Zohar
3,895 passages indexed from Zohar (Sefaria Community) — Page 14 of 78
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Zohar, Toldot 9:4
If you should ask, how was it that Isaac did not know of all these evil deeds of Esau, seeing that the Shekinah was with him-for if the Shekinah had not been with him, how could he have blessed Jacob at the time when he blessed him?-the answer is that assuredly the Shekinah dwelt with him in his house and was constantly with him, but she did not inform him, in order that Jacob might receive the blessings without Isaac’s knowledge but with the knowledge of the Holy One, blessed be He. And so it had to be, for at the time when Jacob came in before his father the Shekinah came in with him, and then Isaac perceived with his mind that Jacob was worthy of blessing, and that he would be blessed with the cognisance of the Shekinah.
Zohar, Noach 9:1
FOR YET SEVEN DAYS, AND I WILL CAUSE IT TO RAIN UPON THE EARTH FORTY DAYS AND FORTY NIGHTS. R. Judah said: ‘What is the point of mentioning the exact period? The answer is that forty is the appropriate number for the punishment of sinners, in accordance with the ordinance, “Forty stripes he may give him, he shall not exceed” (Deut. 25, 3). Further, this number corresponds to the four quarters of the world, so that there were ten for each quarter. For since man was created from the four quarters of the world, and the decree went forth, “And I will blot out every living substance that I have made from the face of the earth”, forty were required for this purpose.’
Zohar, Vayera 5:6
in which it was written that, according to the goal which a man sets himself in this world, so does he draw to himself a spirit from on high. If he strives to attain some holy and lofty object, he draws that object from on high to himself below.
Zohar, Vayishlach 4:6
R. Eleazar said: ‘It has been taught that a man should not go out alone at night, and especially when the time of the creation of the moon recurs and it is without light. For at that time the unclean spirit, which is the same as the evil spirit, is at large. Now, the term “evil” here is an allusion to the evil serpent, while “the plague” alludes to him who rides on the serpent, so that evil and plague work together.
Zohar, Noach 14:17
The following parable will make this clearer. A king once invited his favourite to a special feast on an appointed day, thus making known to him that he stood high in the favour of the king. The king, however, was apprehensive lest in the midst of the feast all the governors of his provinces might put in an appearance, sit down to table, and partake of the repast intended for his beloved friend. What did he do? He first treated his governors and ministers to a repast of meat and vegetables. Afterwards he sat down with his favourite to that special banquet where all the finest delicacies of the world were spread before them; and whilst alone with the king the favourite laid before him all his petitions and requests, which the king granted. Thus the king enjoyed the company of his friend alone and undisturbed. So it is with Israel in their relation to the Holy One, blessed be He, and hence it is written, “the eighth day shall be to you a gathering”.’
Zohar, Vaera 10:2
The use of the form lebabeka instead of libka suggests a plural, “hearts”; and what Moses meant was this: “If thou desirest to know that TETRAGRAMMATON and ELOHIM are one within the other and both are one, consider thine own ‘hearts’, i.e. thy two inclinations, the good and the evil, which are fused one with the other and form a unity”.’
Zohar, Shmini 3:1
As they were going along the time for prayer arrived, so they dismounted and said their prayers. While they were praying a serpent wound itself round the legs of the ass of R. Phineas, which thereupon uttered two cries. When they had finished praying R. Phineas said: ‘I can understand my animal being in pain, because earlier in the day, while I was meditating on the Torah, it took me through some filth; hence now it is being hurt. ‘ As they stood up they saw a snake coiled round its legs, whereupon R. Phineas said: “Snake, go and wind yourself round your own hole.” At this the snake dissolved and fell into pieces.
Zohar, Bereshit 10:12
Similarly with the “other side”: the spirit which is found in the idolatrous nations issues from the realm of uncleanliness and is not, properly speaking, “man”; therefore it is not covered by this name and has no portion (in the future world). Its body, which is the vestment of that unclean thing, is unclean flesh, and the spirit is unclean within the flesh that clothes it. Therefore as long as that spirit is within that body it is called “unclean”. When the spirit emerges from that covering it is not called “unclean”, and the vestment does not bear the name of man.
Zohar, Vayikra 8:2
The proof is in the fate of Nadab and Abihu.
Zohar, Balak 6:39
Said the boy: ‘He that desires bread at the point of the sword, let him eat.’ R. Eleazar drew him near to him and said: ‘Because you boasted, you must commence the fight.’ ‘But’, said the boy, ‘I said at first that the fighting would be after the meal. Now, however, whoever wants fine flour must bring his weapons in his hands.’ R. Eleazar replied: ‘It is most fitting for you to give us a taste of your weapons.’
Zohar, Mishpatim 3:208
Thus the power of the abomination prevailed against the camp of God, and, David’s hosts being in the very image of the supernal hosts, when he brought a stain upon the hosts below he caused, as it were, a stigma also on the hosts above. That was his sin, and therefore he said: “Against thee only have I sinned, and done evil in thine eyes”
Zohar, Bereshit 17:3
Jacob foresaw the oppression of the last captivity in the end of days, and therefore “he prayed in that place and tarried there because the sun had set” (Gen. 28, 11), i.e. the night of captivity had come.
Zohar, Terumah 12:2
Then the Tree and all the other trees of the Garden of Eden emit sweet odours and praise their Lord, for at that time the Matrona prepares Herself to enter under the shade of the canopy, there to unite herself with her Spouse; and all the supernal potencies unite in one longing and one will to be united in perfect union, without any separation soever. Then the Spouse makes ready likewise to enter the Canopy in order to unite Himself with the Matrona.
Zohar, Bereshit 20:7
The Refaim (lit. weak ones), the fourth section of the “mixed multitude”, are those who, if they see Israel in trouble, abandon them, even though they are in a position to help them, and they also neglect the Torah and those who study it in order to ingratiate themselves with the non-Jews. Of them it is said, “They are Refaim (shades), they shall not arise” (Is. 26, 14); when redemption shall come to Israel, “all their memory shall perish” (Ibid.)
Zohar, Vayera 1:15
Thereupon “it sees and runs to meet them”, since it is the desire of this lower grade to attach itself to them, and its joy is to be drawn after them. “And it bows down to the ground”, to prepare a throne near them.
Zohar, Introduction 14:1
R’ Simeon was sitting and studying the Torah during the night when the bride was to be joined to her husband.1i.e. the eve of Pentecost. For we have been taught that all the members of the bridal palace, during the night preceding her espousals, are in duty bound to keep her company and to rejoice with her in her final preparations for the great day: to study all branches of the Torah, proceeding from the Law to the Prophets, from the Prophets to the Holy Writings, and then to the deeper interpretations of Scripture and to the mysteries of Wisdom, as all these represent her preparations and her adornments. The bride, indeed, with her bridesmaids, comes up and remains with them, adorning herself at their hands and rejoicing with them all that night. And on the following day she does not enter under the canopy except in their company, they being called the canopy attendants. And when she steps under the canopy the Holy One, blessed be He, enquires after them and blesses them and crowns them with the bridal crown: happy is their portion!
Zohar, Beshalach 13:5
In the transcendent sphere they are all linked one to the other, forming the Holy Name, the mystery of the Divine Chariot. Here (in the three verses, Ex. 14, 19-21) are inscribed the patriarchs in unison, forming the Holy Name of seventy-two letters1each of these verses in the original contains 72 lettrs—a fact to which the Cabbalists attached a mystic significance.
Zohar, Shmini 2:4
R. Eleazar discoursed on the verse: “Children’s children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children are their fathers” (Prov. 17, 6). ‘The word “children”’, he said, ‘has its well-known esoteric meaning. “Children’s children” are the other crowns of the King, and of them it says that -“the glory of children are their fathers”, because the sons are only crowned through the fathers. From this we leam that the sons are only crowned and revived by the running Stream when the Fathers are crowned and blessed.’
Zohar, Vayigash 6:6
The providing of sustenance is compared to the cleaving of the Red Sea because this also depends on operations on high, ways and paths being opened and cleft in the sea in correspondence with the ways and paths on high.
Zohar, Mishpatim 3:182
Then the old man began again with the verse: “If thou buy an Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve, and in the seventh he shall go out for nothing” (v. 2). ‘This verse’, said he, ‘proves what I have said. Observe, now. Every male before being born is in prototype in the world of Masculinity, and every female in the world of Femininity. Now, so long as a man serves the Holy One, blessed be He, he remains attached to the six first years (i.e. to the six “masculine” emanations); but if he withdraw himself from His service (by neglecting the commandment of procreation), then the Lord separates him from the six years of the world of Masculinity and he is delivered into bondage unto a man1Metatron. who does belong to the six sides, in order that he should serve him six years as a punishment for the supernal six years which he rejected.
Zohar, Miketz 4:10
GOD WILL GIVE PHARAOH AN ANSWER OF PEACE. This was a first greeting and an overture of peace.
Zohar, Bamidbar 1:2
It is necessary, however, to look deeper into this verse. For since Scripture says “And God created man in his own image”, why repeat “in the image of God created he him”? But what it signifies is a two-foldness of grades, of male and female comprised within the man,
Zohar, Noach 6:4
But if Adam had not sinned and had not been driven from the Garden of Eden, he would have begotten progeny from the side of the holy spirit-a progeny holy as the celestial angels, who would have endured to eternity, after the supernal pattern. Since, however, he sinned and begat children outside the Garden of Eden, these did not take root, even in this world, until Noah arose, who was a righteous man and entered the ark, so that from the ark there went forth all the future generations of mankind, who spread thence into the four quarters of the earth.’
Zohar, Mishpatim 3:24
Above all the other names is one which spreads and separates itself towards many diverse ways and paths, to wit, Elohim. This name has been transmitted to the beings of this lower world, and has been shared among the Chieftains and ministering angels who guide other nations. Hence we read: “And Elohim came to Balaam by night” (Num. 22, 20); “And Elohim came to Abimelech in the dream of the night” (Gen. 20, 3): and the same is true of all the principalities and powers appointed over the nations—all are included in this Name, yea, even their objects of worship find a place therein; and so it is this name and aspect of the Divinity which reigns over the nations, but not the peculiar Name, for in that they have no part, since it reigns over Israel only: the one nation, the holy nation.
Zohar, Vayishlach 2:15
These ten kinds of witchcraft are alluded to in the verse saying: “There shall not be found among you… one that useth divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or one that consulteth a ghost or a familiar spirit, or a necromancer” (Deut. 18, 10-11).
Zohar, Pinchas 13:1
What is a man without children? He is called barren, and his wife is called barren. Here, too, the Torah without commandments would be called barren. And because of that, it was established by them that it is not the study that is the essence but rather the practice. The colleagues bowed to the floor before him and said, "Now this is certainly a novel teaching, how one spirit can be subsumed in [another] spirit, like one who sees something with his eyes and it becomes clear to him. Previously, this was a tradition for us, but now it is something clear."
Zohar, Achrei Mot 2:1
R. Hizkiah quoted in this connection the verse: “Therefore thus saith the Lord to the house of Jacob who redeemed Abraham” (Isa. 29, 22). ‘We might think’, he said, ‘that the words “to the house of Jacob” are misplaced, but really the verse is to be taken as it stands.
Zohar, Vayakhel 7:4
Reflect on these things and return to thy Master. “What is thine occupation”, wherein thou wast occupied in this world; and make confession concerning it before the Master; “and whence comest thou”; to wit, from a fetid drop, and so be not thou arrogant before him. “What is thy country”-reflect that from earth thou wast created and to earth thou wilt return; “and of what people art thou”; that is, reflect whether thou canst rely on merits of thy forbears to protect thee.
Zohar, Terumah 9:12
From the fear of all these things we deliver in trust our bodies, souls and spirits to Heaven above, to the Supernal Kingdom which has dominion over all of them. Therefore we recite every night the evening prayers, performing all this to counteract the mysterious influences of the evil spirits now that there are no sacrifices to keep them at bay.
Zohar, Mishpatim 3:61
“And if he hath betrothed her unto his son, he shall act towards her according to the rights of daughters.” ‘Associates,’ said the old man, ‘When ye shall draw nigh unto that rock upon which the whole world is sustained (R. Simeon), then shall ye tell him to remember the day of snow whereon beans were sown of fifty-two kinds and colours,1Alluding to a discussion on the word ben (understanding), the numerical value of which is fifty-two. and having recalled that day to his mind, recall also the fact that on it we read the above verse: which, when ye have awakened in him the memory thereof, he will then unravel for you himself. ‘ But the companions demurred to this, saying: ‘Nay, we pray thee: he who began must himself continue!’
Zohar, Achrei Mot 3:5
Hence we learn 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 righteous obtains pardon for his sins. Therefore on this day we read the portion commencing “after the death of the two sons of Aaron”, that the people may hear and lament the loss of the righteous and obtain forgiveness for their sins. For whenever a man so laments and sheds tears for them, God proclaims of him, “thine iniquity is taken away and thy sin purged” (Isa. 6, 7). Also he may be assured that his sons will not die in his lifetime, and of him it is written, “he shall see seed, he shall prolong days (Isa. 53, 19).”
Zohar, Vaera 3:15
Fire, air, water, and earth are originally all united one with the other, and there is no separation between them. But when the earth-dust began to generate its products were no longer united like the supernal elements, as it says: “From thence it was parted and became into four heads” (Gen. 2, 10). In this was separation;
Zohar, Shemot 13:18
And at that time shall a flame issue in the heavens from the north; and flame and star shall so face each other for forty days, and all men will marvel and be afraid. And when forty days shall have passed, the star and the flame shall war together in the sight of all, and the flame shall spread across the skies from the north, striving to overcome the star, and the rulers and peoples of the earth shall behold it with terror, and there will be confusion among them.
Zohar, Bereshit 6:3
Similarly the quarrel of Korah with Aaron was an antagonism of the left against the right. Moses, reflecting on what had happened during the Creation, said: ‘It seems proper to me to compose the difference between the right and the left.’ He therefore endeavoured to effect an accord between the two. The left, however, was not willing, and Korah proved obdurate.
Zohar, Vayigash 7:4
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 of the world; and many are they that wait to receive the drink and food from thence! So it is written: “The eyes of all wait for thee, and thou givest them their food in due season” (Ps. 145, 15). “But the wicked shall see, and be vexed” (Ibid. 112, 10), namely, the idolatrous Kingdom.
Zohar, Terumah 11:1
1The first 17 lines of the Hebrew text do not appear in our translation. ‘It is written: “And she (the Shunammite) said unto her husband, Behold now, I know that this is an holy man of God which passeth by us continually. Let us make a little chamber on the wall, and let us set before him a bed, and a table, and a stool, and a candlestick” (2 Kings 4, 9, 10). Here we have an allusion to the order of prayer. “Behold now, I know” refers to the concentration of mind during prayer; “that he is an holy man of God” refers to the supernal world which sitteth upon its Throne of Glory and from whence emanate all sanctifications and which sanctifies all worlds; “passeth by us continually” with the sanctification wherewith the worlds above are nourished, he also sanctifies us here below, for there can be no completion of the sanctification above without sanctification below, as it is written: “I shall be sanctified in the midst of the children of Israel” (Lev. 22, 32).
Zohar, Bereshit 7:3
TO ONE PLACE: so called because it is here that the whole of the upper World is linked into one. It is written: The Lord (Tetragrammaton) is one and his name is One (Zech. 14, 9). Two unifications are here indicated, one of the upper World in its grades, and one of the lower World in its grades. The unification of the upper World is consummated at this point. The Life of Worlds was there firmly based, and through its unity the upper World was bound together, and therefore it is called “one place”. All grades and all members were gathered there and became in it one without any separation; nor is there any grade in which they are embraced in one unification save this. In it, too, they all mysteriously conceal themselves in one desire. In this grade the disclosed World is linked with the undisclosed.
Zohar, Vayigash 2:4
Said R. Isaac: ‘The whole verse speaks of the upper world, as it is from thence that the soul of life emerges into that land; and that land, in its turn, is the reservoir from which issue souls for all.
Zohar, Bereshit 20:8
The last section, the Anakim (lit. giants), are those who treat with contumely those of whom it is written, “they shall be as necklaces (anakim) to thy neck”. Of them it is said, “the Refaim are likewise counted as Anakim”, i.e. they are on a par with one another. All these tend to bring the world back to the state of “tohu and bohu”, and they caused the destruction of the Temple. But as “tohu and bohu” gave place to light, so when God reveals Himself they will be wiped off the earth. But withal redemption will not be complete until Amalek will be exterminated, for against Amalek the oath was taken that “the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation” (Ex. 17,16).
Zohar, Vayakhel 5:19
And so that no one should say that this is not within man’s power, observe the sentence saying, “whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, the Lord’s offering”. Assuredly so, whosoever is of a willing heart may draw unto himself the Shekinah, may bring her (yebieha) from on high, may draw her from the supernal region to reside with him.
Zohar, Balak 6:80
He then cited the verse: “I am black but comely, O ye daughters of Jerusalem” (S.S. 1, 5). ‘This means that when she (the Moon) is very lovesick for her Beloved, she shrinks to nothing until only a dot is left of her, and she is hidden from all her hosts and camps. Then she says, I am black, like the letter yod, in which there is no white space, and I have no room to shelter you under my wings; therefore “do not look at me”, for ye cannot see me at all.
Zohar, Miketz 5:25
And so when Joseph first went down into Egypt he drew after him the Shekinah, as the Shekinah only follows the Righteous One. Joseph was thus first drawn into Egypt, where he gathered up all the wealth of the world, and then came the Shekinah in company with all the tribes.
Zohar, Introduction 6:5
Enters the Zade and says: O Lord of the world, may it please Thee to create with me the world, inasmuch as I am the sign of the righteous (Zadikim) and of Thyself who art called righteous, as it is written, “For the Lord is righteous, he loveth righteousness” (Ps. 11, 7), and hence it is meet to create the world with me. The Lord made answer: O Zade, thou art Zade, and thou signifiest righteousness, but thou must be concealed, thou mayest not come out in the open so much lest thou givest the world cause for offence. For thou consistest of the letter nun surmounted by the letter yod (representing together the male and the female principles). And this is the mystery of the creation of the first man, who was created with two faces (male and female combined). In the same way the nun and the yod in the zade are turned back to back and not face to face, whether the zade is upright or turned downwards. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her further, I will in time divide thee in two, so as to appear face to face, but thou wilt go up in another place. She then departed.
Zohar, Miketz 1:9
THAT PHARAOH DREAMED. AND, BEHOLD, HE STOOD BY THE RIVER. This dream was one that concerned Joseph himself, since the idea of river is closely connected with Joseph the righteous; and according to the lore of dreams a river seen in a dream is a presage of peace, for so it is written: “Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river” (Is. 66, 12).
Zohar, Introduction 12:16
but my father inhabited the great sea, he was a huge fish who embraced the great sea from one end to the other; he was mighty and noble and ancient of days so that he would swallow up all the other fishes in the sea and then release them again alive and filled with all the good things of the world. Like a mighty swimmer he could traverse the whole sea in one second. He shot me out like an arrow in the hand of a bowman and hid me in the place I told you of, and he himself returned to his place and is hid in that sea.’
Zohar, Lech Lecha 12:8
SAY NOW THOU ART MY SISTER. R. Yesa said: ‘Abram knew that all the Egyptians were full of lewdness. It may therefore seem surprising that he was not apprehensive for his wife and that he did not turn back without entering the country. But the truth is that he saw with her the Shekinah and was therefore confident.
Zohar, Beshalach 15:3
Then the Holy One led it through all the lightful splendour of the Garden of Eden, and brought it to His Palace through all the ranks of the celestial legions. These were greatly amazed, and cried aloud: “Turn aside! For the Holy One has roused a Spirit to rule and to shake the worlds.” One voice murmured: “Who is he, this stranger, in whose hands are all the keys?”
Zohar, Bamidbar 8:9
A man must then look upon himself as having departed this world, his soul having been surrendered to the region of death. This is the reason that that Psalm does not contain the letter Van, since that letter is symbolic of the Tree of Life, whereas that Psalm is concerned with the Tree of Death. For there are sins which are beyond forgiveness until a man departs this world, of which Scripture says: “Surely this iniquity shall not be expiated by you till ye die” (Isa. 22, 14), so that man has given himself over, as it were, to death, and delivered his soul into that region, not merely in trust as during the night, but as though he had actually departed this world.
Zohar, Terumah 13:9
Brass is symbolic of the days of the Sacrifices of the Feast of Tabernacles, which alluded to the powers and principalities of the heathen nations, who are designated “mountains of brass”. “Blue” (techeleth) corresponds to Passover, which established the dominance of the true object of Faith, symbolized by the colour blue, which could predominate only after the punishment of the firstborn of Egypt was accomplished. So all colours seen in dreams are of good omen, except blue.
Zohar, Lech Lecha 20:8
Thus we see that when Israel dwelt in their own land and maintained the Temple service, the Shekinah remained among them in privacy, and did not issue from her house openly. Therefore all the prophets who lived in those times drew their inspiration only from her place, as we have said. That was the reason why Jonah fled from the Holy Land, namely, that the prophetic inspiration should not come to him, and he should not have to take the Lord’s message.