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Tikunei Zohar Lesson 2 (Tikun 22)
By HaRav Ariel Bar Tzadok. Copyright (C) 2009 by Ariel Bar Tzadok. All rights reserved.
I am writing this commentary in the style
of a classical poetically oriented Hebrew
Kabbalistic work of the Midrashic school. I
have hinted herein to many things in subtle
ways. I do not believe in making everything
clear for you. You will never learn anything
when you have everything provided for you on
a silver platter, thus never making the
efforts to discover for yourselves.
Sometimes, you have to learn to see for
yourselves. If you will make the efforts,
you will discover that even within very dim
light, there is concealed the orb of the sun.
Remember, real light (enlightenment) shines
from within.
This style may not follow Standard English
writing rules for structure or content, but
who ever said that such forms were the best
anyway? Now, silence your tongue from
speech and clear your mind of questions.
Open your heart and allow your silent inner
voice to rise up and to speak from within
you.
LESSON TWO
"Place me as a seal upon your heart."
(S.S.8:6).
A seal covers, conceals and concludes. A
seal is the outside reflection of that which
is inside. A seal is below and serves as the
throne for that which is above it. The seal
placed on the heart is placed there by the
mind. The seal confirms the relationship
between the source and its expression elsewhere.
What is the seal placed upon this
place? This is the sign of the Shabat and
the Yom Tov holidays. These are considered
equal to the covenant of circumcision.
The seal upon the heart unites Heaven and
Earth, the soul of man with its Divine source
above. The human body is energized with
creative energy. This energy is meant to
both ascend and descend and by doing so unite
Heaven and Earth. Creative energy is sexual
energy, for sex is the power of union. Yet,
sex has its source above the genitals, in the
mind itself. This is the secret of true
knowledge and true knowing. This is how Adam
"knew" his wife Eve.
Creative energy forms new human bodies, and
when exercised properly also creates new
souls. When creative energy ascends, one
comes to know the secret and sacred balance
of Heaven and Earth, and of man with nature;
the two are one.
Shabat is first a level of consciousness,
only then does it materialize as a physical
day of the week. This is the secret union of
the inner Shabat and its outer form, its
seal. Shabat when observed properly aligns
the human soul with the proper harmony in
nature. Elohim rested on Shabat; Elohim is
the L-rd of nature as "HaTeva" reveals. When
one aligns with nature one aligns with
Elohim. One cannot align with nature without
honoring and observing Shabat.
All creative activities called Melakhot
(work) are prohibited; for on Shabat, Elohim
(HaTeva) rests; therefore we too must allow
nature to rest through us. When one acts in
violation of Shabat, one is misdirecting the
natural energy of Elohim, the energy used for
creation. Violation of Shabat and sexual
promiscuity therefore both pervert the
natural and necessary flow of Elohim, the
L-rd of nature. May this never be! Shabat
and Yom Tov holidays serve to create a
similar state of conscious union between the
soul and its supernal source.
Like this is Shabat, the Shin thereof
corresponds to the Shin of Shadai. This
includes within it the three supernal Hayot
and the three Fathers.
Not for naught is the word Shabat spelled
with three letters each of which reveals
secrets of Shabat's true nature. Shin is the
first letter in the seal Shadai. Shadai is
to YKVK as body is to soul. One reveals the
Divine above, One reveals the Divine below.
One is called G-d and one is called the
"angel of G-d." One is the source; one is
the branch.
The three above are Yod Hey Vav and they are
Abba, Imma and ZA and they are the
unconscious mind, the conscious mind and the
place between that unites them. The three
materialize in the world immediately above
ours as Mikhael, Gavriel and Uriel. Here on
Earth, they were revealed in Avraham, Yitzhak
and Yaakov.
Bet is four, the fourth of the Fathers
and fourth to the three Hayot. This is the
Image of Man, but not [the] Man [himself].
This is what is written, "and the image of
their faces ... the face of man" (Ez. 1:10).
Rather what Man? Yod Vav Dalet - Hey Alef -
Vav Alef Vav - Hey Alef.
Bet, the second letter, corresponds to the
fourth leg of the throne; the Hey below, King
David, the Shekhina and Malkhut, the Kingdom.
This reflects the Image of Man above, but it
itself is not the Man. The Man above is ZA,
the Image of the Man is not ZA, but rather it
is NOK and she is feminine. Contemplate with
wisdom this profound secret and you will gain
insight into the secret of unity between male
and female that only together make up ADAM.
Adam, alef, dalet, mem equals 45; so too does
the Name of ZA spelled Yod Vav Dalet - Hey
Alef - Vav Alef Vav - Hey Alef. Thus Man
above is YKVK, "He" is ZA. The "Image of
Man" below is NOK, and she is Adam, male and
female.
Shabat is Shadai. YKVK is the private
domain; it is 4 wide by 10 high. Yod Vav
Dalet - Hey Alef - Vav Alef Vav - Hey
Alef.
Shabat is the union of YKVK and Elohim; it is
the union of Malkhut with the six sefirot of
ZA also known as the "days of the supernal
week." As the place of union between YKVK and
Elohim, Shabat is called the "One who said
enough." For once enough was enough then
there was rest, then nature was balanced and
then there came forth freedom for the human
soul, in remembrance of creation and in
remembrance of the going forth of Egypt.
There is never freedom for the body unless
there is first freedom of the mind. Freedom
of the mind comes about only when the mind
frees itself from "work." Thus "work" is
forbidden on Shabat. This frees the mind,
then the body follows suit. Soon, redemption
comes to the whole world, if only we all
observed the Shabat properly just twice.
YKVK is Tiferet, the heart, ZA, the Holy One,
blessed be He, the G-d of Israel, who brought
forth His people from bondage in Egypt. YKVK
is sublime and mysterious. YKVK is above the
natural order and yet the natural order is
contained within it. YKVK is the source of
man, and the source of Torah, for ultimately
the three are one. YKVK is spelled with four
letters, which are expanded to ten, thus the
"private domain" accessed by the heart is
said to be 4 wide by 10 high. Metaphors are
metaphors; without understanding their
symbolic meaning so much is misunderstood and
even so much more is left in the dark with no
understanding at all.
Yod of Shadai corresponds to the sign
of Shabat and the Yom Tov holidays. Yod
hints to the ten sefirot.
The final letter of Shadai, the Yod is the
seal, the Shabat and Yom Tov. For Yod is the
first letter of YKVK and the last of Shadai;
thus it is both the first and the last, thus
completing the great cosmic circle. The ten
sefirot are from above to below and from
below to above; yet they are not straight
lines like we might think. Rather the
sefirot themselves are spheres and spheres
are cyclical, so too the Tree of the Sefirot
have their beginning in their end and their
end in their beginning. They form the great
circle from which comes forth all things and
to which all things will return.
This seal is for the son of the King.
However, for the servant of the King his seal
is Shadai, from the side of that which is
said, "all who are called by My Name, for my
Glory I created them, I formed them, I even
made them" (Is. 32:7).
The seal of the son of the King is YKVK for
this Name embraces its essence. Yet for
those who have not yet achieved the
consciousness of the essence, they in turn
embrace Shadai, the lower forms and as such
are called servants, instead of sons. One
must first serve before one can ascend and
become a child of the upper realm. One must
first embrace the consciousness of the body
before one can embrace the consciousness of
the soul. One must first embrace Shabat, Yom
Tov and sexual discipline in all their
Halakhic ritual forms (Shadai) before one can
discover their true Kabbalistic power (YKVK)
that can only be unleashed from within. The
two are one and the one is two. This is the
secret union of Tiferet and Malkhut, YKVK and
Shadai, male and female, Adam and Eve. This
is also the union of the Glory (Atzilut) and
the lower worlds of Be'Ya'A (those that were
created, formed and made).
And what is this? This is Metatron
whose numerical value equals that of Shadai.
He is the Small Man, in the Image of Above.
This is [the meaning] of "if like sons, or
if like servants."
When one begins, one embraces the trunk of
the Tree. This is the natural way, the
Halakha. Only with this firmly in one's
grasp can one ascend and climb the Tree to
reach its higher branches. Before one can
reach the top one must start at the bottom
and work oneself up. Thus we begin with
Shadai, the "One who said enough." This
defines for us the parameters and boundaries
of space and time.
These dimensions were placed under the
control of the Gatekeeper whose job it is to
watch over those who climb the Tree, to
assist them in their ascent and to protect
them if they fall. He is the defender and
the protector. He is not the Man above, but
rather he serves as His agent here in these
worlds below. He is created and formed in the
Image of the Man above and serves as His
conduit and vehicle of movement (Merkava).
He is called the Protector, also known as
Metatron. This name is not holy nor should
it be considered such. In reality, it is not
a name at all, rather it is a title. For
this one goes by seventy names, and is known
throughout humanity by a different name for
each time and place he is revealed.
Metatron reflects to us the Image above, and
in his role as Angel of the Covenant and
Angel of HaShem, instructs us how to follow
Torah Law meticulously and correctly. Only
when one grasps firm the trunk of the Tree
will one be able to climb to its branches.
Only when one is firmly observant of the
mitzvot of the Torah will one penetrate their
outer forms to discover their inner
realities. Metatron guides the way, but only
for those who have gazed upon the "One who
said enough" for 314 equals 314. Not for
naught are the two one, Metatron and Shadai,
the seal and outer forms of the great YKVK.
One must first serve before one can ascend
and become a child of the upper realm. One
must first embrace the consciousness of the
body before one can embrace the consciousness
of the soul.
One who is of the image of the Lion,
his seal will be the white face. One whose
seal is the Bull will be the red face. One
whose seal is the Eagle he will be green of
face. One whose seal is the Image of Man, he
will be the black face, like the Torah says,
"I am black and pleasant" (S.S.1:5)."
Now is revealed the great secrets of human
personality, each a reflection of the
realities of the Merkava above. Each is
different and unique. Each is valid and
vital. Four make up the one, and establish
balance. Four make up the one and thus here
below there is wholeness. This is the secret
of the quaternity and YKVK. One four all and
one four all... this is no mistake, just a pun
on words.
White and black, red and green are the colors
of the Merkava. These are not colors of this
world, nor do they correspond to anything
that we would call physical. Rather, these
colors speak of the supernal attributes and
the secrets of their nature. These then
materialize in this world as the
psychological traits and attributes of the
four basic variant personality types. To
explain them in depth would lock us into a
pattern and prison which would be hard to
escape from. Therefore, rather than write a
thousand words, let us suffice with a simple
picture.
Merciful man, strict man, passionate man and
rigid; water, fire, air and earth; these are
the natures that underlie us all. We each
have a part of each within us and the
individual composite parts, each in their
unique ratios, make up for us our
personalities. This is the Image of the Man
above that we each uniquely and individually
reflect. Only together do we form the
complete Image. Therefore, it is written,
"in the multitude of the peoples is the glory
of the King." The king rules over servants,
the subjects of Metatron-Shadai. Only
together then can the nation ascend as one
and be called "the son."
Body is black; red is the left hand, green is
the right hand and white is the heart. All
are needed together; all are needed to be
one. For without any one there can be no
others. The Table stands on four legs, the
Merkava travels on four wheels. All are to
be found within each individual. Thus the
individual becomes the Image of the Whole.
Silence your tongue from speech; clear
your mind of questions. Open your heart and
allow your silent inner voice to rise up and
to speak from within you.
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Shalom, HaRav Ariel Bar Tzadok