And Aaron Shall Cast Lots upon the Two Goats

(înapoi la pagina ZOHAR CUPRINS / ACHAREI MOT – click)

112) “And he took Shimon [Simeon] from them and bound him before their eyes.” What was the reason that Joseph took Shimon more than his other brothers? Joseph said, “In every place, Shimon is the opening of the Din. That time when I went from my father to my brothers, Shimon began with Din first, as it is written, ‘They said to one another, ‘Here comes this dreamer! Now come let us kill him.’’ And then about Shechem, it is written, ‘And two of Jacob’s sons, Shimon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came upon the city.’ They were all in Din. This is why it was good for Joseph to take it and not evoke strife in all the tribes.”

113) What was the reason that Shimon connected to Levi more than to all, after all, Reuben was his brother and was as close to him as Levi, so why did he not cling to Reuben? But Shimon saw and knew that Levi came from the side of Din, and Shimon was gripping from the side of the harsher Din. He said, if we mingle with one another we will destroy the world. What did the Creator do? He took Levi to His part. He said, “Henceforth, Shimon will sit alone, chained in ropes.”

114) On the side of Ima there are two spirits that seek judgment gripping to the left hand. Each day they spy on the earth, Malchut. That is, they suckle from NHY de Malchut, called “legs,” as it is written, “Two men, spies” [In Hebrew, “legs” and “spies” have the same root].

115) Happy are Israel more than all the idol-worshipping nations, for the Creator wishes to purify them and have mercy on them, for they are His lot and inheritance, as it is written, “For the portion of the Lord is His people, Jacob the lot of His inheritance.” It is also written, “He made him ride on the high places of the earth.” They grip above, in ZA, hence the love of the Creator clings to them, as it is written, “I have loved you, says the Lord.”

And out of the great love that He loves them, He has given them one day in the year to purify and cleanse themselves of all their iniquities, as it is written, “For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you,” so they are worthy in this world, in the next world, and there will be no sin among them. For this reason, on that day Israel are crowned and rule over all the seekers of Din and over all the spirits.

116) “And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats, one lot for the Lord, and one lot for Azazel.” It is particularly Aaron, since he comes from the side of Hesed and can complement the Malchut with Hassadim. “Upon the two goats” implies Malchut above the two goats, so Malchut will be perfumed.

“One lot for the Lord and the other lot for Azazel.” Two goats imply Dinim. And why is one for the Lord? The Creator said, “Let one goat stay with Me, and let one walk and wander in the world, for if the two unite, the world will not be able to withstand.”

117) That goat goes out and walks and wanders in the world. It finds Israel in several works, in several degrees, in several good laws, but cannot overcome them. There is peace among all of them and it cannot penetrate them with gossip, meaning it cannot slander them. That goat is sent with the burden of all of Israel’s iniquities.

118) Several battalions of saboteurs come under the hand of that goat, and they are appointed to spy on the earth on all those who breach the words of the Torah. On Yom Kippur [Day of Atonement], he does not slander and talks about Israel. When that goat comes to Azazel, to the mountain, such great joy is perfumed in it for everyone. That seeker of Din who went out, the goat of above, returns and praises Israel; the prosecutor has become an advocate; the slanderer has become a giver of good references.

The questions here are “What are these lots for?” “Why should Aaron give the lots and not some other person?” and “Why was this portion said specifically on Yom Kippur?” To explain them, The Zohar introduces three issues: the matter of Shimon and Levi, the matter of two men, spying, and the matter of the two goats. At their roots, the Dinim in them are equal.

Two kinds of Dinim are the roots of all the Dinim and the sins in the world: Dinim de Dechura [male Dinim], which extend from the left line, and Dinim de Nukva, which extend from the Masach. When the Dinim de Nukva come from the correction, from the middle line, they contradict the Dinim de Dechura and revoke them. However, if the Dinim de Nukva do not come from the correction, but rather from the Dinim themselves, then not only do they not cancel the Dinim de Dechura, they are added to them and destroy the world.

Shimon and Levi were Dinim. Shimon is from the Dinim de Dechura, extending from the left line, and Levi is from the Dinim de Nukva, extending from the Masach. Shimon saw and knew. He said, let us mingle with each other and destroy the world, for when the Dinim de Nukva in Levi are added to Shimon’s Dinim de Dechura, they will destroy the world. What did the Creator do? He took Levi to His portion, raised him up to His correction, to the middle line, at which time he contradicts the Dinim de Dechura and makes his GAR of the left disappear, as in the middle line. Henceforth, Shimon will sit alone, chained in ropes. That is, his GAR of the left will be diminished and he will remain in VAK de Hochma. This is regarded for him as though he is tied in ropes by the Dinim de Nukva in Levi.

This settles the verse, “And he took Shimon from them and bound him before their eyes.” We should ask, “What was the reason that Joseph took Shimon over his other brothers?” Joseph is Yesod, the middle line from the Chazeh and below. Hence, the Dinim de Nukva, established in the middle line, bound Shimon, who diminished the GAR of the left in Shimon, from whom come all the Dinim and the quarrels.

From the side of Ima, two spirits that seek Din grip to the left hand. These are Dinim de Nukva and Dinim de Dechura, and both extend from Ima to Malchut. The Dinim de Nukva join and unite with the Dinim de Dechura from Ima’s left hand, and each day they spy on the earth, since they grip to the NHY of Malchut, called Raglaim [legs]. Malchut is called “earth,” and this is why they are called “Meraglim [“spies,” having the same root as Raglaim (legs)] of the earth. They awaken each day, and their correction is through the illumination of the middle line each day. It is written about them, “Two men, spies.”

And why is “one for the Lord”? The Creator said, “Let one goat stay with Me.” This is the goat for the sin-offering. In their roots above, both goats are Dinim. The goat for the sin-offering is Dinim de Nukva, and the goat for Azazel is Dinim de Dechura. The Creator, the middle line, said that the goat for the sin-offering will “stay with Me,” meaning that its Dinim will be corrected in the middle line, which diminishes the GAR of the left line, and the goat for Azazel, which is from Dinim de Dechura, will go and roam the world alone.

It is the same as with Shimon and Levi, who destroy the world if they connect because if the Dinim de Nukva do not extend from the correction of the middle line, they join the Dinim de Dechura and destroy the world. This is why He took Him the goat for the sin-offering.

It was said in The Zohar that on Rosh Hashanah day [Hebrew New Year’s Eve], Satan should be stunned, similar to a state of one who has woken up from his sleep and does not know anything. On Yom Kippur [Day of Atonement], Satan should be dealt with calmly. He should be given contentment with the goat to Azazel that is sacrificed for him. At that time he becomes an advocate for Israel.

It is so because on Rosh Hashanah, the world reverts to the state it was in on the fourth day of the work of creation: GAR de Hochma reappear, and the Sitra Achra awakens to extend Dinim of the left on the world. The correction for it is blowing the Shofar [festive horn], which diminishes the GAR from the worlds, leaving them in VAK without a Rosh, and Satan is confused because his grip is only to the GAR of the left, and now they have vanished due to the blowing of the Shofar.

However, because GAR disappeared, a place of deficiency has been created in the worlds, and Sitra Achra rises and grips to the deficient place of the GAR, and makes people sin. This is why the intermediate are in doubt until Yom Kippur.

For this reason, a second correction took place on Yom Kippur—redrawing illumination of Hochma. And for this reason a correction was made that the Sitra Achra will not grip to the left, to make the world sin by extending Hochma from above downward. And the correction introduced in several places is that upon disclosure of Hochma, harsh Dinim will appear with it, which punish the wicked. By that, Hochma is kept from the wicked’s draw from above downward.

The source of that correction was done on Yom Kippur by the goat for Azazel. On Yom Kippur the Hochma appears by clothing of Malchut to Bina. At that time, it is written, “And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats,” where one goat is Dinim de Nukva, and the other goat is Dinim de Dechura extending from GAR de Hochma. “One lot for the Lord,” the lot in which there are Dinim de Nukva, which rises to the Creator, the middle line, by the force of the blowing of the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah, receiving the illumination of Hochma in VAK, as is the way in Kedusha.

“And one lot for Azazel.” This is the goat in which there are Dinim de Dechura, and on which GAR de Hochma is revealed because it extends the illumination of Hochma from above downward, as does the Sitra Achra. Subsequently, it is written, “And he shall let the goat go in the desert,” meaning that all the punishments that extend to those adhered to it became revealed on it, since they must follow it to the desert and the ruin.

And then both Dinim were corrected. The Dinim de Nukva were corrected by the lot for the Creator rising over them to the middle line, having corrected them with illumination of VAK de Hochma. And in order to prevent the Sitra Achra from clinging to the place of deficiency of GAR de Hochma, he was given the goat to Azazel, extending GAR de Hochma with all the Dinim and the punishments. And then the prosecutor becomes an advocate.

It is so because he will not want to cling to a place of deficiency of GAR de Hochma so as to not ruin his own GAR, which he suckles from the gate to Azazel. And also, by sending it to the desert, there is no fear that he will make the people of the world sin with drawing from above downward due to the Dinim upon it. When that goat to Azazel reaches the mountain, such great joy is perfumed in it for all, meaning all the Dinim—the Dinim de Nukva, as well as the Dinim de Dechura. And that seeker of Din who went out, the goat of above, returns and praises Israel. The prosecutor has become an advocate, the slanderer has become a giver of good references.

The two goats imply Dinim, but why should one be for the Lord? The Creator said, “Let one goat stay with Me.” That is, let the one from the Dinim de Nukva stay with Me and receive VAK de Hochma, as is the way of Kedusha, and let another go and wander in the world, to seduce the people of the world to extend for it the GAR from above downward as it wishes.

Then the Sitra Achra went to make people sin, so they would draw for him illumination of Hochma from above downward. That goat goes and wanders in the world, and finds Israel in several works, several degrees, several good laws, and it cannot overcome them. Through the lots, the merit of the goat is clarified—the one which was to be the lot for the Creator, the great illuminations and Mochin that extend from it, as opposed to the great Dinim and punishments that appear with the goat that went to Azazel. At that time all of Israel cling to the Creator with all their might, and the Sitra Achra cannot come among them with gossip due to fear of the Dinim that are revealed with him.

Those two Dinim are the roots of all the sins and iniquities. And because those two fundamental Dinim have been corrected, we can be certain that the house of Israel will no longer sin.

That goat is sent with the burden of all of Israel’s iniquities, as it is written, “And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a deserted land,” for Israel have become certain that they will no longer sin because of the Dinim that appeared with the goat that was sent to the deserted land, and then they will be pardoned. This clarifies the question, “What are these lots for?”

And Aaron, why should he give the lots? It is precisely Aaron, for because he came from the side of Hesed, he was worthy of extending the abundance of Hassadim on the goat on which the lot for the Creator was applied, and to unite the right and left in Malchut with each other.

And why was this portion said on Yom Kippur? It is because out of love, He has given them one day a year in which to purify and cleanse them from all their iniquities.

119) Where Israel need to be purified from their iniquity, the Creator gives the advice of tying accusers, so they do not slander, and to perfume them with these sacrifices and offerings that they sacrifice to the Creator. And then they cannot harm. It is especially so on Yom Kippur. And as Israel below perfume everything through the two goats, so they perfume all the slanderers, and everything is a sacrifice and worship of the Creator.

120) When it is written, “And Aaron shall take the two goats,” those two goats—which are Dinim de Nukva and Dinim de Dechura above—awaken and want to connect with one another, and rule, and go out to the world. When the priest brings those two goats closer below, in the Temple, those above grow near, and then lots go out to all directions. The priest gives lots below. The priest, Hesed, gives lots above.

And as one goat remains in the Creator below—one lot for the Lord, and one, a goat for Azazel, is taken out to the desert—so it is above, one remains in the Creator in the middle line, and one goes out and roams the world toward the upper desert. The Dinim appear along with the appearance of Hochma, which are regarded as “desert” and “deserted land,” one connects to one, and they illuminate each other. By that, the two kinds of Dinim are cancelled—both Dinim de Nukva and Dinim de Dechura.

121) It is written, “And Aaron shall lay both of his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel.” “And Aaron shall lay both of his hands” means right line and left line, so the Creator, the middle line, will consent to his hands. “On the head of the live goat.” The word “live” comes to include the goat above, on which the GAR de Hochma appear along with the Dinim, for Hochma is called “alive.”

122) “And confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel” is as is written, “And he shall confess that he has sinned on her.” “On her” means that a person has been purified, and all that iniquity remained on her, on the female goat. Here, too, he confessed it, meaning that after the priest confessed for Israel, “on it” means that all the iniquities will remain on him.

123) But it is written, “And they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to the goats,” so how can the goat for Azazel be aimed opposite the goat of above? However, there they would sacrifice the sacrifice to the goats, as it is written, “…their sacrifices to the goats,” since there they did their work for the goats and gave them predominance, and here it is written, “And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities.” The offering is done only for the Creator. Thanks to the sacrifice, upper and lower are blessed, and the Din is not present and does not rule over Israel.

(înapoi la pagina ZOHAR CUPRINS / ACHAREI MOT – click)

error: Content is protected !!