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THE ZOHAR |
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MEZORA' Leviticus XIV, 1-XV, 33 AND THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES SAYING, THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER. R. Abba cited here the verse: "Be ye afraid of the sword, for wrath bringeth the punishments of the sword, that ye may know there is a judgement" (Job XIX, 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. LVII, 5), 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 sword of the Lord, "that ye may know there is a judgement", for he that hath a sword in his tongue is punished with the sword; hence it says, "this is the law of the leper".' [53a] R. Eleazar said: 'When a man is on the point of leaving this world, his soul suffers many chastisements along with his body before they separate. Nor does the soul actually leave him until the Shekinah shows herself to him, and then the soul goes out in joy and love to meet the Shekinah. If he is righteous, he cleaves and attaches himself to her. But if not, then the Shekinah departs, and the soul is left behind, mourning for its separation from the body, like a cat which is driven away from the fire. 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 Gehinnom purified of her guilt like iron purified in the fire, and she is carried up to the lower Garden of Eden, where she is cleansed in the waters of Paradise and perfumed with its spices, and there she remains till the time comes for her to depart from the abode of the righteous. Then she is carried up stage 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 on the day of his cleansing: he shall be brought to the priest", to wit, to the angelic Priest above. This is the fate of a soul which has not been defiled overmuch in this world, and which can yet be healed in this way; but otherwise, "that which is crooked cannot be made straight".' R. Isaac cited the verse: "The sun also ariseth and the sun goeth down" (Eccl. I, 5). 'When a man's soul (neshamah)', he said, 'is with him in this world, then it may be said of him that "the sun riseth and the sun goeth down". And when man departs from this world in a frame of repentance then "he hasteth to his place where he ariseth". To those who repent, God grants pardon for all sins save for the evil tongue, as it is written: "This shall be the law of the leper", the word mezorah (leper) being interpreted as mozi shem ra' (slanderer).' [1] R. Hiya said: 'Whoever spreads false reports, all his limbs become defiled and he is meet for 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" (Isa. I, 21). Because Jerusalem uttered evil speech, God departed from her and a spirit of murderers abode in her. If that was the fate of Jerusalem the holy city, how much more so must it be that of ordinary men! Hence it says, "This shall be the law of the leper".' R. Judah said: 'Zoth (this) [2] indeed shall confront him to punish him for his evil speech. 'ON THE DAY OF HIS CLEANSING HE SHALL BE BROUGHT TO THE PRIEST. This shows that the prayer of an evil speaker does not ascend to the Almighty, but if he repents, then "on the day of his cleansing he shall be brought to the Priest".' THEN THE PRIEST SHALL COMMAND TO TAKE FOR HIM THAT IS TO BE CLEANSED TWO LIVING CLEAN BIRDS, ETC. When R. Isaac and R. Jose were once studying with R. Simeon, they said to him: 'We know the symbolism of the cedar tree the shoots of which are transplanted in Lebanon, as has been expounded. But what is the point of the hyssop?' He replied: 'It is written here, "two living clean birds and cedar wood and scarlet [53b] and hyssop". "Living" is a reference to two of the "living creatures" (Hayoth) that Ezekiel saw, denoting the place from which the true prophets draw inspiration. "Cedar wood" we have explained. "Scarlet" indicates the place of Severity, which is associated with him at first. "Hyssop" is the lesser Vau which gives sustenance to the Community of Israel. All these again rest upon him because he has been purified.' R. Judah and R. Isaac were once travelling together. They stopped at a certain field 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 her and happy is every one that retaineth her" (Prov. III, 18). 'The "tree of life" is the Torah, which is a great and mighty tree. 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 her" are those who put the profit of merchandise into the purses of students of the Torah; such become worthy of having a progeny of faithful prophets. Such, too, "retain" her from the beginning, which is Wisdom, to the "end of the body", and become pillars of the faith.' R. Isaac discoursed on the verse: "And he called unto Moses, and the Lord spake unto him out of the tent of meeting, saying" (Lev. I, 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 therefore the companion would never appear before the king without the queen, so of Aaron it is written, "With zoth (this, i.e. the Shekinah) shall Aaron come", etc. (Lev. XVI, 3). Moses, however, was invited as a guest by the King himself, and afterwards "the Lord spoke to him". All Aaron's discourse was for the purpose of bringing harmony between the King and the Queen, and therefore he made his dwelling with 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 his requests of the King, and therefore it fell to him to purify all those who came before the Queen, so that there should be none [54a] unclean among those who entered the sanctuary. Hence it is written: "And he shall take for him that is to be cleansed two birds", etc.' R. Judah cited the verse: "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh, the Lord shall have them in derision" (Ps. II, 4). The word "laugh", he said, has reference to Isaac, who came from the side of wine, which first smiles and then rages and kills. So God is 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 in it.' R. Hiya discoursed on the verse: "Behold a day of the Lord cometh when thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee" (Zech. XIV, 1). 'This day', he said, 'has been fixed from the creation of the world for punishing the wicked and for God to take vengeance on those that afflict Israel. That day ever comes and stands before God, and calls upon Him to execute judgement on the heathen.' R. Isaac said: '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 arms and make war on high and low, as it is written: "For there is a day to the Lord of Hosts upon all that is proud and haughty and upon all that is lifted up, and it shall be brought low" (Isa. II, 12).' R. Simeon drew a similar lesson from the verse: "And if a woman have an issue of her blood many days", etc. (Lev. XV, 25).' 'The "blood" is that referred to in the verse, "The sword of the Lord is filled with blood" (Isa. XXXIV, 6). "Not in the time of her impurity", as we have learnt, that the wicked bring punishment on the world before its time. "Or if she hath an issue beyond the time of her impurity": this implies an excess of punishment, as it is written, "I will chastise you still more seven times for your sins" (Lev. XXVI, 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 in time to come God will purify Israel and remove from them the unclean spirit.' Once, when R. Hizkiah was studying with R. Eleazar, they rose at midnight, and R. Eleazar discoursed on the verse: "On the day of good be of good cheer, and on the day of evil observe, for God hath made one to match the other" (Eccl. VII, 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 a man should not show himself abroad [54b] nor walk alone, for when judgement impends over the world it impends over all, and will strike anyone it lights upon. Therefore on that day look carefully on all sides and go not abroad, for God hath made one to match the other; just as when kindness is abroad it extends to all, so when judgement is over the world it is over dl. How many swords, then, suspended from the most high sword, issue forth and, seeing that highest sword red and bloody on all sides, decree punishments and set to work!' R. Eleazar further discoursed on the verse: "Set me as a seal upon thy heart", etc. (S.S. VIII, 6). 'The Community of Israel says this to the Holy One, blessed be He. The seal is the seal of the phylacteries which a man places on 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 similar is the love of the Community of Israel for the Holy One, blessed be He. "Jealousy is as cruel as Sheol": of all the grades of Gehinnom there is none so hard as Sheol, and he who is jealous of a beloved one finds it harder to part than the Sheol, which is the hardest grade of Gehinnom. "The flashes thereof are flashes of fire": this is the fire that issues from the Shofar, compounded of air and water. And with that flame the Community of Israel sets on fire the world when she is passionate for the Holy One, blessed be He, and woe to him who crosses the path of that flame!' R. Eleazar further discoursed on the verse: "Many waters cannot quench love", etc. (Ibid. 7). 'This', he said, 'is the Right Arm which desires to bind the phylactery on the Left Arm, in accordance with the verse, "that his right hand might embrace me" (S.S. 11, 6). Or again, the "waters" may be the primordial stream from which issue other streams in every direction. "If a man were to give all the substance of his house for love, it would be utterly contemned": this means that 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 Community of Israel, 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 puts on the phylactery of the hand, he should stretch out his left arm as though to draw to him the Community of Israel and to embrace her with the right arm, so as to copy the supernal model, as it is written, "O that his left hand were under my head and his right hand embraced me" (S.S. II, 6), for then is that man wholly sanctified.' R. Hizkiah spoke on the verse: "Hear righteousness, O Lord, attend unto my cry" (Ps. XVII, 1). He said: 'Beloved is the Community of Israel 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 Community of Israel, being before Thee as She is, and therefore, hearken, O Lord, unto Righteousness first, and then give ear unto my prayer".' 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 is tested. If it is genuine, it is taken up before the Holy King to be fulfilled, but if not, it is rejected, and an alien spirit is evoked by it. So it is written of Joseph, "His feet they hurt with fetters ... until the time that his word came", that is, until the word of Joseph's prayer came to heaven and was tested; and then, "the king sent and loosed him".' Meanwhile day had arrived. Said R. Eleazar: 'It is now time for the Community of Israel to be united with her Spouse. Happy are the righteous who study the Torah by night and then come to unite themselves with the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Community of Israel.' R. Eleazar continued: 'It is written: "Thus shall ye separate the children of Israel from their uncleanness" (Lev. XV, 31). When an unclean spirit is roused below, it rouses another unclean spirit above which obtains permission to go down to the world, when the spirit of holiness which used to come down and smite it is no longer there. Then judgement confronts sinners, and there are two harmful spirits in the world, one of judgement and one of uncleanness.' Said R. Eleazar: 'Here I must say something that I have learnt from my father. Just as when an unclean spirit rests upon a house, God sends a plague of leprosy to attack it and so cause the house to be purified, so if a spirit of uncleanness rests on a man and God desires to purify him, He rouses a spirit of stern judgement which contends with that unclean spirit until [55b] it is expelled. Nor does that spirit of judgement depart until it has loosened the bodily frame. Then at last is the man purified and freed from the unclean spirits. Therefore we have learnt that if a man wants to defile himself, heaven helps to defile him, [3] and woe to a man when an unclean spirit is found in him all his life, for this indeed shows that God desires to clear him out of the world (to come). Happy are the righteous on whom rests a spirit of holiness in this world and in the world to come'. When it was full day they went on their way, and R. Eleazar discoursed on the verse: "And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him" (Gen. XXXII, 1). 'Observe', he said, 'that all the time that Jacob was with Laban God did not speak with him (save at the very end, when he was about to depart), but as soon as he had left him the angels came to meet and to escort him. It says that the angels met him (bo, lit. in him), not that he met them. This is to indicate that they were some from the side of mercy and some from the side of judgement, and they met and were united "in him". Hence he called the place mahanaim (lit. two camps). It is written of Esau, "And the first came forth red" (Gen. XXV, 25). Though Esau came forth first, he was not really the elder, since at the time of procreation Isaac's thoughts were [56a] first centred on mercy, represented by Jacob, and afterwards on judgement, represented by Esau. Hence Jacob was really created first. R. Judah used to teach as follows. Esau is called "first", and God is also called "first", as it is written, "I am the first and I am the last" (Isa. XLIV, 6). The "first" will one day punish the "first" and rebuild the other "first", to wit, "A glorious throne set on high from the first, the place of our Sanctuary" (Jer. XVII, 12). We have learnt: One day the walls of Jerusalem will reach on high to the throne of the King, as it is written, "At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord" (Jer. III, 17).' _______________ Notes: 1. Cf. T.R. Erekhin, 16a; Shab, 97a. 2. The Shekinah. 3. T.B. Yoma, 38b.
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