TUESDAY PRAYER: HESED-MAIN READING OF THE WEEK – THE ZOHAR BOOK
READING: SUNSET MONDAY
Main Reading for PRAYER OF MANY, today with ENGLISH ZOHAR READING, page 168 – 171.
ARVUT OF : Robin Anderson
THE LETTER TET
- The letter Tet entered and said: “Maker of the world, it would be good
to create the world with me, for it is by me that You are called Tov (Good).”
The Creator replied: “I will not create the world by you, for your goodness is
concealed within you and is invisible. Therefore, it cannot take any part in
the world that I wish to create, and will only be revealed in the world to come.
And since your goodness is concealed within you, the gates of the palace will
sink into the ground, for the letter Chet is opposite from you, and when you
join together, the word CHeT (sin) will be formed. This is why these two
letters are not recorded in the names of the holy tribes.” The letter Chet
immediately moved aside.
The letter Tet, whose numeric value of nine, is the inner property of the
Sefira Yesod in ZA, while the outer property of Yesod in ZA is the letter Tzadik,
whose numeric value of ninety, and it joins with Nukva de ZA, forming the
notion of Tzadik (righteous one). Besides being the inner property of Yesod in
ZA, Tet is also the ninth letter among the letters of Bina in ZA.
Also, Tet is called Tov (good). And since Tov is called Tzadik, for it is the
inner Light of Yesod, called Tzadik, to whom no impure forces could cling, Tet
calls on the above to justify its claim to become the basis of the world.
In the Talmud (Hagiga, 12), the sages wrote: “In the Light by which the
Creator created the world, Adam saw from one end of the world to the other.
But the Creator saw that the deeds of the generations of the Flood and the
builders of the Tower of Babel are detrimental, and concealed that Light for the
righteous in the future.” Because the Creator saw that their actions will bring
the threat of the clinging of the impure forces, He concealed this Light, Thus,
the Light descended secretly from the Supernal Righteous (AVI) to the righteous
one (Yesod in ZA), the letter Tet.
And so the Creator told Tet that because He must conceal it from the sinners
and only the righteous will be worthy of it in the world to come, it cannot
partake in the creation and correction of the world, for the world is ZON, and
the letter Tet is constantly in danger of being clung to by impure forces.
And since this Light shines only secretly inside Yesod of ZA, and not
openly, Nukva will not be able to receive this Light directly, but only through
its concealment in her. Therefore, the gates of Nukva sink into her Sefira Yesod,
which safeguards them against the clinging of the impure forces, and they are
confident that the impure forces will not be able to rule over her gates. For even
at the time of the ruin of the Temple, the impure forces could not rule over the
gates of the Temple, and sank into the ground, that is, the ground consumed
them. “But because you are in need of such protection, I cannot create the world
with you,” the Creator answered Tet.
There are two pipes (channels) in Yesod de ZA in the world of Atzilut: the
right one serves for the birth of the souls, and the left one for throwing away
waste to the impure forces. The letter Chet is Hod, whose property is Malchut
in ZA, the left pipe in Yesod of ZA, for the properties of the letter Chet are the
properties of Kuf included in Yesod, whereas Kuf emanates Ner Dakik (tiny Light)
to the impure forces, from which they receive the strength to be similar to an
image of a pure man, as a monkey compared to a man, for the Creator created
purity parallel to impurity.
These two pipes are located very close to each other, separated only by a thin
partition, called “a garlic husk.” Consequently, the left pipe has the strength to
rule over the right one, thereby forming CHeT (numerical value 8 + 9 = 17).
The numerical value of CHeT (17) equals that of the word TOV (9 + 6 +
2 = 17), which means that the impure force opposes the pure one. And if the
right pipe (the letter Tet) prevails, the word CHeT (sin) will turn into TOV
(good, goodness).
Since the left pipe (CHeT) has the strength to rule over the right one (Tet),
the impure forces can suck the Upper Light for themselves. This would give
power to the sinners of the world. This is why neither Chet nor Tet are present in
the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, to show that they (the tribes) are above
the letter Chet, the root of all the opposing impure forces.
When all the letters merited receiving a blessing through the letter Bet, they
lined up in their alphabetical order, in which the letters Tet and Reish joined.
The letter Tet ascended, but did not take its place until the Creator asked her:
“Tet, why did you ascend, but do not take your place?” It replied: “You created
me to begin the words Tov (goodness) and Torah, as it is written: ‘And the
Creator saw that the Light was good.’ How then can I join and stand beside the
letter Reish, when it begins the word Rah (evil)?”
The Creator answered: “Return to your place, for it is precisely you that
needs the letter Reish. For man, whom I intend to create, combines all those
properties—you as the right property, and Reish as the left.” After that, both Tet
and Reish returned to their places.
Three lines emerge in ZA of the world of Atzilut. However, they emerge from
their source, Bina. (As a result of the second restriction, Malchut ascends to Bina,
which leads to Sefirot Bina-ZA-Malchut falling into a lower Partzuf, into ZA.) Bina
is called Eloh-im (Aleph-Lamed-Hey-Yod-Mem), and as a result of second restriction,
her part Aleph-Lamed-Hey (the ELEH of the word Eloh-im, AHP) fell into a lower
Partzuf, to ZA. Only the letters Yod-Mem (the IM of Eloh-im) remained in Bina.
This means that only half, (VAK, GE) remained in her from the previous level of
GAR. Whatever is left is designated by a sign called Holam—Vav with a dot above
it, as this is the right line, Ohr Hassadim.
Then, in the big state, the letters Aleph-Lamed-Hey (ELEH) returned to Bina
and joined with Yod-Mem (IM). Subsequently, the level of GAR returned, yet the
Light of Hochma in Bina was incomplete, for the Light of Hassadim disappeared
and the Light of Hochma cannot shine without the Light of Hassadim. The
returned letters A-L-H are Shuruk—Vav with a dot inside it, because, due to the
restrictions in it, it constitutes the left line.
These restrictions are effective until ZON, upon ascending to Bina, begin to
receive the Light, and the middle line emerges and reduces GAR of Hochma in
the left line. As a result, the right line joins with the left: Ohr Hochma shines in
the Ohr Hassadim. This middle line is called Hirik—Vav with a dot under it, or
the screen of Hirik, for the Light enters the Partzuf because of it.
And since Bina regained GAR with ZA’s help, ZA, now that he had acquired
the three lines, begins to receive this Light from Bina, too. Yod-Mem (IM), Tet
and Holam constitute the right line, Aleph-Lamed-Hey (ELEH), Reish and Shuruk
constitute the left.
Now let us translate this into the language of Sefirot. When Bina returned
once more to the state of Gadlut, ELEH returned to IM, the left line merged
with the right, and this drove Tet (right line, Hassadim) away from Reish (left
line). This is because being opposite to each other, they cannot stand side by
side until the Creator (ZA, middle line) reduces the GAR of both the left and
right lines by the force of His screen, which is expressed by the words: “And the
Creator commanded it to return to its place.”
GAR de Hochma is called Man’ula—the lock that prevents the Light from
entering a Partzuf, and its diminution is called Miftacha—the key that opens a
passage for the Light, VAK of Hochma, to spread in the left line into a Partzuf.
Then, Tet, the right line, receives Ohr Hochma from the left, joins with Reish,
receiving from it the Light of Hochma. Otherwise it would have remained in
VAK. Adam, too, is created from the union of these two lines.
But why was the letter Tet reluctant to join with the letter Reish, and had
to be forced to do so by the Creator? In the spiritual world, a root rules over
all its branches, and the branches submit to its rule. Therefore, Tet did not
wish to join with Reish, as it was then bound to become a branch and submit
to its root, Reish.
However, the Creator wanted Tet to receive the Light of Hochma from Reish
so that this union would enable man to receive the Light of GAR. Thus, when
ELEH return to Bina, He made it so Bina’s restrictions would be weakened so as
to allow the Reish to join with the Tet and receive the Light of Hassadim from it. It
follows that Tet becomes the root with regard to Reish, for without its Hassadim,
Reish would be unable to shine, due to the restrictions placed on its Light.