📕 TUESDAY PRAYER: KETER-MAIN READING OF THE WEEK – THE ZOHAR BOOK
READING: SUNSET MONDAY
Main Reading for PRAYER OF MANY, today with ENGLISH ZOHAR READING, page 227
ARVUT OF : Robin Anderson
Hence, he objected that Shabbat should be separated from sanctity. Shabbat (ZA)
is not holiness in itself, but because it receives holiness from Above, from AVI.
That, which ZA receives from AVI is what is called the Creator’s holiness.
- The donkey driver opened and said, “It is written: Shabbatot, i.e., there
are usually two. And this alludes to the border of Shabbat, which is 2,000
Amah (cubits) in each direction from the city. This is why the word Et was
added before the word Shabbatot, which designates the plural form—both the
Upper Shabbat and the lower Shabbat joining into one.”
Although it is said: “Man shall not leave his place on the seventh day”
(Shemot, 16), i.e., the singular form is used, in many places in the Torah, the
word Et is used; for example, in the sentence: “Et 2,000 Amah in each direction
from its place.” The word Et, consisting of the first and the last letters of the
alphabet, Aleph and Tav, designates Malchut entering into union with ZA,
which signifies the state of Shabbat; hence, the Light of AVI becomes revealed
and shines (as a supplementary luminescence) upon ZON. This is because AVI
are called “two thousand,” and so the word Et is present here to designate a
supplement of Light to Shabbat.
There exist a Shabbat Above and a Shabbat below: the Upper Shabbat is Partzuf
Tvuna, and the lower part of Partzuf Bina, whereas the lower Shabbat is Partzuf
Malchut, Nukva de ZA of the world of Atzilut. In the world of Atzilut, Partzuf Bina
is divided into two Partzufim: the Upper Part of Bina is called Partzuf AVI and the
lower part of Bina (the part where she receives the Light from the Upper Part
so as to pass it to ZA) is called Partzuf YESHSUT (Israel Saba ve Tvuna) or simply
Tvuna. The relationship between Bina-AVI and Tvuna is similar to that of ZA
and Malchut. Bina is called the “Upper World” and Malchut is called the “lower
world.” On Shabbat, ZON ascend to Bina, ZA to AVI, and Malchut to Tvuna.
On Shabbat, Malchut merges with Tvuna. However, this does not mean that
no difference is left between them, for Malchut receives the Light from Tvuna
only because she ascends to Tvuna’s level. Yet, at her place on the last, lowest
degree of the world of Atzilut, Malchut is unable to receive the Light from Tvuna.
And to the extent that Malchut cannot yet receive the Light from Tvuna in her
regular state, she is defined as “closed.”
Also, Tvuna suffers from Malchut being closed because while in her place,
Malchut cannot receive the Light from Tvuna, for the revelation of Tvuna is
possible only through Malchut. On Shabbat, Tvuna and Ima join to form one
Partzuf, which is not closed. Yet, since its Light shines only when Malchut ascends
to it, Tvuna feels the closed state of Malchut, and suffers, too.