Kabbalah Library
Zohar for All, Volume 8
If a man finds a young woman who is a virgin
25. “If a man finds a young woman who is a virgin, who is not engaged.” These are Israel, who, from the side of the Shechina, are called “daughter.” “And he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found out, then the man who lay with her shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife, because he has violated her. He may not send her away all his days.”
The sages and all the members of the seminary said, “a man” are Israel from the side of the Creator, who is called a “man.” “And he seizes,” with a knot of Tefillin. “And he seizes,” with the flanks of a commandment. “Who is not engaged,” an only daughter, the soul, where through the knot of the Tefillin and Tzitzit, Israel seize their soul. “And lies with her,” in the prayer concerning laying down, the “Put Us to Sleep” [part of the evening prayer]. “[He] shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver,” twenty-five letters in the unification “Hear O Israel,” and twenty-five letters in the unification “Blessed be the name of His kingship forever and ever.”
26. One who engages in Halacha [Jewish law], in Malchut, not for her sake, and has earned the Halacha, it is certainly seized by him unwillingly. Nevertheless, one must always engage in Torah, even not for her sake, as from not for her sake, he comes to for her sake. This Halacha is from the side of the good lad, Matat, who is distinguished from the tree of good and evil, which is prohibition and permission, impurity and purity, kosher and non-kosher [allowed and not allowed]. The young woman is called Naara after the Naar [young man] Matat, for the verse “And the wicked be shaken out of it,” which are prohibitions of impure and not allowed, Sam and his camps, will come true in her.
27. “If a man finds a young woman who is a virgin” are Israel, as it is written, “When Israel was a child, I loved him.” They are called “boy” from the side of Matat, for their souls are from Beria, where Matat is, and the man is but the Creator, as it is written, “The Lord is a man of war.”
“If a man finds a young woman who is a virgin” is the virgin of Israel, of whom it is written, “She has fallen; she shall not arise again, the virgin of Israel.” The man is the Creator, who seduced her, as it is written, “Behold, I will allure her and lead her to the desert.” Afterwards, He opened for them fifty gates of freedom, fifty gates of mercy from the side of Abraham, Hesed. This is the meaning of the words, “[He] shall give to the father of the young woman fifty shekels of silver,” and silver is from the degree of Hesed, Abraham.
28. In the exodus from Egypt, fifty gates of freedom were opened to them, from the side of judgment, which is left, ADNI, Malchut from the side of the left, where it is as it is written, “I sentence,” since there are the letters of DIN [judgment] in ADNI, where first, I sentence a sentence, and then they will come out. However, in the final redemption, it is written, I will gather you with great mercies,” which is from the side of Abraham. Greatness, Hesed, is the degree of Abraham, since Bina is called “the great hand” there. And there are fifty silver there, fifty gates of Bina.
Afterwards, “He may not send her away,” to the exile, “all his days,” since” she shall be his wife,” as it is written, “And I will betroth you to me forever,” and it is written, “For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is His name,” and it is written, “You shall no more be termed ‘forsaken,’” for although the Shechina is in exile, the Creator does not move away from her.
