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Zohar for All. Introduction of The Book of Zohar. Who Created These of Elijah

Who Created These of Elijah

11) Rabbi Shimon said, “Elazar my son, cease talking, and you will discover the concealing of the uppermost secret that the people of the world do not know.” Rabbi Elazar went silent. Rabbi Shimon wept and said, “Elazar, what is ELEH [these]? If you say that it is the stars and the signs, are they always visible? And in MA [what], which is Malchut, were they created? It is written, ‘The heavens were made by the word of the Lord.’ The heavens were made by Malchut, who is called ‘The word of the Lord.’ And if ELEH was said about the hidden things, it should not have written ELEH, since they are disclosed stars and signs.”

Explanation: Here Rabbi Elazar disclosed the Mochin of the first Gadlut, and Rabbi Shimon wished to disclose the Mochin of the second Gadlut, the upper Mochin of Haya. This is why he commanded him to cease his words, so he would reveal to him the hiding of the uppermost secret, which the people of the world do not know, for these Mochin were not yet revealed in the world, and Rabbi Shimon revealed them here.

Rabbi Shimon asked, “What is ELEH?” Which innovation does the text bring us here, in “MI [Who] created ELEH [these],” which are the ZON? If you say that it is the stars and the signs, the Mochin of VAK of Gadlut that they obtained, and that this is what the words “Who created these” concern, since Mochin of VAK are called “stars and signs,” he asks about that, “What innovation is it?” After all, they are always visible, since they are ZON’s usual Mochin, which can always be extended, even on weekdays. They are not such a great innovation that the words, “Who created these” will appear on them.

Also, we cannot interpret that these Mochin apply constantly, since in permanency, ZA has only the level of VAK without a Rosh, and only by raising of MAN are these Mochin extended. Rather, the meaning is that they can always be extended, even during the weekdays, since this is how they are drawn each day during the morning prayer.

He also asks him, “With MA [what] were they created?” These Mochin are not ascribed to Bina, but to ZON of Atzilut, which are called MA, and from which they came, as it is written, “By the word of the Lord,” who is ZON, where ZA is HaVaYaH [the Lord] and the Nukva is “a word.”

12) However, this secret was revealed only in a single day, when I was at the beach, and Elijah came and told me, “Rabbi, did you know what is ‘Who created these’?” I told him, “It is the heaven and their host, the work of the Creator, which people should observe, and bless Him, as it is written, ‘When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers. O Lord, our Lord, how great is Your name in all the earth.’”

13) He told me, “Rabbi, there was a hidden thing before the Creator, and He disclosed it in the assembly above.” When the more hidden of all that are hidden wished to be revealed, he first made a little point, Malchut, which rose into being a thought, Bina, meaning that Malchut rose and was included in Bina. In it, he formed all the images and engraved all the engravings.

Explanation: Atik, the first Rosh of the world of Atzilut, is called “more hidden of all that are hidden.” We learn about it that any leader of a nation who is not corrected first, the people are not corrected. From where do we know that? From Atik Yomin, for as long as he was not corrected in his corrections, all those who need correction were not corrected and all the worlds were ruined. When Atik, which is more hidden than all that are hidden, wished to be corrected, he corrected everything as male and female. He raised Malchut to Bina, and Malchut became the Nukva in all the Sefirot, where each Sefira consisted of male and female, and this Hochma, which is the whole of everything, Hochma of the thirty-two paths, when she came out and illuminated from Atik, she illuminated only in male and female, meaning that Hochma spread and elicited Bina out of her. It follows that they are male and female, and this is the correction of the second restriction.

When the most hidden of all that are hidden wished to be disclosed, he first made a point. That is, when Atik wished to appear in the worlds, by the force of the correction in the second restriction, he made a single point in Rosh of AA, in his Hochma, raising the Malchut, the point, to Rosh of AA, where the Nukva that raises reflected light was corrected, clothing the ten Sefirot of Rosh AA, and the Rosh of AA ended at the Sefira, Hochma Stimaa. Thus, Hochma was as a male, and Nukva, Bina, and ZON of Rosh AA went outside the Rosh, to the degree of Guf of AA. This is the meaning of Hochma expanding and ejecting the Bina out of her into being Guf.

This point of Malchut—which rose to Hochma, and by which Hochma was established as male and female—rose because of it and became a thought, Bina. This is so because she stands in coupling with Hochma, receiving from Hochma, and one who receives from Hochma is regarded as Bina, not as Malchut. It follows that even though at her root Malchut is but a point, she became Bina because of the ascent. This is why it was said, “This rose into being a thought,” which caused the point to be Bina, who is called “a thought.”

You should know that sometimes The Zohar calls by the name “thought” to Hochma, and sometimes to Bina. This is so because a thought means Nukva of Hochma, hence she should be called Hochma, for she is the Nukva of Hochma. However, in and of herself, she is Bina, and not Hochma. Yet, Bina is called “thought” only when she is discerned as Rosh, together with the Hochma.

It was said that in it, he formed all the images and engraved all the engravings. This is so because at the point when she rose into being a thought, he pictured and engraved all five Partzufim of Atzilut, AA, AVI, and ZON. “Formed” in her and “carved” in her imply to a great matter. “Formed in her” means that he was emanated by all the images, which are the five Partzufim of Atzilut. That is, through the coupling that was done on the screen at the point that rose into being a thought, the level of VAK of reflected light and direct light in the vessels of KH came out in each Partzuf. However, he engraved all the engravings in her, a deficiency, so along with the ascent of the point into being a thought, deficiencies and engravings were made, which are preparations for a receptacle over the lights in all the Partzufim of Atzilut. And since that matter is the foundation of all the Mochin of Atzilut, it should be thoroughly clarified.

The ascent of the point into being a thought, Bina, is by making a new Sium [end] in the ten Sefirot of each degree. This is so because the point, Malchut, with the screen in her, which stood for a coupling at the place of Malchut of the ten Sefirot of Rosh, Peh, and ended the Rosh there, now rose to the place of Bina of Rosh, which is called Nikvey Eynaim, Nukva of Hochma, which is Bina. Thus, a coupling was made on her screen, at the place of Nikvey Eynaim, concluding the Rosh there. And the three Sefirot, Bina, ZA, and Malchut of the Rosh, who are called AHP, descended below the place of Sium of the Rosh, into the degree of Guf.

In the ten Sefirot of Guf, it was necessarily done likewise: Malchut that ends the Guf of the Partzuf previously stood at the place of the middle point, Malchut of the ten Sefirot of Guf, called Sium Raglin. Now she rose to the place of Bina of Guf, Tifferet, since HGT of Guf are KHB, concluding the Guf at Tifferet, the place of the Chazeh, and those three Sefirot, Bina and ZON of Guf, which are called TNHYM, came out of Atzilut and fell into the separated BYA.

Thus, because of the ascent of the point into being a thought, each degree was split into two halves, where the upper half, KH, remained in the degree, and Bina and ZA and Nukva of each degree were lost from it and descended to the degree below it. This is the meaning of the division of the name Elokim to the letters MI ELEH. It is so because a complete degree in ten Sefirot KHB ZON is called by the holy Name Elokim, in which there are five letters corresponding to the five Sefirot KHB ZON. The letters ELEH are KHB, and the letters Yod-Mem are ZON.

Now that each degree was divided into two, where KH remained and Bina and ZON fell from her, it follows that only the two letters MI remained in each degree, and the three letters ELEH fell from each degree to the degree below it.

However, accordingly, the two letters Aleph-Lamed should have remained in the degree, and the Hey-Yod-Mem should have fallen into the degree below it. The thing is that there is always an inverse relation between vessels and lights. In the vessels, the upper ones come first: First comes the vessel of Keter, then the vessel of Hochma, through the vessel of Malchut. It is the opposite in lights. In them, the lower ones come first: first comes the light of Malchut, then the light of ZA, then the light of Bina, through the light of Keter.

Thus, if there are the two vessels KH, then there are the two lights, light of Malchut and light of ZA in them, which are called VAK. For this reason, we discern that only the two letters MI remained in the degree: the light of Malchut and the light of ZA of the name Elokim. But the three letters ELEH fell from them, hence each degree became devoid of the GAR in her.

It was said, “In it, he formed all the images and engraved all the engravings.” This implies the division of each degree into two halves through the ascent of the point into being a thought. “In it, he formed all the images” refers to the two letters MI that remain in the whole of the degree, forming the image of ADNI. “Carved all the engravings” refers to the three letters ELEH, which fell from each degree and became deficient of them, for because of their absence, only the light of Malchut and the light of ZA remained in the degree, and the three lights of KHB are missing in them, since there is no light without a vessel. Thus, if they were to obtain the vessels of Bina and ZON once more, they would immediately obtain GAR of lights, as well, for they are interdependent.

14) Engraved within the holy, hidden candle refers to the Malchut that was included in Bina, a carving of a single hidden image, the holy of holies, which is a deep structure that comes out of the thought, GAR, and is called MI, the beginning of the structure. It stands and it does not stand, deep and hidden in the name Elokim.

Also, it is called MI of Elokim, meaning that the letters ELEH are lacking from the name Elokim. He wished to be revealed and be called by the name Elokim; He clothed in the luminous garment of honor, the light of Hassadim, and created these [ELEH]. And the letters ELEH rose in the name Elokim, meaning that the letters conjoined with each other—the letters MI with the letters ELEH—and the name Elokim was completed. As long as He did not create ELEH, it did not merit the name Elokim, and those who sinned with the calf said about it, “These [ELEH] are your gods, O Israel.”

Explanation: Through ascent of MAN from the lower ones, a new light was extended from AB SAG of AK, since this light from AB SAG of AK, above the second restriction, breaks each degree into two. Hence, when this light extends to the Rosh of AA, it lowers the point from the thought once more, from the place of Bina, back to her place, the place of Malchut of the Rosh, as it was prior to the second restriction. And the three Sefirot Bina, ZA, and Malchut that fell from the Rosh return to being Rosh because the coupling was done in the place of the Malchut, below them.

This is considered that the name Elokim was revealed once more, since the three letters ELEH joined the MI at the same degree once more, and the name Elokim was completed in the degree. And since Bina and ZON of the vessels returned, the GAR of lights returned, as well, and KHB ZON of lights clothed in the five letters of the name Elokim: the lights of KHB in ELEH, the lights of ZON in Yod-Mem. Remember this well—that the fallen ELEH are regarded as the vessels of Bina and ZON that are missing in the degree. However, when ELEH unite in the name Elokim, they become lights of KHB, due to the inverse relation between the vessels and the lights.

It was said, “Engraved within the holy, hidden candle,” referring to the Malchut that was included in Bina, meaning that a screen and a place of coupling was engraved anew in Malchut of Rosh AA, which is called “the hidden holy candle.” This is an engraving of a hidden image, the holy of holies, and this new carving extends an image, a level of ten Sefirot, the holy of holies, the level of GAR, which is called “the holy of holies.” And because it comes out of a thought, since the point that rose to being a thought has now come out of a thought and arrived at its real place—the place of Malchut of Rosh—the three vessels Bina, ZA, and Nukva, ELEH, have now returned to the degree of Rosh, and the name Elokim was completed. He calls this level of GAR by the name “a hidden image.”

It was said that it is called MI, the beginning of the structure, for although ELEH have already conjoined with MI, and the name Elokim was made, it is still only called MI, and it is the beginning of the structure of the name Elokim because the structure is still incomplete.

“It stands and it does not stand.” On the one hand, the structure is already standing utterly complete, since the place of the coupling returned to its place at Peh of Rosh, and Bina and ZON returned to the degree, as did GAR of lights, and the name Elokim was completed. But on the other hand, the structure of the name is still not standing because it is deep and hidden in the name Elokim, since the lights of the name Elokim are still deep and hidden, and do not shine in ELEH, which are Bina and ZON who rose to the place of the Rosh.

This is so because due to their ascent to Rosh AA, where only Hochma shines, there is only light of Hochma at this level. And since they are ZAT, and ZAT that rose cannot receive the Hochma without clothing inside Hassadim, and Hassadim have no name, they, too, cannot receive the Hochma. Therefore, it is considered that the name is deep and hidden and is still not spreading in the three letters ELEH. For this reason, the structure of this level is still regarded as “not standing,” and ELEH are still not revealed in her. Prior to this, it is still called MI, since the letters ELEH are still hidden in the name Elokim, and there is only MI there.

“He wished to be revealed and be called by the name Elokim,” since the name has already been completed because ELEH have already risen to the Rosh, for which they do not shine at all. For this reason, He wished to be revealed and to be called by the name Elokim. “He clothed in the luminous garment of honor,” the light of Hassadim, and created ELEH.

Interpretation: Since the whole concealment of the name, that it cannot shine in ELEH, is due to the lack of clothing of Hassadim. Because ZAT cannot receive light of Hochma without Hassadim, he made the coupling of Katnut once more, as while it was clothed in Guf of AA, extending the level of Hassadim, the level of Hochma clothed in the light of Hassadim that she extended. And that light became a luminous garment of honor for that level. Through that clothing of Hassadim, it can illuminate the light of Hochma in ZAT, which are ELEH.

He created ELEH and the letters ELEH [Aleph-Lamed-Hey] rose in the name Elokim. In other words, through the garment of honor, the level of Hassadim that he received from the coupling of the Guf below the Chazeh, which is called Beria [creation], He created these, meaning imparted the light upon ELEH. By that, the letters ELEH rose in the name Elokim.

This is so because since they already have a garment of honor from Hassadim, they can receive Hochma in it, as well, and then ELEH appeared in the name Elokim, since now Bina and ZON shine in it in all the wholeness that is in them. It is considered that now the name Elokim was disclosed and revealed. And it was said that the letters conjoined with each other, MI in ELEH, and the name Elokim was completed, since now ELEH receive the level of Hochma because they have obtained the clothing of Hassadim, and all five letters Elokim illuminate in full.

“As long as He did not create ELEH, it did not merit the name Elokim.” This is so because before MI gave them the light of Hassadim for clothing, ELEH could not receive anything from MI, and Elokim illuminated only in MI.

“And those who sinned with the calf said about it, ‘These [ELEH] are your gods, O Israel,’” since they blemished the luminous garment of honor. For this reason, the MI was separated from ELEH, which is why they said, “These are your gods,” and the abundance went out to other gods.

15) And as MI conjoined with ELEH and became the name Elokim through the luminous garment of honor, the light of Hassadim, the name always bonds through the luminous garment of honor. It is on that that the world exists, as it is written, “A world of Hesed [grace/mercy] shall be built.”

Elijah fled and I did not see him. But I knew the matter from him, for I perceived his secret and concealment. Rabbi Elazar and all the friends came and bowed before him. They wept and said, “If we came to the world only to hear that, we would be content.”

Interpretation: In the same way that it is explained that he did not merit the name Elokim before the level of Hochma clothed in the luminous garment of honor, and MI conjoined with ELEH and became the name Elokim, the name always bonds and exists forever, and does not merit the name Elokim without the luminous garment of honor. And by that, the world exists.

The lower world, too, Nukva, MA, receives the Mochin in this manner of associating MI with ELEH, and is completed like the upper world, as Rabbi Shimon gradually explains. This contradicts Rabbi Elazar, who said about the lower world, “When MA [what] arrived there, it is MA, meaning what did you know? After all, it is as concealed as before.” It follows that according to his words, the lower world does not exist like the upper world. And it is said that by that the world exists in the same manner as the upper world. For this reason, Rabbi Shimon ceased his words above. But Elijah interpreted only the order of the Mochin and the construction of the name Elokim in AVI. He did not explain how the order of the structure of Elokim is in the Nukva.