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THE ZOHAR |
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PINHAS Numbers XXV, 10-XXIX, 40 PHINEAS THE SON OF ELEAZAR THE SON OF AARON THE PRIEST. R. Simeon said: 'Israel deserved to be destroyed at that time, and were only saved by that deed of Phineas.' Said R. Simeon: 'If a man receives a soul in the course of its transmigration and it does not properly fit into him, he as it were belies his trust to the King, and I apply to him the verse: "If he find something lost and deny it and swear falsely" (Lev. VI, 3). We have learnt that a completely righteous man is not thrust aside, but one who is not completely righteous may be thrust aside. A completely righteous man is one who does not receive migratory souls out of their course, who builds on his own inheritance, and digs his wells and plants his trees there. The righteous one who is not completely so builds on another's inheritance: he labours but does not know if what he produces will remain his. In respect of himself he is called good and righteous, but not in respect of that inheritance. He is like a man who builds a fair building, but when he examines the foundation he finds that it is sloping and crooked. His building in itself is good, [213b] but in respect of its foundation it is bad, and therefore is not called a perfect building. Note that if one is zealous for the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, even though he is not qualified for greatness, he nevertheless obtains it. Phineas at that time was not qualified for greatness, but because he was zealous for the name of his Master he rose to the greatest heights, and all was made right in him, [1] and he was invested with the high priesthood. Hence the word "son" is mentioned in connection with him twice. [214a] Phineas merited reward in this world and in the next. He was granted to outlive all those who went forth from Egypt and won the high priesthood for himself and his descendants. Now it is a rule that a priest who kills a human being becomes disqualified for the priesthood, and therefore by rights Phineas should have been disqualified. But because he was jealous for the Holy One, blessed be He, the priesthood was assigned to him and to his descendants in perpetuity.' As R. Eleazar and R. Jose were once walking in the wilderness, R. Jose said: 'When it says of Phineas, "Behold I give him my covenant of peace", it means peace from the Angel of Death, so that he should never have power over him and that he should not suffer his chastisements. As for the tradition that Phineas did not die, the truth is that he did not die like other men, and he outlived all his generation, because he kept hold of this supernal covenant, and when he departed from the world it was with celestial yearning and beauteous attachment.' R. Eleazar cited the verse: "And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord", etc. (Zech. III, 1). 'The "filthy garments", as explained elsewhere, are those with which the spirit was clad in this world. It has been asked: When a man is doomed to Gehinnom, what are the garments with which they invest him? And the answer is given in the words, "Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and standing before the angel" (Ibid. 3). This was the angel appointed over Gehinnom, and from this we can learn that the evil deeds of a man make for him these filthy garments, and so God said afterwards to him: "Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee and I have clothed thee with rich apparel"; he was clothed in other proper garments through which a man may see the glory of the Shekinah. So Phineas did not depart from this world until there were prepared for him other garments pleasing to the spirit for the next world.' [214b] As R. Simeon was once studying this portion, his son, R. Eleazar, came and asked him: 'What is the connection of Nadab and Abihu with Phineas? If Phineas had not been born when they died and had afterwards come into the world and taken their place, I could understand, but he was alive at the time, and his soul was already in its place?' He replied: 'My son, there is a deep mystery here. When they departed from the world they were not sheltered under the wings of the holy Rock, because they had no children, and they were therefore not fitted for the high priesthood. Now when Phineas rose up against the adulterers, when he saw all the hosts of the tribe of Simeon gathering around him, his soul fled from him, and then two souls which were flying about naked joined it and they all became one and thus united entered into him, so that he took the place of Nadab and Abihu to become high priest, and therefore it is written, "Phineas son of Eleazar son".' R. Hiya expounded the verse: "He causeth grass to grow for the cattle" (Ps. CIV, 14). 'The "grass",' he said, 'refers to the sixty thousand myriads of angels who were created on the second day of the Creation, being all of flaming fire; and they are called "grass" because they are constantly being cut down and restored. They are food for the "Cattle", over which rules the "Man".' R. Abba and R. Jose once rose at midnight to study the Torah. As they were sitting they saw a shadow hovering over them and going to and fro in the house, and they marvelled greatly. Said R. Abba: 'Jose, my son, I will tell you what once happened to me with the Sacred Lamp. Once we were walking in the Valley of Ono, studying the Torah. [218a] To escape the heat of the sun we sat down in the hollow of a rock. I said to him: Why is it that whenever sinners multiply in the world and punishment impends over the world, the virtuous among them are smitten for them, as we have learnt, that for the guilt of the generation the holy and righteous are seized upon? Why should this be? If because they do not reprove mankind for their evil deeds, how many are there who do reprove but are not listened to (though the righteous do humble themselves before them)? If it is in order that there may be no one to shield them, let them not die and let them not be seized for their sins, since it is a satisfaction to the righteous to see their destruction. He replied: It is true that for the guilt of the generation the righteous are seized upon, but we may explain this on the analogy of the limbs of the body. When all the limbs are in pain and suffering from sickness one limb has to be smitten in order that all may be healed. Which is the one? The ann. The arm is smitten and blood is drawn from it, and this is healing for all the limbs of the body. So men are like limbs of one body. When God desires to give healing to the world He smites one righteous man among them with disease and suffering, and through him gives healing to all, as it is written, "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities ... and with his stripes we are healed" (Isa. LIII, 5). A righteous man is never afflicted save to bring healing to his generation and to make atonement for it, for the "other side" prefers that punishment should light upon the virtuous man rather than on any other, for then it cares not for the whole world on account of the joy it finds in having power over him. Yet withal another virtuous man may attain to dominion in this world and the next; he is "righteous [218b] and it is well with him", because God does not care to make atonement with him for the world. I said to him: If all suffered alike, I could understand, but we see a righteous man in one place who is sick and suffering, and a righteous man in another who enjoys all the good things of the world. He replied: One or two of them are enough, since God does' not desire to smite all of them, just as it is sufficient to let blood from one arm; only if the sickness becomes very severe is it necessary to let blood from two arms, and so here, if the world becomes very sinful all the virtuous are smitten to heal all the generation, but otherwise one is smitten and the rest are left in peace. When the people are healed the righteous are healed with them, but sometimes all their days are passed in suffering to protect the people, and when they die all are healed. 'We arose and went on our way, the sun becoming stronger and more oppressive. We saw some trees in the wilderness with water underneath, and we sat down in the shade of one of them. I asked him: How is it that of all peoples of the world, only the Jews sway to and fro when they study the Torah, a habit which seems to come natural to them, and they are unable to keep still? He replied: You have reminded me of a very deep idea which very few people know. He pondered for a moment and wept. Then he continued: Alas for mankind who go about like cattle without understanding. This thing alone is sufficient to distinguish the holy souls of Israel from the souls of heathen peoples. The souls of Israel have been hewn from the Holy Lamp, as it is written, "The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord" (Prov. XX, 27). Now once this lamp has been kindled from [219a] the supernal Torah, the light upon it never ceases for an instant, like the flame of a wick which is never still for an instant. So when an Israelite has said one word of the Torah, a light is kindled and he cannot keep still but sways to and fro like the flame of a wick. But the souls of heathens are like the burning of stubble, which gives no flame, and therefore they keep still like wood burning without aflame.' Said R. Jose: 'That is a good explanation; happy am I to have heard this.' [220a] The shadow returned as before and went to and fro in the house in the shape of a man. R. Abba fell on his face. R. Jose said: 'I remember that I once saw R. Phineas b. Jair in this place standing in this spot and discoursing on the verse, "Phineas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest", etc. God at that time, he said, was debating how to give this covenant to Phineas, because it belonged of right to Moses, and it would be an insult to him to give it to anyone else unless he consented. God therefore commenced to speak with Moses, saying: Phineas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. Said Moses: Sovereign of the Universe, what of him? He replied: Thou didst risk thy life many times to save Israel from destruction, and now he has turned My wrath away from the children of Israel. Moses thereupon said: What wilt Thou of me? All is in Thy hand. He replied: Nay, all is in thy hand. Tell him that it (the Shekinah) will abide in him. Moses replied: I am willing with all my heart that it should be with him. God then said: Declare aloud that thou deliverest it to him with all thy heart. Hence we read in the text, "Say, Behold I (viz. Moses) give unto him my covenant", and not, "Say to him". Yet think not that it was taken away from Moses: it was like a light from which another is kindled without loss to itself.' The shade then came and sat down and kissed him. They heard a voice saying: Make way, make way for R. Phineas b. Jair, who is with you, as we have learnt: Any place in which a righteous man has given some new explanation of the Torah he visits when he is in the other world, especially when there are in it other righteous men discoursing on the Torah. So R. Phineas b. Jair came to revisit his place and found those righteous men repeating his own remark. R. Abba gave a further exposition in the name of R. Phineas b. Jair of the text: "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might" (Eccl. IX, 10). 'It is fitting for a man', he said, 'that while the lamp is burning over his head he should strive to do the will of his Master, because the light of that lamp is the might that rests upon him, as it is written, "And now I pray thee, let the power of the Lord be great" (Num. XIV, 17). The "power of the Lord" is the might that rests on the heads of the righteous, and of all who strive to carry out the will of their Master, and therefore we have learnt that when one makes the response, "Amen, may his great name be blessed", he should do so with all the might of his limbs, because through that effort he awakens that supernal holy might and breaks the power and might of the "other side". [220b] The verse continues: "Because there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave whither thou goest". In that "might", however, there is work, namely, effort in this world, which is called "the world of work"; "device" in the world that depends on speech, "knowledge" of the "six sides", which are called "the world of Thought", and wisdom on which all depends. Hence a man who does not labour with his "might" in this world to bring it into "work and device and knowledge and wisdom", will eventually enter into Gehinnom, where there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom. For all men go down to Sheol, but they come up again at once, save those sinners who never harboured thoughts of repentance, and who go down and do not come up. Even the completely righteous go down there, but they only go down in order to bring up certain sinners from there, to wit, those who thought of repenting in this world, but were not able to do so in time before they departed from it. The righteous go down and bring these up.' Said R. Abba to R. Jose: 'How fair is the jewel that you obtained from the company of the holy saint who is with us! I would add that assuredly it is not right to send a woman to stay in another place until her husband gives her permission. Her husband must therefore first be told and persuaded to give her permission. So God persuaded Moses to say, "Behold, I give him my covenant of peace", and until Moses gave it permission to go there it would not go. Similarly the Righteous One of the world gives Her permission to abide among the righteous ones of this world; in the evening She comes in to her spouse, and in the morning She returns to the righteous of this world, but She is ever in the charge of her Spouse. So Moses gave the gift to Phineas on condition that it should be subsequently restored; and it was through this covenant that Phineas obtained the high priesthood; and without it he would not have been linked to the grade of the priesthood.' R. Abba said: 'I remember a certain thing which I heard from the Sacred Lamp, and which he said in the name of R. Eleazar. One day a certain clever non-Jew came to him and said: Old man, old man, I want to ask three questions [221a] of you. One is, how can you maintain that another Temple wilt be built for you, whereas only two were destined to be built, the first and the second. A third and a fourth you will not find mentioned in the Scripture, but it is written, "Greater shall be the glory of this latter house than of the first" (Haggai II, 9). Again, you maintain that you are nearer to the King than all other peoples. Now, one who is near to the King is ever in joy and free from sorrow and oppression, but you are ever in sorrow and oppression and anguish, more than all the rest of mankind, whereas we never suffer sorrow or oppression or anguish at all. This shows that we are near to the King and you are far away. Again, you do not eat nebelah and terefah, [2] in order to protect your health, but we eat whatever we like and we are healthy and strong, whereas you who do not eat are all weak and sickly beyond other peoples. You are a people who are wholly hated of your God. Old man, old man, don't say anything to me, for I will not listen to you. R. Eleazar raisedhis eyes and looked at him, and he became a heap of bones. When his wrath subsided he turned his head and wept, saying: "O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth" (Ps. VIII, 2). How mighty is the power of the Holy Name, and how beloved are the words of the Torah, since there is nothing at all which cannot be found in the Torah, and there is not a single word of the Torah which does not issue from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He. These questions which that wretch put to me I also one day asked Elijah, and he told me that they had been raised in the celestial Academy before the Holy One, blessed be He. The answer given was as follows. When Israel left Egypt, God desired to make them on earth like ministering angels above, and to build for them a holy house which was to be brought down from the heaven of the firmaments, and to plant Israel as a holy shoot after the pattern of the celestial prototype. Thus it is written, "Thou shalt bring them in and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, the place, O Lord, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in" -- this is the first Temple -- "the sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established" (Ex. XV, 17) -- this is the second Temple; and both were to have been the work of the Almighty. But as they provoked God in the wilderness they died there and God brought their children into the land, and the house was built by human hands, and therefore it did not endure. In the days of Ezra also on account of their sins they were forced to build it themselves and therefore it did not endure. All this time the first building planned by God had not yet been set up. Now of the future time it is written, "The Lord buildeth Jerusalem" (Ps. CXLVII, 2) -- He and no other. It is for this building that we are waiting, not a human structure which cannot endure. The Holy One, blessed be He, will send down to us the first House and the second House together, the first in concealment and the second openly. The second will be revealed to show all the world the handiwork of the Holy One, blessed be He, in perfect joy and gladness. The first, which will be concealed, will ascend high over that which is revealed, and all the world will see the clouds of glory surrounding the one which is revealed and enveloping the first one which ascends to the height of the glorious heavens. It is for that building that we are waiting. Even the future city of Jerusalem will not be the work of human hands, all the more so then the Temple, God's habitation. This work should have been completed when Israel first went forth from Egypt, but it has been deferred to the end of days in the last deliverance. [221b] As for the second question, assuredly we are nearer to the supernal King than all other peoples. God has made Israel as it were the heart of all mankind, and as the limbs cannot endure for a moment without the heart, so the other nations cannot endure without Israel. And what the heart is among the limbs, such is Israel among the nations. The heart is tender and weak, and it alone feels sorrow and distress, since in it alone is intelligence. The other limbs are distant from the king, which is the wisdom and intelligence situate in the brain, but the heart is near. So Israel is near to the Holy King, while the other nations are far away. Similarly in regard to the third question, Israel being the heart, which is tender and delicate and king of the members, takes for its food only the most purified part of all the blood, and leaves the remnant for the other members, which are not particular. They are therefore strong, as we see, but they also suffer from boils and from other ailments from which the heart is quite free. So God takes to himself Israel, who are clean and pure without any blemish.' Now THE NAME OF THE MAN OF ISRAEL THAT WAS SLAIN, WHO WAS SLAIN WITH THE MIDIANITISH WOMAN. R. Isaac said: 'We should have expected the text to run "whom Phineas slew". The reason why it is put in this way is because God, having raised Phineas to the high priesthood, did not wish to associate his name with the killing of a man, which does not beseem a high priest.' R. Simeon was once going from Cappadocia to Lydda with R. Judah. R. Phineas b. Jair was coming the other way with two men behind him. Suddenly the ass of R. Phineas came to a stop and would not budge. Said R. Phineas: 'Let him be, he must have scented some newcomers here, or a miracle is to be wrought for us.' While they were there R. Simeon emerged from behind a rock, and the ass immediately began to move forward. 'Did I not tell you', said R. Phineas, 'that he scented some newcomers?' He got down and embraced him, saying: 'I saw in a dream the Shekinah coming to me and giving me beautiful presents. Now I see it.' R. Simeon said: 'From the sound of your ass's hoofs I know that you are wholly joyful.' Said R. Phineas: 'Let us sit down in a suitable spot, since the words of the Torah require coolness.' They found a spring of water and a tree and sat down. R. Phineas said: 'I was reflecting that, in the resurrection of the dead, God will reverse the way of this world so that what is now first will then be last. We know this from the bones which God revived by the hand of Ezekiel, as it is written first, "And the bones drew near, each bone to his fellow", and then, [222a] "And I saw, and behold there were sinews on them and flesh came up and skin formed on them above, but there was no breath in them" (Ezek. XXXVII, 7, 8). Thus we see that what a man is divested of here first will there be last, for here the breath is lost first and then the skin and then the flesh and then the bones.' Said R. Simeon: 'The ancients also marvelled at this. But the truth is that these bones which God revived were treated in an exceptional manner. What will really happen is indicated in the verse: "Remember now that thou hast made me like clay and will restore me to dust", and then, "Wilt thou not pour me out like milk and congeal me like cheese?" (Job X, 9, 10). At the time of the resurrection of the dead, God will melt that bone which remains of a man [for all time] and pour it out like milk and then congeal it and shape it like a cheese, and then skin and flesh and bones and sinews will be drawn over it, and lastly the spirit of life will be put into them, as it says, "and thy charge preserved my spirit" (Ibid.), the words "thy charge" referring to the Matrona of the King, in whose charge are all spirits and by whom they are preserved.' R. Phineas wept, and said: 'Did I not tell you that the Shekinah gave me beautiful presents? Happy is my lot to have seen and heard this.' He then said: 'So much for that bone, but what about the other bones that will then be in existence?' He replied: 'They will all be put together with that bone and made into one dough and shaped with it.' [231a] R. Judah said: 'Pray tell us some of your fine ideas on the New Year.' R. Simeon thereupon discoursed on the verse: "And it fell on a day, and the sons of God came", etc. (Job I, 6). 'The expression, "And it fell on a day",' he said, 'always refers to a day on which there is trouble, here, the New Year. The "sons of God" are the great Beth Din, the seventy Chieftains who always surround the King. "To stand before the Lord": this indicates that sentence is first passed on those who do not heed the honour of the Holy Name to save it from being profaned in the world. The ancient pillars of the world were divided in opinion in regard to Job, some holding that he was of the saints of the Gentiles, and some that he was of the saints of Israel, and that he was smitten to make atonement for the sins of the world. On that day of New Year seventy seats are set for hearing the judgement of the world, some inclining to the right to acquit and some to the left to condemn. [236b] Now Phineas stood before the stern judgement of Isaac to shield the world and to close the breach, and therefore Phineas here corresponds to Isaac, [3] and here the Left was united with the Right. 'HE TURNED BACK MY ANGER, ETC. We have here mentioned the three chiefs of Gehinnom, "Destruction", "Anger", and "Wrath". When he saw the wrath stretching forth from the side of Isaac, he invested himself with [the might of] Isaac and seized that wrath like a man who [237a] takes hold of another and turns him back. And this was FROM THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, for he saw that Wrath coming down upon the children of Israel. He saw the letter mim descending upon them, which is the sign of the Angel of Death, so he snatched it and drew it to him and at once the Angel of Death drew back. It may be asked, How can it be said that Phineas turned back the wrath of God from Israel seeing that so many died of the plague? The fact is, however, that not one of the children of Israel died save from the tribe of Simeon, for when the mixed multitude came they associated with the women of the tribe of Simeon after they had become proselytes and bore sons from them; and of these some died on account of the golden calf, some by plague, and some now. And because Israel and all the holy seed kept themselves clear, they were now numbered to show that not one of them was missing. In the same way all those that died at the time of the calf were from the mixed multitude, and to show this Moses was afterwards commanded to assemble "all the congregation of the children of Israel" (Ex. XXXV, 1), and to take from them only the free-will offering.' R. Eleazar said: 'Father, this would be a very good explanation if there were not something which conflicts with it.' He said to him, 'My son, say it.' He replied: 'It is written, "And Israel was joined (vayizamed) to Baal Peor" (Num. XXV, 3), which we explain to mean, "like the ornament (zamid) on a man's arm".' He replied: 'Eleazar, that is true; Israel were joined to Baal Peor. But I did not say that Israel were clear of that sin, but that they were not condemned to death.' He rejoined: 'But it is written, "Take the heads of the people and hang them".' 'Yes,' he replied, 'the heads of the people, but not the heads of the children of Israel. Hence it is written, "And Israel were joined to Baal Peor", that is, only lightly, but it goes on to say, "And the people ate and worshipped" (Ibid. 2). but not "the children of Israel". [240a] 'COMMAND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL AND SAY UNTO THEM, MY OBLATION, MY FOOD FOR MY OFFERINGS, ETC. It is written: "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord?" (I Sam. XV, 22). It is not God's desire that a man should sin and bring an offering to atone for his sin; the offering brought without sin is the perfect offering.' R. Abba cited here the verse: "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit", etc. (Ps. LI, 18). 'This verse', he said, 'has been explained as showing that God does not desire a sacrifice from man for his sin, but a contrite spirit. I have heard from the Sacred Lamp that when a man is inclined to defile himself with sin, he draws down upon himself a spirit from the side of uncleanness which has complete sway over him, but if a man makes an effort to purify himself he is helped to do so. When the Temple existed and he brought his offering, his atonement was held in suspense until he had repented and broken the pride of that spirit and humbled it, and then his offering was favourably accepted, but if not, it was given to the dogs.' R. Eleazar said: 'There is a mystery relating to the offering in the verse, "I have come to my garden, my sister, my bride ... eat, O friends, drink, O beloved" (S.S. V, 1), which I have seen in the book of Enoch.' Said R. Simeon: 'Tell us what you have seen [240b] and heard.' He said: 'God says, "I have come into my garden" because all offerings when they ascend go into the Garden of Eden at the beginning of the sacrifice when a man confesses his sins over it, and, as it were, his own blood is poured out on the altar. Now, it may be asked, How do the holy spirits find enjoyment in this, and what is the reason for the offering of an animal? Would it not be more reasonable that a man should humble himself and repent? The inner reason is that there is an animal which sprawls over a thousand mountains the produce of which it eats every day, and concerning it we have learnt: "There is a beast which consumes beasts made of fire, all of which it licks up at one swoop, and it swallows at one draught as much water as flows down the Jordan in six years". Now all these are the basis and foundation of these beasts of the earth, because the spirit is spread from them below, and that spirit is formed below in the beasts, and so when a man sins he brings a beast for an offering and that bestial spirit rises and returns to its place and all that belong to that species come together and feast on the flesh and the blood which is the vestment of this spirit, and so become advocates on behalf of that man. Therefore it is that an offering is brought from the animal.' R. Simeon said to him: 'That explains the offering of the animal, but what of the offering of birds?' He replied: 'I have not seen nor heard anything different from this of the beasts.' He said: 'Eleazar, my son, you have spoken well, but the mysteries of the offerings are many and should only be revealed to the truly virtuous. The sacrifices do in fact contain a hidden reference to the holy Beasts (Hayoth). Four forms are engraved on the Throne -- of an ox, of an eagle, of a lion, and of a man. From those archetypal forms myriads without number are spread above and below. From the "face of an ox" a spirit is spread to four species closely connected, namely, bullocks, sheep, he-goats, and rams. These are appointed for offerings; and because those holy powers which spread from the "face of an ox" are akin to them, they draw near to their foundation and partake of that foundation and vestment of theirs in the same way as the holy Shekinah derives satisfaction from the spirits of the righteous. From the "face of an eagle" a spirit is spread to the birds in two directions, right and left, and therefore not all birds of the clean side are brought for offerings, but only pigeons and turtle doves, which are faithful to their mates [241a] more than all other birds, and are preyed upon but do not prey; and so those holy spirits come down and partake of their basis and foundation. You may ask how the little that comes from this pigeon or turtle dove can be shared among countless powers, and the same may be asked of a single animal. The answer is that it is in the same way as a little light fills the whole world or a thin stick will light a conflagration. So much for the offering from two of the sides engraved on the Throne. And in reality there is an offering from the other two also, although it does not seem so. When the sacrifice is completed, the Lion comes down and enters into the fire and feasts himself. Also the supernal Man derives benefit from the earthly man, who offers there his spirit and soul, and so each kind partakes of its own kind and basis. In the same way the priest who unifies the Holy Name is brought near to the supernal Priest, the Levites with their song rejoice that side to which they belong, and the lay Israelites, who offer prayers alongside of the sacrifice, awaken the supernal holy Israel. Thus the lower grades arouse the upper grades, but none of them is permitted to eat or to have any enjoyment of the sacrifice until the supreme King has eaten and given them permission. All this is hinted in the verses, "I have gathered my myrrh with my spice, I have eaten my honeycomb with my honey, I have drunk my wine with my milk; eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved". [241b] This is the real secret and mystery of the sacrifices.' NOTE. From the beginning of the section Pinhas to the end of the Zohar, a large portion of the text in the original is taken up by the Ray'a Mehemna; hence the frequency of the omissions in the translationo On the section Mattoth there is only a short piece of Zohar of too allusive a nature to be made intelligible in a translation. There is no Zohar at all on the sections Mas'e, Debarim, Ekeb, Re'eh, Shofetim, Ki Teze, Ki Tabo, Nizabim, and Vezoth Haberakah. _______________ Notes: 1. i.e. the souls of Nadab and Abihu entered into him, v. infra. 2. Flesh of animals not killed according to Jewish rites. 3. The reference is to the fact that there is here in the text an extra yod in the name Pinhas. which makes it numerically equivalent to Yizhak (viz. 198).
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