Zohar, Vayera 18:9

R. Isaac and R. Judah were once walking on the road together. The latter remarked: ‘Both the punishment of the Flood and the punishment of Sodom were of the kinds meted out in Gehinnom, where sinners are punished by water and by fire.’

Zohar, Bechukotai 9:3

Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Moses: Moses, this is not right. I have given my pledge to them, and even though they have sinned against me, it must remain with them. Therefore return my pledge to them, and for its sake I will not abandon them wherever they are.

Zohar, Lech Lecha 10:10

Sitrei Torah The Holy One, blessed be He, alluded to the supernal Wisdom through Abraham and Isaac; Abraham is the Neshamah of Neshamah, (referred to as 'the light of Chayah'). Sarah is the Neshamah, and Lot is the serpent, the spouse of Samael. The holy Ruach is Isaac; the Holy Nefesh is Rivkah. The Evil Inclination is the bestial Nefesh. And concerning this King Solomon said in his wisdom, "Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upwards, and the spirit of the beast goes downwards" (Kohelet 3:21). The bestial Nefesh is the Nefesh that comes from the side of the Evil Inclination.

Zohar, Bereshit 6:9

Thus the dispute fell into two distinct parts. It is the way of the righteous to enter on a dispute stiffly and end it amicably. Korah continued the dispute as he began it, in wrath and passion; and therefore clung to Gehinnom. Shammai conducted his dispute in that spirit of calm which should follow on the first burst of passion; it therefore became a quarrel of love and obtained the approval of Heaven.

Zohar, Vaetchanan 4:3

AND THE LORD SAID UNTO ME, LET IT SUFFICE THEE, SPEAK NO MORE, ETC. R. Hiya said: ‘God said to Moses, It is enough for thee that thou hast been united with the Shekinah; thou canst advance no further.’ R. Isaac said: ‘Long enough hast thou enjoyed the light of the sun that was with thee; thou canst not do so any more, for the time of the moon is come, and the moon cannot shine till the sun is gathered in. Therefore “Charge Joshua and encourage him and strengthen him”; thou who art the sun must give light to the moon.’1v. T. B. Baba Bathra, 75a.

Zohar, Miketz 6:20

Or we may explain thus. When Isaac died, Jacob and Esau came to divide his inheritance. Esau renounced the inheritance of the (holy) land and all that it involved, and Jacob took up the whole, including the galuth. Hence he saw the calamity that awaited him in Egypt, where he and his sons would endure exile, and hence he said to his sons: “Why do you show yourselves off in presence of the supernal judgement? That is the way to bring the accuser down upon you.” ‘AND HE SAID: BEHOLD, I HAVE HEARD THAT THERE IS CORN IN EGYPT. GET YOU DOWN (redu) THITHER. It has already been pointed out that the numerical value of the term redu (RDV=210) amounts to the number of years Israel was in Egypt.

Zohar, Miketz 6:1

NOW JACOB SAW THAT THERE WAS CORN IN EGYPT. R. Hiya discoursed on the verse: The burden of the word of the Lord concerning Israel. Thus saith the Lord who stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him (Zech. 12, 1). ‘Certain points’, he said, ‘are to be noted in this verse. First, as to the import of the term “burden”, here and in other passages. This term, wherever it introduces a judgement pronounced against other nations, has a favourable import, inasmuch as the prosperity of the idolatrous nations is, if one may say so, a burden for the Holy One.

Zohar, Vayakhel 14:3

At the time of the spirit’s descent there accompany it into the Garden of Eden sixty Chariot teams in all their glory, facing towards the six directions. When it arrives in the Garden of Eden all the spirits and souls abiding therein bestir themselves to meet that Sabbath spirit, and a proclamation goes forth, saying: Happy are ye, O holy people of Israel, on whom your Master has bestowed an additional spirit.

Zohar, Vayigash 6:3

For the providing of man’s daily food is for the Holy One, blessed be He, as 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.

Zohar, Yitro 8:20

But this is the sign by which he can be recognized. His eyes do not sparkle even when he is joyful, because his spirit does not shine in the letters, and the spark of light which was in him in his former state has been extinguished. He does not belong to the grade of those whose character can be read in their faces. To him can be applied the words: “Wherefore I praise the dead which are already dead more than the living which are yet alive” (Eccl. 4, 2). The seed of David, however, is indicated in the words: “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him, to show them His covenant.”

Zohar, Miketz 1:6

But those who exert themselves in the study of the Torah grasp the very trunk of the tree, and so lay hold upon all; and so we affirm.’

Zohar, Beshalach 7:4

The week days must be devoted to all needful occupations, with their corresponding vibrations above; and he who disturbs the Sabbath joy by uttering profane words causes a blemish in the holy day. The Sabbath is such a banquet.

Zohar, Shemot 13:6

After the forty days, during which the pillar shall have stood between heaven and earth before the eyes of the whole world, and the Messiah shall have manifested himself, a star shall come forth from the East variegated in hue and shining brilliantly, and seven other stars shall surround it, and make war on it from all sides, three times a day for seventy days, before the eyes of the whole world.

Zohar, Miketz 9:3

Similarly, all those who transgress one precept of the Torah are held to account for it. King Solomon, the wisest of men, transgressed one precept of the Torah, and for that he was dethroned and his son’s inheritance was divided. What, then, must be the consequences of the transgression of the whole Torah!

Zohar, Nasso 15:13

Tradition, again, teaches us that the priest, in the spreading forth of his hands, should not have his fingers joined close together, for it is requisite that the sacred Crowns should receive the blessing each one apart in a manner proper to each, because the letters of the Divine Name require also to be kept distinct and not to run into each other.’

Zohar, Yitro 12:3

At beginning, when the wicked approach to look upon them, and the same laugh, for there is kindness, beauty, and compassion. After, strength, fear, terror, and anger. His eyes are like doves when turned towards them. What are dove's eyes? They are eyes that deceive the wicked, as it is written, (Vayikra 25:14) "You shall not oppress one another." And written in a book (Shir Hashirim 1:15) "You have dove's eyes." They attract and repels (them). All the images of the world are in his face. The hairs on his head are blazed with the colors of seven types of gold.

Zohar, Yitro 2:2

Said R. Simeon: ‘Eleazar, Eleazar! I see that the beginning of thy interpretation is quite right, but not the end. Certainly, because of the honour of the Shekinah, who was united with him at the time, it is written, “her sons”, but when it says afterwards “his sons” it refers not to Moses but to Jethro, who begat sons after Moses had come to him, like Laban, who had no sons before Jacob came and dwelt in his house.

Zohar, Lech Lecha 4:5

and therefore it is written, “O Lord, keep not thou silence, hold not thy peace and be not still, O God” (Ps. 83, 2), in order that the white light may never be withheld from the world. So, too, it says, “Ye that are the Lord’s remembrancers, keep not silence” (Is. 62, 6), in order to give the impulse from below for the influence to descend from the upper world. Similarly the prophetic spirit rests upon man only when he has first bestirred himself to receive it. So here, too, when once Abram and his family had left Ur of the Chaldees, then God said to him, “Get thee forth”;

Zohar, Toldot 2:1

R. Isaac then began his discourse on the verse: AND ISAAC WAS FORTY YEARS OLD WHEN HE TOOK REBEKAH ETC. ‘The number “forty” here’, he said, ‘has an esoteric significance, to wit, that Isaac when he took Rebekah comprised in himself the union of North and South and fire and water. Further, as the rainbow exhibits three colours, green, white, and red, so Rebekah was three years old when Isaac took her; and he begat offspring when he was sixty years old, this being a ripe age for producing a child like Jacob who should be endowed with all good qualities, according to God’s design.

Zohar, Lech Lecha 16:3

There they show her certain things which are going to happen in the near future: and sometimes they delude her and show her false things. Thus she goes about the whole night until the man wakes up, when she returns to her place. Happy are the righteous to whom God reveals His secrets in dreams, so that they may be on their guard against sin! Woe to the sinners who defile their bodies and their souls!

Zohar, Yitro 4:6

According to another explanation, the word “likeness” refers to the union of male and female organs: and so the Master affirmed.

Zohar, Miketz 2:4

R. Jose said: ‘The “king” signifies Joseph, while the words “by justice establisheth the land” allude to Jacob, seeing that before Jacob arrived in Egypt the existence of the people was jeopardized by the famine; but as soon as Jacob set foot in Egypt the famine ceased through his merits and the world was made secure.

Zohar, Beshalach 15:10

“Yashir” (lit. will sing): the tense suggests that this song fitted that occasion and will also fit the future Redemption, when it will again be sung by Israel. The expression “Moses and Israel” proves that the righteous of the past ages, although they have entered into the highest regions and are united with the “Bundle of life”, will all rise again in bodily form and behold the signs and mighty works which the Holy One shall show to Israel, and sing this hymn.’

Zohar, Terumah 2:4

The light which issues from the slender light is mighty and terrible, and it expands and becomes a world which illumines all succeeding worlds-a hidden and unknown world in which dwell six myriads of thousands of supernal powers and hosts.

Zohar, Balak 6:60

On their advice they hired Balaam, and when they saw that Balaam could not prevail, they adopted another plan and prostituted their daughters and wives more than Moab. They planned with their prince that he should prostitute his daughter, thinking to catch Moses in their net. They invested her with all kinds of magic in order to catch their chief, but God “turns the wise backwards”.

Zohar, Miketz 5:14

“with the wife whom thou lovest” is a reference to the Community of Israel, of whom it is written: “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love” (Jer. 31, 3). When so? At the time when the Right side takes hold of her, as is implied in the concluding words: “Therefore with affection (hesed) have I drawn thee” (Ibid.);

Zohar, Balak 6:66

She was not made a Jewess by Elimelech, but she learnt all the ways of his house and the rules about food, and when she went with Naomi, then she was converted. Naamah came from the children of Ammon in the days of David.

Zohar, Mishpatim 3:3

So he went on plaguing me the whole of the way. But now I shall have peace and quiet, and we can devote ourselves to discussing the Torah instead of wasting time in empty talk.’ Said R. Hiya: ‘Dost thou know anything of the old man?’ R. Jose replied: ‘I only know that there is nothing in him; for if there were, he would have expounded some text of Scripture, and the time spent on the road would not have been profitless.’ ‘Is the old man in this house?’ asked R. Hiya. ‘For sometimes it happens that in vessels that seem empty grains of gold can be discovered.’ ‘Yes,’ replied R. Jose, ‘he is here, preparing fodder for his donkey.’

Zohar, Miketz 5:4

It is thus written: “Then was the secret revealed unto Daniel by a vision of the night” (Dan. 2, 19), to wit, by Gabriel. There are six visions (corresponding to the six mentions of the word “vision” in Ezek. 43, 3).

Zohar, Bereshit 12:3

The top point of the Aleph symbolises the hidden supernal thought, in which is contained potentially the extension of the supernal firmament. When Aleph issues from that firmament in a form symbolising the commencement of Thought, there issue in its middle bar six grades, corresponding to the hidden supernal Hayyoth which are suspended from the Thought.

Zohar, Vayera 19:1

BUT HIS WIFE LOOKED BACK FROM BEHIND HIM. We should have expected “from behind her״. It means, however, “From behind the Shekinah”. R. Jose said that it means “from behind Lot”, as the destroying angel followed him. How, it may be asked, could he follow him, seeing that he had sent him away? The fact is that the angel kept behind Lot, destroying on the way, but he did not touch any spot till Lot had passed it.

Zohar, Noach 5:4

But when Noah appeared, mankind were called by his name, to wit, “the generations of Noah”, in an honourable sense, since he secured for them permanent existence in the world, and not “the generations of Adam”, since he had caused them to be driven from the world and brought death to all.’

Zohar, Vayishlach 3:29

AND THOU SAIDST: I WILL SURELY DO THEE GOOD, ETC.

Zohar, Lech Lecha 20:9

But, you may say, did not the Shekinah reveal itself (to Ezekiel) in Babylon, which is outside the Holy Land? The answer is that, according to an authentic tradition, the words “came expressly” used at the beginning of Ezekiel’s prophecy indicate that this was without precedent from the day when the Temple was built, and this prophecv was for a special emergency.

Zohar, Vayishlach 7:10

His whole purpose in contending with Jacob was to break the force of the Torah, and when he saw that he could not strike at the Torah itself, he weakened the power of its upholders; for without upholders of the Torah there will be no “voice of Jacob”, and the hands of Esau will operate.

Zohar, Lech Lecha 10:3

and so HE BUILT THERE AN ALTAR TO THE LORD WHO APPEARED TO HIM. The words “who appeared to him”, which seem to be superfluous, indicate that here was revealed to him that grade which rules over the land, and that he entered into it and was confirmed in it.

Zohar, Introduction 10:5

A voice thereupon went forth, saying, ‘Lower thine eyes, raise not thy head and do not look.’ He lowered his eyes and discerned a light shining afar. The voice went forth again, saying ‘O, ye unseen celestials, ye open-eyed who sweep to and fro throughout the world, behold and see! O, ye terrestrial beings who are sunk deep in slumber, awake!

Zohar, Pekudei 7:3

That process is thus called “faithfulness”, as explained. Verily, if herein faithfulness has to be manifested, how much more so in workaday matters! The Holy One, blessed be He, therefore made the whole of Israel know the inwardness of faithfulness in all things that they performed.’

Zohar, Introduction 8:4

All these gates have one lock, and there is one tiny spot for the insertion of the key, which is only marked by the impress of the key. It is this mystery which is implied in the words “In the beginning created God”, “In the beginning” (Bereshith): this is the key which encloses the whole and which shuts and opens. Six gates are controlled by this key which opens and shuts. At first it kept the gates closed and impenetrable; this is indicated by the word Bereshith, which is composed of a revealing word (shith) with a concealing word (bara). Bara is always a word of mystery, closing and not opening,’

Zohar, Mishpatim 2:8

Nor is it to be thought that the body which harbours the daughter of the king shall be sold into the power of earthly crowns of defilement. Against this the Scripture says: “And the land shall not be sold in perpetuity” (Lev. 25, 23). Which is the body of the King’s daughter? Metatron; and this same body is identical with the handmaid of the Shekinah. Nevertheless, the soul that is the King’s daughter is held prisoner therein, having to undergo transmigration.

Zohar, Vayeilech 3:3

Observe, too, that if the first and to be sanctified with the same holiness. The verse continues: “I pine away, I pine away, woe is me. The treacherous dealers have dealt treacherously”. Woe is me for the generation and for the world! For all are false to Him, and their children inherit their treachery and add to it their own, and so become defective both above and below.

Zohar, Emor 13:2

R. Eleazar was once sitting in the room of his father-in-law, and he complained that his eyes were watering. A man happened to pass by who had lost one eye. ‘Let us ask him,’ said the father-in-law. He replied: ‘He is blemished, and therefore not to be trusted.’ ‘Still let us ask him,’ said the other. So they said to him: ‘Who is mightiest in the world?’ He replied: ‘A rich man; and I shall remain with him through all.’ Said R. Eleazar: ‘His words show that he has no religious faith in him.’ He then discoursed on the verse: “For the law and for the testimony; if they speak not according to this word” (Isa. 8, 20).

Zohar, Beshalach 12:7

and when the Matrona moves they all move with her, as it is written: “and the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them” (Ex. 14, 19). Is, then, the Shekinah called “the angel of the Lord”? Assuredly! For thus said R. Simeon: “The Holy One prepared for Himself a holy Palace, a supernal Palace, a holy City, a supernal City, which is called ‘Jerusalem, the holy city’. He who wishes to see the King, must enter through this holy City and thence take his way to the King

Zohar, Lech Lecha 9:9

Observe that the text says “And Abram passed through the land”, where we should have expected “went through”. We have here an allusion to the holy name of seventy-two letters with which the world is sealed, all of which are in this name. We read here “and he passed “, and in another place we find “And the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed” (Ex. 34, 6).

Zohar, Bechukotai 2:1

“And he said to them: Tarry here this night, and I will bring you word again as the Lord shall speak unto me.” Observe that when the sun goes down and all the gates are closed and night falls and it grows dark, many dogs are loosened from their chains and go wandering about the world. There are many Chieftains who guide them and one supreme Chieftain from the side of the Left. That wicked Balaam gained access to this supreme Chieftain by his sorceries, which he practised in the night when he was at the head of all his company, and then he made known his requests to him.

Zohar, Chayei Sara 5:1

AND THE LIFE OF SARAH WAS A HUNDRED YEARS AND TWENTY YEARS AND SEVEN YEARS. Each of these periods was marked by its own peculiar degree of virtue. R. Simeon said: “‘There is an inner significance in the fact that with the other numbers the word for “years” (shanah) is in the singular, whereas with the number seven it is in the plural (shanim).

Zohar, Vayakhel 2:8

The Holy One, blessed be He, then bestirs Himself and strikes the heavens, as already said, so that twelve thousand worlds quake, and He melts in tears, as it were. So Scripture says: “The Lord doth roar from on high, and utter his voice from his holy habitation; he dot mightily roar because of his fold” (Jer. 25, 30). He remembers then Israel and drops two tears into the great ocean. At that moment a flame bursts forth in the North, and, impelled by a northerly wind, roams to and fro about the world. It is the moment of midnight, and the flame strikes against the wings of the cock. The cock then crows, and the Holy One, blessed be He, enters the Garden of Eden,

Zohar, Bechukotai 10:5

But from him whom He loves not and hates God withdraws His reproof and His rod; and so we interpret the verse, “I have loved you, saith the Lord… but Esau I hated” (Mal. 1, 2). The word takuz (be weary) in the above-quoted verse may be connected with kozim (thorns), for the reproof is like a thorn in a man’s flesh, and yet he should not flee from it.

Zohar, Balak 4:4

Others there are who are taken up there when the Holy One, blessed be He, is arguing with the members of the Academy and says: Who shall decide? Here is So-and-so, who will decide. And so they take him up there and he decides that matter in dispute between God and the members of the Academy. Others are taken up there to be chastised in order to become cleansed and purified.’

Zohar, Mishpatim 3:274

When Moses broke the tablets “under the mountain” (Ex. XXXII, 16), the Ocean overflowed its borders and was on the point of inundating the whole world. When Moses saw how the waves were rising and threatening to overwhelm the universe, straightway he “took the calf which they had made and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water”.(Ex. 32, 20). Then he stationed himself before the waters of the Ocean and said: “Waters, waters, what would ye?” And they answered: “Was not the world established by and on the merit of the Holy Words engraved upon the tablets? And now, because the Israelites have denied the Torah by making the golden calf, we desire to overwhelm the world.”