Zohar

A previously unpublished translation of a text from the Zohar in a bilingual edition with notes. The text you are about to discover here is of rare narrative complexity. Interpretations intertwine and follow one another, shifting from one subject to another, from one verse to another, in a surprising sequence of events. It is the story of two teachers who meet by chance at an inn. In the middle of the night, they discuss a Torah topic that relates to the drama unfolding for their hosts—a father and his daughter. A mysterious son-in-law appears, taking up and expanding upon the topic explained by these masters to lead them from the light of Creation to the secrets of the seven blessings of the Bride. To do so, he will explore the genealogy of the letters in the name of the first man and the blessing over food. The thread connecting his teachings to the revelation of his identity—which will not be revealed until the end of the text by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai himself—demonstrates the full power of the Zoharic text. Here we can see why the Zohar is called the Book of the Summit.