Lesson 16 - The Book of Zohar
Lesson 16 - The Book of Zohar
SLIDE #2
4) In the beginning, Rabbi Shimon started, “The flower buds have appeared in the land; the time of pruning has arrived, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.” “The flower buds” are the work of creation. “Have appeared in the land” on the third day, as it is written, “And the earth shall spring forth grass.” “The time of pruning has arrived” is the fourth day, in which there was the pruning of the tyrants. This is why it is written about it “Let there be lights” without a Vav [in Hebrew], which is a curse. “And the voice of the turtledove” is the fifth day, of which it is written, “Let the waters swarm” to produce offspring. “Is heard” is the sixth day, of which it is written, “Let us make man,” who is destined to put doing before hearing. “In our land” is the Sabbath, which is like the land of the living, the next world.
- Rashbi, Introduction of The Book of Zohar, “The Flower Buds”, p.4. Zohar for All. Vol. 1.
SLIDE #3
The language of legends is easy to understand through the allegories that perfectly fit the desired meaning. In superficial examination, it is even easier to understand than the language of the Bible. Yet, for complete understanding, it is a very difficult language as it does not confine itself to speaking in sequences of root and branch, but only in allegories and marvelous wit. However, it is very rich in resolving abstruse and odd concepts that concern the essence of the degree in its state, for itself, which cannot be explained in the languages of the Bible and laws.
- Baal HaSulam “The Teaching of the Kabbalah and Its Essence”
SLIDE #4
The secrets of the Torah clothe in parables and riddles in the Torah due to the extension of the Torah and its lowering from the highest degree down to this earthly world.
Ramak, Know the God of Thy Father, 14
SLIDE #5
Rabbi Shimon said, woe unto one who says that the Torah comes to tell literal tales. However, all the words of the Torah have the superior things and uppermost meanings.
- Zohar for All, BeHaalotcha [When You Mount the Candles] Passover in Its Time and Second Passover, p.58
SLIDE #6
“155) Therefore, we must ask, Why then did the Kabbalists obligate every person to study the wisdom of Kabbalah?
Indeed, there is a great thing about it, which should be publicized: There is a wonderful, invaluable remedy to those who engage in the wisdom of Kabbalah. Although they do not understand what they are learning, through the yearning and the great desire to understand what they are learning, they awaken upon themselves the lights that surround their souls.
SLIDE #7
And while one has not attained perfection, the lights that are destined to reach him are considered surrounding lights. This means that they stand ready for him but are waiting for him to purify his vessels of reception, and then these lights will clothe the able vessels.
SLIDE #8
Hence, even when he does not have the vessels, when he engages in this wisdom, mentioning the names of the lights and the vessels related to his soul, they immediately illuminate upon him to a certain extent. However, they illuminate for him without clothing the interior of his soul, for lack of vessels able to receive them. Yet, the illumination one receives time after time during the engagement draws upon him grace from above, and imparts him with abundance of sanctity and purity, which bring him much closer to achieving his wholeness.
SLIDE #9
156) Yet, there is a strict condition during the engagement in this wisdom not to materialize the matters with imaginary and corporeal issues…”
- Baal HaSulam, Introduction to The Study of the Ten Sefirot, p. 155-156
SLIDE #10
The Rose
1) Rabbi Hizkiya began: “It is written, ‘As a rose among the thorns.’” What is a rose? It is the assembly of Israel, Malchut. There is a rose, and there is a rose. Just as a rose among the thorns has red and white, the assembly of Israel has judgment and mercy.
SLIDE #11
Just as a rose has thirteen petals, the assembly of Israel has thirteen qualities of mercy that surround it on all sides. Also, God, in the verse “In the beginning God created,” God elicited thirteen words to surround the assembly of Israel and to keep her: THE, HEAVEN, AND-THE, EARTH, AND-THE EARTH, WAS, EMPTY, AND-CHAOTIC, AND-THE DARKNESS, OVER, THE FACE, OF THE ABYSS, AND-THE SPIRIT, up to the words “of God hovered” [In Hebrew, “and” is written in conjunction with the word following it, so it is regarded as one word].
SLIDE #12
Explanation: There are ten Sefirot: Keter, Hochma, Bina, Hesed, Gevura, Tifferet, Netzah, Hod, Yesod, and Malchut. However, essentially, they are only five: Keter, Hochma, Bina, Tifferet, and Malchut, since the Sefira [singular of Sefirot] Tifferet contains six Sefirot HGT NHY within it. They became five Partzufim [plural of Partzuf]: AA, AVI, and ZON. Keter is called Arich Anpin (AA), Hochma and Bina (HB) are called Aba ve [and] Ima (AVI), Tifferet and Malchut are called Zeir Anpin and Nukva (ZON).
SLIDE #13
The seven days of creation are the two Partzufim Zeir Anpin and Nukva of Atzilut. They contain seven Sefirot HGT NHY and Malchut. The writings of the work of creation explain how AVI, which are HB, emanated them from the beginning of their formation to the end of the Gadlut [adulthood/greatness], which take place in them over six thousand years.
- RASHBI, Introduction of the Book of Zohar, “The Rose”. Zohar for All. Vol.1.
SLIDE #14
The Donkey Driver
74) Rabbi Elazar went to see Rabbi Yosi, son of Rabbi Shimon, son of Lakunia, his father-in-law, and Rabbi Aba was with him. A man was driving their donkeys, meaning leading their donkeys. “Driving” means stinging, since it is an alias to the donkey driver because of his custom to sting the donkeys with a needle so they will walk faster. Rabbi Aba said, “Let us open the doors of Torah, for now is the time and the hour for our ways to be corrected.”
SLIDE #15
75) Rabbi Elazar opened and said, “You shall keep My Sabbaths.” The Creator created the world in six days. Each day, He disclosed His deed and placed His strength in that day. When did He disclose His deed and place His strength? On the fourth day, since those first three days were all hidden and not revealed. When the fourth day came, He executed the power of all of them.
SLIDE #16
Each and every day, He revealed His work and placed His sign in that day. “In that day” means the Sabbath day. The six days are HGT NHY, and they reveal the perfection of their works and power on the Sabbath day, in Malchut. Each day He places his strength in the Sabbath day. And why does it say here that it was only on the fourth day?
SLIDE #17
It is because Malchut is called “fourth” and “seventh,” a fourth to the patriarchs, HGT, and a seventh to the sons, NHY. It is written, “The flower buds have appeared in the earth, and the time for pruning has arrived.” The flower buds, HGT, appeared in the earth on the third day. And the time for pruning has arrived on the fourth day, since then Malchut was diminished and rose for a second Ibur [impregnation]. Thus, Malchut was emanated from HGT on the third day and was corrected on the fourth day through Netzah of ZA, which is the fourth day. Hence, in that regard, she is considered “a fourth to the patriarchs.”
SLIDE #18
It is also written, “And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land.” “In our land” is the Sabbath day, which is a sample of the land of the living. Thus, Malchut, which is called “earth,” is the Sabbath day, a seventh to the sons, and the matter of fourth and seventh is explained here.
SLIDE #19
It was said that those first three days were all concealed and were not revealed because as long as the degree is deficient of Malchut, it is regarded as hidden and unknown. Upon its obtainment of Malchut, it obtains its perfection. This is the meaning of the six days of work and the Sabbath.
It would seem as though the six workdays should be more important than the Sabbath, since HGT NHY, which are the six days of work, are more important than the Malchut, the Sabbath day.
SLIDE #20
However, each week is a separate degree, which—during the workdays—lacks the Malchut. Hence, the degree is hidden and there is no holiness in it, since with the absence of Malchut, GAR of lights are absent, and only upon the appearance of Malchut in the degree, at the arrival of the Sabbath day, the holiness appears in the entire degree—during the six days of work, as well—and holiness is present in the entire week.
SLIDE #21
Similarly, in the six days of creation, when the first three days were emanated, HGT, prior to the disclosure of Malchut, they were hidden, without disclosing the holiness in them. And when Malchut was emanated on the fourth day, the holiness of all four days was revealed. When the fourth day came, it executed the power of all of them, meaning that the holiness appeared in the work and in the power of all four days, since Malchut complements the degree.
- RASHBI, Introduction of the Book of Zohar, “The Donkey Driver”, p. 74-75. Zohar for All. Vol.1.