The Backyard Professor

The Speculum that Shines: Excursus #2 on the Zohar

Zohar Commentary, Excursus 2: Adam Kadmon - “Mirror, Mirror on the Sky, Who is Reflected in Your Eye?”

One of the items which I believe will help understand a lot of the comments in the Zohar, is understanding the concept of Adam Kadmon, The Supernal Man. The Man in the sky, whom we are “imaged” after here on earth, again echoing the “As Above, So Below” doctrine so prominent in so many ancient esoteric traditions.

The first step in the process of understanding Adam Kadmon...

The Speculum That Shines: Zohar Commentary Part 6

The Speculum That Shines: Zohar Commentary PART 6:

Summarizing some of Matt’s translation (I can’t include it all as I comment, I shall include pertinent sentences as I need to). This part of the commentary is probably one of the most important ones, since it grounds us, and gives us the background to what the Zohar rabbis are doing. Theirs is a combined discipline of geometry, sound, and language manipulation. (All of the pictures are made the same size in this Typepad program, but you may click on the picture to enlarge it and see it more clearly) With the background this part of the commentary supplies, we are no longer lost, as it were, trying to figure out what on earth are they talking about, and what do they mean? The difficulty sort of melts away. I have to emphasize the background, so this part of the commentary is going to be longer than the other parts, because without the background the Zohar is simply close to impossible to comprehend. The rabbis don’t start by dipping their toe in the water to test it, they don’t let us do this either. There is no background here, it is all foreground. They simply pitch us into the deep end and see if we can swim or sink. What we need is a life preserver so we can get around a bit and explore. That is what this part of the commentary is, the life preserver to help us get our bearings, to keep us from drowning in the utterly magnificent sea of images, ideas, and teachings, hints, and mysteries of linguistics, and ideologies they present to us. They come at us at the speed of light and just do not slow down, but are steady drum beats of information.

The Speculum that Shines: Excursus # 1 to Zohar Commentary

The Throne of Glory at the Creation - The Rose of the Zohar

The Throne of Glory is an important theme in Kabbalistic literature, as well as in the Book of Mormon, interestingly enough. The book called Bahir notes that the level of the throne is at Binah - Understanding. This is the circle (Sefira) on the Tree of Life that is under the highest sefira called Keter - Crown. Binah is a throne because a throne holds the concept of sitting. God sitting on his throne is His lowering His essence, hence His concern with the universe and His comprehending it. “The throne is the vehicle through which Gods ’sits’ and thus lowers Himself, and this is the concept of Binah-Understanding, through which we comprehend God. (CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE - Binah is the red circle) This Throne is mentioned in Ezekiel 1:26 and Isaiah 6:1.”[1] As the Cube of Space is described in the Bahir, with its various boundaries defined directionally, we are told that “It is the Throne of the Blessed Holy One. It is the Precious Stone and the Sea of Wisdom.”[2] More to the point, ....

The Speculum That Shines: Zohar Commentary, Part 5

- (Matt, p. 6) - I crowned you with holy crowns, gave you dominion over the world, as is written: ’is this the city that was called perfect crown of beauty, joy of all the earth?’ (Lamentations 2:15). I called you Jerusalem built up, a city bound together (Psalm 122:3). Now, what can I liken to you, [to console you]? (Lamentations 2:13). Just as you sit desolate, so it is above, as it were. Just as now, the holy people do not enter you in holy array, so I swear to you that I Myself will not enter above until your inhabitants enter you below. This is your consolation: I compare this rung to you completely. But now that you are here, your ruin is vast as the ocean. (Ibid). Yet if you say you cannot endure or be healed, then Who will heal you (Ibid.), really! That concealed, high rung in which al exists will heal you and raise you up…..

Again, Israel and the Shekhinah are compared and likened to one another. What happens to Israel on earth, will happen to Shekhinah in the upper worlds. If Israel cannot get into Jerusalem, then the Shekhinah will also be in exile. It is the true and ancient Egyptian Hermetic doctrine of “As Above, So Below,” so powerfully discussed in the Tabula Smaragdina (the Emerald Tablet). In a rather simple, yet poignant summarization .....

The Speculum That Shines: Zohar Commentary, Part 4

(Matt, p. 5) - Rabbi El’azar opened, ‘Lift your eyes on high and see: Who created these?’ (Isaiah 40:26). Lift your eyes on high. To which site? The site toward which all eyes gaze. Which is that? Opening of the eyes….

Now we get to the second of the group discussing the various ideas in the Torah. Notice the quote from Isaiah who is also asking a WHO question. This leads into an astonishing interpretation which I shall get to shortly.

The Speculum That Shines: Zohar Commentary, Part 3

(Matt, p. 3) - The voice of the turtledove is the fifth day, as it is written: Let the waters swarm [with a swarm of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth, across the expanse of the sky] (Genesis 1:20), generating offspring. Is heard is the sixth day, as is written: Let us make a human being (Genesis 1:26), who was destined to declare acting before hearing, for here is written: [1b] (Na’aseh), Let us make a human being, and there it is written: (Na’aseh), We will do, and we will listen (Exodus 24:7). In our land is the Sabbath day, paradigm of the land of eternal life…

It is interesting how Rabbi Shim’on is indicating that this verse in Song of Songs (2:12) is an encapsulation of the entire creation process in all of Genesis!

The Speculum that Shines: Zohar Commentary, Part 2

(Matt pp. 1-2) - Similarly, from the moment Elohim, God, is mentioned. It generates thirteen words to surround Assembly of Israel and protect Her; then it is mentioned again. Why again? To produce five sturdy leaves surrounding the rose. These five are called Salvation; they are five gates. Concerning this mystery it is written: I raise the cup of salvation (Psalms 116:13). This is the cup of blessing, which should rest on five fingers - and no more - like the rose, sitting on five sturdy leaves, paradigm of five fingers. This rose is the cup of blessing…

Now this can be bewildering to a first time student of Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah. What’s this thirteen and five and words about Elohim, etc.? Here is where knowing Hebrew, or at least being acquainted with it helps enormously.....

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.....

Reflections 'Through a Speculum That Shines' on the Zohar

Reflections 'Through a Speculum that Shines' on the Zohar

I am going to begin looking into the Zohar, making comments, discussing the various ideas the Zohar elaborates upon, and explore the vast range of thoughts the rabbis themselves engaged in. With the 4^th volume of Daniel C. Matt’s translation out, the excitement of this edition of the Zohar is gaining momentum. I believe that there are several ideas worth mulling around and comparing to our own religious beliefs, namely, Mormonism.

By way of contrasting and comparing I believe .....