Zohar Behar Section 4 - His Master Will Bore Through His Ear

It is recommended to study the section prior to reading the Synopsis.

Zohar Section 4 of the Commentary on Parasha BEHAR

SYNOPSIS:

Rabbi Elazar describes what happens when someone rejects his freedom, preferring to stay attached to his master. The blemish of having his ear bored through remains with him because he refused to listen. Rabbi Elazar says that anyone who shows mercy for the poor contributes peace to the Congregation of Yisrael and multiplies blessings in the world.

Pasook 12. of Zohar Commentary on Parasha Behar

לְבָתַר דְּאִיהוּ בְּחֵירוּ, וְאִשְׁתְּכַח בֵּיהּ נַיְיחָא, יָהֲבִין עָלֵיהּ עוֹל, מֵהַהוּא אֲתַר דְּאַפִּיק לֵיהּ לְחֵירוּ. וְאִי ב"נ יְסָרֵב לְמֵיפַּק לְחֵירוּ, כד"א וְאִם אָמֹר יֹאמַר הָעֶבֶד אָהַבְתִּי אֶת אֲדוֹנִי וְגוֹ'. הָא וַדַּאי פָּגִים לֵיהּ לְהַאי אֲתַר, דְּשָׁבִיק עוֹל מַלְכוּתָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, וְנָטִיל עוֹל דְּמָארֵיהּ. וְעַל דָּא מַה כְּתִיב, וְהִגִּישׁוֹ אֲדוֹנָיו אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים וְהִגִּישׁוֹ אֶל הַדֶּלֶת וְגוֹ'. וְהִגִּישׁוֹ אֲדוֹנָיו אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים. אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים סְתָם. לְגַבֵּי הַהוּא אֲתַר דְּפָגִים לֵיהּ דה"נ אֱלֹהִים אִקְרֵי.

After gaining freedom and finding himself at rest, a yoke is placed upon him from that place that brought him freedom, MEANING FROM THE SECRET OF THE SEVENTH YEAR, MALCHUT. If someone rejected freedom, as the verse reads, "And if the servant shall say, I love my master..." (Shemot 21:5) he certainly has thwarted that place, NAMELY MALCHUT, since he has rejected the yoke of the Heavenly Kingdom and accepted the yoke of his master. What does it say of this? "Then his master shall bring him to the judges (lit. 'the Elohim'); he shall also bring him to the door..." (Ibid. 6). "Then his master shall bring him to the Elohim"; Elohim IS SAID generally, MEANING HE BROUGHT HIM to that place that he damaged, MALCHUT, also referred to as Elohim.

chanoch's Commentary

This verse can also be understood as dealing with the spiritual levels and the nightly heavenly academy. In this case Freedom represents freedom from the desire to receive from oneself alone. Master represents Malchut. Sometimes people find themselves connecting to earth bound dimensions in their spriitual work and they stop striving to grow beyond that level. Then one is brought to the door which has the meaning of "poor". Of course these people are damaging the levels of Binah and Zeir Anpin. They are separating the letter Hay from the Vav and Upper Hay.

Pasook 13.of the Zohar Commentary on Parasha Behar

וּלְאָן אֲתַר יִתְקְרִיב לְגַבֵּיהּ. אֶל הַדֶּלֶת אוֹ אֶל הַמְזוּזָה. בְּגִין דְּהַאי אֲתַר פִּתְחָא הוּא דִּלְעֵילָּא, וּמְזוּזָה אִקְרֵי, וְהָא אִתְּמַר. וְכֵיוָן דְּאִיהוּ אַכְוָּון לְאַפְגָּמָא לְהַאי אֲתַר, הַהוּא פְּגִימוּ אִשְׁתְּאַר בַּהֲדֵיהּ בֵּיהּ בְּגוּפֵיהּ הה"ד, וְרָצַע אֲדוֹנָיו אֶת אָזְנוֹ בַּמַּרְצֵעַ וַעֲבָדוֹ לְעוֹלָם. יֶהֱוֵי עַבְדָּא תְּחוֹת רַגְלוֹי דְּמָארֵיהּ, עַד שַׁתָּא דְּיוֹבְלָא.

To what place does he bring him near? "...to the door, or the door post (Heb. mezuzah)" (Ibid.), since that place, NAMELY MALCHUT, is the entrance to above, MEANING THE ENTRANCE THROUGH WHICH TO MERIT ZEIR ANPIN, and it is called 'mezuzah'. And so we learned. Since he intended to blemish that place, MALCHUT, there remained this deficiency in his body. This is what is written: "and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him forever" (Ibid.), since the servant will be beneath the feet of his master until Jubilee year.

chanoch's Commentary

The word Mezuzah has the letters of Zaz Mavet when spelled in the first paragraph of the Shemah Israel. Zaz Mavet translates as "Remove Death". The essence of this teaching is when one chooses to stay as a servant and is unwilling to grow to a higher level that person is choosing to allow death to remain in the world. The boring of the ear with an awl is creating a disconnection from Binah and leaving him where he wants to remain which is Malchut or earth bound. Also the servant is the soul being put into the body. The body is taking control and that needs to be changed. The hole in the earlobe is meant to wake the person up. Also the pain associated with the idea of being female meaning less than what he/she is capable of becoming.

Pasook 14. from the Zohar Commentary on Parasha Behar

אֶת אָזְנוֹ אֲמַאי. הָא אוֹקְמוּהָ. אֲבָל שְׁמִיעָה תָּלֵי בְּהַאי אֲתַר, עֲשִׂיָּה לְעֵילָּא. וּבְגִין דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל כַּד קְרִיבוּ לְטוּרָא דְּסִינַי, וַהֲווֹ בִּרְחִימוּ דְּלִבַּיְיהוּ לְאִתְקָרְבָא לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אַקְדִּימוּ עֲשִׂיָּה לַשְּׁמִיעָה, דְּהָא שְׁמִיעָה בְּקַדְמֵיתָא, וּלְבָתַר עֲשִׂיָּה. שְׁמִיעָה בְּהַאי שְׁמִיטָה תַּלְיָא. וְעַ"ד הוּא פָּגִים לְהַאי שְׁמִיעָה, יִתְפְּגִים שְׁמִיעָה דִּילֵיהּ, וְיִשְׁתְּאַר פְּגִימוּ בֵּיהּ. וְלָא יִשְׁתְּאַר הוּא עַבְדָּא לְמָארֵיהּ, עַד דְּיִתְקָרֵב לְהַהוּא אֲתַר דְּפָגִים, וְיִתְפְּגִים הוּא קַמֵּיהּ, וְיִשְׁתְּאַר בֵּיהּ הַהוּא פְּגִימוּ. ובג"כ, וְהִגִּישׁוֹ אֲדֹנָיו אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים סְתָם, כְּמָה דְּאוֹקִימְנָא. וְעַ"ד, וְשָׁבְתָה הָאָרֶץ שַׁבָּת לַיְיָ'.

HE ASKS: Why BORE THROUGH his ear? ANSWER: We already have established this. Hearing is dependent upon this place, NAMELY MALCHUT, acting above UPON BINAH. When the Congregation of Yisrael was approaching Mount Sinai with the love in their hearts to approach the Holy One, blessed be He, they placed doing before hearing. Normally, listening precedes doing. Listening depends on the Sabbatical Year, DENOTING MALCHUT, and so since this servant damaged this listening, his listening was blemished. This blemish remains with him, and he does not remain a servant to his master unless he approaches that place that he blemished and he is blemished before it, and this rebuff remains with him. For this reason, "then his master shall bring him to the Elohim." This is unspecified, POINTING TO MALCHUT, as we established. Hence, "shall the land keep a Shabbat to Hashem" (Vayikra 25:2), SO THAT IT WILL NOT BE RENDERED DEFECTIVE THROUGH SLAVERY. HERE IT IS DIFFERENT FROM MOST INSTANCES WHERE WE SAY THAT LISTENING DENOTES BINAH AND DOING MALCHUT.

chanoch's Commentary

Rabbi Ashlag does not explain why the change to be an upside down pattern. Malchut is above Binah in this verse. This is the blemish. The Tzimzum is Malchut striving to rise to Binah with the consciousness to be closer to the Creator. Here Malchut is being raised above Binah with a selfish consciousness. To be more important than Binah.

Pasook 15. from the Zohar Commentary on Parasha Behar

שֵׁשׁ שָׁנִים תִּזְרַע שָׂדֶךָ וְגוֹ', וּבַשָּׁנָה הַשְּׁבִיעִית שַׁבַּת שַׁבָּתוֹן יִהְיֶה לָאָרֶץ שַׁבָּת לַיְיָ’. וְהָא אוֹקְמוּהָ, דִּכְתִּיב וּבַשְּׁבִיעִית תִּשְׁמְטֶנָּה וּנְטַשְׁתָּהּ וְגוֹ'. מ"ט וְאָכְלוּ אֶבְיוֹנֵי עַמֶּךָ. בְּגִין דְּמִסְכְּנֵי בְּהַאי אֲתַר תַּלְיָין, ובג"כ שָׁבִיק לוֹן לְמֵיכַל. וְעַ"ד, מַאן דְּרָחִים לְמִסְכְּנָא, יָהִיב שְׁלָמָא בִּכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאוֹסִיף בִּרְכָתָא בְּעָלְמָא, וְיָהִיב חֵידוּ וְחֵילָא לַאֲתַר דְּאִתְקְרֵי צְדָקָה, לְאַרְקָא בִּרְכָתָא לִכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאוֹקִימְנָא.

"Six years you shall sow your field... but in the seventh year shall be a Shabbat of solemn rest for the land, a Shabbat for Hashem" (Vayikra 25:3-4). We already established, as it is written, "but in the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow" (Shemot 23:11). What is the reason? "That the poor of your people may eat" (Ibid.). For the poor are associated with that place, MALCHUT, DENOTING THE SABBATICAL YEAR; therefore, leave it to them to eat. Consequently, one who shows mercy for the poor contributes peace to the Congregation of Yisrael, AS THE POOR ARE ASSOCIATED WITH IT. He multiplies blessings in the world and gives joy and strength to the place called 'righteousness,' DENOTING MALCHUT, by pouring blessings on the Congregation of Yisrael. This has been explained.

chanoch's Commentary

This verse is bringing physical location and the soul into unity. Every soul has a spark to elevate from their location, The place where they were born or where they are living or where they are sold. This verse in the Zohar is explaining how physical location and spiritual essence (being a soul) are really one.