Zohar Shoftim - Section 5 - The Small and Great Sanhedrin

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

Zohar Sulam Commentary on Parasha Shoftim Section 5

It is best to study the Zohar in the following manner:

1. Read outloud the Aramaic Verse. If you need to transliterate in order to read with the sounds of the lettersthe verse see below. If you use the transliteration tool than make sure you scan the Aramaic first and last.

2. Read the English Translation - if you desire to understand and realize that your understanding will limit the energy you receive. This is why it is important to scan the aramaic verse first.

3.Write out your understanding of the verse. Send it to yeshshem@hotmail.com in an email. Use the Parasha Name and verse number in the subject. By sending your understanding you give yeshshem.com permission to post this to web page and any other uses Yeshshem may see a beneficial use.

4. Now read chanoch's Commentary or additions to enhance and or modify your own personal understanding.

SYNOPSIS:

Speaking about the higher court, Rabbi Shimon next tells the Faithful Shepherd that he was Gadol, the highest above the seventy greater Sanhedrin. He says that Moses is the friend of God and the friend of Malchut. He also talks about the lower court, and about the greater and smaller lamp lights. The greater lamp light is the light of God and the smaller is the song of the Levites.

Pasook 21. from the Zohar Sulam Commentary on Parasha Shoftim

פִּקּוּדָא בָּתַר דָּא, לְקַבֵּל בֵּית דִּין הַגָּדוֹל עָלַיְיהוּ, בִּינָה, מִסִּטְרָא דִּגְדוּלָה אִקְרֵי אֱלֹהִים, בֵּית דִּין הַגָּדוֹל, רַב בְּדִינוֹי, וְרַב בְּזַכְווֹי, כְּגַוְונָא דְּאִתְּמַר שׂוֹם תָּשִׂים עָלֶיךָ מֶלֶךְ בְּפִקּוּדָא, שׂוֹם לְעֵילָּא, תָּשִׂים לְתַתָּא. הָכִי לְקַבֵּל עָלֵיהּ ב"ד רַבְרְבָא, אע"ג דְּקַבִּיל עָלֵיהּ ב"ד זְעֵירָא. בֵּית דִּין זְעֵירָא, בֵּית דִּין שֶׁל שְׁלֺֹשָׁה, מִסִּטְרָא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא תַּתָּאָה. ב"ד רַבְרְבָא, מֵאִלֵּין סַנְהֶדְּרֵי גְּדוֹלָה.

Transliteration

Please use a Transliteration tool to read the Aramaic Verses. This enhances the energy transfer since it uses both sight of the Hebrew Letters and Sound as well. You may find a transliteration tool on the dailyzohar website or through an internet search for "Hebrew Transliteration".

Translation

The following precept is to accept the ruling of the Great Sanhedrin on them, which is Binah, which, from the aspect of Chesed, is called Elohim, WHICH IS BINAH, the great Sanhedrin, SINCE GREAT IS CHESED. It is great in judgment, WHICH IS THE LEFT, and great in finding merit, WHICH IS THE RIGHT. THIS MEANS THAT WHEN THE LEFT SIDE OF BINAH IS INCLUDED WITHIN THE RIGHT, WHICH IS CHESED, BOTH ARE CONSIDERED GREAT, as we learned in relation to the precept, "you may appoint (lit. 'appoint you shall appoint') a king over you" (Devarim 17:15), in which "appoint" is above IN BINAH, and "you shall appoint" is below, IN MALCHUT. In the same way one must accept upon himself the Great Sanhedrin FROM THE ASPECT OF BINAH, although he accepted upon himself the Small Sanhedrin FROM THE ASPECT OF MALCHUT. The small court consists of three from the aspect of the lower Shechinah “ WHICH IS MALCHUT. The great court consists of those in the Great Sanhedrin OF 72 MEMBERS, SEVENTY SANHEDRIN JUDGES AND TWO SCRIBES.

chanoch's Commentary

The Torah provides for a hierarchy of judgment which allows for the injection of mercy into every judgement. This is a mirror of the heavenly Sanhedrin composed of the 70 Elohim or Angelic Ministers over and responsible for the 70 Nations This is the meaning of the "left of Binah is included in the Right" - the injection of Mercy into Judgement.

Pasook 22. from the Zohar Sulam Commentary on Parasha Shoftim

אָמַר בּוּצִינָא קַדִּישָׁא, שִׁבְעִים סַנְהֶדְּרֵי גְּדוֹלָה הֲווֹ, וְאַנְתְּ רַבְרְבָא עַל כֻּלְּהוּ, וְהָיָה כָּל הַדָּבָר הַגָּדוֹל יָבִיאוּ אֵלֶיךָ וְכָל הַדָּבָר הַקָּטֺן יִשְׁפְּטוּ הֵם. אֵלּוּ. הֵם סַנְהֶדְּרֵי גְּדוֹלָה, סַנְהֶדְּרֵי קְטַנָּה. סַנְהֶדְּרֵי גְּדוֹלָה מִסִּטְרָא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא עִלָּאָה, סַנְהֶדְּרֵי קְטַנָּה מִסִּטְרָא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא תַּתָּאָה.

Transliteration

Please use a Transliteration tool to read the Aramaic Verses. This enhances the energy transfer since it uses both sight of the Hebrew Letters and Sound as well. You may find a transliteration tool on the dailyzohar website or through an internet search for "Hebrew Transliteration".

Translation

The Holy Luminary, RABBI SHIMON, said TO THE FAITHFUL SHEPHERD: The Great Sanhedrin consisted of seventy members, and you are the greatest of them all, as is written: "every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they shall judge" (Shemot 18:22), which relates to the Great Sanhedrin and the Small Sanhedrin, ABOUT WHICH IT IS SAID, "GREAT MATTER" AND "SMALL MATTER." The Great Sanhedrin are from the aspect of the supernal Shechinah, WHICH IS BINAH, and the Small Sanhedrin are from the aspect of the lower Shechinah, WHICH IS MALCHUT.

chanoch's Commentary

The Great Sanhedrin operated on the premise of truth. Just as souls are aware of their spiritual level this is the basis of who and how one joins the Sanhedrin and who is the order of the membership and seating arrangement in the Great Sanhedrin. The seating arrangement represented the hierarchy of the souls as defined by the members of the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin is both the High Court and the legislative body of the Children of Israel. The King represented political power not legislative power. The kings authority can be over ridden by the Sanhedrin and of course the interpretation of the meaning of the Torah's language belongs to the Great Sanhedrin. Today we do not have the Sanhedrin since it is actually a reflection of the Temple which we have not yet rebuilt.

Pasook 23. from the Zohar Sulam Commentary on Parasha Shoftim

מֺשֶׁה שׁוּשְׁבִינָא דְּמַלְכָּא, אַהֲרֺן שׁוּשְׁבִינָא דְּמַטְרוֹנִיתָא. וְעִמְּהוֹן שַׁבְעִין וּתְרֵין סַנְהֶדְרִין, כְּמִנְיַן חֶסֶד, וּמֵהָכָא סַנְהֶדְּרֵי גְּדוֹלָה. סַנְהֶדְּרֵי קְטַנָּה, מִסִּטְרָא דִּשְׂמָאלָא, אֶת הַמָּאוֹר הַקָּטֺן לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת הַלַּיְלָה.

Transliteration

Please use a Transliteration tool to read the Aramaic Verses. This enhances the energy transfer since it uses both sight of the Hebrew Letters and Sound as well. You may find a transliteration tool on the dailyzohar website or through an internet search for "Hebrew Transliteration".

Translation

Moses is the best man of the King, ZEIR ANPIN; Aaron is the best man of the Queen. Together with them there are 72 members to the Sanhedrin, MEANING WITH THE SEVENTY SANHEDRIN JUDGES OVER WHOM MOSES AND AARON PRESIDE, which have the same number as Chesed, WHICH HAS THE NUMERICAL VALUE OF 72. Hence, THEY ARE CONSIDERED the Great Sanhedrin, SINCE CHESED IS CALLED GREAT, AS MENTIONED ABOVE. The Small Sanhedrin are from the aspect of the left, THAT IS MALCHUT, WHICH IS ERECTED FROM THE LEFT, ABOUT WHICH IT IS WRITTEN: "and the lesser light to rule the night" (Beresheet 1:16).

chanoch's Commentary

The lower court - lesser Sanhedrin consisted of members of the Great Sanhedrin. They acted and ruled according to their understanding of the Torah law. They could be overruled by the higher authority composed of a greater number of members of the Sanhedrin. Remember a death penalty could only be ruled upon by a court of 23 members of the Sanhedrin. The death penalty was rarely if ever issued by a court, and never by the full Great Sanhedrin according to the Talmud.

Pasook 24. from the Zohar Sulam Commentary on Parasha Shoftim

וּבג"ד, תִּפְאֶרֶת אֶת הַמָּאוֹר הַגָּדוֹל לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת הַיּוֹם, דְּאִתְּמַר בֵּיהּ יוֹמָם יְצַוֶּה יְיָ' חַסְדּוֹ. אֶת הַמָּאוֹר הַקָּטֺן לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת הַלַּיְלָה, וּבַלַּיְלָה שִׁירֺה עִמִּי. שִׁיר דִּלְוִיִּים, וְדָא יְסוֹד. בֶּן יִשַׁי חַי עַל הָאֲדָמָה. דְּתָקִּין עֶשֶׂר מִינֵי תְּהִלִּים, בְּשִׁירָה. וְאִיהוּ צַדִּיק לִשְׂמָאלָא, אֶת הַמָאוֹר הַקָּטֺן, וְדָא שְׁכִינְתָּא, דְּאַתְנְטִילַת מִשְּׂמָאלָא.

Transliteration

Please use a Transliteration tool to read the Aramaic Verses. This enhances the energy transfer since it uses both sight of the Hebrew Letters and Sound as well. You may find a transliteration tool on the dailyzohar website or through an internet search for "Hebrew Transliteration".

Translation

Due to this, Tiferet IS CONSIDERED "the greater light to rule the day" (Ibid.), BECAUSE it says about it, "Hashem will command His steadfast love (Heb. Chesed) in the daytime" (Tehilim 42:9). SINCE IT IS CHESED, IT IS CALLED THE GREATER LIGHT. "And the lesser light to rule the night" means: "and in the night His song shall be with me" (Ibid.), that is, the song of the Levites, which is Yesod IN MALCHUT, ACCORDING TO THE MEANING OF THE WORDS: "the son of Jesse lives on the ground" (I Shmuel 20:31), IN WHICH 'LIVES' REFERS TO YESOD, AND THE GROUND IS MALCHUT. He has composed ten types of songs in Tehilim, MEANING 'BLESSED', 'A SONG', 'A POEM', ETC. The Righteous is to the left, MEANING YESOD IN MALCHUT, AND THE LEFT, "the lesser light" is the Shechinah that was taken from the left.

chanoch's Commentary

Below is a short commentary on the ten types of songs in the Psalms written / attributed to King David. The commentary was written by Rabbi Avraham Sutton. It is my hope to bring you a series of classes on the Psalms using his commentary and new English Translation. You can find this information on his website www.AvrahamSutton.com

Chapter V. Ten Types of Song

We read in the Midrash (Shochar Tov, also known as Midrash Tehillim): The Psalms contain ten [archetypal] types of song/praise: 1) Nitzuach, 2) Nigun, 3)Mizmor, 4) Shir, 5) Hallel, 6) Tefillah, 7) Berakhah, 8) Hodaah, 9) HalleluYah, 10)Ashrei. And the greatest of all of them is HalleluYah, for it includes God’s Name (Yah) and His Praise (Hallel) in one word. Rav called the entire book of Psalms HalleluYah.

In the Talmud, we have a slightly different listing:

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: The Psalms were composed using ten [archetypal] expressions of song/praise: 1) Nitzuach, 2) Nigun, 3) Maskil, 4) Mizmor, 5) Shir, 6) Ashrei, 7) Tehillah, 8) Tefillah, 9) Hodaah, 10) HalleluYah. And the greatest of all of them is HalleluYah, for it includes God’s Name (Yah) and His Praise (Hallel) in one word.

King David began each psalm with a “superscription,” a kind of headline that tells us something about the essence and purpose of a psalm. Some of these superscriptions are short, some are longer. The most recurrent superscription, LaMenatzeyach (pronounced lamen-a-tzei-ach), which we often translate “Dedicated to the Orchestra Leader [of Creation] who grants eternal victory,” stands at the head of 55 psalms. After that, Mizmor LeDavid (or LeDavid Mizmor), “A Cutting-psalm by David,” heads 36 psalms. [Of these 36, 23 are part of longer superscriptions in which the title LaMenatzeyach appears.] The word Maskil, “To teach wisdom,” is part of the superscription of 14 psalms. Shir HaMaalot, “A Song of Ascents,” heads 14 psalms. HalleluYah, “Praise God!” heads 10 psalms.

Main Recurring Superscriptions in Psalms

LaMenatzeyach = 55

Mizmor LeDavid (29), LeDavid Mizmor (7) = 36

Shir HaMaalot (14), Shir LaMaalot (1) = 15

Maskil = 14

HalleluYah = 10

Other superscriptions appear either as single words or in varying intriguing combinations with each other. Some of these are: Ashrei, Shir, Mizmor, Tefillah, Mikhtam, Neginot, Barkhi Nafshi, Mizmor LeTodah, Ranenu Tzadikim. In whatever form or combination they appear, these superscriptions tell us something important about the respective psalms at whose head they stand. In general, they are expressions of joy, thanks, hope, self-reflection, and most importantly, song. Torah sources (Talmud, Zohar, and Tikuney Zohar) consolidate all these different superscriptions into ten basic categories, and call them “the ten archetypal types of song.”

According to the Tikuney Zohar, these ten are have the following Song Meanings

1. Ashrei - Happiness, Insight

2. Shir - Joyous Song, Elevation

3. Berakhah (Barkhi Nafshi) - Blessing, Drawing down sustenance, Revelation

4. Zemer (Mizmor) - Cutting-song, Breaking through barriers

5. Neginah (Bin’ginot) - Soaring Melody

6. HalleluYah - Praise Yah (God), Radiating thanks and joy

7. Nitzuach (LaMenatzeyach) Touching Eternity, Victory, Unity in multiplicity / diversity

8. Hodaah (Hodu) - Thanksgiving, Admitting the truth, Testifying

9. Rinah (Ranenu) - Joyous song, Crying out

10. Tefillah - Prayer, Self-evaluation

In another place, the Zohar lists them in a slightly different order, this time identifying them with their corresponding sefirah:

Song - Sefirah

1. Ashrei - Keter - Crown

2. Shir - Chokhmah - Wisdom

3. Berakhah - Binah - Understanding

4. Neginah - Chesed - Lovingkindness

5. Zemer - Gevurah - Power / Restraint

6. HalleluYah - Tiferet - Beauty / Harmony

7. Nitzuach - Netzach - Victory / Eternity

8. Hodaah - Hod - Majesty / Thankfulness

9. Rinah - Yesod - Foundation Channel

10. Tehillah - Malkhut - Kingship / Kingdom

In yet another place the Zohar lists these ten types of song in a slightly different order and makes two substitutions: Maskil (A Wisdom psalm, to contemplate and understand life’s lessons); Mikhtam (A Precious psalm, to be constantly reviewed for the lessons its contains): This fourth order is thus: 1) Nitzuach, 2) Neginah, 3) Maskil, 4) Mikhtam, 5) Zemer, 6) Shir, 7) Ashrei, 8) Tefillah, 9) Hodaah, 10) HalleluYah.

Whatever their order (and whatever their variations), the great chassidic Master, Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810), understood something very deep about these different types of song. Indeed, from Heaven it was revealed to him that each of them corresponds to and is directed at correcting and healing a different human frailty or lack.

chanoch adds: Rebbe Nachman eventually said that the following 10 Songs or Psalms are the "Universal Correction" Tikune Celali. (Universal is my translation not usually translated at all. It is always called Tikune Celali.)

The ten Psalms of Tikune Celali are: Psalms 16, 32, 41, 42, 59, 77, 90, 105, 137, 150.

One can find these ten Psalms on the Yeshshem Website using the Bible Inquiry link on the right of each page on the website,

Psalm 16 is a Mictam. Chapter No 16 = has the male letters of HaShem's Name - Yood and Vav.

Psalm 32 is a Maskil. Chapter No = Heart Lev as well as the 32 Paths of Wisdom

Psalm 41 is a Lamnatzeach Mismor. Chapter No = Mother - Em

Psalm 42 is a lamnatzeach Maskil. Chapter No = 42 Letter Name used in Creation - Mem Bet.

Psalm 59 is a Lamnatzeach Mictam. Chapter No means "net"

Psalm 77 is a Lamnatzeach Asaph Mizmor. Chapter No 77 = "goat" as well s "powerful" and "strong".

Psalm 90 is a Tefilah Psalm. Chapter No 90 = Righteous as well as Just.

Psalm 105 is a Hodu - Thanksgiving Psalm. Chapter No 105 = the same gematria as the Hebrew word Olah = Ascend - "to rise up".

Psalm 137 does not have a superscript as described above. Chapter 137 = Kabbalah - "reception".

Psalm 150 is a hallayuYah. Chapter No 150 = 10 x 15 representing completion of the work of Creation - The Work of HaShem.

These 10 Psalms have 164 Verses. 164 is the gematria of the Hebrew word Hadvakim = "you shall cleave".

the number of words and letters has not yet been counted by me. Any student who wishes can do so and send me the information.