Zohar on the Torah

Zohar Archives

Parshat Pinchas - Zohar, Page 213a "And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Pinchas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, has turned my anger away from the people of Israel, because he was zealous for My sake among them resulting in My not destroying Israel in My jealousy (Numbers 25,10-11)." Rabbi Eleazar opened his discourse on this verse saying, "My son, hear the instruction of your father, and forsake not the Torah of your mother." The "instructions of your father" refer to the Holy One Blessed be He, and the "Torah of your mother" refers to the Assembly of Israel, the Divine Presence of the Shechina. Now why does the text use the word "instruction" of your father, instead of the word "Torah" as in the "Torah of your mother?" (Proverbs 1,8). The reason is because "instruction" is more general and refers to the Oral Law that contains so many reproofs and so many penalties. This is referred to in the similar verse "My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; nor be weary of His reproofs; for whom the Lord loves he corrects; like a father does with a son in whom he delights" (Song of Songs 8,13). Every person who labors to understand these instructions in this world merits to have gates opened for him in the spiritual world. How many are the lights that shine for him there! At the time when he leaves this physical world, his learning precedes him and goes up to all the guards appointed over the gates. This learning makes an announcement saying "Open the gates and allow this righteous nation to enter! Set up a throne for so and so, the King's servant." And why do they make such a fuss over this person? Because there is no greater joy before the Holy One Blessed be He, than the joy He receives when a person strives to understand His instructions. The reason for this joy is because a person who strives to understand the Oral Law ("instructions") and the written Torah, is as it were, unifying the male and female aspects of the spiritual worlds. Through raising his own mental capacity to understand, he generates a corresponding understanding in the sphira of Bina (understanding) in the spiritual worlds and Bina is the source of all joy as it resolves all doubts and problems. Note also that the word "instructions" in the Aramaic is Orayita that contains the word "Or" meaning "light". Now this joy is even more pronounced in the case of one who wakes up at night and strives to understand Orayita. This is because nighttime, (especially after midnight) is when all the righteous souls in the Garden of Eden listen carefully to his voice and the Holy One Blessed be He is present among them. This is as we have explained in interpreting the verse: "Those who dwell in the gardens, the companions, listen to your voice - let me hear it too" (Proverbs 3,11-12).

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