TUESDAY PRAYER: GEVURAH-MAIN READING OF THE WEEK – THE ZOHAR BOOK
READING: SUNSET MONDAY.
Main Reading for PRAYER OF MANY, today with ENGLISH ZOHAR READING, page 198
ARVUT OF : Robin Anderson
- In that same vision, Rabbi Chiya saw several great celestial wings: how
Rabbi Shimon and his son Rabbi Elazar mounted them and soared to the
Assembly of Heaven, while the wings waited for them. Afterwards, they both
returned to their place and shone brighter than ever before, brighter than the
light of the sun.
The Heavenly Assembly refers to the Assembly of the angel Matatron.
However, his full name is not pronounced, and the name Matat is used instead,
for pronouncing a name is equivalent to an action, which is not always desirable.
The term Supernal Assembly refers to the Assembly of the Creator Himself,
while the Heavenly Assembly refers to the Assembly of Matat.
The wings that were waiting for Rabbi Shimon and his son Elazar are angels
(spiritual forces, similar to robots or draft animals in our world), whose task is to
help the souls to ascend from one spiritual degree to another. And just as these
wings must assist the souls in their ascent, they must assist them to descend to
their places. Therefore, it is said that the wings were waiting for Rabbi Shimon
and his son Rabbi Elazar to bring them back down.
And when Rabbi Chiya saw them returning from the Heavenly Assembly
back to their place (to Rabbi Shimon’s Assembly), he noticed a new light on
their faces, and radiance surrounded them that was brighter than the sun. - Rabbi Shimon opened and said: “Let Rabbi Chiya enter and see how much
the Creator renews the faces of the righteous in the world to come. Happy is
he who comes here without shame. Happy is he who stands in the other world
as a rigid pillar opposite all.” And Rabbi Chiya saw himself entering, and
Rabbi Elazar and all the other pillars of the world that were there stood up
before Rabbi Chiya. And he, Rabbi Chiya, was ashamed; he entered, bending,
and sat at the feet of Rabbi Shimon.
Rabbi Shimon opened (opened the way for the Light) and said: “Happy is he
who enters without shame.” And all that were present there felt no shame. Only
Rabbi Chiya was ashamed. This is because they had the strength to withstand the
power of the dust, and Rabbi Chiya did not. They were all perfect, whereas Rabbi
Chiya had a flaw—the desire to attain. And this is what he was ashamed of. - A voice sounded: “Lower your eyes, do not raise your head, and do not
look.” He lowered his eyes and saw Light that shone from afar. The voice
returned and said: “The Supernal Ones, concealed and enclosed, who have
eyes that watch over the entire world, look and see: the lower ones are sleeping,
and the Light of their eyes is concealed in their pupils. Wake them!”
After he followed the instruction to lower his eyes and not raise his head (not
use his desire to receive Light, but only desires to bestow), he merited hearing
(Light of Hassadim) the appeal, with the help of which he attained everything
he wished. The voice divides all souls into two groups: the first is a group of
Supernal Holy Ones that are concealed, who merited their eyes to be opened to
behold the entire world, and the second group of souls have the Light of their
eyes concealed in their eye-sockets, which is what blinded them. This is why the
voice called upon the souls of the first group to behold, i.e., to use the reception
of the Upper Light, to draw the Upper Light together with the second group.