Chapter 15
Chapter 15 somebodyLech Lecha 15:140-145 (Chapter 15) (Lech Lecha) (Zohar)
Lech Lecha 15:140-145 (Chapter 15) (Lech Lecha) (Zohar) somebodyתָּא חֲזֵי, כָּל הַהוּא לֵילְיָא דְּשָׂרָה הֲוַת לְגַבֵּיהּ דְּפַרְעֹה אָתוּ מַלְאֲכֵי עִלָּאֵי לְזַמְרָא לֵיהּ לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּשִׁירִין וְתוּשְׁבְּחָן, אָמַר לְהוּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כֻּלְּכוּ זִילוּ וְעֲבִידוּ מַכְתְּשִׁין רַבְרְבִין בְּמִצְרַיִם, רְשִׁימוּ לְמַאן דְּאֲנָא זַמִּין לְמֶעְבַּד לְבָתַר, (דא) מַה כְּתִיב וַיְנַגַּע יְיָ אֶת פַּרְעֹה נְגָעִים גְּדוֹלִים וְגו'. He, as it were, awoke the dawn, as it is written, “Awake, my glory, awake, psaltery and harp; I myself will awake right early” (Ps. 57, 9). In the night when Sarai was with Pharaoh, the angels came to sing praises before God, but God said to them, “Go all of you, and deal heavy blows on Egypt, in anticipation of what I intend to do subsequently”; hence it is written, “And the Lord smote Pharaoh with great plagues.”
תָּא חֲזֵי, מַה כְּתִיב וַיִּקְרָא פַּרְעֹה לְאַבְרָם וְגו'. מְנָא הֲוָה יָדַע, דְּהָא לָא כְּתִיב הָכָא כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמָר בַּאֲבִימֶלֶךְ דִּכְתִיב וְעַתָּה הָשֵׁב אֵשֶׁת הָאִישׁ כִּי נָבִיא הוּא וְגו', וְהָכָא לָא אָמַר לֵיהּ מִדִּי. Then, PHARAOH CALLED ABRAM, ETC. What gave him this idea, seeing that God did not say anything to him as He did later to Abimelech, as when He said, “And now restore the man’s wife, for he is a prophet”, etc. (Gen. 20, 7)?’
אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק הָא כְּתִיב עַל דְּבַר שָׂרַי אֵשֶׁת אַבְרָם. דְּהָכִי הֲווּ אָמְרֵי לֵיהּ, עַל דְּבַר שָׂרַי אֵשֶׁת אַבְרָם. דְּהָא לָא הֲוָה מְמַלֵּיל עִמֵּיהּ כְּמָה דִּמְמַלֵּיל בַּאֲבִימֶלֶךְ, אֶלָּא בְּמִלָּה דָא אִתְּמָר וְלָא יַתִּיר, מַכְתְּשָׁא דָא עַל דְּבַר שָׂרַי אֵשֶׁת אַבְרָם אִיהִי, וְלָא הֲוָה מַלִּיל (דא) עִמֵּיהּ, כְּדֵין יָדַע (הוא) דְּהָא אִתְּתֵיהּ דְּאַבְרָהָם אִיהִי, מִיָּד וַיִּקְרָא פַּרְעֹה לְאַבְרָם וַיֹּאמֶר וְגו'. Said R. Isaac, ‘The answer is contained in the words BECAUSE OF SARAI ABRAM’S WIFE: the angels as they smote him said “this blow is because of Sarai Abram’s wife” and no more, and then he knew that she was Abram’s wife, and straightway “Pharaoh called Abram and said, etc.”
וַיְצַו עָלָיו פַּרְעֹה אֲנָשִׁים. לָמָּה בְּגִין דְּלָא יִקְרַב בַּר נַשׁ בְּהוּ לְאַבְאָשָׁא לוֹן. וַיְשַׁלְּחוּ אוֹתוֹ, לְוָיָיה עֲבָדוּ לֵיהּ בְּכָל אַרְעָא דְמִצְרַיִם. אָמַר לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הָכִי אַנְתְּ זַמִּין לְמֶעְבַּד לִבְנוֹי אַתְּ תּוֹזִיף לוֹן מֵאַרְעָךְ דִּכְתִיב, (שמות י״ג:י״ז) וַיְהִי בְּשַׁלַּח פַּרְעֹה אֶת הָעָם דְּאוֹזִיף לוֹן מִכָּל אַרְעֵיהּ. AND PHARAOH GAVE MEN CHARGE CONCERNING HIM: why so? In order that no man should come near to hurt them. AND THEY BROUGHT HIM ON THE WAY: i.e. they conducted him through the land of Egypt. Said God to him: So art thou destined to do to his descendants: thou shalt conduct them from thy land, as it is written, “And it came to pass when Pharaoh let go (beshallach, lit. escorted) the people” (Ex. 13, 17).’
אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא כָּל כָּךְ לָמָּה אִזְדַּמֵּן לֵיהּ לְאַבְרָהָם וּלְמַאי אִיצְטְרִיךְ, אֶלָּא בְּגִין לְגַדְּלָא שְׁמֵיהּ דְּאַבְרָהָם וְשָׂרָה בְּעָלְמָא, דְּאָפִילּוּ בְּמִצְרַיִם דְּאִנּוּן חֳרָשֵׁי עָלְמָא וְלָא הֲוָה יָכִיל בַּר נָשׁ לְאִשְׁתְּזִיב מִנַּיְיהוּ. אִתְגַּדַּל אַבְרָהָם וְאִסְתַּלִּיק לְעֵילָא הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וַיַּעַל אַבְרָם מִמִּצְרַיִם, לְאָן אֲתַר הַנֶּגְבָּה. (ומאי הוא ואשתו וכל אשר לו, אלא לאודעא דלא גזלו מניה מדעם מאנון מתנן דיהבו ליה בדיל שרה דתהא למלכא) R. Abba said: ‘All this happened to Abram and he had to go through all this only in order that he and Sarai might acquire a great name in the world. For even in Egypt, a country of magicians from whom no man could escape, Abram distinguished himself, and he raised himself there to a higher eminence, as it is written, AND ABRAM WENT UP OUT OF EGYPT. To where did he ascend? INTO THE SOUTH.’
אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן תָּא חֲזֵי, כֹּלָּא רָזָא דְחָכְמְתָא אִיהוּ, וְקָא רָמַז הָכָא בְּחָכְמְתָא וְדַרְגִּין דִּלְתַתָּא דְּקָא נָחִית אַבְרָהָם לְעוּמְקַיָּיא דִלְהוֹן וְיָדַע לוֹן, וְלָא אִתְדַּבָּק בְּהוּ, וְתָב לְקַמֵּי מָרֵיהּ. Said R. Simeon: ‘Observe that these words have an inner meaning, and indicate to us that Abram went down to the “lower degrees” in Egypt, and probed them to the bottom, but clave not to them and returned unto his Master.
וְלָא אִתְפַּתָּא בְּהוּ כְּאָדָם דְּכַד מָטָא לְהַהוּא דַרְגָא אִתְפַּתָּא בְּנָחָשׁ וְגָרִים מוֹתָא לְעָלְמָא. וְלָא אִתְפַּתָּא כְּנֹחַ דְּכַד נָחַת וּמָטָא לְהַהוּא דַרְגָּא מַה כְּתִיב, (בראשית ט׳:כ״א) וַיֵּשְׁתְּ מִן הַיַּיִן וַיִּשְׁכָּר וַיִּתְגָּל בְּתוֹךְ אָהֳלֹה. אָהֳלֹה כְּתִיב בְּה"א. He was not like Adam, who, when he descended to a certain grade, was enticed by the serpent and brought death upon the world; nor was he like Noah, who, when he descended to a certain grade, was enticed and “drank of the wine and became drunk and was uncovered in the midst of his tent” (Gen. 9, 21).
אֲבָל בְּאַבְרָהָם מַה כְּתִיב וַיַּעַל אַבְרָם מִמִּצְרַיִם. דְּסָלִיק וְלָא נָחִית, וְתָב לְאַתְרֵיהּ לְדַרְגָא עִלָּאָה דְּאִתְדַּבָּק בֵּיהּ בְּקַדְמִיתָא. וְעוֹבָדָא דָא הֲוָה, בְּגִין לְאַחֲזָאָה חָכְמָתָא דְּאִתְקַיָּים בְּקִיּוּמָא שְׁלִים כְּדְקָא חָזֵי לֵיהּ וְלָא אִתְפַּתָּא וְקָם בְּקִיּוּמָא וְתָב לְאַתְרֵיהּ. הַנֶּגְבָּה, דָּא דָרוֹם דַּרְגָּא עִלָּאָה דְּאִתְאֲחִיד בֵּיהּ בְּקַדְמִיתָא דִּכְתִיב הָלוֹךְ וְנָסוֹעַ הַנֶּגְבָּה. אוּף הָכָא הַנֶּגְבָּה, אֲתַר דְּאִתְדַבַּק בֵּיהּ בְּקַדְמִיתָא. Unlike them, Abram came up again and returned to his place, to the upper grade to which he had been attached previously. This whole incident is related in order to show that he was stedfast in his attachment to Wisdom, and was not seduced, and returned to his former condition. “Into the South”: this is the higher grade to which he was attached at first, as it is written, “going on still to the South”.
תָּא חֲזֵי, רָזָא דְמִלָּה, אִי אַבְרָם לָא יֵיחוּת לְמִצְרַיִם וְלָא יִצְטָרֵף תַּמָּן בְּקַדְמִיתָא. לָא יְהֵא חוּלַק עַדְבֵיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. כְּגַוונָא דָא לִבְנוֹי כַּד בָּעָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְמֶעבַּד לֵיהּ (ד"א לון) עַמָּא חָדָא עַמָּא שְׁלִים וּלְקָרְבָא לוֹן לְגַבֵּיהּ, אִי לָא נָחֲתוּ בְּקַדְמִיתָא לְמִצְרַיִם וְלָא יִצְטַרְפוּן תַּמָּן, לא הֲווּ עַמָּא יְחִידָא דִילֵיהּ. The inner significance of this narrative is that if Abram had not gone down to Egypt and been tested there, his portion would not have been in the Lord. Similarly with his descendants, whom God desired to make a unique and perfect people and to bring near to Himself: if they had not first gone down to Egypt and been tested there, they would not have been God’s chosen people.
(סא א) כְּגַוְונָא דָא אִי לָא אִתְיְיהִיבַת אַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא לִכְנַעַן בְּקַדְמיתָא וְיִשְׁלוֹט בָּהּ לָא הֲות אַרְעָא חוּלְקֵיהּ וְעַדְבֵיהּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. וכֹלָּא רָזָא חָדָא. Similarly, too, if the Holy Land had not been first given to Canaan to rule over, it would not have become the lot and portion of the Holy One, blessed be He. In all these facts the same mystical purpose is to be observed.’