And It Came to Pass, When Abram Came to Egypt

(înapoi la pagina ZOHAR CUPRINS / Lech Lecha – click)

114) “And it came to pass, when Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw the woman.” He brought her into Egypt in a box, and the Egyptians opened the box to charge taxes on it. In other words, after he extended the Mochin de Hochma to Sarah, he raised the Mochin from the Chazeh of ZON and above once more, where the Hassadim are covered from Hochma, so it would be kept from the Egyptians. This is why it is called “a box,” since its letters in reversed order spell “the house” [in Hebrew].

However, the Egyptians opened the box to bring it back to being a house, as it is written, “And the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house,” to charge taxes. This means that they opened it to extend the illumination of Hochma in it from above downwards because they had permission to receive it as taxes because she was in their country. When the box was opened, the light was as the light of the sun, the light of Sarah, the light of the moon that is as great as the light of the sun, as in, “The two great lights.” It is written about it, “That she was very fair.”

115) “The Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.” It writes, “Very,” since the Egyptians saw a different light in the box, the light of the covered Hassadim. They took her out of the box and extended the light from above downwards in the form of a house and saw that she was as beautiful as in the beginning, as she was inside the box. In other words, the act of Egypt did not blemish her and her beauty remained as she was in the box.

And Pharaoh’s ministers saw her means that they took her out of the box, meaning the light of Hochma that was hidden in her. They extended from above downwards as in “a house,” and saw her maintaining her beauty as in the beginning when she was in the box. Then, “And praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.”

The Egyptians opened the box and saw Sarah while she was still in the box, that her light was as the light of the sun. The ministers of Pharaoh who took her out of the box, saw her maintaining her beauty as before while she was still in the box. Hence, there are two sightings here—that of the Egyptians and that of the ministers of Pharaoh.

116) Woe unto the wicked of the world who do not know and do not look to understand that all that there is in the world is from the Creator, that He alone did, does, and will do all the deeds in the world. He knows in advance all that will unfold in the end, as it is written, “Declaring the end from the beginning.” And He watches and does things in the beginning in order to repeat them and to do them perfectly after some time.

117) Had Sarai not been taken to Pharaoh, Pharaoh would not have been stricken. And this striking caused the latter striking—that the Egyptians were stricken with great plagues upon Israel’s exit from Egypt. Here it writes, “And the Lord plagued Pharaoh … with great plagues,” and there, in Israel’s exit from Egypt, it writes, “And the Lord showed great signs and wonders.” There it is the ten plagues, and here, too, Pharaoh was struck ten blows. And as the Creator performed miracles and mighty deeds for Israel at night, here, too, the Creator performed miracles and mighty deeds at night. Thus, when He struck Pharaoh over Sarah, He was watching and looking to repeat them and do them in full after some time, upon Israel’s exit from Egypt.

The Kelim and the sparks of the Moach de Hochma of Adam ha Rishon, which fell off him due to the sin of the tree of knowledge and were handed over to the Klipot, were given to the Egyptians. This is Egypt’s wisdom. When Israel sort all those Kelim out of them and bring them back to Kedusha [holiness], it will be said, “And I will destroy Egypt’s wisdom.” However, that scrutiny cannot be done except through the Egyptians themselves and not by the servants of the Creator, since they cannot be sorted into Kedusha unless they draw into them the upper light from above downwards.

As they were blemished by the extension of light from above downwards, which is the prohibition of the tree of knowledge, so should their purification be from the Klipot—by extension of the light to them from above downwards. It is written about it, “Every thing that comes by fire, you shall pass through the fire, and it shall be clean.” This is so because the Kelim will not eject the swallowing of impurity, which is the filth of the serpent that was swallowed in them in the sin of the tree of knowledge, unless they qualify them in the same way that they swallowed what was forbidden—by extension of light from above downwards, which is the sin of the tree of knowledge.

Hence, this cannot be done unless by the Egyptians themselves, to which the sin of the tree of knowledge and its filth are attached. They scrutinize the Kelim and give them to Israel, as it is written, “The wicked shall prepare, and the righteous shall wear.”

Two actions are required for the Kelim to be handed over to Israel: 1) Coercion—the Creator forces them through blows and suffering until they hand them over to Israel. 2) The giving itself should be their own decision and of their own will.

It is written about it, “And the Lord gave the people favor in the eyes of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. And they exploited the Egyptians.” But Israel could not exploit the Egyptians unless by being favored in the eyes of the Egyptians. This is the reason why the Creator did not bring Israel out of Egypt against Pharaoh’s will, but commanded him, “Let My people go, that they may serve Me,” specifically with his consent.

Indeed so it was after the plague of the first born, as it is said, “And Pharaoh rose up in the night … and said, ‘Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel; and go, worship the Lord, as you have said.’” Thus, these Kelim and sparks are given to Israel from the Egyptians only of their own decision and of their own will. This is the reason why Pharaoh had to rise at night and tell Israel his decision and his will, “Rise up, get out from among my people.” With these words, he handed over to them the Kelim of his own decision and his own will.

These Mochin, which are the degree of the light of Haya, are completed in three times, three discernments of Mochin:

4. By a test, as with Abraham, who was not ordered by the Creator to go down to Egypt, but sent famine through the land and forced him to go down to Egypt of his own decision. After Sarah was taken to Pharaoh’s house and he was afflicted all through the night, he thought that the Creator was punishing him for going down to Egypt and bonding with those wicked. And after he withstood the test and did not doubt the Creator, he was rewarded with receiving from Pharaoh the Kelim and the sparks for the great Mochin that fell into his domain during the sin of the tree of knowledge, as it is written, “And he dealt well with Abram for her sake.”It is also written, “Pharaoh commanded men concerning him, and they sent him away.” Similarly, it is written about the exodus from Egypt, “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had sent the people away,” by which Pharaoh gave him the Kelim of his own decision and his own will. This discernment is considered the scrutiny of the Kelim, the Mochin de VAK of the degree of the light of Haya, since he did not attain it through the word of the Creator but through a sin and a test.

5. Through the word of the Creator, when the Creator told him to go down to Egypt. This is explained in the word of the Creator, as it is written, “Know for certain that your seed will be a stranger in a land that is not theirs … and afterward they will come out with many possessions,” Mochin de Haya. He also said to Jacob, “I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again.” And since the descent was with the Creator’s permission, the Kelim that they brought out of there were very important and they were rewarded with the great Mochin de Haya in them, the Mochin of Passover night.
6. In the holy occasion, when they were rewarded with hearing from the Creator, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.” This is the continuation of the disclosure of the Mochin of the exodus from Egypt, the Mochin de Haya, which is freedom from the angel of death.

Thus we see that these Mochin are completed only after three times. On the first time, they must come through a sin and a test, since the beginning of the scrutiny is done by the prohibition by the Egyptians. Had the Creator ordered him to go down to Egypt, he would have clung to them and to their actions and would never have retired from them. Hence, he had to come of his own decision through a sin, so as to hurry and depart from them.

This is why it is written, “Woe unto the wicked of the world who do not know and do not look to understand that all that there is in the world is from the Creator.” The wicked of the world are those who began to receive holy degrees but were detained in their beginning and do not attain more. This is a criminal offence, as The Zohar refers to those who enter but do not come out. Their impediment occurs to them primarily during the first obtainment of Mochin de Haya, since they think that the Mochin they had obtained were through their own actions and not by the Creator. If they strove to know and to understand, as did Abraham, that all that there is in the world comes from the Creator, they would be rewarded with the next degree—the Creator commanding them to go down to Egypt, which is the attainment of the great degree of Mochin de Haya, as Israel were rewarded with upon the exodus from Egypt on Passover night.

It is written, that they do not observe to understand and to know, as did Abraham, that all that there is in the world comes from the Creator, that He knows in the beginning what will unfold in the end, “And He watches and does things in the beginning in order to repeat them and do them perfectly after some time.” They must observe until they are rewarded with the attainment that those plagues that Pharaoh suffered the first time, with Abraham, were right then and there by the Creator Himself, who was watching and observing in the beginning what was to unfold in the end, in the exodus from Egypt. They were a Reshimo and preparation for the scrutinies of the Mochin that they would attain when they are given permission to go down to Egypt, such as the permission that He gave to Israel when He told him, “I will go down with you to Egypt.” At that time, one who is rewarded with it will attain the great Mochin of the light of Haya.

This is why he compares the miracles of Sarah to the miracles of the exodus from Egypt, since all the actions in the first discernment of Mochin de VAK de Haya were a Reshimo and preparation for the Mochin of the second discernment—the Mochin de Haya. Abraham himself was rewarded with this knowledge, too, as it is written, “Know for certain that your seed will be a stranger in a land that is not theirs.” With this knowledge, he obtained those Mochin of the exodus from Egypt, too.

118) David said, “Even if the people of the world came and waged war against me, they will not be able to defeat me because “You, O Lord, are a shield about me; my glory, and the lifter up of my head.” It writes, “A shield about me.” David said to the Creator, “O Lord, why is there no blessing that ends in me, as there is a blessing that ends with Abraham, as it is written, ‘I am your shield’? And they say, ‘Abraham’s shield.’ Thus, why is there no ending in me, ‘David’s shield’?”

119) The Creator replied to David. “With Abraham, I have already tested him and purified him, and he withstood a test before Me and remained whole.” David told him, “Examine me, O Lord, and try me, test my mind and my heart.” When he did that deed with Bat Sheba, David remembered what he said to the Creator. He said, “You have tried my heart.”

120) David said, “I said, ‘Examine me, O Lord, and try me,’ and ‘You tested my heart with the try with Bat Sheba.’ I said, ‘Test my mind,’ and You ‘Have tested me and You find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.’ Would it be that that thing which I thought would not have gone to my mouth and I would not say, ‘Examine me, O Lord, and try me.’”

The words, “You, O Lord, are a shield about me,” and “I am your shield” relates to the Mochin that are sorted by the Egyptians. There are two reasons why they are called “shield”: 1) No one can attain them unless through shielding and saving, such as when Pharaoh was struck so as to protect Sarah and bring her out of there, and also to protect Israel and deliver them from Egypt. 2) One who is rewarded with them no longer fears anything. Hence, they are regarded as a shield for him. This is why David said that even if the people of the world were to come and wage war on him they would not prevail over him because “You … are a shield about me,” since one who is rewarded with them is no longer afraid of anything.

When David said, “Why is there no blessing that ends in me, as there is a blessing that ends with Abraham,” he was asking for the Mochin of protection. In the beginning of each blessing, VAK is extended from its unique degree. At the end of the blessing, the GAR in it is extended. At the end of the shield, the great GAR are drawn out, when the Kelim are sorted by the Egyptians. And since Abraham was rewarded with them, it is written about him, “I am your shield,” hence it ends with him, “Abraham’s shield.”

David asked of the Creator to reward him with those great Mochin, too, as with Abraham. The Creator replied to David that it is impossible to obtain these Mochin on the first time, unless through a trial, as with Abraham who was rewarded with them only by Me testing him with the trial of the abduction of Sarah. And if you are willing to go through the same test as him, you, too, can be granted them. And David told him, “Examine me, O Lord, and try me,” meaning he, too, was ready for it, like Abraham.

It is written that when he did that deed with Bat Sheba, David remembered what he had said to the Creator. He said, “You have tried my heart.” In fact, Bat Sheba was David’s mate since the day the world was created, but David could not bestow upon Bat Sheba the same Mochin as Abraham because he could not scrutinize them. And as the Egyptians sorted them for Abraham and Abraham received them from the Egyptians through a sin and a trial, Uriah the Hittite married Bat Sheba first, and gave her those Mochin. Afterwards, David received those Mochin through Bat Sheba, through a sin and a trial, like Abraham. And then, he was rewarded with those Mochin of the shield, like Abraham.

However, it first seemed to him that he did not withstand the test properly because he killed Uriah by the sword of the sons of Ammon. This is why he said, “You have tried my heart.” But in the end, the Creator pardoned him and he was rewarded with those Mochin.

121) This is the reason why a blessing, “David’s shield,” ends with him, for he was rewarded with the Mochin of the shield like Abraham. After he was rewarded with them, David said, “You, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the One who lifts my head.” This degree of a shield is my glory, in which I am crowned.

122) The Creator is a shield to the righteous so that people will not govern them. The Creator protected Abraham so that he and his wife would not be ruled over, since with, “[Pharaoh] commanded men concerning him, and they sent him away,” he gave him the completion of the Kelim of the Mochin of the shield. This is similar to, “And Pharaoh rose up in the night … and said, ‘Rise up, get out from among my people,’” and “And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had sent the people away.” At that time, the Mochin of the shield were extended to Abraham in those Kelim, since now he was rewarded with the Mochin of the shield, and one who is rewarded with them is no longer afraid of anyone.

123) Divinity did not depart from Sarah all through that night. Pharaoh came to approach her and the angel came and struck him. Each time Sarah said, “Strike!” he struck. And Abraham was imploring his Master with prayer over Sarah—that she would not be ruled. It is written, “But the righteous are secure as a young lion.” Here was a test—the Creator tried Abraham—but he did not doubt the Creator.

124) This is the reason why the Creator did not command him to go down to Egypt, but he went down of his own decision, so people would not be able to speak against the Creator that He told him to go down to Egypt and then repented for his wife.

125) “The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree; he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” When a palm-tree is taken down, it will not rise again for seventy years. So is a righteous. When he is lost from the world, none other will follow him until seventy years have passed, meaning HGT NHYM, where each consists of ten. Because he has completeness only in the Nukva, the Malchut, the seventh Sefira, he needed all seventy years.

126) “The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree” indicates that a palm-tree is male and female. Similarly, the righteous is male and female. The male is righteous and the female is righteous, like Abraham and Sarah. Hence, he is completed only in seventy complete years.

127) “He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.” The cedar in Lebanon is the highest of all trees. Similarly, the righteous is superior to all, and all are sitting beneath him, that is, they exist by his merit. The righteous is Yesod de ZA, whose root is in Bina. He is included there in the line that decides between right and left. Hence, he is considered higher than all seven Sefirot HGT NHYM.

Also, he is the one who extends the Mochin from Bina and bestows them upon the Nukva, and from her to all the worlds. The Nukva stands on one righteous, as it is written, “And the righteous is the foundation [Yesod] of the world.” The world, meaning the Nukva, stands on him, he is supported for her, and she is planted on him, for he gives her of his three lines.

128) It is written, “Does the world stand on seven pillars,” HGT NHYM, “and not on a single righteous, alone?” Indeed, all the other pillars stand by the power of the seventh pillar, which is the support of the world. This is the one called “righteous,” Yesod de ZA. It waters and satiates the world, Nukva, and nourishes all the worlds. When Yesod de ZA travels from Bina, Yesod is regarded as the seventh from Bina, and the world stands on him alone.

129) “And a river came out of Eden to water the garden,” Yesod de ZA, which comes out of Bina that returned to Hochma, who is called “Eden.” This is the pillar upon which the world stands, and this is the one who waters the garden, the Nukva, and the garden is watered by it and makes fruits from it, which are souls of people. All the fruits blossom in the world, Nukva, and they are the persistence of the world and the keeping of the Torah. These fruits are the souls of the righteous, which are the fruits of the deeds of the Creator.

(înapoi la pagina ZOHAR CUPRINS / Lech Lecha – click)