Texts of Judaism

Zohar: Genesis: Chapter XCI. Rabbi Eleazar and Rabbi Hezekiah, and Their Nocturnal Studies

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This is an excerpt from the Zohar, the foundational text of Jewish Kabbalah (likely 13th century), presented as a dialogue between two rabbinic sages engaged in midnight study of the "Secret Doctrine" (esoteric Torah). The passage centers on an allegorical reading of Song of Songs 2:3 ("as the apple tree among the trees of the wood"), interpreting it as a layered symbol for God, the patriarchs Abraham–Isaac–Jacob, and ultimately Joseph, each figure representing a successive unfolding of divine presence in the world. A significant portion argues that Abraham's spiritual uniqueness was only fully realized and named after Isaac and Jacob were born, because all three patriarchs must be conjoined to constitute the "fathers of the faithful." The text also develops a Kabbalistic theology of souls: all souls pre-exist as undifferentiated unity before incarnation, descend into male and female forms, and are reunited in marriage by God alone — a pure life enables the soul to reunite as it existed before birth. The closing exchange introduces a conjugal metaphor for the relationship between God and the congregation of Israel, where their union produces "holy fruit" (righteous souls) just as human marriage produces offspring. The passage is distinctive for its seamless weaving of multiple scriptural prooftexts into a single symbolic argument, and for its explicit claim that moral outcomes — "weal or woe" — arise entirely from one's own acts.

Zohar: Genesis: Chapter XCI. Rabbi Eleazar and Rabbi Hezekiah, and Their Nocturnal Studies

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