It’s a question that’s plagued theologians and spiritual seekers for centuries. Are we addressing the Infinite, the unknowable source of all creation? Or is there… something more?
Today, we’re diving deep into a fascinating, and sometimes controversial, corner of Kabbalistic thought, exploring the idea that our prayers and blessings don't necessarily ascend to the highest, most abstract levels of divinity. Instead, they're directed toward something… closer.
The Zohar, that foundational text of Jewish mysticism, along with its commentaries, speaks of different “countenances” or aspects of the divine emanations of Atzilut, the world of emanation. These countenances have names we recognize – Havayah, Adonut, Elohim, and, of course, the Holy One, Blessed be He. But according to some interpretations within the Kabbalah, it’s the final countenance, Ze’eir Anpin (the "Small Face"), that receives our worship.
Why Ze’eir Anpin? The idea is that the Infinite One, with all its emanations, is beyond our direct reach. As it says in the Zohar, praying directly to these higher aspects might not even elicit a response. The higher worlds, above Atzilut, are even further removed.
Ze’eir Anpin, however, is different. He is the intermediary, the connecting force between the upper and lower realms. Elevated by Abba (Father) and Ima (Mother), he’s entrusted with dominion over all creatures. We are, in essence, commanded to serve and bless him, because, as they understood it, He is the Lord our God.
The Zohar, in Parshat Balak (191b), with the commentary of "Mikdash Melech," touches on this in relation to the verse "He does not withhold blessing from His nation" (Numbers 23:20). Here's where it gets interesting: the secret of the word "Bereiza" is linked to the Name of God and the Name of His son. "Ki Teda" – "that you may know" – refers to knowing the Lord of Hosts (Abba), and the Name of His son is Israel (Ze’eir Anpin). As Exodus 4:22 states, "Israel is My firstborn," and this Israel is the key to all the gates of faith. Hidden, yet revealed, as Psalm 2:7 says, "The Lord said to me, 'You are My son.'"
Abba and Ima, crowned and blessed Ze’eir Anpin, even appointed guards with swords, "lest he become angry." It's as if they're saying, "We rule and give him authority over every chamber, so that he may merit compassion and mercy." All blessings, from above and below, rise up and adorn this son.
So, why might they withhold blessings from this son? The explanation is that we first spread out our sins before the Holy King (or, according to some, the Holy Mother) to be cleansed.
The Zohar is quite explicit: Abba is "the Lord of Hosts," and Ze’ir Anpin is the "Son of Abba and Imma." Even the name YHVH is sometimes used in the Zohar to refer to Ze’ir Anpin. According to this line of thought, our blessings and prayers specifically ascend to him, becoming a crown for him, and not for Abba and Imma, not for Arich Anpin, not for Atik, not for Adam Kadmon (the "Sacrifice of all sacrifices"), and certainly not for the Infinite One, who is beyond our reach.
According to this view, only Ze’ir Anpin is relevant to, and dependent on, the providence of the lower realms and our actions. He alone rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked. The higher faces, along with the Infinite, don’t oversee or assign tasks in the affairs of the lower realms. They lack the power to rescue those who call upon them in times of distress.
It's a radical idea, isn't it? That the heavens and the earth are, in a sense, entrusted to the hands of Ze’ir Anpin, who is, crucially, a creation and not the creator himself.
Our sages, may their memory be blessed, offer a beautiful interpretation of the verse "Who has ascended to heaven and come down?" (Proverbs 30:4). As we find in Yalkut Mishlei (remaz 522) and Midrash Hagadol, it refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, ascending with a shout, and then descending on Mount Sinai. "Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name?" His name is the Rock, His name is the Almighty, His name is the Lord of Hosts. And what else is His name? "Bnei Bechori Yisrael" – "My firstborn son is Israel."
This, they say, refers to Israel, who are called children of the Most High, because through Israel, the divinity of the Almighty is revealed in the world. It's not meant to imply that there's a name for Ze’ir Anpin referred to as "son," as some philosophers might understand it.
So, what does all this mean for us? Does it change how we pray? Does it shift our understanding of the divine? Perhaps. It certainly offers a provocative alternative to the traditional image of an all-powerful, distant God. It suggests a God who is mediated, who is relational, and who is intimately involved in the affairs of this world through Ze’ir Anpin. It's a reminder that the divine is complex, multifaceted, and perhaps, ultimately, beyond our full comprehension. But also that God has made God's self accessible to us.