Zohar Lech Lecha Section 3 - HaShem said to AvRam

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Zohar Lech Lecha Section 3 - HaShem Said to AvRam

SYNOPSIS:

There is a unique process of preparation that a soul undergoes prior to entering our physical realm. This process consists of promises and commitments made by the soul to the Creator. The soul pledges to embrace the spiritual path of change through Torah and Kabbalah during its lifetime. The specific Torah portion that relates to this passage of Zohar is Lech Lecha, which translates into Go You, Out of Your Country. The verse concerns God's call to Abraham to leave and go out from his homeland and enter into the Land of Israel. The story is a code and a metaphor concerning the journey of the soul as it leaves the Upper World on its sojourn into our earthly realm.

THE RELEVANCE OF THE PASSAGE:

The perpetual pull and tug of the material world is of such magnitude, we forget our true purpose in life as we succumb to the illusions of physical existence. Hence, we need the Light of this portion to reawaken our desire to remain true to our own soul's original commitment to pursue the spiritual path.

Pasook 10. from the Zohar Commentary on Parasha Noach

תָּאנָא. בְּתוּקְפָּא דְּהַרְמְנוּ דְמַלְכָּא, אַנְצִיב חַד אִילָנָא רַבָּא וְתַקִּיף. גּוֹ נְטִיעָן עִלָאִין, נְטִיעַ אִילָנָא דָּא. בִּתְרֵיסַר תְּחוּמִין, אִסְתַּחַר. בְּאַרְבַּע סִטְרִין דְעָלְמָא, פְּרִישָׁא רַגְלֵיהּ.

Sitrei Torah (Concealed Torah). We have learned that because of the strong desire of the King, WHO IS BINAH, a great and strong tree, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, was planted. GREAT IS THE SECRET OF THE MOCHIN OF CHOCHMAH, AND STRONG IS THE SECRET OF THE MOCHIN OF CHASSADIM. Among the supernal plants, WHICH ARE THE SFIROT OF BINAH, this tree, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, is planted. It turns between twelve borders, and its leg expands to the four winds of the world.

chanoch's Commentary

This section of the Zohar is called Sitrei Torah which translates as the secrets of the Torah. It is a section that is usually difficult to explain or understand. There are two levels of Torah - one is called Sitrei and the other is Tamei. Tamei means a taste of Torah. In our modern metaphors we use a TV set to explain the difference of these 2 levels. To use a modern TV we utilze a remote control. We push buttons on the remote control and various things happen inside the TV box. This is the level of Tamei Torah. We utilize the Hebrew letters not as words but as buttons on a remote control. When we do the kinds of yechudim as taught in the Kabbalah we cause things to happen in the world. When we learn Sitrei Torah we learn how to actually change the world on its permanent level, inside the TV set. It is as if we have learned how to build the remote control and the TV set itself. No teacher teaches Sitrei Torah except to a student one on one. No student of Kabbalah learns sitrei Torah. Kabbalists read the Sitrei Torah sections of the Zohar and know what to do with the information and change themselves with this information and at the same time utilize the information as actual knowledge and experience.

The Pasook above tells us that the level of Binah produces both Zeir Anpin and Malchut and also the 12 Tribes called boundaries in our bodies and souls. It is also a way of controlling the weather as a minimum level of information. This is how the members of the Sanhedrin brought rain out of season in the Land of Israel, in my opinion, not my knowledge. Remember i am a student of Kabbalah not a Kabbalist.

Pasook 11. from the Zohar Commentary on Parasha Noach

ת"ק פַּרְסֵי מַטְלָנוֹי, כָּל רְעוּתִין, דְּאִינוּן פָּרְסִין, בֵּיהּ תָּלְיָין. כַּד אִתְעַר הַאי, כָּלְהוֹ מִתְעָרִין בַּהֲדֵיהּ, לֵית מַאן דְּנָפִיק מֵרְעוּתֵיהּ. לְבָתַר, כָּלְהוֹ בִּרְעוּתָא חָדָא בַּהֲדֵיהּ.

Its journeys were measured at five hundred Persian miles. The desires of these Persian miles, REFERRING TO THEIR WAYS OF BESTOWING ABUNDANCE, come on Him, ON ZEIR ANPIN. So when He awakens, all awaken with Him, and no one is capable of diverting His will. After that, all are united and join His will.

chanoch's Commentary

In my opinion, this is discussing the desire to receive in order to share. It is also relating to desires for negative things that conceal the essence of the goodness of the light. A persian mile is a code term that was used in the older writings and notes of the Kabbalists. One example of this is the descriptions of the inner earths being 500 persian miles thick. It is not a description of distance but of consciousness.

Pasook 12. from the Zohar Commentary on Parasha Noach

קָם מִלְּעֵילָא, נָחִית בְּמַטְלָנוֹי לְגוֹ יַמָּא. מִנֵּיהּ, יַמָּא אִתְמַלְיָא. אִיהוּ מְקוֹרָא דְּכָל מַיִין דְּנָבְעִין. תְּחוֹתֵיהּ מִתְפַּלְּגִין כָּל מֵימוֹי דִּבְרֵאשִׁית. שַׁקְיוּ דְּגִנְתָּא, בֵּיהּ תַּלְיָין.

He, ZEIR ANPIN, arises from above, AFTER HE HAS RECEIVED MOCHIN FROM BINAH, and descends throughout His journeys to the sea, WHICH IS THE NUKVA. SO, HE GIVES HIS ABUNDANCE TO THE NUKVA. He fills the sea, as He is the source of all the lights that spring IN THE SEA. Underneath Him, all the waters of the Beginning of the Creation are divided. The watering of the Garden, WHICH IS MALCHUT, depends on Him, WHO IS ZEIR ANPIN.

chanoch's Commentary

This is the first lesson in Kabbalah. Only the spritual world is the cause. Only the physical world is the effect. Never is the physical the cause. Never is the spiritual the effect. Man is able to activate the spiritual with his prayers and his use of the Tamei Torah in ways that are part of the spiritual even though they appear in the illusion to be part of the physical.

Pasook 13. from the Zohar Commentary on Parasha Noach

כָּל נִשְׁמְתִין דְּעָלְמָא, מִנֵּיהּ פָּרְחִין. נִשְׁמְתִין אִלֵּין עָאלִין בְּגִנְתָּא, לְנָחֲתָא לְהַאי עָלְמָא. נִשְׁמָתָא כַּד נָפְקָא, אִתְבָּרְכָא בְּשֶׁבַע בִּרְכָאן, לְמֶהֱוֵי אַבָּא לְגוּפָא, בִּסְלִיקוּ עִלָּאָה. הה"ד וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל אַבְרָם. הָא נִשְׁמָתָא עִלָּאָה אַבָּא לְגוּפָא בִּסְלִיקוּ דִּדְיוֹקְנָא עִלָּאָה.

All souls of the world come forth from Him, FROM ZEIR ANPIN. These souls enter the Garden, THE NUKVA, and descend into this world IN ORDER TO BE ENCLOTHED IN A BODY. When a soul leaves THERE AND IS ON ITS WAY DOWN TO THIS WORLD, it receives seven blessings so that it may be a father to the body being rightly elevated. Thus, it is written, "Now Hashem said to Abram" (Beresheet 12:1). This is the divine supewnal soul, WHICH IS CALLED ABRAM. IT CONSISTS OF TWO WORDS, AV (lit. 'FATHER') AND RAM (lit. 'SUPERNAL'). It is considered the father of the body and elevates to the level of the divine image, by the Chassidim that are drawn as it elevates and reaches Aba and Ima.

chanoch's Commentary

This is how we know that the ego is the body and the essence of me is my soul.

Pasook 14. from the Zohar Commentary on Parasha Noach

כַּד בַּעְיָא לְנָחֲתָא לְהַאי עָלְמָא, אוֹמֵי לָהּ קוּדְּשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְמִיטַר פִּקּוּדֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא, וּלְמֶעְבַּד רְעוּתֵיהּ. וּמְסַר לָהּ מְאָה מַפְתְּחָאן דְּבִרְכָאן, דְּכָל יוֹמָא, לְאַשְׁלָמָא לְדַרְגִין עִלָאִין, כְּחוּשְׁבַּן לֶךְ לְךָ. דְּהָא כָּלְהוֹ אִתְמְסַר לָהּ, בְּגִין לְאַתְקָנָא בְּהוֹ לְגִנְתָּא, וּלְמִפְלַח לָהּ וּלְנָטְרָא לָהּ. מֵאַרְצְךָ, דָּא גִּנְתָּא דְעֵדֶן.

When the soul is ready to descend to this world, the Holy One, blessed be He, makes it swear to perform the precepts of Torah and do His bidding. And He gives each soul one hundred keys of blessings for each and every day, so that it may complete the supernal grades, which reach the numerical value of Lech Lecha (lit. 'Get you out'), WHICH EQUALS ONE HUNDRED. All of them are given to it, TO THE SOUL, so that it may cultivate the Garden, WHICH IS THE NUKVA, to till it and to keep it. "Your country" is the Garden of Eden.

chanoch's Commentary

We have the responsibility to reveal 100 good deeds each day. That is why the Sages teach that we need to say 100 Blessings each day.

Pasook 15. from the Zohar Commentary on Parasha Noach

וּמוֹלַדְתְּךָ, דָּא גוּפָא, דְּאִתְקְרֵי אִילָנָא דְחַיֵּי, דְּאִיהוּ תְּרֵיסַר שִׁבְטִין עִלָּאִין. וּמִבֵּית אָבִיךָ, דָּא שְׁכִינְתָּא. אָבִיךָ, דָּא קוּדְּשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר גּוֹזֵל אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ וְאוֹמֵר אֵין פֶּשַׁע וגו', וְאֵין אָבִיו אֶלָּא קוּדְּשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. וְאֵין אִמּוֹ אֶלָּא כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. אֶל הָאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר אַרְאֶךָּ. דָּא אִיהוּ הַאי עָלְמָא. (עַד כָּאן סִתְרֵי תּוֹרָה)

The verse, "and from your kindred" MEANS from the body, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, that is called 'the Tree of Life'. And it includes the twelve supernal tribes, which are the secret of the twelve borders. This passage informs us that the soul is an offspring of Zeir Anpin and comes forth from Him. The verse "and from your father's house" refers to the Shechinah, WHICH IS CALLED THE HOUSE. "Your father" means the Holy One, blessed be He, WHO IS ZEIR ANPIN. As it is written, "He who steals from his father or his mother, and says it is no transgression..." (Mishlei 28:24). "His father" is none other than the Holy One, blessed be He, and "his mother" is none other than the Congregation of Yisrael, WHICH IS THE NUKVA. The words, "to the land that I will show you," refer to this world, to which the soul is sent.(End of Sitrei Torah).

chanoch's Commentary

My understanding of the "land that I will show you" is your particular body composed of 613 parts to accept all the different parts of the soul.

Pasook 16. from the Zohar Commentary on Parasha Noach

וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל אַבְרָם. מַה כְּתִיב לְעֵילָא וַיָּמָת הָרָן עַל פְּנֵי תֶּרַח אָבִיו וגו'. מַאי אִירְיָא הָכָא, אֶלָּא עַד הַהוּא יוֹמָא, לָא הֲוָה בַּר נָשׁ, דְּמִית בְּחַיֵּי אֲבוֹי, בַּר דָּא. דְּכַד אִתְרְמֵי אַבְרָם לְנוּרָא, אִתְקְטֵיל הָרָן, וּבְגִין דָּא, נְפָקוּ מִתַּמָּן.

What is written before the verse, "Hashem said to Abram..."? The words, "And Haran died before his father Terah" (Beresheet 11:28). AND HE ASKS, Of what does he want to inform us BY SAYING "BEFORE" HIS FATHER, TERACH? IF YOU CLAIM THAT "BEFORE" MEANS DURING HIS FATHER'S LIFETIME, this cannot be, for had no other person until that day died during his father's lifetime beside Haran? NEVERTHELESS, IN ALL OTHER INCIDENTS, THE WORD "BEFORE" IS NOT USED. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN ABEL DIED DURING THE LIFETIME OF ADAM, HIS FATHER, AND WHEN ENOCH, WHO WAS TAKEN BY ELOHIM DURING THE LIFETIME OF JERED, HIS FATHER. AND HE EXPLAINS THAT When Abraham was thrown to the fire, Charan was killed. Because of this, they left UR of the Chaldeans.

chanoch's Commentary

The Torah teaches us that Avram was an astrologer in this statement. Ur means light in Hebrew. Kasdeem is described in Greek as Chaldeans which are the Astrologers.