Zohar Prologue Section 3 - Who Created These?

It is recommended to read / scan / study the Section prior to reading the Synopsis

Zohar Commentary on the Prologue

SYNOPSIS:

The Zohar discusses the intricacies of the spiritual process of Creation, and explores mysteries associated with the upper spiritual worlds, the Hebrew letters, and the Patriarchs. The text explains how the incomprehensible and infinite Creator restricted and diminished a portion of His Light in order to manifest It in a magnitude that mortal man could receive. As we peruse the Hebrew letters and understand these spiritual explanations, we draw a measure of spiritual Light into our own lives equal to our capacity to receive and use It.

Pasook 7. from the Zohar Commentary on the Prologue

בְּרֵאשִׁית. רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר פָּתַח, שְׂאוּ מָרוֹם עֵינֵיכֶם וּרְאוּ מִי בָרָא אֵלֶּה. שְׂאוּ מָרוֹם עֵינֵיכֶם. לְאָן אֲתַר, לַאֲתַר דְּכָל עַיְינִין תָּלְיָאן לֵיהּ. וּמָאן אִיהוּ, פֶּתַח עֵינַיִם. וְתַמָּן תִּנְדְּעוּן, דְּהַאי סָתִים עַתִּיקָא דְקַיְימָא לַשְּׁאֵלָה, בָּרָא אֵלֶּה. וּמָאן אִיהוּ, מִ"י. הַהוּא דְאִקְרֵי מִקְצֵה הַשָּׁמַיִם לְעֵילָּא, דְּכֹלָא קַיְּימָא בִּרְשׂוּתֵיהּ. וְעַל דְּקַיְימָא לַשְּׁאֵלָה, וְאִיהוּ בְּאֹרַח סָתִים וְלָא אִתְגַּלְיָא, אִקְרֵי מִ"י, דְּהָא לְעֵילָּא לֵית תַּמָּן שְׁאֵלָה. וְהַאי קְצֵה הַשָּׁמַיִם אִקְרֵי מִ"י.

"In the beginning: Beresheet." Rabbi Elazar began the discussion by quoting, "Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who has created these things?" (Yeshayah 40:26). HE ASKS: "Lift up your eyes on high," to what place? And HE REPLIES: To that place to which all eyes are turned. And who is He that created these things? He is the opening of the eyes, WHICH IS MALCHUT OF THE HEAD OF ARICH ANPIN. And there you shall know that this concealed Atika, to which a question can be applied, Who has created these? And who is He? IT IS HE WHO IS CALLED 'who' THE LOWER SEVEN SFIROT OF BINAH; He is called 'from the end of heaven' on high, as everything is in His domain. And since one can ask about Him, and He is concealed and not revealed He is called who, WHICH IS AN INTERROGATIVE ARTICLE, because beyond Him, one may not pose questions. Thus, the end of heaven is called 'who', WHICH IS AN INTERROGATIVE WORD ARTICLE.

chanoch's Commentary

In Hebrew the word for "who?" is Mi spelled Mem Yood. In reverse order it is Yam which means "sea". As we know Sea in the context of Torah refers to "Torah". Not the scroll but the idea of being a person who lives Torah. This verse tells us that the Hebrew word Mi is a code word for the "end of Heaven. What do you think of when you read this phrase? What is Heaven? The Zohar Verse is telling us that Heaven is the Malchut of Binah. Keep in mind that the Malchut of one frame of reference is the Keter of the next generation. What happens to transform the Malcut into Keter? There must be a concealement of the process that the Malchut undergoes. This is why the sex act between married partners is recommended to be performed in the dark.

Pasook 8. from the Zohar Commentary on the Prologue

וְאִית אָחֳרָא לְתַתָּא וְאִקְרֵי מַ"ה. מַה בֵּין הַאי לְהַאי, אֶלָּא קַדְמָאָה סְתִימָאָה דְּאִקְרֵי מִ"י קַיְּימָא לַשְּׁאֵלָה, וְכֵיוָן דְּשָׁאַל בַּר נָשׁ וּמְפַשְׁפֵּשׁ לְאִסְתַּכְּלָא וּלְמִנְדַע מִדַּרְגָּא לְדַרְגָּא עַד סוֹף כָּל דַּרְגִּין, כֵּיוָן דְּמָטֵי תַּמָּן מַ"ה, מַה יָּדַעְתָּ, מַה אִסְתָּכַּלְתָּא, מַה פִּשְׁפַּשְׁתָּא, הָא כֹּלָא סָתִים כִּדְקַדְמֵיתָא.

There is another one down below called Mah (lit. 'what', a combination of the two letters Mem and Hei). And what is the difference between Mi and Mah? HE REPLIES: The first one is concealed and is called Mi. It remains a question: After man has searched and inquired in order to see and understand from one level to another, until he reached the end level of all, WHICH IS MALCHUT. After he had arrived there, he was asked: What? THIS MEANS, what have you learned? What have you seen? What have you attended to, since everything is still concealed and hidden as before!

chanoch's Commentary

This Zohar teaches that the code word in Torah for Malchut is Mah spelled Mem Hai and not Mem Yood. Mah has a gematria of 45 which is the same gematria as the word Adam. Adam has a few different meanings just as Malchut has a few different frames of reference. Adam is both male and female in unity. After this unity things it is good to reveal things. What is Mi minus Mah? The gematria meaning is 5 which is the Hay which is representing the physical world. Mi + Mah is 95 which is the numberical value of hte word HaMelech meaning "The King". What else can you learn from the concepts of Mi and Mah? One thing is first you need to find out "who" before you find out "what"? This is something to contemplate.

Pasook 9.from the Zohar Commentary on the Prologue

וְעַל רָזָא דְּנָא כְּתִיב, מָה אֲעִידֵךְ מָה אֲדַמֶּה לָךְ. כַּד אִתְחְרִיב בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא, נָפַק קָלָא וַאֲמַר, מָה אֲעִידֵךְ וּמָה אֲדַמֶּה לָךְ, בְּהַהוּא מָ"ה אֲעִידֵךְ, בְּכָל יוֹמָא וְיוֹמָא אַסְהִידַת בָּךְ מִיּוֹמִין קַדְמָאִין, דִּכְתִיב הַעִדֹתִי בָכֶם הַיּוֹם אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ. מָה אֲדַמֶּה לָךְ, בְּהַהוּא גַוְונָא מַמָּשׁ, עֲטָרִית לָךְ בְּעִטְרִין קַדִּישִׁין, עֲבָדִית לָךְ שָׁלְטָנוּ עַל עָלְמָא, דִּכְתִיב הֲזֹאת הָעִיר שֶׁיֹּאמְרוּ כְּלִילַת יֹפִי וגו'. קָרֵינָא לָךְ יְרוּשָׁלַיִם הַבְּנוּיָה כְּעִיר שֶׁחֻבְּרָה לָּהּ. מָה אַשְׁוֶה לָּךְ. כְּגַוְונָא דְּאַנְתְּ יָתְבָא, הָכֵי הוּא כִּבְיָכוֹל לְעֵילָא, כְּגַוְונָא דְּלָא עָאלִין הַשְׁתָּא בָּךְ עַמָּא קַדִּישָׁא בְּסִדְּרִין קַדִּישִׁין, הָכֵי אוֹמֵינָא לָךְ, דְּלָא אֵיעוֹל אֲנָא לְעֵילָא עַד דְּיֵעֲלוּן בָּךְ אֻכְלוֹסָךְ לְתַתָּא. וְדָא אִיהוּ נֶחָמָה דִילָךְ, הוֹאִיל דְּדַרְגָא דָא אַשְׁוֶה לָךְ בְּכֹלָא. וְהַשְׁתָּא דְּאַנְתְּ הָכָא, גָּדוֹל כַּיָּם שִׁבְרֵךְ. וְאִי תֵימָא דְּלֵית לָךְ קַיָּימָא וְאַסְוָותָא, מִ"י יִרְפָּא לָךְ, וַדַּאי הַהוּא דַרְגָּא סְתִימָאָה עִלָּאָה, דְכֹלָא קַיְּימָא בֵּיהּ, יִרְפָּא לָךְ וְיוֹקִים לָךְ.

And about this secret meaning it is written, "What (Heb. mah) shall I take to witness to you? What shall I liken to you?" (Eichah 2:13). Because when the Temple was destroyed, a voice came forth and said, "What shall I take to witness for you, and what shall I liken to you?" This means that using 'what' I shall witness about you each and every day since the ancient days. As it is written: "I call heaven and earth to witness this day against you" (Devarim 30:19). "What shall I liken to you?" In the very same manner I crowned you with holy crowns and made you ruler over the world. As is written: "Is this the city that men call the perfection of beauty?" (Eichah 2:15). I have called you, "Jerusalem, built as a city that is compact together" (Tehilim 122:3). "What shall I equal to you?" (Eichah 2:13). Just as your situation is here, so it is seemingly above! REFERRING TO CELESTIAL JERUSALEM. Just as now the holy nation does not enter below with the sacred arrangements, so I swear to you that I will not enter above until your throngs come to you down below. This is your consolation - that I equate you with this level, WITH CELESTIAL JERUSALEM, WHICH IS MALCHUT, in every respect. And now you are here, "your breach is great like the sea" (Ibid. 13). If you claim that you have no existence or remedy, then 'who' shall heal you, namely, that same concealed supernal level, WHICH IS CALLED 'who', through which everything exists, WHICH IS BINAH, shall heal and uphold you.

chanoch's Commentary

This is a Zohar that is describing returning light while my comments above is describing direct light. The Hebrew terms are Ohr Yashar and Ohr Chozer. This Zohar also explains the true relationship between spiritual Malchut and physical Malchut. We are taught initially that our physical world is Malchut and the last Hay of HaShem's Name Yood Dalet Vav Dalet - (Remember what i have said about HaShem's name during the Question and Asnwers sessions). Here we learn that Celestial Jerusalem is Malchut. Then what is Jerusalem in the physical world? We know that Jerusalem in the physical world is the "energy center" of the world. Yet that would imply that it is Malchut and we are being told that Malchut is Celestial Jerusalem. How would you explain this? My explanation is that Malchut is a No Man's Land between the Holy Tree of LIfe and the Negative systems Tree of knowledge good and evil. These two Trees are mirror images of each other. When our world is corrected then the sparks within the negative system will be elevated and the Tree of Life will again be complete, while the negative system will be broken husks and their will be no need for the illusion and the physical world.

Pasook 10. from the Zohar Commentary on the Prologue

מִ"י קְצֵה הַשָּׁמַיִם לְעֵילָא, מַ"ה, קְצֵה הַשָּׁמַיִם לְתַתָּא, וְדָא יָרִית יַעֲקֹב, דְּאִיהוּ מַבְרִיחַ מִן הַקָּצֶה אֶל הַקָּצֶה, מִן הַקָּצֶה קַדְמָאָה דְּאִיהוּ מִ"י, אֶל הַקָּצֶה בַּתְרָאָה דְּאִיהוּ מַ"ה, בְּגִין דְּקָאֵים בְּאֶמְצָעִיתָא. וְעַל דָּא, מִי בָּרָא אֵלֶּה.

Mi MEANS the end of heaven above, WHICH IS YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH; Mah MEANS the end of heaven below, WHICH IS MALCHUT. And this is what Jacob, WHO IS ZEIR ANPIN, inherited, as he "shall reach from end to end" (Shemot 26:28). From the end above, which is Mi, down to the lower end, which is Mah. Because he stands in the middle, BETWEEN YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH, TO MALCHUT. And because of this, "Mi has created these"! BECAUSE YISRAEL-SABA AND TEVUNAH WHO ARE called Mi, CREATED ZEIR ANPIN AND NUKVA WHO ARE CALLED 'THESE'.

Israel Saba and Tevunah are aspects of Binah. This is due to the idea of Binah being a mother. When a women is pregnant, there are three aspects to her. The women, The fetus, and the mechanism to support the fetus. This is named Binah, Yisrael Saba, and Tevunah. More on these, new to us, names at a later date.