Daniel C. Matt - The Zohar (Zohar: The Pritzker Editions) Vol 9: Numbers-Deuteronomy

This volume completes the main commentary of the Zohar on the Torah. Rabbi Shimon and his Companions explore passages from the middle of the book of Numbers to the end of Deuteronomy.

Among the remarkable sections is Rav Metivta (Master of the Academy), an account of a visionary journey by Rabbi Shimon and some of the Companions to the Garden of Eden, where they discover secrets of the afterlife and mysteries of the soul.

Later in the volume appears the story of the Yanuqa (Child), whom Rabbi Yitsak and Rabbi Yehudah encounter while on a journey. This colorful character is a wunderkindand also a bit of a rascal. He alternates between amazing the rabbis and teasing them, impressing and then challenging (or stumping) them. The child prodigy spouts wisdom, spiced with humor.

The Yanuqa is a famous Zoharic narrative. Another, lesser-known story of a remarkable child is embedded in a long narrative involving Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Abba. While traveling on the road, these two Companions go to visit the home of Rabbi Yose of Pekiin, a virtuous man who has just died. Entering his house, they find his little son weeping and moaning at the bedside. The boy cries out to God, insisting that the Master of the Universe has acted unjustly in taking the life of his father. Basing his impassioned argument on biblical verses, the child actually succeeds in reversing the divine decree, and his father is revived.

Near the very end of the Zohar on the Torah comes the remarkable section known as Idra Zuta (The Small Assembly). This dramatic narrative forms part of the Zohars commentary on Parashat Haazinu in Deuteronomy, which features the Song of Moses, delivered shortly before his death. In the Zohar, Rabbi Shimon is sometimes compared to Moses; and as the Idra Zuta opens, the Companions gathered in the house of Rabbi Shimon, and he was arranging his affairs to depart from the world. The master now reveals profound mysteries, many of them based on teachings from the earlier gathering known as Idra Rabba (The Great Assembly), but also including new secrets, especially relating to the Divine Masculine and Feminine. As Rabbi Shimon says, Holy words that I have not revealed until now, I wish to reveal in the presence of Shekhinah. He concludes with a detailed descriptiongraphic yet crypticof the divine union. As he departs from this world, he assumes the role of the Divine Male, uniting ecstatically with Shekhinah. Thus Rabbi Shimons death becomes a joyous occasion, and a celestial voice announces his wedding celebration.

As indicated above, this ninth volume of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition completes the Zohars main commentary on the Torah. Three additional volumes will include other sections of the Zohar, including Midrash ha-Nelam, Zohar on Song of Songs, Matnitin, Tosefta, Sitrei Torah, and Heikhalot. Those three volumes are being composed by my colleagues Nathan Wolski and Joel Hecker.

As I conclude my work of translation and annotation for The Zohar: Pritzker Edition, I wish to thank, first of all, Margot Pritzker, for inviting me to undertake this amazing journey and for sponsoring, sustaining, and guiding the immense project. Her passion for learning and her delight in Torah inspired me along the way, and the depth of her commitment stimulated my own. Thank you, Margot, for providing me with the unique opportunity to delve into one of the most wondrous books ever written and to convey its radiant wisdom.

From the gestation of this project, Rabbi Yehiel Poupko has conducted it skillfully and fervently. Descended from a famous kabbalist, the Shelah (Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz), he is intimately bound to the Zohar and has devoted himself to spreading its light. I thank him for treasuring the sacred nature of this bold venture.

Glen Miller, vice president of Zohar Education Project, Inc., has vitalized this adventure through his vision and devotion. Over the years, he has navigated the ark of Zohar through numerous administrative passageways. Beyond his financial and legal acumen, he demonstrates a profound appreciation of the