זוהר ויקרא — דף לה ע”א

Rabbi Yossei opens with the verse "And His band, He has founded it upon the earth" (Amos 9) and explains: when the King unites with Her, facing Her, together with all those holy crowns gathered in one assembly, then it is written "and His band." Rabbi Yitzhak adds that the expression is learned from "And you shall take a bundle of hyssop" (Exodus 12): when things join together and a blessing issues from them, then it rules over all and shines above and below — all of this at the moment the priest performs the service, offers the sacrifice, burns the incense, and directs his intentions to bring everything together as one. Rabbi Yossei adds that when Aaron sets out, everyone travels with him, until the Community of Israel is blessed and the upper and lower worlds are blessed; then it is written "Blessed is the Lord out of Zion, who dwells in Jerusalem, Halleluyah," "and blessed be His glorious name, and let the whole earth be filled with His glory, amen and amen."<br />
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Rabbi Elazar, traveling from Cappadocia to Lod with Rabbi Yeissa and Rabbi Hizkiyah, opens with "I have put My words in your mouth, and I have covered you in the shadow of My hand" (Isaiah 51). We have learned: whoever labors in words of Torah, whose lips murmur Torah, the Holy One, blessed be He, covers him, and the Shechinah spreads her wings over him — this is what is written, "I have put My words in your mouth, and I have covered you in the shadow of My hand." Moreover, he sustains the world, and the Holy One, blessed be He, rejoices with him as though that very day He had planted the heavens and the earth — this is what is written, "to plant the heavens and found the earth, and to say to Zion, you are My people." From here we learned that Israel is called by the name of Zion, and I have seen that the Community of Israel is called by the name of Zion, as it is written, "Zion shall be redeemed through justice, and her captives through righteousness" (Isaiah 1).<br />
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He opens again: "Bind up the testimony, seal the teaching among my disciples" (Isaiah 8). "Bind up the testimony" — this is David's testimony, as it is written "and My testimony, I will teach them" (Psalm 132). "Bind" denotes a binding, like one who ties a knot in a single place. "Seal the teaching among my disciples" — this is the seal of the Torah: all the abundance and anointing oil that flow from above, for it is there that the anointing oil gathers between the two pillars where it resides, the place of gathering of all the anointing oil that flows from above, to pour it out according to the measure and empty it into this testimony — and then all is bound together in a single faithful bond.<br />
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Come and see the difference between those who labor in Torah and faithful prophets: those who labor in Torah are always superior to the prophets, for they stand at a higher rank than the prophets — those who labor in Torah stand above, in the place called Torah, which is the foundation of all faith, while the prophets stand below, in the place called Netzach and Hod; and those who speak words through the holy spirit stand lower than all of them. Happy are those who labor in Torah, for they stand at a rank higher than everything: one who occupies himself with Torah needs neither sacrifices nor burnt offerings, for Torah is superior to all, and it is the bond of faith of everything — hence it is written, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace," "Abundant peace have those who love Your Torah, and nothing makes them stumble."<br />
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As they were walking, they found a man coming toward them with three myrtle branches in his hand. They approached him and asked why he carried these; he answered that it was to recover something lost. Rabbi Elazar praised his answer and asked why precisely three; he replied: one for Abraham, one for Isaac, and one for Jacob, and I bound them together and smelled their fragrance, for it is written, "the fragrance of your precious oils; your name is oil poured forth" (Song of Songs 1). For through this fragrance the weakness of the soul is sustained, and in this faith it endures, and blessings flow from above and below. Rabbi Elazar said: happy is the portion of Israel in this world and in the world to come.