📕 TUESDAY PRAYER: HOCHMA-MAIN READING OF THE WEEK – THE ZOHAR BOOK

READING: SUNSET MONDAY

Main Reading for PRAYER OF MANY, today with ENGLISH ZOHAR READING, page 249

ARVUT OF : Robin Anderson

And since Israel existed in perfection and raised MAN for the Creator’s
pleasure alone, its MAN would ascend to Bina. The Light of Bina is called Ohr
Hassadim, and its form resembles the image of a lion, like the property of bestowal,
Hesed. This means that the lion-Bina receives Israel’s good desires and deeds. And
it was seen how Bina consumes Israel’s MAN—Ohr Hassadim descends from Bina
onto this MAN, like a lion trampling his prey (MAN) and devouring it.
A lion devouring its prey is the principal aspect of sacrifice, for it signifies
raising MAN to strengthen a screen and create Ohr Hozer. And since the
magnitude of the received Ohr Yashar is determined by the magnitude (height)
of Ohr Hozer, which creates the screen, it follows that existence and growth of
Ohr Yashar is dependent on the Ohr Hozer. The greater the Ohr Hozer, the greater
the descending Ohr Yashar becomes.
In other words, to the extent that every one of us desires to “bestow,” he
evokes a corresponding response from Above, from the root of his soul. And just
as in our world a living being’s life and strength depend on nutrition (it simply dies
without it), the Upper Light depends on the Light reflected by the screen. When it
stops, the Upper Light disappears from the Partzuf, i.e., man stops feeling it.
The Upper Light descends from Bina as Ohr Yashar (called a “lion”), i.e., in
the form of “bestowal,” in accordance with Bina’s nature. And man sees (feels!)
how Ohr Yashar clothes in Ohr Hozer, which ascends from its sacrifice (rejection
of egoism), the lion’s nourishment.
It devours its prey and thereby grows: the extent of Israel’s perfection and
their ability to offer sacrifices, to “bestow,” determines the magnitude of their
MAN and the force with which the Ohr Yashar strikes the screen, which reflects
the Direct Light (pleasure) from below upwards with all its might. Moreover, it
does so in great fear: for what if it fails to reflect the Light and desires to enjoy
the Light of this commandment selfishly?
That is precisely where one’s work lies. It is called “faith above reason,” for
it must rise above one’s reason (egoism) and intellect. Conversely, those who
receive inner confidence that it is enough to advance within one’s nature are
called “sacred still,” a pure inanimate (non-developing) being, as such reason
prevents them from spiritual growth.
Therefore, if the height of Ohr Hozer is great, it is defined as a lion that tears
and devours its prey, as a victor, for it grows and ascends to a higher spiritual
level thanks to the efforts of the lower one (man).