זוהר ויקרא — דף מד ע”ב

Rabbi Acha and Rabbi Chiya resumed and said: here surely is a time of favor, when the arousal of the Community of Israel is to unite with the Holy King. Rabbi Acha said: indeed the Community of Israel receives influence from the Holy One, blessed be He, only through song and through her praise toward Him.<br />
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Until morning comes, and the King extends to her the thread of kindness — the secret of the matter, as has been said: "And the king held out to Esther the golden scepter that was in his hand" (Esther 5). And one should not say that the King extends this to her alone, but to her and to all who join with her.<br />
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Rabbi Acha opened and said: "It is not good for man to be alone" (Genesis 2). Why does the verse open this way? It has been explained that this is why it was not written "that it was good" on the second day, because man was destined to be separated; therefore it is written, "it is not good for man to be alone."<br />
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But was he truly alone? Is it not written, "male and female He created them," and have we not learned that man was created with two faces? Rather, he had not yet joined with his female and had no helper corresponding to him, for she was at his side, and they were joined together back to back — it was then that man was alone.<br />
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"I will make him a helper corresponding to him" — corresponding to his face, to cling to one another face to face. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He sawed him apart and took the female from him; this is what is written, "and He took one of his ribs" — this is his female, as it is said, "she is the only one, my dove, my perfect one." He brought her to him, prepared her as a bride, and brought her to stand facing his shining face, face to face.<br />
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When she came to the man, the Holy One, blessed be He, blessed them, as it is written, "and God blessed them," like a cantor who blesses the bride with the seven blessings. From here we learn: a groom and bride, once blessed with the seven blessings, are joined together after the pattern of what is above.<br />
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Therefore one who comes to join with another man's wife impairs the union, for the union of the Community of Israel with the Holy One, blessed be He, belongs to Him alone, whether in a time of mercy or in a time of judgment. One who joins with another man's wife betrays, as it were, the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Community of Israel; for this the Holy One, blessed be He, does not forgive him through repentance, and his repentance remains suspended until he departs from the world, as it is written, "surely this iniquity shall not be forgiven you until you die" (Isaiah 22).<br />
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Rabbi Elazar said: one who betrays the Community of Israel will not be received in repentance until he is judged by the judgment of Gehinnom — all the more so one who betrays the Community of Israel and the Holy One, blessed be He, and all the more so one who, as it were, compels the Holy One, blessed be He, to produce the image of a bastard in another man's wife, and denies the proclamation of the King.<br />
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Rabbi Chiya opened and said: "Whoever robs his father and his mother" (Proverbs 28) — his father, this is the Holy One, blessed be He; his mother, this is the Community of Israel. And who robs them? One who covets a woman who is not his own.<br />
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There we have learned: whoever enjoys this world without a blessing is as one who robs the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Community of Israel, for it is written, "whoever robs his father and his mother." "Whoever enjoys this world" refers, as a general rule, to woman: one who clings to a woman to enjoy her — even if she is unmarried — and enjoys her without a blessing, is as one who robs the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Community of Israel, because their union is through the seven blessings. And if this is so for an unmarried woman, how much more so for one who clings to another man's wife, which stands, after the pattern of what is above, in a union of seven blessings. "He is a companion of a destroyer" (Proverbs 28) — this is Jeroboam, as has been explained; "and says, there is no transgression" — for he says, behold she is unmarried, why should this be forbidden? For this he robs his father and his mother, and not only that, but he is a companion of a destroyer. Who is "a destroyer"? One who impairs the image and the order of what is above; all the more so one who covets his fellow's wife to cling to her, for he impairs it even further and remains marked forever, as it is written, "he who destroys his own soul does this" (Proverbs 6).