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139) When Isaac said to Esau, “And go out to the field and hunt game for me,” with a Hey [in the word “hunt” in Hebrew]. It should have said, “hunt,” without a Hey [the usual way of spelling it in Hebrew]. And Esau went out to hunt game so as to be blessed by Isaac, who told him, “And I will bless you before the Lord.” If he had said only, “I will bless you,” it would have been good. But since he told him, “Before the Lord,” at that time the Creator’s throne shook, for a serpent would come out of these curses and Jacob would remain in them.
The meaning of clothes: in Tzimtzum Bet [second restriction], after the bottom Hey rose to Bina and Bina received the Tzimtzum into her, ZON were separated from every Partzuf and two surrounding Kelim [vessels] were made of them, which are called Levush [clothing] and Heichal [palace]. Those are the Makif de Haya [surrounding light of Haya] and the Makif de Yechida [surrounding light of Yechida]. ZA, which was separated from every degree after Tzimtzum Bet, became the clothes that extend the illumination of light of Haya. The Zohar calls them “clothes of Malchut,” meaning that they extend from the essence of Malchut before she was mitigated in Bina, from the ten Sefirot of Tzimtzum Aleph, which is ZA that was in the degree preceding Tzimtzum Bet.
The meaning of “hunt” [with a Hey]: The corporeal still, vegetative, animate, and speaking that extend from the spiritual still, vegetative, animate, and speaking in the upper worlds are four degrees in the Mochin, one atop the other. Mochin de VAK are called “still” and “vegetative,” Nefesh and Ruach. Mochin de GAR are called “animate,” and include beasts, animals, and fowl. These are three discernments in Mochin de GAR that a person extends, which are different from one another. And extension of these Mochin of the spiritual animals, which are GAR, is called “hunt.” There is hunt of holiness, of which it was said, “I will abundantly bless her provision,” and there is hunt of Sitra Achra, of which it was said, “A mighty hunter before the Lord.”
To extend GAR, the bottom Hey needs to be lowered from the Nikvey Eynaim to the Peh. At that time, AHP de Kelim return to the degree and the GAR of lights are drawn. This lowering is done by clothing oneself with clothes that are the Makif de Haya from Tzimtzum Aleph, where the bottom Hey is in her place at the Peh. Hence, by the illumination of these clothes, he lowers the bottom Hey from the Nikvey Eynaim to the Peh and draws the GAR, which is the hunt [with the Hey]. Thus, the hunting is done by the clothes, as we said about Nimrod that he was hunting his game in them, and he would go out to hunt in them. This is so because he extends the GAR through the illumination of Haya de Tzimtzum Aleph in the clothes.
And when he extends the GAR, he immediately brings the GAR de GAR back to their root, which is the slaughtering of the animal. Thus, the light of life departs it and he enjoys only the meat that remains after the slaughtering, which is VAK de GAR that is received and remains in the lower one. This is the hunt of holiness, of which it was said, “I will abundantly bless her provision.”
But this is not so with the Sitra Achra, who eat raw organs, meaning they wish to receive the animals’ light of life, as well, which is GAR de GAR. It is said about it, “A mighty hunter before the Lord.” “Before” means the light of Panim [face/anterior], GAR de GAR, when they wish to hunt and to draw unto them, which were the acts of Nimrod and Esau.
The meaning of blessings is giving strength and dominance to the end of correction, which is the correction of Malchut de Tzimtzum Aleph, whether in Jacob’s way, which is hunting of holiness, or in Esau’s way, which is hunting of the Sitra Achra, and perpetuate that way for all eternity. The great Zivug, which brings the end of correction, contains within it all the Zivugim and the levels that emerged one at a time throughout the 6,000 years. Their value compared to this Zivug is precisely equal to the value of the sum of all the details.
Also, all the MAN that rise to this general Zivug are the sum of all the deeds and sufferings that were in the world one after the other in all the individuals and in all the generations throughout the 6,000 years. This is the meaning of the words, “May God give you of the dew of heaven,” which is ZA, “And of the fatness of the earth,” which is the Nukva. This means that he blessed him to be rewarded with all the levels of Zivugim of ZON during the 6,000 years, so they will be included for you in the general Zivug that you will be awarded at the end of correction.
“And much grain and wine” means that all the Mochin, called “bread” and “wine,” will gather to you. “May peoples serve you” means that all the works that all the peoples will do will be for you. You will receive them and they will complement you in the general Zivug. And through them, you will be rewarded with the end of correction.
“And nations bow down to you” means that all the afflictions in the world will then receive the form of bows to you, and will be included in the MAN of this general Zivug for you.
“Be master of your brothers” means that your way will remain forever, and the way of your brother will be of assistance to you, like a servant who assists his master, and all that the servant acquires, his master acquires.
“And may your mother’s sons bow down to you.” The suffering that will be included in your brothers’ MAN will receive the form of bows to you.
“Cursed be those who curse you,” that is, anyone who disagrees with your way will be cursed.
“And blessed be those who bless you,” that is, anyone who admits and accepts your way will be blessed. And Isaac contemplated blessing Esau with them, for all of Jacob’s good deeds and all the torments he had suffered were only for Esau’s benefit at that time, so that Esau would be rewarded with the great Zivug of the end of correction, and so that his way will remain forever, the way of the hunting of the Sitra Achra.
“And go out to the field and hunt game for me,” with a Hey. The Hey is the essence of Malchut, Malchut de Tzimtzum Aleph, which is her that he said he would hunt, meaning extend the GAR to her, which is called hunting [with a Hey]. This occurs only at the end of correction, in the general Zivug. Hunting with a Hey means extending the GAR of Tzimtzum Aleph. Hence, how have these clothes helped him, since they only help the GAR of Tzimtzum Bet? “Before the Lord” indicates GAR de GAR, the light of Panim, which is the hunting of the Sitra Achra, the hunting of Nimrod, of whom it is written, “A mighty hunter before the Lord.”
This is why the throne was shaken, since this hunting is the serpent’s inciting of Eve to the tree of knowledge, which brought the curses to the world. Moreover, Jacob would remain in them because the blessings determine Esau’s way forever, and Jacob would be subjugated to him as a servant to his master. Thus, Esau’s curses would be atop him and he would have no counsel. Now you can understand Isaac’s reply to Esau, “I have made him your lord,” since once he established Jacob as master, he had no further blessing for Esau.
Thus, how did Isaac wish to bless Esau and determine the way of the hunting for the Sitra Achra for all eternity? Divinity wished for Isaac to extend the blessings that belong to Esau, the GAR de GAR, which would be included in Jacob’s way, as it is written, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.”
140) At that time, Michael came before Jacob with Divinity, and Isaac knew that. He saw the Garden of Eden with Jacob and he blessed him. When Esau entered, hell entered with him. Hence, “And Isaac was horrified with great dread,” since he previously thought that Esau was not from that side, which is why he started and said, “And I will bless him, too, and he will be blessed.”
141) For this reason, Jacob behaved with deceit and stubbornness, and brought blessings upon Jacob, who is like Adam ha Rishon. And they were taken from the serpent, who is the lying lips, for he said many lies did many fraudulent deeds to seduce into eating the tree of knowledge, and to bring curses on the world. This is the reason why Jacob came with deceit and mislead his father, to bring blessings on the world and to take from the serpent the blessings that he had denied the world, an eye for an eye. It is written about him, “You are cursed more than all cattle.”
142) And the serpent remained in the curses and never departed them. And David said in the spirit of holiness, “What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?”
143) “Deceitful tongue,” since the serpent deceived Adam and his wife, and brought evil upon him and upon the world. Then came Jacob and took all those blessings that were his. He was considered Adam ha Rishon and the serpent denied him the blessings, so now Jacob came and regained them, as prior to the sin of the tree of knowledge. It turns out that he took of his own.
“Sharp arrows of the mighty” are Esau, who bore a grudge against Jacob for those blessings, as it is written, “And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing.”
144) “May God give you of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth,” from above and from below, which are ZON, united. This is so because the heavens are ZA and the earth is Nukva. “And plenty of grain and wine” are over the world, which is the angel Matatron. Upper Mochin are called “bread,” and “Plenty of grain and wine” mean upper Mochin, bread and wine.
145) “Peoples will serve you.” This was true when King Solomon ruled in Jerusalem. “And nations will bow down to you.” This will be true when the Messiah King arrives. Everything will happen when the Messiah King comes, as it is written, “And let all kings bow down before him, All nations serve him.”
146) The letters Hey–Vav–Hey are the meaning of faith. The Hey above is Bina, the Vav in the middle is Tifferet, and the Hey at the end is Malchut. It is known that in and of herself, Malchut is unfit for Mochin because there is Tzimtzum over her, so she does not receive direct light within her. But through her ascent and mitigation in Bina, she gains two Sefirot—Bina and Tifferet—that are suitable for reception of the great Mochin.
The higher meaning of faith, which is Malchut, is implied in the letters Hey–Vav–Hey, meaning the ascent of Malchut to the upper one, to Bina. The letters Hey–Vav–Hey are the faith, the Malchut, which are the Kelim by which faith, meaning Malchut, gains her ascension to Bina. The upper Hey is Bina, the Vav in the middle line is Tifferet, and the Hey at the end is Malchut. This means that these letters, Hey–Vav–Hey, imply the three Sefirot Bina, Tifferet, and Malchut that are included in the faith, which is Malchut, which then obtains the two Sefirot Tifferet and Bina, which are Hey and Vav, to receive the great Mochin in them.
And by receiving the great Mochin in the letters, Hey–Vav–Hey, she governs the seventy ministers and gives them away, meaning removes them from nourishing off her. This will occur when King David comes, since King David was rewarded with the mitigation in Bina and obtained these letters, Hey–Vav–Hey, and through them, subdued all his enemies.
All the blessings are said about the end of correction, after the Messiah King arrives and not before. This is so because as long as Israel break the words of Torah, the blessings cannot come true until the arrival of the Messiah, when they repent and sin no more.
147) “May God give you.” All those blessings were from the share of Jacob; he took from what was his. And Isaac wished to give those blessings that were truly Jacob’s share to Esau. For this reason, the Creator made Jacob take what was his.
Blessings mean giving strength for the end of correction, as it is written, “And go out to the field and hunt game for me,” with a Hey [in the word “hunt” in Hebrew]. This implies the correction of Malchut de Tzimtzum Aleph, whether in Esau’s way or in Jacob’s way, to perpetuate that way forever.
It is known that because of the breaking of the vessels, 320 sparks fell from holiness to the Klipot [shells], and that afterwards the Emanator corrected some of them. And because of the sin of the tree of knowledge, they fell into the Klipot once more, and our whole work in Torah and Mitzvot is to take those 320 sparks out of the Klipot and bring them back to holiness. They are the MAN that we raise, which draw all the Mochin during the 6,000 years of the existence of the world. And when all 320 sparks are sorted through the Mochin that extend from them, the end of correction will come.
And the explanation to these 320 is this: eight Sefirot—in each of which were four Behinot [discernments] HB TM—broke from the ten Sefirot of Nekudim, called Daat, HGT, NHYM. Thus, they are thirty-two Behinot that fell into the Klipot—four times eight.
However, since the ten Sefirot de Nekudim were mingled in one another in a way that each of them contained ten Sefirot, it turns out that thirty-two Behinot broke from those ten Sefirot, which are included in each and every Sefira [singular for Sefirot], as they are ten times thirty-two, which are 320 in Gematria. Thus you find that due to the breaking of the vessels and the sin of the tree of knowledge, 320 Behinot fell into the Klipot.
And know that not all 320 Behinot were given for work and for sorting, but only 288 of them, which are nine times thirty-two Behinot, from the first nine Sefirot. But the thirty-two Behinot of Malchut in them were not given for scrutiny. Also, there is no need to sort her. Rather, along with the completing of the sorting of the 288 sparks, these thirty-two sparks will be sorted out by themselves.
We already said that all the Zivugim of the 6,000 years are the general Zivug at the end of correction. This is so because after the sorting of all 288 sparks was completed, since they became MAN for Zivugim of ZON, by which all the Mochin come out one at a time during the 6,000 years, then came the great Zivug that gathers all the elements into one whole. And because of the magnitude of that illumination, the thirty-two sparks of Malchut were sorted and corrected, and these thirty-two sparks of Malchut are called “the stony heart.”
This is why it is said then, “And I will remove the stony heart out of your flesh.” Now you understand that when Isaac said to Esau, “And hunt game for me,” with a Hey, he was referring to those thirty-two sparks of Malchut, which are sorted out only by the 288 sparks that gather together into the general Zivug. And that gathering is explained in the words, “May God give you.”
The blessings for the end of correction are the sum of the elements of the 288 sparks that were sorted by the Zivugim one at a time during the 6,000 years. And by gathering them, the correction was completed. And these Zivugim and the Mochin came out only in Jacob’s part, since he is the middle line that unites the two lines, right and left, in one another during his ascent to Bina. Then, since three came out of one, one is rewarded with those three, and this is the order by which all the Mochin de ZON and the souls of the righteous appear.
And Esau has neither a share in those Mochin nor desire for them. Thus, all those blessings were Jacob’s share.
Isaac wished to bless Esau with them so that once the stony heart is corrected through Jacob, this fear in the form of, “If he is not rewarded, he is evil,” will not be anymore, since everything will be corrected. And henceforth, Esau could extend from above downwards as he wished, without any fear. It turns out that the righteous prepares and the wicked wears, since through the 288 sparks that Jacob sorted, by which the stony heart was sorted out from the Klipot, and evil has been removed from the world, he thus prepared for Esau to be able to extend through it in impurity, from above downwards.
It follows that Esau inherits all of Jacob’s labor, that your brother works and you receive all the gain, since all that the servant acquires, his master acquires. Isaac wished to tell this to Esau, and Jacob received those blessings because they were his. And he became the master of his brother Esau, as it is written, “[the wicked] may prepare it, but the just will wear it,” and all that Esau acquired, Jacob acquired.
148) When that serpent brought curses on the world and the land was cursed, it is written, “Cursed is the ground because of you,” meaning you will not bear proper fruit. Opposite that, Jacob was blessed after the coming of the Messiah, after the sin of the tree of knowledge is corrected. “And of the fatness of the earth” means that it will return to its perfection.
And for the curse, “In toil you will eat,” he was correspondingly blessed by the dew of the heavens. And against the curse, “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you,” he was blessed with “Plenty of grain and wine.” And against the curse, “By the sweat of your face you will eat bread,” he was blessed with, “Peoples will serve you and nations will bow down to you,” meaning that they will till the ground and engage in the works of the field, as you say, “And foreigners will be your farmers and your vinedressers.” And Jacob took everything, one opposite the other, for each blessing corresponded to one curse in the tree of knowledge. Thus, he took from his own.
And the Creator made Jacob take these blessings and adhere to his place and his share. And Esau adhered to his place and his share. And the blessings were said about the end of correction, since then the sin of the tree of knowledge will be corrected and it will be possible to be awarded a blessing opposite a curse, which is not so before the sin of the tree of knowledge is corrected.
150) The blessing of Esau is not like the blessing of Jacob. It is written in regards to Jacob, “May God give you.” And regarding Esau, it is written, “Shall be your dwelling,” but God is not mentioned in the blessing, for there was no holiness in it. It is written in Jacob, “of the dew of heaven, and of the fatness of the earth,” while in Esau it writes, “From the fatness of the earth and from the dew of heaven,” where the earth precedes the heaven.
And there is a great difference between the degrees, for in Jacob’s, it is written, “May God give you of the dew of heaven,” the upper dew, which is the abundance that extends from Atik Yomin, called “the dew of the heaven,” the dew of the heaven above. This is the dew that extends in the degree of heaven, ZA, from which it is poured to the field of holy apples, Malchut. And then it is said about her, “And of the fatness of the earth,” the land of the living above, of Malchut when she robes the Bina that is called “the living God.” This is why at that time Malchut is called “the land of the living.” And Jacob inherited the blessing in the land above, Malchut, and in the heaven above, ZA.
And Esau’s blessing was in the land below and in the heaven below, in this world. Jacob was blessed up above, in the heaven and earth of Atzilut, and Esau below, in the heaven and earth of this world.
152) Jacob was blessed above and below, in the heaven and earth above, and in this world, in the coming of the Messiah. And Esau, only below, in the heaven and earth of this world. And although it is written that if Israel sin the blessings will be revoked, this is said about the heaven and earth here in this world. But this revokes nothing above, as it is written, “For the portion of the Lord is His people, Jacob the lot of His inheritance.” Come and see, when Jacob and Esau began to take the blessings, Jacob took his share above and Esau took his share below.
This is so because ZA and Nukva together are called “world”—ZA is heaven and Nukva is earth. Also, they are divided at the Chazeh: 1) From the Chazeh upwards they are called “the big ZON.” They are also called “the upper world,” and “the covered world” because they receive from upper AVI Hassadim that are covered from Hochma in the form of pure Avir [air]. They are also called “the upper heaven and earth.” 2) From their Chazeh down they are called “the small ZON.” They are also called “the lower world” or “this world,” as well as “the revealed world” because they receive revealed Hassadim in illumination of Hochma from the revealed YESHSUT. They are also called “the lower heaven and earth.”
It is written that the blessings of Jacob are in the upper heaven and earth, called the “upper world,” the “covered world,” which is entirely Hassadim that are covered from Hochma. And they are also in the lower heaven and earth, which is the revealed world, revealed in illumination of Hochma. But the blessings of Esau are only in the lower heaven and earth, which are this world, since Esau’s blessings extend from the left line, which is Hochma without Hassadim, which are only in the lower heaven and earth that are revealed in Hochma. But in the upper heaven and earth there is nothing of the illumination of Hochma; it is all right, only Hassadim, and Esau has nothing from there.
And although it is written that if Israel sin the blessings will be cancelled, it means that Esau has a share in all the blessings, as well as in the blessings in the upper heaven and earth. This is said only regarding the part of the blessings in the lower heaven and earth, where Esau has nourishment. But in the upper heaven and earth nothing of the blessings will be revoked, since Esau has no share there.
This division that The Zohar specifies is seen in the words of the text itself, which says, “That you will break his yoke from your neck.” These words are possible in the lower heaven and earth, meaning that Esau would assist Jacob there, that he worked and extended the left line there for Jacob, as it is written, “And the elder shall serve the younger,” as well as “[the wicked] may prepare it, but the just will wear it.” And the text says that if Israel sin, Esau will break Jacob’s yoke from his neck and will not serve or prepare for him any longer.
However, in the upper heaven and earth, where Esau cannot assist at all, and where he was not under the yoke of working for Jacob, it cannot be said, “That you will break his yoke from your neck, since the text speaks only of the lower heaven and earth.
You should know that the complete degree receives from both illuminations: It receives covered Hassadim from the heaven and earth above, and the illumination of Hochma from the heaven and earth below. First, it receives illumination of covered Hassadim from above. At that time it is considered as mere VAK without a Rosh, as long as it lacks the illumination of Hochma from below. When it receives the illumination of Hochma from below, as well, it is completed with GAR.
And when he said that Jacob is above and below, it does not mean that he took both illuminations at once, but one at a time. First he took the one above, which is the VAK of the blessings, and then he took the one below, as well, meaning the GAR of the blessings, too.
In the beginning he obtained the Katnut [smallness/infancy] of the blessings, VAK without a Rosh, which are received from the heaven and earth above. Then, when the time of Gadlut [adulthood] arrived, he took from below, as well. But Esau did not receive anything of the illumination of Hassadim from the upper heaven and earth, even in the beginning. This is so because being from the left line, he has no share in the covered Hassadim, which are all right. For this reason, he necessarily took from the lower heaven and earth, even in the beginning.
153) Why did the blessings that Isaac blessed Jacob not come true, and the blessings that Isaac blessed Esau all came true?
154) All these blessings came true, as well as the other blessings that the Creator blessed Jacob. But at first, Jacob took all the blessings only above, from the upper heaven and earth. This is why they were incomplete in him, as long as he did not take from below. And Esau took below.
When the Messiah King arises, Jacob will take from above and from below, from the lower heaven and earth, as well, and Esau will be lost from everything and will have no share, no lot, and no remembrance in the world.
It is written, “And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble.” This is because Esau would lose everything and Jacob will inherit two worlds: this world, the lower heaven and earth, and the next world, the upper heaven and earth.
We could ask, “But Jacob receives from the lower heaven and earth before the coming of the Messiah, during the time of the Temple and on Sabbaths and good days, as well as through prayer”? The thing is that since they are not permanent, they are not regarded as reception. But in the future, it will be permanent.
155) It is written about that time, “And saviors shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s.” That kingdom, which Esau took in this world, will be for the Creator alone. But is the kingdom not the Creator’s now? Indeed, even though the Creator rules above and below, He has given dominion to the other nations; He gave a share and lot in this world to each and everyone, so as to use it. And at that time, He will take the kingship from everyone and it will be all His, as it is written, “And the kingdom shall be the Lord’s,” and as it is written, “And the Lord shall be king.”
156) “And Jacob had hardly gone out” [in Hebrew the words “gone out” are repeated twice]. These two exits are of Divinity and of Jacob. This is so because when Jacob entered, Divinity entered with him and he was blessed before Divinity, as Isaac would state the blessings and Divinity would agree to them. Hence, when Isaac departed, Divinity departed with him, as it is written, “And Jacob had hardly gone out,” two exits that are as one.
157) “That Esau his brother came in from his hunting.” This indicates that it is a game of Esau, in which there is no blessing. And the spirit of holiness cried out and said, “Eat not the bread of him that has an evil eye.”
158) “And he also made savory food.” His speech was insolent, with insolent spirit. “Let my father rise” is not a tasteful wording. Jacob spoke shamefully before his father, with humbleness. What does it say? “And he came unto his father, and said: ‘My father’” What is the difference between Esau’s wording and Jacob’s wording? Jacob, who did not wish to alarm him, spoke in words of inferiors: “Arise, please, sit and eat of my game,” while Esau said, “Let my father rise,” as though he was not speaking to him but to himself.
159) When Esau entered, hell entered with him. Isaac was alarmed and dreaded, as it is written, “And Isaac was horrified with great dread.” Why does it say, “Great dread”? It is because there was no greater fear and dread over Isaac since the day he was created. Even at the time when he was tied at the altar and saw the slaughtering knife over him, he was not shaken as on the day when Esau came to him and he saw that hell that came with him. Then he said, “Before you came, and [I] blessed him? Yes, and he shall be blessed,” since I saw Divinity being thankful for these blessings.
160) Isaac said, “And I will bless him,” and a voice came out and said, “Yes, and he shall be blessed.” Isaac wished to curse Jacob. The Creator told him, “Isaac, it is yourself that you are cursing, since you have already told him, ‘Cursed be those who curse you, and blessed be those who bless you.’”
161) Everyone were grateful for these blessings, the upper ones and the lower ones. Even Sam’el, Esau’s minister, the share and lot of Esau, was thankful for them. And he blessed him and was thankful for the blessings and elevated him over his head above, meaning surrendered before him.
162) It is written, “Then he said, ‘Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.’ But he said, ‘I will not let you go unless you blessed me.’” He said, “Let me go” because Jacob was holding him. And he asks, how can a flesh and blood person hold an angel, who is really a ghost?
163) Indeed, we learn from this that when the angels—the emissaries of the Creator—come down to this world, they robe and cloak in a body similar to this world, for so it should be, to not change the customs of the place to which they go.
164) Similarly, when Moses rose up, it is written, “And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did not eat bread or drink water,” to not change the customs of the place to which he went. And it is said about the time when those angels from Abraham came down, “And he stood by them under the tree, and they ate.” Similarly, here the angel that came down would not be struggling with Jacob if he were not clothed in a body similar to this world. This is why Jacob struggled with him all through that night. But if he had not clothed, Jacob would not have been able to struggle with him.
165) Because the domination of the Sitra Achra is only at night, Esau’s ruling is only in the exile, which is night, meaning when it is as dark as night for us. This is why the angel fought with Jacob and struggled with him at night, and when the morning came, the strength of the angel waned and he could not overcome him. And then Jacob prevailed because Jacob’s dominion is in the day.
166) “The burden of Dumah. One calls unto me from Seir: ‘Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?’” Esau’s dominion is called “Seir,” and it is at night. This is the reason why the angel weakened when the morning came. And then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.”
167) “But he said, ‘I will not let you go unless you blessed me.’” It should have said “bless me” in future tense, since “blessed me” is past tense. That is, if you thank me for those blessings that my father had blessed me and will not slander me for them, then I will send you. This is why it is written, “Unless you blessed me,” in past tense, since this is only about Isaac’s blessings.”
“And he said, ‘Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel.’” Why did he call him Israel? He replies that he told him, “We must serve you against our will since with your great strength, you have been crowned above, in the upper degree. Hence, Israel shall be your name.
Partzuf ZA was divided at the Chazeh. From the Chazeh down it is called Jacob, and from there up it is called Israel. Since the angel saw that Jacob had become a structure for the upper degree, from Chazeh de ZA upwards, he was enslaved to serve him as though he was enslaved to the Creator, and he called him by his name, “Israel.”
168) “For you have striven with God,” to bond and to mate with God, which is Divinity, in a bonding and Zivug of the sun and the moon, which are ZA and his Nukva. This is so because being a structure for ZA from the Chazeh upwards, called “Israel,” he is included with ZA in his Zivug with Divinity and has bonded with Divinity along with ZA.
169) “And He said, ‘If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God.” “And He said” means to awaken to exert to listen to the voice of the Creator. Here too, “And He said” means “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel.” This means that “And He said” means that he will exert and rise from the degree of the name Jacob, which is from Chazeh de ZA downwards, to the degree of the name “Israel,” from Chazeh de ZA upwards, which is Mochin de GAR. This is so because Israel is an acronym for Li Rosh [a head for me], to be the inclusion of the patriarchs, since he is a middle line, which includes both lines—right and left—which are the patriarchs, Abraham and Isaac.
“And he blessed him there” means he thanked him for all the blessings his father had blessed him. And the reason why he did not wish to interpret the words, “And he said, ‘Your name shall no longer be Jacob,’” meaning that he changed his name from Jacob to Israel is that the name change belongs to the Creator and the angel cannot change a name.
170) “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies be at peace with him.” There are two angels for a person, emissaries from above to unite with him, one to the right and one to the left. And they testify to a person, and they are present in everything he does. Their names are “the good inclination” and “the evil inclination.”
171) When a man comes to be purified and to exert in the Mitzvot of the Torah, that good inclination that has become connected to him has already prevailed over the evil inclination and reconciled with it, and the evil inclination has become a servant to the good inclination. And when a person comes to be defiled, that evil inclination intensifies and overcomes the good inclination.
When that person comes to be purified, he needs to overcome several intensifications. And when the good inclination prevails, his enemies, too, make peace with him, since the evil inclination, which is his enemy, surrenders before the good inclination. When a person goes by the Mitzvot of the Torah, his enemies make peace with him, meaning the evil inclination and all who come from his side make peace with him.
172) Because Jacob trusted the Creator and all his ways were for His name, his enemies made peace with him. And Sam’el, who is Esau’s authority and strength, made peace with Jacob. And because he made peace with Jacob, he thanked him for the blessings, and then Esau, too, made peace with him.
But as long as Esau did not make peace with that appointee that was appointed over him, which is Sam’el, Esau did not make peace with him. This is so because in all places, the strength below depends on the strength above. And as long as the offender above is not weakened, which are the ministers appointed over them above, it is impossible to weaken the offender below in this world.
173) “And Isaac was horrified… and said: ‘Who then.’” When Isaac blessed Jacob, Divinity stood there. This is why he said, “Who then,” meaning “Where is the one who stood here and thanked for the blessings I have blessed him?” He will certainly be blessed, too, because after all, the Creator supported those blessings.
174) It is for that dread that Jacob frightened his father, Isaac, that Jacob was punished with the selling of Joseph, for then he feared that kind of fright, when he was told, “This have we found.” Isaac said, “Who then” [the Hebrew uses the word “where”]. In the “then,” Jacob was punished, as it is written, “Where they are pasturing,” where Joseph was lost from him and he was punished. Even though the Creator agreed with him about those blessings, he was still punished in the “Who then,” as it is written, “Where they are pasturing,” where Joseph was lost from him and he was punished with all that punishment.
175) “And Isaac was horrified with great dread.” Here the text writes “great,” and there it writes, “This great fire,” meaning the great fire with which hell entered with him. What is “So very much” [the end of the above quote in Hebrew]? It was said, “Very good” about the angel of death. Here, too, it implies to the angel of death that walked in with Esau. And then he said, “Who then.” Yes, and he shall be blessed” means that he understood that the blessings belonged to Jacob and not to Esau.
176) When Esau heard his father’s words, how much harm have these tears caused Israel, which Esau cried and shed before his father so he would be blessed from him, since his father’s words were so very important to him. Because of that, there was slandering over Israel that they do not keep the father’s honor as does he.
And did he call his name? That one who called him, the Creator, made a sound of spitting, to despise the one who called him Jacob. It does not say, “His name was called,” but “He called his name,” by which he did not intend to despise Jacob, but the one who called him Jacob.
177) “He has supplanted me twice.” Bechorati [my birthright] and Birchati [my blessing] have the same letters [in Hebrew]. The blessing belongs to the firstborn. Since he took the seniority from him, he has acquired the blessings, too. It turns out that those two deceptions are one. Since he already despised his own seniority by himself, when he said, “I am going to die, what good can this birthright do me?” meaning he despised his way, which is illumination of the left without integration with the right, and he gave his way to Jacob, which is the middle line. Thus, he determined his path forever, since by that he admitted that the blessings belong to Jacob, since the blessings are the setting of the way for all eternity. Hence, he had set Jacob’s way for eternity. By despising the seniority, he thanked him for the blessing. This is the meaning of Bechorati [my birthright] and Birchati [my blessing] having the same letters.
179) “I have made him thy lord… and what then [the Hebrew uses the word, “where”] shall I do for thee?” “What then [where]” means that there is no one standing here agreeing that you should take the blessings. Hence, what can I do my son? And then he blessed him in this world. He looked in his degree and told him, “And by the sword shall you live,” because so it befits you, to shed blood and to make wars, since he adheres to the left line, which is Dinim. And he said about that, “What can I do, son, that your degree is not worthy of a blessing?”
180) He told him, “And what then shall I do for thee,” for I have seen you in Dinim, in sword, and in blood. And I have seen your brother walk by the way of peace.
But son, I have caused you that, for you are my son, since Isaac, too, was left line, but he was mingled with the right, as it is written, “Abraham begot Isaac.” I caused you to be in the state of left line, from which there are Dinim and sword and blood, since you are my son and I am from the left line.
Hence, “By thy sword shall you live, and you shall serve your brother.” But still, this did not come true because Esau was not serving Jacob yet, since Jacob did not need him for now. And he repeated calling Esau, “my lord,” several times, since Jacob was looking to the distance and left him for the end of days.
181) “She opens her mouth with wisdom; and the law of kindness is on her tongue.” “She opens her mouth with wisdom” refers to the assembly of Israel, which is Divinity. “And the law of kindness is on her tongue” refers to Israel, who are the tongue of the Torah, since they speak of it day and night.
182) “She opens her mouth with wisdom” is the Bet of Beresheet [“In the beginning”], the Nukva, called “home.” “And the law of kindness is on her tongue” is Abraham, the line of Hesed in which He created the world and in which he always speaks, for he always speaks of the Torah, which is entirely extension of Hesed.
The shape of the letter Bet is blocked from one side and open on one side []. It is blocked on one side, as it is written, “And you will see My back.” Seeing is Hochma. When the Nukva receives Hochma, she is blocked due to the absence of Hassadim. This is why she is called Achoraim [back], and then the text says about her, “And you will see My back.”
On the other side, the Bet is open, to shine her face upwards, which is ZA. She is also open to receive from above, from ZA, and she is broken open like a corridor, to receive plenty of light. This is so because the corridor receives the light of the sun more than a house, and for this reason she stands at the head of the Torah, the Bet of Beresheet, as it is written, “She opens her mouth with wisdom.” Then she is filled with light, with all the words of Torah, which are “And the law of kindness is on her tongue.”
There are two openings of the Nukva in the text: 1) “She opens her mouth with wisdom,” and 2) “And the law of kindness is on her tongue.” When the Bet, which is the Nukva, opens—when she mates with ZA—there is bestowal and reception in her. This is so because ZA is always in covered Hassadim, since it is considered GAR de Bina, as in, “For he delights in mercy.” But when he mates with the Nukva, he mingles with her light of Hochma and says that the Nukva shines illumination of Hochma upwards, to ZA her husband, as it is written, “A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband.” This is because she crowns him with illumination of Hochma. Thus, the Nukva opens in bestowal, as it is written, “She opens her mouth with wisdom,” to bestow Hochma upon ZA. And she also opens in reception, for then she receives abundance of light of Hassadim from ZA, who is called “Torah,” as it is written, “And the law of kindness is on her tongue.”
“She opens her mouth with wisdom” refers to the Torah, which certainly started with wisdom, as it is written, “In the beginning God created.” “In the beginning” means wisdom, as it is translated [from Aramaic], “In wisdom.” “And the law of kindness is on her tongue,” since afterwards the Torah speaks and says, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light,” which means light of Hesed.
“She opens her mouth with wisdom.” The first Hey of the Holy Name HaVaYaH, which is Bina, in which everything is included, and from which all the Mochin de ZON and the lower ones extend. It is concealed and revealed, and there is Katnut and Gadlut in her. During the Katnut she is everything above and below, meaning the Malchut below is included in Bina, which is above, and then Bina becomes concealed.
And during Gadlut she is the Mochin above, of Bina herself, and of below, of Malchut. At that time, she herself becomes revealed, in GAR, and she also gives him Mochin to the Malchut.
Therefore, “She opens her mouth with wisdom” because due to the GAR de Bina, she is concealed and is not known at all, as it is written, “Hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air.” And when Bina began to spread with the Hochma that clung to her, and which clothed within her as the seven lower Sefirot in her, which is “She opens her mouth with wisdom,” she could not spread until she uttered a voice, ZA, the middle line, which is the law of Hesed.
It is said about him, “And the law of kindness [Hesed] is on her tongue,” since ZA is called “law” and he shines in the light of Hesed, hence he is called “the law of kindness.” And the reason why Bina could not spread in Hochma until the light of Hesed—ZA—came out, is that Hochma cannot shine before she is dressed with the light of Hesed.
184) “She opens her mouth with wisdom,” another interpretation. It is the last Hey in the name HaVaYaH, the Nukva, which is called “speech,” and depends on Hochma, for there is no speech without Hochma (wisdom) and intellect. This is why it is said about the Nukva, “She opens her mouth with wisdom.” “And the law of kindness [Hesed] is on her tongue” means voice, ZA, who stands on his speech, which is the Nukva, to lead her.
The law of Hesed is Jacob, ZA, who is called “law” and who is Hesed. Being on her tongue means on her speech, to lead the word and to unite with her, for there is no speech without sound.
In other words, the Nukva, called “speech,” has nothing of her own except what ZA, called “sound,” gives her. Hence, the speech is not heard without sound. This indicates the unification of ZON.
“She opens her mouth with wisdom.” When the Nukva opens her mouth to speak, to bestow Hochma upon the lower ones, “the law of Hesed is on her tongue.” At that time, she must unite with ZA, who is “sound” and “the law of Hesed,” and he is heard through the words on her tongue. This, too, is because the Hochma in the Nukva cannot shine without the light of Hesed of ZA.
185) “I wisdom dwell with cunningness, and I will find knowledge of devices.” “I wisdom” is the assembly of Israel, the Nukva, called “bottom Hochma.” “I dwell with cunningness” is Jacob, who is cunning because he took the blessings with cunningness. “And I will find knowledge of devices” is Isaac, for he had knowledge of devices to bless Esau. And because Hochma, Divinity, partook with Jacob, who came with cunningness, “I will find knowledge of devices.” This means that Jacob was blessed by his father, who had the knowledge of devices to bless Esau and all those blessings rested on him and were realized in him and in his sons for all eternity.
186) They were kept in this world and they will all be kept at the time of the Messiah King. This is because then Israel will be one nation in the land and one people to the Creator, as it is written, “And I will make them one nation in the land,” and they will reign above and below, as it is written, “And, behold, there came with the clouds of heaven one like a son of man,” meaning the Messiah King. This is why Jacob wished for his blessings to be postponed for the future and did not take them immediately.
187) At that time, when Jacob came out from his father with the blessings, he looked at himself and said, “I wish to put these blessings off for a later time, and they last for long.” He feared that the blessings might be upon him immediately, lest there would be a cessation in them, should Israel sin. A voice came out and said, “‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant,’ declares the Lord,” for I am with you. I will not leave you in this world, “I will save thee from afar,” for that time to which you put off the keeping of the blessings. “And thy seed from the land of their captivity,” means that even though Esau has now taken the blessings and his sons will enslave your sons, I will deliver them from his hands and then your sons will enslave him. “And Jacob shall return,” meaning to Divinity, which will be with Jacob once again. “And Jacob shall return,” certainly, “And shall again be quiet and at ease,” meaning quiet from those kingdoms of Babel, Madai, Javan, and from Edom, who were enslaving Israel. “And none shall frighten him” forever and ever.
189) Everything that the Creator does in the land is with wisdom, and it is all in order to teach people the upper wisdom, so they will learn the secrets of the wisdom from those deeds. And everything is as it should be, and all His deeds are the ways of the Torah, since the ways of the Torah are the ways of the Creator, and there is no small thing that does not have several ways and routes and secrets of the upper wisdom.
190) There are three hundred laws decreed in the upper wisdom, in the verse, “And his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, daughter of Mezahab.” There are several secrets of the Torah in each and every action that is written in the Torah, and there is wisdom and true law in every single word. Hence, the words of the Torah are holy words, to show wonders from them, as it is written, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law.”
191) When the serpent deceived Adam and his wife, when he approached his wife and cast filth in her, in which Adam was seduced, then the world was defiled and the land was cursed because of him, and caused death to the whole world, and the world was ready to avenge him. Until the tree of life came, atoned for Adam, and subdued the serpent so he would never rule over Jacob’s seed.
192) When Israel sacrificed a male goat, that serpent surrendered and became a slave for Israel. This is why Jacob presented his father with two male goats, one to subdue Esau, who is a male goat, and one for the degree on which Esau depended and to which he clung, which is Sam’el, Esau’s minister.
193) This is why there is curse in the world until the arrival of a woman who is similar to Eve, and a man who is similar to Adam, and they will deceive and outsmart that serpent and the one who was riding it, Sam’el.
Jacob resembled Adam and Rebecca resembled Eve. And Esau was discerned as the serpent that Sam’el, Esau’s minister, was riding. This is why Rebecca and Jacob came with deceit and outsmarted Esau and Sam’el. And through the two male goats that Rebecca and Jacob offered, they prevailed over them.
194) “And Esau was… and Jacob was a peaceful [in Hebrew: Tam] man, dwelling in tents.” A Tam person means a whole person. Why is he whole? Because he dwells in tents, gripping both sides, right and left, Abraham and Isaac. It turns out that he is whole from the right, which is the light of Hassadim, and from the left, which is illumination of Hochma.
Tent means light. Since he consisted of two lights, the illumination of the right and the illumination of the left, the writing says about them, “Dwelling in tents,” in plural form.
And because he consisted of the two sides, Jacob came to Esau from Isaac’s side, which was included in him. These are the two male goats that he presented to Isaac, who were from the illumination of the left, from the discernment of Isaac. And he deceived him, as it is written, “With the kind, You show Yourself kind, and with the perverted, You show Yourself astute.” And when he came to receive the blessings, he came with support from above, the support of Abraham and Isaac, from the two sides—right and left—together.
195) When Jacob awakened to Sam’el, who is the degree of Esau, Sam’el quarreled and struggled with Jacob. And Jacob defeated him in several ways: the serpent was defeated in guile and in deceit. He was not defeated only in the male goat, meaning the two male goats that he presented to Isaac his father, by which he defeated Esau, who is the degree of the serpent. And even though all is one, the serpent and Sam’el, still, he defeated Sam’el with another victory, as it is written, “And there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he prevailed not against him.”
196) Sam’el came and wished to remove Jacob from the world. And that night was the night when the moon was created, the fourth night, the night when the lights were created, which is a time of danger. “And Jacob was left alone,” meaning there was no one else with him. On the night of the fourth day, the moon is missing, as it is written about it, “Let there be lights,” with the Vav absent [from the word Ohr, light], which spells curse. And that night Jacob was left alone. This is why he was in great danger, since when the moon is missing, the evil serpent intensifies and rules. And then came Sam’el and slandered Jacob, and wished to destroy him from the world.
197) And Jacob was strong on all sides, on the side of Isaac and on the side of Abraham, and they were both Jacob’s strongholds. Sam’el came to the right and saw Abraham strong in the middle of the day, on the right side, which is Hesed. He came to the left and saw Isaac strong with a harsh Din. He came to the body, the middle line, and saw Jacob strong from both sides, Abraham and Isaac, who were surrounding him. “And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh,” which is a place outside the body, and it is a pillar of the body upon which the whole body relies, meaning the Sefira of Netzah, which is the pillar of Tifferet, called Guf [body]. “And he strained the hollow of Jacob’s thigh as he wrestled with him.”
198) When the morning rose and the night passed, Jacob was strengthened and Sam’el’s strength weakened. Then he said, “Let me go,” for it was time to say the morning song, and I must go. He thanked him for the blessings and added a blessing of his own, as it is written, “And he blessed him there.”
199) How many blessings was Jacob blessed? One by his father, by deceit, which earned him all those blessings, and one by Divinity when the Creator blessed him upon his return from Laban, as it is written, “And God blessed Jacob.” One which that angel appointed over Esau blessed him, and one which his father blessed him when he went to Paddan-aram, as it is written, “And God Almighty will bless you.”
200) At that time, when Jacob saw himself in all those blessings, he said, “Which of them should I use now?” He said, “The weakest blessing.” And which was that? It was the last one, which his father blessed him. Even though this was a strong blessing, too, he said, “It is not as strong for governing this world as the first ones.”
201) Jacob said, “I will now take this blessing and use it, and I will put off all the others for a time when they are needed for me and for my sons after me.” When will that be? It will be at the time when all the nations gather to destroy my sons from the world, as it is written, “All nations surrounded me in the name of the Lord, I will surely cut them off. They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me… They surrounded me like bees.” There are three verses here, opposite the three remaining blessings that he had not used. One is the first blessing that his father blessed him, the second is the blessings that the Creator blessed him, and the third is the blessings that the angel blessed him.
202) Jacob said, “There is where I need all the blessings, to protect me from the kings and all the nations in the whole world that will surround me. Thus, I will put them off for there.” And now, for Esau, this blessing, the second blessing that his father blessed him is enough for him.
It is like a king who has several strong regiments and several warmonger ministers who are proficient in conducting wars, and stand ready against great kings, to wage war with them. In the meantime, the king hears of one giant robber. He said, “Those gatekeepers will go there and fight him.” His servants tell him, “Of all your regiments, you send only these?” The king says, “They will suffice for this robber, because I put off all the regiments and warmongers to fight against the mighty kings in the day of war. When I need them, they will be ready.”
So did Jacob say in regards to Esau. These blessings that his father blessed him when he went to Paddan-aram suffice for the moment, and I will put all the other blessings off for a time when my sons need them, against all the kings and rulers that will rise against them throughout the world.
204) When that time comes, these blessings will awaken against Israel from all sides and the world will be as it should be. And from that day forth, the upper kingdom will rise—Nukva de ZA—over all the other kingdoms, meaning that stone which was carved off that mountain that was not in the hands of men, as it is written, “From there, from the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel.” The stone is the assembly of Israel, Nukva de ZA.
205) We learn from this that the rest of Jacob’s blessings remained for Israel for the future, as it is written, “A remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob,” meaning they will return to Israel. And it is written, “And the remnant of Jacob shall be” in the nations, “In the midst of many peoples,” in all the nations and not in Esau alone. At that time, the rest of the blessings will awaken upon them, as it is written, “And the remnant… as dew from the Lord.”
206) “A son respected his father, and a servant his master.” The son is Esau. There was not a person in the world who respected his father the way Esau respected his father. And that respect that he gave him made him ruler in this world.
207) “And a servant his master” is Eliezer, Abraham’s servant. When Adam came to Haran with much wealth, several gifts, squandering, and loaded camels, he did not tell Bethuel and Laban that he was Abraham’s friend or another who came on Abraham’s request. But even before he began to say his words, it is written, “And he said, ‘I am Abraham’s servant.’” And afterwards he said several times, “my master.”
Because he honored Abraham with that title and that good, they waited for him for some time. Our sages said that Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, is Og the king of Bashan. This is why the Creator said to Moses, “Fear him not,” for Abraham’s merit will not help him. And the reason why he lived until that time was because he honored his master.
208) It is the same with that Esau. Thanks to his respect for his father, the Creator waited for him all that time when he ruled this world. And those tears brought Israel under his enslavement, until Israel return weeping and tearing, as it is written, “They shall come with weeping.” And then it is written, “And saviors shall come up.”
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