זוהר ויקרא — דף מז ע”א
Summary
It is written (Psalms 141), "incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works." From here we learned: in the way a person wishes to go, in that way he is led. Rabbi Yitzchak said: this verse is difficult — does the Holy One, blessed be He, divert a person to walk in a sinful way and to do evil deeds? If so, there would be no judgment in this world nor in the world to come, and the Torah would not be established, for it is written in it, "if you will hearken, and if you will not hearken."<br />
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Rather, David was warning his own heart, to guide it in the way of truth, as it is said (Deuteronomy 4), "and you shall bring it back to your heart." What is "you shall bring back"? Once, twice, and three times to turn back toward it, to lead it and to warn it. And thus he said to it: "incline not my heart to any evil thing." David spoke to his own heart — that is, do not incline according to the ways of man — for an evil thing causes a plague in the world, and judgment rests upon the world, and this is the plague of leprosy.<br />
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A plague of leprosy: behold, the companions have already awakened to this, but "tzaraat" (leprosy) is to be understood by its interpretation. Rabbi Yehuda said: what is meant by its interpretation? Closure — that which closes and does not open. And when it closes and does not open, it is called a plague. Rabbi Yossei said: that the fathers do not benefit from it, how much more so the sons; and this is what is written, "a plague of leprosy, when it shall be in a man" — in the man himself; and from there it descends to whomever it descends. Thus a plague is found for all, from that same closure.<br />
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Rabbi Yitzchak said: surely this is the secret of the matter, as it is written (Lamentations 2), "He has defiled His sanctuary." What is the reason? Because the people of the world caused this, as it is written (Numbers 19), "he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord" — defiled in truth. Rabbi Elazar said: defiled, because the Shechinah departed from the one from whom it departed, and the mighty serpent rests and casts its impurity, and defiles whomever it defiles, and all of this because of the sins of the world.<br />
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We learned: when the mighty serpent begins to reveal itself, the structures and pillars withdraw and pass away, and the mighty serpent comes and casts its impurity, and then the sanctuary is found defiled. Which sanctuary? As it is said, "and I will put a plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession." And it is written (Genesis 3), "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made, and he said to the woman" — to the woman in truth, for the place of the sanctuary is bound up within her, and this is "he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord" — because of his sin, because the mighty serpent was revealed.<br />
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What is his sin? It is evil speech, for because of evil speech the serpent presents itself, both above and below, as it is written (Numbers 21), "and the Lord sent among the people the fiery serpents." It is not written "the burning ones" or "the burned ones," but "the fiery ones." Who are these fiery ones? It is written (Psalms 74), "the heads of the dragons," and it is written (Isaiah 6), "seraphim stood above him" — above him indeed, as it is said (Job 1), "to present himself before the Lord." And then closure is everywhere, and none opens. And of this it is written (Proverbs 30), "such is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats, and wipes her mouth, etc." What is meant by "adulterous"? Adulterous in truth, surely: she eats, wipes her mouth, and says, "I have done no wrong."<br />
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Rabbi Chiya said in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak: by the will of the whole, it is not found below except because it is found above; and above it is not found except when it is found below, in the sins of the world, for we have learned that everything depends one upon the other, and one upon the other. "And if a man's head becomes bald, etc." Rabbi Chiya opened and said (Ecclesiastes 2), "and I saw that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, etc." In how many places have I considered the words of King Solomon, and observed his great wisdom, and he concealed his words within, inside the holy inner sanctuary. This verse deserves consideration: why did he say "and I saw"? Do not the rest of the people of the world know this and see it? Even one who has never known wisdom and never attended to it knows this, that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness, and therefore he praises himself and says, "I saw."<br />
<br />
Rather, David was warning his own heart, to guide it in the way of truth, as it is said (Deuteronomy 4), "and you shall bring it back to your heart." What is "you shall bring back"? Once, twice, and three times to turn back toward it, to lead it and to warn it. And thus he said to it: "incline not my heart to any evil thing." David spoke to his own heart — that is, do not incline according to the ways of man — for an evil thing causes a plague in the world, and judgment rests upon the world, and this is the plague of leprosy.<br />
<br />
A plague of leprosy: behold, the companions have already awakened to this, but "tzaraat" (leprosy) is to be understood by its interpretation. Rabbi Yehuda said: what is meant by its interpretation? Closure — that which closes and does not open. And when it closes and does not open, it is called a plague. Rabbi Yossei said: that the fathers do not benefit from it, how much more so the sons; and this is what is written, "a plague of leprosy, when it shall be in a man" — in the man himself; and from there it descends to whomever it descends. Thus a plague is found for all, from that same closure.<br />
<br />
Rabbi Yitzchak said: surely this is the secret of the matter, as it is written (Lamentations 2), "He has defiled His sanctuary." What is the reason? Because the people of the world caused this, as it is written (Numbers 19), "he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord" — defiled in truth. Rabbi Elazar said: defiled, because the Shechinah departed from the one from whom it departed, and the mighty serpent rests and casts its impurity, and defiles whomever it defiles, and all of this because of the sins of the world.<br />
<br />
We learned: when the mighty serpent begins to reveal itself, the structures and pillars withdraw and pass away, and the mighty serpent comes and casts its impurity, and then the sanctuary is found defiled. Which sanctuary? As it is said, "and I will put a plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession." And it is written (Genesis 3), "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made, and he said to the woman" — to the woman in truth, for the place of the sanctuary is bound up within her, and this is "he has defiled the sanctuary of the Lord" — because of his sin, because the mighty serpent was revealed.<br />
<br />
What is his sin? It is evil speech, for because of evil speech the serpent presents itself, both above and below, as it is written (Numbers 21), "and the Lord sent among the people the fiery serpents." It is not written "the burning ones" or "the burned ones," but "the fiery ones." Who are these fiery ones? It is written (Psalms 74), "the heads of the dragons," and it is written (Isaiah 6), "seraphim stood above him" — above him indeed, as it is said (Job 1), "to present himself before the Lord." And then closure is everywhere, and none opens. And of this it is written (Proverbs 30), "such is the way of an adulterous woman: she eats, and wipes her mouth, etc." What is meant by "adulterous"? Adulterous in truth, surely: she eats, wipes her mouth, and says, "I have done no wrong."<br />
<br />
Rabbi Chiya said in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak: by the will of the whole, it is not found below except because it is found above; and above it is not found except when it is found below, in the sins of the world, for we have learned that everything depends one upon the other, and one upon the other. "And if a man's head becomes bald, etc." Rabbi Chiya opened and said (Ecclesiastes 2), "and I saw that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, etc." In how many places have I considered the words of King Solomon, and observed his great wisdom, and he concealed his words within, inside the holy inner sanctuary. This verse deserves consideration: why did he say "and I saw"? Do not the rest of the people of the world know this and see it? Even one who has never known wisdom and never attended to it knows this, that there is an advantage to wisdom over folly, like the advantage of light over darkness, and therefore he praises himself and says, "I saw."<br />
Torat Emet / Rav Pinhas Reuven — CC BY-NC-SA 2.5
in Hebrew