TUESDAY PRAYER: MALCHUT-MAIN READING OF THE WEEK – THE ZOHAR BOOK
READING: SUNSET MONDAY
Main Reading for PRAYER OF MANY, today with ENGLISH ZOHAR READING, page 164-166.
ARVUT OF : Robin Anderson
THE LETTER CHAF
- At this time the letter Chaf descended from the Kisseh – the Creator’s
throne, and stood before the Creator. It trembled and said to Him: “Creator
of the world, with my properties I merit to become the basis of the world, for I
am Kavod – Your Glory.” When the letter Chaf descended from the Creator’s
throne, all the worlds trembled, and the throne itself, verging on collapse.
The Creator then answered: “Chaf, what are you doing here? I will not create
the world by you. Return to your place, for you exist in the word Kelayah
(destruction) and in the word Kalah (bride).”
The Creator’s throne is the world of Beria. The appearance of the letter
Mem before the Creator led to the letter Chaf falling from His throne. As a
result, Hochma and Bina of the world of Beria trembled, as well as all the lower
worlds with all their inhabitants.
All the arguments that the letters raised in their wish for the world to be
created with each of them is like raising MAN—a request for precise measure of
help from Above in the form of Upper Light (called MAD), corresponding to
that particular letter.
If so, ZON will rule the world, and this ruling is effected by the very Light
descending from ZON in the exact quantity of MAD that each letter evoked
and caused, for the MAD precisely corresponds to the MAN in both quantity
and quality, whereas MAN is the actual property of the letter. Hence, each letter
argues that it can draw the kind of Light from Above that will surely bring all
creatures to the goal.
Similarly, the Creator’s answers to each of the twenty-two letters of ZON de
Atzilut constitute the descending MAD (the Upper Light, strength, help) that
precisely corresponds to the MAN raised by that particular letter. And when the
Upper Light that descends from a particular letter begins to rule the world, this
signifies the Creator’s reply to that letter. Since the impure forces cling to one of
the letter’s properties, as the Creator created two precisely balanced, opposing
systems of pure and impure forces, this reveals the letter’s inability to rule the
world. And thus, the Creator dismissed each letter’s individual claim to build
the world by its property in order to bring it to the goal of creation.
Herein lies the Creator’s “game” with each of the twenty-two letters, giving
each the opportunity to reveal its properties, power and forces, until it becomes
clear from their aspirations and analysis, which of them truly merits the world
being governed by it.
From this we see that when the letter Mem began to reveal its great Light in
the world, in doing so, it caused the fall of the Kisse (throne). This is so because
the Kisse has two properties: (i) it covers and conceals the Creator, where the
word Kisse derives from the word Kissui; (ii) it reveals the Creator’s greatness in
the worlds with the help of the three letters MeLeCH. Then, Malchut that became
a Kissui, the Creator’s cover, ascends and turns to Chaf—the Creator’s own garments—
thus revealing the King (Creator), and it becomes a crown on His head.
But as soon as the letter Mem, which was not clothed in Chaf, began to reveal
the Light of the Creator’s face, the letter Chaf fell from the Kisse (the throne of
His Glory), stopped concealing Him, and stated that from now on only the
Creator’s revealed glory would rule over it, without any kind of concealment, as
desired by Mem.
Owing to Chaf’s fall from the throne, two hundred thousand worlds that originate
from Hochma and Bina of the world of Beria, as well as the worlds below them,
shook and trembled on the verge of collapse. For the entire connection between
the lower degree or Partzuf and the one above it lies in the fact that Malchut of the
Upper Degree becomes Keter of the lower. And the property of the letter Chaf consists
in clothing Malchut of an Upper spiritual object in Keter of a lower one.
There are three distinctive features to the throne: (i) six steps leading to the
throne, six Sefirot—Hesed-Gevura-Tifferet-Netzah-Hod-Yesod of the lower one; (ii) four
legs of the throne, the Light in Sefirot Keter-Hochma-Bina-Daat of the lower one;
(iii) Malchut of the Upper One that descends to the lower one, clothes into it,
and all the Light from the Upper One is passed through her to the lower one.
Thus, when Chaf fell from the throne of the Creator’s glory, the connection
between the world of Atzilut and the throne (world of Beria) was severed. This
is so because Chaf (Malchut of the world of Atzilut) that clothes in Sefirot Keter-
Hochma-Bina-Daat of the world of Beria pours all the Light onto the world of
Beria, called the throne of His glory. But when Chaf fell from the throne, the
connection between the world of Atzilut and the world of Beria was severed,
Chaf trembled, for it lost the power to bestow upon the world of Beria, and two
hundred thousand worlds (Hochma and Bina out of Sefirot Keter-Hochma-Bina-
Daat of the world of Beria) trembled in fear of collapsing, for they lost all of their
life-force, which they receive from the world of Atzilut.
Similarly, in the world of Atzilut, Bina of the world of Atzilut, the Creator, is
connected with ZON. This is because Partzuf Bina of the world of Atzilut consists
of ten Sefirot, and her last Sefira, Malchut, clothes in ZA of the world of Atzilut
with the property of the letter Chaf. Malchut of the Sefira Bina, which clothes in
ZA, is the letter Chaf. And this letter Chaf is the Creator’s throne in ZA. For the
Creator is Bina, Sefira above ZA. And ZA becomes a throne for Bina. And during
the fall, the connection between Bina and ZA is severed, since Chaf is Malchut of
Bina; it clothes into ZA and passes all the Light to him.
And it therefore trembled (lost its ability to bestow upon ZA), and so did
two hundred thousand worlds, which are the Light for ZA, called Hochma and
Bina or KHBD—the four legs of the throne—for all the Light departed from
them. And the worlds trembled in fear of collapsing, that is, Sefirot Hesed-Gevura-
Tifferet-Netzah-Hod-Yesod in ZA that include all the worlds below them, for all the
Light of Bina departed thence.
The Creator told the letter Chaf that because it fell from the throne of His
glory, the first three Sefirot of ZA trembled, and all the other worlds are on the
verge of total collapse and destruction without any hope of restoration; hence,
Chaf must return to its place in the throne of glory.
Chaf’s return to its place in the Creator’s throne takes place just as He
refuses to create the world with the letter Mem, for the world needs a King. That
is, the trembling of the letter Chaf as it fell from the Creator’s throne, which
in turn, made the worlds tremble in fear of possible collapse, and the Creator’s
answer to the letter Mem transpire simultaneously.