Kabbalah Library
Zohar for All, Volume 7
How Is It Written, “and Died,” Before the World Was Created
42. Since the Creator knew that Adam was destined to sin against Him, and that He would sentence him to death, why did He create him? The Torah existed two-thousand years prior to the creation of the world, before the sin of Adam HaRishon, and it is written in the Torah, “If a man dies in the tent.” If a man dies,” “and he died.” “And so and so lived and died.” What did the Creator want from the man in this world, that even if he engages in Torah day and night, he will die, and if he does not engage in Torah, he will die? There is one way for everyone, except that the sinner is separated from that world, but in this world, everyone is equal, as it is written, “to the righteous and to the wicked.”
43. “The ways of your master and the decrees of your master, why should you trouble yourself in them? Where you have permission to know and observe, ask, and where you do not have permission to know, it is written, ‘Do not let your mouth make your flesh sin.’” The ways of the Creator and His secrets, high secrets, which He concealed and hid, we should not ask.
Yet, but the whole Torah is concealed and hidden since it is the upper, holy name. One who engages in Torah, it is as though he engages in His holy name. Thus, should we not ask and look into the Torah?
44. The whole of the Torah is concealed and revealed, and His holy name is concealed and revealed. It is written, “The secret things are to the Lord our God, and the revealed are to us and to our children.” “The revealed are to us,” meaning there is permission to ask and to examine and observe them to know about them. However, the secret things are to the Lord our God, they are His, and of Him they are worthy, for who can know and attain His concealed view, much less ask?
45. The people of the world have no permission to say hidden words and interpret them, except Rabbi Shimon, since the Creator agreed on this for him. And because his generation is commended above and below, he says the matters openly. But there will not be a generation such as this generation in which he is until the Messiah King arrives.
