The Book of Zohar was written by the great Kabbalist RASHBI (Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Bar Yochai means the son of Yochai; Rabbi (Rav) means big, wise. RASHBI was born 40 years after the destruction of the Second Temple.
AA – the Partzuf of Hochma, the central initial Partzuf of the world of Atzilut from which all the other Partzufim originate.
Beresheet – Genesis...
The example of the original text of the Zohar
1. Rabbi Chizkiyah opened by saying, “It is written, as the rose amongst the thorns”. What is the rose? It is the Community of Israel. Because there is a rose; and there is a rose. Just as the rose among the thorns is tinged with red and white, so is the Community of Israel is affected by the qualities of judgment and mercy.
Kabbalah takes man’s “I” as its object of study, the only creation that exists besides the Creator, and researches it. This science breaks “I” into parts, and then explains the structure and properties of each part and the purpose of its creation. Kabbalah explains how every part of man’s “I” called soul can be changed, so that a person would reach the purpose of creation, the state desired by the Creator and man, provided he realizes that.
4. “In the Beginning,” Rabbi Shimon quoted the verse, “the flower buds appeared on the earth” (In Hebrew the words “country” and “earth” are designated by the same word Aretz; Shir HaShirim 2:12). “The flower buds” refer to the act of creation; “appeared on the earth.”
In Hebrew the word MI means the question “Who?” and also the preposition “from.” Since Kabbalah tells us about the property of our world’s roots, one spiritual object can sometimes reveal an entire range of associations, properties, and categories. In the same way, here the word MI is a part of the word ElokIM, where the last two letters form the word MI. At the same time, they have a variety of additional meanings.
The fact is that although there were righteous men who attained Ohr Haya, none of them could explain in detail the path of its attainment or reveal it to the entire world. This is because to understand it, a person has to attain that level; and this depends only on his efforts.
This is what The Zohar says: the lower world (Malchut, MA) exists by the force of the name Elokim, by the name of the Upper World. That is why Malchut has power (OhrHochma) to create generations. If Malchut has Ohr Hochma, then the world can be created by it.
In the language of Kabbalah, the same sentence looks as follows: when the Creator (Bina) decided to create the world (ZON of the world of Atzilut), the Kelim of ZON (Zeir Anpin and Nukvah) were still in Bina. Hochma and Bina (Abba ve Ima – AVI) are called 2000 years. Before the creation of the world (the emergence of ZON) all the letters (the Kelim of ZON) were in AVI in the form of MAN. MAN always stimulates a desire in the upper one to attend to their needs.
It is written that the world is established on the “supernal hidden mysteries” because when ZON (“world”) receive the Light of “Hochma of 32 paths,” they rise to AVI, which are called “supernal hidden mysteries.”
ZA of the world of Atzilut is called the Torah. The 6 supernal days are VAKdeBina that are located above ZA. Hence, the first word of the Torah, BERESHEET = BARAH (created) and SHEET (six) indicates that the SefiraBina turns to the SefiraHochma with the purpose of receiving OhrHochma and passing it ZA.
Abraham is the property of the SefiraHesed in the PartzufZA during its Gadlut (big state), when Hesed rises and becomes Hochma: the SefirotH-G-T turn into H-B-D:
Before Abraham appeared, everything had been concealed in the word BARAH and void ruled over the world – there was neither OhrHochma nor OhrHassadim in ZA. However, when Abraham (the Light of the SefiraHesed that descends to ZA) appeared, the gate was opened for OhrHochma because Malchut descended from the Eynaim to the Peh and YESHSUT formed one level with AVI.
Malchut is the only creation. This creation is a desire to receive pleasure. It was made this way and its essence cannot be changed. Yet what can be changed is intention – for whose sake to receive this pleasure.
The fear of the Creator is the SefiraMalchut. However, how can Malchut serve as an entrance if it is the last of the 10 Sefirot? Indeed, it may be called the end of Hochma or the end of a Partzuf, but not the beginning. Yet, it is not an allegorical expression; it is the essence itself, because HE IS CONCEALED AND DETACHED and no one’s thought can attain Him. Hence, He has made many gates ON THE PATH TO HIMSELF and thanks to these gates He let those who suffer approach and attain Him.
All the days of exile are called the night, because this is the time of the concealment of the Creator’s face from Israel. The impure forces separate His loyal servants from Him. Yet this is the time when the bride joins with her husband (in Hebrew “husband” and “master” are the same word, therefore the second meaning is what one should bare in mind). The Houppah is a wedding canopy under which the ritual of bonding of a bride with a bridegroom (their merging in a Zivug) takes place.
Here The Zohar continues talking about the correction of the bride. Hence, it starts with the first sentence of the Torah: IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED, with the root and source of all corrections of the bride (Malchut) during 6000 years. All correction of Malchut occurs only due to its union with Bina and the reception of its properties. Hence, the Torah says: IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED, where the Creator is called Elokim, which means Bina, i.e., that He created the world in order to correct it with the property of Bina.
This is similar to what is written about sinners in Psalms: “They say: ‘How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High? Behold, such are the wicked; and they that are always at ease increase riches.’” That is exactly what the philosopher said. He was one of the greatest sages among the nations of the world. He came to Rabbi Shimon to discredit Israel’s wisdom and work in absolute faith for the sake of the Creator, which ought to be in greater wholeness, perfection, and integrity. This is because a thought cannot grasp Him.