The Patach Eliyahu is an excerpt from the Tikunei Zohar, Second Introduction, 17a ,(תִּקּוּנֵי זֹהַר דַּף י"ז עַמּוּד א, הַקְדָּמָה אַחֶרֶת לְתִקּוּנֵי הַזֹּהַר)
and is commonly found in the siddurim of Nusach Sefard (before Shacharit) and Nusach Eidut HaMizrach (before Mincha and Maariv).
It is a very good practice to read “Patach Eliyahu Hanavi z”l” before every tefila (Shacharit, Mincha, and Maariv). Chazal, (our holy Sages) have a tradition that one who recites this prayer before davening is assured that his tefilot will be accepted. (Morei Ba’Etzba)
In
this post we will attempt to explain some of the meaning of the Patach Eliyahu
as well as some well-known teachings from Chazal regarding its importance.
As
we know, many communities around the world, both Ashkenazim and Sefaradim
alike, have had the custom to read the Patach Eliyahu before every tefilah. The Chida z”l in his sefer ‘Moreh BaEtzba’,
and the Re’ach HaTov, amongst many
other tzadikim, write, “In the merit of learning the Zohar HaKadosh, the tefilot
will be accepted, and one will see amazing miracles.”
Rav Moshe Zaccuto z”l writes: “Through the power of learning the Zohar HaKadosh, one will able to transcend nature and reveal miracles. Rav Yaakov Abuchatzeira z”l writes in his sefer ‘Bigdei HaSerad’ that it is an obligation on every single Jew to request to know the secrets of the Torah, as without it, ones tefilot can not go up.
Even during the Holocaust r”l, many Jews were accustomed to say the Patach Eliyahu by heart every day before davening and their lives were spared. (Sefer Edus BeYaakov) In just a couple minutes, by saying these tefilot, one can change all evil decrees for the good and merit to rewards that the verse testifies about, “No eye has ever seen, except for you Hashem”. And he can purify his neshama and merit to very high levels, as the Arizal says.
These
precious sefarim have been distributed for free l’shem Shamayim, to do Kiddush
Hashem. They are intended for everyone to read and learn so that Klal Yisrael
will safeguard and preserve our Torah HaKedosha. Reading this holy work, written
by Eliyahu Hanavi and Moshe Rabbeinu, will guarantee that Am Yisrael’s sanctity
will not wane or diminish.
Learning
the Zohar will also nullify all the terrible decrees and suffering, that we
have endured, and that we still continue to endure r”l. (Tikunei Hazohar Tikun 30)
The first thing to know is that there are basically two approaches to tefilah. One is a very common method of praying, though there are some problems with it, while the other is really the proper way of praying. To understand further, we must also break down a tefilah moment into three components and then look at them in context of the two approaches. They are: the person praying, the situation in the person's life, and Hashem.
The Pilzno Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Singer, zt’l, would say that we really only experience two types of feelings in life – good and not good. When we find ourselves in a not good experience, we turn to Hashem, using the most common method of tefilah, asking one of the three following requests: To stop the experience, to change the experience, or to prevent the experience from happening (if it has not yet happened).
This is a fine and natural reaction, but there is a problem. Why? If we think about it, we are approaching this type of prayer with three pre-suppositions: 1. Hashem changes His mind 2. I can change Hashem's mind 3. This experience should change without me having to change. This form of davening is, in essence, bribery and self-serving.
Really, our goal is to reach
a higher level of consciousness, to see everything from the side of Hashem’s
Chesed (kindness), Ahava (love), and Malchut (Rulership). Here is a story that
illustrates this beautifully: Once the Noam Elimelech,
Rebbe Elimelech of Lizhensk, found himself in a town that was suffering from a
terrible plague. He fasted for three days to try to stop the plague, to annul
the decree from Shamayim. When he eventually passed out from hunger, the Magid
of Mezritch, his Rebbe, came to him in a vision. The Noam Elimelech asked his
Rebbe why there is such a bad situation, this plague. The Magid answered that
from his vantage point he could not see clearly, so he had to go up higher in
the worlds. So the Magid went up, then came back down, and said that everything
seems fine. The Noam Elimelech said, "I do not understand. Things are not good here." The Magid stopped
and thought for a while and answered him, "In the World of Truth, we see
the bigger picture, that Hashem loves us and that this plague is really part of
a much broader plan. But from your point of view, in the middle of the
situation, it does not look good at all.”
Then the Noam Elimelech woke
from his sleep, now a changed person, realizing that there was a bigger story
going on, even though he did not understand it. With that realization he began
dancing, and within a few minutes, the whole community started to dance and the
Heavenly decree was broken. This all happened because he changed himself.
It is important to know that
we are a vessel, a kli, that receives the shefa (energies) of Ohr Ain Sof that
Hashem is always sending down to us through the sefirot. The sefirot are like
taps, so to speak, which Hashem opens corresponding to whatever state we are
in.
From this, we can see what happened with the Noam Elimelech. As he shifted his consciousness from katnut (smallness) to gadlut (greatness), the shefa that was coming down upon him changed from a lower to a higher level, thus his simcha overflowed to the extent that it affected others and changed the entire fate of that town.
The lesson here is that
though we may not know what is going on, or why, just knowing that there is a
bigger picture, and putting the effort into seeking the positive, brings a new
quality of shefa down to us which instantly changes the situation. We can also
say that when we are in mochin d'katnut (constricted consciousness), we lose a
grip on the true nature of a situation, but once we come to a broader
consciousness, we can have the ability to properly deal with that same
once-unclear situation. Certainly we have all experienced this in our lives.
This can also be understood from a simple perspective as well. How do we explain that two brothers can both survive a Holocaust, one coming out of it bitter while the other one comes out emotionally whole and strong?
The bitter brother might have prayed to change the situation, but when it seemed his tefilot were not being answered, he went into a state of blamed either himself, somebody else, the situation itself, or even Hashem. When a person blames, he ends up very bitter and people do not want to be around him.
The other brother, in contrast, knew and lived with the proper beliefs that “Hashem loves me, everything that He does is for the best, I may not know the truth of what is going on, but I can learn at least one good thing out of the situation."
So, first he looks for one positive way of viewing the situation. Then he then thinks about it and internalizes it so that it becomes wisdom. Now from that wisdom he can make better choices, and from those better choices he can have more definition and control over his direction in life. Of course, Hashem may not want him to go in that direction that he thinks is correct, but he will surely go through the process again if he needs to change.
This is the reason why the
Sefaradim and Chassidim are careful to say it, to remind themselves that when
we pray, we are not praying to Hashem to change His mind, to change the
situation, or to hold back the situation. We are saying, "I know Hashem
does not change and I know that everything Hashem does for us is from love,
ahava.” Instead, I am asking myself to change, and I am learning from
the Patach Eliyahu which is telling me that if I know how to pray properly, the
right shefa will open up on me and that will change the situation. This is a way that we can understand why the
Patach Eliyahu is located before tefilah and why it is so important.
אַנְתְּ הוּא דְּאַפַּקְתְּ עֲשַׂר תִּקּוּנִין,
וְקָרִינָן לְהוֹן עֲשַׂר סְפִירָן, You are the one who brought
out and
revealed ten tikunim (attributes),
and they are called the ten Sefirot, [1] לְאַנְהָגָא
בְהוֹן עָלְמִין סְתִימִין דְּלָא אִתְגַּלְיָן, וְעָלְמִין דְּאִתְגַּלְיָן.
And with them, the Ten Sefirot, you hide yourself from people, and
You are the One who ties them
together and unites them.
And
these Ten Sefirot,[2] they go in their order: One is long, and one is short and one is in
the middle.
And
You are the One who directs them, and there is no one who directs You, not above in the upper realms and not below in the lower realm and
not from any side.
And
this
name waters the tree with its arms and
branches, like a tree which grows and develops through that watering.
לעילוי נשמת משה בן שרה הכהן
Rav Moshe Zaccuto z”l writes: “Through the power of learning the Zohar HaKadosh, one will able to transcend nature and reveal miracles. Rav Yaakov Abuchatzeira z”l writes in his sefer ‘Bigdei HaSerad’ that it is an obligation on every single Jew to request to know the secrets of the Torah, as without it, ones tefilot can not go up.
The
power of simply reading the Zohar HaKadosh is so great that even without
understanding a single word one is still able to achieve the same result as
learning it. (Eitz Ohr HaZohar) Without learning the Zohar HaKadosh before
davening, there is no guarantee that a person’s tefilot will be accepted.
Even during the Holocaust r”l, many Jews were accustomed to say the Patach Eliyahu by heart every day before davening and their lives were spared. (Sefer Edus BeYaakov) In just a couple minutes, by saying these tefilot, one can change all evil decrees for the good and merit to rewards that the verse testifies about, “No eye has ever seen, except for you Hashem”. And he can purify his neshama and merit to very high levels, as the Arizal says.
Everyone
should encourage his friends to read these precious tefilot to help give them
the same merits in the Olam Haba. As you read these tefilot, you will sanctify
your neshama and begin to understand the ways of Hashem.
One
who reads this before davening also gets the reward of the mitzvah of Limud
HaTorah with the Zohar HaKadosh of which one hour of learning on a weekday is
equivalent to one hundred thousand years of regular learning, and equivalent to
one hundred million years of learning if read on Shabbat. (Sefer Kisei Melech, Rei’ach Ha’Tov, Orchot
Tzadikim, Avot De R’Natan)
May
the merit of reading these precious words of Eliyahu Hanavi bring a final end
to our current exile, so that we can begin the “Yom She’Kulo Shabbat”. Amen.
We find that many Kabbalists, including the Chida and the Ramak, speak about the importance of reading the Patach Eliyahu, but do not actually explain why we should read it. In this introduction, we hope to give a perspective on why it is important to say before tefilah, and in the process, to discover something very important about the tefilah and how we are really meant to pray.
We find that many Kabbalists, including the Chida and the Ramak, speak about the importance of reading the Patach Eliyahu, but do not actually explain why we should read it. In this introduction, we hope to give a perspective on why it is important to say before tefilah, and in the process, to discover something very important about the tefilah and how we are really meant to pray.
The first thing to know is that there are basically two approaches to tefilah. One is a very common method of praying, though there are some problems with it, while the other is really the proper way of praying. To understand further, we must also break down a tefilah moment into three components and then look at them in context of the two approaches. They are: the person praying, the situation in the person's life, and Hashem.
The Pilzno Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Singer, zt’l, would say that we really only experience two types of feelings in life – good and not good. When we find ourselves in a not good experience, we turn to Hashem, using the most common method of tefilah, asking one of the three following requests: To stop the experience, to change the experience, or to prevent the experience from happening (if it has not yet happened).
This is a fine and natural reaction, but there is a problem. Why? If we think about it, we are approaching this type of prayer with three pre-suppositions: 1. Hashem changes His mind 2. I can change Hashem's mind 3. This experience should change without me having to change. This form of davening is, in essence, bribery and self-serving.
In contrast, in the other
type of tefilah, the more Kabbalistic form, the same components - the person,
the situation, and Hashem - are there, but the difference is that you do not
ask Hashem to change because Hashem does
not change. Hashem has, is, and will always be the same, and I cannot
change Hashem's ‘mind’. Ok, so then what am I praying for?
You are actually praying that
you should change. If I go through an unfortunate situation, I ask
Hashem to help me change. The Kabbalists explain that Hashem loves us, wants to
give us good, and everything that Hashem sends to us is for the best. Therefore
when I come to tefilah with the pre-suppositions that Hashem does not change, I
cannot change Him, and everything that He does stems from love, I can then
access the level of asking Hashem to please change ME so that I can see the
situation for what it really is, an expression of Hashem's love. That is what I
want to be praying for.
From this, we can see what happened with the Noam Elimelech. As he shifted his consciousness from katnut (smallness) to gadlut (greatness), the shefa that was coming down upon him changed from a lower to a higher level, thus his simcha overflowed to the extent that it affected others and changed the entire fate of that town.
This can also be understood from a simple perspective as well. How do we explain that two brothers can both survive a Holocaust, one coming out of it bitter while the other one comes out emotionally whole and strong?
The bitter brother might have prayed to change the situation, but when it seemed his tefilot were not being answered, he went into a state of blamed either himself, somebody else, the situation itself, or even Hashem. When a person blames, he ends up very bitter and people do not want to be around him.
The other brother, in contrast, knew and lived with the proper beliefs that “Hashem loves me, everything that He does is for the best, I may not know the truth of what is going on, but I can learn at least one good thing out of the situation."
So, first he looks for one positive way of viewing the situation. Then he then thinks about it and internalizes it so that it becomes wisdom. Now from that wisdom he can make better choices, and from those better choices he can have more definition and control over his direction in life. Of course, Hashem may not want him to go in that direction that he thinks is correct, but he will surely go through the process again if he needs to change.
And we say in two verses:
"Chochmat adam tair panav" – “A person’s wisdom illuminates his face”
and "Chochmat tichieh" – “Wisdom will gives life.” When a person has
this chochma, when he is davening that HE himself should change, and he himself
should open up his eyes to see what is going on, he in fact, opening different taps
from different levels upon himself. Hopefully we now we have a better
understand of the two forms of tefilah - the problematic form, and the
Kabbalistic form, and which one will truly help us grow.
After all of this, how does
the Patach Eliyahu fit into what we just discussed?
It is actually a description
of how the shefa comes down to us through the sefirot, and is thus trying to
connect us to the Kabbalistic form of tefilah, which is to change the self, to
raise our consciousness.
“And may the pleasantness of Ado-nai Elokeinu be upon us, and
let the work of our hands be established upon us, and the work of our hands He will
establish.”
וִיהִי נֹעַם אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהֵינוּ עָלֵינוּ, וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ כּוֹנְנָה
עָלֵינוּ, וּמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֵינוּ כּוֹנְנֵהוּ. (ב' פעמים)
“And may the pleasantness of Ado-nai Elokeinu be upon us, and
let the work of our hands be established upon us, and the work of our hands He will
establish.”
פָּתַח
אֵלִיָּהוּ הַנָּבִיא זָכוּר לַטּוֹב וְאָמַר: רִבּוֹן עָלְמִין דְּאַנְתְּ הוּא
חַד וְלָא בְחֻשְׁבָּן.
Eliyahu Hanavi, may he
be remembered for good, opened the discussion and said: “Master of the Universe, You are One, but not in the counting
of numbers.
אַנְתְּ הוּא
עִלָּאָה עַל כָּל עִלָּאִין סְתִימָא עַל כָּל סְתִימִין, לֵית מַחֲשָׁבָא
תְּפִיסָא בָךְ כְּלָל.
You are the most
supernal of all the supernals, most hidden of all the hidden, no thought can grasp
you at all.
in
order to direct, with them - the concealed worlds which are not revealed and the
worlds which are revealed.
[1] Hashem (through His Shechina, Divine Presence) resides in the ten
spiritual powers which He brought forth from Himself, like a neshama resides
within a body. (Leshem Shevo Ve’Achlama)
With the Sefirot, Hashem directs
existence. Just like the neshama needs a physical hand in order to write, so
too Hashem chose to do His ‘work’ through these ten powers, the Ten Sefirot.
What Eliyahu Hanavi is essentially saying to Hashem is, “You are the one who
created these Ten Tikunim, the Ten Sefirot, to direct the upper worlds and this
physical world. Through these powers, you ‘hide’ yourself from humans because
you influence only through these Ten Sefirot.”
He adds further, “You are the One who unifies the powers of the Sefirot,
for example, by connecting Chesed (Kindness) and Din (Judgment) in order to
sweeten Din with Chesed, which then becomes the powers of Rachamim (Mercy). And
since You, Hashem, are the neshama within these powers, like a soul in a body,
whoever separates the powers of Din from the powers of Chesed sins
before Hashem and awakens the powers of
Din, and therefore, it is, so to speak, as if he caused Hashem to be separated
from Himself, who resides within these Ten Sefirot like a soul resides in a
body. (Be’er Lechai Ro’ie)
וּבְהוֹן
אִתְכְּסִיאַת מִבְּנֵי נָשָׁא, וְאַנְתְּ הוּא דְקָשִׁיר לוֹן וּמְיַחֵד לוֹן.
וּבְגִין
דְּאַנְתְּ מִלְגָאו כָּלמָאן
דְּאַפְרֵישׁ חַד מֵחַבְרֵיהּ מֵאִלֵּין עֲשַׂר [סְפִירָן],
And because You, the Or Ein
Sof (Infinite Light), are within them, anyone who separates one from another from these Ten Sefirot,
אִתְחַשֵּׁב
לֵהּ כְּאִלּוּ אַפְרֵישׁ בָּךְ.
וְאִלֵּין*
עֲשַׂר סְפִירָן אִנּוּן אָזְלִין כְּסִדְרָן, חַד אֲרִיךְ וְחַד קָצֵר וְחַד
בֵּינוֹנִי.
וְאַנְתְּ
הוּא דְאַנְהִיג לוֹן, וְלֵית מָאן דְּאַנְהִיג לָךְ, לָא לְעֵלָּא וְלָא לְתַתָּא
וְלָא מִכָּל סִטְרָא.
לְבוּשִׁין תַּקַּנְתְּ
לוֹן דְּמִנַּיְהוּ פָּרְחִין נִשְׁמָתִין לִבְנֵי נָשָׁא.
וְכַמָּה
גוּפִין תַּקַּנְתְּ לוֹן, דְּאִתְקְרִיאוּ גוּפִין לְגַבֵּי לְבוּשִׁין
דִּמְכַסְיָן עֲלֵיהוֹן. וְאִתְקְרִיאוּ בְּתִקּוּנָא דָא:
And
how many bodies have you made, which are called ‘bodies’[4] in relation to the garments which cover
them. And they are called in this arrangement:
[2] Through sins, the shefa (the influence through which Hashem
nourishes the world) from above is cut off. Hashem’s will is to give His good
to his creations, and sins, so to speak, prevent His will to give from being
expressed. Therefore, the illumination of the worlds is the responsibility of
the Jewish people, since the world depends on us to bring this shefa down and
to use it properly.
[3] Behold, the midot (midahs) of Chochma, Chesed, and Netzach, from
the right side, only bring forth good into the world. The midot of Bina,
Gevura, and Hod, from the left side, bring
forth Din and punish the wicked. The midot of Keter, Tiferet, Yesod, and Malchut, always bring forth Rachamim. For if Hashem only transmits Chesed alone,
the sinners will flourish. If Hashem only transmits Din, then people will stop
serving Hashem because of the difficulty. Therefore, Hashem most often only uses
Rachamim in His running of the world. (Vilna
Ga’on)
The Garments
(neshamot) are spiritual clothing for the ten forces through which Hashem directs
the world. On this, Chazal (our Sages) said that the Forefathers were the
Merkava (Chariot), that their neshama embodied a particular sefira. Avraham was
Chesed, therefore he was always hosting guests. Yitzchak was Gevurah, thus he went
to give up his life al kiddush Hashem
(at the Akeida). Yaakov was Tiferet, thus
he was fully dedicated to Torah learning.
In the upper world, where the main part of the neshama exists (Nefesh HaChaim in the name of the Gra), there
are ten types of neshamot along with their spiritual ‘bodies’ enclothed in the corresponding
the Ten Sefirot.
[5] They are ‘bodies’ referring to the outer
aspect of the Ten Sefirot. (Vilna Gaon)
חֶסֶד*
דְּרוֹעָא יְמִינָא. גְבוּרָא דְּרוֹעָא
שְׂמָאלָא. תִּפְאֶרֶת - גּוּפָא. נֶצַח וָהוֹד
תְּרֵין שׁוֹקִין. יסוֹד סִיּוּמָא
דְגוּפָא, אוֹת בְּרִית קֹדֶשׁ. מַלְכוּת פֶּה תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה קְרִינָן
לָהּ.
Chesed
(Kindness) is the right arm, Gevurah (Restraint)
is the left arm. Tiferet (Beauty) is
the Torso. Netzach and Hod (Eternity and Splendor) are the two thighs. Yesod (Foundation) is the end
of the body, the sign of the holy brit milah. Malchut (Kingship) is the mouth, which is called the Oral Torah.[6]
חָכְמָה
מוֹחָא, אִיהּי מַחֲשָׁבָה מִלְּגָאו. בִּינָה לִבָּא,
וּבָהּ הַלֵּב מֵבִין. וְעַל אִלֵּין תְּרֵין כְּתִיב: "הַנִּסְתָּרוֹת
לַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ".
Chochma (Wisdom) is the brain, which is inner thought. Bin (Understanding)
is
the heart through which the heart can understand.[7] In reference to these two Sefirot, it is written: “The hidden things are for Hashem Elokeinu.” (Devarim
29:28)[8]
[6] Through Chesed, Hashem
brings giving into the world, embodied by the right hand which a person uses to
give to his friend. Through Gevurah,
Hashem brings punishment to the wicked, and gives a person the power to overcome
his Yetzer Hara. Therefore, we wear tefillin on the left arm to curb the power
of the Yetzer Hara. Through Tiferet,
Hashem directs and beautifies the world. This is embodied by the torso of the
body which holds the vital organs, and by one who glorifies Hashem through
Torah learning. Through Netzach and Hod,
Hashem sends his malachim to be His messengers, and gave prophesy to the
prophets. The are embodied by a person’s two legs, teaching that suffering will
not come to one who walks in the right path (of Torah). Through Yesod, Hashem unites with His nation Yisrael with the holy
brit, the seal of Hashem, through which all shefa and bracha come. Through Malchut, Hashem shows his
Kingship in this world. This is embodied by the mouth, through which one
praises Hashem and learns both the Written and Oral Torah. In so doing, one
unites Yesod and Malchut which is the Tikun of the Brit. Hashem created man in this world opposite the
Ten Sefirot in the upper world. Hashem
created man corresponding to the upper Sefirot, and through his actions he can
fix the upper worlds. (Ba’al Shem Tov)
[7] The midah of Chochma corresponds to the brain, and it is the second sefira. Through it, ‘general understanding’, Hashem laid the foundation for the creation of the world. The midah of Bina corresponds to the heart (“Hashem wants the heart”) and is the third sefira. Through it, ‘detailed understanding’, Hashem created the world. Chazal define Bina as ‘understanding something from within something’. (Ramchal)
כֶּתֶר עֶלְיוֹן אִיהוּ כֶּתֶר מַלְכוּת.
וַעֲלֵהּ אִתְמַר: מַגִּיד מֵרֵאשִׁית
אַחֲרִית. וְאִיהוּ קַרְקַפְתָּא דִתְפִילֵי.
The supernal Keter (Crown) – it is
the crown of kingship.[9] And about it, the verse states: “Hashem speaks the end from
the beginning.” (Yeshaya 46:10) And this is also a reference to the skull on which the tefilin
rest.
מִלְּגָאו
אִיהוּ אוֹת יוֹ"ד וְאוֹת ה"א וְאוֹת וָא"ו | וְאוֹת ה"א, דְּאִיהוּ
אֹרַח אֲצִילוּת.
From the inner neshama[10]
shines the name which is comprised
of the letter Yud and the letter Heh and the letter Vav | and the letter
Heh,[11] the four-letter name of Hashem, which is the way of the world of Atzilut.
[9] The midah of Keter is
the very first of the sefirot and is Hashem’s will. (Ramchal) It is called ‘Keter
Malchut’ because the end of every action is present in the original thought to
do it. Thus, Malchut, the final sefira, is included in the first, because
Hashem’s purpose in creating this world was only reveal His Kingship. (Zohar HaKadosh)
[11] The letters Yud and Heh and Vav and Heh, known as ‘Mah’ when
spelled this way, have the gematria (numerical value) of 45, the same numerical
value of ‘Adam’ (Man).
וְאִיהוּ
שַׁקְיוּ דְאִילָנָא בִּדְרוֹעוֹי וְעַנְפּוֹי, כְּמַיָּא דְאַשְׁקֵי לְאִילָנָא
וְאִתְרַבֵּי בְּהַהוּא שַׁקְיוּ:
רִבּוֹן
עָלְמִין, אַנְתְּ הוּא עִלַּת הָעִלּוֹת וְסִבַּת הַסִּבּוֹת, דְּאַשְׁקֵי
לְאִילָנָא בְּהַהוּא נְבִיעוּ.
Master
of the Universe! You are the most supernal of the supernals and the reason of
all reasons, who waters the tree, the Ten Sefirot which are called a
‘tree’, from that flowing spring.[12]
וְהַהוּא
נְבִיעוּ אִיהוּ כְּנִשְׁמָתָא לְגוּפָא, דְּאִיהוּ חַיִּים לְגוּפָא, וּבָךְ לֵית
דִּמְיוֹן וְלֵית דְּיוּקְנָא מִכָּל מַה דִּלְגָאו וּלְבָר.
And that
spiritual light from the spring is like a neshama to the body, which is the
life force of the body. And in You, there
is no likeness
and no image from all of the sefirot and all of the creations, whether inner, hidden, or outer,
revealed.
[12] This is a reference to the inner light which comes down from the
Ain Sof, Blessed Is He, and nourishes the Sefirot.
וּבְרָאתָ
שְׁמַיָּא וְאַרְעָא, וְאַפַּקְת מִנְּהון שִׁמְשָׁא וְסִיהֲרָא וְכוֹכְבַיָּא
וּמַזָּלֵי,
And
You created Heaven and Earth, and You brought
forth from them[13] the sun and the moon and the stars and the
constellations,
וּבְאַרְעָא
אִילָנִין וּדְשָׁאִין, וְגִנְתָא דְּעֵדֶן, וְעִשְׂבִּין, וְחֵיוָן וְעוֹפִין
וְנוּנִין, וּבְעִירִין, וּבְנֵי נָשָׁא.
and
with the earth you created trees
and herbage , and the Garden of Eden,
and grasses[14], and wild animals, and birds, and fish,
and domestic animals, and humans.
לְאִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעָא
בְּהוֹן עִלָּאִין, וְאֵיךְ יִתְנַהֲגוּן בְּהוֹן עִלָּאִין וְתַתָּאִין,
This is to make the supernal worlds recognizable and known through them, and also
how the upper and lower worlds are directed
through them,
[13] These are the creations that were created after Hashem created the
Heavens and Earth. They were all created so that we would realize His Infinite
greatness, and we would learn from them the correct path on which to go. For
example we learn not to be lazy from the ant, which is an unbelievable insect
as the Gemara relates in tractate Chulin.
[14] It seems to me that these are the grasses whose roots are in the
Garden of Eden and which have the special inner power to heal humankind. (Badei Aravot)
וְאֵיךְ
אִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעָאן עִלָּאֵי וְתַתָּאֵי,
and to show how the supernal worlds and lower worlds are
recognized and known,
וְלֵית
דְּיָדַע בָּךְ כְּלָל.
and
there is no one who can know
and grasp You, the Ain Sof, Blessed Is He, at all.
וּבַר מִנָּךְ,
לֵית יִחוּדָא בְּעִלָּאֵי וְתַתָּאֵי.
And
without You, there is no unity in the upper, spiritual realms, or the lower, physical realms.
וְאַנְתְּ
אִשְׁתְּמוֹדָע אָדוֹן עַל כֹּלָּא.
And
You are recognized and known as the Master
over everything.
וְכָל
סְפִירָן כָּל חַד אִית לֵיהּ שֵׁם
יְדִיעָא
And regarding all of the Sefirot, each one has a known
name
וּבְהוֹן
אִתְקְרִיאוּ מַלְאָכַיָּא.
[15] Malachim are spiritual messengers who are in charge of bringing the
powers of the Sefirot from potential into action.
וְאַנְתְּ
לֵית לָךְ שֵׁם יְדִיעָא
And You Hashem, do not have a known name
דְּאַנְתְּ
הוּא מְמַלֵּא כָל שְׁמָהָן וְאַנְתְּ הוּא שְׁלִימוּ דְכֻלְּהוּ.
because
You fill
and enliven all[16]
of the Sefirot which are called by names, and You complete and fill everything.
וְכַד
אַנְתְּ תִּסְתַּלֵּק מִנְּהוֹן,
And
when You withdraw your shefa (spiritual
influence) from them,
אִשְׁתָּאֲרוּ
כֻלְּהוּ שְׁמָהָן כְּגוּפָא בְּלָא נִשְׁמָתָא.
all
of their names are left like a body without a neshama.
אַנְתְּ הוּא
חַכִּים וְלָא בְּחָכְמָה יְדִיעָא.
You
are wise, but not with the Chochma known in the Sefirot.
אַנְתּ
הוּא מֵבִין וְלָא בְּבִינָה יְדִיעָא.
You are the one who understands, but not with the
Bina known in the Sefirot.[17]
[16] Because the Ain Sof, Blessed Is He, is the neshama which gives everything life, and therefore, nothing in existence has any power on its own.
[17] Because all of the
creations have Chochma which comes from the upper known Chochma, and the same
is true with Bina. But Hashem Himself is the source of all Chochma and Bina. He is the source of everything and there is
nothing besides Him, and he is the cause and reason of all existence. All of
existence needs Hashem, whereas Hashem does not require anything. There was nothing
that preceded Hashem for Hashem to need anything from. And it is impossible for
the mouth to speak of or for the ears to hear about Hashem’s four types of
creation. And there is no power in
the heart of man to grasp or recognize His creating. Therefore we must praise
and sanctify His great name. (Kesei
Eliyahu Le’Rabbi Mani z”l)
לֵית
לָךְ אֲתַר* יְדִיעָא אֶלָּא לְאִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעָא תּוּקְפָךְ וְחֵילָךְ לִבְנֵי נָשָׁא
You
do not have a fixed or known
place[18], rather, Your purpose in revealing
Yourself is to make your power and
strength known to human beings[19]
וּלְאַחֲזָאָה
לוֹן אֵיךְ אִתְנְהִג עָלְמָא בְּדִינָא וּבְרַחֲמֵי,
and
to show them how the world is directed with the attribute of Din
(Judgment), and with the attribute of Rachamim,
(Mercy),
[18] As is mentioned in
the Midrash Rabbah (Vayeitzei 68:9): Why do we refer to Hashem’s name as ‘Makom’
(Place)? Because He is the place of the
world and the world is not His place. (Be’er Lechai Ro’ie)
[19] Everything we know
about Hashem is only via the Sefirot, because through them Hashem has let
humanity known His power, strength, and method of directing creation. The whole concept of Hashem creating the Sefirot
is for His own honor, to know and make known that He, so to speak, directs according
to the Sefirot, whether through Din or Rachamim. Hashem relates to us according
to our behavior, because there is a known midah over everything, whether to punish
those who transgress His will, or to pay out reward to those who do His will. (Be’er
Lechai Ro’ie)
דְּאִינוּן
צֶדֶק וּמִשְׁפָּט, כְּפוּם עוֹבְדֵיהוֹן דִּבְנֵי נָשָׁא.
which
are
the attributes of Tzedek (Righteousness) and Mishpat (Justice), according
to the actions of humans.[21]
דִּין
אִיהוּ גְבוּרָה. מִשְׁפָּט-עַמּוּדָא
דְאֶמְצָעִיתָא
צֶדֶק מַלְכוּתָא
קַדִּישָׁא, מֹאזְנֵי צֶדֶק* תְּרֵין סַמְכֵי קְשׁוֹט.
Tzedek is the Holy Malchut, and the scales of Tzedek - Netzach and Hod,
are the two supports of Truth,
Tiferet.
[21] From here and on the Zohar HaKadosh will explain how Hashem directs
His world with the seven lower Sefirot of Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach,
Hod, Yesod, and Malchut, either with Chesed or with Din. (Be’er Lechai Ro’ie).
If a person sins,
Hashem will punish him through the midah of Gevurah. If a person is a ‘beinoni’
(average) he will be judged with Rachamim (Tiferet), not by only Chesed or Din.
If a person judges others favorably, then Hashem will judge with Tzedek, derived
from the word ‘Tzedaka’, through the Shechina who is the Mother of Klal Yisrael
and who is called ‘Knesset Yisrael’, who requests Hashem to forgive Klal
Yisrael.
The “Scales of Tzedek”
are the midot of Netzach and Hod to which the malachim can reach. They see the deeds
of Klal Yisrael and then weigh them on this scale before Hashem. (Zohar HaKadosh)
The ‘Hin Tzedek’
is the midah of Yesod, which is, so to speak, the supernal Brit Mila, which is
where the malachim of Rachimim are. The malachim of Chesed come from Netzach
while the malachim of Din come from Hod (Ramchal).
These three groups are like the three judges who comprise a Beit Din.
הִין
צֶדֶק-אוֹת בְּרִית. כֹּלָּא לְאַחֲזָאָה אֵיךְ
אִתְנְהִיג עָלְמָא
The Hin (measurement) of Tzedek is the sign of the brit at the place of circumcision. All of this, describing these
attributes, is to show how the world is
directed by Hashem and how Hashem brings forth His influences depending on
the actions of the Jewish people,
אֲבָל
לַאו דְּאִית לָךְ צֶדֶק יְדִיעָא דְאִיהוּ דִין, וְלָא מִשְׁפָּט יְדִיעָא
דְאִיהוּ רַחֲמֵי, וְלָא מִכָּל אִלֵּין מִדּוֹת כְּלָל.
but[22] not to say that You have the known Tzedek which
is Din, and not the known Mishpat which
is Rachamim, and not from any of these
attributes at all.[23]
[22] As the verse says,
“From the mouth of the exalted no evil will come with good.” (Eicha 3:38). Rather when people sin, the
good for them is to receive punishment and to atone for their debts, and then after, they
will be able to receive their proper reward.
[22] The description of the Sefirot in general, and about Din and Rachamim
in particular, is not in any way a description of the Ein Sof, Blessed Is He,
not, and He cannot be called by any midah or sefira at all. Even though we
speak using names of midot and how they work, we are not speaking about
Hashem’s essence at all. They are just tools and vessels which Hashem uses to direct
the lower world. (Be’er Lechai Ro’ie)
This is what is
meant that “Hashem has none of these midot at all.” (Ziv HaZohar)
The Ramak, in Sefer
HaPardes (Sha’ar Atzmus Ve’Keilim Perek
5) writes that even though there is a piece missing from this last
paragraph of the Patach Eliyahu, the enormous light that we need has come out to us
in this gate.
When Eliyahu HaNavi finished his praises to Hashem, he hastened to Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai to reveal the secrets of the Torah,
since only Rebbi Shimon was permitted to reveal them. Only he was given the task to redeem the Shechina and Klal Yisrael from exile. Therefore, Eliyahu Hanavi proclaimed “Arise Rebbi Shimon Bar Yochai! Do not wait. Begin to reveal the secrets of the Torah so that Hashem will redeem His children from exile.”
(Ziv HaZohar)
קוּם
רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן וְיִתְחַדְּשׁוּן מִלִּין עַל יְדָךְ
דְהָא רְשׁוּתָא אִית
לָךְ לְגַלָּאָה רָזִין טְמִירִין עַל יְדָךְ,
that
behold, you have permission to reveal hidden supernal secrets of the Torah through you,
מַה דְלָא אִתְיְהִיב
רְשׁוּ לְגַלָּאָה לְשׁוּם בַּר נָשׁ עַד כְּעָן:
a
permission to reveal that was not granted to any other human until now.”
קָם
רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן פָּתַח וְאָמַר:
Rebbi
Shimon
arose[25],
opened the discourse, and said the verse:
לְךָ
יְהֹוָה הַגְּדֻלָּה וְהַגְּבוּרָה וְהַתִּפְאֶרֶת וְהַנֵּצַח וְהַהוֹד, כִּי כֹל
בַּשָּׁמַיִם וּבָאָרֶץ. לְךָ יְהֹוָה הַמַּמְלָכָה. וְהַמִּתְנַשֵּׂא לְכֹל
לְרֹאשׁ.
“To You Hashem[26] is Gedulah (Greatness
- Chesed), and Gevurah (Restraint),
and Tiferet (Beauty), and Netzach (Eternity), and Hod (Splendor), because Kol (All - Yesod) is in the
Heavens and Earth.[27] To You Hashem is Mamlacha (Kingship - Malchut). And you are lifted above all to the head.”
עִלָּאִין
שְׁמָעוּ אִנּוּן דְּמִיכִין דְּחֶבְרוֹן וְרַעְיָא מְהֵימְנָא אִתְּעָרוּ מִשְּׁנַתְכוֹן.
Listen
supernal ones, those who are sleeping in the holy city of Chevron in the Cave of Machpelah and the Trustworthy Shepherd of the
Jewish People, Moshe Rabbeinu, wake up
from your sleep! [28]
"הָקִיצוּ וְרַנְּנוּ שׁוֹכְנֵי עָפָר."
“Wake up and sing, those who are resting in the
earth.”
[26] The seven lower midot/Sefirot through which Hashem directs the
world. (Vilna Gaon)
[27] Yesod is called ‘Kol’ because it includes in itself all of the good
divine influx (Hashpaot), for those
who guard the holy Brit. ‘In the Heavens and the Earth’ means that it receives from
Tiferet (Shamayim) in order to give to
Malchut (Aretz). Yesod also connects
the Written Torah (Tiferet) and Oral
Torah (Malchut), which is the Tikun
HaBrit, as is known.
[28]The Avot and Moshe Rabbeinu are hinted to in the verse: Avraham - Chesed,
Yitzchak - Gevurah, Yaakov - Tiferet, Moshe - Netzach. (Benayahu Ke’Reiach HaTov)
אִלֵּין
אִנּוּן צַדִּיקַיָּא דְּאִנּוּן מִסִּטְרָא דְהַהוּא דְּאִתְמַר בָּהּ:
They, ‘those who are
resting in the earth’, are the tzadikim who
are from the portion of that, the Shechina, about which is said:
"אֲנִי
יְשֵׁנָה וְלִבִּי עֵר".
“I am
sleeping but my heart is awake”.
וְלָאו
אִנּוּן מֵתִים.
And they are not called dead, rather sleeping.
וּבְגִין דָּא
אִתְמַר בְהוֹן: "הָקִיצוּ וְרַנְּנוּ" וגו'.
And because of this, it is said about them, the Avot and Moshe Rabbeinu, “Wake up and sing…”.
רַעְיָא
מְהֵימְנָא, אַנְתְּ וַאֲבָהָן
Trustworthy Shepherd, you and the Forefathers
הָקִיצוּ
וְרַנְּנו לְאִתְּעָרוּתָא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא, דְּאִיהִי יְשֵׁנָה בְגָלוּתָא,
who is sleeping in
exile,[30]
[29] Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai wanted to make a tikun for the Shechina through
revealing and learning the secrets of the Torah. This is what is meant by ‘sing’, as Chazal say on the verse, “Stand and
sing to me at night at the beginning of dusk”. Singing is a direct reference to
Torah learning, specifically the learning of the secrets of Torah which brings
simcha to the supernal worlds and brings the final redemption closer.
[30] Being that the Shechina is in exile with no spiritual nourishment,
without any support or help, it is Torah learning which supports and assists her.
The secrets of Torah, which are called ‘Raz’ (secret) has the same gematria (numerical
value) as ‘Ohr’ (light) - 207, which causes the unification of Hashem and the
Shechina, and which brings the final redemption, speedily in our days. Amen. (Ziv HaZohar)
דְּעַד
כְּעַן צַדִּיקַיָּא כֻּלְּהוּ דְמִיכִין וְשִׁנְתָּא בְחוֹרֵיהוֹן.
מִיָּד
יָהִיבַת שְׁכִינְתָּא תְּלַת קָלִין לְגַבֵּי רַעְיָא מְהֵימְנָא, וְיֵימָא
לֵיהּ:
Suddenly,
the Shechina sounded three voices[32] towards the Trustworthy Shepherd, Moshe
Rabbeinu, and said to him:
[31] One explanation of the word “bechoreyhon”
is nostrils, for we know that the breath, which is the life force of the body,
is in the nostrils, as the verses state, “the breath of the ruach of life in
his nose” and “and He placed in his nose the breath of life”.
Another
explanation is that “bechoreyhon” is
the white part of the eyes, because the eyelids rest on the white part of the
eye that surrounds the pupil. (Benayahu
Le’Reiach HaTov).
[32] The three voices correspond the Three Avot. (Kesei Melech)
The Arizal says
that the three voices correspond to the three letters of Moshe’s name: Mem - Chesed, Shin - Gevurah, Heh - Tiferet. (Sha’ar Ha’Pesukim, Shmot)
Another explanation
is that the Shechina is referred to as ‘Zot’ (this), which has the gematria of
413, triple the value of the word ‘Kol’ (voice) with the kollelim included in
the value. (Benayahu Le’Reiach HaTov)
קוּם
רַעְיָא מְהֵימְנָא דְהָא עֲלָךְ אִתְמַר: "קוֹל דּוֹדִי דוֹפֵק"
לְגַבָּאי
בְּאַרְבָּע אַתְוָן דִּילֵיהּ,
Stand
up Trustworthy Shepherd! Behold it is written about you: “The voice of my
beloved is knocking” towards me with its four letters of Hashem’s
unspeakable name,[33]
וְיִימָא
בְהוֹן
And it will proclaim in them, with their
power, the verse:
"פִּתְחִי
לִי אֲחוֹתִי רַעְיָתִי יוֹנָתִי תַמָּתִי".
“Open for me my sister, my friend, my dove, my
innocent.”
דְהָא
"תַּם עֲוֹנֵךְ בַּת צִיּוֹן לֹא יוֹסִיף לְהַגְלוֹתֵךְ"
That
behold,
the verse says: “Your sins have ceased, daughter
of Tzion, and you will no longer be taken into exile”.[34]
"שֶׁרֹאשִׁי
נִמְלָא טָל". מַאי "נִמְלָא טָל"?
“For my head is filled with dew”. What is meant by
“filled with dew”?
אֶלָּא
אָמַר קֻדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא: אַנְתְּ חָשַׁבְתְּ
Rather, The Holy One Blessed Be He said: You, the
Shechina, thought
דְּמִיּוֹמָא
דְאִתְחָרַב בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא
that from the day that the Beit Hamikdash was destroyed,
דְּעָאלְנָא
בְּבֵיתָא דִילִי וְעָאלְנָא בְיִשּׁוּבָא?
I
ascended to the Beit Hamikdash in the upper realms and I ascended to my
dwelling
in the upper Yerushalayim?
לָאו
הֲכִי, דְּלָא עָאלְנָא כָּל זִמְנָא דְּאַנְתְּ בְּגָלוּתָא* הֲרֵי לָךְ
סִימָנָא:
That is not the case at all, for Hashem said: “To show that
I have not ascended to my dwelling as
long as you are still in exile, and that I am accompanying you into exile
to guard you, here is a sign that I
will give you:
"שֶׁרֹאשִׁי נִמְלָא טָל",
הֵ"א
שְׁכִינְתָא בְּגָלוּתָא,
The fourth letter of
the Four-Letter Name, Heh, spelled
Heh-Alef (with milui alfin) is an allusion to the Shechina in exile, and is not counted in the gematria of ‘Tal’,
שְׁלִימוּ
דִילָהּ וְחַיִּים דִּילָהּ אִיהוּ טַל.
her completion and her life is in the
secret of ‘Tal’.
וְדָא אִיהוּ אוֹת
יוֹ"ד אוֹת הֵ"א אוֹת וָא"ו,
This is the secret of the
first three letters: the letter ‘Yud’,
the letter ‘Heh’, and the letter ‘Vav’, referring to HaKadosh
Baruch Hu (The Holy One Blessed Is He), and when in milui alfin equaling 39 – ‘Tal’,
as was mentioned above,
וְאוֹת
הֵ"א אִיהִי שְׁכִינְתָּא דְלָא מֵחֻשְׁבָּן טָ"ל,
and
the
final letter ‘Heh’, is the Shechina, and is not part of the calculation of ‘Tal’,[36]
אֶלָּא
אוֹת יוֹ"ד אוֹת הֵ"א וְאוֹת וָא"ו דִּסְלִיקוּ אַתְוָן
לְחֻשְׁבָּן טָ"ל.
rather the letter ‘Yud’, the letter ‘Heh’, and the letter ‘Vav’ are the letters which add up
to the calculation of ‘Tal’.
דְּאִיהִי
מַלְיָא לִשְׁכִינְתָּא מִנְּבִיעוּ דְּכָל מְקוֹרִין עִלָּאִין.
That
this
name fills the Shechina from the flowing
springs of all the supernal sources.
מִיַּד
קָם רַעְיָא מְהֵימְנָא וַאֲבָהָן קַדִּישִׁין עִמֵּיהּ.
[36] This is a hidden meaning of the verse, “And river went out from
Eden to water the Garden.” The first three letters Yud, Heh, and Vav in their milui
alfin, with the same gematria of ‘tal’, are the shefa (divine influx) that
descends from Z’eir Anpin (the upper six sefirot from Chesed to Yesod) to water
the fourth letter, the lower Heh, also known as the Shechina.
This is what is
meant that the Shechina is in exile, ‘far from her husband’. The last letter, Heh,
has become distanced even further from the first three letters of Yud, Hey, and
Vav. Therefore these three letters cannot
‘water’ and give sustenance to the Shechina, until in the future when Mashiach
comes. Then, this lower Heh will attach herself to the first three letters and
the name of Hashem will become complete once again. Amen.
This is the
secret of, “That my head is filled with dew”.
In other words there is no supernal union of the four letters of the Name,
only of three.
Immediately,
the Trustworthy Shepherd stood up, and the Holy Forefathers with him in order to
awaken the Shechina, and to unite both names of Y-H-V-H and A-D-N-Y.
עַד כָּאן
רָזָא דְיִחוּדָא:
Until here is the Secret of the Unification.
"בָּרוּךְ
יְהֹוָה לְעוֹלָם אָמֵן וְאָמֵן".
“Baruch Hashem
Forever, Amen v’Amen.”
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