Chapter 1 (PDF) - Stanford University Press

the zohar [1:4b]
of your academy, and of the academy of Hezekiah, king of Judah, 164 and
Torah
the academy of Ahiyah of Shiloh. 165 I have not come to set my seal on what
of
from your academy. Rather, the Master of Wings has come here, for I
issues
he enters no academy but yours.'' 166
know
Then Rabbi Shim'on told him 167
The Messiah began trembling and cried aloud. The heavens trembled,
sworn.
vast ocean trembled, Leviathan trembled, and the world verged on over-
the
At that moment, he noticed Rabbi Ḥiyya sitting at the feet of Rabbi
turning.
He said, ``Who placed a human here, clothed in the garb of that
Shim'on.
world?'' 168
Shim'on answered, ``This is Rabbi Ḥiyya, radiance of the lamp of
Rabbi
Torah!''
Messiah said, ``Let him be gathered in, 169 togetherwith his sons, 170 so
The
they become members of your academy.''
that
Rabbi Shim'on said, ``Let him be granted time.'' 171
In the Zohar (2:127a; 3:181a), the rivers
62:2.
balsam are the fragrant flow of emana-
of
from Binah to Shekhinah.
tion
Hezekiah . . . King of Judah toward
164.
end of the eighth century b.c.e. According
the
to rabbinic tradition, Hezekiah was ex-
devoted to the study and teaching of
tremely
See Shir ha-Shirim Rabbah on 4:8;
Torah.
Sanhedrin 94b. According to Rabbi Ḥizkiyah
BT
(Bereshit Rabbah 35:2), there was no
of the covenantal sign of the rainbow
need
the generations of Hezekiah and of Rabbi
in
because of the righteousness of
Shim'on
two figures.
those
Ahiyah of Shiloh Ahiyah was the
165.
who revealed to King Jeroboam that
prophet
kingdom would be divided (1
Solomon's
11:29±39). According to rabbinic tra-
Kings
he was a masterof the secrets of
dition,
(BT Sanhedrin 102a; Midrash Tehillim
Torah
and the teacherof Elijah (JT Eruvin
5:8)
22b). 5:1,
Shim'on associates himself with
Rabbi
in Bereshit Rabbah 35:2; Zohar 3:287b
Ahiyah
); ZḤ 19a (MhN ). Hasidic legend portrays
(IZ
as the mentorof Israel Ba'al Shem
Ahiyah
founderof Hasidism.
Tov,
I have not come... Yourteachings
166.
have been confirmed by God.
teachings
I have come to hear the words of
Rather,
Metatron.
told him Told the Messiah.
167.
clothed in the garb of that world
168.
a physical body. See the reaction of the
In
when Moses ascends to receive the
angels
(BT Shabbat 88b): ``Rabbi Yehoshu'a
Torah
of Levi said, `When Moses ascended on
son
the ministering angels said before the
high,
Holy One, ``Masterof the Universe!
blessed
is one born of woman doing here
What
us?'''''
among
``Let him be gathered in'' Let his
169.
on earth come to an end. Cf. the biblical
life
``to be gathered to one's people'' (Ge-
idiom
25:8; 35:29; 49:29).
nesis
together with his sons The amor-
170.
Rabbi Ḥizkiyah and Rabbi Yehudah. In
aim
Bava Metsi'a 85b (which, as already
BT
influences the Zohar here), Elijah
noted,
Rabbi Ḥiyya and his sons with
compares
Patriarchs. See Qohelet Rabbah on 9:10
the
also influences this Zohar passage).
(which
``Let him be granted time'' Let
171.
Ḥiyya remain alive on earth a while
Rabbi
the oath that the Masterof Wings had
24
See ZḤ 80c (MhN, Rut); and Zohar
longer.
where Rabbi Shim'on inter-
1:217b±218b,
cedes with God to spare the life of Rabbi
do not need my confirmation, as your