זוהר ויקרא — דף ס ע”א

Rabbi Elazar opened, saying: "And the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron, etc." This verse deserves attention, for it seems superfluous, since afterward it is written: "And the Lord said to Moses: Speak to Aaron your brother." Hence the opening question: what is this earlier verse, "And the Lord spoke to Moses"? What did He say to him, that afterward comes "And the Lord said to Moses"? Rather, at the time the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the incense of spices to Aaron, He wished that no other man should use it in his lifetime, because Aaron increases peace in the world. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You wish to increase peace in the world — through you peace shall increase above; behold, the incense of spices shall be entrusted to your hand from now on, and in your lifetime no other man shall use it. Nadav and Avihu hastened, in their father's lifetime, to offer what had not been entrusted to them, and this caused them to err. And we have learned that Moses was pondering what had caused them this error, and he was grieved. What is written? "And the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron." And what did He say to him? "When they drew near before the Lord, and they died" — it is not written "when they offered," but "when they drew near." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: this is what caused it for them — they forced the moment in their father's lifetime and erred in this, and this is the meaning of "which He had not commanded them" — them He had not commanded, but Aaron He had commanded. And if the two sons of Aaron, for having forced the moment in their father's lifetime, brought all this upon themselves, how much more so for me, compared to my father, Rabbi Pinchas, and the rest of the companions. Rabbi Pinchas came, kissed him, and blessed him.<br />
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Rabbi Shimon opened, saying: "Behold, the bed of Solomon, sixty mighty men surround it, etc." Behold the bed of Solomon — what is this bed? This is the Throne of Glory of the King, of which it is written: "The heart of her husband trusts in her." Of Solomon — the King to whom all peace belongs. Sixty mighty men surround it, who cling to its sides from the side of harsh judgment, and are called the sixty lashes of fire with which that youth is clothed. On his right, the edge of the harsh sword; on his left, coals of a mighty fire bound within its engravings, in seventy thousand flashes of consuming fire; and they are sixty armed with harsh weapons, drawn from those mighty powers of that supreme strength of the Holy One, blessed be He. This is what is written: "Of the mighty men of Israel."<br />
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And we have learned, what is written concerning this bed? "She rises while it is yet night," as she nurses from the side of judgment. "And gives prey to her household" — what is this prey? As it is said, "And he tears, and none delivers." This is what is written: "All of them girded with the sword, trained in war," ready in every place to execute judgment, and called the masters of wailing and lament. "Each has his sword upon his thigh," as it is said, "Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one." "Because of the terrors of the night" — this has already been explained as the terror of Gehinnom, etc., but "because of the terrors of the night" means: from what place is all this drawn? From Pachad, from that place called Pachad (Dread), as it is said, "And the Dread of Isaac was with me," "And Jacob swore by the Dread of his father Isaac." "In the nights" — at the times when they are appointed to execute judgment.<br />
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And we have learned, it is written: "She considered a field, and acquired it." This is what is written: "And all the beasts of the field shall play there." And concerning this it is written, "This is the great and wide sea, etc., there the ships go, etc.," as it is said: "She is like the merchant ships, she brings her bread from afar." From afar indeed — from the top of the brain and from above the head she brings her bread, through the Righteous One, when they unite as one; then there is joy in everything. This is what is written: "This Leviathan which You have formed to play with." We have learned: fifteen hundred bearers of shields, masters of dominion, cling on this side, who are mighty men. In the hand of the one called the youth are four great keys. Sea-crocodiles that travel beneath the ship of this great sea to the four corners, this one going to one side and that one to another side, and so all of them. Four faces appear upon them, and when they are combined as one, it is written: "And the likeness of their faces was the face of a man" — the face of them all.