The Third Palace of the Sitra Achra, Dumah, Corresponding to the Enemy of the Evil Inclination

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866) The third palace is murky and dark. There is no light in it at all; it is darker than the first palaces, and it is called Dumah, corresponding to the name of the evil inclination, who is called “enemy.” There are four doors in it to four sides.

867) An appointee stands by that door by the force of the vexation on the world. When the Din is in the world, the appointee at the door takes arms and places them at the doors of synagogues. He is called Sakaportia, the failure of the world. It is written about it, “The way of the wicked is as darkness; they know not on what they stumble.” When he rules and the Din is in the world, he stands to see who is walking alone on the street, and if he meets him he can harm him and weaken his fortune.

Malchut is called “a synagogue.” At the door of Malchut crouches sin, which is the harsh Midat ha Din de Man’ula. Angel Sakaportia is the one who places arms there, the Man’ula, for since he stands opposite the palace of Netzah de Kedusha, his force is powerful. This is why it was said, “When the Din is in the world, the appointee at the door takes arms and places them at the doors of synagogues,” meaning by the door of Malchut. Hence, the wicked, who cling to the Sitra Achra and extend Hochma from above downward, who fail in sin, the Man’ula on Malchut’s door, lose through him the light of life.

868) The second door, where Snagdiel stands—to receive the verdicts, the writings in which the verdicts are written—has several instigators of judgment and sentencing under him, poised to receive those verdicts. That appointee stands by the second door.

869) When he receives the verdict from the appointee Malkiel, at the first door of the third palace of Kedusha, he stands at this door and descends to those dark doors below—one to the one called Pit, the second palace of the Sitra Achra, and one to the first palace of the Sitra Achra, called Hole. There, several thousand and tens of thousands of appointees rule the world to execute Din, and the Din in that verdict is completed.

870) Angrion is appointed over the third door. He stands over all the illnesses, pains, percolations, and fire of the bones, in which there is no death, and which extend from the Dinim of the left, since several thousands and tens of thousands emerge from him, appointed with him over all those illnesses and pains.

871) The fourth door, the spirit, Askara, who was created during the diminution of the moon, stands over the death of children. He appears before children and laughs with them until he puts them to death. He seems to them like a woman, like the child’s mother, who nurses them, laughs with them, grips them, and kills them.

872) In the middle of that palace stands the spirit, Agirison, appointed over the dead from 13 to 20 years. Their death by the hand of that appointee is in his bonding with the serpent who stands with him and follows him. This is why he is called “the angel of death,” “very good,” as it is written, “And behold, it was very good.”

873) Two spirits expand and come out from here, wrath and fury, who were appointed over all those who hear a scolding from one who engages in Torah, when the one who engages in Torah scolds them for not walking on the straight path. They trust his kindness and are not worried because of it. And also over all those who laugh and mock words of Torah or words of sages.

874) Several thousands and tens of thousands come out from these wrath and fury, and stay over the people who engage in Torah or in Mitzva so they will be saddened and not rejoice in the Torah and in the Mitzva that they are practicing. It is those two that Moses feared when Israel sinned with the calf and he came down from the mountain, as it is written, “For I was afraid of the wrath and the fury.”

875) There is a spirit under those wrath and fury, who stands over all the slanderers, since when people awaken in slander, or a person awakens in slander, the evil and impure spirit, Saksika—who is above, on the awakening of the slander that people began—awakens and enters above, causing death, ruin, and killing in the world through the awakening of the slander. Woe to those who evoke that evil side and do not watch their mouths and tongues, and are not concerned with it. They do not know that the awakening above depends on the awakening below, for better or for worse.

876) When the awakening of the slander awakens below, the slant serpent raises his scales and erects them by raising, so they are erect. He awakens from head to toe because when his scales rise and awaken, his whole body awakens. These scales of his are all those who breach the judgment and law from the outside.

It is so because the serpent and the entire Sitra Achra have a grip only from Malchut de Kedusha, as it is written, “And her legs go down to death.” But in the iniquity of slander, Malchut rises in Bina, and the serpent clings from Malchut in the place of Bina. It is so because as the slanderer blemishes a person in whom there is no blemish, so it is above—the Din of MalchutMan’ula in Bina, ascends, making a flaw in a place where there was no flaw. This is why it was said that the awakening above depends on the awakening below.

Malchut of the serpent was made of the harsh Midat ha Din that extends from Malchut de Kedusha that is not mitigated. His scales, his skin, and his tale are the Malchut of the serpent, and it was said, “The slant serpent raises his scales and erects them by raising,” meaning raises his Malchut, the harsh Midat ha Din, called “scales,” to the place opposite Bina de Kedusha, for by causing the iniquity of slander, Malchut rises to the place of Bina, making it possible for the serpent to grip to the Dinim that descend from Bina. It is considered that he raises his scales to there—all those who breach the judgment and law from the outside. They are the saboteurs who extend from the externality of Malchut, the harsh Midat ha Din.

877) All those who breach the judgment and law awaken and cling to the evil word that the person said, and awaken to the slant serpent, the male of the serpent. Then the entire wicked body of the serpent awakens from his head to his toes to blemish all the palaces, all the scales in his skin come down, his skin is stripped and descends, and the body—without the skin and scales—ascends and awakens to be a slanderer above.

Once the skin and the scales of the serpent have risen and clung above, opposite from BinaMalchut’s Dinim, which are in his scales and skin, were cancelled and descended from him because there was no need for them. Then the serpent takes off his skin, and the rest of his body becomes a slanderer above, opposite from Bina.

878) Although there is a set time for all the serpents in the world to take off their skins once every seven years, still, they take it off only when slander is awakened from below. At that time the evil serpent awakens above and takes off his skin and scales. One ascends, and one descends; his body ascends to opposite from Bina, and his skin and scales strip off from him and descend. The undressing of his skin and scales is harder for him than anything because he parts from his Zivug.

His skin and scales are the Malchut of the serpent, the serpent’s female mate. He parts from his Malchut because if everything were in bonding with his Malchut, the skin and the scales, which are the harsh Midat ha Din, the world would not be able to tolerate. This is why he is the correction of the world, and everything is thanks to the awakening of the slander below, for although he is the correction of the world, the matter is not done by itself, but due to the iniquity of slander.

879) When the serpents below strip off the skin, each makes a sound that evokes several serpents that stand in the hole, and all of them gossip about the world, to evoke the great serpent to gossip about the world. It is all due to the awakening of slander when there is awakening of it below.

880) Likewise, one who engages in Torah, several angels, who are called “the holy tongue,” unite and evoke an awakening to a place called “the holy tongue.” This is a tongue from the sanctity above. It is the middle line, the balance pivot, uniting the right and the left with one another, for then the Kedusha appears over them, and several holy ones awaken from all the sides. Happy are the righteous who make Kedushot [pl. of Kedusha] awaken above and below, Kedusha of above in Bina, and Kedusha of below in Malchut.

881) It is written about it, “Sanctify yourselves and be holy.” “Sanctify yourselves” is the first water, called “upper water.” It is the Kedusha of above, Bina. “And be holy” is the lower water, last water, Kedusha of below, Malchut. The food is in the middle, between the first water and the last water. Hence, food is not in the last water, Malchut, but in the first water, Bina, since the first water is from above, from Bina, from which the food hangs down, for all the Mochin are from Bina, and not in the last water—Malchut who receives from Bina, and who has nothing of her own. The secret is given to the high and holy. Happy are they in this world and in the next world.

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