The Count and the Calculation

(înapoi la pagina ZOHAR CUPRINS / BAMIDBAR – click)

1) “And the Lord spoke unto Moses in Sinai desert, in the tent of meeting.” “And God created man in His own image.” When the Creator created man, He made him in the form of upper ones and lower ones, and he consisted of all of them. And his light shone from the end of the world to the end of the world, and all feared him.

2) We should consider the text, “And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him.” Since it says, “In His image,” why add “in the image of God He created him”? These are two degrees, for Adam consisted of male and female. Hence, it was said to the male, “created,” and said to the female, “in the image of.”

3) Because of that, they were two Partzufim [plural of Partzuf], male and female, as it is written in the end, “Male and female He created them,” consisting of two sides. And although the female was holding to his side, she herself consisted of two sides, Hesed and Din, to be complete in everything.

4) Since he sinned, the Partzufim were diminished and the Hochma departed him, and he considered only the affairs of his Guf [body]. Afterwards, he begot sons, Abel from the upper ones and Cain from the lower ones, and no seed was left of them in the world until he begot Seth, and from him the world was planted.

5) Yet, the lower world was incomplete and was not completed and did not exist until the arrival of Abraham, and the world existed. However, it was not complete before Abraham was in the world in the right, Hesed [mercy], as one who grips the right hand of one who fell. Isaac came and took the world’s hand from the left, in Gevura, and the world existed more. When Jacob came, he gripped the middle, the Guf—middle line—and was mingled with both sides, right and left. Then the world persisted and did not collapse.

6) And yet, the world was not rooted in its root until Jacob begot twelve tribes and seventy souls, and the world was planted. However, it was not completed until Israel received the Torah and the tabernacle had been established. Then the worlds persisted and were completed and the upper ones and lower ones were perfumed.

7) When the Torah and the tabernacle were erected, meaning ZA and Malchut, the Creator wished to count the armies of the Torah, how many armies there are in the Torah, in ZA, and how many armies are in the tabernacle, in Malchut. He wished to count Israel, who are the armies of ZA and Malchut.

Everything that should settle in its place, tying the branch below with its root above, settles only when it is mentioned in the mouth and counted. Here, too, the Creator wished to count the armies of the Torah and the armies of the tabernacle, to tie Israel to their root above, meaning ZA and Malchut, which are called “Torah” and “tabernacle.” And they are all as one, inseparable. It is all as it is above because their roots, Torah and tabernacle, are in Zivug and are not separated from one another and go together.

8) For this reason, Israel, who are the armies of ZA and Malchut, are counted, so they are known by them, except for those other ones who are not counted, meaning women and those under twenty years of age. This is why it is written, “And the Lord spoke unto Moses in Sinai desert, in the tent of meeting.” If it is in the tent of meeting, why is there a need to say “In Sinai desert,” since it is known that the tent of meeting was only in Sinai desert? Indeed, it is one for the Torah, ZA, and one for the tabernacle, Malchut.

9) Both the Torah and the tabernacle were on the first day of the second month in the second year, which is Gevura and illumination of Hochma in the left. This is so because Nissan is right line and Hesed, and Iyar is left line and Gevura. And right and left were united. This month is called the month of Ziv [brightness], an indication to the month and the year, which illuminates the moon, Malchut, since the essential wholeness of Malchut is from the left line, the second month and the second year. It is so because then all the worlds are as complete as the Malchut that is their root. In the first month, Israel came out of Egypt, Hesed and right line. And now they were completed with the second month, too, which are Gevura and left line.

10) “The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless,” He will bless the house. “The Lord has been mindful of us; He will bless” are the men, who were counted in the desert. The Creator blesses them and adds to them each time.

11) One who praises one’s friend, for his sons or for his money, should bless him and be thankful for the blessings. How do we know? From Moses, as it is written, “You are today like the stars of heaven in number.” Afterwards it is written, “The Lord, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times so many more as you are, and bless you, as He has promised you!” There were two blessings for which to thank, and blessings over blessings. One was “The Lord, the God of your fathers,” and one, for later, was “And bless you as He has promised you.”

12) If one counts one’s friends merits and does not thank for the blessings, he is the first to be caught from above and is harmed because of it. And if he blesses him, he himself is blessed first. And he should bless him with a good eye, not with an evil eye. And in all things, the Creator desires the love of the heart. And one who blesses the Creator needs a good eye and a good heart, and the love of the heart even more so. This is why it is written, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart.”

13) There is no blessing from above on something that was counted. Thus, how are Israel counted? A ransom was taken from them and there was no counting until all that ransom was collected and calculated. In the beginning, they blessed Israel, and subsequently, they counted that ransom, and then blessed Israel again. It turns out that Israel were blessed in the beginning and in the end, and there was no death in them.

14) Why does death arise by counting? It is because there is no blessing in counting. Since the blessing departs, the Sitra Achra is upon him and he can be harmed. This is why in counting one takes ransom and redemption, to remove death from oneself.

The counting extends from left without right, Hochma without Hassadim, which emit dispute, darkness, and death. It is incorrigible unless through the middle line, by which the Masach diminishes the GAR of the left and unites it with the right. At that time the lights of the left diminish into being from below upwards, into VAK without GAR, half the degree. This is the half Shekel. But its illumination is complete because it is included with Hassadim from both lines.

There is no blessing there, which is Hassadim, since then the left is parted from the right, from blessing and from Hassadim. And the ransom, which is the half Shekel, extends from half of the degree of the left because it is already united with the right and the middle line. In this way, there is no death in counting.

Moreover, there is all the perfection in it, since first, the Hassadim, right line, are extended and half a Shekel is drawn from the left line, VAK de Hochma, and Hassadim are drawn from the middle line. Thus, Hassadim from the right line are from this side and Hassadim from the middle line are from that side. And then there are no Dinim [judgments] at all in the left line any longer.

15) “He will bless the house of Israel.” These are the females, called “house,” who were not counted. This is so because the females are not counted in the desert. “He will bless the house of Aaron,” since they are the priests and they bless the people with a good eye, a good heart, and with love of the heart. “The house of Aaron” implies women, who are blessed by Aaron’s blessing.

16) “He will bless those who fear the Lord” are the Levites, who are blessed because they fear the Lord. “The small together with the great” means that even though the small ones were not counted because only those from twenty years and older were counted, they were blessed along with the great.

17) They could not find a number in Israel by which to be blessed, such as the number that was counted with the half Shekel. This is so because this number was to be blessed, and to complement the perfection of the worlds, which is the great perfection of the unification of Hochma in Hassadim. And where the blessings depart, they are counted, as it is written, “On the first of the second month, which is brightness,” illumination of Hochma in the left, of the blessings of the world, Hassadim, from which the brightness of the world arises.

This is why the second month, the left line, is called “brightness,” since the brightness of everything emerges from it, meaning illumination of Hochma that is included with Hassadim. Since it shines only from below upwards, it is not considered light but brightness. This is why it is written, “The Lord bless thee out of Zion,” out of Malchut in whom there is room for disclosure of illumination of Hochma. This is all one thing because the Malchut is built from the second month, the left line, and it is written, “For there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for ever.” The blessing is Hassadim and life is Hochma, as it is written, “Wisdom preserves the lives of its possessors.”

18) From which place are Israel blessed? Woe unto the world if they do not stand guard and people do not consider the honor of the High King. When Israel are worthy before the Creator, the worlds are in one high and holy tree, ZA, which is the nourishment of everything. And it was blessed from a place where all the blessings were gathered, from Bina, and it was planted in it and its roots were rooted. This is so because Mochin de ZA were planted in Bina, as it is written, “Three come out of one, one is rewarded with all three.”

19) And Israel below were blessed from a place from which all these blessings emerge and do not delay in their exit, from Malchut, as it is written, “The Lord bless thee out of Zion.” It is also written, “Like the dew of Hermon [the tallest mountain in Israel],” descending over the mountains of Zion, Malchut. And it is written, “For there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for ever.” This is the light of the world, as it is written, “Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth.” “Shone forth” means illuminates, and when He shines, He shines to all the worlds.

20) And when this light—blessing and life—awakens, everything is in unity, in Zivug, and all is in love, in perfection, and then it is peace for all, peace above and below, as it is written, “Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.”

(înapoi la pagina ZOHAR CUPRINS / BAMIDBAR – click)

error: Content is protected !!