479. \u201cAnd God said, \u2018Let the water \u2026 be gathered.\u2019\u201d The quality of flesh and blood is not as the quality of the Creator. The works of flesh and blood wear it out, but the Creator wears out His deeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
480. It is written, \u201cThere is none as holy as the Creator for there is none but You.\u201d What is \u201cfor there is none but You\u201d? Rather, \u201cwears You out,\u201d that His deeds do not wear Him out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
481. It is written, \u201cGo see the works of the Lord, who brings devastation upon the earth.\u201d King David was alarmed about the deeds that the Creator does in this world and said, \u201cGo see.\u201d Should he not have said \u201cCome see\u201d?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
482. However, David said, \u201cAll the dwellers of the earth who are in this world, go, go from the beginning of the world to its end and find the works of the Creator, whose works, as they are at the beginning of the world, so are His works at the end of the world. He brings residents into the world; if they merit, He settles them and their children, and their children\u2019s children through the end of the world. If they do not merit, He destroys them from them and a place and a city will never be built, in order to show people that the place was the place of wicked ones, and the Creator cast judgment on it, as it is written, \u2018who brings devastation upon the earth,\u2019 who makes the place of the wicked desolation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
483. \u201cGo see the works of the Lord.\u201d David saw the works of God, and did not say \u201cthe works of the Lord.\u201d Rather, the work of creation was completed in the name God. When the Creator created the world, the water was receding. When He threw the earth down, He threw it between the waters, and it was hidden, and froze between the waters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
484. The Creator made a letter within a letter. The letter Aleph, since the way and nature of the world is that the water is light and the ground is heavy, and the heavy goes down, and light goes up. But the Creator, to show His signs and works to people, lowered, sank, and sent the water, which are light, downward, and the ground, which is heavy, He brought up, over the light, as it is written, \u201cHe spread out the earth upon the waters.\u201d In other words, the water, which is light, is below, and the earth, which is heavy, is above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
485. The letter Bet: From between the waters, He showed and brought out the earth, as it is written, \u201cAnd let the dry land appear.\u201d It is not the conduct of the earth to rise dry from water, but rather moisture rises from water. When He raised the dry land from the water, He called its name Earth, as it is written, \u201cAnd God called the dry land Earth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
486. He called it by seven names: Eretz [Earth], Adamah [ground], Guy [valley], Neshiya [oblivion], Tziya [desert\/wasteland], Arka [Aramaic for Eretz], and Tevel [world\/universe]. The biggest of all is Tevel, as it is written, \u201cAnd He will judge Tevel justly,\u201d and as it is written, \u201cwho sets names in the earth,\u201d seven names. The Creator created seven firmaments, and opposite them created seven lands. One land, the water actually brought out, and from it formed seven lands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
487. The foundation of everything was the water, since we find that the primary part of the work of creation was the water. In the beginning, the water was dispersed under the sky, until the Creator admonished it and inserted and collected it into one place, as it is written, \u201cLet the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.\u201d Afterwards, it was dispersed as in the beginning, and He spread out the earth upon the waters, as it is written, \u201cHe spread out the earth upon the waters, for His mercy is everlasting.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
488. Why is there a need for Hesed [mercy] here? The Creator did a great mercy in His world when He placed the earth on the water, for had the earth not been on top, the world would have been erased at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
489. If this were not so, people would not plant and plow and harvest. Now that the earth is on top, they plant and sow, and the earth persists in its force and persistence because of the moisture that is under the earth. Several rivers emerge from below, several springs, several ponds to fertilize the whole world and to grow everything. This is the mercy that the Creator did with His creations and with the whole world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
490. One day, Rabbi Shimon sat at the door of the gate of Lod, and Rabbi Yosi, Rabbi Hagai, and Rabbi Elazar his son were there. Rabbi Pinhas came and ask, \u201cWhy is this day different from other days, that you are silent and your mouth is not dripping the sweet honey of wisdom?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
491. He said to him, \u201cI looked into my heart, into what Ezekiel said, \u2018I heard the sound of their wings like the sound of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty.\u2019 He weighed many waters and weighed the voice of the Almighty, comparing them to one another. This means that the voice of many waters is as the voice of the Almighty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
492. This is the meaning of the Merkava [chariot\/structure]: Four holy angels ride in their journey of the throne of the holy king. These are the angels who are called \u201cthe holy animals Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Rephael.\u201d They are honorable and higher than all the other angels except for Matat, minister of the faces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
493. Some say that Matat is among those four angels, but he is not so, since so it is found in King Solomon\u2019s book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
494. When these four angels gather in an assembly in their journeys, the sound of their journeying is heard throughout the firmament as the sound of the many high angels, who are called \u201ca thousand thousands\u201d and \u201ca myriad myriads.\u201d As that voice of Matat, who serves the High King, and the gathering they gather, it is when He comes to bestow upon them mercy and honor of their king.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs the voice of many waters\u201d means many angels. \u201cAs the voice of the Almighty\u201d means angel Matat, who is named after his Master, the Almighty. \u201cI heard the sound of their wings,\u201d of the four angels, who are the Merkava of Malchut, and are also called \u201canimals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
495. Rabbi Pinhas wept with excitement and said, \u201cAt the door of the depths, the sealed off treasures are opened,\u201d meaning that Rabbi Shimon is like a key that opens any deep matter, and all the sealed off secrets that cannot be revealed. \u201cYou are like the angels that rise, and this is why you know their secret. Please, complete the verse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
496. Rabbi Shimon said, \u201ca sound of tumult like the sound of a camp.\u201d When the angels praise the Creator, each word before Him is as the word of the praises of the camp of Israel who praise Him below. The sound of the tumult of the angels is as the sound of the camp of Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
497. It is also written, \u201cWhen they stood, they let down their wings,\u201d meaning when they stopped praising, since when the camp of Israel does not praise the Creator below, the wings of angels are immediately let down above because the power of the holy group of angels is weakened and they do not have the strength to praise a complete praise before Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
498. There is another verse that assists this, where it is written, \u201cAnd there came a voice from above the firmament over their heads.\u201d \u201cAnd there came a voice\u201d is the voice of Jacob. When praying profusely, where does it rise? Above the firmament that is over the heads of the animals, where the prayer of the righteous is placed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
499. When ceasing to sound their voice and pray and read in the Torah, it is written, \u201cWhen they stood [stopped],\u201d in their silence from the Torah and the prayer, the animals let down their wings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
500. \u201cLet the water \u2026 be gathered,\u201d like that line that craftsmen place in order to build a building so that nothing will come out of it to here and to here. Similarly, the Creator made a line for the water so it would not go beyond its banks to here and to here, as it is written, \u201cAnd I said, \u2018Thus far shall you come, and no further.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
501. The Creator made a boundary for the sea. This is the sand that is around the sea, as it is written, \u201cI placed the sand as the boundary for the sea.\u201d When the waves see that sand, they retreat and do not come out beyond that line which the Creator gave them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
502. How much are water the main part of the world? The sky took its name from it, since Shamayim [sky] has the letters of Shin-Mayim [Hebrew: \u201cof water\u201d]. It is called water since the Creator added fire to the water and created the sky from it, meaning fire and water, since the sky was made of fire and water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
503. The sky was created from love before the Creator; thus, there is no fire in it, which is judgments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The middle line that unites the right and the left is called sky. The right line is water; the left line is fire. Since the middle line unites and completes the two lines water and fire, it contains both of them in itself, and there are also water and fire in the middle line. This is why it is called Shamayim [sky], from the letters of Esh [fire] and Mayim [water]. But water is the right line and Hassadim, and this is the core of the sky, since the main governance in the sky is to the right line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
505. Anyone who wants to know and look into his heart from the wisdom of the upper King should first know what is water. One who wishes to know what is the freezing in His throne will look into the persistence of the matter that is written, \u201cA covenant of salt is everlasting.\u201d From these two, he will look into the holy wisdom of above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Malchut is in a state of posterior, she is adhered to the left line of Bina. At that time, when she receives Hochma without Hassadim, her lights are frozen, meaning they cannot shine. Afterwards, when she is established in ZA, the middle line, she can no longer receive Hochma from the left of Bina, but receives Hassadim from ZA. However, the freezing remains in her from the state of posterior, which is Hochma, and now it melts and dresses in Hassadim, and by this she is completed with Hochma and Hassadim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The frozen lights are called \u201csalt.\u201d It is written, \u201cOn all your offerings, you shall offer salt,\u201d in order to receive from there sparks of Hochma from the state of posterior, so it will be an offering complete with Hochma and Hassadim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Anyone who wants to know, who wants to awaken Hochma in Malchut, should first know what is water, that it is Hassadim. Malchut is called \u201cthrone,\u201d and when she was in posterior, her lights were frozen. One who wants to know what is the freezing in His throne should look into the persistence of the matter, for it is written, \u201ca covenant of salt is everlasting,\u201d since from the frozen lights, the correction of salt is established, which completes every thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From these two\u2014from salt, which is the sparks of freezing that were made in the state of posterior, and from water, which is Hassadim\u2014he should look at the holy Hochma of above. By the clothing of the frozen lights called \u201csalt\u201d in Hassadim, called \u201cwater,\u201d the Hochma is revealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
506. One who wants to know the meaning of the existence of this world, Malchut, who is called \u201cthis world,\u201d should know the meaning of salt which was done from the servant who was appointed instead of his master. He should know what is salt, how it dissolves in water, and should look in wisdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the state of posterior, the lights in Malchut are frozen. At that time, Matat serves her, and then he is the one who operates in the frozen lights in Malchut, which are salt. When the lights of Malchut are salt, the servant Matat operates. When Malchut returns to the state of Hassadim, water, the frozen lights freeze inside the water, Hassadim, and the two of them are completed together to shine in Hochma and in Hassadim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He should know what is salt, how it dissolves in water, and should look in wisdom, meaning know the matter of clothing of Hochma in Hassadim, and how it is done in the second state of Malchut, when she has already returned to Hassadim, water, at which time the salt dissolves in the water and Hochma is revealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
507. Those who make predictions in the stars, who place cups of water and salt, it is a matter of light and the candlelight, in order to look at Hochma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Those who make predictions in the stars want to resemble the unification of the holiness. For this reason, they place cups of water and salt, whose unification awakens revealing of Hochma. This is the meaning of light, the light of Hassadim, called \u201cwater.\u201d The candlelight, illuminations of fire, implied in the salt, is to look at Hochma, by which they awaken looking at Hochma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
508. And God said, \u2018Let the water under the heaven be gathered into one place.\u2019\u201d It is written, \u201cMightier than the sound of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!\u201d \u201cThe sound of many waters\u201d: When the Creator said to the waters to gather into one place, they were wandering here and here, and were being proud above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
509. At that time, the waters took the earth, which was tucked in them, and covered it. The Creator said to it, \u201cNot so, but rather all of you gather into one place, and the dry land will appear.\u201d This means that initially, the earth was among the waters, dry, without moisture, for it is written \u201cthe dry land,\u201d with the \u201cthe,\u201d meaning that beforehand, it was dry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
510. The waters were going, rising and falling, and making their sounds to the end of the sky. Finally, the Creator admonished them and put them into the depth, and there is the origin of the water. But until now, their sound has not been silenced. He called \u201cseas,\u201d and when they rise, there, in that place, their power breaks and they come down and do not go outside for fear of the might of the Creator, as it is written, \u201cMightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
511. It is written, \u201cYour testimonies are fully confirmed; holiness adorns Your house, O Lord, for all the days to come.\u201d David said, \u201cMaster of the world, the testimony You have made in the work of creation is truth to testify to them each day. Anyone who testifies about the work of creation each day is guaranteed to be in the next world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
512. And David said, \u201cYou who have made the whole world, and have made the waters, and the waters covered the world because of the profusion of them, and You made them gather in restriction all of them into one place, so may it please You that Your Shechina, who fills the whole world, You will restrict her in Your house, for it is more becoming that she will be there, as it is written, \u201cHoliness adorns Your house,\u201d and not for a short while, but \u201cfor all the days to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
513. \u201cAnd God said, \u2018Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.\u2019\u201d It is written, \u201cThe righteous perishes, and no one takes it to heart; men of mercy are taken away, while no one understands that the righteous is taken away because of the evil.\u201d When the Creator looks at the world and sees that people are not righteous, and many wicked ones flourish in the world, He executes judgment in the world. As the body does with the soul, so the Creator does with the generation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
514. The righteous are like the soul of the generation, and the wicked are like the body of the generation. When the Creator looks at the world, He takes the soul and the body remains, and the flesh rots. You find that He takes the soul, who are the righteous, and the body remains, namely the wicked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
515. \u201cAnd God said, \u2018Let the waters \u2026 be gathered.\u2019\u201d These are the righteous who are taken away to their everlasting home, which is a place that is dedicated to them, to their merit. When they are taken away to the next world, it is written, \u201cAnd let the dry land appear,\u201d which are the wicked, who are without action, who have no one to protect them and cover them, as it is written, \u201cAnd when all the congregation saw that Aaron had perished,\u201d do not pronounce it \u201csaw\u201d but rather \u201cfeared,\u201d since there is no one to protect them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
516. Then there are others who say that as long as there are righteous in the generation, the quality of judgment cannot control them, as it is written, \u201cHe intended to destroy them, had not Moses, His chosen one, withstood the outburst, to soothe His wrath from destroying.\u201d When the Creator wishes to execute judgment on the wicked, He removes the righteous from among them, and then executes judgment on the wicked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
517. This is similar to a king who had an orchard. One day, the king went into his garden and saw that it was all thorns and thistles. He said, \u201cI want to clear them out from here.\u201d He raised his eyes and saw good and handsome roses. He said, \u201cFor these roses, I will leave all the thistles.\u201d When the roses emitted scent, he took and uprooted them from the garden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Once he uprooted them, he said, \u201cNow is the time to uproot the thistles from the garden and clear them out from here.\u201d So is the Creator: As long as there are righteous in the generation, judgment is not executed on the wicked. Once the righteous have departed from among them, judgment is executed on the wicked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
519. \u201cAnd God saw \u2026 that it was good.\u201d If this were before the fact, it would be true and well. However, it is implied from the text that it was after the fact, implying that He did not know in advance the essence of the act and its correction and beauty, but rather when the act was finished. It is implied that He was examining it as it stood, and then He said, \u201cit was good,\u201d for it is written, \u201cand God saw,\u201d and then He said, \u201cthat it was good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
520. That verse is a warning that when one learns in the act of creation the operation of each day, he should not ask about what is not commanded and say \u201cWhy is this act done this way, in this image, and that one in that image?\u201d since God saw that it was good to do it; therefore, ask no further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
521. Also, it is in order to show them the right way, since the act is revealed and known to Him even before He acts. Nevertheless, He did not want to say \u201cthat it was good\u201d before the completion of the work. Similarly, one should not praise a matter before it is completed, lest a flaw is found in it and it will turn out that he has lied and will be caught in his words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
522. Accordingly, in several places, the Creator warned man to beware of it. Although He did not need to, and everything is revealed before Him, but in order to warn man, He had to do so. It is written, \u201cI will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me.\u201d Was it not revealed to Him that He had to know and search?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From here comes the warning to the courthouse that they must not rely on their own opinion but should know and search and inquire thoroughly into the matter, as it is written, \u201cAnd you shall inquire, search out, and ask diligently,\u201d and you have no permission to rely on your own opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
524. Everything that the Creator did, He did it by commanding it through a medium. He said to the earth, \u201cDo this,\u201d and it did as it was commanded and did not stray from it. He said to the water, \u201cDo that,\u201d and the water did the deed they were commanded and did not stray from it. It was likewise with the firmament, in the same manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
525. When one of them did as it was commanded, the Creator would see that it operated in the same manner He had commanded it, and would praise it for that operation, as it is written, \u201cAnd God saw that \u2026 was good,\u201d meaning He saw in that act that it did it as it was commanded and would say \u201cthat it was good.\u201d In other words, \u201cit was good,\u201d it acted as it was commanded. This is \u201cAnd God saw that \u2026 was good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
526. Thus, should it not have been written, \u201cAnd God saw all that they had done, and behold, it was very good?\u201d Why is it written \u201call that He had done,\u201d implying that \u201cit was good\u201d does not pertain to the mediums but to His own actions?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
527. It is written, \u201cAll that He had done,\u201d in general, and it is not written \u201call that they had done.\u201d This is so because \u201call that He had done\u201d means that it concerns those mediums that He had done, and it is written about them, \u201cand behold, it was very good,\u201d since they carried out all that they had been commanded, and it was good. This is why it is written, \u201call that He had done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
528. \u201cAnd God saw all that He had done, and behold, it was good,\u201d since they always stand in the same persistence and the same manner He had made them, and will never deviate from this path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
529. There are three whom the Creator named in the work of creation: the sky, the earth, and the water, as it is written, \u201cAnd God called the firmament \u2018sky.\u2019\u201d The earth, as it is written, \u201cAnd God called the dry land \u2018earth.\u2019\u201d The water, as it is written, \u201cAnd to the bodies of water He called \u2018seas.\u2019\u201d He called them names in order to do all His work in them, since all His work was done through these three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
530. What came out from these three, the sky, the earth, and the water, the Creator left for man to give them names. Everything that the sky and the earth emitted, Adam HaRishon gave them names, as it is written, \u201cAnd the man gave names to all the beasts, the birds in the sky, and to every animal of the field.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
479. \u201cAnd God said, \u2018Let the water \u2026 be gathered.\u2019\u201d The quality of flesh and blood is not as the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"parent":7952,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"topic":[28],"class_list":["post-17021","book","type-book","status-publish","hentry","topic-zohar"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n