The Zohar" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="source-link">Tikkunei_Zohar" target="_blank" rel="noopener" class="source-link">Tikkunei Zohar, a mystical companion to the Zohar, delves into precisely that feeling. It explores the idea that even the Holy One, blessed be He, can be, in a sense, “imprisoned.” It’s a radical thought, isn't it? But bear with me.
The passage we're looking at hinges on a verse from Isaiah (42:8): "I am Y”Y, that is My Name, and My glory I shall not give to another…" The Tikkunei Zohar sees this as a warning, a declaration of divine uniqueness. But who is this "another" that God’s glory should not be given to? Here, the text gets specific: this "another" refers to Samael, often understood as an adversarial figure. And the "idols"? Those are the forces appointed over the seventy nations.
So, how does this connect to the idea of imprisonment? Well, the Tikkunei Zohar draws a beautiful, if somewhat cryptic, image from the Song of Songs (7:6): "...a king imprisoned in tresses." The Hebrew word here, re’hatim, is usually translated as "tresses" or "locks." But the Tikkunei Zohar takes it deeper.
It suggests that God is "imprisoned" by these re’hatim, and that these re’hatim are connected to the tfillin, or phylacteries. These are the leather boxes containing scriptural passages that observant Jews bind to their head and arm during prayer. Specifically, the tfillin of the head, the text says, are in the place of the "channels" of the brain – re’hitei in Hebrew. See the connection? Same root word as the "tresses."
The tfillin on the head, therefore, become symbolic of this "imprisonment." But it's not a literal imprisonment, of course. It's more about the constraints, the limitations placed upon the divine flow of energy and blessing in the world when God's glory is, metaphorically, given to "another."
And it doesn't stop there. The text extends this idea to the tfillin of the hand. God is also described as ḥavush – bound – with them. This is linked to a verse from Ezekiel (24:17): "...bind your headdress upon you..." The word ḥavosh, "bind," echoes the idea of being constrained.
So, what does it all mean? Are we really saying God is trapped?
Not exactly. What we're encountering here is a deeply symbolic understanding of the relationship between the divine and the created world. The "imprisonment" speaks to the way divine energy can be diverted, distorted, or held back by negative forces, by idolatry in its broadest sense – by anything that takes us away from recognizing the absolute oneness and glory of God.
The tfillin, then, become a powerful symbol. They are not just ritual objects; they are a reminder of our responsibility to help release that "imprisoned" divine energy, to clear the channels, so to speak, so that God's light can flow freely into the world. By focusing our minds (through the head tfillin) and directing our actions (through the hand tfillin) towards holiness and righteousness, we participate in the ongoing work of tikkun olam – repairing the world.
It's a potent image, isn't it? The idea that we have a role to play in freeing the divine, in unleashing God's glory into the world. It makes you think differently about your daily actions, doesn't it? Maybe that's the whole point.