Zohar on the Torah

Parshat VaEira – Zohar, Page 22b/23a

Translated and adapted by Mr. Simcha Treister

Rebbi Yossi opened his discourse with the verse: “A Psalm of David. The land is the Lord’s, and all that fills it; the world, and those who dwell in it. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.”[1] The word land, eretz in Hebrew, refers to the land of Israel. [Israel is the secret of Malchut or Kingdom, which is the physical place where the spiritual force of Zeir Anpin manifests. It is called “Eretz” which is related to the word “Ratzon”, or desire, because it is the desire of the spiritual force of Zeir Anpin to manifest itself in the land of Israel. This is why it is called the “Holy Land”.] The function of Israel is to stand as the place to receive the spiritual flow from Zeir Anpin, giving her all she requires. Israel receives this spiritual abundance first, and from there, “the world, and those who dwell in it”, receive their spiritual abundance. “The world” refers to the other “seventy nations” of the earth and “those who dwell in it” are their inhabitants. These nations drink from this flow. We learn this from the verse: “And He shall judge the world in righteousness”[2]. [Judgement comes from the place of the Kingdom – Israel – and goes out to the world.]

“He has founded it upon the seas” – these are the seven pillars [the seven sephirot from Binah to Yesod] that support the world. They are also called the “seven seas” from the aspect of Binah that fills them. The Sea of Galilee – the “Yam Kineret” in Hebrew - is the aspect of Kingdom within the seas. Rebbi Yehuda said to him that it is more correct to say that the Yam Kineret is filled by the other seas, rather than ruling over them. What is the meaning of the words “established on the rivers”? This is referred to in the verse: “The rivers have lifted up Hashem, they have lifted up their voices, the rivers flow with raging waves.”[3] These rivers are also referred to in the verse that says “A river flowed out of Eden to water the Garden.”[4] [The word “River” represents the sphira of Wisdom or Chochma and they feed their roaring waters into the “Sea” which is Wisdom or Binah.]. This is why the verse states that the seas are “established by the rivers”.

Come and see: That land, which is called the Land of Israel, is named after Jacob who was also called Israel. If that is so why didn’t he govern over it as did Moshe? [“Governing over the land” is a phrase meaning to cause changes in reality and miracles such as Moshe performed because he “governed” over the spiritual level of Zeir Anpin.] The verse specifically states “And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, by the name of G-d Almighty, but I was not known to them by the name ‘Hashem’.”[5] “G-d Almighty” but no higher level. Yaakov had a different aspect, as we have learnt elsewhere, because he established a dynasty in the physical world, and the higher house – the Shechina – departed from him [when he was disturbed by the loss of Yosef]. Nevertheless his dynasty became the vehicle for the revelation of the will of the Higher Dynasty, which flowed from four wives and 12 tribes and the seventy souls who descended to Egypt. Moses however, took the higher house – the Shechina – and separated himself from his wife in the physical world. This is why it is written that the revelation to Yaakov was through the name G-d Almighty which is the level of Malchut and no higher. “My name ‘Hashem’” that is from the higher level [of Zeir Anpin] “I did not reveal to them.”