Autor: arhiprofesor

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58) Once, the world needed rains. The friends came before Rabbi Shimon. When he saw them he said, “A Song of Ascents for David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to also sit together.” What is, “For brothers to also sit together”?

59) It is written, “With their faces one to another.” Brothers means male and female. When ZA and Malchut look at each other in the face, it is written, “Behold, how good and how pleasant.” And when the male turns his face from the Nukva, woe to the world.

Then it is written, “There is he who perishes without judgment.” Without judgment means without ZA, that he is not looking and giving to the Nukva, who is called “justice.” It is written, “Justice and judgment are the foundation of Your throne,” meaning that one does not go without the other. And when the judgment, ZA, moves away from justice, Malchut, woe to the world.

60) “Now I see that you have come because the male is not in the female, for which there are no rains in the world.” He said, “If you came to me for this reason, return, for on this day I have looked, so everything will return to being PBP, and abundance of rains will no longer be missing in the world. And if you have come to me to learn Torah, sit with me.”

They said to him: “We have come to our master for everything, for rains as well as to learn Torah. Let one of us go and tell our brothers of the salvation of the rains, and we will sit before my lord.”

61) He started and said, “I am black and beautiful; the daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon.” The Assembly of Israel said to the Creator: “I am black in exile, and I am beautiful in the Mitzvot of the Torah.” Although Israel are in exile, they are not leaving the Mitzvot.

“As the tents of Kedar” means that I am like those sons of Keturah, whose faces are always black. And yet, “As the curtains of Solomon,” as the appearance of the heaven in purity, as it is written, “who stretches out the heavens like a curtain.” And Solomon is the Creator, a king that peace is his.

62) “Do not see me that I am swarthy, for the sun has tanned me.” Do not look at me because I am swarthy, for the sun has tanned me, because the sun did not look at me, meaning ZA, to properly illuminate for me. And Israel say, “My mother’s sons were angry with me; they made me caretaker of the vineyards, but I have not cared for my own vineyard.” “My mother’s sons are the appointed ministers who protect the rest of the nations.

63) “My mother’s sons were angry with me.” The Shechina said, “Actually my mother’s sons,” being the Sefirot de ZA, the sons of Bina, who is the mother of the Shechina, as it is written, “He has cast down the earth from heaven.” When ZA cast down the earth, who is the Shechina, from heaven, “they made me caretaker of the vineyards,” who are the nations of the world. She must bestow upon the nations of the world so that Israel will be nourished by them, because “I have not cared for my own vineyard,” meaning Israel, because they sinned.

My mother’s sons, the Sefirot de ZA, agreed to distance me by removing the earth, Malchut, from heaven, ZA, as it is written, “And his sister stood from afar,” meaning that the Shechina, the sister of ZA, stood far because ZA distanced her.

64) And here, opposite the verse, “And his sister stood from afar,” it is written, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to also sit together,” so that Malchut, the sister of ZA, will not be far, but together. In them, in ZA and Malchut, the words, “also [sit] together,” are clarified, as it is written, “And also this, too, when they are in the land of their enemies.”

“Also” is Malchut, who is called “this.” And “Also together” is Malchut, too. However, she is included in “when brothers sit [also] together,” so there was no need to write, “also.” Since it is written, “also,” it is to include all those above ZA and Malchut, who are YESHSUT, for the whole governance is in YESHSUT.

65) “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to also sit together.” These are the friends as they sit together, and are not separated from each other. At first, they seem like people at war, wishing to kill one another. Then they return to being in brotherly love.

The Creator says about them, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to also sit together” The word, “also,” comes to include the Shechina with them. Moreover, the Creator listens to their words and He has contentment and delights with them, as it is written, “Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord listened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him.”

66) And you, the friends who are here, as you were in fondness and love before, henceforth you will also not part until the Creator rejoices with you and summons peace upon you. And by your merit there will be peace in the world, as it is written, “For the sake of my brothers and my friends let me say, ‘Let peace be in you.’”

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56) “He will judge the world with justice, and the peoples with honesty.” “With honesty” is as it is written, “The honest ones love you,” in which the Shechina includes the two cherubim, Matat and Sandalfon, who are called “honest ones.” Previously, it is written, “He will judge the world with justice.” “Will judge” is ZA, and “justice” is Malchut. Afterward the text includes the cherubim, as well, where it is written, “And the peoples with honesty.”

57) It is written, “And he heard the Voice speaking to him from above the ark-cover that was upon the ark of the testimony, from between the two cherubim; and He spoke to him.” Wherever there are no male and female it is not worthwhile to see the face of the Shechina, for this is why he heard the voice speaking only from between the two cherubim.

It is written, “But the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; the upright shall dwell in Your presence.” These are the cherubim, who are called “honest.” It is also written, “He is righteous and upright,” which are male and female, since righteous is male, Yesod, and upright is Nukva, Malchut. Here, too, the cherubim are male and female, and it is written about them, “You have established the honest,” and also, “and the peoples with honesty.” This is why it is written, “covering the ark-cover with their wings, with their faces toward one another,” which is a Zivug PBP [Panim be Panim (face-to-face)].

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51) Happy are the righteous, whose honor the Creator desires. If a person rides the horse of a flesh-and-blood king, he is punishable by death. But the Creator had Elijah ride His, as it is written, “And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” It is also written, “And the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind.”

It is written about Aaron, “And he will not die, for I appear in the cloud upon the ark-cover.” Also, the Creator let Moses into the cloud, as it is written, “And Moses entered the midst of the cloud,” which is Malchut, the same cloud of which it is written, “For I appear in the cloud upon the ark-cover.” It is also written, “And the Lord will create over the whole habitation of mount Zion, and over her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day,” and it is written, “For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day.” All these clouds imply Malchut.

52) It is written, “And the Lord came down in a cloud,” and it is written, “For I appear in the cloud upon the ark-cover.” The cloud is the place, Malchut, where the cherubim would be, meaning Matat and Sandalfon. The cherubim were seated on a throne, on Malchut, and three times a day, which are three lines, a miracle occurred: the Shechina appeared in their wings.

When the holiness of the king appeared on them, they raised their wings by themselves and spread them, covering the ark-cover. Then they fold their wings and grip with their bodies, as it is written, “And the cherubim shall spread out their wings on high.” Spreading out their wings means that once they would spread, and once they would fold.

53) It is written, “For I appear in the cloud upon the ark-cover.” This means that the priest sees the Shechina. It is written, “By this,” by the Shechina, “Aaron will come.” But the priest did not see the Shechina when he would enter the Holy of Holies.

Rather, the cloud, the Shechina, would come down. And when it comes down and reaches the ark-cover, the wings of the cherubim awaken and they flap their wings and sing. This is how the priest knew that the Shechina was seen here. It is written about that, “For I appear in the cloud upon the ark-cover.”

54) When they flapped their wings they would sing, “For great is the Lord and highly to be praised; He is terrible over all gods.” He is the right line, Hesed, called “great.” And when they spread their wings they would say, “For all the gods of the nations are idols, and the Lord has made heaven.” He is the left line that subdues the whole of the Sitra Achra. And when they would cover the ark-cover they would say, “Before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.” He is the middle line, Tifferet, called “sentence” [or “judgment”].

55) The priest in the Temple would here their voices, and then he would place the incense in its place and intend with what he intended so that all will be blessed. And the wings of the cherubim would go up and down, and they would sing and cover the ark-cover, then raise them. It is written about it, “Covering the ark-cover with their wings.” It is precisely so, covering. And how do we know that their voices were heard? It is written in Ezekiel, “And I heard the sound of their wings.”

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45) All the sacrifices and all the offerings are the Creator’s contentment. But there is no such contentment before Him as incense because incense is more praiseworthy than all. For this reason, it would be offered to the Holy of Holies in a whisper. This is also why all the people were not punished with the rest of the sacrifices and offerings as with the incense, for the whole service of the Creator was offered and connected here more than in anything. This is why it is called Ketoret [incense] because Ketoret is connecting in Aramaic.

46) “Your oils have a good fragrance, your name is like oil poured forth.” “A good fragrance,” since the fragrance of the incense is finer and more praiseworthy than all. And when the fragrance rises to connect with that anointing oil of the streams of the fountain, which are the Sefirot of ZA, they awaken one another and connect together. Then these oils are good for lighting, as it is written, “Your oils have a good fragrance.”

Oil is Hassadim. Fragrance is illumination of Hochma, which illuminates from below upward, from Malchut. This Hochma illuminates only in the clothing of Hassadim de ZA. Through the incense, the fragrance is raised from Malchut to Hassadim de ZA, to clothe in them.

Hassadim de ZA, too, which are called “oils,” become revealed through illumination of Hochma, and the fragrance, illumination of Hochma, connects to the oil. The oil is Hassadim, and it appears in the illumination of Hochma by absorbing the scent. Then these oils are good for lighting.

47) And then the oil is poured forth from degree to degree by these degrees called by the holy name, Malchut, as it is written, “Your name is oil poured forth, therefore maidens love you.” Alamot [maidens] are Olamot [worlds], for because the oil was poured forth to Malchut, which is called “name,” all the worlds receive from her.

Maidens are degrees, which are considered Hassadim, called Alamot [maidens] from the word He’elem [concealment]. It is all one because the name Olamot [worlds] is also after their being concealed.

48) Worlds are as it is written, “[she] gives prey to her household, and a portion to her maids,” which are the seven palaces of Beria that serve Malchut. They are called “seven maidens.” These maids of hers, who are maidens, “love you,” to bless your name and sing before you. And from their blessings are found in all the lower ones, and upper and lower are blessed.

49) “Therefore maidens love you.” That is, they love you to death, since the accusers are perfumed in oil, Hassadim, for Alamot [maidens] has the letters of Mavet [death]. When Hochma is in Malchut without Hassadim, Dinim that are as harsh as death are drawn from her. Because of it, Malchut and her degrees love to cling to ZA, who is Hassadim, as it is written, “Therefore maidens love you,” for separation from you is as hard as death.

The incense is illumination of Hochma, and connects with the oil of the highest virtue, Hassadim. It is more important to the Creator than all the sacrifices and offerings. The Assembly of Israel, Malchut, said, “I am as incense,” since Malchut is the lower Hochma, “And you,” ZA, “are as oil,” Hassadim. This is why it is written, “Therefore maidens love you. Draw me, we will run after you.” “We will run” is in plural form, meaning I and all my hosts, since everyone grips to me. Hence, “Draw me,” for they are hanging onto me.

50) “The king has brought me to his chambers; we will be glad and rejoice in you.” If the King brings me to His chambers, “We will be glad and rejoice in you,” I and all My hosts. All the hosts, when the Assembly of Israel is glad and blessed, everyone is glad. At that time there is no Din [judgment] in the world. This is why it is written, “Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice.”

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38) After the death of Aaron’s sons, Moses asked the Creator for Hesed [grace/mercy]. Moses said, “If the people in the world repent before You, by whom will they be blessed?” The Creator replied, “And you are telling Me? Speak to your brother Aaron, for the blessings above and below are given to him, as he is a Merkava [assembly/chariot] for Hesed.”

39) There are times for finding favor in the Creator, for finding blessings, and for making pleas. And there are times when there is no favor, blessings do not come, and harsh Dinim awaken in the world. And sometimes the Din persists.

There are times in the year when the favor is present, and times in the year when the Din is present. There are times in the year when the Din is present and persists and threatens the world, although it is not active. There are times in the month when there is favor, and times when Dinim are present and hang over everything.

40) There are times in the week when there is favor, and there are times in the week when there are Dinim in the world. There are times in days when the favor is present in the world and the world is perfumed, and there are days when Dinim persist and exist. There are different times even in an hour.

This is why it is written, “And a time for every will under the heaven.” And it is written, “And I, my prayer for You, O Lord, is a time of favor.” And it is written, “Seek the Lord when He is found.” It is also written, “Why do You stand far, O Lord, and hide in times of trouble?” And it is written, “From afar the Lord appeared to me?” Sometimes He is near, as it is written, “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him.” This is why it is written, “Speak to Aaron your brother, and let him not come to the holy place at all times.”

41) “A word in its time, how good it is.” Here the Creator comes to warn Aaron from erring in the same iniquities his sons had made. That “time” is Malchut. This is why he will not err in connecting another time to the king, as it is written, “and let him not come to the holy place at all times.” That is, although the “time” sees that it was given to another, to the Sitra Achra, to lead the world, she will be given in his hands in order to unite and bring the world closer to the holy, for I and My name are one, meaning that the Sitra Achra, too, is only serving Me.

And for this reason, “and let him not come to the holy place at all times.” And he will come in “this,” which is Malchut de Kedusha, as it is written, “By this, Aaron will come to the holy place,” since “this” is a time that grips to My name, in Yod, which is Yesod, inscribed in My name. In it he will come to the holy place, and let him not come at all times.

42) It is written, “He has made every thing beautiful in its time.” “Everything” is Yesod. “Made everything beautiful in its time,” in Malchut, called “time.” One in the other, and they will not mingle others among them. “In its time” is in Malchut, and not in another. This is why it is a warning to Aaron. “And let him not come to the holy place at all times.” With what will he come? With “this,” with Malchut, as it is written, “By this, Aaron will come to the holy place.”

43) It is written in the Korah congregation, “And the earth covered them, and they perished from among the assembly.” What is, “And they perished”? It is written, “And I will destroy that soul from among its people.” The sons of Aaron are different from the congregation of Korah, since no destruction is written in regard to them, as with the congregation of Korah, of whom it is written, “And they perished from among the assembly.” It is also written, “Behold, we perish, we are lost, we are all lost.” It includes the 250 people who offered the incense. They were lost, and the sons of Aaron were not lost.

44) It is written, “And let him not come to the holy place at all times.” It is also written, “By this, Aaron will come to the holy place.” It should have written that in the tenth of the month he would come to the holy place. But it is written, “By this … will come,” and did not specify the time.

“Time” and “this” are both names of Malchut that the priests knew. But regarding the sins that the sons of Aaron sinned, the Creator wanted to warn so he would not blemish “this,” Malchut, as his sons did.

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30) “All the streams go to the sea, yet the sea is not full.” Rabbi Shimon said, “I wonder about the people in the world: they have neither eyes to see nor heart to notice, and they do not know and are not attentive to regard their Master’s will. They sleep and are not awakening from their slumber before that day comes when darkness and gloom cover them and the lender demands His bill of them.”

31) And the herald calls to them each day, their soul testifies to them each day and night, and the Torah calls out loud in all directions saying, “Until when, you fools, will you be loving folly? Whoever is a fool, let him turn in here. To the heartless she says, ‘Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine that I have mixed.’” But no one lends an ear and there is no one who awakens his heart.

32) In the last generations that will come, the Torah will be forgotten from among them, and wisehearted will gather in their places and none will be found who will close and open the Torah. Woe to that generation. Henceforth there will not be as this generation until the arrival of the generation of the Messiah, the knowledge will awaken in the world, as it is written, “For they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them.”

33) “And a river went out of Eden to water the garden.” The name of that river is Yovel [jubilee 50^th year anniversary], which is Bina, from which life comes out to the world. They are called “the life of the king.” The big and strong tree is ZA, there is food for all in it, and it is called, “the tree of life,” meaning a tree whose roots are in the life above, which is Bina, and all is good.

34) That river elicited deep streams, which are HGT de ZA, in the anointing oil to water the garden, Malchut, and satiate the trees and the plantings, the Sefirot of Malchut, as it is written, “The trees of the Lord have their fill, the cedars of Lebanon, which He has planted.”

And these streams, HGT, drip and draw and gather in two pillars. The Bariatot [teachings not included in the Mishnah] call them Yachin and Boaz, NH, from whom emerge all the streams, HGT, and are present at the degree of a righteous, Yesod. It is written about it, “The righteous is the foundation of the world.” And all go and gather in the degree of the sea of wisdom [Hochma], Malchut, as it is written, “All the streams go to the sea.”

35) When the streams arrive at Malchut they stop and do not return. It is written, “To the place where the streams go, there they return to go,” since the river never stops its water. They return to the two pillars NH. To walk in the righteous is Yesod, to find blessings and joy, as it is written, “This whale that You have created to play with.” This is a righteous.

36) It is written, “They all wait for You, to give them their food in due time.” “Due time” is the queen, Malchut, the time of the righteous, Yesod. This is why everyone awaits the due time. All who are nourished below, are nourished from this place, where the lower ones receive only from Malchut, as it is written, “They all wait for You,” and “You give them their food in due time.”

37) When Yesod, called “all,” perfumes its due time, Malchut, and she connects with him, all the worlds are in gladness; all the worlds are in blessings. At that time peace is found in the upper ones and in the lower ones. And when the wicked of the world cause the blessings of those streams, HGT de ZA, to be gone, and that time suckles from another side, from Din, then Dinim awaken in the world, and peace is not present. And when the people of the world want to be blessed, they cannot, unless through the priest, so he will evoke his Sefira, Hesed, and the queen, Malchut, will be blessed, and blessings will be in all the worlds.

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19) Both sons of Aaron offered foreign fire, meaning they did not properly unify His name and were burnt in fire. There were two deaths: one before the Creator and one that they did not have sons, since anyone who is not rewarded with sons is considered dead. This is why it is written, “After the death of the two sons of Aaron,” and it is written, “and [they] died,” in the same verse. “After the death” is meant literally. “And died” is because they did not have sons.

20) “And Nadav and Avihu died before the Lord, when they offered foreign fire before the Lord, in the Sinai desert, and they had no sons, and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office in the presence of Aaron their father.” How does this relate to that? It is written, “And they had no sons, and Eleazar and Ithamar ministered in the priest’s office.” Did they inherit the priesthood from Nadav and Avihu because they did not have sons? Rather, “And died” is because they did not have sons. They were certainly considered dead, but it is not like the rest of the people in the world, for although they did not marry a woman; they died only in their bodies, but the souls did not die.

21) Their souls did not die, as it is written, “And Elazar the son of Aaron took him from the daughters of Putiel for a wife, and she bore him Pinhas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites.” Why is it written, “These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites,” if Pinhas was alone? It is because Nadav and Avihu incarnated in Pinhas. This is why it is written about him, “These are the heads of the fathers,” in plural form. Accordingly, they died in their bodies but their souls did not die because they incarnated in Pinhas.

22) This is why it is written, “Pinhas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron the priest.” It should have written “Pinhas the son of Elazar the priest.” Why does it mention, “The son of Aaron, the priest”? Where it mentions Pinhas, it is written about him, “The son of Aaron, the priest.” In regard to Elazar, it is written only “Elazar the priest,” and the son of Aaron is not mentioned. It is so because Nadav and Avihu, the sons of Aaron, incarnated in Pinhas, hence the text mentions Aaron’s son in regard to him, and this is why they died in their bodies but did not die in their souls, since they incarnated in Pinhas.

23) The name Pinhas contains two names that are a couple: Pen [lest] and Has [also lest]. A small Yod is written among the letters of Pinhas, since this Yod includes two together. Pen Has correspond to Nadav and Avihu, and the Yod corrects them and unites them as one.

24) But Nadav and Avihu are two; why did they not incarnate in two people, but only in Pinhas? They were two halves of a body, since they did not marry a wife, and one who does not marry a wife is half a body. For this reason, they were included together, as it is written, “And she bore him Pinhas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites.”

25) The Yod of Pinhas was not given in order to connect the letters in it. Rather, when he was zealous about the Creator and came to straighten the crookedness he saw in the token of the holy covenant that Zimri admitted into another authority, in the Midianite. And where Nadav and Avihu were crooked initially, here they were corrected.

In the foreign one, Nadav and Avihu were crooked first, as it is written, “When they offered foreign fire,” and here with the foreign woman that Pinhas killed they were corrected, as it is written, “And has married the daughter of a foreign god.” As there it is a foreign fire, here it is a foreign woman.

26) What is the connection between a foreign fire and a foreign woman? Initially, they approached the Kedusha that is far from Kedusha and blemished the Kedusha, as it is written, “When they offered foreign fire.” Here, too, Zimri committed the same sin of bringing closer that which is far from Kedusha, a foreign woman, into the Kedusha, since he was bringing the name of the king, the token of the holy covenant, closer to what is far, to the foreign woman.

Promptly, “And Pinhas, the son of Elazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it and rose up from the midst of the congregation, and took a spear in his hand.” Here he corrected what was initially crooked, and then Yod was placed in his name to connect the letters together, Yesod, which connects ZA and Malchut, and he was notified of the peace, which is Yesod, called “peace.” It is written about it, “Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give him My covenant of peace,’” truly “My covenant,” Yesod.

The name Pinhas includes two names, Pen [lest] and Has [also lest], which imply Malchut, who is called Pen, and ZA, who is called Has, indicating Rachamim. Nadav incarnated in the half of the name, Has, ZA, and Avihu incarnated in the half of the name Pen, Malchut. The flaw of Nadav and Avihu was in Yesod, where they offered a foreign fire, Klipa, to Yesod de Kedusha. For this reason the letters Pen and Has were separated, since they did not have a Zivug because the Yesod became crooked due to the foreign fire.

Likewise, the sin of Zimri was that he married the daughter of a foreign god and inserted a Yesod of Kedusha into the Klipa. By that, he blemished the Yesod and the Yesod became crooked. And when Pinhas killed Zimri in order to correct the Yesod that became crooked by his sin, the sin of Nadav and Avihu—who were incarnated in Pinhas—was corrected, too. Then a Yod was added to his name, Pinhas, which is the Yesod that was corrected, as it is written, “Behold, I give him My covenant of peace,” which is the complete Yesod. And ZA and Malchut, the letters Pen and Has, were reconnected by the Yod, Yesod.

27) “Behold, I give him My covenant of peace.” What is peace here? They sinned in Yesod first, by offering a foreign fire. They blemished the Yesod and evoked a strife initially between ZA and Malchut. Now that it has been corrected, it is written, “Behold, I give him My covenant of peace,” truly “My covenant,” the Sefira Yesod, which is called “covenant,” will be at peace with him, the peace between ZA and Malchut.

And for this reason, a small Yod was placed in his name, implying Yesod, which is from small letters, showing that what was initially crooked has been corrected. That is, Yesod, which was crooked, has been straightened again, and Malchut has been completed with Yesod.

28) On Yom Kippur [Day of Atonement], it was established to read the portion of the sons of Aaron, to atone for Israel in exile, who have no offerings. For this reason, the order of the offerings of Yom Kippur has been established here in the portion about the sons of Aaron, and reading in them comes instead of the offerings, and also because the death of the sons of Aaron atones for Israel.

29) We learn from this that when any person suffers torments from his Master, it is atonement for sins. And anyone who regrets the suffering of the righteous, his iniquities are removed from the world. This is the reason why we read, “After the death of both of Aaron’s sons,” on Yom Kippur [Day of Atonement], so the people will hear and regret the lost righteous, and their sins will be atoned for them.

This is because anyone who regrets the loss of righteous or sheds tears over them, the Creator declares and says about him, “Your iniquity is removed, and your sin atoned.” Moreover, his sons will not die in his days. It is written about him, “He will see seed, prolong his days.”

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

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

12) “Therefore thus says the Lord to the house of Jacob, who redeemed Abraham.” Should it not have written, “Therefore thus says the Lord, who redeemed Abraham”?

13) However, Jacob certainly redeemed Abraham because when Abraham fell into the furnace of fire of the Chaldeans, he was sentenced before the Creator, “By what merit would he be saved if he has no ancestral merit?” said the Creator to the courthouse of above. “He would be saved thanks to his sons, since a son makes his father worthy.” They said, “But Ishmael will come out of him.” The Creator said, “But Isaac will come out of him, who will stretch out his neck to be slaughtered on the altar.” They said, “But Esau will come out of Isaac.” The Creator said, “But Jacob will come out of him, who is a complete throne and whose sons are all whole before Me.” They said, “Indeed, thanks to that, Abraham will be saved,” as it is written, “Who redeemed Abraham.”

14) It is written, “Not now shall Jacob be ashamed, and not now will his face go pale,” since when he sees his children, the work of My hands within him, they will sanctify My name. Who are “his children, the work of My hands”? They are Hanania, Mishael, and Azaria, who threw themselves into a burning fire in order to sanctify His name.

“Not now will Jacob be ashamed.” Why is Jacob mentioned here? After all, it is written, “And among them were of the children of Judah, Daniel, Hanania, Mishael, and Azaria”? Thus, they are called “the children of Judah,” so it should have been written, “Not now will Judah be ashamed.” What is, “Not now will Jacob be ashamed”?

15) At the time when Hanania, Mishael, and Azaria were tied so as to drop them into the fire, each one raised his voice and spoke before all those nations, kings, and ministers. Hanania said, “Lord, it is not for me that I fear; what can man do to me? The Lord is for me as my helper; and I shall gaze upon them that hate me. …It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”

Mishael started and said, “‘And you, fear not, My servant Jacob,’ says the Lord, ‘for I am with you,’ says the Lord, ‘to save you, for I will destroy completely all the nations … but you I will not destroy completely.’” At that time, when the nations and the ministers heard the name, Jacob, they wondered and laughed mockingly about him placing his trust in Jacob. Azaria started and said, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.”

16) It is written, “One will say, ‘I am for the Lord.’” This is Hanania, who said, “The Lord is for me, I will not fear.”

“And one will be called by the name of Jacob.” This is Mishael, who said, “Do not fear, My servant Jacob.”

And one will inscribe with his hand to the Lord and will call by the name of Israel.” This is Azaria, who said, “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God.”

At that time the Creator gathered His household, the angels. He said to them, “By which word of those three words that they said will I save them?” They started and said, “And they will know that You, Your name is only the Lord, superior over the whole earth,” that He would save them because they trusted in the Creator.

17) At that time the Creator said to the throne, Malchut, “My throne, by which of those words that they said will I save those righteous?” She said to Him, “I will save them with the word that everyone mocked, ” meaning thanks to Jacob. “Not now shall Jacob be ashamed, and not now will his face go pale,” since they will see that they were saved by his merit.

As Jacob’s merit stood for Abraham in the fire, it will now stand for Hanania, Mishael, and Azaria, as it is written, “Thus says the Lord to the house of Jacob, who redeemed Abraham, not now will Jacob be ashamed, and not now will his face go pale,” from the disgrace of the mockery that the nations and the ministers joked about him.

18) All those who joked about Jacob were burned in that fire, and a spark of fire killed them. Who saved Hanania, Mishael, and Azaria? It was because they were praying before the Creator and unified His name properly. And for unifying His name properly they were delivered from that burning fire.

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

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

1) It is written, “And the Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron … And the Lord said to Moses, ‘Speak to Aaron your brother.’” It is written, “And the Lord called Moses and spoke to him,” and it is written, “And to Moses He said, ‘Come up to the Lord.’” The beginning of the verses, “And the Lord called Moses,” and “And to Moses He said,” are the degree of Malchut. The continuation of the verses, “And the Lord spoke to him,” and “Come up to the Lord,” are the degree of ZA.

Here, too, “And the Lord spoke to Moses is a degree of Din [judgment], called “speech.” Afterward, “And the Lord said to Moses” is the degree of Midat ha Rachamim [the quality of mercy], called “saying.” And the reason why it is written in both of them, “the Lord,” is that they are regarded as the same, and everything was composed from the same root. That is, the two abovementioned degrees, Din and Rachamim [mercy], are of the same value and from the same root, which is ZA, called HaVaYaH.

2) It is written, “Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.” It is also written, “Serve the Lord with joy, come before Him with singing.” These verses contradict each other, since here it says to serve with fear and trembling, and there it says to serve with joy and singing. However, “Serve the Lord with fear,” since any work by which one wishes to serve one’s Master requires fear first, to fear Him. And because of the fear of his Master, he will later be rewarded with performing the Mitzvot [commandments] of the Torah with joy. This is why it is written, “What does the Lord your God ask of you, but to fear the Lord,” and by that, he will be rewarded with everything.

3) “And rejoice with trembling.” One must not be exceptionally glad in this world, in worldly matters. But in matters of Torah and the Mitzvot of the Torah one should be glad. And after he is not glad with worldly matters, he will find that he will perform the Mitzvot of the Torah with gladness, as it is written, “Serve the Lord with joy.”

4) “Serve the Lord with fear.” Fear means as it is written, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” It is also written, “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” The Creator is called “Fear of the Lord,” which is Malchut. One who wishes to work in serving his Master begins and aims his work to unite the name of his Master with fear. It is so because in fear, meaning in Malchut, is the beginning of the work from below upward, since the first Sefira from below upward is Malchut.

5) It is written, “After the death of the two sons of Aaron,” and then it writes, “With this shall Aaron come to the holiness.” What is the connection between the verse, “After the death,” and the verse, “With this shall Aaron come”? The death of the sons of Aaron is the beginning of warning the priests that they should be careful with “this,” which is the fear of God, Malchut, since the death of the sons of Aaron was because they were not careful with Malchut.

6) “After the death of the two sons of Aaron.” It should have written “After the death of Nadav and Avihu,” why is it written, “The two sons of Aaron”? It is because until now they were not on their own but under the authority of their father, which is why the text calls them the sons of Aaron. This is also why it is written, “When they drew near before the Lord and died,” for they came too soon to offer incense during the life of their father. And it is also because of that iniquity that they committed by offering foreign fire.

In one place it is written that they died because they offered foreign fire, and in another place it is written, “When they drew near before the Lord,” that they died because of that nearing, since they came too soon to offer incense during the life of their father. It is so because both were causes of their death. This is why it is written here that they were Aaron’s sons, to teach that they were under Aaron’s authority. And it is written, “When they drew near,” that the death was because they drew near before the Lord during the life of their father.

7) “A song, a psalm for the sons of Korah. Great is the Lord and highly praised.” “A song, a psalm” is a double song: a song and a psalm. This is a better song than the rest of the songs. This is why it writes, song, twice in it. It is also written, “A psalm, a song for the Sabbath day,” indicating that it is better than the rest of the songs. And likewise, it is written, “The song of songs, which is for Solomon,” which means a song that is above any song.

8) A song that is a psalm is better than the rest of the songs. It is a song of the Creator that the sons of Korah would be singing over those who are sitting at the door to Hell. The sons of Korah are the brothers of those who sit at Hell’s door, as it is written, “And the sons of Korah did not die.” A place was secured for them in Hell, and this is why this song is said on the second day in the Temple.

9) Whenever the righteous depart from the world, the Dinim [pl. of Din] depart from the world, and the death of the righteous atones for the iniquities of the generation. This is why we read the story of the sons of Aaron on Yom Kippur [Day of Atonement], so there is atonement for the iniquities of Israel. The Creator said, “Engage in the death of these righteous and it will be considered for you as though you are offering sacrifices on this day to atone for you. As long as Israel are in exile and do not offer sacrifices on this day, and cannot offer two male goats, they will have the memory of the two sons of Aaron and it will be atoned for them.

10) It is written, “These are the names of the sons of Aaron, Nadav, the firstborn, and Avihu, Elazar, and Itamar.” Avihu was equal to both his brothers, Elazar and Itamar, together, and Nadav was equal to all of them together.

11) The firstborn was Nadav. He is on his own. Avihu is also on his own. Next, Elazar and Itamar are read as though connected together. Nadav and Avihu individually are as important in the eyes of the text as Elazar and Itamar together. But Nadav and Avihu in and of themselves are equal to the seventy Sanhedrin that were serving before Moses. This is why their death atones for Israel. And this is why it is written, “And your brothers, the whole house of Israel, shall bewail the burning which the Lord has burned.” The firstborn is Nadav, and all the praise and glory are his. Nadav and Avihu together are even more so because there was no one in Israel like them.

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

(înapoi la pagina ZOHAR CUPRINS / MEŢORA – click)

26) “He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord scoffs at them.” “He who sits in the heavens laughs” is Isaac, which comes from wine—which shines and laughs first, and is enraged and confusing later. It is written, “He who sits in the heavens laughs.” It does not say, “Sits in heaven,” for heaven is ZA, which includes HGT NHY. Had it said “Sits in heaven,” I would have said it is ZA. But it writes, “Sits in the heavens,” meaning one end from the heavens, which is Gevura, and the quality of Isaac. And since Isaac [Yitzhak] shines and laughs [Tzohek], the judgment laughs and shines to the wicked.

27) Such is the way of the wicked: The Creator shines for them in this world and shows them a face as bright as wine, for it shines first, and is then angered and kills. And the Creator pulls the wicked toward Him so they will repent. If they return to Him, good. If not, He consumes them from the next world and they have no share in it, and they are blotted out from everything. If they come to purify, they are assisted and the Creator purifies them and brings them close to Him, and calls “peace” upon them, as it is written, “Peace, peace to him who is far and to him who is near.”

28) “And if a woman has a discharge of her blood.” “Behold, a day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you.” A day will come means a day that has already come, prior to the creation of the world, meaning Malchut from which all the judgments stem. This is a day when the wicked will be sentenced, a day when the Creator repays those who have persecuted Israel. This day is coming; it stands before the Creator and demands of Him to pass judgment and to obliterate the idolaters. And it is given permission, as it is written, “For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle.”

(înapoi la pagina ZOHAR CUPRINS / MEŢORA – click)