Let's dive into a fascinating passage from the Tikkunei Zohar, specifically Tikkun 289, where the human eye becomes a microcosm of the divine.
The Tikkunei Zohar, a later expansion on the core teachings of the Zohar, loves to unpack secrets within secrets. Here, it's exploring the imagery of the heavenly beasts described in the Book of Ezekiel. Remember that incredible vision Ezekiel has? Those creatures with multiple faces and wings? The Tikkunei Zohar sees those faces and wings reflected in…our eyes.
It starts with Ezekiel 1:8: "Each of the four had the face of a lion on the right." This, the Tikkunei Zohar tells us, corresponds to the white of the eye. Then, "Each of the four had the face of an ox on the left" – that's the red we sometimes see, the little veins. And "Each of them had the face of an eagle" – that's the green. But it doesn’t stop there.
The passage goes on to mention the four faces and four wings, totaling twenty-four. The wings, it says, are like our eyelids. And these eyelids, like the tablets of the Torah, have two sides. Think about Exodus 32:15, “they were inscribed on one side (zeh) and the other side (zeh)." This word, zeh, meaning "this," becomes a key. The heavenly beasts, echoing the angels in Isaiah 6:3, call out "Zeh to zeh, Holy! Holy! Holy!" Just as the Torah tablets have two inscribed sides, these creatures are connected, mirroring each other in their holiness.
So, what’s the link? The Tikkunei Zohar makes a profound connection between these inscribed tablets of stone and the Foundation Stone from which the Earth itself was formed. And that stone, that foundational piece, is linked to the pupil of the eye! Zechariah 3:9 speaks of "A single stone with seven eyes," which the text relates to the seven layers or "skins" of the eye. These layers, in turn, are connected to the seven times a day we praise God, as mentioned in Psalms 119:164. It’s a dizzying, beautiful web of connections.
Now, it gets even more interesting. This "stone" is also identified with the "chief cornerstone" from Psalms 118:22: "The stone that the builders rejected will be the chief cornerstone." Who are these builders? According to this passage, they are the masters of the Mishnah (the core of the Oral Torah) and the legal scholars who, in a sense, "rejected" the Shekhinah (the divine feminine presence) during exile. This rejected stone, this exiled Shekhinah, will become the most important. It is connected to the Halachah (Jewish Law) received by Moses at Sinai.
And here’s the kicker: Even though the pupil, representing this Shekhinah, appears black, it is through it and from it that the Holy One will light up the world. The darkness holds the potential for the greatest illumination.
What does it all mean? This passage from the Tikkunei Zohar is a powerful reminder that the divine isn't some far-off concept. It's embedded in the very fabric of creation, even in something as seemingly simple as the human eye. It's a call to see the sacred in the everyday, to recognize the potential for light even in the darkest of places, and to understand that even what seems rejected can become the cornerstone of something new and beautiful. Next time you look in the mirror, maybe you’ll see a bit more than just your reflection. Maybe you'll catch a glimpse of the cosmos looking back at you.