Kuntres Mattan Torah, On the Completion of The Zohar

The manifest and the concealed8. In truth, the entire Torah – both the manifest part and the concealed – is the thoughts of the Holy One, blessed be He; there is no difference between them. This resembles a man who is drowning in the river, and his friend throws him a rope to save him. Once the drowning man holds on to the rope nearest him, his friend could save him by pulling him out of the river. The Torah is the same, consisting in its entirety of the thoughts of the Holy One, blessed be He. It is like a rope that the Holy One, blessed be He, throws to people to save them and take them out of the Klipot. The end of the rope closest to all people represents the revealed aspect of the Torah, which requires no intention or thought. Moreover, even when an improper thought accompanies the observance of the commandments, it is still acceptable to the Holy One, blessed be He, as said, “A person should always engage in Torah study and performance of the commandments even [if he does] not [do so] for their own sake, as through [engaging in the Torah and the commandments] not for their own sake, one will ultimately come [to engage in them] for their own sake” (tractate Pesaḥim 50b and others).