Pr evious Next Home Title Page Index Co nt ents 5 Kabbalah Texts 5.1 Bahir* Rabbi Nehunya ben Hakanah, author of the Bahir, achieved his high mystical state by searating from !orldly concerns" #$%&' Text 5-1: Perkei Avot of Nehunya ben Hakanah Rabbi Nehunya ben Hakanah said" (hoever takes uon himself the yoke of Torah, from him are removed the yoke of government and the yoke of !orldly care) but !hoever casts off the yoke of the Torah, uon him are laced the yoke of government and the yoke of !orldly care* The Bahir discusses that there are $+ nations in the !orld each having a guardian angel* This is the gematria of og v-agog . / 0 / 0 1 / 0 / * I n t hat time a ll th e nations of the !or ld ro se u ag ai ns t I sr ae l* # $%2' Text 5-2: Berachot 7b on Goan! "aoR* 3ohanan further said in the name of R* 4imeon b* 5ohai" 6 bad erson in a man7s house is !orse than the !ar of og and -agog* 8or it is said" 6 Psalm of 9avid, !hen he fled from 6bsalom his son, and it is !ritten after t hat" :ord, ho! many are mine adversaries become; -any are they that rise uagainst me* But in regard to the !ar of og and -agog it is !ritten" (hy are the nations in an uroar< 6nd !hy do the eoles mutter in vain, but it i s not !ritten" =Ho! many are mine adversaries become;> Canaanite tradition held to a antheon of $+ gods !ho served under ?l ?lyon, @d -ost High* 3udaism urified the dross from the silver and sa! that these gods !ere no more than the angels !ho served the :ord -ost High* #$A+' Text 5-#: $eventy %ate Pa&'() $eventy Ane&() an! the "ihty Nation of *(rae& the teacher says(hat is the meaning of the verse ?xodus DE"%$, F6nd they came to ?lim, !here there !ere t!elve !ells of !ater and seventy date alms, and they encamed there by the !ater<G the student asks(hat is so sec ial about seventy date alms < In one small lace there can be a thousa nd* the teacher res ondsBut #this teac hes us that' they !e re !orthy of their coun terart* They are likened to date alms* ?lim in Hebre! is ?limah . J 1 K , !hich co nt ains the same le tters as the name of @d, ?l oh im .$AD' * J K L ' 6t this oint the children of Israel are heavenly counterarts* They are a reflection or corresonden ce of the heavenly !orld* There is an element of arallelism here* Israel asses the test of Mudgment to be elevated to the level of a counterart* In ?xodus DE"%, @d tells the children of Israel to hearken to him, !hich they do and arrive at the lace of ?lim" #$A%' Text 5-+: Hearkeninto the ,or! 6nd #-oses' said, If you !ill diligently listen to the voice of the :ord your od, and !ill do that !hich is right in his sight, and !ill give ear to his commandments, and keeall his statutes, #transitioning to the voice of @d' I !ill ut none of these diseases uon you, !hich I have brought uon the ?gytians) for I am the :ord that heals you* The Bahir is the maMor source text secifying the structure of the kabbalistic tree of life* 8or the first POgina D de A% E abbalah Texts +%Q+Q%+Dmhtml"file"QQH"SkabScabSE abbalah Texts*mht
Rabbi Nehunya ben Hakanah, author of the Bahir, achieved his high mystical state by searating
from !orldly concerns"#$%&'
Text 5-1: Perkei Avot of Nehunya ben HakanahRabbi Nehunya ben Hakanah said" (hoever takes uon himself the yoke of Torah, from him areremoved the yoke of government and the yoke of !orldly care) but !hoever casts off the yoke of theTorah, uon him are laced the yoke of government and the yoke of !orldly care*
The Bahir discusses that there are $+ nations in the !orld each having a guardian angel* This is the
gematria of og v-agog . /0/01/0/ * In that time all the nations of the !orld rose u against Israel*#
$%2'
Text 5-2: Berachot 7b on Go an! "aoR* 3ohanan further said in the name of R* 4imeon b* 5ohai" 6 bad erson in a man7s house is !orsethan the !ar of og and -agog* 8or it is said" 6 Psalm of 9avid, !hen he fled from 6bsalom hisson, and it is !ritten after that" :ord, ho! many are mine adversaries become; -any are they thatrise u against me*
But in regard to the !ar of og and -agog it is !ritten" (hy are the nations in an uroar< 6nd !hydo the eoles mutter in vain, but it is not !ritten" =Ho! many are mine adversaries become;>
Canaanite tradition held to a antheon of $+ gods !ho served under ?l ?lyon, @d -ost High*3udaism urified the dross from the silver and sa! that these gods !ere no more than the angels !ho
served the :ord -ost High*#$A+'
Text 5-#: $eventy %ate Pa&'() $eventy Ane&() an! the "ihty Nation of *(rae&the teacher says (hat is the meaning of the verse ?xodus DE"%$, F6nd they came to ?lim, !herethere !ere t!elve !ells of !ater and seventy date alms, and they encamed there by the!ater<G the student asks (hat is so secial about seventy date alms< In one small lace there can
be a thousand* the teacher resonds But #this teaches us that' they !ere !orthy of their counterart*They are likened to date alms*
?lim in Hebre! is ?limah . J1K , !hich contains the same letters as the name of @d, ?lohim . $AD'* JKL ' 6t this oint the children of Israel are heavenly counterarts* They are a reflection orcorresondence of the heavenly !orld* There is an element of arallelism here*
Israel asses the test of Mudgment to be elevated to the level of a counterart* In ?xodus DE"%, @d
tells the children of Israel to hearken to him, !hich they do and arrive at the lace of ?lim"#$A%'
Text 5-+: Hearkenin to the ,or!6nd #-oses' said, If you !ill diligently listen to the voice of the :ord your od, and !ill do that!hich is right in his sight, and !ill give ear to his commandments, and kee all his statutes,
#transitioning to the voice of @d' I !ill ut none of these diseases uon you, !hich I have broughtuon the ?gytians) for I am the :ord that heals you*
The Bahir is the maMor source text secifying the structure of the kabbalistic tree of life* 8or the first
time the ten sefirot are described in detailed symbolism explaining the biblical source text for each
quality. The juxtaposition of the sefirot Keter (will or (thought?[7!"" and #aat ($nowledge" whereonly one exists at a time has its source in the %ahir. &urthermore the %ahir pro'ides the source
explanation for the descent that precedes the ascent in ad'anced Kabbalah meditation [7)!
Text 5-5: Ascending Thought and Descending Vision
*hat is the meaning of the expression+ ,-t rose in thought? *hy do we not say that ,it descended[in thought!? -ndeed we ha'e said+ ,/ne who ga0es into the 'ision of the 1hariot first descends andthen ascends. *e use the expression [of descent! there because we say+ ,one who ga0es into the'ision (T0afiyat" of the 1hariot. The 2ramaic translation of ,'ision (T0afiyat" is 3echuta [meaninga co'ering+ and alluding to the fact that one is loo$ing down from abo'e!. -t is also written+ ,2nd hecalled as a lion 45pon the watchtower (6iT0eh"+ / 8od.9 :ere+ howe'er we are spea$ing ofthought+ [and therefore only spea$ of ascent!. &or thought does not include any 'ision and has noending whatsoe'er. 2nd anything that has no end or limit does not ha'e any descent. eopletherefore say+ ,3omeone descended to the limit of his friend9s $nowledge. /ne can arri'e at thelimit of a person9s $nowledge+ but not at the limit of his thought.
-n the realm of Keter there is no 'ision+ no floor+ no s$y abo'e. There is only suspension in blac$nesswhere the will of 8;d waits+ waits for what? The will of 8;d awaits the thought that will manifestreality.
The %ahir teaches in two genres. The first is a didactic con'ersation between a teacher and a student.The second is by parable most often that of a $ing and his daughter.
5.2 Sefer Yetzirah
5.2.1 Gates of Creation
3efer <et0irah =) describes => gates that are the 8ates of 1reation. The number of combinations(ignoring order" of all :ebrew letters+ ta$en two at a time+ is =>. The procedure is to 'isual each
pair in ones mind using the alphabetical order as a mnemonic de'ice. i$e a family tree the largestnumber of gates is at the top where we start and at the bottom there is one gate+ that of our self.
Text 5-6: The 231 Gates In editati!e Visua"i#ation
Floah created all by these 8ates of 1reation. &or us the 8ates of 1reation illuminate forms with alight of
their essence. This is the creation of a calf for food or a man for ser'ice.
[7A!
The process of creation is to ascend in prayer with the Game of 8od from the upright triangle andreturn with the creati'e flow H 3hefa releasing from the in'erted triangle.
It was taught: Issi b. Judah says: The manna which fell down for Israel rose so high that all the kingsof the east and the west could see it, as it is said: [Thou preparest a table before me in the presence ofmy enemies. . .] my cup runneth over. !baye said: It is evident from this that the cup of "ing #avid
in the future world will hold two hundred and twenty$one %logs&['()], as it is said: *y cup is rewayah
[overflowing], and this is the numerical value of rewayah+.
In the psalm, the gematria of is -:['(]
/ou placed oil upon my head and my cup overflows $ "!ד
The shin and mem of oil relate to fire and water, and the feeling of mystical consciousness in thehead. These are the - 0ates of 1eward.
5#2#$ Go%em
To understand the 0olem, we first turn to the source te2t from Talmud Tractate 3anhedrin 45a$44a.The 0olem sub6ect is inserted in the midst of superstition to distinguish that there is somesupernatural reward for those who serve the !lmighty in purity.
... 9ut what action is done by a 9aal obG H The knocking of his arms.['=] ...
<ur 1abbis taught: ! 9aal ob is one who speaks from between the 6oints of his body and his elbowoints. ! yiddeoni is one who places the bone of a yidoa& in his mouth and it speaks of itself. !n
ob6ection is raised: !nd thy voice shall be, as of one that hath a familiar spirit, out of the ground:surely that means that it speaks naturallyG H 8o. It ascends and seats itself between his 6oints andspeaks. ome and hear: !nd the woman said unto 3aul, I saw a god$like form ascending out of theearth: [!nd 3amuel said to 3aul . . .] surely that means that it spoke naturallyG H 8o. It settled itself
between her 6oints and spoke.
<ur 1abbis taught: 9aal ob denotes both him who con6ures up the dead by means of soothsaying--and one who consults a skull. Ahat is the difference between themG H The dead con6ured up by
soothsaying does not ascend naturally [but feet first], nor on the 3abbathE whilst if consulted by itsskull it ascends naturally and on the 3abbath too. [/ou say,] it ascends: but whither H does not theskull lie before himG H 9ut say thus: It answers naturally, and on the 3abbath too. !nd this uestionwas asked by Turnusrufus of 1. !kiba: %Aherein does this day [the 3abbath] differ from any otherG&
H 7e replied: Aherein does one man differ from anotherG& H %9ecause my ;ord [the ?mperor]wishes it.& %The 3abbath too,& 1. !kiba re6oined, %then, is distinguished because the ;ord wishes so.&7e replied: %I ask this: Aho tells you that this day is the 3abbathG& H 7e answered: %;et the river3abbation prove itE let the 9aal ob prove itE let thy fathers grave, whence no smoke ascends on the3abbath, prove it.& 7e said to him: %/ou have shamed, disgraced, and reviled him [by this proof].&
7e who enuireth of an ob H is that not the same as one that consulteth the deadG H !s has been
taught: <r that consulteth the dead: this means one who starves himself and spends the night in acemetery, so that an unclean spirit [of a demon] may rest upon him [to enable him to foretell thefuture]. !nd when 1. !kiba reached this verse, he wept: If one who starves himself that an uncleanspirit may rest upon him has his wish granted, he who fasts that the pure spirit [the #ivine @resence]
may rest upon him H how much more should his desire be fulfilledN 9ut alasN our sins have driven it
away from us, as it is written, 9ut your iniuities have separated between you and your 0od.['=(]
9ehold, the ;ord&s hand is not shortened, that it cannot saveEnor is his ear heavy, that it cannot hearE
9ut your iniuities have separated - between you and your 0od,
and your sins have hidden his face from you, that he will not hear.Isaiah 5:-$+
1aba said: If the righteous desired it, they could [by living a life of absolute purity] be creators, ['==]
for it is written, 9ut your iniuities have distinguished between etc. 1abbah created a man, and senthim to 1. Cera. 1. Cera spoke to him, but received no answer. Thereupon he said unto him: %Thou arta creature of the magicians. 1eturn to thy dust.&
1. 7anina and 1. <shaia spent every 3abbath eve in studying the %9ook of reation&, by means of
which they created a third$grown calf and ate it.['=5]
<ur 1abbis taught: *eonen H 1. 3imeon said: That is one who applies the semen of seven malespecies to his eyes [in order to perform witchcraft]. The 3ages say: It is one who holds peoples eyes.1. !kiba said: It is one who calculates the times and hours, saying, Today is propitious for settingforthE tomorrow for making purchasesE the wheat ripening on the eve of the seventh year is generallysoundE let the beans be pulled up [instead of being harvested in the usual manner] to save them from
becoming worthy.
<ur 1abbis taught: ! *enahesh is one who says: 3o and sos bread has fallen out of his handE hisstaff has fallen out of his handE his son called after himE a raven screamed after him, a deer hascrossed his pathE a serpent came at his right hand or a fo2 at his leftE do not commence with meE it ismorningE it is new moonE it is the conclusion of the 3abbath.
<ur 1abbis taught: /e shall not use enchantments nor observe times. This refers to those who practice enchantment by means of weasels, birds, and fish.
The *aharal describes the following characteristics of the 0olem.
The golem has a pure soul. The golem has no physical lusts, hence he does not sinE thus, the 0olem is immune from
sickness. The golem is not obligated to the commandments of Torah and thus is less ualified than a
Jewish woman to be counted in a minyan.
The practice of making a golem is the meditative e2ercise of drawing down a pure soul or creating a pure soul within oneself. In order to do this one must purify oneself of impure thoughts or emotions.1emoving hametO or leaven on @assover from one&s possessions is the same.
1abbi Isaac of !cco wrote the following on the sub6ect:['=4]
Text 5-9: Rabbi Isaac of Acco on the Goe!<nce ... I, the young, was sitting in the company of advanced students, lovers of wisdom. <ne of
them one of the students+ opened his mouth and asked me as follows: PAhat is the difference between the reation 9eriyah+ and Bormation /etOirah+GQ
I told him, PAhy don&t you also ask why !braham, our ancestor, called his book P/etOirahQ, which
By the means of which Rava created a man For R. Hiyya and R. Hoshaiyah a three-year old calf has been created each time before the
entrance of the Sabbath, and they ate it during the day of Sabbath. And eremiah and Ben Sira created from it a s!ea"ing, wise and intelligent man, as # have
e$!lained above.
Why didn’t he (Abraham) call it the book of Beriyah?
And he %the student& was not able %to answer me& and none of them answered me, since they did not
"now what it was. But #, the young,'()(* while # was s!ea"ing it, # saw the correct reason, which is as
follows:'()+*
You already know the secret of the Yod of the ‘ABYa’ – ()* !" * and the secret of the Bet#
$ince the ma%ority of men ha&e no 'ower to endow a s'eakin soul'(* let alone an intellecti&e
soul'(/* u'on the matter sha'ed either in the form of an animal or a beast or a bird or a fish
or a re'tile nor in the form of man with the $efer Yet*irah#'(0*
+nstead they endow the form with an animal and a''etiti&e soul'(1* as our saes said ,-a&acreated a man and he sent it to -# .eira/ etc# 0he book was called $efer Yet*irah but not the‘Book of Beriyah’ for the reason that the animal and a''etiti&e soul which 'erishes with thedeath of the body when the combination of the four elements is undone stems from the
intermediary world which is the Yod of ‘ABYet*irah
a’#'()*
But the secret of the s'eakin intellecti&e soul is from the su'ernal world which is Bet in
‘ABeriyahYa’#'(*
By saying the ma2ority and not all, # intended to e$clude eremiah the 3ro!het, the disci!le of 4osesour master, !eace on him, and Ben Sira and all those similar to them, few in number, who attained adivine !erfection, to create an animal, s!ea"ing, intellective %being&.
And if you shall argue that all the !ro!hets ... were the disci!les of 4oses, our master, !eace on him,so why did you mention eremiah in !articular a disci!le of 4oses5 6he answer is that you must
!ursue the 7abbalists so that they may e$!lain to you the secret of the verse, 86he 9ord your odwill raise u! for you a !ro!het from among your own !eo!le, li"e myself; him you shall heed,< and
then you will certainly understand my intention.'(=*
1owe&er concernin 2eremiah and Ben $ira alone ha&e + recei&ed (a tradition)that they ha&e drawn downward a s'eakin soul
from their root of Bet of ‘ABYa’ that is the Ale'h of ‘At*ulutBYa’'((*
out of their reat deree and the 'erfection of their soulbein able to ('erform) this wondrous deed#
6he reason is that their degree attained to 4etatron, the 3rince of the Face, and San%dalfon&, aboutwhom we say in the blessing of the Ancestors, 8And >ou bring a deliverer on the sons of their sons<,and the wise will understand.
6he 89ight of the ?yes< inter!rets the creation story showing the analogy with the creation of a
golem.'(+* 6he s!an of e$istence of @formation >etirahC is not forever while that of @emanation
AtulutC and @creation BeriyahC have a s!iritual length to their e$istence.'(*
Text 5-10: Meirat Enayim on Span of Existence of Life of CreationThe secret of creation of man (refers to) the speculative soul [haneshamah ha-hakhamah], whichstands forever. And the secret of his formation (refers to) the animal soul, which does not standforever ... And emanation (Atzulut) and creation (Beriah) are more spiritual than formation(!etzirah).The "ower #olem is that of Asiah and !etzirah versus the hi$her #olem who is drawn fromBeriah and Atzulut. %saac of Acco&s ver address to the 'Advanced tudents& ma have een ane*ercise in the creation of a +i$her #olem. +e attempts to draw from Beriah a hi$her speakin$ souland implant that spiritual understandin$ within the odies of the 'Advanced tudents&. hat is thenature of that soul This is a soul that seeks after the aalists, the prophets of their $eneration todraw close to #-d, to pursue the word of #-d and to e*press the word of #-d. "et us conclude thatthe creation of +i$her #olems is the process of drawin$ hi$her souls into human odies.
The mster remains on the creation of "ower #olems. The are the product of a meditation to drawdown animal and appetitive souls from !etzirah and Asiah. This is the cow that /. +anina and /.
0shaia made that fed them dinner or filled their appetites. [123]
Text 5-11: Sanhedren 5!
4/. +anina and /. 0shaia spent ever aath eve in studin$ the 'Book of 5reation&,67 means
of which the created a third-$rown calf,68 and ate it.[129]:
(67) The Book of 5reation, +e. efer !eziroh, is the title of two esoteric ooks. The older, referred to here, was athaumatur$ical work popular in the Talmudic period. %t was also known as +ilkoth !ezirah ("aws of 5reation), and is socalled in the same stor ;uoted on 21. /ashi there states that the creation was performed means of msticcominations of the <ivine =ame, which does not come under the an of witchcraft. %ts asic idea is that the 5reationwas accomplished means of the power inherent in those letters (5f. /a>s sain$? 'Bezalel knew how to comine theletters which heaven and earth were created&. Ber. 88a. 5f. also @noch "%, et se;.C Draer of Eanasseh? @cc. /. %%%,99 on the ma$ic power of the letters of the <ivine =ame), and that this same power could e utilised in further creation.The work was ascried to Araham, which fact indicates an old tradition, and the possile anti;uit of the ook itself. %t
has affinities with Balonian, @$ptian, and +ellenic msticism and its ori$in has een placed in the second centurB.5.@., when such a comination of influences mi$ht e e*pected. %t is noteworth that /aa>s statement aove, thou$hnot mentionin$ the efer !ezirah, insists on freedom from sin as a prere;uisite of creation man, v. F.@., %%, 236.(68) (%.e., a calf that has reached one third of its full $rowthC others interpret? (i) in its third earC (ii) third orn, fat].
The #enesis creation stor is an analo$ for the creation of a human $olem #od formin$ man
from the earth.[126] #olem makin$ endows the phsical with the spiritual, as +ashem reathed lifeinto man. The maker reforms the world around accordin$ to the ideal ima$es that once e*isted in the#arden of @den. +ence, to make a #olem is the process of drawin$ down souls and indin$ them inthe same manner as #-d, our 5reator did '%n the Be$innin$&Gas +e does ever da with the irth ofeach new livin$ thin$.
hile "evi !itzhak of Berditchev would draw a person to the side of $ood seein$ the $ood spark
within, a #olem maker would place that spark within reshapin$ the form of his ein$.[12]
Text 5-1": #scensions on $i%h on the &olem
% propose interpretin$ some of the +eikhalot discussions, in a sort of astral od. [127] %n other words,in +eikhalot literature the concomitant presence of the samer person in two places seems to e acrucial issue. o, for e*ample, /ai =ehuniah en ha-anah is descried as sittin$ in the special
posture of @liHah in the lower world, surrounded his disciples, apparentl in a lethar$ic state. Atthe same time, he is portraed as sittin$ and $azin$ upon the divine chariot on hi$h. % would like toemphasize the use of the ver sitG!oshev? the /ai is reprsened as sittin$ in two different places
as the same time. This oservation of the doule presence of the mstic in +eikhalot literature ma e a clue to understandin$ the whole phenomenon of the ascent to the Eerkavah. %t is neither anascent of the soul nor a corporeal ascent (%t is an ascent of the soul while also a corporeal presence)C
it combines both by the assumption that the spiritual body of the mystic is the entity that undertakesthe celestial journey, while the corporeal body remains in a special posgture in the terrestrial world. Icannot elaborate here upon the possi ble implications of such a proposal for the understanding ofHeikhalot literature. For the time being, it is sufficient to remark that the assumption of a double
presence in a Heikhalot text connected to the term Golem—which in many cases since the iddle!ges means "an artificial anthropoid#—may ha$e something to do with the concept of a spiritual
body %—may ha$e something to do with the corporeal body remaining after the astral ascension&.
'uring astral projection, a mystic(s corporeal body becomes an automaton that mo$es by thespiritual will of its master while in a trance stance. )hile the Golem usually does not talk, the mysticmay bring a $oice down into the body although the body is detached from the soul. *he speaking$oice is connected on high and directed by the spirit.
+imilar to the Golem is the concept of the *eraphim -/01 , which has a gematria of 234. *he 2represents the 2 idos while the 3 denotes the crowns, so the 54 sefirot or the t6elem of G7d arerepresented. *he x54 factor pro$ides the potential for li$ing manifestation. *his is why the *eraphim
were so enticing. 8ut like all li$ing creatures, their $oices were often false.92:;<
*he Golem bears the seal of G7d that is emet 7 truth.92::< *he world could not exist without *ruth. =e$ertheless, one is permitted to hide the truth to a$oid others from taking ad$antage of another orcommitting lashon harah slander. +ince emet contains the suffix, >death(, we know that death isultimately the truth of our existence. In this regard, death is gi$en significance, e$en as life seems tocontinue unchanged. *he Golem is like the mais the body of a deceased before it is buried. He risesto defend the people of Israel as our a$ot fathers are defending us from their gra$es. !s a king hasa seal to confirm his decree, God(s seal is emet truth. )e do not despair e$en in mourning as werecite the ?addish, a prayer of lauding and a testimony of His truth e$en in death. *he will of thedeceased is to care for their lo$ed ones left behind.
5.2.4 The Seven Double Letters
*he *wel$e @lemental Aetters correspond with the *wel$e onthly Bonstellations. *he associationsin the +efer Cet6irah with the +e$en 'ouble Aetters $ary between the Gra and Daa$ad $ersions.'issol$ing the paradox, there are not only se$en planets and they were all fashioned on )ednesday,
but the Eualities that associate are in order of their spiritual distance that is also their sidereal period92:2<
Table 5-1: Corrected order of the Seven Planets formed by the Seven Double Letters
*he 8eGe' BaaDo* JK/- the Garment of !tonement is Breation. Lltimately we are born toimpro$e in the physical world for eternal life in the )orld to Bome. Breation is the gift and means of!tonement. )hile in the microcosm described abo$e, the Eualities of the se$en planets ha$e a strong
Letter Planet Day Sefra Combned !ualtes Sefer "et#ra
8et oon +unday Hesed ?indness, path towisdom
)isdom M Folly
Gimmel ercury onday Ge$urah Gadabout, wealth )ealth M o$erty
'alet Nenus *uesday *iferet 8eauty, seed +eed M 'esolation
Baph +un )ednesday =et6ah Healing, life, $ictory Aife M 'eath
eh ars *hursday Hod 'ominance, $iolence Dulership M +ubjugation
Desh Oupiter Friday Cesod Dighteousness, eace,)ar
eace M )ar
*a$ +aturn +aturday alchut Dest, Grace, cessation Grace M Lgliness
influence upon the Earth; in the macrocosm described below; the Seven Double Letters are the
creative force behind the Seven Garments of Atonement.[76!
Table 5-2: The Seven Garments of Atonement
5.3 Sefer Raziel
"he Sefer #a$iel provides some of the %e&s to unloc% the Sefer 'et$irah.
Figure 5-2: Twelve Constellations
Letter Creation a! Sefira "ualit!
(et Li)ht*
dar%nessand the An)elof Death
Sunda& +esed ,-n the be)innin) /01234 5* he is the Garment of
Li)ht and Dar%ness upon us.
Gimmel S%&*clouds*oceansGehenom andhi)her an)els
onda& Gevurah Gimmel etends the abundance of space andoceans and Gevurah draws their boundaries. Sheis the Garment of the S%& and 8louds over us* andthe 9ceans beside and below us.
Dalet Land*trees*herbs* and
the Garden of
Eden
"uesda& "iferet "he land* trees* and herbs are the Splendor ofcreation and the center of beaut&* %nowled)e andthe seed of reproduction. +e is the Garment of theLand* "rees* and +erbs around us.
8aph Sun*oon*and Stars
:ednesda& et$ah "he colors of et$ah are the upper heavens* the placement of the Sun* oon* and Stars. +e is thesource of healin)* life* and victor&. "he letter8aph is the macrocosmic creative force of all
planets. -n the microcosm 8aph forms the Sun in particular* the source of the other planets. +e isthe Garment of the Sun* oon* and Stars thatilluminate and inspire us.
<eh Seacreatures*
birdsLeviathan andlower an)els
"hursda& +od +od has the colors of the lower heavens. She isthe Garment of the Sea 8reatures* Leviathan*
(irds and Lower An)els that brin) us to anaccountin) of our lives.
#esh Landanimals*insects*man harmful
spirits the)hosts anddemons
=rida& 'esod #esh created the Garment of the Land* Animals*-nsects* and an. She is the source ofri)hteousness* peace* and war.
"av Shabbat da& ofrest
Saturda& alchut "av created the Garment of Shabbat that is a placeof Grace. She brin)s rest and spiritual reward.
"he Seven <lanets of maJor influence upon the Earth are depicted in their spiritual distances belowwith the order from closest to furthest bein)* the oon* ercur&* Kenus* Sun* ars* upiter* and
The OaKYaNoS – – the ‘ocean’ is also understood as the Sea of (coerin!" the dead –
&%$#י ' This ord see)s to *e fro) the +ree,'-../0 The 1osition of the 1lanets as *ased on thesidereal 1eriod of the 1lanet around the 2arth' The sidereal 1eriod is the ti)e a 1lanet ta,es to returnto the sa)e *ac,!round of stars' 3ro) this 1ers1ectie4 the order of 1lanets ith len!thenin! 1eriods
is the 5oon4 5ercur64 7enus4 Sun4 5ars4 8u1iter4 and Saturn'-..90
5.4 Zohar
The :ohar4 illustrious li!ht4 is a or, of Ka**alah' The )a;or core is a co))entar6 on the 3ie<oo,s of 5oses si)ilar to the 5idrash *ut instead4 ith an e)1hasis on )6stical inter1retations ofthe te=t' Three other or,s of the :ohar descri*e the +>dhead4 and the 1h6sical for) that
corres1onds to the cron of *ehaior of )an in the i)a!e of +>d'-..?0 The folloin! e=a)1le te=ttraces the )eanin! of the ‘*eard’ of +>d fro) its 1h6sical for) to the thirteen !ates of re1entance'
5.4.1 Thirteen Springs of Forgiveness
The folloin! translations are difficult to follo'
Text 5-13: Book of Concealed !ster!
Throu!h thirteen s1rin!s are the fountains distri*uted' 3our are se1arate *ut ;oined to!ether4 nineflo u1on the *od6 and encircle the !arden' The orna)entation *e!ins at the !ate of the ears' @t
descends in beauty to the beginning of the lips; from the beginning of the ears to the beginning of thelips. There exists a path beneath the nostrils, in order that He may seek to pass over transgression;Proverbs 1911 !"nd it is his glory to pass over a transgression.#
$eneath the lips the beard goes into another beginning ...
The lips are free on every side. $lessed is he %ho shall become the receiver of their kisses. &n thatinfluence, stream do%n thirteen drops of pure balm. &n this influence, all things exist and areconcealed.
"t that time, %hen the seventh month dra%eth nigh, those months shall be found to be thirteen 'for inthe (odex, so often said to be correct, the %ord t%elve is expunged to sho% it to be a year of thirteenmonths, according to the number of those thirteen divisions of influence) in the supernal %orld, andthe thirteen gates of mercy are opened. "t that time &saiah, *+ !-eek ye the ord %hile He can be
found.#/002
The leap year of the Hebre% calendar includes a 3nd month of "dar called "dar -heni. &n this
particular year there are thirteen months and they afford and extra month to understand the conceptsof the &dra./00*2
Text 5-14: Idra Rabba Kaddisha
&t is said in the 4$ook of (oncealed 5ystery6 That beard, the truth of all 'truths), proceeds from the place of the ears, and descends around the mouth of the Holy 7ne; and descends and ascendscovering the place of fragrance 'the cheeks); %hite %ith ornament and it descends in e8uilibrium andfurnishes a covering even unto the midst of the breast.
That is the beard of adornment, true and perfect, from %hich flo% do%n thirteen fountains, scattering
the most precious balm of splendor./002
The thirteen parts of the beard are thirteen aspects in the sefira of :eter in the %orld of "tilut. Theycorrespond to the primal raton, %ill or desire of <=d.
5athers %rites in his commentary on this passage,/002
The !thirteen divisions of the influence in the supernal %orld# are of course those thirteen parts ofthe beard of 5acroprosopus considered in the sense of "tiloth, the archetypal %orld, the habitationof the pure -ephiroth alone !-eek ye the ord %hile he may be found.#
& %ould like for a moment to trace the origins of this >ohar text to the prophet 5icah. 5oshe(ordovero %rites in his Tomer ?evorah/0002
&t is proper for man to emulate his (reator, for then he %ill attain the secret of the -upernal @orm in both image 'telem) and likeness 'demut). @or if a person6s physical form reflects the -upernal@orm, yet his actions do not, he falsifies his stature. People %ill say of him, !" handsome form%hose deeds are ugly.# @or the essential aspect of the -upernal 4@orm6 and 4ikeness6 is that they arethe deeds of the Holy one, $lessed $e He. Therefore, %hat good is it for a person to reflect the-upernal @orm in physical form only if his deeds do not imitate those of his (reatorA Thus, it is
proper that man6s actions imitate the Thirteen -upernal "ttributes of 5ercy B the functions of thesefirah of keter B hinted at in these verses
Who is G-d like Thee, who pardons iniquit and !or"i#es the trans"ression o! the re$nant o!%is herita"e& %e does not $aintain %is an"er !ore#er, !or %e deli"hts in kindness' %e will
again show us compassion, He will vanquish our iniquities, and Thou will cast all their sins intothe depths of the sea. Show faithfulness to Yaakov, kindness to Avraham, which You have
sworn to our fathers from days of old.(icah !"#$%&'
Consequently, it is proper that these Thirteen Attributes, which we will now explain, should also befound in man.
These Thirteen Attributes reveal the absolute desire of Hashem to forgive even above wisdom(Hochmah, understanding (!inah, and "nowledge (#aat. $hy is forgiveness in the highest of all
places% !ecause all heavenly doors are opened after a person chooses to return to &'d and &'daccepts the repentance and forgives. How do we now that &'d will accept the repentance% Hence welearn that forgiveness is the highest of all &'ds desires ()eter. $hat are the doors that are opened%These are the &ates of *epentance, which reveal all the heavens as we learn from +oshe *abbeinu
)epentance-or how shall it be "nown that thy people have found grace in thy sight% !y going with us (ord weare distinguished.
*orgivenessAnd the ord said unto +oses, / will do this thing also that thou hast spo"en for you have foundgrace in my sight, and / "now you by name.
+pening the ates of )epentanceAnd he said, / beseech thee, show me thy glory. And He said, / will ma"e all my goodness pass
before thee, and / will proclaim the name of the ord before thee0 and / will be gracious to whom /will be gracious, and / will show mercy to whom / will show mercy....
The Thirteen Attri-utes of *orgivenessAnd the ord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the ord.And the ord passed by before him, and proclaimed,
+ %d, my %d, mighty, merciful and gracious,long suffering, and a-undant in goodness and truth,
keeping mercy for thousands (of generations,forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin,and that will -y no means clear the guilty
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children,and upon the children/s children
unto the third and to the fourth generation.
And +oses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. And he said, if now /have found grace in thy sight, 1 ord, let my ord, / pray thee, go among us0 for it is a stubborn
people0 and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and ta"e us for thine inheritance.(2xodus 3343 5 367
The Hebrew word for stubborn is A"shanit 5 89:;<= , stubbornness has "ept the >ewish people and
will bring her bac" to /srael.?77@ !ecause of stubbornness, we will never forget >erusalem, becauseof stubbornness, we will never forget &'d, because of stubbornness we will never forget our familyand the land that we love.
-urthermore, the thirteen attributes from 2xodus overlap the thirteen attributes from +icah. The
Tashlich service for *osh Hashanah contains these passages.?77B Tashlich is a service for cleansing
of sins recited before a living body of water.?7@G
#aniel describes his vision of the &'dhead. This vision is the basis for the &'dhead and the *iver of-ire that descends from the beard. The *iver of -ire that descends from absolute mercy eradicatessin above and beyond even repentance. The *iver of -ire reveals the sovereignty of &'ds mercy to
purge sin from the repentant.
/ beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white assnow, and the hair of his head li"e the pure wool his throne was li"e the fiery flame, and his wheelsas burning fire.
A fiery stream (Kahar #iKar issued and came forth from before him thousand thousands ministeredunto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him the Ludgment was set, and the
boo"s were opened.
/ beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spa"e / beheld even till the
beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.?7@4
As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion ta"en away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.
/ saw in the night visions, and, behold, one li"e a son of man came with the clouds of heaven, andcame to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.
And there was given him dominion and glory, and a "ingdom, that all people, nations, andlanguages, should serve him his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away,and his "ingdom that which shall not be destroyed.(#aniel 7B'46
And the "ingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the "ingdoms under the whole heaven, shall begiven to the people of the holy ones of the most High, whose "ingdom is an everlasting "ingdom,and all dominions shall serve and obey him.
Hitherto is the end of the matter. ...(#aniel 7E7E@
The Mohar &reat Holy Assembly says?7@E
And it is said that a man can be "nown by his hair after the age of forty years, whether he isdominated by rigor or mercy, some even maintaining that the character of a youth can be told by hishair, his beard and eyebrows. The curls of the hair of the Ancient 1ne hang in pure order, li"e purewool,...
After *abbi +oshe de eon discovered the Mohar in the 43th century, the AriNal contemplated its
ideas in the 4Ith century. The AriNals concepts of the spar"s of creation were elaborated from theMohar.
Mohar on the Kahar #inar
The third celestial sphere is pervaded and filled with fire and flames. /n it the fiery river Kahar dinur
ta"es its rise and flows into &ehenna, overwhelming and engulphing in its course those mortalswhose lives on earth were given up and addicted to evil and wrongdoing. 1ver these are placeddestroying and tormenting angels, also accusing angels who, however, have no power or influenceover /srael when it repents and does what is Lust and right. The abode of their chief is on the left side
of this sphere in which darkness prevails, as it is written, 'and darkness was upon the face of thewaters.' It is also the abode of Samael, the angel of darkness, the great transgressor.
Dinar means fiery and associates with the judgement from Din. The sefira of evurah has both as ametaphor. Daniel !"#$ can also be read, %& stream of judgement came forth from before himthousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him theudgment was set, and the books were opened.(
5.4.2 Veracity of the Author
Text 5-15: Aryeh Kaplan on the Veracity of the Zohar)*abbi Shimon's school survived for many years, during which minor additions were made to the
+oharic literature. or over a thousand years, this body of literature consisted of volumes of notes,restricted to a very small secret society. -ith the final disbandment of this society, the manuscriptswere hidden in a vault, and were not uncovered until the Thirteenth entury. They finally came tothe hands of *abbi /oshe de 0eon, one of the most prominent 1abbalists of that time, and he finallyedited and published them in the #23$'s. 4nough was known of the +oharic literature by the1abbalists of that generation to recogni5e it as being authentic, and it was accepted by them withvirtually no controversy.There has always been some 6uestion as to the authenticity of the +ohar, especially among secularhistorians and opponents of the 1abbalah. Some even claim that *abbi /oshe de 0eon was itsactual author. The main basis of this allegation is an account by another prominent 1abbalist of thetime, *abbi Isaac of &cco. 7e writes that he went to visit *abbi /oshe to see the original
manuscripts of the +ohar, but by the time he arrived, he found that *abbi /oshe had passed away.7e was informed that the manuscripts had never e8isted, and that *abbi /oshe himself was theactual author of the +ohar. It is upon this account that most of the speculation regarding medievalauthorship of the +ohar is based.There are, however, strong 6uestions regarding the veracity of the story told to *abbi Isaac. It iswell known that the ignorant often destroyed manuscripts, or on occasion, sold them so that the
parchment could be used. It is 6uite possible that the wife did this, and then embarrassed at nothaving them, claimed that they never e8isted. What is most important ho!e"er is the fact that#a$$i %saac of Acco in"esti&ate' the matter 'etermine' to ascertain the truth. Althou&h theexact results of his in"esti&ation are not (no!n it is o$"ious that he e"entually accepte' theauthenticity of the Zohar)9/editation and 1abbalah pp. 2:;23
<uoting the +ohar, *abbi Isaac of &cco wrote" /=1 p.#>3These are the words of *abbi Shimon bar ?ochai, and it is forbidden to depart from them. They arethe living words of od ... sweeter than honey.
-,
,-מ )( א%$,#"!י& )%%ר'%,ּד'* +
1) & fiery stream issued and came forth
from before him thousand thousandsministered unto him, and ten thousand timesten thousand stood before him theudgment was set, and the books were
Also in Otzar Chaim:Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai clearly realized that the supernal spiritual Forces are very jealous of thosewho enae in the !or"ins of Creation# which is natural wisdom# and in the !or"ins of the$er"avah# which is divine wisdom% &oether with his son Rabbi 'liezer and the ten saes who werewith them in the cave ()* he therefore wrote the +ohar in Aramai rather than in ,ebrew -since theseforces do not understand Aramaic./
5.4.3 Job atoning for the world
Text 5-16: Soncino Zohar, Beidbar, Section 3, !age "3laR% 0udah said: 12ray tell us some of your fine ideas on the 3ew Year%4 R% Simeon thereupondiscoursed on the verse: 5And it fell on a day# and the sons of 6od came7# etc% (0ob 8# 9*% 1&heepression# 5And it fell on a day7#4 he said# 1always refers to a day on which there is trouble# here#the 3ew Year% &he 5sons of 6od7 are the reat ;eth <in# the seventy Chieftains who alwayssurround the =in% 5&o stand before the >ord7: this indicates that sentence is first passed on thosewho do not heed the honor of the ,oly 3ame to save it from bein profaned in the world% &heancient pillars of the world were divided in opinion in reard to 0ob# some holdin that he was of thesaints of the 6entiles# and some that he was of the saints of 8srael# and that he was smitten to ma"eatonement for the sins of the world% On that day of 3ew Year seventy seats are set for hearin theudment of the world# some inclinin to the riht to ac?uit and some to the left to condemn%
From the +ohar we see that 6@d can turn a person4s sufferin into atonement for others and withoutdeath%Specifically# +ohar 888 Ba# comments on 0ob as a livin atonement:
5&he early pillars of the world were divided%One maintained that 0ob beloned to the rihteous 6entiles%
Another said that he was one of the pious of 8srael
and he suffered in order to atone for the sins of the world%7
!hile this theoloy is not directly stated in the &anach# 6od4s mercy for the sufferer to find meaninin hisDher sufferin is an eplanation% &his eplanation cannot apply to Christianity becauseChristianity4s focus is that 0esus had to die for the sins of humanity while here 6@d ac?uiesces to thesufferer for the sufferer4s sa"e and not humanity% &here is no re?uirement of deathDsacrificeDbloodlettin and yet there is atonement)
;ut is the +ohar really authentic to the &orah here% Self@sacrificeDvicarious atonement seems to bestruc" down in the &orah% 8n the major case of $oses# 6@d did not accept a similar offer: ('odusB*
B% And $oses returned to the >ord# and said# Oh# this people have sinned a reat sin# and havemade them ods of old%B% #et now, if $o% will forgi&e their 'in( and if not, blot e, ) beg $o%, fro $o%r boo*, which$o% ha&e written.BB% And the >ord said to $oses# +hoe&er ha' 'inned again't e, hi will ) blot fro $ boo*.BE% &herefore now o# lead the people to the place about which 8 have spo"en to you behold# myAnel shall o before you nevertheless in the day when 8 punish 8 will punish their sin upon them%BG% And the >ord plaued the people# because they made the calf# which Aaron made%
&he &orah in numerous places does not allow vicarious atonement# even when $oses offers to be
blotted or punished in the place of the people) $oreover the Christian idea that we are all sinnersneedin race is pushed aside here as 6@d can see the true station of everyone and the relativesinificance of sin# 5!hoever has sinned aainst me# him will 8 blot from my boo"%7 6@d is not
As for Isaiah 53 these passages are not about self-sacrifice, but one who suffered while being takeninto captivity for the sins of the whole nation though he was innocent. Isaiah 53 is more aboutinspiring the guilty to repentance – shuvah by seeing the suffering of the innocent! his is also the"olocaust effect that led to the creation of the #tate of Israel. he $ews have been the sufferingservant of the world on too numerous an occasion.
%evertheless, returning to the singular account in the &ohar of $ob atoning for the world, a fewmystics and "asidic groups adopted the principle of vicarious atonement through suffering.#uffering is another form of living atonement.
'eturning to the sub(ect of messiah, I recall) Isaiah *5, which shows the relationship between the prophet and the messiah. +efore the messiah can be recognied, there must be a prophet to announcehim.
hus says the ord to "is essiah to /oresh 0/yrus1 whose right hand I have strengthened.to subdue nations before him2 and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him doors and gates2
and the gates shall not be closed2 I will go before you, and make the hilly places level2I will break in pieces the gates of brone, and cut in sunder the bars of iron2
And I will give you the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places,that you may know that I, the ord, who call you by your name, am the od of Israel.
4or $acob my servants sake, and Israel my elect, I have called you by your name2I have surnamed you, though you have not known me.
I am the ord, and there is no one else, there is no od beside me2I girded you, though you have not known me2
hat they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me.I am the ord, and there is no one else.
I form the light, and create darkness2 I make peace, and create evil2 I the ord do all these things.
#hower, 6 heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness2 let the earth open,and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up also2 I, the ord, have created it.
7oe to him who strives with his aker! et the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth.#hall the clay say to him who fashions it, 7hat do you make8 or your work, "e has no hands8
7oe to him who says to his father, 7hat are you begetting8 or to the woman, 7ith what are you inlabor8
hus says the ord, the "oly 6ne of Israel, and his aker, Ask me of things to come concerning mysons,
and concerning the work of my hands command me.I have made the earth, and created man upon it2 I, my own hands, have stretched out the heavens,
and all their host have I commanded.
I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways2 he shall build my city,and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, says the ord of hosts.
hus says the ord, he labor of 9gypt, and the merchandise of :ush and of the #ebaim, men ofstature,
shall come over to you, and they shall be yours2 they shall come after you2 in chains they shall comeover,
and they shall fall down to you, they shall make supplication to you, saying, surely God is inyou;
and there is no one else zero gods – !" #$% &ruly you are a od who hides yourself, 6 od of Israel, who saves them.
hey shall be ashamed, and also confounded, all of them2
they shall go to confusion together those who are makers of idols.+ut Israel shall be saved in the ord with an everlasting salvation2you shall not be ashamed nor confounded to all eternity.
4or thus says the ord who created the heavens2 od himself who formed the earth and made it2
he has established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited;I am the Lord; and there is no one else.
I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth; I do not say to the seed of Jacob,Seek me in vain; I, the Lord, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, you of the nations who have escaped;they have no knowledge those who carry the wood of their carved idols,
and pray to a god who cannot save.eclare, and bring them near; yes, let them take counsel together;
!ho has declared this from ancient time" !ho has told it from that time" id not I the Lord"And there is no other #od beside me; a $ust #od and a savior; there is none beside me.
Look to me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am #od, and there is no one else.I have sworn by myself, a word of righteousness is gone out of my mouth, and shall not be reversed,
%hat to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.Surely, he said to me, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength; to him shall men come;
and all who are incensed against him shall be ashamed.In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be $ustified, and shall glory.
#&d is our savior, our only %rue savior. If he should send 'yrus to help the Israelites return to Israel,
this does not make 'yrus a deity to be worshipped, although some made this error as Isaiah pointsout above in the boldface. Is this not the error that 'hristians make, compounded bymisunderstanding the word (moshia)" Savior in *ebrew is (moshia), which refers to being savedfrom physical oppression. *ebrew doesn)t really have a word for salvation, because in the %orahsalvation is not by grace, but by hard work and responsibility. %his is not to say that #&d isn)tmerciful, but one makes an effort to change to be better.
%he messiah)s role is +uite different then #&d)s. A messiah enables the Israelites to return to theirhomeland, to rebuild the temple, to keep all the commandments, and to worship #&d. Some Jewishgroups are very messiah centric. I believe there is some merit here if folks don)t becomeethnocentric re+uiring a messiah come from their own brand of Judaism, their own yeshiva, or their
own dynasty.
%his is the great point of Isaiah who showed us how the messiah could even come from another people, but that we should be ready to follow his proclamations.
5.4.4 Bread of Healing
%he ohar holds a secret to healing that is related to the month of -issan and assover/
%here are two types of mat0a. 1ne, called the 2bread of affliction2, 3or the 2food of faith2, by theohar4, is from the verse 3e5odus 67/684 en$oining us to eat mat0a on the first night of esach. %he
other, called the 2bread of abundance2 32food of healing2, by the ohar4 is from the verse 3eut69/:4 commanding us to eat mat0a during the entire week of esach.<8:=
Text 5-17: Zohar 157a: Bread of Afflition>. *iya then opened with the verse/ In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month in theevening, ye shall eat unleavened bread 3?5. @II, 684. (%his unleavened bread), he said, (is called inanother place bread of afflictionB 3eut. @CI, :4, an e5pression on which the companions havecommented as follows. !hen Israel were in ?gypt they were under an alien power; and when #oddesired to bring them near unto *imself, *e assigned them the region of the bread of )oni3affliction4, the term )oni admitting also of the reading )ani 3poor4, and thus pointing to Ding avid,who said of himself/ for I am poor 3)ani4 and needyB 3s. L@@@CI, 64. -ow this bread of affliction
is called ma00ah 3unleavened bread4, symbolic of the female principle, which without the male principle is, so to speak, in poverty. %hus Israel were first brought near the grade symbolised byma00ah. Eut afterwards #od caused them to enter other grades, until the male principle $oined the
female principle, and so mazzah received the addition of the letter vau, symbolic of the male principle, and became converted into mizvah (command, precept). So Scripture says: “For thiscommandment” (Deut. , !): first mazzah (unleavened bread), then mizvah (commandment)."
Text 5-18: Zohar 183b: Bread of Healing#$o% one has to consider: &n the 'assover the sraelites emered from their subsistence on the*spiritual+ bread called “leaven” to be nourished by the more honourable bread called azzah(unleavened). $o%, %hen the sraelites %ere %orthy (on the Day of 'entecost) to eat a moree-cellent bread, would it not have been more appropriate that the “leaven !hould have beenaboli!hed altogether and not been in eviden"e at all# hy, then, %as that sacrifice based chieflyon leavened bread, as it is %ritten: “/hey (the t%o loaves) shall be ba0ed %ith leaven” (1ev. ,!)2 oreover, on that day ('entecost) the “evil inclination” (leaven) came to nauht, and the /orah,called “Freedom”, %as then iven. e may, ho%ever, e-plain by the follo%in parable. 3 0in hadan only son %ho fell seriously ill. 3fter a time the prince e-pressed a desire to eat, but he %asforbidden to eat any food other than that prescribed by the physicians, and orders %ere iven that forthe set term of that diet no other viands should be found in the palace. 3ll %as carried outaccordinly. 4ut %hen the prince %as come to the end of the period of his special diet the ban %aslifted, and it %as intimated that no% he %as free to eat %hatsoever he fancied, since it %ould not
harm him. $imilarl%& when the '!raelite! "ame out from (g%pt the% )new not the e!!en"e andm%!ter% of the *aith+ $aid the Hol% ,ne: “et them ta!te onl% the medi"inal food& and beforethe% have fini!hed it be !hown no other food !oever+ But when the ma..oth were fini!hed&
hi"h wa! the medi"ine b% mean! of whi"h the% were to enter and to "omprehend the m%!ter%of the *aith& then the Hol% ,ne pro"laimed: “*rom now on the% ma% !ee and eat leavenedbread& be"au!e it "annot harm them- e!pe"iall% on the /a% of 0ente"o!t& when the !upernalbread& whi"h i! a "ure of all ill!& wa! prepared for them+ /herefore leaven %as offered to be burnton the altar, */r. note: 3ccordin to the /almud, the t%o loaves of leaven %ere to be eaten by the
priests.+ and t%o other loaves %ere offered %ith it, and the leaven %as burnt by the fire of the altar,and it could not rein over and do harm to srael. /herefore holy srael cleaves to the 5oly &ne,
blessed be 5e, on this day ('entecost), and if the sraelites had but preserved the t%o sides (symbols)
of the t%o loaves they %ould never have been sub6ected to chastisement.
#$e% 7ear8s Day is a day of 6udment for those %ho have not accepted the healin food, and havenelected the “medicine” of the /orah for the sa0e of another food, %hich is leaven. For on this daythat “leaven” ascends and accuses man0ind and spea0s evil aainst all %hom it can malin in any%ise. 3nd at that time the 5oly &ne, blessed be 5e, sits in 6udment over all and pronounces 5isdecrees in reard to all the spheres. /herefore, %hen 5e ave the /orah to srael 5e ave them totaste of that supernal bread of the celestial realm, namely, the manna, by means of %hich they %ereenabled to perceive and penetrate into the mysteries of the /orah and to %al0 in the straiht path.5o%ever, this sub6ect has been elucidated by the 9ompanions, in connection %ith the mysteries to%hich %e have already referred."
3fter consumin the bread of faith, one parta0es of the bread of healin. /he cessation of eatin breads and ra% suar is beneficial as %ell preventin celiac disease.
5++5 2ein"arnation
/he ohar discusses reincarnation %ith an absolute conviction.
3ll souls are sub6ect to reincarnation; and people do not 0no% the %ays of the 5oly &ne, blessed be5e< /hey do not 0no% that they are brouht before the tribunal both before they enter into this %orld
and after they leave it; they are inorant of the many reincarnations and secret %or0s %hich theyhave to undero, and of the number of na0ed souls, and ho% many na0ed spirits roam about in theother %orld %ithout bein able to enter %ithin the veil of the =in8s 'alace. en do not 0no% ho%
the souls revolve like a stone that is thrown from a sling. But the time is at hand when thesemysteries will be disclosed. (Zohar II 99b)
5.4.6 Zohar Prolog
There are a few good resources here.[!"# $robably %aniel &att's translation and commentary is
best. The B'nai Baruch translation online is very authentic. Berg's translation includes source tets.ere is the B'nai Baruch translation and then my modified version*
+. ,abbi -hikiyah o/ened by saying0 1It is written0 as the rose amongst the thorns2. 3hat is therose4 It is the -ommunity of Israel. Because there is a rose5 and there is a rose. 6ust as the roseamong the thorns is tinged with red and white0 so is the -ommunity of Israel is affected by the7ualities of 8udgment and mercy. 6ust as the rose has thirteen /etals0 so the -ommunity of Israel issurrounded by the thirteen attributes of mercy. owever0 lokim thought here to reveal +: wordsthat surround the -ommunity of Israel and guard it.
;. <fter this0 in order to bring out the five rigid leaves that surround the rose0 it is mentioned another
time in the /assage. These five mean salvation. These are = gates. <nd this secret is written about0 1Iwill raise the cu/ of salvation.2 This is the >cu/ of benediction.' The cu/ of benediction must rest onfive fingers0 and no more0 8ust as the rose rests on five rigid leaves that re/resent the five fingers.This rose is the cu/ of benediction. ?rom the second to the third mention of the name lokim0 thereare five words. ?rom this /oint the @ight was created and concealed and enclosed within thatcovenant that entered the rose and fructified it. This is referred to as a tree bearing fruit whose seed iswithin it and this seed really eists in the letter of the covenant.
:. <nd 8ust as the covenant is sown by fortyAtwo conce/tions from that same seed0 so is the holyname of the creation sown.
Text 5-19: Zohar 1st
page of Prologue with Source texts,abbi ikiah o/ened0 it is written0 1@ike a rose amongst the thorns2. ?rom where is the rose4
ong of ongs ;*+A"+. I am the lily of haron0 a rose of the valleys.;. Like a rose ao!gst thor!s0 so is my beloved amongst the maidens C DEFG .:. @ike the a//le tree in the forest so is my friend amongst young men C DEH 0 I sat down in hisshadow with great delight0 and his fruit was sweet to my taste.". e brought me to the ban7ueting C JHHK house0 and his banner C FLMNF over me was love.
This is the assembly of Israel. Because there is a rose (/hysical) and there is a rose (Israel). <s thisrose is between thorns0 the other is between red and white. o the community of Israel is betweenudgment and mercy. 6ust as the rose is between thorns0 this is to be between red and white0 so is the
community of Israel between 8udgment and mercy. 6ust as a rose has +: GNHOP /etals QNHK 0 also C RFS
the community of Israel has +: attributes UHNHK of mercy that are /rotecting (like a magic amulet)[
!=# C LOVPHK her from all C UN harm (the other side C sitrahah C OWPJR ).
<donay0 <donay0 l ,ahum vanoon0 rech </ayim v,av esed vmet0 Xotar esed @ala/him0 Xotar <von v$esha vataah vXakei C YAd0 YAd0 the &erciful and Yracious0 @ong ?aced andabundant in indness and Truth0 etending kindness to the thousands0 reaching for sin andtransgression and error and cleansing.
odus :"*;A!;. <nd be ready in the morning0 and come u/ in the morning to mount inai0 and /resent yourselfthere to me in the to/ of the mount.:. <nd no man shall come u/ with you0 nor let any man be seen throughout all the mount5 nor let the
flocks nor herds feed before that mount.4. And he cut two tablets of stone like to the first; and Moses rose up early in the morning, and wentup to Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tablets of stone.5. And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of theLord.. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful andgracious, long suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,!. Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin and cleansing,and that will by no means clear the guilty; "isiting the ini#uity of the fathers upon the children, andupon the children$s children, to the third and to the fourth generation.%. And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.
Also & '() , from *lohim until & +-' /meanwhile, sha$a 0 hour1 are 23 words that surround the
community of srael and guard her.!%6
After this, in order to bring out the fi"e rigid lea"es that surround the rose, it is mentioned anothertime in the passage. 7he principle of fi"e is the essence of sal"ation and the principle of fi"e
8shielding gates$ &
!%!6
. 9-:
6
And this secret is written about, < will raise the cup of sal"ation.= 7hisis the 8cup of blessing.$ 7he cup of blessing must rest on fi"e fingers, and no more, >ust as the rose
rests on fi"e rigid lea"es that represent the fi"e fingers.!%%6 7his rose is the cup of blessing. ?rom
the second to the third mention of the name *lohim, there are fi"e words.!%@6 ?rom this point, theLight was created and concealed and enclosed within that co"enant that entered the rose andfructified it. 7his is referred to as a tree bearing fruit whose seed is within it and this seed reallyeists in the letter of the co"enant.
And eactly & BB:(CD' like & E+F the co"enant is sown & 'GB9- with forty0two copulations for this oneseed, so is sown the re"ealed and epounded Hame with forty0two letters about the working ofIreation.
7he right hand blesses, the left takes and restrains. Jence there are fi"e gates of sal"ation or blessingreferring to the shefa or bounty from the fi"e sefirot that lean to the right. Sal"ation refers to K0d$s
protection, a physical sal"ation from harm. 7his is why they are rigid lea"es protecting the flower.7he Jebrew word 8sha0ar$ & gate denotes the stronghold of protection in this case as opposed to anentryway.
7here are 23 and 5 and 5 words between the usages of *lohim here. 7he first 23 allude to the7hirteen Attributes of K0d$s mercy that reside at the supernal oot of the 7ree of Life. 7he net 5words allude to the Male leaning Sefirot. 7he second 5 words allude to the ?emale leaning Sefirot of
the 7ree of Life. Jence, the second fi"e refer to the creation of light and the seed that is the placement of the 7orah in the center of the ose, which is the community of srael.
7here are 4 intercourses & emissions of light into the rose for one seed, the co"enant of 7orah to be born. 7he forty0two letters di"ide into ! groups of letters describing the creati"e forces on each day
of creation including the se"enth when rest was created.!@N6 Jence, the seed parallels the Hame ofK0d and the forty0two acts of intercourse are the forty0two composing letters.
5.5 Shaarei Teshuvah
abbeinu Oonah of Kerona is the author of Shaarei 7eshu"ah & -9:(PF , the Kates ofepentanceQ
RR. 7he penitent is further obliged to humble himself and to undertake to conduct himself in the
manner prescribed by our Sages of blessed memory: “And be lowly of spirit before all men” (Avoth4:10 abbi !evitas "sh #avne$% So doing& he will not be angered by his neighbors nor ta'e offense atthem nor will he ta'e to heart all the things that he hears& overloo'ing in)ustices against himself inorder to atone for his transgressions& as *a+al have said& “"f one overloo's in)ustices against himself&all of his sins will be forgiven” (osh *ashanah 1,a$& -.d/s relationship with him corresponding tohis relationship with others% his concept constitutes a highly significant opening for hope& as it issaid& “!et him put his mouth in the dust perhaps there may be hope% !et him give his chee' to him
that smiteth him let him be satiated with shame” (!amentations :23$%,315
5.6 Tomar Devorah [TABLES]
5.6.1 Introduction
6oshe 7ordovero& the author of “he 8alm ree of 9evorah&” provides training on improving one/smidos character traits by learning to behave in the image of -.d% "n summary& the boo' presents
the following associations:,325
Table 5-3: Mastering the Midos According to the Palm Tree of Deorah
!efirot Midos
;eter crown&infinite mercy
(he eightgood <ualitiesunder the
banner ofhumility =>
hese parallelthe head inthe followingfeatures:
1% *ead
2% 6ind
% ?orehead
4% @ars
% @yes
B% Cose
,% ?ace
D% 6outh$
1% A person must be humble% *umility derives from ;eter% ;eter isassociated with the human head%
2% he wisdom (*ochmah$ of ;eter is to thin' good thoughts and to hold toa path of compassion%
% A person/s forehead should have no harshness% @ven though certain people may arouse anger& one should conciliate them and placate themwith good will for this is what -.d does% Ene should behave with
pleasantness towards all creatures& for a harsh person is repaid in 'ind%
4% A person/s ears should always turn to hear good& while falsehood ordespicable things should be denied entry% Fust as we eGpect *ashem tohear our good reports& we should behave in the same manner with ourfellow%
% A person/s eyes should not ga+e at anything despicable% ather& one/seyes should watch over unfortunates and display compassion% Eneshould distance oneself from noticing evil )ust as we hope that *ashemsees mostly our good%
B% he nose should never hold the breath of anger% ather it should containthe breath of life& good will& and patience& even toward those who areunworthy% Ene should always eGhale forgiveness of sin and pardon of
ini<uity%,% A person/s face should always shine and one should receive all peoplewith a cheerful countenance% All who ga+e upon it should find )oy andcheerfulness% “!i'e in water one/s face is reflected bac'& also the heart ofa man is to a man” 8roverbs 2,:13%
D% he mouth should eGpress only good and the content of his words should be orah and constant good will% Co ugly words& curses& anger& frivoloustal' should escape it% ather& it should resemble the supernal H6outh&/which is uttering good at all times% hus& one must spea' well ofeverything& eGpressing benevolence and blessings constantly%
*ochmahwisdom
?irst& a person should commune with -.d in solitude in order to perfect hiswisdom% Second a person should teach others what he has learned% A personshould act as a father to all creatures showing mercy and helping them%
Moshe Cordovero revealed that each sefira has a leaning. Even the sefirot along the central trunklean to either the left or the right and this leaning can be corrected. Cordovero teaches that we must
strive to bring all the sefirot to lean to the right side. [795]
Table 5-4: Sefirot Leanings
Binahunderstanding
e!entance and return to "#d. $Calling re!entance to mind all the da%s of hislife causes binah #understanding to illuminate all his da%s& the result being thatall his da%s are s!ent in re!entance. 'hat is& he merges himself with binah&which is re!entance& so that all the da%s of his life are crowned with the secret
of the higher level of re!entance.([79)]
*esedkindness
+ove of "#d& which leads to love of !eo!le who are in the image of "#d.
,ractice -achum sh "am/u0s sa%ing& $this too is for the good.(
"evurahmight&
!ower&severit%
Bu%ing clothes and !roviding a house for one0s wife is the !ro!er e1!ression ofmight and !ower& sweetening severit%. 'he desires of the 2et/er *ara& badinclination& are intended for satisfaction of the wife b% !roviding her withclothes& a house& and !h%sical satisfaction. 3fterwards one has brought gevurahto a good use and satisfied the 2et/er 'ov& good inclination. 'he fine clothesand house model after the 'em!le. 'he satisfied wife brings the 4hechinah& thedivine !resence of "#d into the home.
'iferets beaut%&truth
btained b% stud%ing 'orah. 'his grants an understanding of the truth and !rovides a countenance of beaut%. $ne who teaches the 'orah is on the level
of 'iferets. 6hen a man sits and learns for this !ur!ose& 'iferets flows into -et/ach and *od and he actuall% attains their level.([79]
-et/ahvictor%&eternit%
Encourage students of 'orah. 4cri!ture comes from the right and associateswith -et/ah.
-et/ah and *od are called 8those who adhere to it and su!!ort it.0
*odgratitude
inanciall% assist and !h%sicall% hel! students of 'orah. Mishnah comes fromthe left and associates with hod. 'almud includes both 4cri!ture and Mishnah.
2esodrighteousness
Be careful in s!eech. 3void anger.ECC 5:; 4uffer not th% mouth to cause th% flesh to sin< neither sa% thou beforethe angel& that it was an error: wherefore should "#d be angr% at th% voice& and
destro% the work of thine hands=Malchutskingshi!
3!!l% ones wealth for the sake of *eaven. Behave humbl%.
Sefirot that lean to the left have emotions easily applied in negative, destructive manners. It is ourduty to find the positive in these sefirot and harness the emotions in service to Hashem. MosheCordovero describes this process:
5.6.2 Binah
The chapter begins:
Text 5-20: Cordovero on Binah and RepentanceHow does man train himself in the uality of binah ! understanding. He returns in completerepentance, for there is nothing li"e her, because she repairs all flaws ! #$% . &nd 'ust as binahsweetens all severities and neutrali(es their bitterness, one should repent and rectify all flaws. &
person who calls repentance to mind all the days of this life causes binah to illuminate all his days,the result being that all his days are spent in repentance. That is, he merges himself with binah,which is repentance, so that all the days of his life are crowned with the secret of the higher level ofrepentance.
)ote that all e*istence is rooted in repentance, according to the secret of the +ubilee. In addition, theroot of the e*ternal forces e*pounded in the mystical teachings as the secret of the -iver inur is also rooted therein and flows therefrom. /However, the -iver inur itself is included in Holiness,according to the mystical teachings regarding the severities.0 This is called 1the outflow of ivine&nger.2 3ut by means of the mystical teaching regarding the verse, 456d smelled the pleasing scentof the sacrifices...7 /5en8:90, that 1outflow2 returns to its source, the severities become sweetened,the anger ceases, and 456d refrains from the evil...7 /;*<9:=0. >i"ewise, by means of the mystery ofrepentance, say that repentance benefits only the aspects of holiness in man. ?or his evil aspects arerectified as well, 'ust as the severities are sweetened by this attribute.
@now that @ayin himself was evil, and he derived from evil, yet he was told, 4If you do good, will
you not be uplifted...A7 /5enesis =:B0, meaning, 4o not thin" that, because you derive from evil,you have no hope. This is false. ?or 1if you do good,2 anchoring yourself firmly in the goodimplanted there, via the root of your soul, and do yourself good.7 ?or everything bitter has a sweetSupernal root, as the mystical teachings e*plain. Thus, a person2s evil actions may be turned intogood, and his deliberate transgressions may be turned into merits. ?or when one returns in completerepentance, these selfsame evil deeds from the 1>eft Side,2 which were accusers enter the higherworlds and become rooted in holiness there, transforming themselves into good rather than becomingnullified. This is what 56d told @ayin regarding his own self6betterment.
Thus, had @ayin repented, thereby becoming rectified, then the state of &dam2s sinin which @ayinwas conceived /the name @ayin deriving from the phrase "ina demisavuta, meaning 1contaminated
nest20would have been to his credit, according to the mystical interpretation of the concept of 1theSon brings Merit to His ?ather.2 However, @ayin did not desire to repent, and therefore the entire>eft Side derives from there, but all its branches will eventually become sweetened, returning to
perfection. The reason for this is e*actly as we have e*plaineda person who caused evil to becomerooted in himself can sweeten it and restore it to good.
Therefore, when a person purifies his evil inclination and transforms it into good, it becomes rootedin holiness. This is the elevated level of repentance that a person who wishes to conduct himself inthis manner should contemplate every day, and he should also repent in some way, so that all his
days will be spent in repentance.DBEFG
nderstanding is symboli(ed by motherhood here. & mother corrects her child, sweetens theudgment, nullifies the bitterness, and helps the child fi* any flaws.
Cordovero explains that hesed can only be achieved by placing the love of God before all otherloves:
Text 5-21: Cordovero on Kindness and the Love of God
How should a person train himself in the attribute of hesed (kindness)? he main way to enter intothe secret of hesed is to love G!d so absolutely that one will never forsake His service for any reason"for# compared with the love of God# $lessed $e He# no other love has any worth% herefore# heshould first attend to the re&uirements of his 'ivine service" then# the remainder of his time may be
used for other needs%*+
he wants of ones family may distract from an opportunity for hesed% Combine hesed with thefamily activity and all will be blessed from Hashem% ,lan a kindness activity with ones spouse andcarry it out with the whole family involved%
'ifficult events are also for the good%*-+ his is a binding of malchuts to hesed% Cordovero presents
eight principles of mastering hesed% .s they are between man and man they are between man and G!d% . person who loves G!d loves man%
Text 5-22: Love thy Neighborne !ho "oves #an great"y "oves G-d tr$"y.
Tab"e 5-5: %esed for G-d
&rin'i("e)*inding Leaning
/neiferets and $inah
,roviding the necessities of a child0s sustenance from birth% hisis the birth of iferet from $inah% .n easy birth leans the child tothe right and iferet leans to the right% . rigorous birth leansiferet to the left descent of $inah%
wo1esod
Circumcising the child% 2/ne should pursue all those who causethe foreskin to grow on 1esod# bringing them back in repentancein such a way that# by circumcising the foreskins of their hearts#he renders the 3upernal 4addik (G!d0s reflection to us) without aforeskin%
hree5alchuts and iferet
6isiting the sick and healing them% he 3hechinah is lovesickwith desire for iferets% iferets in the world to come is lovesickfor 5alchuts# the 3hechinah in this world% .s one treats ill peoplewell one must also treat 5alchuts and iferets well being
saddened by their isolation from each other% 4edakah# tikkun#holiness# blessings# orah practice and study heal the union of5alchuts and iferets above%
7our $inah and iferet5alchuts and 1esod5alchuts and iferet
Giving charity to the poor% he 89; for G!d is to say amen *<times a day# the =edushah > times a day# << blessings a day# and
to read from the @ books of orah each day%**+ 7or iferets wemust draw down from $inah a supernal sheaf for it says# 2wemust leave them for the poor and the strangerA# and iferet is asstranger to 5alchut below% 7or 5alchuts# we should draw downt4edakah (maser ani B the tithe to the poor) from iferets and thisis given to 1esod# who is called poor# which raises 5alchut% f
one binds 5alchut to iferet# he gives the tithe to the stranger%
7iveiferets and 5alchuts
/ffering hospitality to strangers% his is to give iferet and1esod a guest house to rest which is 5alchuts% 7or iferets and
I am certain that all of the sefirot really exist for the sake of Malchuts (reuniting the Shechinah) and
Binah (repentance). In the same way man exists for the sake of women.[8!
5.6.4 Malchut
"ra#eling leads to $ecoming a %#ehicle for the exiled Shechinah.&[8'!
Text 5-23: Cordovero on Being a Vehicle for the Shechinah man should exile himself wandering from place to place for the sake of *ea#en there$y
$ecoming a #ehicle for the exiled Shechinah. *e should think to himself+ %Behold I am in exile $utI ha#e all my implements with me. But what a$out the honor of the Supreme ,ne for the Shechinahis exiled without any implements for they ha#e gotten lost as a result of the exile-& or this reasonhe should manage with as little as possi$le / as the #erse states+ %make yourself implements for exile(0eche1kel '2+3) / and let the exile hum$le his heart while he $inds himself to "orah. "hen theShechinah will $e with him.
*e should also impose an 4expulsion order5 upon himself always $anishing himself from thecomforts of home 6ust as 7a$$i Shimon $ar 0ochai and his comrades $anished themsel#es to toil in"orah. Better still he should weary his legs $y trudging from place to place without horse or wagon.oncerning such a person it is stated+ %...his hope she#aro / ! is with the 9ord his :;d& (<salm'=>+?) deri#ing from the word she#ar / meaning 4$reaking5 for he $reaks his $ody for the
honor of the Supreme ,ne. [82!
5." Shaarey Orah*
"he 4:ates of 9ight5 $y @oseph :ikatilla is monumental for showing the source passages in the"orah for the principle ideas of Aa$$alah. "hese source passages are also fundamental to Midrashic
understanding since the Midrash includes ka$$alah.[83!
Text 5-24: Shaare# $rah on %ol &all'Sometimes the tenth attri$ute which is doa0 is known as Ao9 in the name of this Cuality hence
$y #irtue of this understanding the essential meaning of the #erse+
( a) the *ord+ ,ho )ade %ol ,ho alone tretched ot the heaven. (Isaiah ==+2=)
or with the force of this attri$ute the hea#ens and earth were created as well as all the hosts of
0esod and Malchuts 0esod are in exile. "hey are searching for what they ha#e lostthe Shechinah. ixing times for "orah study unifies "iferets andMalchuts.
SixAeter and Malchuts;*esed
ttending to the dead. lothing the dead in white is cleansing the $ody of sin which ele#ates the sefirot one $y one lim$ $y lim$raising them to the le#el of Dden on high which is *ochmah of
keter. "he upper Dden is in tiferets so ordo#ero is referring toe#en higher aspect of Dden. "his is a mit1#ah of faith.
Se#en 7ight. Making peace $etween peers from *ochmah to Binahfrom *esed to :e#urah or from et1ah to *od.
Dight 9eft. Similarly making peace $etween peers from Binah to*ochmah from :e#urah to *esed or from *od to et1ah.
heaven and down below. The essence of this is contained in the verse:
vayeKhuLu (And He finished...) the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 2:1)
The essence of vayeKhuLu is the root KoL. Here is the grand design of this essential understanding:the ha!aT is the essence of KoL and it contains the two attributes" which are the essence ofha#o$ and %a&Ho$ and that is the essence of 'vayeKhuLu (nd He finished) the heavens and theearth" vayeKhaL (and he finished) LoH*# on the seventh day.+ These three forefathers inheritedthis attribute" KoL" which contains the essence %a&Ho$ and ha#o$ (re,e,ber and -rotect):
Table 5-6: Three Fathers and the Daughter
To understand these verses is -ara,etric to understanding the daughter:
Tet 5-!5: Abraha"#$enesis !%:&-%1. nd braha, was old" and well advanced in age and the Lord had blessed braha, in allthings.
2. nd braha, said to the oldest servant of his house" who ruled over all that he had" /ut" * begyou" your hand under ,y thigh0. nd * will ,ae you swear by the Lord" the God of heaven" and the God of the earth" that youshall not tae a wife for ,y son of the daughters of the &anaanites" a,ong who, * live. !ut you shall go to ,y country" and to ,y fa,ily" and tae a wife for ,y son *saac.
3ro, braha, we learn that 'all+ is a daughter4in4law" a wife for his son. The 5daughter6 7uality,anifests in the sefira of #alchut" also nown as the daughter" fe,inine one 8 9uvah" and thefe,inine -resence of G4d 8 hechinah. braha,6s father 7uality derives fro, the energy ofHoch,ah" since Hesed is ust below. *n the stories of the /art;ufi," the daughter energy often uniteswith the father on habbat.
Tet 5-!6: 'saa#$enesis !:*!-*%
nd *saac his father said to hi," '<ho are you=+ nd he said" '* a, your son" yourfirstborn sau.+ nd *saac tre,bled very ,uch" and said" '<ho then is he who huntedvenison" and brought it to ,e" and * have eaten +f all before you ca,e" and have blessedhi,= #oreover" he shall be blessed.+ nd when sau heard the words of his father" hecried with a great and very bitter cry" and said to his father" '!less ,e" ,e also" > ,yfather.+
'll+ is the food that $ebeah" daughter in law of braha, -re-ared. ll is a eu-he,is, for
$ebeah for 'll+ that *saac had was because of $ebeah.
Tet 5-!: ,a+b#$enesis **:-&&
Fathers erse
*n reference to braha, it is written: 'nd God blessed braha, with KoL. (Gen2:1)
&oncerning *saac" it is written: '...that * ate fro, Kol.+ (Gen 2?:00)
&oncerning @acob" it is written:(Tiferet) '... for God has favored ,e and * haveKol.+ (Gen 00:11)
Thus Aavid wrote about the," -eace be withhi,:(#alchut)
'Thus KoL (all) of your -rece-ts are KoLstraight. (/sal, 11B:12C)
And he said, “What do you mean by all this drove which I met?” And he said, “Theseare to find grace in the sight of my lord.” And Esau said, “I have enough, my brother!ee" what you have to yourself.” And #acob said, “$o, I beg you, if now I have foundgrace in your sight, then receive my "resent from my hand for therefore I have seenyour face, as though I had seen the face of %od, and you were "leased with me. Ta!e, I
beg you, my blessing that is brought to you, because %od has dealt graciously with me,and because I have enough.” And he urged him, and he too! it.
&or #acob, “all” is that which he needs to live and serve %'d(“all” is “enough”. )ere there is anallusion to the $ame, *haddai +*ha that is dai enough-, which holds bac! the shefa or sustenanceof %'d ust above /alchut.
Text 5-28: The House of EsauWho is the daughter?
*he ma!es "eace between brothers.*he is all and nothing.
*he is grace from heaven above, our only true blessing.
Where is the house of Esau? Where is he hidden?*ome say 0ome, but I say in Israel, a dormant s"irit who has not yet risen to his greatness.)e waits for 1eah to cling to him and to rise as the righteous moshiach of his generation.
)is emotions betray him, but his love is strong, his deeds are noble, his heart is gold.Where is Esau? )is s"ar!s lie in the house of Israel waiting to lead us to overcome our enemies,
Waiting to lead us to overcome ourselves.
Text 5-29: David—Psalms 119:127-1!Therefore I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold.Therefore all your "rece"ts all are straight and I hate every false way.
2our testimonies are wonderful therefore my soul !ee"s them.The unfolding of your words gives light it gives understanding to the sim"le.
The *trength of the daughter3s energy comes from Truth that is Tiferet above. )ere is the final secretof 4ol, namely that all is of Truth.
Also see5 Te6t 7'895 The 1ord blessed Abraham with a daughter .
5"8 Apocrypha
The A"ocry"ha are a collection of "ost biblical boo!s that contain numerous !abbalistic allusions,es"ecially in the area of a"ocaly"tic thought. *ome of these ideas "arallel those found in the :oharsuch as the ;<<< years of creation followed by the 9<<< years of messianic bliss.
$evertheless, the /asorites did not canoni=e the A"ocry"ha because the theology showed theinfluence of %ree! and >ersian influences to too great an e6tent. *ome of them li!e the oo! of
:erubabel created "owers in the dar!ness where before stood only dar! servants of )ashem. @7<B
)ere, the *atan wages war against the /essiah. There is also discussion of the "ower of the/essianic mother vs. the /other of *tone of the *atan3s child. *ome of these boo!s show thetransition to Christian ideology. *ome are written after the canoni=ation of the $ew Testament.
The Testaments of the Twelve >atriarchs e6hibits the "attern of seven angels, which may have beenseven demigods in the /anichean system of Iran.@7<DB
The Dead Sea Scrolls are an earlier collection of post biblical and biblical writings. The messianic
scrolls reveal the source of different messianic Jewish traditions.[806] The ssenes practiced a ver!ritualist life st!le that ma! have enabled their ecstatic e"periences and visions.
[#$8] %er&ei 'vot ()*[#$+] ,erachot #b. 'lso -abbi 'r!eh -osenfeld on Samuel $)/,.[#(0] ,ahir 6 1aplan p.*+.[#(] 2arris 3enowit45s class in 1abbalah 0*$00$.[#($] "odus *)$6 which the ,ahir 7uotes in 1aplan 6( on p.6.[#((] niversit! of tah 1abbalah %rofessor 2arris 3enowit4 08$00$. 2arris pointed out that thecrown is thought in the following ,ahir 7uote.
[#(9] ,ahir 88 1aplan trans.[#(*] See *.$.( :olem for a description of the creation of a calf and a man in the blue te"t.
1.2 [736] See 10.11
The *0 3etter ;ame of :odThese are the *0 :ates of nderstanding. The! are the *0 letters in thespelling of the names of the twelve tribes of <srael. The names of the Twelve Tribes are in fact acomplete guide on proper living. The! form the =complete sentence.> This is wh! the high priest5s
breastplate was called the 2oshen ?ishpat @ the plate of families or the breastplate of Audgement.?ishpat means famil! and also sentence. Te"t 0/9) :enesis $+/(0 @ The Twelve Tribes ofBeshurun @ The Complete Sentence EFGHIKLMNIOIP ) IGGQHRMPEPNUI ) HFMPGOVPIIWEW )3oo&
to 2ashem who hears a heart of praiseX-eceive a salar! in order to afford a dwelling place andwrestle for AusticeXYhich brings fortune fertilit! and additional righteous children.These are theZift! :ates of nderstandingall !ou need to &now to live a complete life. This is the 2oshen?ishpat the ;ame of the Twelve Tribes The Complete Sentence.The #$ 3etter ;ame of :od p. *98[#(#] Talmud Boma #6a[#(8] ' \log5 is a li7uid unit measure of a small bottle probabl! the si4e of full cup or glass or thevolume of si" eggs of that time) loogah or logah / [#(+] %salm $()*[#90] ?aster of a Zamiliar Spirit[#9] =entrilo7uist or necromancer> // Soncino
[#9$] To produce sounds ma&ing it appear that the dead are spea&ing through them.[#9(] <saiah *+)$[#99] =-aba understands mabadilim in the sense of \draw a distinction5. ,ut for their ini7uities their
power would equal God's, and they could create a world.” --- Soncino[745] The Soncino Talud coents, !The "oo# o$ %reation, &e. Se$er (e)iroh, is the title o$ twoesoteric oo#s. The older, re$erred to here, was a thauatur*ical wor# popular in the Taludic
period. +t was also #nown as &il#oth (e)irah aws o$ %reation, and is so called in the sae storyquoted on /7. 0ashi, there states that the creation was per$ored y eans o$ ystic coinationso$ the 1i2ine 3ae, which does not coe under the an o$ witchcra$t. +ts asic idea is that the
%reation was accoplished y eans o$ the power inherent in those letters %$. 0a's sayin*"e)alel #new how to coine the letters y which hea2en and earth were created6. "er. 55a. %$.also noch 8+, 9 et seq.: ;rayer o$ <anasseh cc. 0. +++, == on the a*ic power o$ the letters o$the 1i2ine 3ae, and that this sae power could e utili)ed in $urther creation. The wor# wasascried to >raha, which $act indicates an old tradition, and the possile antiquity o$ the oo#itsel$. +t has a$$inities with "aylonian, *yptian, and &ellenic ysticis and its ori*in has een
placed in the second century ".%.., when such a coination o$ in$luences i*ht e e?pected. +t isnoteworthy that 0aa's stateent ao2e, thou*h not entionin* the Se$er (e)irah, insists on$reedo $ro sin as a prerequisite o$ creation y an, 2. @.., 8++, /AB.”[74/] Gole, <oshe +del, p.=AC.[747] +saac o$ >cco re$ers to hisel$ as !the youn*” in anner places. This is li#e the phrase son o$
an6, a phrase o$ huility. The #aalist ac#nowled*es how with all he #nows, he is yet li#e a child.Siilarly <etatron was called, 3a6ar6 which eans youth y the other an*els. (et the youn* issuperior in #nowled*e than the others around su**estin* that soeties a child #nows ore. >s+saiah says, !a child shall lead the”. [+saiah ==/-D]
The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together;
and a little child shall lead them.
And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together:and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp,and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the L!", as the waters co#er the sea.
[74C] This is a #aalistic technique wherey at hi*her le2els an outer source e2en i$ within the#aalist6s ind as#s the question and the #aalist prophesies the answer. >t lower le2els, the#aalist as#s questions and recei2es inspiration on the answers or an outer source answers thewithin the #aalist6s ind. See <editation B-B "ac# to the "e*innin* on pa*e 5D.
[74D] This is the acrostic $or the $our worlds At)ulut Beriyah Yet)irah Asiyah.[75A] Ero the world o$ "eriyah[75=] Ero the world o$ >t)ulut[75B] This is the *reat ystery o$ whether the *ole is a a*ical entity or a editati2e ein*.[759] Ero the world o$ (et)irah[754] The interediary world here, source o$ the anial and appetite soul, is (et)irah, the Forld o$Eoration. >o2e this is the supernal world representin* the intellect, "eriyah, the Forld o$%reation. Thou*h (et)irah is a lower world one ascends into it with editation[755] >n interestin* deduction is that a created "eriyah soul would not perish with the death o$ the
ody. Thou*h "eriyah is a hi*her world, one descends into it with editation
[75/] aalah is the study o$ prophecy as well. >lso aalists inherit the prophetic tradition.[757] This >leph re$ers to >t)ulut the hi*hest world. They drew a soul down $ro the world o$>t)ulut y their own soul reachin* to the ape? that is the root o$ "eriyah that is the lea2es o$ >t)ulut.
[758] “Golem Jewish Magical Mystical Traditions on the Artificial Anthropoid” Moshe !del p"##$"[75%] Golem Moshe !del trans" p"##$"[7&$] 'anhedren &5( and see http)**cha(+ras"org*magic"html[7&#] ,ommentary from the 'oncino Talm+d[7&-] 'ome magical tomes contain proced+res in.ol.ing different elements of earth to ma/e a Golem"[7&0]
'ee Meditation 0$1-) Meditation for the 2eaf [7&3] Acensions on 4igh Moshe !del -$$5 pp"0#10-"[7&5] 'ee Tet -1-30) 6echariah #$[7&&] a((i Aryeh osenfeld A+dio Gemara a(a Met9iah # ) 7th min+te refers to :met ; Tr+th asthe seal of G1d" 'ee 7"#% Tr+th and the end of -&"3 ,anaanite eligion"[7&7] 'ee <ig+re 510) 'e.en =lanets and :arth to +nderstand the correct order" Also an online .ersionis a.aila(le from http)**www"yar9heit"org*anti>+esefer*ra9iel"pdf also shown in 'epher e9ial4emelach The oo/ of the Angel e9ial 'te.e 'a.edow p" #$7 <ig" 3" Also 'ee Ta(le 813) The'e.ens of ,reation and 'efer ?et9irah 3)0[7&8] 'ee Ta(le -13) 'e.en 2ays of ,reation[7&%]
'ee Ta(le 51#) ,orrected order of the 'e.en =lanets formed (y the 'e.en 2o+(le @etters Ta(le51-) The 'e.en Garments of Atonement Ta(le 513) 'efirot @eanings and Ta(le 813) The 'e.ens of,reation"[77$] 'ee Jastrow"[77#] 'ee Ta(le -13) 'e.en 2ays of ,reation Ta(le 813) The 'e.ens of ,reation 5"-"3 The 'e.en2o+(le @etters[77-] Genesis descri(es G1d wal/ing in the Garden" 'ong of songs descri(es G1d as a yo+ng h+s(and"'hi+r omah descri(es G1d in mystical terms li/e the 6ohar"[770] The a((alah Bn.eiled The oo/ of ,oncealed Mystery pages &71&%"[773] !n fact ! am writing this tet on osh 4odesh Adar 'heni which is also the 4e(rew day of my
(irth"[775] The a((alah Bn.eiled The !dra a((a addisha the Great 'anctified !dra page #03"[77&] !(id" page &%"[777] The =alm Tree of 2e.orah ,hapter #"[778] :inat Talmon i((+t9ni/ from Maale 4amisha da+ghter of 'ima Talmon my co+sin"[77%] Art 'croll 'idd+r page 77#"[78$] A (ody containing fish"[78#] The horn is the shofar calling o+r so+l (ac/ to 4ashem in the trem(ling that proceeds acomplete tsh+.ah or ret+rn" The (east is the yet9er hara or e.il inclination which is separated fromo+r so+l and slain (y 4ashem"
[78-] The Anatomy of God The oo/ of ,oncealment The Great 4oly Assem(ly and The @esser4oly Assem(ly of the 6ohar with The Assem(ly of the Ta(ernacle trans" oy A" osen(erg ta.=+(lishing Cew ?or/ #%70"[780] http)**www"Der+salemconnection"org*monthlynews1nissan"php[783] http)**www"/a((alah"info*eng/a(*9ohar*theE(oo/EofE9ohar*introd+ction"htmhttp)**www"/a((alah"com*/*inde"php*pF9ohar*9ohar http)**www"sacred1tets"com*D+d*9dm*9dm$$-"htm[785] 'ahar ; tra.eling a(o+t commerce minding a(o+tH is (etter (ased on Ara(ic meaning ofpracticing magicH or an am+letH (+t this is not really 4e(rew (+t how wo+ld tra.eling a(o+t herfrom all harmH ma/e senseI[78&]
'ince Toh+ .oh+ are incl+ded in these #0 words one wo+ld wonder how they co+ld g+ardherI !nstead they all+de to the passage in :od+s 03)&17"[787] The right hand (lesses the left ta/es away or restrains" 4ence there are fi.e gates of sal.ation
or blessing referring to the shefa or bounty from the five sefirot that lean to the right. Salvation refersto G-d’s protection, a physical salvation from harm. This is why they are rigid protecting the flower.There is no other concept in Torah about ‘Five Gates of Salvation’.!""# These are the five fingers of the right hand that represent the five positive sefirot of the t$elemof %ashem, namely &eter %ochmah, %esed, Tiferet, and 'et$ah. See Table (-)* Sefirot +eanings!"# These are the five sefirot leaning to the left side alluding to the feminine and the procreative
source.!# See . The )/ +etter 'ame of God on p.(/(!# Gates of 0epentance, 0abbeinu 1onah of Gerona, Feldheim, page 2.!/# The 3alm Tree of 4evorah 5 Tomer 4evorah, 6oshe 7ordovero, trans. 0abbi 6oshe 6iller,Targum 3ress, page )".!2# The 3alm Tree of 4evorah, 6oshe 7ordovero, Targum 3ress, 7hapter ), page !".!)# 8bid, page ".!(# Sefer 1et$irah, 9ryeh &aplan, p.2)!:# 8bid, pp. !"-"/.!!# The 3alm Tree of 4evorah, 6oshe 7ordovero, Targum 3ress, 7hapter (, page ").!"# 8bid, page ":.!# Ti;;unim."# see For <omen 5 2, 2/, !, !/, /)"# %a$al teach that one should remove oneself to a place of Torah learning. This teaches one totravel to live where there are more =ews involved in Torah."/# 3alm Tree of 4evorah, 6oshe 7ordovera."2# Gates of +ight, Sha’are >rah, translated by 9vi <einstein, Sacred +iterature Series, %arper7ollins, pp. -/")# See 2." Sefer ?erubabel"(#
See 2./ The Testaments of the Twelve 3atriarchs p.(:":# See /:. @ssenes and the 4ead Sea Scrolls
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