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What the Dying Rabbi Said About Daniel's Tree and God's Face

On his last day, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai revealed how divine wisdom passes downward through the cosmic structure and why Daniel's enormous tree was its map.

Curated by Arthur · Told by Maggid ·
Table of Contents
  1. The Final Day and the Tree That Fed Everyone
  2. What Zeir Anpin Inherits
  3. Da'at as the Bridge
  4. Why the Levites Had No Land

The Final Day and the Tree That Fed Everyone

In Daniel's vision, a tree grew so large it could be seen from every corner of the earth, and on its branches was food for everyone (Daniel 4:9). Daniel was interpreting a king's dream. He was reading a political omen, a warning to Nebuchadnezzar about pride and its consequences. The Kabbalists reading him centuries later saw something different in that tree. They saw a diagram.

The Idra Zuta, the Lesser Assembly, is the section of the Zohar that records the final teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai on the day he died. The Zohar was compiled c. 1280 CE in Castile, Spain, but the scene it encodes claims second-century Roman Palestine as its setting, the circle of Rabbi Shimon gathered for the last time around their teacher. On that day, the text says, the most hidden of all secrets came forward. Not because Rabbi Shimon chose to be generous. Because he no longer had time to be careful.

What Zeir Anpin Inherits

The central figure in this passage is Zeir Anpin, literally the Short Countenance or Small Face, the configuration of six Sefirot that represents the active, expressive dimension of divinity. Arich Anpin, the Vast Countenance, is the infinite depth of God's will beyond time and expression. Zeir Anpin is where that will becomes action, the divine energy that creates, responds, commands, forgives, and demands. If Arich Anpin is the ocean, Zeir Anpin is the river that reaches human shores.

But Zeir Anpin does not generate his own wisdom. He inherits it. His Chokhmah, his capacity for divine wisdom, comes from above, from the higher configurations called Abba and Imma, Father and Mother, who transmit what they have through the channel of Da'at, Knowledge, the unifying power that makes inheritance possible. Da'at is described in the Idra Zuta as the hidden dimension through which what exists above becomes available below.

Da'at as the Bridge

The tree in Daniel's vision, from the Idra Zuta's perspective, maps this inheritance. Its trunk is the channel through which wisdom flows from its source above to the branches that distribute it outward and below. The food on its branches is not material sustenance but divine wisdom made accessible to every level of the created order. The tree does not hoard what it receives. Receiving and distributing are a single motion.

Da'at, Knowledge, is normally listed as a hidden Sefirah in the Kabbalistic map, not one of the original ten but a secondary center that appears when the upper three, Keter, Chokhmah, and Binah, are in full relationship. When Abba and Imma face each other completely, Da'at emerges as the product and vehicle of their union. It is what allows Zeir Anpin below them to receive what they generate between themselves.

Why the Levites Had No Land

The Idra Zuta's teaching on Zeir Anpin's inheritance is paired in these sources with an older question from the Torah: why did the Levites receive no portion in the land of Canaan when all the other tribes were given inheritance (Numbers 26:53)? The Sifrei Bamidbar, a tannaitic commentary on Numbers compiled c. third century CE, treats this as a legal question about allocation and divine service. But within the Kabbalistic reading, the Levites' lack of land is not a deprivation. It is a position. They receive their inheritance directly from above, from the source, bypassing the horizontal distribution that allotted geography to the other tribes. Their portion is not land. Their portion is transmission itself.

Zeir Anpin's situation is structurally similar. He does not possess wisdom in the way that Chokhmah possesses wisdom. He receives it through a living channel that requires the upper configurations to remain in relationship. His inheritance is not fixed property but continuous flow. The tree in Daniel's vision stays alive only as long as its roots hold.

DanielZoharIdra ZutaKabbalahSefirotProphecyDivine Inheritance
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From the tradition

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The texts this telling draws on, in full. Open a card to read inline, or expand it for a wider, quieter read.

Idra Zuta 1:66Idra Zuta

Maybe you're closer to understanding the deepest secrets of creation than you think. to a concept central to Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism): Da’at. The Idra Zuta, a profound section of the Zohar, explores this idea. It's a bit heady, so buckle up!

Think of Da’at as the ultimate unifier. The Zohar tells us that Da’at, meaning "knowledge," is Zeir Anpin, a divine emanation often associated with the son in a cosmic family. Zeir Anpin brings together Chochmah (wisdom) and Binah (understanding). Now, Chochmah and Binah themselves are seen as Aba (father) and Ima (mother). So, we've got father, mother, and son, Chochmah, Binah, and Da’at.

Why is this "son," Zeir Anpin, called Da’at? Because, according to the Idra Zuta, he "takes the signs of his father and mother." In other words, he receives and incorporates the wisdom (Chochmah) and understanding (Binah) from Aba and Ima into himself. Da’at is derived from edut, meaning "testimony." It's the testimony of both father and mother, because Da’at includes within himself the "brains" of both. Da’at reconciles and incorporates Chochmah and Binah.

Here's where it gets really interesting. This "son," Da’at, is called a firstborn son. As it's written in (Exodus 4:22), “Israel is my son, my firstborn.” Zeir Anpin, who is Da’at, is called Israel. And because he’s the firstborn, he receives two portions: one from Aba (Chochmah) and one from Ima (Binah).

But wait, there’s more! When he "grows with his crowns," he receives three portions: Chochmah, Binah, and Da’at. It’s a concept expressed as, "three coming out of one, one is present in three." This interplay of three emanations emerging from unity is a key principle of Kabbalistic thought, where everything is interconnected.

The Idra Zuta insists that whether it's two portions or three, it's ultimately the same. Da’at is simply the inclusion of Chochmah and Binah. Even Chochmah, Binah, and Da’at, together, are essentially just two: Chochmah and Binah. They are one and the same, since Da’at receives the inheritance of his father and mother and so has but Chochmah and Binah, like his father and mother, no more.

So, what does it all mean? It's about the power of synthesis. Da’at represents the ability to take seemingly disparate ideas, experiences, or perspectives and weave them into a coherent whole. It's the ultimate act of understanding, not just knowing facts, but truly integrating them into your being.

Think about how you process information. Do you simply absorb facts, or do you strive to connect them, to find the deeper meaning? Maybe, just maybe, you're channeling a little bit of that divine Da’at within yourself.

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Sifrei Bamidbar 119:1Sifrei Bamidbar

Sifrei Bamidbar turns to Why the Levites Received No Inheritance in the Land.

Why does the Torah need to spell this out? The Sifrei Bamidbar, a rabbinic commentary on the book of Numbers, tackles this very question.

See, earlier in Bamidbar (26:53), it states, "To these shall the land be apportioned." A natural assumption would be that "these" includes everyone! Cohanim (priests), Levi'im (Levites), Israelites, converts, even women, servants, and those of uncertain gender – a tumtum (someone whose sex is unknown) or an androgynos (someone with both male and female characteristics).

That's not quite right. So, to clarify, God tells Aaron directly, "In their land you will not inherit." This explicitly excludes the Cohanim from receiving a portion of the land. Then, verse 23 specifies, "And in the midst of the children of Israel, they (the Levites) shall not inherit an inheritance" – excluding the Levites, too.

The Sifrei Bamidbar continues, drawing on verse 26:55, "By the names of the tribes of their fathers shall they inherit," to exclude servants and converts. And from verse 54, "A man, according to his numbers shall his inheritance be given," we learn that the tumtum and androgynos are also excluded.

Okay, so no land. But what do the priests and Levites get? The Sifrei Bamidbar breaks down verse 18:20 further. "And the L-rd said to Aaron: In their land you will not inherit" refers to the division of the land itself. "And you will not have a portion in their midst" means they don't get a share of the spoils of war. So what’s left?

"I am your portion and your inheritance!" God Himself!

The commentary then offers a powerful analogy: A king gives gifts to all his sons, except one. To that one, he says, "My son, I have given you a different gift. At my table you eat, and at my table you drink."

Similarly, the priests and Levites weren't given land to cultivate; their sustenance came directly from the offerings brought to the Temple. As (Leviticus 6:10) states, "Their portion have I given to them from My fire-offerings." And (Deuteronomy 18:1) echoes, "The fire-offering of the L-rd and His inheritance shall they eat."

The text goes on to list twenty-four priestly gifts, twelve received within the sanctuary and twelve received from the rest of the country. These include portions from various sacrifices: the sin-offering, the guilt-offering, the remnant of oil from the purification of a leper, parts of the omer offering (barley offering), the two loaves of Shavuot, the showbread, remnants of meal-offerings, the terumah (portion) of the thank-offering, the breast and thigh of peace offerings, and the shoulder of the ram offered by a Nazirite.

So, instead of owning property, the priests and Levites were sustained by the community's devotion, acting as intermediaries between the people and God. Their inheritance wasn't material; it was spiritual.

What does it mean for us? Maybe it's a reminder that inheritance isn't always about tangible possessions. Sometimes, the most valuable inheritances are the intangible ones: faith, community, and a connection to something bigger than ourselves. Maybe, just maybe, we all have the opportunity to inherit God in our own way, not through land, but through living a life dedicated to service and holiness. What do you think?

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