Kabbalah Library
Zohar for All, Volume 7
To Him Who Alone Does Great Wonders
293. Rabbi Pinhas was going to see his daughter, Rabbi Shimon’s wife, who was ill. The friends were walking with him, and he was riding his donkey. While he was walking along the road, two Arabs met him. He asked them if a voice from the days of old has ever awakened in this field.
They said to him, “Since the days of old? We do not know. Since our days, we do know, since one day, robbers were raiding the roads of people in that field, and they encountered Jews and were about to kill them. Then, in that field, that sound of the donkey you are riding sounded from afar; he was braying twice. Then a flame came along with that sound and burned them, and those Jews were saved.”
He said to them, “Arabs, Arabs, because you told me this thing, you will be saved this day from robbers who are waiting for you on the road.”
294. Rabbi Pinhas wept and said “Master of the world, You have done this miracle for me, and those Jews were saved, and I did not know!” It is written, “To Him who alone does great wonders, for His mercy is forever.” How much good the Creator does with people, and how many miracles He performs for them each day, and no one knows but He alone.
A man arises in the morning and a snake comes to kill him. The man inadvertently places his foot on the snake’s head and kills it, and no one knows but the Creator alone. Oh, to Him who alone does great wonders. A man walks along the way and robbers lurk to kill him. Another comes and places a ransom for him, and he is saved. He does not know of the mercy that the Creator had done for him and the miracle that has happened to him, except for the Creator alone. Oh, to Him who alone does great wonders. He alone does and knows, and another does not know.
295. He said to the friends, “Friends, what I asked those Arabs, who are always in the field, was if they heard the sound of the friends who are engaging in the Torah, since Rabbi Shimon, Rabbi Elazar, his son, and the rest of the friends were walking ahead of us and do not know of us. I asked those Arabs about them since I knew that the voice of Rabbi Shimon makes fields and mountains tremble, and they revealed to me what I did not know: that miracle.
296. As they were walking, those Arabs returned to them. They told him, “Old man, old man, you asked us if a voice has awakened in the field from the days of old, but you did not ask us about this day, for today, we saw wonder over wonder. We saw five people sitting, and one old man was with them, and we saw birds gathering and spreading their wings over their heads. Some went away and some returned, but the shade over their heads would not stop. That old man was raising his voice toward them, and they were listening.”
297. He said, “It is about this that I asked, Arabs, Arabs. Go, and this road will be set before you in anything you want. Two things you told me, of which I am glad.” They went. The friends said, “This place where Rabbi Shimon is in, how do we know?” He told them, “Leave it for the one who rules over the steps of the beasts to lead their steps there.” He did not lead his donkey, and his donkey veered off the path two miles, and he went there.
298. The donkey started braying three times. Rabbi Pinhas dismounted and said to the friends, “Let us prepare to welcome [Partzuf] Atik Yomin, the Shechina, for now great Panim [faces] and small Panim will come toward us, which are Rabbi Shimon and his disciples.
Rabbi Shimon heard the donkey’s shout, and said to the friends, “Let us rise, for the voice of the donkey of the old Hassid has awakened for us.” Rabbi Shimon and the friends arose.
299. Rabbi Shimon opened and said, “Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonders.” Over the word Mizmor [psalm], there is an upright Taam [intonation mark] called Pazzer. There is a great reason for it, since that psalm comes, crowns itself with the upper crown on top, on its head, and therefore, there is an upright intonation mark above it, which is the Pazzer.
Who said this psalm? It is the cows, through the moos that they were mooing. “Sing to the Lord a new song.” To whom were they saying “Sing”? To several Merkavot [chariots/structures], to several appointees, to several degrees that were coming there and going out to welcome the ark. To them they were saying “Sing.”
