(înapoi la pagina ZOHAR CUPRINS / Beresheet Bet – click)
311) “And they sewed fig leaves,” meaning they learned various kinds of charm and magic, and gripped to the one below, the Sitra Achra. “And they sewed fig leaves,” meaning they clung to be covered by the shadows of the tree from which they ate, since the leaves of the tree make a shadow under them.
Shadows mean concealment of the light of His face, like a shadow made by covering the light of the sun. It is so because the upper light can be compared to the light of the sun, which is the root of all the lights in this world. Likewise, the upper light is the root of all the lights in reality. This is the meaning of what is written, “Until the day breathes, and the shadows flee away, turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle.”
There is a shade of Kedusha, which comes from attainment of the greatness of the Creator. It also acts to the contrary—extending the upper light, as we learn about Moses, who, in reward for hiding his face, was rewarded with, “And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face.” Thus, that shade, which Moses extended on himself, hiding his face, as it is written, “For he was afraid to look at the God,” through that concealment he was rewarded with face-to-face and with “The image of the Lord does he behold.”
Thus, that shade became preparation and clothing over all the great light that Moses attained. But this is specifically in the shade of Kedusha that comes because of a Mitzva, as with Moses. But it is not so with a shade that comes because of a sin. Rather, it is the root of darkness that darkens people’s faces, and it is called “the shadow of death.”
Before the sin of the tree of knowledge there was no shadow of the Sitra Achra in the world, but only a shade of Kedusha. That was the mistake of Adam HaRishon. The sin of the tree of knowledge caused all the upper lights, which he obtained concerning the upper splendor, to depart from him. Afterward, it is written, “And they knew that they were naked” of all the lights. Then the shade of the Sitra Achra fell upon them, meaning the concealment and shadow that come due to transgression, and then it is written, “And they sewed fig leaves and made girdles for themselves.”
Leaves mean shadow, since the leaves of the tree make a shadow. A fig is the sin of the tree of knowledge, as we learn that the tree of knowledge was a fig. They were mistaken and thought that that shadow of fig leaves, the shadow that fell upon them due to the transgression of the tree of knowledge, was similar to the shade of Kedusha, which can extend all the lights, as with Moses. For this reason they made themselves girdles from that shade, as it is written, “As the girdle clings to the waist of a man, so have I caused to cling unto Me the whole house of Israel,” meaning Dvekut [adhesion] out of concealment.
However, there it speaks of a girdle that was made due to the shade of Kedusha, where the girdle that was made of fig leaves is a shade due to transgression, as it is written, “as this girdle, which is good for nothing.”
And according to that mistake, Adam HaRishon hid inside the trees of the garden and apologized before the Creator saying, “I heard Your voice in the garden and I was afraid, for I am naked.” He boasted with his deed before the Creator comparing himself to Moses, who hid his face from looking at God. He thought that by that shadow he would promptly be rewarded with all the lights that had fled from him.
But the Creator replied to him, “Who told you that you are naked?” That is, “What is the reason that you have lost your lights and fell into the shade?” “Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?” That is, “Did this come to you due to a Mitzva [commandment]? That shadow came to you because of a transgression; it is a shadow of death, the shadow of Sitra Achra.”
Therefore, not only did He not bless him for it, He even cursed him because they clung to being covered by the shadows of the tree from which they ate, which is a shadow that comes due to a transgression. And by that they clung to a shadow of death.
It was said that they learned various kinds of charms and magic. Their names are “charms” because they deny the household of above. Were it not for the charms, the righteous could have extended tokens and signs from the upper world, to bring the world closer to the Creator, as it was in the exodus from Egypt and in the days of Joshua and the prophets.
But through the sin of the tree of knowledge, the four worlds ABYA de Sitra Achra were built opposite the four worlds of ABYA de Kedusha, as it is written, “God has made one opposite the other.” That is, all the forces that exist in ABYA de Kedusha to bring the world closer to the Creator, were given opposite them in ABYA de Tuma’a [impurity] to distance the world from the Creator.
As the transgression with the tree of knowledge became the root from which all the transgressions in the world derive until the end of correction, the shadow, the power of concealment over the Kedusha—which derives from the transgression of the tree of knowledge, called fig leaves—became the root from which all the powers of concealment of Kedusha extend. As a rule, these are called “the four worlds ABYA de Tuma’a that were built,” as it is written, “The God has made one opposite the other,” meaning the four worlds ABYA de Tuma’a opposite the four worlds ABYA de Kedusha.
The closest to this root are the charms. They were given an equal force to Kedusha to deny the household of above, as the charmers did against Moses’ tokens and signs, as it is written, “And they, too, the sorcerers of Egypt, did the same with their sorcery.”
It is likewise with Elijah, who prayed, so it would not be said, “They are charms.” Therefore, except on extraordinary incidents—the exodus from Egypt and during the days of the prophets—the righteous will not be able to extend tokens and signs to bring the world closer to the Creator, since they know for certain that ABYA de Tuma’a will give the charmers power to do the same with their charms.
It is written about the end of correction, “As in the days when you came out from the land of Egypt, I will show you wonders,” for then the spirit of Tuma’a will be cancelled from the earth and there will no longer be fear of ABYA de Tuma’a. Then the righteous will extend tokens and wonders as it was in the exodus from Egypt.
This is why it was said that they learned various kinds of charms and magic, for by the power of the fig leaves, which is the shadow created by the transgression of the tree of knowledge, all the charms were drawn out. Hence, by looking at these fig leaves they learned various kinds of charms and magic that would be extended from them to the world.
At that time the height and level of Adam diminished into 100 cubits, and separation was made between ZA and Nukva. Adam stood in Din, and the earth was cursed.
Adam HaRishon reached from the earth to the firmament below Atzilut. He included the three worlds BYA, where in each world there are four Partzufim, AVI and ZON, and ten Sefirot in each Partzuf. But after the sin, the nine Sefirot of lights in each Partzuf fled from him and departed to their root, and the bottom nine of the Kelim in each Partzuf fell to the Klipot. Thus, only the Kelim de Keter of each Partzuf remained for him, with the light of Nefesh. Only the first two Partzufim of Beria departed from him entirely.
Thus, he was left with ten Ketarim from the ten Partzufim of BYA, where each comprises all, and they are 100 Ketarim, or 100 cubits, as it was said, “At that time the height and level of Adam diminished into 100 cubits,” 100 Ketarim.
(înapoi la pagina ZOHAR CUPRINS / Beresheet Bet – click)