Zohar, Bereshit
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וַיִּתְהַלֵּךָ חֲנוֹךְ אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים וְאֵינֶנּוּ כִּי לָקַח אוֹתוֹ אֱלֹהִים. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי פָּתַח (שיר השירים א׳:י״ב) עַד שֶׁהַמֶּלֶךְ בִּמְסִבּוֹ נִרְדִּי נָתַן רֵיחוֹ. הַאי קְרָא אִתְּמָר. אֲבָלתָּא חֲזֵי, כָּךְ אָרְחוֹי דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּבַר נָשׁ אִתְדָּבַּק בֵּיהּ וְהוּא אַשְׁרֵי דִּיּוּרֵיהּ עֲלֵיהּ. וְיָדַע דִּלְבָתַר יוֹמִין יִסְרַח. אַקְדִים וְלָקִיט רֵיחֵיהּ טַב מִנֵּיהּ וְסָלִיק לֵיהּ מֵעָלְמָא.
AND ENOCH WALKED WITH GOD, AND HE WAS NOT, FOR GOD HAD TAKEN HIM. R. Jose illustrated this verse from the passage: While the king was still with his company at table, my spikenard sent forth its fragrance (S. S. 1, 12). ‘This verse’, he said, ‘can be expounded as referring to the ways of God. When God sees that a man who cleaves to Him and with whom He abides will one day degenerate, He takes him from the world prematurely, culling, as it were, the odour while it is still sweet;
הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב עַד שֶׁהַמֶּלֶךְ בִּמְסִבּוֹ נִרְדִּי נָתַן רֵיחוֹ. עַד שֶׁהַמֶּלֶךְ דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. בִּמְסִבּוֹ דָּא הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ דְּאִתְדָּבַּק בֵּיהּ וְאָזִיל בְּאָרְחוֹי. נִרְדִּי נָתַן רֵיחוֹ, אִנּוּן עוֹבָדִין טָבִין דְּבֵיהּ דִּבְגִינְהוֹן יִסְתַּלַּק מֵעָלְמָא עַד דְּלָא מָטָא זִמְנֵיהּ.
hence it is written, “while the King was with his company, my spikenard gave up its scent.” The King is God; the company is the good man who cleaves to Him and walks in His ways; the spikenard indicates the good deeds on account of which he is removed from the world before his time.
וְעַל דָּא הֲוָה שְׁלמֹה מַלְכָּא אָמַר (קהלת ח׳:י״ד) יֵשׁ הֶבֶל אֲשֶׁר נַעֲשָׂה עַל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר יֵשׁ צַדִּיקִים וְגו'. יֵשׁ צַדִּיקִים אֲשֶׁר מַגִּיעַ אֲלֵיהֶם כְּמַעֲשֵׂה הָרְשָׁעִים, כְּמָה דְאוֹקִימְנָא דִּבְגִין דְּעוֹבָדֵיהוֹן טָבִין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא סָלִיק לוֹן מֵעָלְמָא (בגין דלא יסרחו (יחיו). ומגו רחימותא בהו מסלק להון) עַד לָא מָטָא זִמְנַיְיהוּ. וְעָבִיד בְּהוֹן דִּינִין. וְיֵשׁ רְשָׁעִים אֲשֶׁר מַגִּיעַ אֲלֵיהֶם כְּמַעֲשֵׂה הַצַּדִּיקִים דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אוֹרִיךְ לוֹן יוֹמִין וְאוֹרִיךְ רוּגְזֵיהּ בְּהוּ. וְכָל דָּא כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמָר. אִלֵּין בְּגִין דְּלָא יִסְרְחוּן. וְאִלֵּין בְּגִין דְּלִהַדְּרוּ לְגַבֵּיהּ. אוֹ בְּגִין דְּיִפּוּק מִנַּיְיהוּ בְּנִין דְּמַעֲלֵי.
Of such a case did King Solomon say :”There is a vanity which is done upon the earth, that there be righteous men unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked, etc.” (Eccl. 8, 14). How there are “righteous men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked” we have just explained, viz. that because their deeds are good, God removes them from the world before their time and before they become liable to punishment. The rest of the verse, “there be wicked men to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous”, means that God gives them a respite and is long-suffering with them. Thus the good die early in order that they may not degenerate, and the wicked live on in order that they may have a chance to repent, or in order that a virtuous progeny may issue from them.
תָּא חֲזֵי חֲנוֹךְ זַּכָּאָה הֲוָה. וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא חָמָא לֵיהּ דְּיִסְרַח לְבָתַר. וְלָקִיט לֵיהּ עַד לָא יִסְרַח. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (שיר השירים ו׳:ב׳) וְלִלְקוֹט שׁוֹשַׁנִּים. בְּגִין דְּיַהֲבֵי רֵיחָא טַב לָקִיט לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עַד לָא יִסְרְחוּ. וְאֵינְנּוּ כִּי לָקַח אוֹתוֹ אֱלֹהִים. וְאֵינֶנּוּ, לְאָרְכָא יוֹמִין כִּשְׁאָר בְּנִי נָשָׁא דְּהֲווּ אוֹרְכֵי יוֹמִין. מַאי טַעְמָא בְּגִין דְּלָקַח לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עַד לָא מָטֵי זִמְנֵיהּ.
See now, Enoch was virtuous, but God saw that he would degenerate, and therefore gathered him in in time, as one “gathers lilies” (S. S. 6, 2) because of their good scent. “And he was not, for God had taken him.” This means that he did not live to a great age like his contemporaries, because God took him before his time.’
רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר חֲנוֹךְ נָטִיל לֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מֵאַרְעָא וְאַסְקֵיהּ לִשְׁמֵי מְרוֹמִים וְאַמְסַר בִּידֵיהּ כָּל גִּנְזֵי עִלָּאִין (לעיל לז ב) וּמ"ה מַפְתְּחָן סָתְרֵי גְלִיפִין דְּבְּהוּ מִשְׁתַּמְּשֵׁי מַלְאֲכֵי עִלָּאֵי וְכֻלְהוּ אִתְמְסָרוּ בִּידֵיהּ. וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא:
R. Eleazar said: ‘God removed Enoch from the earth, and took him up to the highest heavens, and there presented to him wonderful treasures, including forty-five mystical key-combinations of graven letters which are used by the highest ranks of angels, as has been explained elsewhere.’