Yeah, you heard me right.

Let’s dive into the Idra Zuta, a section of the Zohar, the central text of Kabbalah. This is heady stuff, dealing with the most esoteric realms of Jewish mysticism. We're talking about the very structure of the Divine, the Sefirot, and how they interact. So, buckle up!

The passage we're looking at gets into the nitty-gritty of how Malchut, the final Sefirah, often translated as "Kingdom" or "Sovereignty," is established. Now, according to the Sefer HaAggadah from the academy of Rav Yeva Saba, Malchut receives from the mouth of Arich Anpin, the "Long Face" or "Vast Countenance," one of the aspects of the Divine. But here, in the Idra Zuta, things get a little… nasal.

The text explains that, in this specific context, Malchut isn't connected to the mouth of Arich Anpin, but rather to the left nostril.

Now, before you start picturing a cosmic sneeze, let's unpack this. Why the nose? Well, the text draws a connection between the nose and judgment. It states that judgment derives from Hei, which is associated with Malchut, because it's an aspect of "lower Chochmah" – Wisdom – that shines with judgments. The Idra Rabbah (section 219) makes a similar connection. But judgment also comes from the nose, specifically from the Chochmah bestowed by the nose.

Think of it like this: the nose is the conduit, the channel through which divine wisdom, specifically the kind tinged with judgment, flows.

But wait, what about the mouth? Doesn't the Bible say, "fire out of his mouth devoured" (II Samuel 22:9)? Doesn't that imply judgment comes from the mouth too?

The text anticipates this question and offers a fascinating distinction: anger, it says, derives mostly from the nose, because Chochmah flows from there. The verse implies that fire and rage can come from the mouth, but the core of anger comes through the nose.

So, what are we to make of all this? Is it a literal anatomical map of the Divine? Probably not. Instead, it’s a symbolic language, a way of expressing complex theological ideas about the nature of judgment, wisdom, and ultimately, anger. It suggests that even anger, a seemingly negative emotion, has its roots in the Divine, in the flow of Chochmah itself.

It also makes you think twice next time you feel that familiar flare in your nostrils, doesn't it? Perhaps, instead of just suppressing the anger, we can recognize it as a signal, a distorted echo of that divine wisdom flowing through us.