(înapoi la pagina ZOHAR CUPRINS / ŞMOT – click)
246) Why did the Creator wish to bring Israel down to exile in Egypt? Why the exile, and why specifically in Egypt?
247) Sixty is Malchut, the mighty ones above, from the side of Gevura that cling to carvings, meaning to the externality of the holy Haya of Israel, which is Malchut. This is why they are named after her, sixty queens [Malchuts]. Those are angels appointed over the nations. Eighty maidservants are the angels appointed by the carvings of Malchut, beneath the sixty queens. This is why they are called maidservants and not queens, as it is written, “And maidens without number,” and “Is there any number of His armies?”
And yet, it is written, “My dove, my undefiled, is but one; she is the only one to her mother.” This is the Holy Divinity that comes out of twelve lights, and she is the radiance that shines for all. This is why she is called “mother” [Ima], as it is written, “She is the only one to her mother.”
248) The Creator acted similarly in the land. He threw all the nations to all sides and established appointees over them, as it is written, “Which the Lord your God has allotted unto all the peoples.” And the Creator took the assembly of Israel into His lot, as it is written, “For the portion of the Lord is His people, Jacob the lot of His inheritance.” He called it, “My dove, my undefiled, is but one; she is the only one to her mother.” This is the Divinity of His honor, which He established between them. And she is one and dedicated to Him. “The daughters saw her, and called her happy,” as it is written, “Many daughters have done nobly, but you excel them all.” Malchut, “maidservants,” and “Will praise her” are the ministers of the people over whom they were appointed.
249) The world was created in ten utterances. But when you look, they are only three that the world was created in: Hochma, Tevuna, and Daat. And the world was created only for Israel. When the Creator wished to sustain the world, He acted for Abraham in Hochma, for Isaac in Tevuna, and for Jacob in Daat. This is considered, “And by knowledge are the chambers filled. This means that HGT, which are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, have risen and became HBD. And at that time, the whole world was improved. And when twelve tribes were born to Jacob, twelve boundaries of the diagonal, everything improved in this world, similar to Atzilut above.
250) And when the Creator saw the great joy of this world when it improved to being as above, He said, “Let not the twelve tribes mingle with the rest of the nations, leaving a blemish in all the worlds.” What did the Creator do? He shook all of them to and fro until they went down to Egypt to dwell in their abodes inside the obstinate nation, which despises their conducts and degrades them by not marrying with them or mingling with them, and by considering them slaves. The males were loathsome of them and the females were loathsome of them until everything was bettered by the holy seed without mingling with strangers. In the meantime, the iniquity of the nations was completed, as it was said, “For the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full,” so when they come out, they will come out holy, as it is written, “The tribes of the Lord, as a testimony unto Israel.”
This settles the two questions that he asked, “Why were Israel exiled?” and “Why specifically to Egypt?” For fear that they would mingle the tribes with the rest of the nations, who appreciated Israel, He exiled them to Egypt, who were proud and despised and loathed Israel. And they were there until the iniquity of the Amorites was full and they came to their own land, for there was no longer fear of mingling with the rest of the nations.
(înapoi la pagina ZOHAR CUPRINS / ŞMOT – click)