## Zohar, Vayera

###### Zohar, Vayera 12:1
[Zohar, Vayera 12:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Zohar/s/Vayera/r/12:1)

אֵרְדָה נָא וְאֶרְאֶה הַכְּצַעֲקָתָהּ הַבָּאָה אֵלַי עָשׂוּ כָּלָה. לְמַאן קָאֲמַר. אִי תֵימָא לְאִנּוּן מַלְאָכִין. מַאן חָמָא מַלִּיל עִם דָּא וּפַקִּיד לְדָא. אֶלָּא לְאַבְרָהָם קָאֲמַר דְּבִרְשׁוּתֵיהּ קָיְימִין אִנּוּן אַתְרֵי. דָּבָר אַחֵר לְאִנּוּן מַלְאָכִין.

**The Zohar; London, Soncino Press, 1933:**
¹

footnotes:
¹ The first 12 lines of the Hebrew text do not appear in our translation. The first portion of our translation (up to “Seeing that Abraham” is apparently based on a variant reading.


###### Zohar, Vayera 12:2
[Zohar, Vayera 12:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Zohar/s/Vayera/r/12:2)

מַה דְּאִתְּמָר לְאַבְרָהָם מַה טַעֲמָא עָשׂוּ. עָשָׂה מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ. מַאי עָשׂוּ. (אלא) דָּא אַבְרָהָם וּשְׁכִינְתָּא דְּלָא אַעֲדֵי מִנֵּיהּ. (דבר אחר) עָשׂוּ מַה דְּאִתְּמָר לַמַּלְאָכִין, בְּגִין דְּהֲווּ זְמִינִין תַּמָּן וְהֲווּ מִשְׁתַּכְּחִין לְמֶעְבַּד דִּינָא, וְעַל דָּא עָשׂוּ.

**The Zohar; London, Soncino Press, 1933:**
I WILL GO DOWN AND SEE: IF IT IS ACCORDING TO THE CRY OF IT, THEN MAKE YE AN EXTERMINATION. To whom was this command addressed? It cannot be to the angels, since that would mean that God was speaking to one party (Abraham) and giving command to another (the angels), which is not usual. The explanation is that it was really addressed to Abraham, in whose jurisdiction the cities were. But then why the plural, “make ye” (‘asu) instead of the singular “make thou” (*‘ase*)? The answer is that it was addressed both to Abraham and the Shekinah, which was all the time with him. According to another interpretation the command was given to the angels, who were standing there ready at hand to do execution.


###### Zohar, Vayera 12:3
[Zohar, Vayera 12:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Zohar/s/Vayera/r/12:3)

דָּבָר אַחֵר עָשׂוּ (למעבד) כְּתַרְגּוּמוֹ עֲבְדוּ. וְכִי לָא הֲוָה יָדַע קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּאִיהוּ אָמַר אֵרְדָה נָא וְאֶרְאֶה, וְהָא כֹּלָּא אִתְגְּלִי קַמֵּיהּ. אֶלָּא אֵרְדָה נָא מִדַּרְגָּא דְּרַחֲמֵי לְדַרְגָּא דְדִינָא, וְהַיְינוּ (האי) יְרִידָה. וְאֶרְאֶה, רְאִיָּיה דָּא הִיא לְאַשְׁגָּחָא עֲלֵיהוֹן בְּמַאן דִּינָא יָדִין לוֹן.

**The Zohar; London, Soncino Press, 1933:**
According to another interpretation, again, the proper reading is *‘asu* (they have made), and this accords with the translation of Onqelos. It says: “I will go down and see.” Are not all things revealed before the Almighty that there was need for Him to go down and see? The expression, however, “I will go down”, implies descent from the grade of mercy to that of rigour, and by “and see” is meant the consideration of the kind of punishment to be meted out to them.


###### Zohar, Vayera 12:4
[Zohar, Vayera 12:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Zohar/s/Vayera/r/12:4)

אַשְׁכְּחָן רְאִיָּיה לְטַב וְאַשְׁכְּחָן רְאִיָּיה לְבִישׁ. רְאִיָּיה לְטַב, דִּכְתִיב, (שמות ב׳:כ״ה) וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת בְּנִי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֵּדַע. רְאִיָּיה לְבִישׁ, דִּכְתִיב אֵרְדָה נָא וְאֶרְאֶה (נ"א אשכחן ירידה לטב ואשכחן ירידה לביש. לטב דכתיב, (שמות י״ט:כ׳) וירד יי על הר סיני. (במדבר י״א:י״ז) וירדתי ודברתי עמך שם. ירידה לביש ארדה נא בגין) לְאַשְׁגָּחָא עֲלַיְיהוּ בְּדִינָא, וְעַל דָּא אָמַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הַמְכַסֶּה אֲנִי מֵאַבְרָהָם:

**The Zohar; London, Soncino Press, 1933:**
“Seeing” in the Scriptures can be both for good and for ill. An example of the former use is: “And God saw the children of Israel, and God took cognizance of them” (Ex. 2, 25); an example of the latter is “I will go down and see”, i.e. to determine the mode of punishment. In regard to all this God said, “Shall I hide from Abraham, etc.”