I Have Set My Bow in the Cloud

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261) “And God said to Noah, ‘I have set My bow in the cloud.’” “Have set” means that He has set before, since a bow is a foundation stone, and a foundation stone was set even before the world was created, since the world was founded on it. This is why it is written, “I have set,” in past tense, for He has set it before.

It is written, “And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone.” Above it, it is written, “I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of great waters, like the voice of the Almighty [Shadai]. When they walked, a sound of tumult, as the sound of a camp.” These are the four high and holy big animals upon which that firmament is established. Their wings connect in order to cover their bodies. The firmament is the Sium [end] of Tzimtzum Bet, called Parsa. That firmament is established over the four big animals, HG TM.

262) When they spread their wings, the sound of the wings of all of them is heard, that they are singing. It is written, “As the voice of Shadai [the Almighty],” which is never silent, as it is written, “So that glory may sing to You and will not be silent.” It is said, “The Lord has made known His salvation; He has revealed His righteousness to the eyes of the nations.”

263) “A sound of tumult, as the sound of a camp” means as the sound of the camp of Kedusha, when all the upper hosts connect above. And it is said, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.” They are sending themselves back to the south, saying, “Holy.” They are sending themselves back to the north, saying “Holy.” They are sending themselves back to the east, saying “Holy.” They are sending themselves back to the west, saying, “Blessed.”

The firmament is established over the two kinds of sound in the text. The correction of Tzimtzum Bet in Malchut is called “firmament.” It is corrected on the animals. This is why the two points in Malchut are included in the body of the animals, which are Miftacha [key] and Man’ula [lock].

For this reason, there are two kinds of voice in them:

1. A voice is mitigated in Bina, where the point of Man’ula is cut off and completely disappears, and only the point of Miftacha is revealed in them. This is why their wings connect in order to cover their bodies, meaning to cover the Din that is included in their bodies from the Man’ula in them. At that time their voice is discerned as “a sound of tumult as the sound of a camp.” Then the Mochin spread in them, namely the three times “Holy,” three lines—south, north, and east. The west, Malchut, receives these three “Holy,” and her own Behina [self/essence/discernment], as it is written, “Blessed is the glory of the Lord from His place.” These four Behinot illuminate in the animals, as it is written, “And the animals ran.”
2. At the sound of their wings when their wings are apart and do not cover their bodies, at that time the voice of the Din is heard. It is included in their bodies and in their wings, and this voice is not mitigated in Bina due to the Din that is heard from within it. Therefore, a different mitigation is employed in it. With respect to that Din is the Masach de Hirik established, and on it the middle line that decides between two lines comes out. As long as that Zivug on the Masach has not been carried out, there is a dispute between the two lines and they do not illuminate. It follows that the whole illumination of the lines depends on that Din that is included in the Masach. It is what causes them, and this is why it is as important as they are, although it is Din.

It is written about that voice, “I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of great waters.” The Dinim are called “great waters,” since although Din is heard in that sound, it is still very important because from the moment it is revealed, a decision between the lines occurs. The Mochin illuminate through it, and the glory is never silent, as it is written, “He has revealed His righteousness to the eyes of the nations.” Although it is to the eyes of the nations, meaning that there is Din in it, it is still very important because He has revealed His righteousness, by which the Mochin were revealed. Without it, there would be no Mochin in ZON.

264) That firmament stands over their heads. Wherever the animal walks, it turns its face to that side in which the four faces are included. That is, the four faces of the animals are included in one another. All four faces are in the face of a lion. It is likewise with the face of an ox—all four faces. And so it is in the face of a vulture and in the face of a man.

The difference between them is that the side in which the face is included is the dominant one, and only toward that side does it turn its face. If they are included in the face of a lion, the lion rules, the south side. If it is in the face of an ox, the north side rules. And so they turn their faces to the four directions, and all are returned and spread from the Chazeh and below.

As a whole, the animals are extended from the externality of Malchut, from its NHYM. In the animals themselves there are HGT NHYM, where the HGT in them are called “high and holy animals,” which are also returned and expand into NHYM, which are considered from the Chazeh and below. These are called “small animals.”

265) The animals were carved in four faces in four sides in the firmament, south, north, east, and west: The face of a lion is to the south; the face of an ox to the north; the face of a vulture to the east; the face of a man to the west. The face of a man is carved in all of them. Man is carved in the face of a lion, man in the face of a vulture, and man in the face of an ox. They are all included in the face of a man, which is why it is written, “The likeness of their faces had the face of a man,” which means that each of them had the face of a man.

266) All the colors are included in that firmament, which became a square with four sides. Four colors are seen in it: white, red, green, and black, each carved in four. That is, each of them consists of all of them, so they are 16 colors.

The upper ones, the animals of HGT, are inscribed in four engravings. The lower ones are animals of NHYM. When the colors of the animals of NHYM expand, they rise by twelve colors and not 16 colors like the animals of HGT. The colors are green, red, white, and sapphire, which comprises all three colors. That is, the sapphire color, Malchut, is not a color in itself, but receives within it all three colors. This is why there are only four times three colors here, which are twelve colors, as it is written, “as the appearance of the bow,” in which there are three colors. It is written, “So was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the image of the glory of the Lord,” Malchut, the appearance of all three colors. There are no colors in Malchut herself, but she rather comprises the three colors. This is why it is written, “I have set My bow in the cloud.”

The animals are HGT NHYM. It is known that Malchut is only in the Chazeh and above, the animals of HGT. Hence, there are four colors there, the black color, too. By mingling with one another they have 16 colors. But from the Chazeh and below, the Atzmut [self/essence] of Malchut disappears, hence there are only three colors there: white, red, and green. Malchut is the color sapphire, comprising those three colors she receives from them, while her own color disappears.

Hence, when they are included in one another there are only four Behinot there, in each of which are three colors, making up twelve colors. This is why only three colors are seen in the cloud: white, red, and green. The color of her Atzmut, the black, is not seen there. The green color is the color of the middle line, as green as the light of the sun, and not dark green.

267) What is a bow? A bow is Malchut, as it is written about Joseph, “And his bow remained firm.” But because Joseph is called “righteous,” Yesod, his bow is the covenant of the bow, Yesod de Malchut, since a covenant is Yesod. And a bow, Malchut, is included in the righteous because the covenant, Yesod, has united with the bow.

A bow is Malchut, the mate of Yesod. A bow is a covenant, Yesod. This is why he asks, “What is a bow?” And he replies that a bow is not really Malchut, but Yesod de Malchut, for by mitigating Malchut in Bina, she loses the Atzmut of Malchut because she is concealed in RADLA, and AA came out with nine Sefirot without Malchut. But Ateret Yesod is his Malchut; it is the point of Miftacha, and Ateret Yesod is regarded as Yesod de Malchut and Malchut de Malchut is missing.

This is why it is only Yesod de Malchut, since she was included in Yesod that has become Ateret Yesod. Yesod, the covenant, has united in the bow. This is why the bow, too, is called “covenant,” as it is written, “To remember the everlasting covenant.” Because Noah was a righteous, his covenant was made in a bow, since he was included in it. This is why the text calls him by the name “covenant.”

It was said in The Zohar that the bow is “The one who lives forever.” “In the cloud” is Malchut, since the bow is regarded as Yesod de Malchut. This is why it was said about him, “The one who lives forever.” A cloud is regarded as Malchut de Yesod, as it is written, “I have set My bow in the cloud,” meaning that He placed Yesod de Malchut in Malchut de Yesod, and they were mitigated in one another in the Miftacha. At that time all the Mochin for the sustenance of the world appear, as it is written, “And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will see it to remember the everlasting covenant.”

268) It is written, “And his bow remained firm, and the arms of his hands were as gold.” His hands illuminated a light that is desirable to all, like gold and choice gold, as it is written, “They are more desirable than gold, than much choice gold.” When he kept the covenant, his hands shone with the upper light. Because he was rewarded with the covenant of the bow, as it is written, “And his bow remained firm,” which means Miftacha, he was therefore rewarded by it with the upper Mochin. His hands, which are HG, became shining as gold, and became HB, which are more desirable than gold. Because he was rewarded with the covenant, he is called “the righteous Joseph.” This is why the bow is called “covenant,” as they are included in one another.

269) The bow is the brightness of the upper glory, showing all the visions. Malchut is the upper glory, and all the visions are in her. She is a vision, like the vision of the hidden lights, which are hidden colors, colors that have not been revealed. These three colors are white, red, and green, HGT, whose lights are covered and concealed above the Chazeh. Their vision appears in the bow.

The eye has no permission to look at the bow when it is seen in the world, so that no flaw is seen in the Shechina. Although a bow is Miftacha, and there is no Midat ha Din in it, Midat ha Din is still concealed in it. And by looking, extending the light from above downward, the disclosure of Midat ha Din occurs. This is why it is forbidden to look at the bow. Also, the colors of the bow are connected to the sight of fog and cloud. This indicates that they are covered, as the appearance of the upper glory, in order to avoid looking at it.

270) And since the earth sees the bow, where Malchut that is called “earth” is corrected in terms of the bow, Miftacha, then the holy covenant is sustained and exists, giving her the upper Mochin. Hence, as it is written, “And it shall be for a token of a covenant between Me and the earth.” And the three colors—white, red, green—and the color included in them are all one. The bow, too, is of three colors and a color that includes the three. The bow ascends inside the cloud in order to be seen because he is seen only in the midst of the cloud.

271) “The likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone.” A sapphire stone is a foundation stone, the point of Miftacha on which the whole world stands. The Holy of Holies stands on it, and the point is the upper, holy throne, appointed over those four colors. It is an image of the throne in four foundations. That is, the four colors—white, red, green, and sapphire—have become four foundations for her. Also, the throne is the oral Torah, Malchut.

272) “Upon the likeness of the throne was an image as the appearance of a man upon it from above.” This is the written Torah, ZA. This implies that the written Torah is placed on the oral Torah because one is a throne to the other. “As the appearance of a man” is the form of Jacob, ZA, sitting on it.

(înapoi la pagina ZOHAR CUPRINS / Noah – click)