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Tikkunei Zohar Reader

Read Tikkunei Zohar in source order, passage by passage, with the close English translation where available and the original source text for checking.

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361

Original Aramaic

And when [Var. Vav ו, when] it descends, downwards towards the Righteous-One, it is called ‘dimension’ (shi)’ur, and when it ascends upwards towards Higher Mother, it is called ‘stature’ (qomah).

And the mystery of the matter: (Ex. 16:18) And they measured with the’omer... – this is the Higher Shekhinah, Who is: (Ex. 16:16)... the’omer for each head (gulgolet), which is ‘the skull (gulgalta) of the head’.

And the Lower Shekhinah is ‘the Counting of the ’Omer’, in which are counted seven days which are 7 Sabbaths, in which there are 42 days of the six days of each week, and seven

362

Original Aramaic

Behold this amounts to Mem-Tet מ־ט (=49) [Var. Metatron], which are the ‘49 pure faces’, alluded to by (Deut. 6:4) Hear O Israel Y”Y ELoQeYNU Y”Y is One, ‘Blessed is the Name of the glory of His Kingdom for ever and ever.’clviLiturgical – ‘Recitation of Shm’a’

Through which, the Lower Shekhinah is purified for Her Husband, in Her miqveh (ritual-pool), [this] which is: (Jer. 17:13) The hope (miqveh) of Israel is Y”Y.

And it is the ‘dimension of stature’. For thus are the letters of miqveh the same as qomah (stature). And they are the closed ם final-Mem (=40) in this mystery:

363

Source Text

of 9 points to each side. With the middle point, they are completed to forty seah, which is the measure of a miqveh, in which a wife is purified for her husband.

And before She is purified, one needs to wait 7 days of purity, to complete ‘the 49 faces of purity’, of the Torah.

And through them, the Written Torah is joined with the Oral Torah, on the day of the Festival of Weeks (Shavu)’ot, which are the ‘two faces’ of Adam.clviiX BT Berakhot 61a and Vayiqra Rabbah 14:1 And the combination of the two is ReḤeM (womb, =248), which are the 248 positive precepts of the Torah.

364

Source Text

And the mystery of the matter: (Ex. 13:2) Sanctify to me every first born, the breach of every womb... On this ‘joining’ of Shavu’ot (Festival) of Weeks, all the positive precepts merge, (Ecc. 11:5)... like the embryonic in a full belly...

And at that time, all those limbs receive, by means of ‘channels’, one from the other. It is this that is written: (Ex. 26:5)... the loops paralleling one to another. [Var. (Ex. 36:12)... one to one... ].

And when these are aligned, all the sephirot receive one from the other, and the angels below receive, these from these, as it says:clviiiLiturgical – from Targum Yonatan, Isaiah 6:3 ‘and they receive, these from these’. And each one gives permission one to the other, to enter the domain of his companion, as it says:clixX ibid. ‘and they give permission one to the other...’

365

Source Text

And who causes this? Israel – when they receive one from the other, whether in Torah, whether in money, they cause one to receive from the other ‘above’, and for one to bestow to the other. And all by means of ‘channels’. It is this that is written: (Ps. 42:8) Deep calls to deep, to the sound of your channels... etc.

And what do they say, one to the other? ‘Express your waters! I hear the sound of two friends.’clx

And they correspond to the two lips, which are called: (Ps. 42:2) the streams of water. And what are they? Netzaḥ and Hod, which are called: (Gen. 30:38) the irrigation-troughs of water, and both-of-them are irrigated, by means of that channel which is the Middle Pillar, which includes all, and it is the covenant (Yesod) – which incorporates all the limbs of the body.

366

Original Aramaic

All channels are irrigated from the letter Vav ו, which is the river that is drawn-out and emergent from Eden. And it is the channel that emerges from the wellspring of water which is Yod י, and from which extends Hei ה, which is ‘higher sea’.

And come see: there are nine vowel points from qametz ָ to shureq ּ, and all are called ‘channels’ and ‘fountain-sources’, for the letters, which are included in ‘the ground’, which is the Lower Shekhinah, which is called ‘garden’ (gan, =53), – comprised of the fifty-three weekly divisions of the Torah.

367

Original Aramaic

And about Her is stated: (Song. 4:12) A locked garden is my sister the bride, a locked wave, a sealed wellspring... Sealed, certainly! Because She is: (Gen. 24:16)... a virgin, and no man had known her...

And She is ‘the wisdom of Solomon’, about which it is stated: (1 King. 5:10) And the wisdom of Solomon increased... It became increased, from all the irrigation of each-and-every sephirah, by means of that channel, which is Vav ו, until it reaches that higher fountain source, which is higher Yod י –... the wisdom of all the sons of the East... And at that time, She is made the crownlet (taga) on the top of the letter Vav ו.

368

Original Aramaic

And come see: the Lower Shekhinah, when She is irrigated from the vowel-points, is called ḥireq ִ, ḥolem ֹ, shureq ּ. For whom? For that channel, which is Vav ו (=6), which includes six channels, for they are all from six letters, which are A-B-G-Y-T-Tz etc. There are six channels that suspend from it, and it includes six others. And they all add up to 42. She is called ḥireq ִ, ḥolem ֹ, shureq ּ of that channel, like this: וִֹּ.

And so She is called in relation to Yod י, and so also in relation to Hei ה, and the mystery of the matter: (Is. 44:6)... I am first, and I am last... etc.

369

Original Aramaic

And sometimes, She is ‘the diadem’ (’atarah) upon the head of the letter Vav ו’, like this:. And the mystery of the matter: (Ps. 104:2) He stretches the heavens like a curtain. And this is the mystery of the top of the letter א Aleph.

And sometimes, She descends below it, like this: – a qametz ָ.

When She ascends upon the head, She is called the ‘crownlet’ – the cantillation note zarqa ֘. At that time, it is stated of Her: (Prov. 12:4) A woman of valour is the diadem of her husband. And She is called ḥolem ֹ. And when She descends beneath Him, She is called ḥireq ִ, and She is

370

Source Text

bread∞leḥem, for thus is the word ḥolem (dream) – the reverse of the letters of LeHeM (bread). And this is: (Ps. 78:25) The bread of angels has a man (iysh) eaten... Of which it is stated: (Ex. 15:3) Y”Y is a ‘man of war’...

371

Original Aramaic

From the aspect of Ḥokhmah, She is called ḥolem ֹ, and from the aspect of the Middle Pillar, He is called shureq ּ. As it is stated: (Jer. 2:21) And yet I planted you a noble vine (soreq), entirely a seed of truth – that of which it is stated: (Mic. 7:20) Give truth to Jacob...

From its own aspect, She is called ḥireq ִ, – and with the letters reversed: ḥeqer (searching). And because of Her is stated: (Job 11:7) By searching∞ḥeqer, will you find God? And She is (Ez. 1:22)... the awesome ice∞qeraḥ... – which is the third ‘Name’ of prayer, of which it is stated: (Deut. 10:17)... God, the great, the mighty, the nora (awesome)...... the awesome (nora)... – this is the Middle Pillar.

372

Original Aramaic

And shureq ּ, it is hidden and concealed, from the aspect of the Righteous-One (Yesod), Who is ‘covenant’ – the hidden light, which is ‘mystery’ (raz, =207), as the numeric-value of ‘light’ (aur, =207).

As the Masters of the Mishnah have established:clxiSee BT Ta’anit 15a (Ps. 97:11) A light is planted for the righteous... And this is the ‘light that is hidden for the righteous’.

For the five lights that are above it, they are all revealed. And what are they? Three lights of segol ֶ, and two lights of shva ְ. When it ascends upon the wings of the two points that are shva ְ, it is made into ‘shureq’ qubutz ֻ.

373

Original Aramaic

And the mystery of the matter: (Song. 2:5) Support me among barrels... And when it descends below tzerei ֵ, it is made into a segol ֶ, and about it is stated:... furnish me with apples.

And what are these ‘wine-barrels’ (ashishot)? They are the two ‘fires’ (ishot), which are man (iysh) and woman (ishah) – the white fire (esha) and the red fire. For Father and Mother are found there – Who are Y-Q, and they are ‘the faces of judgement’ and ‘the faces of mercy’.

Why does She (Malkhut) wish to be supported there? Because they are the two colours of the rose: white and red, mercy and judgement, which are Ḥesed and Gevurah.

374

Original Aramaic

And there is found ‘the scent of the rose’, and this is the Middle Pillar (Tipheret). And because She smells it, she says: Support me among barrels...

And through it, She is made into a segol ֶ. When She descends – furnish me with apples, – these are ‘the two pillars of truth’☉Netzaḥ-Hod, which are white and red. And because She smells the letter Vav ו, which is in the covenant, She says:... furnish me with apples.

And when She joins with Him, She is made into a segol ֶ. That which was tzereiy ֵ, is made into tziyeyr (depicted). It is this that is written: (Gen. 2:7) And Y”Y ELQYM formed (yiytzer) the human, dust from the ground... etc.

375

Original Aramaic

(Gen. 2:9) And Y”Y ELQYM caused to sprout, from the ground, every pleasant-looking tree... etc. – this is a righteous person, he is (Gen. 1:11)... a fruit tree making fruit to its kind... And in this place, it is Her love, in the joining and unity with Her Husband, and because of this She says: (Song. 2:5)... for I am love-sick.

And when the People of Israel sin through the covenant of circumcision, the flow of the vowel-points is interrupted, from the letters which are included in the Lower Shekhinah, and She remains dry [in them]. At that time, what is written of shureq ּ and ḥireq ִ? (Lam. 2:16)... they hissed (sharqu) and gnashed∞ḥarqu teeth, they said ‘we have swallowed...’

376

Original Aramaic

Qametz ָ and pataḥ ַ – this one shut and this one open. These two, are those that close and open wellsprings – which are the vowel-points – towards the letters.

And the letter Vav ו, – when it is stretched upon the tops of the letters, the higher ḥayot [Var. letters] – is called rapheh. And when it is in the middle of the letters, it is called dagesh.

These letters are angelic-beasts∞ḥayot, of whom it is stated: (Ez. 1:14) And the ḥayot were ‘rushing and returning’... – rushing with dagesh, returning with rapheh.

377

Original Aramaic

The crowns (kitrin) of the letters, which are dependent upon ‘thought’, which are like [Var. these te’amim∞notes (reasons) depend upon ‘thought’, letters in action, for there, the vowel-points depend upon speech, letters upon deed, 7 Zayins are like this ש Shyn Shyn so it is that the ז Zayin (=7), the seventh, do not require crowns, like] the crownlets (tagin).

The vowel-points are suspended in or depend upon speech, the letters are suspended in or depend upon action.

– Yod-Vav י־ו is Zayin ז. They do not require tagin (crownlets), for these letters are called ‘tagin’, like this:.

378

Source Text

The crownlets depend upon thought of the heart and mind, vowel-points upon the speech of the mouth, letters upon the action of the limbs.

And for these [Var. from these] vowel-points, cantillation notes, and letters, that Hidden and Concealed One made a higher hidden Throne, and about it is stated: (Lam. 5:19) You Y”Y shall sit forever... etc. What is You...? He of Whom is stated: (Is. 25:1) Y”Y, You are my God, I shall exalt You (aromimkha)...

Of that of which it is stated: (Ḥab. 3:10) Rom (Heaven) has lifted its hands. And because of that it is stated:clxiiSepher ha-Bahir Ot 139 ‘To whom does one raise hands? To the High-One (rom) of the heavens...’ It is this that is written: Heaven has lifted its ‘hands’... And what are they? YOD QE VAV QE (=45) which is Ḥokhmah – the power∞ko-aḥ of ‘what’ (mah, =45). And about it is stated:

380

Source Text

And this is the 28∞Ko-aḤ∞power (=28) parts, of the hands of ‘the Higher King’, which are KOZU BMUKhSZ KOZU – a denoting of the higher unity – which is YQV”Q ELQYN”U YQV”Q. And because this power has been withdrawn from Israel, it is stated of them: (Lam. 1:6)... and they went without ‘ko-aḥ’ (power, =28) before the pursuer.

YOD QE VAV QE (=45) are the ten fingers, of which it is stated: (Song. 5:14) His hands are wheels of gold, in which there are ko-aḥ△28 parts, which are the 28 letters of the act of creation.

381

Original Aramaic

And because of this: You are Y”Y my God. (Is. 25:1) And what is You? That of which is stated: (Ps. 93:2) Established (nakhon) is Your throne of then (az), You are eternal...

And what is NaKhON (established)? This first Nun נ of nakhon is the Faithful-One (ne-eman) ‘seated’, and second Nun ן of nakhon is the Faithful-One ‘standing’. In the middle: Khaf Vav (=26) – it is this that is written: (Is. 44:13) Like the glory (tipheret) of a man, to dwell in the house. And what is ‘from then’ (az)? But that of which it is stated: Then (az) shall you call out and Y”Y will answer (Is. 58:9). And what is az (then, =8)? These are the 8 letters which are: Y-A-Q-D-V-N-Q-Y (=91), which amount to the numeric-value of AMeN (=91).

382

Source Text

And this is: ‘one who answers ‘amen’ with all his power∞koḥo,’clxiiiBT Shabbat 119b – with that ko-aḥ∞power. And because of this, the Masters of the Mishnah established:clxivX See ibid. ‘For someone who answers “Amen!” with all his strength, they tear up a seventy-year decree against him.’

And because of that, it is stated: (Ps. 93:2) Established is Your throne from then, You are eternal... And of that: (Lam. 5:19) You Y”Y, You shall dwell forever... You ∞atah – that of which it is stated:clxvLiturgical: ‘The Supplication (Taḥanun)’ Prayer, Spanish Rite ‘Our Father, our King, our Father are You!’ And what is meant by ‘our Father’? The Merciful Father.

383

Source Text

And He comprises all the letters of the Torah. And what are they? The Written Torah – the Middle Pillar – and about that, it is stated: ‘Blessed are ATaH (You)’.

And when Israel stands in ‘the standing prayer’ (’amidah), He sits upon the throne. And because of that, it is stated at that time: You Y”Y shall sit forever, Your throne is for every generation. And what is: for every generation? It is that of which it is stated: (Ecc. 1:4) A generation goes, and a generation comes, and the earth stands forever.

384

Source Text

And there is no ‘generation’ (dor) less than sixty myriads.clxvi And who are they? Moses, who is weighted at sixty myriads, like Israel,clxvii and his level is of ‘the looking glass that illuminates’.

[Var. This teaching belongs at: She continued to give birth... which is on p* ]

(Lev. 16:3) With ZOT (this) shall Aaron come to the sacred...

Come see: No man can ‘produce favour’ from Y”Y except with ‘this’∞zot (Malkhut), upon which it is stated: (Prov. 18:22) He who has found a woman has found goodness, and he has produced favour from Y”Y.

385

Source Text

And this is: (Ps. 119:126) It is time to act for Y”Y... And there are many ‘times’. And about them it is stated: (Lev. 16:2)... and he shall not come at just any time... And Solomon said: (Ecc. 3:4)... and a time to laugh... etc. which are 28∞Ko-aḤ∞power r28› occurrences of ‘time’ (’eit).

And about this, the blessed Holy One said: And he shall not come at just any time to the sacred... (Lev. 16:2) – which is: (Jer. 2:3) Holy is Israel to Y”Y.

And when the Shekhinah, who is called zot (this), is with Israel – as it says: (Lev. 26:44) And also even ‘this’ (zot), when they are... etc. – what are they saying to Her? (Song. 6:1) Whence has your beloved gone, O beautiful among women? To where has your beloved turned, that we may seek Him with You? – with many supplications and prayers, with tzitzit and tephilin, with Sabbaths and with festivals, for about them it is stated: (Ex. 31:17) Between Me and between the Children of Israel, it is an everlasting sign – the sign of the covenant of circumcision – the sign of Sabbath and festivals – and the sign of the phylacteries (tephilin).

386

Source Text

About Her it is stated: (Ps. 32:6) Upon ‘this’ (zot) should every pious-one pray to You, at the time of Your finding, (Prov. 18:22) And he who has found a woman has found goodness, and has produced favour from Y”Y.

And Jacob blessed his children with zot∞‘this’. It is this that is written: (Gen. 49:28)... and ‘this’ (zot) is what their father spoke to them...

And David, with zot, produced favour from Y”Y, when he made war with his enemies. As it says: (Ps. 27:3) If a camp would encamp against me... etc.,... in ‘this’ (zot) will I trust.

387

Source Text

And the prophet, when he saw Israel in exile, saw no respite for them except for the sake of zot∞‘this’. [and the redemption of Israel will not come except through ‘this’] It is this that is written: (Lam. 3:21) ‘This’ (zot) I shall return to my heart, therefore, I shall hope.

And Judah was not blessed except through zot. It is this that is written: (Deut. 33:7) And ‘this’ (zot) to Judah...

And Moses did not bless Israel except with zot: (Deut. 33:1) And ‘this’ (zot) is the blessing...

And whoever does (Ex. 7:23) not set his heart also to ‘this’,∞zot, about him it is written: (Ps. 92:7) An ignoramus will not know, and a fool will not understand ‘this’ (zot).

388

Source Text

And since the human produces its will through Her, and comprehends the Name through Her – which is the mystery of: Upon this should every pious-one pray... (Ps. 32:6) – upon ‘this’ (zot) specifically! – for the sake of Ha-Shem Who is upon ‘this’ (zot).

Why did they the sages establish the morning prayer service, for a particular measure? And so with the afternoon prayer service – for a particular measure, and so with the evening service – for a particular measure, and so on Sabbath – for a particular measure, and so on a festival – for a particular measure, and on the ‘Ten Days of Repentance’ – for a particular measure.

389

Source Text

But that which it says upon ‘this’ (zot), it shows that HVYH is upon each-and-every sephirah,

each-and-every sephirah, as David said: (1 Chron. 29:11) To You, Ha-Shem, is the greatness, the might... etc.

390

Source Text

And there is no action among those below – except by means of Malkhut, of which it is stated: (Ps. 103:19)... and His sovereignty (malkhuto) rules over all.

But when the blessed Holy One requires ‘to act righteously towards a righteous-one’ (tzadiq), and to perform righteousness (tzedaqah) with him, which is Malkhut towards those below, then all the sephirot are included with it (Yesod), and they are called ‘righteous’ after His Name.clxviiiBT Baba Batra 75b Ha-Shem is called tzadiq (Righteous-One) for its sake, as is stated: (Ps. 145:17) Righteous (tzadiq) is Y”Y in all His ways... and He is merciful towards His creatures in ‘charity’ (tzedaqah).

391

Original Aramaic

There is no tzedaqah (charity) but prayer: Tzadi צ (=90) amens, Dalet ד (=4) sanctifications, Quph ק (=100) blessings, Hei ה (=5) books of the Torah.

And this is: (Prov. 14:34) Righteousness (tzedaqah) shall elevate a nation... And about it, it was said of Abraham: (Gen. 15:6)... and He counted it for him as righteousness. And when He desires it, it is stated of it: (Is. 59:17) He has dressed in righteousness as armour...

From the aspect of ה Hei, She (Malkhut) is ‘righteousness’ (tzedaqah), and from the aspect of י Yod, She is ‘the hat upon the head of the Righteous-One’, – the sign of the covenant – ‘the crown upon the head of every righteous person’.clxixBT Megillah 15b And from the aspect of ו Vav it is said of it: (Job 11:9) Longer than the earth is its measure... from the aspect of the upper ה Hei,... and broader than the sea.

392

Source Text

And when the Holy One blessed be He wishes to draw-down prophecy, all the sephirot are included in them, and they are called ‘prophets’ (ne-vi-im).

And Malkhut is the imagination (dimyon) of all of them, as it says: (Hos. 12:11)... and by the hand of the prophets I shall be imagined (adameh). As the prophet has said: (ibid.) And I spoke upon the prophets... etc., for it is like the looking-glass, in which all faces are seen, so do all the sephirot show through it, their power, and their image and their form, to each prophet according to his comprehension of what is above.

393

Source Text

And similarly, below, She is enclothed in the Throne of Glory, and in all the angels, and the ophanim, the holy ḥayot, and in all the firmaments, and the thrones that are in them, and the angels suspended therefrom.

For there are angels that are higher than them, as it is said: (Ecc. 5:7)... for the higher over the high waits, and there are higher-ones over them.

And so, with every star and zodiacal sign, as it is stated: (Ps. 103:19)... and His sovereignty rules over all. And this is: (Hos. 12:11)... and by the hand of the prophets I shall be imagined...

394

Source Text

And by each one it is imagined according to his power∞koḥo – which is his soul, and thus understand the statement: ‘Amen with all his strength’.clxxSee BT Shabbat 119b

YHVH is in Keter, for it was before the world was created, when He and His Name were alone in Keter. When He created the world with the attribute of reishyt∞beginning☉Ḥokhmah, it (Keter) descended upon it, and nothing was lacking above, and so with every sephirah, like one who lights a candle from another candle, and nothing is missing from the first or its companion, to infinity and without end.

395

Source Text

And whoever comes to know Him through ‘this’∞zot (Malkhut), as he knows Him through the higher and lower realms, it is because She (Malkhut) is comprised of the higher-ones, and She is the unity and connection of them all, and She is enclothed in the lower-ones.

And about this did the prophet say: (Jer. 19:22–23) Let not the boaster boast...... except in ‘this’ (zot).

She is called ‘prophecy’ (nevuah) from the aspect of the prophets, ‘wisdom’∞ḥokhmah from the aspect of the wise, for all the sephirot are called ‘wise-ones’∞ḥakhamim.

396

Source Text

And there are 28∞ko-aḥ letters for every act of creation, and they are all required, whether in writing, or for anything that is made with the hands, for the work of ‘the 28 parts’ are in the ten fingers.

And this is the mystery of: ‘from potential∞ko-aḥ△28 to actuality.’ And all is with Ḥokhmah, and the mystery of the matter: (Ps. 104:24) You have made everything with wisdom∞ḥokhmah.

There is Ḥokhmah from the aspect of the letters, and there is Ḥokhmah from the aspect of the vowel-points. For letters are ‘vocal’ (bat) qol, and through them is the mystery of speech for expounding, and for every word that depends upon expounding.

397

Original Aramaic

The ‘crownlets’ (tagin) of the letters are for thought, and they are of the mystery of this verse: (Ex. 35:32) And to think thoughts... etc. And all depend upon the Lower Shekhinah, and She is the totality of all of them.

And in the mystery of א Aleph, you will find cantillation notes and vowel-points and letters. And so it is with each-and-every letter.

And the mystery of the word: Shyn – three ‘crownlets’ above, like Zayins ז of the Scroll of the Torah, in it are inscribed [Var. alluded] crowns (kitrin) and vowel-points and letters, and so it is with each-and-every letter.

398

Original Aramaic

ש Shyn is the ‘Great Sabbath’ – Binah. The ‘small Sabbath’ – Malkhut. ב Beiyt (=2) – the two arms of Gedulah☉Ḥesed and Gevurah. ת Tav is Tipheret, through it, the Sabbath is equal to the whole Torah.clxxiShemot Rabbah 25:12 The three ‘crowns’ of the Shyn ש are the 3 upper sephirot. And they are all included in repentance, which is the Higher Shekhinah, and about which it is stated: ‘the prayer of every mouth’.clxxiiLiturgical: Weekday ‘Standing’ Prayer

And yet the Middle Pillar is called ‘the prayer of every mouth’, but [every] it is also BeN (son-of) YaQ from BYNaH, and it is the Middle Pillar (Tipheret), it is an intermediary of the three letters which are Y-Q-V, which are included in Binah, and it (Tipheret) is an intermediary, like the body between two arms. And it is

400

Original Aramaic

And it includes the first three blessings of prayer, and the three last. And it includes two: Vav-Vav ו־ו (=6)-6, of which it is stated: (Ex. 28)... upon its two edges, and it is joined, which are [Var. and they are] the 12 blessings of prayer, that are called ‘the middle-ones’. And all are 18∞ḥaiy (life) blessings, that are included in ה Hei, for they are three Vavs ו (=18), [Var. of which it is stated: YOD QE VAV QE (=45) ] which is ‘the two faces’.

And this is ‘the dimension of stature’, of which it is stated: (Ex. 26:16) Ten cubits is the length of the plank... With what does it add up to ten? With the letter Yod י (=10).