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present the spiritual Mishnah, as transmitted by the same scholars who formulated the external, esoteric one. Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai and his son Eleazar are placed in the center of this group.
The dominant source from which the author of the Zohar derived his vision of the circle of mystics is Hekhalot Rabbati, “The Greater Book of Divine Palaces,” a text that was written a millennium before the Zohar, in which the group of mystics, “the descenders to the char- iot,” is described (a section from that text is translated in this anthology, above pp. 51–52). The leader there is Rabbi Nehunia ben ha-Kanah, and the main figures are those of Rabbi Akibah and Rabbi Ishmael. The concept of the “assembly” (idra) is derived from the vision of Rabbi Nehunia teaching the other tanaim the secrets of the mystical ascent in that ancient text. Following these ancient sources, we find in the
Zohar—and in the sections presented here—the clear influence of the
experience of the Four Who Entered the Pardes, the classical Hebrew text that was interpreted as describing the mystical experience of ancient sages led by Rabbi Akibah, who “entered and emerged” safely from the hidden orchard of the divine realm.
The portions of the Zohar entitled “assembly,” the idras, include some of the most radical descriptions of the divine realms, and were regarded as the most secret and most sacred parts of the work. The mys- tical revelations were integrated within the framework of the hagio- graphic narratives, an example of which is presented here.
The most important element that the author of the Zohar added to his ancient sources in his narrative is the elevation of the mystical leader Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai into a superhuman power, who holds all the secrets of the earthly and divine realms, and who, by his spiritual force, sustains the connections that bind them together. Rabbi Simeon in the Zohar is much more than a mystical leader; he is the represen- tative of the divinity itself on earth. As he is asked when he experienced his last illness, “Can a man who is the pillar of the world be near death?” This question is based on a verse, Prov. 10:25, which declares the righteous, the zaddik, to be the pillar, or the foundation, of the world. The image of Rabbi Simeon in the Zohar is the beginning of a long process in which kabbalists extended the concept of the righteous- mystic and the representative of the divine in the world, whose powers extend upward and sustain the existence of the universe.
The texts express the great tension that characterizes the assemblies of the mystics, and especially the situation in the group when Rabbi Simeon’s death becomes imminent: what can be revealed and what must be kept secret. Death is regarded as a result of revealing too much.1Rabbi
Simeon’s hesitations, and his colleagues’ conflict between the wish to learn and the fear of the results, are major motifs in these narratives.
The Entry into the Great Assembly
It is taught that Rabbi Simeon said to the companions: How long shall we sit by a column that has but a single base? It is written, It is time to do something for the Lord. They have frustrated Your Torah (Ps. 119: 126). Time is short, and the creditor is impatient. A herald cries out every day. But the reapers in the field are few, and they are on the edges of the vineyard. They do not look, nor do they know fully where they are going. Assemble, friends, at the meeting place, garbed in mail, with swords and lances in your hands. Look to your equipment: counsel, wis- dom, understanding, knowledge, sight, power of hands and legs. Appoint a king over you who has the power of life and death and who can utter words of truth, words that the holy ones above will heed, and that they will rejoice to hear and know.
Rabbi Simeon sat down and wept. He said: Alas, if I reveal! Alas, if I do not reveal!
The companions who were there were silent. Rabbi Abba arose and said to him: If it pleases you, master, to reveal, you know it is writ- ten, The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him” (Ps. 25:14), and these companions do fear the Lord, and they have already entered the assembly of the sanctuary. Some of them have entered, and some have also emerged [safely].
It is taught that the companions who were present with Rabbi Simeon were counted, and they were: his son, Rabbi Eleazar, Rabbi Abba, Rabbi Judah, Rabbi Jose bar Jacob, Rabbi Isaac, Rabbi Hezekiah bar Rav, Rabbi Hiyya, Rabbi Jose, and Rabbi Yesa. They stretched out their hands to Rabbi Simeon, and extended their fingers toward the heavens, and they went into the field among the trees and sat down.
Rabbi Simeon arose and prayed. He sat down among them and said: Put your hands in my lap.
They put out their hands, and he grasped them.
He began by quoting: Cursed be the man that makes a graven or
molten image . . . the work of the hands of the craftsman, and that sets it up in secret (Deut. 27:15) And they all responded by saying, Amen.
Rabbi Simeon began by quoting: It is time to do something for the Lord. Why is it time to do something for the Lord? Because they have frustrated Your Torah. What does this phrase mean? It refers to the heavenly Torah, which is annulled. If this Name is not treated as it should be, and this alludes to the Ancient or Days.2It is written, Happy
are you, O Israel, who is like you? (Deut. 33:29). And it is also written, Who is like You, O Lord, among the mighty? (Exod. 15:11) He called to
his son, Rabbi Eleazar, and sat him down before him, and Rabbi Abba he seated on the other side. And he said: We comprise the whole. Thus far are the pillars set right.
They were silent. They heard a sound and their knees knocked together. What sound was it? The sound made by the entry of the assembly of heaven.
Rabbi Simeon was glad, and said: O Lord, I have heard the sound
of You, and I am afraid (Hab. 3:2). At that time it was right to be afraid,
but with us it depends on love, as it is written, And you shall love the
Lord, your God, (Deut. 6:5) because the Lord loved you, (Deut. 7:8), and I have loved you, (Mal. 1:2) and so on.
Rabbi Simeon began by quoting: He that walks about as a talebearer reveals secrets. But he that has a faithful spirit conceals a thing (Prov. 1:13). This verse is difficult. It ought to have said, “The man that is a talebearer.” What is the significance of “He that walks about”? It means that the man who is unsettled in his mind and insecure keeps whatever he hears moving about inside him, like bran in water, until he casts it out. Why is this? because he does not have a stable mind. But of the man of stable mind it is written “But he that has a faithful spirit conceals a thing.” “A faithful spirit” means here “a secure spirit,” as in I will fas-
ten him as a peg in a secure place (Isa. 22:23) The thing depends on the
spirit. It is written Do not allow your mouth to cause your flesh to sin (Eccles. 5:5), and the world endures only because of the mystery. And so, if in mundane matters there is a need for secrecy, how much more need for secrecy is there in the most mysterious affairs of the Ancient of Days, which have not been transmitted even to the angels in Heaven.
Rabbi Simeon said: I do not ask the heavens to listen, nor do I ask the earth to give ear, for we are the worlds’ support. (Zohar III, 127b–128a, Idra Rabba)
The Exit from the Great Assembly
It is taught that before the companions left the assembly Rabbi Josc bar Rabbi Jacob, Rabbi Hezekiah, and Rabbi Yesa died, and the compan- ions saw the holy angels carry them up in a litter. Rabbi Simeon said a word and the companions were pacified. He cried aloud and said: Perhaps, God forbid, it has been decreed that we should be punished, because matters have been revealed through us that had not previously been revealed since Moses stood on Mount Sinai, as it is written, And
he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights . . . (Exod. 34:28).
Of what worth am I if they were punished because of this?
He heard a voice: Blessed are you, Rabbi Simeon, blessed is your portion, and blessed are these companions who stand with you, for things have been revealed to you that have not been revealed to any power above. Look, it is written, with his firstborn he shall lay its foun-
dation, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates (Josh. 6:26). With
how much greater delight did their souls cleave to the uppermost realms when they were taken from the world. Blessed is their portion, for they have ascended in complete perfection.
It is taught that during the process of revelation the upper and the lower regions trembled, and the sound traveled through two hundred and fifty worlds, for venerable matters were being revealed in the world below, and while the souls of these men were being perfumed with these words, their souls departed with a kiss, and attached themselves to the litter,3and the angels of heaven carried them away to the regions
above. And why just these? Because these were they who had entered, but had not emerged [safely] on the previous occasion, whereas all the others had both entered and emerged.
Rabbi Simeon said: How blessed is the portion of these three, and blessed is our portion in the world to come on account of this.
A voice was heard a second time, which said: But you that cleave to
the Lord, your God, are alive every one of you this day (Deut. 4:4).
fume. Rabbi Simeon said: This means that the world is blessed because of us.
All their faces shone, and people could not look at them.
It is taught that ten entered and seven emerged. Rabbi Simeon was happy and Rabbi Abba was sad. Rabbi Simeon was sitting one day with Rabbi Abba. Rabbi Simeon said something and they saw those three. The angels of heaven were taking them and showing them the hidden storerooms on high, because of the honor due to them. And they brought them to the mountains of pure balsam. Rabbi Abba was con- soled.
It is taught that from that day forward the companions did not leave Rabbi Simeon’s house, and that when Rabbi Simeon was revealing secrets, only they were present with him. And Rabbi Simeon used to say of them: We seven are the eyes of the Lord, as it is written, “these seven,
the eyes of the Lord (Zech. 4:10) Of us is this said.
Rabbi Abba said: We are six lamps that derive their light from the seventh. You are the seventh over all, for the six cannot survive without the seventh. Everything depends on the seventh.
Rabbi Judah called him “Sabbath,” because the [other] six [days] receive blessing from it, for it is written Sabbath to the Lord” (Exod. 20:10), and it is also written Holy to the Lord (Exod. 16:23). Just as the Sabbath is holy to the Lord, so Rabbi Simeon, the Sabbath, is holy to the Lord. (Zohar III, 144a–144b)
The Illness of Rabbi Simeon Ben Yohai
Our rabbis taught that when Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai became ill he was visited by Rabbi Pinhas, Rabbi Hiyya, and Rabbi Abbahu.
They said to him: Can a man who is the pillar of the world be near to death?
He said: It is not the heavenly court that is concerned with my case. I know that I am beyond the jurisdiction of any angel or judge in heaven, for I am not like other men. But the Holy One, blessed be He, not His court, judges my case. This is similar to the plea that David made to Him, “Judge me, O God, and plead my cause” (Ps. 43:1). And Solomon also said likewise, “That He may execute justice for His servant” (1 Kings 8:59)—He Himself, and no one else. And we have learned that when a
man is on his deathbed the heavenly court examines his case. Some of them are inclined to acquit him, and they point out his merits. Others are inclined to convict him, and they point out his guilt, and the defen- dant does not emerge from the case as he would wish. But whoever is judged by the supreme King, who has dominion over all, is fortunate, and in a trial of this kind man must inevitably be successful. Why is this? We have learned that the attributes of the supreme King are always inclined toward acquittal, and He is entirely merciful, and He has the power to forgive iniquities and transgressions, as it is written, For with You there is forgiveness (Ps. 130:4)—and not with anyone else. Therefore I asked Him to judge my case, so that I might enter the world to come through the thirteen doors, which Only the patriarchs have passed through, with no one to prevent me; and, furthermore, so that I might not have to seek permission [from the doorkeepers].
Rabbi Simeon said something, and his visitors realized that he was no longer present. They were astounded, and none of them could utter a single word because of the deep fear that had fallen upon them. While they were sitting there, perfumes from many spices wafted over them, and they began to regain their courage, and at last they saw Rabbi Simeon talking, but they did not see anyone else except him.
After a while Rabbi Simeon said to them: Did you see anything? No, said Rabbi Pinhas, but we were all astounded that we could not see you for a long time in your sickroom. And when we did see you, perfumes from the spices of the Garden of Eden wafted over us, and we heard your voice speaking, but we do not know with whom you were talking.
And you heard no other words, except mine? No, they replied.
You are not sufficiently worthy to see the countenance of the Ancient of Days. Let me tell you something, he continued. I am surprised that Rabbi Pinhas did not see anything, for I saw him just now, in that world, below my son, Rabbi Eleazar. And they have now sent for me from above, and shown me the place of the righteous in the world to come. And the only place that satisfied me was one near Ahija, the Shilonite, and so I chose my place, and went there, together with three hundred righteous souls. Above them was Adam, who sat by me and spoke with me, and asked that his sin should not be revealed to the whole world,
apart from what the Torah says of it, and that it should remain con- cealed with the tree of the Garden of Eden. But I told him that the companions had already revealed it. And he said: Whatever the com- panions have revealed among themselves is good and proper, but not to the rest of mankind.
What is the reason for this? The Holy One, blessed be He, is con- cerned for His own honor, and does not wish to publicize [Adam’s] sin, except in respect of the tree from which he ate. But the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed it to me, by the Holy Spirit, and to the com- panions, so that they might discuss it among themselves, but not to the younger companions or to those who are still to come into the world, this is something that is not known to everyone, and they err thereby; not because of the sin that he committed, but because of the honor of the supreme name, which people do not treat with sufficient care, and it is written, this is My name for ever (Exod. 3:15),4and they will begin
to ask unnecessary questions. This is referred to in lest they break
through to the Lord, to gaze, and many of them fall (Exod. 19:21), which
we interpret as follows: the companion that teaches the sacred name to all will fall and be more tightly trapped by that sin than they, as it is writ- ten “and many (rav) of them fall,” that is, the Rav will fall, and be trapped by that sin.
Rabbi Eleazar, his son, approached him, and said: Father, what was my position there?
He replied: Blessed is your portion, my son. A long time will elapse, and you will not be buried next to me. But in that world I have selected a place for me and a place for you.
Blessed are the righteous, who in the future will praise the Master of’ the universe, like the angels who minister to Him, as it is written, Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; the upright shall dwell in Your presence (Ps. 140:14). (Zohar Hadash, Bereshit 29b–d, Midrash ha-Ne’elam)
Revelation of Mysteries Before His Departure
It is taught that on the very day that Rabbi Simeon was to depart from the world and he was busy arranging his affairs, the companions gath- ered in Rabbi Simeon’s house. Rabbi Eleazar, his son, Rabbi Abba, and
the other companions were there with him, and the house was full. Rabbi Simeon raised his eyes and saw that the house had become full. Rabbi Simeon wept and said: On a previous occasion when I was ill, Rabbi Pinhas ben Yair was with me, and the companions waited for me until I had selected my place. And when I returned, fire surrounded me increasingly, so that no man could enter without permission. But now I see that it has ceased, and the house is full.
While they were seated there, Rabbi Simeon opened his eyes, and saw what he saw, and fire enveloped the house. They all left, except Rabbi Eleazar, his son, and Rabbi Abba. The other companions stayed outside.
Rabbi Simeon said to Rabbi Eleazar, his son: Go and see if Rabbi Isaac is there, because I have given a pledge to him. Tell him to arrange his affairs and sit by me. Blessed is his portion.