📕 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 248

ARVUT OF : Robin Anderson

The source of Ohr Haya and Neshama is Aba, called the “Heavenly Father,” for
he shines in ZA, called “Heaven,” with the Light that elevates ZON to YESHSUT
(the Second Temple) and to AVI (the First Temple). Because the Light stops
shining from Guf de Atik, all of the Light descending to Israel disappears. This
refers not only to the Light of the two Temples, but to all of the Light shining
upon Israel, including Ohr VAK and the Light in the worlds of BYA.

96. Further, He descended and struck the lion. Initially, when this river
    rolled its waters down, Israel was in a state of perfection, for they offered
    up gifts and sacrifices to atone for their sins and to save their souls. Then, the
    image of a lion would descend from Above, and they would see it on the
    altar as it trampled the bodies of the sacrifices, devouring them, and all the
    dogs (all those who slander Israel) would fall to silence.
    The fire that consumes the sacrifices laid on the Temple altar resembled
    a lion, and towered over the sacrifices, like a lion (Talmud, Yoma, 21:2), and
    that fire burned the sacrifices laid down by the sons of Israel. However, this is a
    corporeal image that a regular person perceives in our world.
    But we shall follow our higher analysis and detach ourselves from this
    corporeal image; we will explain the action in the spiritual world that this
    language actually alludes to. All the languages in the Torah, including that which
    describes a rather corporeal image of sacrifice, speak only of spiritual actions.
    The most precise language for the description of these actions is the language of
    Kabbalah. However, this language is clear only to those who have ascended to
    the spiritual worlds and see both the roots, i.e., the events that transpire in the
    spiritual worlds, as well as their corporeal consequences.
    Before the Light of Atik disappeared, when the Upper Light still shone upon
    Israel, like a river rolling its waters, Israel was in a state of perfection: by means
    of sacrifice, it raised its MAN (request), thus evoking a Zivug on its screen, and
    MAD (the Light, abundance) descends on it. As a result of these actions, it grew
    closer to the Heavenly Father, and all the impure forces distanced from it, for it
    purified its souls, and purification signifies distancing from the impure forces
    (desires), the way a soiled garment is cleansed from dirt.
    Hence, the Hebrew word for sacrifice is Korban, derived from the word
    Karov (near). Thus, sacrifice signifies a person tearing away a part of his inner
    animal egoism for the sake of drawing closer to the Creator. This is what brings
    Israel closer to their Heavenly Father.