Beautiful Boughs, the Joy of the Whole Earth

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38) “Beautiful boughs, the joy of the whole earth is Mount Zion in the far north, the city of the great King.” When the Creator created the world, He threw one precious stone under the throne, which sunk to the deep. One head of the stone is stuck inside the deep, and the other head of the stone is above. The other head, which is above, is a point that stands in the middle of the world, from which it expanded to the right and to the left, and to all the sides, and the world existed in that middle point. That stone is called “foundation,” and from it, the whole world was planted to all sides. It can also be interpreted that Shtia [foundation] has the letters of Shet Koh [YodHey], that the Creator Shet [established] it to be the foundation of the world and the planting of everything.

First, the world was created in Midat ha Din [quality of judgment], the restricted Malchut. He saw that the world did not persist because the Kelim of the people of the world, which extended from the restricted Malchut, were unfit for reception of the upper light due to the Tzimtzum over Malchut. Thus, He associated Midat ha Rachamim [quality of mercy] with it, Bina, since He raised the Malchut in the place of Bina, who is Midat ha Rachamim. And when Malchut rose to the place of Bina, the end of the degree was made there, under Hochma, in the middle of Bina. Thus, Malchut gained two Kelim that are fit to receive Ohr Yashar—half of Bina and Tifferet.

It is so because when Malchut is in Bina’s place, Bina and Tifferet are under Malchut, and are therefore included in her. Thus, this whole place, from Bina to Malchut, became considered Malchut, whose one end is stuck in the place of Malchut of Midat ha Din below, and whose other end stands above, in the middle of the Sefira Bina.

This was done in each degree in particular, and in the worlds in general, the five worlds AK and ABYAAK is Keter, the world of Atzilut is Hochma, the world of Beria is Bina, the world of Yetzira is ZA, and the world of Assiya is Malchut. The Emanator elevated Malchut from Assiya to below Atzilut, which is Hochma, where she ended the world of Atzilut. It is considered that the Emanator threw a rock from the end of Atzilut through Assiya.

It is so because since the three worlds BYA are under the Malchut that ends Atzilut, they are included in her and all are regarded as Malchut, and she expanded from the end of Atzilut through the world of Assiya. Thus, she is stuck in Assiya, and her other end stands at the end of Atzilut, in Malchut de Atzilut that is there, and which is called “the middle point,” since she stands in the middle of the worlds under Hochma, which is Atzilut.

Malchut is called “a stone.” Because of her ascent to Bina, she is called “precious,” and the Emanator threw her, giving her the power of expansion from the place of Bina called “the throne,” until he sank in Malchut of Midat ha Din below, called “the deep.” Within her, she includes all the degrees in this place, which are VAK de Bina and Tifferet through the Malchut below. The majority of Malchut stands in the place of Bina, which is therefore called “the middle point,” as she is in the middle of the degree, in the place of Bina of each degree.

We could ask, “But Malchut rose to the place of Bina, under the Hochma, so why does it say that He threw one precious stone under the throne, under Bina? It is because GAR de Bina do not exit the degree due to the end of Malchut below the Hochma. Rather, only VAK de Bina exit the end of Malchut, and the VAK of each degree are regarded as the bottom of the degree. This is why it says “under the throne.”

It was said, “And from there it expanded to the right and to the left, and to all the sides,” that is, the whole world was planted from her to all the sides. All the Mochin and the ascent of the lower one to the upper one to receive Mochin depend on that middle point, which is Malchut that rose to Bina, since by her descent to her place, Bina and TM rise back to their degree, and also receive the lower one with them, who receives Mochin from the upper one. Thus, all is done by the middle point.

The above-said applies to all the degrees. Here The Zohar speaks of the degree of the earth of Assiya, which includes ten earths, ten Sefirot from the deep, which is the outermost Malchut of the earths, in the ocean that surrounds all the Malchut of the earths, through VAK de Bina of the earths, the land in which we dwell. This is the place of the expansion of Malchut. Her upper head is in the land where we dwell, and the lower head is in the deep.

Shtia [foundation] has the letters of Shet Yod Hey, and Malchut is established to being in the place of Bina, who is called Koh, for by that, the worlds acquire the proper Kelim for reception of the upper light. Also, by that, the lower one is prepared to receive Mochin from the upper one, and hence she is the foundation of everything and the planting of everything.

39) In three ways, the earth expanded around that point, the Malchut in the interior of this world. All the refinement and purity in the land stand at the first expansion around that point, and there it is. She is above, over all the earth around that point. The second expansion is around the first expansion and is not as refined and pure as the first expansion, but it is fine and refined in terms of the refinement in the dust, more than any other dust. The third expansion is darker and of more Aviut of the dust than all of them. Around that expansion are the waters of the sea of the ocean that surrounds the entire world. It follows that that point stands in the middle, and all the manners of expansion of the world are around it.

40) The first expansion is the Temple, and all the palaces and helps, and all its corrections, and Jerusalem, and the whole city from the wall inwards. Hence, it is more refined and purer than all the earth. The second expansion is the whole of the land of Israel, which was sanctified in sanctity. The third expansion is the rest of the earth, the dwelling place of the rest of the nations, and the sea of ocean that surrounds everything.

The Zohar speaks of the earth in this world, which consists of ten Sefirot. The Malchut of the earths rose to Bina of the earths and ended the degree there, in a way that the Malchut expands from VAK de Bina of the earths through the deep in the ocean, which is the outer Malchut in Malchut of the earths. It follows that the primary point of Malchut stands above VAK de Bina of the earths, which is the middle point, and the primary part of Malchut that is mitigated in Bina, and whose end is stuck in the deep.

She takes up four Behinot in VAK de Bina of the earths, which is the inhabited land:

  1. The upper most Behina in her is the Temple and the city of Jerusalem from the wall inwards.
  2. From Tifferet in her through Yesod, the land of Israel.
  3. Malchut in her, the rest of the nations.
  4. The deep, the outer Malchut.

These four Behinot surround one another and the middle point is the innermost, in the place of the holy of holies. She is called “the foundation stone.”

41) The colors in the eye surround the middle point of the eye, which is the power of vision of the whole eye, like the middle point in the insides of the land. It is the vision of everything and there is the holy of holies, the ark, and the cover, which is the vision of everything. It follows that that point is the vision of the entire world. This is why it is written about it, “Beautiful boughs, the joy of the whole earth, is Mount Zion.” She is called “beautiful” because this sight is beautiful. “Boughs” is the branch of the tree, ZA, the beauty of everything.

42) The beauty of the world and the vision of the world were not seen in the world until the tabernacle was built and established, and the ark entered the holy place. From that time, the vision of everything, of Divinity, was seen in the world and the world was established. The worthy come into the tabernacle and the ark until they arrive at the middle point that is there, which is “Beautiful boughs, the joy of the whole …” Once they arrive there, the ark started and said, “This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.”

43) The Assembly of Israel said this verse when the Temple was built and the ark was put in its place. The Creator said this verse about the Assembly of Israel when Israel do His will, for then the Creator sits on His throne and has mercy on the world, and a blessing, peace, and love of all are present. Then He said, “This is My resting place forever.”

44) When all the craftsmen began to do their craft, that very craft which they began was completed by itself, for it is written, “And all the work of the tabernacle of the tent of meeting was completed,” meaning completed by itself.

45) Likewise, it is written, “And the heaven and the earth were finished,” meaning completed by themselves. But it is written, “And on the seventh day God finished.” Thus, did God finish and complete them, and not by themselves? Of course the whole world—though all the works were completed—the world was still incomplete in its existence until the seventh day came, since when the seventh day came, all the works were completed and the Creator completed the world in it, as it is written, “And on the seventh day God finished His work which He had made.” By that, by the seventh, all the work that He had done was completed in existence. For this reason, “And on the seventh day God finished.”

46) When the Temple was built, all the work that was done, was done by itself. The craftsmen began, and the work was seen to them—how it should be done—and it was registered before them, and the work was completed by itself, as it is written, “And the house, while it was being built,” since it was completed by itself. It is also written, “Was built of a complete stone carried,” since it was built by itself. So it is in every work that is holy: it is completed by itself.

47) The spirit of holiness declared before the eyes of Israel and said, “Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah did everything that the Lord commanded Moses … With him, Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach.” “With him” means that Oholiab did not do the work alone, but with Bezalel, and with him, not of his own, since Bezalel is right, and Oholiab is left. Thus, the left is always included in the right. This is why it is written, “And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab,” one is right, one is left, and the left is included in the right.

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