TUESDAY PRAYER: HOD-MAIN READING OF THE WEEK – THE ZOHAR BOOK
READING: SUNSET MONDAY
Main Reading for PRAYER OF MANY, today with ENGLISH ZOHAR READING, page 174-175.
ARVUT OF : Robin Anderson
THE LETTER OF BET
- The letter Bet entered and said to the Creator: “Maker of the world, it
would be good to create the world by me, as by me You are blessed Above and
below. For Bet is Berachah (blessing).” The Creator replied to Bet: “Of course,
I will create the world by you, and you shall be the basis of the world!”
The letter Bet is the property of Hochma (wisdom), or rather Hesed in Hochma,
a point in a palace, for Ohr Hassadim is a palace for Ohr Hochma and is called
Berachah (blessing). Passing through all of the worlds from the Creator down to
the lowest degree of the lowest world, this Light does not diminish in any way.
Rather, just as this Light is at the Highest Degree that receives it from the
World of Infinity, it is just as great, magnificent, and mighty in the world of
Atzilut, and likewise all the way down to the world of Assiya. And it does not get
coarser or weaker as it passes through all the screens from Above downwards.
That is why the letter Bet vied for the world to be created with its properties,
as the Light of blessing is the same both Above and below; no screen can weaken
it and no coarse desires can harm it.
This is also why the property of mercy (Hassadim) is most suitable for the
creation of the world, for no impure forces can cling to it. This is because the
impure forces can only cling to a place where there is a deficiency. And since
there is no deficiency of any kind in the property of mercy, there can never be
any contact between Bet and the impure forces.
The Creator agreed with Bet that its property is perfect and suitable for
the creation of the universe by Him. As it is said: “Olam (world) Hesed (mercy)
YiBaneh (will be built),” where YiBaneh means Boneh (building) and HaVana
(understanding). (In Hebrew, the letters Vav and Bet are denoted by the letter
Bet). This is because the Creator determined that this property is entirely
sufficient for precisely evaluating and separating pure from impure.
And if man seeks an idol in the Creator’s stead, a Berachah (blessing) does
not descend upon him, for blessing stems from the Creator alone. Thus, it is
possible to determine who is righteous and who is a sinner, who works for the
Creator’s sake and who works for himself, for the world is built by mercy.
Yet, the Creator did not order the Light of Mercy to rule the world. He merely
intended it for a good beginning, sufficient to bring the world to perfection. This
is because the Light of Hassadim is incomplete (VAK, and not GAR), insufficient
for begetting new souls, for their union and multiplication, as no Partzuf (spiritual
object) can beget until it attains the full Light of Hochma, termed GAR or head.
Until then, the Partzuf remains in a state of imperfection.
Our normal (the lowest possible) state is determined by the property of the
letter Bet. Hence, the Creator laid it as the basis for the creation of the world. In
other words, the basis of a state is a state of a pure Partzuf (object), when nothing
at all can diminish or impede it.
In such a state, an addition of Ohr Hochma to Ohr Hassadim, necessary for
the birth of a new Partzuf is no longer considered basic and essential. Rather, it
is defined as an addition, i.e., it depends solely on the good deeds of the lower
ones. And the fundamental Light, VAK, will never be lacking.