaoh was shown ll these ? R. Judah in reply said: "He only saw their counterparts rising ia a corresponding series: he save this through the medium ofthe lower grades, For, a» we have learnt, what a man is shown io a dream corresponds thie ain character, and hie soul ascend jst {far as to obtain for him the information suitable for is grade, Pharaoh thus saw as far as he Was permitted to sce snd no more," AND IT CAME TO Pass AT THE END. R. Hiskiah quoted hhere the verse: To every thing thee is @ seaton, and a time t0 every purpose under the heacen (Eee, ttt 1. "For every thing that the Almighty has made in the lower world' he sai, "He Jus appointed a fixed term and limit. He has appointed time for light and for darkness, He has fixed a term for the light of the other nations who are now the rulers of the world; and a term for the darkness of the exile of Terael who, are now subjected to their rule. And s9 there isa term for 'ecery purpose in the lower world,' According to another explanation, the word 'eth (time) is the name of an angelic power charged to see that everything takes place at its Appointed time. 1940-1998) mire 239 SPIMIT WAS TROUMLED; AND ME SENT AND CALLED FOR ALL THE MAGICIANS OF EGYPT, AND ALL THE WISE sex THERKOF. "The word cwtpe'em (and was troubled, akin 10 the word fa'am, time) indicates thatthe spirit Kept on appearing to Pharaoh and leaving him, not staying with him Tong enough at any onetime to enlighten "The same was the cae at frst with Samson, of whom 'writen: "And the spin of the Lord began to move bi bests ("pha amo)" ud xn, 35). In connection with is written eatithpaem (and was troubled) (Dan. tt, 1) to indicate thatthe coming and going of the spirit was twice as rapid. (1998) AND HE SENT AND THE WISE MEN THEREOF, to wit, the bitd-diviners. They all tried to make out the dream, but it baffled them. R, Trane anything. own grade, it is different with kings, whoare permitted to see more deeply 'than othermen; for inasmuch as king's grade is higher than, that of other men, he is permitted to tee that which falls within a higher grade than that of other men. So Seripture 'says; WHAT Gop 1s AMOUT TO DO HE HATH SHOWN uxTo PaaRaon, whereas to other men God does not reveal whit He is about to do, except to the prophet stints, oF sages of the generation. Now observe the words: ME ME RESTORED UNTO MINE OFFICE, AND HIM HE iaNGeD. From this we leara that adream is deternined by its interpretation, since the pronoun "he" can refer only to 'Joseph, indieating that it was Joseph who resiored the one to his office, and hanged the other, through the medium of his interpretation. 'Tues Puanaon cer ann extinn Joasrn, AND THEY BROUGHT HIN QUICKLY [sayerizuhu) OUT OF THE DUN- 'GOK. R. Abba discoursed on the verse: The Lord taketh 'pleasure (rose) in them that far hin in those that wait for his rmerey (Ps. exLv11, 11). 'God indeed takes pleasure in the righteous, he ssid, 'hecause they promote peice in the upper

24HE OMAR tL fo
world and in the lower world, ad cause the bride t join her Ihushand: and therefore God takes pleasure in those that fear Him and dois wil. Those that wait for His merey ae they 'who study the Torah in the night ime and thereby Become Zsocites ofthe Shekinah, and thus when the moming comes they wait fortis mercy; for, ae has been armed, whoro ia the day time. So Scripture says: is lovingkindness (or grace)"—for what reason ? Because "in the night his song is with me" (Ps. x1 Hence: "The Lord takes pleasure in those that fear fr, a5 we might translate more accurately, "appeases those that fear Him", like one friend with another. Similarly, of Joseph here it it written, cayerizuhu (and they brought him hastily), which admits of the rendering, "and they appeased him", when he was sad and woebegone, giving him words 'of good cheer that gladdened his heart and disipated the 'gloom of the dungeon, Observe that just as his teubles com 'menced through his having been thrown into the pit, so it 'was through the pit that he finally was exalted." R. Simeon said: 'Before that incident (of Potiphar's wife), Joseph was rot called righteous (sad); it was only after he stood the test of guarding the purity of the covenant that he was called righteous, and that the grade of the holy covenant was crowned through him, and having been with hi pit rose with him now; and thus it is written: brought him quickly out of the pit" he was raised from the pit and erowned by the well of living waters. Ax Puanaon sexr Anp (he) cALLED Joseeu. Instead of "and called" we should have expected "to call for". The implied subjec: i, therefore, Gad, as in the verse "And he ealled to Moses" (Lev. 1, 1), and this harmonizes with the words of the Paalmist: "Until the time that his word came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him" (Ps, cv, 19). AND Ue CHANGED 118 RAEMENT, out of rexpect for royalty, as explained elsewhere, R. Eleazar quoted here the text: Lireel alo came into Bgypts and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham (Ibid. 23). 'God,' be said, 'while accomplishing 1948-1932] srare ea his decrees, yet directs events in such a manner as to soften their severity. For we have earned that but forthe tove which God bore to our ancestors, Jacob would hive been brought down into Egypt in iron chains; but out of His lve for the patriarchs He caused his ton Joseph to be made ruler of the 'world; and so all the tribes went down into Egypt lke people of distineion, and Jacob entered ie like a king. In the verse: "'srael also came into Egypt; and Jacob sojoumed in the fand of Ham', we may take Israel to be an allusion to the 'Holy One, blessed be He, frit was fr the sake of Jacob, who sojourned in the land of Ham, and his sons thatthe Shekinah ame into Egypt. God. thus arranged that (1950) Joseph should frst be brought inva Egypt, as theoogh his merit the covenant was eonfirmed with him, and made him ruler over all the land, In this connection itis written: "The King sent and loosed him; the ruler of peoples, andl set him free" (Ibid. 320), According to R, Simeon, the word "euler" in this sentence is the object of the verb "'sent", and refers to the ruler of peoples, to wit, the angel-redeemer, who is the ruler ofthe earthly beings, and whom God sent to set Joseph free, Gop wits Give PHARAOH AN ANSWER OF PEACE. This "The wicked Pharaoh sid, "I know not the Lord (Ex. v2), notwthatnding that he was the wisest af ll the magicians he knew, however, the name "God" (Elohim), seeing that if said: "Can we find such a man ae this, a man in 'whom the spirit of God (Blohin) is?" But Moses came to im, notin the name of Ged (lakin), bin the name ofthe Lord (Jehoca), a name alogether beyond hs apprehension 'R. Abb quoted in this connection: Who i like the Lord our God, thas is enthroned om high, thet looketh down lowe upon 'hegie and upon the earth (Ps. exit, §-6) 'God, he sai, 'p "enthroned on high, tha is, He rises Himself high above His 'Throne of Glory and does not reveal Himself to the Jower world at those times when no rghtecus men are 1 be found in the world, Conteariwise, He "looketh down low" when sighteous men are found ia the world, ae then He

242'THe ZOHAR IT [1952-1936
descends in His grade so as to meet the lower beings and to take the world under His providential care. But when there are no righteous men in the world, He ascends aloft and ides Mis face from men, and deserts them, inasmuch 29 the trays are the foundation ard the mainstay of the world Hence God did not reveal His Divine Name save to Israel alone, who ate His portion and lot and heritage; and the rest of the world He apportioned to celestial chieftains, as we read: *When the Most High gave to the nations their inheri- tance. . . For the portion ofthe Lord is his people, Jacob the lot of his inheritance" (Deut. xxxit, 8-9): 'As R. Hiya and R. Jose were one day walking together, the Tatter said: "I often puzzle over the language of Soloinon the book of Ecclesiastes, which I find exceedingly obscu for instance, the words All thins would wear a man out te tll man cannot utter it, the eve isnot sated with seeing, nar the ar filled with hearing (Eccl. , 8, Why mention al these three organs? Having said that all things are more than south fan utter, why add that "eye eannot see nor ear hear sufficiently" ? The reason is, 1 presume, because eyes and ars function involuntarily; whereas the mouth is under a 'an's contol, and so Kohele veaches us. chat all hres together cannot exhaust the uriverse. Said R. Hiya: "That isso, Man's mouth eannot utter, nor his eyes se, nor his ear hear the entirety of things; and yet "there is nothing new under the sun" (Ibi. 1, 9). And observe that not even the disembodied spirits whieh the Holy One ereated under the sun are able to give utterance to all the things that are jn the world, nor can their eye {19sb] see nor their ear hear all. Hence Salomon, who knew everything. spoke thus. Now, 'observe that all the doings ofthe world are controlled by vast numbers of spirits, but the people of the world know not and regard not what itis that upholds them. Even Solomon, the 'wisest of men, could not apprehend them." He further dis coursed on the verse: He hath made everything beautifulin ite time; aso he hath set the seorld in their heart, yet 0 that mam 'cannot find out the work that Gio hath dime, ete. (Ibid 0,11). "How happy', he sui, 'are those who labour in the 'Torah, and thus learn to see withthe e7e of wisdom ! Whatever God 1958) migez 243, has formed in the world has is own controlling grade which reas it either for good oF for evil. There are grades of the right and grades of the left. Ifa man goes tothe right, what= ever act he performs then becomes a directing grade on that bide which helps 'him onwatd and procures him other Ihelpers. But i he goes tothe lft then whatever at he com mits becomes directing force on that side, and bringsindict- 'menta against him, whilst leading him further into tt side. Hence, whenever a man performs a good and proper act the 'hiefiain ofthe right hand affords him help, and this éatedin the expression "good in its time", thai theact and its time become intimately bound up together: also "He hhh act the workd in theie heart, that is, the whole world And all ts works depend onty on the will of man. Happy are thaserightcous who by their good deeds draw benefits upon 'themelves and upoo the world, and who know how toattch 'themselves to the grade ealled "time of peace", and who in virtue of thei righteousness inthe lower world influcace the grade ealled Kal (everything) to shine in ita time ('eth). Woe to the sinners who know not the time-grade of any act and are not circumspect to perform their deeds in such a way a8 'to benefit the world,and so that each deed of theirs should fall, under the proper grade. Everything is thus dependent on rans free wil, as itis writen: "so that man cannot fad out 'the work that God hath done from the beginning even to the fend"; and inasmuch as it depends on a- man's will whether his deeds are attached tothe proper grade or tothe improper 'one, the text continues: "I know that there is no good in 'them but to rejoice and to perform good actions so fong 35 they live" (Ii. 12). That in to say if man's aetin are not oor, he has to rejoice at all their consequences and to give thanks for them to the Holy One and to do good actions as long a he lives; for since his own act brought evil upon him through the grade presiding over it, he has to rejoice at the punishment and to give thanks for it, seeing that he Drought it on himself, ike a bird blindly falling into the snare, So Scripture says: "For man also knoweth not his time; asthe fishes that are ten in an evil net, and as the birds that ace cauight in the snare, even 20 are the sons of men aH He 20MAR 1 [193b-19b0 'snared in an evil time, when it falleth sudderly upon them!" (lid 1x, 13) The expression "Bis time" (th refers to the rministering angel called "time', who presides over each act man performs, and ie referred to in the statement "he hath made everything beautiful in its time". Hence they are "as the birds that are caught in the snare". Happy, then, ate those who exert themaches in the study of the Torah and are inmate withthe way and paths of the Torah ofthe Most High King so a to follow the true way 'Observe that « man ought never to begin his speech with anillomened uterance, as he doesnot know who will take it Sand he may eume to fief over it.The righteous thus alvaya begin their diseaurse with words of peace. So Joseph prefaced his address to Pharaoh with the words: "God will five Pharaoh an answer of peace." R. Judah said: 'Tt has then taught thatthe Holy One, blessed be He, i slicitous for the welfare of a king, a8 we read charge unto the children of Isr _ of Egypt (EX. Vt, 13)" [196] K. Hiya said: 'Pharaoh wiabed to put Joseph tothe test, and so changed the tenour of his dreams But Joseph knowing, ashe dd, the rales, saw clearly h object ofthe dream, and said, "thus and thus didst thou int by point. Hence i is written: Axp Fuanaon satp eto Josern: Forasmucn 4s Gov HATH SHOWS THER ALL THIS, THERE ts NONE 80 DISCREET AND WISE 45 THOU, As if to ayy: "You seem to have been there at the time I dreamt my dream and to hhave seen the dream together with its interpretation." Said RR, Isaac: "If that be so, it would signify that Joseph told Pharaoh both his dream and its interpretation, as did Daniel to Nebuchadnezzar.' Said R, Hiya: 'Not so. Joseph gathered from Pharaoh's statement that he was speaking of certain rides, and was able t put him right on certain points, Knowing the correct onler of the grades. Whereas Daniel sgahered nothing from Nebuchadnezzar's statement and told hhim outright both his dream and its interprettion. Leis thus written: "Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel by a 'vision of the night" (Dan, 11, x9), to wit, by Gabriel, There 1964) sgEe 245 are six visions (corresponding to thesix mentions ofthe word. "vision" in Ezek. xtan, 3), The vison ofa dream is arele= tion of a higher vision, and this aguin ofa sil higher, the 'whole forming series called "visions of the night", through 'which all dreams are interpreted. Hence "he revealed the secret to Daniel ina vision of the night", that isto say, one of those grates revealed to him the dream and its interpre- tation. But Joseph divined the higher grades out of the words 'of Pharaoh. Hence Pharaoh gave himcommand over the whole land of Egypt, and in this way God restored to him what was Ii du. Joseph's mouth hept back from sinful kin, correspondingly we read, "and according to the word af thy' 'mouth shall my people be ruled"; Joseph's hand kept ivelf vay from sinful touch, hence "Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand, and Jn the second chariot which he had" and in virtue of the 'thought which Joseph kept pure he was called "isereet and wise of heart So that ll he received was his own due, Itis thon writen: Aso Josera WRNT OUT PROM THE PRESENCE OF PHANAOM, AND WENT THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND OF Eyer. R. Hikiah said that he went through the land of Egypt to have his rule proclaimed, and also to collect the corn of the various districts, R Eleazar said that he collecced the corn to prevent it from rating. R. Simeon said: 'God is 'ever moulding events 50 as to fulfil His promise. When God created the world He first provide all necessities and then. 'brought man into the world, 2 that he found his food read for him. So, 1, with the promise made by God to Abraham in the words: "Know of a surety that thy seed shalt be a stranger ina land that isnot theirs. . and afterwards shall they come out with geeat substance" (Gen. xv, 13-14). When Joseph came into Egypt he did not find there great substance, S0 God arranged to bring a famine on the world, with the

246He ZOHAR 1 [1960-1966
result that all people brought their silver and gold into Exypt so thatthe whole land of Egypt was filed with silver and gold: then, when reat substance was amassed there, He 'brought Jacob into Egypt. For thisis the way of the Almighty, to provide the cure before inficting the wound. 'Thus here He first prepared great substance and then [1968] brought Israel into exile. Observe that it was in virtue of being a righteous man that Joseph became the enuse of Israel acquir- ing riches of silver and gold (Ps. cv, 37). All this came to Israel by the hand of the righteous, and all was for the pur- pose of making them worthy of the world to come.' R. Sinieon then took for his text the verse: Bxjoy life with the wife rehom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, ete. (Beet. 1x, 9) "This verse', he sai, thas been thus esoterially explained. "Enjoy life" isan allusion to the life of the world tw come, for happy isthe man who is privileged to gain that life in its fulness; 'with the wife whorn thou lovest™ is a reference to the Community of Israel, of whom itis writien: fa, T have loved thee with an everlasting love" (ler. 'xt, 3). When so? At the time when the Right side kes hold of her, as is mpliedin the concluding words: "Wherefore swith affection (bend) have T drawn thee (Tbid of thy vanity", inssmuch as she is bound up with life the world of the living, a8 opposed to this world, which ienot the world ofthe living, since its denizens ae "under the sun", Where the lights of that (upper) sun do not reach—those Tights which have departed from the world since the day When the 'Temple was destroyed, as is hinted in the verse: "The sun shall be darkened in his going forth" (Is, xt, 10). "Ror that is thy portion in life": this alludes to the asso- ation of the sun with the moon, as it behoves us to bring the 'moon, as it were, into the sun and the sun into the moon #0 that there should be no separation between them, this being the portion of man by whieh he may enter the world to come. 'Then the passage continues: "Whatsoever thy hand findeth todo, doit with thy strength; for theres no work, not device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thoo 'goest." 'This verse atrikes one at frst sight as eurprsin 'man indeed free to do "whatsoever his hand findeth to d> 4968) age 47 Bu we must note the qualification inthe phrase "do by thy strength, ie. though the instrumentality of the higher onl of ran (reshamal), which forms hn strength 40 10 an through Her this work and the wold to come. Alte. natively, "by thy strength" alludes to the wife mentioned above, she being a source of strength both fr this world and 'he world to come. Is behoves man te ponsesshitslf of {hat power inthis world ao xt be fried by am going to perform good acts, for assuredly, "here is no veork, nor device, nr knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, 'whither thou goes". Ifa man has not acquired merit inthis world he wil not acquire it any more in the other world, acennding to the dictum, "He who has not laid up provision forthe journey from this world will hve nothing to eat in the other world" There are, moreover, certin good deeds the fruits of which a man enjoys in this word whilst the principal 'remains for his enjoyment in the world to come. Observe that Joseph gained this world and the word to come in virtue of his determination to join himself to a God-fearing wife, ab 'expresed in his words: "How ean Ido ths great wickedness, tnd sn against God ?" (Gen. xxx, 9) For this he rose to be {ler in this world and gathered money for Israel, as we read, "Joseph gathered all the money that was found in the land of Egypt" (Ud. ns, 14), and this was in the order of things, since the everflowing celestial river gathers within ies all shings and ory ofall riches. Eversthing thus happened according to. plan: assuredly. Joseph was prelestined to rule over the kingdom, AND ME MADE HIM RIDE IN THE SECOND CHARIOT. God has made a second chariot for the Righteous One, by 'whom the world is nourished. For God has an upper chariot anda nether chariot. The nether chariot isthe second chariot, and Joseph, having attained to the name of "righteous", was 'qualified to ride on the second chariot, like his prototype in the supernal world. AND THEY CRIED DEFORE Miat: Amaecu., The term "abrech" signifies the spot where the

448'THe zouaR 11 [1966-1972
'nun is joined to the moon, towards which all bow down. We read further: AND ILE SET MIM OVER ALL, namely, over all the world, so thatall the peoples acknowledged his rule. [1974] Observe that God has made the earthly kingdom after the pattern of the heavenly kingdom, and whatever is done on. 'earth has been preceded by its prototype in heaven. Now the dominion of the celestial kingdom was not perfect until it united itself to the patiarchs, since the Holy One intended that the supernal Kingtlom should he illumined from the grades symbolized by the patriarchs, And so when Joseph first went down into Egypt he drew after him the Shekinah, as the Shekinah only follows the Righteous One. Joseph eas thus frst drawn into Egypt, where he gathered up all the 'wealth of the world, and then came the Shekinah in company 'with all the tribes. And it was in virtue of having kept the purity of the covenant that Joseph was privileged to be crowned in his right place and merited the upper kingdom. and the lower kingdoms, Hence, to preserve the purity of the covenant is like observing the whole ofthe holy 'Torah, since the covenant is on a par with the whole Torah. Now JAcow saw THAT THERE WAS CORN IN EovPT. R. Hiya discoursed on the verse: The burden ofthe word ofthe Lard concerning lvael. Thus sith the Lord cho stretcheth forth the heavens and laeth the foundation ofthe earth, and formeth the spirit of man tthin bi (Zech, xi, 1). "Certain points, he said, 'are to be noted in this verse, Fist, as to the import of the term "burden", here and in other passages. This term, whereverit introduces ajudgement pronounced against other nations, has favourable import, inasmuch as the prosperity of the idolatrous nations is, if one may say 90, a burden for the Holy One. Hence 4 judgement pronounced against the idoaters removes, a twee, from Him the burden. Contrari= Wise, wherever the term "burden" introduces a decree of Judgement against Isral, ic has an unfavourable import a it implies a burden put onthe Holy One blessed be He. Now, having said "who streicheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth', what need is therefor the text tw add "and formeth the spirit of man", a fact which we 1974-1976] MrQEe 349 know already ? But in truth this points to a certain grade 'which forms the reservoir ofall spirits and souls." R. Simeon said: "The words "within him" seem superfluous. But in truth this expression has a twofold recondite meaning, It 'beats allusion to that ever-flowing celestial river whence all the souls emerge-and fly forth. For this purpose it gathers them in one central place oF grade, and that grade "formeth the spirit of man within ite", ike 2 woman who has con- ceived and forms the child within her womb from the moment 'of conception until itis fully developed; s the spirit remains 'within this grade until a man is created inthe world to whom He assigns it. Alternatively, God "Yormeth the spirit of man" 'within him, to wit, in his body, literally. For when a man is created and God assigns him his soul, and he emerges into the light of day, the spirit within him finds no body in which to expand, and remains eramped in one corner, as it were; 'but with the growth and expansion of the body the spiet also 'grows and expands; and in response to its growing need 'continues to receive from on high, in ever greater abundance, 'vigour and energy, which in its turn it infuses into the body. Further, the statement that the Holy One "formeth the spirit of man within him' indicates that the spirit needs 'sustenance inthe same way asthe body, and that as the body oes an developing, soi the spirit granted increased strength and energy.' Observe, that when Joseph was lost, Jacob was deprived of that inerease of spirit through the departure of the Shekinah from him. But afterwards "the sprit of Jacob thei father revived" (Gen. xiv, 27), [1976] that i,t reguined its former increase and geowth. R, Jose and R. Hiakiah were once traveling from Capy docia to Lydda, and with them was a certain Judean driving an ass laden with clothes. Suid R, Jose to R, Hizkiah: 'Repeat tne of those excellent expositions of Scripture which you are wont to deliver daily before the Sacred Lamp.' R. itiskiah then began to hold forth on the verse: Her ways are cays of 'leasantness, and all her paths are peace (Prov. 11,17) "These 'ways', he sid, 'are the ways and paths ofthe Tora, as who= ever walks in them is invested by the Holy One, blessed be He, with the grace of the Divine Presence as his constant ®

350'rue zoutan 11 [eg7b
accompaniment, and whoever follows her paths enjoys peace on high and below, peace in this world and i the world to come.' Said the Judean:'A deeper meaning lie in this vers, like coin in the comer of 3 box. 'How do you know this they asked him, He sid: "T have heard the reconditeexplan 'tion of this verse from my father." He then continued to discourse thus, "This verse contains 4 twofold idea, one supgested by the te "and "pleasantness other by the terms "paths" and "peace". 'The "ways" are 'hese mentioned in the pasiage, "who maketh a way inthe fet" (Im xtst, 16) For the term "way" sverywhere in Scripture denotes an open road, accessible to all. So the 'words "her ways are ways of pleasantness" allude to those 'ways which our patriarchs opened up and traversed on the great ocean, and which ramify in all directions all quarters fof the world; and by "pleasantness" is meant that pleasant- neis which insues from the other world, the source whence radiate all lamp io all directions. 'That felicity, that light iwhich our patriarchs abjorbed and inherited, is thus called "pleasantness™ Or we ean say thatthe world to come itself is alled "pleasantness", beeruse when it ie awakened there isasticring ofall joy all lcty al iluminatien, and all ree- dom. Hence tradition tells us that when the Sabbath comes in, the sinners in Gehinnom have a respite and are granted 'ease and rest; and that at the termination of the Sabbath we have to eal down the supernal joy upon ws 0 that we may be delivered from the punishment that the sinners undergo from that moment onward; and this we do by recting the verse: "And lot the pleasantnes of the Lord our God be upon us, te" (Ps. xc, 17) an allusion to the superna! pleasantness which brings universal freedom. Now, at fr the paths", they denote the paths that proceed from on high and are ll fathered into the single covenant which is med "peac 'meaning the peace of the household, and which caries those paths into the great ocean when iis agitated, and 40 gies it peace, Observe that Joseph embodied the covenant of peace, and in consequence became ruler over the land of Egy Jacob, being deserted by the Shekinah, knew nothing ofthis, 1976-1984] srgez ast Dut nevertheless he had hopes from the purchase of corn in Egypt, and he also foresaw calaaty upon calamity? in bis sons going down into Eaypt, ANp JACOn SAID To i115 SONS: WHY SHOULD YE MAKE YOURSELVES CONSPICUOUS? meaning, in effect, 'should not pretend tobe otherthanhungry and short of fod IR. Hiekiah sid: 'Aasuredly theres here contained a econ dite lesson, twit, that when trouble is abroad in the world, and the world isin distress, a man should not show himself intheopen rua in order chache nay not be seized on account 'of his sins; and o itis affirmed. Akernatively we may explain that [198] for that very purpose God sent a famine ino the 'world, namely that Jacob and his ons should go down into Egypt; and 20 Jacob saw the people bringing corn from 'Eyypt, and thus knew that there was corn there, Or we may explain thus. When Isaac died, Jacob and Esau came 10 divide his inheritance. eau renounced the inheritance o the (holy) land and all that it involved, and Jacob took up the whol, including the galuth. Hence he saw the calamity that aveaited him in Egypt, where he and his sons would endure exile, and hence he said to his sons: "Why do you show your acivea ff in presence of the supcrnal judgement ? 'That i the way to bring the accuser down upon you." Ax ae sain: Benoup, I nave wean THAT Titene 1s coRN IN Ecyrr, Ger You Down (reda) THITHER, I has already been pointed out that the numerical yalue of the term reds (RDV =210) amounts fo the number of years Israel was in Egypt. 'Ann Jossei WAS THE GOVERNOR OVER THE LAND, tre. R Jesediscoursed on the text; And nw shall my head te lifted up above mine enemies rourd about me; and Lil offer in his tabernacle sacrifices with trampet-tound (Ps. 2x, 6). Thera playa the Yor sheber= ero ich By a change of the esta oi Becoes ibe apes

352'THe zouaR tt [1980
"When God', he said, "akes pleasure in a man, he raises him hgh above al his ellow-men and makes him chef over them all, so that all his enemies ae subdued before him, King 'David was hated by his brothers and rejected by them, but God aie him high above all men, He hao fle fer his father in-law, but God made him ruler over the laters whole Kingdom and all knelt and prostrated themselves to hitn. Joseph, agai, was rejected by his brothers, but afterwards 'hey al knelt down and prostreted themselves before him, as wwe real: ""And Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down to him with theie faces tothe earth." Alternatively we may supe pose this verse to be spoken by the Community of Israel, 'whose head will one day be mised above Esau and all his Frewterants, 'Then Israel will "offer in his tabernacle tacri- fies with trumpetsound",o, rather, sacrifice of breaking" (teru'ch) to wit,the broken spirit which is mentioned inthe pasage: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit" (bid. 1H, 19), 0 a to cause severity tbe removed from the work "then twill sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lard", without ceasing, lo evermore, According to another interpre tation, i isthe good promptcr who says, "and now shal my head te lifted up above mine enemies round about me to wit, above the evil prompter thst surrounds man on every fe and is his enemy throughout: "and T will offer in bermecle sacrifices with trumpet-sound", alluding tothe study of the Torah, which has been given from the side of fire, ab we read: "At his right hand was a fiery law unto them' (Deut. xxx, 2); for itis through the Torah thit his head i ifted up and his enemies are broken before him, a3 it says: "Thou hast subdued unto me those that row up 'against me (Ps, XI, 40)- According to another explaration itis King David who says, "And now shall my head be lifted 'up", namely, to be ranked armong the patriarchs, a8 he had first to joi the patriarchs before he became exalted and elevated. "Above mine enemies round about me": to wi thove on the left side, the accusers who sought to injure bi by his overcoming them the sun formed a junetion withthe 'moon, and a unity was effected. Observe nov the passage: Avo JosEPit WA THE GOVERNOR OVER THE LAND, 1984-198] migez 353 'which, in its deeper meaning, implies that the sun rules over the moon, gives her light and sustains her. We read further: Hr IT WAS THAT SOLD TO ALL PEOPLE OF THE LAND. 'This alludes to the ever lowing river whence all derive theit nourishment and whence the souls of all men emerge, Hence all bow down toward that region, as nothing happensin the 'worl that does not depend on mazzal, asexplained elsewhere. R. Bleazar here discoursed on the text: Wherefore should

1fear inthe days of ell the inguity of my hels that compasyeth
'me aout? (Ps. xt1x, 6) "There ar', Re said, 'three classes 'who fea, and know not what they fear, ax we have laid down elsewhere. One kind is the man who has committed sins without realizing chat they were sina, and he is therefore afraid of days of evil", to wit, days that are undsr the {jurisdiction ofthe [1988] cil one, that is, the evil prompter, 'who on certain days is given authorization to lead astray all those who pollute their ways. For whoever enters the path of defilement is caried further along it. Those days, then, are called "days of evil", being assigned for the punishment of tte sins which a man treads under his heels," as it were. 'Whoever, then, is habituated to those sins which men tread underfoot, asi were, is unaware of them and is constantly in fear. King David, however, was ever on his guard against these sins, and whenever he set out for hatte he would closely 'examine himself to see that he was free from such sins, and he therefore was not afraid to po to war, Observe now the differ 'ence in the behaviour of four kings in going to war. David : "Let me pursue mine enemies, and overtake them: 'either let me turn back till they are consumed' (Ps, xvi 138). He dared to make this request because he guarded himseli 'gains those sins, and thusallowed no opening to his enemies to prevail against him. He therefore prayed only that he might pursue them continually, and had no fear that they might pur- 'ue him, of that his sins might cause him to fll into their hands. Asa-was in greater fear, for though he also minutely 'examined himself for any sins, yet it was not with such care as David. Hisrequest, therefore, wasthat hernight merely pursue "ste pesailoes which pile ae apt ovelck: An lon to the ten apts "ftps oi,"

254'THe fonAR [198-1990
his enemies, not overtake them himself, and that God should them for him, And soit came abeut, as we tead: "So the Tord smote the tthiopians before Asa, and before Judah; and the Ethiopians fled, And Asa and the people that were with him, ete." (Che. xv, 11-12). Whereas in regard to David itis written: "And David smote them from the tie light even unto the evening ofthe nex: day" (t Sam. x8, 17) Jehoshaphat, agai, in praying for hep, said: "T am notable to purive nor to slay them; but let me chant thy. praice and do thou slay them." 'This was because he did. not 'examine himself even to the same degree as Asa. And God did what he requested writen: "And when they began to sing and praise, the Lord set liers-in-wait aguinst the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, that were come against Judah; and they were smitten" (11 Chr. xx, 22) Finally, Hezekiah et himself able nether to sing praises, nor to pursue, nor to engage in war, the reason being that he feared the above-mentioned sins. Its thus written: "And it came to pass that ight, that che angefof the Lord went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand; and when men arose early in the moreing, behold, they were all dead corpses" (i Kings xix, 35). That is, Hezekiah st in his house, and lay in his bed, whilst God slew them. Now f those righteous men were in a0 much fear 'on account of these sins, how muuch greater should be the fear of other men ? Hence it bchoves man tobe on his guard against those sins and to examine hime closely regarding. them soa not wallow those "days ofc" which are without mercy t0 obtain dominion over him.' Asp Josuen xyeW sts pRerincs. When they fellinto huis hands he had compassion on them, since he was com= pletely virtuous. nT THEY KNEW HIM NOT? these Were Simeon and Levi, who came from the side of severity, and him, inasmuch as all those imbued with

18men when they fall into their hands,
Hence David ssid, "Wherefore should I fear 2" indica that naturally he ought to fear" [1o9a] those "days of evil", * Al that he bad ren o fear 1934] sigee 355 as previously stated, David continues: "The iniquity of my heels that compasseth me about." 'The word "heel here, asin the passage, "and his hand had hold on Esau's heel" (Gen. xxv, 26) indicates those evil power (Forming a it were the heel of the Body) tha are forever onthe lookout for the sins which a man constantly treads under his heels. These Tie sins are like "cords of vanity" (s. Vs 18), scarcely discernible, but which in time become as srong as "car ropes, and thus case « man 1 Tose this world and the wuld to come. Happy are the righteous who know how to 'turd themselves agunst their sins and continually examine their deeds so that no accuser may rise up against them either inthis world or inthe world to come, ch Torah being thet suide and preparing the way before them. OF these itis Writen: "Her ways are ways of gracianess, and all her paths are peace." Axp Joseru ReMmmeneD THE DREAMS wittcH HE DREAMED OF THEM, ETC. R. Hiya quoted here the verse: Rejoice not when thy enemy falleth, and let not thy heart be 'lad hen he stunblath (Prov. xxtv, 17), 'God', he said, "ereated man in order that he should make himself worthy of His glory and always serve Him and be occupied in the 'Torah day and night, For God takes pleasure in the Torah 'and gave it to Adam and taught it to him, so that he should know its ways, So it is written: "Then did he see it, and dedare it; he established it, yea, and searched it out. And lunto Adam he said: Gehold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding" (Job -xavitt, 27-28). Adam, however, though ied into it, 'did not keep it, and transgressed the command of his Master and was punished for his sin, Similarly all those who trans- Jgress one precept of the Torah are held to account for it. King Solomon, the-witest of men, tranogreszed one precept of the Torah, and for that he was dethroned and his son's inheritance vias divided, What, then, must be the conse- 'quenees ofthe transgression of the whole Torah ! Now, since 'Joseph knew the Torab, having learnt it from his father, why 'when his brethren fell nto his hands did he put them through

26se zouan {i990
'hose ordeals? Far be from ust think that i was out of a sprit of revenge that he heaped on them accusations: his 'only purse was to make them bring with them his brother Tenjami, for who fos heart was loging a, moreover he didnot Tet thern come to pie, ax we read Inter: "Then "eseph commanded then to fil their vessels wth oem, R. Judah said: "After God created the moon He had her enstantly before His ees (Deut. x, 12). In regard to thi it Iso written: "Then did he seit and dear it (eayera nd searched it out" (Job , "tana that through His providence the nun reflected init 'The term eayereprak we may trans Ine, "he made i ike sapphire" "He established i 0 that should fll properly into twelve divisions and be Further it might be perfectly ilurined. "And to gard it with a etemal and never Sr vice Actes He res onniig ian standing" (Ibid. xxv, 28), vain to the fear of the Holy One, and understanding is the power by which to separate and keep avay the refuse, and. thus attain to a knowledge of and an insight into the glory 'of the Most High King" IR. Jose once rose in the night to study the Torah, when there happened to bea certain Judean with him in the house, RR. Jose began to expound the verse: Treasures of wickednest 'profit nothing; but righteousness delcereth from death (Prov, X,3). "There is no profi', he suid, 'to those men who do not occupy themselves with the study of the Torah and follow only worldly affairs in order to amass treasures of wickedness, fof which it is written: "And those riches perish by evil "ie the dvision ofthe Hbly Land aconding othe veo tibe. Correponding wr the seventy nina or agg aroma hich the wo waive cording the enumerstion given Gene, chap "The ion read "seven

2the sevnty chiefs: prsing over the seventy ingoms of the
1992-1998] omnoee 337 adventure" (Eee. , 2). But "righteousness deivereth from death" those who occupy themscives with the study of the 'Torah and know its ways: for the Torah is called the tee of life and is also called righteousness, as we read: "And it shall be righteousness unto us" (Deut. vi, 23). 'The word -zedagah (righteousness) here may also have is literal meaning of charity". [1996] The two meanings, Torah and charity, are hhowever, inessence identical." The Judean remarked: "Tt bears aso the meaning of peace.' R.Joue replied: 'Assure it is 30.' The Judean then joined him and began to discourse on the text: He that tileth the ground thal! have plenty of bread; hut he that followeth after vain things shall have poverty enough (Prov. xxv, 19). "This verse', he said, 'presents a fficulty. For can it be supposed that King Solomon, the wisest man in the world, would have said that it behaves « rman {0 devote himself to the tilling of the ground and to neglect the life everlasting ? But there isan inward meaning. therein.' 'The Judean then cited the verse: "And he put him into the Garden of Eden to dress itand keep it" (Gen. 1,15). "This sentence, as has been explained," he suid, 'contains an allusion to the sacrifices, the abject of the verb "to dees being the higher King, and of "to keep" the lower King, the tone embracing the upper worl, the other the lower world, 'the one exoterially referred to in "remember", the other in observe" Hence the "ground" here isan allusion t0 the Garden of Eden, which it behoves man to dress and to til 50 'to cause to Row upon it blessings from on high, whereby 'he himself will receive blessings along with it. Observe that the priest who blesses the people is blessed himself, as it says: "and will bless them"* (Num. vt, 27). Henee, "He that tilleth the ground shall have plenty of bread", to wit, heavenly food, but "he that followeth after vain things", ramely, he tat cleaves to the other sie, shall have poverty 'enough, assuredly." R. Jose remarked: "Happy art thou to be able to give such an exposition." The Judean then followed with a discourse on the verse: A faithful man shall aicund

1An allio to the 180 vata, "remember" and "aber, in the
'edt of the founh Commandinest, in Exodus and Desteronery as8 'rue oan at [1998-2000 tcthbesinge (Prov. xv, 20). "This speaks of the man', he 'si, who puts his trustin God, lke R. Jase the elder, who, dtiough He hal food for the gay, would nov yeepare his teal before he had prayed for his daily bread tothe Holy King; and he med to iy, "We sll not eat before we obtain permission from the King." "But he that maketh hast tobe Fich shall not be unpunished" (bid), because he refuses to devote himself w the Torah, which constitutes the fe of this srorl and the life ofthe world to come, Te being now the time to oecupy ourselves with the study of the Torah, let us do 0,' e said, He then began to discourse on the subject of dreams. 'We read, he aid: 'Axo Josrri nesestnenxD 'THE DREAMS wnicM aE DREAMID OF THEM. That i, when he saw them bowing t0 him, he called t0 mind his dream about their sheaves bowing to is sheaf, Further, one fought to remember a good dreamy, because, although there is to forgetfulness before the Holy One, yet ifthe wan forgets the dieam he also will be forgatten. A dream that is not remembered tight a well not have been dreamt, and there= fore a dream forgotten and gone fom mind is never ullled. Joseph therefore kept is dream fresh in his memory, never ul come tre, and he Was cone forts fulfilment. AND WE sAtD To THEM: though he emembered his dream, he did sot mention it to them, but only said, "Ye are apie." R, Jose discoursed on the verse: Fora dream comth through «2 mite of business: and foo'seoice though multitude of word (Beal 5, 2)."Te han aleeady been explained' he sd, 'that dreams are under the charge ofa hierarchy of custo- dans, so that some dreams are aliogether true and others are a mixture of tue and false. But tothe tly righteos no fase 'messages are ever communicated, but al they are od sue Observe that of Daniel it is writen: "Then to Daniel, it a vision ofthe night, [2000} the secret was revealed" (Dan, 11,19), also: "Daniel had a dream and visions of his head 'upon his beds then be wrote the dream" (Zhi. vi, 1). Had the deeam contained falsehood itcould nor have been written down in the Serptures. When the souls of the truly righ ascend, nothingeomes in contact with them save holy beings 2004] Mare 359 that communicate to them words of truth, words that can be relied upon never to prove false. 'There i, itis true, a tradi- ion that King David never saw « happy dream, from which 'we should conclude that he was shown false things in his dreams. The truth is, however, that David was all his life 'engaged in making war, in shedding blood, and hence all his dreams were of misfortune, of destruction and ruin, of blood and shedding of blood, and not of peace. You may possibly also wonder how it is that 2 good man is often shown a bad earn The explanation is that what he ses in such dreams the evil that isto cleave to those who transgreas the com- 'mands of the Torah and the punishments which will be 'meted out to them in the other world; and the good man sees all these in hin dreams in order that the fear of his Master ray cormtantly be upon hin. So it says: "and God hath made it, that man should fear before him" (Eee. 101 14), 'which has been explained to refer to bad dreams. This, then, is the reason why the righteous man is made to see a bad ddream, We have learned that when a man has had a dream, he should unburden himself of it before men who are his friends chat they should express to him their good wishes and give utterance to words of good omien, Desite, which is 'Thought, isthe beginning of all things and Utterance is the completian; and s0 a deep symbolism will in this way have bheen effected, and all will have been made good, Thus a man's friends should affirm the good interpretation, and so all will be well. We see, then, thit God communicates to each man bby means of dreams of the degree and shade of colour con- formable to the degree and shade of colour of the man him= self! The Judean remarked: 'Assurediy, itis only the good rman that is made to see true dreams, When a man is in bed asleep, his soul leaves him and roams to and fro towards the Upper world and enters as far as she can, and numerous bands af pure spirits who ate traversing te world meet her If she be worthy, she ascends on high and sees notable things, hut if not, she fall into the hands of the other side, 'who communicate to her lying things, or things which are about tohappen shortly. And when the man awakes, the soul 'communicates to im what she saw. The unjust man is thus abo THE ZOMAR It [2000-2008 'shown a happy dream, but an uatruthful one, so as to make him go further astray from the path of truth. For since he turned aside frm the right path they defile him the more, as 'whoever sets out to purify himself is purified from above, and whoever sets oit t0 defile himelf is similarly defiled from above. This has already been expounded elsewhere." "This R. Joseand the Judean iscoursed until the morning daened. R. Jove then remarked: 'Asuredly the reason that Joseph's neine isnot mentioned in connection with the 'andards ofthe tribes. Num) i that he exalted himself cover his brethren" Said the Judean: have heardit said that Joseph derived from the word of the Male, whereas his inrethren derived from the this reason that he was not included with them, Te is thus written: WE ARE ALL ONE MAN'S SONS, where the word for "ste" (onahny) is writen defectively ralinu, without the letter aleph. 'The ale is the image ofthe male principle as against the bth, which i the image of the female principle; and sinee the brothers didnot exhibit the symboSsm of the covenant, the aeph was removed from them and they were left, asi were, ofthe female aspect in the company of the Shekinah. Afterwards, however, shey suid: "We ae upright sen' (Gen. xt, 31, using the fl form anal (ve), eon- taining the alep, and without knowing it they were ight, since Joseph was present with them. 'This view is further supported by the passage: "And they said: We thy servants are twelve brethren" (Ubi. 13): hete clearly Joseph wa in sluded within the number lve, and hence they similaly 'made use ofthe fll form for 'we are", namely aabne, not the defective form nam' R. Jose remarked: 'AMl these expositions we have just now given must be pleasing to God, since the Shekiah did not depart {200b] from herein aceord- ice with the verse: "Then they that fear the Lord spoke one another: and the Lord hearkened, and heaed, 'of remembrance was written before him, for them the Lord, and that thought upon bis name" (Malachi, 111,16). 'DAYS. Said R. Eleazar: "Those three days correspond to the 2008] rare 26 'three days during which the men of Shechem were sick (Gen. 2exnv, 25) Observe that itis written here: AnD Josten a1 UNTO Ties Tae THIRD DAY: Tits (oth) DO AND LIVE, by which he shoved them that he was not going to act towards them in the way they acted towards Shechem; for 'whereas they had frst madethe people of Shechem take upon them the mcred rte ofthe covenant, which i symbolized by 'the word soc (this), and then had slain them othe last man, Joseph, on his part, sald: "This (oth) do and lve™s why ? 'Por I fer God', and am guarding the seredness of the covenant. All this procedure was only forthe sake of Ben= jamin. Axp THEY sa1p ONE TO ANOTHER: WE ARE VERILY GUILTY CONCERNING OUR mRoTHER, ETC. "And they said one to ancther (it. hold, ths dreamer cometh" (Fbid. xxxvn, 19). Which "'man'" and which is "broth 'Simeon, a in the passage: "And, behold, a man of the children of Trae came" (Sur. his action and wept and felt remorse and said: "We are verily guiky'"; and it was through his repentance that his 'emblem became the ox, the same as that of Joseph, of whom itis written: "His fitting bullock, majesty is his" (Deut, oan, 17) And it was for that reason that we read AND Me 'TOOK SIMEON FROs AMONG THtEM, for Joseph wished to separate him from the influence of Levi, as when the two were together they might find mater of charge against him. 'Ann noun sim nesons ruetn eves. Tt has already 'been explained that only before their eyes did he have him bound, but after they depared he regaled him with food and <link, Kjnst not be supposed that Joseph acted i the pit of the verse, "IF thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to at, and if he be thirsty, givehim water to dritk, for thou wilt heap coals af fire upon his bead (Prov. xxv, 21). Joseph as too righteous man for this Far be it, then, from Joseph to have acted in that spirit. Indeed, he aeted a5 man to his

263'rite zonan 11 [00h
brother, in true brotherly love without any other motive. 'And not only towards Simeon, but towardsall his brethren he acted 90, a6 itis written: THEN JOSEPH COMMANDED TO FILL THEIR VESSELS WITH CONN, AND TO GIVE THEN PROVISION FOR THE WAY; AND THUS IT WAS DONE texto Taeat, All this he did in a spirit of brotherhood." TR. Jose commenced discourse on the verse: If they be peaceful an likewite many, and they wil ikewise be shorn, ten he shall pas asa' and though Ihave alice thee, il aflict thee no more (Nahum 1, 12). This verse' he said, "has been expounded in the following manner. When a people live in peace, and harbour no quarrlsome persans in their mist, God has compassion on them, and. rigorous justice is not woked against them, even though they worship idols is in harmony with the verse, "Ephraim is joined in iol, et him alone" (Hou 1, 17)! Inthe expresion "and they will lhewise be shom', the word "likewise" continues the thought of the word "peace" above, by adding to it charity, which is peace; for whoever promotes charity pro- 'motes peace, both inthe upper world andi the lower world. 'Those who are shorn" means those who allow themselves tobe shorn of their substarce, devoting it charity. Concern ing such the verse says: "und he (or it) shall pass away", not, as we should have expected "hey shall pass away", but "it shall pass away", namely, the weathful judgement of heaven. The word "pass" is used in a similar connection in the verse 'uni indignation be ovenpast" (Ip, xxv1, 20). The folloving is an alterative interpreation. "Thus saith the Lord: IF they be perfect (helemim)" this an allusion to Israel, whom God favoured with the covenant which they were to guard censtanty so as to be perfect on all sides, both on high and hhere below; for otherwise a man is defective in every respect. So it is written: "Walk before me, and be thou perfect" (Gen, x01, 1, implying that Abram, before the sign of the 'covenant was confirmed in him, was defective. Hence: "if they be perfect they shall ikewise be many", that is, if Tact observe this precept whereby dhey become perfect and do not "eae Epes are weeshipping idols sce they areal joined together in peace ant barony, they wil esape the rigour of jie, -200b-a0%4] sear 263 rain in 3 stateof incompleteness, they will in consequence increase fora] and. multiply, inasmuch as souls do. not descend into the world save through the covenant. The verse 'ontinues "and 0 if they be circumcised it shall pass away", the last par refering to the tart ofthe uncircumcised state thavattached to them before. The following i, nein, nother interpretation of the verse. "Thus sith the Lord: if they be perfect and likewise many": this isan allusion tthe sons of Theob, inasmuch as so long as they were in the presence of Joseph they were perfect in that they stood by him who kept the purty of the covenant. But when "they became separ= 'having kone and left Joseph and Simeon behind, then 'He was vrathful, as then judgement was invoked ov theie account, The term 'abar (lit. pss) similarly indicates anger inthe vere: "For the Lord willbe full of wrath (ear, it. vill passthrough) in smiting the Exyprians" (Ex. x11, 23) 'Observe that there is severe judgement and mild judgement, and when mild judgement sucks, ait were, from severe Judgement, it becomes itself harsh and formidable. When judgement is invoked against Israel, it is mild judgement that is exercised, such as has not been hardened by severe judge rent. But when judgement is invoked against the idolatrous rations, mill judgement becomes hardened by the severity 'of judgement an high and is rendered terrible. tis thus wet- ten: "And the Lord will be fall of wrath in smiting the Egyptians (hil), where the vem ve'aar (lit and He shall is) indicates that He becomes full of wrath and indig- tation and takes hold of chastisment. (Note that when ten atecmble together in Synagogue and one of them sips out, God i wrathful with him.) Acweding to another tation, the second part ofthe vere says: "and likewise they", 'that the evil deeds of man, "will Be emoved, and it shall past over" What shall pase over?R. Simeon said:"'When the Soul leaves this world it has t» pass through many trials before itreachesits place. And, nally, theres the ever-lw- ing river of fire which all souls have to pass and to bathe in, and who is he tht can face it snd past through it without fear ? But the soul of the righteous passes without fear and stands in, His holy place; and the man who has performed

264'THE zouAR tt [rote
charity in this word, having given of his substance to hari able objects, of such 2 one itis written, "and he shall pass 'over", that i, he shall pass though that region without fear; tnd # herald will proclaim before that soul, "and though T hhaveafited thee Twill fic thee o more" (Nahum 1,13) For, whoeyer is worthy to pas through that region i exempt from any further ordeal whatever" Temay be asked, what need was thee t record all these incidents concerning Joseph and his brethren ? The Torah, however, othe embodiment ofteuth and all its ways are ways 'of hanes, there being no word inthe Torah that does not éontsin sublime and holy recondite truths and examples for 'man'o lay to heart and follow. R- Jose began inthis connec- tion discourse on the verse: Say nat thou Fel requte ee sect forthe Lond and he wil rave thee (Prov. xx, 22). Observe he mid, 'that the Holy One made man for the purpose that he should lay fast hold of the Torah and walk in the way of truth towards the right side and not towards the side of the Jefe, And since they ought to go tothe right, i behaves the sons of men to abound in love foreach other, and banish enmity from their midst, so as not to weaken the right side, Which is the spo to which Isact cleave. IC or this reason that there exist a good prompter and an evil prompter; and iebchoves Israc to make the good prompter master over the 'il prompies by means of good deeds. But when a man strays tw the left, the evil prompter thereby gets the mastery over the good promptcr, and aterhaving been disabled is estored to strength through the man' sins, for this burden becomes strong only through man's sins. Hence it behoves man to see that the esl prompter dacs not hecnme reinforerd through his sins, inasmuch asi s the good prompter to whom more power should be given and not the evil prompter. Hence SSrpture teaches us: "Say aot thou: T will make complete the evil one (ashalmah ra'); wait forthe Lord, and he will save thes." According to another interpretation, the verse teaches us ist otto repay' evil for good, inasmuch a "who

40rewardeth evil for good, evil shall not depart fom hie
howe" (Prov. xv1t, 13); and, moreover, ven from repaying evl for ei, but must "wait for the Lord 2010-2018] stare find he will save thee", 'This teaching was exemy Joseph the righteous, who abstsined from repaying evil to his 'brethren when they fell nto his hans. He addressed to him- self the words, "wait for the Lord, and he will save thee", for te (2018) feared the Holy One, blesset be He, He thus said o his brethren: Tuts 00, AND LIVE. R, Abba began a discourse on the verse: Cowuel inthe 'eartof aman is ike deepwater; but a mar of understanding ill 'drae it out (Ibid. xx, 5). "The frst clause of this verse, he |,'may be applied tothe Holy One, who with deep eounsel moulded events by the hand of Joseph so as to execute his decree; "but a man of understanding will draw it ut" is exemplified in Joueps, who revealed those deep t the Holy One decreed on the world, Again, hhear of a man is like deep water" is exemplified in Judah at the time when he approached Joseph on behalf of Berjami as explained elsewhere, wheress "a man of understanding will draw it out" was exemplified in Joseph.' R, Abba was ene day 'sitting a the gate of Lydda when he saw a man come and seat himself on a ledge overhanging the ground. Being weary from traveling, he fell asleep. R. Abba saw a serpent wide up towards the man, but, before it reached hien, a branch fll froma tree and killed it. The man then woke up, and catching. 'sight of the serpent in front of im stood up; and no sooner hnad he done so than the ledge gave way, and crashed ito the hollow beneath it. R. Abba then approached him and si "Tell me, what have you done that God should perform two. riratls for you ? The man replied: 'Never did anyone do jury to me but that I made peace with him and forgave him, Moreaver, if could not make peace with him, {did not retire to rest hefore I forgave him together with all those who 'vexed me; nor was I at any time concerned about the evil the rman did me; nay more, from that day onward 1 exerted ryself to show kindness to such a man." R, Abba then wept and said: "This man's deeds excel even those of Joseph; for Joseph showed forbearance towards his own brethren, upon 'whom it was natural for him to have compassion; but this rman did mare, and ie was thos hefiting that the Holy One should work for him one miracle upon another.' R. Abba then

286'Tux nomaR tt [2orb-2022
began a discourse on the verse: He that sclheth uprightly twatketh securely but he that perverteth his ways shall be known (yioade'a) (Ibid. x, 9).' "He that walketh uprightly",! he Sai, 'signifies the man that follows the ways of the Torah, and such a one "walketh securely", the malignant forces of the world being able to do him no harm; but "he that per- verteth his ways" and turns aside from the way of truth "shall be knowa, to wit, he will become a marked man to all. the executors of judgement, by whorn his image will never the forgotten until the time when they will ke him to the appointed place of retribution, But "him who walks in the 'way of truth'" God takes under His cover so that he should not become known to tor recognized by the executioners of judgement. Happy are those who valk in the way of truth, And thus go about securely in the world without fear either inthis world or in the workd to com AND THE MEN WERE AFRAID, HECAUSE THEY. WERE provGitt INTO JosEPH'S HOUSE. R. Jow said: "Woe to the men who know not nor reflect on the ways of the Torah, Woe to them when Gal will all them to account for their ations and il raise the body and the soul to pay the penalty for all their deeds commited before the soul was separated fro the body. 'That wil be the Day of Judgement, on which the books are open and the prosecutors standing by. At that time the serpent wll beon the ale to bite theman, quivering inall his limbs to leap upon him. 'The sou will then became Separated from the body and will depart and be carried off toit knows not where. Alas fo that day, a day of wrath and inlignation {Hence it behoves man to contend daily with his evil prompter and to picture to himself the day when he will 'sand before the King tbe judged, when they wil ower Kim imo the ground to For there, whit the sul il become separated [2020] fom him. We have been taught that it he- hhoves man always to use the good prompter against the «vil prompter ifthe later departs, well and good, but if not, the man should study the Torah, 38 there ienothing so well 'ealeulated to-crush the evil prompter asthe 'Torah; if he departs, well and good, but if ot, et the man remind him of 2020] mugee 367 the day of death soas thereby to subdue him. This statement requires consideration, We know that the evil prompter and, 'the angel of death are one and the same. How is it posible, then, thatthe ange of death shoukl be cowed by the thought of the day of death, seeing that he himself i the slayer ofthe sons of men, and this is his joy, and in fact his whole purpose in leading men astray is 0 bi is? The truth, however, the day of death is primarily to humble a man's heart, for the evil 'prompter dwells only in.a place where pride and intoxication sce rampant, but where he finds broken spirit he leaves the man alone, Observe that the good prompter requires the joy 'of the Torah and the evil promprer the joy of wine and lewd ness and arrogance. Hence a man should constantly be in fear 'of that great day, the Day of Judgement, the day of reckoning, when there wll be none to defend hit save his own good deeds which he performed inthis word, If Joseph's brothers, 'who were all valiant men, were afd when led by one youth into Joseph's house, how much greater will be man's fear 'when the Holy One, blessed be He, will cite him to judge iment ? Hence it behoves a. man to strive his utenost in this 'world o fortify himself ia the Almighty, and put his trast in Him for then, although he may have sinned, if he repents with all sineerity, since his stronghold isin the Holy One, it Will beas though he had aot sinned, The brothers were afraid 'on account of thee sin in having stolen Joseph, for had they not sinned they would not have had any cause to fear; for it isonly a man's sins that break his courage and deprive him of strength, the reason being that the good prompter is atthe same time unnerved, and left powerless to contend with the 'vil prompter, This is implied in the words: "What man is there that is fearful and faint-hearted ?" (Deut, xx, 8), on Account, that is, of sins which he may have-cormmitted, these being the ruin of a stout heart. For many generations God exacted payment for the sins ofthe tribes since nothing is forgotten of Him, but He exacts requital from generation to generation, and the sentence re- smainsin forests fully paid. Thisisexenipliied in the case of Hezekiah. Hezekiah sinned in exposing the mysteriesof the

368THE ZONAK 11
Holy One, blessed be He, to the vi God therefore sent him, through Ist "Behold, the days come, that all that i thy hows, and that which thy fathers nid 'up in store until this day' shall be carried to. Babylon, ete" (Is. x42, 6). Through his sin in closing that which should have remained hidden, oppor- tunity ss given to the other side" w obtain deminion overt For, as explained already, blessing rests on that which re mains undiselosed, but as soon as itis disclosed the other region obtains aope to exercise dominion overit. Its written: "All that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness" (Lament. 1, 8). This is explained as follows. When Merodaca aladan, King of Habylon, sent present to Jerusalem (Is. noms, 1) he sent a letter in which he first 'wrote, "Peace he unto Hezekiah King of Judah, and peace be unto the great God, and peace be unto Jerusslem,"" But to sooner did the epiatle leave his hands than he bethought himself that he had not done right in putting the greeting of the servant before that of his Master. So he rose from his throne, advanced three paces, took back his epistle and wrote another one in its place, headed thus; "Peace be unto the great God, pease be unto Jerusalem, and peace be unto Hezekiah." 'Thus was Jerusalem honoured; [202b] but later, "all those that honoured her despised her", the reason being that "they have seen her nakedness", theough the action of Hezekiah, Since, however, Hezekiah was very righteous, the punishment war postponed during his lifetime, but i wa Visited upon his descendants after him. Similarly, the guilt of the tribes di not bring its punishment until a later time, 'because the judgement from on high could not obtain power over them until an opportune time arrived, Henee, whoever ix burdened by sins is constantly in fear, as it says! "and thou shalt fear night nd day" (Deut, xxv "Ten Comanmert "5 whieh, reference tothe Atk the tabla the uz the ph, oF sells the sinister Sores that aval thernelven 'of every opening to contminate ind draw satnance fon any nated 2038) story 269 AND HELIFTED UP MIS EYES, AND SAW BENJAMIN #15 "THER, HI5 MOTHER'S SON, ETC, R. Hiya began a iecoure on he ve: Hape dered math the hart Stk bu des alld sa tree of ie (Prov. a, 13), "Ti fear tb neal tty eee aes 'man in praying to the Almighty should not observe 100 closely whether his prayerisanswered orno, lest the numerous accusers who are about will eome to serutinize his deeds, The underlying meaning ofthe frst part of the verse is that if a 'man thinks too much about whether his prayer will be answered, he provokes "sickness of heart to wit, that spirit 'whois constantly shadossing him in his eagerness to indict hima on high and below; but "desire fulfilled in tre of Fife 'that i, as tradition teaches us, whoever desires that the Holy 'One, blessed be He, should accept his prayer, should be di gent in the study of the 'Torah, which i th tree of life, and thus desire is "fulfilled", or, more literally, "cometh" (aah). Hy "desire" is meant the grade tha presides overall prayers and takes them up into the presence ofthe Most High King. The word "cometh" (boah)isused heve asin the phrase, 'the evening she cometh (Esther 1 14), and means that the desir comes up before the Most High King so a to full the man's wish. Alternatively, "hope deferred maketh the 'heart sick" isan allusion to that other and wrong place in Which man's prayer may be delayed whilst it passes from hand to hand and so fails to reach its destination, because it is passed from chieftain to chieftain and is brought down again into this world. "But desire fulfilled isa tree of lif this alludes tothe hope thats not bandied about among those chieftains, but is geanted to the man by God immediately for fit s delayed among those chieftains itis exposed ro the serutiny and criticism of numerous accusers, who may prevent it from being granted. Not soi it with the hope that 'issues ditectly from the King's Court: this is granted to man at onee, irrespective of his merits. Again, "hope deferred 'maketh the heat sick" is exemplified in Tab, whose hope in regard to Joseph was deferred for along time, while "desire 'ee of life" is exemplified in the case of Ben- uch as only a short time elapsed between Joseph's

290THE ZOHAR 1h [po2b-2030
demand that he should be brought to him and his actual arrival, of which it is written; "And he lifted up his eyes, and. saw Benjamin his brother, his mother's oa." 'The words "his mother's son' in this passage indicate that Benjamin was the very image of his mother." Said R. Jose: 'Since it has already been written, "And Joseph save Benjamin with them", why does the Scripture repeat "And he lifted up his eyes, 'ard saw Benjamin his brother" ?'The truth isthat the second time he saw something new: he foresaw through the haly sirit that Benjamin would have portion along with his tbmthren in the Holy Land, and, moreover, that it would be in the portions of Benjamin and Judah that the Shekinah 'would rest, in that the Temple would be in their portion. Hence he saw that lean would be more closely connected 'wit them than he himself." FOR 11S HEART YEARNED WEEP; AND HE ENTERED INTO HIS CHAMBER AND WEPT 'Taeae. In connection with this, R. Hizkiah quoted the verse: The burden concerning the valley of vision. What aileth 'thee now that thow art wholly gone up to the house tops? (I, zat, 1), "This verse', he sai, 'has been expounded as allud- 'ng to the day on which the 'Temple was destroyed with fire by the enemies, when all the ministering. pie [ga] on the walls f the Temple holdin hands and exclaimed: "Ui y surers, now take back thine own," The Valley of Vision isan appellation ofthe Ternple when the Shekinah dwelt i it, and 'when it was the source from which all drew their prophetic inspiration; for although-the various. prophets proclaimed their messages in various regions, they all deew their inspi= ration from the 'Temple, Hence the appelltion "Valley of Vision". (The term hizayon (vision) has also been interpreted to signify "reflection of all the celestial hucs",) The words "what sileth thee now, that thou art wholly gone up to the *F TE, Trott Vom, 1202 "A stop of and ent forth fom olah ot ad emer int Henri' terete, andon thi he Tele res u" = AL the ol 2030] snare an 'house tops ? allude to the Shekinah, who at the destruction of the Temple revisited all the spots where she had dwelt formerly and wept for her habitation and for Israc who had one into exile and all those righteous ones and saints that Perished there. God thereupon aiid to her: "What sileth thee, that thou art wholly gone up to the housetops 2, the 'word "wholly" including together with the Shekinah all the legions and hosts that wept with ber over the destruction of the 'Temple. The Shekinah replied with tears: "Thou that 'wast full of uproar, a tumultuous city, a joyous town, thy stain are-not slain "Therefore said I: Look away from me, I will wee (Is, xxit, 4) as much as to say, "Seeing that my 'gone into exile and the Sanctuary 8 burnt, what is there left for me that | should linger here 7" And the answer of the Holy One, bleed be He, a8 explained already elsewhere, was: "Refrain thy voice from weeping et." (Jer, xxxt, 16). 'Olncrve that from the time when the Temple was destroyed no day has passed without its curses. For a5 long as the 'Temple was in existence, Israel performed divine service, offering up burnt-offerings and «ther offerings, while the Shekinah in the Temple hovered over them like a mother hovering over her children, and so all faces were lit up, and all found blesing both aboye and here below, and no day passed without ie blessings and te joys 'Then feract dwelt securely in their land and all the world was. provisioned 'through them. But now that the 'Temple is destroyed and the 'Shekinah isin exile with Israel there fs nota day but brings 'curses, an the world is under a curse, and joylesmess igns on highand below. Nevertheless the Holy One, blessed bbe He, will in due time raise Israel from the dust and suffuse the world with joy. So Scripture saya: "Even them will 1 bring tomy holy mountain, and make the yf in. my eee URC Gas be veep te night, and het tears are on her cheeks" (Lam 1, 2), so shall they return with tears, av itis writen, "they shall come and with supplications will I lead them!" (Jer. a THE Z0HAR It [2030-2036 [As S008 AS THE MORNING WAS LIGHT, THE MEN WEXE. SENT AWAY, THEY AND THEIR ASSES. Said R. Bleazar: "Having said that the men were sent away, why does Serip- ture add "they and theie asses" ?'The reason isto show that previously there had been no ground foe their apprehension when they said, "and take us for bondmen, and our asses" (Gen. xits, 18), 'There is alsoan allusion to the verse:""And Abraham rose early in the moming, and saddled his ass, ete." (hid. xx, 3). Tt was that morning of Abraham that shone for the brethren to support them by its merits, 90 that, trong in the merit of Abraham, they went away in petee and were delivered from judgement. For at that moment the rigour of judgement was impending over them and would have exacted punishment from them but for the merit of that morning of 'Abraham.' R, Judah derived the same leon from the verse, "Angas the light of the moraing, when the sun riseth, the morning without clouds: when through clear shining after rain, the tender grass springeth of the earth" (1 Sam, sxxH2, 4). "The "ght of the morning!' he sad, is an allusion t ight of that morning of Abraham; "when the sun rseth to the sun that rose upon Jacob (Gen. xxxm, 32) 'without clouds" means that that morning wa not very cloudy, but was 'lear shining after rain", 10 wit, the rin that comes from the side of leaac, which isthe rain that causes the tender ras to spring from the earth. Alter= natively we may explain that the light that shone on that 'morting when Abraham rose up (2038) also shone when the sun rose upon Jacob, which was the morning without douds, filed with light, and without any darkness; for as Seon as morning dawns severity has no more any' paver, hut i filled with light from the side of Abraham. The words "when through clear shining after rain" allude to Joseph the right 'cous one who brought rain upon the earth so as to cause sgrass and all other vegetation tw spring forth.' Seid R. Simeon: "Observe this. As soon as night spreads its wings 'over the world, numerous angels of chastisement and accusers are lt loose over the world and take command of it. But as soon as day breaks they all disxppear, each one retiring to his 'own place. Scripture thus says: "As soon asthe morning was 203i] mare 23 igh", that i, in virtue of that morning on which Abraham roscearly, "the men were sert away", to wit, the executioners 'of judgement, "and their asses", uo wit, the legions that 'emanate from the side of impurity, who no longer show them- selves or no more have any: power as soon ae dawn sppears For the superna grades are divided into right and let into srades of mercy and severity, constituting a hierarchy, some 'on the side of holiness and others on the side of impurity; but Wherever the morning of Abraham awakens in the world, all 'the unclean grades disappear, exercising no mare power, be- 'awe they can have no existence on the right side but are confined to the left side. The Holy One, blessed be He, thus 'ade ight nod day to diape of crery Gon to fx ote proper 'ide' Ry Hiya discoursed om the verse: But even ito you that fear my mayne shall th sun of righteousness are with Ieakng in its ecinge (Malachi i, 20). "Goal, he said, "il at the proper time cause to shine on Toael that sun which he stored aay at the time ofthe Creation, out of sight of rnners, as alluded to in the words: "But frm the wicked their light {is withholden'" (Job xxxvm, 5). This light, when i frst emerged, radiated from one end of the world to the other: 'but when God contemplated the generation of Enochand the generation of the Flod and the generation of the division of languages and all the sinners of the word, He stored t away. 'When Jacob appeared and wrestled with the chieftain of Esau, who struck against the hollow of his thigh so that he became Iam, "the sun rose upon him" (Gen, 3x01, 32), to wit, that same sun that was stored avay, in order, with its inherent hheang powers, toheal him of his lmeness. Iris thus written: "aa Jacob came perfect (halem)" (il. xxxit, 18) t0 wit fect in body, inaammuch ashe was made whole again. Like: 'wise the Holy One, blessed be He, will im the fatere un sheathe that sun anil cause itto shine upon Toril, ait ays: "But unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteous ness rie", by which is meat the same sun that rose upon 'Jacob, who was made whole by i, "with healingin its wings", Snasmuch as that sun wil being healing to all, For atthe time 'eben Ieeeel wil rine up from the duet, many lane an many bind willbe among therm, aed so the Holy One will use 9

4'aie z0uAR 1 [pogb-204a
thine upon them that sun with healing in its wings, by which they will be healed. 'The sun, then, will again radiate from 'one end of the world tothe other, bringing healing to Tsral, but the Molatzous nations will be eongumed by #t. Regarding, Tbvael itis further written: "Then shall thy light break forth ts the morning, and thy healing shal spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall gobeforethee, the ylory of the Lord shal bethy rearward' (Is, vit, 8), Letusreturn a oursubject, Ax Unto Joserit Warr nORN TWO SONS BEFORE THE Yean op THe FAMINE cast, RTC. R. Tas opened a dise 'course on the verse: And the remnant of Jaci shall bein the aidt of many peoples as des from the Lard, as showers upon the grass, that are not leoked fer from men, nor aeaited ct the 'ens of the son of men (Micah ¥, 6). "Observe, he sid, 'hat every day a8 soon as day breaks a certain bird wakes up on a trecin the Garden of Eden and calls three 'whereupon the twig on which it sts stands upright, and then 'herald ries aloud, saying: "To you the warning is given, O ulers of the world, There are those among you that ce Without seeing, that stand without knowing what supporta them, and that regird rot the glory of their Master," [2oga] "The Torah i standing in their presence, but they occupy not themselves with it, It were beter for them not to have been born. How can they exist without understanding ? Woe to them when the days of evil will bestir themselves against them and extiepate them from the world ! What are th "days of evil" ? They are not the days of old age, inae him who has children and il ter then thy ereator in the-days of thy youth, before the evil days come" (Eccl. x11 1), The esoteric reference isa follows. When the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, He created it by means of the letters of the Tora, all the letters ofthe Aiphabet having presented themselves before Him until finaly the letter Beth was chosen forthe starting point. More- ver, the various Alphobets! in their variety of permutation 'Le the vaio cambitions of the Altubet, based on «serie of 'emutaton, each one eontituting, ai were, am Alphabet by el 04a] sore a5 presented themselves to participate in the Creation. But when it came to the turn of the 'Teth and the Resh to present themselves together, the eth refused 10 take its place; s0 God chid it, saying: "O Teth, 'Teth, why, having 'ome up, art thou Toth to take thy place?" It replied: "Secing that 'Thou fust placed me atthe head of tab (good), how ean it of ra (evil) ?" God there- 'upon said tot: "Go to thy place, as thou hast need ef the Resh, For man, whom Fam about io ereate, will be composed. 'of you both, bue thou wilt be on his right whilst the other will 'be on his lef." The two then took their places side by side. God, however, separated them by ereating for each one special days and years, one set for the right and one foe the left. Those of the tight are called "ays of good", and those 'of the left "days of evil", Hence Solomon's words: "before the evil days come", to wit, those days which encompass a 'man on account of the sins he commits. 'These days are also alluded to hy the terms "days wf famine" and "years of famine", and "days of plenty" and "ycare of plenty". The lesson to be derived from this is thatthe spring of the holy 'eovenant should not be allowed 1 flow ducing the days of famine and the years of famine. Hence Joseph, the exemplar 'of the sacredness of the covenant, checked his fountain head in the years of famine, and did not allow it to bring offspring into the world. This meumbent un every man during years a deep idea contained here, namely, that if a man does not close his fountain whea the ear of famine has sway, then he causes a spirit fom the 'ther side 1 enter the child then born, and so enables the 'side of impurity to increase at the expense of the sile of holiness, Hence, of thoue who do ot abserve sch abatinence at such a time iis writen: "They have dealt treacherous 'gainot the Lord, for they have begotten strange chillren, ce." (Hos, ¥, 7) for inasmuch as such children are called "strange children", assuredly the parents have dealt weach- exousy against the Lord, Thus happy isthe portion of holy within he Alb all fr it ine sche he ane a: Aloph Lan, ety B=

276'Tite zouAR Ht [roya-2046
Israel who do not allow impuriy to take the place of sacred ness. And Serpture thus tell that "unto Joseph were born 'wo 2018 before the year of faine caine, inasmuch a» from the time the famine averspread the land he closed his source '4028 not to give children to the unelean spirit and not to put Jmpurity in the place of holiness. It behoves 2 man to wait 'the Master of holiness to come and establish his sway, as wd T will wat for the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and T will look for bien" (ts vit, 47) Happy are those sightenus that know the ways of the Holy One, blesed be He, and keep the precepts of the Torah 'and follow them. Of them itis written: "For the ways of the 'Lord are right, and the just do walk in them, but vansgressors rumble therein! (Hos. t¥, 10), also: "But ye that did 'unto the Lard your God! ae alive every one of you this day" (Deut. 1, 4). [2045] God thus admonished Tsracl to sanctify themselves, in the words: "Ye shall he holy, for 1 the Lord your God am holy (Lev. xx). The term Ani(I) here sigoifies the kingdom of heaven. Confronting this is the Kingdom of idolatry, which is termed "another" (aher), regarding which itis written: "For thou shalt bow down to no other god, for the Lord whose nase is Jealous 9a jealous Goa' (Ex. axa, 14). Ani (1 issovereign over this world and ofthe world to come, all being dependent on it, whereas the ther one (ake) the side of impurity, the other ide, has rule 'only inthis world and noneatallin the other workl;and hence, whoever cleaves to that Ani (I) has portion in this World and jn the world to come; but he who cleaves to that aber (the 'other one) perishes from this world and has no portion in the 'world to come. He has, however, a portion in the world of impurity, as that other kingdom, the kingdom of idolatry, possesies innumerable emissaries through whom it exercises, dominion over this world. Hence Elisa, known by the name 'of Aber (the ether one),! who went down and elung to that grade, was thrust out of the future world, and jas not per~ 'mitted to repeat: hence his name Aher. It therefore behoves 'ie: Hina the 900 of Aburs, who through speculate in Grek pbiloophy ello heer, uo fr this wa ll hy ls ecg, Aber he otber ane. 7B: Hatch tt ad 1g 2045-2050] sige 27

44man to ep himself afar from the side of impurity so as to
gain thie world and the world to come. 'Thus there are two sides, the one of beatitude, the other of curse, the one of plenty, the other of famine, each the opposite of the othet. Hence'at the time of famine a man shoul! not bri children into the world, as that would be another god, as already explained. Happy isthe man who is Incedful to walkin the way of truth and to cleave constantly tw his Maser, in harmony' wich that which is written: "and 'to him shalt thou cleave, and by his name shale thou stear" (Deut. x, 20), where "swear" (tshabe'a) has a reference to the mystery of faith in the seven (shib'a) supernal grades 'ith ther corresponding grades below." R. Hiy and, Jove ere once walling together when they caught sight ofa man wearing bier tocar te eesced Sipe "Teen either exceedingly pious, or he is a dangerous hypocrite. RR. Jose answered: 'Our stinted teachers have sai every man in a favourable sense. Furthermore, we have been taught that when a man sets out on a journey, he should prepare himself for three courses: for making presents, for fighting, and for prayer. Now that man is wearing 2 talith, which shows that he is ready for arm, that hej prepared to fight; about the third thing we need not inquire,' When the man came up to them, they 'rected him, but he did not respond, R. Hiya remarked 'We see now that he lacks one of the things with which he (2050) should have been provided: he has not prepared himself for 'making presents, under which head is inchuied the greeting fof peace" R. Jose replied: Tt may be tat be is absorbed in prayer ors repeating his studies so as not to forget them" 'They thes all walked together for a time without the man speaking 1 word to them. R. Hiya and R. Jose at length tumned aside from him and began discussing points of the "Torah. As soon as the man noticed this he approached them and offered them greeting. He also said to them: "What did you think of me when you gave me greeting and I did not respond ? Said R. Jose:'T thought that you were engaged in prayer, perhaps meditating over your studies. He replied: af rie zouan 1 Leese "May the Almighty jue you favourably a you have judged ne. [ will explain why Tact asf di. One day 1 asl tn the road when I met aman to whom I gave greeting, He Mippened 10 be a hghiayina, and he fll upon me and rested me, and had 1 not stotly resisted T would have 'ome to no smal harm. From that day onward made a ow tot to salute fire any man aave a righteous man, unless one for fear lest he might set on me and 'forbidden to sale x sinner we know ing the wicked" (Io. x.vit, 23). Now, when Tsaw you, you saluted me, T suspected you because 1 did not notice about you any. ny and besides, 1 was myself repeating my studies. ut now that I see that vou are righteous men, I have a plain road before me.' He then began a dis- 'course on the verse: 4 Pralm of Asaph Surely God is good fo derael, even to such as ane pure in heart (Ps. 13x11, 1). 'Ob rerve', he said, 'thatthe Holy One, blessed be He, made a tobea then, which is identical vith the left, embraces the idolatrous nations, and has been placed on ther side, seeing that they are uncircumcised of heart and uncircumeised of esh, so that they become defiled by it, But of Israel itis written: "Surely, God is good to Ibrael." Not, indeed, to all Israelites, but only to those who have not defiled thermselves with that "evil', anly to such as are "pure of heart", Surely "God ix good to Tara", so that they may cleave to Him, and thereby Isral cleaves to the ssblime mystery, to the mystery of Faith, soas to be perfectly united with God.' R. Jose then said: 'Happy are we that we id not suspect you falsely, seeing that it was the Holy One, Blessed be He, that sent you to us." R, Jose further sa 'Because He is good to Israel, Isracl has a portion in. this world and in the world to come, and is destined to see eye to '¢ the glorious vision, as its written: ye to Ve, the Lord feturning 10 Zion. Lord for evermore: Amen and Amen ! 2054-2058) Gen, xure, Baer, 27 Tien JUDAH CAME NEAR UNTO WIM, ETC, R. Eleazar Aiscoursed onthe vere: For thw at our Fathe Ireth us mit and lrael doth ot acknreledge us; thew, O Lard at our Father, our Redeemer rom ecerlasting i hy name (ls, uxt, 16) « 2 He sid: (2038] "The word "thou here refers to the grae by which the world Was planned and 'created, and by which man was brought into the world. "For Abraham knoweth us not", inastuch 38, though life and death were nhs hands, he dd not show so much care for us

435for Iahmal, on whose behalf he pleaded, "Oh, that Ish
'mal might live before thee!" (Gen. a¥t, 18). Further: Tirael doth not acknowledge us, seeing that he left itt the divine {gee to confer on his aona the besingo hich he himself 'Ought to have pronounced. Again, "Thou, O Lord, art our Father", as'Thou art always standiag by us to bless asd to swatch over us ike «father over his ons, co provide all heir needs, "Our Redeemer from everlasting is thy name", God beeg copra ello ose weer he asi, "the angel who hath redeemed ma (hid xu. 'One night when R. Isaac and 8. Judah were sting up studying the Torah, the former sid! "Tradition teaches us that when God created the world He created the lower world after the pattern of the upper world, and made the twa the 'counterparts ofeach other, so that His glory is both on high and below." Said R. Judah: 'Assuredly this iso, and He reated man to be superior to al, Scripture thus sys ven T, have made the earth, and erated man. upon i HY, 12), thats to say, "I have made the earth forthe sole Purpose of crating man upon it"; since it depends upon 'nan to complete the organic unity of the whole. Itis writen: "Thus saith God the Lord, he that ereates the heavens, and strstcheth thom forth, he that spreads forth the earth, and that which cometh out of i, he that giveth breath unto the "The pa ite is repens oma pa 28 ato ame zona tt [05-2060 people upon it, and spice to them that walk therein' (id Xt, 5). The first part of the verse refers to the Holy One, blessed he He, in His operations on high, as He "ereateth the nd continually aol at all tines retewa them. The sth here ean allusion tothe holy land which constitutes the "bundle of life"; and it is this earth which "gives soul i, lit. breath) unto the people upon it."" Said. The whole verse speaks of the upper world, as it fom thence thatthe soul of life emerges into that land; and that land, in its tor, isthe reservoir from which issue souls forall. Glserve that when the Holy One, Wlessed be He, created Adam, He gathered his earthly matter from the four 'corners ofthe workd and fashioned him therefrony on the site of the 'Temple here below and drew to im 2 soul of life out of the Temple on high. Now the sou is a compound of three grades, and heace [2ofa] it has three names, to wit, nefesh (ital principle), ruah (spirit), and neshamak (soul proper) 'Nefesh isthe lowest ofthe three, ruah sa grade higher, whilst 'eshamahs the highestof all and dominates the others. These three grades are harmminiously combined in those men who have the good fortune to render service wo their Master. For a fist man postestes mfevh, which i holy preparative for 8 Ihgher stage. After he has achieved purity in the grade of rufesh he becomes fit tbe erowned by the holy grade that it, namely rash, When he has thus attained to the of nef and rua, and qualified himself for the worship of his Master in the requisite manner, the neshamah, the holy superior grade that dominates all the others, takes tup its abode with bim and erovwns him, so that he becomes complete and perfected om all sides; he becomes worthy of the world to come and is beloved ofthe Holy One, blessed be He; of him Scripture sys: "To cause my beloved ones to inherit substance" (Prov, vit 21), the "beloved ones" being those who have attained to the holy neshanah." R. Judah remarked: "If that he so, how can we understand the verse in the account of the Flood: "Allin whose nostrils was the soul of the spirit (mishmathoruah) of life... died" (Gen, vit 22)? RL Isaae replied: "This bears out what 1 said, Among the generation of the Flood no one was left that 2060-2066] vavtoasi possessed the holy neshamah, as, forinstance, Enoch or any ofthe other righteous who by thei merits eould fave saved the earth from destruction, and its inhabitants from being exterminated. Scripture thus ells us that "all in whose nostrils was the soul of the spirit of life, of all those on dry land, died", that is to say, they had died already and Aeparted this world, so that none was lft to shield the world at that time. Observe that nefesh, rah, and neshamah ace an ascending series of grades. The lowest of them nefesh, has its source in the perennial eclestial steam, but it cannot exist Permanently sive withthe help of rah, which abides between fire and water, Rua, thae higher gride above i, which is thus the source of both nefesk and ruck. When ruah receves its sustenance fiom reshamah, then nfesh receives it in turn through rua, 50 thatthe three form a unity! 'Toe JuDAN cage NEAR UNTO MIM, 'This was an ap- proach of one world to another 30 as to join together. For Judah was king and Joseph was king, and they came nesrer and nearer to each other until they united. R, Judah opened 'discourse onthe text: Foro, he hingsastembled themsekces, te (Ps, xiviti, 5). "This isan allusion', he sid, 'to Julah tnd Joseph, who were both kings and joined together in tn alteration, For Judah had gone surety for Benjemin and pledged himslf to his father in respect of tis world and the world to come, saying to his father: "I will be surety for him; of my hand shale thou require him if I bring hima not 'unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame all the days" (Gen. xtin, 9), to wit, in this world and in the world to come. Hence he approached Joseph ta reaton with him reqarding. Benjamin, for fear lest he should be banned in this world ard in the world 19 come, 'When Judah and Joseph hotly disputed, then ll those that 'were present "saw, straightway they were amazed, they were aifrighted, they hasted away. Trembling took hold of them there" (Ps. xin 6-7), as they feared lest they might kill or be killed, and al on account of Bealarin.' [2068] R. Jutah said: "There is in this verse a recondite doctrine of faith, to ah THe ZOHAN HT [2066 wit, that when God is pleased with Israel and their union is rovened, then two worlds meet together in union, the one

5store-house, and the other gathering in the con
we assembled themscives", «0 wit, he same effect is produced by the sacrifices, for when a sacrifice i offered up and each section receives is duc, then there is bond of union effected between al, and all faces are illumined. As for the words "they saw, straightway they were amazed", these cannot refer to the King: they mut refer to the accusers, whore whole joy Hien 'wexccuting the sentence which has been committed to them. Hence, when the kings met together in amity and union, they, the accusers, "were amazed, they were affrighted, they fasted away"; they were subdued and passed out of the world; they had no dominion, and were left without any source of sustenance." R. Eleazar suid: "The reason why Tadah and no ther came near ta Joseph was because he went surety, as it saya: "For thy servant became surety for the Jad." Esoterically speaking, it was in the order of things that Judah and Joseph should thus meet as Joseph was a Zaddik land Judah was a king, and so their union produced) many. benefits for the work: it was the cause of peace to all the 'tibes and between all the tribes, it was the cause of Jacob's spirit being fortified, as it says: "the spirit of Jacob their futher revived" (Gen: ALY, 27). Hence, all both above and blow conspired to bring them together" R. Abba cited here the verse: "Fair in situation, the joy ofthe whole earth: even "Mount Zion, the utermost part ofthe earth, the city ofthe seat King" (Ps xvi), expounding it esctercally.' "Fai he sid, isan allusion to Joseph the Righteous, rd Joseph was of beautiful form, and fair to look upon (Gen. xxxtk, 6). He is called "the joy of, the whole earth", as heis the joy and the gladness both of the upper and the lower world. He is also "Mount Zion, the uttermost part of the north', seeing that in his territory it 'Tabernacle of Shiloh stood, 'The city of the reat King' is the place prepared to meet the Most High King, it being altogether the Holy of Holic, from whence +06b-2070] vayraAsit 283 there issue all ight, ll blessings, andl joy, to aus al faces

10shine—the centre from which the Temple receives bess-
ings, which in turn sends out blessings to all the world. RR. Judah and R. Jose once met together in Kfarchannan, and whilst they were sitting in the inn there entered a cenain 'man who had come with a laden ass R. Judah was then say ing to R. Jose: "Tradition tells us that King David used to sleep fitfally, like « horse. If 2, how did David sleep cil sidnight, ard not wake when 2 third of the night was passed ?"R. Jose replied: 'When night-time arrived, Da Used to he siting with the princes of his houschold dispensing justice and ciseussing the Torah, and afterwards he slept until midnight, when he would rise, and remain avake, ahuothed in the service of his Mase, singing sons of praise and hymns. (207a] The stranger here interposed, saying: 'Is 'your exposition correct ? Hardly. The real truth of the matter is thin. King David lives forever and ever. All his days he 'at on his guard 0 a8 not to have a foretaste of death and therefore David, whose place is "living", only slept sixty breaths at atime. For up tothe ify-ninth breath the sleeper in still completely alive, but from that point he has fore= taste of death, and the spirit of impurity obtains power over im, King Duvid therefore guarded himself so thatthe side of the unclean spirit should not obtain dominion over For the frst ainty freathings lean one are symbolic of heavenly life, of sublime breathings on high, on which life proper depends; they represent the mystery of life, But beyond that umber they are associated with death. Hence King David measured out the night so as to remain in life and to prevent any foretaste of death coming over him. At midnight he was inhis place, as he was ansious that at the arrival of midnight, 'shen the holy Crown is awakened, he ould not be found attached to another place the place of death. For at midnight, 'when the superal holiness savakened, the man who remains asleep in his bed without regarding the glory of his Master falls under the spell of death and is attached to the other place. David thus rose up to contemplate continually the flory of his Master, who was a Living One like himself, and fo never slept long enough to havea foretate of death, He

284THE 1OHAR IT (eo7a
only slept lke a horse, sixty breaths ata time." R. Judah and R. Jose came up to him and kissed him. They asked him his name, He said: 'Hezekiah (lt. strengthened by God)' 'They suid: 'May you be strong and may your knowledge of the Tonk sigment.! 'When they sat down again, R. Judah said to the man: 'Having made a start, tell us more of the sublime mystical doctrines you alluded to," 'The stranger then began to dis 'course on the verse: The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; 'by snderstanding he establsted the heavens (Prov. tt, 19). "When God', he ssid, treated the world, He saw that it could snot exist without the Torah, as this i the only source ofall laws above and below, and on it alone are the upper and lowerbeings established. Herce, "the Lord by wisdom found- ced the earth; by understanding he established the heavens", inasmuch as itis through Wisdom that all things are enabled cist in the universe, and from it all things proceed. An alternative exposition is as follows, "The Lord by wisdom founded the earth', that is, the upper world has been created through the higher Wisclom and the lower world throogh the lower Wisdom, so that al things came into being out of the higher Wisdom and the lower Wisiom. "By understanding hae established the heavens" literally, He establisheth (Ronen), to wit, day by day, without ceasing; they were not made complete at once, but He continues perfecting them each day. This is alluded t0 in the verse: "Yea, the heavens are 'not cleanin his sight" (Job x¥, 15). Think not that this verse implies any disparagement of the heavens. On the contrary, its purpose is to indicate their importance and the great love and affection in which God holds them, in that, notwithstand- ing that He is perfecting. thom every day, they are not yet deemed in His eyes to have reached the utmost perfection of Which they ate capable. In His great affection for them it is lelight to iradiate them continually and without ceasing, the world to come radiating day by day bright streams of light in order to make the heavens resplendent. Hence the heavens, pure as they are, in God's sight are not yet pure, Again, the heavens here symbolize the patriarchs, and the 'patriarchs find their centre in Jacob, who embraces them all, 2070-2078] vavronsit 385 he being the choice of the patriarchs, and the one who causes Tight to radiate into the world. And after he was raised to the next world there issued from hima branch beauteoes in ap- pearance, from which radiate all ilumination and all plen~ Xeoustes, That branch is Joseph the Righteous, who gave the 'world abundance and by whom it was sustained. Thus what- ever God does in the world has a deep symbolic significance and is all as it should be.' At this point R- Eleszar entered, 'Assoon as he saw them head: 'Assuredly, the Shekinah is here present, What have you been diseussing ® They told him [2078] all that had passed between them. He said: 'Aewuredly, what he said was right. The first sixty respirations ars tone of life both abore and below, but beyond. these there are sity other respinations that are ofthe side of death which hovers the grade of death. They are called \dormit", and contain a foretaste of death; King David, however, atached himself to the sixty respirations tha are of life, after which he didnot sleep any more. 'Thus he "Lill not give sleep t0 mine eyes, nor shumber to my i (Ps. cxant, 4). Hence what the stranger said was correc, a8 David is living, belonging to the side of life and net to the side of death So they sat together studying the Torah. R. Elearar then dliseoursed on the verse: O Lord, Gad of my saleation, what time I ery inthe night before thee (Ibid. wxxxvat, 2). "King David', he said, 'used to rive from his bed at midnight and stuly the 'Torah, and sang praises and hymns $0 as to cause jay to the King and the Matron. And this promoted the joy of faith throughout the earth. For at that time mumberless 'elestial angels break joyously forh into song on high, and correspondingly praises should be sung here below; and Whenever anyone offers up in the night praises on earth, the Holy One, blessed be He, finds pleasure in him, and all those holy angels that sing praises to the Holy One hearken to the 'one that sings praises to Him in the night on earth. When David wrote: "O Lord, God of my salvation, ete. hess in effect: "When is He my salvation ? On that day when T rise {pearly in the night to offer thanking to Thee: tether 'tha He is my salvation in the daytime." And observe further

286'rite 20min UL [2opb-2080
that whoever fers praies to his Master in the night is forti- fed inthe davtime by the Right side, asa cord issues from the Right side which iy drawn round! him and by whieh he bbecomes strengthened. Hence agin David said: "The dead praise not the Lord (iid. cxv, 17), inastnuch as itis the due 'of the living to praise the Living One, but not ofthe dead. Hence The dead praie aot the Lord... But we will bless the Lord" (Ibid. 17), we who arealive and have no lot or part 'the side of death. Hezekiah ali said: The living. the i he shall praise thee, as T do tis day(s. Xxx, 19), asthe living has kinship withthe living; King David i living, and hence he has kinship withthe life prinipl ofthe unis verse. And he thar has brought himself near to Him i alive, a itis writen: "But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day (Deut. 4) Tes alo written: "And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the som of a living man' of Kabzeel" (1 Sam. x11, 20)" "The Judean then followed with a discourse on the text: "And thou shalt (Deut int, 10) Have we not to bles G 'we eat? Indeed, we have to gt up earl 'recite His praises in proper order, and bless His nave before we are allowed to salute any living person. Scripture also says: "Ye shall not eat with the blood" (Lev. xtx, 26) implying that itis forbidden to eat before pronouncing a benediction fare mainly concerned with the declaration of the unity of God, whereas the grace after weale is meant to show that slong with him who says it the grade of faith is also satisfied, and hence it has to be recited in order that this grade may be satisfied and beatified and filled of joy from the celestial life, so that it may provide us with sustenance. For the providing of man's daily food is for the Holy One, blessed be He, a8 heavy a task as the cleaving of the Red Sea, because it depends upon mazzal and is not, as it were, under His Jurisdiction until a benediction is pronounced to Him. Siti larly, the arranging of marciages isa heavy task to Him. For when the holy mating takes plae, all [28a] the souls issue "According tthe Kn, 2084) vavtonsit 28) from that mazzal above which is identical with the ever- flowing river; and when there is desire inthe lower for the higher the souls fly dowa in pairs of male and female, after 'which their ruling grade separates them and sends each t its appointed place. But lter on that presiding grade finds it hhard to jon them together in their original pais, since they are now paited in accordance with men's conduet, and all depends now on a higher region. The providing of sustenance in compared to the cleaving of the Rel Sea because this alo depends on operations on high, ways and paths being opened and clefin the seain correspondence withthe ways and paths 'on high. It is therefore necessary to offer blessings to the Power on high and to impart to Him reinforcement from 'below so that He may receive the heavenly blessings and the heavenly reinforcements induc measure. Hence its written: "and thou shalt bless the Lord, the voable eth (accusative particle) having a special significance (as pointing to that region). And toward that region itis necessary to show one- self satisfied and cheerful. Contraiwise, toward the other side, when it exercises sway over the word, one must show 'oneself hungry and famisked inasmuch as plentcousness does tot then rule in the worl. This, then, isthe explanation of the verse: "And thou shalt eat and be satisfied, and bless the Lord thy God." Said R, Elearar: "This istry s0, and that is how men ought to act' R. Judah said: "Happy are those righteous whose coming together brings peace to the world, ce they know how to effect unity. Before Joseph and Judah drew neir each other there was no peace, but x4 soon a they did so they brought muck peace into the world, and great joy both above and below, since as soon as Judah cue near #9 Joseph ll the tribes joined him.' THux JOSEPH COULD NOT REFKALN IIMSELF REFORE ALL THEM THAT eto0D mY IaH, RL Kiya discoursed on the test: He hath scattered abroad; he hath given to the needy; 'is charity endureth for ever (Ps, exit, 9). 'Observe', he sai, 'hat Gd created the world and set man to be king over al, [Now from the frst man there have branched out different classes of men, righteous and wicked, foolish and wise, rich

388THE ZAR 1 [2080-208
and poor; and among these each class ean win credit for itself through the medium of the other, that i, the righteous through the wicked, the wise through the stupid, the rich 'through the poor. For itis by these means that 1 man becomes worthy of being joined to the tre of life; and what is more, the charity' that he dispenses stands him for ever stead, as it says: "his charity endureth for eyer",? Said R. Eleazar: 'When God created the world, He established it on 'one llr the name of which is Righteous, as itis the Right- 'cous One that upholds the world and that waters and sustains all that exists. So Scripture says: "And a river went out of Fen to water the garden; and from thence itwas parted, and. hhecame four heads" (Cen. tt, 10). The term "it was parted" signifies that the food and drink carried by that river is received in its entirety by the garden, and thence is scattered into the four quarters ofthe world; and many are they that 'wait to receive the drink and food from thence! So it is written: "The eyes ofall wait for thee, and thou givest them their food in due seasen" (Ps. exuy, 15). "But the wicked shall see, and be vexed" ({bid. cxtt, 10), namely, the idola- trous Kingdom. Observe that the Kingdom of Heaven isthe Sanctuary designed to shelterall the needy under the shadow of the Sheki the Righteous One isthe charty-collec= tor who dispenses toall,asit says: "He hath seatered abroad, he hath given to the needy." Hence, those who collect for charity receive as great a reward as those who give the charity all together. Thus the words: "Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him', refer to all those that stand and wait to receive food and drink from the Righteous One. In the sentence: "And there stood no [2084] man with him, while Joseph made himself known lunto his brethren', the term "with him" is an allusion to the 'Community of Israel, and "his brethren" refers to the other chariot-riders and legions referred to in the verse: "For my brethren and companions' sake" (Ibid. cxxtt, 8). Or again: "And there stood no man with him" is a description of the time when the Holy One, blessed be He, will be mated with, the Community of Israel "While Joseph made bimaelf known to his brethren": this again alludes to the time when 2088] VAYIGASH 389 'the Holy One will join Himself to Israel, to the exclusion of 'the idolatrous nations" R. Jesse expounded the verse as alu: ing tothe time when the Holy One, blessed be He, will rise up the Community of Israel from the dust and will take 'Yengeance on the idolatrous nations, Of that occasion iti 'thus written: "And of the peoples there was no man with sme" (Is. Lait, 3), which is analogous in phrasing to the passage "and there stood no man with him when Joseph 'ade himself Known to his brethren, and further: Mand he bare them and carried them all the days of old" (Ibid. 9). R. Hiakiah said: 'A song. of ascents. Unto thee T lift up mine eyes, O thou that art enthroned in the heavens" (Ps. cxatit, 1), and in another 'aalen it is written: will ft up mine eyes unto the moun tains" (Ibid. ext, 1). The difference has heen expounded! 3 follows. The latter speaks of heaven, whereas the former speaks of earth. Thus, "I will lif mine eyes unto the moun- twins", to wit, o the heavens abore in order to draw down 'blessing from on high to below, to draw down blessings from 'those exalted: mountains toward the Community of Israel; but then: "Unto thee I lift up mine eyes", in hoping and waiting for those blessings that descend from thence to here below, "O thou that art enthroned in the heavens": inas- 'much a8 all might and strength i centred in heaven, For when the Jubilee opens the springs all the gates of heaven are ready, and when the heaven receives all the lights that issue from the Jubilee, there flaws down drink and food for the 'Community of Tarael through the intermediary of one Righteous One, When this one moves towards her, many are those who stand and wait to be refreshed and to participate in the blessings from above, as Scripture says: "The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their food from God" (Ps. cty, 2). Bot the Community of srl rises in a recondite aries and receives dantice from her spouse in manrier due. As tall those that stand round, they remain apart, as it says: "Then there was. no man with him', and as i also says Ihefore: "and he ered Cause every man to go out from me". Afterwards, however, when she haa received daintes from her spouse, all the others are given drink and food, asi says:

290'THE OMAR tT [2088-2094
"They give drink to every beast of the field, the wild asses 'quench their thirst" (id. cry, 11)! R, Jone opened dincourse on the subject of Elijah "There were', he sad, 'two men who dared to expostulate with God Moses and Elijah, Moses ssid: "Wherefore hast thou dealt ill with these people ?" (Ex. v, 22); and Elijah said: "Hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son 2" ( Kings, xv, 20). Both used the term "evil with the same recondite meaning. Moses sil in effect: "Wherefore hast thou given licence tothe sie of evil to take the soul of that people ?" Similarly Elijah said in effect: "Whoever preserves one soulin the world merits life and is worthy to lay hold of the tree of life; yet now the tree 'of death, the side of evil, has obtained power over the widow whom 'Fhow hast commanded to sustain me." It may be asked, how could Moses and Elijah speak thus, eving that evils never doneto man by the Almighty ?"The truth is that 'when a man walls on the right side, the protection of the Holy One, blessed be He, is constantly with him, so that the other side has no power over him, and the forees of evil are bowed before him: and cannot prevail over him. But as soon 4s the protection of the Holy One ia withdrawn from him by reason [2094] of his having attached himself to evil, that evil 'gains the mastery and advances to destroy him, being given 'authorization to take his soul! Said R. Hiya: 'Elijah was able to pronounce a doom with the full certainty that God would confirm it a, for instance, fat the heaven should not fet fall ain or ew. Howe came i, then, that he felt afraid of Jezebel ? How came it that at her threat to take his life (1 Kings x1, 2) he was filled with fear and fled for his ile R. Jose said in reply: 'Tt has been hi 'down that the righteous should not put their Master to trouble by exposing themselves to an obvious danger. We find an 'example in Sarmel, when he said: "How can L go ? If Saul hhear it, he will kill me" (1 Sam, xv1, 2); and God therefore told him to take certain precautions (I6d.). So it was with Elijah' Said R. Jose, further: 'Ihave heard a special expo- sition of this matter as follows, When Jezebel threatened Elijah, it is not written that he "eared" (eayira), but he 2090] VAYIGASH 290 "saw" (cayar) (1 Kings x1, 3). What was it that he saw ? He 'sow that the angel of death had followed him fora number af 'years, and he had not been delivered into his hand. 'Then the verse continues: eayelet el nafsko (and he went for his lie), which literally means, "and he went tol) his sou!", that is te say, he resorted to the foundation of his soul, or, in other 'yords, he proceeded to attach himself t the tree of life. In 'connection with the phrase ef nafsho (Co his soul), T have 'heard,' he continued, "the following recandite doctrine from R. Simeon. ll the souls of mankind emerge from the ever flowing celestial stream, from which they are received into the "bundle of life". Now, when a female becomes pregnant from a male, it is mostly the result of an equal and reciprocal desire, or less often ofthe predominating desire of the female. Tut when the desire of the male predominate, then the soul ofthe child that is born has unusual vitality, inasmuch asthe 'whole ofits being is the result of the desire and yearning for the tre of life. Hence Elijah, to whose birth that desire had contributed in a special degree, was gifted with special vitality, and did not die ike other men, For his whole being 'vas derived from the tree of life and not from the dust. He, therefore, without suffering death, a isthe lot of other men, 'went up on high, as Seripture sx Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (it Rings ", 11), Observe the words: "behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, etc." (Ibid), which indicate thet Eljah's sprit was stripped of its body, so that he departed not life inthe man- ner of other men, But became a holy angel ike other heavenly beings, carrying out divine messages in this world; for it i 'well established among us that the miracles which God per~ forms in the world are carried out by his agency. Now observe tat itis written Furth hhe requested for himself (th feho= his soul) to die" (1 Kings x1, 4), This implies that hae turned to the tes wherein death Turks, and there God appeared unto him, 28 Seripture says: "Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord... andafter the earthquake 'fire; but the Lord vas not in the fire; and after the fire a sill small voice"—referring to the very innermost point, 'hich isthe source ofall Mumination—"Andit wass0, when

292THE TOMAR IT [2eqa-2096
Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle... . And, behold, there eame a'voice unto him, and said; What ddoest thou here, Elfjah ? And he said: I have been very Jealous for the Lord" (Ibid. xtx, 11-13). God said to bim: How long wile thow continue to be jealous for ine? Thou hhas already closed fast the gate so as [2098] to secure thyself from death, and the world will not be able to endure thee." Eliah replied: "for the children have forsaken thy cavenant, etc" (Ibid. 14). The Holy One then said to him: "As thou lives, in whatever place the rite of the holy covenant (ie, circumcision) will be performed, thou wilt be present." Ie is for this reason that at every performance of that rite a chair is st aside for Elijah, who is always there present. Observe what consequences followed Eljah's words, for itis written: "Yet will [leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which Ihave not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath ot 'kissed him" (Ibid. x0, 18). God said to him in effect" Hence forth the world will not be able to tolerate thee along with my sons." So He commanded bim, saying: "and Elisha the son 'of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shale thou anoint to be prophet in thy room" (Zbid. 16), as much as to say: "There shall be another prophet for my children, and thou shalt go up to thy place." Observe that if man is jealous for the Holy One, bleed be He, the angel of death has no power over him as he has over other men, and to him is given the covenant of ppeate, as it is said regarding Phinehas: "Wherefore say: Behold, 1 give unto him my covenant of peace" (Num, way, 2)! Ano i ELL uvos ute sRotHiN BisjAMEN'e sick, AND WerT; AND BUNJAMIN WuPT UPON 111s NECK. IR Isaac said: 'We expound this to indicate that Joseph wept 'on secount of the destruction ofthe first 'Temple and of the second Temple.' R. Isaac proceeded to discourse on the verse: Thy neck is lke the toser of David builded eth turrets, teheeon there hang a thousand shields, all the armor of the iighty men (8. S. 1¥, 4). "The tower of Davi "signifies the heavenly Jerusaie, of which iis written: "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous runneth, 2098) varronsit 293 into it, and is set up on high' (Prov. xvin, 10) the phrase "on high' pointing to the tower above. "Thy neck" signifies the Temple below, which for its beauty is compared to the 'neck in the human body: a8 the neck gives symmetry and beauty tothe body, s0 does the Temple tothe whole world. "Builded with turrets" (tapiyoth, lit. mound of mouths), thas, a mound toward which all men turn their gaze when ther open their mouths to offer prayer and praise. "Whereon there hang a thousand shields", alluding to the thousand 'cosmic reconstructions that are performed there. "All the armour of the mighty men", alluding to the anges of punish 'ment that proceed from the side of severity. As a voman's 'ornaments are hung about her neck, 20 all the ornaments of the world are hung about the 'Temple. Similarly, in the passage, "To our very neck we are pursued" (Lam. ¥, 3), 'there is an allusion to the 'Temple. "We labour and have no rest" (Zhi), that is, we have e¥erted ourselves to build the 'Temple twice, but the enemies have not permitted us to retain it, and it has not been rebuilt. Again, asthe whole body perishes when the neck is destroyed, 30 as soon asthe Temple teas destroyed and it light extinguished, the whole world was plunged into darkness, and there was no light of sun or stan, either in heaven or on earth, Hence, Joseph wept on. account of this. After he had wept for the Temple, he wept for the tribes that were to go into exile, For as son a8 the 'Temple was destroyed, all the tribes were eiled and scattered among the nations. Scripture thus tells us: "And he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them", that is to say, for them, He wept forall of them, for the twofold destriction of the Temple and for his brethren the ten tribes that went into 'exile and were scattered among the nations. AND AFTER THAT HIS BRETHREN TALKED WITH HIM. They, however, dlid not weep, because the Holy Spirit did not fash upon them as upon Joseph." AN THE REPOUT THEREOF WAS HEARD IN PHAKAOHs ova. R, Abba opened a discourse on the verse: My soul yeurneth, yeu, even pineth for the courts of the Lard: 'my heart and iy flesh sing or joy unto the living God (Ps.

294'rie zouAR tt [2oph-2100
Lxxay, 3). "Observe he said that before offering his prayer tw his Master, a man should fist recite some thanksgiving. He should also pray before his Master inthe proper ime: in the morning to unite himeel to the right side ofthe Holy One, blessed be He, and in the afternoon wo the left side. Iti incumbent on man to offer up prayer and supplication each day 20 a8 to unite himself with God. It has been laid down that in praying before his Master a man should not wake his soice heard, as if he does so his prayer will not be accepted, for the reason that [3100] prayer does not consist in audible voice nor isthe voice prayer. Prayer consists in another tached tothe voice which is heard. It thus behoves man to ray ly tay th ta we ht the voice) was heard", where the term gol is written defec- tively, without 2 rau, pointing to the inaadible voice, like that of Hannah's prayer, of which it is written: "but her 'voice could not be heard" (1 San. 1,13), The prayer which the Holy One, blessed be He, accepts is that which is per- formed with earnestness and devotion and proper concen tration of the mind on the unity of God." R. Eleazae "The silent voice is the supemal voice from which all other voices proceed. 'The statement "and the voice was heard", Where the term gol (voice) is written without @ tay, ia an allusion to the voice which wept on account of the first 'Temple and the second 'Temple, 'The word "was heard" suggzsts the verse: "A voice was heard in Ramah" (Jer. sx, 15), where the word B'umal (in Ramah, lit. on high) alludes to the upper world, te the world to come; for of that tevens itis indeed writen "And in thet day did the Lond, the God of hosts, call to weeping, and to lamentation, et." (I. 3811, 12, 0 thatthe voice was heard in the height of heights 'Therefore, too, Rachel wept for her children; she "refused to be comforted for her children, because he is not". Te is not written "they are not" (inam), but "he in not" (inennu), which is an allusion to her Spouse; for if her Spouse were present with her, she would let herself be comforied for them, a8 they would not remain then in exile: but her Spouse not being with her she cannt be comforted. The "house of 2109] vartansit 295 Par'oh" (Pharaoh) here is, again, an allusion to the Temple 'on high, that is, t0 the house that. was stripped (par'oh uncovering) and bared of all its light and radiance and its hidden treasures. When the Holy One, blessed be He, will raige that still voice from the dust and join the aau with t, then all that was lost to them in the time of exile will be restored, and they will feast on the supernal radiances that stream with added brighiness from the supernal world, as Scripture says: "And it shall come to passin that day that a 'great horn shall be blown; and they shall come that were lost in Assyria, and they that were dispersed in the land of Beypt; ind they shall worship the Lord in the holy mountain at Jerusalem' (Ibid. xxv, 13)? Now THOU ART COMMANDED, THIS DO Yi WAGONS OUT OF THE LAND OF EcyrT, opened a discourse with the text: Rejaice ye with Jerusalem, 'and be glad tcith her, all ye that love her rejoice for jay with her, ete: (Ibid. uxvi, 10}, "When', he sid, 'the Temple was destroyed and Israel on account oftheir sins were driven from, and, God removed Himself, as it were, to the height of heights and regarded ot the destruction of the Temple nor the exile of His people, and so the Shekinah eas exiled with. sre. R. Hiya them. When God again deseended, He observed His House thar was burnt doven. He looked at His people and behold, they were in exile, He inquired concerning the Matron (Shekinah) and found that she had been driven out. Then, "in that day did the Lord, the God of hosts ell to weeping, lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband 'of her youth" (Joel 1, 8), because He had removed Himself from her and they were separated. The very heaven and the very earth lamented, as it ie written: "I clothe the heaven with blackness, and'T make sackcloth their covering" (Is, 1,3) The celestial angelsall ised their voices in lamentation, a6 it says: "Behold, the angels ery without; the angels of peace woop bitterly" (In xxantn, 7). The wun and the moon 'mourned and ther light was darkened, as we read: "The sun

396rite zonran 11 [t0e-a10b
shall be darkened in hie going forth, ete." (bid, xt, 10) {21eb] For what reason ? Because the othe side tad obtained sway oer the Holy Land." R. Hiya further diseoueed on the 'Verse: dnd thay, on of man, hus sith he Lord God concerning 'he land of Taael: Am end the ends come upon the for corners of the land (Ezek. vi, 2). "This verse', he suid, 'contains a feeondite ides. As has been stted, there is an end on the right and an end on the lft I is alluded to in the expression 'while the expression, "the end is come" refers tothe end on the left. The sight end is the end ofthe good prompter; the left end is the end of the evil prompter; and when Israel's sins multiplied and increased, it eas through this lft end thatthe wicked kingdom obtained power and destroyed the House and Sanctuary ofthe Lord Seipture thussays: "Thus saith the Lord God: An evi, a singular evih behold, it cometh (bid, 5) Heaven and earth ths lameted beease dlominion had been given tothe left end, Now, seeing that the holy kingdom, the kingdom of heaven, has ben overthrown and the wicked kingdom has prevailed, it behoves man to 'mourn with it and to abase himself with i, so that when it Will be raised again and joy wil be restored tothe world, he tay rejoice with it. Seripture thus says: "Repice for joy with he, all ye that mouen for hee" (Is. xv, 10)! Ano ie saw THE WAGONS, TC. Egypt is elled "a fair heifer" (Jer xevt 20), and hence the word 'eglth (it. wage 'ons, oF heifer) here may be an allusion to Egypr, indicating. that a time will come when the Ieraclites, the kondsmen of, Egypt, the fuirheifer, will obtain dominion aver it. R. Eleazae 'By means of the heifers Joseph intended to remind Jacob that when he was separated from him he had been, 'studying with hi the section of the heifer whose neck was to be broken (Deut. xt, 4), Now ths rite ofthe heifer whose neck was to be broken was carried out fora man found sain 'without its being known who had slain him. 'The heifer was tdurosn, as it were, to the evil spicts in onder tw ward them off and prevent them from obtaining dominion over the earth, Now all men depart life through the handsof the angel a10b-2116] vavioast 297 'of death, except the one whose life has been taken by another 'man, before the angel of death had received permission t0 'exercise his function upon him. The angel of death has thus 'cause 19 complain against the place ofthe murder, and there= fore it was commanded that "the elders of that city shall bring down the heifer, ete." (Ibid. xx, 4), so to remove any that locality and 10 safeguard it against the power of the accuser. When Joseph left his father, he Went without escort and without eating frst; and when Jacob afterwards said "Joseph is surely torn", he added: "Nay, but Iwill go down tothe grave to my son mourning" (Gen. sav, 35), a5 much as to say: "Tt was T who was the cause of his death, and, moreover, I sent him off although 1 knew that his brethren hated hien. All this Joseph hinted to im by sending the heifers" Said R. Judah to R. Eleazar: "But did not Joseph send the heifers by the command of Pharaoh, a itsays: "And Joseph gave them heifers, according a 'Pharaoh only gave the command at Joseph's request. Tades,Jcob wan noc uly couvinced of the dings brought to him until he saw them, as Scripture sys: "And when he saw the heifers that Joseph had sent him, the sprit of Jacob pees ee (bid. 28) "The Torah 'first calls him Jacob because the Shekinah departed from him when the breihren made her a party to the oath of secrecy 'with regard to the sale of Josephy; but now that the Shekinah returned he rose to the higher degree symbolized by Israel.' [arg] Avo mesatp: 1am Gop, tte Gon or rity Fatiten = Lilt Go DOWN WiTH THEE INTO EGyer. This an indleation that the Shekinah accompanied itm into le; and wherever Israel were exiled the Shehinah followed them also into exile. Observe that Joseph sent his father six 'wagons, an allosion to which is found inthe "six covered "ese he Zar eves the ace enting of lat ane sone v

298'THE ZOHAR IL fered
wagons" presented by the princes to Moses (Num. vil, 3), According to another view, the number was sixty; but the 'wo Flews are not contradictory. For, indeed, is frst written: in the wagons which Joseph sent" (Gen. xiv, 27), and. afterwards, "which Pharaoh sent" (Ibid, xtv1, 5), so that the truth is that those which Joxph sent were of the proper number, which had a recendite significance, but the larger number which Pharaoh sent had! no such umerial symboliem. Ano Joserm MADE READY MIs CHARIOT. R. Isaac be- san a discourse on the verse: And over the heads of the lcing features (hayoth) here was the likes ofa firmament ie the Colour of the terrible ice, stretched forth over their heads aoe (Baek. 1, 23) "This vers', he said, "has been explained as follows, 'There is. series of hayoth, one group higher than the other, and ther is one above all which set all the others in motion and causes them to transmit their light to one another. 'This supreme Hayah has vanous faces which radiate toall the cardinal points, three on each side. There is besides

2series of firmaments, one above the other, the
dominating all the athers, which all rn their gaze towards it, So Seriptute says: "And under the firmament were theie s conformable the one tothe othe, ete." (bid. 23), 8 they all rule over what has been committed to their charg. 'There being nine Aavoth on each of the four sides of the universe, the total number is thirty-six, When they are all joined topether they form ane impasion aymbotizing the fone Name in an ahyolute unity. And when they areal ranged round the heaven throne, then isreaized the desrigtion tiven by the prophet: "And above the firmament that was 'over their heads was the likeness ofa throne, as the appeat= anee ofa sapphirestone; and upon the likeness ofthe throne vasa likeness asthe pearance of a man above it" (Tid. ow the figures.on tht chariot culminate in that of an an when the other Figures are subordinated to this une s0 38 to form a homogeneous chariot, then it may be said: "And Joseph made realy his chariot", Joseph representing the Zaddi; farther, "and went up 10 meet Israel his father, to arva-ai18] vavroasn 20 Goshen", Israel tgifying the supernal Adam, and Goshen it approaching) the coalescence of the two. 'The text con- tines: "and he presented himself unvo him, symbolizing the reflection ofthe light ofthe sun onto the moon, whereby 'the moon is it up and floods with the lower world, Correspondingly, as long as the superaal smnctty rested on the lower Temple, that 'Temple was filled withan efulgenceoflighs, and thus remained ints complere- ress, but subsequently the supernal sanctity was withdrawn and the Temple wasdestroyed, regarding which itis written: "and he wept on bis neck a long wile" ascount ofthe 'Temple that was to be destroyed, and "along While, on account ofthe last eile. When Jacob thus saw that all below was complete after the supernal patter, he suid: "Now let me dic « «that thow art yet alive" that isto we thou hast tained the holy covenant of Him [2118] 'who is called the Living One ofall eternity, 'The same is im= Hed in Jacob's previous utterance: "It is enough: Joseph 'ay son is yet alive." ANp Jacon aussseo PHawaoit. R Jose cited in connec tion with this the verse: J have compared thee, O my love, 0 «sted in Pharach's chariot (S. 8,1, 9). 'Observe', he sd, 'that there are chariots of the left that belong to the otber 'sade, and there are chariots of the rit that are under the ais of supernal holiness; the latter are of grace, the former of severity. When the Holy One, blesed be He, executed justice on the Eeypians, every form of punishment which He inflicted on them was after the very pattern of those chariots and after the very pattern of that other side: as that side slays and takes men's souls, so did the Holy One, blesed bbe He, sit says: Mand the Lord slew all the first-born in the lind of Egypt" (Fx. xitt, 15), and s> with all the other punishments executed on the "This is the irpli= Cation of the words, "I compared thee, my beloved, et.", tw wit, "I made thee equal tothe other side in the power t shy." And what does Scripture sty in regard to the future ? "Whois this that eometh from Edom, with crimson garments from Hoxrah ? ete" (Is. txt, 1)?

300THE 2OHAR tt feud
'Awp Iskasi oWELY IN THE LAND oF Eever, 18 THE LAND OF Gostten; AND THEY GOT THEM POSSESSION THEREIN, ARO WERE FRUITFUL, AND MULTIFLIED EXCEEDINOLY, abd they got thei possesson, (0 Wit, 26a permanent possession, nasmuch ast helonged to them; and they were fruitful, and multiplied, assuredly so, seeing that they were relieved of all exation and they enjoyed all the Jauries of the world. Blessed be the Lord for evermore, 'Amen and Amen ! 231ba-2168] Gen. xiv, 28-1, 26 [R, Hiya discoursed on the text: Aud thy people are all right- 'cous they shall inherit the land for ever, ete, (Ids 1X, 21). "Torael', he suid, have been favoured above all the Gentiles jn being entiled by God righteous, that they may obtain Soren aber te malt Wea ma ten: "Then thou shalt delight in the Lord" (I. Lv, iTalent ae of the King, a it says: "Ye that eave unto the Lord your God! are alive everyone of you this day" (Deut. 1% 4) Ri, Isaac said "This ext of R, Hiya contains a deep allusion for "the reapers inthe field".* For R. Simeon has laid down in the esoteric Agadah that the exalted inheritance ofthat ther land is aequired by none save him who is called "righteos For the Matron cleaves to the Righteous One and finds d light in him, and the Righteous One assuredly inherits the 'Matron. So God in His love for Istae elled them righteous and they are therefore meet toinhesit the Matron. The reson. inthat they are circumeised, according tothe dietum: "Who- 'eer is circumcised and enters into the covenant and observes Tcthceomes avache to the Body of the King, and entersinto the Righteous One", and they are therefore called rightenus, and a0 "they shall foreyer inherit the land", to wit, the land 'of the living", They are further called in the text "the branch 'of my planting", t0 wit, one of those shoots which God planted when He ereated the worl, referred to in the verse, "And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden'" (Gen. 1,8). 'According to another explanation, the stords "And people are all righteous" refer to Jacob-and his sons, who 'went down to Egypt among a stif-necked people and all remained righteous, wherefore "they sball for ever (2168] rd haf paae fh estion 3815-6 re dared sto en interpolate containing tnicherones cite zoMAR [2168 inherit the land", since from there they went up to inberit the holy land." Axp Jacon Livep IN THE LAND oF Ea¥er, It is to bbe noted that this action is closed', i no space islet in the scroll ofthe Law between the beginning ofthis section {cayei) and the exd ofthe previous section (cyigash). Why Isthin ?R. Jacob suid: 'eis to indicate that when Jacob ded

0of Tnracl Became, a9 fe were, closed, because then
they really entered on the galuth andthe Egyptians enslaved them. R. Simeon said: "It i to show thatthe words "and Jacob lived are 10 be ten in close conjunction with the preceding sentence: "And Israel dwelt in the land of Exypt in the land of Goshen and they ga them possessions there, and were fruitful, and multiplied exceedingly." That is 10 'ny, jst a they lived in luxury and were short of nothing, #0 Jacob similacy al every comfort ard was short of nothing. rene it is sid of him now that "he five". For up to this time he had knowa nothing bus trouble, but now he saw one of his sons in royal estate and the others virtuous and rght- cous, all Tiving inthe lap of luxury while he himself abode mong them like gow wine resting on its less that now in realty he "lived". SevENTEEN YEARS. Why seventeen? R. Simeon suid: "Jacob's ie was always ane of hardship, but whenever he looked at Joseph he thought he aaw his mether again, because Joseph closely resembled Rachel, and at such

4time he forgot all is sreows. When, however, Joseph was
parted from hin, his was « worse blow tha all te press 'ones, and he wept every day for the seventeen years that Joseph had been with him. Hence Providence compensated him with another seventeen years of Joseph's. company, during which he fved in eae and lusury. 'Tradition tel ws at all those seventeen years the Divine Presence rested him, and therefore they were called "fife" So ie mays 'that when his sons tld hit that Joseph was alive, "the spirit of Jacob ther father revived" (Gen, xL¥, 27), f0F up to then the spirit had been dead within him and he had not been in A state to receive another in its place, since the spirit from above does not rest on an empey spot." R. Jose sid 2166-2173) vavent 23 Sekinah does not rest on a place whichis defective or die turbed, but only in a place properly prepared, a place of joyfuiness, Hence all the years that Joneph was away and Jacob was in sadness, the Shekinah did aot rest on him," $ 'we have leaent that K, Eleazar sid in the name of R, Abba: "Ie in writen, "Serve the Lond with glaness, come before his presence with singing", to show thatthe service of God should be performed with jy.' This accords with what RR. Eleazar has elsewhere sad, that when Elisha desired the sprit rest upon hit, he said "and now bring mes minstrel" (iUings in, 15) Abba said "Tc has been laid down in a certain passage tht the whole is derived from fou sides, an that all the root, cof the higher and lower beings are attached to them; and i has boon further sid that a one poesia another goce out an ab one is reveal another is conceded, and each one i linked tothe nex, and they are the origins of al' R, Simeon sud: "There are three oxgins lke the three patriarchs, and from them all the rst spread and extol the name to be crowned. Jose said: "From the day that R. Simeon left the cave nuthing was concealed from the Companions, and hinge 'became clear to themas if they had been revealed that day on 'Mount Sinai. But after he died, then "the fountains of the dsp and the windows of heaven (2174) were closed", and the Companions oul no longer get tothe hottom of things, ar shown by the following instance. One day R. Judah was sing atthe gate of Tiberias, and he saw two camels laden 'with bundles of clothes. One ofthe bundles fell down and 2 flock of birds fle tothe spot. Before they could reach, how- eve, they dispersed. Then a numberof cher birds came up, and perched on the rock. The men threw stones and shouted them but they would not go aay. He heard a voice saying "the erown of crowns fs plunged in daskuess and does no rest on the head ofthe Master." While he was stil iting, « than passed by and said: "You are not following the example 'of Abram, who, when the birds of prey eame down upon the cateascs drove them away (Gen. x¥, 11)" "Lam doing s, ssi R. Judah, "but they will not go 'The man tured his

304ne 20HAR 1 for
head away and sid: "This man has not yet plucked the fis fom the head of his Master, sor shora the Maton Ja followed him three mies aking him 0 expl fhe would not, so that R. Judah was greatly perturbed. One Gay he fell asleep under a tree and dreamt that he saw four 'wings outstretched and R. Simeon ascending on them with a scroll ofthe Law and also with ll manner of books containing biden expositions and Agadahs, They all ascended to heaven and were oat to his view. When he woke he aid: 'Verily, Since the death of R. Simcon wisdom has departed from the arth, Als for the generation that has lst this precious jewel 'which used toillunineitandn whichhigherand lower beings 'were supported' He came and told R. Abba, who clapped his hands on his head, saying; 'R. Simeon was the mall in 'which every day the goodly manna was ground. Now the rlland the manea have departed, ard nothing ise fit the world save asit were "one omerful put in a pot to be kept (Ex. 30,33), that, kept ina private place and not exposed. Who now can revel mysteries or even know them ? R. Abba whispered to hir: "The man that you saw was assuredly Ela and he was not willing to reveal secrets in order that you may appreciate the worth of K. Simeon, and that his generation may weep for him.' He sid to him: He indeed eserves tobe wept. Woe is me that [did not depart this fe with those three who died in the sacred chamber of R. Simeon,

09otto behold this generation that has been lid los He
and the fine linen" (Ex. xxvii, 5). Why is there no mention here of silver, secing that silver was also brought for an oflering (ox x 9) He replies You might ah the same question with regard to eopper, which also is men frce piel ates Gone eure revealed the answer, [also may reveal it' He then discoursed as follows. 'Tt is written: "Mine is the silver and mine is the gold, saith the Lord" (Haggai 1, 8). On many occasions we have pondered over the question, what holiness is there in these priestly garments ? We have, hawever, been taught that there is holiness in every place, and that these garments are axje-a178] vavnt 35 afer the superal patern, as we have learnt: "There is a 'igh Priest above anda high priest beloy,rsimentof honour above and raiment of Honoue below." As forthe omission ef Sher and exper, thee were aged acter ple, ¢ ten, "All the pillars ofthe court round about shall be fileted with silver" and again, "and tee spcets of brs" (Ex. sail, 17). These were the instruments forthe sevice 'ofthe Tabernacle; but this raiment of honour was only to ke Used by the High Priest and by no other" er tye ie eee [arp nor tah reny oy the voice of a herald goes forth and resounds through two hundred and fifty worlds, We have learnt that when the herald goes forth one of these worlds shakes and trembles, and there isue from it two birds whose abode is beneath the tice wherein isthe appearance of life and death, one towards the South and the ather towards the Nom, one when the dey dawns and one when it departs, Both proclaim what they 'hea from the herald. They then desire to return to their own 'place aloft, but their fet slip inthe hollaw ofthe great abyss and they are fastened there tll midnight, 'Then the herald proclaims, and the sons of men are alo "snared like bi 'caught in the trap". R, Judah said: "The day when a man feet are caught and his time approaches to die is called "the day of the Lord, because then his spirit returns to Him. We have learn that atthe time holy Crov, to wit, the seventh, 'is entrusted with his sprit, or, if he comes from the side of ight (Geburah) the eighth Crown; beyond that his days 'cannot be prolonged, a it says, 'yet is their pride and labour but sorrow" (Ps. xc, 10); where there is no foundation the building cannot be firm.' R. Judah ssid: "Happy are the righteous when God is pleased to take back their apitit Himself. But if a man is not adjudged worthy, woe to spirit, which has to be purified and to be prepared before it 'an be drawn to the Body of the King; and if it is not pre pared, woe to it tha it must rol about "like @ stone in a sling" (cf. 1 Sam). Further, we have learnt: "If the soul

306'Tite ZOMAK [arya
the other world, is worthy, great is the bliss reserved fo said:"When a man's appointed time draw near, proclamation is made concerning him for thiry days, and even the birds the heaven announce his doom; and if he is virtuous, hi 'coming is announced for thirty days among the righteous in the Garden of Eden, We have learnt that during those thirty days hissoul departs from him every night and ascends to the other swceld and sees its place there, and during those thirty days the man has not the same consciousness oF control of his soul a8 previously." R, Judah said: 'From the frst arrival of those thirty days a man's shadow becomes faint and his form is not outlined clearly on the ground," R. Ise one day sat himself at R, Judah's door in great sadness. The later coming out and finding hin in dhis eon~ dition said to him: *What is the matter to-day ?" He replied "Thave came to ask you three things. One is that whenever you repeat any of my expositions of the Torah you should give them in my name. 'The second is that you should train my son Joseph in the 'Torah; and the third is that you should go 'every seven days and pray over my grave.' Said R. Judah: "What makes you think you are going to die?" He answered: *My soul has lately heen leaving ie in the night and not cenlightering me with dreams as it used 10 do, Furthermore, 'when I bow down in the course of my prayers, I notice that 'my shadow does not appear on the wall, and T imagine the reason to be that the herald has gone forth and made procla- 'mation regarding me,' R. Judah replied: "T will carry out your requests, But I will ask you allo (218410 reserve a place for me by your side in the other world, as we were together in this," R. Isaac wept and said: heg of you not to leave me for the rest of my days.' They then went to R, Simeon, whom they found studying the 'Torah, Raising his eyes, R. Simeon saw R. Iisac and the Angel of Death running and dancing before him, so going to the door, he wok R, Isaie bythe hand and atid "T ordain that he who is wont to enter shall enter and he who is not wont shall not enter" 'Thereupon R, Issac 2184) vavEut 37 "and R. Judah entered and the Angel of Death ws kept out= side, R, Simeon looked at R. Isaac and saw that his time had 'not yet come, and that he had respite till the eighth hour of the day, 0 he made him sit down before him and study the "Torah, R. Simeon then said to his son R, Eleazar;'Sit by the door and speale with no one, and if anyone wants ro come 'swear to him that he may not." He then said to R. fsaae! "Have you seen to-day the image of your father ? For so we Ihave learnt, that at the hour of a man's departure from the 'world, his father and his relatives gather round bir, and he 'ces them and recognizes them, and likewise all with whom hhe associated in this world, and they accompany his soul to the place where it is to abide,' R. Isaac replied: "So far I have 'not seen.' R. Simeon then arose and said: 'Sovereign of the Universe !R. Isa is well known among us, and he i one of the sven eyee of the world here. Now that fli him, him to me.' A voice then went forth and said: 'The throne 'of his Master is near the wings of R. Simeon. Lo, he is thine, land he shall accompany thee when thou goest in to abi thy throne." R. Eleanr now say the Angel of Desth coming 'up, and said to him: The doom of death cannot fall in the place where R. Simeon is." R. Simeon then sid to his son: "Come in here and take hold of R. Issac, since Tse that he is afraid.' R. Eleazar dil so, and R. Simeon turned round and began to study. R. Isic then fll asleep and saw his father in dream. He sai to him: 'My ano, happy is thy portion hth in this world and in the world to come. For among the leaves ofthe tee of life in the Garden of Eden there is placed a great tree, mighty in both worlds, which is R. Simeon, son of Yobiti, and he shelters thee with his boughs." Sad R. Isaac to him: 'Father, what is my portion there?" He replied: thee, so that when Ts thy place I rejoiced, and std: Happy is thy portion; save that thy son has not yet larotsufiient 'Torah, And behold no, twelve righteous Companions were eager to visite, andwhen we were onthe point of departing voice went forth though al worlds saying "Ye companions 'that stand here, be proud of R. Simeon, for he has made a

308rue 20HAN 11 [2182-2186
request and it has been granted to him." Nor is this all, for there are here seventy crowned places belonging to him, and every place has doors opening to seventy worlds, and every world is open to seventy channels, and every charinel is open to seventy supernal erowns, and from there paths are opened jut to the Ancient and Inscrutable One, to givea view of that tupernal delight which llumines and beatitics all, as i says, "wo see the pleasantness ofthe Lord and to visit his temple". id R Isaac: "Father, how long am I granted to be in this world ? He answered: "Iam not permitted to tell, nor is this made known to a man. But in the great fest of R. Simeon, thou shalt prepare his table' R, Isaac then avoke, his face full of smiles. R. Simeon, observing him, said: *You have heard something, have you not ? 'Assuredly,' he replied; and he then told him his dream, and prostrated himself before him. Iti related that from that day [2188] R. Isaac diligently taught his son the 'Torah and always had hen with, lima. When he went in to R. Simeon, he used to leave his son, 'outside, and when hesat before R. Simeon be applied to self the verse: "O Lord, Lam oppressed, be thou my surety" (ds xxxvin, 14) We have learnt that on the dread day when a'man's time comes to depart from the world, four quarters of the world indict him, and punishments rise up from all four quarters,

1four elements fall 9 quarreling and seok to depart each
to its own side. "Then a herald goes forth and makes procla- 'ation, which is heard in two hundred and seventy worlds, Ifthe man is worthy, all the worlds welcome him with joy, but 'not, alas for that man and his portion ! We have learat that when the herald makes proclamation, aflame goes forth from the North and passes through the "stream offire", and divides itself to the four quarters of the world to burn the souls of 'inners. Tt then goes frth and flies up and down tll lights hretween the wings of a black cock. 'The eoek then fa 'wings and cries out at the threshold of the gate, The fist time iteries: "Behold, the day cometh burning likes furnace, etc." (Mal. Phe second time it cries: "For fo, he that formeth the mountains and createth the wind and declareth "vim thar R, Tate sh ve, axkb-219a) vavent 309 tanto an what is his thought" (Amos 1v, 13); thats the ime when a man's deeds testify against him and he acknowledges them. 'The thied time is when they come to remove hia soul from him andthe cock cries: "Who would not fear thee, King ofthe nations? For to thee doth it sppertain, et." (Jer. %7). Said R, Jose: Why mustit bea black cock? R. Judah rephed: "Whatever the Almighty does has + mystic significance. We have learnt that chastisement doesnot fall save upon a place which is akin to it. Now black is the symbol of the sie of Judgement, and therefore when the lame goes forth, it tikes the wings of a black cock, as being the most appropriate. So when man's judgement hour is near, it commences call to him, and ne one knows save the patient himself, as we have learnt, that when a man is ill and kis time is approaching to depart from the world a new sprit enters into him fom. above, in virtue of which he sees things which he could not id then he departs from the world. So itis "For man shall not see me and live"; in their li time they may not se, butat the hour of death they may. We have further learnt that atthe time of a man's death he is allowed to see his relauves and companians from the other world. If he is virtuous, they all reoice before him and give im greeting, but if not, then he is recognized only by the sinners who every day ate thrust down to Gehinnom. They ate alli great gloom and begin and end their converse Nith "woe I. Raising his eyes, he beholds them lke a flame shoot- {ng up fom the fire, and he also exclaimns "woe !". We have learnt that when a man's soul departs from him, tives and companions in the other world join it and show it the place of delight and the plac of torture. [fhe is virtuous he beholds his place and ascends and sits there and enjoys, the delights of the other world. Bus if he i not virtuous, his 'soul remains in this world until his body is buried in the dust, and then the executioners take hold of him and drag him down to Dumah and to his appointed storey in Gehin- thom. R, Judah said: "For seven das the soul goes to and fro from his house to his grave, and from his grave to his house, 'mourning for the body, [3194] ax itis written: "His lsh shall 'suffer pain for him, and his soul ahall mourn foe it" (Job

30ue zoan is [90
'ay, 22), and it gieves to behold the snes in the house. Wee have learnt that afer seven days the body begins to decay, iw its ple. Tt enters the eave of Mach- lowed in up to a certain point according tots deserts, I then reaches the place of the Garden of Eden and meets the Cheruhim and the Hashing sword whi the lower Garden of Eden, and if i i worthy to enter, enters. We have leamt that four pillars" are waiting there 'with the form of «body in their hands, and with this it glee- fully clothes itself and then remains in its appointed circle in the Garden of Eden fr its allotted time. Then a herald makes proclamation anda pillar of three colours isbrought forward, Wwhich i elled "the habitation of Moun Zion' (Is 1, $). By means ofthis pillar it ascends tothe gate of righteousness, in which are Zion and Jerusalem. IF tis worthy to ascend further, then happy is its portion and lot that i becomes attached tothe Body ofthe King. Iit snot worthy wo ascend further, then "he thats left in Zion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall calle holy" (Pid 3). But if ii privileged to aseend further, then it beholds the glory of the King, and enjoys the supernal delight from the plae which i elled Heaven, Happy he tht is vouchsafed this grace." R- Jose si "Thoteia superioe grace and an inferir grace The superior srace is above the heavens, an itis writen: "For great abote 'he heaven i thy kindness (Pac evi 3), Ofthe inferior grace itis writen: "Forgrest unto theheaven is thy kindness" (Ibid, 'vn 14), and to this ass belong the "fitful Rindnestes of David" (Is. wy, 3)" RR. Issac once questioned R. Simeon with regaed to the 'ers, "joyful mother of children, saying: now what is 'meant by the mothe, but who are the children ? R. Simeon answered "There ae two children to Ged, one male and one female. The male he gave to Jacob, a itis writen: "Israeli 'my son, my istborn" (Es. 1¥, 22). The fernale he gave t0 Abraham, 'The mothersts on the young and gives them suck; whence the precept, "Thou shalt not take the mother with 'he young" Our teachers have suid: "A man should beware of snfulness below fest thereby the mother should be pared he anole 2190-2198] vavent ye from the chien." Rut when men repent and act virtuowsly then the mother returns and shelters the young, and this is called "repentance" (Ushubah, lit. returning). 'Then, tos, 'ean be sid, "the mother of the children is joyful" Hence a man should not ccase fram propagating his kind tll he has 8 son and a daughter.' R. Isaac was not yet satisfied. "The fighteous', he stid, "desite no more than to "behold the pleasaniness of the Tord" (Ps, xxvit, 4)! Ro Simeon answered: "It is all one, since ths plesantness comes from Holy Ancient One to this heaven, and the desir righteous is fixed on that" R. Simeon further said 'written: "He hath cast down the earth from the heavens" (Lam. 11,1), For when the Almighty resolved to destroy the "Temple and to banish Israel among the nations, He removed from before Him the upper earth, and when that earth was 'put away from Him, then the lower earth was laid waste and Trael were banished among the nations; whereupon the 'Community of Israel said: "My mother's sons were incensed against me". S. 1, 6), and that was the cause of my dlovwnfal" R, Jose was once walking with R. Hiya the on of Rab, and as they were going along he said to him: 'Do you see some- thing over there see a man in the river', he answered, 'ana bird on [2198} his head witha piece of flesh which i is cating and tearing with its lana. "The man is tying out 'something, but {cannot eatch what he says." Said the other: Let us go nearer and listen.' He ssid: Tam afraid.' "Why,' he said, "do you think that this is a man here ? This is some hint of Wisdom which God is sending us.' So they went nearer and they heard him saying: 'Crown, crown, two ans are kept outside, and there will be no peace or rest until the Wind ie thrown down in Caren. R. Jose wept and ssid. "Verily the Galuth is drawn out, and therefore the birds of Iheaven will not depart until the dominion of the idolatrous nations is removed from the eatth, which will not be fill the day when God will bring the world to judgement As they 'went on they heard a voice say: 'Let the flame of fire advance fo chastise', whereupon a flame eame forth and burnt the bird. Said R. Joue, "God only banished Tarsel when there ya tHe 2oMAR IT [argb-2218 tras no longer faith arang ther, for then, ifone may say 30, Hee was enticely forgoten." R. Hiya said: 'What isthe mean ing of the verse: "He hath swallowed up death for ever" (is. xxv, 8)?" He said: 'When God shall arouse His right fund, then death shall be banished from the world. But He vil not arouse His right hand til Israel give the impetus, to wit, by the Torah. At that time "the righthand of the Lard focth valiantly" (Ps, xvi, 16), and "T shall not die but live" (Ibid. 17). We have learnt that whea God is pleased with a righteous man and the herald. makes proclamation foncerning. him thirty days among the righteous in. the Garden of Eden, then all the righteous rejoice and go and crown his place in preparation for his coming, to take up his 'bode among them. But if he is sinful, then the herald pro= claims concerning him thirty days in Gehinnom, and all the sinners are sad and exclaim: "Woe, that a new punishment isto be executed on so-and-so, and the demons are ready to meet hitn, Woe tothe wicked and woe © his neighbour 1 'Then they all exelaim: "Woe to the wicked, it shall be il with him, for the revard of his hands shall be given to him' (Is. tm, 11) R. Inaae said "The word ra (Il) in this passage {refers expecially to him who wilfully spills his seed, like Er the son of Judah. Such a one is thrust down lower than all che others in that world, Al thers have a chance to ascend, but not he, fo he even wore, it may be asked, than a murderer? Even so, because » murderer kills another man's children, but he kills his own, and he spills very much blood. Hence it is written of such a one particularly: "And that which he did vas evil in the sight of the Lord" (Gen, xxxvin, 10)" R. Judah sid: 'Every sin admits of repentance barring this, and 'very sinner may hope to see the face ofthe Shekinah barring this one" R. Isaac seid: "Happy are the righteous in. this 'world and in the world to come; of them itis written: "And thy people are all righteous, they shall forever inherit the Fund (Is. ux, 20) (2218) "The tansiain of the thee-and--balf pages hee omit (atgb- 2218) will be fund in tbe Zaher on Lesitics, 104, 10 which they rer tlone aaib-2324] vavent a5 Awp tHe pays pew Nean For Tonatt To pre, R. Hiya "Why isthe name Israel used here in connection with his death, whereas above it says, "And Jacob lived, ate"? IR Jove said in reply: "Note here the word "days", which is somewhat peculiar, since a man only dies on one day, infact, in one instant. The reason, however, is, a8 we have learnt, that when God desires to take backea mans spirit all the days that he has ved in this world pass in review before Him. Happy, then, is the man whose dys draw near before the King without reproach, not one of thems being rejected be- 'use a in was commited thereon, Hence the term "ra- ing near is used of the righteous, because their days draw near before the King without reproich, Dut woe tothe wicked 'whose days cannat 20 draw neat, because they all passed in Sia, wherefore they are not recorded above, so that of them it is written: "The way of the wicked is like thick darkness, iy know net on What they stumble" (Prov. 1, 19) [22a] here it says that the day of Israel "drew near that, Without reproach and with wnallayed joy; and hence the 'name "Israel" i used, because it points 10 a greater pefec~ tion than the name Jacob.' R. Jow said: "There are some righteous whose days when enumerted are put afr fom the ing, and others whose days are brought near to the King. 'blessed, and Iiral was one of Axp us cause mis sow Joseru, R. Abba ssid: 'Jouph is called Jacob's son par excellence, because, as we have learnt, 'when Potipha's wife tempted him, he ited up his eyes and saw the image of his father (a it says "and there was rone Of the men of the house there within" (Gen, xxx, 18, a8 uch as to say, "but there was someone else"), and he thereupon ressted and withdrew. Hence it was that whet Jacob came t bless his sons he ssid: "I know, my son, 1 iknow" (Gen. vt, 19), repeating the word, a8 much a to say, "Tinow ofthe time when you proved in your own body that you were my son, and Lalo kxow that, as you say, this 'the elder" Another explanation why" he called" him specally my son" is that they closely resembled one nother, x

34rie zomAW I [azae-2226
to that whoever saw Joseph could testify that he was the son of Jacob! R, Jose said that another reason was that he old age. his descendants would be in bondage in Egypt, why did he not have himself buried there in order that his merit might, shield them, which would have shown true parental solici- tude ?'The teuthis that, as tradition tells us, when Jacob was shout to go down to Egypt he was afraid lest his descendants 'might be lost among the peoples and lest God might remove His Presence from him. Hence God said to him: "Fear not to go down to Egypt, for I will there make of thee great tation" (Gen. x. 3), and theo, "I will ge down with thee into Egypt" (Ibid. 4) Jacob was stil afraid lest he should be buried there and not with his fathers, so Ged sai to him: "I will also surely bring thee up again" (76), co wit, to be bhried in the grave of thy ancestors, Hence he had various reasons for desiring to be taken out of Egypt. One was that the Egyptians should not make a god of him, since he foresaw that God would punish their gods. Another was because he Anew that God would still keep his Presence among. his descendants in the galuth A thied reason was that his body. sight rest in. company with thote of hie ancestors, to be stumbered with them and not with the sinners of Egypt, since,

5we have learnt, Jaceb reproduced the beauty of Adam, and
kis form was sublime and holy like that ofthe holy throne. Esoterially speaking, there is no separation among the yatriarchs, and hence he said: "when I sleep with my. fathers" Another reason why Jacob called Joseph "my son" was Fecause he was from the fist more intent on hegesting him than any other of his sons, his whole thought having. been 'evoted 10 Rachel. [2226] Said R. Simeon: 'Man should take 00d heed not to sin oF to transgress the will of his Master, tecause all is actions are recorded ina bookand ate reviewed ty the holy King and revealed before Him even his thoughts ae present before God and do not escape Him. Now on the 222] vavegt 315 night when Jacob went in to Leah and she gave him the tokens which he had given to Racket, he really thought she 'was Rachel, and God. towhomallsesretsare revealed alloned That thought t have effect, and so the birthright of Reuben -was transferred to Joseph, tha having been Jacob's ist seed, and s0 Rachel came into her own inheritance. This, to, why Leah called his name simply Reuben (=see a son) and not Reubeni (see my son), We have learnt: "God kaw 'that Jacob had no intent to sin before Him, and that he did rot allow his thoughts to dwell on any other woman at hat 'stant like the sinful, and therefore i s writen: "And the fons of Jacob were twelve" (Gen. xxx, 22) For the sons of the sinners who actin this way are called by another name, 'which isknowa amang the Companions, Hence "Jacob called to his son Joseph"—his real son, his son at the beginning and at the end. Fur, 1 PRAY THEE, THY HAND UNDER MY THIGH, R. Jose stid: 'Jacob made him swear by the sign of the covenant which was amped on hisflesh, since the patriarchs 'sscigned more importance to this than to anything ese, and this covenant, 00, symbolized by Joseph" R, Simeon id: "We find the formula, "put thy hand under my thigh" in. connection with both Abraham and Jacob, but not Teqac; the reason bing hat Eaau ined frows him, Again we may suppose Jacob's idea to have been: "Swear to me by that holy impress which has brought holy and faithful seed into the world and which has ever been preserved fom deflement that you will ot bury me among those unclean wo have never guarded it and of whom iti writen, "whose flesh isthe flesh of asses and their neighing the neighing of horse" (Esok, xa, 20)' Why ft my be ase ae Jonep sha also guarded the covenant, buried among them ? The answer is that it was fo mec a peal emergency like the appearance of God to Ezekiel outde the Holy Land. God si that if Jouph were removed fom there, the larales vould sink under the bondage therefore He sid "Let his burial place be hee in a spot which will not be deed for Joueph'scnfinwaethrawn into the ver) anlsothe Taacies

316'rwe ZOHAN IT [earb-2a30
willbe able to endure the captivity." R. Jose sid: 'Jacob saw {hat he wasted in every way to form par ofthe hay hatioe like his fthers, but he thought it impossible that his body should be attached to his fathers if he was buried in Egypt. Secing that the patearchs were privileged tobe buried in the cave of Machpelah with theit wives, [233a] why was Jacob busied with Leah and not with Rachel, who was the 'undation of the house" ? 'The reason is that Leah bore more children from the hly tock. R-Judah said: 'Leah wsed to go out everyday to the highway and weep for Jacob when she learnt that he was righteous, and prayed on his behalf, 'hut Rachel never did so. Hence Leah was privileged to be rind with hie, hile Rachel's grove wae tt by the high- vay. Theesoteric eason,ab we have affirmed, is that theone typifies the disclosed and the other the undisclosed. Tradi- tion tells. thatthe virwous Leah prayed with many tars that she might be the portion of Jacob ad not of the wicked Esau, Hence we have lett that whoever prays with teary toefore the Almighty cat procure the eanellation of any chastisement thathas been decreed against him for so Lea, though she had been assigned by divine decree to Esau, yet by her prayer sueceeded in procuring the preference for Jacob and saved herself fom being giver to Esa." RR, Taaac said; Te i written: "And S 'excelled the wisdom of al the children of the East" (ings ¥,9)- What the wisdom of the children ofthe East? Tradi= tion tells us that twas the wstom which they inherited from Abraham. For we read that Abraham "gave all that he had 'unto Isaac" (Gen, xx, 5): this refers to the higher wisdom, thie he ponseased through the knowledge ofthe holy ame 'of God, "But to the sons of the concubines which Abraham hhad Abrabam gave gifts; to wit, certain information about the lower crowns, (fi. a fron that source the children of the East inherited wisdom." R, Simeon was once travelling from Cappadocia to Lydda accompanied by R. Abbaand R. Judah. He was mounted and they were on foot. Tred with Keeping pace with him, R. blo exchimed: 'Verily, "they that go after the Lord shall 2330-2238) vaveut 30 a Tion" (Hos. x1, 10)' R. Simeon then dismounted, saying: "Truly, wisdom is not acquired by a man save when he sits and rests, as it says of Moses that he "sat on the forty days" (Deut. 11, 9)" So they all sat down, then asked him: 'Whats the difference between the lomon and the wisdom ofthe children of the east And the wisdomof Egypt, mentioned inthe ame verse? He 'eplied: "Phe seeret of Soloman's wisdom was in the narme of the moon when blessed from every sie. In his days the moon 'wasmagnified and reached her fullness A thousand mountains rose before her, and she blew them away with a puff. A thousand mighty rivers flowed before her, nd she swallowed them at a draught, Her nails reched out in a thousand and. seventy directions, [2238] and her hands in twenty-four thousand, 20 that nothing could escape her. 'Thousands of bbucklers clung ther hair. From between her fet went forth

youth! who stretched from one end of the world to the

father with sity clubs of fire and who is alo called "Enoch, son of Jered," He was called "son of Jered (lit descent) in reference to the ten stages by which the Shekinah descended to the earth, Under him are stationed many Heyyoth, under which again is fastened the har of the moon, which is called "the knobs of the sceptre". Her hands and feet take hold of it like a strong lion holding his prey. Her nals are those who 'all to mind the sins of men and inscribe them with all rigour and exaciness. The offtcourings of her nails are all those who do not eleave to the Body of the King and suck from the side of uncleanness, when the moon begins to diminish. Now, after Solomon had inherited the moon in ins Fllnes, he also desired to ishert it in its defective state, and therefore he sought to acquire the knowledge of spirits and demons, #0 as to inherit the moon on every side. As for the wisdom of Egypt, this is the lower wisdom which is called "the handmaid behind the millstones", and which 'a9 als included inthe wisdom of Solomon." Sid R. Abba: 'How thankful am I that L asked you this question, since T have received s9 illuminating an answer. R, Simeon said further: 'With regard to Solomen's words, "What profit hath

Man.

28'rue zoman it [aaghanqa
'man in all hie labour 2 (Eee). 1 3), these do not apply 10 Tkbour in the study of the Torah, since the statement is 'uulifed by the words, "wherein he faboureth under the andthe stuy of the Torah isabove the sun.' Sad R. Hiya: 'Study of the Torah whichis prosecuted for worldly alo accounted "under the sun", ast does not ascend "Though @ man should live a thovsand years, yet atthe time of his departure From the world itseems, to him as if he had only lived a singe day.' Wuen I siren writ sty eatiens. Happy is the lot of the patriarchs thar the Almighty has made them a holy chariot hove and has tsken delight in them to be crowned with them: hence it iswritten, "Only in thy fathers the Lord took elighe" (Deut. 3, 15). R. Elearar sad: (224@] "Jacob knew that he was to be crowned in his fathers and his fathers with him, Hence we have learnt regarding the graven lett that in the letter shin there ae three strokes, one on one side and 'one on the other side and one combining them, and thisis the allusion in the verse: "And the middle bar in the midst of he boards shall pass through from end to end" (Ex. xxv, 28. Hence Jacob said; 'I shall lie with my fathers",' R. Judah said: "How deaf sre men to the wamings of the Torah, and hhow blind are they to their own condition that they are not avrare that on the day when a human being comes forth into 'the world, all the days that are assigned to him come forward and fly about the world and descend and warn the man, each day ints turn, And when a man has been so warned and yet sins against his Master, then the day on which he sinned ascends in shame and bears witness and stands by itself out- side, and so it remai the man repents. If he becomes virtuous it rerurm to its place, but if not, then it goes down and joine the outside spirit and returns to ite house, and assumes the exact shape of that man jn order to plague him and dwells with him continually in his house. Uf he is vir- 'tous it proves a good companion, and if not, an evil nm ppanion, In either case, such days are missing from the full 'umber and are not counted with the others. Woe to the 2340-2248) vavent 9 'umn who has diminished the number of his days before the Almighty, and has not left days for Himself with which to 'eon himself in the other world, and t approach the Holy 'King. For if he is worthy he ascends by means of those day, and they become glorious vesture for hs soul, those days in Which he acted virtuously and didnot sn, We to hin that has diminished his days above, since when he comes to be 'lad in his days, those days that he spoilt by his sins are lacking, and his vestue is therefore defectives all the more ifthere are many of them and he has nothing at all with which tw clothe himself in the other world. Then woe to him and 'wee to is sou, since he is punished in Gehinnom for those days, many days for each, because when he departed from tha World he had no days with which to clothe himself and 'ho garment wherewith to cover himself, Happy are the righi- 'cous whose days areal stored up with the Holy King, and form glorious vestures with which they may robe themselves in the other world. This isthe esoteric explanation of the verse, "and they knew that they were raked" (Gen. 11,7), that i to say, that the glorious raiment made of those days had been impaired and none of them was left wo clothe then selves with. And so it was until Adam repented and God pare <doned him and made him other garments, but not of his day, asitis written; "And God made Adam and his wife coats of king and clothed. them" (Gen. 11, 21). Observe that of 'Abraham it says that "he came into days" (Gen. xxv, 4 bbesase when he departed this world he literally came into possession of his former days and was invested with them, his robe of glory being full and complete. Job, on the other hand, said of himseli: "Naked came 1 out of my mother's wom and naked shall {return thither" (Job. t 21), because rnomaterial was lft wherewith tolothe bimsei Our teachers hhave said: "Happy the righteous whose days are without reproach and remain for the world to come, x0 that after death they ate all joined together and formed into [2244] robes of glory through which they are privileged to enjoy the Aelights of the future world, and in which they are destined to come to life again. But woe for the sinners. whose days sare defective, so that there isnot lft from them wherewith

320THE COHAN IT [azgh
to cover themselves when they depart from the work." We hhave further learnt that all the virtuous who have acquired a robe of glory through their days are crowned inthe future 'world with crowns like those of the patriarchs, fom, the 'stream that flows continually into the Garden of Eden, and of them it is written, "the Lord shall lead thee continually and satisfy thy soul in dry places (Is. vit, 11), but the 'wicked who have not acquired such garment wil elke the heath inthe desert that shall not see when good cometh, but inhabits the parched places in the wilderness" (Jer. vt, 6)" R, Isaac said: 'OF all men Jacob had the fairest prospect, because he was entitled to arobe on account both of his own days and of those of his fathers; hence he sid: "T shall Hie 'with my fathers." ? R. Judah said: "When Jacob went in to his father to obtain a blesing, he was wearing the garments of Exaus nevertheless the tet says that fsaac smelt hie gar~ 'ments (Gen. svt, 27), to indicate that he eaughe the odour 'of his raiment in the future world, and it was therefore that hie blessed him. Hence, too, he sti' "'See the smell of my' son is asthe smell of a ficld which the Lord hath blessed the reference being tothe Feld cf holy apples, in which every day drops dew from the place called heaven; hence he continued: "God give the ofthe dew of the heaven." It has been taught that fifteen odours ascend every day from the Garden of Eden 'to perfume those precious garments in the other world." AR. Judah asked how many garments there are. R. Eleazar said: "The authorities differ on this point, but in truth there "aretheee. One is for clothing the spiit (ra) in the terrestrial Garden of Eden, A second, the most precious of all is for investing the inner sul (nesama) when among. the bundle of he ving inthe ofthe King The thi isan our xarment which appears and disappears, and with which the 'al soul (fr) loth fits about the wor and on Sabbaths and New Moons it attaches itself to the spirit in the terrestrial paradise and Jearns from it certain things 'which it goes and makes known in this world, It has been. taught that on Sabbaths and New M 'males (wo visits, Fiat joie the apiit anon the perfumes of the terrestrial paradise, and then in company with the aagh-225a) vareut 3a jns the higher sou! in the "bundle of the living", and feasts itself on the gloriews radiance coming from both and the radiance within eadince which they enjoy by as0~ hig withthe hr sulin the "bundle ofthe Ing? Simeon: "When I visit the Companions in xb lon they come together to hear me, and I discourse to them: pent, but they Ro and scl up my teaching unde sn iron palock which makes i inaczable to al. How often hae 1 aught them the ways of the Garden of the King and the Aloctine ofthe King! How eft have I tught them all the degrees ofthe righteous inthe future world Bu they ae all Frightened to repeat (2ase] these things and only mumble them, on which account they ae called "mumbles". How= ever, L account this fear in them creditable, because they are denied the air and the eptt of the Holy Land and inhale the si and the spirit of an alien region. Further, to, the 'inlaw has appeared in thee tine! and hence they are not feo er ees te reece ar Ulli wee ce tem, 'The good fortune i that Iam sil alive to be the Ensign and support ofthe word, forin my days the word wil fot be acted and the punsment of heaven sil ot fll Upon it. After me there will ot arise» generation like this Cte, and the wotld wl be lef without a protector, end ins ence will be rampant both above and belowabove on account of the insolence of those below, and their shameless- 'est. Mankind will ery and neme wil ake heed they wil turn to evry ale and find no remedy. Hut one remedy there will bein the world and no mare, to wit inthe place where there sw be men devoting themcive othe study ofthe Torah, and where there will be a Serol of the Law fee from all error When ths will be taen out, the upper and lower 'eniven wil best thems, cxpecilly if the Holy Name 'is written in it im the fitting manner. As I have already. The appearance ofthe rinhos, reminding God of His promie to destoy the wold, a prot that there af no righteous why could rote the wold by thei ents wane Vide. B, Reta, 7,

32HE OMAR It [aase-aasb
taught, woe to the generation the members of which, high and fo, do not rise when the Scroll of the Law is displayed. 'Who shall come to its aid when the world isin distress and requires protection ?'Then it is necessary more than ever to display the Seroll of the Law. For when the world is in distess, and men go to the cemeteries to offer supplication, all the dead take note of the Scrol, since the soul gocs and informs the sprit that the Seroll ofthe La through the distress of the world, and the living have come to supplicate. 'Then the spirit informs the higher soul (neshamal) and the higher soul informs the Almighty, who then takes note and has pity on the world, all hecause the 'Scroll of the Law has been banished from its place, and the living have come to supplicate by the graves of the dead. 'Alas forthe generation that has need to remove the Scroll of the Law from one place to another, even from one synagogue to another, because they have nothing else to which to turn. 'Notall men know that the Shekinah a its last exile did not Withdraw to heaven, but to "the wilderness, to an inn of travellers" (Jer 8,1), and that since then it is always to be found inthe place where Israel is patculaey in distress, and also wherever the Scroll is removed and high and lov' rise up before it? We have leart thatthe sou! is inked with the body twelve in the grave, and they are judged together (this, however, does net apply tothe soul of the righteous, 8 we hhave laid down), and itis present inthe grave and is aware of the sufferings of the body. It also Knows the sulferinga of the living, but does not intervene on their behalf. After twelve months itis clad in a certain vesture, and goes to and. fo in the world, learning certain things from the spirit and interesting itself on behalf of the living who are in distress. But this is only when there is among them a virtuous man whose merit is properly recognized by them. For xo we have Teaent, that when a virtuous tnan is left in the world, he ix known both among the living and the dead, and when the 'world is in great distress and he eannot deliver i, he makes the trouble known to the dead, And ifthere isnot [2256] such 'one, then they tke out the Seroll of the Law, and high and 2238) vavest 333 ow accompany it, and itis incumbent on all at that time to do penance, for otherwise heaven will punish them, Ever the 'spirits of the Garden of Eden inteede for them for the sake of the Scroll, as has been affirmed. Suid R. Judah: 'Lite do men know how God extends His mercy to them at all times 'and seasons. Thee times a day a spirit enters the cave of Machpelah and breathes on the graves of the patriarchs, bringing them healing and strength. 'That sprit distil dew from on high, from the head of the King the place ofthe 'superna fathers, and whea it reaches the lower patriarchs they awake, That dew, as we have karnt, comes down by other spirits arises and traverses the spice-beds, the doar of the eave. 'Then the patrarchs awake, they and their spouses, and suppliate on Behalf of their descendant. If the world is in distress on account ofits sins, and the patriarchs sleep the dew not descending from on high, then the remedy isto tke out the Scrll ofthe Law. Then the soul tells the pir, and the spirit tls the higher soul, and the higher soul tels God. God then takes His seat on the throne of mercy, and there iss from: the Ancient Holy One stream of dew of bdellium, which fows to the head of the King, so thatthe fathers are blessed. Then the dew flows to those sleepers, and all are blessed together, and God has mercy on the world, We have learnt that God does nat show 'rey to the world tll He has informed the patriarchs, and for thet sakes the world is blewed." Sud R, Jose: Assuredly this isso. And 1 have further found in the Book of King Solomon, that one which was called the "counsellor of all wisdom' (and Rab Hamnuna also sad that the same thing had een revealed to him), that Rachel achieves more than all of them by standing at the parting ofthe ways atall times when the world isin need. 'This ix symbolized by the fet thatthe ark and the mercy-seat and the Cherubim were in the territory of Berjamin, who was bor by the wayside, the Shekinah being overall" Axp IseABi Bowen HIMSELF DOWN UPON THE uxD's

334ce 2uAN TL [aasb-2260
HEAD. The "bed's head" isthe Shekinah. Said R. Simeon: Not a "Dchol ff the sacred couch; and "that which (the superna) Israel who is established atthe head ofthe bed. Henee, Isral bowed down to his appropriate grade. At this time fe was not yer ill, a8 we see from the next verse, but because he knew that atthe time he would rise toa supernal holy grade to become a perfect throne, therefore he bowed 'down to that supernal throne, the completion of the great and 'mighty tree, whieh was called by his name, ta'"Him who is "We have a dic- tum that ifs man dies in foreign sil buried in the Holy Land, to him may be applied the verse, "And ye came and defiled my land and my inheritance ye made an abomination" (Jer. 1, 7). How, then, could Jacob hhe was ask to he buried in the grave of his fathers, seeing th dying on alien aoil ? R. Judah said because the Shekinah was clovely attached to him. Hence it 'swrtten, "will go down with thee to Egypt" (Gen. x0, 4, to wit, to abi with thee in captivity; "and I will also surely bring thee up again" (Ibid. ta attach thy soul ro Me, and to cbtain burial for thy body in the graves of thy fathers—and this even though he departed life on an alien soil. He was further promised that Joseph should put his hand on. his 'yes, the reaion being that God knew that he was the first- born in intest, and that he was most attached to Joseph." 'What was the idea of this promise of puting his hands on hiseyes ? R. Jone sad tha it wan a5 nign of hotour to Jacob, and to informs him that Joseph was alive and would be with him at his death. Said R. Hiekiah: "T have leant something about this which I hardly like to ditelose, showing how wise dom is embodied in a common practice' R. Abba clapped fon the shoulder, saying: Speak out and donot be afraid the days of R, Simeon there is no need for secrecy." He then said: 'T have seen in the chapter of R. Jese the Elder regarding customs, that if« man has a son, when he dies the son ought to put dust on his eyes tthe time of his burial, and 26a vavewt 35 this is a mark of respect to him, being a sign thatthe world now concealed from him, but his son inert the world in his place, For the human eye represents the world with i Yarious colours. The outer ring of white corresponds to the sea of Oceanus which surrounds the whole world. The nest 'colour represents the land which is surraunded by the se A thind colour in the middle of the eye corresponds 10 Jerusalem, which is in the centre of the world. Finally there is the pupil ofthe eye, which reflects the beholder and isthe 'most precious patt of all. This corresponds to Zion, which x the central point ofthe universe, in which the reflection of the 'whole world can be seen, and where is the abode of the Shekinuh, which othe beauty and the ynosure ofthe work ofthe world, and so asthe father "Said R. Abba; "You are quite right. But there is still a deeper significance in the practice, although men do not know it. For when a man departs from the word, his soul stillenclosed in him, and before his eyes ace closed they see certain recondite things, as we have on withthe verse, "For a man shall not se me and live", indicating that they see things in these death which they donot se in their life-time. Then it behoves those who are present to place their hands on his eyes and loge them, and, az we have learnt in connection with custorne and manners, if he has @ son, it behoves the son in the first place to do so, as itis written, "And Joveph shall put his hhand on thy eyes." 'The reason for the casing ofthe eyes is 'because some sight the reverse of holy might present itself, and it ie not meet that the eyes which have just beheld a holy Vision should now dill on a sight of a afferent character, 'A further reason is thatthe soul i tll attached to him in the hhouse, and if the eye is left open, with that unholy vision si 'esting upon it everything it looks upon i cursed and this is ot expec othe pt allow io ze vpn nyhig improper. The best sign of respect, therefore, is that man's tj shuld be closed bythe hand of the ton whom he bas Jefe behind For sven days the soul goes to and fro between the house and the grave, mourning forthe body, and thre times a day

336'THe Z0HAR 11 (226-2266
the soul and the body are chustised together, though no one perceives it After thatthe body is thrust out andthe soul is Purified [2360] in Gehinnon, whence it goes forth roaring bot the world and visitng ts grave unt it acquires a vest~ ment. After twelve months the whole is t rest; the body 'eposes inthe dust andthe soul i lad in its luminous vest- sent. The sprit regalesitslfin the Garden of Eden, and the higher soul feshamal ascends to the place where all deli are concentrated; and ll three come together again at certain times, Als for men that they Took not to ther foundation, and neglect the precepts ofthe Torah. For some of these precepts fashion a glorious garment above, and some a slorious garment below, and some a glorious garment in this 'world; and man requires them all And they remade literally fut of his days as we have explained, R. Judah the Eker one day saw in a dream his own image ilumined and radiating brightly in all directions. 'What is that" he sad and th answer came: 'It is thy garment for thy habitation ete'; 'whereupon he was in reat joy. R. Judah sid Everyday the spirits of the righteous sit in rows in the Garden of Eden arrayed in their tubes and praise God glorinsty, written: "Verily the rightecus shall praise thy mame, the 'upright sll sit before thee." R Abba iid: 'When Jacob "owed down to Him that i over the bed" a we have explained, and kn that he had reached the highest grade, and that bis grade was on high with tha of his fathers, and tha he was the corsummnation af the hole is hear was strengthened and he eicnd in God's favour towards him. Hence says, "And Jacob strengthened himzlf"" 'R, Judah said: We learn in the Mishnah that judgement is pronounced on the worlds four season: st Passover, respect of produce; at Pentecost, in respect of fvit-trees: on New Year, when "all the denizens ofthe world pas before ira like a flock of sheep"; and on Tabernasles, when the rainfall is determined. 'This we have esoterilly explained

2follows. Passover isthe time forthe decision with epard to
'cereals, because on Passover larael began to enter into the hly portion ofthe Almighty and to remove fom themselves the 2266-2270] vayent 27 leaven which symbolizes the powers who are appointed over the idol-worshipping nations and who are called "strange sods". On Pentecost judgement is passed in respect of the fruit ofthe tee: this isthe great and mighty tre which tears itself abft. On New Year all pass before Him like a lock of sheep, because New Year (lit head ofthe year) is the head of 'the King. On Tabernacles judgement is pronounced in respect of ates, beeause this festival isthe beginning ofthe right hand of the King, and therefore the rejoicing of water is universally difused. [3272] R. Jose said: If we look dasely, we find that in these periods both the three patriarchs and David can be found, and in these the world is judged. But in truth every day books are open and acts are recorded, though no oe notices o inclines his ear, and the Torah testifies against man cvery dey and a voice cries aloud: "Who is simple, let him 'turn inher", but no one listens, We have learnt that when 'man rises in the morning witnesses stand by him and adjure "him, but he pays no need. Hi higher soul adjures him at ll

2itis well, but if not, then
the books are open and the deeds recorded.' R, Hiya said: "Happy are the righteous who have no fear of judgement, neither in this world nor in the future word, as itis writer: "But the righteous is confident like a ion" (Prov. xxvit, 1), and again, "the righteous shall inherit the earth" (Ps. xxxvit, 29) R, Hiekiah, citing the verse, "And when the sun 'was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram, etc." (Gen, XY, 12), said: "This vere has been appied to the day of Judgement, when man is removed from this world. For we hhave learnt that the day when man departs this world isthe igreat day of judgement when the sun's light is withheld from the moon, as itis written, "or ever the sun be darkened" (Eccl. x1, 2) This isthe holy neshomah which is withheld from man thirty days before he departs from the world Dring that time he observes that he throwo no shadow, the reason eng that his neshamah is withheld from him. For it doesnot wait until be ison the point of dying, but even while 'hei still im is full vigour it passes out of him, and does net illumine the spict, which in turn does not illumine the vita soul, so that his shadow no longer shows. From that day all xs Te ZOMAR HT feajeczarb proclaim his coming fate, even the birds ofthe heaven. When the spirit ceases to llumine the vital so the later becomes sreakand ejects foodand all bodily enoyments' R.Judabead further. "Alsowhenevera man ion nch be adit able to say hin prayer his methomah leaves hi, andthe apict oes nollie the soul untl he jaded the judgement isfavouable then the nethamah returns tots place and ilu- 'mines the whole utwhen no trial is held then the neshamak leaves him thirty daya before his death and his shadow is withheld, We have lett that when a mansjudged above, his sansa ja cgegslie eal co ecole land rk toallthe thoughts of man, but not to his deds, since they ae allrecorded ina book, While the tralia going on the body is in greater pain than a other times. Ifhets ged favourably, ie gbtain eave ond asweat breaks out ove is body, and his neshamah retorns to tx place and illumines the whole but & man never rises from his bed of sickness until he is judged Bee oer ieee ae tae nnd ranogretors are alive mid active hereon that God Tooksahexdandifheees that man, though sinful now, may become virtuous subequently, He judges him favouraly, ot it may be because he is destined to bear son who wil be virtuous. All God's judgements incline 10 beneficence, as itis writen: "Have 1 any pleasure in the death of the wicked, saith the Lord God, and not rather that he should return [2276] for illnesses haves fixed period, after which they depart, whether from the righteous or the wicked; and all is done in justice, as we have said! Anp [start saw THE SONS oF JosePm, AND He SAID: Wao ane titesé ? This verse seems to contradict the ste ment a litle lower down that "the eyes of Israel were dim for 'age, 50 that he could not see". What this verse really means, however, is that he saw through the Holy Spirit those later descendants of Joseph, Jeroboarn and his fraternity. Jero= bhoam made two golden calves and sai O Irae!" (1 Kings xu, 28). Hence Is 2278) vavent 319 these", that is, who is he that vill one day say "these" to idols. From this passage we learn thatthe righteous sce into the distant future and God erowns them with His own crown. 'That God sees the future we lear fom the verse: "And God saw all that he had made, and behold, i was very good!" (Gen, 1, 31), which means that He foresaw all that was t0 happen before it was commenced. In the ssmne way all the 'generations of the world from one end to the other stand before Him before they come into the world, as it says, "He calleth the generations from the beginning" (Is. xt1, 4) i. from the Creation; all the souls that are to descend into the world stand before God before they descend in the form which they are to assume in this world, and are called by name. In the same way God shows the righteous all genera- tions before they come ito the world, as He showed them to Adam, as itis written: "This is the book of the generations 'of Adam" (Gen. v, 1), and also to Moses, as it says: "And. fhe showed him all the land" (Deut. xy, 2), which we n= 'erpret to mean that God showed him all coming generations and leaders and prophets. So here with Israel. The words "who are these" have thus @ double meaning (liter and metaphorical), and hence Joseph answered: "They are my sons whom God hath given me here." 'That Israel sa here through the Holy Spit is proved by the words, "God hath Jee me ace thy teed sles", where the augmentative word "also" brings in his descendants, as we have explained, AND HE BLESSED JosEPH AND satD. 'This statement seems inaccurate, since on reading further we find that he did not bless Joseph at all, but only his sons, R. Jose solved the difficulty by stating that in blessing the sons Jacob blessed Joseph also, since the blessing of a man's sone is his own blessing. R. Eleazar said thatthe object ofthe verb "blessed" is the partic eth, which alludes to the sign of the covenant. 'When Joseph said "they are my sons", Jacob blessed that place which symbolizes the Covenant that Joseph kept. In the next words, "The God before whom my fathers Abraham 'and Isaac did walk" the word God alludes to the holy Covenant, and the elder patriarchs Abraham and Isaac were

330ite zoHaR 1h [2276-2280
literally "before" this, because that place derives nourish= iment and sustenance from them, Jacob continued; Gop (Elohim) waticn HATH FED Me, In repeating. the 'wr Elohin, he Messed that place with a reference to Blain Hayyim (Living God), the source of life and of blesing. On that account he mentioned himself at this point, saying, "the God who blesed me", because all blessings that flow from the source of life are first received by Jaceb, and thereupon this place is blessed, and all is made dependent on the male. From here we leara that wherever blessings are to be be- stowed, God should be blessed first: otheraise the be willnot be [2284] fulfiled. The blessing which Isaac bestowed on Jacob is no exception to this rule, because he said fist, ""bchold the smell of my son is like the smell of field which the Lord hath blessed", where the field isan allusion to that field which isthe source of blessings. Note that in the morn ingga man should firstbless God and only then give his preet- ing to his fellow-men, 'When Jacob was about to bless Joseph's sons, he saw by the Holy Spirit that Jeroboam the son of Nebat would ise from Ephraim, and he exclaimed, "Who are these 2", the word "these" (eleh) being an allusion to idols, The reason i that besides the evil serpent there is one that rides on it and when they are joined together they are called. "these" and they visit the world with al their hosts 'The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, i called "this", and is symbolized by the covenant ofthe holy imprint which is ever on a:man's body. Hence we find writen, "These also shall forget" (Is.xu1%, 15), and again, "For these I am weeping" (Ubid. 16), that sin being the cause to us of endless weeping: oF alternatively, because this place was allowed to gain dominion over Israel and to destroy the Temple, the word "I" (ani) in this case feferring tothe Holy Spirit. It may be asked, on this bypo= thesis, what are we to make ofthe words""These are the words of the covenant" ? 'The answer is that the word "these" is, here alo appropriate, because the words ofthe covenant are established by "these", since they are the abode of all curses, which avait all who iransgress the covenant. Similarly it is vitten, "These arethe precepts hich he Lord commanded", 228e-2288) vavent 33 because the object of all the precepts is to purify man 'that he should not stray from the right path and should keep far away from there. Hence, too, itis written, "These are the generations of Noah', because they included Ham the father of Canaan, who was accursed. The spirit of ele 'x the "dcoss of gold", Aaron in the wilderness offered 'gold, which was his own affinity, since he was endowed with the strength of fire, and fire and gold are all one, but the 'unclean spirit which haunts the wilderness found at that time a place on which to fasten, and so Israel, after being freed at Mount Sinai from the primeval defilement which Jhrought death into the worl, afterwards incurred i again and. brought death upon themselves and all their descendants, Hence, when Jacob sav in his mind's eye Jeroboam son of Nebat, who made an idol and stid, "These are thy gods, O. he trembled and said, "Who are these 2". Hence when fe came afterwards to bless them, he first blessed Elohim and thon blessed them from that source. R. Judsh discoursed here on the text: Then Hezehiah turned his face unto the wall and prayed unto the Lord (Is. xxxvitt, 2} He said: 'We have derived from this verse the Jesson thata man in praying should stand near the wall, with nothing intervening between himself and the wall. Now the 'question may be asked, why does i say of Hezekiah in par- tigilar thay he turned his face tothe wal, and of no one else 'who offered prayer, though wih no less devotion, instance, Moses, of whom its written that he prayed to the 'Lord (bid. xvi, 4), and he "ered to the Lord' (Ex. x¥, 25)? [228] Thereason is as follows. Hezekiah, xs tradition tells us, 'was at tha time not married and had no children. Isaiah live', ie. as tradition explains, and not liven the next world' tobeget children 'world, and his soul is his is the punishment referred to in the Lawby the 'words, "They shall die childless" (Lev. xx, 20), Further, the 'Shekinah does not rest upon him a all. Hence Hezekiah "set his face tothe wall", that isto say, he made a resolution to aR THE ZOMAR IT [2285 take a wife in order that the Shekinah, which is symbolized 'bya wall, might rest upon him, and hence the text continues, "and he prayed unto the Lord". From here we learn that anyone who is conscious ofa sin for which he means to ask forgiveness should first form a resolution to cure himself of that sin and then offer his prayer, as itis written: "Let us search and try our ways" ist, and then, "turn again unto the Lord! (Lam. 1, 40). So Hezekiah, recognizing his fault, set his mind to put himself right with the Shekinah, the place against which he sinned. For all females are in the shelter of the Shekinah, and it abides with one who has a wife, but not with one who has none, and therefore Hezekiah first resolved tomarry, and then offered his prayer. In regard to the actual language of his prayer, the words "Remember nov, O Lord, Thescech thee, how T have walked before thee" allude to the fact of his having kept the holy covenant without defling it; the words "in truth and with a perfect heart" denote that he clung to all the principles of faith which are comprised under the word "truth", and the words "and have done that which, good in thy sight" indicate that in praying he always concentrated his mind upon declaring the unity of God with fall conviction. Finally, Hezekiah "wept sore", because there is no door which remains closed to tears" 'Tue NOEL Wio NeDeRMED aE FROM ALL 2vIL. This the angel who takes part in every deliverance. R. Eleazar said: 'After Jacob had mentally carried the blessings from to the upper sphere, he then drew them from the the lower. Thus he first said: "The God wich hath 'et the blessings in that place, he said "the angel who redeemed me R. Eleazar further said 'eis writen: "For the Cherubioy spread forth their wings over the place ofthe ak" (1 Kings 8,7). The Cherul were kept in thee place miraculously, and three ies a day they used to spread ot thie wings and cover the ark. They vere a representation of the upper Cherubim and had the form of children, and they stood beneath that place on the right and the left. They were the first recipients of the bles- {ngs which lowed from abwne, and tansmiteed them further, 2286-2294) vaveut 333 and this is the meaning of the words, "the ange! who blessed me", that is the angel frst received blessings from the beings above, and with them bim, and from them blesings were transmitted from the 'upper to the lower creatures. [2294] RR, Hiya discoursed on the verse: House ond sealth are an inheritance from parents, bt from the Lord is a prudent (roe. xts, 14). "When God gives a house and money to.a rman," he sad, 'sometimes he bequeaths the whole © and therefore thes things, although they are ultimately from God, may be called "inheritance of parents". But the possession ofa good wife comes to man only from God. For God mates couples before they are born, and when a man ia 'worthy he obtains 2 wife according to his deserts. Sometimes 'ithappens that after the lot has been cast, that man perverts 'his ways, and chen his mate is transferred to another until he rectfes his ways, or else until his time comes, and then the 'ther is removed to make way for him andl he Comes into his 'ovn; and this is grievous inthe sight of God, to remove one 'man to make way for another. Nor is it only a prudent wife 'whois ftom God. Forif God has purposed to bestow benefits 'on a man, but he goes astray tothe "other side", then from that other side to which he cleaves there shall come to him fone who shall bring upon him all accusations and al ills. [ence ofthe wife who isnot prudent Solomon said: "And T find that woman more biter than death" (Eccl, vt, 26), because it is the man's sins which have drawn her on him. Hence, when God is pleased with a man, he provides for

44wife who is prudent, and redeems him from the other side,
Hence Jacob sid, "the angel who hath redeemed me from wrong', meaning that a wife had not been assigned 0 from the "other side", and that there was no defect in seed all of them being righteous and perfect. SHALL mess THE CHILDREN. They were deserving of blessing because Joseph had kept the sign of the holy cove sat. When Joseph sai, "they are my sons whom God has given me here", he showed his father the sign ofthe covenant 'which he had kept, and therefore they were meet forblessing, a4 'rue 20HAK 11 [e2ga-2298 and he also was deserving of blestng in abundance. Hence Jacc give the ethers only one Blessing? but wm Joweph many blessings, a it says, the blessings of thy father shall be upon the head af Joseph (Gen. 313%, 26) R, Judah discoursed on the verse: Unto tle dF lft up sine es, Otho that ites the heacens (Pa, sit, 2), He Sid: Prayer offered with tre devotion is directed on high to the supemal recess, fom wheter issue all esings ad all fredorm, to support the universe. Its atuched above to the mystery of the supreme Wado, and its tached below te him who sits on the throne ofthe patriarchs which i called heaven, Hence itis written here: "Who sits nthe heavens." When the bessings issue from the superna recess, they are all received hy thi place allel heaven, an rrn thence they flow dawn till they come tothe place called the "Righteous 'One the foundation of the wor", from whence are blessed all the (heavenly) hosts and camps after thei Kind. All these heavenly legions are crowned by seventy-two fights, of which " svkle i the det of the circle is certain point from which the whole of the circumference is fed. "The house ofthe holy ef holes is the place [2398] for that sprit of all spits, where Hie hid the Inystery ofall mysteries, and when this removes, all move [As K, Hizkiahand K. Jose and R, Judah wereonce journey- ing together, R. Jose said: 'Let each one of us give some exposition of the Torah.' R. Judah thereupon began with the verse, "Remember not against us the iniquities of our fore= fahets, let thy tender mercies speedily. prevent ws" (Ps, Lxats, 8). He said; 'God in His great love for Israel allows 'no one to sit in judgement on them save Himself, and when He tries them, He is filled with compassion for ther like a father for hi children, and when He finds they have done 'wrong, He removes thei offences one by one until there ate 'none left to place them in the power of the other side. Hence fe says, "let thy: mercies prevent us, becalse otherwise Israel would not be able to exis, in face of all the accusers and all the adversaties who are lying in wait for them above, the sete Chiang, The Shek, 2396-2300] VavEtT 335 'ence it continues "for we are very pooe", that is, poor in ood deeds in the sight of God. For were Israel rich in goed. deeds before God, idolatrous nations would not be able 0 'exist inthe world, Itis Isacl who enable other nations to hold 'their head high, because but for ther sins the nations would be subdued before them. And, as we have already sid, had 'not Israel by thei sins brought the other side into the Holy 'Land, theidolatrous nations would not have gained possession land Israel would not have been exiled from ther land, 'Hence, because "we are brought very low", therefore "let 'thy tender mercies speedily prevent R. Jose discoursed on the verse: "Serve the Lord with lads, come before hia presence with singing" (Po. ¢ 'He said: "The service of prayer offered by man to the Holy 'One, blessed be He, should be carried out with gladness and 'with singing, 0 that he may associate with him the Com- 'munity of Israc and then he should prochmn the unity in the fiting manner, sit says:""Know ye thatthe Lord he is God" (hid. 3). 'These two acovities of gladness and song corre- Spon te thet prayersof morningand aeroon, and to the two daly sacrifices—gladness in the morning and singing in the afteraoon. The evening prayer, on the other hand i 'optional, because at that time she (te Shekinah) is distribu- ting sustenance to all her hosts, and iti» not the time for blessing, In the daytime she is to be blesed from these two -ides, morning and afternoon, out of gladness and singing, and at night time ae divides the blesings among al inthe fitting 'manner' RR. Hizkiah took for his text the verses "Let my prayer be 'stublshed like incense before thee, the lifting of my hands like the evening oblation" (Ps. ext, 2), He said: 'It may be 'asked, why' did David mention here the oblation ofthe even- 'ng rather than (2304) of the morning? The answer may be "The offering of incense betokens joy, asi s and incense rejoice the heart" (Prov. X8v1, 0) 'Heence the high priest, when he lit the candlestick, used t0 'offer incense morning and evening (Es. xxx, 7, 8): in the 'morning, because that isthe natural season of joy, and in the 'evening to rejoice the leit side, as befits, We see, then, that

336que zonAR 11 [2300
incense always betokened joy. Further, the incense links and 'unites upper and lower, andl ao removes death and wrath and Accusation fromthe world and prevents them from prevatling lover it; it was through the incense that Aaron stayed the plague. Hence the incense symbolizes universal joy and universal union. Now David offered the prayer we have quoted at the time of the afternoon oblation, when the world is under the agis of justice, and he meant it to ascend and remove the wrath that war prevalent at that houe like the incense which removes wrath and acusation; hence he men- tioned the "oblaton of eventide", the time when punishment descends on the world. Observe that the Temple was burnt at the time of the evening oblation, as itis written: "Woe to us because the day hath declined ard the shidows of evening. stretch out" (Jer. vi, 3). The "shadows of evening" are the accusers and the punishinents which are abroad at that hour. Hence we have learnt that a man should say the afternoon prayer with spesial devotion, even more than other prayers. Hence, too, it was that Isaac instituted the afternoon prayer, as we have already explained." {As they procesded they came to & mountain. Said R. Jose: "This mountain is very formidable, let us keep clear of it! Said R. Judah: 'If T were alone T should think the same, since we have learnt that he who travels alone makes his life forfeit. But this does not apply to three, all the more seeing. that each one of us is worthy to be accompanied by the Shekinah.' Said R. Jose: 'But we have Jearnt that « man should not rely on a miracle, aince even Samiel said: "How ccan I go? If Saul hear it, he will kill me" (1 Sam. xv, 2), and hhe was more werthy than we are.' He replied: "Even 8, he 'was by himself and the danger was obvious, whereas we are three and there ino danger actually in sight. For if iis evil spirits you are afraid of, we have learnt that they do not show themselves to three or harm them, and if iis robbers, there are none here, because this mountain is far from any inhabited spot, and people never pass here. 'The only thing 'we have to be afraid of is wild beasts. Scripture speaks of Shekinah, who continually accompanies a man and leaves 2300-2308] vaveut a7 hhim not so long ashe Keeps the precepts of the Law. Hence a 'man should be careful not to go on the road alone, that isto say, he should diligently keep the precepts of the Law in 'order that he may aot be deserted by the Shekinab, and so be forced to go alone without the accompaniment of the She- kinah. Henee, before starting on journey a man should frst address his prayer to God in order that he may draw the Shekinah to himself, to be protected by it on the road and delivered from all hrm. So Jacob, on setting out, said: "If God shall be with me", i. if the Shekinah will accompany te, "and keep me in this way" (Gen. xxvit, 20), to deliver ime from all harm. Now Jacob was alone [2360] at that time, bbut the Shekinah went with him; all che more so then will it accompany the Companions who discourse on the Torah." Said, Jose: 'What are we to do ?1f we remain here we shall be overtaken by night; if we commence to ascend, the moun- tain is very high, and there is danger from wild Beasts." Said RR, Judah: "I am surprised at you, R. Jose." He replied: 'We have learnt that a man should not rely on a miracle, for God does not perform miracles at all times." He answered: "That applies only when a man is by himsel. But we are three. and 'words of Torah pass between us and the Shekinah is with us; therefore we have no need to fear. As they went on, they perceived on the mountain a roc in which was a cave. Said R, Judah: "Let us go up to yonder rock, as I see there a cave,' So they went up there. Said R. Jose: 'Perhaps there are wild beasts in this cave which will attack us Suid R. Judah to R. Hizkiah: "Why is R. Jose 80 afraid ? He is nota sinner that he should fear, and we read that 'the righteoes is bold like a lion" (Prov. xxv, 1) "Tvisbecause we are wilully exposing ourselves te replied: 'If that were so, you would be right, but there is no danger apparent here, and once we enter the cave no danger will follow us,' So they went into the eave. R. Judah then sid: 'Let us divide the night into three watches, and let ech one of us stand to his post in one of 'them and let us all keep awake." R. Judah then commenced with the text: "Maskil to Ethan the Eerahite™ (Ps, txxxts, 1). He said: "This psalm was a3 'THE 2ONAR I [ayob-231a lutte by our father Abrabam when he devoted himself to the service of his Master and eanfersed on mankind the boon 'of teaching them to acknowledge God as ruler of the works and he was called Ethan (lit, strong) because be clung strongly to God," will sing of the mercies of the Lord for fever." Song. comes from the side of the Left, not of Hesed (Merey); 20 by this exordium the side of the Left was em brace in the Right. Tt was for this purpose (to combine Left with Right) that God tried Abraham, in order that he might bbe found to unite justice with merey, and s0 be perfect. Hence he could say: I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever." He continued: "With my mouth will rake known, thy faithfulness to all generations." This refers to the faith fulness of God in making Abraham known in the world and causing his name to be in the mouth ofall creatures. God made known to Abraham the tue principle of faith, and he thereupon realised that he was the foundation and support of the universe. For when God ereated the universe, He saw thu it could not endure unless He stretched forth His right hand to it. For this world was created under the aegis of Justice, and it was not established save by the right hand, 'nce Abratimn continued: sid, the world is bulk up on 'mercy (Heed), the frst step in the building up of the world having been the light of the first day. 'Then on the sceond day the Left came ino pay and with it was esublished the heaven, as it says: "Thou establishest the heavens, thy faithfulness isin ther," (This may alo be explained to mean that the heavens were established by those mercies of the firs day, and that the mystery of faith was established in them, the heavens being the bulwark of faith.) The txt con= tinues: "have made a civenane with my chosen." This 'covenantis the secret of faith, Or wemay interpret thechosen 'one of f23ta] the Zaddik feom whom issue blessings to all the lower eteation, all the boly Hayyoth being blested from 'the stream which flows forth to the lower world. "I have 'sworn unto David my servane", to wit, that he will rays be 'established in this Zaddit the foundation of the worl, save inthe time of galuth, when the flow of blessing is cut off, and faith is defective, and all joy is banished, During this period, aaa) vavent 339 _at nightfall, joy no longer enters before the King. Yer, though 'eoicings do not enter, angels stand outside and chant hymns, and at midnight when the impulse from below arrives on high, God arouses all the hosts ofthe heaven for lamentation and sssikes the firmament, causing upper and lower worlds (0 quake; nor is there any respite save when those below com= 'mence t study the Torah, Then God and all those with Him lisen with joy to that voice and relief i felt. For on the day 'on which the Sanctuary below was destroyed, God swore that He would not enter the celestial Jerusalem until Iscel should eter the earthly Jerusalem. Now all those singers sand out side and chant hymns inthe three watches of the aight and intone praies, and all the Hoste of the heavens sing at night and Israel by day, nor isthe sanctification rected above until itis recited by Israel below, and only then do all the hosts of heaven sanctify the holy same together. Hence, Israel are holy and are sanctified by upper and lower angels, since the sanctification ofthe holy tame is complete only when utered above and below together. R, Jose dicoursed on the verse: Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? (Job xxxvtt, 6), He sid 'When 'God created the world, He established itn Seven pillars, but 'upon what those pillars rest no one may know, since itis 8 retondite and inscrutable mystery. The world did not come Jt being until God took a certain stone, which is called the "foundation stone", and cast it into the abyas so that it held fast there, and from it the world was planted, This is the central point of the universe, and on this point stands the holy of holies, 'This is the stone referred to in the verses, "Who laid the corner-swne thereot" (Zhi. 6), "the stone of testing, the precious comer-none" (Is. xxvtn, 16), and "the stone that the builders despize became the heal of the comer" (Ps, cavit, 22). This stone is compounded of fire, 'water, and air, and tests onthe abyss. Sometimes water flows. from it and fills the deep. This stone is set as 2 sign in the centre of the world. Ita referred. to in the words, "And 'aco took a stone and set casa pillar" (Gen. 20,4 that he took thi stone, which wav ereaed From the bepinning, tout he established it above and below, by making there & 4° 'Tue Z0NAR IT [231a-a50b "house of God", 'This stone has on it seven eyes, as it is writ- ten, "On one stone seven eyes" (Zech. 11, 9), and it ie called "foundation stone", for one thing because'the world wat planted from it, and for another because God set it as 2 source 'of blessing tothe world, Nove at sunset, the Cherubim which stood in that place used to strike their wings together and spread them out, and when the sound of the beating oftheir 'wings vas heard above, those angels who chanted hymns in the night began to sing, in order thatthe glory af God might ascend from below on high. The striking of the Cherubim's wings itself intoned the psalm, "Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord . 'up your hands to the sanctuary, etc." (Ps. cxex was the signal for the hheavenly angels to commence. At the second watch [2316] the Cherubim again beat thei wings, wiving the signal to the angels of that watch. 'The paalm of the Cherahim this time 'was "They that trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion, ete." (Ps, cxxy). At the third watch the Cherubim beat their wings fo the words "Hallelujah, praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name ofthe Lord" (Ps. extt), and then the angels of the third watch commenced to sing, and alk all the stars and constellations of the heaven, as itis written: "When the 'morning stra sung together and all the sons of God shouted for joy" (Job xxv, 7), and also, "Praise him all ye stars of light' (PS. exuvin, 3), these being the radiant tars which are appointed to sing at dawn. After them Iaael takeup the chant below, and so the glory of Ged ascends both from below and. from above, from larael below in the day, and from the 'celestial angels above in the right, and go the name of God is fully praised on all sides. As for this stone that we have 'mentioned, all the angels above and Israel below take hold

6it, and it ascends to he erowned in the midst of the
patriarchs by day. At night the Holy One, blessed be He, 'comes to disnort Himself with the righteous in the Garden 'of Eden, Blessed are those who stand at their posts and study the Torah a night, because God and all the righteous in the Garden of Hiden listen to the yotee of those sons of men who study the Torah." "That stone we have mentioned i a goodly stone, and itis, ayib-a2] vaveut u hinted a in the verse "And thou shat et in ita setting of sone, four rows of tons" (Ex. xxv, 17), eeause there i 'nother stone of which fis written "And I shall remove the heart of sone, ete." (Eick. xxv, 26). The two tablets of stone wee also hewn from this stone; and this was alo ealled "the stone of Israel" (Gen, x11X, 24), a8 has been explained. R. Hialiah quoted the vere: "And the stone stall be accord- ing to the names of the children of lise, twelve" (Ex avis, at) He sald: "Thee ae the prcins superna stones 'which ae called "the stones of the place" (Gen. xvi, 1). 'They were "according to the names of the children of Israc" because jut a there are twelve tres below, s there are twelve tribes above, which are twelve preciovs stones; and therefore it writen: "Whither the tribes go up, even te teslee ceeded ee altetineny ad een 'Gua, 4) the reference being tothe auperal Teel, Further, just as there are twelve hours in the day, so there ae twelte 'hour inthe night, in the day above and in the night below, ach corresponding to cach. These twelve hors ofthe night ae divided ino three sts, to each of which belong hierarchies of angels which take their portion fst. Hence, at midnight two ranks stand on onesie and two on the other, and a 'cles spirit goes forth between them and then all the trees in the garden break forh into song and God enters the {arden seit says: "Then doll the ree ef the wood sng for {Py before the Lord, for he cometh to judge the earth (6 Chron. xvi, 33), Beene judgement eters among then Sind the Garden of Eden is led therewith, 'Then the north 'wind springs up, bringing jo in is Slows through the spies tees and waft Their perfume, andthe righteous put fn their crowns an fest themselves om the brightness of te "pellued mieror"—happy are they to be vouchsafed thi celestial ight! The light of thie ror shies on all sides, and elisa el Ce clues nes bs ppt potty ech 'according to his work in this world; and some of them are hashed because of the superior light obtained by their neighbours. [2324] When night commences, numbers of ofcersof judgement arse and roam aboutthe world, andthe doors st closed, at we have affirmed. 'Thus at midnight the er Tue comAR It Ferea-ageb side of the north comes down and takes postession of the night until two-thirds of it have passed. Then the side of the 'south avvakes until morning, and then both south and north take hold offt(the Shekinah). Then come Israel here below, and with their prayers and supplications raise it up unt ascends and hides itself among ther, and receives blessings from the fountain-head." 'While they were sitting midnight arrived, and R. Judah sid to R. Jose: "Now the north wind awakes und the night is divided, and now. isthe time when the Holy One, blessed be He, longs for the voice of the righteous in this world, the volce of those who study the Torah. Now God is listening to usin this place; therefore let us not cease from discoursing: fon the Torah.' He then commenced: "Tu axoet nwo netiveneo ste ros At svt This isthe camoas tc one mentioned nthe versed Tend a ange foe the, ee" (Ex 38, 20), who, a8 we have inid down, inthe deliverer of the word the protector of ranking, and the one who procres blessings forall the orld, he hitselt receiving them Rint 'This angel some cs tale, sasetes female, Whe he proces Sean for the wkd he sale aembligthe male wh provides bless or the female ur whens cores to bring cea Imes the work bets eae eal being, yee prope nt wit the agement Sila, nthe word, "te Hane tf the ord wee tacne every way (Gen 44) there rslagees the sacs ears COT eeepc ea tun themaelves into diferent shape, being" sometimes feral and sometimes mal, smc mesenger ude Imes and sorctines of ery. athe tae wy, nel fan tke all cious the tbow and wee Ga world crreapoadingy [3325] Th Jose inoorsclion the vee: The kg@ sect an, lech dg, oe chain oy, ce (Pac ceaec ay "The king heasld i God, wha loves jagoat and kes fas old ot ecaune by jlpeomat theca a eblicer By judgement, too, the Commi of lara confirmed and established, Ineine frm there tis stained, and recies 3326-2334] vavent 43 all its blessings, Hence al its desire and all its longing is for judgement. The words "Thou dost esablish equity (mesha- tim, lt. straightness)" refer to the two cherubim below ho render the world safe and habitable.' R. Hiskiah discoursed on the vere: Praize ye the Lord (altlujah), praise, ye sereant of the Lord, praise the name af the Lord. "The repetition of the word "praise" in this terse', he said, "seems somewhat pointless, but there is a 'reason for it. We have been taught that & eulogy should not he extravagant, and that to ascribe tp another merits which he does not possessis relly to reproach him; and, therefore, in recounting the prises ofa deceased person, we should say 'nly what he deserves and no more, otherwise through trying to praise we shall reily blame him. Now the word Hallelujah (it. praise ye Yah) contain the higher of all the praises of the Lord, mentioning, asit does, the plae to which no eye an 'penetrate, being most recondite and inscrutable, This is Yeh, the name which is supreme above all. Hence this pralm com- rmences with "Halleujah', a word in which praise and name are combined. Further, the subject of the word "praise" is tot specified, but just as the name Yah is undisclosed, 50 those who praise it are undisclosed, and so its fitting tha all should be undisclosed in the realm of the supreme mystery. 'But the psaimist then continues: "Praise, © ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lond", because this isa place which is not undisclosed, a place which is called Name". The fist is completely undisclosed, the second half 'undisclosed, half disclosed, and therefore the psalmist speci- fied those who praized that place, and aii that they are "the servants of the Lord', who are meet to prise this place. The text continues "Blessed be (ehi) the name of the Lord." "The word yehi consists of the name Yah and the leter yo, and indieates the continuity between that supernal and in- 'eutable place whichis Yah and the grade of the covenant 'hich is the lower yod, For this reason the word ye (et there be) in the account of the Creation, is sed aniy of the Upper productions, eg. "et there be light", "let there be a firmament", "let there be lights, but i i not used in con= section withthe [2334] lower productions. So by this word the aH THE ZOHAR 1 'Holy Name is blessed in all. The text continues 'sing ofthe sun unto the going down thereof." 'The the supernal place from skine overall, the place ofthe supernal and hidden fount head. "The "setting" is the place to which fa from which blessings issue to all, and from which the world is sustained, as has been affirmed. 'The whole depends upon the impulse from below which is given by the service of the 'Lord when they bless the Holy Name, as we have said." 'By this time the morning had dawned, and so they came ut ofthe cave, not having slept the whole night. "They went on their way, and when they got beyond the hills they sat down and said their prayers. They then came to a village where they stayed the whole day. At night they slept ill mid night, when they rose to study the Torah. R. Judah began: AND HE BLESSED THEM ON THAT DAY, SAYING: IN'THEE SHALL ISRAEL BLESS, SAYING. "The expression "that day" has an esoteric mearing, and signifies the grade wk charge of blessings above, the "day" from the supernal pace which is called "That" (Hu). Hence we translate "by the day of That", indicating that there is no separation between "day" and "That". The two signify an upper grade 'and a lower grade in conjunction, 'Thus Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph with the union of upper and lower in order that the blessings might be unalterable. He then completed the conjunction by saying, "in thee shall laael bles". The name Israel here refers to the patriarch Israel. This Tsracl receives blessings from above and then blesses all through this lower grade. Hence he ssid "God make thee at Ephra and Manasseh', putting Ephraim first because Ephrai were called Israel, as itis written: "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel" (Bsek: xxxvil, 11), where the reference according to tradition isto the members of the tribe 'of Ephraim who were killed when they tried ta break out of the captivity of Egypt before the time, For that reason, 100, the tribe of Ephraim in the wilderness journeyed on the west.t Note that Israel blessed the sons of Joseph before he blessed "Which ws tepde a the side of the Skin 2330-2338] vaveutt 34s bir own sons, which shows that a man loves his grandchil- ddren more than his children." R. Jose said: "Ie is written: "The Lord hath remembered us, he will bless, he will bless the house of Israel." 'The first *he will bless" refers to the men, and the "house of Irae!" to the women, beeause the women derive blessings only from the blessings of the men. Akermatively, this lesson may be derived from the verse: "He shall make-atonement for himself and for his house" (Lev. 'x, 6) for himself first and for his house afterwards. In this, case we may interpret the words "He shall bles the house of Isael" to mean that God gives extra blesings toa man who ismartied, in order that his wife may be blessed through him, [2338] and 50 he receives wwo portions, one for himself and 'one for his wife R discoursed on the verse: "Thine eyes did see 'mine imperfect substance, and in thy book they were all 'writen, etc." (Ps, exxxix, 16). "This verse', he sid, "has 'been frequently expounded. All the souls which came into fexstence when the world was created stand before God 'before coming down in that stme form in which they after= wards appear in the world, since that bodily appearance of rman which he had in this world is also found above. When is sou is about t0 descend into the world, it stands before Gad in the form which it sto assume in the world, and God adjures it to keep the precepts ofthe law and not to tranagress them, Hence it says: "Thine eyes saw mine imperfect form" before it appeared in the world, "and in thy book they were all written", that is to say, all the souls in their forms are recorded in'the book. The text proceeds: fashioned and there is not one arnong them" 'not one day of them in this world which ean stand before its Master as it should. For when aman is virtour in this world his days are blessed above, from that place which is the measure of his days, mentioned in the verse "Show me, © Lord, mine end, and what is the measure of my days" (Ps xxx, 5). The "end" here is the "end of the right", 'which was united with David, and the "measure of my days" 'was the power in charge of his dayo." R, Judah aaid: "have heard from R. Simeon that this verse refers tothe days which

46tie zomaR It esab-a340
'were aisgned to him out ofthe life of Adam, natney seventy. years, since it has been affirmed that David had no life of his own, but Adam gave him seventy years of his life. David therefore prayed co kaow why it was that he had no life of his 'vn, and continued, "Let me know how feeting Tarn, that is to say, why, like the moon, Iam without light of my own, unlike all those celestial lights which al have their own life. 'This is what David sought to know, but permission was not given to him. Observe that all celestial blessings were delivered to this grade 40 transmit to sll creatures, and though i has no light of ita own, all blesings and all joy and all goodness are cantained in it and isue from it, and t called "the cup of blessing", or even simply "blessing", as itis written, "The blessing ofthe Lord maketh. rich' (Prov. x, 22) Therefore it has 3 residue from all and is filled from al it receives (234a} of the supernal blessings to transmit them further." Said R. Isaac: "We know this from the fact that Jacob blessed the sons of Joseph from the plac from which all blessings had been delivered into his hand to, transmit! Axb Jacom CALLED To Is sons AND sAtD: GaTHER YOURSELVES TOGETHER, ere. R. Abba discoursed on the verse: He turned t0 the prayer of the lonely ome and did not despise their prayer (Ps. ct, 18). He said: "The use of the word "turned" here, instead of "hearkened" oF "listened", is significant. The prayer of an individual man only enters before the Holy King with great difficulty, beeause before it 'an be erowned inits place God examinesitelosely and weighs the merits and defects ofthat individual. He does not so with the prayer of a congregation; for congregational prayers are offered by many whoare not virtuous, and yet they all come before God and He does not regard their sins Therefore it 'ered and who the man that offers it and what Sut Hence man shold pray withthe congregation Beaune God does not despie thee prayer", eventhough they do sotall pray wth devoon. According to anaher explanation, 2340-34] vay 7 the word solitary" here refers to an individual whois united 'with numbers 0 wit, Jacob, who was united with two sides, and who called his sons and peaved for them that they might bbe acceptable above and not be destroyed in the captivity, 'When Jacob called sm and Isaac were there and the Shekinah with them, rejoicing in Jacob, and in the prospect of joining the patriarchs [2348] and forming with 'them a chariot, When Jacob sid to his sons, "I willl! you "what will befall you in the latter end of days", a kindof sad= 'ness came over him and the Shekinah departed. His sons, however ised ther Voces and said, "Hear, O Irae), et." and Jacob answered, "Dlessed be the name of his glorious kingdom for ever and ever and on this proclamation of the 'unity the Shekinah returned to its place. Ax Jacon cauLew. 'The werd "called" signifies that he 'tablished them in their place above and below. Similarly, 'Moses "called Hosea son of Nun, Joshua" (Num. at, 16) to establish him in his proper place. 'There js-2 similar sig- nifeance inthe expressions "Ard he called his name Jaco (Gen, 2, 36) and "the God of Isac called him El" (Gen, called from my sorrow unto the Gonah, 1, 7), signifying that one who praises is Master and addresses supplicaions to Him establishes is "Master more fry, by ahowing that all depends upon Him 'and not upon any other power. AND ite Sx1D. It ha been Jaid down that "saying" means "thinking", asin the ex- pression "And thou shalt say in thy heart" (Deut. tt, 17) ASSEMELE YOURSELVES; that is, in complete harmony: Axp TsuaLt TELL YoU. The word "tell" (apida) con ns an allison to the esoteric wisdom. He sought o reveal 'them thee nal destiny, Ie may be asked, seeing that he 'id not reveal what he sought to reveal, why are his words, Which were afterwards belied, recorded in the Seripture? "The truth is that all that was needful tobe revealed com- pletely stated, and there is a hidden meaning within, and 50 nothing i the Scripture is beled. In fact, everything is in- cluded in the Seripture, and three no word or letter sharin it, Jacob sid all that was needful for him to say, but not all cr THE ZOWAR It [a3q>-a3s¢ Dpenty, and not a letter was short of what was required. R. Judahand R, Jose were one day sitting atthe gate of Lydda, Said the laters We are tld that Jacob blessed his sons, but 'what are the blessings ? R. Judah answered: He did indeed bless them, a, for instance, "Judah, thee shall thy brethren praise", "Dan shall judge his people", "Out of Asher his bread shall be fat", and so forth; but what he sought to reveal to them he did not reveal, namely, the end. We have laid down that there isan end to the right and an en tothe left and he sought to reveal to them the end (ofthe left) in order that they might keep chemssives [235¢) pure from unclean- ness. What he revealed to them referred only to the time When they were in the Holy Land: later things were not stated openly, but are only hinted at in this sextion and in these blessings." Revven, THOU ART MY FinsTmORN, Mi MIGHT AND THE BEGINNING OF MY STRENGTH. Why did Jacob 'begin with Reuben and not rather with Judah, who was the leader ofthe camps and also king ? Further we see that he did not bless hi, nay, that he removed blessings from him sll Moses cate und prayed for hin, as it ia weittens "Let Reuben live nd not die™ (Dest. xxx, 6). The fac is, how ever, that he dd bless him, but kept the blessing for its proper plate. He was like a man who hada son, and When he teas about to die was visited by the king, wherespon he sid: "Let all my money remain in the king's hands on behalf of | -my son, and when the king sees that my aon is worthy he wil give it to him." So Jacob said: "Reuben, thou art my first= 'born, the beloved of my soul; bur ehy blessings shall remain inthe hand ofthe Holy King until He shall ee that thou art worthy of them, because thou dst go aftr thesight of thine eyes, ete." (according. to Chaldaic paraphrase of this passage) A, Hleazarhere discoursed on the verse: nd he said to me: Prophesy unt the wind, ete, (Ezek, xxxv1t 9), "There isa dif culty here,' he said, because the text continues: "Prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind", which seem a repetition, 'The truth is, however, tha there is here an esoteric lesson, 2354] VAYERT 39 'There are two adjurations here. One is give the impulke from below, since if there i no impulse fom below there is ro stiring above, Hence the words "Prophesy unto the ind" indicate the impulse from below, and. the words "Prophesy, son of man, and say" tothe impulse from above; for even after the impulse is given from telow, tht which is above receives from that which is higher still, wherefore the ues "Thus saith the Lord" The text then goes fon "Come from the four winds, 0 breath." 'The four wits are south, east, north, and west, and the breath comes fom the 'west through its conjunction with the others, and from this source issue spirits and souls to take shape in human form. "The next word, "breathe", indicates taking from one side and giving to another, inthe same way asthe sea takes and ives, and therefore "isnot full" (Rect. t.7)" R. Eleazar pur the following question to R. Simeon. 'Since itis known to God that men wll die, why does He send souls down into the world ?' He answered: "This question has heen discussed many times by the teachers, and they have answered it thus. God sends souls down to this world 10 declare His glory and takes them back afterwards. 'This mystery can be explained from the verse: "Drink water from thy cistern and flowing streams from the midst of thy well" (Prov. 4, 13). As we have laid down, the term "cistern" Aesignates the place from which the waters do not naturally flow. But they do flow when the soul is perfected in ths world and ascends to the place to which itis attached, for then itis complete on all sides, above and below. When the soul ascends, the desire of the female is stirred towards the male, and then water flaws from below upwards, and the cistern becomes a well of owing waters, and then there ix 'union ard foundation and desire and friendship and harmony, since theough the soul of the righteous that place has been completed, and the supernal love and affection has been stirred 0 form a union. Observe that Reuben and all the rest of the twelve tribes were linked with the Skekinah, and when Jacob saw: the Shekinah by him, he called to his twelve sons fo join it. From the begioning of the word there was never sa perfec a couch

350YH ZOHAR 11 [23se-23sb
4s that of Jacob when he was about [235] t0 depart from the 'world, Abraham was on his right, Istacon his ft, and he was Iying between them with the Shekinah infront of him. When Jacob saw this, he called his sons and placed them round the Shekinah and arranged them in perfeet order, so that the sathering was complete and many supernal chariots encom- passed them. 'They then exclaimed: "Thine, O Lord, is the 'reatness and the power and the glory, etc." (1 Chron. xx, 11), whereupon the sun joined the moon and the east drew near to the west, and the moon was illumined and attained fullness, and so, as tradition tells us, "Jacob our father did not die." When Jacob saw such perfection as had never been Youchsafed to any other man, he rejoiced and praised God land blessed each of his sons with the appropriate blessing. R, Jose and R. Jesse were once walking together, when the latter said: 'We have learnt that all the sons of Jacob were seranged in proper order and were blese each one with the appropriate blessing. What, then, are we to make of the verse: "Out of Asher his bread shall be fat" ? He answered: 'To not krow, because Ihave not learnt this from the Holy 'Lamp, But let us both go to the Holy Lamp.' So they went, and when they eame to R, Simeon they put ther question to him. He suid to them: 'Assuredly there san esoteric meaning here, Its writen "Asher stall a the haven ofthe sea, and abode by his creeks" (Judg.v, 17). He who dwells by the sea- shore has acess to all nnces, and Asher here signifies the stupernal gate of Zack (ighteousness) when it recives blss-

0transmit them to the world. This gate is always com
joned to send blessings to the world, and is called Asher, nd rs that place which i alled "bread of affition". This, the meaning of the words "Out of Asher his bread it that isto say, that which was bread of poverty becomes food of luxury, and hence the verse continues, "and he shall yield royal dainties": the giver here is the Community of Israel, by whom the king i fed with all lusuries, ll blessings, all joy, and all goodneas. They aaid: 'If we had been born only to hear this, it would have been worth hile." RR, Hiya sid; "Reuben was entitled to all the rights of a agst-236e) AYER 351 firstborn, but they were all taken from him and the kingship 'vas given to Judah, the birthright to Joseph, andthe priest- hood to Levi. Hence it s written: "Unstable as water, thou shalt no excel" (tthar it, he leftover); that is, thou shalt 'not retain them. In calling him "my might andthe beginning 'of my strength". Jacob biessed him and entrusted hin 10 God. He was lke a king's friend who desied that the king should teat his son wel, o one day he west outwith his son and said to the king: "This is my son, the beloved of my "soul"; whereupon the king understood that he was asking him to treat his son well, So Jacob said of Reuben, "thou art sy firstborn, ete.", thus eommending him to the King. UNSTAMLE AS WATER, THOU SHALT NOT HAVE THE [EXCELLENCY, Here he indicated his subsequent fate in not being left i the Sand, but cast outside. In return, there was fan angel appointed over his border from the side of the supernal Tabernacle, which is in charge of Michael (accord- ing to others, Gabriel), and Reuben was next to this, although, the kingihip belonged to Judah. R. Simeon said: "The sons 'of Reuben are destined to wage two wars. It is written here "my strength", alluding to the captivity of Egypt, and "the beginning of my strength", alluding to their entry into the and of Canaan at the head of their brethren (Num. xxxti), 'The words "the excellency of dignity" (lit removing) refer to the captivity of Assyria, which befell the sons of Gad and. the sons of Reuben first of all; and they have suffered many evils without repenting up to now. The words "the excellency. Of power" refer to the time when the Messiah will appear, and they will go forth and make war and conquer all peoples, 'and mankind will wemble before them; [236a] and they will 'endeavour to seize the kingship, but will not retain it notin any quarter of the world, the reason being. as the text says, because thou wentest up to thy father's fed", this being a reference to Jerusalem, The vons of Reubea have been scat~ 'ered in captivity to all four quarters of the world, having hheen taken captive four times, one referred to in the words he aecond in the words "the beginning of my " Becrse the eritory of Reuben wa crs the Jordan

352'rue 2ouan 11 fa36a
strength", the third in the words "excellency of dignity and the fourth in the wares "excelency of strength". Corre- fspondingly, they are destired to make wari the four quarters 'of the world and to cary all before them, and to conquer trany peoples and rule over them Here was revealed his blessing, and what happened at that time and what was to bbappen when Terael entered the land, and what wil happen at the time of the Messiah, as far as concerns Reuben, Simeon AND Levi ANE wnerinen. R. Isaac std: "He jeined them to the left side of the Shekinah since he saw deeds of vengeance which the world could not endure." R. Jose said: 'Whece is their blessing" R, Tsaae answered: 'Simeon was not meet fora blessing, since Jacob saw that he had wrought much evil; nor was Levi, because he eame from the side of stern justice, and blessing did not attach to him 'Eyen Moses did not bles him directly, but left it to the Almighty, asi is written' "Bless, Lord, his substance and 'accept the work of his hands" (Deut. xxx, 11). Iti written Yonder is the sea, great and wide, wherein are things creep ing innumerable, both small and great beasts" (Ps. ctv, 25). "The "sea" refers to the Shekina, which stood over Jacob witen he was about to depart from the world. It i called "great and wide" because all che world was compressed into it 'There were "'ereeping things innumerable", because 'numbers of celestial holy angels are found there} while the "small and great beasts" refer to the twelve tribes, the sons of Jacob, of wham one was called a hind, one a wolf, one a lion, and one lamb.' R, Issac said: 'First a lon, then a lamb, then a wolf, then a id, and a0 forth, a0 that there should be great and small beasts" R, Judah std: 'Simeon was an ox and came before Judah, who was lion, and the Companions have laid down that they ficed one another, one on the right and one on the left It was as if «man had a vieious ox and. said: Let us pot the figure of «lion in his stall so that he shall see it and be afraid of it. Simeon was not meet for blessing, but Moses joined him to Judah, saying: "Hear, O Lord, the vice of Judah's the word "hear alluding to Simeon, at Whose birth his mother said "For the Lord hath heard that 2360-2368] vaveut 353 Tam hated," * Said R. Judah: "The blessing of Simeon and Levi was left by ther father to Moses. Let us also leave this question to the Holy Lamp.' So they went and asked R. Simeon. He said: 'How glad Tam you have asked me,' He then clapped his hands and wept, saying: 'Who shall ope thine eyes, thou holy mirror of faith | 'Thou hast excelled in thy lifetime all the sons of men, thou hast excelled them in thy death, when thy likeness is effaced, 'The keys of thy Master have ever been celivered into thy hands. Observe Jacob had four wives and begat sons from all of them. [2304] When he was about to die the Shekinah stood over 'him, He sought to bless these two, but he was not able, being afraid of the Shckinah. He said: "What shall To, sexing 'that both of them are from the side of stern judgement ? And if try to force the Shekinah, I shall not be able, for I have had four wives, which are a complete portion. I will leave them tothe master ofthe house and he will do ashe pleases." He also sid: "I have taken my share of wives and children in this world and have had my fill how, then shall I press the 'matron more ? I will therefore leave the matter to the master 'of the matron and he will do what he pleases without fea." Hence it is written: "Now this is the blessing wherewith Moses the man of God blessed" (Deut. xaxtt, 1), The term "man" here designates Moses a the master of the house and the master of the mairon. Hence Moses blesed whom hie pleased without fear, as we have afirmed." O my sovt, come nor THOU into THEIR couNcL. I. Abba discoursed on the verse: The secret of the Lord is for them that fear ha, "The secret of the Lora", be sai, "is the reeodite doctrine af the Tarah which God ony gives to those who fear sin, and itis the sign ofthe holy covenant. Simeon and. Levi insisted that the men of Shechem should siteumcise themselves and accept this secre, and the Serip- ture tells us tha it-was "vith guile". Later; Zim, the son 'of Salu, who was of the tise af Simeon, nullified ths secret. Hence Jacob said= "Let not my soul enter into their secret" —that soul whichenteredintotheaupernaleovenantabove and was ciled "the bundle oflife". Unto Tarim assemay,

354que zouan tt [236b-2370
MY GLORY BE NoT THOU UNITED. 'This has been ex- plained to seer to the smsembly. of Karah (Nam. xvt, 19). My honoue" here refers to the honour of the people of Israel in general, and thereforetheir father didnot bless them, but left them t9 Moses." I wiLt piviDE THEM IN JACOB. Ri. Hiya said: 'From this verse we lear that these two tribes, 'were never again united, and so it was meet, and there is no 'generation ia which their punslhment does not descend upon the world, and great is the number of beggars smong them." JUAN, THEE SHALL THY mETHIEN PRALSE, THY WAND SHALL. DE ON THE NECK OF THY ENEMIES. R. Jose dis- 'coursed hereon the verse: He made the moon for season (Ps. fy, 19). "Gaal, he said, 'made the moon for as to sinetfy by it ew moons and new yeas, Now the mous never shines except fom the reflection of the sun, and when the sun is aloft the moon does not appear, but only when the sun is gathered in does the moon rule the heavens, and the moon is St no account save when the sun is gathered in, God made both of them so give light and also "Tor signs", to wit, Sab- baths "and for seasons", to wit, featival, "ard for day toi, new moons, "and for year, 10 wit, New Year days,

1thatthe Gentiles should reckon by the sun and Israel by
the moon, 'This accords with R. Elessat's exposition of the terse: ""Thhou hast moiplied the nation, chou hast increased its joy" (Is 1% 2), where he refers "nation" to Israel and "tothe moon, which gained accession of ight fo the sake of Israel, Which are superior, Israel or the Gentiles? "Assutedly, the moon [2374] i highest, and the sun of the Gentiles under this moon, and thi wan derives ight fom this moon, See, then, the difeence between laral and the nations. Isr cling to the toon and are Knked with the superal sun, and are attached othe place which gives light to the superal sun, as iis writen: "But ye who cleave to the Lord, arealive every one of you this day" (Deut. 1, 4) JUDAN, THEE SHALL THY mRETHIREN PRAE eon said: "The kingship was assigned to Judi hence Leah, as we have expliined, suid at the time of his 2379] vayeut 355 birth: "This time I shall praise the Lond, because he was 'the fourth, the fourth leg of the throne. 'The letters yod, he, 'ea of his name are the impress of the supernal name, and they wete completed by a daleth, which represents the second 'hé ofthe sacred name, 90 that this name s found completely in Juchh's name. Hence 'Thy brethren shall praise thee", bbecause the kingship is mect to remain with thee, Veris, 'Juda sill walketh with God, and i fathful with the holy 'ones (Hosea, x1, 12) These holy onesarethe supernal anges, 'who al acknowledge him and call him fathful. Therefore he is first in everything, and king overall R Simeon discoursed fon the verse: "The all-honoured daughter of the king is within" (Ps. mtx, 14). "The "allshonoured one" isthe Come 'munity of fsrae, whois called the daughter ofthe king, the supreme King, who is within, because there is another king Who isnot so far within. The "clothing" of this honoured 'daughter ofthe king is "inwrought with gold", because she is clothed and encompased with supernal might (Gebural), 'which also is called "hing". On this account the earth i 'established, namely, when she takes hold of judgement, and this we call "the kingdom of heaven', Judah took hold of this and inherited the kingdom of the earth." R, Judah and R. Isaac were once traveling together. Sid Tans: "Let ue ditenuree on the Torche we go along He began with the text: And he drove out the man, and he laced at the vast of the garden of Eden, ete. "The word vayegarah (and be drove out)', he said, may, the Companions have 'explained, be translated "and he divoreed". The accusative particle eh here hasan esoteric meaning. Adar was panished for hissin, and brought death upon himself and all the world, and caused that tree in regard to which hesinned to be driven and his descendants for ever, It says 'placed the cherubim on the east of the ; these were the lower cherubim, for as there are cherubim above, so there are cherubim below. and he spread this tree over them, 'The "flame of a sword' refers

1the fames offre which issue from that Rashing sword. It
is said to "turn every way" because it sucks from two sides, and tums from one side to another. Another explanation is,

354que zouan tt [236b-2370
MY GLORY BE NoT THOU UNITED. 'This has been ex- plained to seer to the smsembly. of Karah (Nam. xvt, 19). My honoue" here refers to the honour of the people of Israel in general, and thereforetheir father didnot bless them, but left them t9 Moses." I wiLt piviDE THEM IN JACOB. Ri. Hiya said: 'From this verse we lear that these two tribes, 'were never again united, and so it was meet, and there is no 'generation ia which their punslhment does not descend upon the world, and great is the number of beggars smong them." JUAN, THEE SHALL THY mETHIEN PRALSE, THY WAND SHALL. DE ON THE NECK OF THY ENEMIES. R. Jose dis- 'coursed hereon the verse: He made the moon for season (Ps. fy, 19). "Gaal, he said, 'made the moon for as to sinetfy by it ew moons and new yeas, Now the mous never shines except fom the reflection of the sun, and when the sun is aloft the moon does not appear, but only when the sun is gathered in does the moon rule the heavens, and the moon is St no account save when the sun is gathered in, God made both of them so give light and also "Tor signs", to wit, Sab- baths "and for seasons", to wit, featival, "ard for day toi, new moons, "and for year, 10 wit, New Year days,

1thatthe Gentiles should reckon by the sun and Israel by
the moon, 'This accords with R. Elessat's exposition of the terse: ""Thhou hast moiplied the nation, chou hast increased its joy" (Is 1% 2), where he refers "nation" to Israel and "tothe moon, which gained accession of ight fo the sake of Israel, Which are superior, Israel or the Gentiles? "Assutedly, the moon [2374] i highest, and the sun of the Gentiles under this moon, and thi wan derives ight fom this moon, See, then, the difeence between laral and the nations. Isr cling to the toon and are Knked with the superal sun, and are attached othe place which gives light to the superal sun, as iis writen: "But ye who cleave to the Lord, arealive every one of you this day" (Deut. 1, 4) JUDAN, THEE SHALL THY mRETHIREN PRAE eon said: "The kingship was assigned to Judi hence Leah, as we have expliined, suid at the time of his 2379] vayeut 355 birth: "This time I shall praise the Lond, because he was 'the fourth, the fourth leg of the throne. 'The letters yod, he, 'ea of his name are the impress of the supernal name, and they wete completed by a daleth, which represents the second 'hé ofthe sacred name, 90 that this name s found completely in Juchh's name. Hence 'Thy brethren shall praise thee", bbecause the kingship is mect to remain with thee, Veris, 'Juda sill walketh with God, and i fathful with the holy 'ones (Hosea, x1, 12) These holy onesarethe supernal anges, 'who al acknowledge him and call him fathful. Therefore he is first in everything, and king overall R Simeon discoursed fon the verse: "The all-honoured daughter of the king is within" (Ps. mtx, 14). "The "allshonoured one" isthe Come 'munity of fsrae, whois called the daughter ofthe king, the supreme King, who is within, because there is another king Who isnot so far within. The "clothing" of this honoured 'daughter ofthe king is "inwrought with gold", because she is clothed and encompased with supernal might (Gebural), 'which also is called "hing". On this account the earth i 'established, namely, when she takes hold of judgement, and this we call "the kingdom of heaven', Judah took hold of this and inherited the kingdom of the earth." R, Judah and R. Isaac were once traveling together. Sid Tans: "Let ue ditenuree on the Torche we go along He began with the text: And he drove out the man, and he laced at the vast of the garden of Eden, ete. "The word vayegarah (and be drove out)', he said, may, the Companions have 'explained, be translated "and he divoreed". The accusative particle eh here hasan esoteric meaning. Adar was panished for hissin, and brought death upon himself and all the world, and caused that tree in regard to which hesinned to be driven and his descendants for ever, It says 'placed the cherubim on the east of the ; these were the lower cherubim, for as there are cherubim above, so there are cherubim below. and he spread this tree over them, 'The "flame of a sword' refers

1the fames offre which issue from that Rashing sword. It
is said to "turn every way" because it sucks from two sides, and tums from one side to another. Another explanation is,

356THE ZOMAR IT (es7e-a376
that the lames suen about, being sometimes men and some- times women.' Said R. Judah: *"Thisis certainly correct, that 'Adam caused that wee through which he sinned to be driven fut; and so, also, do other men, as it is written: "Through Your transgressions your mother is sent away" (Is. 1, 1). Sull 'you are right, that the sword eth refers to the perfecion of 'man, and from that day the moon was impaired until Noah 'came and entered the ark. Then came sinners, and it was 'haired again until Abraham cane, and it was established perfectly through Jacob and his sans, and Judah earae and 'wok hold oni, and seized the kingship and took possession of itasan everlasting inheritance for himself and his sons after him, Juoau, THEE SHALL THY DRETHREN PRAISE: When Israel were at the Red Sea, they ll praised him and entered. after hin into the sea. THY HAND SHALL BE OX THE NECK OF THY ENEMIES, ab it says, "Judah shall go. up first" (udg. 1, 2). Tue sons OF TRY FATHER SHALL BOW DOWN To THEE: this includes all the other tribes, 'even though from other mothers. And even when Israel was split into two Kingdoms, when the people went up to Jeru- salem they used to bow down to the king there, because the kingship in Jerusalem [237] was derived from the haly king- dom. SHALL now DOWN mEFORE THEE. They only, but not other peoples, who will only bow down at the time ofthe, 'Messiah. But here the expressian only indicates Israel, all of 'whom would tw down to the Rxilarch in Babylon, but not 'other peoples. JupaN 15 4 1105's WHELP: first he will be a whelp, and then a fon, corresponding to the transition from "lad"! to "man", as itis written: "The Lord is aman of war" (Ex, Xv, 3). From THE PREY, MY SOx, THOU ART GONE UP, 'The word "prey" includes the angel of death, who preys ya mankind. From that prey the Shekinah shook itself Tt "stooped down" in the captivity of Babylon, 'couched in the captivity of Eden, "as a lion!" which "ha: Metnton 2378] vareut 357 strong and as a "lioness" which is stronger, So Israel are strong, because though the Gentiles entice and oppress them, they adhere to ther laws and their customs lke lion and a lioness. So, too, the Shekinah, which, although it is fallen, remains strong like a lion and a lioness. For just as these erouch only to spring upon their prey, which they smel fom afar, so the Shekinah only crouches to take vengeance on idolaters and to spring upon them. WHO SHALL novse 'tia Ur. He will not rise tu take any petty vengeance. The word "who" (Mi) here indicates the supernal world, which has dominion over ll; its similarly used in the verse "From the womb of whom (Mi) came the ice" (Job xxxvit, 29) 38 we have explained. 'Tux soxerns suatt sor oerane Faont Joan, #7 'The word Shilo, her, is spelt with both a yod and hg to allude tothe holy supernal name, Yah by which the Shekinah shall rise; and this also the allusion of Mi, as we have ssid, RR. Hiya discoursed an the verse: The Lard shall heep thee from all ec, he shall hep thy sou. "The words "He shal keep thee," he said, 'refer to this word, and "he shall keep thy soul" fo the nex world, By "Keeping in this world" 8 meant that a man i protected from many evil accuses who seek to bring charges against him and to cling fast to him. By preservation inthe nest worlds meant, as we have explained, that when a man departs from this word, if he is vetdous his soul ascends and iscrowned in its place, and if not, numbers Of demons are at hand to drag him to Gehinnom and to deliver him into the hands of Duma, who has been made shief of demons, and who has twelve thousand myriads of antendant all charged to punish the souls of sinners. There are in Gehinoom seven circuits and seven gates, each with several gute-kecpens under their own chi 'The souls of sinners are delivered by Duma to thote ate-keepers, who then close the gates of faring fire, There are gates behind ates, the outer ones remaining open while the inner ones are slosed. On Sabbath, however, they are all open, and the sin ners go forth, as far asthe over gates, where they meet other souls which tarry there. When Sabbath goes out, a herald 'rue roman 11 [237b-2380 at each gate: "Let the wicked return to. She 'Now God protect: the souls of the righteous from being dolivered into the hands of Duma, and that is the meaning fof the words "he shall keep thy soul." * (2384) Bixpine itis voat unto THe vine. The vine is the 'Community of Irae, socalled also in the verse: "Thou didst remove a vine from Egypt" (Pa. uxxx, 9). By "his foal" is 'meant the Messiah, who is destined to rule overall the hosts of the peoples, that is to say, the heavenly hosts who have charge of the Gentiles, and from hom they derive their strength. The Mesiah will prevail over them, because this 'dominates all those lower crowns through which the Gentiles have dominion. 'This will be the victory above. Israel, who are "a choice vine", will eoquer and destroy other hosts helow; and the Messiah wil prevail over all, 'Hence itis writen of him that he wil be "poor and riding on ast and on a young aes colt" (Zech 1x, 9). "Colt and 'as are two crowns by virtue of which the Gentiles have dominion, and theyare from the letside, the side of unclean ness. It is strange that the Messiah should be called "poor R. Simeon explained that itis because he has nothing of his 'own, and he is compared to the holy moon above, which has tio ight save from the sun. 'This Messiah will have dominion and 'will be established in. his place, Below he is "poor", because he is of the side of the moon, and above he is poor, "mirror which does not radiate", "the bread of 'Yet withal he "rides upon an ass and upon a ", fo overthrow the strength of the Gentiles; and God will Keep him frm, He navi Wasueo His GARMENT 1x wise, With this 'may be compared the verse: "Who is thes that cometh fom jon, with dyed garments from Bozeah 2" (Is. 1x have trodden the winepress alone, et." to the side of Geburah, of stern justice which will be visited on the idolatrous AND Hts YESTORE IN THLE BLOOD OF GRAT the lower- 'orld tree, the judgement court which i called "grapes, in 2380-2380] vaveyt 359 'which the "wine" is kept. 'Thus the Messiah will be clothed. in both to crush beneath him all the idolatrous peoples and RR, Jose discoursed on the verse; "And on the vine were three branches, and. it was as though it budded and its Dblossoms shet forth." "How litle he sad, 'do men care for the glory of their Master or pay heed to the words of the Torah! At first_ prophecy was vouchsafed ta men, and through it they knew the glory of God. When prophecy ceased, they had a bath-hol, but now they have nothing but dreams. Dream 1s a lower grade, being one-sixtieth of prophecy, and it is vouchsafed to everyone, since it comes from the left side. Tt comes down in various grades, and is shown even to sinners and even to Gentiles. Sometimes the dream is carted by evil demons who make mock of men and 'show them false things; and sometimes it is sent to sianers and tells them things of importance. Now this sinner, 'Pharaoh's butler, saa true dream, 'The vine represented the Community of Israel, which was called by the psalmist "this vine" (Ps. uxxx, 13). The three branches have the same reference as the three flocks of sheep which Jacob saw by the Well, (Gen. 121x, 2). Its blossoming typifies the time of Solomon, when the moon was illumined, 'The buds represent 'the fower Jerusalem, or, according to another explanation, the {grid which is over it and gives eustenance to it [2386] The Clasters thereof brought forth ripe grapes, in which to keep the precious wine, All this was seen by that sinner. Further, hhe saw the cup of Pharaoh in his hands; this is the cup of 'confusion which sucks in from the court of judgement and 'hich issued from the grapes that were given to Pharaoh; and hhe drank it a it was, on account of larael, When Joseph hheaed this he rejniced, remarking the truth which the deears 'contained, and therefore he gave it a good interpretation. 'Thus the words "binding his fos! unto the vine" indicate that all the forces of the Gentiles are to be subdued beneath heaven to ive the Jewish people guidance or warning; and thi wascsled pts bea sho THE ZOMAR tt [2388 that vine, a8 we have std, their power being bound up and pubdved.* R. Simeon maid: "There are twu kinds of wi "There isthe holy celestial vine, and there is the vine which is. called "the vine of Sodom, the strange vine"; and therefore Israel is called "this vine". And when Israel sinned and abandoned this vine", thea it was said of them: "For from, the vine of Sodom is their vine" (Deut. xxx, 3 'As K. Judah and R. Tsaae were ance travelling together, the former sail: "Let us turn into this field, asi i more level! 'They did 30, and as they went along R, Judah said: 'Te is writen: "She is not afraid ofthe snow for her household, for all her houschold are clothed in eae. This verse has been expounded by our colleague, R. Hizkiah, who said that sinners are punished in Gekinnom twelve months, half with fire and half with snow. When they go into the fire, they say "Thinis really Gehinnom." When they go into the snow, they say: "This the real winter ofthe Aleighy." They begin by exclaiming "Alas", and then they exclaim "Woe" The supreme panishunent io wth snow. Not so Tcl however, of 'whom it i written: "She is not afraid of the snow for her household", because "all her household are clothed with scarlet", 'The word shanim (scarlet) here may be read shai (vo), referring to pars of precepts such as circumcision and uncovering, fringes and phylacteries, mesuzats and Hanukah Tights, et. The word "scarlet" may also be teken to indicate the robe of judgement, which is assumed forthe punishment of idolaters: For one day God will put on a rel robe and take a red sword o take vengeance an the ruddy one.) This we earn from the verve: is this that cometh from Edom with dyed garments, ete" R. Isaac aad: 'We may alo take the word shanim to mean "years", and to refer to the 'whole of past time, since the Community of Israel isthe consummation of the ages and draws sustenance from all sides" As they were going along, they meta hoy leing an ass on whieh an cld man yeas riding. Said the old man to the boy: "My son, repeat me a passage of Scripture.' He answered: "Thave more than one passage, But come down or let me ride 'Eo. a38haypa] vavewt Pa in front of you, and I will repeat some to yo' He sd Tam fd and'you are young, sd 1 do not want 0 pat myst on = level with you, Said the boy: Tf ao, why it you ask me 0 recite my verse ? He aid: To make the purncy more agree- tle' Sai the hoy "This old man ean go and hang hime Tgnoramusas he is he mast needs ride and will not descend to my level, forsooth 50 he left the oman and went vray. When', Judah and R. Tease came op, he joined them 'They asked who he was andhe old them what hd happened. Said B,Judah to him: You did quite rightly. Come with us and we wil sit down over there and you will tel us some thing" He sid to them: "Tam very weary, [3394] because I Taye nor npn wordy, So ty wok cut one food and are tim and a miracle happened and they foand a mal stream of water under a tee from which he dry and they alo 'drank and sat down. 'The boy then quoted the text: "To David. ret not thyself eeause of evil doer, neither be thou cnviow ainst them that work unrighteousnca" (Ps, agai ss saucy, 1), He said: "This fs neither a song nor a prayer, but haps he isa tree which has lc be repuleed by hirn, Alo, do not look at the works of those who do unrighteousness, so that thou shouldst not need to be indignant with them; for whoever sees their works and is not zealous for God trani= sresses three negative precepts, namely: "Thou shalt have tno atrange gods before me"; "Thou shalt not make to thee any graven image"; and "Thou shalt not bow down to them nor serve them." Therefore a man should keep avay from them, That is why T fave left the old man and taken a different path. Now that I have found you Iwill expound the Scripture in your presence." He then discoursed on the text: Anu he called unto Mose, ete, (Les. 1,1). He said "The aleph ofthe word eayihra (and hae called) is written small in the scroll, o show that this * Le pethaps his soul the Git tne earth an thine the second so "TH 2ONAR 11 [eso-239% calling was not a perfect one, because it was only in the "Tabernacle and in asrange land, perfection being only found inthe Holy Land, Farther, inthe Tabernacle there was only the Shekinah, but i the land there was the complete union 'of Male and Female, When aking sits on his throne wearing the royal erown, he called Great King, but when he comes down from his throne and visits his servant, he is called Little King. So God, as long.as He is on high over al, sealed Supreme King, hut when Ie brings His abode below, He is simply King, not Supreme as before. 'The word "called", as 'we have Tarot, meana tha he summoned him thin ane= tary. The "tent of meeting" (mo'ed-aleo appointed time) means the tent on which depends the reckoning of seasons, festivals and sabbath, this being none other than the moon, "The word "saying" (mor, it. 0 say) indicates the disclosing 'of what hitherto was concealed and so inall pla 'occurs (eg. "And Ged spoke unto Moses, saying"), that permieion is given ta dsclone_ Te written just before: "And they brought the tabernacle to Moses" (Ex. 3831 33) 'The reason why the Isracites brought the 'Tabernacle 10 "Moses when they had finished it was because God had shown hin the whole plan oft on Mount Sinai; sonow they brought ito him in oder that he might see whether it corresponded to the plan which he had seen, It was as if aking had given 'orders fora palace tobe built for his queen, and had charged the builders to make one room here and one there, here a bed- chamber and there a siting-room, and so when the builders finished they showed it all 10 the king. So the lsrachites 'brought the Tabernacle to Moses, who wasthe "master af the hous", the "man of God". When the sanesury was finished, the queen invited theking tot, and invited alo her husband, 'that is wo say, Moses the master of the hase. Heace Moses was able to "take the ten and pitch t outside" (Ex. X8XI, 7) [2398] a thing which no one else could pomsibly have done. 'The text continues: "And the Lord speke to him, "the Lord being another sil higher grade." He further discoursed as follows. "The text continues When any man of you shall offer (Lev. 1, 3)'The word "man" (Adam) here indicates the union of the sun and the moon, 2398] vavent 363 "When he shall offer fom you: this is a hint that he who desires to make his servic of sacrifice truly acceptable should not be unmarried. "An offering to the Led": this means that he should offer the whole for the purpose of uniting 'upper and lower. "From the cattle": o show man ard beast a8 one, "From the oxen and from the sheep": these are the chariots which are clean. "We shall ofer your offering": the "offering othe Lord" mentioned above wax man, but "your 'offering is from the cattle, fom the herds and the Abeks, 0 display the union of upper with lower and of lower with Upper. king is sitting on a tune ona very high das, then 'one who brings a present to the king has to mount from step tw step until he reaches the top, the place where the king i sitting above all, and then itis known that that present is 'meant forthe king. But when the present comes down from the top, then all know that the King is sending it from above to his frend who is below, So at frst a man rises step by step from below upwards; this "the ulering ofthe Lox 'Then hecomes down stepby stepand thi R. Isaac and R. Judah went upto i head. They said: "Blessed be God who has favoured us with this, blessed is God that these words have not been wasted fon that old man." 'They then rose and went on. As they proceeded, they saw 'ine ina pardon The boy then quoted the vere tis foal the vine and hiv o's col tothe choice vine." He sai: "The word oser (binding) i written here with 3 super- fluo yd, and the word iro (his colt) with hi instead of tae, "Thus the Holy Name Yah is hinted here, Similarly with the worl bn (cot) and zorehak (choice vine) Al this s 10 how that just at there is Holy Name to subdue the "foal", 30 tether power, which ix "; for if the Holy Name were not hinted here, they wou devastate the world. 'The "wine", a8 ve have said, in the Community of Israel, Tei calle vine becase just as the vine will receive no graft from another tre, so the 'Goramunity of Iaracl accepts no master but God, an there- fore all other powers are subdued before her, and cannot obtain dominion over her. "He bath washed his garments in

4THE ZOMAK tL Lssoh-ayor
wine", even from the time of the Creation the reference being to the coming of the Messiah on earth," Wine lefeside, and "the blood of grapes" the let 'Messiah is destined (240) 10 tule above overall the forces of the idolatrous natioas and to break their power above and 'yet typifies judgement, so the Messiah wil bri Israel, but judgement to the Gentiles. The Which hovered over the face of the waters" (Gen. 2) 8 the spirit of the Messiah, and from the time of the Creation he "washed his garments in celestial wine". "His eyes ehall be wine" this isthe intasicating celestial wine from Which the master of the 'Torah drink. "And his teeth shite wit milk", because the 'Torah is both wine and milk, the Oral and the Written Law. It is written of wine that it "rejoiceth the heart of man' (Ps, ctv, 15). Wine at first brings 'ladness, being the place from which all gladness issues, but afterwards it brings punishment, because ts end is the place where is gathered all punishment, Hence the verse con- tinues: "And oil to make the face shine", to wit, from the place from which all gladness issues, It then saya: "And bread that strengtheaeth man's heart", bread being the sup [port of mankind. Is not, however, the only support, because there is no night without day, and they must not be separated. If 20, it may be asked, why did David say that bread sup- ports the heart of mun"? The answer is that ths is why he added the word "and! before bread', to show that the others are ineluded, Observe that grace after meals should not be said over an empty table, but there should be bread on it and 'cup of wine, and the wine should be taken inthe right hand, in order to join the Left hand to the Right, and in order that the bread should be blessed by them and linked with them,

40that the whole should be linked togethes to bless the Holy
'Name fittingly. For the bread being joined with the wine, and the wine with the right hand, blesings rest on the world and the table is duly perfected." Ssid R. Isunc: "Had We come on this journey only to hear these words, it would have been worth our while." R. Judah said: right to know so much, and T am afraid he will not live long." 2400-240] vavent 365 'Why ? said R. Isaac. 'Because', he answered, *he is able to 'see into a place which man has a0 right to look upon, and am afraid that before he reaches maturity he will actually look and be punished for it" 'The lad heard them and said: "have no fear of punishment, because when my father died he blessed me and prayed for me, and I know thatthe merit of my father will protect me.' "They said to him: "Who, then, is your father ?""R. Judah, the son of Rab Hamnuna the Ede,' he replied, They then took hirm up and carried hrm on their shoulders three miles, applying to him the verse: "Out ofthe eatereame forth meat, andout ofthe strong came forth sweetness" Judg. xv, 14). The boy sid to them: 'Since you fhave quoted the verse, expound it.' Said they to him: Since God has led ws into the path of fe do you tll us." He then "We find a certain mystica allusion inthis verse. The the Zaddik, as i ip writen: "The Zed ets his fil" (Prov. xtt, 5). Hy "his fil" is meant that he gives, sufficiency to the place which ix called the Soul of David, "Brom the eater comes forth food", for but for that Zaddi food would never éome forth and the world could not exist, "Out ofthe strong came forth sweetness" this i Isaac, who bested Jacab with the dew of heaven and the fatness of the 'earth. We may also explain that were it nt for the rigour of justice there would come forth no honey, to wit, the Oral 'Law, [2400] which comes forth from the Written Law, which

4called "strong", as it is writen: "The Lord shall give
strength this people" (Ps, xxrx,11).""They went on together for theee diy tll they reached the court where his mother lived. When she saw them she made preparations for them and they stayed with her two days. 'They then said ferevell to him, and departed, and came and related everything to R, Simeon. He said: Truly, he bas inherited the 'Tora, and if not for the merit of his fathers he would be punished from above. But for those who follow the Torah God has rade it an inheritaree to them and their descendants forever sit is writen: "ut as for me, this is my covenant with th sith the Lord, my spirit which is upon thee, ete." (Is box, a1)"

366tue zoman tT [2yob-2gr0
ZeguuoN SHALL DWELL AT THE HAFEN OF THE fA, tre. R, Abba diccarsed on the verse: Grd thy sword upon thy thigh, O mighty One, thy glory and thy majety. He said: Is this glory and majesty, to gird on weapons and to practi the use of them ? To study the Torah and to fight batles in the Torah and to azm oneself with it—this is praiseworthy, thie is glory and majesty 'The truth of the matter, however, is this God has given men the sign of a holy covenant, and imprinted it upon them for them to preserve and not impair in any way. He who impairs it ix confronted with the sword 'which avengco the nol t the covenant. Now he who desires to preserve this place should brace himself up to meet the evil prompter, and when the latter assils him should set before his eyes this sword, which is gieded on the thigh 10 punish those who in place. Hence it says: "Gied thy sword upon thy thigh, mighty One." Such a one called "mighty", and hence i i his "glory and majesty". "Another explanation that hefore setting out on a journey a rman should prepare himself with prayer and sem himself with righteousness, which is the superal sword, as itis 'written: "Righteousness shall go before him, and (then) he shall et his steps onthe way (Ps. Lxxxv, 14). Now Zebulon tsed always to-go out on the roads and highways and make 'war, and used first to arm himself with thi celestial sword of prayer and supplication, and so he fought with peoples Sand overeame them. You may say tha this Was the function of Judah, so why ist assigned here to Zebulon? Observe this. 'The welve tribes are the adornment of the Matron, When Jaceb was about to depart from the world, and saw that he was perfected on every side, with Abraham thie right, Isaac at his left, himself in the centre, and the Shekinah in front of him, he called his sons round him in frder that both the lower and the upper might be fitly adorned... (2413) The twelve tribes correspond to the twelve oxen which were under the sea of bronze made by Solomon (1 Kings vit, 23 49), three for each of the exrdinal points, 'Thece of them represented the right Arm, three the left Arm, three the right 'Thigh, and three the left Thigh, 'There were three tribes for each, because in each of these 24ia-24i8) vaveut 367 Jimbs there are three joints. And although this "adornment" 'as only complete with the number of six hundred thoasand, 'yet already at the time of Jacob's death there were the 'seventy souls who had come dow with him to Egypt and the 'very numerous progeny whom they had already produced in the seventeen years they had been there. Happy the portion of Jacob who was perfected above and below. [2416] R. Judah sa and study the Torah w fout and male money and supported him, So Zebulon used to traverse the seas with merchandise, and his teritory W "suitable for this, being on the sea coast, Hence itis write Rejoice, Zebulon, in thy going out, and Issachar in thy tents" (Deut, xaxint, 18)" He sau, oweLt ar THE HAVEN OF THE SEAS: that isto say, among those who sail the sea with merchandise. "At the haven of the seas": the plural "seas" is used, because although only one coat belonged to him, yet he dwelt by two, Re Jone said iis be~ cause traders from all other seis used «0 AND HE -SHALL RE FOR A HAVEN OF si81PS: place where all ships come to do trade, AND, SHALL BE [WON ZIDON. R. Hiskiah said: 'His teitory stretched to the houndary of Zidon, and all merchants came to that place to trade," R. Aha said "Ie is written: "Neither shale thou affer the alt of the covenant of thy God to be Jacking from thy meal-offering: with all thine oblations thou shalt offer salt." Salt was to be used because it softens bitter ness, and so-mankind cannot do without it. Salt isthe cove~ nant upon which the world is estblished: hence itis called "the covenant of thy God." R. Hiya said: 'It is wnten: "For God is righteous, he loves righteousness" (Ps. 3, 7). "This ia the wit inthe ees, and he who enparaes them brings death upon himself. Hence it is writen: "Thou shalt not suffer salt tobe lacking." R. Aha said: "The sea is all one, 'but itis caled "seas" because in some places the water is clear (and insome turbid), in some sweet, and in some bitter Thence we speak of seas"? R, Abba was sitting one night and studying the Torah, When R. Jose eame and knocked a his door. He said: 'When

368THE 2OWAR It [rhage
the prince sts with the chief, then true judgement is given. So they sat down and studied the Torah. Meanwhile the son. of their host got up and sat before them, He said to ther; "What is the meaning of the verse: "Ye will save alive my father and my mother, ete." and just before, "And give mea true token" (Jos. 1113-12) ? What did Rahab ask of the spies ? R. Abba said: "That is a good question; if you know an answer, tell me, my son.' He said: 'A further question arises from the fict that they gave her soraething which she did not ask fr, since they said ty her: "Thou shalt bind this line 'of scarlet thread in the window, etc" The explanation I have is this, She asked for asign of lif, asit is written, 'ye will save alive my father, ete." She said: "A sign of life i 'only contained in the sign of truth, which is the letter Vax." fact, ar T have learnt, she asked for the sign of Motes. 'They, however, gave her a line of scarlet thread, because they said" Moves is dead, and the sun is gatheredin and the time has come for the moon to rule. Therefore we had better give you the sign of the moon, which is this fine of scarlet thread, "Thus the sign of Joshua shall be with you, because the moon. js now in the ascendant." * R. Abba and R. Jose rose [2420] and kissed hirm, saying: 'Assuredly, you will one day Be a hhead of a college or a great man in Israel; and, in fact, he became R. Bun, Hle then asked a further question, saying: 'Secing that the twelve tribes were arranged below in the same order as above, why is Zebulon everywhere placed before Issachar in the blessings, although Issachar devoted himself to the "Torah, which should always come first ? 'The reason is that Zebulon took out of his ovn mouth and give to Issachar, From this we learn that he who supports student of the 'aah is blessed fram above and below, and not only 50, but he i privileged to eat of two tables, a privilege granted to n0 'ther man, He ie granied wealth in this world, and he ja granted a portion in the nextworld, Hence itsays of Zebulon, that "he shall dwell at the haven of the sea" that isto say, inthis world, "and shall be fora haven of ships", in the future world, 'He here quoted the verse: "I adjure you, O daughters of 2420) varent 369 Jerustlem, by the roes and by the hinds of the fields, if you find my beloved, what wil you tell him 2" (8.8. v, 8). Why. 'tmaybeasked, should the Community of laraelepeak ths see- 'ng that she is near tothe king, like no other ?'The 'daughters 'of Jerusalem', however, are the souls of the righteous, which are constantly near the King, and informhim every day of the requirements ofthe Matron. For so we have learnt, that when the soal comes down ino the world, the Community of Israel 'makes it swear that it will ell the King her love for him in 'order to appease him. This appeatement is brought about 'when man unifies the Holy Name with his mouth, his heart '4nd hs sou}, to link all tether lke flame with fire. Accord jing to another explanstion, the 'daughters of Jerusalem" are the twelve tribes, ay we have learnt that Jerusalem is 'tabled on twelve rocks, three on each side (wherefore it is called Hayah (living one)), and these are called "the daughters of Jerusalem", and they testify to the cernirg the Community of Israel, as itis written: "The tribes of the Lord area testimony unto lsrah, to give thanks lunto the name of the Lord" (Ps. cxatt, 4)" Said R. Judah; 'Happy are Tarsel who know the ways of God and of whom it is writen: "For thou art « holy people unto the Lord thy God, and thee did the Lord choose, ete." (Deut. xt 2)" IssAcaR 1s A sTKONG Ass CoUCHING DOWN BETWEEN 'THE siteceFOLDS, R. Bleazar said: 'Why should Tesachar, bpecaue he studied the Torah, be called tas rather than hore, ora lion, or a lepard ? The answer given ip thatthe ass bears a burden patiently and docs not kil 'nical, and is not fastidious and willie down anywhere. So Tsachar bears the burden of the 'Torah and does not kick against the Almighty, snd isnot fastidious and cares not for his own honour but for the honour of his Master. He there- fore "couches between the sheepfolds", as we say of the studeat of the Torah that he i "wing to slp on the round" He also, in explanation of this verse, quoted the text: "To David. 'The Lord is my ligt and my salvation, 'whom shall T fear? 'The Lord isthe stength of my lite of eof te Rater, 4

370He 2OMAK IL [e4se-242b
'whom shall I be afeaid 2" (Ps: xxvtt 1). "Those who study the 'Torah', he said, 'are beloved before God, so that they have no fear of evil hap, being protected above and below. [Nay more, (2433) such # one subdues all evil haps and casts them down into the great abyss. At nightfall the doors are closed, and dogs and asses commence to roam about the world with permission to do damage, Men sleep on ther beds and the souls of the righteous ascend to the bliss above. When the north wind awakes at midnight, then there i « holy tie- ring in the world, as has been explained in many places, Viappy is he who rises at that hour and studies the Torah. For as soon as he begins ll those evil heings are cast by him into the great abyss and he binds the ass and throws him down into the dung-heap. 'Therefore Issachar, who was a student of the Torah, bound the as and brought him down from the ladder which he had mounted to do injury to the 'world, and made him abide between the sheepfolds, that is, in the dung-heap." AND HE SAW AEST THAT IT WAS GOOD, AND THELAND 'THAT 17 WAS PLEASANT, AND HE OWED 1135 SHOULDER

10BEAR, AND BECAMH A SERVART UNDER TASK WORK,
" signifies

2bene hy shoals to Sea), sty
yoke of the Lay, and to cleave to it day and night; and he "'yecame a servant under task work", to be a worshipper oF the Holy One, blessed be He, and tocleave to Him R. Simeon, and R, Jose and R. Hiya were once travelling from Upper Galilee to 'Tiberias. Said R. Simeon: 'Let us discuss the "Torah as we go, for whoever is ableto discuss the Torah and. does not do so renders his life forfeit, and is further subjected to the burden of worldly cares and the domination of ethers. 'This we learn from the verse which says of Fasuchar that "he turned aside hie shoulder from bearing", that ie to-xay,feorn bearing the yoke of the Law, and scraightway "he became a servant under task work', Happy arethose thatstudy the Law, for they obtain fivour above and below and every day win the inheritance of the future world, as it is written: "To eause 'them that love me to inherit substance (yesh) (Prov. vin, 21), 242b-2434] vayeuT am 'which means the future world, For tis waters never fail and he receives a god reward above suchas is earned by nother is hinted in the name of Issachar, which we may le into yest sachar (yesh is the reward), as much 38 10

2eh (tance) the road ofthe who ety the
tis writen: "I beheld till thrones were placed and one that was ancient of days did sit, ete" (Dan, vit, 9). When the "Temple was destroyed, two thrones fell, that is, nto above and two below. Two above, because the lower was removed from the upper the throne of Jacob from the throne of Dav and the throne of David fell. The two thrones. below are Jerusalem and the students of the Torah, the latter eorre- 'sponding to the throne of Jacob and the former to the throne (of David. Hence t says that "thrones" were east down, and 'not merely one throne, and all on account of the neglect of the 'Vorah. Observe that when the truly pious study the 'Torah, al the mighty ones of other feoples and other ferces 'are humbled and their power broken, and they have no dominion in the world, and Isracl are raised above all, Bat if ro, the ass causes Terael ta go into captivity and eo fall into the hands of the peoples and to be muled by them. Why is this ? Because "he saw rest that it was good", and that he 'could obtain from it many comforts nd enjayments, and he perverted his pathso as not to bear the yoke ofthe Torah, and therefore he "became a servant under task work". [243a] 'Only through him was the knowledge ofthe 'Torah kept sive in Torael, as it says: "And of the sons of lssachar were those Who had knowledge ofthe times, ete." (1 Chron, xi, 32) and i was they who "caused all delights to be at our doors", to wit, the doors of synagogues and houwes of study, "both new and old", beesuse many old and new lessons of the Torah 'were brought to light by them to bring Israel near to their Father in heaven. "My beloved, Ihave kept hidden (or te! from this we learn that when one stulies the Torah 'and knows how todray the proper lessons from i, his words ascend to the throne of the King and the Community of Israel opens the gates before them and treasures them, and when God enters the Garden of Eden todisport Himself vith a7 He zOnAR 11 fase the righteous, She brings them out before Him and God 'contemplates them and fejices; and then God is crowned 'with noble crowns and rejoices in the Matron, andl from that time the words are written in the book. Up to this point extends the sway of Judah, the arm that contained the strength of ll sides, the three joints ofthe arm which enable it to preval overall Daw stant sonor His rkorLe Ae ONE OF THE TRIBES OF Tenar. R. Hiya said: 'We should have expected here, "Dan shall judge the tribes of Israel", or "Dan shall judge the tribes of Iaracl as one." What is the meaning of "Dan shall judge his people" ? We may explain as follows. Dan was the "rearward of the camps" (Num. x, 23), because he was the left thigh and went last. For after Judah and Reuben had set forth, the Levites and the Ark made an interval, as it were, and only after them did the standard of Ephraim set forth on the west, being the right thigh. We might have thought that Zebulon should have marched frst, since i is written of "And his thigh is unto Zidon." Burt the truth is that Judah comprised al, being the lower kingdom, for just asthe upper kingdom comprises all,so does the lower kingdom, both body land thigh, becoming thereby exceedingly strong. 'The frst 'corps comprised Judah, the Lingdom which derives from the side of Might (Geburah), combined with the right hand, the body and the thigh. The second corps was that of Reuben, 'who was on the south side, which is on the right, and all the power of the right was taken by Judah, beeause Reuben let the kingship, and thus Judah was reinforced with the strength 'of Reuben, The third corps was that of Ephraim, who was the right thigh, which always goes before the lft. Thus Dan, who was the lft thigh, marched last. We read that "Solomon made

2great throne of ivory" (1 Kings x, 18). This throne was
after the supernal patterh and contained all celestial figures, And therefore it is written: "And Solomon sat on the throne 'ofthe Lord ss king" (Chron. xxix, 23), and soalso "Solomon sat on the throne of David his father and his kingdom was established greatly" (1 Kings 1, 12) because the moon was at ite full." 2430-2438) vavent 32 "Dan shall judge his people" at fist, and then "the tribes of Israel as one", that as the one Being of the World. [2430] This was realised in Samson, who single-handed 'wrought judgement on the world, and both judged and put to death without requiring a helper. R. lage said: 'Dan is compared toa serpent lying in wait in the way. But there i also a reference to another serpent above, lying in wait in ways and paths, from whom issue those who lie in wait for {the sons of men on account of the sins which they eas behind their backs." R. Hiya suid: "The primeval serpent above, before he is appeased with gladdening wine, is "a serpent by the way' AS there is a "way" above, s0 there is a "way" 'below, andthe sea i divided into various paths on every side. "There i one path which has abundance of water and breeds any kinds of evil fishes, just athe waters below breed good and bad fishes. When they escape from the path of the se, they appear like riders on horseback, and were it not that this serpent who isthe rearward of all the tents les in wait atthe end of the path and drives them back, they would destroy the 'world, Its from the side of these that sorcerers come forth 'Dan is called "a serpent by the way", beeause he that goes after the eepent repudiates the celestial household which i the supernal path that issues from above. 'To go after the serpent is ike going to repudiate that celestial way, because from it the higher worlds are sustained. fit is asked why Dan isin ths grade, the answer i given in the words, "That bite, atthe horse's heel, ie, to protect all the camps. R. Eleazar 'said that he was one of the supports of the Throne, because 'om the throne of Solomon there was a serpent atached to his -seeptre above the lions. It says of Samson thatthe "spirit 'of God began to move hia in the camp of Dan" (Judg. xt, 135) Samgon was Nazirce, and a man of huge strength, and hhe was-a serpent in this world in face of the idolatrous nations, beeause he inherited the bleasing fhisanceator Dan! Ri, Hiya said: "We know what a serpent i, but what is an adder (shephiphon) ? He answered: "Fhis vord alludes to the practices of sorcerers, since it is written of Balaam that he went shephi (alone) If tis said that this was not properly the grade of Dan, that is true, but he was appointed over this "ep rue zonan tt legah-asge trade to te the lat sie (af the Toracies! host), and his was Ris honour, since some offers of the king are appointed to fine pont ndsome wo anoter, anal re hovourable, ad the King's throne is supported by all. Various paths and grades spread ove benesth them, some for good ard some for vi, andall hep to support the teone, "Therefore Dan was on the tort side In the hollow ef the great abyss, which i on the north side, chee are many demons endowed with power to ds mischat in the world Therefore Joes prayed, enya, Tuva watren ron vy sauvartox, O Loxo, He mentioned God's salvation here because be saw here the 'right ofthe serpent setting in motion chassement" Jose and Rs Hivkith were once going io see R. Simeon in Cappadocia, Said R. Hikia "We have nid down that a tian before praying should frst pronounce G Ht ara of the man who sin pretense and to pour ost his prayer and notable to prorounce the bles- ings of his Master fitingly? He replied: "That i na reason tihy the praise of his Master should he omitted. He should Pronounce it, even [2444] without proper devotion, and then Sy hie prayer. Thus te writen; "A prayer of David. Hear, O Lord, righteousness, ten ory song" (P. ,1)— Best praise and then prayer. Of him who is ae to pronounce the Drate of hs Master and doesnot do ao, it written: "Yea, When ye make many prayers Twill not heat (Is. 1, 15)" Tes witen: "Tite one limb thou sal fer inti ing, andthe second lib shale thow offer at even" (Num. svt ah Papers id bet laine bs evessopoct ati daily offerings. Through the impulse from below there ts 3 siering above, and throdph he impulie from above there Airrng higher up sil, ori the impulse reaches the place sete the lamp ist be lit and itt "Than by the imple of the sake ofthe saci) fom below, the lamp is Kindled hove, and when thisis kindled all the other imp are kindled and al the worlds are bleed. from it 'Ths the impulse of the serif i the ranatayof the world and the blewsng of allworids When thesmokecommenceso rie, th holy forms in charge af the world derive stistaction, and are disposed thereby to stir the grades above them; and so the impulse 2440] vayeur a5 rises until the King desires to associate with the Matron 'Through the yearning of the lower world the lower waters flow forth to meet the upper waters, for the upper waters do not ow sae from the impulse ofthe deste from belo. Thus mutual desire is kindled andthe lower waters flow to meet the 'upper waters, and wordsare blest, and alllamps are kindled and upper and lower are endowed with Blessings. Observe that the funetion of the priests and Levies is to u 'Left wih the Right. Said R. Hliekiah: "That is 50, b been told that one rouses the Left and the other the Right, because the union of male and female is only brought about by Left and Right, as it says: "O that his left hand were under my head, and his right hand should embrace me" (S.S. 14,6). Then male and female are united, and there is mutual device and worlds are blessed and upper and lower ie Hence we ee that the suri the por and he tainstay of the world, ard the joy of upper and lower. Fee ou ee mee doth Leeda Gio ee 'but had forgotten it. This, too, Ihave learnt, that nowadays prayer tikes the place of sacrifice, and a man should ftingly ppronource the praise of his Master, and if not. his prayer ix ho prayer. The most perfect form of praising God isto unify the Holy Name in the fting manner, for through this uppex and lower are set in motion, and blessings ow to all worlds: R. Hizkiah said: 'God placed Israel in exile among the nationa in order that they might be blessed for their sake, for they do bring blessings from heaven to earth every day." 'As they were going along, they saw a snake wriggling ox the path so they turned aside, Another maa then came up and the snake killed him. 'They looked back, and saw him dead, and said: 'Assuredly, that snake has performed the 'mission af his master. Blessed be God who has delivered us R. Jose thereupon quoted the verse: "Dan shall be a serpent {nthe way." This', he sid, "was in the days of Jeroboam, who, we are told, placed one of his golden calves in Dan (¢ Kings 311, 25). He phiced it "on the way" in order to 'prevent the people from going up to Jerusalem; and thus Dan wasto them "a serpent by the way", and also 'an adder in the path", preventing Israel feom going up to Jerusalem

376THE LOHAN It es4a-aagh
to celebrate ther festivals and to bring sacrifices and worship there, [2448] When Moses came to bless the tribes, he saw 'that Dan was linked to a serpent, and he changed it into a Tion, as it says: "And to Dan he said: Dan isa lion's whelp. that leapeth forth from Bashan" (Deut. xxx, 2), his object 'being to connect the beginning and end of the four standards 'with Judah, who was compared to a lion's whelp."

1wate yon ty aatvation, © Lone. R, Hiya said:
"This refers tothe time of Samson, of whom it was said: "He shall commence to save Israel from the hand of the Philis= tines" (Judg. xi, 5)" R. Aha said: "How could Jacob say "I wait", seeing that by that time he had been dead many years ? "The truth is, however, that the word "Israel" in the above passage has its esoteric meaning.' Said R. Hiya: 'Assuredly that is #0. Happy are the righteous who know how to study the Torah in such a way as to ear by it celestial if," Gab A TROOP SHALL PRESS UPON HIM, OUT HE SHALL PRESS UPON THEIR KEL, R. Jesse said:"The conjunction 'of the two letters gimel and dale indicates the issuing forth 'of troops and hosts, gime! giving and daleth receiving.! "That river which perennially flows from Eden supplies the needy, 'and therefore many hosts and many camps are sustained from here;-and this isthe significance of the name Gad, one producing and giving, and the other collecting and taking R. Isaac ssid; "Had Gad not been one of the sons of the hand- 'maids, he would have risen to greater heights than all the rest. For the hour of his birth was propitious, but the lowing 'iver departed at that moment, and therefore he had no ahare in the Holy Land and was removed fromm it! R. Judah said: "Reuben was in the same case, as it is written of him, "un- stable as water, thou shalt not excel", which indicates that at his birth the waters stopped ind did not low. Neither Reuben 'nor Gad obtained a share in the Holy Land, but they pro vided troops and forces to conquer the land for Ierael. 'The "Gime (gma)-benecesce, nd Dleth (dali poverty, The sone section with armies nt clea. 244b-2450) vaveut a7 deficiency of Gad was wate good in Aber, as iis writen: "Out of Ashee his beead shall be ft, et." * R, Bleazar and R. Abba once turned aside into a cave at Lydia to escape the heat ofthe sun. Said R. Abba: 'Let us 'now encompass thiscavewith words ofthe Torah,' R.Eleaur thereupon commenced vith the verse: "Pace me like sal vypon thy heart, ikea seal upon thine arm... its eoal are oals offre, a very lame of the Lord' (8. 8. vt, 6). "This 'erse' he sid, "has beea much discussed. One night Iwas sitending on roy father, and U heard him say that the true devotion and yearning ofthe Community of lerael for God is 'only brought about by the souls ofthe righteous, who ease the flow of the lower waters towards the upper; and then there is perfect friendship and deste for mutual embrace 0 bring fre fruits When they cleave wo ene another, in the fullness of her affection she says: "Set me as seal upon thine heart" For, as theimpres of a seal remains even after 'the seals removed, so, sty the Community of Israel, [hal cleave t thee, even though am removed frm thee and go [ase] into captivity. Hence, "Set me 2 a seal upon thy hear? in order that my likeness may remain upon thee lie the impress of seal. "For love is song as death" iis strong lke the parting of the sprit from the body, as we have fearnt that when man isabout to depart from the world and sees strange things, his spirit courses through ll isms and 'es pand down lke a boatman without oars who is tosced up and down on the sea and makes no progres. It then asks leave ofeach limb and its separation is only effected with 'reat violence, Such is the violence of the Community of Tsrae's Tove for God, "Jealousy is cruel asthe grave." Love without jealousy is no true love. Hence we learn that a man should be jealous of his wife in order that his love for her may bbe perfect, for then he will not look at any other woman. Jealousy compared to Stel (the undervorld), because jist

45the wicked are frightened of going down to Sheol, si
§alousy frightful the ees of one who loves and eannor bear to be puted from his beloved. Or we ay also explain thit Just at when sinners ae tken down to Shea! they ae told the sins for which they are punished, s0 he who ts jealous in 2» a8 'te zouan fesse demanding restitution reckons up al his grievances, and 30 his love becomes more firmly knit. "The flashes thereof are flashes of fire, the very flame of the Lord." the flame 'which is kindled and igsues from the Shofar. [tis the left as itis written: "His left hand should be under my S, $, vitt 3). Ie is this which kindle the flame of love in the Community of Israel to the Holy One, bested be He. 'Therefore "many waters cannot quench love", because when the right hand comes, although itis symbolized by water, it fans the fire of loveand does not quench the flame ofthe left hand, 35 itis written: "And his right hand should embrace 'As they were sitting they heard R. Simeon coming up the road, with R, Judah and R. Isaac. When he approached the cave, R. Eleazar and R, Abba came out. R. Simeon said: 'L can see from the walls of the cave thatthe Shekinah is here." So they all sat down: Said R. Simeon: 'What have you been discussing ? R. Abba replied: "The love of the Community of Israel for God, and R. Eleazar applied to it the verse: "Set me 2s a seal upon thine heart, ete." Said R. Simeon: 'Blewar, you have been scrutinizing the superal love and affection," He then fell imo silencefor awhile. Atlast he said: lence is good everywhere except in connection with the 'Torah Thavea certin gem which I do not desire to withhold from you. [tis a profound thought which I have found in the 'book of Rab Hamnuna the Elder. It is this. Everywhere the 'male runs after the female and secks to incite her love, but hhere we find the female courting the male and running after him, which i is not usually reckoned proper for the female ta do, But there is here a deep mystery, much prized among the treasures of the king. There are three souls belonging to the celestial grades. 'The three are really four, because one ie the supernal sou, which isnot clearly discerned, even by the treasurer of the upper treasury, much less the ewer, 'This is the soul of all souls, inscrutable and unknowable, Everything, is dependent upon i, and itis veiled in a covering of exceed- {ng brightness. Ie drops pearls which are linked together like the joints of the bedy, and it enters into them and displays through them its energy. It and they are one, and there is no 2452-2458] varEur 379 separation between them, 'There is another, « fomale soul 'which is concealed in the midst of her hows, to which is attached [2436] the body, and thmugh this bodyshe shows her 'energy, lke the sou in the human body, 'Those hosts are the counterpart of the hidden joints above, There is another soul,

1vit, the souls af the righteous below. Thete come from
those superior souls, the soul ofthe female andthe soul ofthe 'male, and therefore the souls of the righteous are superior to all the heavenly hosts and carps. You may ask, if they are so transcendent from both ses, why do they come down to this, world to be afterward removed from it? Imagine aking who had a son whom he sent to a village to be brought up unt he should learn the ways ofthe hing'spalae. When the king heard that his son was grown up, out of his love for him he -sentthe Matron his mother for him, and brought him into the palace, where he rejoiced with him every day. So the Holy 'Ong, blessed be He, had a son from the Matten, to wit, the celestial holy soul, He sent it oa vllage, to wit this world, 'to be brought up i it, and learn the ways of the king's palace 'When the king found that his son had grown up, and thatit swat time to bring him to the palace, out of his lave for him hae sent the Matron for him and brought him into the palace. 'Thesoul does not depart from this world til the Matron has ome for her and brought her into the king's palace, where she remains forever. And forall that, the inhabitants of the village weep for the parting of the king's son from them. 'There was one wise man atnong them who said: "Why are You weeping ? Washe not the king's son, and is not his proper place in hia father's palace and not among you?" So Moses, who was @ wise man, saw the vilagers weeping, and said to them: "Ye are sons of the Lord your God, ye aball not cut yourselves" (Deut xv, 1). Now, if the righteous all knew this, they would rejoice when their time arrives to depart from this worl. For ist not a great honour for them that che "Matron comes for theit sakes to bring them to the King palace, so that the King may rejice in them every day ? For God hath no delight save in the wouls of the righteous. Now the lave of the Community of Intel for God is excited only

380He zoHAR It [2gsb-2460
hy the souls of the righteous here on earth, because they 'come from the side of the hing, the side of the male. This 'excitement reaches the female and stirs her love; and in this way the male awakens the love and affection of the female, and the female is united in love with the male. In the same way, the desire of the female to pour forth lower waters to 'meet the upper waters is only aroused through the souls of the righteous. Happy, therefore, are the righteous in. this world and in the world to core, since on them are established Upper and lower beings, Hence tis written: "The righteous 'an isthe foundation of the world" (Prov. x, 25) Esoterically speaking, the Zaddik isthe foundation of the upper world and. the foundation of the lower world, and the Community of Israel contains the Zaddik from above and fram below. 'The righteous ene fom this side and the righteous one from that side inherit her, as itis written: "The righteous shall inherit "The Righteous One inherits this earth, and pours upon it 'blessings every day, and furnishes it with luxuries and 'delicacies in his flow. All this is hinted OF ASMER 1S BREAD SHALL BE FAT, AND MH SHALL It is from the furure world that enables him 19 provide luwuriesand delicacies to this earth, thus transforming it from "the bread of poverty" into "the bread of luxury". [246] 'The mame "Asher (lt. happy) signifies the place Which all declare happy, to wit, the future world. In the expression "his bread" the reference of the word "his" is 'not specified; but we may divide the word lakmo (his bread) nto lehem va, that i, "the bread of van" (which signifies the heavens); hence it is written: "Behold, 1 will ain bread from heaven for you' (Ex. xv, 4) Its from thence that the tree of life is nourished and crowned, and when it receives this 'nourishment, then it "yields the dainties ofthe king'. This king is the Community of Esael, who is fed therefrom by the hhand of the Righteous One, the sacred grade ofthe sig of the 'covenant. In the book of Kab Hamnuna the Eider it says, thatthe bread mentioned here is the Sabbath bread, which is double in quantity, as it is written in connection with the vaveut 381 {o say, bread from heaven and bread from earth, the one being "bread of lusury", the other "bread of poverty", For 'on Sabbath the lower bread was united with the upper bread, and one was blessed forthe sake ofthe other. He further said that the Sabbath eeceives from the celeatial Sabbath which flows forth and illunines al, and in thie way bread is joined with bread and becomes double. NaPi7AL1 15 A inp ur Loose, wie o1vETHE CooDLY 'wouDs, It has been affirmed thatthe upper world is of the male principle, and therefore whatever the Community of Israel causes to ascend on high must be male, We know this rom the name of the offering ('ola lit, going up), s0 called because it rises above the female, Hence i has to be a "male without blemish" (Lev. 1, 3). By the words. 'eithout blemish" is meant that it must not be castrated, It may be objected that we find the words "without blemish" applied alo tothe fernale, This true; nevertheless it does not ater the fact thatthe urnt-offering rises from the female to the male, and from this point upwards all is male, while from the female [2466] downwards alli female. It may be said that there isa female principle above also. The tuth is, however, thatthe whole body takes its description from the end ofthe 'body, which is male, although the beginsing of the body is female. Here, however, hoth the beginning and end are female, Observe the recondite allusion inthis matter. We see that Jacob blessed Joseph along with his brothers, but when God arranged the tribes under four stardards He omitted 'Joseph and pu Ephraim in his place, This eannot have been for any sin of Joseph's, but the reason is this. Joseph was the impress of the male, and since all the adornments of the Shekinsh are female, Joseph was removed from the standards and Ephraim was appointed in his place, On this account he twas stationed on the west, the se where the female abides, and the impress which x male was removed from hee adorn~ 'ments. We thus see that all the twelve tribes are the adorn sent ofthe Shekinal after the supernal pattern, save forthe srade of the Zaddik, who makes all the limbs wale.

38'THE ZOHAR 11 [2466-2470
Wuo civern coopiy wonns. The Voice speaks to the Utterance, there being no voice without utterance. This Voice is sent from a deep recess above in order to guide the Utter- ance, the two being related as general and particular. The Voice issues from the south and speaks tothe west, inheriting 'two sides, and therefore Moses said to Naphtali: "Possess thou the west and the south" (Deut. xxxn, 23). Observe that 'Thought isthe beginning of al, 'This Thought is recondite and inscrutable, butwhen itexpandsitreaches the place where spirit abides and isthen called Understanding (inak), which {8 not so recondite as the preceding. 'This spirit expands and produces a Voice composed of fre, water, and air, which corresponds to north, south, and east, This Voice embraces in itself all forces, and speaks to Utterance, and this shapes the word properly. When you examine the grades closely, 'you find that 'Thought, Understanding, Voice, Utterance are all one and the same, and there is no separation berween 'them, and this i what i meant by the words: "The Lord ix fone and His Name is One." Josrri 18 4 PectrveL, novoH, A FRUITFUL novON ay a rousats, The words "rutful bough' are repeated to show that hein such hoth above and Belov. Observe that the holy kingdom does not atain its perection as holy king rsa a teed gh th pcre Phan fe ern iscompleed from the upp world, [274] which s the world af the male 'The upper word is called "seven years becase allthe "seven years" are init, The mnemonic ofthis is "and he built seven yearo (1 Kings, 98), By means ofthis the lower world was uit, which also is alluded to a "seven years" "The mnemonic for this is "Seven days and seven day fourien daye (1 Kings vr 68), tre fee seven beng tal andthe second femal, Its writen: "Many daughters have done virtuous" (Prov. xxx, 39) Thee ate the twelve tribes who did vakanty. Hence itis writen here: "The daughters advanced upon the wall"; that is to. say, the daughters took part inthe adornment ofthe Shekinah, but ot the eons ithe seen Stroh 2470-2478] vaveut 283 Bor mts wow AsopE 1x stueNoTit. 'This means hat the bow which was his mate clathed him with strength and hep him ft, Knowing that he would not go astray night or left in regard to his own proper grade of the sign of the covenant, AND THE ARMS OF HIS HANDS WERE MADE STRONG the word vayaphocu (were made strong) isakin to the word pus (fine gold), and indicates that his arms were adorned ith precious jewels. BY THE HANDS OF THE MiGHTY OnE OF JACoM: these are the Ww sides to which Jacob held fast. Fkost THENcE Me FeD THE STONE OF swan: by him was supported that precious stone, an we hve sid, Or again it may mear that that precious tone Was sustained hy these two sides which ate north and south, and Frtween which it was placed by the hands ofthe Righteous One. Observe that Joseph received an extra blessing, as itis written: EVES FROM THE Gop OF THY FATHER, We SHALL HELP THLE. Jacob gave Joneph an inheritance above 'and below. The inheritance abore was given in these words: "from the God ofthe father", th place called "heaven. He auded: "And he shall help thee", to show that tis place 'would not be exchanged for any other place, and his support Ywould be from this place and from no other. AND Wit. THE ALatGHTY: this signifies another and lower grade, iicated ty the wor eth (with) From whic issue Desi to the word. [2478] Up to this point the blessings were given in general; they were now particularized with the words: BLEssiNcs OF MEAVEN anovE, ETC. THO OLESSINGS OF THY FATHER GExrr0Rs, This was 30 because Jacob inherited the eream 'of al ore than the other pasar, he being peer ia all, and he gave al to Joseph. 'This was fiting, because the Righteous One takes all and inherits all, and all blessings are deposited with him. He frst dispenses blesings above, and allthe limbs of the body are disposed soas to receive then, thus is broughe ino being the "river which goes fort from Eden". Why Eden (lit. delight)? Because whenever all the limbo are kat together in harmony and in motual delight,

34THE ZOHAR 11 [eqz>
from top to bottom, then they pour blessings upon it, and it 'becomes a river which flows forth, literally, from "delight". (Or again, the word "Eden" may refer to the supreme Wis- dom, from which the whole flows forth like a river until it reaches this grade, where all is turned to blessing, 'The two interpretations are practically the same: Usro THE UTMOST BOUND OF THE EVERLASTING HILLS. Or better, "unto the desire (ta'aeath) of, ete." These everlasting hills are two females, one abuve and one below, tach of whom i called "alam (a world). 'The desive oF all the limbs of the Body is for those two Mothers, from below to stick from the higher Mother, and from above to be linked with the lower Mother, both desires being in essence the same, Therefore, THEY SHALL ALL Uf ON THE HEAD OF Jose, so that the grade of the Righteous One should be blessed and receive all as befits. Happy are they who are called righteous, for only he is 20 called who observes this sgrade; this sign of the holy covenant. Happy are they in this one of us give some exposition as we go along.' R. Eleazar ceommenced with the next verse= BENFAMIN 18.4 WOLF THAT RAVINETHL "Benjamin ix called a wolf because he was imprinted in this form on the "Throne, all animals geeat and small being delineated there. 'The throne which Solomon made contained similar designs. He is also called wolf because the altar was in is territory, and the altars called "wolf" because it consumed flesh every day. Again, we may translate: "Benjamin shall feed the wolf", to wit, the adversaries who are posted above to accuse, and 'who are all appeased by the sacrifice. IN THE MORNING HF SHALL DEVOUR THE PREY, 'This means that in the 'morning, when Abraham stirs in the world and i is the time 'of grace, the sacrifice brings appeasement and rises to the place called 'Ad (perpetuity). We may ao translate "In the 'morning "Ad shall et", this being the supernal throne which is forever and ever ('ade 'ad). The smoke ascends and love is -247b-248aq) varEMr 385 awakened above, {248a] and a lamp is kindled and shines forth throogh this impulse from below. The priest is busy. and the Levites sing praises joyfully, and wine is poured forth to be united with water (wine being good below to cause sladness to another wine above) and alls at work to ink the 'Lefewith the Right. The bread, which isthe "fine lour" used for royalty, and which gave the impulse, is received by the Left and the Right and joined tothe Body. Then the supernal 'il flows forth and is taken up by the hand of the Zaddike (hence the impulse must be given by means of fine flour and. 'il commingled, so that all should be linked together). So a complete unity is formed, with its resulting delight and the ratification which is gathered up by al the erowns. These all join together, and the moon is illumined through being. ned with the sun, and there is universal delight. This is indeed "an offering for the Lord", and for no othe. Hence, in the morning "Ad shall eat and io other, until he has been 'ated and linked to his place. For first the Holy Name must be blessed and then others, and therefore it is forbidden to a 'man toblesshisneighbour in the morning until he has Blessed. God! AND AT BVEN He SHALL DIVIDE THE SPOIL. "The even- ing sacrifice was brought wholly to God, and the stirring ascended thither, And having received iis blessing, He linked up al the other celestial powers and assigned to each its fitting blessings, so that worlds were gratified and upper and lower were blessed, 'This is hinted in the verse: "I have 'eaten my honeycomb with my honey" fist of all; and after 'wards He shares out among all and says: "Eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved" (S. 8. ¥, 1). Think 'ot hat che offering fs broughewothem or toany other power, 'hut all is to the Led, and He dispenses blessings toll the worlds. Ssid KR. Simeon: 'My son, you have ssid wel, The "whole object ofthe sacrifice isto set blessings in motion. First itis "an offering to the Lord" and no other, and thea "you shall bring your offering" (i, carry away your gift), in that all worlds ill be linked together and upper and lower will be bleseed."

386THE ZOHAR 1 fayBanay9
R, Abba then commenced with the nest verse! ALL THtst Ane THE TWELVE TRIvES OF ISRAEL. "The word "all" tigaifies that they were all atuched irremovably to the place from whieh all blessings issue, The twelve" refers to the twelve links of the adomments of the Matron, she being. jpined with them. AND THIS 1 18 THAT THEI PATHER SPAKEUSTO THEM AXD DLESSED THEM. The word "spake" indicates that in this place speech has. scope. Further, we have here the union of upper with lover and of Luwer with upper, Below there isa union theough the twelve tribes to which Zoth (this) was joined, "The words "that he spoke" indicate the union of male and female. Thus there is union on two sides, bdow and above. Finally, he united them in the place above, male and female tether, as itis written: "Every one according to his blessing et." Similarly in the verse, "The Lord bless thee out of Zion, ard see thou the good of Jerusalem, allthe days of thy life" (Ps, cxxvu, 5), Zion is mentioned because from itive blessings to water the fardea, and then Jerusalem is mentioned to show that all blessings issue from male and female together. Similaey it is vritten: "The Lord bless thee and keep thee" (Num. ¥t, 24) "bles from the male, and "keep" from the female." [3480] R. Judah opened with the verse: AND WaEN Jacon MADE AN END OF CHARGING 115 sons, ETC. "We should have expected here "blessing" instead of "sharging". What it means, however, is that he charged them to rernain united with the Shekinah. He also charged them concerning the cave (of Machpelah), which is near the Garden of Eden, and where Adam was buried. That place was called Kiriath Arba (lit ity of four) because four couples were buried there —Adam and Eve, Abraum and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jucob and Leah, A difficulty arises here: We have learnt that the patriarchs are the "holy chariot", and a chariot consists 'of not less than four. We have further learnt that God joined King David with them #os to form a complete chariot Ifs0, then David ought to have been joined with them in the eave. 'The reason, however, why he was not buried with them was because a fitting place was prepared for him elsewhere, namely Zion, As for Adam, the patriarchs were buried with a4ft-ayoa] yarn 387 fim because he was the frst king, though the kingship was taken from him and given to David, who derived Me seventy sears from the yeas of Adam, As the patriarchs could not go on living till David appeared, he was assigned a fitting place thewhere and was not bared with ther" He Gaterep Cr mis reer INTO THE oxD. Since he 'vas abiding inthe place of the living, when he was about depart from the world he gathered his feet into the bed. This isillustrated by the verse: "My soul yearns and longs forthe courts of the Lord" (Ps, xxx, 2), The Companions have caplained ths a follows, There are lower abodes and higher shodes, In the higher there are no dvellers, they being the inner room, but the outer rooms ate called "courts of the Lord", because they are filled with love and desire for the female. When the soul departs, i taras wholly to the female, being united with tin whole-hearted desire, ICis not aid that icob died, but only that he "yielded up the ghost and was 'gathered unto his people". 'The words "he gathered up his feet into the bed" indicate thatthe sun was gathered in unto the moon. 'The sun does not die, but is gathered in from the 'world and goes to join the moon. When Jacob was gathered the moon was illumined, and the desire of the supernal sin was awakened for her, because when the sun departs, another sun arises and attaches itself to the firs, and the 'moon is illumined.' Said R, Simeon: "You are quite right, Tchas, however, been affrmed that above, the world of the 'male is joined with lower one, which is the werld of the feral, and thatthe lower world is joined with the upper, and 'sooneisthecounterpartofthe other. Ithax also been affirmed. that there are two worlds, and although there are two females, 'nc is supported by the male and one by the female. It is, 'writen: The words of King Lemuel, the oracle which his smother taught hin" (Pro x¥3, 1), The secret measing ofthis Yerse is not known. We may, however, render "the words which were spoken for the sake of El (God) [249a] who ix king". Observe that Jacob was gathered into the moon and. 'hough if produced frux* in the world, and there is no esol.

38"ate ZOHAR tt (ge
ieneration without the fruit of Jacob, heeause he gave an Impulse above. Happy isthe portion of Jacob, since he was Imade perfect above and below, as i is written: "Fear not © Jacoby my servant, saith the Lord, for Lam with * (Jer. xLut, 28); it does not say "for thow art 'hut or Lam with thee", has been pointed ou

1Tasae opened with the verse: AND THEY caMe TO
Tiis ThiKeaHING FLOOR OF ATAD. He stid: 'What does it conceon us that they came to the threshing floor of Atad, and why should there have been «great mourning there (0 the Exyptians? tt his, honsever, een stated that a Tong. as Jacob was in Egypt the land was blessed for his sake, and the Nile used to rie and water it and, in fat, the famine ceased at hie coming, Hence the Egyptians moared for him." R. Tae here quoted the verse: "Who can utter the severities (geburath) oF the Lord oF show forth all his praise?" (Ps. it, 3), "We have here', he said, 'the unsual word yemalel (Ger) inated of the more uaval gedaber (speak). Such 'aations in the Serpture are never without significance. So here, the word yemallel is akin to the word mellath (cat- tings), and isappled to the severities ofthe Lord because they fare s¢ numerois, For every tentence of punishment iasvex from there, and whois there who can annul one decree of those forcible acts which God performs ?Or, agai, we may take "utter" a6 being synonymous with "speak" and the 'caning is that no man ean recite the severities ofthe Lord, 'because they are innumerable, and there is no end to the oficers of judgement, They can only be known by a recital 'which contains allusions of Wisdom, hut not by straight- forward speech. "Or show forth all his praise": for many are the grades which join in praise, hosts and campe without 'number, abit i writen: "Can his hosts be counted 2" See 'ov, the Egyptians were all lever, ad came from the side of Geburah, They knev countless hoste and cainp and grades grades tilthey amet the lowest grades, 'Through their dlivinations they were aware that s long as Jacob was alive no 'people could gain dominion over his sons. 'They also knew that they would enaive Iaacl many times. When Jacob died they rejoiced, but boking farther afield, they foresaw the 2492-2498) vavent 389 plnishrmests which would issue from Atad,! so when they ame to this place "they lamented there with a very great and sore lamentation'. And they rightly called ithe "mourn - 'ng of the Egyptians", because it was truly a mourning for them and for no others R, Simeon made as though to depart, when he sid 'T see that on this day a house will fal in the town and bus informers in its ruins. If Tamm inthe town the house will not fall' So they returned t0 the eave and sat down. R. Simeon then discoursed on the verse: Rate thy Gall, ete (Is. x, 30) [2498] "This verse, he sa addrested 'othe Community of Israel, which lauds God with the voice of praise. We learn from here that anyone who desires to praise God with singing should have an agreeable 'oice in order that those who listen may derive pleasure from hearing him; if not, he should not come forward to sng. The LLevites were commanded to retire fom service at the age of fifty (Num vit, 26), because a that age a man's voice beging to fal and is n0 longer 20 agreeable, 'The word Gali (lit heaps) indicates the future word, in which heaps of things inven: "O listen, Laishab, this Tisha (it. ones) sigaien power to crush hostile forces, and when Israel sing praises then thio listens, 'The verse field of apples", but when itis defective it Galled "the eld of Anathoth (pavery)". Hence, praise from below affords it wealth and completeness, and so Davidall his lifetime sought to provide this completeness by chanting lhyzns of aise below. When David ded he lf it complete, and Solomon received it at its fll, since the moon had escaped frem poverty and entered into riches. BY means of {his Fches Solomon ruled overall the kings of the earth, and therefore "silver was not accounted for anything in the days 'of Solomon" (C Kings x, 21), but everything was of gold; and ofthat time it i writen: "And he had dust of gol" (lob xvitt, 6), For the sun shining on. the dust of the 'mountain tops turned i into gold, From the rays of the sun "Am allusion tthe inh: a" with which Go sate the Bs uns, the WOW ata tating fhe sme mamerial Yue a jd han),

398THE ZONAR 11
beating onthe mountains the dust [2500] of 'the mountains became gold And but forthe wild beasts that roamed thee, men would nat 'observed this he called alo 1, 20) Hence Solomon had no need to sing ike Davi, save tone song which is beloved of wealth, and i the jewel and favourite ofall chants of prises, since it contains the praises recited by the Matron whea she sits on the throne opposite the King: Everything wae gol, and dust Was fond With the Jef hand, onthe side of love, and thesun chung to it and did not pat fom it Solomon vas hereby ed into error. He sy that the moon had approached the sun and the right hand was 'embracing and the left hand under the head. Seeing this he sid "What need is there of the righthand bere, seeing that they have drawn near to one another ?" Gad then aid to him= "L awear wo thee that as thou hast rejected the right handy thou shalt one day requice the kindness (hend) of men and shalt not obtain it." Staightway the aun parted from the 'oon, and the moon began to darken, and Solomon went "Tam Koheleth, and no one would show 'young of the lioness are scattered" (Job ty, 11). When the lioness gives food, all the (heavenly) hosts come together and 'draw sustenance. But when she is without prey on account fof the Galuth, then they are scattered to different sides, Hence, when the sacrifices were offered they were all sup- ported and drew near together, as we have sad. But now that there are no sacrifices, then indeed "the young of the lioness are scattered". Henee, there is no day without punishment, because upper and lower do not receive the proper impulse, as we have said, Now it is prayer which gives the proper impulse above and below, and through the blessings with Which we bless God upper and lower are blessed. Hence Worlds are blessed through the prayer of Israel. He who blesses God is blessed, and he who does not bless God is not blessed. Rab Hamnuna the Elder would not allow anyone ele to take the cup of blessing, but he himself took it in his two hands. "which come frm the Right. 2500-2508) vavent er and said the blessing, We have afiemed thatthe cup should bbe taken in the right hand, and not inthe left Tee called "cup of salvations" (Ps, cx, 13), because through it bless- ings are drawn from the supernal salvations, and. collected the supernal wine. Also, the tuble over which the blessing is said should not be devoid of both bread and. 'The Community of Israelis called "cup of blessing", and 'therefore the eup shouldbe raised both by the right hand and the left hand, so as to be set between. [2506] It should be filled with wine, because of the wine of the Torah which fe from the future world. Thee is 4 mystic allusion in this cup of blesing tothe holy chariot. The right and left hhands correspond to the north and south, between "the couch of Solomon". He who says the blessing shou! fix hiseye upon the cup to bles it with four blessings. Thus the cup contains the emblem of faith, north, south, east, and west, and so the holy chariot. There should be bread on the table inorder thatthe bster bread may be blessed, and the "bread of poverty" may become the "bread of luxury". In this way the Community of Israel will be blessed in all four directions, above and below—above by the bread of blessing and the cup of blessing through which King Davi is joined to the patriarchs, and below, that bread should never be lacking from the Isracie's table. 'They all rose and kissed his hands, saying: "God be blessed who has brought us into the world to hear allthis," "They then left the cave and went on their way. When they reached the town, they saw a funeral procession for some men 'who had died through a house falling on them, and in whom were included some informers, as R. Simeon had said. A, Simoon quoted the text: "And they came tothe threshing floor of Atad", saying: 'This is a hint of the passing of the dominion of the Exyptians to give place to the dominion of Israel; and hence it was that they "lamented with a very {great and sore lamentation', So here also these people are not 'mourning forthe Jews, although there are some Jews among. the dead; and even these, had they been really Jews, would riot have been killed, and since they have died God pardons

392THE ZOHAN It [e50b-2sta
R, Simeon suid: 'Although Jacob died in Egypt, yet his soul did not depart ina foreign land, since when he died hi 'soul was straightway joined to its place, as we have stated. 'When Jacob entered the cave all the perfumes of Eden filled itand a ight wenc up from it and a amp was kindled there. When the patriarcks went to Jacob in Eayps, tobe with him, the light of the candle departed, but when Jacob entered the cave it returned, With his admission the eave obtained its full complement, and it never again received another ovcu- pant, nor will it ever receive one. The souls that are worthy pass before the patvarchs in the eave inorder that they may aviake and behold the seed which they have left in the world, and rejoice before the Almighty." IR, Abba asked: 'What was the embalming of Jacob ? He 'aid to him: 'Go and ask a physician, It says: "and Joseph 'commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his fither, 'and. the physicians embalmed Israel". Apparently, this embalming was lke that of any other person. Ie cannot have been on account of the journey to Cansan, because Joseph also. was embalmed and yet he was not taken out of the country, 'The real reason was that it was the custom to em- balm kings in order to preserve their bodies, They were em= balmed with very special oil mixed with spices. 'This was rubbed on them day after day for forty days, After that, the 'body could lat for yery long ime, For the ai of the land of Canaan and of the land of Egype corrupts the body [3514] 'more rapidly than that of any other country. Hence they do this to preserve the body, embalming it within and without. 'They place the oil on the navel, and i enters into the ody and draws out the inside, and thos preserves it inside and cutside. Tt was fing that Jacob's body should be so. pre~ served, since he wae the hody of the patriarchs. Similarly Joseph, who was an emblem of the body, was preserved both in body and soul—in body, as it says "and they embalmed him, in soul, as itis writen, "and he was put in a eofin in Egypt". The word saysem (and he was pt is spel with to _yods, one of them toindicate an ark above which i called "the fark f the covenant", which Joseph inherted because he kept the covenant, Theres also another hint inthis expression, to asta) vayeut 393 that although he died ona foreign sil, his soul was united with the Shekinah, the reason being that he was righteous, and every righteous one inherits the celestial holy land, as it is written: "And thy people are ll righteous, they shal for~ 'ever inherit the land, the branch of my planting, the work of 'my hands, that I may be glorified" (Is, ux, 21)" University of Tu McFarlin Libvary Tulna. Olcials AppeNDIX In the terminology of the Zohar, a prominent part is played by three pairs of corelative terms which, taken from the language of ordinary life, are frequently used by it with an csoteric significance. These pairs are (a) male and female; (6) right and tet; and (c) upper and lower. "These terms are Worthy of special consideration, because they embody, more than any others, the cosmology ofthe Zahar, and so lie at the root ofits philosophy and ethics; and what is more, a proper understanding of them will be found to afford a clue to some ofthe most puzaing symbolism of the Zohar, (6) Mate and Female. 'These terms are applied by the Zohar ix mystic sense to certain generative pairs—the one 'member imparting and the other receiving—the union of Which is holy. The fit of such pairs ae the two primordial grades of the Godhead indicated in the fist verse of Genesis by the words Reshith and Elohim, and commonly designated by the Zohar Father and Mother, and by the Cabbala Wiscom (Hokmah) and Understanding (Binah). 'The Father impans to the Mother the plan or design of creation, tnd the product is the erestive instrument, the Voice. 'The Voice, gui, indicated, according to the Zohar, by the word 'heavens' in the first verse of Genesis, combines with the Inchotte materia called 'earth', as male with female, to produce the six days of Creation. litle lower in the scale, a 'male and femal pair isconsituted by the 'upper waters and "Tower waters, which produce the vesetative power ofthe 'of holiness is completed in the union ofthe are funher applied to the 'upper' and 'lower' word ina sense which wil be considered later. '98 sevennis (8) Right and Left. "he ters "ight! and "ef are wed by the Zohar, fist of the twin qualities of the Godhead, Kinulness and Rigour, and then of the instruments by means ff which these. qualities ate eyereised. 'This distnetion $ssumes in the Zokar many ramafcations which ville best tnderstood if we trace ito its basis in the Biblical text, as follows. "The second verse of Genesis, according to the Zohar, describes what might be called the fist approaches to one another of heaven and carth, which produced not actual "heing' but a kind of*beng-about-to-be. The earth in this stage is said to have been of 160 qualities: (a) "formless! (tla), and (6) "nehoate® (hou), Corcesponatngly, the heaven was of two qualities: (a) "darkness on the face of the deep" (hom, identified by the Zohar vith tou), and (B)'the spit. '&f God moving over the fice of the waters' (identified by' the Zohar with bol). 'Thus the material of creation was of two qualities, and correspondingly the product was of two qualities, From the "sprit of God hovering over the waters issued hight, charac~ terized as "good', and forming the content of the frst day Ander the eis of the divine attribute of Hesed (kindness, o rmerey). From the "darkness on the face of the deep' issued the firmament, not characterized as good, and forming the content of the second day under the apis ofthe divine atri- tute of Geburak (force, orFigour). Though hiinons in itself, the firmament is dark by the side of the primordial Hight. And the fact that the formula "God saw that it was good? is canted fom the account of the second day may be taken 23 Asign that the work ofthat day was not devoid of evi 'The whole of this exposition is not found in the Zohar as sve aye it, but it fits in withthe general scheme of the Zohar, anit does at east explainwhy; inthe Zohar, evil and darkness are 50 often associated with the grade ofthe second day, and why tha grade is always supposed to be in latent if not open confit with the grade ofthe fist day. Certain iis that we have a constant contrast between Heed, light, good, on the 'me side, and Geburah, darkness, ev, on the other, Why these to sides at called respectively right and left is nntexplcitly ArreNptx 309 stated in the Zohar. We may find a reason in the Biblical verse: 'O that his left hand were under my head and his right hand were embracing me" (S. 8.11.6), which in various places in the Zohar ix applied to the relations of the grades Hed and Geburah tothe Shekinah. (0), Upper and Lower. The terms "upper and 'lower' are frequently used in a more or less popular sense in the Zohar, toindicate the distinction between heaven and earth, between God and angels, between angels and men, between the future 'world and this world, and so forth, More specially, the term, "apper' is sometimes applied to the three primary grades of the Godhead to distinguish them from the seven secondary arades. 'There is, however, a further highly characteristic 'se ofthe terms which demands more particular consideration, 'The Zohar, as has been explained in the Appendix to Vol. 1 draws. distincion between the seventh of the secondary graces and the preceding six, corresponding to the distinction drawn in the first chapter of Genesis between the seventh day and the preceding six. "The essence of this distinction, aecording to the Zoltar, i that the six grades are ative creative or exmtoling forces, wereas the seventh i hy comparison passive, merely reflecting the work of the thers. It is what might be called the self-consciousness oF introspective faculty of the Godhead. It thus stands to the 'chers in the relation of the toon tothe sun, and i therefore frequently designated 'moon' without more ado, It is so regarded! as "female in elation to the other grades, which this become 'male' 'The world reffested in this 'moon', which also the Shickinah i lowe' in relation cotheactua. real world of the other six grades. Hut itis of this relleeted 'world that the soul (neshancal) of man forms a part, or at any Fate an emanation; and hence the extraordinary importance Which ik attached to it in the Zohar. 'The 'upper work though complete in itself is regarded as lacking it inal co immution without the lover (a hint ofthis i found by the Zohar in the letter beth with which Genesis commences), and hence the relation betweex the two worlds is often pictured bby the Zohar in language vf eroticism hased on the Song of Songs MS. auossany HEBREW AND 'TECHNICAL 'TERMS PN VOL. It Aan. The Sefrath,! or divine grades, represented asa man, eg: Heaed the right arm, Hod the lef thigh, ete Acabaus. Homilies and discourses of the Rabbis, Anon. One of the seven levels ofthe earth we grades Hesed (Right Arm) and Ceburah Adam). Beaury or Isnact. The Sefah Tifereth Bopy. The Sefrah Tifeeh Curio. That which God diveetly control, Curerrains, The celestial chiefs and guardian avached to 'the various nations of the eanh. Covewanr. The sign of cicumeision (e. Genesis xv). Cnowsen, Glorified. Davovren Same as Female (2) DisctostD. The divine grades following the fst three Daoss oF Goup, The kifoth, outer shells or lower-grade spirits, Doma, The spirit in charge of Gehinnom, Er. Swavoat. God Almighty. Farin, The second of the dvine grades (e. Appendix, Val.) Famace, The last of the divine grades, synonymous wi the Shekinah (e. Appendis) Feo or Areteernees. The Garden of Fen Fring. The emblem of the grade Geburah + rhe Seah vine oe irodsion a AppEDH, Va

402GLossary
Réengertonion Hui A shea fete cata (gx) Gemuean (lit. force, might), 'The presiding gride of the left side, the source of rigour and chastisement(e. Appen- ix) Geniyxom. Hell Gave. Any degree in the scale of being: offen <ange demon, UaNuxaH, 'The Feast of Dedication, Mayan (lit. animal). 'The highest gade of ange Hospann, 'The divine grade called [okmah (Wisdoim) IsRart., A name given to the highest of the divine grades Jvpitee. The supernal world; Moses as distinguished from Kune, The highest of the divine grades. Lab. A synonym for Metatron (9). Lan ov Lire, 'The Future Word Limawon (Trees or Cedars of) "The Six Days of Creation With their associated grades, Leer. The sie of Geburah (x. Appendix). MALE, 'The upper world in its relation o the Shekinah (e Appendis). Master oF THe HouseHoup, Moses MATRON. One of the names of the Shekinah, Masant (lit constellation, luck) "The alloted portion of « human being. MTATHON. 'The chief of the Chieftains (gr), the power eharged with the sustenance of mankind. Mezv2an (it. doorpost) A scroll containing Mitcal verses attached t a dourpont(r, Deut. 1) Mingon. The source of the prophetic faculty in ene oF other of the firmaments, luminous for Moses, dim fer others Moox. One of the names of the Shekinah(e. Appendix) chossany 403 Movuen, 'Te thin ofthe divine grades (Append, Vol. 1). Nevestt, The vital prindpl, the lowest of the three grades 'of the soul, Nestasaut. The moral consciousness, the highest of the three grades of the sou Nowra. The side of Gelurah OnRELOS. The reputed translator ofthe Chaldcc version of the Pentateuc. Owean (lie foreski ofthe Shekinah, Paraisncus. The three highest of the divine grates Prince oF tHe Worto. Metratron (9 Rep. The symbolic colour of the divine atrbute of judge- 'mentor severity Rucur. The side of Hered (x. Appendix) Riotirzous One (e. Zaddih), Ruy (li. opict). "The inelloctual faculty, the middle ofthe three grades of the soul Sapuaricat, Yea, The seven secondary divine gras; 'ame applied to Jacob when compared with Moses Sacre Laur. R. Simeon b. Yoh SueKiwan (lit neighbourhood, abiding). The Divine Presence (c. Appendis). SSuenta (lit. hear). The proclamation of the unity of God, commencing with 'Heat, © Israel" (&. Deut. Vt 4) Saxon, The under work SouTH. The side of the divine atrbute of merey Sux, 'The upper world in relation to the Shekinah (c Appendis) 'Paver. A garment with fringes (o. Num. av, 38) 'Turns, The divine grades Neza (Vietory), and. Mod (Majenty) (e. Adam), 'The condition of being unreceptive ron GLossaRy 'Tonait. The Law of Moses, especially the esoterie doctrine. UsrscoseD. The three highest of the divine grades, Vau. The sixth leter of the Hebrew alphabet and third of the sacred Name, symbolizing the original heavens Vouce, The instrument of the Creation, identiied with the original heavens, Waren, The symbol of the divine attsibute of Hered (kind ness oF merey); Wet. The supernal source of being, Watts. 'The ssmbolical colour of the divine attribute of mercy or kindness (ese) Wire, The divine yeade called Blohim or Binah (under= standing). Wine. The symbol of the divine attribute of rigour or severity (Gehurah) Wispon. The esoterie doctrine of the divine grades. Yon. 'The tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Zavvi (lit. ighteou). The divine grade associated with the covenant. {VON angooi2768493,

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