Raising The Cup Of Redemption

ואין ים אלא תורה
Sefer HaBahir, verse 3 excerpt

Traditional interpretation: “The sea is nothing other than Torah.”

“From whose womb came the ice?” Hashem famously challenges Iyov (38:29) with this question. In fact, Hashem rants quite a bit in perek 38 and in the next one as well. Sheesh.

And naturally, Iyov, unable to answer Hashem’s challenging queries, puts his hand over his mouth (40:4) and basically “shuts up.” Let’s get one thing straight right now. This is not Liorah’s style, ok?

I’ll answer Hashem with an answer. Hashem can save the power display for someone who might be impressed. Give an ear Hashem, and listen.

The phrase – מבטן מי, יצא הקרח (from whose womb formed the ice) – has a combined total gematria of 555. The numerals of this gematria are 3 letters hei ה. In other words, the essence of the question and its solution rests within the realm of the completely feminine.

The realm of the completely feminine is in the left emanation. Consequently, the 3 letters hei represent Binah (of the completely feminine “left” pillar) in the 3 universes of Assiyah, Yetzirah and Beriyah.

Importantly, the ice “formed” (יצא) in my drinking vessel (cup of redemption, Tehilim 116:13) and remained stable in my dream this shabbat morning in consequence to complete rectification of Binah throughout all previously “broken” levels of existence (Assiyah, Yetzirah and Beriyah). In my dream, the sodapop represented a water (Torah wisdom) blend of the 3 lower universes. Similarly, in my dream, the pure water represented Torah wisdom of Atzilut. Taken together, the Torah I am being given to drink originates in Atzilut, as opposed to in any of the lower universes.

From my womb came the ice capable of absorbing the wisdom of Atzilutic Torah. And, from my bashert comes the water.

Sod Ha-Ibbur & Infusion Of The Messianic Soul

אמר ר’ נחוניא בן הקנה כתוב אחד אומר
Bahir line 1

There are 27 כז hebrew letters in the first kav of the first pasuk of Sefer Bahir. With the missing letter beit ב in the word (‘ר) rav רב included, there are 28 כח (koach) letters.

From this we can see that the power to actualize the potential כ hidden in Sefer Bahir rests with the “woman of valor”, through the letter zayin ז.

She carries the “power” (koach) to build the house ב which completes the line.

27 is also the gematria of:

א hatovah הטובה
מ pure זך
ר will be glorified אכבד

Multiplied together (b’koach) through these 3 equivalences (27 X 3), אף (anger) is (through the 4-headed shin of binah) doubly transformed (= 81) into the ability to designate the time [1,2] כסא (sod ha-ibbur) from the throne of glory הנכבד, drawing the light of atzilut down into created reality. In other words, in the first line of Sefer Bahir, we also find a woman’s power to actualize the bestowal and infusion of the messianic soul upon and into her husband.

Footnotes:

[1] the shoresh כסא carries the meaning “designating time”

[2] sod ha-ibbur, in addition to referring to Divine emanation, refers to the intercalation of time as per the hebrew calendar

A Journey Into Redemptive Consciousness

אמר ר’ נחוניא בן הקנה כתוב אחד אומר

“Rabbi Nehuniah ben HaKana said: One verse (Iyov 37:21) states … ”

The first word [1, דבר] of the first line [קו kav, 2] of the Bahir is the letter configuration אמר, where אמר is an expression signifying a direct connection to the sefirah malchut [3,4] and to the Oral Torah [3]. Importantly, the kav finds an attachment to reality through the “world of the feminine” (see Shechinah) which is malchut. The “origin” of this female “mentality” which establishes the point of attachment is in tevunah (comprehension), one of the two partzufim of imma–binah.

Without the first word of attachment through malchut, the whole brilliant light of the kav cannot be brought into manifest existence nor into the world of unified action. Without malchut to anchor it, it remains incomplete and unmanifest.

Further supporting this, the configuration of the last word in kav 1 is אומר. Simply, אומר demonstrates the whole function of kav 1 – to emanate, receive and anchor the brilliance of the kav, represented by the hebrew letter vav ו, in malchut, represented by the expression אמר.

We can also see that kav 1 in its entirety, אמר to אומר , represents the unification of tiferet (zer anpin ו) and malchut (nukvah אמר). Importantly, the unification (yichud) [5] is initiated by malchut, expanded by zer anpin, and that expansion is anchored by malchut. Moreover, we can see that the emanation of the kav (of Adam Kadmon) into reality indeed takes place in two stages -> אמר and אומר.

Further, kav 1 enclothes the dynamic which drives redemptive consciousness through the three stages of point (אמר), line (ו), and area (אומר). The first expression of אמר is written large, alluding to the full unrestricted rectified consciousness (of 3 heads) of malchut as it found in the sefirah keter.

Additionally, we note that, while the first word אמר does not, the last word אומר does contain the Divine Name associated with messianic consciousness [6] – that is, the configuration אום.

Footnotes:

[1] dvar, word, דבר signifying an act connected to gevurah [3, 4] – i.e., a tzimtzum

[2] “Into the primordial darkness, the “night” of the vacuum created by the tzimtzum with the “point” of the reshimu therein (filling the vacuum with “potential” being), God radiated a ray of Divine light, the ray of “morning.” – This quote regarding the kav from The Inner Dimension fits with the message of entire first pasuk of the Bahir as well, which includes the statement “He made darkness His hiding place.”

[3] Sha’are Orah (Gates Of Light), R’ Yosef Gikatilla, first gate-tenth sphere

[4] אמר is the first דבר of the Bahir- the significance [3] of this is that malchut and gevurah are both “contained” in the first word of the Bahir, further signifying that the foundation of the Bahir is established on the perfect Unity of the Written and Oral Torah.

[5] That performing a yichud is the objective of the first pasuk of the Bahir is included in the first part of its third statement regarding verses: “A third verse comes and reconciles the two.” Yet, even here in the first kav, we can see that objective is encoded and contained in the first word.

[6] The Hebrew Letters, R’ Yitzchak Ginsburgh, on the letter נ nun: “נאמן (faithful) begins with נ, just as the full spelling of the letter נ itself, נון . When the middle letter of נון, vav ו, enters between the two middle letters (אם) of נאמן, the secret of the Divine Name אום, related to the coming of the mashiach, is formed.”

Mesirut Nefesh, Imma & Leatid Lavo

אלול.ט remember, I sacrificed my soul for you … shabbat 89b

ever in my ear, a feast absolutely senseless, with a holy madness
seizing the moments, turning over time, plunging into history
one sight, one mind, our bodyguard
the curious melody that plays your heartsound, a mystery mark
weaving secretly through mine
upon reverberating strings jeweled with a rhythm of the land
smelling darkly deep, a resurrecting wine fully alive
aged on the way, homeward bound
body and soul, dancing like lovers with eternal breath
a song between two old friends
an extraordinary ordinary treasure
resting plainly like a tool within some wooden dreambox
gently blowing
the most beautiful light of midnight

mesirut nefesh & halachah ve-ein morin kein

leatid lavo & imma ila’ah – the Torah that we learn takes us out of the grave

“The future to come” (leatid lavo לעתיד לבא) is a higher revelation than that of “the coming world” (olam haba עולם הבא): In the writings of the Arizal it is explained that “the coming world” corresponds to the level called Tevunah, whereas “the future to come” corresponds to the level called Imma Ila’ah, which is higher. – R’ Yitzchak Ginsburgh, The Alef-Beit

akeidat Yitzchak, leatid lavo and arguing G-d for redemption:

R’ Shmuel, the son of Nachmani, said in the name of Rav Yonatan: “What does the verse mean, You are our father, for Abraham did not know us and Israel did not recognize us. You [G-d], our Father, Redeemer, forever is Your Name. [Isaiah 63:16]. In the future (leatid lavo), God will say to Abraham, ‘Your children have sinned against me.’ And Abraham will say in front of Him, ‘Master of the Universe, wipe them out for of the sanctification of Your Name.’ God will say, ‘Perhaps Jacob, who had experienced difficulty raising his children, will ask for mercy for the Jewish people.’ G-d will say to him, ‘Your children have sinned against Me.’ Jacob will say in front of Him, ‘Master of the Universe, wipe them out for the sanctification of Your Name.’ God will say, ‘The old man has no reason, and the young one has no advice.” God will then say to Isaac, ‘Your children have sinned against me.’ He will say in front of Him, ‘Master of the Universe, my children? My children, and not Your children? When the Jews said, We will do and we will listen, You called them my first-born son, and now You call them my children, and not Your children? Besides, how much did they sin? How many years are the years of a man’s life, seventy? Subtract [the first] 20, for which a person is not punished, you are left with 50. Subtract 25, which are evenings, and you are left with 25. Subtract 12-1/2 which a person uses to pray, to eat, and answer nature’s call, and you are left with 12-1/2. If You can tolerate all of this, good; if not, then let us split it, half on You and half on me. If you will say that all of the years of their sins are on me, remember that I sacrificed my soul in front of you (for you).'” [Shabbat 89b]

atarah:

This is important to know, because another name for the sefirah of Yesod is “Goel,” which means “Redeemer” (Ziv HaZohar). In other words, if redemption is a function of the sixth sefirah – and it is:

The Yesod divided into two kings, the Yesod and the Atarah. The Atarah is relevant to “malchus” since it is her (Yesod’s) crown, which is why it is called “Atarah”. . . Therefore, the Yesod and the Atarah became two, but after the tikun the Yesod and the Atarah became one in order to join together Zehr Anpin and Nukveh, forever . . . This is the sod of “Yemos HaMoshiach” being at the end of the sixth millennium . . . (Hakdamos v’Sha’arim, page 172) – and Yesod, by definition, cannot hold back its blessing. Redemption is then bound to spill out early just as the revelation of Yosef’s true identity.

yesod, the light of binah (imma) & redemption:

If we, the Jewish people, act as if God and Torah are all that counts, then, the light of binah is drawn down and becomes attached to the lower six sefirot, and, this, in turn, elevates these six sefirot upward towards binah. The result is redemption.