The Speculum That Shines: Zohar Commentary, Part 1

Zohar: A Commentary, One Page at a Time

In a nutshell the Zohar is the Jewish commentary on the scriptures, specifically, the Hebrew Old Testament. That’s the easy description. We are living in an astonishing era, when, for the first time in over 800 years, the Zohar in fairly complete form, is now available.....

I believe this is yet again, a further fulfillment of Nephi’s prophecy in 2 Nephi 29: 12-13 where we are told that the “words of the Jews” will be had among all peoples, as will the words of others of the House of Israel. We are told in the Introduction by Zohar scholar Arthur Green that the Zohar was actually canonized in the Gaonic era (8-10^th centuries) and that it was not only venerated, but many in Judaism considered “it a holy revelation and a sacred scripture that was to be ranked alongside the Bible and the Talmud as a divinely inspired source of religious truth.”[1]

The Zohar is not easy reading. It is not meant to be. There is something familiar with it as many incidents, peoples, and ideas from the scriptures are talked about, but chronology and doctrine are not presented in any order. They are not interested in chronology, or a supposed “correct” doctrine. There is no “THE doctrine” of the Zohar. With the metaphors and analogies used in the Zohar, we are forced into thinking outside of the proverbial box. These, whether for good or bad, are the mysteries. Because the mysteries of God are all inclusive of the totality of God, and since God brought all things forth, and is still doing so, the Zohar seeks to penetrate the all inclusiveness using as many techniques as possible. This is why it appears strange to us. We focus on one thing and specialize in it (even to the level of Ph.D), but ignore the larger context of all disciplines. The rabbis enlarge the focus which jolts us out of our narrowness into the breadth and depth of God and Godliness.

To the Jewish rabbis, the Holy and the Mysteries are not to be had cheap and easily with cursory readings and thinking. God is just not wholly other, but He’s also not to be had with a mere minute’s investment of time or on the surface either.

One of the difficulties of understanding the Zohar is their eclectic use of the scriptures as well as from their own Jewish traditions to make their points. Another thing one notices very quickly which they do is only use partial verses of scripture. They appear not to be interested in historical chronology of events. They were not worried about being normative and in line with a correct doctrine of others either. What they were interested in doing is expounding the mysteries. They are not trying to prove their point of view, rather they walk together, sit, and discuss various ideas and having a nice evening chat. They thank each other profusely for sharing their ideas. They are not pointing out who is correct or who is wrong in their understanding. They are bringing out the relationship between God, nature, and mankind. It all originates as Divine, from the Divine. Theirs is a model paradigm for scripture study. As they bring out scriptures, analogies, and images, they each build on what others have taught though emphasizing different images from one another. They study the mysteries with a reverence and intelligence that is incredibly enthusiastic and uplifting for the Spirit. To the rabbis, it is not the Devil who is in the details, rather it is God. That’s why they pay such close attention to the properties of nature (the rose for instance), light, the scriptures, etc.

One key to understanding the entire range of Kabbalistic literature, such as the “Bahir,” the “Sefer Yetzirah,” and the “Zohar,” is to realize that “the way to clarity is to discover the mysterious. We are being taught how much there is that we don’t know, how filled scripture is with seemingly impenetrable secrets… here is an interpretation that will throw you on your ear and show you that you understand nothing of it at all.”[2] This is why dogmatists and those who think they already have “the truth” are so uncomfortable with the Zohar. It is not systematic theology or a pointer to the right way to think about God. It is a total exploration using every technique the Jewish rabbis could use, and they had many such techniques. I will explore several of these as we come across them in the Zohar, and as Daniel Matt in his notes finds them also.

These comments on the Zohar are to make it easier to get the gist of what they mean, why they teach each other the way they do, and why there is so much mysterious material here in our reading. Once we get the point that the Zohar is a gigantic commentary on the Tree of Life diagram, many mysteries are solved almost instantly, as I shall show. I will present the Zohar sentence, passage, or paragraph, in Italics, and then my comments will follow. As I keep researching, and finding more gems of ideas to add, I shall update this. It is a rather running commentary with no finality or end in sight, so far as I can foresee.

Endnotes

1. Arthur Green, “Introduction,” xxxii, in Daniel C. Matt, “Zohar,” Stanford University Press, 2004.

2. Arthur Green, p. xxxix.

THE ZOHAR

- Rabbi Hizkiyah opened…

The many discussions between the group of rabbis in the Zohar usually begins with this formula, which means he is beginning the discussion. The Aramaic is patakh, meaning to open something up, offer suggestions, to begin an opportunity, to explain, or speak, to begin offering one’s willingness, etc. (Jastrow’s Aramaic Dictionary, p. 1251) It is a congenial setting with friends gathering to have a nice evening chat, or walk in the morning or afternoon as they talk and learn with each other. They even sometimes run into strangers and entertain them as they walk along the way. These mysterious visitors in many instances are what makes the Zohar so interesting and mysterious as they ask the rabbis questions, and later the rabbis learn who their true identities are, sometimes, not of this world, but angels.

- Like a rose among thorns, so is my beloved among the maidens: (Song of Songs 2:2). Who is a rose? Assembly of Israel. For there is a rose, and then there is a rose! Just as a rose among thorns is colored red and white, so Assembly of Israel includes judgment and compassion…

The Zohar begins all the amazing insights from thousands of scriptural usages with the Song of Songs, a book of scripture which Rabbi Aqiba, in the Mishnah (Yadaim 3:5) proclaimed to be the “Holy of Holies.” (John G. Snaith, The New Century Bible Commentary Song of Songs, William B. Eerdmans, 1993: 3). This is the beginning of the hints strewn all over the Zohar about the mindset of the rabbis concerning God and Israel’s relationship. As Matt notes in his note 2, “The Midrash on the Song of Songs describes an allegorical love affair between the maiden (the earthly community of Israel) and her lover (the Holy One, blessed be He).” The Zohar here equates the rose with the Keneset Yisrael (Assembly of Israel). Keneset means “assembly, community or congregation.” It is the Ecclesia of Israel, “often personified as a woman betrothed to the Lord,” according to Jastrow, Aramaic Dictionary, p. 650.

And as the rose has two colors, red and white, so Israel has two qualities, judgment and compassion. Rashi, the Jewish commentator and father of all commentators ( ca.1040 C.E., b. Troyes, France) also noted this in his commentary on Beresheis. He says, as the Zohar teaches, that first it arose in thought [Creation itself], and then God realizing that the attribute of strict judgment would cause the world to not have the capacity to last, also then gave precedence over the attribute of Mercy. (Hiqdim midat rachamim)

(The Torah: With Rashi’s Commentary Translated, Annotated, and Elucidated, The Sapirstein Edition, Artscroll Series, Mesorah Publications, Rabbi Yisrael Isser Zvi Herczeg, Sept. 2005:4) The combined divine names YHVH, Elohim represented Judgment and Mercy to the rabbis, as I comment below.

The comparisons the rabbis make between nature and Israel here are very interesting. They elaborate further and then bring these parallels right into the Torah’s opening verses of the Creation so there becomes a three way tie in with the close attention paid to the details of nature, to explaining the nature of Israel, as well as the nature of scripture, which they count. Counting to the rabbis was a spiritual exercise and opened the scriptures into depths of meanings that are simply lost, or worse yet, no even available in translation. To the rabbis, the very shape of the Hebrew letters was significant and charged with meaning, both spiritually and physically. It is the nature of the Hebrew language itself that lends itself to this kind of rabbinic eisegesis (personal interpretation and insight). They are not interested in the original context of time and place, or even the very elusive and impossible to get to so-called “original meaning,” but in seeing combinations which would never enter our minds, and hence bring out even more of the beauty and depth of God, His Creation, and His Congregation, namely Israel. Notice the question, “WHO is a rose?” Later they bring out a startling new idea on this. For now just realize they ask this question.

- Just as a rose has thirteen petals, so Assembly of Israel has thirteen qualities of compassion surrounding Her on every side…

Matt’s note 4 says the traditional qualities of the thirteen compassions are derived from Exodus 34:6-7. These qualities originate in Keter, the Crown, the top most spirit (circle - sphere) on the Kabbalah Tree of Life. It is the fundamental reason for the Zohar in the first place, to be a commentary on this most important diagram of Jewish religiosity. Gerschom Scholem noted that the Zohar and Isaac Luria used gnostic and semi-gnostic symbols which became for pious orthodox Kabbalists “the profoundest expression of their Jewish faith.” (“On the Kabbalah and its Symbolism,” Schocken Books, 1965: 98). The diagram of the Tree of Like is very reminiscent of the Books of Jeu diagrams. Carl Schmidt translated these in German, but that source is quite difficult to acquire (though I have done so), hence an easier way to see many of these interesting symbols is in Birgir A. Pearson’s text, “Gnosticism and Christianity in Roman and Coptic Egypt,” T&T Clark International, 2004: 262-266. One can easily see the many similarities of the symbols. Also the popular Charles Ponce, “Kabbalah,” Quest Books, 1973 has a multitude of various pictures and diagrams showing the interconnectedness of the Tree of Life Diagram with other symbols from other cultures.

Here is the scripture from which the thirteen qualities of compassion originate-

Exodus 34:6

And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, 7. Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

This idea of mercy is reflected in the Siddur, the Traditional Jewish Prayer Book where we read over and over and over again Tzaddiq Yah bekol derakav. Vehasid bekol ma’esahv - “The Lord is righteous in all His ways. And merciful in all His works.” (David de Sola Pool, “Siddur: The Traditional Prayer Book for Sabbath and Festivals,” Behrman House, Inc., 1960:5-6).

Notice also the detail which the rabbis knew concerning even a mere flower of the Creation. They link many, many times, various qualities and quantities of nature to either Israel, or God. Their keen sense of involvement and learning about nature is to be noted. As we are taught from the Haftaras Mishpatim, “As long as the laws of nature remain in effect, God will not break his Covenant with Israel.” (The Chumash, Stone Edition, Rabbi Nosson Scherman, Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz, ArtScroll Series, Mesorah Publications, 11^th ed., 7^th impression, Sept. 2005:1157, bottom note - Hereafter cited as “The Chumash“).

Comments

[volgadon]

There is a problem with this, several, in fact.
The first is that no such statement by the geonim exists. Kabbalah postdates them by a good century or so. Gershom Shcolem, perhaps the sharpest mind to ever tackle Jewish mysticism, could find no trace of uniquely kabbalic ideas before the 12th century.
Despite starting out with the working hypothesis that the Zohar was ancient, Scholem was forced to conclude that there is utterly no trace of it before the 1270s.
In fact, all evidence points toward the Spanish kabbalist Moses b. Shem Tov de Leon as the author. Isaac b. Samuel of Acre discovered that apart from Moses's printing the Zohar part by part, that there were no ancient mansucripts and that many considered him the author. Moses's widow lost out on being able to give her daughter in marriage to a very wealthy Jew, who insisted on being shown the alleged manuscripts, or at least being provident with sufficient evidence of their existence. The language of the Zohar is a very artificial medieval Jewish Aramaic, with a strong Spanish influence.
The idiosyncratic style fits the other works of Moses b. Shem Tov perfectly, including words which only he and the Zohar used. Not only that, but parts of the Zohar are later, composed in an unabashedly Medieval style. It wasn't until years later that people began beleiving in the Zohar's antiquity.
Until about the 1400s, there was a lot of criticism by Kabbalists (!) of the Zohar, which according to them was full of errors.

[brian williams]

i would like to know what i should read before i study the zohar? something that can help me witt the analagies & metaphors. i always study torah and tanya.