Zohar

on

Shir HaShirim

Chapter 1

 

¹ A Song of Songs

For He to Whom peace belongs.

² He will kiss me, from His mouth to mine,

For Your love is better than wine.

³ Like the fragrance of Your oils wafts about,

Your Name flows forth like oil poured out.

Therefore maidens adore You.

⁴ Draw me to You, after You we will run.

The King has brought me into His sanctum,

We will rejoice and in You be glad,

We’ll remember with wine the love that You had.

Therefore the upright adore You.

⁵ Dark I am, but comely.

The daughters of Jerusalem are

Like the tents of Kedar,

And like the drapes of He

To Whom peace belongs.

⁶ You cannot see [gaze at, perceive, behold] me, so dark I’ve become,

 I’ve been blackened because of the sun,

And my mother’s children wither before me.

They set me to guard,

Their vineyard,

But my own I did not oversee.

⁷ Tell me, Beloved of my soul,

How You pasture your fold,

And in the heat of the day how she lies?

Why should a veil cover my eyes

Among the flocks your dear ones hold?

⁸ If you don’t know, O fairest of women,

Go and search for the downtrodden sheep,

And pasture your kids and lambs

Beside the tents where the shepherds sleep.

 

⁹ To a mare

Of the chariots of Pharaoh

I compare

You My dear.

¹⁰ Your cheeks are exquisite with ornaments

Your neck with jewelry;

¹¹ Bands of gold,

We will make for thee,

Together with silver embroidery.

¹² While at His banquet the King reclined,

And the fragrance of my nard He did find.

¹³ A bunch of myrrh is my Beloved to me

Between my breasts

He shall rest.

¹⁴ A cluster of henna is my Beloved to me,

In the vineyards of Ein-Gedi.

¹⁵ Behold you are beautiful, My love;

You are so beautiful, with eyes like a dove.

¹⁶ You are handsome, my beloved,

A pleasing figure;

Even our bed is full of vigor.

¹⁷ The beams of our houses are cedar,

And are with cypress covered.

* * *

 

1:1 Song of Songs

A song of the supernal angels,[1] a song that includes all instruction[2] and wisdom, power and might; what was, and what will be in the future.

(Zohar II, 18b)

Alternatively, when the First Temple was built by King Solomon another Temple was built together with it in the higher worlds, and it existed throughout the worlds – indeed each world has its own Temple (the malchut of each of the worlds[3]). The entire world became rectified (literally, “fragrant,”[4]) and all the supernal doors were opened and light shone forth. There was never such a joyous time as on that day.[5] Then those above the angels and those below the Levites in the Temple began singing. This is alluded to in the words Shir HaShirim which can be read as both Shir HaSarim (שיר השַֹרִים) the song of the Angels, called sarim, and Shir HaSharim (שיר השַׁרִים) – “the song of the singers” – the Levites, who formed the Temple choir. Together they sang the song of the singers to the Holy One blessed be He.

(Zohar II, 143a)

 

1:1 Song of Songs to He Whom peace belongs

Rabbi Yose began his discourse: “Song of Songs to He Whom peace belongs”[6] The name Shlomo (Solomon) is a composite of shalom (peace) shelo (is to him) – “to whom peace belongs.” This could be understood simply as the name David prophetically gave his son, since peace would reign when Solomon was king. Alternatively, it refers to the King (God) to Whom “peace” belongs, meant here in the sense of wholeness or completeness (sheleimut). The Zohar intends both meanings: King Solomon was aroused to sing this song when he finished building the Temple and all of the worlds above and below were brought to completion, since the purpose of creation – to make a dwelling place for God upon earth[7] – was now fulfilled. Although the chevraya[8] disagree about this, some maintaining that the Song of Songs was not composed at the completion of the building of the Temple, but later on,[9] nevertheless, this song was recited only when the moon was full. This is meant metaphorically, alluding to the sefirah of malchut (symbolized by the moon) that received the full measure of light from the sun, a metaphor for ze’ir anpin (the group of sefirot from chesed to yesod) such that ze’ir anpin and malchut were of the identical stature.[10] This was accomplished during the era when the Temple on earth was built in accordance with the Temple above.[11] This means that the revelation of God in this world was identical to the revelation in the higher worlds. Since the day of Creation there was never such great joy before the Holy One, blessed be He, as the day that the building of the Temple was completed below. When Moses built the Sanctuary in the desert for the Shechinah (the indwelling Divine Presence) to descend into, on that same day another Sanctuary was also erected together with it – above in the higher worlds. This was expounded on the verse, “It was in the first month of the second year, on the first of the month, that the Sanctuary was erected.” (Exodus 40:17).[12] And the following verse (v. 18) also states, “Moses erected the Sanctuary.” It is not repetitious, for the latter verse refers to the Sanctuary that Moses erected, whereas the former verse refers to another Sanctuary that was erected simultaneously – the Sanctuary pertaining to the angel Metatro’n, the Angel of the Presence, and nothing higher[13] i.e., only the level of ze’ir anpin of the world of Beriah.[14] This was because the Sanctuary was built in the desert, and was only a temporary structure. But when the First Temple was built, in the Holy Land “in the place God would choose” (Deuteronomy 12:14, 23), another First Temple was built simultaneously, and existed in all the worlds including Atzilut,[15] so that all the worlds were illuminated, the world of Assiyah became fragrant,[16] and all the skylights spiritual channels opened up so that they could beam the light forth. There was never such joy in all the worlds as on that day. Then from above the angels and from below Solomon and the Jewish People began singing, and that is why it is called Song of Songs.

(Zohar II, 143a)

There are five levels alluded to here in the verse in order to bond with[17] the World to Come:[18] The first level is alluded to in the word “song.” “Of songs” denotes another two levels since “songs” is in the plural – making a total of three. “To whom” – a fourth level; “peace belongs” – a fifth level… the secret of the Jubilee.[19] Come and see: the unification[20] above that King Solomon achieved was beyond his capabilities. However, he was able to achieve it since the unification below was already accomplished, the unification that Moses brought about, so that the Shechinah would be manifest in this world.[21] However, the unification achieved by Moses was affected only in the lower sefirot – ze’ir anpin and malchut. Nevertheless, if not for that unification down below, it would not have been possible to achieve the unification above – the unification of the higher sefirot, chochmah and binah. This is a secret for the wise of heart.

(Zohar II 145a)

COMMUNION

1:1-2 Song of Songs to He Whom peace belongs; May He give me of His kisses, from His mouth to mine

 

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai began his explanation: In the verses, “Then Moses and Israel sang this song…” (Exodus 15:1), and “then Israel sang this song” (Numbers 21:17) the word for song is expressed in the feminine form shira (שירה), because in these verses the song is from the feminine aspect, the sefirah of malchut, the feminine principle.[22] However, here in our verse the masculine form of song is used – shir (שיר) – because the song is from the male aspect the sefirah of tiferet, the masculine principle.[23] This alludes to the mystery of the union of body and of soul, so that Body fuses with body and Soul communes with soul. {explanation – zivug gufni v’zivug neshikin. See Tanya chs 45, 46, 49; see library נשיקין } The verse should therefore be interpreted as follows: “Song of songs” – this is the union of Body {the Divine Presence – explanation}with body; “He will kiss me, from His mouth to mine” – this is the bonding of Soul to soul in the secret of supernal love – God’s love revealed to, or infused in man. It was King Solomon’s task to bring about this communion through Divine Inspiration,[24] so that everything could be joined in one unity, through love, and bond together to form a single entity. For Solomon is the King to Whom peace (shalom) belongs, “peace” here is also meant in the sense of wholeness or completeness.[25] When the Divine Presence permeates existence, everything is brought to completion and wholeness. Accordingly, all the praises in the Song of Songs are to the King to Whom all peace [all power of unification {explanation}] belongs. The communion described throughout the Song of Songs is all in this spiritual sense…

When the spirit of holiness[26] rested upon King Solomon he sought to bind all things in the proper manner, out of great longing, and unite everything in love and fervor so that they should be one above and below. This is the mystery referred to in the verse, “God will be One and His Name One.”[27] {Explanation}

(Zohar Chadash 63a)

1:2 He will kiss me, from His mouth to mine

 

Rabbi Yitzchak began his explanation: The collective soul of the Jewish People[28] expresses their longing to be united with God in this way: “He will kiss me from His mouth to mine.” But why “He will kiss me,” rather than “He will love me?” But this is what we have learned[29]: What is meant by the Divine kiss? The cleaving of Breath as in the verse “and He blew into his nostrils a living soul”[30] to breath, so that “every breath praises You.”[31] All of creation was brought into existence through Divine speech, “with Ten Utterances the world was created,”[32] excluding man, who was brought to life with God’s “breath,” the inner source of speech. Thus the love expressed through “cleaving of breath to breath” is far greater than love that can be expressed through speech.[33] ….Rabbi Yehuda said: It is written, “Jacob kissed Rachel, and wept out loud” (Genesis 29:11). Why did he cry? Because his soul embraced hers in a way that his heart could not bear. The word for “breath” here ruach also signifies “soul” or “spirit.”[34] {zivug neshikin}

(Zohar II, 124b)

 

Rabbi Elazar said: Anyone who occupies himself with Torah study for its own sake will not die through the yetzer hara the impulse to self-harm and self-destruction (which is synonymous with the snake that caused death to descend upon the world,[35] and the Angel of Death[36]). Instead they will pass on with a Divine kiss, as is written, “He will kiss me from His mouth,” that is the mouth of God revealed in a transcendent state, indicated by the Ineffable Name Y-H-V-H (י-ה-ו-ה).  This was the way in which Aaron, Moses and Miriam died.[37] This kiss is the cleaving of the soul to its root above, which is “part of God above.”[38] Here, the intention is not death as such, but the annulment of self in the mystical experience of the soul cleaving to its essence above. This is one of the most elevated forms of Divine Inspiration (ruach hakodesh).[39]

(Zohar I, 168a)

 

“Moses would speak and God would respond to him with a voice” (Exodus 19:19) when they were bonded in communion of kiss to kiss. Solomon (in the name of the Jewish People) is therefore requesting the communion symbolized by a kiss.

(Zohar II, 253b)

 

Rabbi Abba said: The word yeshakeni (“He will kiss me”) also means yefarneseni – “He will nourish me,”[40] for the Jewish People are nourished only by their delight in and imbibing of the radiance from Above. Receiving this radiance from Above is receiving a kiss from God.

(Zohar I, 137a)

 

1:2 For Your love is better than wine

 

Why is it necessary to mention wine? Is it not written, “For they too have erred because of wine…”? (Isaiah 28:7). And it is also written, “Do not drink intoxicating wine, you Aaron and your sons…” (Leviticus 10:9) from which it follows that intoxicating wine and Divine Service are contradictory? So why is wine mentioned here as if it is beneficial in Divine Service? Rabbi Chiya replied: Your love is better than the wine of Torah, meaning the secrets of the Torah.[41] Note that the gematria[42] of the word for “wine” and the word for “secret” are identical. Although understanding the secrets of the Torah causes the soul great delight, nevertheless, the unification of the soul with God’s Essence, the theme of Song of Songs, is even greater.[43] Rabbi Chizkiya said: This is the intention of the verse, “Wine gladdens the heart of man” (Psalms 104:15), but “Your love is better than wine” that gladdens the heart, for it delights Me more than anything else.

 

(Zohar II, 124b)

There is no good other than the good that derives from the aspect of the original light, as it is written, “And God saw that the light was good” (Genesis 1:4). Now that everything in Creation came to completion and wholeness with the building of the Temple, as explained above, so that right chesed, the revelation of God’s Infinite Light (the Or Ein Sof) and left gevurah, severity or restrictive power, limiting and concealing the Infinite Light so that each created being can receive according to its capacity, merged into one. When the First Temple was erected the Or Ein Sof was revealed within the finite world without nullifying it at all, as with the Ark containing the Torah that had explicit physical dimensions but took up no physical space.[44] Accordingly, “Your love is better than wine” because it partakes of the original light.

(Zohar Chadash, Shir HaShirim 63d)

1:3 Like the fragrance of Your oils wafts about

 

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai began: “Like the fragrance of Your oils…” I looked into this verse, and this is its meaning: “Like the fragrance” – what fragrance is the verse referring to? The fragrance of the incense, which is more refined, exalted and inner directed[45] than anything else. When that scent – the secret of binah – rose up to become bound up with the anointing oil that flows forth in a stream from the spring of chochmah, so that they join together and are bound to one another, then the oil is good for it has the power to illuminate. When chochmah and binah unite, together they are able to illuminate the lower sefirot, which they are not capable of doing on their own.[46] When the upward-seeking quest for communion with God (the quest of binah) meets up and merges with the outpouring of Divine wisdom flowing down from chochmah, this is the true source of illumination.[47]

(Zohar III, 58b)

 

1:3 Your Name flows forth like oil poured out

 

It is written, “A good name is better than good oil” (Ecclesiastes 7:1). This is the literal understanding of the verse. However, it can also be interpreted as follows: The holy Name, synonymous with the “good name” mentioned in the verse, issues forth from “oil” to bless and illuminate the holy lamps the souls of the righteous. What oil is this? As it is written, “and a stream flowed forth from Eden, the sefirah of chochmah,[48] to water the Garden”[49] – the sefirah of malchut.[50] Thus, there is an integral connection between the Name of God and oil.

(Zohar II, 87b)

Another explanation: Many miracles took place with oil: Sarah’s Sabbath candle burned the entire week;[51] the oil belonging to the wife of one of the deceased disciples of the prophet Elisha miraculously increased,[52] and the Chanukah oil lasted for eight days instead of one.[53] This is because physical oil, used primarily as a source of light, is imbued with the power of “oil” above – the sefirah of chochmah:[54] Rabbi Yehudah began his discourse: Elisha said to her the impoverished widow of his disciple, “What can I do for you? Tell me what you have in the house.” From this we learned[55] that blessing does not dwell on a bare table or on empty thing, or Elisha would not have asked her what she had in the house. She replied, “Your maidservant has nothing in the house except for a jar of oil.” He said, “This the fact that you have oil is certainly helpful for a miracle to occur, since oil is from the aspect of chochmah, and so it is in the proper place, for chochmah is the origin of miracles and from there miracles issue forth and descend.” The sefirah of chochmah transcends the limitations of creation, “for chochmah emerges from nothingness” (Job 28:12) i.e., from a level transcending Creation,[56] and it is therefore the source of miracles that also transcend Creation in that they defy the laws of nature. “Go and borrow vessels for yourself from outside your house, from all your neighbors, empty vessels….” What is written next? “They brought vessels to her and she kept on pouring” the oil into all the borrowed vessels. Her jar did not empty out until the last vessel was filled. Now the verse states, “she kept on pouring,” not “the woman kept on pouring,” indicating that chochmah kept on pouring forth so that a miracle took place.[57] Thus, “Your Name” is indicative of an outpouring of revelation from chochmah.

(Zohar III, 34a)

 

1:3 Therefore maidens (alamot) adore You

Awareness of the miracles You have performed spreads abroad like the scent of fragrant oil poured out, therefore maidens adore you – this refers to the nations of the world, who come to love God through the miracles He performs.[58] Check if some of this should be in bold??

(Zohar III, 58b)

 

A saintly tzadik,[59] even though he passes away from this world, does not pass away or expire from all the worlds, for he is to be found in all of the worlds more than in his lifetime.[60] For in his lifetime he was found in this world only, but afterwards after his passing, he is constantly found in the three worlds, Assiyah, Yetzirah and Beriah,[61] as it is written, “therefore alamot (maidens) adore You.” Do not read it as alamot (maidens), but as olamot (worlds), for a tzadik’s love for God permeates all of the worlds, and brings the inhabitants of those worlds to also love God.[62]

(Zohar III, 71b)

 

1:4 Draw me to You, after You we will run

 

Rabbi Yitzchak said: When one reads the Shema prayer which expresses the unity of God with proper concentration before going to sleep, one’s soul soars up and immerses itself[63] in the Land of Life.

(Zohar Chadash, Lech Lecha 24a ff.)

 

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai began his discourse: It is written, “I will place My Sanctuary among you” (Leviticus 26:11). “My Sanctuary” – Mishkani (משכני) has the identical letters in Hebrew as “draw me after You” – mashcheini  (משכני). Come and see: The Holy One blessed be He placed his Shechinah[64] from the same root as Mishkani and mashcheini – mashach (מ-ש-ך) among the Jewish People, so that it should settle upon them like a mother bird upon her children, protecting them from all sides. As long as this “holy mother” the Shechinah,[65]the sefirah of malchut, is settled upon them, the Holy One, blessed be He referring to Godliness as manifested in ze’ir anpin[66] comes to dwell among them. (This is the intention of the above verse, “I will place My Sanctuary among you”). For the Holy One never forsakes her the Shechinah, since all the love above is for her. Therefore He gave her as a security-deposit mashkon, another cognate of mashach (מ-ש-ך), among the Jewish People, to inform them that He would not forget them and forsake them, because His security-deposit mashkon, i.e. the Shechinah, was among them. But after the building of the Temple, she the Shechinah says to the Holy One, “I was a security-deposit for You in the lower worlds when they were in exile,[67] now I will be their security-deposit with You, so that You will not forget my children, and I will come up to You,[68] and I and my children will run after You. This explains why the verse begins in the singular (“draw me” – the Shechinah) but ends in the plural (“we will run,” referring to the Shechinah and the Jewish People together).

(Zohar Chadash, Shir HaShirim 65b)

When the incentive comes from below i.e., when the motivation to commune with God stems from the Jewish People, not from a stimulus from Above, which is the secret of the sacrifice, as the verse states, “a pleasing scent to God” (Exodus 29:18), then she the Shechinah rises up and says to her Beloved, “draw me after You,” stretch out Your right hand chesed to me and receive me, and raise me up through the outflow from chochmah to gevurah.[69]

(Zohar Chadash, Shir HaShirim 65b)

Alternatively, first draw me to You, so that I can be motivated from the place that every will is drawn, and then, “we will run after You.” These two approaches to Divine service, the motivation from below, where we initiate the relationship, is termed itaruta d’letata in the Zohar,[70] and the stimulus from Above, where God initiates the relationship is termed itaruta d’l’eila. They represent the “female” and “male” approaches respectively to divine service. Although itaruta d’letata (the female approach) is more limited than itaruta d’l’eila (the male approach), since it is restricted to the ability and talents of the recipient, nevertheless it has a permanence that is lacking in the male approach, since it is perfectly suited to the level of the recipient, whereas the male approach is according to the abilities of the donor.[71] However, both approaches are valid.

 (Zohar Chadash, Shir HaShirim 65b)

 

 

 

1:4 After You We will run

What is the non-literal meaning of the word narutza (נרוצה), which translated literally means, “we will run?” It means, “let us be pleasing” to God, from the same root letters ratzah (ר-צ-ה) as in the verse, “and it shall be acceptable for him (nirtzeh – נרצה), to atone for him” (Leviticus 1:4), and as it is written, “and they pulled him (Joseph) up (vayeritzuhu – וירצוהו) from the dungeon” (Genesis 41:14), what does vayeritzuhu mean? “They appeased him” with pleasant words, with words of good will, for he was dispirited from being in that dungeon. Similarly, narutza here means, “let us be pleasing” to God, so that He accepts us willingly in the best manner possible through the scent of the sacrificial offerings and the incense.

(Zohar Chadash, Shir HaShirim 65b)

1:4 The King has brought me into His sanctum

 

Rabbi Shimon wept and said: If only it was in my power to reveal these lofty secrets, for this causes joy to the Holy One when the secrets of Torah are revealed, because it is His will to reveal supernal mysteries in this generation. Know then that there is no apparent connection between these verses this verse and the previous one. Since it states “Draw me after You,” in the second person, indicating a direct relationship, what is the meaning of, “the King has brought me into His sanctum?” in the third person, indicating an indirect relationship. It should have said, “Draw me after You; bring me into Your sanctum,” and then, “we will rejoice in You and be glad.” However, the answer is that the upper levels and lower levels and all the worlds depend upon the secret of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The letters of the alphabet are the building-blocks of creation, according to the Zohar.[72] Each letter represents a unique quantum of Divine energy. The combinations and permutations of these letters formed the Ten Utterances through which the world was created.[73]  What follows is the secret of the letter aleph, which is comprised of three sections when written by a scribe – a yud ( י ) a vav ( ו ) and another yud ( י ). The first yud is above the diagonal line of the vav, which lies at a 45° angle with its upper tip in the top left corner and its lower tip in the bottom right corner. The second yud is situated upside down and below the diagonal line, as in the diagram below:

א

 

 

The connection between these two verses is that they are said by malchut symbolized by the lower yud of the aleph in praise of the light that illuminates her, and in regard to it she says to her husband ze’ir anpin, the six sefirot from chesed to yesod, symbolized by the vav of the aleph “draw me to you.” But even though she said this (“draw me to you”) she still wished to point out that she is more praiseworthy than ze’ir anpin, despite the fact that she is below him malchut is below ze’ir anpin, in a state of subservience, since she is the lower yud lying below the diagonal line of the aleph. She says to him: I am not so lowly, for although this is my position in relation to you (malchut is situated below ze’ir anpin) nevertheless, “the King has brought me into his sanctum” – I am important and beloved to the supernal King, without subservience, and therefoe He has brought me into His sanctum. Malchut, represented by the last letter hai of the Ineffable Name Yud-Hai-Vav-Hai, is brought into the inner sanctum, binah, the first letter hai of the Ineffable Name, which is loftier than ze’ir anpin.[74] Alternatively, malchut, represented by the lower inverted yud of the letter aleph, is below the diagonal line of the vav and is thus lower than ze’ir anpin. Nevertheless malchut is also called chochmah tata’a and is connected to the upright yud which represents chochmah ila’a.[75] The upper yud However This will be explained further below.

(Zohar Chadash, Shir HaShirim 65c)

 

Into His sanctum: This refers to the chambers of the Garden of Eden. Now if you will say that the chambers of the Garden of Eden are themselves the Garden of Eden, therefore why the expression “the chambers of the Garden of Eden?” We can answer that these are the chambers from which the Garden of Eden is nourished. The Garden itself is the level of malchut; Eden is chochmah, as explained previously. Chochmah flows into binah and together they irrigate malchut, as the Zohar[76] explains on the verse “And a river (binah) flowed from Eden to water the Garden” (Genesis 2:10) Thus the chambers from which the Garden is nourished are chochmah and binah.[77]

 

The Garden of Eden (Gan Eden) is a state of spiritual bliss experienced by the soul after its separation from the body. Conversely, wicked people experience Gehinom – hell, a state of spiritual dislocation or alienation.

In addition, they are not only states that the soul rises or descends to after life in this world (and as a result of the way one lived it), they are also states of being while a person is alive in this world. In other words, a person could be in the Garden of Eden or Gehinom, or somewhere between, while alive in this world! The proof of this is from the verses describing the events that took place when Jacob went in to his father Isaac to receive the blessing that Isaac had intended to give to Esau. Isaac, being blind, could not see who had entered his tent, but he did sense that it was not Esau. He asks the person before him to lean over and give him a kiss. When Jacob (disguised as Esau) does so, Isaac remarks, “See, the fragrance of my son is like the fragrance of a field that God has blessed.” (Genesis 27:27).

Rashi comments: “This teaches us that the scent of Gan Eden entered with him.” For this was indeed Jacob’s spiritual state. He was in Gan Eden, and Gan Eden was within him.

Similarly, when Esau eventually returned from the hunt and came to bring Isaac some food, the verse states: “Isaac trembled with great fear…” (Genesis 27:33). Rashi again comments: “Isaac sensed Gehinnom open beneath Esau.” This was because Esau was in fact in the spiritual state of alienation from God that Gehinom is all about.

Elsewhere[78] the Zohar explains that there are in general two levels of the Garden of Eden – the upper Garden of Eden, and the lower Garden of Eden. The difference between them is that the aspect of Godliness revealed in the lower Garden of Eden is from the seven lower sefirot (supernal emotional qualities), whereas the aspect of Godliness revealed in the upper Garden of Eden is from the three upper sefirot (supernal intellectual qualities), a far greater illumination. Furthermore, the souls in the lower Garden of Eden experience the revelation of Godliness as the emotional revelation of love and awe, whereas the souls in the upper Garden of Eden experience the revelation of Godliness as profound and inspirational insight into Divine Truth.

(Zohar Chadash, Shir HaShirim 65c-d)

1:4 We will rejoice and in You be glad

The faith and aspirations of the righteous are as is written in the verse, “We will rejoice and in You be glad,” not in food and drink and other bodily pleasures.

(Zohar I, 136a)

 

The following section interprets the verse as follows: “We will rejoice with you and be glad”

Malchut as Knesset Yisrael, the collective soul of the Jewish People, declares to ze’ir anpin (the six sefirot from whence the angels issue forth): If the King will bring me into His sanctum (binah) then we will rejoice with you and be glad. Why is the first part of the verse in the singular, “will bring me,” whereas the continuation is in the plural, “we will rejoice?” The answer is this that the latter part of the verse refers to me malchut and all the angels. As we have learned, when Knesset Yisrael rejoice and are blessed, the entire host of angels rejoices and is blessed together with them, and there is no strict judgment in the world.

 

 (Zohar III, 59a)

 

1:4 Draw me to you, after you we will run, The King has brought me into His sanctum, we will rejoice and in you be glad

 

Some of the disciples of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai were sitting and studying the mysteries together. As they were studying they entered a state of ecstasy, their souls flew out and saw what they saw, and then they awoke from their ecstatic state. They said to each other: let us not remain here, for we are not worthy of this. Only an angel can experience this glory! Rabbi Dostai asked: What was the experience that caused them fear? He answered his own question: They saw the angels pushing them away, until the soul of Rabbi Elazar ben Arach chased them the angels away, and they were rescued. Rabbi Dostai now goes on to explain in greater detail: They saw the angelic High Priest, who is the archangel Michael coming to receive the teachings of Rabbi Elazar. He the angel Michael said: Holy Rabbi come up, come up.

 

He Rabbi Elazar replied: “Draw me to you, after you we will run.”

 

Then he the angel Michael said: Who are the others with you, since you mentioned, “we will run?”

He Rabbi Elazar replied: They are some of the great men of the generation.

 

The angel Michael responded: I have no permission to accept them, for the Holy One blessed be He told me to receive only you and bring you before Him, as it is written, “let the King bring me into His sanctum” – me in the singular. And because of your holy life, all the hosts of Heaven “will rejoice in you and be glad.” This is yet another interpretation – “you” here refers to Rabbi Elazar, in whom the angels will delight as he expounds Torah in the Heavenly Academy.

Rabbi Yitzchak said: The Holy One blessed be He does the same for all righteous tzadikim – He commands Metatro”n the Angel of the Presence to raise their souls above. He Metatro”n says to the soul: “Rise up, rise up.” And the soul replies: “Draw me to you, after you we will run. Let the King bring me into His sanctum,” for it is His will that I enter into the highest chambers of Heaven. Accordingly, “we will rejoice and in you be glad” – in Metatro”n.

 (Zohar Chadash 26a)

1:4 We’ll remember with wine the love that You had

 

Rabbi Yitzchak said to Rabbi Yehudah: It is written, “Remember the Sabbath day to make it holy” (Exodus 20:8). We have learned[79] that this means remember it over wine during the kiddush ceremony on Friday night. But why over wine? Since holiness is a function of chochmah, why is kiddush recited over wine, which is binah?[80]

 

Rabbi Yehudah replied: Because wine is the joy of Torah[81] binah causes ze’ir anpin to rejoice in the illumination that she elicits. When the lower emotional sefirot receive illumination from the higher intellectual sefirot they enter into a state of joyfulness as in the verse, “the mother (binah) of children (ze’ir anpin) causes them joy”[82] (Psalms 113:9). This is therefore a function of binah rather than of chochmah. And the wine of Torah true understanding, also a function of binah, brings joy to all the worlds. This wine gives joy to the King (“wine that delights God and man” Judges 9:13) and adorns Him with His crown, binah crowns ze’ir anpin with transcendent intellect faculties it does not possess on its own,[83] as it is written, “Go out and see, daughters of Zion, King Solomon with the crown that his mother (binah) has crowned him” (Song of Songs 3:11). And we have learned[84] – in all of his actions a person must have the intention (kavanah) to unify the sefirot above, so that his actions will elicit illumination from the higher sefirot, for holiness chochmah is not manifested other than through wine binah.[85] This is the meaning of the verse “for Your love is made even better through wine”[86] – God’s holiness and love (manifested in chochmah) is drawn down to us through wine (binah). That is why this verse states “with wine,” and why the Sabbath is sanctified with wine.[87]

 (Zohar III, 95a)

1:5 Dark I am, but comely

 

“Dark,” signifies a dull looking-glass[88] the level of prophecy stemming from malchut, attained by Prophets other than Moses. Their prophecy is called dark or dull since they experienced prophecy as a vision, or heard a voice as in a dream.[89] Moses’ prophecy, however, was clear and direct, stemming from tiferet, the “luminous looking-glass,”[90] as in the verse, “Mouth to mouth I speak to him, in a clear vision and not in riddles.”[91]

(Zohar I, 49a)

Rabbi Yehudah said: This refers to Knesset Yisrael, the collective soul of the Jewish People, who are dark from the exile, but beautiful, for she is beautified with Torah and mitzvot and good deeds.

(Zohar II, 14a)

 

1:5 Like the tents of Kedar, and like the drapes of He to Whom peace belongs

Although they have become dark as the tents of Kedar (the descendents of Ketura, Abraham’s concubine[92]) through being in exile, their deeds are like the drapes of He to Whom peace belongs – their deeds are like the very heavens in purity[93] as it is written, “He spreads out the heavens like a curtain” (Psalms 104:2).[94]

(Zohar II, 14a)

1:6 You cannot see me, so dark I’ve become

 

Although the simple meaning of the verse is “do not gaze upon me,” Rabbi Yehudah began his explanation thus: “You cannot see me, so dark I’ve become…” We have learned this verse in the following way: When the moon malchut becomes obscured during the exile, she says, “You cannot see me.” The intention is not that she commands us not to look at her, which is the way the verse is usually understood, but rather that when she malchut sees the longing that the Jewish People have to see her light, she declares, “You cannot see me,” for it is not possible to see me. Why not? Because, “so dark I’ve become.”

(Zohar III, 45b)

1:6 So dark I’ve become… my mother’s children wither before me

 

Why “so dark?” Would it not have been enough for the verse to say simply, “dark I’ve become?” However, this is to emphasize that there are two causes of darkness: one, “I’ve been blackened because of the sun,” for the sun ze’ir anpin has ceased to illuminate and gaze upon me the moon, malchut. Although the classical commentaries explain, “I’ve been burnt black by the sun,” the Zohar understands that malchut’s darkness is caused by the lack of illumination from the sun (ze’ir anpin that illuminates malchut). The second cause of my darkness is that “my mother’s children – binah, when it produces a state of immature intellectual development called mochin d’katnut[95] (literally, “small-mindedness”) which derives from the severities of binah.[96] And therefore they “wither before me” (nicharu bi), as it states, “my throat was parched (nichar groni)” (Psalms 69:4). The words ‘nicharu bi’ indicate that the severities of binah have caused the stream of light that should be flowing to malchut to dry up. Accordingly, malchut has become dark, for like the moon, it has no light of its own.[97]

(Zohar III, 45b)

1:6 They set me to guard their vineyard, but my own I did not oversee

“They – the nations of the world – set me the Jewish People to guard their vineyard” for what reason? Because “I did not oversee my own vineyard” – we did not guard our spiritual inheritance that we received from our forefathers.[98]

Elsewhere[99] the Zohar interprets this verse as a statement uttered by God: “They set Me (specifically the Godliness manifested in ze’ir anpin) to guard their vineyard” – to become clothed in the level of impurity called kelipat nogah, which contains only a miniscule amount of light, so that I now nourish the spiritual roots of the seventy nations (‘vineyards’).  And the reason for this is “I did not guard My own vineyard” – I did not prevent the Jewish People from sinning, or cause them to repent and return to the ways of Torah.[100]

(Zohar III, 59b)

 

 

An alternative explanation: the nations of the world dragged the Jewish People into exile so that God would guard their vineyards – the vineyards of the nations – for the sake of the Jewish People, since G-d goes with the Jewish People into exile, so to speak.[101]

(Zohar III, 45b)

 

 

1:7 Tell me, Beloved of my soul, how You pasture your fold; and in the heat of the day how she lies, Why should a veil cover my eyes…

 

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai began his discourse: “Know this day and take to heart that God is the Lord; in the heavens above and on the earth below, there is nothing else” (Deuteronomy 4:39). Fortunate are those who toil in Torah to understand the wisdom of their Master! They know and gaze at the supernal mysteries… The wisdom that a person requires can be divided into the following categories:

1) To know and investigate the secret of his Master.

2) To know himself. A person must know who he is; how he was created; from where he comes; to where he is going; how to rectify his body, and that in the future he will have to give an accounting before the King.

3) To know and scrutinize the mysteries of the soul – what is the nature of the soul within him, where it came from, and what it came to this body for, a body that came from a putrid drop,[102] here today and gone tomorrow.

4) To examine and know this world in which he finds himself and how to rectify it, and then examine the supernal mysteries of the higher world, in order to know his Master.

 

All of this a person must investigate deeply from within the secrets of the Torah. Now go and see: Anyone who goes to that world without knowledge of the secrets of Torah, even though he has many good deeds he will be rejected from all the gates of that world.

 

Have a look at what is written here: “Tell me,” the soul says to the Holy One, blessed be He, “tell me the secrets of the supernal wisdom – how You sustain and conduct the supernal world. Teach me the secrets of wisdom that I did not know and that I have not learned until now, so that I will not be humiliated when I come to those lofty levels! For until now I have not gazed upon them.”

 

Have a look what is written next:  The Holy One, blessed be He replies to the soul: “If you don’t know, O fairest of women…” If you have not looked deeply into wisdom the Torah’s secrets before you came here, and you do not know the secrets of the supernal worlds, then go, for you are not worthy to enter here without knowledge. “Go and search for the downtrodden sheep” return to the world to be reincarnated again[103] so that you will come to know those sheep whom people crush with their heels alluding to those humble men who some regard as worthless,[104] who know the supernal secrets of their Master. From them you will learn to look deeply and to know. From them you must learn.

(Zohar Chadash p. 70d)

 

Rabbi Shimon gave another explanation of this verse: It is written, “G-d created the two great luminaries, the greater luminary to dominate the day, and the lesser luminary to dominate the night…” (Genesis 1:16). The sun and the moon allude to ze’ir anpin and malchut respectively. Initially the two luminaries ze’ir anpin and malchut were equal in the sense that malchut originally received its light directly from binah, as the chevraye the circle of Rabbi Shimon’s colleagues and disciples established elsewhere.[105] When we said that malchut was as great as ze’ir anpin, it does not mean that the moon malchut was originally greater and loftier than now, but rather that as long as the moon was together with the sun partaking equally of a single mystery ­– receiving from binah – it was also called “great.” Thus the verse states explicitly, “the two great luminaries.” However, although both originally received from binah, ze’ir anpin received from the chesed aspects of binah, whereas malchut received from the gevurah aspects of binah. This resulted in a situation where the light of malchut was always eclipsed by the light of ze’ir anpin and could not shine forth in its fullness, since the nature of chesed is revelation, whereas the nature of gevurah is concealment. Nevertheless, because malchut was essentially on the same level as ze’ir anpin it was also called great, for the tail of a lion is also the lion, and is referred to as the lion!  On the other hand, it remains the tail – i.e., its light was eclipsed by ze’ir anpin, and their relationship is therefore referred to as one of achoraim, back-to-back.[106]

 

Accordingly, the moon asked the Holy One, blessed be He: “Is it possible for a single king to use two crowns at once?  The Zohar here offers a new explanation of the “complaint” of the moon. In the Talmud[107] and elsewhere in Zohar[108] the complaint is that two kings cannot use one crown, i.e., that ze’ir anpin and malchut are two kings using a single crown – binah. However, here malchut “complains” that one king (binah) cannot use two crowns, ze’ir anpin and malchut. In other words, ze’ir anpin and malchut at that stage formed a single partzuf[109] through which binah disseminated its light. Malchut wanted to be separated from ze’ir anpin and become an independent partzuf, so that each of them should rule on its own.” Now because formed a single partzuf together with ze’ir anpin, malchut lacked completeness – it did not have the aspect of chesed. The advantage of becoming separated from ze’ir anpin was that malchut could now receive chesed, although this would not come from binah but from ze’ir anpin.[110]

 

He replied: “I see that you wish to be the head of foxes[111] the source of influx for the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Assiyah. Go and reduce yourself, for even though you will then be their head, you will be smaller than before” for you will receive the aspects of chesed only from ze’ir anpin and not from binah. Nevertheless, malchut will now be able to unite with ze’ir anpin fact-to-face.

 

This then is what the moon said: “Tell me, Beloved of my soul, how You pasture your fold?” How is it possible to run the world with two crowns as one simultaneously? “And in the heat of the day how she lies” – for when the sun shines at its brightest then it is not possible for the moon to shine. Only one of the luminaries can rule at a time. You cannot run the world with two crowns at the same time, with the sun and the moon, because what light does the moon have during the day? Therefore You cannot use both crowns simultaneously. “Why should a veil cover my eyes” – how can I function when I am concealed during the day, as the great light of the sun get stronger. I will be veiled in shame in its presence and I will not be able to serve You. So how will You be able to run the world while using two crowns simultaneously?

 

The Holy One, blessed be He replied: I understand you. Now go and reduce yourself. “If you don’t know, O fairest of women,” when you said that it is not possible for Me to run the world with two crowns at the same time, so go and reduce yourself and become the head of foxes. “Go and search for the downtrodden sheep” – go and become king over the inhabitants of the lower worlds who are like downtrodden sheep, and guide each one according to its needs. You will surely rule at night, so go and reduce yourself, for that is proper for you.

(Zohar Chadash p. 70d-71a)

 

“How… how” twice, in Hebrew “eichah… eichah,” the first word of each chapter of Lamentations (Eichah) recited on the Ninth of Av (Tisha b’Av) over the destruction of the First and Second Temples. The verse therefore alludes to the two destructions – of the First Temple and the Second Temple. Thus, “how you pasture” refers to the First Temple; “how she lies” refers to the Second Temple.

(Zohar Chadash p. 70c)

“How You pasture your fold… how she lies”: “Pasture” (תרעה – tire’h) and “lay down” (תרביץ – tarbitz) do not have the same connotation. What is the difference between them? The Babylonian Exile after the destruction of the First Temple lasted for a relatively short time (seventy years from 423-353 BCE[112]) and therefore the expression “pasture” is used. But the Roman exile after the destruction of the Second Temple endures for a very long time (from 69 CE[113] until today) and so the expression “lay down” is used.

 

Another question: Why are the feminine forms of the word used – tire’h, tarbitz? They should have been in the masculine form yire’h, yarbitz since it refers to the Israelites (ישראל – “Israel” takes the masculine form). The verse should thus have read, “Where will you [the Jewish People] graze; where will you [the Jewish People] lie down…” However, it was the Shechinah (the Divine Presence as manifested in this world) speaking about herself to the Holy One, blessed be He: “How shall Your bride the Shechinah nourish her children spiritually during the Exile, when they are scattered among the other nations? How shall she let them lie down in the afternoon – how shall she shower them with dew and water the outpouring of chesed in the heat of the afternoon when strict justice rules?[114]

(Zohar III p. 197a)

1:7-8 Among the flocks Your dear ones hold. If you don’t know, O fairest of women, go and search for the downtrodden sheep, and pasture your kids and lambs beside the tents where the shepherds sleep.

 

“The flocks” refers to the Jewish People, the descendants of the Patriarchs, “Your dear ones” who are the supernal holy chariot the vehicle through which the Holy One reveals His Godliness in the world.

(Zohar III, 17b)

When Knesset Yisrael the collective soul of the Jewish People went into exile she said before Him: “Tell me, Beloved of my soul” – You God the object of all my soul’s love, if You do not commune with me, where will You pasture Your fold, the Jewish people? Furthermore, how will You sustain Yourself from the depth of the stream whose outflow never stops?[115] How will You nourish Yourself from the radiance of Eden above?[116] “And in the heat of the day how she lies” – how will You sustain all of those others the various worlds that are watered by You? Although these questions are directed to God, who is obviously able to do anything He wishes, the intention is this: Once God has decreed exile upon Himself, so to speak, together with the exile He decreed upon the Jewish People, how will He overcome the limitations He has set for Himself as regards His interaction with the soul and with the world?

The Holy One replied to her Knesset Yisrael: Leave My affairs alone! For My affairs are hidden and cannot be made known. But, “if you don’t know,” for yourself, here is some advice: “Go and search for the downtrodden sheep” these are the righteous saintly people who in their humbleness are trampled beneath the heels of the arrogant. For their sake you will be given the strength to survive. “And pasture your kids and lambs” refers to young children who study Torah in their teacher’s house, for the world continues to exist for their sake, and they give strength to the Jewish People throughout the exile.[117] “Beside the tents where the shepherds sleep” these are the houses of study in which Torah is always found, taught by the shepherds – the saintly leaders and teachers of the people.[118]

 

(Zohar III, p. 17b)

 

We have translated the verse as, “Beside (על – al) the tents where the shepherds sleep.” However (על – al) also means above, referring to the Heavenly Academy of the Angel Metatron,[119] to where the souls of saintly leaders of the Jewish People (called shepherds) ascend after they pass away from this world.

(Zohar III, 197b)

1:9 To a mare in the chariots of Pharaoh I compare you…

Rabbi Yose said: Come and see. There are chariots[120] means through which spiritual levels are revealed on the left side – the secret of the “other side,” the dark side, the unholy side, and there are chariots on the right side, the supernal secret of holiness. One is opposite the other. Those of the side of holiness are qualities of compassion, while the others of the unholy side are qualities of harshness. When the Holy One, blessed be He, carried out harsh judgments against Egypt, every harsh act was in exactly the same way that the chariots of spiritual impurity had done to the Israelites. For example: Just as that side killed and took away life, so too the Holy One responded in kind, as it is written, “And God killed all the first born” (Exodus 13:15), even though His ways are those of compassion,[121] in response to Pharaoh’s command to his people, “Every son that will be born [to the Israelites] you shall cast into the river” (Exodus 1:22). Indeed, everything He did in Egypt was in exactly the same way that the Egyptians had done to the Israelites. That is why it is written, “I compare you…”

(Zohar I, 211b)

Why does the verse compare the Jewish People to “a mare in the chariots of Pharaoh?” Come and see: When Pharaoh chased after the Israelites what did he do? He took female horses and harnessed them in the first row of horses pulling the chariots. Then he harnessed stallions behind them so that the stallions would chase passionately after the mares which tried to run away from the stallions. Thus they all ran at great speed. But when they came near to the Israelites, Pharaoh he took the mares and placed them behind the stallions, in order to harm the Israelites and wage war against them. For war purposes stallions are stronger than mares. Similarly, “God went before them by day in a pillar of cloud” (Exodus 13:21), corresponding to tiferet, and afterwards the Shechinah the Divine Presence as manifested in the world, corresponding to malchut, went behind the Israelites, as it is written, “the angel of God moved and went behind them” (Exodus 14:19). Therefore, “I compare you My dear one…”

(Zohar II, 47a)

1:10 Your cheeks are beautifully adorned…

Come and see: All the facets that there are within a person and all the thoughts and desires of his heart are all visible in the face. Who a person is can be seen from his face – if his actions are good or bad, as the verse states, “Their countenance testifies against them…” (Isaiah 3:9). When everything is properly rectified, with uprightness and proper action, then “your cheeks are beautifully adorned” for the beauty of what is inside can be seen in the face, and there is no shame at all.

 

All of this actually took place when the Temple was built, and all the worlds rejoiced because the Shechinah resided within the Temple, for this was the purpose of creation of all the worlds,[122] so that there was joy above and below. Then the faces alluding to the supernal partzufim[123] were fully rectified, so that ze’ir anpin and malchut conjoined face to face, as they should be. This is the meaning of, “your cheeks are beautifully adorned.”

But doesn’t the verse state, “Your cheeks,” not “your face?” and according to what we have just learned, it should have said “your face.” However, it is all the same intention, only that the cheeks are rectified through songs of prayer and words of Torah in a visible way.

 

(Zohar Chadash 72a-b)

 

1:10 Your cheeks are exquisite with ornaments

 

“Your cheeks” (לחייך) is in the plural – two cheeks – one for this world; and one for the World to Come. “Ornaments” (torim – תורים) is also in the plural, indicating that there are two torim, alluding to two dimensions of Torah[124]: the Torah we received on Mount Sinai, and the hidden dimension of Torah (Kabbalah) that will be revealed in the future. The hidden dimension of Torah is referred to as “new” Torah as the sages explain in Midrash.[125] Although Torah was only given once and will not be given again the “new Torah” refers to the inner dimension of the Torah given on Mount Sinai, it is still called new because when the Messianic era dawns, knowledge will be renewed in the world, and Torah will shine forth to everyone, as it is written, “All will know me from the smallest among them to the greatest among them” (Jeremiah 31:33). Accordingly, both cheeks (this world and the World to Come) are exquisitely adorned with Torah – the Torah that was given to us on Mount Sinai, and the new dimension of the Torah that will be revealed with the advent of Mashiach (the Messiah).

(Zohar Chadash 53a)

 

1:10 Exquisite with ornaments

 

The word torim (תורים), translated here as “ornaments,” alludes to the Torah (תורה). Accordingly, how beautiful are all your garments, how beautiful they are with Torim, for they the Jewish People received the Torah. Now the word Torim is in the plural, and therefore alludes to the two aspects of Torah – the written Torah and the Oral Torah, with which the Jewish People is adorned.[126] Although grammatically the plural of Torah is Torot, not Torim, nevertheless, there are two aspects to the Torah, the male and the female,[127] the male aspect of Torah as it emanates from chochmah, and the female aspect of Torah as it emanates from binah[128] (or alternatively, from ze’ir anpin and malchut). Since the primary origin is from chochmah, which is then given structure in binah they may collectively be referred to as Torim. But this was not so before – the beauty of the Jewish soul was not revealed before they received the Torah. In fact, before the Jewish People received the Torah you were naked and desolate, since you were not dressed in the garments of Torah.

(Zohar Chadash 71d)

1:10 Your neck with jewelry

 

For your Holy Temple below is designed in the likeness of the supernal structures the sefirot in the higher worlds, and the manner in which they are configured.[129] Many saints and pious people ascend there to the Temple. Now that you the Temple are completely bedecked with your garments,[130] fashioned from the praises and prayers of the Jewish People, all of the supernal sources with all of the levels and their branches are aligned directly above you to accept you and endow you with supernal garments. The Temple below is thus compared to a person’s neck connecting the head (the Temple above) and the heart the Temple below).[131] It is bedecked with the praises and prayers, calledחרוזים  (charuzim – translated here as “jewelry,” but also meaning “rhyming verses”), that the Jewish People utter to God. Accordingly, the Temple is now ready for the Divine Presence (the Shechinah) to descend into it.

(Zohar Chadash 71d-72a)

 

1:11 Bands of gold we will make for thee,

 

Who sustains the world and causes the Patriarchs the highest of the supernal attributes that generate all the others, i.e. keter, chochmah and binah[132] to become revealed? The voices of young children occupied with Torah study.[133] The world is saved in the merit of those children. Corresponding to them, “bands of gold” – these are young children, as the verse states, “and you shall make two keruvim cherubs of gold” (Exodus 25:18ff). Each extremity of the lid of the Ark was fashioned from gold hammered out into the likeness of angels with the faces of young children,[134] one male and one female.[135] These correspond to netzach and hod respectively. It was from between these keruvim that the voice of God issued forth to Moses.[136] Accordingly, the fulfillment of the vision of the Patriarchs, and hence their fullest revelation, is through the manifestation of Prophecy (deriving from netzach and hod [137]) as revealed to Moses.[138]

(Zohar I, 1b)

 

Bands of gold in the plural – alludes to two dimensions of Torah. Similar to the explanation offered above (commentary to 1:10) the word Torei (תורי) – bands – is expounded as the construct plural form of Torah (תורה). The revealed dimension of Torah was given in the days of Pharaoh. The esoteric dimension is the new knowledge that will be revealed in the Messianic era.

(Zohar Chadash 53a)

We will make for thee

“We will make,” not I will make.  Now that all of the supernal sources on all levels are aligned directly above the Temple to endow it with supernal garments (as explained above 1:10), we will make them the supernal garments from the tip of the uppermost point chochmah of Atzilut to the very foundation yesod of ze’ir anpin.[139] The Temple itself corresponds to malchut. Accordingly, the plural form “we” is used to indicate that the garments are fashioned from a multitude of levels. Since the Temple is fully endowed with all of the supernal garments, the Divine Presence (the Shechinah) can now descend into it.[140]

 

(Zohar Chadash 71a)

 

Together with silver beads

We have learned: Bands of gold, deriving from the aspect of gevurah[141](severity, strict justice) we will make for thee, together with silver beads, which derive from the aspect of chesed [142](loving kindness), so that strict justice can be tempered with compassion, and there is no severity without mercy. The sefirot were initially emanated as pure points of intense light so that chesed was pure chesed with no admixture of gevurah, and gevurah was pure gevurah, with no admixture chesed, and so on. However, precisely because of the purity and intensity of the light, the vessels of the sefirot were unable to contain them and they shattered. This prior form of creation is called Tohu (Chaos) and is alluded to in Genesis 1:2. Subsequently the sefirot were emanated in mutually supporting, interdependent arrays where chesed and gevurah harmonize and blend, so that a proper mixture of the two will result in a bearable and stable revelation of chesed and gevurah to finite created beings.  This is called the world of Tikun. The Temple was the embodiment of this harmonizing principle.[143]

(Zohar III, 143b)

 

 

1:12 While[144] at His banquet the King reclined; and the fragrance of my nard He did find

 

Rabbi Abba began his discourse: This verse has been explained[145] by the chevraya as referring to the time when the Holy One blessed be He was prepared and ready to give the Torah to the Jewish people on Mount Sinai. At that time, “the fragrance of my nard He did find” – for the Jewish people exuded an exquisite scent[146] that remains and protects them for all generations to come, when they said, “Everything that God spoke of we will do and then we will understand” (Exodus 24:7) – they accepted God’s commandments without first demanding to understand them,[147] and that is the fragrance that G-d found so pleasing.

But now we will explain the verse according to the secret wisdom – Kabbalah. Come and see: It is written, “A river issues forth from Eden to water the Garden” (Genesis 2:10). Rabbi Abba begins to explain the secret of zivug, literally finding and marrying one’s mate. In Kabbalah this signifies the intimate relationship between the sefirot, or groups of sefirot, called partzufim[148] whereby they become united. This river the outflow from binah issues forth to malchut when Eden the sefirah of chochmah bonds with binah via the path that is not known above or below yesod of chochmah, as it states in the verse: “A path unknown to the eagle” (Job 28:7). In other words, when chochmah and binah unite in an intimate bond, in a loving relationship, the result is an outflow of springs and streams from binah to the six sefirot of ze’ir anpin, so that they crown the holy prince with all of those crowns. Regarding this it is written “with the crown that his mother crowned him” (Shir HaShirim 3:11). “His mother” refers to binah, who “crowned “him – ze’ir anpin. At that moment, the son ze’ir anpin receives his inheritance from his father chochmah and mother binah, and he revels in that delight and care. This is thus the mystical explanation of the previous comment: When the Jewish People bond with the King purely out of love, without demanding to understand His commands and His reasoning first, this awakens the outflow of creative power within the King, which he then bestows upon them, in the manner mentioned above. Thus we have learned that the verse “while at His banquet the King reclined,” means when the Supernal King, adorned with His crown, sits amidst His royal delights His delight in the selfless commitment of those who are devoted to Him, then “the fragrance of my nard He did find,” yesod – the sefirah associated with the outflow of goodness from Above – gives forth blessings for the union of the holy king chochmah and the queen binah. The result is that blessing is granted to all the worlds, higher and lower….[149]

(Zohar III, 61b)

It is written, “While at His banquet the King reclined” – in order to dwell within the lower kingdom malchut. This is the mystical secret of the love and care found in the Supernal Eden chochmah of Atzilut that flows down that blocked and hidden path unknown to man, so that it binah becomes filled from it. Nevertheless, since the primary purpose is “to dwell within the lower kingdom” (malchut), it is necessary that it binah should flow out via known channels. “And the fragrance of my nard He did find,” refers to process called elevating mayin nukvin, literally, “female waters,” whereby the recipient (malchut, the feminine element) spurs herself on to a more elevated and intimate relationship with God, usually resulting in a commensurate response from Above.  Since the lower kingdom malchut, through which the lower worlds were created, is in the likeness of the upper worlds, a pleasing scent wafts upwards as the result of her desire to elevate herself to a more intimate relationship, and she is granted the capacity and ability to be illuminated by the supernal light.[150]

(Zohar I, 30a)

 

1:13 A bunch of myrrh is my Beloved to me. Between my breasts He shall rest

 The stone tablets upon which the Ten Commandments were engraved were kept in the Ark that was situated in the Holy of Holies. When the Tabernacle was dismantled during the journeys of the Jewish people in the desert, the Ark was carried by way of two long poles that were permanently fixed into rings in its sides. When stationary, these poles had to remain fixed in position. They were so long that they protruded somewhat into the curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the remainder of the Tabernacle. These protrusions looked like breasts.[151] “Between my breasts He shall rest” therefore refers to the manifestation of the Divine Presence (the Shechinah) above the cover of the Ark, between the poles. The Shechinah is therefore His prison, so to speak. Because of His God’s love for her the Shechinah, He is “imprisoned” within her. This is the mystical secret of the verse, “a bunch of myrrh is my Beloved to me. Between my breasts He shall rest.” This can be explained in the following way: Elsewhere[152] the Zohar explains that the world was created for the express purpose of coming to know G-d, which is made possible through the manifestation of the Divine Presence (the Shechinah) in the world. Since the Divine Plan is invested in the Shechinah, it may be said to be “imprisoned within her,” so to speak.

(Tikunei Zohar, tikun 6 p. 21b)

1:14 A cluster of henna is my Beloved to me

“A cluster” refers to imma ila’a binah of Atzilut, the source of repentance and forgiveness. Just as a cluster of grapes is adorned with leaves and hangs down from a number of branches of the grape vine for the Jewish People to eat, so too the supernal Shechinah the Divine Presence as manifested in binah of Atzilut is adorned with ornaments – such as the eight garments of the High Priest that he wears on the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur[153]  (the Day of Atonement). The Hebrew word used for henna here is kofer (כפר), the root-word of kappara (כפרה) – forgiveness. The service of the High Priest achieves forgiveness for the transgressions of the people, so that the Shechinah can dwell among them. His garments may therefore be regarded as “ornaments” of the Shechinah – “ornaments” in the sense of vessels or receptacles, rather than decorations.[154] Accordingly, when binah illuminates malchut (when the clusters of grapes hang down from the vine) at propitious times, as during the era of King Solomon’s reign, then forgiveness prevails and it is brought forth through the service of the High Priest who wears eight garments.[155] However, there are “a number of branches” of the grape vine, alluding to several means of obtaining atonement, as the Zohar goes on to explain: The supernal Shechinah is also adorned with various sacrifices and other ornaments (again in the sense of vessels or receptacles) of atonement for her children, and she stands adorned with them before the King. Then, immediately, “I shall look upon it the rainbow to remember the everlasting covenant” (Genesis 9:16), and I will give them what she asks according to the blessings expressed in the prayers that the rabbis established. At that time, all the harsh qualities of the lower level of Shechinah malchut, associated with strict justice, are transformed into compassion. Thus the last part of the verse, “In the vineyards of Ein-Gedi” should be understood as “He has multiplied His forgiveness to me.”

(Zohar II, Tosefta p. 27b)

 

1:15 Behold you are beautiful, My love; you are so beautiful, with eyes like a dove.

He began his discourse saying: “Master of the Worlds! With Your permission, I will reveal some of Your hidden mysteries. ‘Unveil my eyes, that I may see wonders from Your Torah’ (Psalms 119:18) and praise your bride the Shechinah,[156] dressed in these garments[157] and all those that depend on her the Shechinah, and those that are affected by her, for she is the gateway through which to enter to You, to see Your countenance, which is tiferet, beauty. It is in this regard that the verse states, “Behold you are beautiful, my love, you are so beautiful with eyes like a dove.” Like a dove for sure since doves’ bodies appear as if embroidered because of their wings.[158] Because of this patterning they are clearly distinguishable from other birds, just as the Jewish People is distinguishable from other nations of the world due to their distinctive behavior patterns, woven from the 613 mitzvot.[159] Furthermore, “like a dove” for there are none among the birds that are as faithful to their spouse as doves. So too, the Jewish People are faithful to God, the One and Only whom they worship.[160]

Zohar Chadash Yitro 31c

1:16 You are handsome, my Beloved, a pleasing figure

 

Razie’l[161] the guardian of the secrets is appointed over all those secrets that can only be uttered from one mouth to another,[162] as if kissing one another with great love, so close is the cleaving one to the other of those sharing the secrets.[163] Although these secrets cannot be revealed,[164] once the gates have been opened, then all the chambers and the souls that inhabit the chambers and the camps of angels are aware that the gates of the Divine Will have been opened. But only prayers and praises of the Holy One, blessed be He that have been recited with the proper intentions, and awakened holy souls can pass through those gates. This is the chamber of Moshe (Moses), and it is into this chamber that he entered in love and where he received the Divine kiss – the spirit of prophecy. It was in this chamber where “Moshe would speak and God would answer in a voice” (Exodus 19:19), – in Moshe’s voice,[165] for God’s voice was clothed within Moshe’s.[166] This is the meaning of they were cleaving kiss to kiss. Regarding this spirit of prophecy the verse states, “He will kiss me, from His mouth to mine” (Shir HaShirim 1:2).[167] There is no kiss of such joy and love other than when they cleave to one another the soul of Moshe to God, mouth to mouth,[168] spirit to spirit. Then they delight in each other in every way, with joy and illuminated by the light from above from keter.[169] Several commentaries interpret this entire paragraph as referring to the yichud of ze’ir anpin and malchut. [170]

 

This is also the intention of our verse: Come and see: “Moshe would speak,”[171] in praise of the Schechinah – the Divine Presence as revealed within malchut[172] – as it is written, “You are beautiful my Beloved” (Shir HaShirim 1:15), and “Your lips are like a thread of scarlet” (Shir HaShirim 4:3). “And Elokim the Shechinah invested in malchut would respond to him in a voice,”[173] as it is written here, “You are handsome My beloved, a pleasing figure,” and it is written (below 5:13) “His lips are like roses shoshanim dripping with myrrh” an allusion to the Torah which is reviewed out loud repeatedly (she’shonim),[174] and was received from the God’s lips, so to speak.

(Zohar II, 253b ff.)

 

 

1:16 Our bed is full of vigor.

The Zohar does not comment on this verse.

According to the Midrash[175] “our bed” refers to the Temple, because it was in the Temple the communion between God and the Jewish People took place.

 1:17 The beams of our houses are cedar, And are with cypress covered

 

The Zohar does not comment on this verse, but the Midrash suggests that this alludes to the righteous men and women, and the male and female prophets who descend from Jacob,[176] perhaps alluding to the verse, “The righteous will blossom like a date-palm, and flourish like a cedar of Lebanon, planted in the house of G-d” (Psalms 92:13-14).

Chapter 2

 

^א אֲנִי חֲבַצֶּלֶת הַשָּׁרוֹן שׁוֹשַׁנַּת הָעֲמָקִים

¹ I am a flower of Sharon, a flower of the glen;

 

^ב כְּשׁוֹשַׁנָּה בֵּין הַחוֹחִים כֵּן רַעְיָתִי בֵּין הַבָּנוֹת

² Like a flower among thorns,

Is My beloved among the maidens.

^ג כְּתַפּוּחַ בַּעֲצֵי הַיַּעַר כֵּן דּוֹדִי בֵּין הַבָּנִים בְּצִלּוֹ חִמַּדְתִּי וְיָשַׁבְתִּי וּפִרְיוֹ מָתוֹק לְחִכִּי

³ As an apple-tree in a forest, is my Beloved among men.

In His shade I delighted and there I sat,

And his fruit was sweet to My palate.

 

^ד הֱבִיאַנִי אֶל-בֵּית הַיָּיִן, וְדִגְלוֹ עָלַי אַהֲבָה.

⁴ He has brought me into the chamber of wine,

And his banner of love flies up above.

^ה סַמְּכוּנִי בָּאֲשִׁישׁוֹת רַפְּדוּנִי בַּתַּפּוּחִים  כִּי חוֹלַת אַהֲבָה אָנִי.

⁵ ’Sustain me with flasks, refresh me with apples,

For I am sick with love.’

 

^ו שְׂמֹאלוֹ תַּחַת לְרֹאשִׁי וִימִינוֹ תְּחַבְּקֵנִי.

⁶ His left hand is under my head, and His right arm embraces me.

 

^ז הִשְׁבַּעְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ‍ִם בִּצְבָאוֹת אוֹ בְּאַיְלוֹת הַשָּׂדֶה

אִם תָּעִירוּ וְאִם תְּעוֹרְרוּ אֶת הָאַהֲבָה עַד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ.

⁷ ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, you must make your vows,

By the gazelles and the hinds of the lea,

That you not rouse,

Nor stir up the love, until He shall so please.’

 

^ח קוֹל דּוֹדִי הִנֵּה זֶה בָּא מְדַלֵּג עַל הֶהָרִים מְקַפֵּץ עַל הַגְּבָעוֹת.

⁸ The voice of my Beloved is coming swiftly,

Hopping on mountains, skipping on hills.

 

^ט דּוֹמֶה דוֹדִי לִצְבִי אוֹ לְעֹפֶר הָאַיָּלִים הִנֵּה זֶה עוֹמֵד אַחַר כָּתְלֵנוּ

מַשְׁגִּיחַ מִן הַחֲלֹּנוֹת מֵצִיץ מִן הַחֲרַכִּים.

⁹ My beloved is like a gazelle

Or a young deer;

Here he stands, behind our wall,

He gazes through the windows, through the lattice He peers.

 

^י עָנָה דוֹדִי וְאָמַר לִי קוּמִי לָךְ רַעְיָתִי יָפָתִי וּלְכִי לָךְ.

¹⁰ My Beloved called out, and said to me: ‘Arise, My love, My fair one,

And go forth.

 

^יא כִּי הִנֵּה הַסְּתָיו[177] עָבָר הַגֶּשֶׁם חָלַף הָלַךְ לוֹ.

¹¹ For the winter is past,

The rain is over and gone.

^יב הַנִּצָּנִים נִרְאוּ בָאָרֶץ עֵת הַזָּמִיר הִגִּיעַ וְקוֹל הַתּוֹר נִשְׁמַע בְּאַרְצֵנוּ.

¹² The blossoms appeared upon the earth,

It’s the time of the birds’ melody,

The cooing of the dove is heard in our land;

 

^יג הַתְּאֵנָה חָנְטָה פַגֶּיהָ וְהַגְּפָנִים סְמָדַר נָתְנוּ רֵיחַ קוּמִי לָךְ[178] רַעְיָתִי יָפָתִי וּלְכִי לָךְ.

¹³ Figs sprout forth from the fig-tree,

The vines in bloom give off their bouquet.

Arise, My love, My fair one,

And come away.

 ^יד יוֹנָתִי בְּחַגְוֵי הַסֶּלַע בְּסֵתֶר הַמַּדְרֵגָה הַרְאִינִי אֶת מַרְאַיִךְ הַשְׁמִיעִינִי אֶת קוֹלֵךְ כִּי קוֹלֵךְ עָרֵב וּמַרְאֵיךְ נָאוֶה.

¹⁴ My dove is in clefts of the rocks,

In places hidden from view;

‘Show Me your face,

Your voice let Me hear;

For your voice is sweet,

And your appearance has grace.’

 

 ^טו אֶחֱזוּ לָנוּ שׁוּעָלִים שׁוּעָלִים קְטַנִּים מְחַבְּלִים כְּרָמִים וּכְרָמֵינוּ סְמָדַר

¹⁵ ‘Catch the foxes and their cubs that spoil the vines;

Our vineyards are in bloom.’

 

^טז דּוֹדִי לִי וַאֲנִי לוֹ הָרֹעֶה בַּשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים.

¹⁶ My beloved is mine,

And I am His,

He feeds us among the roses.

 

^יז עַד שֶׁיָּפוּחַ הַיּוֹם וְנָסוּ הַצְּלָלִים סֹב דְּמֵה לְךָ דוֹדִי לִצְבִי

אוֹ לְעֹפֶר הָאַיָּלִים עַל הָרֵי בָתֶר.

¹⁷ Before the day wafts away,

And the shadows flee,

Turn, my beloved, and be

Like a gazelle or a young hart

Upon the mountains far apart.

The second chapter of Shir HaShirim deals with the period of time spanning…

 

2:1 I am a flower[179] of Sharon, a flower[180] of the glen[181]

‘A flower chavatzelet of Sharon’ is Knesset Yisrael the collective soul of the Jewish People who are imbued with the splendor of the Garden of Eden. And they are called Sharon because she sings (shara) to and praises the Supernal King.[182]

A chavatzelet of Sharon, a flower of the glen: Come and see: initially this flower is referred to as a chavatzelet, with pale yellow or whitish yellow petals, but later she is referred to as a flower with pink and white petals. Why the change in terminology? The Zohar explains: She is referred to initially as chavatzelet, when she wishes to be in communion with the King. Afterwards, when she cleaves in communion to the King, with those kisses described elsewhere[183], she is called shoshana, for it is written, ‘His lips are like roses’ (Shir HaShirim 5:13)  

Alternatively, ‘I am a chavatzelet of Sharon’ the Divine Presence, or Shechinah, malchut[184] as manifested in this world which needs to be watered by streams from the depths, from the well-springs from which the streams flow, from the depths of binah[185] as the verse states, “The parched land will become a lake” (Isaiah 35:7), after “the Sharon became a desert” (Isaiah 33:9).

‘Chavatzelet of Sharon’ – a flower of that place from which all the streams flow forth and which never ceases to flow.

 ‘A flower of the glen’ – a flower deep in the valley, for she is found in that deepest of all places, which is alluded to in the verse ‘From the depths I call out to You, O G-d’ (Psalms 130:1).

 (Zohar I, 221a; Zohar III, 107a)

2:1 Like a flower among thorns

Rabbi Yose began his discourse saying: ‘Like a flower among thorns is My beloved among the maidens’ – the Holy One, blessed be He, wished to make the Jewish People in the likeness of the higher worlds, so that there would be a flower upon earth like the one in the higher worlds the Schechinah. The shoshana is unique in that its fragrance surpasses that of all other flowers in the world, and yet it grows only among thorns adversity makes it thrive.[186] The descendants (progeny?) of those seventy, the seventy souls who went down to Egypt with Jacob (Deut. 10:21) lived among the thorns the Egyptians, who tried to make life intolerable for the Israelites. As soon as those seventy were there, the thorns produced branches and leaves and dominated the world with the fragrance of their good deeds.

(Zohar II, 189b)

 

‘Like a flower among thorns’ alludes to Rivkah Rebecca, wife of Isaac (Isaac) who was like a rose among the thorns – the Arameans among whom she grew up, including the wicked Betuel[187] and Lavan.

(Zohar III, 278b)

Why is it that she is ‘among the thorns’? When the Temple was destroyed and the land became chaos and void,[188] then the flower fell among the thorns, alluding to the lower worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Assiya. The implication here is that the natural place of the shoshana, i.e. malchut, is together with the other sefirot, residing in holiness in the world of Atzilut,[189] instead of ‘her feet descend into [the realm of] death’ (Proverbs 5:5). However, when the Temple was destroyed malchut fell to become entangled in the kelipot (the aspects of spiritual impurity, compared here to thorns, which the verse in Proverbs compares to descending into death). But when the redemption comes she will be like a morning flower regarding which the verse states, “the morning grew light.”[190] Morning is the time when the attribute of chesed illuminates the world [as in the verse, “The kindness (chesed) of God is all day long” (Psalms 52:3[191])] and the powers of harsh judgment are banished, just as in the future, when the redemption will come.[192]

Five verses about light mentioned in Genesis, at the beginning of Creation, correspond to the five petals of the shoshana above in the higher worlds, malchut of Atzilut. The first verse is “And God said, ‘There shall be light…’ ” (Genesis 1:3[193]); the second verse is “And there was light” (ibid.[194]); the third, “And God saw that the light was good” (Genesis 1:4[195]); the fourth, “And God separated between the light and the darkness (ibid.[196]); the fifth, “And God called the light, ‘day’” (Genesis 1:5[197]).

These are all the outer petals. And there are thirteen inner petals, corresponding to the verse, “There was evening and there was morning, one day” (ibid[198]). ‘One’ – אחד echad in Hebrew – has the numerical value of thirteen. Accordingly, the inner dimension of the flower, the inner cup of thirteen petals, corresponding to echad (=13), is the inner dimension of the shoshanah in the lower world, i.e. the Divine Presence as manifested in the lower world. Similarly, there is an inner cup of thirteen petals in dimensions beyond the created world as well. Thus far the analogy; now the analog in the spiritual worlds:

When echad – the inner core of the lower shoshana, and echad the inner core of the transcendent world – the two flowers together form י-ה-ו-ה the Ineffable Name. That Name has the numerical value of 26, the sum of the numerical value of the word echad mentioned twice in the following verse: “On that day God will be One and His Name will be One…” (Zechariah 14:9[199]). This means that the created world will not conceal the Divine Presence; on the contrary, it will reveal the Divine Presence.[200]

(Tikunei Zohar, Tikun 26)

 

2:2 Is My beloved among the maidens

Come and see: ‘Like a flower among the thorns is My beloved among the maidens’ – ‘a flower’ here refers to the collective souls of the Jewish People, called Knesset Yisrael, residing among the nations, like a flower among the thorns. The secret of the matter is this: Isaac Isaac came from Abraham Abraham who epitomized the aspect of supernal chesed – love and kindness, as in the verse, “Abraham who loved Me” (Isaiah 41:8[201]) – and who performed kindness to all creatures. Nevertheless he fathered Isaac who epitomized the severities as the verse suggests “The Fearsome One of Isaac” (Genesis 31:42[202]). Rivkah Rebecca too originated in the aspect of severity in that she was the daughter of Betuel, who represents the harshness of kelipah[203], but she emerged from them and bonded with Isaac. Now even though she was from the aspect of severities, she was of the mild ones chesed of gevurah, and a thread of kindness extended from her. Isaac was from the strict severities, and she was from the mild ones, like a flower among the thorns. Had she not been of the mild variety, the world could not have withstood the strict severities of Isaac. In this manner the Holy One, blessed be He, arranges partners – one strict an aspect of gevurah and the other mild an aspect of chesed in order to rectify them all so that the world can become fragrant. A rectified world exudes the fragrance of “an aroma pleasing to the Lord” (Leviticus 1:9, 13, 17[204]).

(Zohar I, 137a)

 

2:3 As an apple-tree in a forest… In His shade I delighted… His fruit was sweet to My palate

‘An apple-tree’ refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, who is as desirable as an apple-tree in a forest of non-fruit bearing trees,[205] adorned[206] with more colors than all the other trees, so that there is none like Him. Technically this alludes to the sefirah of tiferet[207] which combines and harmonizes chesed (white) and gevurah (red) and is often depicted as multi-colored.[208]

(Zohar I, 85a)

‘In His shade’ – the shade of the Holy One, blessed be He – ‘I delighted and there I sat’ on the day that He was revealed upon Mount Sinai, and the Israelites received the Torah, and we said ‘we will do first, even if we don’t understand why, and we will come to understand later’ (Exodus 24:7). ‘His fruit was sweet to my palate’ refers to the words of Torah, regarding which the verse states, ‘…sweeter than honey and nectar.

‘In His shade I delighted’ and not in the shade of any emissary or ‘officeholder’ – referring to angels. When did this relationship begin? From the time that Abraham was in the world, for he desired and loved the Holy One exclusively, as the verse states “Abraham who loved Me” (Isaiah 41:8[209]). ‘His fruit was sweet to My palate’ refers to Isaac, who was holy fruit he became a holy offering (see Genesis chap. 22). Note that the Zohar understands ‘his fruit’ as a reference to Abraham and his son (the fruit of Sarah’s womb), Isaac.

Alternatively, ‘in His shade I delighted and there I sat’ refers to Jacob. ‘His fruit was sweet to My palate’ – refers to the saintly Joseph who produced holy fruit children in this world, regarding which the verse states, “These are the descendants of Jacob: Joseph…” (Genesis 37:2[210]). Jacob counted both of Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Menashe, as his own progeny (see Genesis 48:5[211]). And it is for this reason that the Israelites are sometimes called Ephraim, as in the verse, “Ephraim, My beloved son”[212] referring to the Israelites in general.

(Zohar I, 85b)

2:4 He has brought me into the chamber of wine, and His banner of love flies up above.

Although the Zohar does not comment directly on this verse, on another verse in Shir Hashirim (7:10[213]) the Zohar[214]  explains that that wine is “the wine of Torah,” which is good in every way, in this world and in the World to Come. In the merit of this wine with which a person satiates himself, he will merit the World to Come and will arise at the time of the Resurrection of the Dead. Commentaries[215] explain that the wine of Torah alludes to the secrets of the Torah, i.e. the esoteric explanation called ‘sod.’[216] Indeed the numerical value of the Hebrew for wine, yayin, is identical to the numerical value of the word sod.[217]  Accordingly, the verse can be interpreted as the soul being brought into the chamber where the secrets of Torah are available, and that is a sign (“banner”) of G-d’s love. The Midrash[218] suggests that we read the word ודגלו (“His banner”) as ודילוגו (“His jumping over”) – for His love for His people is so powerful that He skipped the regular protocols (so to speak) and granted access to the secrets of Torah, and to the communion that they afford, without the usual prior preparation.

2:5 Sustain me with flasks,[219] refresh me with apples, for I am sick with love

Rabbi Akiva implored Rabbi Eliezer to teach him Torah. When Rabbi Eliezer began explaining the Work of the Chariot (Ma’aseh Merkava[220]) a fire surrounded them. The other sages who were present at the time understood that they were not worthy of receiving these teachings so they arose and sat down outside the outer door. What then took place took place, and the fire subsided. At that time Rabbi Eliezer taught Rabbi Akiva… 216 explanations of the verses of Shir HaShirim. Rabbi Akiva’s eyes flowed with tears and the fire enveloped them again. When Rabbi Eliezer came to the verse, “Sustain me with flasks of wine, refresh me with apples, for I am sick with love,” Rabbi Akiva could not contain himself. He wept out loud and couldn’t utter a word out of awe of the Shechinah that he sensed there. At that time Rabbi Eliezer taught him the entire depth and the all the supernal secrets that there are in Shir Hashirim. Rabbi Akiva had to vow that he would not use even a single verse thereof for any purpose other than cleaving to the Divine Presence, lest the world be destroyed because of it. Because of its supernal holiness the Almighty does not want the world to misuse the secrets of Shir Hashirim.

(Zohar I, 98b)

Rabbi Yehudah began speaking: ‘Sustain me with flasks of wine, refresh me with apples…’ this verse has been well explained elsewhere. However, we can add that Knesset Yisrael the Shechinah said this verse in exile. ‘Sustain me’ – what does this imply? Only one who is falling requires support, as it is written (Psalms 145:14) ‘God supports all those who are falling.’ Therefore when Knesset Yisrael fell, as it is written (Amos 5:2) ‘She has fallen and cannot rise’ on her own, she requires support, and so she says, ‘Sustain me.’ Who is she addressing? Her children, the Israelites, who are with her in exile.

And with what should they sustain her? With flasks of wine, ashishot, these are the Patriarchs of the Jewish People, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who are sated with the wine that is preserved in its grapes[221] from the six days of Creation. Midrash ha-Ne’elam[222] explains that ‘the wine preserved in its grapes’ from the beginning of Creation refers to the deepest secrets of the Torah which were not revealed from that time (except to exceptional individuals) but will come to light in the future. When they are sated with that wine then blessings devolve upon her upon the sefirah of malchut, which represents both the Shechinah and the Jewish People, from that level called tzadik, the sefirah of yesod. Whoever knows how to unify the Holy Name, even when blessing is not abundant in the world, is able to support and sustain Knesset Yisrael in exile.

(Zohar III, 40a)

The first word of the Torah, Bereishit (בראשית), can be divided into two words: there are two fires (תר”י א”ש).[223] These are the two fires mentioned in the blessing recited over fire after the Sabbath during the Havdalah ceremony “… blessed are You who creates the lights of fire” – lights in the plural. In regard to them the verse states ‘Sustain me with ashishot,’ with two ishot – with two fires. Why does it say ‘sustain me’ in regard to these two fires? Because with the onset of the Sabbath an extra soul descends in order to support the lower Shechinah malchut which is in exile because of its descent into this world as the soul in the body. In regards to her the lower Shechinah, malchut, the verse states, (Amos 5:2) ‘She has fallen and cannot rise’ on her own. And therefore she needs the support of extra soul that descends on the Sabbath. But when the Sabbath is over the extra soul ascends and no longer sustains the soul down below. At that time she the soul down below says to the Israelites, “sustain me with ashishot” – with the two lights of fire. What are these? The two Torahs the Written Torah and the Oral Torah[224] which are hewn out of fire, as in the verse, “for them, a fiery law”[225] which is the Name Elokim, the attribute of gevurah.[226]

(Tikunei Zohar p. 143b)

2:6  שְׂמֹאלוֹ תַּחַת לְרֹאשִׁי וִימִינוֹ תְּחַבְּקֵנִי – His left hand is under my head, and His right arm embraces me

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai posed this question: Regarding Isaac the verse states (Genesis 24:67) “Isaac married Rebecca. She became his wife and he loved her.” Now since the verse states “She became his wife,” don’t we already know that he loved her? Every man in the world loves his wife! Why then in regard to Isaac in particular does it state this – “and he loved her”? However, the explanation is that arousing a man’s love for a woman is from the left side the side of gevurah,[227] the attribute of Isaac,[228] as it is written, “His left hand is under my head.” This is in addition to the embrace expressed in the verse, “His right arm – chesed – embraces me.” Now darkness – the aspect of gevurah – and night – malchut – are as one, since the development of malchut (binyan hamalchut) is by way of the strength of gevurah[229] and the left side (gevurah) arouses love constantly for the female aspect, i.e. malchut and unites with her. In this matter, even though Abraham loved Sarah, it is not written explicitly that he loved her. This is only written in regard to Isaac since it is the aspect of gevurah that arouses love for malchut. Now if you will say that concerning Jacob there is also a verse that states that he loved his wife (Genesis 29:18), “And Jacob loved Rachel” even though he was not of the aspect of gevurah, but rather from tiferet, the answer is that this is the aspect of Isaac i.e. gevurah in him in Jacob that brought this about since tiferet – Jacob’s attribute – is an amalgamation of chesed and gevurah.[230] Come and see the proof thereof: When Abraham saw Sarah he only embraced her with his right arm (chesed embraced malchut), but did not yet accomplish full unification with her. But Isaac – gevurah – united with Rebecca bringing about a greater degree of yichud (unification) of gevurah and malchut. This is evident from the fact that he placed his left hand (gevurah) under her head, as our verse states, “His left hand is under my head, and His right arm (chesed) embraces me.” This is a more complete unification than Abraham achieved – Isaac added elevation – “His left hand is under my head – to raise the head,”[231] compared to Abraham’s mere embrace. Subsequently after the rectifications that Abraham and Isaac had accomplished Jacob came and used his bed[232] i.e. he brought about the complete yichud (unification) of ze’ir anpin and malchut and fathered twelve sons, who were all as they should be i.e. righteous men, and in this way Jacob rectified the merkavah of malchut.[233]

(Zohar I, 133a)

 

2:7  Daughters of Jerusalem, you must make your vows… that you not rouse, nor stir up the love, until He shall so please.

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said to his son: Elazar, my son, all of these matters – matters they had been discussing regarding the future redemption of Israel from its state of exile – can be explained through the secret of the thirty-two paths of the Holy Name. The Sefer Yetizirah (1:1) states that the Almighty (using the name Ya”h – the first two letters of the Ineffable Name Yud-Hai-Vav–Hai) engraved thirty-two paths of wondrous wisdom.[234] Elsewhere[235] the Zohar explains that there are in fact two dimensions of wisdom (chochmah, pl. chochmot), each of which flows into 32 paths. This is alluded to in the verse “Wisdoms (chochmot) sing out in the open”^[236] (Proverbs 1:20) – alluding to a higher wisdom and a lower wisdom,^[237] which are Divine wisdom (i.e. the wisdom of Torah^[238]) and the wisdom of Creation respectively.^[239] The 32 paths that spread out from the lower wisdom are the 32 times that the name Elokim^[240] appears in the account of Creation.^[241] The 32 paths of the higher wisdom elicit and draw down the knowledge and awareness that there is nothing other than the Infinite One, whereas the 32 paths of the lower wisdom bring about the concealment of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) so that there can be a physical existence.^[242] Specifically, Ramak (Rabbi Moshe Cordovero) explains that the 32 paths of the lower wisdom flow from malchut of Atzilut into the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Assiya, whereas the 32 paths of the higher wisdom connect chochmah (the letter Yud) to binah (the letter Hai, forming the Name Ya”h) in the world of Atzilut itself.^[243]

Until these wonders are manifested in the world – the miracles that will take place at the future redemption, as the verse states, “I will show you wonders, just as in the days of the Exodus from Egypt” (Micha 7:15)[244] ­– the secret of the Holy Name will not be complete, as in the verse, “For the hand is on the throne of God [the Name Ya”h is used here]; God wages war against Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16).[245] On this verse our Sages[246] teach: “The Name [spelled Yud-Hai here, rather than Yud-Hai-Vav–Hai] and the Throne [spelled caf, samech without the aleph] are incomplete until Amalek is completely wiped out, as will happen in the future.” And then the Name will be complete Yud-Hai-Vav–Hai, and the 32 paths of the higher wisdom will be fully manifested and will be accessible to human awareness. The Name will then include the Vav and the Hai, indicating that the transcendent Yud-Hai will be drawn into (represented by the Vav) and received by the world (represented by the Hai).

However, make sure that you not rouse, nor stir up the love, until He shall so please – do not attempt to force the redemption, which is an expression of God’s love for His people, before its time.[247] (Alternatively, do not stir up the love in your own heart until it is completely altruistic, not seeking any reward.[248]) As the beginning of this verse states: daughters of Jerusalem referring to Torah scholars,[249] or to the souls of saintly tzadikim[250] or to the Twelve Tribes – you must make your vows God made the Jewish people vow by the gazelles tzva’ot (sg. tzvi) – gazelles or deer, alluding to the King who is called Tzva’ot the King of the hosts of Heaven, as in the verse (Isaiah 47:4) “the Lord of Hosts (Tzvaot) is His Name, the Holy One of Israel.”[251] Technically, this refers to ze’ir anpin.[252]

And the hinds of the lea deer of the fields, alluding to other hosts and camps of angels from lower levels. God made Israel swear by all of these hosts, since these angels accompany them into the exile, that they Do not rouse, nor stir up the love from the right side which is the Holy One’s right hand so to speak, i.e. the attribute of chesed which is called ‘love.’ Do not arouse this love until He so shall please – until He seeks out she who lies in the dust – the Shechinah throughout the Exile – as in the verse (Isaiah 52:2) “Shake yourselves from the dust, arise…”[253] And His love for her is awakened. Fortunate is the person in this world who merits to live in that generation. He is worthy in this world and in the World-to-Come.

(Zohar II, 9a)

2:8 The voice of my Beloved is coming swiftly, hopping on mountains, skipping on hills

The holy snake, alluding to Mashiach[254] (the Messiah), rushes and jumps up 370 levels[255] in order to draw forth the radiance of the 370 illuminations that shine forth from the countenance of Arich Anpin that will be revealed in the future Messianic era. Thus this verse continues the theme of the previous verse.

This therefore suggests that the Zohar’s view is that Mashiach will arrive אחשינה (swiftly and miraculously, i.e. rushing and jumping), rather than slowly, in the course of nature (בעתה).[256] Note that one of the interpretations in the Midrash (Shir HaShirim Rabba) on this verse interprets it in the past, “The voice of my Beloved came swiftly.” This refers to the Exodus from Egypt, which was also in a miraculous manner, and was by virtue of the righteousness of the Patriarchs (mountains) and the Matriarchs (hills).[257]

However, there is not necessarily a contradiction between these two views, as the Alshich points out – the future redemption will also be due to the merit of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs.[258]

Another explanation is that the 370 illuminations refer to the full iteration of the sefirot. The full iteration of the first three sefirot, which will be manifested only in the Messianic era, comprises 10×10 for each of them[259] = 300 (3x10x10) the value of ש. But the next 7 sefirot are iterated only x10 = 70 the value of ע since their light is only secondary compared with the primary revelation in the first three sefirot.[260]

 (Zohar III, 179a)

2:9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young deer; here He stands, behind our wall, He gazes through the windows, through the lattice He peers.

Rabbi Yitzchak began his discourse: “My beloved is like a gazelle or a young deer; here He stands…” Fortunate is Israel the Jewish People, for they have merited having this security the holy Shechinah deposited with them by the Supernal King. For even though they are in exile, the Holy Blessed One comes every New Month, Sabbath, and Festival to gaze upon the surety that He deposited with us, for that is His great yearning. To what can this be compared? To a king whose queen transgressed in some minor way, but the laws of the kingdom demanded that she be banished, and he drove her out of the palace. She took their son with her, their beloved child, and because he intended to allow her back after the designated period of banishment, he left the child in her hands. But because he yearned to see the queen and his son he jumped up to the towers and jumped down the steps and climbed over walls to get a glimpse of them from the chinks in the wall. But when he saw them in their lowly state and in their suffering, he wept, and then went back to the palace, as the law required.

So too, Israel – even though they have been driven out of the King’s palace after the destruction of the Temple, He did not leave them without a surety for He sent the Shechinah with them. And when the Holy King longs for the Queen and His son i.e. at certain auspicious times, such as Shabbat and the Festivals, He jumps up to the towers an allusion to binah to elicit the Divine outflow to jump down the levels, and climb over walls circumventing the barriers that prevent the Jewish People from receiving any of this outflow due to the exile, and He gazes upon and watches over them from between the cracks in the wall separating Him from us, giving us enough to survive the exile. But because He cannot give us everything He wants to (since we do not yet deserve it) He weeps and waits for the day when He can reappear in all His glory.[261] This then is the meaning of our verse My beloved is like a gazelle or a young deer – jumping up to the towers and jumping down the steps and climbing over walls.

(Zohar III, 114b)

He stands behind our wall

Alternatively, this refers to synagogues and houses of study, the atmospheres of which are filled with the light of the Shechinah.[262]

(ibid)

He gazes through the windows

A synagogue must certainly have windows, as the Talmud (Berachot 31a, 34b) also requires, based on the verse in Daniel 6:11 “He had windows open in his upper story, facing Jerusalem, and three times a day he fell to his knees and prayed there…” Rashi (commentary on the Talmud 34b) explains: [Having windows] aids a person’s concentration, for he can gaze upwards at the heavens and his heart will be subdued.

(ibid)

Through the lattice He peers

In order to oversee them and guide them with His Divine Providence hashgacha pratit.

(ibid)

2:10 Arise, My love, My fair one, and go forth

As soon as the conditions specified in the next verses are fulfilled, then ‘Arise…and go forth’ from your state of exile into the state of redemption in the Messianic era. Commentaries point out that the expression used here וּלְכִי לָךְ, translated here as ‘and go forth,’ literally means ‘and go to yourself.’ For although the elevation of the Godly soul is via the rectification of the animal soul,[263] nevertheless at its peak the elevation of the Godly soul reaches higher than the root of the animal soul, hence ‘go to yourself’ – to your essential self.[264]

(Zohar II, 121a)

 

2:12 The blossoms appeared upon the earth

Rabbi Yose began his discourse: ‘The blossoms appeared upon the earth’ – the blossoms are the mystical secret of the six levels of ze’ir anpin, the composite profile of the six sefirot from chesed to yesod that stand upon the earth i.e. malchut which is the seventh. These six levels are Abraham – chesed, Isaac – gevurah, Jacob – tiferet, Yachin and Boaz – these were the names of the two pillars in the Temple courtyard, corresponding to netzach and hod, and Joseph – yesod.[265] They are also hinted to in the letters of the Hebrew for ‘the blossoms’ הנצנים. The letter hai alludes to Abraham who had the letter hai added to his name (originally he was named Abram). Nun alludes to Isaac since the numerical value of nun is 50 – the fifty gates of binah[266] from which the severities of gevurah are aroused. Tzadi alludes to Joseph, who is called ‘Joseph the Tzaddik’;[267] the second nun alludes to Jacob – tiferet is the fifth sefirah from the bottom up, and every sefirah comprises ten sub-levels = 50; yud is the first letter of Yachin; mem is the first letter of Moshe’s (Moses) name, regarding who the verse (Bamidbar 27:20) states “Invest him with some of Your splendor (hod).”[268] All of them appear upon the earth – in malchut.[269]

(Zohar I 39b)

2:12 upon the earth

This is the holy city in the Land of Israel – Jerusalem, which corresponds to malchut. And all of the six levels mentioned are invested in malchut of Atzilut which descends in order to animate the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. (And therefore precisely those mentioned explicitly are all buried in the Land of Israel, in malchut, excluding Aaron and Moshe – who correspond to netzach and hod – who are not explicitly mentioned here since they were not buried in Israel).[270]

(ibid)

 

2:12 The blossoms appeared upon the earth

Rabbi Chiya began his discourse: When the blessed Holy One created the world, He embedded in the earth all the powers that were fitting for her. All of those powers were there. But they did not emerge until Adam was created. As soon as Adam was created they were ready to emerge, and the earth brought forth all of her fruits and powers that had been invested in her at the time of creation. Similarly, the heavens did not give their powers to the earth in the form of rain until Adam appeared, as the verse (Genesis 2:5) states: “All the plants did not yet exist on the earth, and all the grasses of the field had not yet sprouted because God had not yet brought rain upon the earth, since there was no man to work the land.” There was no man to pray for rain – this teaches us that the Holy One longs for the prayers of the righteous.[271] All of this potential had not yet been manifested in in the world for only one reason: there was as yet no conscious being that could recognize what they were good for. And so everything was in a state of suspended animation. But as soon as man appeared, immediately “the blossoms appeared upon the earth,” and all the powers of the earth came into revelation. And then “it’s the time of the birds’ melody.” See the interpretation next.

(Zohar I 97a)

2:12  It’s the time of the birds’ melody;

The time had come for the ministering angels to establish the ritual order of song and praise of the blessed Holy One. This too did not take place until Adam was created. Not only did lower forms of life depend on the creation of man, but even the highest forms of life other than man, the angels, had no function until man was created. Why this is so we will see shortly.

(ibid)

2:12  The cooing of the dove is heard in our land

The cooing of doves is heard in the land refers to the words of the Holy One, blessed is He, which was not heard until man was created, for it was only then that the Divine command was heard, telling Adam that he could eat of all the fruits of the Garden other than the fruits of the Tree of Knowledge. Thus the verse states, ‘kol hator’ – literally, the cooing of doves, but alluding to the voice (kol) of Torah – hator has the same letters as Torah albeit in a different permutation. And the sound of Torah was first heard “in our land” – in this world. Thus when man was created, everything became reality – the reality of Torah, which is Divine communication.[272]

(ibid)

2:13  Figs sprout forth from the fig-tree, the vines in bloom give off their bouquet. Arise, My love, My fair one, and come away.

‘Figs sprout forth’ refers to the masters of the Commandments of the Torah – those who are righteous tzadikim from the outset. Perhaps this is also an expression of the idea expressed in the Midrash[273] that figs are different from all other fruits in that they produce no waste, unlike grapes that have seeds, pomegranates that have a peel etc. So too, those who follow the Commandments of the Torah from the outset do not produce any useless by-product. ‘The vines in bloom give off their bouquet’ refers to those who start off with repentance – although initially they were sinners, they begin their lives again with repentance, which gives off a scent pleasing to God.[274] And then immediately He will say to the Jewish People, ‘arise, my love, my fair one, and come away’ from the exile into the redemption. Note that both categories of people – the righteous and those who repent after sinning – are instrumental in bringing about the redemption. And both are beloved and are called ‘My fair one.’ Nevertheless, the Zohar does not seem to imply that repentance is a precondition for the redemption, as the Talmud also concludes,[275] but merely the best way for it to happen speedily.

(Zohar II 121a, Raya Mehemna)

 

 2:14  My dove is in clefts of the rocks, in places hidden from view

The Zohar cites this verse regarding the Prophet Jonah, whose name in Hebrew means ‘dove’ (Yonah). Why did Jonah flee from the Holy Land to Tarshish? This is the question the Zohar addressed here,

Rabbi Abba began his discourse: The verse (Jonah 1:3) states, “Jonah arose and fled from God to Tarshish.” Woe to one who tries to hide from the blessed Holy One, regarding Whom it states (Jeremiah 23:24), “‘I fill the heavens and the earth’ God declares.” And Jonah tried to flee from Him? How could he even think that this was possible? The Zohar answers: ‘My dove is in clefts of the rocks, in places hidden from view.’

‘My dove’ is Knesset Yisrael the Shechinah, the Divine Presence, is ‘in the clefts of the rock’ this is Jerusalem. ‘In places hidden from view’ – this is the place called the Holy of Holies, the heart of the entire world, and this is why it is hidden from view, because it is there that the Shechinah conceals itself, spreading to the area of the Temple, and from there to the Holy Land, but not outside of it, like a modest woman who reserves herself for her husband and does not venture outdoors, as the verse (Psalms 128:3) states, “Your wife will be like a fruitful vine in the inner chamber of your home.” So too, Knesset Yisrael the Shechinah does not venture outside of her hidden place, the Holy of Holies.

The intention here is that Divine Prophecy emanates from the Holy of Holies and the precincts of the Temple, from which it spreads out to the prophets in the Holy Land, but not outside of it. It was for this reason that the Prophet Jonah fled from the Holy Land, so that prophecy would not overpower him and he could avoid the task of repeatedly warning of death and destruction to deaf ears.

But during the time of exile, the Shechinah is exiled with together with the Jewish People, and therefore the Shechinah followed Jonah to Tarshish and made him prophesy there. And indeed the people of Tarshish listened to his words and repented of their ways.[276]

(Zohar I 84b)

An alternative interpretation of Knesset Yisrael is that it refers to the Jewish People: Rabbi Yose began his discourse: ‘My dove’ is Knesset Yisrael the Jewish People who are compared to a dove in that just as a dove does not abandon its partner ever, so too the Jewish People will never abandon the blessed Holy One.

In clefts of the rocks: refers to Torah scholars who do not live an easy life in this world.

In places hidden from view: these are the Torah scholars who comport themselves with modesty, and so they hide and conceal their spiritual achievements and downplay their righteousness. They are the pious ones from whom the Shechinah never budges, unlike the rest of us who can achieve a more elevated spiritual status only at certain times, such as on the Sabbath or Festival days. And thus the Almighty, in His longing to find a perch among His creations, declares: ‘Show Me your face’ referring to the masters of good deeds and piety, ‘your voice let Me hear’ – the voice of those occupied with Torah study.

(Zohar III 61a)

2:14 For your voice is sweet: No voice is heard above in the Heavenly Court, other than the voices[277] of those occupied in studying the Torah – the Divine Law.

(ibid)

2:14 For your voice is sweet, and your appearance has grace: We learned in a Beraita – all those who toil in studying the Torah by night, their likeness is engraved above before the blessed Holy One, and He delights in them throughout the day. He gazes upon them and illuminates their souls with a wondrous light. Their voices pierce through all the heavens and rise before Him, technically to the level of Ze’ir Anpin, and thus it states, ‘your voice is sweet, and your appearance has grace.’

(ibid)

 

2:16 My beloved is mine, and I am His; He feeds us among the roses: My beloved is mine, and I am His: Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai began his discourse with this verse My beloved is mine, for I chose Him exclusively, and I am His, for He chose me from among all the nations and tongues; He feeds us among the roses He sustains us with good pasture that is as pleasant and beautiful as roses – said Rabbi Shimon: Woe to the creatures who do not pay attention to and are not aware of the tremendous opportunity they have, since everything was created for their sake, because the moment it rose in the blessed Holy One’s thoughts to create His world, then all of the worlds arose in a single thought – this is the secret of chochmah, and with this thought all were created, as it states (Psalms 104:24) “Everything You created with wisdom” indicating that the lower worlds are just as important to Him as the upper worlds, since with this single thought, the aspect of chochmah, He created this world and the world above – the same quality that created the higher worlds created the lower worlds as well. He stretched out His right hand the symbol for chesed, the attribute of revelation that characterizes higher planes of reality and created the higher worlds; He stretched out His left hand the symbol of withholding revelation in order to create a finite, limited world – in this case referring to the attribute of malchut that created this world. Thus it is written (Isaiah 48:13), “My hand laid the foundation of the earth, and My right hand measured out the heavens. I call to them and they stand together.” ‘My hand’ refers to the left hand symbolically, since the right hand is stated specifically. Even from the non-kabalistic point of view, it is clear that this anthropomorphic image is not to be taken literally.[278] “And they stand together” – all aspects of creation are bound together, and all of them were created together in a single moment. Although the process of creation spanned six days, as the first chapter in Genesis states, the creation of matter ex nihilo took place in a moment.

He created this world corresponding to the world above, so that for everything above there is a corresponding creation below… As it is written (Genesis 9:6) “He made man in the Divine image,” and it is written (Psalms 8:6), “You made him a little less in intelligence than the angels…” And yet He chose Israel, for the supernal angels He did not call ‘My children’, whereas the ones below – the Jewish People – he did refer to as ‘My children,’ as the verse (Deuteronomy 14:1) states, “You are God’s children,” and they call Him ‘Father’ as it is written (Isaiah 63:16) “For You are our Father.” And this is the meaning of our verse, “My beloved is mine, and I am His” – for He chose us, and we chose Him.

(Zohar I, 20a)

2:17 Before the day wafts away, and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young hart

Rabbi Yochanan began his discourse: This is a warning to every person while they are still in this world, which is for but the blink of an eye. Come and see what is written in the verse (Ecclesiastes 6:6) “Even if he lives a thousand years twice over, but didn’t find the good, don’t we all go to the same place?” – the grave. Because on the day of a person’s death, he regards his entire life as if it were a single day – the day wafts away in the blink of an eye – since he did not find spiritual contentment. Therefore one should know that repentance and good deeds in this world are worth incomparably more than the physical delights of this world.[279]

Rabbi Shimon said: A person’s soul warns his body saying, ‘before the day wafts away’ for the days allotted to you will quickly pass, as if in the blink of an eye. So, while you are still in this world, even at your last moment, when the shadows flee – when your life, compared to a shadow, is about to flee from you, as the verse (Job 8:9) states, ‘our days upon the earth are but a shadow.’[280] And the soul pleads with the body while it is still alive, ‘turn, my beloved,’ return and repent swiftly, like a gazelle…’[281]

(Zohar I, 99b Midrash Ne’elam)

An alternative interpretation: Rabbi Isaac began his discourse: This verse refers to the exile of the Jewish People who are enslaved literally or figuratively in exile until the day that the domination of the nations of the world over us ceases – this is the explanation of ‘before the day wafts away,’ which he interprets as ‘until the day wafts away.’ For we learned in a Beraita a rabbinical teaching: Rabbi Isaac said that the dominion of all the nations over Israel lasts for only a thousand years. But because of our transgressions (which give power to the unholy side) they were given more and more time,[282] so that there is no nation that has not dominated Israel at one time or another. That thousand years is a single day to Him, as it is written (Zechariah 14:7) “It will be a unique day, it will be known as the Lord’s day… and towards evening there will be light” for it is known only to God when that day will come to an end and the great light of the Messianic era will begin.[283]

(Zohar II, 17a)

 

2:17 Upon the mountains far apart

Come and see: The world is engraved with 42 letters of the Divine Name and this is how it exists. The four letters of the Name Havaye (י-ה-ו-ה) plus the 10 letters of the milui (i.e. when the four letters comprising the Name are fully iterated into their 10 sub-components – יו”ד-ה”א-וא”ו-ה”א, and these in turn are again iterated into their sub-components יו”ד, וא”ו, דל”ת; ה”א, אל”ף; וא”ו, אל”ף, וא”ו; ה”א, אל”ף = 42 letters when taken all together. These letters on high become the expanded inner consciousness of ze’ir anpin, and they descend below to form the limited consciousness of malchut. When they form the crown of the four sides – these are the secret of chohmah, binah, chesed, gevurah – of the world of ze’ir anpin then it is able to thrive.

But after this the letters combine to form the 42 letter Name, and emerge to create the upper world and the lower world the upper world of Atzilut, and the lower worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. Atzilut is the World of Unity since it reveals Godliness, since both the lights and vessels of the sefirot are in a state of oneness with the Ohr Ein Sof (the Infinite Divine revelation) there.[284] And the Worlds of Separation, the lower worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, are called the ‘mountains far apart’ or the ‘mountains of separation,’ since these worlds do not reveal Godliness.

(Zohar II, 234b)

 

 

1:17 Like a gazelle or a young hart, upon the mountains far apart

After the letters combine to form the 42 letter Name, as explained above, they emerge to create the upper world of Atzilut and the lower worlds Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. Atzilut is the World of Unity, and Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah are the Worlds of Separation, called the ‘mountains far apart’ or the ‘mountains of separation,’ since these worlds do not reveal Godliness. Now in order for Godliness to be revealed in the worlds of separation, this is by means of the ‘gazelle’ or ‘hart,’ both of which are is very swift and agile, and due to their swiftness and agility humans cannot ride them. The analog above is that those attributes that have some likeness to the structure of a person[285] cannot be ascribed to the Infinite Divine revelation called the Ohr Ein Sof, as the verse (I Samuel 15:29) states, “He is not a man.” The only Divine Revelation that can be drawn down into the separated worlds is exclusively the Ohr Ein Sof that is not manifested in discernable form – and this is what is drawn into the world by the ‘gazelle’ or ‘hart,’ for only the most transcendent level has the ability to descend into the mountains of separation.[286]

The word for hart is עֹפֶר which has the same letters as עָפָר – dust. One who humbles himself like the dust, like Abraham who said “I am dust and ashes” (Genesis 18:27), also elicits the Ohr Ein Sof.[287] Dust of course has no shape or form, and thus relates to He who has no shape or form.

The word for gazelle is צְבִי the initials of צַדִּיק בֶּאֱמוּנָתוֹ יִחְיֶה – “a righteous person (tsaddik) lives by his faith” (Habbakuk 2:4).[288] He is able to elicit Ohr Ein Sof due to his righteousness. Furthermore, the vowels of the word יִחְיֶה (‘lives by’) in the verse can be read as יְחַיֶה – ‘animate’, ‘give life to’[289] – meaning that the tsaddik draws the Ohr Ein Sof into the disconnected world of ‘the mountains far apart.’

(Zohar II, 234b)

Chapter 3

 

^א עַל מִשְׁכָּבִי בַּלֵּילוֹת בִּקַּשְׁתִּי אֵת שֶׁאָהֲבָה נַפְשִׁי בִּקַּשְׁתִּיו וְלֹא מְצָאתִיו.

¹ Upon my bed at night

I sought the One whom my soul loves;

Him I sought but I did not find.

 

^ב אָקוּמָה נָּא וַאֲסוֹבְבָה בָעִיר בַּשְּׁוָקִים וּבָרְחֹבוֹת אֲבַקְשָׁה אֵת שֶׁאָהֲבָה נַפְשִׁי;

בִּקַּשְׁתִּיו וְלֹא מְצָאתִיו.

² Let me rise and roam through the city,

In the square and the street,

I will seek to meet

The One whom my soul loves,

Him I sought but I did not find.

^ג מְצָאוּנִי הַשֹּׁמְרִים הַסֹּבְבִים בָּעִיר אֵת שֶׁאָהֲבָה נַפְשִׁי רְאִיתֶם.

³ They found me

The watchmen patrolling the city.

‘Did you see

The One whom my soul loves?’

^ד כִּמְעַט שֶׁעָבַרְתִּי מֵהֶם עַד שֶׁמָּצָאתִי אֵת שֶׁאָהֲבָה נַפְשִׁי

אֲחַזְתִּיו וְלֹא אַרְפֶּנּוּ עַד שֶׁהֲבֵיאתִיו אֶל בֵּית אִמִּי וְאֶל חֶדֶר הוֹרָתִי.

 ⁴ I had just moved on from them

When I found the One whom my soul loves,

I will grasp Him and not let Him leave

Until I bring Him to my mother’s home,

To the chamber where I was conceived.

 

 

^ה הִשְׁבַּעְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִַם בִּצְבָאוֹת אוֹ בְּאַיְלוֹת הַשָּׂדֶה

אִם תָּעִירוּ וְאִם תְּעוֹרְרוּ אֶת הָאַהֲבָה עַד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ.

⁵ ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, you must make your vows,

By the gazelles or the hinds of the leas,[290]

That you not arouse,

Nor stir up the love, until He shall so please.’

^ו מִי זֹאת עֹלָה מִן הַמִּדְבָּר כְּתִימְרוֹת עָשָׁן מְקֻטֶּרֶת מֹר וּלְבוֹנָה מִכֹּל אַבְקַת רוֹכֵל.

⁶ But who is this

Ascending from the wilderness?

Like smoke in a plume

Scented with myrrh and frankincense,

And all the powders

Of the vendor of perfume.

^ז הִנֵּה מִטָּתוֹ שֶׁלִּשְׁלֹמֹה שִׁשִּׁים גִּבֹּרִים סָבִיב לָהּ מִגִּבֹּרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל.

⁷ Behold the bed of Solomon

The King to whom Peace belongs,

Which sixty mighty men enclose

From among Israel’s heroes.

^ח כֻּלָּם אֲחֻזֵי חֶרֶב מְלֻמְּדֵי מִלְחָמָה אִישׁ חַרְבּוֹ עַל יְרֵכוֹ מִפַּחַד בַּלֵּילוֹת.

⁸ All of them gripping a sword

Skilled in the art of the fight,

Each of them with a sword on his thigh

Because of the fear of the night.

^ט אַפִּרְיוֹן עָשָׂה לוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה מֵעֲצֵי הַלְּבָנוֹן.

⁹ A Royal Palace He made for Himself, did the King to whom peace belongs,

From the towering trees of Lebanon.

^י עַמּוּדָיו עָשָׂה כֶסֶף רְפִידָתוֹ זָהָב מֶרְכָּבוֹ אַרְגָּמָן תּוֹכוֹ רָצוּף אַהֲבָה מִבְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָם.

¹⁰ Pillars of silver He made,

With gold overlaid

His chariot of royal purple

The interior inlaid with love

From the daughters of Jerusalem above.

^יא צְאֶינָה וּרְאֶינָה בְּנוֹת צִיּוֹן בַּמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה בָּעֲטָרָה שֶׁעִטְּרָה לּוֹ אִמּוֹ

בְּיוֹם חֲתֻנָּתוֹ וּבְיוֹם שִׂמְחַת לִבּוֹ.

¹¹ Come out now and see

O Daughters of Zion

The King of peace with the crown

That his mother gave him

On the day of his wedding

The day of joy in his heart.

The third chapter of Shir HaShirim deals with the period of time spanning from the Egyptian exile until the Third Temple will be rebuilt, and even the time of the Resurrection of the Dead

 

3:1 עַל מִשְׁכָּבִי בַּלֵּילוֹת… בִּקַּשְׁתִּיו וְלֹא מְצָאתִיו – Upon my bed at night I sought Him… but I did not find

Rabbi Elazar began: ‘Upon my bed at night I sought…’ Why does the verse use the expression ‘Upon my bed’? Shouldn’t it have said, ‘In my bed’? What is the meaning of upon my bed? However, the answer is this: Knesset Yisrael the collective community of the Jewish People, also referring to the sefirah of malchut or the Shechinah that represents the entire Jewish People, speaks before the blessed Holy One pleading with Him about the exile which is compared to night[291], since she malchut /the Shechinah dwells in the exile with her children. When the Jewish People go into exile, so does the Shechinah. And there she lies in the dust, but since she lies in a foreign land, which is spiritually impure, she states ‘Upon my bed’ for ‘I am pained by the exile’ in which I cannot get comfortable, and therefore I am only upon my bed, and not in it. And in reference to this ‘I beseeched[292] the One whom my soul loves’ to take me out of the exile. ‘I sought Him but I did not find Him’ since it is not His custom to commune with me other than in His palace the Holy Temple, which we do not have during the time of exile.  

(Zohar III, 42a)

3:1 בִּקַּשְׁתִּי אֵת שֶׁאָהֲבָה נַפְשִׁי – I sought the One whom my soul loves

The Shechinah declared: During every exile that the Jewish People have suffered, the Shechinah (malchut) becomes separated from her ‘husband’ ze’ir anpin[293] – He leaves me and goes back to his mother’s house, i.e. ze’ir anpin ascends to binah and does not illuminate malchut. I inquired about Him from every passerby from every Tsaddik – those whose righteous deeds bring about the intimacy of ze’ir anpin and malchut. I sought Him, and with the help of the Tsaddikim, He came to me and we were intimate for a short while, during the Sabbath and Festival days, but not continually, since this was still the time of exile.

 (Tikunei Zohar Addenda, Tikun 6, 144a)

3:2בַּשְּׁוָקִים וּבָרְחֹבוֹת אֲבַקְשָׁה אֵת שֶׁאָהֲבָה נַפְשִׁי  – I sought the One whom my soul loves… in the square and the street

Much of this verse is a repetition of what was stated in the previous verse and what will be explained in verse 4. The Zohar does not offer an explanation of “Let me rise and roam through the city, in the square and the street.”

However, later works[294] explain that the word ‘love’ in the verse for ‘whom my soul loves’ is written with a kametz under the aleph שֶׁאָהֲבָה – indicating the past tense, for this love was initially embedded in the soul when “Israel arose in Primordial Thought”[295] even before they were created. However, there are those for whom the whereabouts of this love is unknown; it is in a state of exile and must be searched for. Regarding this our verse states, “I sought the One whom my soul loves.” And where did I seek Him? “In the square and the streets” – in the place where is was lost, the reshut harabim – the public domain, the domain of division and multiplicity i.e. the areas of the world where Godliness is not manifest, as opposed to the reshut hayachid (the private domain), literally, “the domain of Oneness,” where the One whom my soul loves is to be found.

3:3  מְצָאוּנִי הַשֹּׁמְרִים הַסֹּבְבִים בָּעִיר – They found me, the watchmen patrolling the city

The blessed Holy One made the holy city of Jerusalem above in the heavens, just like the holy city of Jerusalem below, in this world. Commentaries[296] explain that this alludes to the Garden of Eden above, in the world of Beriah, which is designed along the lines of the Garden of Eden below, in the world of Asiyah, with walls and towers and gates, barring entry to those who do not belong there. And on those walls and in the towers are sentries who guard the gates, as the verse (Isaiah 62:6) states “Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I placed sentries…” Those sentries guarding the gates of Jerusalem above are under the authority of the High Priest i.e. the Archangel Michael. When the soul leaves this world, if it is worthy it ascends to the Garden of Eden of this world that the blessed Holy One planted for the ruchot – plural of ruach, the second of the five levels of the soul of the righteous. This is like the Garden of Eden above, which the blessed Holy One planted for the neshamot – plural of neshamah, the third of the five levels of the soul of the righteous. It is there in the Garden of Eden that all the tsaddikim from this world dwell. When their soul leaves this world she first passes through the Cave of the Patriarchs Ma’arat HaMachpelah for this is where the gate to the Garden of Eden is placed, and there the soul meets with Adam and the Patriarchs. If she is worthy, they rejoice in that soul and open the gate for her. But if not, she is rejected.

 

And what does she say if she is rejected? מְצָאוּנִי – ‘They found me out; they discerned that I was as yet unworthy of entering that holy place, הַשֹּׁמְרִים הַסֹּבְבִים בָּעִיר – ‘the watchmen patrolling the city.’ That soul then leaves. Now before it came into this world, a light was placed above its head, as the verse (Job 29:3) states, בְּהִלּוֹ נֵרוֹ עֲלֵי רֹאשִׁי –  “His candle would shine over my head, and I could walk in darkness by His light.” I could have navigated this dark world with the light God provided to the soul.[297] Thus when the soul is rejected all those souls in the Garden of Eden who see her are astounded and ask, “Is this Naami” (Ruth 1:20), to which she replies, “Do not call me Naami from the word meaning ‘pleasant’ but Mara from the word meaning ‘bitter’ (ibid.). I went to that place to this world fully equipped, but I returned empty-handed, without Torah and good deeds, and so I was turned away…[298]

But if the soul is worthy it enters the Garden of Eden and is clothed in an ethereal body similar to the form of the body as it was purified and sanctified in this world, and there it experiences the spiritual delights of the Garden, commensurate with the spiritual levels it achieved in this world. And from there is ascends from level to level…[299]

(Zohar I 80b-81a, Sitrei Torah)

3:4-5 כִּמְעַט שֶׁעָבַרְתִּי מֵהֶם עַד שֶׁמָּצָאתִי אֵת שֶׁאָהֲבָה נַפְשִׁי הִשְׁבַּעְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ‍ִם … אִם תָּעִירוּ וְאִם תְּעוֹרְרוּ אֶת הָאַהֲבָה עַד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ – I had just moved on from them, when I found the One whom my soul loves… Daughters of Jerusalem, you must make your vows… that you not arouse, nor stir up the love, until He shall so please

כִּמְעַט שֶׁעָבַרְתִּי מֵהֶם “I had just moved on from them” refers to the first two exiles, in Egypt, and then, after the destruction of the First Temple, Babylon. Now the Second Temple has been built, and I found the One whom my soul loves, for then, with the building of the Second Temple, ze’ir anpin and malchut were once again intimate.[300] But subsequently, after the destruction of the Second Temple and He left me again, there were times when I heard not a word from Him, for prophecy ceased and the Jewish People had no prophetic guidance at all. So I made the entire city of Jerusalem, referred to here as בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ‍ִם – ‘the daughters of Jerusalem’, alluding to the righteous tsaddikim there, swear an oath to me אִם תִּמְצְאוּ אֶת דּוֹדִי מַה תַּגִּידוּ לוֹ שֶׁחוֹלַת אַהֲבָה אָנִי – “if they will find my Beloved, what will you tell Him? That I am sick with love” (below 5:8). In other words, instead of letting matters take their natural course, as initially suggested, “you must make your vows…that you not arouse, nor stir up the love, until He shall so please” – she asks the tsaddikim to arouse her Beloved through their good deeds, so this would bring about their communion and intimacy. But at other times, upon my bed at night I sought the One whom my soul loves, so that He would commune with me (as explained in verse 3:1), but no one could tell me where I could find Him – there was no one who could arouse this   communion and intimacy, until He Himself came of His own initiative, on the Sabbath and Festival days, as explained in greater detail below.

(Tikunei Zohar Addenda, Tikun 6, 144a)

 

3:4 אֲחַזְתִּיו וְלֹא אַרְפֶּנּוּ עַד שֶׁהֲבֵיאתִיו אֶל בֵּית אִמִּי וְאֶל חֶדֶר הוֹרָתִי – I will grasp Him and not let Him leave, until I bring Him to my mother’s home, to the chamber where I was conceived

Regarding the night of the Sabbath it states (below 5:5) “I arose to open up for my Beloved” – this is on Sabbath when ze’ir anpin comes to conjoin intimately with malchut. But when the Sabbath is over the Shechinah states, “my Beloved ze’ir anpin slipped away and was gone” (below, 5:6). At that time, says the Shechinah, “I sought Him, but did not find Him; I called Him, but He did not answer me” (below 5:6) – because after the Sabbath the revelation from above, called gadlut hamochin (higher consciousness) ascends, and only a lower level of consciousness (katnut hamochin) remains. And the same pattern is true on the macro-scale: when the Temples are extant, this is a time of gadlut hamochin, but when we no longer have them, only the lower level of consciousness (katnut hamochin) remains. This continues until I made an oath that the next time He comes to me, i.e. in the future with the Messianic redemption, “I will grasp Him by the hand, and I will not let Him leave. When the redemption arrives, the intimate union (yichud) of ze’ir anpin and malchut will be complete, as alluded to in the verse (Zechariah 14:9): וְהָיָה ה’ לְמֶלֶךְ עַל כָּל הָאָרֶץ בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה ה’ אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד – ‘On that day God [as manifested in ze’ir anpin] will be [visibly] One and His Name [malchut] will be One. This is the meaning of אֲחַזְתִּיו וְלֹא אַרְפֶּנּוּ עַד שֶׁהֲבֵיאתִיו אֶל בֵּית אִמִּי – “I will grasp Him and not let Him leave until I bring Him to my mother’s home.” ‘My mother’s home’ is the supernal Temple, binah which is called the Temple on High. There the initial communion of ze’ir anpin and malchut will be ‘back-to-back’[301] i.e. an incomplete or immature yichud, which later will be replaced by a complete yichud, face-to-face, when the Third Temple will be built. This is the meaning ofוְאֶל חֶדֶר הוֹרָתִי – ‘to the chamber where I was conceived.’[302] This is the concept of gadlut hamochin – mature intellect, where one is constantly in communion with the blessed Holy One – as explained at length by the Arizal.[303]

The Shechinah further declared: At the time of the final redemption, אֲחַזְתִּיו וְלֹא אַרְפֶּנּוּ – I will grasp His hand and not let go, unlike the previous times. With all the previous redemptions, such as the redemptions from Egypt and from Babylon, He came to me to the Temple (the Bet HaMikdash) where His Presence was revealed, and then He left me, with the destruction of the Temple and the exile of the Jewish People, with whom the Shechinah was also exiled.[304] But with the final redemption, I will be unified with Him with Godliness as manifested in ze’ir anpin, and I will be bound to Him with a number of bonds of love alluding to binding tefillin on the arm and the head. These will never move from me, for there will never be another exile after the coming redemption.

(Tikunei Zohar Addenda, Tikun 6, 144a)

3:4 וְאֶל חֶדֶר הוֹרָתִי – To the chamber where I was conceived

The young boy[305] began speaking again, citing the verse (Exodus 24:12): וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֶל מֹשֶׁה עֲלֵה אֵלַי הָהָרָה – And God said to Moshe, ‘Ascend to Me to the mountain… and I shall give you the stone Tablets and the Torah and the Commandment that I have written to teach them (אֲשֶׁר כָּתַבְתִּי לְהוֹרֹתָם)’ – ‘the Torah’ refers to the Written Torah (i.e. Scripture), ‘and the commandment’ refers to the Oral Torah, ‘to teach them’ לְהוֹרֹתָם is written in the ‘defective’ form[306] alluding to our verse, as it states וְאֶל חֶדֶר הוֹרָתִי – to the chamber where I was conceived. The word לְהוֹרֹתָם (i.e. missing the vav between the reish and the tav) is written in defective form in order to suggest that it also means ‘conception,’ impregnation (from the root הָרָה).[307]

Now this needs to be examined. Who does ‘conceived’ here refer to? If you say it refers to the Jewish People i.e. the root of the Jewish soul in malchut above, this cannot be so, since Israel is not mentioned at all in this verse. Rather, it must refer to the conception of Torah and the Oral Torah, referred to as the commandment – ze’ir anpin and malchut. And who is she the chamber (womb) where they were conceived? This is the place of wine that is safeguarded (יָיִן הַמְשׁוּמָר) in its grapes from the six days of Creation[308]  – binah which is the ‘womb’ in which the Written Torah ze’ir anpin of this world is conceived. For the all writing of Scripture above – takes place there in binah. The Author of the Sefer (the One who writes, i.e. conceives) is Abba-chochmah, and the place of writing-conception is Imma-binah. See Sefer Yetzirah 1:1 – (He) created His universe with three sefarim – the author (sofer), the book (sefer) and the story (sippur), corresponding to chochmah, binah, da’at.[309] Together they conceive the Torah in ze’ir anpin and from there the Torah emerges into this world. This aspect is what we call the written Torah, and therefore it statesאֲשֶׁר כָּתַבְתִּי לְהוֹרֹתָם – ‘to conceive’ the Torah.

But the Oral Torah malchut is a different aspect – it is sustained by the mouth. What is the mouth? This is da’at which is the mouthpiece of Scripture Abba-chochmah and writing Imma-binah – thus it is referred to as the Oral Torah for it is established on the basis of that Mouth, the Written Torah which is how chochmah is expressed in binah. This is supported by the verse, (Malachi 2:7) כִּי שִׂפְתֵי כֹהֵן יִשְׁמְרוּ דַעַת וְתוֹרָה יְבַקְשׁוּ מִפִּיהוּ – “For the lips of the Kohen should safeguard knowledge (da’at); and people should seek teaching from his mouth.”[310]

(Zohar III 40b)

3:5 הִשְׁבַּעְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ‍ִם בִּצְבָאוֹת אוֹ בְּאַיְלוֹת הַשָּׂדֶה אִם תָּעִירוּ וְאִם תְּעוֹרְרוּ אֶת הָאַהֲבָה עַד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ – Daughters of Jerusalem, you must make your vows by the gazelles or the hinds of the leas; that you not arouse, nor stir up the love, until she[311] shall so please

There is fear of one sort and there is fear of another sort. There is love of one sort and there is love of another sort. One sort of fear is when a person fears that if he sins the blessed Holy One will diminish his possessions due to his transgressions, and so he is careful not to transgress. Another sort of fear is that if he sins his offspring will pass on in his lifetime, and so again he is careful not to sin. Accordingly, if either of these events takes place – if his possessions were diminished, or if one of his offspring would pass away in his lifetime, Heaven forfend, he would no longer have that fear, since what he most feared had already come to be. Similarly, when a person’s love for the blessed Holy One is because He blessed him with children or wealth, or both, then if his possessions were diminished, or if one of his offspring would pass away in his lifetime his love would be diminished. Such fear and love is not comparable to the true awe and love of the Almighty, since their basis is merely his own benefit. But real awe and love are whether circumstances are good or bad, since he is not worshipping God based on rewards or punishments, but for its own sake. It is for this reason that the former types of fear and love are referred to as fear and love on condition of reward (עַל מְנַת לְקַבֵּל פְּרָס), or to avoid punishment. It is for this reason that the blessed Holy One states, ‘O Daughters of Jerusalem, you must make your vows by the gazelles and the hinds of the leas that you not arouse, nor stir up the love, the love that is incomplete or self-seeking in any way. But only arouse that love that displays total willingness and commitment, with an inner love and desire for Me through the Torah and mitzvot I have commanded you – until she the love shall so please shall be pleasing to Me[312] – which is unconditional love.

(Tikunei Zohar Tikun 30, p. 73b-74a)

 

3:5 בִּצְבָאוֹת אוֹ בְּאַיְלוֹת הַשָּׂדֶה  – By the gazelles or the hinds of the leas

The Talmud[313] understands the word tzva’ot (צְבָאוֹת) here as the plural of tzvi (צְבִי) – a gazelle. The Zohar, however, relates the term to the word tzva’ot (צְבָאוֹת), singular tzava, meaning hosts of angels: A righteous Tsaddik is called tzva’ot (צְבָאוֹת). Why? Because all the hosts of heaven and their various camps emerge from him since he is the aspect of the sefirah of yesod (foundation), as in the verse (Proverbs 10:25), וְצַדִּיק יְסוֹד עוֹלָם – “and a tsaddik is the (yesod) foundation of the world.” See the story of Jacob who was met by camps of angels (Genesis 32:3).

 (Zohar I, 21b)

3:5 הִשְׁבַּעְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלַ‍ִם בִּצְבָאוֹת אוֹ בְּאַיְלוֹת הַשָּׂדֶה – Daughters of Jerusalem, you must make your vows by the gazelles or the hinds of the leas

An alternative explanation: I have made you swear an oath by the tzva’ot – this is the king (or the Messiah[314]) who is called tzva’ot (צְבָאוֹת) down here on earth, or the hinds of the leas – these are the ministers and other members of the king’s court in this world. I have made you swear an oath by your king (or by the Messiah) and his court that you will not arouse the love, which is the right hand of redemption,[315] until she that lies in the dust – the Shechinah during the exile – is desired by the King i.e. ‘until He shall so please.’

(Zohar II, 9a)

3:5 אִם תָּעִירוּ וְאִם תְּעוֹרְרוּ אֶת הָאַהֲבָה עַד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ – That you not arouse, nor stir up the love, until He shall so please.

If the Jewish People arouse that love, the love the blessed Holy One has for them, “which is as intense as death” or “strong until death”, leading to the advent of Mashiach (the Messiah) before his time, for they pray for the fulfillment of the second half of the verse (Isaiah 60:22) בְּעִתָּהּ אֲחִישֶׁנָּה – “In its time I will hasten it”[316] then you must arouse it in the proper manner. The proper manner is to acquire tremendous merit from diligent Torah study and the fulfillment of mitzvot and good deeds with love and awe. In this manner you will merit the speedy advent of Mashiach and the Redemption – “I will hasten it”. But if not, if you do not have this great merit, do not arouse it, because the side of impurity – primarily referring to Amalek, as below – will only strengthen itself, knowing that its end is near as soon as Mashiach arrives. This is the meaning of our verse, “Daughters of Jerusalem, you must make your vows, by the gazelles and the hinds of the leas, that you not arouse, nor stir up the love, until He shall so please.” According to the Talmud the blessed Holy One made Israel swear that they will not push for the redemption before its time.[317] However, the Zohar suggests that this is only if the Jewish People do not have sufficient merit, then they should wait for the redemption “until He shall so please” – until God decides that it is the proper time.

(Tikunei Zohar, Tikun 22 p. 68a)

3:6 מִי זֹאת עֹלָה מִן הַמִּדְבָּר כְּתִימֲרוֹת עָשָׁן מְקֻטֶּרֶת מוֹר וּלְבוֹנָה מִכֹּל אַבְקַת רוֹכֵל But who is this ascending from the wilderness like smoke in a plume, scented with myrrh and frankincense, and all the powders of the vendor of perfume?

Rashi and others explain that this verse refers to the nations of the world expressing their astonishment at the greatness of the Israelites (that a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night preceded them in their travels through the desert). “Who is this” therefore refers to the Israelites. However, the feminine form here – mi zot (מִי זֹאת) is puzzling in this context, since the Israelites are generally referred to in the masculine form. Accordingly, the Zohar offers a different explanation – that this refers to the Shechinah, the Divine Presence manifested through the sefirah of malchut, also called nukvah, the feminine element: Rabbi Yose began: ‘But who is this ascending…’ – Come and see: when they were journeying in the wilderness the Shechinah went before them and they the Israelites followed her, as the verse (Exodus 13:21) states וַה’ הֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם יוֹמָם בְּעַמּוּד עָנָן לַנְחֹתָם הַדֶּרֶךְ וְלַיְלָה בְּעַמּוּד אֵשׁ לְהָאִיר לָהֶם  – “And the Lord – the Divine Presence in the form of the Shechinah – went before them in a pillar of cloud to lead them on the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light…” And therefore the verse (Jeremiah 2:2) states, זָכַרְתִּי לָךְ חֶסֶד נְעוּרַיִךְ אַהֲבַת כְּלוּלֹתָיִךְ לֶכְתֵּךְ אַחֲרַי בַּמִּדְבָּר – “Thus says the Lord, ‘I recall for you the kindness of your youth, the love of your nuptials, your following Me into the wilderness…” The Shechinah went before them and all the Clouds of Glory that surrounded the Israelites and protected them went with her. When the Shechinah rose up from over the Tabernacle and began traveling then the Israelites also packed up their camp and began traveling, as the verse (Numbers 9:17) states: וּבְהֵעָלוֹת הֶעָנָן מֵעַל הַמִּשְׁכָּן יִסְעוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל – “And when the cloud was lifted up from atop the Tent, then the Children of Israel would journey…”

Now when that cloud that was on top of the Tabernacle rose up on high, all of the nations of the world saw it and asked ‘But who is this – i.e. in whose merit is this cloud – ascending from the wilderness like smoke in a plume…?’ This was the Shechinah in the cloud that looked like smoke. Why like smoke? Because of the fire that Abraham lit when he prepared the altar in the account of the binding of Isaac at the Akeidah (Genesis 22). Abraham’s son, Isaac, became bonded to that fire and never budged from it – from the attribute of gevurah, the sefirah that characterized him. When that fire of the Akeidah bonded with her – with malchut, the Shechinah – then smoke ascended from malchut, from the aspect of the fire of gevurah (Isaac) within malchut. This is why the Shechinah, malchut looked like a plume of smoke.[318]

Nevertheless, although the Shechinah looked like a plume of smoke, and therefore should have been characterized primarily (or even exclusively) by gevurah (severity), as malchut generally is,[319] that is not so in this case. Instead, she is scented (מְקֻטֶּרֶת) with myrrh and frankincense. What does ‘scented’ mean here? The word mekuteret (translated here as ‘scented’) is related to the word for ‘bound’ or ‘knotted’ – mekusheret.[320] She is bound to two opposite qualities – the cloud of Abraham on the right the aspect of chesed/loving-kindness, and the cloud of Isaac on the left the aspect of gevurah/restrain, withdrawal, severity. Myrrh represents Abraham,[321] while frankincense represents Isaac.[322] The vendor of the powders for perfume is Jacob, the attribute of tiferet, by which the Shechinah bonds to chesed and gevurah. Jacob is referred to as the merchant purveying the powders used to make perfume because he is the source of all of the illuminations with which malchut is endowed. The verse therefore informs us that when the Israelites were in the wilderness and the Shechinah arose in a column of cloud like smoke, this indicated that she was bound to all three Patriarchs who sweetened the aspects of severity within her, represented by the smoke.

Alternatively, ‘the vendor of perfume’ refers to the righteous Joseph whose casket traveled through the desert alongside the Ark upon which the Shechinah rested. Note that the Hebrew word for ‘casket’ and for ‘Ark’ is identical – אָרוֹן (aron). Midrash Tanchuma[323] explains that the sea split only when it saw the casket of Joseph. Why was he called ‘a vendor of powders for perfume?’ Because he told his father rechilut – words that were almost slanderous about his brothers (see Genesis 37:2) – the word for vendor rochel, and the word for slander rechilut have the same root ר’כ’ל. However, they were not fully slanderous and are therefore referred to here as avkat rochel – the ‘powders’ of slander, as in the expression ‘avak lashon hara’ – the ‘dust’ of slander.[324] Commentaries[325] explain that Joseph’s intentions were to bring the severities aroused by his brothers in the sefirah of malchut to their father, Jacob, so that he could ‘sweeten’ them, since he was on the level of tiferet. This is called hamtakat hadinim – a well-known concept in Kabbalah. One of the ways in which this is achieved is by utilizing the proper kavanot on the verse (Numbers 28:13) עֹלַת תָּמִיד הָעֲשֻׂיָה בְּהַר סִינַי לְרֵיחַ נִיחֹחַ אִשֶּׁה “a pleasing scent to God,”[326] which relates to our verse regarding incense (although incense is not mentioned in this verse).

Alternatively, ‘the vendor of perfume’ refers to Joseph because just as a merchant keeps a full stock of elixirs and powders for healing at hand, so too, Joseph is called a ‘vendor’ because he kept the full stock of Torah laws when he was in Egypt. And even though the complete Torah had not yet been given to the Patriarchs, only a few commandments, all of the Torah’s commandments are bound to one who guards the holy covenant of circumcision as Joseph did (see Genesis 39). And for this reason too, the Shechinah also bonded with Abraham and Isaac, who are hinted to in the words myrrh and frankincense, as explained above. [327]  

(Zohar I, 176b)

3:7  הִנֵּה מִטָּתוֹ שֶׁלִּשְׁלֹמֹה – Behold the bed of Solomon, the King to whom Peace belongs

The Talmud (Shvu’ot 35b) declared: Any mention of the name Solomon (Shlomo – שלמה) appearing in Shir haShirim refers to מֶלֶךְ שֶׁהַשָּׁלוֹם שֶׁלּוֹ – the King to whom Peace (shalom) belongs,[328] to Hakadosh Baruch Hu, excluding the verse (Song of Songs 8:12) “My vineyard is before me, the thousand [sins] belong to you, Shlomo…” And some say that this verse too: “Behold the bed of Solomon…”  

However, regarding our verse, Rabbi Yehuda explained: ‘Behold the bed’ – this is the Shechinah. ‘Of Solomon’ this is the King to whom peace belongs – technically, Ze’ir Anpin, the King of Peace, because in Ze’ir Anpin the contrasting (and possibly conflicting) powers of several sefirot – such as chesed and gevurah – are synchronized into a single harmonious partzuf.[329]

(Zohar II, 5a)

3:7 מִטָּתוֹ שֶׁלִּשְׁלֹמֹה – The bed of Solomon

Explaining the previous teaching in greater detail, Rabbi Shimon began: ‘Behold the bed of Solomon…’ What aspect is called ‘his bed’? This is the Throne of Glory malchut of the King, which is called a bed when she (malchut) descends to the World of Beriah at night, where she becomes the throne and bed for the radiance of the World of Atzilut that descends there from Ze’ir Anpin. Thus the verse (Mishlei 31:11) states regarding Ze’ir Anpin when malchut is in the World of Beriah: בָּטַח בָּהּ לֵב בַּעְלָהּ – “Her husband trusts her in His heart” Ze’ir Anpin trusts that the external forces of impurity in Beriah and the lower worlds into which she descends will not latch onto malchut, since in truth she belongs in Atzilut and she descended to Beriah for the sake of elevating the sparks of holiness from there,[330] as Mishlei itself declares four verses later (31:15): וַתָּקָם בְּעוֹד לַיְלָה וַתִּתֵּן טֶרֶף לְבֵיתָהּ –“She arises while it is still night, and gives food to her household…” – referring to malchut during the six days of the week descending into Beriah at night in order to elevate the fallen sparks.[331]

3:7  שִׁשִּׁים גִּבֹּרִים סָבִיב לָהּ מִגִּבֹּרֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל – Sixty mighty men enclose, from among Israel’s heroes

These are the six-hundred thousand[332] supernal angels – soldiers of the Shechinah – who went down to Egypt with Jacob. But does it not say from among Israel’s heroes, and not soldiers of the Shechinah? However, this refers to the supernal Israel, Ze’ir Anpin, who assigned troupes of angels to protect malchut, the Shechinah. This is alluded to in the verse (Exodus 1:1) וְאֵלֶּה שְׁמוֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל הַבָּאִים מִצְרָיְמָה אֵת יַעֲקֹב – “These are the names of the children of Israel” who accompanied Jacob down to Egypt – “each man and his household came” – they the chief angels corresponding to six primary sefirot of Ze’ir Anpin and their servants, the hosts of angels that were assigned to malchut to protect her.[333]

(Zohar II, 5a)

The above explanation raises a question: if the number of troupes of angels correspond to the children and grandchildren of Jacob, as the straightforward understanding of the verse (Exodus 1:5) clearly indicates:  וַיְהִי כָּל נֶפֶשׁ יֹצְאֵי יֶרֶךְ יַעֲקֹב שִׁבְעִים נָפֶשׁ–  “And all the persons who emerged from Jacob’s loins were seventy souls” – why were there only sixty who accompanied the Shechinah down to Egypt, as in our verse: …sixty mighty men enclose, from among Israel’s heroes? The answer is that ten of them are hidden. These are the ten angels that are assigned to the ten nations which dwelt in the immediate vicinity of Israel – seven of whom were conquered by the Israelites on their return from Egypt, and three of whom (the Keini, Kenizi and Kadmoni) will be conquered by the Israelites in the future. These were the seventy angels who surrounded the Holy Land above, which corresponds to malchut, and correspondingly there were 70 below, but only sixty escorted the Israelites to Egypt, while ten angels remained behind to guard malchut and the Holy Land.

(Zohar II, 30b)

כֻּלָּם אֲחֻזֵי חֶרֶב מְלֻמְּדֵי מִלְחָמָה – All of them gripping a sword, skilled in the art of the fight

All missions that the King wishes to accomplish He sends out via the house of the Queen. Technically, any outflow that Ze’ir Anpin of Atzilut wishes to shower upon the lower worlds, must go through malchut. Similarly, any message from below to the King must first go through the house of the Queen, and from there to the King. All prayers that emanate from the lower worlds can enter the King’s presence only through Malchut. Thus it turns out that the Queen Malchut is the emissary for everyone, from above to below, from Ze’ir Anpin to all the Worlds, and from below to above! This is why every angel, who is nothing more than an emissary, is called a messenger, as the verse (Exodus 14:19) states, ‘The angel of the Lord who had been going in front of the camp of Israel…’ – the word for ‘angel’ in the verse, mal’ach, also means ‘emissary,’ and refers to malchut. She was situated in front of the Israelites in order to elevate their prayers to Israel – the Israel above, i.e. Ze’ir Anpin. This also as is written[334] (Exodus 13:21) וַה’ הֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם יוֹמָם בְּעַמּוּד עָנָן לַנְחֹתָם הַדֶּרֶךְ וְלַיְלָה בְּעַמּוּד אֵשׁ לְהָאִיר לָהֶם – ‘And God went before them by day in a pillar of cloud and in pillar of fire by night,’ as the Zohar[335] explained above on the words of this same verse, ‘so that they could travel by day and by night’ – ‘day’ refers to Ze’ir Anpin and ‘night’ refers to Malchut. The Zohar there also explains that the seemingly extraneous word ‘and’ (וַה’ – ‘and God…’) indicates that it was He, and also His Heavenly Court. In other words, just as that verse above alludes to Him and His emissary, so too here, the angel (which is malchut) is the emissary, and ‘of the Lord’ refers to Him, as revealed in Ze’ir Anpin.[336]

Now according to the above we might be under the impression that malchut acts exclusively as an emissary. Therefore the question is posed in the form of an analogy: Is it the glory of the king for the queen to go and wage war as his emissary? The Zohar answers, continuing the analogy: This may be compared to a king who marries a noble and dignified woman. When he compares his queen to other queens he declares: “All of them are like concubines compared with my queen, for her qualities far surpass all of them. What shall I do for her to show her how much I honor and respect her?” Said the king, “I will place my entire palace, and all those in it, in her hands to do with as she sees fit.”  So the king sent out a proclamation that from then on all royal matters would go through the queen. What else did he do? He placed all of his weaponry under her authority, as well as all the warriors and all the precious stones in the treasury to reward those who deserved it. And he said: “From now on, whoever needs to speak with me, cannot do so unless they make an appointment via the queen.”

So too the blessed Holy One – out of His abundant love and compassion for her, for Knesset Yisrael[337] the collective soul of the Jewish People, which is malchut in the sefirot. He places everything in her hands. He declares, “All of the rest of them the supernal angels and all the hosts of heaven are extraneous compared with her.” And therefore the verse below (6:8-9), praising Knesset Yisrael/malchut, states: שִׁשִּׁים הֵמָּה מְּלָכוֹת וּשְׁמֹנִים פִּילַגְשִׁים וַעֲלָמוֹת אֵין מִסְפָּר “There are sixty princesses, eighty concubines, and innumerable maidens, אַחַת הִיא יוֹנָתִי תַמָּתִי and my pure dove – Knesset Yisrael/malchut – is but one. Said the blessed Holy One, “What shall I do for her to show her my love for her? I will place my entire palace, and all those in it, in her hands.” So the King the blessed Holy One sent out a proclamation that from then on all royal matters are in the hands of the queen. What else did he do? He placed all of his weaponry under her authority – spears and longswords and bows and arrows and two-edged swords, and catapults of wood and their cannonballs of stone. All of these allude to various aspects of Divine service. E.g. romach (spear) alludes to the ramach (248) Positive Commandments[338]; longswords and bow allude to prayers and requests to God[339]; two-edged swords allude to the Shema prayer,[340] etc. These are the ‘weapons’ that protect malchut and Knesset Yisrael.

And He also gave placed under her authority all the warriors, as our verse statesשִׁשִּׁים גִּבֹּרִים סָבִיב לָהּ “Behold the bed of Solomon that sixty mighty men surround. כֻּלָּם אֲחֻזֵי  חֶרֶב מְלֻמְּדֵי מִלְחָמָה – All of them gripping a sword, and skilled in the art of the fight.”

Said the King: “From now on, all My battles are in your hands; My weapons and men of war are yours. From now on, you will guard Me, as the verse (Psalms 121:4) states, “the guardian of Israel” – for she (Knesset Yisrael) now guards Ze’ir Anpin who is called Israel. Note that the usual translation of this verse renders this as follows: He is “the Guardian of Israel” – the blessed Holy One protects the Jewish People.

And from now on whoever needs to speak with me, cannot do so unless they make an appointment via the queen, as the verse (Leviticus 16:3) states, בְּזֹאת יָבֹא אַהֲרֹן אֶל הַקֹּדֶשׁ “With this – with the power of malchut which is called ‘this’ – shall Aaron come into the Sanctuary” to Ze’ir Anpin.[341]

She is the King’s emissary in every matter, as we have explained from an analysis of the verses. Thus everything is in her hands under her authority and control and this is in the queen’s honor…

(Zohar II, 51a)

3:8  אִישׁ חַרְבּוֹ עַל יְרֵכוֹ – Each of them with a sword on his thigh

When the verse states, ‘each of them with a sword on his thigh’ this implies that the sword is not drawn, and therefore indicating that this is a time of peace, when malchut resides in peace and quiet and harsh judgment is not aroused. Contextually, we can therefore understand why King Solomon is referred to as ‘the king to whom peace belongs’, as explained above. By way of contrast, the verse (Joshua 5:13), “His drawn sword in his hand” indicates that this is a time of harsh judgment, so that swords are drawn and are ready to enact justice in the world.

(Zohar III, 54b)

3:8  מִפַּחַד בַּלֵּילוֹת Because of the fear of the night

Although the previous explanation concluded that this was a time of peace, this is true regarding external enemies. Nevertheless, there is always a concern about internal enemies – as the Sages point out: Satan is the evil inclination [within a person], and the Angel of Death.[342] Thus, ‘the fear of the night’ is the fear of Gehinnom (Purgatory) that always stands in wait – waiting to latch onto malchut as the verse (Genesis 4:7) statesלַפֶּתַח חַטָּאת רֹבֵץ – “Sin crouches at the entrance…” so that a person must always be on his guard.[343] For this reason, all of them the sixty mighty warriors surround her to protect her.[344]

(Zohar II, 226a)

 

3:9  אַפִּרְיוֹן עָשָׂה לוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה מֵעֲצֵי הַלְּבָנוֹן – A Royal Palace He made for Himself, did the King to whom peace belongs, from the towering trees of Lebanon

This palace is the rectification tikun of the lower world by the higher world. Until the blessed Holy One built the world, His Name was concealed within Himself, and nothing else existed. But when it arose in His Will to create the world, He drew up plans[345] and began to build the spiritual design of what it was that He wanted, but this was still prior to any existence. Then He wrapped Himself in a single radiance and created the world. Then He brought forth mighty cedars on high.

From the radiance of that supernal glow, He established His chariot from the twenty-two written letters which are used to write the Torah. These were engraved as the Ten Utterances by which the lower worlds were created, and they were set in place. This is why it states that the King made His palace from the cedars of Lebanon, as it states in the verse (Psalms 104:16) אַרְזֵי לְבָנוֹן אֲשֶׁר נָטָע – ‘The cedars of Lebanon that He planted’ in the Garden of Eden (Rashi). And from these He made His palace[346] – for Himself. That He made it for Himself (for His own requirements) the Zohar deduces from the apparently extraneous ‘lo’ in the verse: ‘asah lo Hamelech Shlomo.’

He made this palace for Himself for the tikun He wanted, as the place in which to reveal His supernal glory, that He is One and His Name is One, as the verse (Zechariah 14:9) states, ‘On that day God will be One and His Name One.’[347] Elsewhere[348] the Zohar explains that as long as the Jewish People are in exile, the Shechinah (the immanent limited revelation of Godliness in the finite world) accompanies them and ‘is not together with her Husband’ i.e., the transcendent revelation of God. Accordingly, He is not One, and His Name (the Shechinah) is not One – the ultimate Divine Presence is not revealed in the world. But in the future, this communion will be permanent and the transcendent Divine Presence will be revealed in the immanent world. (See also Talmud, Pesachim 50a). And another verse (Psalms 83:19) states, וְיֵדְעוּ כִּי אַתָּה שִׁמְךָ ה’ לְבַדֶּךָ  – “And they will know that You – Whose Name is Havaye – are the One and only…” In the future this will all be revealed.

(Zohar I, 29a)

Commentaries[349] explain the technical aspects of this teaching as the rectification (tikun) of malchut:

The rectification tikun of the lower world by the higher world the tikun of malchut by Ze’ir Anpin.

Until the blessed Holy One Ze’ir Anpin built the world of Atzilut.

But when it arose in His Will to create the world He drew up plans and began to build by way of the Name Ma”h hachadash. This is the Name Havaye fully iterated with the letter aleph as the milui, having the numerical value of 45 = Ma”h) that would rectify the shattered world of Tohu.

In a single radiance the light of Abba (the partzuf of chochmah) and created the world Imma (the partzuf of binah).

mighty cedars on high refers to the six sefirot of Ze’ir Anpin, which were initially concealed within Abba, and were then planted in Imma, eventually to be ‘born’ from her as Ze’ir Anpin and situated in the World of Atzilut.

From the radiance of that supernal glow from the radiance of Abba

He established His chariot from the twenty-two written letters which are used to write the Torah, and they built the vessels of Ze’ir Anpin.

and they the vessels of Ze’ir Anpin were set in place.

This is why it states that the King made His palace – malchut – from the trees of Lebanon the sefirot of Ze’ir Anpin that rectified malchut.

And from these He made His palace – for Himself Ze’ir Anpin rectified malchut for the sake of their yichud in order to sweeten the severities of malchut.

3:9  עָשָׂה לוֹ – He made for Himself

From the above teaching it would seem that He made His palace in the Garden of Eden only for Himself (technically, only for the sake of His yichud or communion with malchut), implying that He does the entire tikun of malchut Himself, from above, without any input from righteous tsaddikim. And if you say that the souls of the righteous tsaddikim also delight therein in the Garden of Eden, and thereby bring about the yichud of Ze’ir Anpin and malchut, that is certainly true. Both of them are true: the blessed Holy One initiates the yichud from above to below – technically, Ze’ir Anpin descends to malchut for the sake of the yichud and the tikun of malchut, whereas tsaddikim initiate the yichud from below to above, in the secret of ‘elevating the feminine waters’ (ha’alat mayim nukvin).[350] This is because the royal palace which is malchut and all the souls of the tsaddikim that are included therein, are all there so that the blessed Holy One can delight in them. Technically, this means that Ze’ir Anpin established and rectified malchut in order to benefit the souls of the tsaddikim that ascend via malchut in the secret of elevating the feminine waters, as just mentioned. This arouses the supernal yichud and draws down the outflow of benefit into the world.[351]

(Zohar II, 127b)

3:9  מֵעֲצֵי הַלְּבָנוֹן – From the towering trees of Lebanon

The trees of Lebanon are the ones which were planted – they were holy souls that were originally part of Adam (they were planted in him, so to speak), and when he sinned they fell into the layers of evil called the kelipot. The blessed Holy One uprooted them from there from the kelipot and planted them in another spot, i.e. in malchut where they are rectified and elevated when the Jewish People ‘elevate the feminine waters.’ These lofty souls are referred to in the verse (Psalms 104:16) as “the cedars of Lebanon that He planted.” The royal palace malchut is not built and perfected other than through them, because when those souls are rectified and then descend into this world, they elevate the feminine waters and bring about the yichud of Ze’ir Anpin and malchut and in this way the elecit the outflow of beneficence from above.[352]

(Zohar II, 127b)

3:10  עַמּוּדָיו עָשָׂה כֶסֶף רְפִידָתוֹ זָהָב מֶרְכָּבוֹ אַרְגָּמָן – Pillars of silver He made, with gold overlaid, His chariot of royal purple

The royal palace mentioned in the previous verse is the tikun rectification and establishment of the world. How was the world rectified and established on a solid basis? This was through the agency of the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob – as our Sages state (Avot 1:2): ‘Upon three things the world stands – upon Torah, upon avodah (the sacrifices, or the prayers which replace them[353]), and upon gemilut chasadim (acts of kindness).’ Torah is represented by Jacob; avodah by Isaac; and gemilut chasadim by Abraham, as the Zohar explains in a number of places.[354]

Pillars of silver (kesef) He made – this refers to Abraham the aspect of chesed, reflected in the soul as the capacity for love, as the verse (Isaiah 41:8) states, “Abraham who loved Me.”[355] The word kesef (silver) derives from the kosef – ‘to long for, out of love’ as in the verse (Genesis 31:30), “You yearned for your father’s house.”

With gold overlaid – this refers to Isaac the aspect of gevurah[356] reflected in the soul as the capacity of awe or fear, as in the verse (Genesis 31:42), “And the One whom Isaac feared was with me.”[357] Note that the Midrash identifies the gold mentioned in this verse as the gold overlay upon the wooden beams of the Tabernacle (as in Exodus 26:29).

His chariot of royal purple – this refers to Jacob, the ‘chariot’ upon which the aspect of tiferet rides, blending both sides – chesed and gevurah – together. Tiferet is reflected in the soul as the attribute of rachamim (compassion or mercy) as in the explanation of the verse (Genesis 29:11) “And Jacob… lifted up his voice and wept” – he lifted up his voice to arouse supernal compassion in its source, the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy.[358] This chariot that he Jacob rides is called ahavah zuta – the lower level of love[359] since it is associated with Jacob, before he was renamed Israel. This is love for God that is generated by deep intellectual inquiry and contemplation of the Godliness invested in Creation, and therefore it remains limited. However, ahavah rabba (which the Zohar discusses in the next section) transcends human intellect and is granted as a gift from above.[360]

(Zohar Chadash, Chukat62b, Margolis edition)

 

 

3:10  תּוֹכוֹ רָצוּף אַהֲבָה – The interior inlaid with love

This is ahava rabba, great love, the higher level of love, which is the inner dimension of love where souls are at the inner core of binah,[361] a far higher level of love.       

(Zohar Chadash, Chukat 62b, Margolis edition)

 

3:10  מִבְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלִָם From the daughters of Jerusalem above

These are the souls that have been deemed worthy of entering Yerushalayim Jerusalem above, and are therefore called ‘the daughters of Yerushalayim above’ since they have achieved the level of yirah sh’leima – complete or perfect awe[362] – the word Yerushalayim is an elision of these two words yirah sh’leima, and this gives us its true meaning!

Elsewhere the Zohar[363] explains that the daughters of Jerusalem are the souls of the righteous who receive their vitality from Yerushalayim above, which is the sefirah of malchut. Some commentaries explain that these are souls who have never descended into bodies in this world.[364]

(Zohar I, 122a)

 

3:11  צְאֶינָה וּרְאֶינָה בְּנוֹת צִיּוֹן בַּמֶּלֶךְ שְׁלֹמֹה בָּעֲטָרָה שֶׁעִטְּרָה לּוֹ אִמּוֹ – Come out now O daughters of Zion and see… the King of peace with the crown that his mother gave him

‘Come out now and see’ – who is it that can see King Shlomo, alluding to the King of kings, to Whom peace belongs? Is He not hidden away from even the heavenly hosts, about which the verse (Isaiah 64:3) states, עַיִן לֹא רָאָתָה אֱלֹקִים זוּלָתְךָ that place “no eye has ever seen, other than Yours, O lord.”? And yet this verse declares, ‘Come out now O daughters of Zion and see’ that that which cannot be seen or apprehended? Regarding even His glory His kavod, which is a mere radiance from malchut, the supernal angels ask, ‘Where is the place of His glory?[365] How much more so can the King Himself not be apprehended at all!

However the answer is this: when the verse states, ‘Come out now O daughters of Zion and see the King of peace’ the intention is not that they can gaze upon the King Himself, but rather this is stated regarding the crown, the radiance of the Shechinah which is called specifically atara, the radiance of malchut, and not keter which transcends even chochmah. And this is why it does not state, ‘Come out and see the King in His crown’ which would imply that one could see the King as well. Nevertheless, anyone who is deemed worthy enough to see that crown – the radiance of the Shechinah – will also apprehend thereby the pleasantness of the King to Whom peace belongs in some measure.

(Zohar II, 100b)

3:11  צְאֶינָה וּרְאֶינָה בְּנוֹת צִיּוֹן – Come out now O daughters of Zion

This verse also alludes to the time of the Resurrection of the Dead: Come out from under the earth in which you were buried, awake from your slumber, daughters of Zion – ‘Zion’ צִיוֹן in Hebrew can also be read as צִיוּן (tziyun – a gravestone), as in the verse (II Kings 23:17) “What is this tombstone הַצִיוּן that I see?” Rabbi Pinchas said: Meritorious are those tsaddikim who will in the future gaze upon the radiance of the supernal glory of the Holy King, the One to Whom all peace belongs. By what merit will they be granted this reward? By merit of ‘the crown that his mother gave Him’ – because of that crown with which the tsaddikim crowned Him – with Torah study and practice in this world.

(Zohar Chadash, Midrash haNeelam 15b [Margolis])

 

3:11  בָּעֲטָרָה שֶׁעִטְּרָה לּוֹ אִמּוֹ – With the crown that his mother gave him

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi) said: At the time that Israel the Jewish People received the Torah the yovel crowned the blessed Holy One. Yovel is the 50^th or Jubilee year, when slaves are freed and the land is required to lie fallow. In the Zohar’s terminology however, yovel symbolizes binah since there are fifty different levels of binah, called in Zohar the nun shaarei binah – the fifty ‘gates’ of binah (the gematria of the letter נ is 50).[366] These are fifty ascending levels of understanding, where the fiftieth level is so lofty that even Moshe Rabeinu did not receive it[367] until the day of his passing.[368]

Who does ‘his mother’ refer to? This is the yovel binah (as explained above) and she too is crowned – but with joy which is the quality that exemplifies binah, with love the quality of chochmah which heads the right-hand column of the sefirot, the aspect of chesed and love; and with perfection the quality of keter, as the verse  (Psalms 113:9) states: “The mother of children rejoices…” Who is the mother of children in this latter verse? Said Rabbi Shimon: This is the yovel  binah, as we explained earlier. And therefore ‘this was the day of joy in his heart.’

(Zohar II, 84a)

3:11 בְּיוֹם חֲתֻנָּתוֹ וּבְיוֹם שִׂמְחַת לִבּוֹ – Come out now and see… On the day of his wedding, the day of joy in his heart

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi) taught: In the future, the blessed Holy One will make a chuppah, a wedding, in Yerushalayim for all who are worthy. As the verse (Jeremiah 33:11) states: קוֹל שָׂשׂוֹן וְקוֹל שִׂמְחָה קוֹל חָתָן וְקוֹל כַּלָּה – “the sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the sound of the groom and the sound of the bride…” – when the queen the Jewish People return to the King the blessed Holy One He will make her a wedding, and this is the meaning of “Come out now and see the King of Peace … on the day of his wedding, the day of joy in his heart.”

‘On the day of his wedding’ was the day the Torah was given. The verse (Deuteronomy 33:4) states:תּוֹרָה צִוָּה לָנוּ מֹשֶׁה מוֹרָשָׁה קְהִלַּת יַעֲקֹב  – “The Torah that Moshe commanded us is the heritage (morasha) of the congregation of Jacob.” On the word morasha our Sages in the Talmud (Pesachim 49b) comment: ‘Do not read it as מוֹרָשָׁה (morasha – a heritage), but rather as מְאוּרָסָה (me’urasa – betrothed).

‘The day of joy in his heart’ was the day the Beit HaMikdash (the Temple) was built,[369] may it be rebuilt speedily in our days.

(Zohar I, 215a)

Chapter 4

 

^א הִנָּךְ יָפָה רַעְיָתִי, הִנָּךְ יָפָה, עֵינַיִךְ יוֹנִים מִבַּעַד לְצַמָּתֵךְ,

שַׂעְרֵךְ כְּעֵדֶר הָעִזִּים שֶׁגָּלְשׁוּ מֵהַר גִּלְעָד.

¹ You are beautiful my love;

You are beautiful with eyes like a dove,

From behind your veil.[370]

Your hair is like a flock of goats

Cascading down from Mount Gilead.

^ב שִׁנַּיִךְ כְּעֵדֶר הַקְּצוּבוֹת שֶׁעָלוּ מִן הָרַחְצָה, שֶׁכֻּלָּם מַתְאִימוֹת וְשַׁכֻּלָה אֵין בָּהֶם.

² Your teeth are arrayed like a flock of lambs

Having just come up from their wash,

All of them in harmony

And none have gone awry.

^ג כְּחוּט הַשָּׁנִי שִׂפְתֹתַיִךְ וּמִדְבָּרֵיךְ נָאוֶה, כְּפֶלַח הָרִמּוֹן רַקָּתֵךְ מִבַּעַד לְצַמָּתֵךְ.

³ Your lips are like threads of scarlet

And your words are fair,

Like a slice of pomegranate is your brow

From behind your veil.

^ד כְּמִגְדַּל דָּוִיד צַוָּארֵךְ, בָּנוּי לְתַלְפִּיּוֹת, אֶלֶף הַמָּגֵן תָּלוּי עָלָיו, כֹּל שִׁלְטֵי הַגִּבּוֹרִים.

⁴ Like the Tower of David is your neck,

Built for beauty and instruction,

Where a thousand shields hang,

All the shields of the mighty.

^ה שְׁנֵי שָׁדַיִךְ כִּשְׁנֵי עֳפָרִים תְּאוֹמֵי צְבִיָּה, הָרוֹעִים בַּשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים.

⁵ Your two breasts are like two deer,

The twins of a gazelle

Pasturing among the roses.

 

^ו עַד שֶׁיָּפוּחַ הַיּוֹם וְנָסוּ הַצְּלָלִים, אֵלֶךְ לִי אֶל הַר הַמּוֹר וְאֶל גִּבְעַת הַלְּבוֹנָה.

⁶ Before the day wafts away,

And the shadows flee,

To the Mountain of Myrrh, I will take Me,

To the Hill of the Frankincense bouquet.

 

^ז כֻּלָּךְ יָפָה רַעְיָתִי וּמוּם אֵין בָּךְ.

⁷ All of you is beautiful, and you I adore,

And you are without a flaw

^ח אִתִּי מִלְּבָנוֹן כַּלָּה, אִתִּי מִלְּבָנוֹן תָּבוֹאִי, תָּשׁוּרִי מֵרֹאשׁ אֲמָנָה, מֵרֹאשׁ שְׂנִיר וְחֶרְמוֹן, מִמְּעֹנוֹת אֲרָיוֹת, מֵהַרְרֵי נְמֵרִים.

⁸ To me from Lebanon, my bride,

To me from Lebanon come,

Gaze out from the peak of Amana,

And from the top of Snir and Hermon,

From the place where the lions roam

And from the mountains of the puma.

^ט לִבַּבְתִּנִי אֲחֹתִי כַלָּה, לִבַּבְתִּינִי (באחד[371]) בְּאַחַת מֵעֵינַיִךְ, בְּאַחַד עֲנָק מִצַּוְּרֹנָיִךְ.

⁹ You have captured My heart, My sister My bride,

You have captured My heart

With how you see the oneness of things,

And the love from on High that heartfelt prayer brings.

^י מַה יָּפוּ דֹדַיִךְ אֲחֹתִי כַלָּה, מַה טֹּבוּ דֹדַיִךְ מִיַּיִן וְרֵיחַ שְׁמָנַיִךְ מִכָּל בְּשָׂמִים.

¹⁰ How exquisite was your love

O sister, O bride of Mine,

How much better is your love, all because of wine,

And from the scent of your oils suffused with spice.

^יא נֹפֶת תִּטֹּפְנָה שִׂפְתוֹתַיִךְ כַּלָּה, דְּבַשׁ וְחָלָב תַּחַת לְשׁוֹנֵךְ, וְרֵיחַ שַׂלְמֹתַיִךְ כְּרֵיחַ לְבָנוֹן.

¹¹ Your lips, My bride, drip with nectar

Honey and milk under your tongue,

And the scent of your good deeds[372]

Wafts like the fragrance of Lebanon.

^יב גַּן נָעוּל אֲחֹתִי כַלָּה, גַּל נָעוּל, מַעְיָן חָתוּם.

¹² A garden locked up, is My sister, my bride,

A source of water set aside set aside;

A sealed spring of water never dried.

^יג שְׁלָחַיִךְ פַּרְדֵּס רִמּוֹנִים עִם פְּרִי מְגָדִים, כְּפָרִים עִם נְרָדִים.

¹³ Your dry fields are a pomegranate orchard,

Bearing the sweetest of fruits,

Like henna with nard

^יד נֵרְדְּ וְכַרְכֹּם, קָנֶה וְקִנָּמוֹן, עִם כָּל עֲצֵי לְבוֹנָה, מֹר וַאֲהָלוֹת עִם כָּל רָאשֵׁי בְשָׂמִים.

¹⁴ Nard and saffron,

Lemongrass and cinnamon,

With all the twigs of frankincense,

Myrrh and aloe,

With all the chief spices.

^טו מַעְיַן גַּנִּים, בְּאֵר מַיִם חַיִּים, וְנֹזְלִים מִן לְבָנוֹן.

¹⁵ A garden spring,

A well of living water,

A stream flowing from Lebanon.

^טז עוּרִי צָפוֹן וּבוֹאִי תֵימָן, הָפִיחִי גַנִּי יִזְּלוּ בְשָׂמָיו, יָבֹא דוֹדִי לְגַנּוֹ וְיֹאכַל פְּרִי מְגָדָיו.

¹⁶ Awaken north wind,

And come [wind] from the south[373],

Blow upon My garden,

And its fragrance will spread out.

May my Beloved come to His garden,

And partake of the sweet fruits of Eden.

 

The fourth chapter of Shir HaShirim deals with the highlights of our history – the giving and receiving of Torah, the building of the Temple, communion with God via Torah and mitzvot, the souls of tsaddikim and the delight that God has in them, and finally the Resurrection of the Dead.

 

4:1 הִנָּךְ יָפָה רַעְיָתִי – You are beautiful my love

A long section in the Zohar[374] discusses the various heichalot[375] (literally, ‘chambers’), which the Zohar also describes as levels of ascent of the soul, primarily during prayer, the purpose of which is “to behold the sweetness of God and to visit with [Him in] His Sanctuary (heichalo)” (Psalms 27:4). The sixth of these chambers Heichal haRatzon (the Chamber of Divine Will, for reasons that will be explained later) is also referred as the Chamber of Moshe in which he cleaves to the Shechinah: It was to this chamber the soul of Moses was gather in with love at the time of his passing. He passed on with the kiss of death, and his soul clung to the Shechinah, in the secret of kissing the kiss – the same cleaving to the Shechinah that he achieved during his life. Regarding this Chamber the verse (Exodus 19:19) states that it was here that “Moshe would speak, and Elokim would respond to him with a voice.” This is the gist of the conversation in these verses – Moshe would utter the praises of the Shechinah and God, through the Name Elokim, would respond to him out loud. This is the cleaving together in the spiritual embrace of kissing called yichud neshikin, and regarding this, the verse (Shir haShirim 1:2) states: “He will kiss me with the kisses of his mouth….” for there is no kiss in joy and in love other than when the lovers cleave to one another, mouth to mouth in communion akin to conversation (the aspect of malchut), and spirit to spirit, and then they gratify each other with all types of delight from the aspect of chochmah, and with great joy from the aspect of binah illuminated from above, from keter, with the revelation of the Divine Will. This is the state of Divine ecstasy that Moshe achieved during his lifetime.

The Zohar now cites several verses from Shir haShirim to illustrate the idea just expressed:

Come and see: “Moshe would speak” – he would utter the praises of the Shechinah – as it is written here: ‘You are beautiful my love’ and ‘Your lips are like threads of scarlet’ alluding to cleaving with a kiss – yichud neshikin, as explained above. “And Elokim malchut, the Shechinah would respond to him with a voice” with her own praises of Moshe mentioned in other verses: “You are handsome, my beloved, a pleasing figure (Shir haShirim 1:16), and “Your lips are like roses dripping with myrrh flowing out” (Shir haShirim 5:13).

Thus the communion between Moshe and the Shechinah was an expression of love at a very lofty level – yichud neshikin. And because of that, this spirit to which Moshe cleaved in yichud neshikin imparted to him all the secrets of those lofty souls that longed passionately to devote themselves to God, to the point of mesirut nefesh – giving up their very lives in order to remain faithful to Him, in love for the One above the attribute of love characterizing ze’ir anpin, the innate love the soul has for God, and its desire to cleave to Him, and love for that which is below – the attribute of love characterizing malchut, the love the body has for fulfilling the Commandments of the Torah (primarily done with the physical body) as one. Both of them were ultimately a single expression of love, like that of those lofty souls such as Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues the Ten Martyrs put to death by the Romans emperor Hadrian, may his name rot.  

(Zohar II, 254a)

 

4:1הִנָּךְ יָפָה רַעְיָתִי, הִנָּךְ יָפָה, עֵינַיִךְ יוֹנִים  – You are beautiful my love, you are beautiful with eyes like a dove

He Rabbi Shimon began his discourse and said to the Almighty: Master of the Worlds, with Your permission I will reveal hidden mysteries of Yours, and therefore גַּל עֵינַי וְאַבִּיטָה נִפְלָאוֹת מִתּוֹרָתֶךָ – ‘Open my eyes, so that I can behold wonders from Your Torah’ (Psalms 119:18) that will enable me to express my praises of Your bride the Shechinah with these rectifications expressed in the words of praise for her and for those dependent upon her, the various angels that are listed by her in her cohort. For she is Your gateway by which to ascend to You, as the verse (Psalms 119:20) states זֶה הַשַּׁעַר לַה’ צַדִּיקִים יָבֹאוּ בוֹ – “this is the gateway to God, through which the righteous enter” in order to behold Your countenance, which is the sefirah of tiferet, Your beauty. Regarding this –the Shechinah – our verse states, ‘you the Shechinah are beautiful with eyes like a dove.’ Certainly like a dove, for doves nurture each other’s bodies and wings, and in the bond that they form they are distinguishable from all other birds. Alternatively, when a dove flaps its wings, they move so fast that it looks like an embroidered cloth. And so too, the Shechinah – even when she descends in to the World of Beriah she remains distinguishable from all the other powers and forces there.[376]

In addition, the Shechinah can be compared to a dove for another reason as well – no other birds are as faithful to their partner as doves. And so too the Shechinah – even when she descends into the lower worlds, she does not exchange her Partner i.e. God (but technically God as reflected in ze’ir anpin) for another. Thus we see that the eyes of a dove are wide open and gaze directly into those of her partner. Similarly, the wings of doves are comparable to their eyelids, in the sense that just as the eyelids of the dove are always open while she gazes at her partner, so too, her wings spread out to bring her to her partner. And therefore the ‘eyes’ of the Shechinah are called doves because they gaze only upon her Partner (technically ze’ir anpin) and she flies only up to Him.

(Zohar Chadash, Yitro 39b)

4:2 שַׂעְרֵךְ כְּעֵדֶר הָעִזִּים שֶׁגָּלְשׁוּ מֵהַר גִּלְעָד – Your hair is like a flock of goats cascading down from Mount Gilead

The Zohar does not offer commentary on this section of the verse, but the Arizal explains that this alludes to Moshe (Moses) and his conversations with God (consistent with the explanations offered above): There are 15 occasions that the Torah states וַיְדַבֵּר ה’ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר (“And God spoke to Moshe saying…”) Now the word וַיְדַבֵּ”ר has the gematria of 222, the same numerical value as the word רכ”ב (vehicle or chariot), indicating that Moshe was the vehicle through which the word of God would reach the people. And 15 X 222 = 3,330, the numerical value of גל”ש, the root word of גָּלְשׁוּ – cascading down (where theג  represents 3,000). Accordingly, this verse about the locks of hair cascading down to us alludes to the myriad laws of the Torah, as both the Talmudic Sages and the Zohar explain[377] on a later verse (Shir HaShirim 5:11) קְווּצּוֹתָיו תַּלְתַּלִּים שְׁחֹרוֹת כָּעוֹרֵב – “His locks are curly, and black as a raven” – these are the piles upon piles of halachot.

(Arizal, Sefer HaLikutim, Zot haB’racha, 2)

 

4:2 שִׁנַּיִךְ כְּעֵדֶר הַקְּצוּבוֹת שֶׁעָלוּ מִן הָרַחְצָה, שֶׁכֻּלָּם מַתְאִימוֹת  – Your teeth are arrayed like a flock of lambs having just come up from their wash, all of them in harmony…

What is the meaning of ‘having just come up from their wash’? From that cleansing when the radiance of the Holy Eye above the ‘eye’ of Atik Yomin shines upon them.[378] Conceptually the eyes represent the Elders who are referred to as “the eyes of the community” (einei ha’eida)[379], due to their insight and foresight. More specifically the holy eye refers, as in the previous verse, to Moshe[380], who is referred to as ‘one with a good eye…’[381]

A previous explanation in the same section[382] illuminates this passage, which otherwise would remain quite cryptic: We have learned that no light that illuminates the lower level of seeing – the vision of lesser sages (technically, the eyes of ze’ir anpin) – alternatively, the vision of common people can wash clean and rectify this lower level of insight and foresight from its redness harsh judgment and blackness lack of insight altogether than when it is cleansed by the pure (literally ‘white’) light of the supernal ‘eye’ of Atik Yomin, which is referred to in the verse (Proverbs 22:9) as “One with a good eye will be blessed, for he has given of his bread to the poor.” In this same passage the Zohar suggests that we not read this as ‘will be blessed’ but rather as ‘will bless,’ because if not for ‘the good eye above’ that looks out for and cleanses the lower eye, the world could not exist for even a moment since the harsh judgments and lack of insight and foresight would render catastrophic results in the world, as the Zohar goes on to clarify.

We have learned in Sifra d’Tziniuta (‘The Book of Concealed Matters’ – a highly recondite section of the Zohar on the first parsha of the first book of the Zohar) that the lower eyes look out for the world’s benefit when the light of the upper eyes gaze upon them and illuminate them with its supernal light, for then everything is illuminated, as the verse (Numbers 14:14) states, “You, O God are in the midst of this people; You have appeared to them eye to eye…”[383]

Returning to our text, the Zohar continues:  “All of them in harmony” the array of all of the various spiritual powers and forces are harmonized with one another, and conjoin in order to manifest Divine compassion (rachamim) in the world.

However, this thesis raises a question: why then does our verse use the expression “Your teeth are arrayed (הַקְּצוּבוֹת – haketzuvot) like a flock of lambs – which seems to imply that each of them is distinct and segregated (katzuv) from the others, and yet you declare, “All of them in harmony” implying that they all act in accord as one?! However, the intention is this: they – the lesser sages, or even the common people, the flocks, compared to teeth which are the aspect of harshness and severity[384] – are illuminated with that same clarity and brightness when they are cleansed by the supernal eyes that harmonize them into a single entity ready to receive Divine compassion.   

(Idra Rabba Zohar III, 137a; 130a)

 

4:3  כְּחוּט הַשָּׁנִי שִׂפְתֹתַיִךְ – Your lips are like threads of scarlet

As explained in our commentary to 4:1 above, the Zohar describes seven chambers, or levels of ascent of the soul, primarily during prayer. The sixth of these chambers Heichal haRatzon is also referred as the Chamber of Moshe in which he cleaves to the Divine Presence with great love, a very lofty level of communion referred to as yichud neshikin. Accordingly, this spirit of yearning to cleave to the Divine Presence is also called ‘the thread of scarlet,’ as the verse states, “Your lips are like threads of scarlet” and it is called Heichal haRatzon, the Chamber of the Will, for all of the lower levels of soul pursue it this level of will, which corresponds to the level of the soul called Chaya or neshamah l’neshama,[385] to cleave thereto with the kiss of great love.

 (Zohar I, 44b)

Alternatively, the thread of scarlet alludes to the story of the time when Joshua sent two spies to assess how they would conquer Jericho and then the Land of Israel (Joshua chapter 2). The spies lodged at an inn owned by a woman named Rahav. The king of Jericho found out that the spies were lodging at Rahav’s inn and sent soldiers to capture them. But Rahav recognized that God had given the land to the Israelites and she acknowledged Him as the only God so she hid the spies on her roof. Then she begged them to repay her kindness to them by saving the lives of her entire family: “Now, I beseech you, swear to me by God, since I have done kindness with you, that you too will do kindness with my father’s household, and give me a true sign that you will keep us alive…” (Joshua 2:12-13).

The Zohar continues: The young son of the innkeeper where Rabbi Abba was lodging asked him, “When Rahav the innkeeper said, ‘give me a true sign’ – what was she asking them for?” Rabbi Abba replied, “That’s a good question! If you know the answer, please say so.”

The boy then asked again: “And furthermore, they actually gave her something that she didn’t ask them for, as the verse (Joshua 2:18) states, ‘You shall tie this thread of scarlet in the window…’ – she asked for a true sign, and they told her to tie a thread of scarlet in the window?!”

The boy then answered: “This is what I learned – she requested a sign with which to live, which is the letter vav of the Ineffable Name, which is called ‘the letter of Truth’, as the verse states, ‘a true sign that you will keep us alive’ and she declared that the true sign for life is only the Letter of Truth. And what is the Letter of Truth? This is the letter vav of the Name, which corresponds to the sefirah of tiferet and is called the Tree of Life. And thus we learned that she requested from them the sign of Moshe, for this was the letter in which he was rooted, and he was the disseminator of truth, as the Sages of the Midrash[386] declare, “Moshe is Truth and his Torah is Truth. But why did they give her a scarlet thread which represents only malchut? Because they the spies told her, ‘Moshe is no longer in this world. The sun tiferet, of Moshe has set, and now is the time for the moon malchut, Joshua to reign. Therefore they gave her the sign of the moon malchut. What is the sign of the moon? The scarlet thread of hope, as the verse states “Your lips are like threads of scarlet.”

Rabbi Abba and Rabbi Yose who had come to study with Rabbi Abba arose and kissed the young boy, saying ‘You shall surely become the head of an academy one day, or a great rabbi among the Israelites.’ And who was he? He grew up to become Rabbi Bon mentioned numerous times in the Talmud Yerushalmi, and also known as Rabbi Abin and Rabin in the Talmud Bavli.[387]

(Zohar I, 241b, Mikdash Melech)

4:3  וּמִדְבָּרֵיךְ נָאוֶה – And your words are fair

Rabbi Elazar began his discourse, citing the verse (Shir HaShirim 3:6) “But who is this, ascending from the wilderness?” ‘Who’ (mi) and ‘this’ (zot) represent two holy paths and two worlds – mi? represents the search to understand that which is beyond one’s grasp, but about which one can ask, ‘Who is this?’ But zot represents the task of describing clearly and precisely that which can be known and pointed to – ‘this.’ Technically ‘who’ (mi) refers to binah,[388] while ‘this’ (zot) refers to malchut. They represent two types of holiness, so that the latter is called ‘holy’ while the former is called ‘the holy of holies.’ But when they are united as one, when malchut, which is the aspect of speech as the Tikunei Zohar (Intro. 17a) states, ‘malchut is the mouth, and we call it the Oral Torah,’[389] and ‘binah (understanding) which is the heart, by means of which the heart understands’[390] – when they are united, so that the person speaks with the understanding of the heart, then she malchut ascends from the wilderness and merges with binah, thus becoming the holy of holies, and the daughter (malchut) becomes like her mother (binah), as the verse (Ezekiel 16:44) states: הִנֵּה כָּל הַמֹּשֵׁל עָלַיִךְ יִמְשֹׁל לֵאמֹר כְּאִמָּה בִּתָּהּ – “All those who speak in parables, will use this parable about you, saying, ‘Like mother, like daughter.’”[391]

Now when the verse states, ‘from the wilderness,’ this means by virtue of the Torah and Mitzvot (Commandments) that they received in the wilderness, and by virtue of the Mishkan (the Tabernacle) they built in the desert, by virtue of which they became like a bride entering the wedding canopy (the Tabernacle). By virtue of the mitzvot the Israelites in the desert merited to rectify malchut so that she could ascend to a far higher level – to the level of binah.

Furthermore, we can also interpret the word midbar (desert) as stemming from the root dibbur – ‘speaking,’ because through speaking out loud the words of Torah she malchut also ascends, and this we learn from our verse וּמִדְבָּרֵיךְ נָאוֶה – literally ‘your desert is fair’ can be interpreted as “and your words are fair” – these are the words spoken through whispering lips – the method of Torah study at night, which is done in a whisper, rather than out loud. Or alternatively through prayer, which is uttered in a whisper.[392]

  (Zohar, Intro. 10a-b)

4:3  כְּפֶלַח הָרִמּוֹן רַקָּתֵךְ – Like a slice of pomegranate is your brow

Like a slice of pomegranate is your brow – the word for ‘your brow’ – רַקָּתֵךְ /rakatech, is related to the word רֵיק (reik), alluding to even the ‘empty’ among the Israelites are filled with Torah and Mitzvot like a pomegranate is filled with seeds.[393]

(Zohar Chadash [Margolias] 83b)

4:3 מִבַּעַד לְצַמָּתֵךְ – From behind your veil

The Zohar does not offer an interpretation of this phrase. However, the Midrash explains that it refers to the Israelites who diminished themselves (tzimtzmu atzman – phonetically similar to tzamatech – ‘from behind your veil’) with every word of the Ten Commandments God uttered. Rather than standing their ground arrogantly, they retreated in awe and fear and trembling. Alternatively, they squeeze together (mitztamtin) to stand in a crowded Synagogue to drink the words of Torah thirstily (b’tzama).

(Shir HaShirim Rabba 4:5; Midrash Aggada Bereishit, 80)

4:4  כְּמִגְדַּל דָּוִיד צַוָּארֵךְ – Like the Tower of David is your neck

The verse does not state, ‘the tower of David’ which he built in Jerusalem, but rather ‘like the tower of David.’ Accordingly this refers to the supernal Jerusalem, regarding which the verse (Proverbs 18:10) states, “the Name of God [Havaye] is a tower of strength; a righteous person will run into it and be safe.” Who will be safe? Not the righteous person, but the tower – i.e. the Name of God – because the righteous tsaddik runs into it.

Elsewhere[394] the Zohar explains why the righteous tsaddik needs to protect the Name of God: Rabbi Yehuda began: The verse states, ‘Come and see the works of Elokim who has wrought shamot – destruction – upon the Earth.’ Had the verse stated ‘Come and see the works of Havaye’ [the Ineffable Name] then we would have read the word as Shemot – Holy Divine Names which would bring prophecy and enlightenment to man. But since the verse uses the Name Elokim, we read it as shamot – destruction.

Rabbi Chiya replied: I don’t understand it that way, because since we are anyway talking about a Divine Name [the Name Elokim] this is all in praise of the Almighty. But I understand it the same way our colleagues understood it – ‘He granted us Shemot – Holy Divine Names – on earth for us to use in order to sustain the world.

Rabbi Yitzchak then added: Both interpretations can be accepted, and what Rabbi Yehuda said is also correct in that if the world was created with the Name of Compassion [the Name Havaye] it would be self-sustaining. But since it was created with the Name signifying strict justice [the Name Elokim], He granted us Shemot – Holy Divine Names – on earth for us to use in order to sustain the world. Without this the world would not be able to exist due to the sins of man.

Thus the tsaddik ensures that the Ineffable Name of God, the Name of compassion, is manifested in the world through his actions, and in this sense he protects the Name.

‘Is your neck’ refers to the Temple below, because – just like the neck which joins the head to the body, so that the neck is the beauty of the body, so too the Temple regarding which the verse (Exodus 25:8) states: וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם – “Build Me a Temple, and I will dwell among them” – thus connecting the Almighty to the world, which is the beauty of the entire world.

 (Zohar I, 209b, Ramak; Matok MiDevash)

 

4:4  בָּנוּי לְתַלְפִּיּוֹת, אֶלֶף הַמָּגֵן תָּלוּי עָלָיו, כֹּל שִׁלְטֵי הַגִּבּוֹרִים – Built for beauty and instruction, where a thousand shields hang, all the shields of the mighty

Rabbi said: The meaning of this verse is that all things will eventually expire, but the Torah will not expire. There is nothing more beloved to the blessed Holy One than the Torah and those who study it, as we have learned: ‘Anyone who occupies himself with Torah every day will learn new secrets from above, as the Torah says to him (Shir HaShirim 8:2): ‘I will give you spiced wine and the juice of My pomegranates’ – this is the wine the secrets of Torah, which is ‘the wine that has been guarded in the grape from the six days of Creation.’[395] These are matters that will be revealed to righteous tsaddikim in the future.

Rabbi Bo arose and said: If that is so, then it should have said ‘the wine that has been guarded in the grape from Mount Sinai!  Why does it say, from the six days of Creation?

Rabbi replied: These are the secrets of Creation that have not yet been revealed to man, but in the future tsaddikim – like those who study Torah constantly – will be aware of them…

Said Rabbi Yitzchak… We have learned that the blessed Holy One appointed an angel Metatron, the Guardian Angel of Israel, as His subordinate, and made all of the other hosts of angels dependent upon him (i.e. Metatron was put in charge of them. This is the meaning of ‘where a thousand shields hang; all the shields of the mighty’ referring to Metatron), just like the rest of the body is dependent upon the neck, for the neck is the channel though which the brain directs the body. When tsaddikim are occupied with Torah, the blessed Holy One builds His world, since Torah is what sustains the world, as the Talmud (Shabbat 88a) declares: ‘The blessed Holy One made Creation conditional upon the Jewish People accepting the Torah. If they did not, He would return all of creation to a state of chaos.[396] And He places His Name within him within Metatron, as the verse (Exodus 23:21) states, כִּי שְׁמִי בְּקִרְבּוֹ “My Name is within him” – this is the Holy Name שד”י,[397] which has the same gematria (numerical value) as מטטרו”ן = 314, indicating that the outflow from the Omnipresent One will be sufficient (דַי) for the world. But when tsaddikim are not occupied with Torah, then the world misses out… From where do we know this? It is written in our verse, כְּמִגְדַּל דָּוִיד צַוָּארֵךְ, בָּנוּי לְתַלְפִּיּוֹת – ‘Like the Tower of David is your neck, built for beauty and instruction…’ When tsaddikim proliferate and magnify (megadlim – from the same root as migdal = tower) the Torah, making it like a tower, immediately ‘your neck is built for beauty and instruction.’ This is the ‘neck’ for the world i.e. which connects the Head (God) with the body (the world), built as a holy edifice of instruction and enlightenment for all mouths that become weary נִלְאוּ attempting to fathom His Divine Providence, as the verse (Genesis 47:13) states, וַתֵּלַהּ אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם “And Egypt became weary from hunger…”

(Zohar Chadash, Midrash Hane’elam [Margolias] 28a)

Alternatively, the word תַלְפִּיּוֹת can be read as two words: תֵּל פִּיּוֹת – literally ‘the hill of mouths,’ in other words, the hill that all mouths in the world praise and pray towards, i.e. the Temple (that was built on top of a hill) through which all prayers to the Holy One ascend.[398]

(Zohar I, 209b)

 

4:4  אֶלֶף הַמָּגֵן תָּלוּי עָלָיו, כֹּל שִׁלְטֵי הַגִּבּוֹרִים – Where a thousand shields hang, all the shields of the mighty

These are the thousand tikunim adornments or garments[399] that properly adorn the Temple, i.e. the ten sefirot of malchut which are each comprised of ten levels, and they in turn each comprise 10 levels = 10x10x10 = 1,000 – these are all the proper receptacles for the outflow from the higher sefirot that accrue due to the Temple service (particularly via the offerings on the altar). And why are they called the shields of the mighty? This is because they all stem from the side of harsh judgment (gevurah). The Kabbalists point out that this alludes to the fact that the primary rectification of malchut is through the gevurot in which she is adorned, and therefore they rectify her. Just like a woman wears her best jewelry around her neck, so too, all the adornments of the world that are the receptacles for the Divine outflow are dependent upon the Temple which is compared to the neck of a righteous woman.     

(Zohar I, 209b)

4:5 שְׁנֵי שָׁדַיִךְ כִּשְׁנֵי עֳפָרִים תְּאוֹמֵי צְבִיָּה  – Your two breasts are like two deer, the twins of a gazelle

These are the two Tablets of the Torah upon which the Ten Commandments are written. They are compared to breasts because just like a mother’s breasts are vital to the infant’s nurture, allowing it to grow and flourish, so too, the Tablets were vital for the spiritual growth and flourishing of the Israelites.[400]

(Tikunei Zohar, 14a)

Alternatively, from His right hand so to speak – the aspect of chesed – the Written Torah was given, and from His left hand so to speak – the aspect of gevurah – the Oral Torah was given, regarding which it states, “Your two breasts are like two deer, the twins of a gazelle…

(Tikunei Zohar, 146a)

4:5 הָרוֹעִים בַּשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים  – Pasturing among the roses

Among those who constantly study Torah.

(Zohar II, 20b)

4:6  עַד שֶׁיָּפוּחַ הַיּוֹם וְנָסוּ הַצְּלָלִים, אֵלֶךְ לִי אֶל הַר הַמּוֹר וְאֶל גִּבְעַת הַלְּבוֹנָה – Before the day wafts away and the shadows flee, to the Mountain of Myrrh, I will take Me, and to the Hill of the Frankincense bouquet.

Rabbi Isaac began his discourse: This verse[401] refers to the exile of the Jewish People who are enslaved literally or figuratively in exile until the day that the domination of the nations of the world over us ceases – this is the explanation of ‘before the day wafts away,’ which he interprets as ‘until the day wafts away.’ For we learned in a Beraita a rabbinical teaching: Rabbi Isaac said that the dominion of all the nations over Israel lasts for only a thousand years. But because of our transgressions (which give power to the unholy side) they were given more and more time,[402] so that there is no nation that has not dominated Israel at one time or another. That thousand year period is a single day to Him, as it is written (Zechariah 14:7) “It will be a unique day, it will be known as the Lord’s day.

Another interpretation: ‘Before the day wafts away’ – before the completion of the day the thousand years – that are like one day to the blessed Holy One[403] – of the nations of the world, and ‘before the shadows flee’ – referring to their leaders, who still rule over us in Israel and Jerusalem before they flee. Says the blessed Holy One, ‘I will take Me’ to shake them out of Jerusalem, which is Har haMor, Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, and to the Hill of Frankincense, which is the Holy Temple in which frankincense was offered twice daily as one of the ingredients of the ketoret (the incense). Ridding the land of those villains is as the verse (Job 38:13) statesלֶאֱחֹז בְּכַנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ וְיִנָּעֲרוּ רְשָׁעִים מִמֶּנָּה – “to grasp the edges of the earth and shake the wicked from it” – like one shakes the dust off a garment.

(Zohar II, 17a)

 

 

4:7  כֻּלָּךְ יָפָה רַעְיָתִי וּמוּם אֵין בָּךְ – All of you is beautiful, and you I adore, and you are without a flaw

‘All of you is beautiful, and you I adore,’ refers to Knesset Yisrael, the community of Israel, i.e. the Jewish People as a whole, ‘and you are without a flaw’ refers to the Great Sanhedrin, the Jewish ‘Supreme Court’ comprising 71 judges,[404] regarding whom the great Sage Rabbi Yochanan declared[405]: No one was accepted as a member of the Sanhedrin unless they were of lofty stature [so that the people would naturally fear them], wise, of pleasant appearance, advanced in age [so they would be respected – Rashi], expert in sorcery [so they could identify those who were brought before them as sorcerers – Rashi], fluent in seventy languages so they could hear testimony first-hand, not via a translator [these were the spoken languages of the world at that time, so that they could hear first-hand from witnesses who spoke other languages – Rashi]. These members of the Sanhedrin correspond to the seventy souls who accompanied Jacob when he went down to Egypt, and the blessed Holy One above them. This perhaps resolves a dispute between Rabbi Yehuda and the Sages,[406] where Rabbi Yehuda argued that there were only 70 members of the Sanhedrin, and the Sages countered that there were seventy plus Moshe (as God’s representative) at the head of the Sanhedrin, making 71. The Zohar here implies that there need not be any argument between them at all. All agree that there were 70 judges, and the disagreement is only whether the Judge of judges should be counted as a 71^st or not.

(Zohar III, 34b)

Alternatively, this refers to the Torah, which is perfect, so that if any fool comes along and disparages the Master (God)that made the Garment (Torah), saying that it is missing something, behold the verse Psalms 19:8 states: תּוֹרַת יְהוָה תְּמִימָה – ‘God’s Torah is perfect’ – perfect in all the ‘limbs’ of her body, which are the 248 Positive Commandments to which the 248 limbs and organs of human beings correspond, and our verse states, וּמוּם אֵין בָּךְ – ‘and you are without a flaw’ refers to her the Torah’s garments the teachings of the Mishnah and the rest of the Oral Torah which tell us how to apply the Commandments.

(Zohar III, 27b Raya Mehemna)

Alternatively, this refers to the souls of the righteous and their good deeds and their avoidance of sin: Rabbi Yehuda declared: The righteous are filled with confidence and joy when they leave this world together with their worthy deeds – the aforementioned 248 Positive Commandments. When they the members of the Heavenly Court come to examine that soul, they do not rebuke it at all. What do they say to her? כֻּלָּךְ יָפָה רַעְיָתִי וּמוּם אֵין בָּךְ – “All of you is beautiful, and you I adore, and you are without a flaw.” Rabbi Abahu said: This is true of the 365 Prohibitions of the Torah as well: A righteous tsaddik, after a thorough self-examination, says to his soul, “All of you is beautiful, and you I adore,” because I conducted myself in such a way as to not besmirch you my soul with evil actions – those that are prohibited by the Torah and the Sages. Thus the verse states, “and you my soul are without a flaw.”

(Zohar Chadash, [Margolias] Midrash haNe’elam 17b)

4:8  אִתִּי מִלְּבָנוֹן כַּלָּה, אִתִּי מִלְּבָנוֹן תָּבוֹאִי – To me from Lebanon, my bride, to me from Lebanon come[407]

Rabbi Abahu began his discourse with this verse, ‘To me from Lebanon, my bride, to me from Lebanon come’ and this is what he said: Once the body has been fully rebuilt at the time of Techiyat haMeitim (the Resurrection of the Dead) they will bring it to receive its soul in Israel where the soul awaits it and goes out to greet it the body, as the verse (Genesis 24:63) states, “And Yitzchak Isaac went out to meditate in the field towards evening. He raised his eyes and saw…” Rivkah (Rebecca) approaching, accompanied by Eliezer (Abraham’s servant) and his camels. This is the meaning of “to me from Lebanon, my bride” – referring to the soul (‘to me’) which goes out to the borders of the Holy Land from Levanon (Lebanon, referring to the Temple, as will be explained below) to which the body (‘my bride’) is brought at that time.

(Zohar I, 128b in Midrash Ne’elam)

 

4:8  תָּשׁוּרִי מֵרֹאשׁ אֲמָנָה – Gaze out from the peak of Amana

The Zohar now continues with the above theme: “Gaze out from the peak of Amana” – this is as the verse (ibid.) states, “He raised his eyes and saw…” Rivkah, etc. Rabbi Yehuda said: If this indeed refers to the soul, granted this would be the correct interpretation if the verse referred to Avraham, as we learned earlier in the section that the soul is called Avraham. But what about Yitzchak – how does the soul allude to Isaac?

Rabbi Abahu said: The friends – the circle of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his colleagues and disciples – explain that now the soul is called Yitzchak Isaac because of the tzechok the joy and laughter that will ensue at that time.[408] Initially in this world the soul is called Abraham, and the body is called Sarah. But now at the time of the Resurrection the soul is called Yitzchak, and the body is called Rivkah.

We have learned, Rabbi Shimon said that for forty years prior to the resurrection of the body the soul in Israel awaits the body. And where does it wait? In the place of the Beit HaMikdash the Temple, which is called Levanon[409] (Lebanon), and the soul goes out of the Beit HaMikdash to the borders of the Holy Land to await the resurrected body, similar to the way Yitzchak went out to the fields to (unknowingly) await Rivkah.

Rabbi Abahu said: Come and see, the verse (Genesis 24:67) states “He took Rivkah in marriage and she became his wife, and he loved her. Yitzchak was then consoled after his mother’s passing”. In the context of the time of the Resurrection, this means that he the soul will love the body and be comforted by her, and it will then be a time of laughter and joy in the world.[410]

(Zohar I, 129a in Midrash Ne’elam)

 

4:8  אִתִּי מִלְּבָנוֹן כַּלָּה, אִתִּי מִלְּבָנוֹן תָּבוֹאִי, תָּשׁוּרִי מֵרֹאשׁ אֲמָנָה, מֵרֹאשׁ שְׂנִיר וְחֶרְמוֹן, מִמְּעֹנוֹת אֲרָיוֹת, מֵהַרְרֵי נְמֵרִים – With me from Lebanon, My complete one, with Me from Lebanon come; with My gift from the peak of Amana, and from the top of Snir and Hermon, from the place where the lions roam, and from the mountains of the puma.

An alternative explanation (and therefore an alternative translation) of the verse[411]: Rabbi Chiya began his discourse with our verse: This verse refers to Knesset Yisrael the Shechinah. When the Israelites left Egypt and neared Mount Sinai where they would receive the Torah, the blessed Holy One said to the Shechinah: ‘With me from Lebanon come,’ meaning: ‘Come together with Me from supernal Eden from which she the Shechinah comes. And she is called ‘My complete one’ like the full moon whose blemish is filled completely by the entire spectrum of light from the sun. ‘Come with Me’ from Levanon – a word elided from lev (alluding to the ל”ב = 32 paths of chochmah) and nun (alluding to the נו”ן = 50 gates of binah) so that your children the Israelites can receive the Torah which encompasses the 32 paths of chochmah and the 50 gates of binah.

– תָּשׁוּרִי מֵרֹאשׁ אֲמָנָה With My gift from the peak of Amana: In this interpretation, the word should not be read as תָּשׁוּרִי (gaze) but rather as תְּשׁוּרִי – ‘My gift’ – as the verse (I Samuel 9:7) states וּתְשׁוּרָה אֵין לְהָבִיא – ‘We haven’t a gift (teshura) to bring…’ Similarly in our verse, תְּשׁוּרִי should be understood as ‘My gift’ – thus receive My gift for your children who will accept the Torah, unlike the descendants of Edom (Esau) and Ishmael who were offered the Torah first, but refused it. But the Israelites – the children of the Shechinah called Knesset Yisrael – were willing to accept the Torah, and therefore ‘accept My gift for them’ from the top of Amana – from those who arose to express their faith emunah (אֱמֻנָה –faith has the same letters as אֲמָנָה) and said (Exodus 24:7) כֹּל אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה’ נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע – “Whatever God says we will do and we will hear.” At that point the ministering angels descended and tied two crowns upon each of their heads[412] and they were equal to the supernal angels regarding whom the verse (Psalms 103:20) statesבָּרֲכוּ ה’ מַלְאָכָיו גִּבֹּרֵי כֹחַ עֹשֵׂי דְבָרוֹ לִשְׁמֹעַ בְּקוֹל דְּבָרוֹ – “Bless the Lord, His angels; the mighty warriors who do His bidding, obeying the expression of His word.” Then Knesset Yisrael ­– the Shechinah – received a gift the crowns that the angels placed upon their heads.

מֵרֹאשׁ שְׂנִיר וְחֶרְמוֹן – from the top of Snir and Hermon: This refers to Mount Sinai which is called ‘Snir’ – alluding to the idea of שׂוֹנֵא נִיר – ‘despising the yoke’ since only those who occupy themselves with Torah can be regarded as free.[413] And it is also called ‘Hermon’ because it was there that the other nationsנחרמו  became isolated (from the blessed Holy One) because they refused to accept His Torah. But the Israelites brought themselves closer to it to Mount Sinai, and stood firmly at its base, as the verse (Exodus 19:17) states: וַיִּתְיַצְּבוּ בְּתַחְתִּית הָהָר

מִמְּעֹנוֹת אֲרָיוֹת, מֵהַרְרֵי נְמֵרִים – From the place the lions are at home, and from the mountains of the puma

“From the place where the lions roam” – these are the inhabitants of Se’ir the descendants of Esau to whom the blessed Holy One offered the Torah, but they refused to accept it;

“And from the mountains of the puma” – these are the descendants of Ishmael who were also offered the Torah, and they too refused to accept it, as the verse (Deuteronomy 33:2) states at the time of the giving of the Torah:ה’ מִסִּינַי בָּא וְזָרַח מִשֵּׂעִיר לָמוֹ הוֹפִיעַ מֵהַר פָּארָן – God came from Sinai, having shone forth to them from Se’ir, and having appeared from Mount Paran – where the descendants of Ishmael lived. Thus the descendants of Esau in Se’ir and the descendants of Ishmael in Mount Paran were offered the Torah first, but they rejected it.   

(Zohar II, 2b-3a)

 

4:9  The Zohar does not comment on this verse. Our rather unusual translation of the latter half of the verse, “with how you see the oneness of things” is based on the analysis in Likutei Torah, Shir haShirim 29b.[414] “And the love from on High that heartfelt prayer brings” is based on Shomer Emunim;[415] Likutei Torah, Shir haShirim 31a.

 

4:10  מַה טֹּבוּ דֹדַיִךְ מִיַּיִן – How much better is your love all because of wine

Classic commentaries[416] render this differently: How much better is your love than wine. However the Zohar explains as follows: How much better is your love all because of wine – from that wine that is guarded in the grapes from the six days of Creation[417] that brings joy and makes the face shine and the eyes smile and arouses supernal good will. This is not the wine that intoxicates and provokes wrath, darkening the face and making the eyes flash with anger – the wine of rage. Elsewhere the Zohar[418] explains that the wine referenced here is the secrets of the Torah that have not been revealed to anyone from the day of Creation, but will be revealed to the righteous tsaddikim in the future. Commentaries explain that this refers to the inner dimensions of binah. Nevertheless, as the Zohar goes on to explain, this same wine was offered daily (and also on special occasions) as the wine libation upon the altar,[419] implying that although the full revelation of this wine (the inner dimensions of binah) will only take place in the future, nevertheless, aspects thereof are revealed to those who are worthy, as the Sages put it: נכנס יין יצא סוד – “When the wine goes in, the secrets come out.”[420] Now although the literal explanation of this is that the sign of a person worthy of being a member of the Sanhedrin (the Rabbinical Supreme Court in former times) is that even when he becomes inebriated he will not reveal secrets, numerous mystical interpretations note that the gematria of יי”ן and the gematria of סו”ד (alluding to the secrets of the Torah, called sod) are both 70, indicating that when a person learns Torah for its own sake, as did the rabbis comprising the Sanhedrin, the mysteries of the Torah become revealed to him, as the Mishna in Avos 6:1 states explicitly.[421]

(Zohar I, 70a)

A similar interpretation is offered in another section of the Zohar: The verse (Isaiah 28:7) states: וְגַם אֵלֶּה בַּיַּיִן שָׁגוּ – “For they too have erred because of wine…” and the verse (Leviticus 10:9) also states, יַיִן וְשֵׁכָר אַל תֵּשְׁתְּ אַתָּה וּבָנֶיךָ – “Do not drink wine, you (Aaron) or your sons…” when you enter the Temple to do your service. Although this applies specifically to the Kohen Gadol and other Kohanim engaged in their Temple service, nevertheless, the Sages warn sternly against anyone becoming intoxicated.[422] Why then is wine mentioned here in a positive sense? Rabbi Chiya said: This is the wine of Torah, i.e. the secrets of Torah, hinted to by the gematria they share (=70). Rabbi Chizkiya said: This is alluded to in the verse (Psalms 104:15) וְיַיִן יְשַׂמַּח לְבַב אֱנוֹשׁ – “The wine that gladdens man’s heart…” and this is why it states in our verse “How much better is your love all because of wine” – for the joy of the heart is because of wine – because of the secrets of Torah that fill the heart with joy – more than anything else.

(Zohar II, 124b)

4:10   וְרֵיחַ שְׁמָנַיִךְ מִכָּל בְּשָׂמִים – And the scent of your oils suffused with spice

These are the souls of the righteous tsaddikim that emit a wondrous fragrance, as Rabbi Yitzchak said: the souls of the righteous that were in this world clothed within a body… are all in the higher level of the Garden of Eden, called the Garden of Eden of Yetzirah or of Beriah, and are clothed in the garments produced by the Torah and mitzvot (Commandments) they fulfilled during their life in the world.[423] These garments (i.e. the body and its faculties) became suffused with “a scent pleasing to God” – רֵיחַ נִיחוֹחַ לַה’ (Leviticus 1:9 and numerous other verses), which the Torat Cohanim and Rashi explain as follows: ‘It is pleasing to Me’ because I commanded and My will was done, and these accompany the soul when it departs the body at the time of passing.[424] Now the dedication and intensity with which a person studied Torah and fulfilled the mitzvot, and also whether this was done with self-sacrifice, rather than mere habit, determines which level of the Garden of Eden they rise to after life in this world. However, all those souls that will descend into this world in the future, but did not yet descend, are waiting in a lower level, called the Garden of Eden on Earth – in the World of Asiyah[425], for they do not have the garments of Torah and mitzvot to lift them to higher levels.

Thus the verse declares that the love the Jewish People express through studying the secrets of the Torah (for those who are worthy thereof) and for fulfilling the mitzvot with great dedication gives great pleasure to the blessed Holy One.

(Zohar II, 11a)

As an introduction to the next piece, note that oil is connected with the ‘secrets of the secrets’[426] of the Torah.[427] Several explanations of this are given, based on even the physical properties of oil: Oil[428] is the essence of the cell of every living thing; oil does not mix with other liquids,[429] but floats on top of them – even on top of wine (which is compared to the secrets of the Torah, as above); at the same time it permeates everything.[430] The same is true of the essence of Torah, called ‘secrets of the secrets’ – chochmah (wisdom) is the essence of the Torah, as numerous verses allude to[431]; it floats on top of all the other aspects of the Torah (i.e. it is the pinnacle of Torah study); it permeates all aspects of Torah.[432] These ‘secrets of the secrets’ are not expressed in teaching words of wisdom, but rather in certain characteristically Kabbalistic activities, such as yichudim (‘unifications’) and meditations during prayer or learning that unify the holy Names and commute harsh decrees. These are called ‘scented oils.’

Rabbi Shimon said: In the works of earlier generations we find the methodology[433] of the secret of secrets that one must mechaven (have in mind) in order to bind the worlds together in a bond of unity so that the prayers, meditations and kavanot can be willingly received above. There are times when it is necessary to arrange ones prayers properly and to bind the holy Names together and unify them in order to make strict judgments fragrant before their Master, as is proper. Making strict judgment fragrant (also called  ‘sweetening the severities’) is Kabbalistic terminology for commuting harsh verdicts to more lenient verdicts, or even commuting them completely in the sense of ‘transforming darkness into light and bitterness into sweetness.’[434] Rabbi Shimon continues: one must know how to bring about complete unity when reciting the Shema and to cleave open the heavens and open the gates and the doors in a manner that no one will rebuke him for leaving the gates closed to their prayers. How worthy are those righteous tsaddikim who know how to persuade their Master by adorning the Shechinah in a manner than transforms darkness to light, and nullifies evil decrees, enabling the Shechinah to descend into this world, and draw down blessings to the world, and remove and nullify the proponents of severity so that they cannot have control of the world.[435]

(Zohar I, 41a, Heichalot)

 

4:11   נֹפֶת תִּטֹּפְנָה שִׂפְתוֹתַיִךְ כַּלָּה – Your lips, My bride, drip with nectar

The Zohar does not comment directly on this verse.[436] However, the Zohar does comment on the identical words נֹפֶת תִּטֹּפְנָה – “drip with nectar” in a similar verse (Proverbs 5:3) כִּי נֹפֶת תִּטֹּפְנָה שִׂפְתֵי זָרָה וְחָלָק מִשֶּׁמֶן חִכָּהּ – “The lips of a strange woman drip with nectar; her mouth is smoother than oil”. To understand what the Zohar explains we must preface a teaching of the Arizal[437]: There is a certain aspect of kelipah (the husks of impurity that envelop holiness and lust to feed off it) that is not completely evil and impure, called kelipat nogah (nogah means a dim glow, signifying that it has some light in it, light being a synonym for good, and darkness for evil). Kelipat nogah is thus an in-between level, between light and darkness, and between good and evil. Because there is some good in kelipat nogah, malchut – the sefirah that gives life to the worlds – must perforce sustain it, which allows the completely impure kelipot to also feed off some of that life-force.

The Zohar now explains: By way of kelipat nogah, the other completely impure kelipot – i.e. the forces of evil and impurity – coerce the woman i.e. malchut to infuse life-force via kelipat nogah where the impure kelipot can siphon off this light for their own sustenance. Regarding this the verse states, ‘her mouth – the power of persuasion possessed by the kelipot – is smoother than oil.’ The impure kelipot are compared to a harlot who entices a man to lie with her, for He the blessed Holy One has positioned that light at the place of covenant the brit corresponding to the male organ (yesod in the sefirot). And therefore she the force of impurity sets out to seduce him so that she can receive his light from yesod by means of prostituting the woman malchut, as the verse states, כִּי נֹפֶת תִּטֹּפְנָה שִׂפְתֵי זָרָה – ‘The lips of an alien woman drip with nectar’ so that malchut is enticed into becoming ‘a strange woman’ – a harlot – by convincing yesod to give her life-force that becomes siphoned off by the kelipot.

All this is in regard to ‘an alien woman.’ But the opposite is true of the faithful woman (malchut that does not listen to the blandishments of kelipah, and she remains in holiness). She is the aishet chayil whose lips drip with the nectar of Torah, as the verse (Proverbs 31:26) states, פִּיהָ פָּתְחָה בְחָכְמָה וְתוֹרַת חֶסֶד עַל לְשׁוֹנָהּ – “She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teachings of kindness are on her tongue…” She manages to achieve this by her modesty as regards the wisdom of Torah, as commentaries on the next section of the verse explain.

 (Zohar II, 203b)

4:11  דְּבַשׁ וְחָלָב תַּחַת לְשׁוֹנֵךְ – Honey and milk under your tongue

In his commentary on the section of the Zohar titled Sifra d’Tzniuta (Zohar II, 176b ff.), Rabbi Eliyahu, the GR”A comments: This wisdom – the wisdom of the Sifra d’Tzniuta, which is the wisdom contained within chochmah of the World of Atzilut – may not be revealed to one who is not properly modest, as the Talmud (Kidushin 71a) declares: [“The forty-two letter Name] should not be revealed to anyone other than a modest and humble person…” as Proverbs 11:2 states: וְאֶת צְנוּעִים חָכְמָה – “Wisdom for the modest ones.” [The meaning of ‘modest’ here indicates that] a primary aspect of this wisdom is that it should be concealed, as the Talmud (Chagiga 13a) states on the verse (Proverbs 27:26) כְּבָשִׂים לִלְבוּשֶׁךָ – lamb’s wool for your clothing: [States the Talmud] these are matters that should be concealed from the world at large [as if כְּבָשִׂים ‘lambs’ should be read כְּבוּשִׁים = concealed), as in our verse “Honey and milk under your tongue” – the sweet secrets of the Torah, compared to honey and milk, should be kept ‘under your tongue’ – and should be imparted only to those who are worthy.

 

 

4:11  וְרֵיחַ שַׂלְמֹתַיִךְ כְּרֵיחַ לְבָנוֹן – And the scent of your raiment is like the fragrance of Lebanon

Again the Zohar does not comment here, but the Ramak[438] notes that the phrase “the fragrance of Lebanon” signifies an outflow from keter.

4:12  גַּן נָעוּל אֲחֹתִי כַלָּה, גַּל נָעוּל, מַעְיָן חָתוּם – A garden locked up, is My sister, my bride; a source of water set aside; a sealed spring of water that never dried.

גַּן נָעוּל – ‘A garden (gan) locked up’: The word gan alludes to the Written Torah. The explanation is this: the Hebrew word for ‘garden’ is ג”ן, whose numerical value is 53. These are the 53 sidrot weekly readings (or sections) of the Torah i.e. the Five Books of Moses. And the ‘source of water set aside’ alludes to the Oral Torah the interpretation of Scripture which was given to Moshe at the same time the Torah was given to him. Perhaps we can explain that since the Torah is referred to (in Proverbs 3:18) as עֵץ חַיִּים הִיא לַמַּחֲזִיקִים בָּהּ – “She is a Tree of Life to those who hold on to it” as the Talmud[439] explains, therefore it needs ‘water’ – these are the words of the Sages in the Oral Torah that irrigate the tree of Torah and cause it to bear fruit. The word גַּל is also related to the word גִלוּי ‘revelation’ because the Oral Torah reveals the underlying meaning and reasoning etc. of the Written Torah, and thus causes it to bear fruit. Both of these aspects of Torah are alluded to in the letter בּ – the first letter of the first word of the Torah בְּרֵאשִׁית – ‘In the beginning.’ The Zohar explained previously that the ‘beginning’ refers to the sefirah of chochmah, the first manifested sefirah (keter is not counted as the first since it transcends all of the sefirot it is not counted among the immanent sefirot). But there are two aspects of chochmah – the higher chochmah (chochmah ila’a) is concealed within the Written Torah, and the lower aspect of chochmah (chochmah tata’a) in the Oral Torah. And מַעְיָן חָתוּם the ‘sealed spring of water that never dried’ is the word  רֵאשִׁית– the beginning called ‘the dot in the palace’ – signified by the dagesh in the letter בּ. We translated the word מַעְיָן here as ‘a spring of water that never dried’ according to the halachic parameters of a spring that is required to remove the deepest spiritual impurity – it must be a source of ‘living water’ i.e. a spring that does not dry up even once in seven years.[440]

Alternatively: Rabbi Yose began his discourse, quoting our verse and explaining as follows:  ‘A garden locked up’ – this is Knesset Yisrael the Jewish People as a community who are referred to as ‘a garden locked up’, so that her fruits can only be accessed when she is properly cultivated and tended, as Rabbi Elazar said: Just as a garden needs to be tended and weeded and watered and pruned in order for it to grow and flourish and produce its fruits, so too Knesset Yisrael requires weeding and tending and watering and pruning. She is called a garden and also a vineyard. And just like a vineyard needs weeding and watering and pruning and hoeing, so too Israel, as the verse states, (Isaiah 5:7) כִּי כֶרֶם ה’ צְבָאוֹת בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל – “The vineyard of God is the House of Israel” and it also states (ibid. 5:2) “He placed a fence around it and cleared it of stones…”

(Zohar II, 4a)

גַּל נָעוּל – A source of water set aside: Rabbi Yose began his discourse, citing the verse (Isaiah 10:30) “Raise your voice, Bat‑Galim, listen O Layish; O you poor Anatot…” This verse has already been explained by our circle of Kabbalists,[441] but there is an additional point we need to make – that this verse refers to Knesset Yisrael the same way we expounded the previous verse. This is the meaning of the verse: “Raise your voice, Bat‑Galim” – Bat Galim (ostensibly the name of a place) actually refers to Knesset Yisrael, the daughter of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who fulfilled as many mitzvot as there are waves (galim) in the sea, as our Sages explain.[442] Although the Zohar mentions only Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are also included implicitly since the Zohar points to the statement of the Sages that lists them explicitly.

Alternatively, galim (the plural of gal) refers to the rivers that flow into the sea and fill it up. Malchut is therefore called Bat Galim just like the sea is the “daughter” (is produced) by the rivers that pour into her and fill her up. Technically, the rivers that flow into the sea are the sefirot (particularly chesed, gevurah and tiferet – representing Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) that pour their light into malchut. They are called galim from the word gilui (revelation), because it is in malchut that they become revealed. And therefore she is called Bat Galim.[443]

(Zohar I, 63a)

מַעְיָן חָתוּם – A sealed spring: Now how is the spring sealed up? With the letter vav so that the letter ב becomes a final mem – ם – sealed on all four sides, unlike the letter bet which is closed on only three sides. This is called ‘sealed wine’ – the wine that is guarded in the grapes from the six days of Creation[444] as mentioned previously. This is the wine the mystical explanation of Torah that is sealed and conserved, so that no foreign influence can enter there. As explained earlier יי”ן and סו”ד have the same gematria = 70. It wasn’t for nothing therefore that the Sages established that wine must be properly sealed when a person sends a container of wine to his friend with a non-Jew,[445] so that the latter will not use it for his idolatrous libations, causing it to blend with the forces of evil.

(Tikunei Zohar Tikun 28, p. 72b)

 

4:13  The Zohar does not offer commentary on this verse, other than as a continuation of the previous idea that the rivers mentioned above irrigate שְׁלָחַיִךְ “your dry fields”[446] – turning them into pomegranate orchards.

4:14 נֵרְדְּ וְכַרְכֹּם, קָנֶה וְקִנָּמוֹן – Nard and saffron, Lemongrass and cinnamon…

When a person comes to the section of the morning prayers beginning with the word Yishtabach – “may Your Name be praised forever our King…” the blessed Holy One takes that Crown on which all the Holy Names are engraved with which the Jewish People were crowned when they accepted the Torah[447], and places it before Him, to admire its beauty and to have it ready to place on their heads when they conclude their prayers. Thus the Jewish People begin to rectify themselves in order to present themselves before the supernal King. And they must arouse through their prayers the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy which correspond to the thirteen types of spice mentioned in this verse. Although there are only eight actually mentioned, five more are included by means of the various ribuim[448] mentioned in the verse, such as עִם כָּל (together with) which is mentioned twice, adding another two each, and עֲצֵי לְבוֹנָה is also two – levona is the sap, and atzei is the branch, which is ground into a powder. And that is why there are thirteen type of praise mentioned in the Yishtabach prayer:

שִׁיר – song; וּשְׁבָחָה  – praise; הַלֵּל – adoration: וְזִמְרָה  – and melody; עֹז – might; וּמֶמְשָׁלָה – and dominion;  נֶצַח– victory;  גְּדֻלָּה– grandeur; –  וּגְבוּרָה power; – תְּהִלָּה glory; וְתִפְאֶרֶת  – splendor; – קְדֻשָּׁה holiness. These are twelve, to which the Shechinah מַלְכוּת– sovereignty must then be attached, bringing it to 13.

(Zohar II, 132a)

Alternatively, those thirteen types of spices down below in this world have their root above in the Garden of Eden, in the chamber called Ohalot (which is also the name of a spice). It is there that the ‘garments’ of the soul i.e. the mitzvot that are done in thought, speech and deed, are cleansed and perfumed, and the souls ascending to the Garden of Eden are clothed in them, commensurate with the good deeds the person did in this world.

 (Zohar II, 210a)

4:15  מַעְיַן גַּנִּים, בְּאֵר מַיִם חַיִּים, וְנֹזְלִים מִן לְבָנוֹן – A garden spring, a well of living water, a stream flowing from Lebanon

מַעְיַן גַּנִּים – A garden spring: Just as a tree does not grow without water, so too the Israelites, who are branches of the tree, the Tree of Life, do not grow without the flow of water from the Torah. This is the secret of the words מַעְיַן גַּנִּים בְּאֵר מַיִם חַיִּים – a garden spring, a well of living water, which is chochmah, while the ‘garden’ alludes to the gan ג”ן = 53 sedras (weekly reading) of the Torah.

(Tikunei Zohar Tikun 52, p. 90a)

Rabbi Abahu said: Moshe Rabeinu (Moses) was emanated from the supernal radiance. Yehoshua (Joshua) was emanated from Moshe. The 70 Elders were emanated from Yehoshua. The Prophets were emanated from the Elders. The Princes of the Tribes and the leaders of the people were emanated from the Prophets – each from the other.

While they were traveling they met up with Rabbi Elazar. They remarked: “One of the Masters of the Academy just arrived.” They said to him: “Certainly you have mentioned that the light of the sun technically referring to ze’ir anpin derives its light from the radiance of the luminary above binah.”

“Indeed that is so,” he replied.

Then he began explaining: The verse states, “A garden spring, a well of living water, a stream flowing from Lebanon.” First it is called a spring, then a well, and then a stream, all in the same verse! This needs to be examined. The Kabbalistic explanation is this: The spring malchut is drawn from the well yesod, and the well from the stream the main sefirot of ze’ir anpin – chesed through hod, and the stream from Lebanon chochmah and binah, since לבנון (Lebanon) is a composite of ל”ב  – the ‘lev’ netivot of chochmah (the paths through which the light of chochmah illuminates binah) and נו”ן – the nun (50) sha’arei binah.[449] This is to inform you that one is drawn from the other, and so on. And so too is it with the sun ze’ir anpin – its radiance is not from itself, but is drawn from a ray from binah that illuminates the sun.

Accordingly, it seems that the Zohar deduces from this verse that the process of transmission from one level to another applies whether we are talking about the chaining down of the sefirot or whether we are talking about the transmission of prophecy.

  (Zohar Chadash, 63a)

Alternatively, another section of the Zohar explains: מַעְיַן גַּנִּים refers to Abraham, בְּאֵר מַיִם חַיִּים refers to Yitzchak, and וְנֹזְלִים מִן לְבָנוֹן refers to Yaakov, who were also derived one from the other.

(Zohar I, 135b)

 

4:16   עוּרִי צָפוֹן וּבוֹאִי תֵימָן הָפִיחִי גַנִּי יִזְּלוּ בְשָׂמָיו יָבֹא דוֹדִי לְגַנּוֹ וְיֹאכַל פְּרִי מְגָדָיו – Awaken north wind, and come [wind] from the south; blow upon My garden, and its fragrance will spread out.

Rabbi Abahu said: A person must examine his deeds and revisit them daily since the blessed Holy One gave him a pure soul with which to come to know and recognize his Creator and gaze upon His wonders that He performs on a daily basis…

The north wind in Israel blows from midnight to morning… Said Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai: At that time the blessed Holy One emerges so to speak – technically this is the emergence of the light of ze’ir anpin – from the myriads of supernal worlds that He loves i.e. where His love is revealed and He comes (so to speak) to delight in the righteous tsaddikim in the Garden of Eden. A voice then makes an announcement before Him: ‘Awaken north wind and come wind from the south’ – meaning to say, awaken north wind… and arouse yourself to come to the world and blow upon the spices of Eden in order to cause their scent to spread forth. This is the meaning of ‘blow upon My garden, and its fragrance will spread out.’

(Zohar Chadash, Bereishit 13b)

 

The explanation of the above paragraph can be found elsewhere in Zohar

At the time that the blessed Holy One arouses Himself to visit the Garden of Eden to delight there in the souls of the righteous tsaddikim, a supernal angelic voice announces: “Awaken north wind, and come [wind] from the south; blow upon My garden, and its fragrance will spread out. May my Beloved come to His garden and partake of the sweet fruits of Eden.’ What does the phrase ‘partake of the sweet fruits of Eden’ mean? These are the souls of righteous tsaddikim who have sacrificed themselves to the blessed Holy One. This is not meant in the sense of actual sacrifices on the altar, but rather in the sense of complete and willing submission to the Divine Will and the Divine plan. And this is at midnight, for it is at different hours that the actual daily sacrifices are offered, not at midnight, but from dawn on.[450]

The implication is that the souls of tsaddikim are the sweet fruits in which the blessed Holy One delights.

(Zohar II, 36b)

 

Chapter 5

 

^א בָּאתִי לְגַנִּי אֲחֹתִי כַלָּה

אָרִיתִי מוֹרִי עִם בְּשָׂמִי

אָכַלְתִּי יַעְרִי עִם דִּבְשִׁי שָׁתִיתִי יֵינִי עִם חֲלָבִי

אִכְלוּ רֵעִים שְׁתוּ וְשִׁכְרוּ דּוֹדִים.

¹ I have come to My garden, My sister My bride,

I have gathered My myrrh and My spice,

I ate my honeycomb with the honey

I drank My wine with My milk.

Eat beloved ones; drink and get drunk all those of My ilk.

 

    ^ב אֲנִי יְשֵׁנָה וְלִבִּי עֵר קוֹל דּוֹדִי דוֹפֵק פִּתְחִי לִי אֲחֹתִי רַעְיָתִי יוֹנָתִי תַמָּתִי שֶׁרֹּאשִׁי נִמְלָא טָל קְוֻּצּוֹתַי רְסִיסֵי לָיְלָה.

² I am asleep, but my heart is awake;

The voice of my Beloved knocks at the door:

 Open up for me, my sister, my beloved, my dove, my one without a flaw.

With Me the beginning is filled with dew,

And the ends with the droplets of night for you.

 ^ג פָּשַׁטְתִּי אֶת כֻּתָּנְתִּי אֵיכָכָה אֶלְבָּשֶׁנָּה

רָחַצְתִּי אֶת רַגְלַי אֵיכָכָה אֲטַנְּפֵם.

³ I removed my robe; can I wear it again?

I washed my feet, should I soil them?

 ^ד דּוֹדִי שָׁלַח יָדוֹ מִן הַחֹר וּמֵעַי הָמוּ עָלָיו.

⁴ My Beloved sent forth His hand through a gap in the door

And I was moved for Him to my core.

 ^ה קַמְתִּי אֲנִי לִפְתֹּחַ לְדוֹדִי וְיָדַי נָטְפוּ מוֹר וְאֶצְבְּעֹתַי מוֹר עֹבֵר עַל כַּפּוֹת הַמַּנְעוּל.

⁵ I arose for my Beloved, to open the door,

My hands dripping with myrrh,

And with myrrh were my fingers awash

Upon the handles of the lock.

 ^ו פָּתַחְתִּי אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי חָמַק עָבָר

נַפְשִׁי יָצְאָה בְדַבְּרוֹ בִּקַּשְׁתִּיהוּ וְלֹא מְצָאתִיהוּ קְרָאתִיו וְלֹא עָנָנִי.

⁶ I opened for my Beloved, but my Beloved has turned and gone,

My soul flew out at His word;

I sought Him but I did not find him, I called him but He did not respond.

^ז מְצָאֻנִי הַשֹּׁמְרִים הַסֹּבְבִים בָּעִיר הִכּוּנִי פְצָעוּנִי נָשְׂאוּ אֶת רְדִידִי מֵעָלַי שֹׁמְרֵי הַחֹמוֹת.

⁷ The watchmen found me,

They who patrol the city.

They beat me, they wounded me, and stripped away my shawl,

Those guardians of the wall.

^ח הִשְׁבַּעְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלָ‍ִם אִם תִּמְצְאוּ אֶת דּוֹדִי מַה תַּגִּידוּ לוֹ שֶׁחוֹלַת אַהֲבָה אָנִי.

⁸ I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem:

If you find my Beloved, you should tell Him

I am sick with love.

^ט מַה דּוֹדֵךְ מִדּוֹד הַיָּפָה בַּנָּשִׁים מַה דּוֹדֵךְ מִדּוֹד שֶׁכָּכָה הִשְׁבַּעְתָּנוּ.

⁹ How does your Beloved exceed all others,

Among the women, the most fair?

How does your Beloved exceed all others,

That to this you make us swear?

^י דּוֹדִי צַח וְאָדוֹם דָּגוּל מֵרְבָבָה.

¹⁰ My Beloved is pure-white, and red as a flame[451]

Surrounded with myriads of seraphim

^יא רֹאשׁוֹ כֶּתֶם פָּז קְוּצּוֹתָיו תַּלְתַּלִּים שְׁחֹרוֹת כָּעוֹרֵב.

¹¹ His head is of fine gold,

His locks hanging down are black as a raven.

^יב עֵינָיו כְּיוֹנִים עַל אֲפִיקֵי מָיִם רֹחֲצוֹת בֶּחָלָב יֹשְׁבוֹת עַל מִלֵּאת

¹² His eyes are like doves gazing at the water springs

Bathing in milk, residing in fullness.

^יג לְחָיָו כַּעֲרוּגַת הַבֹּשֶׂם מִגְדְּלוֹת מֶרְקָחִים שִׂפְתוֹתָיו שׁוֹשַׁנִּים נֹטְפוֹת מוֹר עֹבֵר.

¹³ His cheeks are like a bed of spice, banks of perfume,

His lips are roses dripping flowing myrrh.

^יד יָדָיו גְּלִילֵי זָהָב מְמֻלָּאִים בַּתַּרְשִׁישׁ מֵעָיו עֶשֶׁת שֵׁן מְעֻלֶּפֶת סַפִּירִים.

¹⁴ His arms are like bars of gold, studded with gems,

Within is like ivory inlaid with diamonds precious stones

 

^טו שׁוֹקָיו עַמּוּדֵי שֵׁשׁ מְיֻסָּדִים עַל אַדְנֵי פָז מַרְאֵהוּ כַּלְּבָנוֹן בָּחוּר כָּאֲרָזִים

¹⁵ His thighs are pillars of marble, set in sockets of pure gold,

His appearance is like Lebanon, like the sturdiest cedar.

^טז חִכּוֹ מַמְתַקִּים וְכֻלּוֹ מַחֲמַדִּים זֶה דוֹדִי וְזֶה רֵעִי בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלָ‍ִם.

His palate is sweet, and He is all delight,

O daughters of Jerusalem, this is my Beloved, this is my Friend.

 

The fifth chapter of Shir HaShirim deals with the concept of communion of the soul with God during life in this world and subsequently. In large part, this is achieved from Above, so that the soul is aroused to its Divine service in ways that cannot be easily understood – the awakening is initiated from Above and manifests as a subliminal longing for communion. This is mostly due to the state of exile in which the soul is currently found, when the Temple no longer stands, and the Temple service down below is in abeyance, so that this longing is often unconscious or subliminal, and unless the person rises to the occasion, they will be left with mere regrets. 

 

5:1 בָּאתִי לְגַנִּי אֲחֹתִי כַלָּה – I have come to My garden, My sister My bride

Rabbi Chiya began his discourse, explaining the verse (Leviticus 1:1): “And G-d called to Moshe, speaking to him from the Tent of Meeting.” And this is what He said: “I have come to My garden” – this refers to the Garden of Eden above, the secret of the sefirah of binah (whereas the lower Garden of Eden is malchut).

‘My sister, My bride’ – this refers to Knesset Yisrael, the spiritual root of the Jewish People as a whole. In other words, “on that day the day the Tabernacle was erected, communion (zivug) with the souls of all Israel took place throughout, on all levels, so that all of them were blessed with the flow of light via that river (the middle column, ending in yesod) that originates in binah, as the verse states (Genesis 2:10): “The river (the middle column) that flows forth from Eden (binah) to water the Garden (malchut).”[452] These aspects of communion took place in the Garden of Eden itself at the level of binah so that all of them the Israelites were blessed by the flow of that stream via yesod of binah which is referred to as a ‘stream’ (nachal).[453]

(Zohar III, 3b)

5:1 אָרִיתִי מוֹרִי עִם בְּשָׂמִי אָכַלְתִּי יַעְרִי עִם דִּבְשִׁי שָׁתִיתִי יֵינִי עִם חֲלָבִי אִכְלוּ רֵעִים שְׁתוּ וְשִׁכְרוּ דּוֹדִים – I ate my honeycomb with the honey; I drank My wine with My milk. Eat My dear beloved ones, and drink; become intoxicated My friends

As a result of the flow of light from above, all of the souls of the righteous, and all the sefirot of ze’ir anpin, became bound one to the other in harmony, each higher aspect manifesting itself in a soul related to it, and in a sefirah below it, thus raising the lower aspect to a much loftier level. Thus the verse continues: I have gathered My myrrh with My spice – ‘myrrh’ refers to Abraham, the sefirah of chesed, about whom the verse (Shir HaShirim 4:6) states, “To the Mountain of Myrrh, I will take Me” alluding to Mount Moriah, where Abraham was told to offer up Isaac (Genesis 22:2). And ‘My spice’ refers to Aaron, the sefirah of netzach on the right column, below chesed. Regarding Aaron the verse (Exodus 30:23) states, “Take the best of spices…” this is the unification of the right arm and the right leg…

I ate My honeycomb (David, malchut, which tends towards gevurah) with the honey (Isaac, gevurah). In the physical sense, this is the unification of the left arm and the left leg.

I drank My wine (Jacob, tiferet) with My milk (Solomon, yesod). This is the unification of the middle column.

The form of unification here is referred to as “each quality found a similar quality and they strengthen each other.”[454]

Alternatively, this verse reveals another and even deeper secret regarding zivug – the unification of opposite qualities:

I have gathered My myrrh with My spice – this is the unification/zivug of body tiferet and the sign of the covenant yesod. Although tiferet and yesod are on the same middle column, the natural tendency of tiferet is to ascend and cleave to the higher sefirot, whereas the natural tendency of yesod is to descend and unite with malchut. In this sense they are opposite qualities.

My honeycomb with the honey – this is the unification/zivug of the right leg netzach and the left leg hod;

My wine with My milk – this is the unification/zivug of the left arm gevurah and the right arm chesed.

(Zohar III, 3b, 4a)

5:1 אִכְלוּ רֵעִים שְׁתוּ וְשִׁכְרוּ דּוֹדִים – Eat My dear beloved ones, and drink; become intoxicated My friends

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said: the secret of this matter is, when the verse states, “Eat My dear beloved ones” this is talking about the unification of ‘the beloved ones above, and “become intoxicated My friends” is referring to the unification of those below.

Rabbi Elazar Rabbi Shimon’s son said to him: Who are those above and who are those below? ‘Above’ could be explained as referring to the unification of ze’ir anpin and malchut in the World of Atzilut, whereas ‘below’ could be referring to unifications of the various partzufim (sefirot or clusters of sefirot interacting with each other) in the Worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. Or the entire statement could be referring to levels of yichudim and zivugim (unifications) in Atzilut itself.

Rabbi Shimon replied: That’s a good question and the subject needs further explanation! However, this verse is referring to the higher level – ‘beloved ones’ refers to Abba (chochmah) and Imma (binah) which are in a state of communion and joy the entire time, without a break, for there is no blemish that could interrupt their communion, and they are never separated. And therefore they are called ‘beloved ones’ – they are faithful lovers who are never separated from one another. And therefore the verse states (Genesis 2:10) “and the river flows forth from Eden” referring to binah (the river) that flows forth from chochmah (Eden).[455] Now this flow is constant and without interruption, so that Eden and that river are never separated. But this is not so regarding the yichud of the lower partzufim – ze’ir anpin and malchut. Their yichud is only from time-to-time so that they can illuminate those below them, which they cannot do when they are in a state of yichud. And therefore the verse states, “drink and become intoxicated My friends” they are called “friends” rather than beloveds, since their communion is only at certain times. This is the explanation of the verse.

Commentaries explain that the words “drink and become intoxicated” refers to the wine that is guarded in the grapes – i.e. the secrets of the Torah that are the inner dimension of binah[456] that arouses the yichud of ze’ir anpin and malchut. Elsewhere the Zohar explains that the good wine that brings about this yichud alludes to the tsaddik who brings about the unification of the blessed Holy One (as manifested in ze’ir anpin) and the Jewish People (malchut).[457]

(Zohar III, 4a; Matok miDevash)

5:2  אֲנִי יְשֵׁנָה וְלִבִּי עֵר קוֹל דּוֹדִי דוֹפֵק – I am asleep, but My heart is awake; the voice of my Beloved is knocking

Rabbi Chiya began: this verse refers to the blessed Holy One, who states ‘I am as if asleep’ while My children are undergoing harsh slavery during the exile in Egypt, but ‘My heart is awake’ to guard them so that they are not destroyed by the exile. “The voice of my Beloved is knocking” refers to the blessed Holy One who declared (Exodus 6:5), “Moreover I have heard the groaning of the Children of Israel whom Egypt enslaves and I remember My covenant.”

(Zohar III, 95a)

 

Rabbi Yehudah offered a different explanation: ‘I am asleep’ refers to Knesset Yisrael to the Jewish People as a whole who said: ‘I am asleep to the commandments of the Torah while I journey through the desert. ‘But my heart is awake’ to ascend to the Holy Land and fulfill them there, for all of the laws of the Torah apply there. ‘The voice of my beloved is knocking’ refers to Moses who admonished us in a number of different ways… which is why the verse states, ‘he is knocking’ because he insisted on awakening us to the great privilege of fulfilling the Torah in the Holy Land.

(Zohar III, 286a)

5:2  פִּתְחִי לִי אֲחֹתִי רַעְיָתִי יוֹנָתִי תַמָּתִי  – Open up for me my sister, my beloved, my dove, my perfect one

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said: Before the time when the morning light begins to rise i.e. before dawn, the darkness becomes more intense and the blackness of the night reigns. It is then during the third and last section of the night that the woman malchut chats with her husband ze’ir anpin, as we have learned,[458] and she enters his chamber to commune with him, in the secret of yichud. Then, towards the end of the day, when the sun is about to set in the west, then the night i.e. malchut, the moon, comes and takes the light of the sun ze’ir anpin – the moon malchut has no light of its own;[459] all of its light is from the sun. At that time all the gates are closed and no flow of light illuminates those down below. Donkeys bray and dogs bark – symbols of the negative forces. But at midnight, when the King ze’ir anpin begins to awaken, and the queen malchut begins to sing his praises, then the king comes knocking at the door of her chamber, saying: “Open up for me.” And he relates to her in four different ways – as my sister corresponding to the yud of the Name Havaye; my beloved corresponding to the hei of the Name Havaye; my dove corresponding to the vav; my perfect one corresponding to the hei of the Name Havaye. It is at that time that the blessed Holy One delights in the souls of the righteous.

(Zohar II, 46a)

Alternatively, when a person is in a lowly spiritual state – ‘I am asleep’, as the verse states – their prayer should be: Open up prayer for me so that I should be able to pray sincerely from the heart, which is still awake. Regarding this, the verse (Psalms 51:17), uttered as the introduction to the Amidah prayer (the standing prayer), the Shmoneh Esrei, states: ‘O Lord (Adon-ai), open my lips that my mouth may declare Your praises.’ It is precisely through this Name, Adon-ai, associated with malchut, that the gates of prayer are opened.

(Zohar III, 33b, Raya Mehemna)

5:2  שֶׁרֹּאשִׁי נִמְלָא טָל – With Me the beginning is filled with dew

What does ‘filled with dew’ mean? The blessed Holy One declares: “You reckon that from the day of the destruction of the Temple I ascended to My abode in the heavens above, and there I settled. But this is not so. I did not ascend to My abode during the entire time that you are in exile. And the sign by which you can know that this is so is that for Me, the beginning is filled with dew (ט”ל) because the Shechinah the Divine Presence, malchut, represented by the letter ה”א, is in exile. The completion and life force of malchut is when ט”ל is together with her. When the Name Havaye associated with ze’ir anpin is fully iterated, it is written thus: יו”ד ה”א וא”ו ה”א whose numerical value is 45. This is called Shem Ma”h. However, when the letters ה”א are missing from the proper configuration, the remainder of the Name only adds up to 39 = ט”ל. This is when the ה”א is not together with יו”ד ה”א וא”ו. For beginning of the Name – the aspect of ט”ל = dew – is what will fill the Shechinah from all of the sources above her. This is the meaning of “My beginning is filled with dew” – it is the secret of the yichud of blessed Holy One and the Shechinah.

(Tikunei Zohar 17b)

5:2  קְוֻּצּוֹתַי רְסִיסֵי לָיְלָה – and the ends with the droplets of night for you

Concluding the explanation above, the Zohar now explains the second half of the verse: “The ends” refers to the six sides i.e. the six sefirot of ze’ir anpin, which is the numerical value of the letters ה”א = 6… and “the droplets of night” refer to the lower Shechinah – malchut in the lower worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. But why is it called night, which it seems has a negative connotation? To the contrary, night here refers to the inauguration of the holiest day of the week Sabbath eve,  and to ‘watch night’ the first night of Passover, celebrating the redemption from slavery, which is certainly a Godly night, since this is when He took the Israelites out of Egypt.

(Tikunei Zohar 106a)

 

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said: The blessed Holy One’s compassion envelops the souls of Israel above, called Knesset Yisrael. This is the meaning of the verse: “Open up for Me” – make an opening through which you can return, so that you can merit all the good in the world. “The beginning is filled with dew” is one end of the world, “and the ends with the droplets of night for you” – is the other end – in essence, from the highest levels of reality to the lowest, I filled the world from beginning to end with goodness for you. But you did not open for Me at that time…

(Tikunei Zohar 24b)

 

 

5:3  פָּשַׁטְתִּי אֶת כֻּתָּנְתִּי אֵיכָכָה אֶלְבָּשֶׁנָּה רָחַצְתִּי אֶת רַגְלַי אֵיכָכָה אֲטַנְּפֵם –

I removed My robe; can I wear it again? I washed my feet, should I soil them?

Although many commentaries explain that this verse is said in the voice of the woman who has removed her robe in anticipation of intimacy with her husband, the Zohar interprets the verse in the voice of the blessed Holy One.

When the blessed Holy One is prepared to commune with malchut, but the Jewish People are not worthy of being a wick for the light of the candle, as the verse (Proverbs 20:27) states, “The candle of God is man’s soul”[460] what does our verse state? “I removed My robe, can I wear it again? I washed My feet, should I soil them?” The meaning of this is as follows: ‘I removed My robe’ – these are the appellations and attributes, such as “the Merciful One,” “the Almighty” etc. that when woven together form a ‘garment’ for the blessed Holy One. This garment or robe is what He wraps Himself in, so to speak, when preparing to descend to where she resides, prior to the time of yichud [revelation in and unification with the soul]. But when He is invited to commune with her, He removes all His garments in order to commune with her without any barriers or obstructions – ‘face to face’[461] (Deuteronomy 5:4) with the Ineffable Name – Havaye, as in the above verse “The candle of Havaye is man’s soul”. Therefore, ‘I removed My robe’ to prepare Myself for you and to benefit you with full communion. But you were not properly prepared you had not rectified yourself and prepared yourself for the light from above, as a wick is prepared for the flame. And now, how can I wear those garments again, the ones that I wore in order to descend to you, after I return and distance Myself from you? The entire point of ‘undressing from those robes’ was as a preparation to commune with you via the essential Name, the ineffable Name, the holy Name of Havaye.

Moreover, “I washed My feet, should I soil them again?” I washed away the dirt which is that when I was preparing for yichud with you, I removed ‘the other side’ the aspect of impurity from before Me, so that the yichud should not be compromised or tainted in any way. How then should I return to cover up the Holy Temple with dirt as happened with the destruction of the Temple, just because you did not make yourself ready for Me?

From here we learn that when the spirit of impurity is removed from the world, as it will be in the future, in the Messianic era, then everything will increase to its full spiritual stature above and below, and therefore, “Once I have washed My feet, in order to accomplish the yichud in purity and holiness, how could I possibly soil them again? With the advent of the Messianic era, things will never return to the status quo as they were during the time of exile.

(Zohar Chadash, Bereishit, Sitrei Otiyot 6a)

Alternatively, this verse can be understood as a consolation to us even during this time of exile, we can stand on holy ground, which is the Sabbath, regarding which the Shechinah states, “I removed my robe, can I put it on it again? I washed my feet, should I soil them again?” For this reason we change our garments for the Sabbath, add a candle, have special food, and subtract from the weekday and add it to the Sabbath by bringing in the Sabbath early, before sunset, and departing from it only after the stars emerge after the Sabbath. Therefore, anyone who adds in the manner mentioned is given an additional nefesh literally, an extra soul, or an extra level of Divine consciousness, and anyone who detracts from the Sabbath in the ways mentioned will have that extra nefesh subtracted from him, Heaven forfend.

(Tikunei Zohar 85b)

 

5:4   דּוֹדִי שָׁלַח יָדוֹ מִן הַחֹר וּמֵעַי הָמוּ עָלָיו – My Beloved sent forth His hand through a gap in the door and I was moved for Him to my core

The Zohar does not comment on this verse. The Arizal interprets it as the entry of a higher level of soul (or consciousness), the level of ruach, into a person. But the person’s body (or physicality) is lazy and is startled by being awakened in the night (during the darkness of exile or the darkness of gross physicality), and grumbles that it can wait until morning, until the light of the redemption starts to shine. When it eventually arises, as the next verse states, the body finds that it is too late and the moment of spiritual awakening has passed…[462]

5:5-6 קַמְתִּי אֲנִי לִפְתֹּחַ לְדוֹדִי… וְדוֹדִי חָמַק עָבָר…  – I arose to open for my Beloved… but my Beloved had turned and gone

Rabbi Yehuda began, citing our verse: “I arose to open for my Beloved” refers to the voice of prophecy. Come and see: when Knesset Yisrael the collective soul of the Israelites is in exile, the voice of nevuah (prophecy) vanishes from them, and even the word ruach hakodesh (divine inspiration) is forgotten, as the verse (Psalms 39:3) states ‘I became mute in silence…’ ‘Mute’ and ‘silence’ allude to these two levels. Based on this section of Zohar we can view them as voice (infinite potential for revelation) and word (limited revelation). Now prophecy is much a higher level than ruach hakodesh, and during the exile even the latter is rare, although not impossible to attain.[463] But even when word ruach hakodesh is awakened, what does the next verse state? “But my Beloved has turned and gone” – the voice of prophecy has departed, and even the word has fallen silent. The Zohar goes on in this piece to declare that this is only a temporary situation, and the Covenant that He made with them will once again be fully expressed.

(Zohar II, 26a)

Alternatively, we can also explain this in a more specific sense and in an historical context: “I arose for my beloved, to open the door” refers to Moshe (Moses). Said the Israelites: When we were preparing to ascend to the Land of Israel after the Exodus from Egypt, and to receive the commandments of the Torah through Moshe, what does the verse state? “But my beloved (Moshe, our teacher and leader) has turned and gone” as the verse (Deuteronomy 34:5) states: “And Moshe, the servant of G-d, passed on there…”

Hence our verse (5:6) continues: “I sought him but I did not find him, I called him but He did not respond” – all referring to Moshe: “I sought him but I did not find him,” as the verse (Deuteronomy 34:10) states, “Never again has there arisen in Israel a prophet like Moshe.” And “I called him, but he did not respond” for there was no generation like Moshe’s, to whom the blessed Holy One listened and for whom He did miracles and guided, all by Moshe’s hand.

(Zohar III, 286b)

Alternatively, Rabbi Tanchum began: “I arose for my Beloved, to open the door, but my Beloved has turned and gone; my soul flew out at His word.” He explained: Come and see the extent to which a person must purify himself from his sins while the paths of repentance are open before him, before the road is blocked! And this is why it states (Isaiah 55:6): “Seek out G-d where i.e. when He is to be found…” For there are times when He is close, and there are times when He is far away.

The Zohar poses the following difficulty: But how can Rabbi Tanchum state this, that there are times when He is close, and there are times when He is far away? Doesn’t the verse (Psalms 145:18) state: “G-d is close to all those who call out to Him in truth”? And the Zohar responded on Rabbi Tanchum’s behalf: Actually, the verse supports his view, since it states, “those who call out to Him in truth.” From this we understand that not everyone calls out in truth and therefore He may be far away for that person! Nevertheless, even for those who are not capable of calling out to Him in truth, what does the following verse state? “He fulfills the will of those who are in awe of Him,” even though they do not call out in truth.

(Zohar Chadash, Midrash Hane’elam 27b [Margolis])

Alternatively, “I arose for my beloved, to open the door” – ‘I arose… to open’ refers to the body, and ‘my beloved’ refers to the soul. Only after the person has passed away, and the soul no longer enlivens the body, does the body start to realize that it should have opened up far more to the life of the soul. While the soul is in the body, the person does not yearn to awaken the paths of repentance.

Rabbi Pinchas said: This actually happens before death. When the soul is about to leave the body, then the person starts having regrets as to why they did not return in repentance during their lifetime, before the soul left the body, which remains like an empty vessel after death.

(Zohar Chadash, Midrash Hane’elam 24b [Margolis])

 

5:7  מְצָאֻנִי הַשֹּׁמְרִים… – The watchmen found me…

The soul (which is also called Naomi, Ruth’s mother-in-law) when it leaves this world, if it is worthy it ascends to the Garden of Eden upon earth, the lowest level of the Garden of Eden, which the blessed Holy One planted for the righteous.

This is like the Garden of Eden above, the higher level of the Garden of Eden, where all the saintly of this world are stationed. When a soul leaves this world it first ascends to the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron where the opening to the Garden of Eden is found.

There the soul meets Adam and the Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who are buried there together with the Matriarchs Sarah, Rebecca and Leah. If she the soul is worthy, they rejoice in her and open the gate for her and she ascends to the Garden of Eden. But if not, they turn her away. Now[464] what does she the soul say when she has been turned away? ‘The watchmen found me…’ And then she leaves.

Now prior to the soul descending into this world, i.e. before a person is born, a light is placed above their head, as the verse (Job 29:3) states: “His lamp shines over my head…” And afterwards, when the soul leaves the world, all who see her tremble in fear and say (Ruth 1:19): “Is this Naomi?” Is this the soul that was filled with pleasantness (no’am) from the light that shone over her head? And she Naomi, the soul answers (Ruth 1:20): ‘Don’t call me Naomi; call me Mara (bitterness). When I went to that place – in the story of Ruth, an analogy for the descent of the soul into the exile of the body, i.e. when Elimelech and his wife Naomi left Bethlehem in the Holy Land and went to stay in the land of the Moabites – I went full, with wealth and fame and family, but G-d returned me empty her husband and two sons died there and she came back a pauper, with nothing but her daughter-in-law Ruth. In the analog – when the soul descends to earth, it goes with a light above its head and everything it needs to fulfill its mission. But if it returns after life in this world without Torah learning, and without having fulfilled the Commandments then it comes to the Cave of the Patriarchs with a tainted body, and therefore ‘why call me Naomi?’ G­‑d has answered me in kind, measure for measure, for “the measure which a person uses (in life) for others, is used for him too,[465] i.e. the scale that the blessed Holy One uses is ‘measure for measure.’[466]

But if the soul is worthy, it ascends to the actual Garden of Eden, where it resides in delight with the Divine image it reflected in this world. The Zohar goes on to explain that the soul is elevated to the higher level of the Garden of Eden on Sabbath and Festivals and on Rosh Chodesh, the beginning of the month. Higher levels of soul ascend to the higher level of the Garden of Eden.

(Zohar I, 81a)

The procedures for entry to the Garden of Eden, and various levels of ascent of the soul are explained in more detail in the following section

We have learned that there are seven openings or gates for the souls of the righteous to enter, until they reach their highest point. And at every entrance there are guards.

At the first opening the soul enters the Cave of the Patriarchs, which is close to the ante-room before the Garden of Eden. Adam guards this entrance. If the person is worthy, he Adam announces: “Make space for the soul entering. Enter in peace” as it enters through the first opening.

The second opening is the gate of the Garden of Eden. The angels guarding the gate bear the flaming whirling sword. If the person is worthy they enter in peace. If not, it is there that it receives its punishment i.e. its cleansing and purification by being burned with the flames of the keruvim a type of angel usually translated as ‘cherub’. Corresponding to them, were keruvim in the Temple situated on top of the cover of the Ark. When the Kohen the High Priest entered the Temple into the Holy of Holies, which was only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, if he was worthy he entered in peace. If not, a flame issued forth from between the two keruvim upon the cover of the Ark which would burn him up on the inside and he would die, while leaving his outside intact. Those keruvim were situated precisely in line with those at the gate of Gan Eden, whose duty it was to purify souls.

If the soul was found worthy, it was given a signed ledger to enter, and it entered into the first level – the Garden of Eden on Earth. There was a pillar of cloud and glowing light mixed together, enveloped in smoke and glowing light, as the verse (Isaiah 4:5) states, “And God will create over every structure of Mount Zion and over those who assemble in it a cloud by day and smoke and a glow of flaming fire by night…” This pillar stretches from below to above, to the gates of heaven. If the soul is worthy of ascending, she ascends via that pillar. If she is not sufficiently worthy, it remains there and is pampered or perhaps refined by the goodness above. For Rabbi Yose states: ‘I saw the Garden of Eden, and it is situated precisely in line with the sheet of fearsome ice up above (See Ezekiel 1:22). There the soul delights in the radiance of the Shechinah the Divine Presence, but she is not directly nourished thereby.’

If the soul is worthy of ascending even further, she ascends via that same pillar until she comes to the fourth opening, corresponding to that spiritual level called Zevul. And the soul reaches the level of Jerusalem as it is there in the Heavens. If the watchmen there find her worthy, they open the gates and she enters.

If she is not worthy, they bar the gates and push that soul out, and they confiscate the ledger. The soul cites our verse, “The watchmen found me, those who patrol the city.” These watchmen are ministering angels who guard the Temple and Jerusalem above, in the heavens. “They stripped away my shawl the literal translation of רְדִידִי is ‘my shawl’, but the Zohar explains that this is her signed ledger, which was confiscated by those guardians of the wall,” as the verse (Isaiah 62:6) states, “Upon your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed guardians.”

But if the soul is worthy of ascending, she enters through those gates, and she praises the blessed Holy One in the Temple up above. The Archangel Michael then offers her as an offering. Rabbi Yitzchak asked Rabbi Chiya, “What kind of offering is this? Can it be compared to any other offering?” Rabbi Chiya replied, “This offering is like one who brings a gift to the king.”

Michael then accompanies the soul through the fourth, fifth and sixth gates, declaring before the blessed Holy One, “Master of the Worlds, fortunate are Your children, the offspring of those who loved You, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Privileged are the saintly righteous tsaddikim who are worthy of this ascent. Then they come to the seventh gate, called aravot, where the secret treasures of a good life are kept, and where all the souls of the righteous dwell. They become like[467] the ministering angels, in that they utter the praises of the blessed Holy One, and are nourished by the radiance of the Divine Presence, the Luminous Reflection[468] (aspaklaria), and there they find their rest and inheritance, and reside in the World to Come which “no eye has seen, other than Yours, O Lord” (Isaiah 64:3).

(Zohar Chadash, Midrash Hane’elam 21a [Margolis edition])

 

5:8  הִשְׁבַּעְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלָ‍ִם אִם תִּמְצְאוּ אֶת דּוֹדִי מַה תַּגִּידוּ לוֹ שֶׁחוֹלַת אַהֲבָה אָנִי –  I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem: If you find my Beloved, tell Him I am sick with love

The Zohar’s explanation here continues the theme of the previous one

Rabbi Pinchas said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda: ‘I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem’ – the soul says to those souls who were worthy of entering Jerusalem in the Heavens above – these precious souls are called ‘daughters of Jerusalem’ since they were worthy of entering that level – and therefore the soul says to them: ‘I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my Beloved’ i.e. the blessed Holy One tell Him I am sick with love for Him. But Rav explained: This is the radiance of the aspaklaria[469] up above. Now ‘what should you tell Him? That I am sick with love’ – I too wish to delight in His radiance and rest in His shade.

Rav Huna explained ‘I am sick with love’ means that the desire and longing that I had for everything [useless] in the world is what made me sick. 

Rabbi Yehuda explained: ‘I am sick with love’ [also] refers to the love that the soul has for the body as the vehicle through which it earns its rewards – by fulfilling the Commandments. And when the body reaches its end, i.e. the number of days decreed that it shall live, as in the verse (Genesis 23:1): ‘The years of Sarah’s life…’ implying that these were the years allotted to the body, then Abraham the soul came to mourn for Sarah the body and to weep over her because it is only through the body that the soul can fulfill the Commandments.[470]

(Zohar I, 122a in Midrash haNe’elam)

 

Alternatively, ‘I am sick with love’ during the exile where the soul longs for redemption and to commune with her Beloved.

(Zohar III, 40a)

5:9  מַה דּוֹדֵךְ מִדּוֹד – How does your Beloved exceed all others?

The Zohar does not comment on this verse, but Rabbi Chaim Vital[471] explains that the nations of the world ask us in what way our Torah is better than their teachings. Is it not the case that even your Torah, they ask, deals with the vanity and worthlessness of the world? Now this is the greatest embarrassment to the Torah that could possibly be. Woe to those creatures who embarrass the Torah by not occupying themselves with the wisdom of Kabbalah which gives honor to the Torah. Those people [who do not study Kabbalah] extend the exile and cause all sorts of misfortune in the world.

5:10  דּוֹדִי צַח וְאָדוֹם – My Beloved is pure-white and red

The verse states (Genesis 25:30): Esau said to Jacob, “Pour into my mouth some of that red, red stuff, for I am exhausted…” The verse concludes that therefore he was named Edom (meaning red), which is associated with the sefirah of gevurah and the attribute of harsh judgment.

Now why does the verse use the word ‘red’ twice? This is because anything which is associated with red is itself red. As the verse (Genesis 25:24) states, “And the first one (i.e. Esau) emerged red.” And his food i.e. the food he liked was red, as the verse states, “Pour into my mouth some of that red, red stuff, for I am exhausted…” And his land is associated with red, as the verse (Genesis 32:4) states, “the land of Se’ir, the field of Edom” Edom means red. Jacob gave him what he wanted but demanded the birthright in exchange (see Genesis 25:31).

And his people the inhabitants of his land, Edom, are red, as the verse (Genesis 36:9) states “Esau, the progenitor of Edom (Rome).” And the one who will mete out his punishment is also red, as our verse states “My Beloved is pure-white and red.” And His garments are red, as the verse (Isaiah 63:2) states “Why are Your garments red…?” referring to the blessed Holy One, as the previous verse (63:1) indicates, “Who is this coming from Edom…? – i.e. coming from exacting vengeance upon Edom-Rome for having destroyed the Temple.[472] Thus one who acted with harshness towards the Israelites is treated with the same harshness that he displayed. And yet he acted as pure-white towards his father, Isaac, to the extent that he may even have deceived Isaac[473] as to his true character.

Rabbi Yehuda said: The same principle applies to Lavan (Laban). The Zohar seems to imply here that the word Lavan refers to both Laban and to the color white,[474] although both instances ultimately refer to the attribute of chesed, as the Zohar will explain. Since he Laban was a sorcerer,[475] as the verse (Genesis 30:27) states when Laban tells Jacob, “I have learned by divination that God has blessed me because of you.” Now although Jacob is called whole or complete, as the verse (Genesis 33:18) states, “Jacob arrived intact to the city of Shechem…” it is precisely because of this that he was complete – for a person with whom he had to deal compassionately i.e. Laban his father-in-law he did, and a person with whom he had to deal harshly and deviously, like Esau, who was a harsh person and had to be tricked into giving up the birthright of which Esau was not worthy,[476] he did so.

Thus Jacob is called ‘whole’ or ‘complete’ since he possessed both of these aspects kindness (chesed) and harshness (gevurah). Regarding him the verse (Psalms 18:27) states: “With the kind, you act kindly, and with the perverse you act deviously.” ‘With the kind’ – from the side of chesed, and ‘with the perverse’ – from the side of gevurah. Each as is appropriate.

The implication here seems to be that Jacob reflected the Divine Image in the sense that he combines both aspects, to be used as appropriate in each situation.

(Zohar Chadash, 26b [Margolis])

5:11  רֹאשׁוֹ כֶּתֶם פָּז – His head is of fine gold

In the following section, the Zohar is in the middle of a discussion about the four sides of the Merkava (the Divine ‘chariot’) found in the first chapter of Ezekiel, which are the likeness of the face of a lion on the right, an ox on the left, an eagle in the front and the face of a man in back. They are also called four ‘Tikunim’ – rectifications or ‘garments.’[477] These correspond (in order) to four faculties, sight, hearing, smell and speech. All of these have their parallels in the spiritual realm – as the roots of man’s animal soul[478] (but not of the Godly soul).[479] Different types of souls stem from each of the four aspects of the Merkava.

Regarding these four Tikunim that correspond to the four faces on the Merkavah, the blessed Holy One told Moshe (Exodus 18:21): “and you shall discern from among the entire nation people of accomplishment, God-fearing people, people of truth who detest unjust gain, and you shall appoint them as leaders…” These are the signs that you have to look for.

“And you shall discern…” from the hair on their heads, regarding which our verse states, “His head is of fine gold” his head shines like pure gold referring to supernal keter, in which the brain resides – technically what is referred to as mocha stima’a the hidden intelligence (or mind or brain), i.e. chochmah of keter. From there mocha stima’a emerge well-springs in all directions to water nourish every hair, each of which represents a hidden world. And every well-spring becomes a luminous spark the letter yud, and every hair of the locks hanging down becomes like the tail of a comet the letter vav which draws down the light from the well-spring… The Zohar becomes very esoteric here discussing various levels in keter.

However, the upshot is that the level of keter that affects us most is called Arich Anpin, which represents the will of the Almighty. This will is expressed in all the Commandments of the Torah, and is manifested in the myriad detailed laws (halachot) discussed in the next piece.

(Tikunei Zohar, 122b, Ramak, Commentaries)

 

5:11  קְוּצּוֹתָיו תַּלְתַּלִּים שְׁחֹרוֹת כָּעוֹרֵב – His locks hanging down are black as a raven

‘His locks hanging down are black as a raven’ – this has been interpreted thus: from every hair[480] heaps and heaps of laws emerge. In other words, the laws and the halachot of the Torah emerge from the Divine Will (keter) mentioned in the previous commentary, and multiply as they descend.

(Zohar II, 116a)

Our verse states, ‘His locks hanging down are black as a raven,’ but in the Book of Daniel (7:9) it states, ‘The hair on His head is white as pure wool!’ This seems to be a contradiction. But there is no contradiction – one refers to the beard above of Atik Yomin, the inner dimension of keter, and the other refers to the beard below of ze’ir anpin the cluster [partzuf] of sefirot from chesed to yesod. Now although the verse in Daniel states, ‘the hair on His head’ the explanation is that both the hair of the head and the hair of the beard are channels whereby the Divine outflow is drawn down from a higher level to a lower level,[481] similar to the way oil travels down the hairs of the head and the beard. The hair of Atik Yomin is all chesed,[482] and therefore it is depicted as white, whereas the beard of ze’ir anpin is a product of the severities and restrictions of gevurah and is depicted as black. This is why ‘His locks hanging down’ are the source of laws requiring or restricting certain actions.

(Zohar III, 132a)

 

5:12 עֵינָיו כְּיוֹנִים – His eyes are like doves

The eyes here represent Divine Providence.[483] The ‘eyes’ in the head of ze’ir anpin oversee everything that takes place in the lower worlds. These are ‘eyes’ that the wicked ignore – perhaps due to the wicked being blissfully unaware of Divine Providence, or perhaps because they don’t care, or perhaps because they willfully deny it, saying “G-d won’t see” (Psalms 94:7). And the reason they make this claim is because there is a concept of ‘dozing’ in regard to ze’ir anpin.[484] But these eyes, even when they are closed still see. And therefore they are referred to in our verse as ‘His eyes are like doves.” The Zohar interprets the word יוֹנִים (translated as ‘doves’ here) as a declension of the word אוֹ­­­נָאָה, as in the verse (Leviticus 25:17), “You shall not cheat (תוֹנוּ) your fellow,” regarding which the verse states, “G-d won’t see.” A person will only cheat another if he thinks no-one will find out. But he forgets about the later verse (Psalms 94:9) which states, “He who implants the ear, will He not hear?” and the same rule applies to the eyes.

(Zohar III, 293b, Idra Zuta; Matok MiDevash)

5:12   רֹחֲצוֹת בֶּחָלָב– Bathed in milk

As a preface to the previous idea, the Zohar discusses various levels of Divine Providence. That hidden aspect of intelligence (or mind or brain) called chochmah stima’a is engraved – it is a permanent feature and not something transient, like ink on parchment that can be erased – and shines forth into three specific sefirot, chochmah, binah and da’at of ze’ir anpin, and therefore irradiates three levels of the white of the eyes. One type of white bathes i.e. illuminates the eyes of ze’ir anpin, as the verse states, ‘bathed in milk.’ This is the first level of white the revealed intelligence or brain (corresponding to chochmah, binah and da’at) of ze’ir anpin. Other levels of white bathe and illuminate the other lamps the other sefirot… When that eye the eye of chochmah stima’a of Arich Anpin gazes upon ze’ir anpin, all of the partzufim the spiritual profiles in the lower worlds are delighted, for that eye is all on the right side i.e. the side of chesed-kindness, and there is no left side i.e. gevurah-harshness or stern judgment. This seems to be the interpretation of the last words of the verse, “residing in fullness,” although this is not stated explicitly in the Zohar. But the eyes below of ze’ir anpin itself have left and right – two aspects and two ‘colors’ i.e. two modes of operation – chesed-kindness and gevurah-harshness or stern judgment.

(Zohar III, 289a, Idra Zuta; Matok MiDevash)

 

5:13  לְחָיָו כַּעֲרוּגַת הַבֹּשֶׂם – His cheeks are like a bed of spice

This refers to the beard (as explained in 5:11) which is the consummation of the face and the beauty of ze’ir anpin. The beard begins from the ears and down towards the chin, and then rises and returns and covers the ‘offering of spices.’[485] What is the ‘offering of spices’? As the verse states, “His cheeks are like a bed of spice.” The Zohar goes on to list the 9 tikunim (rectifications) of the beard, which correspond to the 13 attributes of mercy.

(Zohar III, 139a, Idra Rabba)

5:13  שִׂפְתוֹתָיו שׁוֹשַׁנִּים נֹטְפוֹת מוֹר עֹבֵר –  His lips are roses dripping flowing myrrh

In a long discussion of the heichalot – the heavenly chambers, each of which represents a certain force, function and soul-power – the Zohar discusses the Heichal HaRatzon, the Chamber of Will. In this chamber the verse (Exodus 19:19) states, “Moshe will speak and God will answer him out loud.”[486] This is the manifestation of prophecy, which is the consummate deveikut – cleaving of Spirit above to spirit below. This is when they ze’ir anpin and malchut cleave together – one to the other in kiss to kiss in the union called zivug neshikin.[487] Regarding this, the verse (Song of Songs 1:2) states, “He will kiss me, from His mouth to mine.” There is no kiss in joy and love like the kiss when they cleave one to the other, mouth to mouth, soul to soul. As our Sages declare “the spirit of Divine Inspiration (ruach hakodesh) rests only upon a joyful heart.[488] And they satisfy each other with all types of spiritual pleasure emanating from chochmah, which is the secret of Eden, and from binah which is the concept of joy, as in the verse (Psalms 113:9), “The mother of children rejoices” where ‘mother’ (Imma) is the name of the partzuf of binah, which is illuminated by the radiance from above from keter.

Now come and see the meaning of “Moshe (Moses) will speak,” – and what does he say? As the verse states (Song of Songs 4:1) “You are beautiful my Love,” and (Song of Songs 4:3) “Your lips are like threads of scarlet” referring to the Divine Presence (Shechinah). And therefore the G-d answers him out loud (Song of Songs 1:16): “You are handsome, my beloved, a pleasing figure” and “his lips are roses dripping flowing myrrh” referring to Moshe.

(Zohar II, 253b-254a, Idra Rabba)

5:14-15  יָדָיו גְּלִילֵי זָהָב מְמֻלָּאִים בַּתַּרְשִׁישׁ… שׁוֹקָיו עַמּוּדֵי שֵׁשׁ – His arms are like bars of gold, studded with gems… His thighs are pillars of marble

Continuing the ideal of prophecy mentioned in the previous verse, the question becomes – what can be done when the Temple is destroyed, the Children of Israel are in exile, and thus there is no prophecy?[489] Our verse comes to answer that question: The verse states, “His arms are like bars of gold, studded with gems” – ‘His arms’ allude to the attributes of chesed and gevurah, and the attributes that derive from them tiferet, netzach, hod and yesod, as the verse (Chronicles I 29:11[490]) states, “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness (chesed), the might (gevurah), the splendor (tiferet), the triumph (netzach) and the glory (hod), because everything (yesod). These are the six attributes, depicted by the sefirot, discussed in this section. The four lower sefirot derive from chesed and gevurah, and are initially submerged within them.

The verse (Exodus 15:27) states, “and they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date-palms; and they encamped there by the water.” These twelve springs are the twelve sections in total of the two arms and two legs. Each arm has three sections – the upper arm, the forearm and the hand. Similarly, each leg also has three sections – the thigh, the calf, and the foot; twelve in all. This is the meaning of “His arms are like bars of gold, studded with gems” – the word for ‘gems’ here is בַּתַּרְשִׁישׁ b’tarshish which has the same letters as בתרי שֵׁש b’trei shesh ‘with two sixes’ – referring to the six sections of the two arms together (3 of each arm), and the six sections total of both legs (3 of each leg) = 12, regarding which the next verse (v. 15) states: “His thighs are pillars of marble.” The word for marble here is שֵׁשׁ which also means ‘six.’ Together these correspond to the twelve springs. What are these twelve springs? Some[491] interpret them as the 12 tribes; others interpret them as the 12 permutations of the Name Havaye, which is the reason for, and the root of, the twelve tribes.[492] So although we no longer have the Temple, and we do not have the Avot (the Patriarchs, representing chochmah, binah, data, or keter, chochmah, binah) we nevertheless have the permutations of the Name that are always with us, as the verse (Psalms 16:8) states (שויתי ה’ לנגדי תמיד) and our leaders (the heads of the Tribes) to guide and instruct us, just like the springs gave life-sustaining water. In addition, we have the types of action that each arm and leg represents – chesed-kindness the right arm; gevurah self-restraint and the battle against evil, and so on.

And therefore the Sages continue and explain that the seventy date-palms represent the 70 elders,[493] who were selected to be members of the Sanhedrin (the rabbinical Supreme Court). They too provide us with shade [i.e. protection] and nourishment, as date-palms do).

(Tikunei Zohar, 146a)

 

5:14  מֵעָיו עֶשֶׁת שֵׁן מְעֻלֶּפֶת סַפִּירִים – Within is like ivory inlaid with diamonds

The literal translation of מֵעָיו is ‘his body’ or ‘his abdomen.’ However, in a very profound and abstruse section known as Kav HaMiddah the Zohar explains that מֵעָיו means ‘within,’ and the word מְעֻלֶּפֶת is also related to the word meaning to ‘conceal’ (as in Genesis 38:12 וַתְּכַס בַּצָּעִיף וַתִּתְעַלָּף – ‘She covered [her face] with a scarf [so that she would not be recognized’], Rashi), and from the word meaning ‘fainting’ (as in Amos 8:13 בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא תִּתְעַלַּפְנָה הַבְּתוּלֹת הַיָּפוֹת וְהַבַּחוּרִים בַּצָּמָא – “On that day… [they] will faint with thirst”; and Jonah 4:8 וַתַּךְ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ עַל-רֹאשׁ יוֹנָה וַיִּתְעַלָּף – “And the sun beat down on Jonah’s head and he felt faint”). The Zohar cites our verse and explains: מְעֻלֶּפֶת this is the lamp referring to the line of light called the kav that initially does not spread forth, for it is concealed within and in a state of ‘fainting’ so that it does not makes its measure of the light appropriate for the worlds below until the rectification has been completed. Thus we can assume that this is again alluding to the state of things during the exile, i.e. before the rectification.

(Zohar Chadash, 57b [Margolis])

 

5:15  שׁוֹקָיו עַמּוּדֵי שֵׁשׁ מְיֻסָּדִים עַל אַדְנֵי פָז – His thighs are pillars of marble, set in sockets of pure gold

Given that we are in a time of exile and darkness, without the illumination from the prophets, what solutions or perspectives does the Zohar offer to deal with this situation? In the verse (Isaiah 8:16) G-d says to Isaiah: “Bind this document upon their hearts and seal the Torah among My disciples.” ‘Bind this document applies to the Oral Torah, for that is where the bond of life is. And this document i.e. the Oral Torah is therefore bound up in Supernal Life, and they become one thing. Technically this means that malchut (the Oral Torah) is bound to ze’ir anpin (the Written Torah) from below to above. The idea is that the Oral Torah must adhere to the laws of the Written Torah to the extent that they become a single unit. Indeed, they were both given to Moses at the same time.[494]

But this works the other way as well, from above to below, from the Written Torah through the Oral Torah to the worlds below: And from there Atzilut, where the two aspects of Torah the Written and the Oral are one, on downwards, The Torah spreads out through various roads and paths until it suffuses even the lower worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, as the verse (Genesis 2:10) states, “A river issues forth from Eden to water the Garden, and from there it divides and becomes four headwaters.” Some interpret this as the mystical secret of the four camps of angels, Uriel, Rafael, Michael and Gabriel, but in context it seems more logical to explain it as the four modes of Torah explanation, peshat, remez, drush, sod (literal, narrative or allusive, homiletical, mystical).

Now when the verse states, ‘seal the Torah,’ referring to the Written Torah, where does it become sealed? Where does the Written Torah seal its light and its impact? This is ‘among My disciples’ through the Prophets, as the verse (I Kings 7:21), states, “He [Solomon] erected the pillars by the hall of the Sanctuary. He erected the right pillar and called it Yachin [‘Establish’, the secret of the sefirah of netzach], and he erected the left pillar and called it Boaz [‘Strength therein’, the secret of the sefirah of hod]. These are the two sefirot that are active in Prophecy, and from there from netzach and hod it spreads out to the true Prophets, those who are faithful to the Written Torah, and they establish it as the body above the two legs. I.e. just as in the analogy, the body is the primary aspect of a person, where the heart and other major organs critical to life reside, while the two legs are extensions thereof and support the body and bring it to where it wants to go, so too, the primary teaching is the Written Torah, while the Prophetic books, and eventually the Oral Torah, are the ‘legs’ that support the ‘body’ and carry it to where it needs to go, eventually spreading into the six lights the six orders of the Mishnah, the essence of the Oral Torah. Thus our verse states, “His thighs are pillars of marble” – the word for marble here שֵׁשׁ (shesh) also means ‘six,’ for the Oral Torah supports the Written Torah and carries it to where it needs to go, i.e. the lower worlds.

Thus the advice of the Zohar seems to be that although we no longer have the Prophets, they bequeathed their prophetic gifts to us in the Oral Torah, which began with the writings of the Prophets. Study thereof allows us to cleave to the Written Torah and thus to the Wisdom and Will of the blessed Holy One.

(Zohar III, 90b, Commentaries)

 

5:15  בָּחוּר כָּאֲרָזִים – like the sturdiest cedar

Rabbi Abba was sitting before Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai when Rabbi Elazar, his son, entered the room. Rabbi Shimon cited the verse (Psalms 92:13), “The righteous will flower like a date palm; like a cedar tree in Lebanon he will soar aloft,” and said: ‘The righteous will flower like a date palm’ – why are the righteous compared to a date palm? Because of all the trees in the world, there are none that take as long as a date-palm to bloom and produce dates – seventy years![495] Why then are the righteous person compared to a palm tree? Rabbi Shimon declared: even though the verse attests to this comparison, the circle of kabbalists did not want to reveal the reason since it also has to do with the final redemption, and they did not want people to despair.[496]

But, Rabbi Shimon continued, I will divulge the reason: The verse “The righteous (tsaddik) will flower like a date palm” refers to the Babylonian exile which lasted for 70 years. And the Shechinah did not return to her place until seventy years after the destruction of the First Temple, as the verse (Jeremiah 29:10) states: “After seventy years in Babylonia have been completed I will be intimate[497] with you… and return you to this place.” After seventy years the Jews returned from Babylonia, and when they rebuilt the Second Temple, the Shechinah was once again able to commune with her Beloved. This is the meaning of “The righteous will flower like a date palm” – that after the seventy years of exile of the male from female (technically this refers to the dearth of yichud of ze’ir anpin and malchut during the exile) then the blessed Holy One and the Shechinah /the Jewish People were once again together, they were once again able to commune and be intimate. This communion and intimacy comes about through the sefirah of yesod (which corresponds to the male reproductive organ and is called tsaddik), and this is why the verse states, ‘The righteous’ – refers to the blessed Holy One, about whom another verse (Psalms 11:7) states, “For the Lord is righteous and He loves righteous deeds…” and another verse (Exodus 9:27) states, “G-d is the righteous one…” and (Isaiah 3:10) “Say of the righteous that he produces good” – elsewhere[498] the Zohar explains that this again refers to yesod and to the reproductive organ which facilitates yichud and intimacy. Accordingly, “The righteous (tsaddik) will flower like a date palm” suggests that after seventy years (the amount of time it takes for a date-palm to produce fruit), the blessed Holy One will once again be reunited with and be intimate with the Shechinah / the Jewish People.

But, what then is this cedar referred to in the verse, ‘like a cedar tree in Lebanon he will soar aloft’? It also refers to the blessed Holy One, as the verse here in Song of Songs states, “like the sturdiest cedar.’ But this is the aspect of intimacy on a much higher level, not the intimacy of yesod to yesod (the reproductive powers in man) but how ze’ir anpin receives from chochmah. This takes a much longer time than 70 years, and therefore alludes to the final exile, which is like a cedar tree, which takes a long time to mature fully, alluding to the final redemption. From the moment it the cedar, alluding to the redemption, began to grow until full maturity – is one full day of the days of the Almighty, which is 1,000 years[499] and the beginning of the final day i.e. the dawning of the day of the redemption, after the night has passed, and until the day makes shade which means that enough of the day has passed for there to be shade from tall trees. Then the redemption will take place. Elsewhere[500] the Zohar is more specific – that this is a half hour after the sixth hour of the sixth millennium, when the shadows begin to lengthen; then the redemption will start to take place.

(Zohar III, 16a)

 

5:16  חִכּוֹ מַמְתַקִּים– His palate is sweet

Continuing the theme of the Oral Torah as the expression of the Written Torah, the Zohar explains: There are three luminaries, chochmah, binah and da’at, one within the other, da’at being the most external of the three. And they are crowned as one. Some explain that this refers to keter which transcends all of them and therefore unites them; others explain that this it is keter of da’at that unites them all. And when they are joined together with a single crown, then they are referred to as ‘His palate is sweet.’ The letters that are pronounced with the palate are the letters גיכ”ק gimmel, yud, chaf, and kuf. These are the mystical secret of the five aspects of chesed that are naturally sweetened, and therefore they sweeten (i.e. rectify) the letters that represent the five harsh aspects of gevurah which are pronounced with the throat – אחה”ע alef, chet, hai, ayin. Regarding the letters pronounced with the palate, these are the palate of the king, and are called the sweetness of the king. Regarding them the verse (Psalms 34:9) states, “Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.”

(Zohar II, 123a)

Alternatively, the verse (Song of Songs 7:10) states, “your palate is like fine wine” – this verse refers to Knesset Yisrael the Jewish People as a whole, and it expressed their praises. But who is praising them with this verse? If this was the blessed Holy One praising them, what is the meaning of the continuation of the verse, “you go to my beloved”? It should have said, “you come to Me.”

However, this is certainly the blessed Holy One who is praising Knesset Yisrael, just as they praise Him, as the verse states, “His palate is sweet,” and so too He praises them saying, “your palate is like fine wine.” This is the good wine that is guarded within its grapes from the six days of Creation,[501] and will not be revealed until after the final redemption. Then a great feast that will take place and this wine will be served.[502] Elsewhere[503] the Zohar explains that this wine really alludes to the deepest secrets of the Torah that have not yet been revealed. Accordingly, the verse alludes to the revelation of the deepest secrets of the Torah that will be revealed to the righteous in the future, and its sweetness will be revealed in their mouths as they teach and discuss these mystical teachings.

(Zohar II, 123a)

The Zohar does not comment on the rest of the verse. In conclusion, this is my Beloved and this is my Friend is how the Jewish People describe the blessed Holy One, displaying their ability to recognize that He is our Beloved and our greatest Ally and Friend, and that is the same way that He describes us.

Chapter 6

 

The sixth chapter of Shir HaShirim is about aliyas haneshama above. Either after death or for tsaddikim even in this life…the soul in Gan Eden in this world and after death? Written and Oral Torah. Deveikut of the neshama with HKB”H. Sin interferes…

^א אָנָה הָלַךְ דּוֹדֵךְ הַיָּפָה בַּנָּשִׁים אָנָה פָּנָה דוֹדֵךְ וּנְבַקְשֶׁנּוּ עִמָּךְ.

¹ To where has your Beloved gone,

O fairest among women?

Where did your Beloved turn?

With you we will seek

The One for whom you yearn.

 

    ^ב דּוֹדִי יָרַד לְגַנּוֹ לַעֲרוּגוֹת הַבֹּשֶׂם לִרְעוֹת בַּגַּנִּים וְלִלְקֹט שׁוֹשַׁנִּים.

² My Beloved went down to His garden,

To the fragrant spices in beds,

To tend those in the gardens,

And roses there to collect.

 ^ג אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי הָרֹעֶה בַּשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים.

³ I am my Beloved’s

And my Beloved is mine,

He set us among the roses to dine.

 ^ד יָפָה אַתְּ רַעְיָתִי כְּתִרְצָה נָאוָה כִּירוּשָׁלָ‍ִם אֲיֻמָּה כַּנִּדְגָּלוֹת.

⁴ You are fair My love, and as desired,

As Jerusalem in its beauty,

Like troops of angels, awe-inspired.

 ^ה הָסֵבִּי עֵינַיִךְ מִנֶּגְדִּי שֶׁהֵם הִרְהִיבֻנִי שַׂעְרֵךְ כְּעֵדֶר הָעִזִּים שֶׁגָּלְשׁוּ מִן הַגִּלְעָד.

⁵ Turn your eyes towards Me,

For they increase My desire;

Your locks are like flocks of goats,

Cascading down from Mount Gilead.

 ^ו שִׁנַּיִךְ כְּעֵדֶר הָרְחֵלִים שֶׁעָלוּ מִן הָרַחְצָה שֶׁכֻּלָּם מַתְאִימוֹת וְשַׁכֻּלָה אֵין בָּהֶם.

⁶ Your teeth are arrayed like a flock of lambs

Having just come up from their wash,

All of them in harmony

And none have gone awry.

^ז כְּפֶלַח הָרִמּוֹן רַקָּתֵךְ מִבַּעַד לְצַמָּתֵךְ.

⁷ Like a slice of pomegranate is your brow

From behind your veil.

^ח שִׁשִּׁים הֵמָּה מְּלָכוֹת וּשְׁמֹנִים פִּילַגְשִׁים וַעֲלָמוֹת אֵין מִסְפָּר.

⁸ Sixty are the children of royalty,

And the offspring of consorts are eighty,

And maidens without number.

^ט אַחַת הִיא יוֹנָתִי תַמָּתִי אַחַת הִיא לְאִמָּהּ, בָּרָה הִיא לְיוֹלַדְתָּהּ רָאוּהָ בָנוֹת וַיְאַשְּׁרוּהָ מְלָכוֹת וּפִילַגְשִׁים וַיְהַלְלוּהָ.

⁹ One is she, My dove, My perfect one.

There is no other

From her mother;

She is pure to the one who bore her.

Daughters look at her laud her,

 Royal offspring and consorts applaud her.

^י מִי זֹאת הַנִּשְׁקָפָה כְּמוֹ שָׁחַר יָפָה כַלְּבָנָה בָּרָה כַּחַמָּה אֲיֻמָּה כַּנִּדְגָּלוֹת.

¹⁰ Who is this that appears like the dawn,

Comely as the moon, clear as the sun

Like troops of angels, inspired with awe.

^יא אֶל גִּנַּת אֱגוֹז יָרַדְתִּי לִרְאוֹת בְּאִבֵּי הַנָּחַל לִרְאוֹת הֲפָרְחָה הַגֶּפֶן הֵנֵצוּ הָרִמֹּנִים.

¹¹ To the nut-garden I descended,

To see the trees by the stream,

To see if the vine was in bloom,

Did the pomegranates begin to plume.

^יב לֹא יָדַעְתִּי נַפְשִׁי שָׂמַתְנִי מַרְכְּבוֹת עַמִּי נָדִיב

¹² I did not even know

That my soul had placed me on the markava,

Of my royal Father

6:1 אָנָה הָלַךְ דּוֹדֵךְ הַיָּפָה בַּנָּשִׁים – Where has your Beloved gone, O fairest among women?

In this verse, when the Jewish People are in exile in foreign lands they address the Shechinah (the immanent Divine Presence): What does Israel the Jewish People say to her to the Shechinah? Where has your Beloved gone, O fairest among women? In the time of exile the Shechinah (in technical terms, the sefirah of malchut) is not in a state of yichud – unity and oneness – with her Beloved (in technical terms, Ze’ir Anpin), as the verse in Zechariah (14:9) alludes to, describing the future, when the immanent Divine Presence and the transcendent, all-encompassing Divine reality will be understood as one: “G-d will be King over all the land; on that day, G-d will be One and His Name [malchut[504]] will be One.” The Talmud (Pesachim 50a) asks: “Is it so that nowadays He [and His Name] are not One?” The Talmud then goes on to offer several explanations of how this is indeed the case as far as we are concerned.

(Tikunei Zohar p. 40a)

 

6:1 אָנָה פָּנָה דוֹדֵךְ וּנְבַקְשֶׁנּוּ עִמָּךְ – To where did your Beloved turn? With you we will seek the One for whom you yearn

We will seek Him with you to reunite the transcendent Holy One blessed is He with the Shechinah – the manifestation of His radiance in the immanent worlds – by beseeching Him in many prayers, by fulfilling the Commandments of tzitzit the fringes worn on a four-cornered garment,[505] tefillin phylacteries worn by men on the arm and the head,[506] and by observing the Sabbath and Festivals. Regarding these, the verse (Exodus 31:17) states, “Between Me and the Jewish People it [each of these] is an eternal sign.” There are three Commandments referred to as eternal signs of the Covenant: the sign of circumcision, the signs of Sabbath and Festivals, and the sign of tefillin (phylacteries). In reference to these the verse (Psalms 32:6) states, “Regarding this, every pious person will pray at opportune times…” The Tikunei Zohar then goes on to explain that the prayer and fulfilling the Commandments restore the Shechinah to her proper place.

(Tikunei Zohar p. 40a)

 

6:2  דּוֹדִי יָרַד לְגַנּוֹ לַעֲרוּגוֹת הַבּוֹשֶׂם – My Beloved went down to His garden, to the fragrant spices in beds

‘His garden’ – this refers to Knesset Yisrael the collective souls of the Jewish People for they are like a bed of spices in that she includes all types of perfumes and scents of the World-to-Come. When the Holy One, blessed is He, descends to this garden the Garden of Eden[507] at midnight, i.e. when Ze’ir Anpin communes with malchut, the Shechinah, then the souls of all the righteous Tsaddikim are crowned there, and all give off their scent i.e. the Torah that they studied and the mitzvot (Commandments) they fulfilled in this world are a delightful scent to the Holy One blessed is He, as the verse (above, 4:10) states, “And the scent of your oils Torah study and fulfilling the Commandments are suffused with spice” – these are the souls of the righteous Tsaddikim who are referred to as fragrant spices in our verse. For Rabbi Yitzchak explained that the souls of all the righteous who were already in this world, and all those would who will in the future descend into this world, all of them are in that Garden.

 (Zohar II, p. 11a; Matok MiDevash)

 6:2  וְלִלְקֹט שׁוֹשַׁנִּים – And roses[508] there to collect

Come and see: Chanoch Enoch, the great-grandfather of Noah, was a worthy and sin-free person. But the Holy One, blessed is He, saw that he would eventually sin, due to the very unfavorable spiritual stature of his generation. So He gathered him in before he could sin. This is the meaning of our verse, “and roses there to collect” which refers to Chanoch. Because Chanoch gave off a scent pleasing to the Holy One, blessed is He, He plucked him before he would give off a stench the stench of sin. This is why the verse (Gen. 5:24) states, “And Chanoch walked with God; then he was no more, for God had taken him.” ‘He was no more’ – he did not live the life-span of the rest of mankind in those time, for they had extended life-spans. Why did he not live as long as most of his generation? Because the Holy One, blessed is He took him before his time.

(Zohar I, p. 56b)

 

Alternatively, we can explain the idea of ‘collecting roses’ in the following way: When a person comes to fulfill the Commandment of unifying the Name of the blessed Holy One by reciting the Shema prayer twice daily, he should invest his heart and his will into that unification (yichud), as we have explained elsewhere.[509] This includes uniting all of his limbs in this yichud by way of his will – the will to devote his life to G-d, as the verse (Deut. 6:5[510]) states “…with all your will [nafshecha]” so that the person takes upon himself to devote his very life to G-d. Because just as a person invests all of his limbs i.e. his entire body in the secret of Oneness, since he has accepted to even give up his life for the sake of G-d’s unity, so too, above – all of the supernal ‘limbs’ i.e. the sefirot become unified in that unity produced by reciting the Shema prayer, so that all of them the sefirot are in a state of unity.

Now when a person comes to unify the Name of the blessed Holy One in fulfilling the commandment of reciting the Shema twice daily, all of the hosts of heaven stand in line in order to be rectified by and included in that unity, and to reside in the mystery of unity together with the Israelites below, for with this declaration of unity, all of them are established or rectified in the proper manner, and they all receive their proper spiritual sustenance, as appropriate for each of them.[511]

At that time when a person is reciting the Shema prayer, a certain ministering angel appointed for this mission of serving in 248 worlds corresponding to the 248 positive commandments takes up his duties. All these worlds are called the ‘limbs of the body’ of Ze’ir Anpin, the six sefirot from chesed to yesod, and he fulfills his duty to emulate that unity engendered by an Israelite reciting Shema with the proper intentions. This is the concept of collecting roses mentioned in our verse, which are the limbs of the body of Ze’ir Anpin. In other words, the 248 words of the Shema disencumber and elevate the sparks of holiness buried within creation and this rectifies the 248 ‘limbs’ – the vessels of the sefirot – of Ze’ir Anpin…

The secret of ‘roses’ (שׁוֹשַׁנִּים, sometimes[512] written without the vav =  שֹׁשַׁנִּים– pronounced shoshanim) specifically i.e. why this process of disencumbering and elevating the sparks of holiness buried within creation is called ‘plucking roses’ is this: when all the limbs are merged into a single unity, which is the secret of the sacrifices brought onto the Altar in the Temple, then the blessed Holy One adorns Himself with a crown made of pure gold (פָּז in Hebrew, transliterated: paz), so that He is crowned with glory, as is proper. And this is the secret of ‘roses’ shoshanim, the secret of all the ‘limbs’ above and below, together with the crown paz. In other words, the numerical value of the word שֹׁשַׁנִּים, written without the vav, is 700. This is the sum total of the 613 Commandments in the Torah, together with the numerical value of the word פָּז = 87 (613+87=700=Shoshanim, roses), which is elicited when the 613 Commandments are fulfilled with the proper intention.

(Zohar III, Raya Mehemna p. 263a, GRA and commentaries)

6:3  אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְדוֹדִי לִי הָרֹעֶה בַּשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים – I am my Beloved’s, and my Beloved is mine, He set us among the roses to dine

What is the meaning of שׁוֹשַׁנִּים – the roses mentioned in the verse, and specifically in the plural? However, the first rose is the higher Shechinah the sefirah of binah, which is the Shema prayer of the morning, when the attribute of kindness (chesed) is aroused, and the second rose is the Shema prayer of the evening, when the attribute of severity or withholding (gevurah) is aroused, and the lower Shechinah the sefirah of malchut. This one binah is to the right,[513] and the other one malchut is to the left, since it is built primarily through gevurot, the harsher or more constricted attributes, and the other one the cluster of sefirot from chesed to yesod, forming the partzuf of Ze’ir Anpin, represents the middle column. Thus binah nourishes Ze’ir Anpin, which in turn passes a radiance of this light on to malchut and facilitates the yichud of the two of them.

(Tikunei Zohar p. 71a)

6:4  יָפָה אַתְּ רַעְיָתִי כְּתִרְצָה נָאוָה כִּירוּשָׁלָ‍ִם אֲיֻמָּה כַּנִּדְגָּלוֹת – You are fair My love, and as desired, as Jerusalem in its beauty, like troops of angels, awe-inspired

She herself the Jewish People claims that she is ugly, as in the verse above (1:5) “Dark I am” – dark from the exile, as the Zohar explained there.[514] To which He the blessed Holy One responds: ‘You are beautiful!’ Indeed, the most beautiful of women, with the highest level of beauty, as our verse states, “You are fair My love” – for she is beautified by her Torah and mitzvot and good deeds,[515] which illuminate her with a G-dly light, as the verse (Proverbs 6:23) כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה וְתוֹרָה אוֹר – “for the mitzvah is a candle and the Torah a great light.” See also the commentary at the end of this chapter.

(Zohar III, p. 197b)

6:5  הָסֵבִּי עֵינַיִךְ מִנֶּגְדִּי שֶׁהֵם הִרְהִיבֻנִי – Turn your eyes towards Me, for they increase My desire

The love of the Holy One, blessed is He, is directed towards her towards malchut, the attribute of King David that symbolizes the entire Jewish People, in order to sweeten her severities. Then out of His overwhelming love of her, the Holy One, blessed is He, says to her, “Turn your eyes towards Me, and look at Me” for this will arouse His love and desire for her, since they your eyes are beautiful in every way.

(Zohar III, p. 84a in Raya Mehemna)

Alternatively, this can be understood in the opposite way: At that time at the time of yichud He says to her to malchut: “Turn your eyes away from Me,” and don’t look at Me, “for they increase My desire” your eyes scorch me with their fiery love and arouse in Me overwhelming love for you, but the time for the redemption has not yet arrived.

At this point, Eliyahu Elijah the Prophet, the teacher of mystical wisdom[516] to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi), declared: Holy lamp! He referred to the Rashbi this way because Rabbi Shimon was the purveyor of mystical wisdom to the generations, thereby illuminating their paths. The two eyes mentioned in our verse as the eyes of the Shechinah (or of malchut) are the two precious Tablets on which the Ten Commandments are written, regarding which the verse (Exodus 31:18) states, “Two tablets of stone, written with by the finger of G-d.” For the compassion of the Holy One, blessed is He, is aroused when His children study His Torah and He is moved to redeem them from their exile.

 (Tikunei Zohar p. 145a)

6:5  שֶׁגָּלְשׁוּ מִן הַגִּלְעָד – Cascading down from Mount Gilead

The Zohar does not comment on these words, but see our commentary to 4:5 where we stated: The Arizal explains that the verse alludes to Moshe (Moses) and his conversations with God (consistent with the explanations offered above): There are 15 occasions that the Torah states וַיְדַבֵּר ה’ אֶל מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר (“And God spoke to Moshe saying…”) Now the word וַיְדַבֵּ”ר has the gematria of 222, the same numerical value as the word רכ”ב (vehicle or chariot), indicating that Moshe was the vehicle through which the word of God would reach the people. And 15 X 222 = 3,330, the numerical value of גל”ש, the root word of גָּלְשׁוּ – cascading down (where theג  represents 3,000). Accordingly, this verse about the locks of hair cascading down to us alludes to the myriad laws of the Torah, as both the Talmudic Sages and the Zohar explain[517] on a later verse (Shir HaShirim 5:11) קְווּצּוֹתָיו תַּלְתַּלִּים שְׁחֹרוֹת כָּעוֹרֵב – “His locks are curly, and black as a raven” – these are the piles upon piles of halachot (Jewish Law).

(Arizal, Sefer HaLikutim, Zot haBeracha, 2)

6:6  שִׁנַּיִךְ כְּעֵדֶר הָרְחֵלִים שֶׁעָלוּ מִן הָרַחְצָה שֶׁכֻּלָּם מַתְאִימוֹת וְשַׁכֻּלָה אֵין בָּהֶם – Your teeth are arrayed like a flock of lambs, having just come up from their wash. All of them in harmony, and none have gone awry

The following is more or less a repetition of our commentary to 4:2, a very similar verse.

What is the meaning of ‘having just come up from their wash’? From that cleansing when the radiance of the Holy Eye above the ‘eye’ of Atik Yomin shines upon them.[518] Conceptually the eyes represent the Elders who are referred to as “the eyes of the community” (einei ha’eida)[519], due to their insight and foresight. More specifically the holy eye refers, as in the previous verse, to Moshe[520], who is referred to as ‘one with a good eye…’[521]

A previous explanation in the same section[522] illuminates this passage, which otherwise would remain quite cryptic: We have learned that no light that illuminates the lower level of seeing – the vision of lesser sages (in technical terms, the eyes of ze’ir anpin) – alternatively, the vision of common people can wash clean and rectify this lower level of insight and foresight from its redness harsh judgment and blackness lack of insight altogether than when it is cleansed by the pure (literally ‘white’) light of the supernal ‘eye’ of Atik Yomin, which is referred to in the verse (Proverbs 22:9) as “One with a good eye will be blessed, for he has given of his bread to the poor.” In this same passage the Zohar suggests that we not read this as ‘will be blessed’ but rather as ‘will bless,’ because if not for ‘the good eye above’ that looks out for and cleanses the lower eye, the world could not exist for even a moment since the harsh judgments and lack of insight and foresight would render catastrophic results in the world, as the Zohar goes on to clarify.

We have learned in Sifra d’Tziniuta (‘The Book of Concealed Matters’ – a highly recondite section of the Zohar on the first parsha of the first book of the Zohar) that the lower eyes look out for the world’s benefit when the light of the upper eyes gaze upon them and illuminate them with its supernal light, for then everything is illuminated, as the verse (Numbers 14:14) states, “You, O God are in the midst of this people; You have appeared to them eye to eye…”[523]

Returning to our text, the Zohar continues:  “All of them in harmony” the array of all of the various spiritual powers and forces are harmonized with one another, and conjoin in order to manifest Divine compassion (rachamim) in the world.

 (Idra Rabba Zohar III, 137a; 130a)

 

The following is a repetition of our commentary to 4:3, an identical verse.

6:7  כְּפֶלַח הָרִמּוֹן רַקָּתֵךְ – Like a slice of pomegranate is your brow

Like a slice of pomegranate is your brow – the word for ‘your brow’ – רַקָּתֵךְ /rakatech, is related to the word רֵיק (reik), alluding to even the ‘empty’ among the Israelites are filled with Torah and Mitzvot like a pomegranate is filled with seeds.[524]

(Zohar Chadash [Margolias] 83b)

6:7  מִבַּעַד לְצַמָּתֵךְ – From behind your veil

The Zohar does not offer an interpretation of this phrase. However, the Midrash explains that it refers to the Israelites who diminished themselves (tzimtzmu atzman – phonetically similar to tzamatech – ‘from behind your veil’) with every word of the Ten Commandments God uttered. Rather than standing their ground arrogantly, they retreated in awe and fear and trembling. Alternatively, they squeeze together (mitztamtin) to stand in a crowded Synagogue to drink the words of Torah thirstily (b’tzama). See also the commentary at the end of this chapter

(Shir HaShirim Rabba 4:5; Midrash Aggada Bereishit, 80)

 

6:8-9  שִׁשִּׁים הֵמָּה מְּלָכוֹת וּשְׁמֹנִים פִּילַגְשִׁים וַעֲלָמוֹת אֵין מִסְפָּר. אַחַת הִיא יוֹנָתִי תַמָּתִי אַחַת הִיא לְאִמָּהּ… – Sixty are the children of royalty, and the offspring of consorts are eighty, and maidens without number. One is she, My dove, My perfect one. There is no other; from her mother

Rabbi Elazar began expounding our verse: “Sixty are the children of royalty, and the offspring of consorts are eighty” – the sixty children of royalty are the sixty mighty warriors above i.e. angels who surround and protect the Shechinah from alien forces. Now these mighty warriors angels above emerge from the power of gevurah of ze’ir anpin, from the outer layer of the holy beast of Israel apparently referring to the lion on one side of the Merkavah (see Ezekiel 1:10), which is the symbol of the royal tribe of Judah.[525] Accordingly, these sixty angels are regarded as children of royalty since they emerge (albeit indirectly) from the royal tribe of Judah. Compare this with various commentators who identify these as the 60 descendants of Abraham (Rashi), or the number of military units comprising 10,000 men[526] twenty years and older (i.e. 60×10,000) who were in the exodus from Egypt (Alshich), or the sons King Solomon fathered with his numerous wives (Metzudat David; Malbim) etc.

Rabbi Elazar continued his exposition: And eighty offspring of his consorts are those appointed as lieutenants to the former to the descendants of royalty according to their statutes of the various nations.

‘And maidens without number’ refers to the number of military units over which the lieutenants have command. Nevertheless, none of them receive directly from their commander, but only via malchut, regarding which the verse states, ‘One is she, My dove, My perfect one. There is no other from her mother,’ referring to the holy Shechinah which stands above and commands all of these subservient forces.

(Zohar II, p. 14b)

Alternatively, this verse refers to the aspect of malchut that is known as the Oral Torah[527]: “Sixty are the children of royalty” are the six orders of the Mishnah…[528] which were whittled down from six hundred,[529] and derive ultimately from six hundred thousand. Commentaries explain that 6 and 60, 600 and 600,000 all refer to the six attributes of the partzuf of ze’ir anpin but as it manifested in different sefirot. 6 is ze’ir anpin itself; 60 is when each of those sefirot is fully expressed into ten (6×10=60). 600 is ze’ir anpin in binah and chochmah,[530] and 600,000 in keter.[531] “And the offspring of consorts are eighty” – these are the works of the Aggadata sections of the Talmud devoted to homiletic or narrative interpretations of verses in Scripture. The Arizal stated that most of the Torah’s secrets are concealed within the Aggadata.[532] “And maidens without number” are the halachot – the laws prescribing and proscribing how one should live one’s life according to the Torah – which are innumerable.

(Tikunei Zohar p. 144b)

 

6:9  אַחַת הִיא יוֹנָתִי תַמָּתִי אַחַת הִיא לְאִמָּהּ… – One is she, My dove, My perfect one. There is no other from her mother;

The blessed Holy One says this about the soul, which is called a dove, that she is unique to her mother, the Shechinah. Rabbi Elazar asked: Why is the feminine form הִיא – ‘she’ used throughout Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) whereas the masculine form is used for the soul in the Torah i.e. in the Five Books of Moses, as the Zohar explained in the previous paragraphs? Rabbi Elazar then explained: In the Torah the masculine form for the soul is used because it is in reference to the body – the body to the soul is like the feminine to the masculine. The body receives its life-force from the soul, just like a woman receives seed from her husband. Thus in reference to the body, the soul is masculine. But the soul in reference to the One Above i.e. the Holy One, blessed is He, Who refers to the soul as ‘One is she’ the soul is like a woman to a man, and each one takes their place according to their status. I.e. when the soul is in the active mode, imparting life to the body, it is regarded as masculine; when it is in the receiving mode, being granted life by the Almighty, then the soul is regarded as feminine.

(Zohar I, p. 124b, Midrash Ne’elam)

Alternatively, “One is she, My dove, My perfect one” refers to the holy Shechinah that emerged from the twelve lights that illuminate her. These are the twelve ‘edges of a cube’ that represent the furthest reaches of the illumination from the six sefirot of ze’ir anpin (which defines space, and therefore is represented by the cube). All of them illuminate malchut of Atzilut, the Shechinah, which in turn illuminates all those worlds below. And therefore she too is called ‘mother,’ because ultimately she is the one that passes on the illumination from Imma ila’a, the upper ‘mother’ – binah of Atzilut – which nourishes the other sefirot of ze’ir anpin (her ‘children’) to the worlds below, where malchut is referred to as Imma tata’a – the lower ‘mother.’

(Zohar II, p. 14b)

6:9  רָאוּהָ בָנוֹת וַיְאַשְּׁרוּהָ מְלָכוֹת וּפִילַגְשִׁים וַיְהַלְלוּהָ – Daughters look at her and laud her, royal offspring and consorts applaud her

Rabbi Yitzchak said: when the soul is found worthy of entering through the gates Jerusalem up above the central place of worship in the Garden of Eden the great Archangel Michael comes to greet that soul and accompany it through the gates and into the city, so to speak. Other ministering angels express their amazement at the soul having purified itself sufficiently to enter that lofty level of the Garden of Eden,[533] and they ask, “Who is this ascending from the wilderness?” (Song of Songs 3:6). “Who is this ascending among those on high from a dried out corpse, like a puff of nothingness?”

And he the Archangel Michael responds and says, “One is she, My dove, My perfect one” – ‘one is she’ means ‘she is completely dedicated an alternative translation ofאַחַת הִיא  to her mother.’ ‘Her mother’ in this context is the Throne of Glory i.e. the Shechinah which is the ‘mother’ of the soul, to whom she gave birth – the soul descends to earth from the Throne of Glory.[534] “Daughters look at her and laud her” – this refers to other souls that are also on that level, who are called ‘daughters of Jerusalem’ and they utter the praises of the soul that ascends among them to join them there….

Rabbi Yose said… when our verse states, “Royal offspring and consorts applaud her” – the explanation is this: ‘royal offspring’ refers to the Patriarchs, for they were indeed royalty, and ‘consorts’ refers to righteous converts. All of them praise and laud her i.e. the soul of a righteous tsaddik that ascends to their place, for when a soul enters into Jerusalem above, the soul is in a state of excellence, and there it resides forever.

(Zohar I, p. 125b, Midrash Ne’elam)

6:10  מִי זֹאת הַנִּשְׁקָפָה כְּמוֹ שָׁחַר יָפָה כַלְּבָנָה בָּרָה כַּחַמָּה אֲיֻמָּה כַּנִּדְגָּלוֹת – Who is this that appears like the dawn, comely as the moon, clear as the sun, like troops of angels, inspired with awe.

Rabbi Yehuda began explaining our verse: “Who is this that appears like the dawn” – this verse is referring to the Israelites when the blessed Holy One will fulfill His promise and take us out of exile at the dawn of the redemption. Then He will open up the gate of light just a crack. Afterwards He will open it more, until He opens the gates in all four directions.

(Zohar I, p. 170a)

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai began, “Who is this that appears like the dawn, comely as the moon, clear as the sun, like troops of angels, inspired with awe” – when the verse asks ‘who is this’, mi (who) and zot (this), these two words allude to the secret of the two worlds that join as one, regarding which the verse (Psalms 106:48[535]) states, “From this world to the next world.” Now the word mi which is translated as ‘who’ we already explained as alluding to the supernal level above called Imma ila’a i.e. binah, called ‘who’ since it is the first partzuf that is so lofty it is generally not known, but can be asked about. The simple meaning of ‘who’ is to ask ‘who is that?’ Nevertheless, the question cannot be answered in depth since we do not have the wherewithal to describe the essence of binah, but only the activities that derive therefrom, as the verse (Isaiah 40:26) indicates: “Raise your eyes on high and see Who created these [things].” In other words, binah was their source but we cannot know the essence of that source, only what emerges from it – ‘these things.’ In technical terms, this refers to ze’ir anpin.

However, zot – ‘this’ – is the lower level, the lower world, the revealed world (malchut) that can be comprehended, and is therefore referred to as ‘this.’ Nevertheless, these two worlds are bound together as one, when the lower aspect of the higher world is invested in the higher aspect of the lower world and form a single bond.

(Zohar II, p. 126b)

 

6:11  אֶל גִּנַּת אֱגוֹז יָרַדְתִּי – To the nut-garden I descended

Rabbi Akiva said to him to Rabbi Eliezer ben Hurcanus: What is the meaning of the verse, ‘To the nut-garden I descended?’ He Rabbi Eliezer replied: Come and see. The Garden flows forth from Eden the partzuf of Abba (chochmah) and the Shechinah is called ‘Garden’ according to the mystical interpretation of the verse (Proverbs 3:19) ‘G-d established the earth with wisdom,’ upon which the Zohar[536] comments ‘the father (chochmah) establishes the daughter (malchut)’[537] i.e. Eden (chochmah) is the foundation and source of the Garden (malchut). The ‘nut’ mentioned in the verse refers to the holy Merkava the holy ‘chariot’ of malchut, comprising four angels Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael and their respective camps. Each of them represents a different sefirah within malchut – Michael chesed; Gabriel gevurah; Uriel tiferet; Raphael malchut.[538] And they are the four river-heads that flow and spread out from the Garden[539] of malchut, just like a nut (possibly a walnut) which has four sections within it.

And when the verse states, “To the nut-garden I descended” this is as we learned[540] – ‘and so-and-so descended into the Merkava’ i.e. the person sank (‘descended’) into a deep meditation on some aspect of the Divine Presence.

Then Rabbi Akiva asked: If so if the nut alludes to the secret of the Merkavah then the verse should have said, “To the nut I descended!” Why does it say, “To the nut-garden I descended”?

Rabbi Eliezer replied: This is in order to express the praises of that ‘nut’ – the entire Garden of Eden is referred to as the ‘nut-garden’ since the holy Merkavah is its central theme and feature…

 (Zohar II, p. 15b)

Alternatively, “To the nut-garden I descended” – for the sake of the nut-garden I descended, for the nut-garden is the Chamber of Love where Male alluding to G-d and Female alluding to the Jewish People cleave to one another – i.e. in the Temple where the Divine Presence was revealed on top of the Ark.

(Zohar I, p. 44b)

6:11  לִרְאוֹת בְּאִבֵּי הַנָּחַל – To see the trees by the stream

Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai said: What is the meaning of “To the nut-garden I descended to see the trees by the stream”? This alludes to what Ezekiel in his prophetic vision saw in that heavenly expanse created on the second day: “There was a likeness of an expanse above the heads of the Chaya, like the color of awesome ice, spread out over their heads from above” (Ezekiel 1:22). The blessed Holy One created that expanse and concealed it from all of the myriad hosts. Those worlds that the Holy One, blessed is He, delighted in, He concealed from them, and His precious glory He also hid from them. From those worlds and above is concealed, and concealed from all of them from all the angels, so that they all ask, “Where is the place of His glorious kingship?” To which the answer is, “Blessed be the glory of the Lord from its place” (Ezekiel 3:12) i.e. from a place that is unknown to us (to the angels).

But now the question arises, how did King Solomon see (“to see the trees by the stream”) what even the angels could not? Rabbi Yochanan answered: Come and see: What does the verse state? “To the nut-garden I Solomon descended” – it doesn’t say “into the nut-garden” but merely “To the nut-garden…” This is like someone who descends and comes up to the garden, but does not enter in to it. And how much more so does he not come close to the central feature of the Garden, i.e. the nut, but only up to the Garden, and for sure he did not see what was inside the nut the four sections from which the four camps of angels emerge, as explained above. All the more so that the verse states “I came to see”, not “he saw.” Meaning to say, he descended and approached the outside Garden around the nut-tree to attempt to see, but the verse does not state that he actually saw even into the Garden, which surrounds the nut.

(Zohar Chadash, Bereishit p. 9b, Sulam)

6:11  הֲפָרְחָה הַגֶּפֶן הֵנֵצוּ הָרִמֹּנִים – To see if the vine was in bloom; did the pomegranates begin to plume

The Tikunei Zohar discusses the nature of the future redemption and how it will be different from previous ones.

Several souls in the guise of wise old men came to reveal the secrets of the Torah to Rabbi Shimon. The third of these wise old souls spoke up and said: Come and see: When her (the Shechina’s) Beloved in technical terms Ze’ir Anpin comes to her, He will tell the two anointed ones Mashiach ben David and Mashiach ben Yosef,[541] “Let us get up early and go to the vineyards” (Song of Songs 7:13) in order to redeem the Jewish People from exile. About them the verse (Isaiah 5:7) states, “The vineyard of G‑d, the Lord of Hosts, is the House of Israel.”

“To see if the vine is in bloom”– if the Shechinah has bloomed among them as a result of their good deeds.

And did the pomegranates begin to plume – referring to those who have not been very diligent in observing the Commandments, but are nevertheless as full of good deeds as a pomegranate is full of seeds, as our Sages note in the Talmud (Eruvin 19a): ‘Even the sinners among the Israelites are as full of good deeds as a pomegranate is full of seeds.’

Rabbi Shimon rose and said, “Venerable Sage, venerable Sage![542] You cited the verse, “Let us get up early and go to the vineyards” referring to vineyards owned by Jews and representing the Jewish People. But there are vineyards that do not belong to Israel, as the Shechinah herself states in the verse (Song of Songs 1:6) states, “They set me to guard their vineyard, but my own I did not oversee.” The Shechinah tended and enriched the vineyards of others, but her own vineyard, the Jewish People, she did not take care of – they received only the leftovers after all the nations of the world had taken the lion’s share. This is due to the admixture of the ‘mixed multitudes’ – the erev rav – other nations who were also enslaved in Egypt together with the Israelites and who fled Egypt with the Israelites at the Exodus. Moshe allowed them to join the Jewish People, but they caused endless problems. The same issue continued later with the admixture of other nations during the exiles of the Israelites.

Therefore, the blessed Holy One will come to the Shechinah in the future in the period just before the final redemption and will tell her, “Let us get up early and go to the vineyards” and see whether the vines are in bloom – whether the vines have been prevented from blossoming due to the presence of the erev rav, or whether they have succeeded in planting vineyards that have remained faithful to G-d, regarding which the verse (Isaiah 5:7) states, “For the House of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts.”

“Did the pomegranates begin to plume” – this refers to those who are as full of mitzvot – they fulfill as many of the Torah’s Commandments as they can – as a pomegranate is full of seeds. There among them I will place My beloved ones those saintly Tsaddikim who serve out Me of love, there I will place them for your sake for the sake of the Shechinah for they will be the ones to accompany the Shechinah out of exile, when (Song of Songs 2:11) “the winter is past”, alluding to the dominance of the guardian angels of the nations that will cease with the advent of the Messianic era, and when (ibid.) “the rain is over and gone” – the dominant influence of the erev rav will cease.

(Tikunei Zohar p. 144a)

6:12  לֹא יָדַעְתִּי נַפְשִׁי שָׂמַתְנִי מַרְכְּבוֹת עַמִּי נָדִיב – I did not even know that my soul had placed me on the markava of my royal Father

The Zohar does not comment on this verse, but the Midrash (Shir haShirim Rabba on the verse) offers several interpretations:

Rabbi Chiya taught: This is analogous to a royal princess [who had somehow got lost, and] was gathering leftovers among the stubble. The king happened to pass by and recognized her as his daughter. So he sent one of his noblemen to get her and he brought her to sit with him in his carriage. Her friends were amazed and said, “Yesterday you were gathering among the stubble, and now you’re sitting in the royal carriage with the king?” She replied: “Just as you are amazed at me, so am I amazed at myself!” And then she said, “I did not even know where my soul had placed me.”

So too, when the Israelites were enslaved in Egypt making clay into bricks, and were repulsive to and despised by the Egyptians, when they were redeemed and free, and became the nobility of the world, the other nations of expressed their amazement, saying: “Yesterday you were slaves making clay into bricks, and now you are free people and belong to the nobility?” And the Israelites themselves replied, “We too are amazed at ourselves!” And they said about themselves: “I did not even know where my soul had placed me.”

The Midrash goes on to explain that the same verse applies to Joseph who rose from slavery to royalty; and to David who fled for his life from Saul and then became king; and to Mordechai and the story of Purim, that yesterday he was wearing sackcloth and ashes, and today he strides in royal robes before the king. Finally this can also be said about the Jewish People at the time of the final redemption – they will have endured millennia of exile and will finally be returned to their royal palace with the building of the Third Temple.

Likutei Torah[543] explains that “I did not even know… my soul” is because the root of the soul is so lofty that it transcends the possibility of being known.

Chapter 7

 

^א שׁוּבִי שׁוּבִי הַשּׁוּלַמִּית שׁוּבִי שׁוּבִי וְנֶחֱזֶה בָּךְ מַה תֶּחֱזוּ בַּשּׁוּלַמִּית כִּמְחֹלַת הַמַּחֲנָיִם.

¹ Return, return, O perfect one,

Return, return and you we shall see.

What will you see in the perfect one?

Two camps dancing in harmony.

^ב מַה יָּפוּ פְעָמַיִךְ בַּנְּעָלִים בַּת נָדִיב חַמּוּקֵי יְרֵכַיִךְ כְּמוֹ חֲלָאִים מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אָמָּן.

² How beautiful are your steps of ascent,

O daughter of the munificent,

Your rounded thighs are like an ornament,

The work of expert accomplishment.

^ג שָׁרְרֵךְ אַגַּן הַסַּהַר אַל יֶחְסַר הַמָּזֶג בִּטְנֵךְ עֲרֵמַת חִטִּים סוּגָה בַּשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים.

³ Your core is cupped like a crescent moon,

May she not lose her fullness,

Your belly is like wheat in a mound,

With roses all around.

^ד שְׁנֵי שָׁדַיִךְ כִּשְׁנֵי עֳפָרִים תָּאֳמֵי צְבִיָּה.

⁴ The Two Tablets of Your Law

Like two baby fawns,

Twins of a hart

[You cannot tell apart[544]].

^ה צַוָּארֵךְ כְּמִגְדַּל הַשֵּׁן עֵינַיִךְ בְּרֵכוֹת בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹן עַל שַׁעַר בַּת רַבִּים אַפֵּךְ כְּמִגְדַּל הַלְּבָנוֹן צוֹפֶה פְּנֵי דַמָּשֶׂק.

⁵ Your neck is like a tower of ivory,

Your eyes are pools of computation;

A gateway for the congregation.

Like a tower of Lebanon is your face,

Gazing out over Damascus

^ו רֹאשֵׁךְ עָלַיִךְ כַּכַּרְמֶל וְדַלַּת רֹאשֵׁךְ כָּאַרְגָּמָן מֶלֶךְ אָסוּר בָּרְהָטִים.

⁶ Your beginning is like kernels fresh and full;[545]

And they are drawn from there like royal purple;

Like a king bound with ropes is the soul.

^ז מַה יָּפִית וּמַה נָּעַמְתְּ אַהֲבָה בַּתַּעֲנוּגִים

⁷ How lovely and how pleasant

Is love with soul-delight.

^ח זֹאת קוֹמָתֵךְ דָּמְתָה לְתָמָר וְשָׁדַיִךְ לְאַשְׁכֹּלוֹת.

⁸ Your stature is like a date-palm

And your breasts are like clusters of dates

^ט אָמַרְתִּי אֶעֱלֶה בְתָמָר אֹחֲזָה בְּסַנְסִנָּיו וְיִהְיוּ נָא שָׁדַיִךְ כְּאֶשְׁכְּלוֹת הַגֶּפֶן

וְרֵיחַ אַפֵּךְ כַּתַּפּוּחִים.

⁹ I said: up the palm-tree I will climb,

I will grasp its petioles.[546]

May your breasts be like clusters of the vine,

And the fragrance of Your presence like apples.

^י וְחִכֵּךְ כְּיֵין הַטּוֹב הוֹלֵךְ לְדוֹדִי לְמֵישָׁרִים דּוֹבֵב שִׂפְתֵי יְשֵׁנִים.

¹⁰ Like fine wine is Your palate,

Going to my Beloved direct

Whispering on the lips of those asleep.

^יא אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְעָלַי תְּשׁוּקָתוֹ.

I am for my Beloved,

And His desire is for me

 ^יב לְכָה דוֹדִי נֵצֵא הַשָּׂדֶה נָלִינָה בַּכְּפָרִים.

Let us go then, my beloved,

To the fields we will go down,

Then we will lodge in the towns.

^יג נַשְׁכִּימָה לַכְּרָמִים נִרְאֶה אִם פָּרְחָה הַגֶּפֶן פִּתַּח הַסְּמָדַר הֵנֵצוּ הָרִמּוֹנִים שָׁם אֶתֵּן אֶת דֹּדַי לָךְ.

Let us go early to the vineyards,

Let us see if the vines have budded, whether the buds have opened,

If the pomegranates have blossomed.

There I will give you those devoted to Me.

^יד הַדּוּדָאִים נָתְנוּ רֵיחַ וְעַל פְּתָחֵינוּ כָּל מְגָדִים חֲדָשִׁים גַּם יְשָׁנִים דּוֹדִי צָפַנְתִּי לָךְ.

The beloved ones gave forth their perfume,[547]

At our openings are all the delights,

Old and also new,[548]

That my Beloved has hidden for you.

 

7:1  שׁוּבִי שׁוּבִי הַשּׁוּלַמִּית, שׁוּבִי שׁוּבִי וְנֶחֱזֶה בָּךְ – Return, return, O perfect one, return, return and you we shall see

“For the winter is past” (Shir haShirim 2:11) meaning to say the domination of the angelic guardians of other nations over Israel and “the rain is over and gone” (ibid.) – this is the domination of the erev rav over Israel. The erev rav (“mixed multitude”) was a group of Egyptian slaves from other nations who tagged along with the Israelites when they left Egypt, and who were insincere in their commitment to G‑d and Torah. At that time He will say to her to the Shechinah, the Divine Presence, “return, return, O perfect one.” Why ‘return, return’ twice? To refer to the two Temples, the first Beit HaMikdash (Temple), and the second Beit HaMikdash down below, since they are already built and waiting up above, ready to descend together as the Third Temple as soon as the redemption takes place, as Zohar III, 221a states explicitly[549]. However, there is also an alternative view, that “return, return, O perfect one” refers to the two Temples, the first Beit HaMikdash and the second Beit HaMikdash up above which will descend into the Third Temple below which will be built by Mashiach,[550] and there we will gaze upon you upon the Shechinah, which will be revealed in the Third Beit HaMikdash.

(Tikunei Zohar p.144a)

7:1  מַה תֶּחֱזוּ בַּשּׁוּלַמִּית כִּמְחֹלַת הַמַּחֲנָיִם – What will you see in the perfect one? Two camps dancing in harmony.

The Zohar does not comment here, but the Midrash (Shir HaShirim on the verse) interprets the word כִּמְחֹלַת as referring to dance[551] – מָחוֹל, and הַמַּחֲנָיִם as camps, referring to the camps of the Israelites in the desert[552] and to the Camp of the Shechinah where the Tabernacle stood and where the Ark – upon which the Shechinah was revealed – was kept.[553] Alternatively, it refers to the camps of angels up above, as the Zohar[554] explains on the verse Genesis 32:3: When he saw them [the angels], Jacob said, “This is a Godly camp.” So he named that place Machanayim [‘Camps’]. Similarly, when the Torah was given to the Israelites, the camp of ministering angels descended to take part in the festivities.[555] Thus in the future, when the third Beit HaMikdash is in its place, the Jewish People will rejoice and dance together with the Shechinah and with the angels.[556]

 

7:2 מַה יָּפוּ פְעָמַיִךְ בַּנְּעָלִים בַּת נָדִיב – How beautiful are your steps of ascent, O daughter of the munificent

 

In the first section we present below, the Tikunei Zohar is discussing elevating the Shechinah (i.e. malchut) to Ze’ir Anpin, so that their proper yichud (unification) can take place. This is achieved through prayer and also through the mindful performance of mitzvot (the commandments). When a person manages to achieve this, then the supernal chambers are opened for him or her and their prayers are received (and answered). In the following section, the Zohar adds that if someone manages to bring Ze’ir Anpin down to malchut, the Shechinah repays the person (so to speak) by coming out to greet them to accept their prayers.[557]

 

Because of this effort to unite the Shechinah and Ze’ir Anpin, the verse (Genesis 24:15) states, that even before he Eliezer, the servant of Abraham finished speaking in prayer in the Ineffable Name of G-d about finding a wife for his master’s son, Isaac, Rivkah (Rebecca) came to the well with her jug upon her shoulder. In other Kabbalistic terms, Eliezer was attempting to elevate the Name A-d-o-n-ai to unite it with the Name Havaye (the Ineffable Name). And thus, even before he completed his prayer, the Shechinah as symbolized by Rivkah emerged and came up to him to accept his prayers. And for his sake the Shechinah first descended to the level of his ‘legs’ netzach, hod and yesod of Ze’ir Anpin, where the initial yichud takes place, as the verse (Psalms 85:14) states, “righteousness tzedek, another name for malchut will walk before i.e. approach him – Ze’ir Anpin – and set his footsteps on the way” prepare the yichud with malchut. This is all the yichud achieved by elevating malchut to Ze’ir Anpin.

Now when the Shechinah stands over Israel i.e. the Jewish People, who accepted the duty of uniting the Shechinah and Ze’ir Anpin, due to their sincere prayers and fulfillment of the mitzvot, they are the secret of the ‘legs’ upon which the Shechinah stands i.e. they accepted the yoke of Heaven as a duty, even though they did not yet have an emotional or intellectual appreciation thereof, just as the legs do not appreciate or understand the emotions of the heart or the thoughts in the mind, but merely do what they are told to do. Then the Holy One, blessed is He, praises them saying: “How beautiful are your steps of ascent” – literally “How beautiful are your feet in sandals” – i.e. they have become a support for the Shechinah.[558]

Additionally, “How beautiful are your steps of ascent” when the Jewish People would ascend to Jerusalem for the three ‘foot-festivals’ Passover (celebrating the Exodus from Egypt), Shavuot (celebrating the day when we received the Torah) and Sukkot (Festival of Tabernacles, celebrating the Divine Protection we experienced in the Wilderness). We based our translation on this interpretation.

Additionally, “How beautiful are your steps of ascent” when the Jewish People stood at the foot of Mount Sinai to hear the Ten Commandments, and Moses ascended Mount Sinai (hence, “steps of ascent”) to receive the Torah. Regarding them the Jewish People, the verse (Zechariah 14:4) states “His feet will stand on that day on the Mount of Olives…” – referring to the advent of Mashiach (the Messiah) in the future as the ultimate reward for their steadfast observance of the mitzvot of the Torah.

(Tikunei Zohar p. 34a)

7:2  חַמּוּקֵי יְרֵכַיִךְ כְּמוֹ חֲלָאִים מַעֲשֵׂה יְדֵי אָמָּן – Your rounded thighs are like an ornament, the work of expert accomplishment

 

In this rather esoteric section, Rabbi Shimon (bar Yochai) is in the process of explaining the concept of ascent, this time through the seven heichalot (chambers) of the World of Beriah by means of yichudim (unifications) in prayer. The Arizal [559]explains that these are the heichalot of Ze’ir Anpin of Beriah. The heichalot proceed in the following order, from bottom to top: 1) Livnat hasapir – corresponding to the sefirah of yesod; 2) Etzem hashamyim l‘tohar – to hod; 3) Nogah – to netzach; 4) Zechut – to gevurah; 5) Ahava – to  chesed; 6) Ratzon – to tiferet; 7) Kodesh haKodashim – to chomah, binah and da’at. The soul is elevated through these seven heichalot by means of the praises we utter in our prayers in the section of weekday Shacahrit called Yotzer. Each heichal also has a different aspect of soul-light (‘ruach’) associated with it. Our verse focuses on the second heichal, called ‘Etzem hashamyim l‘tohar,’ corresponding to hod and the soul-light called ‘Zohar.’

 

Regarding the second heichal chamber – the heichal of hod of Beriah – the verse (Exodus 24:10) states וּכְעֶצֶם הַשָּׁמַיִם לָטֹהַר – u’k’etzem hashamyim l‘tohar – “Like the quintessence of the Heavens in purity.” Here is that level of ruach called Zohar, which always emits a white i.e. clear light that is not mixed with any other colors, unlike the ruach of other chambers. Since it is called etzem, meaning the quintessence, it never changes, unlike the first chamber, where the ruach changes from white to red and back. But this ruach is not revealed sufficiently to shine forth like the light of other levels. Furthermore, this level is as difficult to reveal as the hidden light of the eye. According to Talmudic optics the eye not only receives light, but actually produces light in one sense or another. It is ‘hidden’ because one cannot see this light in a dark room, for example. On the other hand, one cannot see without this light even in broad daylight, as for example with someone who is blind. But when the eye rolls around in its socket, then its inner light shines out. Similarly, the ruach in this chamber will only become revealed through ‘rolling around’ i.e. intermingling with the ruach of the first chamber. This is because when the ruach of the first chamber is elevated by the person’s prayers, to join with the level of ruach in the next level above, this causes the higher level to shine as well, and they bind together like the white of the eyes is bound to the pupil. Thus there are two levels in the ruach called Zohar – a higher level which is very refined and normally remains concealed, and a lower level of Zohar which is somewhat more revealed and becomes suffused with the light of livnat hasapir. This lower aspect of Zohar is lit up by the light of livnat hasapir. And this light of livnat hasapir continues to circulate and illuminate until the higher light of the Zohar also becomes revealed, but this only happens after the lower level of light of the Zohar becomes bound to it. Nevertheless, the light in the second chamber, even the lower level of Zohar, remains unchanging and it retains its state of purity, even though it becomes revealed by way of the circulation of the light of livnat hasapir. Now when this light the lower level of light of etzem hashamyim circulates, it pulls along another light from the left side and they then circulate together. The secret of this is in our verse “Your rounded thighs are like an ornament, the work of expert accomplishment.” ‘Thighs’ here is in the plural to allude to these two levels of ruach in this chamber of hod, from the right and from the left, alluding to the ruach of the sefirah netzach (the right leg) that becomes included in hod, the left leg, just like the ornaments, one of which is silver (netzach, from the side of chesed) and one of which is gold (hod, from the side of gevurah). This is also indicated by the word shamyim, which alludes to two qualities – aish (fire=gold) and mayim (water=silver).[560] And these ornaments are the work of expert accomplishment – the craftsmanship of binah, since binah extends all the way to hod. Fortunate are those who know how to reveal these illuminations by elevating the level of ruach from the first chamber to the second, so that the lights of the second chamber can become revealed.

 (Zohar I, p. 42a, Heichalot; Ramak; GRA)

 

7:3  שָׁרְרֵךְ אַגַּן הַסַּהַר  – Your very core is cupped like a crescent moon

“Your very core” literally ‘your navel’ refers to Zion, the Beit HaMikdash (the Temple) which is the ‘navel’ the original core of the world, the point from which the entire world spread forth in all four directions, East, West, North and South. The central point of the Beit HaMikdash itself was the even shetiya – the stone that Jacob set up as a marker for the place where God told him that “the ground upon which you are lying I will give to you and your descendants… Jacob awoke and said, ‘Surely God is in this place, and I did not know.’ He became filled with awe and he said, ‘This is none other than the abode of God and this is the gate of Heaven.’ Jacob arose early in the morning and took the stone… and set it up as a pillar… and he vowed…: ‘This stone… shall become a house of God’” (Genesis 28:13 ff.). According to the Sages[561], this even shetiya existed prior to Creation, and from it all of Creation emerged, and it was around this stone that the Beit HaMikdash was built. It is therefore compared to a navel, the cup-like remainder of the umbilical cord from which the entire fetus grew in the womb. Furthermore, it is regarded as the very core of creation not only in a physical sense, but also in terms of purpose – the purpose of Creation is to establish the world as a place for the revelation of Godliness.[562] Correspondingly, when Adam was created, his head was to the east, his body to the west, his arms to the south and his legs to the north, and the sign of the covenant in the center, similar to the navel. Since the creation of Adam, i.e. the human prototype, is compared to the very foundation of Creation and the purpose for which it was created, we can transpose that to man too – he was created in order to ensure that the entire world would recognize God and behave appropriately and worship their Creator, as Adam said to all the living creatures, “Come, let us prostrate ourselves and bow, let us kneel before God our Creator” (Psalms 95:6).[563]

The sign of the covenant, i.e. where a male is circumcised, therefore corresponds to the Ark of the Covenant (containing the Tablets of the Ten Commandments and the Torah that Moses wrote), which was placed atop the even shetiya. The sign of the covenant is ‘similar to the navel’ in the sense that it is central, but the navel, like the even shetiya is the place where things merely began, whereas the sign of the covenant, and later the Ark of the Covenant represent much higher levels. Accordingly, the sign of the covenant and the Ark of the Covenant are the higher parallels.

Furthermore, we can say that ‘cupped like a crescent moon’ is indicative of the birth of the sliver of the new moon that looks like the Hebrew letter כ and is also the dot in the first letter of the Torah the letter בּ of בּראשית – “In the beginning”. Perhaps the intention here is to illustrate the two stages mentioned above regarding yesod and the sign of the covenant in regard to malchut as well.[564] The Creation begins as a mere point in the letter bet of the word בּראשית – “In the beginning”, and then becomes a bayit ­– ­house, as the Zohar explains elsewhere at length[565] i.e. the world becoming a House of God, as mentioned. This is also illustrated by the letter כ where a point of light becomes the crescent of the new moon, and eventually became the full moon – i.e. the fullness of malchut – when King Solomon built the Temple[566] in that place that Jacob had dedicated. The letter כ may allude to keter, the crown, which expresses the ultimate elevation of malchut. Indeed, the crown of keter always represents malchut, royalty.[567]

(Tikunei Zohar p. 36b)

7:3  אַל יֶחְסַר הַמָּזֶג – May she not lose her fullness

The Zohar does not comment explicitly on this, but it is understood from the previous explanations that this refers to the moon and to malchut which stood in their fullness when King Solomon built the Temple, as mentioned above. This is also the way the  Ramak explains it.[568]

7:3  בִּטְנֵךְ עֲרֵמַת חִטִּים סוּגָה בַּשּׁוֹשַׁנִּים  – Your belly is like wheat in a mound, with roses all around

The fourth heichal chamber – the heichal of gevurah of Beriah – is different from all the others in that it comprises four sub-chambers, although altogether they form only one heichal. Perhaps this alludes to the parallel four sub-chambers in the Southern Courtyard of the Temple below (the Ezrat Nashim), which were the Lishkat Ha-Etz (Chamber of Wood); Lishkat Ha‑Gulah (Chamber of the Well) Lishkat Ha-Gazit (Chamber of Hewn Stone), which was used to house the Sanhedrin (the rabbinical Supreme Court), Lishkat Cohen Gadol (Chamber of the High Priest).[569] Here is that level of ruach called Zechut merit, for this is where they search for the world’s merits, and this ruach Zechut includes all the others below it.

From it emerge seventy luminaries these are the seventy members of the Sanhedrin housed in the Lishkat Ha-Gazit, as mentioned above, and they sat in judgment on all the issues affected this world. All of them gave off sparks i.e. smaller local rabbinical courts relied upon their rulings, and they all sat in a semi-circle so each judge could see the others.[570] (This is also the way some commentaries explain the ‘cupped like a crescent moon’ phrase above – as referring to the members of the Sanhedrin who sat in a semi-circle). This is unlike those other luminaries that spread their light outward. Instead these lights cleave to one another, and illuminate one another and unite one with the other, just like the members of the Sanhedrin who faced each other, argued with each other for the sake of the truth, thus illuminating each other, and made a final ruling based on a consensus, which united them. All the merits in the world came before these luminaries the seventy members of the Sanhedrin, and so did the shortcomings of the world come before them, but the Zohar does not wish to mention this here. From all of these seventy luminaries, two lights emerge that weighed equally they were of equal importance, and these two included all the others. They remained before them constantly. This refers to the Nassi (the president or prince[571]) of the Sanhedrin (e.g. Rabbi Yehudah haNassi) and to the Av Beit Din (lit. ‘father of the court,’ i.e. chief of the court[572]). The latter two sat facing the other 69 members who were seated in a semicircle around them, as mentioned above. The Nasi and the Av Beit Din correspond to Moses and Aaron (see Numbers 11:16-17). The Av Beit Din was one of the seventy elders, but the Nasi was the 71^st and could act as the tie-breaker, so to speak, in a split decision.

 

Corresponding to these seventy members of the Sanhedrin were seventy guardian angels of the world’s nations, but they stood outside, surrounding the four chambers from the outside, whereas the seventy luminaries and the two extraordinary luminaries who sat before them, were within, on the inside. The Lishkat Ha-Gazit where they sat actually opened up into the inner courtyard of the Temple, although they did not sit there, since this privilege was only granted to the descendants of King David.[573] This is the secret of the verse “Your belly is like wheat in a mound” with the Nasi and Av Beit Din at the top center, surrounded by the other members of the Sanhedrin, with roses all around surrounded by the guardian angels of the nations which surrounded the Temple on the outside.[574]

 (Zohar I, p. 43b, Heichalot)

 

7:4  שְׁנֵי שָׁדַיִךְ כִּשְׁנֵי עֳפָרִים תָּאֳמֵי צְבִיָּה  – The Two Tablets of Your Law, like two baby fawns, twins of a hart

 

The Zohar interprets the literal translation, “Your two breasts are like two fawns twins of a hart” as these are the two Tablets of stone into which the Ten Commandments, the basis of the Torah were carved.[575]

(Tikunei Zohar p. 14a)

Alternatively, the verse (Shir HaShirim 2:6) states, “His left hand is under my head, and his right arm embraces me…” refers to the Written and the Oral Torah: From His right hand, the Written Torah, and from His left hand the Oral Torah. How were they given to us? As the two Tablets, regarding which it states, ““Your two breasts are like two fawns twins of a hart.”

(Tikunei Zohar p. 146a)

7:5  צַוָּארֵךְ כְּמִגְדַּל הַשֵּׁן  – Your neck is like a tower of ivory

“Your neck is like a tower of ivory” – this refers to Jerusalem, which is also called ‘the Tower of David’ regarding which it states (Shir HaShirim 4:4), “Like the Tower of David is your neck,” referring to the Jerusalem above, as we note in our commentary there. Her jewelry is the Priests Kohanim, Levites and Israelites who serve or worship in the Beit HaMikdash (the Temple).

Alternatively, “Your neck” is the Torah since it connects the ‘Head’ – the blessed Holy One – with the ‘body’ the Jewish People. Her adornments are the 248 Commandments, while the threading and the beads are the 365 prohibitions that protect her – the Torah.

(Tikunei Zohar p. 145b)

7:5  עֵינַיִךְ בְּרֵכוֹת בְּחֶשְׁבּוֹן עַל שַׁעַר בַּת רַבִּים  – Your eyes are pools of calculation, a gateway for the congregation

 

The Zohar is in the middle of a discussion of the verse (Ecclesiastes 7:27): “See this is what I have found,” said Kohelet, “You add one thing to another to make a calculation (cheshbon).” Commentaries (Ibn Ezra, Metzudot) explain: One cannot come to a well-thought out calculation or conclusion without weighing one thing against another – its opposite. The Zohar then goes on to discuss another verse that uses the same word ‘cheshbon’ (calculation or conclusion) (Ecclesiastes 9:10): “There is no doing nor calculation (cheshbon), nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave…” and explains that numbers are identified with the sefirah of malchut. This is why all the mathematical calculations of the Jewish calendar, which depends on calculating the lunar year and the solar year, and reconciling them – a very complex procedure – also a function of malchut?

 

Rabbi Abba and Rabbi Yose were sitting in the house of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair after his passing. Rabbi Yose said to Rabbi Abba: The verse (Ecclesiastes 7:27): states, “You add one thing to another to make a calculation (cheshbon).” Now we know that calculations (cheshbon) and numbers (gematriot) are associated with the moon i.e. malchut, but where do they all begin? Although they are expressed in malchut, is that where they all begin? Perhaps this is also asking if the reconciliation of the two cycles is also in malchut. Rabbi Abba didn’t answer at first, and then he said: I heard about this from my teachers, but I don’t remember it. Then that spirit – the soul of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair[576] that was clothed in that spirit – arose and smacked Rabbi Abba on his eyes to remind him that malchut is built from chochmah, which the eyes symbolize. He started to fall forward face down in shock, but before he reached the ground a verse fell into his mouth: It is written in our verse: “Your eyes are pools of calculation, a gateway for the congregation” – these eyes of hers of malchut are branches[577] that extend down from chochmah of Atzilut above. Because of the mitzvah (positive Commandment) to calculate the seasons and the leap-years[578] the ‘eyes’ (chochmah) of malchut of Atzilut become suffused with the outflow of supernal wisdom from chochmah of Atzilut, and become overflowing pools that nourish the lower worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. From her right the sefirah of chesed of malchut the efflux flows in all directions according to the needs of the recipients, until it achieves the calculations of the leap-months of the moon above and below in our world, as well as the positions of the stars and the constellations which were necessary for guiding travel etc. so that one can make a precise calculation thereby. And this is the meaning of “a gateway for the congregation” – this is the moon below upon which the congregation depends in order to know when to celebrate the festivals etc. because it is then that the blessed Holy One comes to ‘visit’ with them, as the Zohar explains at length elsewhere.[579]

(Zohar III, p. 220b)

7:5  אַפֵּךְ כְּמִגְדַּל הַלְּבָנוֹן צוֹפֶה פְּנֵי דַמָּשֶׂק  – Like a tower of Lebanon is your face, gazing out over Damascus

The Zohar does not comment on this part of the verse. However the Midrash[580] comments that this refers to the Temple which is called ‘Levanon’ (Lebanon) because it cleanses (melaben) the sins of Israel, as in the verse (Isaiah 1:18), “Even if your sins are as red as scarlet they will become white as snow.” Other commentaries[581] explain the meaning of ‘Levanon’ as the idea of clarifying the law – libun hilcheta – as the Zohar itself discusses elsewhere.[582]

7:6  רֹאשֵׁךְ עָלַיִךְ כַּכַּרְמֶל וְדַלַּת רֹאשֵׁךְ כָּאַרְגָּמָן מֶלֶךְ אָסוּר בָּרְהָטִים  – Your beginning is like kernels fresh and full, and they are drawn from there like royal purple; like a king bound with ropes is the soul.

Rabbi Yehuda asked: “What is the meaning of this our verse in the Song of Songs?” Then he explained that the verse alludes to the soul, for seven things were created before the world was created[583] – the Torah, Repentance, the Garden of Eden, Purgatory, the Throne of Glory, the Beit HaMikdash (the Holy Temple) and the name of the Messiah…. The Throne of Glory, i.e. the sovereignty of the Almighty as the verse (Psalms 93:2) states, “Your Throne is established from before i.e. before the world was created; You are eternal.” And it is also written (Jeremiah 17:12), “like the Throne of Glory, exalted from the outset” implying that is was the first of all of them all the seven elements created prior to the world. And the Holy One, blessed is He, took the pure soul from the Throne of Glory[584] to illuminate the body, as our verse states “Your beginning is like kernels fresh and full” for it the Throne of Glory was the first thing of all. Some explanation is in order: There are two aspects to the ‘likeness of man’ spoken about in the first chapter of Ezekiel. The higher aspect is called Adam haElyon (Supernal Adam), and refers to the Divine revelation that is described by Ezekiel as “upon the likeness of the Throne was the appearance of the likeness of a man upon it, from above” (Ezekiel 1:26). Then there is the root of the soul below, called Adam haTachton, since it was created in the likeness of Adam haElyon.[585] Therefore the soul too was fresh and full, having just been created in the image of the Divine revelation upon the throne of Glory. [586] Accordingly, and they descend from there like royal purple – this refers to the neshama the soul that is hewn[587] from there from the Throne of Glory and is placed in the body, like a king bound with ropes – this is the body which is trapped in the grave and disintegrates into the dirt, leaving behind nothing more than a jug of putrid compost from which the body will be rebuilt in the future, at the time of Techiyat haMeitim (the Resurrection of the Dead), when the blessed Holy One will grant special providence to the body i.e. He will return the eternal soul to the body, thus enlivening it, just as a man’s seed fertilizes and enlivens an ovum.[588] Elsewhere[589] the Zohar explains the relevance of ארגמן (argaman – translated here as ‘royal purple’) in our context: In Hebrew the word ארגמ”ן can be interpreted as the initial letters of the following angels – Uriel, Raphael, Gabriel, Michael and Nuriel that bear the Merkava aloft (the Divine Chariot, so to speak). During the time of exile the Shechinah (Divine Presence) is only clothed within four angels, and in a lower world (the World of Yetzirah). But after the Temple was built the Merkavah was born aloft by five angels (and in a higher world – Beriah). This is why our verse uses two contradictory terms – דַלַּת (dalat) from the word dal meaning ‘down-trodden and poor’ and אַרְגָּמָן ‘royal purple,’ suggesting majesty and even opulence. The first term דַלַּת is during the time of

exile, while the term אַרְגָּמָן (argaman) refers to the era when the Temple stood.

(Zohar I, p. 113a, Midrash Ne’elam)

Alternatively, the Tikunei Zohar analyzes the very first word of the Torah, בראשית (Bereishit – “In the beginning”) and finds that it bears 70 different permutations, or Tikunim (rectifications), each of which is explained in that work. The thirteenth Tikun of the word  בראשי”תis the permutation that spells אשר”י ב”ת (ashrei bat) “happy is the daughter” – which is the soul. Ashrei is the happiness mentioned in the verse (Psalms 1:1) אשרי האיש – “Happy is the Man…” referring to the very loftiest levels, as in the verse (Exodus 3:14) אֶהְיֶה, אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה “I will be what I will be” i.e. the unknowable, eternal One, the beginning of all beginnings.[590] Regarding this our verse states ‘Your beginning is like kernels fresh and full’ which alludes to the tefillin (phylacteries) placed on the head, which declare and emphasize the unity and omnipotence of G-d. ‘And they are drawn from there like royal purple’ which alludes to the tefillin (phylacteries) placed on the arm. With these the daughter the soul is praised with the words “happy is she,” and this is why the verse (Genesis 30:13) states, “Young girls will consider me happy” – referring to Leah’s statement after her handmaid Zilpah bore Jacob a second son whom she name “Asher,” meaning happiness.

(Tikunei Zohar p. 27b)

Alternatively, “Your beginning…” alludes to the verse (Psalms 119:160)  ראשׁ דְּבָרְךָ אֱמֶת “Your very first utterance is truth…” “Drawn from there like royal purple” refers to the Shechinah; “king” refers to Abraham; “bound” refers to Isaac when he was bound at the Akeidah – the binding of Isaac, when Abraham was tested to see if he would be willing to give up even the life of his son out of devotion to the Almighty. Of course this was only a test and as soon as Abraham showed that he was willing the action was stopped, so that Isaac was only bound on the altar but was never offered up. (See Genesis ch. 22). This also alludes to binding the tefillin (phylacteries) on the left arm (since Isaac represents the left side, the side of gevurah). And בָּרְהָטִים – translated above as “[bound] with ropes” is now given a different meaning – ‘channels.’ “In the channels” alludes to Jacob and to the four channels of the tefillin that go on the head, since the verse (Genesis 30:38) states בָּרֳהָטִים בְּשִׁקֲתוֹת הַמָּיִם – “near the watering troughs [where the flocks came to drink].”

 (Tikunei Zohar p. 144b)

 

7:7  מַה יָּפִית וּמַה נָּעַמְתְּ אַהֲבָה בַּתַּעֲנוּגִים  – How lovely and how pleasant is love with soul-delight

Rabbi Levi said: When the neshama (the soul) is in its pristine state in the Garden of Eden it is nourished by the light from above from the radiance of the Shechinah (the divine Presence) in which it is clothed. And when it returns to the body in the future at the time of Techiyat haMeitim (the Resurrection of the Dead), it will enter into that very same garment of light. Then the body will shine like the radiance of the heavens, as the verse (Daniel 12:3) states, “The wise will shine like the radiance of the firmament…” and man will attain complete knowledge, as the verse (Isaiah 11:9) states, “The earth will be filled with the knowledge of G-d like the water covers the sea-bed.” Now how do we know this? From the verse (Isaiah 58:11) that states, “Then G-d will guide you always, and He will satiate your soul in times of drought” – this is by way of the light from above. “And He will strengthen your bones” – this is the special providence He will grant to the body at the time of Techiyat haMeitim (the Resurrection of the Dead). In other words, the soul with its great radiance will enter the body. “And you will be like a well-watered garden and like a spring whose waters never fail.” This is knowledge of the blessed Creator which will satiate the soul. Then people the creatures in the original will know that the soul that has entered into them is a living soul, the soul of supernal delight that received its delight from Above and this will constantly invigorate the body, so that everyone will be amazed and will declare, “How lovely and how pleasant is love with soul-delight.” This will be the soul’s activity in the future. Rabbi Yehuda said: Come and see that this is what the soul will do in the future – that it will constantly invigorate the body – as the previous verse states, “like a king bound with ropes is the soul” alluding to the body in the grave. This is then followed by our verse explaining “How lovely and how pleasant is love with soul-delight” when the body will become lovely and pleasant, instead of its former state as a putrid heap.

Rabbi Yehuda said further: at that time in the future the blessed Holy One will rejoice in His world and with His creatures, as the verse (Psalms 104:31) states “G‑d will rejoice in His works,” and then there will be joy throughout the world, which is not the case now, as the verse (Psalms 126:2) states: “Then our mouths will be filled with laughter…” i.e. then, in the future, but not now.

There are three types of love spoken about in the Torah, all mentioned in the verse (Deuteronomy 6:5) “You shall love the Lord your G-d with all your heart, with all your soul, and with everything you have.”[591] The Zohar[592] notes that these are three very distinct types of love, called ahavat olam, worldly love’ – love prompted by contemplating the wonders of the creation and the gift of life; ahavah rabba, ‘great love’ – love that is embedded within the soul as an inheritance from those great lovers of G-d, the Patriarchs; ahavah b’ta’anugim – ‘love with soul-delight’ is a love and devotion that transcends the person’s entire being. Kabbalistic works explain these as functions of malchut, ze’ir anpin and binah respectively.[593] Chassidic works define ahavat olam as love that is aroused by the intellect, i.e. through contemplation of the G-dliness embedded in Creation.[594] Ahavah rabba is love that that transcends intellect. Its source is in the Will and it is aroused by contemplating the G-dliness that transcends the worlds. Ahavah b’ta’anugim – ‘love with soul-delight’ is the delight a person experiences closeness to G-d in the inner recesses of his or her soul and that delight manifests itself throughout the person’s being.[595]

(Zohar I, p. 114a, Midrash Ne’elam)

7:8  זֹאת קוֹמָתֵךְ דָּמְתָה לְתָמָר – Your stature is like a date-palm

Rabbi Yehuda began: “Your stature is like a date-palm…” How beloved is Knesset Yisrael the Israelite community before the blessed Holy One because they do not detach themselves from Him. This is just like the date-palm, where the male and female components are never apart, and you never find one without the other. The date-palm is dioecious, i.e. having separate male and female plants. Natural pollination requires both plants to grow in close proximity.[596] Furthermore, the fruits are diploid, meaning that they have two sets of chromosomes, one set from each parent (male and female). In the same way Knesset Yisrael is never apart from the blessed Holy One, which is the mystical secret of the unity of ze’ir anpin and malchut. Now although ze’ir anpin and malchut can be found apart from each other, especially during the time of exile, nevertheless, the spiritual structure of malchut is embedded within ze’ir anpin, and likewise ze’ir anpin within malchut – even when they are separated.[597]

(Zohar II, p. 126a)

 

The following teaching was shared with Rabbi Shimon’s circle by the soul of the Prophet Eliyahu (Elijah) who comes back to earth on occasion to teach the secrets of the Torah.

Eliyahu (Elijah) began his discourse. He prayed: Master of the Universe! May it be Your will that I speak clearly and truthfully, as is proper. May they all – all the secrets I reveal – properly measure and weigh i.e. describe the stature of the Shechinah. He began: What is the meaning of ‘like a date-palm’? Why is the stature of the Shechinah compared specifically to a date-palm? However, this is not the comparison that is meant here. Instead, our verse compares the Shechinah to the one about whom the verse (Psalms 92:13) states, “The righteous Tsaddik will flourish like a palm-tree” when it is in the following state, described in the Torah (Leviticus 23:40) as kapot temarim – also called a lulav – the tightly-bound spear-like palm-leaves at the very top of the tree before they unfold into palm fronds. This is one of the four species mentioned in that verse that is used during the Festival of Succot (Tabernacles). Technically, the Tsaddik and the lulav are both the sefirah of yesod, which communes with malchut by eliciting the power of da’at above to consummate the yichud (communion). ‘Your stature’ the stature of the Shechinah is certainly comparable to the lulav where there is no interruption or separation since the palm-spear is still tightly-bound. In other words, no room is given to impure external forces to cause any separation or interruption between yesod and malchut. Thus is was not for naught that the Sages of the Mishnah taught[598] that if leaves of the lulav have begun to split apart[599] or were torn away from the spine of the lulav[600] then the lulav is invalid for fulfilling the commandment, because this indicates that it is not in a unified (tightly bound) state.   

(Tikunei Zohar p. 134b)

 

 

7:8  וְשָׁדַיִךְ לְאַשְׁכֹּלוֹת – Your breasts are like clusters of dates

The Zohar does not explain this section of the verse explicitly, but perhaps it relies on the explanations of verse above (4:5) “Your two breasts are like two deer…” where the Zohar (Tikunei Zohar 14a) explained: These are the two Tablets of the Torah upon which the Ten Commandments are written. They are compared to breasts because just like a mother’s breasts are vital to the infant’s nurture, allowing it to grow and flourish, so too, the Tablets were vital for the spiritual growth and flourishing of the Israelites.^[601] An alternative explanation (Tikunei Zohar, 146a) compares the breasts to the Written Torah… and the Oral Torah, regarding which the verse there states, “Your two breasts are like two deer, the twins of a gazelle…

7:9  אָמַרְתִּי אֶעֱלֶה בְתָמָר – I said: up the palm-tree I will climb

The Zohar is in the middle of a discussion about the mitzvah (commandment) of taking the four species – the etrog (citron), lulav (palm-branch), hadassim (myrtle branches), aravot (willow branches) during the Festival of Succot (Tabernacles). Each one of these four corresponds to a part of the body: the etrog (citron) corresponds to the heart; the lulav (palm-branch) corresponds to the spine; the three myrtle branches correspond to the body and the two arms and regarding the parallel between the limbs of the body and the sefirot – these are tiferet, chesed and gevurah respectively. The leaves of the myrtle branches correspond to the eyes and the eye-lids and are the representation of the sefirot in the head: tiferet (the eyes), chesed and gevurah the eye-lids of the right and left eyes. All of these are used in the mindful meditation on this mitzvah to ascend “the Tree” (the Tree of Life). Therefore the word אֶעֱלֶה – “I will climb (or ascend)” comprises the initial letters of each of these four species in the following order: א’ אתרוג; ע’ ערבות; ל’ לולב; ה’ הדסים – etrog (citron), aravot (willow branches), lulav (palm-branch), hadassim (myrtle branches). All four of them serve as the four species aspects of the Merkava Divine ‘Chariot’ i.e. vehicle for the revelation of Godliness, upon which He God in His Ineffable Name Havaye rides.

(Tikunei Zohar p. 29b)

 

7:9  אֹחֲזָה בְּסַנְסִנָּיו – I will grasp its petioles

Petioles are the leaf stems that attach the leaves to the palm-trunk. With time the petioles dry out and break off to form the rough surface of the palm-tree trunk, as we explained in an earlier footnote.

The Zohar does not comment on this part of the verse, but the Arizal[602] explains that the word אֹוחֲזָה (in the plene form, i.e. with a vav) has the numerical value (gematria[603]) of 27 – corresponding to the 27 letters of the Hebrew alphabet (including the 5 end letters מנצפ”ך). He adds that the word סַנְסִנָּיו is actually a Holy Name from which copious light emerges when contemplated properly. All of this suggests that one who knows the secrets can ascend the Tree using the letters in specific permutations and by focusing on Holy Names.

7:9  וְיִהְיוּ נָא שָׁדַיִךְ כְּאֶשְׁכְּלוֹת הַגֶּפֶן – May your breasts be like clusters of the vine

The Zohar does not comment on this part of the verse.

7:9  וְרֵיחַ אַפֵּךְ כַּתַּפּוּחִים – And the fragrance of your presence is like apples

The word אַפֵּךְ can be rendered in a number of ways: it can mean ‘anger’ as in חֲרוֹן אַף (Numbers 25:4; 32:14; Isaiah 13:9; 48:12 etc.); it can mean ‘your nose’; it can mean ‘your face or countenance’ as in וַיִּשְׁתַּחוּ אַפַּיִם (Genesis 19:1; 42:6; I Samuel 24:8 etc.); and it can mean ‘your presence’[604] as in (Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 5:7) לֹא יִהְיֶה לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים עַל פָּנָי – “You shall not acknowledge the gods of others in My presence.”

In the context of the offerings brought onto the Altar the verse (Numbers 28:2) states: “My offerings, a food-offering consumed by fire, a pleasing aroma to Me…” Rabbi Yudai explained: Every fire-offering produces smoke, an aroma and that which is pleasing to God. Each of these words (or phrases) alludes to a different type of person. ‘Smoke’ alludes to those who arouse Divine ire, as the verse (Deuteronomy 29:19) states: “God’s smoking anger will be aroused…” – these are the ones who ‘benefit’ from the smoke. People who are critical and judgmental take as perverse enjoyment in arousing Divine anger against others, for smoke causes anger in the nostrils it arouses the Divine power that is represented by smoking anger which is symbolized (even in modern memes) by smoke coming out of the nostrils. An aroma alludes to those who are called ‘apples.’ This alludes to the pleasing aroma of the offerings rising to the ‘Holy Apple Orchard,’ i.e. the Garden of Eden. Rabbi Abba said: Accordingly the verse does not say they are apples, but rather they are like apples, for the ‘Holy Apple Orchard’ obviously has no actual apples, as our verse states, “And the fragrance of Your presence in the Garden of Eden is like apples.”

(Zohar III, p. 242a)

 

 

7:10  וְחִכֵּךְ כְּיֵין הַטּוֹב הוֹלֵךְ לְדוֹדִי לְמֵישָׁרִים – Like fine wine is Your palate, going to my Beloved direct

‘Palate’ is used here metaphorically, signifying that this is the wine of Torah, which is good in ways that will be explained shortly. Therefore ‘palate’ refers to an elevated level above, which the Ramak[605] identifies as chochmah (Divine wisdom). There are several levels of Torah understanding, compared to various types of food that are necessary to sustain human life and make it enjoyable. Torah is sometimes compared to bread[606] and sometimes to water.[607] These two refer to revealed aspects of Torah,[608] the guidelines for daily life, just like bread and water which are necessary to sustain life. The Torah is also compared to wine[609] and is called ‘the wine of Torah’, meaning the secrets of the Torah,[610] just as wine is hidden in the grapes and must be squeezed out (also see above 1:2; 5:16). This level of Torah is reserved for holy endeavors, just as wine is reserved for sanctification and to give enjoyment, as the verse (Psalms 104:15) states: “And wine gladdens the heart of man…” Note that the gematria[611] of the word for “wine” and the word for “secret” are identical. Other types of wine are not good – other types of chochmah (wisdom) purport to bring a person closer to the Almighty, or to reveal mystical secrets, but merely make a person drunk or foolish,[612] whereas the wine of Torah – the secrets of the Torah, expounded in Kabbalah – is good for everyone, and it is good in this world and good in the World to Come. This is the ‘wine’ that pleases the blessed Holy One the most. With the merit of satiating oneself with this wine of Torah, a person will arise in the World to Come, since he will merit eternal life when the blessed Holy One awakens the saintly Tsaddikim – this is the meaning of “going to my Beloved direct,” as will be further explained below.

 (Zohar III, p. 39a)

 

7:10  דּוֹבֵב שִׂפְתֵי יְשֵׁנִים – Whispering on the lips of those asleep

Continuing the above theme, Rabbi Yehuda said: “Whispering on the lips of those asleep” – we learned that even in that world after death they will merit to study Torah. This is the meaning of the verse: “Whispering on the lips of those asleep.” Because they learned the secrets of the Torah, which is called the Tree of Life,[613] even in death their lips will review the secrets of the Torah they learned in this world.

 

7:10  וְחִכֵּךְ כְּיֵין הַטּוֹב הוֹלֵךְ לְדוֹדִי לְמֵישָׁרִים – Like fine wine is Your palate, going to My beloved in fairness

Note the changes in translation of the verse from the way we translated it above (‘My’ is now capitalized and ‘beloved’ is not; ‘in fairness’ instead of direct). It will soon become clear why this was necessary.

A young lad transporting honey on a donkey joined Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Yitzchak who were traveling from Meron to Tzippori. When he heard the above teaching that young lad remarked: If the verse would have said “…is from fine wine” that they will merit whispering words of Torah even in death, then I could say that which you said. But it says instead: “…is like fine wine,” not “from fine wine.” They Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Yitzchak mulled over what the young boy had said, and realized that he must know something they didn’t know. Rabbi Yehuda said to the boy: Speak up, you make a good point!

The boy spoke: I heard that someone who makes an effort in Torah study, and he embraces it, those words of Torah should be heard audibly from his mouth, not whispered. If he raises his voice when he learns i.e. he learns out loud, then the Torah will raise his voice, as the verse (Proverbs 1:21) states, “It cries out at the head of noisy throngs,” singing the song of Torah out loud, and not in a whisper. And this is how it is like good wine, because good wine is not silent as it ferments – it bubbles in a lively way[614] – and in the future it will raise its voice. Accordingly, the verse should be understood thus: Your palate – by expressing the words of Torah out loud – is like fine wine. Then, when it leaves this world, “to my Beloved it will go direct” – straight to the Garden of Eden, without deviating to the right or to the left. Instead it ascends directly via the breath that uttered the words of Torah out loud, and nothing will prevent it from ascending. The Ramak explains that when a person learns Torah out loud, his breath creates a ‘ladder’ reaching up to the heavens upon which his soul ascends every night when he sleeps (like the ladder in Jacob’s dream), and also when he falls into the deep sleep of death. The same breath with which he uttered words of Torah will also protect the ascent of the soul – “nothing will prevent it.” And this is the meaning of “going to my Beloved direct” – it orients the soul directly towards her Beloved without deviating right or left and without any obstacles in the way.

But another way of explaining the verse is this: Alternatively, the verse “Like fine wine is Your palate” refers not to Divine wisdom, as in the explanation above, but to Knesset Yisrael the Community of Israel above i.e. malchut and/or the Shechinah, and it is uttered in praise of her. If so, who then is praising her in this manner? If it is the blessed Holy One praising her, what is the meaning of the next section of the verse, “to my Beloved direct?” It should state, “to Me direct!” However, it is certainly the blessed Holy One praising Knesset Yisrael, just as she praises Him, saying (Song of Songs 5:16): “His palate is sweet, and He is all delight,” so too He praises her, saying “Like fine wine is your palate.” ‘Fine wine’ is the wine that is guarded in the grape – i.e. gevurot (severities) that have been rectified and sweetened – and this wine goes to My beloved, to Isaac the paradigm of sweetened gevurot in the Torah who is called ‘beloved’ from the womb, as the verses (Genesis 27:25, 27) state: “…and he [Jacob] brought him [Isaac] wine and he drank… and he [Isaac] blessed him [Jacob].” For when gevurot have been sweetened, they elicit great love and affection (from binah primarily, the sweetened origin of the gevurot)[615].

And this is the meaning of fairness in this latter context, as you say (in Psalms 99:4) “You founded fairness” (meisharim), which indicates the inclusion of the left within the right – this is fairness since it applies the law in a fair way, not in a harsh way. And because of the joy aroused by the good wine when the left is merged into the right, everyone all the supernal clusters of sefirot called the partzufim rejoices, so that all the worlds are in a state of joy due to the unification (yichud) of these two opposite elements and the sweetening of the gevurot, and so they are all aroused to pour out blessings below upon those who brought about the yichud and the sweetening.

Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Yitzchak came and kissed the lad on his head and beamed in delight over him. They asked him his name and he replied “Yeisa.” They responded, “Rabbi Yaisa will be your name from now on…”

(Zohar III, p. 39a-b)

 

7:11  אֲנִי לְדוֹדִי וְעָלַי תְּשׁוּקָתוֹ – I am for my Beloved, and His desire is for me

Come and see the meaning of the verse “I am for my Beloved, and His desire is for me” – first, “I am for my Beloved” we are the ones who needs to initiate the relationship by devoting ourselves to the One above. Only then, “and His desire is for me” – only after I have initiated the relationship is there a response from above. Practically speaking, what does it mean that we have to initiate the relationship? “I am for my Beloved” by first arranging a space for Him so to speak. Ideally, this was the Tabernacle, regarding which the verse (Exodus 25:8) states, first, “Make for me a Temple” and only then “and His desire is for me” in other words, “and [then] I will dwell among them.”[616]

Alternatively, the Shechinah declares “I am for my beloved” the righteous Tsaddikim, upon whom the Shechinah rests. For we learned that the Shechinah does not rest upon the wicked. But when a person comes to purify himself and become closer to the blessed Holy One, then the Shechinah rests upon him, as the verse states first, “I am for my Beloved,”  by striving to purify myself and bring myself closer to Him, and only then “and His desire is for me” as the Sages state (Talmud Shabbat 104a) “One who comes to purify himself is purified.”[617] And similarly, “Open up for Me [even as tiny an opening as] the eye of a needle, and I will open up for you like wide-open barn doors.”[618]

(Zohar I, p. 88b)

An alternative explanation, the polar opposite of the above, is also offered: “I am for my Beloved, and His desire is for me” – what brings about my total devotion to my Beloved? Because, “His desire is for me,” and we the Jewish People respond to His initial overtures, as the verse (Hosea 11:1) states: “Since Israel was a lad I loved him, and since Egypt I have been calling out to My son.”

These two points of view highlight contrasting approaches to one’s Divine service, both of which are valid, and each of which is appropriate for different times and circumstances. One approach is to wait for the arousal from above. This is appropriate at a time of spiritual immaturity, as for example, when the Israelites were in Egypt and were extracted from there and given the Torah in miraculous ways (as in the verse from Hosea quoted above). The other approach is to seek out the Divine Presence by constructing the appropriate space for Him, such as building the Temple, as explained above.

(Zohar III, p. 132b)

 

The following is a short extract from the beginning of a long discourse – Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s last before he passed away – in a very deep and esoteric section called the Idra Zuta.

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai (Rashbi) began his discourse citing our verse: “I am for my Beloved, and His desire is for me” – throughout my life in this world i.e. as a soul within a body I was bound to the blessed Holy One with a single bond. Commentaries explain that not only does this mean that Rabbi Shimon was always in a state of deveikut [i.e. filled with G-d-consciousness so that he communed with G-d at all times], it also means that each and every day he achieved a deeper and more lofty level of deveikut than the previous day.[619] And therefore now, just before his passing, “His desire is for me.” And the proof thereof is that He and all of His holy entourage of souls from the Heavenly Academy (these are the souls of Tsaddikim)  have come to listen with joy to the mysteries that Rabbi Shimon was about to reveal, after which he would ascend with them to the Heavenly Academy. The remainder of the discourse is unfortunately beyond the scope of this commentary due to its esoteric nature and depth.

(Zohar III, p. 288b)

7:12  לְכָה דוֹדִי נֵצֵא הַשָּׂדֶה נָלִינָה בַּכְּפָרִים  – Let me go then my Beloved, to the fields we will go down, then we will lodge in the towns

There are two very cryptic comments on this verse in the Zohar – one in the Midrash Ne’elam and the other in the Hashmatot (Addenda). The latter is a comment on the Sefer Habahir[620] and seems to be missing some words. Neither of the comments seem to shed much light on the meaning of this verse.

The Arizal, however, comments as follows: The word לְכָה (‘let me go’) is the same letters as כָּלָה kallah (a bride) because every Sabbath eve malchut becomes a kallah – a bride to her groom ze’ir anpin – i.e. there is a yichud, an integration and unification of these sefirot (paralleling the conjugal coupling – called zivug – of a bride and groom on the wedding night, and a husband and wife on Sabbath night). At that time she is in the field ­ – the Garden of Eden[621] – and men of spiritual stature (i.e. those capable of performing this yichud) should go out to the field to greet the bride bring her in to their home. During the time of zivug on Sabbath night, an additional radiance descends and illuminates the level of soul called neshama. On the eve of the Sabbath (with sundown) one receives an extra radiance in nefesh (the lowest level of soul), as the verse (Exodus 31:17) states שָׁבַת וַיִּנָּפַשׁ. Translated literally the verse means: “On the seventh day He [G-d] rested and was refreshed.” But the Arizal delves much deeper into the meaning of the verse – that on the eve of the Sabbath וַיִּנָּפַשׁ – vayinafash – an extra aspect of nefesh is granted to those who are preparing for the Sabbath. Later, in the evening prayers, a higher level of soul – ruach – is drawn down. Later yet, at the time of zivug, and even higher level – neshama – is drawn down. Through zivug this neshama will be born. Accordingly the initial letters of the verse לְכָה דוֹדִי נֵצֵא הַשָּׂדֶה spell out the word נלד”ה – she (the neshama) will be born. And the end letters spell out the Divine Name אהי”ה, since it is from there that the neshama is born. Furthermore, the initials of the next two words of the verseנָלִינָה בַּכְּפָרִים spell out the word ב”ן ben (a son). In other words, through their zivug a child is born to them.[622]

 

7:13  נַשְׁכִּימָה לַכְּרָמִים נִרְאֶה אִם פָּרְחָה הַגֶּפֶן פִּתַּח הַסְּמָדַר הֵנֵצוּ הָרִמּוֹנִים  – Let us go early to the vineyards; let us see if the vines have budded, whether the buds have opened, if the pomegranates have blossomed.

This section of the Tikunei Zohar records a long discussion between Rabbi Shimon (Rashbi) and the souls of several Sages who came down from the Garden of Eden to reveal mysteries of the Torah to Rabbi Shimon and his colleagues. The current discussion regards the final redemption[623] and how it will be different from the previous ones.

The Shechinah is talking here: During each of the previous exiles He Godliness as revealed in the partzuf of ze’ir anpin left me malchut / the Shechinah and I would enquire inquire of every passerby the Tsaddikim who make an effort to reunite ze’ir anpin and malchut or the Shechinah in a lasting yichud as the verse (Song of Songs 3:4) states, “I had just moved on from them when I found the One whom my soul loves” and the yichud endured for some time. However, the time came after the destruction of the Second Temple that I could not find anyone, not even a single Tsaddik, who could tell me anything about Him. The damage caused by the destruction was so great that even Tsaddikim were confused thereby and lost their power of Prophecy and Divine Inspiration.[624] I would make the inhabitants of the city of Jerusalem – alluding to Tsaddikim – swear an oath, as the verse (Song of Songs 5:8) states, “I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem: If you find my Beloved, you should tell Him I am sick with love.” And at other times “Upon my bed at night ‘night’ alludes to the exile I sought the One whom my soul loves; Him I sought but I did not find” as the verse (Song of Songs 3:1) states, but no one could tell me where I could find Him i.e. there was no one who could arouse the yichud from below, until He came of His own accord to be with me – on the Sabbath and the Festival days.

That was all as regards previous exiles. But now, in the last exile, my Beloved has withdrawn Himself in anger, for this final exile has dragged on for centuries (since the destruction of the Second Temple) and we have no idea when it will end. And so I ask for His sake “If you find my Beloved you should tell Him I am sick with love.” But no one could tell me anything i.e. no one could arouse the yichud from below, as we explained. And for this reason I swore an oath that the next time my Beloved appears, with the final redemption, I will grasp Him by the arm so that He cannot leave, as the verse (Song of Songs 3:4) states, “I will grasp Him and not let Him leave” ever again. ‘I will grasp Him by the arm’ refers to the tefillin phylacteries of the arm, corresponding to malchut ‘and not let Him leave’ refers to the tefillin phylacteries of the head corresponding to ze’ir anpin. The implication is that the ordinary man, not only the Tsaddikim, will bring about this yichud (unification) through fulfilling the mitzvot.

Come and see: when her Beloved comes to her, He will say to the two Messiahs the first is the descendant of Joseph, and he will prosecute the war against the forces of evil (and may be killed in the process[625]), and the second the descendant of David – “let us go early to the vineyards” let us bring the redemption earlier, rather than let it take is natural course and perhaps take place only later. ‘The vineyards’ refers to the Israelites, regarding whom the verse (Isaiah 5:7) states, “The vineyard of the Lord, Master of Legions, is the House of Israel” who have kept God’s covenant during the Exile, and have not caused the vineyard to become corrupted. “Let us see if the vines have budded” – this is the Shechinah among them. Let us see if the Shechinah has thrived and grown due to their good deeds. “If the pomegranates have blossomed” – these are the ordinary folk who are as full of mitzvot (the practical commandments) as a pomegranate is full of seeds. And this applies even to those who are referred to as sinners – even they are as full of mitzvot as a pomegranate is full of seeds.[626]

(Tikunei Zohar, p. 144a. GRA, Kisei Melech, Matok Mid’vash)

 

7:13  שָׁם אֶתֵּן אֶת דֹּדַי לָךְ –There I will give you those devoted to Me

Here the blessed holy One is replying to the Shechinah: There, at the moment of the redemption, ‘I will give you those devoted to Me’ referring to those saintly Tsaddikim who serve Me out of love (not merely out of fear or out of a sense of duty). When the complete redemption arrives, ‘I will give you those saintly Tsaddikim as your chaperone to lead you (the Shechinah) under the wedding canopy (the chuppah) and there the Bride and Groom will marry, so to speak.

(Tikunei Zohar p.144a)

Alternatively, in a discussion of the various heichalot (chambers) above, the Zohar describes and explains the Chamber of Love (Heichal haAhavah), which is under the supervision of a number of angels appointed to specific tasks. This spirit or angel closes the doors of the chamber, withholding the flow from those below, or opens the doors of the chamber, allowing those below to access the flow of love from above. All of the supernal keys are given into his hand so that he can distribute this goodness to those who love God. Three times a day at the three times of daily prayer, all of the lower forces spirits and angels are integrated into him and they come under his auspices, and via him they are sustained. And all the secrets of his Master exist there and he is in charge of distributing them to those who love God. All the outflow of goodness is also in his hands. This spirit is named Ahava love, and for this reason the chamber is called the Chamber of Love. And it is here that the mystical of all the secrets is kept, as the verse states, “There I will give you those devoted to Me” – in other words, from there I will divulge these secrets of the Torah to those devoted to Me.

(Zohar II, p. 253a, Heichalot d’Kedusha)

7:14  הַדּוּדָאִים נָתְנוּ רֵיחַ – The beloved ones gave forth their perfume

Rabbi Yitzchak began: “The beloved ones gave forth their perfume…” Our Rabbis taught that in the future the blessed Holy One will bring the dead back to life, and shake the dust off them. This latter phrase ‘shake the dust off them’ means that they will not be built out of dust any longer – something which does not endure – as they were when they were originally created, as the verse (Genesis 2:7) states, “And the Lord God formed man from the dust of the earth.” But at that time at the time of the Resurrection of the Dead they will be cleansed of that building material our physicality as we know it and we will be established as a structure that will endure, as the verse (Isaiah 52:2) states, “Shake the dust from yourself; arise and seat yourself O Jerusalem.” Their existence will come alive, and they will rise up from the earth to receive their souls in the Land of Israel. At that time the blessed Holy One will pour all types of perfumes from the Garden of Eden upon them, as our verse states, הַדּוּדָאִים נָתְנוּ רֵיחַ – The beloved ones gave forth their perfume. Rabbi Yitzchak said: Don’t read it as הַדּוּדָאִים literally, ‘the mandrakes’ but as הַדּוֹדִים – ‘the beloved ones.’ This refers to the body and the soul together, for they will be beloved friends to each other, instead of arch enemies, where the soul struggles to control the bodily appetites in the service of God.

(Zohar I, p. 134b, Midrash Ne’elam)

Alternatively, this could be interpreted literally, as “the mandrakes gave their perfume.” The Torah relates that one day Reuven (Jacob’s firstborn) went out into the fields and found some mandrakes (traditionally regarded as a cure for infertility or as an aphrodisiac). He brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel asked her sister Leah to sell her the mandrakes (duda’im) for Rachel letting Jacob lie with Leah that night instead of with her (Rachel). It was these – the exchange of the mandrakes – that led to Leah conceiving that night and bringing Yissachar into the world. When he grew up, Yissachar became the paradigm of a Torah scholar, and because of the scent of Torah that rose before the blessed Holy One from Yissachar’s diligent study, the verse states, “the mandrakes gave their perfume.”

(Zohar I, p. 156b)

7:14  וְעַל פְּתָחֵינוּ כָּל מְגָדִים חֲדָשִׁים גַּם יְשָׁנִים דּוֹדִי צָפַנְתִּי לָךְ – At our openings are all the delights, new and also old,[627] that my Beloved has hidden for you

Following the first interpretation of the verse above that this refers to the Resurrection of the Dead, Rabbi Yehuda said: These are the bodies that stand at the opening of their grave to receive their souls. Presumably these would be the bodies of those buried in Israel, since only they will receive their souls immediately, whereas those buried in the Diaspora will have to wait until they are brought (miraculously) to Israel.

(Zohar I, p. 134b, Midrash Ne’elam)

Alternatively, as mentioned earlier, the Tribe of Yissachar produced numerous Torah scholars. They were the ones who brought about the blessing that all delights would be “At our openings” – on our doorsteps. How so? By ensuring that “at our openings” – within the doors of our Synagogues and Houses of Study there will always be delights – delightful insights into and explanations of Torah to satisfy the soul.

“New and also old” – new insights and also the ancient wisdom of Torah was revealed by them that would bring Israel the Jewish People closer to their Father in Heaven, as the verse (I Chronicles 12:33) states, “Men with understanding of the times to know what Israel should do…”

“That my Beloved has hidden for you” – from here we learn that anyone who makes the proper effort in Torah study, and knows how to explain it, and who knows how to derive new insights – these matters rise to the Throne of the King and the doors are opened for Knesset Yisrael and they their words of Torah are stored away there until the time of yichud. When the blessed Holy One enters the Garden of Eden to delight in the souls of the saintly Tsaddikim there, then those words of Torah are brought before Him by the Shechinah, and he examines them and delights in them. Then He is crowned with supernal crowns of Torah, and He delights in the Shechinah, which is the mystery of yichud, as the verse states, “New and also old” – new insights and also the ancient wisdom of Torah, which My beloved the Shechinah has hidden away for her Beloved until the appropriate time.

(Zohar I, p. 243a)

Chapter 8

 

^א מִי יִתֶּנְךָ כְּאָח לִי יוֹנֵק שְׁדֵי אִמִּי אֶמְצָאֲךָ בַחוּץ אֶשָּׁקְךָ גַּם לֹא יָבוּזוּ לִי.

¹ If only You would be

Like a brother to me,

Nurtured at my mother’s breast,

When I find you outside

I will give you a kiss

And Me no one would chide.

 

^ב אֶנְהָגֲךָ אֲבִיאֲךָ אֶל בֵּית אִמִּי תְּלַמְּדֵנִי אַשְׁקְךָ מִיַּיִן הָרֶקַח מֵעֲסִיס רִמֹּנִי.

² I will lead Thee and come with Thee

To the house of my mother to teach me,

I will give you to drink of spiced wine

From the juice of a pomegranate tree.

 

^ג שְׂמֹאלוֹ תַּחַת רֹאשִׁי וִימִינוֹ תְּחַבְּקֵנִי.

³ His left hand is under my head, and His right arm embraces me.

 

^ד הִשְׁבַּעְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלָ‍ִם מַה תָּעִירוּ וּמַה תְּעֹרְרוּ אֶת הָאַהֲבָה עַד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ.

⁴ Daughters of Jerusalem, make your vows,

That you shall not rouse,

Nor stir up the love, until He shall so please.

^ה מִי זֹאת עֹלָה מִן הַמִּדְבָּר מִתְרַפֶּקֶת עַל דּוֹדָהּ

תַּחַת הַתַּפּוּחַ עוֹרַרְתִּיךָ שָׁמָּה חִבְּלַתְךָ אִמֶּךָ שָׁמָּה חִבְּלָה יְלָדַתְךָ.

⁵ Who is this,

Ascending from the wilderness,

Clinging to her Beloved?

Beneath the apple tree I aroused You,

There your mother conceived you

There she was in travail and brought you forth.

^ו שִׂימֵנִי כַחוֹתָם עַל לִבֶּךָ כַּחוֹתָם עַל זְרוֹעֶךָ

כִּי עַזָּה כַמָּוֶת אַהֲבָה, קָשָׁה כִשְׁאוֹל קִנְאָה

רְשָׁפֶיהָ רִשְׁפֵּי אֵשׁ שַׁלְהֶבֶתְיָה.

⁶ Set me as a seal upon Your heart,

As a seal upon Your arm above,

For as powerful as death is love,

And jealousy is as hard as from the grave to depart.

Her flames are flames of fire,

Ablaze for the Lord, who is her desire.

^ז מַיִם רַבִּים לֹא יוּכְלוּ לְכַבּוֹת אֶת הָאַהֲבָה וּנְהָרוֹת לֹא יִשְׁטְפוּהָ אִם יִתֵּן אִישׁ אֶת כָּל הוֹן בֵּיתוֹ בָּאַהֲבָה בּוֹז יָבוּזוּ לוֹ.

⁷ Many waters cannot extinguish the love,

And rivers cannot wash it away.

If a man will attempt

To give away his entire house for love,

He will earn nothing but contempt.

^ח אָחוֹת לָנוּ קְטַנָּה וְשָׁדַיִם אֵין לָהּ מַה נַּעֲשֶׂה לַאֲחֹתֵנוּ בַּיּוֹם שֶׁיְּדֻבַּר בָּהּ.

⁸ We have a little sister

And no virtue does she possess.

What shall we do for our sister on the day

That her prospect will have His say?

 

^ט אִם חוֹמָה הִיא נִבְנֶה עָלֶיהָ טִירַת כָּסֶף

וְאִם דֶּלֶת הִיא נָצוּר עָלֶיהָ לוּחַ אָרֶז.

⁹ If she is a wall we will build upon her

a silver parapet,

But if she is a door we shall enclose her with panels of cedar.

^י אֲנִי חוֹמָה וְשָׁדַי כַּמִּגְדָּלוֹת אָז הָיִיתִי בְעֵינָיו כְּמוֹצְאֵת שָׁלוֹם

¹⁰ I am a wall, and my virtues are like towers,

So I was in His eyes as one in whom peace flowers.

 

^יא כֶּרֶם הָיָה לִשְׁלֹמֹה בְּבַעַל הָמוֹן נָתַן אֶת הַכֶּרֶם לַנֹּטְרִים אִישׁ יָבִא בְּפִרְיוֹ אֶלֶף כָּסֶף.

¹¹ The King to Whom peace belongs had a vineyard

Among the many angels,

And He placed a guard

Over that vineyard

Where each fruit would bring

A thousand delights to the soul.

 

^יב כַּרְמִי שֶׁלִּי לְפָנָי הָאֶלֶף לְךָ שְׁלֹמֹה וּמָאתַיִם לְנֹטְרִים אֶת פִּרְיוֹ.

¹² My vineyard is before Me;

The thousand is for You, the King to Whom peace belongs,

And two hundred for those who guard its fruit.

^יג הַיּוֹשֶׁבֶת בַּגַּנִּים חֲבֵרִים מַקְשִׁיבִים לְקוֹלֵךְ הַשְׁמִיעִינִי.

¹³ To She who dwells in the Gardens

Let friends listen for your voice;

Make it audible to Me.

 

^יד בְּרַח דּוֹדִי וּדְמֵה לְךָ לִצְבִי אוֹ לְעֹפֶר הָאַיָּלִים עַל הָרֵי בְשָׂמִים.

¹⁴ My Beloved, flee,

And make Yourself be

Like a gazelle or a young hart

Upon the mountains of spice.

 

The eighth chapter of Shir HaShirim deals with some of the lowest points in our history – the beginning of the exile in Egypt and the subsequent exiles, including the future Roman exile (Galut Edom) in which we currently find ourselves – in contrast with Temple times. The Zohar also alludes to the substitute for the Temple service with which we will have to suffice during exile – the Torah, and particularly the Oral Torah and the mystical secrets of the Torah, which first became available to a broader audience during the exile. Part of the latter is the mystical secret of yichud (unification) which is mentioned below a number of times. However, the ability to achieve this is due to the merit of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs and is also achieved through attaching ourselves to holy tsaddikim in this world. The section concludes with the rewards the soul will gain through diligent Torah study and observing the Commandments.

 

8:1 מִי יִתֶּנְךָ כְּאָח לִי יוֹנֵק שְׁדֵי אִמִּי – If only You would be like a brother to me, nurtured at my mother’s breast.

The Zohar interprets the first verse of this chapter in a number of different ways – as a prayer expressed by the Jewish People; or as a prayer declared by the Shechinah (the Divine Presence as manifested in malchut); or as a prayer expressed by the supernal angels. The first explanation: This verse is a prayer expressed by the Community of Israel (Knesset Yisrael in the original, i.e. the Jewish People) to the King to Whom Peace belongs, the Blessed Holy One, that if only You would be like a supportive brother to me, like Yosef Joseph towards his brothers when he said Genesis 50:21), “So now, fear not – I will sustain you and your children,” even though his brothers did not treat him the way they should have. And indeed he gave them food in Canaan prior to them descending to Egypt, and he sustained them throughout the famine in Egypt, and continued to do so even after his father’s passing. Therefore, if only You would be like a supportive brother to me in our current exile, the same way that Yosef was to his brothers at the beginning of the Egyptian exile.

Alternatively, the discussion here is a more technical one, where the Shechinah declares: if only you Ze’ir Anpin, the cluster of sefirot from chesed to yesod, would be like a supportive brother to me, like Yosef was to the Shechinah, for he would commune with her and cling to her like a brother to a twin sister, both of whom were nurtured at their mother’s breast referring to the nourishment Ze’ir Anpin and Malchut (the Shechinah) – both received together from Imma-binah, so that there was the perfect bond of twin siblings between them.

(Zohar I, 184a)

 8:1 אֶמְצָאֲךָ בַחוּץ אֶשָּׁקְךָ גַּם לֹא יָבוּזוּ לִי – When I find you outside I will give you a kiss and no one will chide

The Blessed Holy One now replies: ‘When I find you the Jewish People outside,’ meaning in exile, in a foreign land where external and impure forces reign, ‘I will kiss you,’ in order to cause My spirit (ruach) to cling to your spirit (ruach). This is the mystical secret of yichud neshikin, the communion that is achieved primarily through prayer and Torah study^[628], which are done with the breath (ruach). This theme will be amplified in later verses. And no one will chide Me for doing so, even though we are in a foreign land where the lofty level of yichud neshikin is not generally found. Alternatively, this yichud neshikin can also be achieved through performing the mitzvot, which are external (‘outside’) in the sense that they are fulfilled largely through material things. Nevertheless, even there I will kiss you, and no one will protest.^[629]

(Zohar I, 184a, Rabbi Chaim Vital)

8:1 מִי יִתֶּנְךָ כְּאָח לִי יוֹנֵק שְׁדֵי אִמִּי אֶמְצָאֲךָ בַחוּץ אֶשָּׁקְךָ גַּם לֹא יָבוּזוּ לִי  – If only You would be like a brother to me, nurtured at my mother’s breast. When I find you outside I will give you a kiss and [me] no one will chide

Rabbi Elazar said: The angelic choir stood in silence, not uttering any song until Levi was born, for he was the master of song. But, when Levi was born and from then on, they did sing, although not in full and not constantly. However, when Moshe (Moses) was born, and then Aaron was anointed as High Priest, and the Levites were sanctified for their service in the Temple, then song was completed. The angels expressed their songs in full, and would also sing constantly. From then on, the angelic choir stood at their posts in an orderly manner.

Rabbi Elazar also said that when Levi was born, the angels above began expressing the wish that ‘if only you the Israelites could be like a supportive brother to me’ so that we could sing together – the angels in the Temple above and their ‘brothers in song’ – the Levites in the Tabernacle below. The purpose of Creation is fulfilled by the building of the Tabernacle and the service therein of those below, as the verse (Exodus 25:8) states, “They shall make for Me a Mikdash [Sanctuary] and I will dwell within them.^[630] Thus the angels needed the Temple service below to be able to accomplish their duties above, and this would enable them to be nurtured at my mother’s breast the outflow from malchut that sustains the angels. But in the meanwhile, when I find you the Israelites outside together with us the angels (since the Tabernacle was not yet constructed) I will give you a kiss for we will be like beloved brothers, and no one will chide the angels for singing an incomplete song. Now when the singers down below were selected from among the Levites, and all of them had been sanctified to serve in the Temple, and they stood at their post, then those the angels also became sanctified for their service in the Temple above, across from the Levites below, and they became friends and sang as one. Then the worlds too, the upper and lower worlds, became unified, and the one King rested upon them. When all this had been achieved Shlomo King Solomon came along and made a book from that song of the Israelites and the angels. This is the book of Shir haShirim, the Song of Songs, in which the wisdom of that song is sealed.

(Zohar II, 18b-19a, Ramak; Matok MiDevash)

 

 

8:2  אֶנְהָגֲךָ אֲבִיאֲךָ אֶל בֵּית אִמִּי תְּלַמְּדֵנִי – I will lead Thee and come with Thee to the house of my mother to teach me

The Zohar is in the middle of a discussion regarding the origin of prophecy in the supernal sefirot of netzach and hod of Atzilut that become manifested in Beriah and below as the teachings of the Oral Torah.

Prophets are situated in the two supernal extremities i.e. the source of their prophecy is in netzach and hod of Atzilut, which are called (in Patach Eliyahu^[631]) the two ‘thighs’ that support the holy Torah in a manner comparable to the way the thighs support the upper body. And they bring the prophetic spirit of netzach and hod of Atzilut to the chambers called zohar and nogah in the World of Beriah. And it is from these two chambers that the prophets actually receive their prophecy, for they are the two thighs netzach and hod on a lower level i.e. netzach and hod of Beriah which support the upper chambers that are called ‘the Oral Torah’ i.e. the ‘chambers’ of netzach and hod within malchut of Atzilut. For just as there are supports for the Written Torah i.e. the writings of the Prophets, which are netzach and hod of Atzilut, that support, expound upon and bring into reality the teachings found in the Five Books of Moses, the core of the Written Torah, so too there are supports for the Oral Torah –netzach and hod of Beriah. And the former are subsumed into the latter – netzach and hod of ze’ir anpin of Atzilut are clothed within netzach and hod of malchut of Atzilut, which are in turn clothed within netzach and hod of Beriah. When these two lower supports netzach and hod of Beriah connect to their supernal counterparts, netzach and hod of malchut of Atzilut, then an aspect of prophecy is manifested. And what is that aspect called? Vision, which is similar to prophecy, albeit on a much lower level, as the verses (Numbers 12:6-8) clearly indicate: “If there be prophets among you, in a vision I shall make Myself known to them; in a dream I shall speak with them. Not so My servant Moshe… Mouth to mouth do I speak to him…” All of those visions drive their nourishment from there from netzach and hod of Beriah. (Cf. Daniel 10:7 “I Daniel alone saw the vision…”). Thus above in netzach and hod of ze’ir anpin of Atzilut, and even in netzach and hod of malchut of Atzilut, there is prophecy, but here in netzach and hod of Beriah there is only vision…

Now those levels netzach and hod of Beriah are called Beraita meaning ‘outside of’ (from the Aramaic bar – outside), since they are ‘outside of’ Atzilut. Similarly, certain rabbinic teachings are also called Beraita (pl. beraitot), for they are outside of the Mishnah. The beraitot are authoritative rabbinical teachings, but were not included in the six orders of the Mishnah by Rabbi Yehudah haNassi (who compiled the Mishnah) because they were less succinct, or were stated better in another source which was selected as a Mishnah. Thus the Mishnah is the primary authoritative corpus of the Oral Torah, whereas the beraitot only elucidate or confirm the ruling of the Mishnah. Accordingly, the Mishnah is a higher status than the Beraita, and the latter can be called ‘the two thighs’ netzach and hod of Beriah or the outer chambers that support the Mishnah, which is netzach and hod of malchut of Atzilut. Thus the Mishnah stands within in malchut of Atzilut, for it teaches us the fundamental principles of the Written Torah which cannot be understood properly without the Oral Torah. And therefore the Tannaim the authors of the Mishnaic teachings are also at the level of malchut of Atzilut.

This is the mystical secret of our verse ‘I will lead Thee’ I will draw down the much holier and loftier levels of chochmah and bring Thee to the house of my mother, binah which is the Holy of Holies, to teach me – this is the secret of the Mishnah malchut of Atzilut. Thus, when the river – the outflow from binah – flows forth from the Holy of Holies to irrigate ze’ir anpin and malchut, then it states, ‘teach me.’ This then is the mystical secret of the Mishnah in that it brings out the primary principles of the Written Torah in a form that can be transmitted and studied orally. This is as the verse (Deuteronomy 17:18) states, “This Mishneh Torah…” – the Mishneh Torah is the book of Deuteronomy where Moshe reviews and teaches the entire Torah that he had absorbed to the Israelites, alluding to the Oral Torah. The words ‘this’ indicates something which is revealed and can be identified, i.e. the Oral Torah, which is malchut. And when this is drawn out even further, it is called Beraita, since the Mishnah is properly understood by learning the beraitot. And therefore the two thighs are called Beraita.

(Zohar II, 257b)

 

8:2  אַשְׁקְךָ מִיַּיִן הָרֶקַח מֵעֲסִיס רִמֹּנִי – I will give you to drink of spiced wine from the juice of a pomegranate tree

Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi said: Everything in the world comes to an end eventually, but Torah does not come to an end. And there is nothing as beloved to the Blessed Holy One as Torah and those who study it, as we have learned: To all those who occupy themselves with Torah on a daily basis, secrets from above will be newly revealed to them. The Torah says to such a person ‘I will give you to drink of spiced wine from the juice of a pomegranate tree.’ ‘Spiced wine’ is the wine of Torah that has been guarded in its grapes from the six days of Creation. These are matters that will be revealed to saintly people in the future. Torah is sometimes compared to bread (Proverbs 9:5), to water and milk (Isaiah 55:1) and to wine, as in this verse (and in Psalms 104:15). Each of these comparisons views the Torah from a different angle: as a basic necessity (bread and water); that which causes one to grow and mature (milk); and as one of the sources of joy in life (wine).^[632] In addition, the Zohar explains in several places that wine is a symbol of the mystical aspects of Torah.^[633]

Rabbi Bo arose and said: If this is so if wine symbolizes the secrets of Torah, then should one not rather say ‘wine that has been guarded in its grapes from the Mount Sinai when the Torah – including the mystical explanation of Torah – was first given? What is the meaning of ‘from the six days of Creation’?

Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi responded: These are the deep mystical secrets of the Creation that were not revealed to man, but the opportunity would arise for saintly tsadikkim to know them, like these scholars in this group who occupy themselves with Torah constantly – they know them…

And as Rabbi Yehuda taught: When any person occupies himself with studying Torah to his full capacity, his soul ascends on high so that when he is asleep they teach him the depths of Torah…

Rabbi Yitzchak added: When a person occupies himself with studying Torah for its own sake – lishma i.e. for the sake of the Torah itself, not to acquire fame or a position or riches etc. – when he sleeps at night his soul ascends on high and they the Heavenly Court shows him events that will take place in the future.

(Zohar Chadash, Noah 28a)

 

8:3  שְׂמֹאלוֹ תַּחַת רֹאשִׁי וִימִינוֹ תְּחַבְּקֵנִי – His left hand is under my head, and His right arm embraces me

Rabbi Chiya opened his discourse: The verse (Psalms 63:9) states, “My soul clings to You, and therefore Your right arm supported me” so that I will not falter. This verse needs to be examined more closely. “My soul clings to You” – King David ensured that his soul constantly clung to the Holy One blessed is He, and he wasn’t concerned at all about worldly matters, only that his soul and his will would cling to Him. And because he clung to the Holy One blessed is He, He supported him and did not abandon him. Accordingly, David declared that “Your right arm supported me.” From this a person should learn that when a person clings to the Holy One blessed is He, He the Holy One blessed is He, unifies Himself with him, and does not abandon him.

Another way of looking at this, according to the mystical aspects of Torah, is that when King David said “My soul clings to You” this was a prayer that the root of his soul in malchut would be crowned by the sefirot of ze’ir anpin above, because when malchut clings to the sefirot of ze’ir anpin above, then it ascends with them, and then the right hand chesed embraces her to lift her up and to attach to her with a single bond, as is ideal. The proof of this is in the verse (Psalms 139:10) “Your right hand grabbed ahold of me” to raise me up, and in the verse, “His right arm embraces me.” And therefore, the order of ascent is this: first, “Your right arm supported me” while I strove to ascend to my proper level, and once I became unified with the Holy One blessed is He i.e. when malchut had already ascended and attached herself to ze’ir anpin, only then is it written, “His left hand is under my head, and His right arm embraces me” in a single unity and bond.”

Commentaries explain that David tried to ensure that his in all his actions and his speech and thoughts he would attempt to model oneself on Him, as the Rambam writes in Hilchot De’ot (1:6): The Rabbis taught^[634] the following explanation of this commandment [‘To go in His ways’ (Deut. 28:9)]: “Just as He is called ‘Gracious,’ you too must be gracious. Just as He is called ‘Compassionate,’ you too must be compassionate. Just as He is called ‘Holy,’ you too must be holy.” In this way did the Prophets refer to the Almighty using many terms: “Slow to anger,” “Abundant in kindness,” “Just and Fair,” “Pure,” “Mighty,” and “Powerful,” and similar to these – in order to demonstrate that these are good and proper attributes to emulate, and that a person is obligated to accustom himself to act according to them, to imitate Him, according to his ability. See also Ramak Tomer Devorah ch. 2.^[635]

(Zohar I, 163b)

An alternative explanation: Rabbi Yose said: When there are many righteous people in the world the verse states, “His left hand is under my head, and His right arm embraces me.” But when the wicked multiply in the world, the verse (Lamentations 2:3) states, “He withdrew His right hand.”

(Zohar III, 74a)

Another explanation^[636]: Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai posed this question: Regarding Isaac the verse states (Genesis 24:67) “Isaac married Rebecca. She became his wife and he loved her.” Now since the verse states “She became his wife,” don’t we already know that he loved her? Every man in the world loves his wife! Why then in regard to Isaac in particular does it state this – “and he loved her”? However, the explanation is that arousing a man’s love for a woman is from the left side the side of gevurah,^[637] the attribute of Isaac,^[638] as it is written, “His left hand is under my head.” This is in addition to the embrace expressed in the verse, “His right arm – chesed – embraces me.” Darkness – the aspect of gevurah – and night – malchut – are as one, since the development of malchut (binyan hamalchut) is by way of the strength of gevurah^[639] and the left side (gevurah) arouses love constantly for the female aspect, i.e. malchut and unites with her. In this matter, even though Abraham loved Sarah, it is not written explicitly that he loved her. This is only written in regard to Isaac since it is the aspect of gevurah that arouses love for malchut. Now if you will say that concerning Jacob there is also a verse that states that he loved his wife (Genesis 29:18), “And Jacob loved Rachel” even though he was not of the aspect of gevurah, but rather from tiferet, the answer is that this is the aspect of Isaac i.e. gevurah in him in Jacob that brought this about since tiferet – Jacob’s attribute – is an amalgamation of chesed and gevurah.^[640] Come and see the proof thereof: When Abraham saw Sarah he only embraced her with his right arm (chesed embraced malchut), but did not yet accomplish full unification with her. But Isaac – gevurah – united with Rebecca bringing about a greater degree of yichud (unification) of gevurah and malchut. This is evident from the fact that he placed his left hand (gevurah) under her head, as our verse states, “His left hand is under my head, and His right arm (chesed) embraces me.” This is a more complete unification than Abraham achieved – Isaac added elevation – “His left hand is under my head – to raise the head,”^[641] compared to Abraham’s mere embrace. Subsequently after the rectifications that Abraham and Isaac had accomplished Jacob came and used his bed^[642] i.e. he brought about the complete yichud (unification) of ze’ir anpin and malchut and fathered twelve sons, who were all as they should be i.e. righteous men, and in this way Jacob rectified the merkavah of malchut.^[643]

(Zohar I, 133a)

 

 

8:4  הִשְׁבַּעְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בְּנוֹת יְרוּשָׁלָ‍ִם מַה תָּעִירוּ וּמַה תְּעֹרְרוּ אֶת הָאַהֲבָה עַד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ – Daughters of Jerusalem, make your vows that you shall not rouse nor stir up the love, until He shall so please

Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai^[644] said to his son: Elazar, my son, all of these matters – matters they had been discussing regarding the future redemption of Israel from its state of exile – can be explained through the secret of the thirty-two paths of the Holy Name. The Sefer Yetizirah (1:1) states that the Almighty (using the name Ya”h – the first two letters of the Ineffable Name Yud-Hai-Vav–Hai) engraved thirty-two paths of wondrous wisdom.^[645] Elsewhere^[646] the Zohar explains that there are in fact two dimensions of wisdom (chochmah, pl. chochmot), each of which flows into 32 paths. This is alluded to in the verse “Wisdoms (chochmot) sing out in the open”^[647] (Proverbs 1:20) – the plural form chochmot alludes to a higher wisdom and a lower wisdom,^[648] which are Divine wisdom (i.e. the wisdom of Torah^[649]) and the wisdom of Creation respectively.^[650] The 32 paths that spread out from the lower wisdom are the 32 times that the name Elokim^[651] appears in the account of Creation.^[652] The 32 paths of the higher wisdom elicit and draw down the knowledge and awareness that there is nothing other than the Infinite One, whereas the 32 paths of the lower wisdom bring about the concealment of the Infinite Light (Or Ein Sof) so that there can be a physical existence.^[653] Specifically, Ramak (Rabbi Moshe Cordovero) explains that the 32 paths of the lower wisdom flow from malchut of Atzilut into the worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Assiya, whereas the 32 paths of the higher wisdom connect chochmah (the letter Yud) to binah (the letter Hai, forming the Name Ya”h) in the world of Atzilut itself.^[654]

Until these wonders are manifested in the world – the miracles that will take place at the future redemption, as the verse states, “I will show you wonders, just as in the days of the Exodus from Egypt” (Micha 7:15)^[655] ­– the secret of the Holy Name will not be complete, as in the verse, “For the hand is on the throne of God [the Name Ya”h is used here]; God wages war against Amalek from generation to generation” (Exodus 17:16).^[656] On this verse our Sages^[657] teach: “The Name [spelled Yud-Hai here, rather than Yud-Hai-Vav–Hai] and the Throne [spelled caf, samech without the aleph] are incomplete until Amalek is completely wiped out, as will happen in the future.” And then the Name will be complete Yud-Hai-Vav–Hai, and the 32 paths of the higher wisdom will be fully manifested and will be accessible to human awareness. The Name will then include the Vav and the Hai, indicating that the transcendent Yud-Hai will be drawn into (represented by the Vav) and received by the world (represented by the Hai).

However, make sure that you not rouse, nor stir up the love, until He shall so please – do not attempt to force the redemption, which is an expression of God’s love for His people, before its time.^[658] (Alternatively, do not stir up the love in your own heart until it is completely altruistic, not seeking any reward.^[659]) As the beginning of this verse states: daughters of Jerusalem referring to Torah scholars,^[660] or to the souls of saintly tzadikim^[661] or to the Twelve Tribes – you must make your vows God made the Jewish people vow by the gazelles tzva’ot (sg. tzvi) – gazelles or deer, alluding to the King who is called Tzva’ot the King of the hosts of Heaven, as in the verse (Isaiah 47:4) “the Lord of Hosts (Tzvaot) is His Name, the Holy One of Israel.”^[662] Technically, this refers to ze’ir anpin.^[663]

And the hinds of the lea deer of the fields, alluding to other hosts and camps of angels from lower levels. God made Israel swear by all of these hosts, since these angels accompany them into the exile, that they do not rouse, nor stir up the love from the right side which is the Holy One’s right hand so to speak, i.e. the attribute of chesed which is called ‘love.’ Do not arouse this love until He so shall please – until He seeks out she who lies in the dust – the Shechinah throughout the Exile – as in the verse (Isaiah 52:2) “Shake yourselves from the dust, arise…”^[664] And His love for her is awakened. Fortunate is the person in this world who merits to be alive in that generation. He is fortunate in this world and in the World-to-Come.

(Zohar II, 9a)

Another explanation^[665]: There is fear of one sort and there is fear of another sort. There is love of one sort and there is love of another sort. One sort of fear is when a person fears that if he sins the Blessed Holy One will diminish his possessions due to his transgressions, and so he is careful not to transgress. Another sort of fear is that if he sins his offspring will pass on in his lifetime, and so again he is careful not to sin. Accordingly, if either of these events takes place – if his possessions were diminished, or if one of his offspring would pass away in his lifetime, Heaven forfend, he would no longer have that fear, since what he most feared had already come to be. Similarly, when a person’s love for the Blessed Holy One is because He blessed him with children or wealth, or both, then if his possessions were diminished, or if one of his offspring would pass away in his lifetime his love would be diminished. Such fear and love are not comparable to the true awe and love of the Almighty, since their basis is merely his own benefit. But real awe and love are whether circumstances are good or bad, since he is not worshipping God based on rewards or punishments, but for its own sake. It is for this reason that the former types of fear and love are referred to as fear and love on condition of reward (עַל מְנַת לְקַבֵּל פְּרָס), or to avoid punishment. It is for this reason that the Blessed Holy One states, ‘O Daughters of Jerusalem, make your vows… that you not rouse, nor stir up the love, until He shall so please this is love that is incomplete or self-seeking in any way. But only arouse that love that displays total willingness and commitment, with an inner love and desire for Me through the Torah and mitzvot I have commanded you – until she the love shall so please shall be pleasing to Me^[666] – which is unconditional love.

(Tikunei Zohar Tikun 30, p. 73b-74a)

 

8:4 אִם תָּעִירוּ וְאִם תְּעוֹרְרוּ אֶת הָאַהֲבָה עַד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּץ – That you not arouse, nor stir up the love, until He shall so please.

If the Jewish People arouse that love, the love the Blessed Holy One has for them, “which is as intense as death” or “strong until death”, leading to the advent of Mashiach (the Messiah) before his time, for they pray for the fulfillment of the second half of the verse (Isaiah 60:22) בְּעִתָּהּ אֲחִישֶׁנָּה – “In its time I will hasten it”^[667] then you must arouse it in the proper manner. The proper manner is to acquire tremendous merit from diligent Torah study and the fulfillment of mitzvot and good deeds with love and awe. In this manner you will merit the speedy advent of Mashiach and the Redemption – “I will hasten it”. But if not, if you do not have this great merit, do not arouse it, because the side of impurity – primarily referring to Amalek, as below – will only strengthen itself, knowing that its end is near as soon as Mashiach arrives. This is the meaning of our verse, “Daughters of Jerusalem, you must make your vows… that you not arouse, nor stir up the love, until He shall so please.” According to the Talmud the Blessed Holy One made Israel swear that they will not push for the redemption before its time.^[668] However, the Zohar suggests that this is only if the Jewish People do not have sufficient merit, then they should wait for the redemption “until He shall so please” – until God decides that it is the proper time.

(Tikunei Zohar, Tikun 22 p. 68a)

8:5  מִי זֹאת עֹלָה מִן הַמִּדְבָּר מִתְרַפֶּקֶת עַל דּוֹדָהּ – Who is this, ascending from the wilderness, clinging to her Beloved?

The Zohar does not comment on this section of the verse. However the Arizal^[669] states the following:

It could be asked, how is it possible for her [the Shechinah] to cling to her Beloved even when they were in the desert, an uninhabitable, inhospitable place, where “her feet go down to death” (Provers 5:5), “in a land that is not sown” (Jeremiah 2:2)? Possibly we can answer that with the power of prayer and speech and thought and mystical intentions, her children [the Israelites] can raise her up [this is the meaning of ‘ascending’ in the verse] to become “the crown of her husband” (Proverbs 12:4).

8:5  Beneath the apple tree I aroused You

Come and see the meaning of this verse: The Blessed Holy One is compared to an apple tree that produces three colors – apples that are white^[670], red and yellow-green, signifying the primary aspects of ze’ir anpin, which correspond to the sefirot of chesed, gevurah and tiferet respectively. And Knesset Yisrael (the Jewish community or malchut or the Shechinah) is compared to a rose. What aspect of malchut is like a rose? Rabbi Abba said: A rose enclosed i.e. surrounded by the six attributes of ze’ir anpin, because the common rose has six petals, alluding to those six attributes. Now this rose has two colors – white and red, symbolizing chesed, tiferet, netzach from the sefirot that tend to the right, like chesed; and gevurah, hod, yesod from the sefirot that tend to the left, like gevurah. The entire rose has these two colors, even the stamens, which have whitish filaments (stalks) and dark red anthers (the pollen bearing part). Sometimes the anthers are gold, which is regarded as a derivative of red.^[671] So too, Knesset Yisrael  is endowed with these two qualities – chesed and gevurah.

The Blessed Holy One is compared to an apple tree, and Knesset Yisrael is compared to a rose – and this is what Knesset Yisrael said: “Beneath the apple tree I aroused You.” Now where is this ‘beneath the apple tree?’ Since the Blessed Holy One is Himself referred to as ‘the apple tree,’ the verse should have said, “Beneath You I aroused…” However, the intention here is not the apple tree, but rather the apples themselves that grow from the tree – this refers to the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who correspond to chesed, gevurah and tiferet respectively. And what is under the apple tree is malchut that receives from all of those sefirot, and she arouses them to illuminate her.

(Zohar III, 286b-287a)

8:5  שָׁמָּה חִבְּלַתְךָ אִמֶּךָ שָׁמָּה חִבְּלָה יְלָדַתְךָ – There your mother conceived you; there she was in travail and brought you forth

The Zohar does not comment on the remainder of the verse. However, the Maggid Meisharim, Vayetzei ^[672] and the Arizal^[673] comment that there are two types of birth alluded to here – the first from binah (which is called Imma ila’a – the higher ‘mother’), and therefore the verse states, “There your mother conceived you”; and the second from malchut (which is also called Imma tata’a – the lower ‘mother’) where the word ‘mother’ is not mentioned in the second half of the verse. Thus it emerges that if your thoughts constantly cling to the One above, without interruption, then it is binah that conceives the soul, and there are no birth pangs or travail involved, and indeed the soul is conceived in binah and remains in a state of ibbur (impregnation) within binah (i.e. the soul remains in the higher worlds and does not descend into the lower worlds, only a radiance of the soul descends). However, if your thoughts do not cling to the One above constantly, then malchut gives birth to the soul and birth pains and travails accompany the birth of the soul into the lower worlds.

The Ibn Ezra comments here that the one given birth to here is Mashiach (the Messiah).

 

8:6  שִׂימֵנִי כַחוֹתָם עַל לִבֶּךָ כַּחוֹתָם עַל זְרוֹעֶךָ  – Set me as a seal upon Your heart, as a seal upon Your arm above

Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Abba were in the vicinity of Lod when they entered a cave to escape from the heat of the day. They began discussing Torah. Rabbi Elazar began expounding the verse, “Set me as a seal upon Your heart…”: One night, when I was with my father Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, I heard this teaching from him – that there is no perfection, and no revelation of the Divine Will, and the yearning of Knesset Yisrael (the Community of Israel) for the Blessed Holy One is without relief other than via the souls of holy Tsaddikim, for they direct the flow of water the arousal from below towards the water above to seek out the unity of the soul with God, that will quench their thirst. Then their longing from below can be fulfilled – by means of cleaving in oneness so that they can produce their fruits. Technically the Arizal^[674] explains this as alluding to what we mentioned previously in this chapter – the yichud (unification, communion) of ze’ir anpin and malchut. However,^[675] since malchut has fallen to a very low level though our shortcomings, even though a person strongly desires to ascend, this depends upon his or her merits (i.e. spiritual achievements), since merits raise a person up and spiritual shortcomings cause their descent. This being so, it is virtually impossible to ascend on one’s own, without the aid of a Tsaddik, or Tsaddikim whose souls are in a state of holiness. Through them malchut (or the soul of a disciple) will ascend. In other words, what facilitates the ascent of malchut to unite with ze’ir anpin in yichud is the conscious action of yesod (corresponding to the tsaddik) to unify these two partzufim. In a more general sense, when the tsaddik includes others in his thoughts, prayers and actions they too become part of this unity. The tsaddik also facilitates that the powers above will reach out to encourage and support the seeker.

Therefore, come and see: After they the Tsaddik and his disciple, or ze’ir anpin and malchut, cleave to one another in a state of deveikut, and she receives the flow given lovingly from above, she the disciple or malchut says, “Set me as a seal upon Your heart…” Why ‘as a seal’? This is because when a seal from a stamp or a signet ring attaches to i.e. is pressed or stamped into a certain place, even when it is removed from there, a trace of the seal remains and is not erased. Indeed, the entire impression of the seal and its format remain there. Similarly, Knesset Yisrael declares, since we clung to You through the yichud (unification) achieved during the time of deveikut (communion), even though now we are in exile, away from You, i.e. the yichud was interrupted, nevertheless, “Set me as a seal upon Your heart…” take the impression of our deveikut, and place it as a seal upon Your heart, even during the time of exile, just like the impression of a seal remains in that place into which it was pressed, even after the stamp or the signet ring has been removed.

(Zohar I, 244b-245a)

Alternatively: “Set me as a seal upon Your heart,” – this is what the Shechinah (an alternative reading: the Jewish People in exile) said to the Blessed Holy One:  Even though You may withdraw Yourself up above, Your likeness will never leave us, just like a seal that wherever it cleaves to, it leaves the impression of the owner of the seal, making it known that the object upon which the seal is stamped is proof of his ownership. So too, says the Shechinah (or the Jewish People in exile), the likeness of Your seal will never leave me.  And therefore, Knesset Yisrael (or the Jewish People in exile) says: ‘Set me as a seal upon Your heart, as a seal upon Your arm’ – like the seal of tefillin that a man places on his arm opposite the heart, and ‘as a seal upon the arm above’ – these are the head tefillin whose straps hang down on both sides of the head, opposite the heart and the arm. In them in the scrolls contained within the tefillin is written that they are the people of the Blessed Holy One. The implication here is that fulfilling the commandment of tefillin highlights the seal with which we have been stamped.

(Tikunei Zohar, p. 18a)

 

8:6  כִּי עַזָּה כַמָּוֶת אַהֲבָה – For as powerful as death is love

Rabbi Elazar asked: What is the meaning of ‘as powerful as death’? It is this: There is nothing so difficult in the world as the moment the soul has to leave the body when its time comes. So too, the love of the Community of Israel for the Blessed Holy One makes them inseparable, to the extent that a person may willingly give up his or her life in martyrdom in order to not renounce Him, even when being tortured to death, as happened many times in history.

(Zohar III, 54b)

Alternatively: “As powerful as death is love” – the separation between the Blessed Holy One and His Shechinah from the Jewish People is as wrenching as the departure of the neshama, ruach and nefesh – the three lower levels of soul – from the body at the time of death.

(Tikunei Zohar, p. 18a)

A similar sentiment is expressed in a slightly different way here: “As powerful as death is love” – the separation of the Blessed Holy One from His beloved children is more devastating for Him than death. And how do we know that there is ever a separation between the Blessed Holy One and His children? From the verse (Isaiah 59:2): “For your sins are the only barrier between you and God,” and this is worse than death, regarding which the verse (Ruth 1:17) states, “if anything but death separates me from you,” said Ruth to her mother-in-law, Naomi. The idea here is that whereas only death can separate two people who are devoted to each other, this is not relevant as regards the Blessed Holy One. But what can separate Him from His beloved people are their sins, hence sins are worse than death.

(Tikunei Zohar, p. 68a)

 

8:6  קָשָׁה כִשְׁאוֹל קִנְאָה – And jealousy is as hard as from the grave to depart

Of all the levels of Purgatory – gehinom – there is none as harsh as she’ol (lacking everything, so that the soul begs – sho’el – for its needs), which is the lowest level of gehinom, other than the level called avadon (total annihilation). Both of them she’ol and avadon join together as one, and this is the toughest thing of all for sinners because although the possibility of rehabilitation is totally annihilated, their longing to repair the damage they did remains. So too, jealousy is as hard as departing from the grave from the lowest levels of gehinom, i.e. from she’ol and avadon, for jealousy in the positive sense is because of love – from love comes jealousy – and one who is jealous of the one he loves, for he sees that she has reached a state of greater perfection than him, will find it harder to separate from her than to depart from the lowest aspects of the grave, called she’ol. Technically this refers to the ‘jealousy’ ze’ir anpin has of malchut, since the root of malchut is in keter, which is far loftier than the root of ze’ir anpin which is in binah. Accordingly, ze’ir anpin longs (sho’el) to bond with malchut and merge with her into her source in keter, where ze’ir anpin will experience total annihilation (bittul b’mitziut), paralleling avadon.

(Zohar III, 54b)

Alternatively, translating the verse slightly differently: “And jealousy is as harsh as … the grave” – this is the jealousy that the Blessed Holy One will have because of His love for them, so that when they leave the exile, He will display that jealousy and take retribution from those who oppressed her.

(Tikunei Zohar, p. 18a)

8:6  רְשָׁפֶיהָ רִשְׁפֵּי אֵשׁ שַׁלְהֶבֶתְיָה – Her flames are flames of fire, ablaze for the Lord, who is her desire

These are the flames of love between a man (ish) and a woman (ishah) as we see from these very words in Hebrew אִישׁ (ish) and אִשָׁה (ishah) – both words contain the letters אֵשׁ – fire (esh), and the letters unique to each of them spell י”ה one of the Divine Names. The ‘man’ here refers to the Blessed Holy One, as the verse (Exodus 15:3) states, “God is a ‘man’ (ish) of war” i.e. the active element symbolized by the male becomes revealed when He takes His revenge upon Pharaoh and his people who enslaved and oppressed the Israelites, and a ‘woman’ the feminine receptive element is the Shechinah or the Jewish People, regarding which the verse (Proverbs 18:22) states “One who found a woman (ishah, which also means ‘a wife’) found goodness…” In other words, the yichud mentioned earlier is expressed here as fiery love for God for His people and vice versa.

(Tikunei Zohar, p. 68a)

 

8:7  מַיִם רַבִּים לֹא יוּכְלוּ לְכַבּוֹת אֶת הָאַהֲבָה – Many waters cannot extinguish the love

This verse is a continuation of the previous verse, and also references a verse in a previous chapter (2:8), “His left hand is under my head…” regarding which the Zohar asks which aspect of ‘left’? Since the ‘left’ generally refers to gevurah (harshness, withdrawal, alienation, estrangement). And answers: As the verse states, “His left hand is under my head, and His right arm embraces me” – the left here is part of the embrace and therefore is intended to bring His beloved closer, not to push her away. These gevurot cause His flame of love for the Community of Israel to increase, and therefore, “Many waters cannot extinguish the love.” For when the right hand, which is compared to water symbolizing chesed, is thrown onto the fire of this love, it increases the flames of love; it does not extinguish them, just as the verse in 2:8 continues, “and His right arm embraces me.” We can also explain it the opposite way: the love that the Jewish People have for the Blessed Holy One is not quenched by ‘the left hand lifting the head’ – referring to deep meditation on the higher and lower levels of Divine Unity (yichuda ila’a and yichuda tata’a). Even the cooling waters of this mediation do not satiate the thirst of the soul for Godliness.^[676]

(Zohar I, 245a)

8:7  מַיִם רַבִּים לֹא יוּכְלוּ לְכַבּוֹת אֶת הָאַהֲבָה וּנְהָרוֹת לֹא יִשְׁטְפוּהָ – Many waters cannot extinguish the love, and rivers cannot wash it away

“Many waters cannot extinguish the love” refers to the water libations that the Israelites would pour onto the altar during the Festival of Sukkot (Tabernacles) when the Temple stood. This they would do with joy and love for the Blessed Holy One, as the verse (Isaiah 12:3) states, “And draw the water with joy,” regarding which the Sages of the Mishnah state, ‘Whoever did not see the water-drawing ceremony never say joy in his life.” Even the greatest joy of the Festival of Water Drawing cannot requite the love and longing the Community of Israel have for their Beloved.

“And rivers cannot wash it away” these are the rivers of pure persimmon oil to which everyone clings and attaches themselves with love. The pure persimmon oil alludes to the aspects of chesed of binah that are drawn down during the Festival of Sukkot. Thus the verse suggests that neither ‘the many waters’ nor the ‘rivers of persimmon oil’ can extinguish the love between Israel and her Father in Heaven, for the abundant spiritual light that is revealed at that time, does not satisfy the thirst of the Jewish People to commune with God.^[677]

(Zohar III, 259a)

8:7  אִם יִתֵּן אִישׁ אֶת כָּל הוֹן בֵּיתוֹ בָּאַהֲבָה בּוֹז יָבוּזוּ לוֹ – If a man will attempt to give his entire household away for love, he will earn nothing but contempt

“If… a man” – this refers to Samae’l the angelic manifestation of the male aspect of chesed of kelipah^[678] (the evil ‘shell’ or ‘husk’ that smothers and conceals the spark of Godliness that is at the essence of every creature in existence^[679]) when Samae’l sees the love of the Jewish People for the Blessed Holy One, he attempts to give them his entire household i.e. his consort, Lilith,^[680] the female aspect of chesed of kelipah, in order to taint their love for the Blessed Holy One, and transform it into sexual lust. This is in order to obtain a portion from them in this manner at the water drawing mentioned above in this section. The implication is that if the forces of evil (Samae’l) can taint the love they have for God by substituting it for lust (love of sexual pleasure) embodied in Lilith, he will be able to take that portion of the spiritual outflow for himself and his nefarious purposes.

Certain sections of the Torah are read throughout the days of the Festival of Sukkot^[681]. The readings for the second, sixth and seventh days hint to the water drawing ceremony.^[682] The allusion to that water in the second, sixth and seventh portions, when substituted for their letters spell the word בו”ז (boz) meaning they the Jewish People will certainly despise (boz yavuzu) him, for nothing could possibly replace or even taint the love and joy they have for the Blessed Holy One, and indeed they regard him Samae’l and his consort Lilith as a piece of broken pottery that can never be fixed.

(Zohar III, 259a)

Alternatively, the verse can also be read on a positive note: “If a Man will give” – this refers to the Blessed Holy One^[683] – all the wealth referring to wisdom and knowledge^[684] of His household, as the verse (Proverbs 24:4) states, “through knowledge the rooms [of the house] are filled with all valued and delightful treasures [illumination and enlightenment that flow from above] because of the love the Jewish People have for Him, but He does not bond with them intimately, i.e. the illumination and enlightenment do not become a permanent part of them, then they – the inhabitants of the higher worlds, i.e. the angels and their camps – will surely despise such knowledge as well. They too will not want it, for they only want and delight in the intimate bond of the Jewish People to the Blessed Holy One.

(Zohar III, 54b)

 

8:8  אָחוֹת לָנוּ קְטַנָּה וְשָׁדַיִם אֵין לָהּ מַה נַּעֲשֶׂה לַאֲחֹתֵנוּ בַּיּוֹם שֶׁיְּדֻבַּר בָּהּ – We have a little sister, and no virtue does she possess. What shall we do for our sister on the day that her prospect will have His say?

Rabbi Abba began explaining our verse: We have a little sister, and no virtue literally, ‘no breasts’ does she possess. ‘We have a little sister’ refers to the Community of Israel  who is called the ‘sister’ of the Blessed Holy One. Technically the ‘little sister’ refers to malchut, and her ‘brother’ is ze’ir anpin. Since both are produced by binah, as the verse states, “The mother of children rejoices” – where ‘mother alludes to binah, and ‘children’ alludes to ze’ir anpin and malchut. ‘And no breasts does she possess’ – as we have learned, when the Israelites came to Mount Sinai, where the Torah was given, they had no merits or good deeds to protect them, as our verse states, except that in the actual verse this is expressed as her breasts, which we have therefore translated as ‘merits,’ following the explanation in the Zohar here. For they are the rectification and the beauty of a woman and she has no beauty other than these.  And it is upon these virtues that the entire world depends for their sustenance, not upon all kinds of ornaments and decorations and beautifications which provide no lasting value. What then shall we do for our sister, the ministering angels ask? What will be with her if she has no good deeds on the day that her prospective partner the Blessed Holy One will have His say^[685] – at the time that He reveals Himself on Mount Sinai to announce the words of the Torah in their initial form as the Ten Commandments. For then, since they have no good deeds as an anchor, their souls will fly forth from them due to the overwhelming revelation that will take place then, as the Talmud (Shabbat 88b) relates – with each and every word that they heard of the Ten Commandments their souls flew out, and they had to be revived with the dew that will resurrect the dead at the end of days.

(Zohar II, 80b)

8:8  אָחוֹת לָנוּ קְטַנָּה – We have a little sister

When the Jewish community is in exile among the nations she is called ‘small’ as our verse states. But when they cleave to the Torah and go in the ways of truth then she becomes full like the full moon, which is symbolic of the waxing and waning of both malchut and the Jewish People,^[686] and peace clings to them.

(Zohar I, 256b, Addenda)

8:9  אִם חוֹמָה הִיא נִבְנֶה עָלֶיהָ טִירַת כָּסֶף וְאִם דֶּלֶת הִיא נָצוּר עָלֶיהָ לוּחַ אָרֶז  – If she is a wall we will build upon her a silver parapet. But if she is a door we shall enclose her with panels of cedar

The Zohar does not comment on this verse, but the Midrash^[687] explains that this refers to the Jewish People – if they stand strong among the nations, like a wall that does not budge, then she will be built upon. But if she is like a door (swinging back and forth in the wind) – or alternatively delet here can also mean poor, i.e. poor in Torah and mitzvot – then she shall be boarded up with wooden panels. Such a structure does not last for long.

8:10  אֲנִי חוֹמָה וְשָׁדַי כַּמִּגְדָּלוֹת – I am a wall, and my virtues are like towers

The Zohar views this verse as a continuation of verses 8 and 9 – ‘We have a little sister… if she is a wall…’ to which the Jewish People respond: I am a wall, and my virtues literally ‘my breasts’ are like towers – they are so full of virtue they can sustain everyone, like  towers which were used to store grain and other produce. Technically, this refers to those great rivers that emerge from binah above that sustain all of the sefirot.

(Zohar III, 296a)

 

8:10  אָז הָיִיתִי בְעֵינָיו כְּמוֹצְאֵת שָׁלוֹם – So I was in His eyes as one in whom peace flowers

Continuing the theme mentioned above – when they the Jewish People cleave to higher levels that are alluded to by the word א”ח brother (the aleph alludes to chochmah and the chet alludes to binah), and the word ach itself means to ‘bind or stitch together’^[688] then she is not small and immature, but large and mature, and the entire world can be nourished from her, for her virtues literally her breasts are like towers, and “so I was in His eyes as one in whom peace flowers.”

(Zohar I, 256b, Addenda)

 

8:11  כֶּרֶם הָיָה לִשְׁלֹמֹה בְּבַעַל הָמוֹן נָתַן אֶת הַכֶּרֶם לַנֹּטְרִים אִישׁ יָבִא בְּפִרְיוֹ אֶלֶף כָּסֶף – The King to whom peace belongs had a vineyard among the many angels, and He placed a guard over that vineyard, where each fruit would bring a thousand delights to the soul

Rabbi Yehuda said: When the verse states in a literal translation, “Shlomo King Solomon had a vineyard” this refers to the King to Whom peace belongs^[689] the Blessed Holy One, and the vineyard is the Garden of Eden, planted in Ba’al Hamon. Ostensibly this is the name of a certain place. However, the Zohar understand it not as a name, but rather as a description – “having multitudes” – which are the multitudes of angels of peace found in the Garden of Eden. And He placed a guard over that vineyard – these guards are the Jewish People who keep watch on earth they observe and keep the commandments of the Torah in this world. They are the ones who will be allowed into the Garden of Eden, where  each fruit the fruits of every commandment the person kept, will reward them with the thousand delights that the soul longed for. The reward the soul experiences in the Garden of Eden is not the material pleasures depicted in common literature and art, but rather the delight of the soul in the revelations granted to it via chochmah, as the verse (Job 33:34) states, “I will teach you wisdom.” The word for ‘I will teach’ is a’alef’cha, the root letters of which spell the word elef – a thousand. Hence, in the Garden of Eden they will enlighten the soul of those who are faithful to Torah with a thousand illuminations.

Alternatively, “Shlomo had a vineyard” – this ‘vineyard’ is the Torah that was in Ba’al Hamon – the Heavens where there are multitudes of angels. And this vineyard was given to us to those who guard the vineyard i.e. the Israelites who guard its precepts by the King to Whom peace belongs. There each fruit the fruits of a person’s Torah study will reward them with the thousand delights as explained above.

A third explanation of the word ‘vineyard’: Rabbi Yose and Rabbi Chiya were on the road traveling. Rabbi Chiya said to Rabbi Yose: “Repeat some of the lofty teachings from your father regarding the delights of the soul in the Garden of Eden.” A short conversation ensued in which Rabbi Yose declined to discuss his father’s secret teachings out in the open in the vicinity of Kapotkia, where there was some danger. But later when they had left the area of Kapotkia and continued on their journey, Rabbi Yose said, “I will tell you something – one of the secret interpretations of a verse – that was hidden away among my father’s hidden treasures. These were esoteric teachings that could not be revealed at the time. It is this: The verse states, “Shlomo had a vineyard…” This ‘vineyard’ is a metaphor for the holy soul that is planted up above, below the Throne of Glory, and Ba’al Hamon is the Throne of Glory itself, and it is called thus because it is the seat of rulership over all the myriads of angels in the heavens above and down below. And the Lord of Hosts will give this soul who keeps the Commandments to the guardians of the Garden of Eden to ensure that the soul will be allowed to enter and receive its reward.

Now the Blessed Holy One has a multitude of worlds beyond the worlds of the hosts of Heaven. The worlds occupied by angels are relatively lowly worlds^[690], whereas the worlds occupied by holy souls are far loftier. Indeed there are another one-thousand-two-hundred other worlds! One thousand refers to the lights of keter and the hundred refers to the lights of chochmah and binah with which He enters to delight in the souls of the righteous tsaddikim in the Garden of Eden. And each soul brings the spiritual fruits of his labor for which he receives one thousand silver coins. These ‘silver coins’ are the thousand worlds in which the Blessed Holy One delights. This interpretation will be continued in the explanation of the next verse.  

(Zohar Chadash, Noah 28a)

8:12  כַּרְמִי שֶׁלִּי לְפָנָי הָאֶלֶף לְךָ שְׁלֹמֹה וּמָאתַיִם לְנֹטְרִים אֶת פִּרְיוֹ – My vineyard is before Me; take the thousand Shlomo, and two hundred for they who guard the fruits

Rabbi Yitzchak said, I will conclude the words of Rabbi Yose cited above on the previous verse, based on this next verse “My vineyard is before Me; take the thousand Shlomo [the King to Whom peace belongs], and two hundred for those who guard the fruits” – these thousand that are drawn from keter are fitting for You alone, the King to Whom peace belongs, and not for any other. As for the “two hundred the lights from chochmah and of binah as merged into chochmah – those are for they who guard the fruits.” They are the delights and the ecstasy of the souls of the righteous tsaddikim in the Garden of Eden.

(Zohar Chadash, Noah 28a)

 

8:13 הַיּוֹשֶׁבֶת בַּגַּנִּים חֲבֵרִים מַקְשִׁיבִים לְקוֹלֵךְ הַשְׁמִיעִינִי – To She who dwells in the Gardens, let friends listen for your voice; make it audible to Me

At midnight the Blessed Holy One enters the Garden of Eden to delight in the holy tsaddikim there i.e. a higher level of Divine revelation enters the Garden of Eden at midnight than that which illuminated the Garden prior to midnight. This is when the midnight ritual called Tikun Chatzot, literally ‘the rectification of midnight,’ takes place. Midnight is the point that divides the first half of the night from the second half. The first half of the night becomes progressively darker, while the second half becomes progressively lighter. This is not only in the literal sense, but also on the spiritual plane, since a higher level of light illuminates the Garden of Eden from midnight on as it becomes progressively lighter. It is at that time that men must arise and study Torah out loud, as we have learned: regarding the interpretation of this verse “Let friends listen for your voice”– for the Blessed Holy One and all the tsaddikim in the Garden of Eden all listen for your voice, and this is the meaning of the verse “To She who dwells in the Gardens, let friends listen for your voice; make it audible to Me.” And we have already explained elsewhere that “she who dwells in the Gardens” is Knesset Yisrael, the Shechinah whose place is in the Garden of Eden of the World of Beriah. In fact there is a Garden of Eden in each of the four worlds – the levels of chochmah and binah that constitute the Garden of Eden, as explained above. But here we are talking about the presence of the Shechinah in the Garden of Eden of the World of Beriah. She is the one who praises the Blessed Holy One at night with the praises of Torah, and happy is the lot of one who participates with Her in praising the Blessed Holy One with the praises of Torah. Commentaries explain that this does not refer to the actual prayer of Tikkun Chatzot but to studying Torah after that prayer until daybreak.

(Zohar I, 46a)

Alternatively, Rabbi Shimon said: This verse contains a mystical secret for the wise:^[691] “She who dwells in the Gardens” is Knesset Yisrael the Shechinah who is in exile with the Jewish People, and she accompanies them throughout their travails. “Let friends listen for your voice, make it audible” refers to the camps of supernal angels, all of whom listen for your voice, the voice of the praises you sing of the Blessed Holy One, even when you are in exile. “Make it audible to Me” should be understood in a manner similar to a previous verse (2:14) ‘Show Me your face, Your voice let Me hear’ – make it audible to Me – the voice of those colleagues of ours who make great efforts in Torah study, for there is no praise before Me greater than that emanating from those who study Torah strenuously.

(Zohar III, 213a)

8:14  בְּרַח דּוֹדִי וּדְמֵה לְךָ לִצְבִי אוֹ לְעֹפֶר הָאַיָּלִים  – My Beloved, flee, and make Yourself be like a gazelle or a young hart

The great Rabbi Chiya^[692] was on his way to study with the masters of the Mishnah the Oral teachings of the Torah presented in a very condensed and cryptic format. These masters are referred to as Tannaim. He traveled to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai to learn from him^[693] and saw that a curtain of fire divided his house – he and his students sat on one side of the curtain and the rest of Rabbi Shimon’s household were on the other side. Rabbi Chiya was astonished, and he said to himself, “Let me hear his words from here outside of the curtain. He heard Rabbi Shimon expound our verse “My Beloved, flee, and make Yourself be like a gazelle or a young hart” – and Rabbi Shimon explained: The greatest yearning that the Jewish People have is to be in the presence of the Blessed Holy One, and they pray that He will not withdraw from them. Elsewhere Rabbi Shimon had explained that the greatest passion the Jewish People have is that the Blessed Holy One He will not simply move away or distance Himself from them in a disinterested way, but rather that He will flee like a gazelle or a young hart! Why like a gazelle or a young hart? Rabbi Shimon explained: There are no other animals in the world like a gazelle or a hart. When they flee they go only a short distance and then look back to gaze behind them, at the place they just left. They always turn their heads to look back. And so too the Jewish People say to their Beloved, “Master of the universe! If we have caused You to leave us i.e. we have caused the light of the higher sefirot to distance itself from malchut,^[694] the Shechinah, may it be Your will that You flee like a gazelle or a young hart, which goes a short distance and then looks back, as the verse (Leviticus 26:44) states, “Even though they will be in the land of their enemies, I will not despise or loathe them to destroy them.” Alternatively, when a gazelle sleeps, it sleeps with one eye open. And so the Jewish People say to the Blessed Holy One, “Be like a gazelle,” for “the Guardian of Israel does not sleep or slumber” (Psalms 121:4), and we ask that You keep an eye on us even during the exile.

(Zohar I, 14a)

8:14  עַל הָרֵי בְשָׂמִים – Upon the mountains of spice

The Zohar asks, “What are these mountains of spice?” And the Zohar answers: These are the six sons of Leah, and are regarded as the children of binah. And they also include the other six, Joseph, Benjamin etc., making twelve the Twelve Tribes. Although Leah was the mother of only six of the tribes, these six correspond to the main six sefirot of ze’ir anpin, whereas the others are derivate in some sense. Together they are called “mountains of spice” since they all complemented, perfected and perfumed each other.^[695] The Arizal explains this somewhat differently: ‘The mountains of spice’ are binah herself. Accordingly, the remainder of the Zohar’s statement, that Leah was above them all, watching over her children. From this we can deduce that the over-arching guardianship of Israel comes through binah – fulfilling the verse (Psalms 113:9) “The mother of children rejoices,” like a mother watching lovingly over her children.

(Zohar I, 158a)

[1]. “Song of Songs” in Hebrew is Shir HaShirim. But because Scriptural Hebrew is written without the vowels, it can also be read as Shir HaSarim – the song of the supernal angels.

[2]. Torah, from the word hora’a, meaning ‘instruction.’

[3] . See Zohar I Vayigash 208a; Pardes, Sha’ar Arachei haKinuim s.v. בית המקדש.

[4]. See Zohar I, 34a, 73b, 80a etc.

[5]. Cf. the Mishna’s statement (Sukkah 5, 1) that “whoever did not see the joy of the water-drawing ceremony [for Temple libations] never saw joy in his entire life.”

[6]. See also Midrash Rabbah, Exodus 52:5; Midrash Rabbah, Song of Songs 1:12; Tikunei Zohar 24b).

[7]. See below and Midrash Tanchuma, Nasso 16. See also I Kings 8:27.

[8]. The colleagues and disciples of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the authors of the Zohar’s teachings.

[9]. Damesek Eliezer.

[10]. Mikdash Melech citing Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Miut HaYareach.

[11]. Cf. Taanit 5a. see at length Ramchal’s Mishkenei Elyon where he points out the correspondences between the Temple above and the Temple below.

[12]. See Midrash Tanchuma, Nasso 18.

[13]. See Bamidbar Rabba, Nasso 12:12.

[14]. See Etz Chaim 39:8.

[15]. This is implied by the foregoing. However, Or HaChamah cites Rabbi Chaim Vital to the effect that Metatron represents the world of Yetzirah and the First Temple the world of Beriah.

[16]. An expression indicating that the Sin of the Tree of Knowledge had been rectified. See Ramchal, Drushei Chaf Dalet Kishutei Kalah.

[17]. Literally, “cleave to.”

[18]. That level where the revelation of Godliness is experienced in full, as will be explained.

[19]. In Temple times, the Jubilee year (yovel) took place every fiftieth year. It was a year of freedom for slaves, and those dispossessed of their land received it back. In Kabbalah, the Jubilee represents the sefirah of binah, “the world of freedom.”

[20]. Unification or yichud is an important kabbalistic concept. It signifies a mystical process of uniting or interweaving forces in the spiritual realms. See Introduction.

[21]. See Shir HaShirim Rabbah 5:1.

[22]. Ziv HaZohar. See Introduction.

[23]. Ibid. See Introduction.

[24]. Ruach hakodesh. This can also be rendered as “the spirit of holiness,” a more literal translation.

[25]. Shleimut – ‘wholeness’ – is a cognate of shalom, ‘peace.’

[26]. Divine Inspiration. See earlier fn.

[27]. Zachariah 14:9.

[28]. Knesset Yisrael in the original.

[29]. Zohar II, 126b.

[30]. Genesis 2:6.

[31]. Bereishit Rabbah 14:9.

[32]. Avot 5:1.

[33]. Pelech HaRimon, Shir HaShirim, Rabbi Hillel of Partisch, p. 2a.

[34]. Ruach is one of the five terms used in Scripture for the soul (Bereishit Rabbah 14:9).

[35]. See Genesis 3:16, 17-19.

[36]. Cf. Bava Batra 16a.

[37]. Bava Batra 17a; Avot d’Rabbi Natan chap. 12.

[38]. See Likkutei Amarim Tanya, chap. 2.

[39]. Rabbi Chaim Vital, Sha’arei Kedushah, III:5, 7.

[40]. As in Genesis 41:40: אַתָּה תִּהְיֶה עַל בֵּיתִי וְעַל פִּיךָ יִשַּׁק כָּל עַמִּי. Pharaoh said to Joseph: “You will be in charge of my house, and my entire people will be sustained (yishak) by your word” during the famine that you have predicted. See also Genesis 15:2 וּבֶן מֶשֶׁק בֵּיתִי – “the steward of my house.”

[41]. See Bamidbar Rabbah 14:4. Cf. also Rashi in his second comment on this verse. See also Taanit 7a.

[42]. Each letter in the Hebrew alphabet is assigned a numerical value (gematria): Aleph = 1, bet – 2 and so on. When the gematria of two words is identical, this is indicative of a hidden affinity between them. Wine (yayin) is spelt yud = 10, yud = 10, nun = 50. Total = 70. The esoteric dimension of Torah, sod, is spelled samech = 60, vav = 6, dalet = 4. Total = 70. See Eruvin 65a.

[43]. Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi in Likkutei Torah, Shir HaShirim 2a-b.

[44]. See Yoma 21a; Bava Batra 99a.

[45]. For lack of a better translation of pnimi (literally, “inward”) we have used “inner directed.”

[46]. Mikdash Melech.

[47]. Mikdash Melech.

[48]. Zohar I, 247b.

[49]. Genesis 2:10

[50]. Zohar I, 26a, inter alia.

[51]. Bereishit Rabbah 60:16.

[52]. II Kings 4:1-6.

[53]. Shabbat 21b.

[54]. See also Zohar II, 147b.

[55]. Cf. Sanhedrin 92a.

[56]. See Introduction.

[57]. Ramak in Or Yakar.

[58]. Matok MiDevash.

[59]. A righteous person.

[60]. Cf. Chulin 7b.

[61]. Sulam.

[62]. See Tanya, Iggeret HaKodesh chap 27.

[63]. Literally, “swims.”

[64]. The indwelling Divine Presence.

[65]. Sulam.

[66].  The configuration of the sefirot from chesed to yesod.

[67]. See Megillah 29a: When they went into exile the Shechinah went with them.

[68]. See Chagiga 2a, 4b.

[69]. Sulam.

[70]. See Zohar I, 86a; 88a.

[71]. See Zohar III 42b, 43b, 45b. Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, Likutei Torah Tazria; Likutei Sichot vol. 12, p. 70 ff.

[72]. See Zohar I, 2b ff.

[73]. See Avot 5:1.

[74]. Sulam.

[75]. See Zohar I 26b, 207a; Pardes Rimonim sha’ar 28, end of chap. 3.

[76]. Zohar I, 247b.

[77]. Elsewhere (vol. 1, p. 26a) the Zohar explains that Eden is binah. However, this is not a contradiction since there are many levels in Eden – chochmah as it is in itself, chochmah as it unites with binah, binah as it receives from chochmah, and so on.

[78]. See Zohar I, 107a; II, 150a, 111b, 131b; III, 182b.

[79]. Pesachim 106a.

[80]. Zohar III 127a; Pardes sha’ar 8 chap. 12; Pri Etz Chaim, sha’ar HaBerachot, chap. 7. In other contexts wine is gevurah. See Pardes שער ערכי הכינוים ערך ‘יין’; Pri Etz Chaim, sha’ar HaShabbat chap 18.

[81]. See Taanit 7a.

[82]. Although the word שמחה here is generally translated as “she rejoices,” it may also be rendered in the po’el yotzei  form – “she causes others joy.”

[83]. See Etz Chaim 25:5.

[84]. Zohar III 37b.

[85]. See also Zohar III Emor, 124a. It is for this reason that chochmah and binah are referred to as “the two beloved friends who never part” (Zohar II 56a; Zohar III 4a).

[86]. Compare to the commentary above.

[87]. Or Yakar; Mikdash Melech. See Pesachim 107a: “The rabbis taught: One may make Kiddush (sanctify the day) only over wine.”

[88]. Aspaklaria sh’eina me’ira. Sometimes translated as “a speculum that doesn’t shine.” See Yevamot 49b; Tosfot Yom-Tov, Mishnah Keilim 30:2. The intention here is that the other Prophets only saw a dim or hazy reflection, whereas Moses saw clearly.

[89]. See Numbers 12:6.

[90]. Aspaklaria haMe’ira. Sha’ar Ruach HaKodesh, Derush 1, p. 2b.

[91]. Numbers 12:8.

[92]. Zohar III, 59b.

[93]. See Exodus 24:10.

[94]. Zohar III, 59b.

[95]. Mikdash Melech.

[96]. As in the verse, “I am binah; to me is gevurah” (Proverbs 8:14).

[97]. See Zohar I, 31a, 33b etc.

[98]. See Rashi.

[99]. See also Zohar III, 74a.

[100]. Mikdash Melech.

[101]. Zohar I, 159b; Bamidbar Rabbah 7:10.

[102]. Cf. Avot 3:1.

[103]. Sulam.

[104]. See Zohar III, 17b; Sulam.

[105]. See Zohar I, 20a.

[106]. Sulam. Pardes, sha’ar 18 chaps. 2-5, however explains this in a completely different way: Malchut was originally on a much higher level and its light shone fully, although it was not as great as that of z’ir anpin to which malchut was always subservient. As a result of her “complaint,” her light was reduced…

[107]. Chulin 60b.

[108]. E.g., Zohar I, 20a.

[109]. Partzuf (pl.partzufim) –visage or profile – is a compound structure of the sefirot. A partzuf is a metaphorical figure of human likeness, used to represent the expansion of an individual sefirah (or group of sefirot) into an independent configuration with ten sefirot of its own.

[110]. Sulam.

[111]. Cf. Avot 4:15.

[112]. 3338-3408 in the Jewish calendar.

[113]. 3829 in the Jewish calendar.

[114]. Sulam.

[115]. Technically, binah.

[116]. Technically, chochmah.

[117]. Cf. Psalms 8:3.

[118]. See Rashi to Psalms 80:2.

[119]. See Bamidbar Rabba, Nasso 12:12.

[120]. In other words, the vehicle whereby something is put into effect.

[121]. Sulam.

[122]. See Midrash Tanchuma, Naso chap. 16; Tanya chap. 36.

[123]. Sg. partzuf (visage or profile). A compound structure of the sefirot. A partzuf is a metaphorical figure of human likeness, used to represent the expansion of an individual sefirah (or group of sefirot) into an independent configuration with ten sefirot of its own.  

[124]. Although the plural of Torah (תורה) in Hebrew is Torot, since Torah is a feminine noun, nevertheless we do find that Torah is sometimes referred to in the masculine form, in which case the plural would be תורים. See Maskil l’David to Deut. 30:14.

“כי קרוב” וכו’ התורה ניתנה וכו’. אפשר שרבינו הרגיש קושי גדול בפ’ דתחלה קאמר כי המצוה וכו’ לא נפלאת וכו’ ויקחה וכו’ הכל בלשון נקבה ובתר הכי קאמר כי קרוב אליך וכו’ לעשותו ושני קרא בדבוריה מנקבה לזכר ואמאי עביד הכי. אלא נראה דתחלה קאמר כי המצוה וכו’ לא נפלאת וכו’ כל זה קאי כלפי לימוד התורה שבע”פ וידוע שהיא נקרא מצוה וסודה בעלמא דנוקבא כנודע לי”ח והיינו דקאמר לא נפלאת וכו’ כלומר מי ישמיענו פירושה כדלעיל וע”ז מסיים קרא כי קרוב אליך וכו’ בלשון זכר דקאי אתורה שבכתב והיינו דרצ”ל כי קרוב אליך תשב”כ שבאמצעותו תוכל ללמדה לתשבע”פ דהויא פירושה ולכך מסיים קרא בפיך ובלבבך ר”ל תשב”כ הוא קרוב דבזה סגי שתשעבד פיך ולבבך לעשות לתשב”כ כלומר להבין ולעשות את כל דברי התורה הזאת:

[125]. Based on the verse Isaiah 51:4. See Vayikra Rabbah 13:3; Tanna d’vei Eliyahu Zuta 20.

[126]. See also Yalkut Shimoni, Shir HaShirim chap. 1, remez 983.

[127]. See Siach Yitzchak, part 1, Drush shtei nunin shel vayehi binso’a.

[128]. See Zohar II, p. 85a; Rabbi Yitzchak Luria’s Sha’ar Ma’amarei Rashbi, Pirush Sifra d’Tzniuta chap. 1.

[129]. Cf.  “Said the Holy One, blessed be He: I will not enter Jerusalem above until I have entered Jerusalem below” (Taanit 5a); “The Temple above corresponds to the Temple below” (Tanchuma, Vayakhel 7). “Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai said: The Temple (Heichal) below corresponds directly to the Temple above it” (Tanchuma, Pikudei 2). See also Zohar I, 129b in Midrash Hane’elam.

[130]. Tikunin in the original, inadequately translated here as “garments.” The word has a double meaning – both “garment” and “rectification.” The world of Tohu was a prior form of creation mentioned in Genesis 1:2. Tohu was “created in order to be destroyed, and was destroyed in order to be re-created” (R. Shneur Zalman of Liadi Maa’marim 5563 vol. 2 p. 728). The vessels (or garments) of the sefirot of Tohu shattered due to their inability to contain the intensity of the light that infused them. Subsequently, a new order, called Tikun (rectification, restoration) was created. The purpose of Tikun is to rectify, restore and uplift the shattered vessels of the world of Tohu by providing garments and vessels that will be able to contain the light that formerly illuminated Tohu. Thus, the garments are indeed the rectification.

[131]. See Zohar I, 19b.

[132]. Damesek Eliezer.

[133]. Cf. Shabbat 119b.

[134]. Succah 5b; Rashi’s commentary to Shemot 25:18.

[135]. Zohar III, 59a.

[136]. As stated explicitly in Bamidbar 7:89.

[137]. Arizal in Sha’ar Ma’amarei Rashbi, Tikunim, tikun 20.

[138]. See Damesek Eliezer.

[139]. Sulam.

[140]. See Zohar III, 74b. Also Zohar I, 241a and 129b in Midrash Hane’elam.

[141]. See Pardes, Sha’ar Arachei HaKinuyim s.v. זהב.

[142]. See Pardes, Sha’ar Arachei HaKinuyim s.v. כסף.

[143]. Based on principles elucidated in the writings of the Arizal. See Mevo She’arim, sha’ar 2, part 2, ch. 7.

[144]. Translated as understood by Metzudat Tzion.

[145]. See Zohar II, 16b, 226b.

[146]. In Midrash Shir Hashirim Rabbah on this verse Rabbi Meir offers an interpretation disparaging of the Israelites. Rabbi Yehuda responds: “Nothing in Shir HaShirim should be interpreted as disparaging of the Israelites for the entire Shir HaShirim was written in praise of them.” This positive view is also expressed in Talmud Gittin 36b.

[147]. See Talmud Shabbat 88a.

[148]. Partzufim (sg. partzuf). Visage, profile). The partzufim are compound structures of the sefirot. A partzuf is a metaphorical figure of human likeness, used to represent the expansion of an individual sefirah (or group of sefirot) into an independent configuration with ten sefirot of its own. Partzufim include Atik Yomin, Arich Anpin, Abba, Imma, Zeir Anpin (ben), Nukvah (bat).

[149]. See commentaries of Mikdash Melech, Damesek Eliezer to Zohar I, 30a.

[150]. Mikdash Melech.

[151]. See Exodus 25:10-16, Rashi.

[152]. Zohar II, p. 42a-b.

[153]. Nitzutei Orot.

[154]. Nitzutei Zohar.

[155]. Mikdash Melech.

[156]. Sulam.

[157]. The term tikunim (tikun sg.) here is inadequately translated here as “garments” or “ornaments.” The word has a double meaning – both “garment/ornament” and “rectification.” In the present context, the tikunim refer to the senses – specifically, the sense of sight, hearing, smell and speech. (According to Kabbalah there are actually twelve senses, including speech, laughter, thought etc. See Sefer Yetzirah 5:1). These tikunim are the garments through which the Divine Presence is both apprehended and disclosed to the world (e.g. through the words of a Prophet). Of course, only rectified garments can apprehend or express the Divine Presence. Thus, the garments are indeed the rectification. (See fn.115).

[158]. The wings of the Turtle Dove are patterned in a way that makes them look as if embroidered.

[159]. Cf. Metzudot David; Midrash Tanchuma Tetzaveh.

[160]. Midrash Tanchuma, Tetzaveh: מה היונה הזו משהיא מכרת את בן זוגה אינה זזה ממנה, כך ישראל משהכירו להקדוש ברוך הוא שוב אינם זזים ממנו ואין מניחין אותו.

[161]. As his name suggests – raz means secrets and E-l refers to God, hence “the guard of God’s secrets.”

[162]. Literally “spoken mouth to mouth,” as in the verse describing the uniqueness of Moses’ prophetic ability: “Mouth to mouth I will speak to him” (Numbers 12:8). (במדבר יב, ח) פֶּה אֶל פֶּה אֲדַבֶּר בּוֹ.

[163]. Ramak, Mikdash Melech, Matok MiDvash.

[164]. Because their source is the hidden keter.

[165]. Talmud Berachot 45a.

[166]. Torat Moshe (Alshich), Devarim 34:10-12, and this is the meaning of “The Shechinah spoke from Moshe’s throat” (Midrash Rabbah Shemot chap. 3; Vayikra Rabbah chap. 2; Mechilta Shemot 18:19) See Kisei David, Drush 19, Shabbat Kallah; Tanya chap. 34.

[167]. This is the meaning of the verse regarding prophecy: “The spirit of G-d spoke in me, and His words were upon my tongue” (II Samuel 23:2). See commentary above 1:2.

[168]. The spirit of Prophecy that spoke through Moses’ mouth.

[169]. Ramak.

[170]. See Matok MiDvash; Sulam.

[171]. Exodus 19:19: מֹשֶׁה יְדַבֵּר [וְהָאֱלֹקִים יַעֲנֶנּוּ בְקוֹל]

[172]. See Matok MiDvash; Sulam. Technically these words are uttered by ze’ir anpin in praise of malchut.

[173]. Exodus 19:19:… וְהָאֱלֹקִים יַעֲנֶנּוּ בְקוֹל

[174]. Talmud Shabbat 88b. See also Pesachim 117a.

[175]. Shir haShirim Rabbah 1, 16.

[176]. Shir HaShirim Rabbah 1, 70; Bereishit Rabbah 68, 11.

[177] This is the kri, whereas the ketiv is הסתו.

[178] This is the kri, whereas the ketiv is לכי

[179] The flower referred to here, chavatzelet, is translated by some as rose; by others as daffodil, and by yet others as lily (see Ibn Ezra). The Midrash (Shir HaShirim Rabba 2:3) explains that the flower is called chavatzelet because it thrives hidden in shadow (שחבויה בצלה). We have translated it simply as ‘flower.’

It is possibly of the genus pancratium, of the Amaryllis family, possibly pancratium sickenbergeri, which grows naturally in the Middle East. (However all the known species of pancratium have six outer petals, not the five mentioned in the Zohar below). It has white or pale yellow flowers, is highly scented, and is very hardy – hence the scientific name pancratium, derived from the Greek meaning ‘all-strength,’ probably referring to the strength of this plant which can tolerate extreme climates.

[180] Note that the Midrash (Shir HaShirim Rabba 2:3) opines that chavatzelet and shoshana are one and the same flower, except that the term chavatzelet is reserved for when the plant is budding and shoshanah for when it is blooming. Many translate shoshana as ‘rose.’

[181] Glen: a small, narrow, secluded valley.

[182] R. Menachem Recanati comments that this is also supported by the verse “O Jerusalem, praise God” (Psalms 147:12), referring to Jerusalem above, in the higher worlds.

[183] Explained above 1:1, and below 5:13.

[184] Pardes (23, 8).

[185] Pardes (23, 8); Sha’ar Mamarei Rashbi (Arizal), Sifra d’Tzniuta chap. 1.

[186] See Shemot (1:2) “The more they afflicted them the more they increased and grew in stature” – וְכַאֲשֶׁר יְעַנּוּ אֹתוֹ כֵּן יִרְבֶּה וְכֵן יִפְרֹץ; וַיָּקֻצוּ מִפְּנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. And see Rashi’s commentary on  וַיָּקֻצוּ; Kli Yakar.

[187] See Yalkut Shimoni to Bereishit 24:55.

[188] Cf. Bereishit 1:2.

[189] Kisei Melech.

[190] Cf. Bereishit 44:3.

[191] תהלים (נב, ג): מַה־תִּתְהַלֵּל בְּ֭רָעָה הַגִּבּוֹר חֶ֥סֶד אֵ-ל כָּל הַיּוֹם

[192] Kisei Melech.

[193]  בראשית (א, ג) וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹקִים יְהִי אוֹר…

[194]  בראשית (א, ג) … וַיְהִי אוֹר

[195]  בראשית (א, ד) וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאוֹר כִּי טוֹב…

[196] בראשית (א, ד) …וַיַּבְדֵּל אֱלֹקִים בֵּין הָאוֹר וּבֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ

[197]  בראשית (א, ה) וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹקִים לָאוֹר יוֹם…

[198]  בראשית (א, ה) וַיְהִי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר יוֹם אֶחָד…

[199] זכרי’ (יד, ט) …בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִהְיֶה יְהוָה אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד

[200] As explained in Tanya (Iggeret HaKodesh 25): “Now, though ‘G‑d is one and His Name is one,’ i.e., [though] His speech and the “breath of His mouth,” which in the sacred Zohar  (Tikunei Zohar, tikun 22) is referred to as His Name, is singularly and uniquely one, nevertheless, the radiation and efflux of life-force which issues forth from His mouth, divides into four different levels. These are the Four Worlds – Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah. The difference is due to (many) contractions and screens that veil and obscure the light and the life-force, so that it will not radiate in Beriah as much as in Atzilut; and in Yetzirah [the opaqueness is thickened] by means of further contractions and screens; and so on, [i.e., how much more so in the world of Asiyah]. Nevertheless, there is no change whatever, heaven forfend, in the essence of the Shechinah, which is the “word of God” and the “breath of His mouth.” Also, as regards the radiation and efflux of life-force [that issues from the “word of God,”] the radiation which is in Atzilut pierces the screen and vests itself in Beriah. Likewise from Beriah to Yetzirah, and from Yetzirah to Asiyah. Hence the Infinite Light [the Or Ein Sof] which is in Atzilut is also present in Asiyah, and [even] in this material world, by being invested in the [sefirah of] malchut of  Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah, as fully explained in the writings of R. Isaac Luria, of blessed memory.” And this will be revealed in the future.

[201] ישעי’ (מא, ח): וְאַתָּה יִשְׂרָאֵל עַבְדִּי יַעֲקֹב אֲשֶׁר בְּחַרְתִּיךָ זֶרַע אַבְרָהָם אֹהֲבִי

[202] בראשית (לא, מב): לוּלֵי אֱלֹקֵי אָבִי אֱלֹקֵי אַבְרָהָם וּפַחַד יִצְחָק הָיָה לִי

[203] Matok Midvash, in the name of R. Chaim Vital and other commentaries.

[204] ויקרא (א:ט, יג, יז) ועוד.

[205] Rashi, Metzudat David.

[206] Literally, “crowned.”

[207] Ramak, Mikdash Melech.

[208] Pardes (1:2): שלשה גוונים, שהם חיוור מצד החסד ואדום מצד הגבורה והירוק מורכב משניהם שהוא המזג הנמזג ע”י איש הבינים תפראת. See also Pardes Sha’ar haGevanim (10:3).

[209] ישעי’ (מא, ח): אַבְרָהָם אֹהֲבִי.

[210] בראשית (לז, ב): אֵלֶּה תֹּלְדוֹת יַעֲקֹב יוֹסֵף

[211] בראשית (מח, ה): וְעַתָּה שְׁנֵֽי־בָנֶיךָ הַנּוֹלָדִים לְךָ בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם עַד בֹּאִי אֵלֶיךָ מִצְרַיְמָה לִי־הֵם אֶפְרַיִם וּמְנַשֶּׁה כִּרְאוּבֵ֥ן וְשִׁמְע֖וֹן יִֽהְיוּ לִֽי.

[212] ירמיהו (לא, יט): הֲבֵן יַקִּיר לִי אֶפְרַיִם…

[213] שיר השרים (ז, י): וְחִכֵּךְ כְּיֵין הַטּוֹב הוֹלֵךְ לְדוֹדִי לְמֵישָׁרִים דּוֹבֵב שִׂפְתֵי יְשֵׁנִים.

[214] Zohar III, p. 39a ff.

[215] Biurei HaZohar p. 31a. The Tikunei Zohar (Tikun 28) also declares that wine represents the 70 facets of Torah (the gematria of “wine”– יי”ן is 70), regarding which the verse states “The secrets of G-d are to those who hold Him in awe” (Psalms). The gematria of “secret”– סו”ד is also 70. This is also alluded to in the Talmudic dictum (Eruvin 65a): “When the wine goes in, the secrets come out.” See also Sanhedrin 38a: יין נתן בע’ אותיות, וסוד נתן בע’ אותיות, נכנס יין יצא סוד

[216] See Introduction p. ??

[217]  יי”ן = 70; סו”ד =70

[218] Bamidbar Rabbah (2:3). See Ateret Tzvi vol. 1, p. 97.

[219] אשישות (ashishot) is sometimes translated as ‘cakes’ or ‘dainties.’ However, Metzudat David, Malbim and others understand it to mean ‘flasks of wine’. This is clearly the Zohar’s understanding as well.

[220] See Introduction p.

[221] איתא באוצר המדרשים (אייזנשטיין) פסיקתא עמוד 491: “מאי עין לא ראתה? אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי: זה יין המשומר בענביו מששת ימי בראשית”. וראה גם: במדבר רבה (יג, ב).

[222] Zohar vol. 1 (p. 135b).

[223] The Tikunei Zohar examines the various permutations of the word בראשית (Bereishit), one of which is תרי אש (‘two fires’ – תרי in Aramaic means ‘two’). Here it seems that the Zohar regards the remaining letter – ב (“in, with, by”) – as one of the בכ”ל group of letters used as an inseparable proposition (a preposition that is prefixed to the beginning of a noun and can’t stand on its own).

[224] ספרא בחוקותי פ”ח: “אלה החוקים והמשפטים והתורות“, “החוקים”, אילו המדרשות, “והמשפטים”, אילו הדינים, “והתורות“, מלמד ששתי תורות ניתנו להם לישראל, אחד בכתב ואחד בעל פה

[225] Devarim 33:2.

[226] See Eitz Chaim, Sha’ar 44 (Sha’ar HaSheimot) chaps. 3, 6; Pardes, sha’ar 20 (Sha’ar HaSheimot) chaps. 5-8; 10-11. Cf. also: ‘אנכי’ ו’לא יהיה לך’ מפי הגבורה שמענום (Makot 23b), as Kisei Melech notes.

[227] Although gevurah is most often associated with restrictive power, the power to limit and conceal the benevolence and magnanimity of chesed, or with self-restraint, it also denotes the attribute of spiritual elevation, as commentaries note on this very verse, “His left hand is under my head – in order to raise the head” (see Torah Or, Ki Tissa 85c. Perhaps one can say that “lifting the head” is for the purpose of zivug neshikin, the spiritual communion that precedes physical intimacy, as explained in our commentary above 1:2. See Arizal, Sha’ar haPesukim, Vayera 21. See also Likutei Torah (Kehot), Chukat 66c; Zot HaBeracha 93d. See also Shir Hashirim Rabba 1, 2).

[228] As in the verse (Genesis 31:42): “He whom Isaac fears was with me.”

[229] See Eitz Chaim 35, 4.

[230] Ramak and commentaries.

[231] Sha’arei Teshuvah (Admor HaEmtza’i), Sha’ar HaTefilah 24a.

[232] A euphemism signifying sexual intimacy.

[233] Ramak and commentaries.

[234] י”ה… חקק… ל”ב נתיבות פליאות חכמה

[235] Zohar I, 141b cited in Sefer HaMaamarim 5569 p. 50; Torat Chaim Bereishit 3b ff.

[236] חָכְמוֹת בַּחוּץ תָּרֹנָּה (משלי א, כ)

[237] Zohar I, 141b cited in Sefer HaMaamarim 5569 p. 50; Torat Chaim Bereishit 3b ff.

[238] Sefer HaMaamarim 5572 p. 18. See also Likutei Torah, Eikev 16d.

[239] Torat Chaim, Bereishit vol. I, p. 1a.

[240] Genesis chap. 1.

[241] Zohar III 81b (Raya Mehemna); Zohar Chadash 94d, 96b, 211 c-d; Pardes Shaar HaNetivot (shaar 12) chap. 2. Cited in Likutei Torah, Emor 33d, Ki Teitzei 39c, etc.

[242] Sefer HaMaamarim 5668, p. 72; Torat Chaim, Bereishit vol. I ד”ה בראשית ברא פ”ג-ד.

[243] Pardes, Shaar HaNetivot (shaar 12) chap. 2.

[244] מיכה ז, טו: כִּימֵי צֵאתְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם אַרְאֶנּוּ נִפְלָאוֹת

[245] שמות יז, טז: וַיֹּאמֶר כִּי יָד עַל כֵּס יָהּ מִלְחָמָה לַיהוָה בַּעֲמָלֵק מִדֹּר דֹּר

[246] Tanchuma, Ki Teitzei 11; Rashi on this verse: נשבע הקב”ה שאין שמו שלם ואין כסאו שלם עד שימחה שמו של עמלק כולו, וכשימחה שמו יהיה השם שלם והכסא שלם

[247] Eitz Chaim Hakadmat Maharchu (al Shaar HaHakdamot); see also Kohelet Rabba 12:10 (ד”ה בִּקֵּשׁ קֹהֶלֶת לַעֲמֹד עַל הַקֵּץ מָתַי); Matok MiDvash.

[248] Eitz Chaim Hakadmat Maharchu (al Shaar HaHakdamot).

[249] Shaar Maamarei Rashbi, Pekudei.

[250] Kehillat Yaakov s.v. בן, citing Zohar I, 242a; Or Neerav 7:1.

[251] ישעיהו מז, ד: גֹּאֲלֵנוּ ה’ צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל

[252] Matok Midvash.

[253] ישעי’ נב, ב: הִתְנַעֲרִי מֵעָפָר קוּמִי

[254] The gematria (numerical value) of נחש (snake) is 358 and the gematria of משיח (Messiah) is also 358, indicating that the final eradication of the snake (the symbol of evil) will be done by the Messiah. See Zohar III 68a (Raya Mehemna)

[255] 370 is the number of levels into which the inner dimension of keter spreads (see Zohar I, 4b; III 128b, 133b). In Etz Chaim (13:14) the Arizal explains that 370 degrees of light emanate from various sources – from the seventh of the thirteen Tikunei Dikna of Arich, which is the light of the countenance; from chochmah (these 370 lights are concealed); from binah (these are revealed) etc. See also Etz Chaim (15:2).

[256] Based on the verse Isaiah (60:22). See Sanhedrin 98a where both opinions are offered; Zohar I 116b-117a.

[257] See Yalkut Shimoni Shir haShirim, remez 986 (24). See also Rosha HaShana 11a.

[258] See Alshich, Shir Hashirim 2:7 ff.

[259] See Derech Mitzvotecha 144b, 170b.

[260] See Tanya ch. 52.

[261] Matok Mi’devash.

[262] Matok Mi’devash.

[263] Man is a composite of animal and Divine, as explained in Rabbi Chaim Vital’s Sha’ar HaKedusha and in Eitz Chaim 50:2.

[264] Ohr HaTorah, Shemini Atzeret p. 1806.

[265] Ramak; Ateret Tzvi; Matok MiDevash.

[266] See Talmud Rosh HaShana 21b; Zohar II 115a; Zohar I 101a, 103a.

[267] Seder Olam rabba (Leiner) ch. 30; Talkut Shimoni, Daniel #1060.

[268] Nitzotzei Zohar.

[269] Ramak; Ateret Tzvi; Matok MiDevash; Nitzotzei Zohar.

[270] Matok MiDevash.

[271] Talmud Chulin 60b.

[272] Rabbi Avraham Galanti and other commentaries; Matok Midevash.

[273] Yalkut Shimoni, Yehoshua 1:2.

[274] Cf. Shemot Rabba 15:1; Shir HaShirim Rabba 2:26.

[275] See Sanhedrin 97b in the argument between Rabbi Yehoshua and Rabbi Eliezer.

[276] Ramak; Rabbi Avraham Galanti and other commentaries; Matok Midevash.

[277] Note that the Torah should be studied out loud. See Eruvin 53a, 54a. Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Hilchot Talmud Torah 2:12.

[278]. See Rambam Hilchot Yesodei HaTorah chapter 1:7-9.

[279]. See Pirkei Avot 4:17.

[280]. See Bereishit Rabba 96:2.

[281]. As interpreted by Rabbi Tzvi Elimelech Shapiro, the Munkatcher Rebbe in his Chidushei Mahartz”a

[282]. Matok MiDevash.

[283]. See Zohar III 96b.

[284]. See Tikunei Zohar, Intro. p. 3b; Tanya, Iggeret HaKodesh chapter 20.

[285].  As the Intro to the Tikunei Zohar states in Patach Eliyahu – chesed is the right arm; gevurah is the left arm etc.

[286]. Torat Shmuel 5627 p. 307.

[287]. cf. Torat Shmuel 5627 p. 307.

[288]. Shnei Luchot HaBrit, Aseret Hadibrot, Masechet Taanit, Torah Ohr 4.

[289]. See Makkot 24a, Maharsha; Tanya chap. 33.

[290] Note that ‘lea’ means field; ‘leas’ – fields.

[291] See Zohar II 163b; Zohar III 22a, 67b, 238b (in Raya Mehemna); Tikunei Zohar, Tikun 21 (49b).

[292] The word בקשתי here can mean both ‘I sought’ and ‘I beseeched.’

[293] I.e. Godliness as manifested in Ze’ir Anpin.

[294] Likutei Torah (Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi) Re’eh, p. 32d.

[295] See Bereishit Rabba 1:4.

[296] Cited in Matok MiDevash.

[297] See Zohar Chadash 75a. A different interpretation can be found in Zohar Chadash 83a which explains that the soul is illuminated with the light above its head and studies Torah etc. in the Garden of Eden, and then must come down to be born into this world of darkness and bitterness.

[298] This paragraph is not found in all versions of the Zohar.

[299] Zohar I, Intro.

[300] Technically, this refers to the fifth level of intimacy explained in Eitz Chaim 36:2.

[301] See Eitz Chaim 39:1.

[302] GR”A and commentaries. Matok Midevash.

[303] See Etz Chaim 25:8.

[304] See Talmud, Megillah 29a.

[305] The context here is that Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Yitzchak were once travelling and they came across a young boy who was leading a donkey loaded with honey. Rabbi Yehudah asked his colleague to share a Torah insight and he did. The young boy then questioned Rabbi Yitzchak’s explanation and offered one of his own. This developed into an entire conversation and it turns out that he was the son of a sage they knew, Rabbi Ze’ira of Kfar Raamin who had since passed away.

[306] The plene form and the defective (or missing) form are two modes of spelling in Biblical Hebrew. The plene or full form is when a vowel (which never appears in Scripture) is marked by a consonant, as in our case where the word would be written as לְהוֹרֹותָם (with a vav between the reish and tav). However the defective form (as in the verse here) it is written as לְהוֹרֹתָם (without the vav between the reish and tav).

[307] As in the verse (Shoftim 13:7) וַיֹּאמֶר לִי הִנָּךְ הָרָה וְיֹלַדְתְּ בֵּן

[308] See Zohar I, 135b (Midrash Ne’elam)

[309] The Hebrew word-root s’f’r (ס’פ’ר) can have several meanings: sofer (scribe or author), sefer (book), sippur (story), sfar – number; sfor (border, boundary, limitation); sapir (sapphire), etc., as evident in different versions of the Sefer Yetzirah. Three of the versions list them as follows:

בְּסֵפֶר סְפַר וּסְפוֹר (רמ”ק); בְּסְפָר‎ ‏וְסֵפֶר וְסִפּוּר (רס”ג); בְּסֵפֶר וּסְפָר וְסִפּוּר (גר”א).

However, the Zohar I 37b seems to imply implies that it should be read as בְּסוֹפֵר וְסֵפֶר וְסִיפוּר – “Author, book and story,” referring to chochmah, binah and da’at (see Likutei Torah, Sukkot 80b).

[310] See Zohar III, 145b and Commentaries.

[311] Note that the translation here is ‘she’ instead of ‘He.’ The Zohar’s explanation following will make clear why this is. Grammatically, תחפוץ is either second person future “He will desire,” or in the future is in the feminine form

[312] As in the verse Vayikra 1:9: “… a pleasing scent to God,” on which Rashi comments: “This is pleasing to Me because I decreed and My will was done.” Note that this phrase is first used in in connection with the burnt offering – all of which was offered up on the altar (see Zevachim 85b). Similarly, the love demanded here is an all or nothing proposition.

[313] Ketubot 111a.

[314] In some versions of the text.

[315] Cf. “Song of the Sea” (אז ישיר) – Exodus 15:6 “Your right hand O Lord is glorified with strength; Your right hand, O Lord smashes the enemy” Rashi; Psalms 60:7 and commentaries.

[316] See Talmud Sanhedrin 98a.

[317] See Talmud Ketubot 111a.

[318] Ramak; Rabbi Chaim Vital; Commentaries.

[319] As in the expression דינא דמולכותא דינא – “The law of the land is the law” (Talmud Nedarim 27b-28a; Bava Batra 54b etc.), meaning that the law of the land has the authority of Torah (as long as it doesn’t contradict the laws of the Torah – see Tur, Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat 369:8). However, in numerous places, the Zohar identifies this phrase with the harshness (din) characteristic of malchut. See e.g. Zohar III Raya Mehemna 16b; ibid. 33a, 227a, 257b

[320] The letter ט in Aramaic is replaced by a שׁ in Hebrew. Thus מְקֻטֶּרֶת (scented) would become מְקֻשֶּׁרֶת (bound to).

[321] As Zohar III, Raya Mehemna 3b states explicitly on the verse Song of Songs 5:1’אריתי מורי‘ דא חסד דרגא דאברהם דאתמר עליה אלך לי אל הר המור…

[322] See Toras Shmuel 5639, vol. 1 p. 21.

[323] Beshalach 9.

[324] See Rambam, De’ot 7:4 and commentaries.

[325] Ramak and other Commentaries.

[326] See Ramaz on Zohar Bamidbar p. 593.

[327] See Ramak; Rabbi Avraham Galanti.

[328] See also Bamidbar Rabba 9:7.

[329] A partzuf is the anthropomorphic representation of a sefirah or cluster of sefirot that fulfills a certain function described by the parztuf. For example, the partzuf of Abba (the sefirah of chochmah) has a role among the sefirot similar to a father’s a role in the family unit. The partzuf of Imma (the sefirah of binah) has a role among the sefirot similar to a mother’s role in the family unit, and so on.

[330] Torah Ohr, Miketz 38a

[331] Likutei Torah Balak 72a; Torat Menachem vol. 5 p. 101; vol. 26 p. 74

[332]רבוא  (rivoh) is a troop of 10,000. Since there were sixty such troops there were 600,000 altogether.

[333] Mikdash Melech; Rabbi Avraham Galanti.

[334] This is the version endorsed by Ramak.

[335] Zohar II, 46b.

[336] Matok Midevash.

[337] Knesset Yisrael is the collective soul of the Jewish People down below, and in the sefirot above – malchut. She is called Knesset Yisrael because she gathers into herself (koneset) all the outflow from Ze’ir Anpin above, called Israel (Kehillat Yaakov).

[338] Ben Ish Chai, Hilchot Shana 1, Intro to Va’era.

[339] See Targum Onkelos to Genesis 48:22; Bava Batra 123a.

[340] See Talmud Berachot 5a.

[341] Matok Midevash.

[342] Bava Batra 16a.

[343] See a discussion of this idea in Talmud Berachot 61b.

[344] See Sha’at Ratzon and other commentaries.

[345] Cf. Bereishit Rabba 1,1: The Torah declared: ‘I was the tool with which the blessed Holy One, created the world. the custom is that when a king builds a palace, he first draws up plans and uses ledgers to record the items and quantities he’ll need), and with these he begins to build . So too, the blessed Holy One looked into the Torah and created the world…

[346] This phrase is omitted in some versions.

[347] This verse (and therefore our interpretation) is omitted in some versions.

[348] Zohar I, 11b.

[349] Ramak and Mikdash Melech.

[350] This is when the yichud is initiated from below, generally by way of prayer or through fulfilling the commandments. This is particularly powerful when the commandments are fulfilled with mesirut nefesh (self-sacrifice).

[351] Ramak and other commentaries.

[352] Ramak and other commentaries.

[353] The Zohar I, 65a explains that avodah here is the sacrificial service. Note that as a test of Abraham’s faith, Isaac was almost offered as a sacrifice on the altar (see Genesis chap. 22), and so it is fitting that he corresponds to avodah. Note however, that after the destruction of the Temple, the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah (The Sages of the Great Assembly) established prayers three times a day in place of the sacrifices (based on a verse in Hoshea 14:2).

[354] Zohar I, 146b; Zohar Chadash 51a (Margolis edition).

[355] See Tikunei Zohar p. 125b.

[356] Noted in numerous places in Zohar, e.g. Zohar I, 90b; 119b; 120b; Zohar III, 4a.

[357] See Zohar III, 4a.

[358] See Tanya chapter 45.

[359] cf. Zohar II, 43a.

[360] Torat Menachem vol. 5 p. 197; Tanya Iggeret HaKodesh chap. 15 etc.

[361] See Ramaz, Commentary on the Zohar Shemot, p. 822.

[362] See Bereishit Rabba 56:10; Tosefot, Taanit 16a ד”ה הר

[363] Zohar I, 242a; Pardes Rimonim s.v. בנות ירושלים

[364] Likutei Torah, Shir haShirim 6c.

[365] Machzor Vitri p. 155.

[366] E.g. Zohar I p. 4a, 101a; Zohar II, 115a; Tikunei Zohar 68b etc.

[367] Tikunei Zohar p. 7b

[368] Arizal, Sefer Likutim, Likutei Torah to Etchanan 3:26.

[369] Cf. Talmud Ta’anit 26b

[370] As Metzudat Tzion renders it. Cf. Isaiah 47:2

[371] This is the ketiv (the way it is written in the original), but it is read (the kri) as בְּאַחַת

[372] Translation based on Midrash Lekach Tov on the verse.

[373] Cf. Exodus 26:18, 35 etc. where the translation of תימנה is ‘the south side.’

[374] Zohar II, 244b-262b. See also Rabbi Yishmael’s Heichalot.

[375] The seven heichalot are: 1) Livnat haSapir;  2) Etem haShamayim; 3) Nogah; 4) Zechut; 5) Ahava; 6) Ratzon; 7) Kodesh haKodoshim. Note that corresponding to and opposing these seven haichalot are seven impure heichalot from ‘the other side.’

[376] Matok MiDevash.

[377] See Eruvin end 21b; Shir haShirim Rabba on the verse, and in Zohar II, 116a; Zohar III, 140a.

[378] The previous passage in the Zohar makes clear that we are talking about Atik Yomin. Ateret Tzvi (and following him Matok MiDevash) explains this as referring to Arich Anpin. However, it seems that the intention here must be Atik Yomin, since only of Atik does the Zohar (vol. III, 129a) state: לית שמאלא בהאי עתיקא – ‘there is no left side [harshness, severity] in Atik’ specifically, but not of Arich.

[379] עיני העדה. See Numbers 15:24; Ta’anit 24a, Rashi – “These are the Sages who light up the eyes of the community.”

[380] Arizal, Sha’ar HaPesukim on this verse.

[381] Talmud Nedarim 38a; Tanchuma, Zot HaBracha 1:1.

[382] Idra Rabba Zohar III, 130a.

[383] במדבר (יד, יד): כִּי אַתָּה ה’ בְּקֶרֶב הָעָם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר עַיִן בְּעַיִן נִרְאָה אַתָּה ה’

[384] Arizal, Sha’ar HaPesukim on this verse.

[385] This is the fourth and highest level of soul recognized in the Zohar. The Arizal describes an even loftier level, yechidah, which is ‘a spark of the Creator within the created.’ See Eitz Chaim, Sha’ar 42, chap 1; R. Chaim Vital’s Shaarei Kedusha, part 3, ch. 5.

[386] Tanchuma, Korach 11.

[387] See Seder HaDorot..

[388] Note that the gematria (numerical value) of מ”י mi is 50, alluding to the ‘fifty gates of binah’ (see Talmud Rosh HaShana 21b; Zohar I, 105a; Shaarei Orah, sha’ar 10; Sefer Ha-Ikarim 2:12 etc.

[389] מַלְכוּת פֶּה תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה קָרִינָן לָהּ

[390] בִּינָה לִבָּא וּבָהּ הַלֵּב מֵבִין

[391] Mikdash Melech.

[392] Mikdash Melech, Commentaries.

[393] The identical idea is presented in Eruvin 19a: אַל תִּיקְרֵי ״רַקָּתֵךְ״ אֶלָּא ״רֵיקָתֵיךְ״, שֶׁאֲפִילּוּ רֵיקָנִין שֶׁבָּךְ מְלֵיאִין מִצְוֹת כְּרִמּוֹן and in several Midrashim, including Bereishit Rabba 32:10

[394] Zohar I, 58b.

[395] Talmud Berachot 34b; Sanhedrin 99a.

[396] שבת פח, א: מלמד שהתנה הקב”ה עם מעשה בראשית ואמר להם אם ישראל מקבלים התורה אתם מתקיימין ואם לאו אני מחזיר אתכם לתוהו ובוהו

[397] The nameשד”י  is often viewed as an abbreviation of notarikon ­– שאמר לעולמו די (He said to His world, ‘Enough!’).

[398] See I Kings 8:48 וְהִתְפַּלְלוּ אֶל ה’ דֶּרֶךְ הָעִיר אֲשֶׁר בָּחַרְתָּ בָּהּ, וְהַבַּיִת אֲשֶׁר בָּנִתִי לִשְׁמֶךָ

[399] Onkelos renders the verse לֹא יִהְיֶה כְלִי גֶבֶר עַל אִשָּׁה וְלֹא יִלְבַּשׁ גֶּבֶר שִׂמְלַת אִשָּׁה (Deuteronomy 22:5) asלָא יְהֵי תִקּוּן זֵין דִּגְבַר עַל אִתְּתָא וְלָא יְתַקֵּן גְּבַר בְּתִקּוּנֵי אִתְּתָא

[400] On the verse regarding the manna (Numbers 11:8) :וְהָיָה טַעְמוֹ כְּטַעַם לְשַׁד הַשָּׁמֶן the Sifri on the verse states:

מה הדד [=שַׁד] הזה לתינוק עיקר והכל טפילה לו…

[401] Note that this verse is partially a repetition of the verse in 2:17. So we have repeated part of that commentary, with some additions explaining other words in our verse.

[402] Matok MiDevash.

[403] Psalms 90:4 “A thousand years in Your eyes are but a bygone yesterday…”

[404] Mishnah Sanhedrin 3:6

[405] Talmud, Sanhedrin 17a.

[406] Mishnah Sanhedrin 3:6

[407] Contrast this with Rashi’s interpretation of the verse: “With Me come from Lebanon My bride…” referring to the exile from the Holy Land when God says to the Israelites, “Come with Me into exile” for as long as the Israelites are in exile, the Shechinah is in exile too. (See Talmud, Megilla 29a: Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai taught: Come and see how beloved the Israelites are to the blessed Holy One, for to wherever they are exiled, the Shechinah accompanies them.)

[408] Thus the name יצחק is interpreted as יהי צחוק – ‘there will be rejoicing and laughter.’

[409] This expression is found in numerous places, including Sifri (Deut. 6):

אין לבנון אלא בית המקדש, שנאמר (ירמיהו כב, ו) גלעד אתה לי ראש הלבנון, ואומר (ישעי’ י, לד) והלבנון באדיר יפול, דבר אחר למה קורים אותו לבנון, שמלבין עוונותיהם של ישראל, שנא’ (ישעי’ א, יח) אם יהיו חטאיכם כשני כשלג ילבינו.

Talmud Yoma 39b: אמר רבי יצחק בן טבלאי למה נקרא שמו לבנון, שמלבין עונותיהן של ישראל

[410] Commentaries.

[411] Note that here the verse refers to the blessed Holy One speaking to the Shechinah, and the interpretation of the entire verse requires a different translation.

[412] Talmud Shabbat 88a:

בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהִקְדִּימוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל ״נַעֲשֶׂה״ לְ״נִשְׁמָע״ בָּאוּ שִׁשִּׁים רִיבּוֹא שֶׁל מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת, לְכׇל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל קָשְׁרוּ לוֹ שְׁנֵי כְתָרִים, אֶחָד כְּנֶגֶד ״נַעֲשֶׂה״ וְאֶחָד כְּנֶגֶד ״נִשְׁמָע״.

[413] See Pirkei Avot 6:2:

ואומר (שמות לב טז): “וְהַלֻּחֹת מַעֲשֵׂה אֱלֹהִים הֵמָּה וְהַמִּכְתָּב מִכְתַּב אֱלֹהִים הוּא חָרוּת עַל הַלֻּחֹת”, אל תקרא חָרוּת אלא חֵירוּת, שאין לך בן חורין אלא מי שעוסק בתלמוד תורה!

[414] ד”ה לבבתני באחד מעיניך

[415] מאמר פתחו שערים פרק יט

[416] Ralbag; Metzudat David; Malbim et al.

[417] See Talmud Berachot 34b; Sanhedrin 99a; Zohar I, Midrash haNe’elam 135b.

[418] Zohar I, Midrash haNe’elam 135b; Commentaries.

[419] See Numbers 28:7-8, 14.

[420] Talmud Eruvin 55a; Sanhedrin 38a.

[421] אבות (ו, א):  רבי מאיר אומר כל העוסק בתורה לשמה, זוכה לדברים הרבה… ומגלין לו רזי תורה

[422] See e.g. Esther Rabba 5:1; Vayikra Rabba 12:1; Tanchuma, Shmini 1:5.

[423] See Ramaz, Zohar Bereishit p. 721; Sefer Gerushin (Ramak); Shaarei Kedusha (R. Chaim Vital) 3:2.

[424] See Avot 6:9:

בשעת פטירתו של אדם אין מלוין לו לאדם לא כסף ולא זהב ולא אבנים טובות ומרגליות, אלא תורה ומעשים טובים בלבד, שנאמר (משלי ו, כב): “בהתהלכך תנחה אותך בשכבך תשמור עליך והקיצות היא תשיחך”.

[425] Shaat Ratzon on Zohar I, p. 38a; See Ramaz, Zohar Bereishit pp. 283, 930, 993; Arizal, Sha’ar HaTefillah p. 54b

[426] This phrase רזי רזין (secrets of the secrets) is mentioned numerous times in Zohar e.g. vol. I, 41a; III 128a; Zohar Chadash (Margolios) 56b, 57a etc., and is even a section of the Zohar, e.g. Zohar II, 70b, 71a, 71b, 72a, 72b etc.

[427] Imrei Binah (R. Dovber of Lubavitch) Sha’ar haKeriat Shema chap. 54 ff.

[428] The cytoplasm has oil-like properties.

[429] Mishnah Tevul Yom 2:5; Shemot Rabba 36:1; Rambam Tumat Ochlin 8:10.

[430] See Talmud Chulin 97a; Shulchan Aruch, Yoreh De’ah 105:5.

[431] E.g. דברים (ד, ו) כִּי הִוא חָכְמַתְכֶם וּבִינַתְכֶם…; משלי (ב, ב) כִּי ה’ יִתֵּן חָכְמָה מִפִּיו דַּעַת וּתְבוּנָה; (שם ח, יא) כִּי טוֹבָה חָכְמָה מִפְּנִינִים וְכָל חֲפָצִים לֹא יִשְׁווּ בָהּ; (שם יג, יד) תּוֹרַת חָכָם מְקוֹר חַיִּים…

[432] See e.g. Talmud Menachot 85b: וישלח יואב תקועה ויקח משם אשה חכמה מאי שנא תקועה אמר רבי יוחנן מתוך שרגילין בשמן זית חכמה מצויה בהן

[433] Or ‘order’ – סִדוּרָא

[434] Zohar I, 4a.

[435] Ramak and Commentaries.

[436] However, the Zohar (Zohar Chadash Margolios 45b; 28b in Midrash haNe’elam) does bring this as a proof verse in other contexts, without illuminating our verse any further.

[437] Eitz Chaim 49:8.

[438] Sefer Gerushin para. 63.

[439] Berachot 39b: אֵין עֵץ חַיִּים אֶלָּא תּוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״עֵץ חַיִּים הִיא לַמַּחֲזִיקִים בָּהּ״

[440] Mishnah Para 8:9: הַמַּיִם הַמְכַזְּבִים, פְּסוּלִין [לְמֵי חטאת]. אֵלּוּ הֵם הַמַּיִם הַמְכַזְּבִים, הַמְכַזְּבִים אֶחָד בַּשָּׁבוּעַ…

[441] See Zohar I, 249b.

[442] Talmud Sanhedrin 94b:  בת גלים בתו של אברהם יצחק ויעקב שעשו מצות כגלי הים

[443] Pardes Rimonim 23:3.

[444] See Talmud Berachot 34b; Sanhedrin 99a; Zohar I, Midrash haNe’elam 135b.

[445] See Talmud Avodah Zara 31b.

[446] Following Rashi.

[447] Talmud, Shabbat 88a:

בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהִקְדִּימוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל ״נַעֲשֶׂה״ לְ״נִשְׁמָע״ בָּאוּ שִׁשִּׁים רִיבּוֹא שֶׁל מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת, לְכׇל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד מִיִּשְׂרָאֵל קָשְׁרוּ לוֹ שְׁנֵי כְתָרִים, אֶחָד כְּנֶגֶד ״נַעֲשֶׂה״ וְאֶחָד כְּנֶגֶד ״נִשְׁמָע״.

[448] The Talmud notes in various places that the letter ו and words such as גם come to include additional individuals or instances.

[449] Sulam.

[450] Note that this section does not appear in Ramak’s Ohr Yakar.

[451] Ibn Ezra

[452] Zohar I, 26a.

[453] See Eitz Chaim, 23:1.

[454] מצא מין את מינו וניעור Eruvin 9a. Explained in these Kabbalistic sources: Pardes Rimonim 8:3; Sefer HaLikutim Lech 13; Sha’ar Mamarei Rashbi, Sifra d’Tzniuta 1; Taamei Hamitzvot, Lech Lecha (sod hamilah); Sha’ar haYichud (Chabad) 125b.

[455] Note that this is a different analysis of the verse from previously, where Eden referred to binah. Here, since we are referring to the yichud of chochmah and binah, the verse is explained at a higher level.

[456] See e.g. Zohar I, 135b.

[457] Tikunei Zohar 67a.

[458] Talmud Berachot 3b.

[459] See Eitz Chaim 42:13.

[460]  משלי כ, כז: נֵר יְהוָה נִשְׁמַת אָדָם…

[461] דברים ה, ד: פָּנִים בְּפָנִים דִּבֶּר יְהוָה עִמָּכֶם

[462] Sefer HaLikutim, Zot haBerachah chapter 2.

[463] Sha’arei Kedushah, R. Chaim Vital, 3:6 where he lists five approaches to achieving ruach hakodesh.

[464] The entire section from this point is in parentheses.

[465] Mishnah Sotah 1:7.

[466] Sanhedrin 90a.

[467] I added in the word ‘like’ here, because in fact souls are higher than angels, as evident from Bamidbar Rabba 20:19; Tanchuma, Balak 14; and as explained in Tanya, Iggeret HaKodesh chap. 4 that angels derive from the Name Elokim, whereas souls derive from the Name Havaye. See also Eitz Chaim 28:1; 40:10. This is also evident from the verse (Zechariah 3:7) where angels are called ‘standing’ (in the sense of immobile), whereas souls are called ‘movers’ and ascend form level to level. See Torah Ohr end of Vayeishev.

[468] Technically אספקלריאה (aspaklaria) is translated as ‘speculum.’ But since this word is not in common use in English, I have translated it as ‘reflection,’ following the dictionary definition of speculum: “a mirror or polished metal plate used as a reflector in optical instruments.”

[469] As explained in the previous footnote aspaklaria is translated as ‘speculum’ i.e. ‘a mirror or polished metal plate used as a reflector in optical instruments.’ Here I just left is as aspaklaria.

[470] As suggested by Talmud Shabbat 88b ff.”למצרים ירדתם.. אב ואם יש לכם.. יצה”ר יש ביניכם”

 See Likutei Torah (Chabad) Behar 42b; Mamarei Admur HaZakein 5666 vol. 2 p. 702;

[471] Intro. to Sefer HaHakamot

[472] See Ibn Ezra on the verse and Malbim 34:6.

[473] Many commentaries disagree that Isaac was actually fooled. See Zohar I, 143a; 144a-b.

[474] We translated לבן here as ‘pure white’ (or perhaps ‘clear’) to reflect another meaning of צַח = pure.

[475] See Rashi.

[476] See Rashi to Gen. 25:31 אָמַר יַעֲקֹב אֵין רָשָׁע זֶה כְדַאי שֶׁיַּקְרִיב לְהַקָּבָּ”ה

[477] As Targum Yonatan renders the verse (Deut. 22:5) לֹא יִהְיֶה כְלִי גֶבֶר עַל אִשָּׁה (a woman should not wear a man’s clothes) – as לָא יִהְיֶה… תִּקּוּנֵי גְבַר עַל אִיתָּא

[478] See Tanya chap. 1.

[479] See Torah Ohr (Chabad), Yitro 71a ff; Likutei Torah (Chabad) Vayikra 2b etc.

[480] The more accurate translation would be ‘from every thorn’ but the intention is ‘every hair,’ as Malbim explains.

[481] Eitz Chaim 11:4.

[482] Even though in general the hair of the beard is the aspect of gevurah compared with the hair of the head, in Atik the beard too is white, symbolizing chesed. See previous reference.

[483] As in the verse, (Deut. 11:12) – תָּמִיד עֵינֵי ה’ אֱלֹקֶיךָ בָּהּ מֵרֵשִׁית הַשָּׁנָה וְעַד אַחֲרִית שָׁנָה (although this verse is not referring to the ‘eyes’ of ze’ir anpin)

[484] As Haman said, “Your G-d is asleep.” See Esther Rabba 7:12.

[485] This may be the incense offering but may not be, hence the somewhat more innocuous translation.

[486] Literally “in a voice.”

[487] See 1:2 where the concept of zivug neshikin is explained.

[488] See Yerushalmi Succah 5:1 שאין רוח הקדש שורה אלא על לב שמח מ”ט (שמואל א’ יט:כג) ‘והיה כנגן המנגן ותהי עליו רוח אלהים’… (This is as printed in Yerushalmi. However the verse actually endsוַתְּהִי עָלָיו גַּם הוּא רוּחַ אֱלֹקִים).  Bavli Pesachim 117a quotes a different verse: לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁאֵין הַשְּׁכִינָה שׁוֹרָה לֹא מִתּוֹךְ עַצְלוּת וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ עַצְבוּת וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ שְׂחוֹק וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ קַלּוּת רֹאשׁ וְלֹא מִתּוֹךְ דְּבָרִים בְּטֵלִים אֶלָּא מִתּוֹךְ דְּבַר שִׂמְחָה שֶׁל מִצְוָה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלאכים ב’ ג:טו) וְעַתָּה קְחוּ לִי מְנַגֵּן וְהָיָה כְּנַגֵּן הַמְנַגֵּן וַתְּהִי עָלָיו יַד ה׳

[489] Talmud Bava Batra 12b: “After the destruction of the Temple prophecy was taken away from the prophets…”

[490] דברי הימים א (כט, יא): לְךָ יְהוָה הַגְּדֻלָּה וְהַגְּבוּרָה וְהַתִּפְאֶרֶת וְהַנֵּצַח וְהַהוֹד כִּי כֹל…  – which are interpreted as referring to the sefirot from chesed to yesod (כ”י כ”ל is the same numerical value as יסו”ד and therefore alludes to it). See also Pardes Rimonim 1:8.

[491] Zohar II, 272b (addenda); Mechilta Beshalach.

[492] See Zohar III, 78b; Pardes 8:4; Shelah, Tetzavah Torah Ohr 1; Leshem, Hakdamot v’Shaarim 7:5.

[493] Mechilta Beshalach.

[494] See Commentaries to Exodus 34:27; Talmud Berachot 5a; Eruvin 21b Sifra, Bechukotai 8; Midrash Rabba, Shir haShirim 1:51 etc.

[495] Rabbi Yaakov Emden in his Mitpachat Sefarim questions this on the basis of a Talmudic statement (Bechorot 8a) that it is a carob tree that takes this long to produce fruits, and not the date-palm. However the author of Bar Yochai, #49, offers two resolutions to this difficulty. See there.

In any event, today carob trees start producing fruits 3-4 years after budding in areas with favorable growing conditions, and require up to 8 years in regions with marginal soils. Full bearing of the trees occurs mostly at a tree-age of 20-25 years when the yield stabilizes (Wikipedia s.v. Carob). Date palms can take 4 to 8 years after planting before they will bear fruit, and start producing viable yields for commercial harvest between 7 and 10 years (Wikipedia s.v. Date Palm). However, these figures for the palm tree apply to traditional oasis horticulture and modern commercial orchards where the trees are entirely pollinated manually. In their natural habitat date-palms are wind pollinated, and it is entirely plausible that with only natural wind pollination the date-palms may take far longer to produce fruits.

Now this is all when the verse is read on a literal level, not on the mystical level, where it alludes to an entirely different layer of meaning, as will be explained.

[496] Ramak, Mikdash Melech and others, cited in Matok Midevash.

[497] Rashi explains the wordאֶפְקֹד  in the verse in Jeremiah as meaning ‘I will remember.’ But it also has the connotation of intimacy, as in Yevamot 62b: חייב אדם לפקוד את אשתו…  (A man is obligated to be intimate with his wife before he leaves on an extended journey). The Zohar explains the verse according to the latter meaning.

[498] Zohar II, 11b.

[499] Psalms 90:4 כִּי אֶלֶף שָׁנִים בְּעֵינֶיךָ כְּיוֹם אֶתְמוֹל one day of the Almighty is a thousand years (see Sanhedrin 97a; commentaries).

[500] Zohar III, 270a.

[501] Talmud Berachot 34b; Sanhedrin 99b.

[502] Zohar I 135b, 67a; Midrash Rabba 13:2, based on a verse in Isaiah 64:3.

[503] Zohar Chadash, Midrash Hane’elam, 28a (Margolis edition.)

[504] See Zohar I, 215a, 256a. This refers to the immanent Divine Presence.

[505] See Numbers 15:37-41.

[506] Deuteronomy 6:8.

[507] As the alternative reading states.

[508] Some translate שׁוֹשַׁנִּים as ‘lilies.’ However, since lilies have only 6 petals (or more accurately three petals and three sepals) it is hard to see how the Zohar can be referring to lilies. Some varieties of roses, however, have 10-20 petals. A rose with 13 petals or more is called a semidouble rose.

[509] Tikunei Zohar, Tikun 66 (p. 97b): “A person must trip away all other thoughts when he comes to unify the Holy One, blessed is He, in Shema.”

[510] (דברים ו, ה) וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת ה’ אֱלֹקֶיךָ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ וּבְכָל מְאֹדֶךָ

[511] Commentaries.

[512] E.g. Psalms 45:1; 80:1.

[513] Note that although binah is associated with the left side of the brain, it is known to control the functions of the right side of the body.

[514] Zohar II, 14a.

[515] Zohar II, 14a.

[516] Cf. Bava Metzia 85b. See Pardes Rimonim 24:14.

[517] See Eruvin end 21b; Shir haShirim Rabba on the verse, and in Zohar II, 116a; Zohar III, 140a.

[518] The previous passage in the Zohar makes clear that we are talking about Atik Yomin. Ateret Tzvi (and following him Matok MiDevash) explains this as referring to Arich Anpin. However, it seems that the intention here must be Atik Yomin, since only of Atik does the Zohar (vol. III, 129a) state: לית שמאלא בהאי עתיקא – ‘there is no left side [harshness, severity] in Atik’ specifically, but not of Arich.

[519] עיני העדה. See Numbers 15:24; Ta’anit 24a, Rashi – “These are the Sages who light up the eyes of the community.”

[520] Arizal, Sha’ar HaPesukim on this verse.

[521] Talmud Nedarim 38a; Tanchuma, Zot HaBracha 1:1.

[522] Idra Rabba Zohar III, 130a.

[523] במדבר (יד, יד): כִּי אַתָּה ה’ בְּקֶרֶב הָעָם הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר עַיִן בְּעַיִן נִרְאָה אַתָּה ה’

[524] The identical idea is presented in Eruvin 19a: אַל תִּיקְרֵי ״רַקָּתֵךְ״ אֶלָּא ״רֵיקָתֵיךְ״, שֶׁאֲפִילּוּ רֵיקָנִין שֶׁבָּךְ מְלֵיאִין מִצְוֹת כְּרִמּוֹן and in several Midrashim, including Bereishit Rabba 32:10

[525] See Genesis 49:9; Midrash Rabba Bereishit ch. 95.

[526] It seems from numerous verses that an army of soldiers was divided into units of 10,000. See Judges 4:6, 4:10, 20:34; Samuel I 15:4; Samuel II 18:3; Kings I 5:28.

[527] See Intro to Tikunei Zohar, Patach Eliyahu: מלכות פה תורה שבעל פה קרינן לה – “Malchut is [represented by] the mouth. We call her the Oral Torah.”

[528] According to the GRA’s amendment of the text this should read, ‘these are the sixty Tractates [of the Talmud].’

[529] According to the Beit Yosef, at the beginning of his Kelalei HaTalmud, originally there were six hundred Mishnaic tractates which Rabbi Yehudah haNassi reorganized into six tractates. See also Machzor Vitri, Sefer HaKana p. 81a, Sefer HaYuchasin p. 11a; Petach Einaim, Chagigah 14a.

[530] Perhaps 600 in binah and 6,000 in chochmah.

[531] An alternative explanation: 600,000 may refer to the number of letters of the Written Torah (the Five Books of Moses), which is ultimately the source of the Oral Torah. See Zohar Chadash, Shir haShirim 74d (Margolias). Although the Torah has only approximately 305,000 letters, the letters אהו”י are often replaced by vowel-nekudot (Likutei Torah, Behar 41b, 43). See also Megaleh Amukot, Ofen 186; Pnei Yehoshua Kidushin 30a ד”ה ת”ר

[532] See Siddur HaArizal (R. Shabtai version) in the section titled Kavanot haLimud cited also in Tanya, Iggeret HaKodesh p. 137a; Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Hilchot Talmud Torah II:2. See also Ramban’s Intro to Shir haShirim.

[533] See our Commentary above 5:7.

[534] See Talmud Shabbat 152b; Zohar I, 113a (Midrash Ne’elam); Zohar III, 29b.

[535] תהלים קו, מח) בָּרוּךְ יהו”ה אֱלֹקֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן הָעוֹלָם וְעַד הָעוֹלָם וְאָמַר כָּל הָעָם אָמֵן הַלְלוּ יָ”הּ)

[536] Zohar III, 256b.

[537] Zohar III, 256b.

[538] Zohar III, 225a Raya Mehemna. There are opinions that Raphael is tiferet and Uriel is malchut.

[539] See Genesis 2:10: וְנָהָרּ יֹצֵא מֵעֵדֶן לְהַשְׁקוֹת אֶת הַגָּן וּמִשָּׁם יִפָּרֵד וְהָיָה לְאַרְבָּעָה רָאשִׁים

[540] Pirkei Heichalot 12:3, 16:3 and numerous places in Zohar.

[541] Jewish tradition speaks about the possibility of two Messiahs – one the descendent of Joseph and the other the descendent of Yehudah (Judah). The former, called Mashiach ben Yosef, will fight the battles of the Jewish People against their enemies and will be victorious. But he will be killed in battle and will be succeeded by Mashiach ben David, a descendent of Judah (Talmud, Sukkah 52a). The Zohar discusses this idea in numerous places, among them Zohar II 98a ff.; Zohar III 153b.

[542] This could be translated literally, as “Old man, old man!” But that somehow doesn’t ring quite right.

[543] Chukat, 64a.

[544] This last bracketed line “You cannot tell apart” is merely poetic license taken here for the sake of rhyme, although it does make sense in the context of the Zohar’s explanation of this verse.

[545] Most translate this as “your head is like Mount Carmel.” However, note that the verse does not stateהר הכרמל which is the way it is written in Tanach when referring to the Mountain, but simply כַּכַּרְמֶל. We therefore translate it according to Tractate Menachot 66b and Rashi’s explanation of Leviticus 2:14 and the verse he cites there from II Kings 4:42: וְכַרְמֶל בְּצִקְלוֹנוֹ

[546] Most translate this as ‘branches’ but this is incorrect, since the palm-tree technically does not grow branches, only leaves. The petiole is the leaf stem that attaches the leaf to the trunk. With time the petioles dry out and break off to form the rough surface of the palm-tree trunk.

[547] Note that this is usually translated as “the mandrakes gave forth their perfume.” Our translation follows the Zohar’s interpretation of this verse. See below.

[548] Note that I changed the order of new and old for rhyming purposes.

[549] See Succah 41a, Rashi and Tosafot; also Bereishit Rabba 2:5; 56:10. Yalkut Shimoni, Devarim 33:956.

[550] See Yerushalmi Megillah 1:11; Vayikra Rabba 9:6. This is also the ruling of Rambam, Hilchot Melachim ch. 11.

[551] See also Talmud Taanit 31a regarding the dance the Holy One, blessed is He, will initiate for the righteous in the future – אמר רבי אלעזר עתיד הקדוש ברוך הוא לעשות מחול לצדיקים

[552] See Bamidbar Rabba 2:4.

[553] See Talmud Pesachim 68a; Zevachim 116b etc.

[554] Zohar III, 55b, 226b.

[555] Shir HaShirim Rabba 4:4(1); Bamidbar Rabba 2:3.

[556] See Likutei Torah, Shmini Atzeret 86c.

[557] See Be’er Lechai Ro’i.

[558] Be’er Lechai Ro’i and other commentaries.

[559] Sha’ar HaKavanot 18b.

[560] See Zohar II, 147a.

[561] See Talmud Yoma 54b, and at length Zohar I, p. 72a ff. et al.

[562] See Tanya chap. 36.

[563] See commentaries to Psalms 95:6; Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer 31:14; Tanchuma Tavo 1:1; Bereishit Rabba 56:2.

[564] See Pardes Rimonim 23:1 (s.v. אגן); 31:8.

[565] See Zohar I, p. 230b; Zohar III, 36a; Tikunei Zohar 8a, 18b, 21a, etc.

[566] See Zohar I, p. 150a; 223a; 243a, etc.

[567] See Esther 1:11; Patach Eliyahu, Intro to Tikunei Zohar כתר עליון איהו כתר מלכות, ועליה אתמר מגיד מראשית אחרית

[568] Pardes Rimonim 23:1 s.v. אגן

[569] See Middot 5:4 according to Abba Shaul and Melechet Shlomo (that Lishkat Ha-Etz was not Lishkat Ha-Kohen Gadol). Alternatively, these may have been Lishkat Ha-Etzim; Lishkat HaMetzora’im (to which Lishkat HaGazit was connected; Lishkat Ha-Shemanim (or Ha-Parvah); Lishkat Ha-Nezirim in the Second Temple.

[570] Talmud Sanhedrin 36b.

[571] In the Temple era this was a descendant of King David.

[572] According to the Zohar (Zohar III, 275b), the High Priest (the Kohen Gadol) was the official Av Beit Din.

[573] See Yoma 25a, Rashi; Rambam, Beit HaBechira 7:6; Rashi Yoma 69b ד”ה אלא

[574] Ramak, GRA.

[575] See also Rashi on the verse.

[576] Commentaries explain that the soul of a Tsaddik does not completely leave the place where he studied and taught Torah. It remains there to aid and instruct those who come there seeking Torah’s wisdom.

[577] See the explanations of the word פארות in Ezekiel 17:6.

[578] So that Passover will always be in the spring (see Exodus 12:2 ff); Talmud Rosh Hashanah 20a.

[579] See Zohar III, p. 93b, 95a, 105a, 114b etc.

[580] Shir Hashirim Rabba 7:11

[581] Likutei Torah Ha’azinu, 72d.

[582] Zohar III, 248b.

[583] As explained in Tractate Pesachim 54a.

[584] See Tractate Shabbat 152b. The Talmud there states explicitly that this refers to the souls of the righteous:ר’ אליעזר אומר נשמתן של צדיקים גנוזות תחת כסא הכבוד . Other texts explain that this is the Godly soul (as opposed to the animal soul). See Ma’amarei HaTezemach Tzedek 5615, p. 270; Tanya chap. 2.

[585] See Rabbi Menachem Azarya diFano in his Asarah Ma’amarot מאמר אם כח חי 2:33; Shelah 3a, 20b where they cites the verse (Isaiah 14:14) אֶדַּמֶּה לְעֶלְיוֹן –“I am like [in the image of] the Most High.”

[586] Even the world was created in its fullness. See Bereishit Rabba 14:7: עוֹפֶר עוֹלָם עַל מְלֵיאָתוֹ נִבְרָא and how much more so the soul of man that preceded it.

[587] Matok Midvash.

[588] See the continuation of this section on p. 113b where the Zohar compares the body to Sarah who was barren until “God granted special providence to Sarah, and… Sarah became pregnant (Genesis 21:1-2)

[589] Tikunei Zohar 144b.

[590] This could also be translated as “the head of all heads” but that doesn’t fit in well with the explanation here.

[591] (דברים ו,ה) וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת ה’ אֱלֹקֶיךָ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ וּבְכָל מְאֹדֶךָ

[592] Zohar II, p. 162b.

[593] Me’orei Ohr 1:37.

[594] Tanya ch. 43; Torah Ohr 47a.

[595] See Sefer Ha’Arachim Chabad vol. 1 p. 563 ff.

[596] See Pardes Rimonim chap. 22 s.v. תמר

[597] Cf. Bereishit Rabba 1:4 נשמות ישראל עלו במחשבה and the fact that we are all endowed with a Godly soul. (See Tanya chap. 2). See also Devarim Rabba 4:4 אמר הקב”ה לאדם נרי בידך ונרך בידי

See also the verse in Numbers 11:21  שש מאות אלף רגלי העם אשר אנכי בקרבו

[598] Tractate Succah 3:1. The Talmud in that tractate 29b explains at length.

[599] This is according to Tosafot’s commentary there ד”ה נפרצו

[600] Rashi.

[601] On the verse regarding the manna (Numbers 11:8):וְהָיָה טַעְמוֹ כְּטַעַם לְשַׁד הַשָּׁמֶן the Sifri on the verse states: מה הדד [=שַׁד] הזה לתינוק עיקר והכל טפילה לו…

[602] Sha’ar HaYichudim ch. 10; Sha’ar Ruach HaKodesh p. 42b (in the Yosef Da’at version).

[603] Each letter in the Hebrew alphabet is assigned a numerical value (gematria): Aleph = 1, bet – 2 and so on. When the gematria of two words is identical, this is indicative of a hidden affinity between them.

[604] In the derivative form of פנים

[605] Pardes, Sha’ar 23 s.v. חיך

[606] See Proverbs 9:5 לְכוּ לַחֲמוּ בְלַחֲמִי – “Come and partake of My bread” and Alshich; Talmud Berachot 57a.

[607] Talmud Ta’anit 7a: “נמשלו דברי תורה למיםף; Talmud Bava Kama 17a.

[608] See Imrei Binah, Sh’ar HaK’riat Shema p. 52c ff.; Likutei Torah Korach 54d etc.

[609] See Shir Hashirim Rabba 1:2 (3); Shelah

[610] See Bamidbar Rabbah 14:4. Cf. also Rashi in his second comment on Song of Songs 1:2. See also Taanit 7a.

[611]. As explained above (fn. 58), when the gematria of two words is identical, this is indicative of a hidden affinity between them. Wine (yayin) is spelt yud = 10, yud = 10, nun = 50. Total = 70. The esoteric dimension of Torah, sod, is spelled samech = 60, vav = 6, dalet = 4. Total = 70. See Eruvin 65a; Zohar II, Shemini 39a.

[612] Cf. Genesis 9:20; Proverbs 20:1; 23:29-30; Zohar I, 70a; Talmud Chagiga 14b, 15b; Talmud Yerushalmi Chagiga 2:11.

[613] See Tikunei Zohar, tikun 51 p. 85; Pardes 25:6; Rabbi Chaim Vital’s Intro to Eitz Chaim, where he states this explicitly in more than one place. E.g.כי עון אדה”ר בעץ הדעת טוב ורע הוא שלא בחר להתעסק בעץ החיים שהיא חכמת הקבלה and חכמת האמת (=הקבלה) הנקרא עץ החיים

[614] In the literal sense of wine. Soon we will see that ‘bubbling’ represents joyfulness.

[615] See Mikdash Melech.

[616] שמות כה, ח: וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם

[617] Note that the Sages of the Talmud (Shabbat 104a) put it slightly differently: “One who comes to purify himself is given assistance.”

[618] See Shir HaShirim Rabba 5:2(2).

[619] Matok MiDevash.

[620] Sefer Habahir is an early Kabbalistic work attributed to the 1st-century Rabbinic Sage Nechunya ben HaKanah and preceded the Zohar by some decades.

[621] As in the verse (Genesis 27:27) “Like the scent of a field…” which the Midrash says is Gan Eden (see Bereishit Rabba 65; Maharzu); Ma’amarim Melukat I p. 270.

[622] Sefer HaLikutim, Zot HaBeracha 7.

[623] According to a different version – the final exile before the redemption.

[624] See Echah Rabba Intro, para. 7.

[625] Talmud Succah, 52a. There is a disagreement there between the Sages whether Mashiach ben Yosef will be killed in that war or not. The Zohar itself implies that it is not necessarily the case that he will be killed. See Zohar III, Raya Mehemna 279a. Note that Miamonides (end of Hilchot Melachim) does not mention Mashiach ben Yosef at all.

[626] See Talmud Eruvin, 19a.

[627] Note that above in the translation of just the verses, I reversed the order of new and old for rhyming purposes. But this is the correct order.

[628] See Etz Chaim 16:1; 16:4; 39:4.

[629] Tanya ch. 45; Mamarei Admo”r HaZakein 5669 p. 51.

[630] Although the usual translation is ‘among them’, the word בתוכם also (and primarily) means ‘within them’ – within the soul of each and every Israelite. (See Torat Menachem vol. 2, p 223 ff).

[631] Part of the Intro to Tikunei Zohar.

[632] See Talmud Berachot 35b; Pesachim 109a.

[633] See e.g. Zohar III, p. 83, 68. The Zohar notes there that יי”ן (wine) and סו”ד (secret) have the same numerical value =70, showing the affinity between them.

[634] Sifri Eikev; Shabbat 133b.

[635] “ובעת שירצה האדם להתקרב למעלה להדמות אליו לפתוח מקורותיו אל התחתונים צריך שישתלם בשני פרקים אלו”

[636] This verse is a repetition of 2:6. For the sake of convenience we have copied our explanation from there.

[637] Although gevurah is most often associated with restrictive power, the power to limit and conceal the benevolence and magnanimity of chesed, or with self-restraint, it also denotes the attribute of spiritual elevation, as commentaries note on this very verse, “His left hand is under my head – in order to raise the head” (see Torah Or, Ki Tissa 85c. Perhaps one can say that “lifting the head” is for the purpose of zivug neshikin, the spiritual communion that precedes physical intimacy, as explained in our commentary above 1:2. See Arizal, Sha’ar haPesukim, Vayera 21. See also Likutei Torah (Kehot), Chukat 66c; Zot HaBeracha 93d. See also Shir Hashirim Rabba 1, 2).

[638] As in the verse (Genesis 31:42): “He whom Isaac fears was with me.”

[639] See Eitz Chaim 35, 4.

[640] Ramak and commentaries.

[641] Sha’arei Teshuvah (Admor HaEmtza’i), Sha’ar HaTefilah 24a.

[642] A euphemism signifying sexual intimacy.

[643] Ramak and commentaries.

[644] See above 2:7.

[645] י”ה… חקק… ל”ב נתיבות פליאות חכמה

[646] Zohar I, 141b cited in Sefer HaMaamarim 5569 p. 50; Torat Chaim Bereishit 3b ff.

[647] חָכְמוֹת בַּחוּץ תָּרֹנָּה (משלי א, כ)

[648] Zohar I, 141b cited in Sefer HaMaamarim 5569 p. 50; Torat Chaim Bereishit 3b ff.

[649] Sefer HaMaamarim 5572 p. 18. See also Likutei Torah, Eikev 16d.

[650] Torat Chaim, Bereishit vol. I, p. 1a.

[651] Genesis chap. 1.

[652] Zohar III 81b (Raya Mehemna); Zohar Chadash 94d, 96b, 211 c-d; Pardes Shaar HaNetivot (shaar 12) chap. 2. Cited in Likutei Torah, Emor 33d, Ki Teitzei 39c, etc.

[653] Sefer HaMaamarim 5668, p. 72; Torat Chaim, Bereishit vol. I ד”ה בראשית ברא פ”ג-ד.

[654] Pardes, Shaar HaNetivot (shaar 12) chap. 2.

[655] מיכה ז, טו: כִּימֵי צֵאתְךָ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם אַרְאֶנּוּ נִפְלָאוֹת

[656] שמות יז, טז: וַיֹּאמֶר כִּי יָד עַל כֵּס יָהּ מִלְחָמָה לַיהוָה בַּעֲמָלֵק מִדֹּר דֹּר

[657] Tanchuma, Ki Teitzei 11; Rashi on this verse: נשבע הקב”ה שאין שמו שלם ואין כסאו שלם עד שימחה שמו של עמלק כולו, וכשימחה שמו יהיה השם שלם והכסא שלם

[658] Eitz Chaim Hakadmat Maharchu (al Shaar HaHakdamot); see also Kohelet Rabba 12:10 (ד”ה בִּקֵּשׁ קֹהֶלֶת לַעֲמֹד עַל הַקֵּץ מָתַי); Matok MiDvash.

[659] Eitz Chaim Hakadmat Maharchu (al Shaar HaHakdamot).

[660] Shaar Maamarei Rashbi, Pekudei.

[661] Kehillat Yaakov s.v. בן, citing Zohar I, 242a; Or Neerav 7:1.

[662] ישעיהו מז, ד: גֹּאֲלֵנוּ ה’ צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ קְדוֹשׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל

[663] Matok Midvash.

[664] ישעי’ נב, ב: הִתְנַעֲרִי מֵעָפָר קוּמִי

[665] See above 3:5.

[666] As in the verse Vayikra 1:9: “… a pleasing scent to God,” on which Rashi comments: “This is pleasing to Me because I decreed and My will was done.” Note that this phrase is first used in in connection with the burnt offering – all of which was offered up on the altar (see Zevachim 85b). Similarly, the love demanded here is an all or nothing proposition.

[667] See Talmud Sanhedrin 98a.

[668] See Talmud Ketubot 111a.

[669] Sefer HaLikutim, Zot haBeracha 8.

[670] There are a couple of species of white apples, such as the White Transparent (from Latvia) or the Ghost Apple (California). Or it could mean a very light yellow, almost white like the Aurora Golden Gala or the Grimes Golden.

[671] See Pardes 10:3; 20:7.

[672] Rabbi Yosef Caro, who heard the teachings recorded in this work from his spiritual teacher.

[673] Sefer HaLikutim, Zot haBeracha (8).

[674] Sha’ar HaKavanot, Tefillin 5.

[675] Pri Etz Chaim, Sha’ar Kriat Shema ch. 12.

[676] Torah Ohr (Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi) p. 18b.

[677] See Mikdash Melech.

[678] See Kehillat Yaakov s.v. סמאל. See also Maggid Mesharim, Bamidbar.

[679] If there were no Godly spark at its core, that entity would not exist – nothing can exist as merely as a negation of something else.

[680] See Pardes 25:5; Eitz Chaim 48:3.

[681] Specifically, Numbers 29:17-34.

[682] In the extra letter mem of ונסכהם on the second day; the extra letter yud of ונסכיה on the fifth day; and the extra letter mem of כמשפטם on the seventh day, spelling the word מים (water). See Talmud Taanit 2b; Succah 34a.

[683] As in Exodus 15:3.

[684] As the verse itself alludes to. See Zohar II, 123a;  Zohar III, 291a.

[685] The day the Torah was given is called the day of His wedding with the Jewish People (Talmud Taanit 26b in the Mishnah).

[686] See Talmud Sukkah 29a; Bereishit Rabba 6:3.

[687] Bereishit Rabba 39:3.

[688] From the word אחוי. See Talmud Mo’ed Katan 26b; Likutei Torah, Tavo 42d, 43c.

[689] As we have translated it here, following the Zohar’s explanation.

[690] The worlds of Beriah, Yetzirah and Asiyah.

[691] Literally, ‘a secret of wisdom.’

[692] According to Rabbi Moshe Cordovero this was when Rabbi Chiya first became a disciple of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and is not the Rabbi Chiya who was a disciple of Rabbi Yehuda haNassi, and the teacher of Rav.

[693] Rashbi was also one of the foremost Tannaim with many rulings in the Mishnah, to the extent that there is not a chapter in the entire Talmud where Rashbi does not appear. (Likutei Torah, Acharei 28a)

[694] Note the implication that the light has not completely withdrawn.

[695] Ramak.