זוהר ויקרא — דף מו ע”א
Summary
Come and see, it is written, "When a man shall have on the skin of his flesh a swelling, a scab, or a bright spot." Behold, three kinds here, and all of them are called a plague of leprosy. This is what is written, "and it shall be on the skin of his flesh a plague of leprosy." What is a plague of leprosy? Confinement, confinement in everything, and it is written, "and he shall be brought to Aaron the priest," etc. But those that appear outwardly, it is written, "and the priest shall look on him and pronounce him unclean." For surely those that appear outwardly among the children of men come from the side of impurity, and they are not sufferings of love.<br />
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Rabbi Yossei said: from where do we know this? Rabbi Chiya said, it is written (Proverbs 27), "better is open rebuke than hidden love." What is this rebuke of love? Hidden from the children of men. Likewise, one who rebukes his friend in love must hide his words from the children of men, so that his friend not be shamed by them; and if his words are open before the children of men, they are not of love.<br />
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So too the Holy One, blessed be He: when He rebukes a person, in everything He rebukes in love. At first He strikes him in his body, inwardly. If he repents — well and good; if not — He strikes him beneath his garment, and these are called sufferings of love. If he repented — well and good; if not — He strikes him openly on his face, before all, so that they may look at him and know that he is a sinner, and not beloved of his Master.<br />
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That man said to them: by agreement of one counsel you have come to me; surely you are none other than those who dwell in the house of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who fear nothing. If my sons who come after me provoke you, how could your words be open? He said to him: the Torah is thus, as it is written (Proverbs 1), "at the head of the noisy places she calls, at the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her words." And if in matters of Torah we fear before you, behold we would be found in shame before the Holy One, blessed be He; moreover, the Torah requires clarity. That man opened and said (Micah 7), "who is a God like You, forgiving iniquity," etc. He raised his hands and wept. Meanwhile his sons arrived. His youngest son said: there is heavenly help here.<br />
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He opened and said (Ecclesiastes 7), "all this I have seen in the days of my vanity: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs in his evil." This verse we learned in the school of Rabbi Dostai the Elder, who used to say it in the name of Rabbi Yesa the Elder. "All this I have seen in the days of my vanity" — and was not King Solomon wise over all things? How could he say that he saw everything while he walked in the darknesses of the world? For whoever occupies himself with the darknesses of the world sees nothing and knows nothing.<br />
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Rather, this is what has been explained: in the days of King Solomon the moon stood in her fullness, and Solomon grew wise over all the children of the world, and then he saw everything and knew everything. And what did he see? He saw the "All," which never departed from the moon, and the sun shone upon it. This is what is written, "all this I have seen in the days of my vanity (hevli)." What is "my vanity"? This is the moon, which is composed of everything — water, fire, and spirit together — like a breath (hevel) that comes out of the mouth and contains everything.<br />
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And he saw the "All" through that very breath which he grasped. "There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness" — come and see: at the time when the righteous multiply in the world, this "All" never departs from the moon, and this "All" takes all the oil, greatness, and joy from above, and is filled, rejoices, and grows, so as to unite with the moon, and he profits for her sake.<br />
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And at the time when the wicked multiply in the world and the moon darkens, then the righteous man perishes in his righteousness. It is not written "the righteous is lost" (ne'evad), but "the righteous perishes" (oved), for he is no longer seen joined to the moon, and he no longer takes oil, greatness, and joy to fill her and unite with her. And therefore "the righteous perishes in his righteousness" — this is the moon: because of the moon, who is not found to unite with him, he perishes, for he no longer draws from the joy as he used to. And then the whole left side awakens, and the wicked prolong their tranquility in the world. This is what is written, "and there is a wicked man who prolongs in his evil." What is "in his evil"? In that very side to which he is attached.<br />
<br />
Rabbi Yossei said: from where do we know this? Rabbi Chiya said, it is written (Proverbs 27), "better is open rebuke than hidden love." What is this rebuke of love? Hidden from the children of men. Likewise, one who rebukes his friend in love must hide his words from the children of men, so that his friend not be shamed by them; and if his words are open before the children of men, they are not of love.<br />
<br />
So too the Holy One, blessed be He: when He rebukes a person, in everything He rebukes in love. At first He strikes him in his body, inwardly. If he repents — well and good; if not — He strikes him beneath his garment, and these are called sufferings of love. If he repented — well and good; if not — He strikes him openly on his face, before all, so that they may look at him and know that he is a sinner, and not beloved of his Master.<br />
<br />
That man said to them: by agreement of one counsel you have come to me; surely you are none other than those who dwell in the house of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who fear nothing. If my sons who come after me provoke you, how could your words be open? He said to him: the Torah is thus, as it is written (Proverbs 1), "at the head of the noisy places she calls, at the entrance of the gates in the city she utters her words." And if in matters of Torah we fear before you, behold we would be found in shame before the Holy One, blessed be He; moreover, the Torah requires clarity. That man opened and said (Micah 7), "who is a God like You, forgiving iniquity," etc. He raised his hands and wept. Meanwhile his sons arrived. His youngest son said: there is heavenly help here.<br />
<br />
He opened and said (Ecclesiastes 7), "all this I have seen in the days of my vanity: there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who prolongs in his evil." This verse we learned in the school of Rabbi Dostai the Elder, who used to say it in the name of Rabbi Yesa the Elder. "All this I have seen in the days of my vanity" — and was not King Solomon wise over all things? How could he say that he saw everything while he walked in the darknesses of the world? For whoever occupies himself with the darknesses of the world sees nothing and knows nothing.<br />
<br />
Rather, this is what has been explained: in the days of King Solomon the moon stood in her fullness, and Solomon grew wise over all the children of the world, and then he saw everything and knew everything. And what did he see? He saw the "All," which never departed from the moon, and the sun shone upon it. This is what is written, "all this I have seen in the days of my vanity (hevli)." What is "my vanity"? This is the moon, which is composed of everything — water, fire, and spirit together — like a breath (hevel) that comes out of the mouth and contains everything.<br />
<br />
And he saw the "All" through that very breath which he grasped. "There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness" — come and see: at the time when the righteous multiply in the world, this "All" never departs from the moon, and this "All" takes all the oil, greatness, and joy from above, and is filled, rejoices, and grows, so as to unite with the moon, and he profits for her sake.<br />
<br />
And at the time when the wicked multiply in the world and the moon darkens, then the righteous man perishes in his righteousness. It is not written "the righteous is lost" (ne'evad), but "the righteous perishes" (oved), for he is no longer seen joined to the moon, and he no longer takes oil, greatness, and joy to fill her and unite with her. And therefore "the righteous perishes in his righteousness" — this is the moon: because of the moon, who is not found to unite with him, he perishes, for he no longer draws from the joy as he used to. And then the whole left side awakens, and the wicked prolong their tranquility in the world. This is what is written, "and there is a wicked man who prolongs in his evil." What is "in his evil"? In that very side to which he is attached.<br />
Torat Emet / Rav Pinhas Reuven — CC BY-NC-SA 2.5
in Hebrew