There's more to it than just flour, water, and yeast. The Zohar" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="source-link">Tikkunei_Zohar" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="source-link">Tikkunei Zohar, a central text of Kabbalah, offers us a surprising peek.
It all begins with wheat. "Until here: the mystery of wheat – from where ḥallah is separated." The Tikkunei Zohar connects wheat – spelled ḤiTaH in Hebrew – to the twenty-two letters of the Torah. Think about that for a moment. The very stuff of life, the grain that sustains us, is linked to the sacred language that shapes our understanding of the world.
And it doesn't stop there. The text delves into the very first word of Genesis, Be-REiShYT, "In the beginning." This word, the Tikkunei Zohar tells us, is related to the concept of reishyt, the "first" portion that we tithe, as mentioned in Deuteronomy 18:4. This first portion, the offering, connects us to the sefirah of Malkhut, the tenth of the ten emanations of God, the realm of manifestation and the Divine feminine. Malkhut is seen as the "tenth" and is intrinsically linked to the practice of tithing, of giving back. This act of giving ensures blessings flow into the world.
But what about the imperfections? The outer layers? The Tikkunei Zohar doesn't shy away from the less glamorous aspects of the wheat. "And ‘husk and straw’, which are the ‘garments’ of wheat in this world, are exempt from tithing." These outer layers, these imperfections, represent the things that obscure the pure potential within. They are compared to the Hebrew letters Ḥet-Tet (ח־ט).
So, what are we to do? How do we access that pure potential? The text tells us: "And whoever wishes to extract a tithe from wheat, needs to clean it of ‘husk and straw’ – which are Ḥet-Tet – and She remains, the ‘clean’ Hei (ה)." We must remove the impurities, the distractions, the superficial, to reveal the essential. This leaves us with the letter Hei (ה), which represents the Divine Presence, the breath of life.
And the final, potent image? "And then, he will shoot into her a drop, which is Yod (י) [O-D (ו־ד )]." The letter Yod (י), the smallest letter in the Hebrew alphabet, but also the seed of all creation, is united with the Hei (ה). This union represents the active principle joining with the receptive, sparking new life, new potential, new blessing.
So, next time you break bread, remember this mystical teaching. Think about the journey of the wheat, from seed to loaf, from the physical world to the realm of the Divine. And remember the importance of removing the "husk and straw" in our own lives, so that we, too, can reveal the pure potential within.