📕 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 208
ARVUT OF : Robin Anderson
At that moment, he saw Rabbi Chiya in Rabbi Shimon’s adornments.
He asked, “Who gave man in this world the adornments, garment of
the other world?” (garment of the other world onto the body of this world). Rabbi
Shimon answered, “This is Rabbi Chiya, the cresset of the Torah!” He said
to him, “Gather him and his sons (those who have left this world), and they
shall join your Assembly.” Rabbi Shimon said, “Time was granted to him,
he was granted time” (Rabbi Chiya’s time has not yet come).
The Mashiach said to Rabbi Shimon that he came not for the sake of the
Torah, but because the “owner of wings” has come to the assembly, wishing to
know what Matat had said. For Matat had revealed that the end of correction
would be preceded by terrible suffering for Israel—the Heavens and the Great Sea
would tremble, and the world would be on the verge of collapse, as predicted in
the Talmud (Sanhedrin, 97): “All is broken.” Hence, he raised his voice, wishing
to mitigate all this upheaval.
The Mashiach was surprised to see Rabbi Chiya’s garment (that Rabbi Chiya
exists in a physical body of our world, in the property of this world), for if he
had merited the appearance of Matat and his oath, he had attained the degree
of complete correction of all his evil. And since he merited seeing the Mashiach’s
face, to receive the Light of Yechida, he had obviously completed his work in this
world, and there is nothing left for him to do here. Hence, he should leave it
and enter Rabbi Shimon’s assembly in the Garden of Eden.
But Rabbi Shimon persuaded Rabbi Chiya that he needs to continue
performing new, additional corrections in this world. And both the Mashiach
and Rabbi Shimon explained to Rabbi Chiya what else specifically he still
needed to do in this world.
- Rabbi Chiya trembled in awe when the Mashiach left, and his eyes fulfilled
with tears. For the Mashiach left Rabbi Shimon’s Assembly weeping from the
great desire for the final correction and redemption. And Rabbi Chiya was also
anguished from the fervent desire to reach the end of correction. Rabbi Chiya
cried and said: “Happy is the lot of the righteous in the other world, and happy
is the lot of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who has merited all of this.”