Zohar Vayelech Section 1 - Moses Aaron and Miraim

It is recommended to study / read the Zohar Section prior to reading the Synopsis or the Relevance section.

Zohar Vayelech Section 1 - Moses Aaron and Miriam

SYNOPSIS:

Rabbi Chizkiyah talks about God's desire for Yisrael and His special treatment of them. We learn that Moses, Aaron and Miriam had higher gifts, and that Aaron was the right arm of Moses. During Moses' lifetime Yisrael ate manna or heavenly bread, but as soon as Joshua took over, the manna ceased to fall and the people reverted to eating the bread of the land.

Pasook 1. from the Parasha Vayelech from the Zohar Sulam Commentary

וַיֵּלֶךְ מֺשֶׁה וַיְדַבֵּר אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה אֶל כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל. ר' חִזְקִיָּה פָּתַח, מוֹלִיךְ לִימִין מֺשֶׁה זְרוֹעַ תִּפְאַרְתּוֹ בּוֹקֵעַ מַיִם מִפְּנֵיהֶם וְגוֹ', זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל, דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְרְעֵי בְּהוּ, וּבְגִין דְּאִתְרְעֵי בְּהוּ, קָרָא לוֹן בְּנִין בּוּכְרִין קַדִישִׁין, אַחִין כִּבְיָכוֹל, נָחַת לְדַיְּירָא עִמְּהוֹן. הה"ד, וְעָשׂוּ לִי מִקְדָּשׁ וְשָׁכַנְתִּי בְּתוֹכָם. וּבָעָא לְאַתְקְנָא לְהוּ כְּגַוְונָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, וְשָׁארִי עָלַיְיהוּ שִׁבְעָה עֲנָנֵי יְקָר, שְׁכִינְתֵּיהּ אַזְלָא קַמַּיְיהוּ, הה"ד וַיְיָ' הוֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם יוֹמָם.

"And Moses went and spoke these words to all Yisrael" (Devarim 31:1). Rabbi Chizkiyah opened with the verse, "That caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, dividing the water before them..." (Yeshayah 63:12). Blessed are Yisrael that the Holy One, blessed be He, favored them. Since He favored them, He called them holy firstborn sons, and brethren. He, so to speak, went down to dwell with them. This is the meaning of, "And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them" (Shemot 25:8). And He wished to establish them in the likeness of above, and He caused the seven clouds of glory to rest over them, and His Shechinah goes before them, as it is written: "and Hashem went before them by day" (Shemot 13:21).

chanoch's Commentary

The Name Chizkiyah translates as "Strength of Yah" or "Yah is strong". The gematria of Chizkiyah is 130 which relates to Mt Sinai and also a ladder which represents how to climb and step down as well. HaShem wanted the People to grow constantly higher and larger so that He will constantly be stretched to share more energy with the People of Israrel.

Pasook 2. from the Parasha Vayelech from the Zohar Sulam Commentary

תְּלַת אַחִין קַדִישִׁין אַזְלִין בֵּינַיְיהוּ, וּמַאן אִינּוּן. מֺשֶׁה, אַהֲרֺן, וּמִרְיָם. וּבִזְכוּתֵהוֹן, יָהַב לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, מַתְנָן עִלָּאִין. כָּל יוֹמוֹי דְּאַהֲרֺן, לָא אַעְדוּ עֲנָנֵי יְקָר מִיִשְׂרָאֵל. וְהָא אוֹקְמוּהָ, דְּאַהֲרֺן דְּרוֹעָא יְמִינָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל הֲוָה. וְהַיְינוּ דִּכְתִיב, וַיִּשְׁמָע הַכְּנַעֲנִי מֶלֶךְ עֲרָד וְגוֹ', כִּי בָּא יִשְׂרָאֵל דֶּרֶךְ הָאֲתָרִים וְגוֹ'. כב"נ דְּאָזִיל בְּלָא דְּרוֹעָא, וְסָמִיךְ גַּרְמֵיהּ לְכָל אֲתָר, וּכְדֵין וַיִּלָּחֶם בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וַיִשְׁבְּ מִמֶּנוּ שֶׁבִי, בְּגִין דַּהֲווֹ בְּלָא דְּרוֹעָא יְמִינָא. ת"ח, אַהֲרֺן דְּרוֹעָא יְמִינָא דְּגוּפָא הֲוָה. וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב, מוֹלִיךְ לִימִין מֺשֶׁה זְרוֹעַ תִּפְאַרְתּוֹ. וּמַאן אִיהוּ. אַהֲרֺן.

Three holy siblings went among them. They are Moses, Aaron and Miriam. It is for their merit that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave them supernal gifts. Throughout Aaron's days the clouds of glory did not move away from Yisrael. We have established that Aaron is the right arm of Yisrael, as written, "the Canaanite, the king of Arad...heard tell that Yisrael came by the way of Atarim..." (Bemidbar 21:1). THE WAY OF ATARIM MEANS THAT YISRAEL WERE like a man walking without an arm, supporting himself in each AND EVERY place, AS ATARIM MEANS PLACES. Then, "he fought against Yisrael, and took some of them prisoners" (Ibid.). THIS HAPPENED because they were without the right arm. Come and see, Aaron was the right arm of the body, WHICH IS TIFERET. Hence it is written, "That caused His glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses." Which is that? It is Aaron, THE RIGHT ARM OF TIFERET.

chanoch's Commentary

We are taught that Moshe is a chariot for Netzach and then here it says He - Moshe is Tiferet while Aaron is Chesed and Moshe is Da'at. How do we understand these different aspects of our Creator adn the human beings of Moshe and Aaron? Life is a process. Moshe started at one level and grew to another yet alwasy Moshe is the right arm of Moshe. This means Aaron always is assisting Moshe. As Moshe grew from one level of consiousness to another Aaron was always the Prophet of Moshe and also the Right Arm of Moshe, where ever Moshe is Aaron is his Prophet meaning his Malchut and also the right arm meaning his strength and memory of loving kindness. Moshe is not complete without Aaron. Moshe is a person adn Aaron is his mouth. Moshe is a person and Aaron is his strength.

Pasook 3. from the Parasha Vayelech from the Zohar Sulam Commentary

וַיֵּלֶךְ מֺשֶׁה, מַאי וַיֵּלֶךְ, לְאָן הָלַךְ. אֶלָּא וַיֵּלֶךְ, כְּגוּפָא בְּלָא דְּרוֹעָא. כד"א, וַיֵּלְכוּ בְּלֺֹא כֺחַ לִפְנֵי רוֹדֵף. דְּהָא מִית אַהֲרֺן דְּרוֹעָא יְמִינָא, וּבָעָא לְאִסְתַּלְּקָא גּוּפָא.

HE ASKS, What is meant by "went" in "And Moses went"? Whither did he go? AND HE ANSWERS, "went" MEANS HE WENT like an armless body, as in, "and they are gone without strength before the pursuer" (Eichah 1:6), because Aaron, the right arm, died, and the body, WHICH IS MOSES, wanted to go away BECAUSE OF IT.

chanoch's Commentary

We learn here that even Moshe felt grief.

Pasook 4. from the Parasha Vayelech from the Zohar Sulam Commentary

כָּל יוֹמוֹי דְּמֺשֶׁה, אַכְלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לֶחֶם מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם. כֵּיוָן דְּאָתָא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, מַה כְּתִיב וַיִּשְׁבּוֹת הַמָּן מִמָּחֳרָת וְגוֹ'. וַיֺּאכְלוּ מֵעֲבוּר הָאָרֶץ מִמָּחֳרָת הַפֶּסַח. מַה בֵּין הַאי לְהַאי. אֶלָּא דָּא מִלְעֵילָּא. וְדָא לְּתַתָּא. כָּל זִמְנָא דְּמֺשֶׁה, אִשְׁתְּכַח גּוּפָא דְּשִׁמְשָׁא שַׁלִּיט, וְנָהִיר לְעָלְמָא. כֵּיוָן דְּאִסְתְּלַּק מֺשֶׁה, אִתְכְּנַשׁ גּוּפָא דְּשִׁמְשָׁא, וְנָפִיק גּוּפָא דְּסִיהֲרָא.

Throughout Moses' life Yisrael ate bread from heaven. When Joshua came, it is written, "and the manna ceased on the morrow…" (Yehoshua 5:12), "And they did eat of the corn of the land on the morrow after the Passover" (Ibid. 11). What is the difference between them, THE MANNA AND THE CORN OF THE LAND? It is that the manna is from above, HEAVEN, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, while that, THE BREAD OF THE LAND, is from below, FROM MALCHUT CALLED LAND. As long as Moses was alive, the body of the sun, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, ruled and shone on the world. Once Moses departed, the body of the sun was gone, and the body of the moon came out, WHICH IS MALCHUT, THE ASPECT OF JOSHUA. THUS THE BREAD FROM HEAVEN STOPPED AND THEY ATE OF THE CORN OF THE LAND, WHICH IS MALCHUT.

chanoch's Commentary

In some places the term corn is translated as grain of the Land. We learn from this Zohar that when we eat physical food we need to activate the spiritual level of that food so that we can feed the soul energy that has no part of Satan. The difference between Manna and Corn of the Land is waste products. We will eventually learn to produce food and energy that has no waste products. Our chemistry science always tells us there is waste and energy loss. This will not always be true. When we learn to rise aboue the physical world this will be true. Just as an electron changes levels of energy waste will be utilized by all aspects of physicality.