Zohar Tazria Section 1 - By Night On My Bed

Zohar Tazria Section 1 - By Night On My bed

It is recommended to read the Synopsis after the Zohar study itself

Parasha TAZRIA Section 1

SYNOPSIS:

Rabbi Elazar explains that the title verse means that the children of Yisrael lay in the dust in exile, and beseeched God to take them out of it. Rabbi Yitzchak says that they asked God to join them so that He would gladden them and bless them in perfect joy.

Pasook 1. from Zohar Commentary on Parasha Tazria

וַיְדַבֵּר יְיָ' אֶל מֺשֶׁה לֵאמֺר אִשָּׁה כִּי תַזְרִיעַ וְיָלְדָה זָכָר וְגוֹ'. ר' אֶלְעָזָר פָּתַח, עַל מִשְׁכָּבִי בַּלֵּילוֹת בִּקַּשְׁתִּי וְגוֹ'. עַל מִשְׁכָּבִי, בְּמִשְׁכָּבִי מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, מַהוּ עַל מִשְׁכָּבִי. אֶלָּא כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל אָמְרָה קָמֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וּבָעָאת מִנֵּיהּ עַל גָּלוּתָא, בְּגִין דְּהִיא יָתְבָא בֵּין שְׁאָר עַמִּין עִם בְּנָהָא, וּשְׁכִיבַת לְעַפְרָא, וְעַל דְּהִיא שְׁכִיבַת בְּאַרְעָא אָחֳרָא מִסְאֲבָא, אָמְרָה, עַל מִשְׁכָּבִי בָּעֵינָא, דְּשָׁכִיבְנָא בְּגָלוּתָא, וְעַל דָּא, בִּקַּשְׁתִּי אֵת שֶׁאָהֲבָה נַפְשִׁי וּלְאַפָּקָא לִי מִנֵּיהּ.

"And Hashem spoke to Moses saying, Speak to the children of Yisrael, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child" (Vayikra 12:2). Rabbi Elazar opened with, "By night on my bed I sought him whom my soul loves" (Shir Hashirim 3:1). HE ASKS, it says, "on my bed," while it should have said, "in my bed," why "on my bed"? AND HE ANSWERS, the Congregation of Yisrael spoke before the Holy One, blessed be He, and beseeched him concerning the exile, because she is sitting among the other nations with her children, and lying in the dust. And since she is lying in another, defiled land, she said, "on my bed" I beseech, since I am lying in exile, AND EXILE IS CALLED 'NIGHTS'. Therefore, "I sought him whom my soul loves," to take me out of it.

Pasook 2. from Zohar Commentary on Parasha Tazria

בִּקַּשְׁתִּיו וְלֹא מְצָאתִיו, דְּלָאו אָרְחֵיהּ לְאִזְדַּוְּוגָא בִּי אֶלָּא בְּהֵיכָלֵיהּ, קְרָאתִיו וְלֹא עָנָנִי. דְּהָא בֵּינִי עַמִּין אָחֳרָנִין יָתִיבְנָא, וְקָלֵיהּ לָא שַׁמְעִין אֶלָּא בְּנוֹי. דִּכְתִּיב, הֲשָׁמַע עָם קוֹל אֱלֹהִים וְגוֹ'.

"I sought him, but found him not" (Ibid.) BECAUSE it is not His custom to join me save in His palace ANDd NOT IN EXILE. "I sought him, but I could not find him" (Shir Hashirim 5:6), since I dwelt among other nations, and only His children hear His voice, as written, "Did ever people hear the voice of Elohim" (Devarim 4:33).

Pasook 3. from Zohar Commentary on Parasha Tazria

רִבִּי יִצְחָק אָמַר, עַל מִשְׁכָּבִי בַּלֵּילוֹת. אָמְרָה כנ"י עַל מִשְׁכָּבִי אִתְרָעַמְנָא קַמֵּיהּ, דִּיְהֵא מִזְדְּוַּוג עַמִּי לְמֶחְדֵּי לִי, וּלְבָרְכָא לִי, בְּחֵידוּ שְׁלִים. דְּהָכִי תָּנֵינָן דְּמִזִוּוּגָא דְּמַלְכָּא בכ"י, כַּמָּה צַדִּיקִים יַרְתּוּ יְרוּתַת אַחֲסַנְתָּא קַדִּישָׁא, וְכַמָּה בִּרְכָאן מִשְׁתַּכְּחֵי בְּעָלְמָא.

Rabbi Yitzchak said, "By night on my bed" said the Congregation of Yisrael, THE SHECHINAH. "on my bed" I complained before Him, NAMELY I ASKED HIM to join me to gladden me FROM THE LEFT COLUMN and bless me FROM THE RIGHT COLUMN in perfect joy FROM THE CENTRAL COLUMN. For we have learned that from the union of the King, ZEIR ANPIN, with the Congregation of Yisrael, many righteous people receive the inheritance of a holy portion, NAMELY SUPERNAL MOCHIN, and many blessings thus abide in the world.

chanoch's Commentary

The verse in Shir HaShirim 3:1 is being commented upon and the Zohar is using it to explain the first Verse in Parasha Tazria Leviticus 12:2. It is difficult to understand the relationship on its surface level. If we realize as these three Zohar Pasukim explain the word Night means the exile and the word Bed means Malchut as the metaphor used in the Torah when Jacob sat upon his bed at the end of his life. This helps us begin to make headway in this explanation. It is not complete.

The question asked as to why the word on as opposed to in "my bed" is being used by the Torah. This change is one letter. If it was in "my bed" it would be a Bet while the word on uses the prefix lamed. In other places we are told by the Zohar that the Lamed is hinting to Binah rather than Malchut since the Lamed is the only letter that connects to the upper words since it goes above the line.

More to follow in the next sections