Zohar, Shemot 11:2

Egypt is described as a “house of slaves” (Ex. 20, 2), Babylon as “a people who was not” (Isa. 20, 11-13), and of Edom it says, “Behold, I have made thee small among the nations,thou art greatly despised” (Obad. 1, 2).

Zohar, Tazria 1:3

R. Isaac interpreted thus: ‘ “I make plaint to him of my bed, that he may unite with me to gladden and bless me”, for, as we have learnt, from the union of the King with the Community of Israel many righteous ones obtain a holy inheritance and many blessings accrue to the world.’

Zohar, Korach 8:2

At the moment when the day was about to be sanctified the spirits of the demons issued forth, but the day was sanctified before their bodies were created, and so the world was left deficient. When Israel were sanctified and all their grades completed with the Levites on the left side, then this deficiency of the world on the left side was made good, and all was then subordinated to the right and the world was freed from defect.

Zohar, Bamidbar 8:7

and when the action is faulty speech does not find a spot to rest in; such prayer is not prayer, and the man offering it is defective in the upper world and the lower. The main thing is to perform the act and to give utterance to words in co-ordination with it; this is perfect prayer. Woe to him who spoils his prayer, the worship of his Master. Of such a one Scripture says: “When ye come to appear before me… yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear” (Isa. 1, 12-15).

Zohar, Mishpatim 3:76

According to the traditional law, he who first seizes the possessions of a proselyte at the time of the latter’s death becomes their rightful owner. In the same way, all the holy supernal souls which the Holy One has appointed for those that are below go out at certain times and seasons from their bodily owners and ascend to their first home in order to enjoy the delights of Paradise. There they encounter the souls of proselytes, and whichever of them seizes on one claims it as its own. Each soul then clothes herself with that proselyte soul which she has claimed, and stands thus in Paradise, for there the souls must all be clothed.

Zohar, Vaera 4:2

To which R. Jose remarked: ‘But does not the greatest promise of all come last, namely, “I will take you to me for a people and I will be to you a God” (v. 7)?’ R. Judah replied: ‘Deliverance from Egypt was the chief concern of the people then, because they despaired of escaping on account of the magical arts with which the Egyptians held fast their prisoners; hence it came first in order in the proclamation, followed by the promise of deliverance from bondage once and for all, as they might have been afraid that the Egyptians would enslave them again.

Zohar, Shemot 3:2

Look (tashuri), a beautiful present (teshurah) wilt thou receive for thy children, from the top of Amana, from the realm of the supernal Faith (emunah)”, the reference in the last word being to the children of Israel when they said, “all that the Lord hath said we will do, and obey” (Ex. 24, 7), and who were then like angels, perfectly united, of whom the Psalmist sings, “bless ye the Lord, ye angels, mighty in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word” (Ps. 103, 20). Thus Israel received a present

Zohar, Bereshit 3:2

So here: “the intelligent” correspond to the letters and the vowel-points; “the brightness” to the notes; “the firmament” to the flow of the chant through the succession of notes; while “they that turn to righteousness” correspond to the pausal notes, which stop the march of the words and bring out clearly the sense. These “cause to shine” letters and vowels, so that they all flow together in their own mystical manner through secret paths. From this impetus the whole was extended. Again, the words “and the intelligent shall shine as the brightness of the firmament” may be referred to the pillars and sockets of the “celestial palanquin” (apiryon).1v. p. 110. The “wise and intelligent” as the supernal pillars and sockets, since they ponder with understanding all things needful for the upholding of the palace. This use of the term “intelligent” (maskilim) has its parallel in the passage: “Blessed is he that considereth (maskil) the poor” (Ps. 41, 2). “They will shine”, for if they do not shine and give light, they cannot well consider and ponder the needs of the palace.

Zohar, Chukat 9:11

AND MOSES DID AS THE LORD COMMANDED, ETC. Why did they go up “in the sight of all the congregation”? Aaron was most dearly beloved of all the people, and therefore, so that they should not say that he was laid out by Moses, they all saw when he stripped Aaron of the garments and put them on Eleazar.

Zohar, Shemot 11:11

R. Isaac said: ‘When the Holy One is about to chastise a nation He chastises first its celestial representative, as it is written, “The Lord shall punish the host of heaven in heaven and the kings of the earth upon the earth” (Isa. 24, 21).

Zohar, Chukat 2:6

Similarly with a dead man who has departed from the world without children.

Zohar, Shemot 3:3

“from the top of Senir and Hermon”: i.e. from Mount Sinai, at the nether part of which they stood. Also “from the lions’ dens”: namely, the children of Seir, who refused the Law when offered to them. “From the mountains of the leopards”: namely, the children of Ishmael, who likewise refused, as it is written, “The Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from Mount Paran, and he came from the ten thousands of holy ones” (Deut. 30, 2).

Zohar, Bereshit 10:6

“The stars” are the remainder of the forces and the hosts which, countless in number, are all suspended in that “firmament of the heaven” which is the “life of the universe”, as it is written, “and God placed them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth….” This is the lower earth, which derives light from them as they from above.

Zohar, Introduction 14:12

“O Lord of the universe, I have still one argument, that he himself pronounced his doom, saying: ‘As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this deserveth to die’ (Ibid. 5). He thereby condemned himself, and my charge against him stands.” ‘“Thou hast no power over him since he made confession to Me and said ‘I have sinned against the Lord’, although he was not guilty. As for his sin in the matter of Uriah, I prescribed a penalty for him which he suffered immediately. ‘Duma returned then crestfallen to his place.

Zohar, Bereshit 11:1

“And God made the two lights.” There are two kinds of luminaries. Those which ascend above are called “luminaries of light”, and those which descend below are called “luminaries of fire”. These latter belong to the lower sphere and rule over the weekdays. It is for this reason that at the expiry of Sabbath a blessing is said over the lamp, because rule is then restored to these luminaries.

Zohar, Vayigash 8:5

Said R. Hiya: ‘Elijah was able to pronounce a doom with the full certainty that God would confirm it, as, for instance, that the heaven should not let fall rain or dew. How came it, then, that he felt afraid of Jezebel? How came it that at her threat to take his life (I Kings 19, 2) he was filled with fear and fled for his life?’

Zohar, Miketz 2:2

The “king” here is an allusion to the Holy One, blessed be He, while “justice” signifies Jacob, who forms the basis of the world, since the basis of the world is justice, which establishes the earth with all requirements and provides for its sustenance.

Zohar, Emor 2:2

He sees the angel of death standing before him with his sword drawn, and all his limbs are relaxed, nor is anything so hard for the soul as its separation from the body. Before a man dies he beholds the Divine Presence, towards which the soul goes out in great yearning; and after it has left the body what other soul will cleave to it? This we have discussed elsewhere.

Zohar, Beshalach 1:1

AND IT CAME TO PASS WHEN PHARAOH SENT AWAY THE PEOPLE, ETC R. Simeon discoursed here on the verse: “A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet upon shigionoth” (Hab. 3, 1). ‘Why’, he said, ‘is this vision of Habakkuk designated “prayer”, a title unique in the prophetic writings? Why do we find only a prayer of Habakkuk and not of Isaiah or Jeremiah?

Zohar, Vayeshev 3:7

One explanation given is that the latter 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 parents, and who nevertheless are afflicted with bodily ills and are lifelong sufferers.

Zohar, Mishpatim 3:64

Thus, when David had reached his thirteenth year it was said concerning him: “The Lord said unto me, My son art thou, to-day have I begotten thee” (Ps. 2, 7). What does this mean? It signifies that up till that time he was not in the state of sonship, and the supernal soul did not rest upon him, because he was in the years of immaturity (‘orlah). But as soon as he reached the age when he became, being worthy, a son of the Community of Israel, he was, as it were, begotten anew: “To-day have I begotten thee”-I and not the “other side” as hitherto: I alone. And when Solomon was twenty, what do we read concerning him? “I was a son of my father” (Prov. 4, 3), “father” referring to the Heavenly Father.

Zohar, Noach 14:20

(As for Noah and his companions, they were only saved through being carefully concealed from sight.) In this light we explain the verse “The Lord sat at the Flood” (Ps. 29, 10),

Zohar, Vayishlach 3:32

Jacob divided his prayer similarly; first he stated what he desired distinctly, then he left his thought only half expressed, in the words alluding to the promise made to him, “and I will make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude”. There was here an underlying thought which was best left unexpressed. This division was necessary, as explained, so as to make the unification complete. Happy are the righteous who know how to express fittingly the praises of their Master, as a preliminary to their prayer. Of them it is written: “And he said unto me: Thou art my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified” (Is. 49, 3).

Zohar, Balak 2:3

Sihon was the colt of the wilderness, and the reliance of Moab was upon him. When Israel destroyed the city of Sihon, a herald traversed the kingdom of heaven saying: “Assemble, ye rulers of all the peoples, and see how the kingdom of the Amorite has been laid waste”.

Zohar, Vaera 1:13

AND I APPEARED, ETC. God was here like a king who had an unmarried daughter, and also had a personal friend. When he wanted to say something to the friend, he used to send his daughter to him to speak for him. Then the daughter was married, and on the day of her marriage the king proclaimed: “Call my daughter from now ‘the Mistress, the Matrona’,” and to her he said: “Until now I was wont to speak through thee to those who desired audience with me, but now I shall speak directly to thy husband, and he will transmit my messages.” One day the husband spoke harshly to the princess in the king’s presence, and before she could answer him the king took up the word. He said: “Am I not the king, with whom no one dared to speak but through my daughter, and have I not given my daughter to thee, and spoken with thee directly, a privilege not granted to any other?”

Zohar, Terumah 5:1

And what are these trees, the “trees of Lebanon”? They are the six primordial Days of Creation. Now each of these Days performs in this apiryon1The world of Beriah or “creation”. the part which was assigned to it. ‘By the first ordering, the primeval light which was afterwards stored away was taken from the Right Side and brought into the apiryon by means of a certain “Foundation”, and performed its function therein. Afterwards the apiryon produced an image in the likeness of that original light, as is indicated by the words, “Let there be light, and there was light” (Gen. 1, 3), the repetition of the word “light” denoting that the first light brought forth another light. This was the first day of the “trees of Lebanon”.

Zohar, Vayigash 5:11

Again, the heavens here symbolize the patriarchs, and the patriarchs find their centre in Jacob, who embraces them all, he being the choice of the patriarchs, and the one who causes light to radiate into the world.

Zohar, Vayikra 7:5

The praise of their espousals is contained in the next words, “Beautiful in elevation”, the one referring to the Holy One, blesssed be He, and the other to the Zaddik, this union being “the joy of the whole earth”.

Zohar, Korach 1:2

Now Aaron represented the right and the Levites the left, and Korah sought to make the right and the left change places, and therefore he was punished. Further, the evil tongue was also found in him, and for that also he was punished.

Zohar, Chayei Sara 5:4

R. Hiya said: ‘It has been established that when Isaac was bound on the altar he was thirty-seven years old, and immediately after Sarah died, as it is written, “And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her.” Whence did he come? He came from Mount Moriah, after his binding of Isaac. These thirty-seven years from Isaac’s birth to the time of his being bound were thus the real life of Sarah, as indicated in the expression “and the life of Sarah was (vayihyu)”, the word VYHYV having the numerical value of thirty-seven.’

Zohar, Mishpatim 3:65

Thus the words, “And if he have betrothed her unto his son” (in their mystical sense) refer to the time after the age of thirteen when a man emerges from the sphere of impurity to which he had been assigned. Then “he shall act towards her according to the rights of daughters”. What is this? We have been taught that every day the Holy One, blessed be He, gazed steadfastly down from the celestial heights upon the young boy who is still held in the power of the unclean spirit (‘orlah), noting how he gradually liberates himself therefrom: first by attending school, where he begins to weaken it, and then by going to the synagogue, where he masters it still further. What does the Holy One then do to the soul of such a one? He brings her into His Treasure-house, and bestows upon her rich, glorious and supernal gifts, and adorns her with noble ornaments until the time when the boy is thirteen years and upward, when He brings her under the bridal canopy.

Zohar, Vayigash 9:4

“Builded with turrets” (talpiyoth, lit. mound of mouths), that is, a mound toward which all men turn their gaze when they open their mouths to offer prayer and praise.

Zohar, Terumah 15:8

For on weekdays all the souls of the righteous abide in the Garden which is on the earth; but on Sabbath eve, all those hosts of holy angels who are appointed over the Lower Paradise bring up from that region the souls which dwell there into the firmament which is close to this Garden, where many holy chariots of fire await their coming, that they may escort these souls to the Paradise above, and bring them before the Throne of Glory.

Zohar, Beshalach 1:8

Therefore he prayed: “O Lord, revive thy work (i.e. himself) in the midst of the years… in wrath remember mercy” (Ibid.).

Zohar, Shmini 9:4

Hence God is blessed with wine above all, because wine rejoices the Left side and in that joy merges itself in the Right, and when the whole becomes Right the Holy Name is glad, and blessings are everywhere diffused.

Zohar, Toldot 1:11

(The word “living” is similarly used in the verse “And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a living man” (II Sam. 23, 20), i.e. a righteous man who illumines his generation as the living Deity above illumines the universe.) So the well constantly looks to the “living one” to be illumined. Further, the statement that Isaac dwelt by Beer-lahai-roi teaches the same lesson as the statement “And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah” (Gen. 25, 20), and abode with her and was united with her, symbolising in this way the union of darkness with night, as it is written: “His left hand under my head” (S. S. 2, 6). Observe now that after Abraham’s death Isaac remained in Kiriath-arba; how, then, it may be asked, can it say that he dwelt in Beer-lahai-roi? The answer is, to indicate that Isaac attached himself and held fast to that well in order to awaken the attribute of mercy, as already explained.’

Zohar, Balak 10:4

Rab Hamnuma the Elder said that “wonderful things” is a grade of the wonders of wisdom, to wit, “a path which no bird of prey knoweth” (Job 28, 7).

Zohar, Miketz 9:19

R. Jose discoursed on the verse: For a dream cometh through a multitude of business; and a fool’s voice through a multitude of words (Eccl. 5, 2). ‘It has already been explained’, he said, ‘that dreams are under the charge of a hierarchy of custodians, so that some dreams are altogether true and others are a mixture of true and false. But to the truly righteous no false messages are ever communicated, but all they are told is true.

Zohar, Balak 1:5

In the descriptions of the magic of the ancient Kasdiel we find that they used to make a bird of this kind at stated times out of silver mingled with gold. Its head was of gold, its mouth of silver; its wings of polished brass mixed with silver; its body of gold, the dots on its wings of silver, and its legs of gold. They used to place in its mouth a tongue of that known bird

Zohar, Terumah 12:15

Then Jacob said: “Blessed be the Name of the glory of His Kingdom for ever and ever.” In that hour Jacob and his sons became for a space, as it were, living portraits here on earth of the Shekinah Herself.

Zohar, Shmini 4:4

After this septet had perfected the priests and crowned them and anointed them, when they reached the Community of Israel, which is the eighth, Aaron was commanded to offer a calf, to atone for the sin of that other calf which Aaron made, thereby sinning against the “cow”, which is the eighth, the completion of the guardians of Israel. Thus the priest is found complete in all, in the eight different vestments and in all crowns, complete above and below.

Zohar, Vayera 15:4

Abraham was inferior in that respect, since he only asked for mercy in the event that there should be found righteous men, but not otherwise. Thus there never was a man who was so sure a bulwark to his generation as Moses, the “faithful shepherd”.’

Zohar, Kedoshim 3:5

He said to him: ‘There is no Torah without wisdom and no wisdom without Torah, both being in the same grade, the root of the Torah being in the supernal Wisdom by which it is sustained.

Zohar, Introduction 6:6

The letter Pe presented herself and pleaded thus: May it please Thee, O Lord of the world, to create through me the world, seeing that I signify redemption and deliverance (Purkana, Peduth), which Thou art to vouchsafe to the world. It is, hence, meet that through me the world be created. The Lord answered: Thou art worthy, but thou representest transgression (Pesha), and moreover thou art shapen like the serpent, who had his head curled up within his body, symbolic of the guilty man who bends his head and extends his hand. The letter ‘Ayin was likewise refused as standing for iniquity (‘Awon), despite her plea that she represents humility. (‘Anavah).

Zohar, Bereshit 15:9

See now how many hidden causes there are enveloped in the Sefiroth and, as it were, mounted on the Sefiroth, hidden from the comprehension of human beings: of them it is said, “for one higher than another watcheth” (Eccl. 5, 7). There are lights upon lights, one more clear than another, each one dark by comparison with the one above it from which it receives its light. As for the Supreme Cause, all lights are dark in its presence.

Zohar, Bereshit 4:10

We now understand what happened to Elijah: “there was a strong wind breaking the mountains, but the Lord was not in the wind”, because this name was not in it, since Shaddai presides over it through the mystic nature of Tohu. “After the wind there was a quaking, but the Lord was not in the quaking”, since over it presides the name of Zebaoth, through the mystic nature of Bohu (which is called “quaking” (ra’ash), because it quakes continually.

Zohar, Bereshit 7:8

The words "be gathered" suggest measurement by the line and the measuring; measuring is from the hard spark that is in Binah, as it is written: "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand" (Isaiah 40:12). In this verse, "who" alludes to Binah. This is what is meant by: "Let the waters...be gathered." Here in the verse: "Let the waters...be gathered" is the extent of the entire Mochin of He who forms the worlds, namely Zeir Anpin, and which is hinted at in the name Yud Hei Vav Hei, fully spelled with Aleph's, as Yud-Vav-Dalet, Hei-Aleph, Vav-Aleph-Vav, Hei-Aleph.

Zohar, Mishpatim 3:282

“A blaze of Kah”-the flame which issues out of the Supernal World to unite itself with the Community of Israel and so bridge the gulf between Heaven and earth and unite both. Of this same quality of love do we also partake in regard to thee, and the coals of that very fire are set within our hearts, warming them towards thee. So may it be the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, that our image may be engraved upon thine heart for ever, as thine is impressed upon ours!’ Then the old man kissed and blessed them, and they departed.

Zohar, Vayeshev 1:11

The righteous man, on the other hand, endures in this world many trials for not believing in and not associating himself with the evil prompter, but the Holy One, blessed be He, delivers him from all ills, as it says: “Many are the ills of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all” (Ps. 34, 20). For God finds delight in such a man and delivers him from all ills in this world and in the world to come. Happy is his portion!

Zohar, Terumah 16:23

On this day, therefore, radiance is increased everywhere. The heavens receive it from the source of life; and they then impart light and completeness to the supernal Glory from the mystery of the supernal Numberer (Sopher), the Father of all; then from the mystery of the Numbered (Sippur)-the Supernal Mother; finally from the mystery of the Number (sepher).1v. Sefer Yezirah. Therefore it says: “The heavens declare” (mesaprim), namely, as we have pointed out, in the mystery of these three Names which, on the Sabbath, reign supreme more than on other days.

Zohar

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