Zohar Emor - Section 7 - "For 7 Days Will You Be Consecrated"

Zohar Emor Section 7 - "7 Days Will You Be Consecrated"

It is recommended to read/scan the section prior to reading the Synopsis.

Synopsis

This section correlates the seventy years of exile with the seven days of consecration and the seven Sfirot. Rabbi Aba says that the High Priest above blemishes the supernal Hei if the High Priest below blemishes the lower Hei.

Zohar Section 7 from Parasha Emor of the Sulam Commentary on the Zohar

Pasook 22. from the Zohar Sulam Commentary on Parasha Emor

פָּתַח וְאָמַר, בְּשׁוּב יְיָ' אֶת שִׁיבַת צִיּוֹן הָיִינוּ כְּחוֹלְמִים. בְּשׁוּב יְיָ' אֶת שִׁיבַת, דָּא בְּגָלוּת בָּבֶל אִתְּמַר. דְּלָא אִשְׁתְּכָחוּ יַתִיר בְּגָלוּתָא אֶלָּא שַׁבְעִין שְׁנִין. דִּכְתִיב, כִּי לְפִי מְלֵאוֹת לְבָבֶל שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה אֶפְקוֹד אֶתְכֶם. וּכְתִיב הָיִינוּ כְּחוֹלְמִים, מַאי כְּחוֹלְמִים. אֶלָּא הָא אַתְעֲרוּ חַבְרַיָּיא, דְּאִיכָּא שַׁבְעִין שְׁנִין בְּחֶלְמָא.

Transliteration

Due to a spiritual aspect of revealing light sometimes we will ask you to transliterate the Aramaic above yourself. In this way you will help to reveal a greater amount of light. You will find the link to transliterate the Hebrew and Aramaic at http://dailyzohar.com/hebtrans.php

Translation

He opened with the verse, "When Hashem brought back the captivity of Zion, we were like men in a dream" (Tehilim 126:1). "When Hashem brought back" was said during the exile in Babylon, though they spent only seventy years in that exile, as written, "That after seventy years are accomplished at Babylon I will take heed of you" (Yirmeyah 29:10), and "we were like men in a dream." What is "like men in a dream"? The friends remarked that some dreams last seventy years.

chanoch's Commentary

What is this Pasook teaching us. What is the captivity of Zion? Let us remember what is the meaning of Zion? Zion represents the spiritual cause of the essence of Jerusalem. Jerusalim represents the completion of Yirah which translates as awe/fear. The captivity of Zion typically is thought of as the Captives taken from Zion after the destruction of the First Temple. Yet the captivity of Zion can be thought of as a blockage that separates the cities of Jerusalem on the physical level and the city of Zion on the spiritual level. When this blockage is brought back as happens often unfortuneately we cause the illusion of the physical world to become more of an illusion and thus the verse from Psalm represents a thickening of the illusion. This makes it harder for us to see the actions of HaShem behind the veil of the illusion. It is referring to an essence of communication being back to back.

Pasook 23. from the Zohar Sulam Commentary on Parasha Emor

וְתָא חֲזֵי, כְּתִיב כִּי שִׁבְעַת יָמִים יְמַלֵּא אֶת יֶדְכֶם. מַאן שִׁבְעַת יָמִים. הָא אִתְּמַר, הַהוּא אֲתַר עִלָּאָה, דְּהוּא כְּלָלָא דְּכָל שִׁיתָא אָחֳרָנִין, אִקְרֵי שִׁבְעַת יָמִים, וְאִקְרֵי תְּשׁוּבָה. תָּנֵינָן, מַאן דְּיָתִיב בְּתַעֲנִיתָא בְּשַׁבְּתָא, קוֹרְעִין לוֹ גְּזַר דִּינוֹ שֶׁל שִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה, וְשַׁבְעִין שָׁנָה אִינּוּן שְׁבַע אַנְפֵּי מַלְכָּא, דַּאֲפִילּוּ אִסְתְּכָמוּ עָלֵיהּ כֹּלָּא לְבִישׁ, הַהוּא גְּזַר דִּינָא אִתְקְרַע. מ"ט. בְּגִין דְּאָחִיד בֵּיהּ בְּהַהוּא יוֹמָא, בִּכְלָלָא דְּכֻלְּהוּ, דְּאִקְרֵי שִׁבְעָה, וְאִקְרֵי תְּשׁוּבָה, בְּגִין כַּךְ בְּכֻלְּהוּ אָחִיד, וְאַהְדָּר בִּתְשׁוּבָה, וְאִתְקְרַע גְּזַר דִּינָא בְּכֻלְּהוּ. וְעַל דָּא וַדַּאי שַׁבְעִין שְׁנִין אִיכָּא בְּחֶלְמָא.

Transliteration

Due to a spiritual aspect of revealing light sometimes we will ask you to transliterate the Aramaic above yourself. In this way you will help to reveal a greater amount of light. You will find the link to transliterate the Hebrew and Aramaic at http://dailyzohar.com/hebtrans.php

Translation

Come and see, it is written, "for seven days shall he consecrate you" (Vayikra 8:33). What are these seven days? It has been said that the uppermost place that includes all the other six, NAMELY BINAH THAT INCLUDES IN IT CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD, is called seven days and also called repentance. We learned that whoever fasts on Shabbat, his verdict of seventy years standing is torn up. Seventy years are the seven facets of the King, NAMELY THE SEVEN SFIROT, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT, EACH INCLUDING TEN, THUS AMOUNTING TO SEVENTY. Even though they are unanimously agreed against him, the verdict is torn up. For what reason? Because WHOEVER FASTS is attached to that day, which includes them all, NAMELY BINAH that is called seven and is called repentance. For that reason, WHEN HE IS ATTACHED TO THAT, he is attached to all SEVENTY YEARS when he repents, and any verdict in any of them is THEREFORE torn up. Therefore assuredly there are seventy years in a dream.

chanoch's Commentary

If we fasted on Shabbat we have 70 years of judgment torn us according to this Pasook. Why are we then told not to fast on Shabbat? It is because fasting is a form of lessening our body connection to the physical illusion and Shabbat is a manifestation of the truth in the illusion. Fasting does not help us see through the illusion especially on Shabbat which represents the manifestation of the truth in the illusion.

Pasook 24. from the Zohar Sulam Commentary on Parasha Emor

כְּגַוְונָא דָּא, כַּהֲנָא אִתְעֲטָּר בִּשְׁבַע, דְּאִקְרֵי שִׁבְעַת יָמִים, אִי פָּגִים רֵישֵׁיהּ, הַהוּא שִׁבְעָה דְּאִיהוּ כְּלָלָא דְּכֻלְּהוּ, אַקְרַח מִנֵּיהּ כָּל הַהוּא קְדוּשָּׁא דְּכֻלְּהוּ, דְּשַׁרְיָא עָלֵיהּ. וְעַ"ד אִזְדְּהָרוּ דְּלָא יִקְרְחֻה קָרְחָה בְּרֹאשָׁם, וְיִשְׁתְּכָחוּ פְּגִימִין מִכֹּלָּא. ובג"כ כַּהֲנָא בָּעֵי לְאִשְׁתַּכְּחָא בִּשְׁלִימוּ יַתִּיר מִכֹּלָּא, כ"ש הַהוּא דְּאִיהוּ עִלָּאָה מְכֻּלְּהוּ.

Transliteration

Due to a spiritual aspect of revealing light sometimes we will ask you to transliterate the Aramaic above yourself. In this way you will help to reveal a greater amount of light. You will find the link to transliterate the Hebrew and Aramaic at http://dailyzohar.com/hebtrans.php

Translation

Similarly the priest is crowned with seven, WHICH ARE BINAH that is called seven days. If THE PRIEST blemishes his head, that seven, BINAH, the whole of all SEVEN DAYS, CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT, makes him bald from all that overall holiness that dwells on THAT PRIEST. They were therefore careful not to make baldness on their heads, because this will render them defective in all SEVEN SFIROT. Thus the priest needs to abide in perfection more than all the others, and all the more so the most supernal, THE HIGH PRIEST.

chanoch's Commentary

Perfection means completion of the process. The proper Light fulfills the proper vessel. The consecration must include all 7 sefirot in order to be complete.

Pasook 25. from the Zohar Sulam Commentary on Parasha Emor

א"ר אַבָּא, כָּאן בְּהֵ"א תַּתָּאָה, כָּאן בְּהֵ"א עִלָּאָה. כ"ג דְּאִיהוּ עִלָּאָה מְכֻּלְּהוּ, בְּהֵ"א עִלָּאָה. דִּכְתִּיב אֲשֶׁר יוּצַק עַל רֹאשׁוֹ שֶׁמֶן הַמִּשְׁחָה וּמִלֵּא אֶת יָדוֹ וְגוֹ'. וּמִלֵּא יָדוֹ דִּכְתִּיב שִׁבְעַת יָמִים יְמַלֵּא אֶת יֶדְכֶם. כַּהֲנָא אָחֳרָא בְּה' תַּתָּאָה, דִּכְתִּיב, לֹא יִקְרְחֻה קָרְחָה בְּרֹאשָׁם, וּכְתִיב בַּתְרֵיהּ, וְלֹא יְחַלְּלוּ שֵׁם אֱלֹהֵיהֶם. וְהַאי שֵׁם הָא יְדִיעָא אִיהוּ. ובג"כ כְּתִיב, וְהַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל מֵאֶחָיו אֲשֶׁר יוּצַק עַל רֹאשׁוֹ שֶׁמֶן הַמִּשְׁחָה לִלְבּוֹשׁ אֶת הַבְּגָדִים, כְּמָה דְּאַמָרָן. וּבְגִין דְּאִיהוּ קַדִּישָׁא כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, כְּתִיב וּמִן הַמִּקְדָּשׁ לֹא יֵצֵא.

Transliteration

Due to a spiritual aspect of revealing light sometimes we will ask you to transliterate the Aramaic above yourself. In this way you will help to reveal a greater amount of light. You will find the link to transliterate the Hebrew and Aramaic at http://dailyzohar.com/hebtrans.php

Translation

Rabbi Aba said, the lower Hei in here and the supernal Hei in there. The High Priest, the highest, BLEMISHES the supernal Hei, WHICH IS BINAH, as written, "upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated" (Vayikra 21:10). "And that is consecrated" REFERS TO BINAH as written, "for seven days shall he consecrate you." THE SEVEN DAYS REFER TO BINAH, THE UPPER HEI OF YUD HEI VAV HEI. Any other priest CREATES A BLEMISH in the lower Hei OF YUD HEI VAV HEI, MALCHUT, as written, "They shall not make baldness on their head" (Vayikra 21:5), followed by, "and not profane the name of their Elohim" (Ibid. 6). This name is known AS MALCHUT, THE LOWER HEI. Hence it is written, "And he that is the High Priest among his brethren, upon whose head the anointing oil was poured, and that is consecrated to put on the garments." THIS IS as we said THAT THE ANOINTING OIL INDICATES THE BOUNTY OF ABA THAT HE RECEIVES VIA IMA, THE UPPER HEI. Since he is holy in the likeness of above it is written, "neither shall he go out of the sanctuary" (Ibid. 12), JUST LIKE ABA AND IMA WHOSE UNION IS UNINTERRUPTED.

chanoch's Commentary

This pasook is metaphorically explaining the meaning of consecration using the creative process of the 8 Sefirot. When the lower 7 becomes complete then and only then can the mental Sefirot start to be fulfilled. This is the meaning of consecration. It is the fulfilling of the lower 7 Sefirot in order to finally reach Binah.