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MILA YOMIT 18 : VA'YOMER (ELOHIM)
Meaning: And Said (Elohim)
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Letters:
VAV (V)- And
The Vav in Biblical Hebrew has a few significant uses.
Earlier on we saw it as Vav HaChibur-Vav of Connection
-Ve'Et-(Mila 6)-joining heaven and earth, spirit and matter.
Here it is Vav HaHipuch-Vav of Inversion.
"The letter vav also possesses the function of inverting the apparent tense
of a verb to its opposite-from past to future or from future to past. (This
is ) the first appearance of this type of Vav..."Ve- And God said"-the verb
'said' is being inverted from the future to the past tense by the vav at
the beginning of the word. ((The phenomenon of light breaking through the
darkness of the tzimtzum, the primordial contraction, is itself the secret
of time (future becoming past) which permeates space.))" (Ginsburg, p.94)
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YOD (Y)-Divine Spark
ALEPH(A)-Unity- mother letter
MEM (M)-Womb- mother letter
REISH(R)-Head, Mind
Speech as the Divine Spark that fills the unity, birthed out of
consciousness (?)
The Yod extended in all four directions is the basic shape of the Aleph, so
the Yod's
journey of expansion begins with the Aleph, is gestated in the fountain of
wisdom and enters consciousness. The birth of thought perhaps
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(ELOHIM) -third appearance of the Name of Creator- corresponding to the
creation of Sefira Chachma-Wisdom. (Sefer Yetzira explains each of the 32
times this Name is used in the Creation story corresponds to one of the ten
sefirot and 22 lines of connections.) The Tree of Life unfolding.
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Words Contained
The verb to say is -le'emor-lamed, aleph, mem,resh.
The root is -A,M,R,-aleph, mem, resh,
Aleph, Mem,-is AM (pronounced em)-mother
Mem, Reish- MaR- is bitter
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Conceptual Meaning-
Aryeh Kaplan in Innerspaces (another excellent English introduction to
Kabbala) explains:
"The Torah writes "God said'...we see God literally speaking the physical
universe into existence. On a deeper level, however, we are being told that
when God speaks, God is creating the concept of speech." (Innerspaces, p.
114)
What is this thing called speech, perhaps our most remarkable faculty?
AMaR is first Torah word that we meet that denotes expression.
The Torah uses a few other words a little later (ledaber is the main other
one).
Kabbala suggests 'amar' is the beginning of speech.
Ramban and others explain- va'yomer- as related to 'willed, desired,
thought'.
Internal talk as it were.
Ginsburg elaborates and explains this process as related to the letter Resh
which is formed as a 'bent over head'.
"In order to speak, the thought of the mind must 'bend over' and contract
its own inner brilliance for the sake of communication to others...The
letter Reish itself is the inner bending over of the mind to force the heart
to respond in accord with the mind's perception, to speak from the heart,
thereby giving one's words the power to penetrate the heart of others. First
the mind speaks to the heart and then the heart speaks to others....AMaR
signifies the inner speaking of mind to heart....
(So too) God "bends over' God's 'concealed things' (power of intellect), in
order the reveal the 'revealed things' and permeate them with light from the
realm of consciousness." (Ginsburg p. 300-301)
The Zohar calls speech the 'power of Daat-knowledge' concealed in the mouth.
The Vilna Gaon's commentary on Sefer Yetzira (as quoted in The Fundamentals
of Jewish Mysticism by Leonard Glotzer) explains further:
"Talking breaks down into Will, Idea (Machshava), Thought (Hirhur), Sound
and Speech. The will is the first desire to speak. The idea is the pondering
of what to say before the specifics are formed. Thought is the formation of
the speech in the mind. Sound is in the throat, before it enters the mouth.
Finally, speech is the cutting of the letters. The will's place is in the
soul, the idea is in the brain, thought is in the heart, sound is in the
throat, and speech in the mouth. ((These correspond to the five
Partzufim(faces or personifications))"
AMaR seems to be the process of will, enclothed in idea and then enclothed
in thought. The soul to brain to heart. This is the very beginning of
manifestation, the inner process before the outer emergence.
Kabbala speaks of this 'AMeeRa'-saying as the beginning of YeSh (Yod,
Shin)-being.
Isaac Luria, theAri (revolutionary kabbalist and head teacher of the Kabbala
rennaisance in Tsfat in the 1500's.) describes this process:
"Before all things were created...the Supernal light was simple. It filled
all existence.
All was one simple undifferentiated Infinite light.
When it arose in God's simple will to create all universes, (this moment of
VaYomer- Itzchak's addendum ) God constricted the Infinite light, distancing
it to the sides around a centre point, leaving a vacated space in the middle
of the light of Ain Sof-Infinite...This space was perfectly spherical."
(quoted in Innerspaces, p. 120)
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Everything emerges from this moment.
"The Divine Act of Creation is referred to by the metaphor of speech, as we
say in our morning prayers...Baruch She Amar ve haya haolam-Blessed in the
one that spoke, and the world was." (Zohar)
This first speaking contains all the rest of creation within it.
Kabbala points out that "AMaR-to say' is a acronynm for the first three
primary creations:
Aur-light (beginning with Aleph),
Mayim-water(Mem)
Rakeeya-firmament (Reish)
These represent the three stages in the materialization of the creative
seed, as taught by the Arizal (Luria):
the spiritual origin of the seed in the mind-light. " Ginsburg, p. 3. (The
rest later as we get to it).
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VA'YOMER ELOHIM-
From within the Divine the desire to share and the will to create begins its
expression.
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Yee Le Ratzon AeeMRei Pee:
May our speaking be in harmony with the highest will.
MILA YOMIT 19 : YEHEE
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Meaning: Let there be.
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Otiot:Letters
YUD (Y)- Divine spark, numeric value of 10, first letter of Divine Name-
YHVH (yud, heh, vav, heh)
-Bahir: "Yud is the Ten Sayings with which the world was
created."(paragraph. 118)
HEH (Y)-Conceptually, the capacity for self expression through thought,
speech and action.
-Meaning 'to take seed, behold'. Numeric value of 5
YUD (Y)- first pallandrom (sp.?) in Torah, word spelled same way backwards
and forwards.
The Divine Spark expanding and contracting, pulsation of creation(?)
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Words Contained and Related:
This is a future form of the verb 'leeheyot'-to be (related to Mila 8-
HAYTA)
YOD< HEH (pronounced Yah)
This is the first Divine Name mentioned in Sefer Yetzira. "With 32 mystical
paths of Wisdom engraved Yah
(Yod, Heh) YHVH (second name mentioned) ...and created the universe."
Kaplan explains that Yod designates Chachma-Wisdom (male principle) and Heh
designates Bina-Understanding (female principle).
"Yod has the primary form of a simple point. This alludes to the fact that
Wisdom is simple and undifferentiated. The numerical value of Yud is 10,
indicating that all Ten Sefirot are included in the simple nature of
Wisdom...
Heh has a numerical value of 5, alluding to the five fingers of the hand. As
such it represents Understanding, the hand that hold Wisdom, distributing it
and channeling it. Heh is one of the two letters in the Hebrew alphabet that
is written as two disjunct parts. This alludes to the fact that
Understanding represents the beginning of separation." (Sefer Yetzira, p.
15-16)
.
"(YUD<HEH is) the essence of existence that God wishes to bestow (that
contains) all the axioms of creation...these are undifferentiated and are
all contained within the Yud....((This is also the level of
Atzilut:Emanation))...(That) which defines existence and makes it available
is Binah (or HEH). It is through Bina:Understanding that the universe of
Beriya:Creation (see Mila 2) is brought into existence. This is the concept
of making the essence of existence available by 'lowering' it and by
breaking it up into its constituent
parts." (Kaplan, Innerspaces, p. 59-60)
HEH<YUD (pronounced Hei)
Based on a verse in Daniel 8:27, "the root 'hei' means 'to be broken'...The
Kabbalah tells of the primordial catastrophe, 'the breaking of the
vessels'...Divine Unity appears to 'shatter' itself into plurality in order
to create our physical stateof being and bestow us with freedom of choice
between good (unity) and evil (apparent plurality)" (Ginsburg, AlefBet, p.
86)
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Conceptual Meaning:
Based on the above, this Zohar statement is perhaps understandable:
"The word YEHEE (let there be) indicates that the union of the Father and
Mother symbolized by the letters
YUD, HEH became now a starting point (symbolized by the second Yud) for
futher extension." (Zohar, 16b)
This is the first 'word' that the Divine speaks.
The first expression of the Infinite into finite reality.
Again in the words of the Zohar:"the inner point extended becomes a 'palace'
which acts an an enclosure for the center....from then outward, there is
extension upon extension.
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YEHEE-Let there be.
The first emanation -vibration to emerge from within the One.
The unfolding of being begins.
MILA YOMIT 20 : AUR (VA'YEHEE AUR)
Meaning: Light (and there was light)
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Otiot:Letters
ALEPH (A)-Unity, shaped by an upper Yud connected with a Vav and a lower
Yud. This form extends in all
directions, similar to light. The Zohar comments
"AUR:Light is ALEPH."
In Kabbala," the upper yud represents the Transcendent Light whereas the
lower Yud represents the Immanent Light. The vav that initially
differentiates between but ultimately connects these two Divine Lights is
the secret of the primordial contraction (tzimtzum) of God's Infinite
Light."
(Ginsburg, p.30)
VAV (V)- Connection, between all worlds, numeric of six corresponding to six
directions in physical world.
"The 'vacuum' created by the contraction allowed an hollow
empty space where finite worlds could exist. Into this vacuum God drew down,
figuratively speaking, a single line of light from the Infinite Source.
This ray of light is the secret of the letter VAV. "(Ginsburg, p. 94)
REISH(R) -Consciousness
The letters suggest a conscious energy of unification that connects all.
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Related Words and Meanings:
Masculine word.
Verb form contains meaning of 'to break through'
Hirsch connects it to 'ayin, vov, reish' or 'ayin,reish'- which means to
awaken.
Interestingly the word for blind is 'eever' (ayin, vov, reish) . Another
aleph, ayin switch- more on this later.
Earlier (mila 18) Va'Yomer- And (God) spoke contains similar letter
structure as AUR. (vav, yod, ALEPH, mem, REISH as compared to ALEPH, VAV,
REISH) The act of 'speech' contained within that which was spoken about)
In backwards order,REISH, VAV, ALEPH is connected to the word 'roeh' which
means sight, or vision.
While we do not see light in itself, we know of it by the impression that it
leaves and that which we see.
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Conceptual Meaning:
Zohar" With the appearace of light, the universe expanded."
Interesting that in Big Bang Theory talk the first
'thing' to emerge from the explosion was light.
Kabbala connects AUR:light to the sephira of Chesed:love.
Etz Chaim by Isaac Luria:
"Before all things were created... the Supernal Light filled all
existence...When the Creator's Will decided to create all universes...God
constricted the Light to the sides...leaving a vacated space...there was a
place in which all things could be created. The creator then drew a single
straight thread from the Infinite Light...and brought it into that vacated
space...It was through that line that the Infinite Light was brought down
below..."
This creation was a Divine Gift. In Kabbalistic terminology "the concept of
giving is referred to as 'light' while that of receiving is called a
'vessel.' In order to receive God's light, however a vessel must in some
way be connected to God. ..If God is the ultimate Giver, while the Vessel
only receives, the two are then absolute opposites. Therefore in order for a
vessel to properly receive, it must also give. What is therefore needed is a
vessel that gives as well as receives. The ultimate such vessel is the
human. If the human is to receive God's Light, they must first resemble God
by being a giver." (Kaplan in Bahir, p. 88-89)
AUR has the same numeric value as RAZ (reish, zayin) meaning secret.
Perhaps the secret is that light is experienced by giving more than
receiving.
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AUR: The love of the Infinite shining lnfinite Light into finite space.
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Verse three ends:
VA'YEHEE AUR: And there was light.
Here again, we see the functioning of VAV HaHipuch: the vav inverting the
tense of a verb to its opposite.
"Let there be light And there was light." The phenomenon of light breakig
through the darkness of the tzimzum, is itself the secret of time (future
becoming past) which permeates space." (Ginsburg, p. 94)
In the Bahir, Rabbi Berachia said.
"What is the meaning of the verse, "And God said, 'Let there be light,' and
there was light."?
Why does the verse not say, "And it was so"? What is this like? A king had a
beautiful object. He put it away until he had a place for it, and then he
put it there. It is therefore written, "let there be light, and there was
light." This indicates that it already existed." (Bahir, p. 10)
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Finally as Shabbat approaches let us hear the words of the Zohar:
"Rabbi Itzchak said
The light created by the Blessed Holy One in the act of Creation flared from
one end of the world to the other and was hidden away.
Rabbi Judah said
If it were completely hidden the world would not exist for even a moment!
Rather, it is hidden and sown like a seed that gives birth to seeds and
fruit.
Thereby the world is sustained. Every single day, a ray of light shines into
the world and keeps everything alive, for with that ray the Blessed Holy
One feeds the world.
And everywhere that Torah is studied at night one thread-thin ray appears
from that hidden light and flows down upon those absorbed in her." (quoted
in Matt, Zohar, p. 52)
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