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Zohar on the Torah |
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Parshat Lech Lecha - Zohar, Sitrei Torah Page 81a Translated and adapted by Mr. Simcha Treister A deep secret has been entrusted to the wise hearted. There are three levels to the spiritual make up of man; each level attached one to the other. These three levels are called Nefesh, Ruach and Neshamah. The Nefesh is the life force that builds the physical body (as the verse states “The blood is the life force - Nefesh”[1]). When a man is aroused to unite with his wife, then all his strength is given over to that unity and his Nefesh and his higher will power are both aroused. At that moment the Nefesh of the embryo is drawn down from the spiritual worlds into the seed which is received by his wife. It is that strong desire, and the drawing down of the Nefesh life force that infuses the seed, that draws down a further power from the spiritual level called “Ishim” that is fused to the seed. The body of the embryo is built from these powers. This is the first and lowest level of these three levels referred to, and because the Nefesh is so firmly attached to the body and its very basis and construction, it is this level that the Temple sacrifices made atonement for. A part of this sacrifice was also directed to the spiritual level of “Ishim” because part of the make up of the Nefesh is from there. Hence the phrase; “My offering, my bread for the “Ishai”…[2] The offering is an acknowledgement that the Nefesh was drawn down in part from this level. Now when a person dies in this world, the Nefesh never leaves the place where the body is buried and it is this force that the dead recognize when they communicate with each other. The Ruach is the force that causes this life force to endure in this world. This ruach is what the male unconsciously draws down to unite with the desire of the female which in turn causes her to be aroused. Then she is aroused at this level of ruach from her own awakening which is reflected in she too giving seed in the same way as her husband. This secret is reflected in the verse: “The ruach/spirit returns to G-d who gave it.”[3] This Ruach ascends when a person dies. It separates from the Nefesh (which remains at the burial place) and enters a place called the Garden of Eden in the spiritual realms. There it takes on the clothing of that world in the same way as spiritual forces like angels dress in the atmosphere of this world when they descend to it. This is because both angels and the spirit/ruach are from the same realm, as is hinted in the verse: “He makes his angels like spirits/ruchot.”[4] In a similar way that spirit arising from this world dresses in that lower Garden of Eden in the physical form of the body it had in this world and enjoys the pleasures of that world. That lower Garden of Eden has images and forms from this physical world and also from the higher spiritual realms. This lower Gan Eden is where the righteous walk and also receive pleasure, and on Shabbatot and each New Moon they want to ascend to the next level. In the middle of the Garden is a pillar embroidered in many colors and when this ruach/spirit wishes to ascend higher it discards its “clothing” and enters into that column and goes up to that higher place that it originally issued forth from. This is what is meant by the verse: “The ruach/spirit returns to G-d who gave it”. Then Michael, the High Priest in this spiritual realm, offers up this spirit as a sweet smelling sacrifice to G-d. The spirit dwells in that realm and enjoys the essence of the life force as is stated: “The eye (of any prophet) has not seen the Lord except for you.”[5] Afterwards the ruach returns to the lower Gan Eden and enjoys all types of pleasures (“Edunim” in Hebrew from the word “Eden” meaning pleasure). It dresses as is appropriate for that lower Gan Eden and sits there with a beautiful crown twice as radiant as its previous one. The Neshamah is the life force higher than either the Ruach or the Nefesh. She comes from the strength of the masculine side in the secret of the tree of life. The Neshamah rises up immediately with the death of the body to the higher Gan Eden. All the three levels of spirit mentioned (called by their acrostic “NaRaN” – for Nefesh, Ruach, Neshamah) are connected and held one to the other in the body of a person. At the time of the departure of a person from this physical world, they separate one from the other and each returns to the place that it originally issued from. When the Ruach goes out from this world, it first enters the Cave of Machpeleh and Adam and the forefathers who are buried there, give it a spiritual passport which it can use to enter Gan Eden. When she gets close to there she meets forces called “Cruvim” and the fiery whirling sword. If deemed worthy they see this passport and let her enter. If not deemed worthy she is pushed outside and sits there until her punishment ends and she is allowed into Gan Eden. There she is dressed in the same form as she had in this world and on Shabbatot and New Moons when she wishes to ascend, the righteous who are in the lower Gan Eden sign her passport and she ascends the same column in the lower Gan. She meets the “guardians of the walls of Jerusalem” and if worthy they take her passport and let her enter. If not they push her out and she returns to the lower Gan Eden. [1] Deuteronomy 12,23 [2]Numbers 28,2 [3] Ecclesiastics 12,7 [4] Psalms 104,4 [5] Isaiah 64,3 |
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Ascent of Safed
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