Zohar Shemini Section 10 - But He Who Exacts Gifts Overthrows It

Zohar Shemini Section 10 - But He Who Exacts Gifts Overthrows It

Please read the Synopsis after one has studied the Section of Zohar directly

SYNOPSIS:

chanoch's adds: The Zohar uses a Verse from Proverbs which uses the word gift and not gifts. The Synopsis is interpreting this word gift as graft. You decide if this is typo or is a correct reading of the Zohar.

The youth tells how God established the world by Justice through Jacob, but it was overthrown by Esau, who did not tithe and was a man who exacted graft. All his life long, David tried to combine Malchut with Zeir Anpin; then Solomon came and united them, and at that time the moon appeared in all its fullness. Then the world was overturned by one who exacted graft, Zedekiah.

Pasook 88. from the Zohar Commentary of Parasha Shemini

פָּתַח הַהוּא רַבְיָא וְאָמַר, מֶלֶךְ בְמִשְׁפָּט יַעֲמִיד אָרֶץ וְגוֹ'. מַאן מֶלֶךְ. דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. בְּמִשְׁפָּט דָּא יַעֲקֹב, דְּאִיהוּ כְּלָלָא דַּאֲבָהָן. וְאִישׁ תְּרוּמוֹת, תְּרוּמַת כְּתִיב, כד"א וְזֹאת הַתְּרוּמָה. וְאִישׁ תְּרוּמוֹת, דָּא עֵשָׂו, דְּבָעֵי עַל תְּרוּמוֹת וְעַל מַעֲשְׂרוֹת כָּל יוֹמָא, וְלָא עָבֵיד מִדִי. וְאִישׁ תְּרוּמוֹת דְּלָאו אִיהוּ מִשְׁפָּט. דְּהָא תְּרוּמָה אִסְתַּלְקוּתָא דְּרַחֲמֵי, בְּגִין דָּא לָא אַתְיָא בְּמִּשְׁפָּט, כד"א וְיֵשׁ נִסְפֶּה בְּלֹא מִשְׁפָּט, וְעַל דָּא, וְאִישׁ תְּרוּמֹת יֶהֶרְסֶנָּה.

The boy opened the discussion with the verse: "The king by justice establishes the land, BUT HE WHO EXACTS GIFTS OVERTHROWS IT" (Mishlei 29:4). Who is "the king"? This is the Holy One, blessed be He, and "by Justice," is Jacob, who is the epitome of the Fathers “ NAMELY, THE CENTRAL COLUMN, WHICH INCLUDES CHESED AND GVURAH, THE SECRET OF ABRAHAM AND ISAAC. FOR BY THE CENTRAL COLUMN, HE "ESTABLISHES" AND PRESERVES THE LAND, WHICH IS MALCHUT. "But one who exacts gift": "gift" is spelled WITHOUT THE LETTER VAV, THE INDICATION FOR PLURAL WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE CENTRAL COLUMN, CALLED "JUSTICE." AND "GIFT" IS Malchut, as is written: "And this is the offering" (Shemot 25:3). "THE OFFERING" IS THE SECRET OF ZOT, NAMELY MALCHUT WHICH IS CALLED "ZOT (LIT. 'THIS', FEM.)". "But he who exacts gift" is Esau, who used to ask about offerings and tithes every day but did nothing. HE WOULD ASK HIS FATHER HOW ONE SHOULD TITHE STRAW AND THE SALT, AND SO FORTH, BUT DID NOT TITHE EVEN OF WHAT OUGHT TO BE TITHED. SUCH IS he who exacts gifts not according to justice “ LIKE JACOB, WHO IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN, BUT ONLY FROM THE ASPECT OF THE LEFT COLUMN WHEN NOT INCLUDED IN THE RIGHT. For "the offering," WHICH IS MALCHUT, IS FROM THE SIDE OF the departure of Mercy, MEANING FROM THE ASPECT OF MERE JUDGMENT, WHICH IS THE LEFT WITHOUT THE RIGHT. MALCHUT is not summoned to Justice, WHICH INCLUDES THE RIGHT AND THE LEFT, AND THEREFORE HE "OVERTURNS IT," as is written: "But sometimes ruin comes for want of Judgment" (lit. 'justice') (Mishlei 13:23), BEING JUDGMENT WITHOUT MERCY. Therefore, "one who exacts gift overturns it."

chanoch's Commentary

The midrash explains that Esav would attempt to fool his father Isaac in their studies together by asking how to tithe items that do not need to be tithed. His father thought how righeous is He according to the Midrash while he was just asking questions which is a form of stealing according to the Talmud when asking a merchant about his wares if there is no intention to buy. The verse in Proverbs spells the word Gift incomplete, without a Vav. If spelled with a Vav it becomes plural thus changing from Zeir Anpin meaning justice (which includes both right and left columns) to Malchut which only is a vessel without fulfillment and is then only on the left. The meaning of this Zohar Verse is a play on Hebrew words and Letters. This play on words and letters has the meaning of changing the way people perceive the verse in Proverbs. In effect changing justice which has both judgment and Mercy to Judgment only.

Pasook 89.from the Zohar Commentary on Parasha Shemini

וְאִי תֵּימָא, הָא דָּוִד מַלְכָּא אִישׁ תְּרוּמָה הֲוָה, אֶלָּא בְּרַחֲמֵי. וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא דְּהָא כְּתִיב חַסְדֵי דָּוִד הַנֶּאֱמָנִים, כְּמָה דְּאִתְדְּבַק בְּהַאי, אִתְדְּבַק בְּהַאי.

You may say that David was a man "who exacts a gift," FOR KING DAVID WAS A CHARIOT TO MALCHUT FROM THE ASPECT OF HER LEFT. HE ANSWERS: It was with Mercy, NOT ONLY FOR MALCHUT FROM THE ASPECT OF THE LEFT, LIKE ESAU, BUT ALSO THE LEFT OF MALCHUT COMBINED WITH MERCY. Moreover it is written: "The sure loving promises (Heb. chassadim) of David" (Yeshayah 55:3). THUS, as he cleaved to that, TO MALCHUT OF THE LEFT, he also cleaved to them, CHASSADIM.

chanoch adds: People try to explain that Esau and King David are similar since they were both red and are aspects of Malchut. This Zohar brings information that explains that Malchut has both judgment and Mercy when King David is involved while with Esau it is only judgment.

Pasook 90. from the Zohar Commentary on Parasha Shemini

ת"ח, כָּל יוֹמוֹי דְּדָוִד מַלְכָּא, הֲוָה מִשְׁתָּדַּל דְּהַאי תְּרוּמָה, יִתְקְשַׁר בְּמִּשְׁפָּט, וְיִזְדַּוְוגוּן כַּחֲדָא. אָתָא שְׁלֹמֹה וְזִוֵּוג לוֹן כַּחֲדָא, וְקַיְּימָא סִיהֲרָא בְּאַשְׁלְמוּתָא, וְקַיְּימָא אַרְעָא בְּקִיּוּמָא. אָתָא צִדְקִיָּהוּ וְאַפְרִישׁ לוֹן, וְאִשְׁתְּאָרַת אַרְעָא בְּלָא מִשְׁפָּט, וְאִתְפְּגִימַת סִיהֲרָא, וְאִתְחֲרִיבַת אַרְעָא, כְּדֵין וְאִישׁ תְּרוּמַת יֶהֶרְסֶנָּה

Come and behold: all his life, King David made an effort so that this gift, WHICH IS MALCHUT, would be combined with Justice, ZEIR ANPIN, NAMELY THE CENTRAL COLUMN “ so that both of them would be united together. Then came Solomon, who united them. Then the moon, WHICH IS MALCHUT, appeared in its fullness, and the earth, WHICH IS MALCHUT, was maintained. Then came Zedekiah and separated them, and the earth, WHICH IS MALCHUT, was left without Justice “ ZEIR ANPIN “ and the moon was spoiled and the earth was ruined. Then, IT WAS SAID: "one who exacts gift overturns it," WHICH IS ZEDEKIAH.

chanoch's Commentary

If one separates justice from judgment or in other words one separates Mercy from Judgment then one is overturning the spiritual system. Even when does this in the physical level one creates separation in the spiritual. This is the meaning of this section of Zohar in my opinion.