זוהר בראשית — דף קפו ע”א

Rabbi Ḥiya adds that the Holy One, blessed be He, is exacting with the righteous, and Rabbi Abba relates that the tribes were comforted and committed themselves to redeem Joseph, and then removed Judah from among them: “Judah went down.” Rabbi Yehuda opens with “The Lord thundered in the heavens”: the world rests on seven pillars that stand on a single one, the righteous, foundation of the world, and Zion is the central point of the world and its perfection; Zion and Jerusalem are judgment and mercy, which are one, and “the Most High gave forth His voice,” with hail and fire. Judah, the fourth foundation, went down from his brothers. Three sons were born to him, and only Shelah remained. Rabbi Elazar explains that the passage is a supreme secret: the moon descended to a level where the serpent joined, and “Er” is evil, born of the evil inclination.