Baal HaSulam's Introduction to Zohar

Sefaria · Kabbalah > Baal HaSulam · 169 sections

41.3
All of these worlds and everything that they contain are included in the tetragrammaton, the four-letter name of God, and in the tip [kotzo] of the letter yod. For the first world, Adam Kadmon, is incomprehensible [to humans], and is therefore hinted at only in the tip of the yod of God’s name. Hence, we do not mention it [Adam Kadmon] and speak only about four worlds, ABYA. The letter yod [in the tetragrammaton] is the world of Atzilut; the letter heh is the world of Beria; the letter vav is the world of Yetzira; and the [second] letter heh is the world of Asiya. Worlds of Existence Sefirot (KaḤaV TuM) | Lights (YaḤNaRN) | Tetragrammaton Adam Kadmon (Primordial Man) | Keter | Yehida | tip of the yod 2. Atzilut (Emanation) | Ḥokhma | Ḥaya | yod 3. Beria (Creation) | Bina | Neshama | heh 4. Yetzira (Formation) | Tiferet | Ruaḥ | vav 5. Asiya (Action) | Malkhut | Nefesh | heh
42.1
It is now clear that the five worlds include the entirety of the spiritual reality that flows from the Infinite to this world. However, each world is included in the others. Each world contains something of all five, the five Sefirot – KaḤaV TuM, into which are enclothed five lights of NaRaNḤaY, parallel to the five worlds.
42.2
In addition to the five Sefirot of KaḤaV TuM that are present in each world, each world also contains the four spiritual elements: inanimate, plant, animal, and human. The soul of man is the aspect of the human; the animal aspect is the angels in that world; the plant aspect is referred to as the levushim [clothing]; and the aspect of the inanimate is referred to as heikhalot [chambers]. Their aspects are dressed up in one another. For the human aspect, which is the soul of man, dresses up the five Sefirot of KaḤaV TuM, which are the divinity in that world. (The matter of the ten Sefirot being divine will be clarified in the Preface to the Zohar.) The animal aspect, which is the angels, dresses up the souls. The plant aspect, which are the levushim, dresses up the angels. The inanimate aspect, which is yekholot, surrounds all of them.
42.3
“Enclothing” means that they serve one another and develop each other, much as we explained regarding the inanimate, plant, animal, and human levels in the physical world (above, chapters 35–38). We explained there that those three aspects – inanimate, plant, and animal – did not emerge for their own sake. They emerged so that the fourth level – human – can develop and ascend through them. That is, the purpose of the first three elements is to serve man and help him ascend. The same is true of the spiritual worlds. The spiritual aspect of inanimate, plant, and animal emerged there [in the spiritual world] in order to serve and benefit the human aspect that is there, the soul of man. In that sense, we understand that all enclothe the soul of man, which means that they exist for its [human] benefit.
43.1
MAN’S NEED FOR THE WORLDS AT THE LEVELS OF NARANḤAY A person is born with an aspect of the soul of sanctity [nefesh dekedusha]. This is not a real soul, but the “back” of the soul, its reverse side, which is referred to as a “point” due to its smallness. It is enclothed in a person’s heart – that is, in the desire to receive, which exists primarily in a person’s heart.
43.2
One should know the following rule: Anything that occurs in all of reality occurs in each [specific] world, and even in the smallest describable element of that world. There are five worlds in the totality of things, which are the five Sefirot of Keter, Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut (KaḤaV TuM, as mentioned). These same five Sefirot are present in each and every world, and there are five KaḤav TuM Sefirot even in the smallest part of each world. We also mentioned that the world is divided into inanimate, plant, animal, and human, which correspond to the four Sefirot of Ḥokhma, Bina, Tiferet, and Malkhut (ḤaV TuM). Inanimate parallels Malkhut, plant parallels Tiferet, animal parallels Bina, and human parallels Ḥokhma. The root of all of them parallels Keter. As mentioned, each particular example in each and every type (inanimate, plant, animal, human) also contains an aspect of all four elements. That is to say, a particular example among the species of human, even one particular human, contains all four types, which are the four aspects of his desire to receive, in which are enclothed the point of the soul of sanctity.
44.1
Before the age of thirteen, there can be no revelation to that “point” in his heart. After age thirteen, once he begins his involvement with Torah and mitzvot, even if he does so without intention, or without proper intentions – that is, without the love and fear appropriate for one who serves the King – still, the point in his heart begins to grow and display its actions. For “mitzvot do not require proper intention.” Therefore, actions done without the proper intention can still purify the desire to receive, if only the first level, referred to as “inanimate.” To the extent that he purifies the inanimate aspect of his desire to receive, he builds the 613 limbs in the “point” in his heart, namely the inanimate aspect of his soul of sanctity.
44.2
After performing perfectly each of the 613 mitzvot, the 613 “limbs” in the point of the heart – i.e., the inanimate aspect of the soul of sanctity – will also be perfected. The 248 spiritual limbs are built by performance of the 248 positive commandments, and the 365 spiritual ligaments are built through keeping the 365 negative commandments. Eventually, it [the point of the heart] becomes the perfected Partzuf [face] of the soul of sanctity. The soul then ascends and enclothes the Sefira of Malkhut, which is in the spiritual world of Asiya. All of the particulars of the spiritual inanimate, plant, and animal aspects in that world, parallel to the Sefira of Malkhut in Asiya, serve and assist the Partzuf of the soul of the person who ascended there, to the extent that a person has understood them. That understanding becomes spiritual sustenance, providing the Sefira of Malkhut of the world of Asiya with all of the perfections that are appropriate to enlighten the body of man.
44.3
That perfect light assists the person to invest effort in Torah and mitzvot and to ascend to greater heights. As we had said, a person is physically born with points of light from the soul. [Those points] are enclothed within it [the soul]. Similarly, when the Partzuf of the soul of sanctity is born, it is born with a point of the next higher level, i.e., the lowest aspect of the light of the spirit of Asiya, which is enclothed in the inner parts of the Partzuf of the soul. The same is true of all the levels. As each level is born, the lowest aspect of the level above it is also born. That is the link that connects between the higher and lower levels, up to the greatest heights. The unique properties of the point [that the lower level] contains from the level above it enables it to rise to a higher level. I have said enough about this.
45.1
That light of the soul is called “domem dekedusha – the light of the holy inanimate” in the world of Asiya. Its goal is to purify the inanimate part of the desire to receive, present in the body of a person, as discussed. It acts to enlighten spiritually, and this is parallel to the aspect of the inanimate in the physical. As explained above in chapter 35, each individual part [on the level of the inanimate aspect] does not move on its own; rather, a general motion motivates all of the particulars as a unit. All of the light of the Partzuf of the soul of Asiya, even if it has 613 limbs – i.e., the 613 changes in form in the path of receiving the influence – will not show signs of these changes; rather, [the sign will be] a general light that surrounds all of them together, without distinguishing between details.
46.1
Know that because the Sefirot are Divine, there is no difference between the peak of [the highest Sefira of] Keter in the [highest] world of Adam Kadmon and the Sefira of Malkhut [the lowest Sefira] in the world of Asiya [the lowest world]. Nevertheless, there is a vast difference from the perspective of the recipients. For the Sefirot are perceived as both lights and vessels. The lights in the Sefirot are entirely Divine, as discussed. But the vessels, which are the KaḤaV TuM in the three lower worlds (Beria, Yetzira, Asiya), are not an aspect of the Divine, but an aspect of a cover which shields the light of Ein Sof that is in them [KaḤAv TuM]. They [the vessels] measure and allot the proper amount of enlightenment for the recipients. Each recipient receives only the measure appropriate for the person’s level of purity.
46.2
In that sense, even though there is only one light, we refer to the lights in the Sefirot [in plural] as “NaRaNḤaY,” for the light changes depending on the qualities of the vessels. Malkhut is the thickest cover that shields the light of Ein Sof, such that only a small measure of light passes through to recipients. This is appropriate to the purity of the inanimate aspect of the human body, which is why it is referred to as Nefesh. The vessel of Tiferet is purer than that of Malkhut. Hence, the light that passes through it from the Ein Sof is linked to the purity of the plant aspect in the body of man, which is more active than the light of the Nefesh and is called the light of Ruaḥ. The vessel of Bina is even purer than that of Tiferet, and therefore the light that passes through it from the Ein Sof is linked to the purity of the animal part of the human body, which performs great actions and is called the light of the Neshama. The vessel of Ḥokhma is the purest of all. The light that passes through it from the Ein Sof is linked to the purity of the human aspect of the body of man, and it is called the light of Ḥaya, which has infinite actions, as will be explained.
47.1
As mentioned, a person acquires a Partzuf of Nefesh due to his involvement in Torah and mitzvot without proper intention. It is already enclothed there with a point of the light of Ruaḥ. As a person becomes stronger in Torah and mitzvot with proper intentions, the plant aspect of his desire to receive becomes purer. He builds the point of Ruaḥ into a Partzuf to the same extent [that he has become stronger in Torah and mitzvot]. By performing 248 positive commandments with proper intention, the point expands to his 248 spiritual limbs. By keeping the 365 negative commandments, the point expands to his 365 spiritual ligaments. When he perfects himself in all of the 613 limbs, he ascends to enclothe the Sefira of Tiferet in the spiritual world of Asiya, which transfers to him a great light from the Ein Sof. That light is called the light of Ruaḥ, which is focused on the purity of the vegetative aspect of the person’s body. Every detail of the inanimate, plant, and animal aspects in the world of Asiya that are linked to the level of Tiferet assist the Partzuf of Ruaḥ in a person to receive the light from the Sefira of Tiferet, in all its perfection, as we explained earlier in the discussion of the lights of the soul [chapters 41–42].
47.2
[This light is] referred to as the “plant aspect of holiness.” The nature of its enlightenment is parallel to a physical plant, as explained above (chapter 36): Each species differs from the other in its motions. Similarly, the light of the spiritual aspect of “plant” has great power to enlighten the special paths for each and every one of the 613 limbs in the Partzuf of Ruaḥ. Each one of them [the limbs] exemplifies the particular action of that limb. As the Partzuf of Ruaḥ emerges, a point from a level higher than it [Ruaḥ] also emerges. This is the point of the light of Neshama, which is enclothed inside it.
48.1
Through involvement in the secrets of Torah and the reasons for the commandments, a person purifies the animal aspects of his desire to receive. Proportional [to that purification], he builds the point of his Neshama that is enclothed in him in the 248 limbs and 365 ligaments. When he becomes perfect in all of these, it [the point] becomes a Partzuf. Then, he rises and enclothes the Sefira of Bina in the spiritual world of Asiya. This vessel is infinitely more pure than the first two vessels of Tiferet and Malkhut (TuM), and therefore it [the vessel] transfers to him a great light from Ein Sof, which is called the light of Neshama. All of the particulars of the inanimate, the plant, and the animal in the world of Asiya that are attributed to the level of Bina serve and assist in the Partzuf of the person’s Neshama, so that he can perfectly receive the light from the Sefira of Bina, as we explained in the discussion of the lights of the soul; see the discussion there.
48.2
That point is also called the “animal” of holiness, which is focused on purifying the animal aspects of a person’s body. The nature of its light is similar to what was explained above regarding the material animal aspect (chapter 37), which grants individual feeling to each and every limb of the 613 limbs of the Partzuf. Each [limb] lives and feels freely, without any dependence on the whole Partzuf, to the point that his 613 limbs become 613 distinct and enlightened Partzufim. That light ascends above the light of the spiritual Ruaḥ, much as there is a physical difference between an animal and an inanimate object or plant. Then, a point emerges from the light of the sacred Ḥaya (the light of the Sefira of Ḥokhma) along with the Partzuf of Neshama and becomes enclosed in its innerness.
49.1
After the person has already merited this great light, known as the light of Neshama, his 613 limbs will each illuminate with a light that is perfect, clear, and distinct to it [the limb], like a unique, individual Partzuf. Then, it becomes possible to be involved in each and every mitzva, following its [the mitzva’s] proper intention. Each and every limb of the Partzuf of the soul [Neshama] illuminates the path of the particular mitzva that is linked to that limb. With the great force of those lights, the human aspect of his desire to receive becomes more purified and is transformed into a desire to give. To the extent [that the desire to receive becomes purifies], the point of light of Ḥaya that is enclothed in him is built inside the 248 spiritual limbs and 365 spiritual ligaments. When it becomes perfected as a complete Partzuf, he then rises to the Sefira of Ḥokhma within the spiritual world of Asiya. This vessel is infinitely pure. Therefore, it [the Sefira of Ḥokhma] transmits a great and mighty light from the Ein Sof, which is called the light of the Ḥaya or Neshama to Neshama. All of the particular things – inanimate, plant, and animal – that are related to the Sefira of Ḥokhma assist him in receiving the light from the Sefira of Ḥokhma perfectly, in the way that was explained above regarding the lights of the soul; see there.
49.2
This is known as the human [aspect] of holiness, in that it is focused on purifying the human aspect of the body of the person. The quality of that light in the Divine is like the quality of the human in the physical [structure of] inanimate, plant, animal, and human, in that he acquires sympathy for others. The greatness of that [human] spiritual light is greater than the [lights of the] spiritual inanimate, plant, and animal aspects, in the same measure that the physical human aspect is greater than the physical inanimate, plant, and animal aspects.
49.3
The aspect of light of the Ein Sof that is enclothed in this Partzuf is the point of the light of Yeḥida.
50.1
Yet, you should know that each of the five aspects of the lights of NaRaNḤaY that are received from the world of Asiya are nothing other than the aspects of NaRanḤaY of the light of the Nefesh. They do not retain any element of the light of Ruaḥ. For the light of Ruaḥ is present only in the world of Yetzira; similarly, the light of Neshama is present only in the world of Beria, the light of Ḥaya is only present in the world of Atzilut, and the light of Yeḥida is only present in the world of Adam Kadmon. Rather, as stated above, anything that contains a part of the whole, all of the details [of that whole] are revealed in it as well, down to the smallest imaginable detail. Hence, the world of Asiya contains all five elements of the NaRaNḤaY, as explained above, but they [the five elements] are only the NaRaNḤaY of the Nefesh. Similarly, all five elements of the NaRaNḤaY are present in the world of Yetzira, and they are the five parts of Ruaḥ. Again, all five elements of the NaRaNḤaY are present in the world of Beria, and they are the five parts of the Neshama. The same is true of the world of Atzilut, which contain the five parts of the light [of NaRaNḤaY] of Ḥaya. The parallel is also true in the world of Adam Kadmon, in which are present the five parts of the light [of NaRaNḤaY] of Yeḥida. The difference between each world is similar to what we explained when distinguishing between each aspect of the NaRaNḤaY of Asiya.
51.1
Know that a person’s repentance and purity are not accepted unless it is absolutely clear that that person will not return to his foolishness [sins] in the future. As the Rambam explains (Hilkhot Teshuva 2:2): “What constitutes teshuva [repentance]?…[He must reach the level at which] He who knows the hidden [God] will testify concerning him that he will never return to this sin again.” It follows that if a person purifies the inanimate part of his desire to receive, he becomes worthy of the Partzuf of the Nefesh of Asiya. He ascends and enclothes the Sefira of Malkhut of Asiya. It is certain that he becomes worthy of absolutely, permanently purifying the inanimate part, such that he will never return to his foolishness. Yet, we have spoken of other levels of Asiya – Ruaḥ, Neshama, Ḥaya, and Yeḥida. Parallel to them, he must purify the plant, animal, and human aspects of his desire to receive, such that they will enclothe and receive their lights. This purification does not need to be absolutely permanent, such that He who knows the hidden will testify that he will not return to his foolishness.
51.2
This is because the entire world of Asiya, with the five Sefirot of KaḤaV TuM, contains only aspects of Malkhut, which is parallel only to the purification of the inanimate. These five Sefirot are only parts of Malkhut. Since he has already purified the inanimate aspect of his desire to receive, he has equated his form with the entire world of Asiya. Still, each and every Sefira in the world of Asiya receives from the parallel aspect of the even higher worlds. For example, the Sefira of Tiferet of Asiya receives from the world of Yetzira, which is [itself] all an aspect of Tiferet and the light of Ruaḥ. The Sefira of Bina in [the world of] Asiya receives from the world of Beria, which is entirely an aspect of Neshama. And the Sefira of Ḥokhma of Asiya receives from the world of Atzilut, which is entirely Ḥokhma and the light of Ḥaya. Hence, even though the person has only permanently purified his inanimate part, if he purifies the other three parts of his desire to receive, even temporarily, he can still receive Ruaḥ, Neshama, and Ḥaya from Tiferet, Bina, and Ḥokhma of Asiya. That [reception] will only be temporary, for the moment that one part of his desire to receive awakens, he will immediately lose those lights.
52.1
After a person permanently purifies the plant parts of his desire to receive, he completely ascends to the world of Yetzira and totally acquires the level of Ruaḥ. He can also receive there the lights of Neshama and Ḥaya from the Sefirot of Bina and Ḥokhma, which are defined as Neshama of Ruaḥ and Ḥaya of Ruaḥ. This can occur even before he completely and permanently purifies the animal and human aspects, parallel to what was described above regarding the world of Asiya. But this is only temporary. After he has permanently purified the plant aspect of his desire to receive, he has an equation of form with the entire world of Yetzira at the highest level (parallel to what was described about the world of Asiya.)
53.1
After a person also purifies the animal part of his desire to receive and turns it into a desire to give, to the point that He who knows the hidden testifies about him that he will not return to his foolishness, he then has equation of form with the world of Beria, and he ascends and permanently receives the light of Neshama. In addition, by purifying the human aspect of his body, he can ascend to the Sefira of Ḥokhma and receive the light of Ḥaya that is there. [This is true] even if he has not yet permanently purified it [the human aspect of his body], parallel to what was described about the worlds of Yetzira and Asiya. Yet, that light [of Neshama] shines on him permanently.
54.1
When he then becomes worthy of permanently purifying the human aspect of his desire to receive, he gains the equation of form with the world of Atzilut. He ascends and receives permanently the light of Ḥaya. When he is even more worthy, he becomes worthy of the light of the Ein Sof and the light of Yeḥida that is enclothed in the light of Ḥaya. This is not the place to expand on this.
55.1
This explains what we stated above in chapter 41. We had asked: Why does a person require all these upper worlds that God has created for him? What need of his do they fill? Now you can appreciate that a person cannot give satisfaction to his Creator without the assistance of all these upper worlds. For the purity of his own desire to receive is proportional to how much he receives of the lights and levels of his soul, which are called NaRaNḤaY. When he achieves each level, he receives assistance in purification from the lights of that level. He ascends level by level until he becomes worthy of the pleasure that is part of the intended goal of creation, as explained in chapter 33. The Zohar explains the talmudic statement: “One who comes to be purified receives assistance” (Yoma 38b). The Zohar asks: What help do they receive? It answers that they receive the “holy soul” [Nishmeta Kadisha]. He needs the assistance of each of the five levels of the soul, NaRaNḤaY, in order to be properly purified, as included in the plan for creation.
56.1
Part 4: The Internal and Secret Aspects of Torah You should realize that all of the NaRaNḤaY, of which we have spoken up to now, are in fact five divisions that together make up reality as a whole. For the macro is present in the micro. For example, it is possible [for the individual] to achieve all five aspects of NaRaNḤaY – related to the five general aspects of NaRaNḤaY – even from the inanimate aspect of the spiritual world of Asiya. Similarly, it is impossible to acquire even the light of the inanimate of Asiya without [also acquiring] the [other] four aspects of service [of God], as discussed.
56.2
The inner meaning and the secrets of Torah are such that it is not possible for a Jew to ignore them; he must be involved with them to the extent that he is capable. He must be involved with Torah and mitzvot with proper intention in order to acquire the aspect of Ruaḥ at the appropriate level for him. He must also be involved in the secrets of Torah at the appropriate level so that he can acquire the aspect of Neshama at the proper level. The same [is true] regarding [study of] the reasons for the commandments. For even the smallest light in sacred reality cannot be perfected without these areas of study.
57.1
THE REASON FOR THE DROUGHT AND DARKNESS IN OUR GENERATION Now you can understand the drought and darkness of our generation, which is unlike that of any earlier generation. For even those who continue to serve God have abandoned their involvement in the secrets of Torah. The Rambam has articulated this through an allegory. If there are one thousand blind people walking on a path with one sighted person leading them, then they are sure to remain on the proper path, and they will not trip over obstacles, as the sighted person will lead them. But if there is no sighted person, they will certainly trip over anything in their path and fall into a dangerous pit. The same is true in this matter. If those who serve God would be involved at all in the inner meaning of Torah, and if they would draw down pure light from the Ein Sof, then the rest of the generation could follow them and continue on the path confidently. But if even those who serve God have abandoned this wisdom, it is not surprising that the rest of the generation fails because of them. This is so painful that I cannot say more about it.
58.1
THE SOLUTION TO THE DARKNESS I know that the true cause [of the drought and darkness of the generation] is the decline of faith in general, and faith in the holy sages in particular. Kabbalistic books, including the Zohar, are filled with parables of material things. Therefore, people were so afraid of doing more damage than good, since it might lead to sin by believing that there is some corporeality in God [that they stopped teaching the secrets of Torah].
58.2
This darkness led me to write a commentary on the works of Rabbi Isaac Luria, the Ari z”l, and later on the holy Zohar. I was able to remove this fear by explaining and demonstrating clearly that these parables are not speaking of something physical, but of something spiritual, something more abstract than anything that can be imagined in the physical world, something above place and time. Those who read [those commentaries] will realize that they can enable every Jew to study the Zohar and be warmed by its holy light.
58.3
I titled this commentary The Ladder [HaSulam], for my commentary functions like a ladder. If an attic is full of treasure, you need only a ladder to ascend, and then all of the good in the world is available to you.
58.4
The ladder is not the goal in itself. If you rest on the rungs of the ladder, you will never reach the attic or achieve your goal. The same is true of my commentary on the Zohar. Words are not adequate to fully explain these infinitely deep matters. Yet, in my commentary, I was able to provide a path, an introduction, for all people so that they can ascend and understand the depths of the book of the Zohar itself. That is the real goal of my commentary.
59.1
THE AUTHOR OF THE ZOHAR All those who understand the Zohar have agreed unanimously that the book was authored by the holy and divine Tanna, Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai. Only those who are distant from this wisdom doubt this attribution. Based on imaginary history and opposition to this wisdom, they claim that it [the Zohar] was authored by Rabbi Moshe de Leon or his contemporaries.
60.1
Speaking personally, from the day the light of God enabled me to begin to study this sacred book, I never considered researching its author, for one simple reason. The content of the book itself testifies to the prominence of the Tanna Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai, who is greater even than all of the other holy Tanna’im. If I were to be convinced that [the Zohar] was authored by someone else, such as Rabbi Moshe de Leon or the like, I would simply come to the conclusion that that person, Rabbi Moshe de Leon, is greater than all of the holy Tanna’im, including Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai.
60.2
Indeed, the book is so deep and wise that evidence that it was written by one of the forty-eight prophets would make more sense than attributing it to one of the Tanna’im. Moreover, if I became convinced that Moses himself received [the Zohar] on Mount Sinai from God Himself, I would be satisfied. This book is worthy of that. Once I was able to prepare this accessible commentary, enabling people to understand what the Zohar says, I no longer feel any obligation to investigate the [identify of the] author. No one who understands the Zohar could doubt that its author is anyone less than the great Tanna, the holy Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai.
61.1
REVELATION IN RECENT GENERATIONS This raises a question: Why was the Zohar not revealed to earlier generations, which were no doubt at a higher level than the later generations and more worthy of it? In addition, why was the [proper] interpretation of the Zohar not revealed until the time of the Ari z”l and not [during the time of] the earlier kabbalists? And the greatest question of all: Why was the [proper] interpretation of the words of the Ari z”l and the Zohar not revealed until this generation? (See Panim Masbirot, my commentary on [Rabbi Hayyim Vital’s] “Etz Hayyim,” number 8, s.v. va’ita.) Could it be that the later generations are better than the earlier ones?
61.2
The answer is that during the six thousand years of the world’s existence, the world is like one Partzuf divided into three parts: the head, the body, and the end. These three parts parallel [the units of three Sefirot:] ḤaBaD [Ḥokhma, Bina, Daat], ḤaGaT [Ḥesed, Gevura, Tiferet], and NeHiY [Netzaḥ, Hod, Yesod]. The Sages state [that those six thousand years] are two thousand years of chaos, two thousand years of Torah, and two thousand years of the Messiah (Sanhedrin 97a). This means that during the first two thousand years, [the world will be] like a head without a body, [for the head contains] only the lights of Nefesh.
61.3
For there is an inverse relationship between vessels and lights. The first vessels grow with each Partzuf, starting at the beginning. But the lights are the opposite, for the lower lights are enclothed in the Partzuf at the beginning. Hence, if the vessels contain only the upper [levels], namely ḤaBaD, then only the lower-most lights, those of Nefesh, descend there to be enclothed. That explains the first two thousand years, the years of chaos.
61.4
The second two thousand years are linked to the vessels of ḤaGaT, and the light of Ruaḥ descends and is enclothed in the world, which is the secret of Torah. That is why the middle two thousand years are called “Torah.” The last two thousand years are the vessels of NaHYM, when the light of Neshama is enclothed in the world. For that is the greatest light, and that is why they are the days of the Messiah.
62.1
The same is true of each individual Partzuf. Regarding the vessels of ḤaBaD and ḤaGaT, which symbolically reach until the chest, the lights are covered. They only begin to illuminate the revealed Ḥesed, i.e., the revelation of the illumination of the supernal Ḥokhma, from the chest and down – that is, regarding his vessels of NaHYM. For this reason, prior to the revelation of the vessels of NaHYM in the Partzuf of the world, namely in the last two thousand [of the world’s six thousand] years, the wisdom of the Zohar in general and the wisdom of Kabbala in particular was hidden [lit. covered] in the world. At the time of the Ari z”l, when the time was approaching for the perfecting of the vessels from the chest down, the illumination of the upper Ḥokhma was revealed in the world through the soul of the divine Rabbi Isaac Luria, who was able to receive that great light. Hence, he revealed the core principles of the Zohar and the wisdom of Kabbala, setting aside all of the earlier sages.
62.2
Even with all of that, those vessels were not completely perfected. (The Ari z”l died in the year 5332 from creation [1572], as is known.) Hence, the world was not yet prepared for the revelation of his words, and his sanctified words could be understood only by a few elite individuals, who were not permitted to publicize them to the world. But in our generation, now that we are nearing the end of the second two thousand years, it is permitted to reveal his [the Ari’s] words and the words of the Zohar to the world. This is very important. From our generation and on, the words of the Zohar will be increasingly revealed, until all that God has planned for the complete revelation will be completed.
63.1
Now you can understand that earlier generations were at an infinitely greater level than later ones. For that is the principle of all the Partzufim of the worlds and the souls. The purer something is, the earlier it is selected for the Partzuf. Hence, the vessels of ḤaBad were selected first from the world and from the souls. That is why the souls in the first two thousand years were at an infinitely higher level. Yet, they were still unable to receive the level of perfect light, because the lower levels in the world and within themselves, ḤaGaT NaHYM, were not completed.
63.2
Later, during the second two thousand years, when the vessels of ḤaGaT and all the souls were selected from the world, the souls were in fact still very pure, for the vessels of ḤaGaT are at a lofty level, close to that of ḤaBaD (see the introduction to the Zohar, p. 6, s.v. uma). Still, the lights in the world were still covered, due to the lack of vessels from the chest down, both in terms of the world and the souls.
63.3
In our generation, the essences of the souls are at the lowest level of all. They could not be selected for sanctity until today. Yet, they still perfect the Partzuf of the world and the aspect of vessels of the souls, and only they can complete this task. Now that the vessels of NaHY are perfected, all the vessels possess a head, middle, and end in the Partzuf. Hence, entire levels of lights flow to the head, middle, and end, to the extent that they are worthy, i.e., perfect NaRaN, as discussed. Only with the perfection of these lower vessels can the upper lights be revealed, not before.
64.1
The Sages asked this very question (Berakhot 20a):
64.2
Rav Pappa said to Abaye: What is different about the earlier generations, for whom miracles occurred, and what is different about us, for whom miracles do not occur? If it is because of Torah study, in the years of Rav Yehuda, all of their learning was confined to the order of Nezikin, while we learn all six orders! Moreover, when Rav Yehuda would reach in tractate Uktzin [which discusses the extent to which the stems of various fruits and vegetables are considered an integral part of the produce in terms of becoming ritually impure, the halakha that a woman who pickles vegetables in a pot (and some say when he would reach the halakha that olives pickled with their leaves are pure, because after pickling, it is no longer possible to lift it by its leaves, so they are no longer considered part of the fruit), he would find it difficult to understand.] He would say: We see the disputes between Rav and Shmuel here. Yet we, in contrast, learn thirteen versions of Uktzin.
64.3
But, with regard to miracles, after declaring a fast to pray for a drought to end, when Rav Yehuda would remove one of his shoes, the rain would immediately fall, whereas we torment ourselves and cry out and no one notices us. Abaye said to Rav Pappa: The previous generations were wholly dedicated to the sanctification of God’s name, while we are not as dedicated to the sanctification of God’s name.
64.4
According to both the gemara’s question and answer, the earlier sages were greater than the later ones. Still, as far as Torah and wisdom are concerned, Rav Pappa and Abaye were more important than the earlier Sages. Thus, it is explicit that the earlier generations are of greater importance in terms of the essence of their souls, because purer things come into the world earlier. Still, greater Torah knowledge comes into the world in later generations, for the reasons discussed above. Since the general level [of the cosmos] grows in perfection over time, the more perfect lights flow through them [the later sages], even though in their essence, they are inferior.
65.1
Do not raise the following challenge: If so, why may we not disagree with earlier scholars regarding the revealed Torah? The answer is that the opposite [pattern] is true of perfecting the practical aspects of the mitzvot. There, the earlier sages were more perfect than the later ones. That is because the practical aspects [of mitzvot] flow from the holy vessels of the Sefirot, while the secrets of Torah and the reasons for the commandments flow from the lights of the Sefirot. As you know, there is an inverse relationship between the vessels and the lights. Regarding the vessels, the greater ones develop first (see above, chapter 62). Hence, the earlier sages were more perfect than the later ones regarding the practical. But the opposite is true regarding the lights, where the lower ones develop first. Hence, the lower ones are more perfect than the earlier ones. Understand this well.
66.1
INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL Know that everything contains an internal and external aspect. Within the larger world, Israel and the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are considered the internal aspect of the world, while the other nations are considered the external aspect of the world. Even within Israel itself, there is an internal aspect, the perfect servants of God, and the external aspect, those who do not dedicate themselves to service of God. The same is true with the other nations: Their internal aspect is the righteous among the nations, while the external aspect is the vulgar and damaging people and the like. Even among those Jews who serve God, there are those who are internal, in that they are worthy of understanding the internal soul of the Torah and its secrets, and those who are external, who are only involved in the practical aspects of Torah. Even within an individual Jew, there is an internal aspect, the Israel aspect of him, which is the secret of the “point in his heart,” and an external aspect, which is like the other nations within him; this is the body itself. Yet, even his aspect of “other nations” is like that of a convert. Since it [the Jewish body] is linked to the internal aspect, it is like a righteous convert, who attaches himself to the people of Israel.
67.1
A Jewish person may increase and honor his internal aspect – that is, the Israel part of himself – above the external aspect, the aspect of the other nations. He may focus his efforts and energies on increasing and raising his internal aspect for the betterment of his soul, and he may minimize his efforts to maintain the “other nations” aspect within himself, his bodily needs. That is what the mishna in Avot states: “Make your Torah fixed and your work temporary.” [If he does so,] his actions cause the inner, “Israel” aspect of the world to rise and ascend, while the external, “other nations” aspect of the world will recognize and respect the value of Israel.
67.2
God forbid, the opposite could also be the case. An individual Jew can increase and honor his external aspect, the “other nations” aspect within himself, above the “Israel” aspect. As the verse in Deuteronomy states: “The stranger within you,” meaning the aspect of “stranger” that is part of or within you, “will rise higher,” while the internal, Israel aspect will “descend even further” (Deut. 28:43). His own actions cause the external aspect of the whole world, i.e., the nations of the world, to rise, and they will overcome Israel and humiliate them, [bringing them] down to the ground; Israel, the internal aspect of the world, will be lowered.
68.1
Do not be surprised that a single person can, through his actions, cause the entire world to ascend or descend. For there is a fixed rule: the macro and the micro are the same, like two drops of water. Anything that occurs at the macro level happens at the micro level. The opposite is also the case. The micro acts upon the entirety of the macro. The macro will not be fully revealed until all of the micro is revealed as well, proportional to the measure and quality of each element in the micro.
68.2
“BY STUDYING THIS WORK THEY WILL EXIT THE EXILE WITH MERCY” This explains a statement in the Zohar (Tikkunei Zohar, at the end of Tikkun 6), that by being involved in studying the Zohar and the wisdom of [kabbalistic] truth, a person can bring about the end of the exile and the complete redemption. On the surface, why should the study of Zohar influence the redemption of Israel from among the other nations?
69.1
The answer to that question is now clear. For the Torah also contains an internal and external element, just like the world as a whole. Hence, those who study Torah also have the same two levels. To the extent that a person increases his effort in the internal aspect of Torah and its secrets, that is the extent to which Israel, the internal aspect of the world, ascends above and beyond the external elements, the nations of the world. The other nations will [then] admit and recognize the greatness of Israel, until they fulfill the verse, “They will take of those peoples and bring them into their place, and the House of Israel will possess them on the Lord’s own land, slaves and bondswomen. They will be captors to their captors and rule over those who oppressed them” (Is. 14:2). Similarly, the verse states, “So says the Lord God: Behold, I shall raise My hands to nations, lift My banner toward peoples; they will bring your sons back in the folds of their robes, bearing your daughters upon their shoulders” (Is. 49:22).
69.2
Yet, God forbid, the opposite could occur. A Jewish person could demean the internal aspect of Torah and its secrets, which address the structure of our souls and their levels, as well as the role of the intellect and the reasons for mitzvot. Instead, he could focus on the external aspect of Torah, which deals only with the practical. Even if he sporadically focuses on the internal aspect, he gives it little attention, [studying it only] at a time that is neither day nor night and treating it as if it something he does not need. In that case, he will be a factor in demeaning and lowering the internal aspect of the world, the people of Israel, and he will increase the external aspect of the world, the other nations. He will lower and humiliate the people of Israel and treat Israel as if it were something unnecessary in the world, something the world does not want, God forbid.
69.3
Moreover, that person will cause the external aspect of the nations to overcome their own internal aspect. The worst among the other nations, those who cause damage and destroy the world, may become stronger and ascend above the internal aspect, the righteous among the gentiles, leading to all of the destruction and corruption witnessed by our generation (may God protect us). In that sense, the redemption of Israel and its level depends upon the study of the Zohar and the internal aspect of Torah. And the destruction and the descent of Israel occurs due to the abandonment of the internal aspect of Torah and its regard being brought down, until it was made out to be something that no one had any need for (God forbid).
70.1
Tikkunei Zohar explains (Tikkun 30, Netiv Tanina):
70.2
Wake and arise for the sake of the holy Shekhina, for you have an empty heart, devoid of understanding. You cannot acquire her [the Shekhina], even though she is within you…. The secret of the matter is like the verse, “A voice speaks: ‘Call out!’” (Is. 40:6). It means that a voice echoes in every Jew, calling him to pray for the holy Shekhina to arise, for she contains all of the souls of Israel. [The Zohar brings proof from another verse that the word “call” refers to prayer.] But the Shekhina says, “What shall I call?” meaning, I have not the strength to lift myself up from the dust, since “Life is nothing more than grass.” That means that people become like animals that eat grass; they perform mitzvot unthinkingly, like animals. “While its love [is like] green shoots upon the land.” This means that people do acts of kindness only for themselves. When they perform mitzvot, they do not have intention to grant satisfaction to their Creator, but only for their own benefit.
70.3
Even the best ones, who dedicate their time to involvement in Torah, do so only for their own betterment, without the proper intention to grant satisfaction to their Creator.
70.4
At that time, during that generation, there will be “a passing spirit that never returns” (Ps. 78:39). This refers to the spirit of the Messiah, who needs to redeem Israel from all of their troubles, leading to the complete redemption, as the verse states, “Knowledge of the Lord will fill the earth” (Is. 11:9). This spirit has left and abandoned the world; it does not provide light.
70.5
Woe unto them who cause the spirit of the Messiah to leave the world, such that it cannot ever return. They turn the Torah into a desert, without any moisture of intellect and knowledge. They limit themselves to the practical aspects of Torah, making no effort to understand the wisdom of Kabbala, to comprehend and understand the secrets of the Torah and the reasons for the commandments.
70.6
Woe unto them, for their actions cause the world to be poor, to be destroyed by sword; [they cause] corruption, theft, death, and destruction.
71.1
The explanation of the above passage in Tikkunei Zohar follows from what we stated above. Since all those involved in Torah denigrate their own internal aspect and the internal aspect of Torah, abandoning the [internal aspect of Torah] as if it is something that no one in the world wants and involving themselves in it only at a time that is neither night nor day, they are like a blind person feeling his way around a wall. In this way, they increase their own external aspect, meaning they benefit their bodies, as well as the external aspect of Torah, which they prefer to the internal aspect. This causes all of the external aspects of world to be strengthened, at the expense of the internal aspects, each category following its essence.
71.2
[Under these circumstances,] the external element within the people of Israel –the ignorant Jews – become stronger and overwhelm the internal element in Israel, the great Torah scholars. Similarly, the external aspect of the other nations – their destructive sides – become stronger and overwhelm the internal elements, the righteous among the gentiles. And similarly, the external elements of the entire world – the nations of the world – become stronger and overwhelm the people of Israel, who are the internal aspect of the world. In a generation such as this one, all of the destructive elements among the nations lift their heads, and they desire primarily to destroy and kill the people of Israel, as the Sages said: “Calamity befalls the world only due to the Jewish people” (Yevamot 63a). As the Tikkunei Zohar explains above, [those calamities] include poverty, sword, theft, death, and mass murder in the entire world.
71.3
Due to our many sins, we have witnessed everything described in that passage in Tikkunei Zohar. The divine attribute of justice has attacked our best, as the Sages state: “[Calamity befalls the world only when wicked people are in the world], but the [calamity] begins only with the righteous first.” All of the glory of the people of Israel in Poland and Lithuania has been reduced to a handful of refugees in the Holy Land. We, those who remain, must now repair the horribly distorted situation. Each and every one who remains must commit his entire being to increasing [the study] of the internal aspect of Torah and granting it its rightful place. For that is more important than the external aspect of Torah. Each and every one of us will be worthy of increasing the level of his own internal aspect, i.e., his Jewish aspect, his soul’s needs. Those will become greater than his external aspect, the aspect of the “other nations,” the needs of the body.
71.4
All of this energy will spread to all of Israel, to the point that even the unlearned will recognize and understand the greatness of the Torah sages, and they will listen to them and follow them. Similarly, the internal aspect of the other nations – the righteous among the gentiles – will become stronger and overcome the external aspect, the destructive forces. Similarly, the internal aspect of the world – Israel – will become stronger and greater than the external aspect of the world, the other nations.
71.5
Then, all the nations of the world will recognize and admit regarding the greatness of Israel over them. They will fulfill the verse, “They [the nations] will bring your sons back in the folds of their robes, bearing your daughters upon their shoulders” (Is. 49:22). The Zohar (Naso 90) explains: “This work of yours, of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai – that is, the Zohar – will bring them out of the exile in mercy,” as I have explained. May that be God’s will.

The True Wisdom, translated by Dr. Yoel Finkelman, 2024. Via Sefaria (sefaria.org), Sefaria-Export. Version source: https://www.sefaria.org Licence: CC-BY-NC. Source.