“And He Was Wounded Because of Our Transgressions”
וְהוּא מְחֹלָל מִפְּשָׁעֵינוּ
Here I shall begin to explain to you the teachings of Rabbi Shim‘on bar Yochai, may his memory be for a blessing and for the life of the World to Come p1-22(פֹּה אֶתְחִיל לְפָרֵשׁ לְךָ מַאֲמָרֵי הָרַשְׁבִּ״י זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה לְחַיֵּי הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא), which, in the arrogance of their hearts, they attached to emptiness and vanity (אֲשֶׁר בְּגוֹבַהּ לֵב תָּלוּ בָהֶם בּוּקִי סְרִיקִי), and they perverted their paths (וְאֹרְחוֹתֵיהֶם עִוָּתוּ), to cast blemish upon the sanctified ones of Hashem, whom He loved (לְהַטִּיל מוּם בִּקְדְשֵׁי ה׳ אֲשֶׁר אָהֵב), a holy of holies is he (קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים הוּא).
And you shall know truly (וְתֵדַע בֶּאֱמֶת), far be it from the Holy One of Yisrael, Rabbi Shim‘on bar Yochai, may his memory be for a blessing, to entertain about himself or about his words evil or foreign thoughts such as these (כִּי חֲלִילָה לִקְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל הָרַשְׁבִּ״י זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה מְחַשֵּׁב עָלָיו וְעַל דְּבָרָיו מַחְשָׁבוֹת רָעוֹת וְזָרוֹת אֲשֶׁר כָּהֵנָּה). And if his words are closed here (וְאִם דְּבָרָיו סְתוּמִים הֵנָּה), it is because he speaks upwardly, in deep counsel (לִצַּד עִילָּאָה יְמַלֵּל בְּעֹמֶק עֵצָה), and in a holy path exalted above our comprehension (וְדֶרֶךְ קֹדֶשׁ נִשְׂגָּבָה מִשְּׂכַּלֵּנוּ). Yet all are upright to the one who understands (אֲבָל כֻּלָּם נְכוֹחִים לַמֵּבִין), and straight to those who find knowledge (וִישָׁרִים לְמוֹצְאֵי דָעַת). And I shall arrange for you these teachings (וְאֲסַדֵּר לְךָ הַמַּאֲמָרִים הָאֵלֶּה), according to the order of the matters that require explanation and revelation in this subject (לְפִי סֵדֶר הָעִנְיָנִים הַצְּרִיכִים לְבֵאָר וּלְגַלּוֹת בְּעִנְיָן זֶה).
The first teaching is in Parashat Ki Teitzei, daf 276b (הַמַּאֲמָר הָאֶחָד הוּא בְּפָרָשַׁת תֵּצֵא, דַּף רְע״ו ע״ב), and this is its language (וְזֶה לְשׁוֹנוֹ): “And because they caused You and did with You many goods” (וּבְגִין דְּאִינוּן גָּרְמוּ לָךְ וַעֲבַדוּ עִמָּךְ כַּמָּה טָבִין), “You bore it for their sake…” (אַנְתְּ סְבִילַת בְּגִינַיְהוּ וְכוּ׳), “He was to be defiled with idolatry and its seed” (הֲוָה הוּא לְאִתְחַלָּלָא בַּעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה וְזַרְעָהּ), because Yerav‘am ben Nevat was from her seed (בְּגִין דְּיָרָבְעָם בֶּן נְבָט מִזַּרְעָהּ אִיהוּ), and about him it is said concerning you (וּבְגִינֵיהּ אִתְּמַר בָּךְ): “And he was pierced for our transgressions…” (Isaiah 53:5) ("וְהוּא מְחֹלָל מִפְּשָׁעֵינוּ וְכוּ׳), “and with his bruise we were healed” (וּבַחֲבֻרָתוֹ נִרְפָּא לָנוּ וְכוּ׳) - end of citation (עַכְ״ל).
Behold, this statement is truly dreadful and awesome (הִנֵּה הַמַּאֲמָר הַזֶּה אִיּוֹם וְנוֹרָא הוּא בֶּאֱמֶת), for it appears that were it not for the sufferings of Moshe, it would have been necessary for Mashiach ben Yosef to be defiled with idolatry (כִּי נִרְאֶה מִמֶּנּוּ שֶׁאִלּוּלֵי יִסּוּרֵי מֹשֶׁה, הָיָה צָרִיךְ שֶׁמָּשִׁיחַ בֶּן יוֹסֵף יִתְחַלֵּל בַּעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה).
And behold, from here is a place for heretics to intrude (וְהִנֵּה מִכָּאן מָקוֹם לָאֶפִּיקוֹרוֹסִים לִרְדּוֹת), for they will say: as generations change and the governance varies according to the deeds of those below (כִּי יֹאמְרוּ בְּהִשְׁתַּנּוּת הַדּוֹרוֹת וְהַהַנְהָגָה מִתְחַלֶּפֶת לְפִי מַעֲשֵׂי הַתַּחְתּוֹנִים), the sufferings of Moshe were not enough (לֹא הָיָה דַּי יִסּוּרֵי מֹשֶׁה), for in the end it was necessary to be fulfilled in Mashiach ben Yosef (כִּי סוֹף־סוֹף הֻצְרַךְ הַדָּבָר לְהִתְקַיֵּם בְּמָשִׁיחַ בֶּן יוֹסֵף). These are certainly words of futility and delusion (הֵן אֵלֶּה וַדַּאי דִּבְרֵי הֶבֶל וְתַעְתּוּעִים), for they contradict the Torah of Moshe (יַעַן שֶׁהֵם נֶגֶד תּוֹרַת מֹשֶׁה).
However, in any case we must explain the words of Rabbi Shim‘on bar Yochai, of blessed memory, in their truth (אֲמְנָם עַל כָּל פָּנִים צְרִיכִים אָנוּ לְפָרֵשׁ דִּבְרֵי הָרַשְׁבִּ״י זִכְרוֹנוֹ לִבְרָכָה עַל אֲמִתָּתָם). And it is clear that these words descend and pierce to the depths (וְזֶה בָּרוּר, כִּי אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים יוֹרְדִים וּנְקוּבִים עַד הַתְּהוֹם), and many secrets of secrets are contained within them (וְכַמָּה רָזֵי דְרָזִין נִכְלָלִים בָּהֶם).
Notes
See Zohar, Volume III, 276b (רְאֵה זֹהַר חֵלֶק ג׳ רַע״ו, ב׳): And because they caused it to you and did goodnesses with you (וּבְגִין דְּאִינוּן גָּרְמוּ לָךְ וַעֲבִידוּ עִמָּךְ טָבִין), you bore on their behalf many blows (אַנְתְּ סְבִילְתְּ בְּגִינַיְהוּ כַּמָּה מִכְתָּשִׁין), so that Mashiach ben Yosef would not be killed (בְּגִין דְּלָא יִתְקְטִיל מְשִׁיחַ בֶּן יוֹסֵף), as it is said of him: “and the face of an ox on the left” (Ezekiel 1:10) (דְּאִתְּאֲמַר בֵּיהּ: וּפְנֵי שׁוֹר מֵהַשְּׂמֹאל), from the seed of Yosef (מִזַּרְעָא דְיוֹסֵף), as it is said of him: “His firstborn bull-majesty is his” (Deuteronomy 33:17) (דְּאִתְּאֲמַר בֵּיהּ: בְּכוֹר שׁוֹרוֹ הָדָר לוֹ). And so that he and his seed would not be profaned among the nations (וּבְגִין דְּלָא יִתְחַלֵּל הוּא וְזַרְעֵיהּ בֵּין הַגּוֹיִם), because of the sin of Yerov‘am who committed idolatry (דְּחוֹבֵיהּ דְיָרָבְעָם דְּעָבִיד עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה), he [Mashiach] had to be defiled in idolatry-and so did his descendants (הֲוָה הוּא לְאִתְחַלְּלָא בַּעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה וְזַרְעֵיהּ הוּא), because Yerov‘am son of Nevat was from his seed (דְּיָרָבְעָם בֶּן נְבָט מִזַּרְעֵיהּ אִיהוּ). And concerning him it is said: “He was profaned for our transgressions… and with his wounds we were healed” (Isaiah 53:5) (וּבְגִינֵיהּ אִתְּאֲמַר בָּךְ: וְהוּא מְחֹלָל מִפְּשָׁעֵינוּ וְגוֹ׳, וּבַחֲבֻרָתוֹ נִרְפָּא לָנוּ).