Zohar: En Soph and Shekina

I don't see any good Zohar threads so I wanted to make one about 2 of the most important themes in the mysterious Sepher Ha-Zohar. It is truly unknown who wrote it but the stories told are about Simeon ben Yochai and friends, second century Rabbis, Simeon went on the run and lived in a cave for years before the Roman who wanted him dead died, and while he was in the cave he may have written the Zohar, but the likelihood of him writing that immense body of literature in the second century and hiding it until some Arabs found it and it got into the hands of Moses de Leon (one story I read about) are slim to none.

Regardless it gained fame and has been passed down, probably people added to it and then a running commentary was added and today the English volumes run from 3 to 5 to 15 volumes and another less trustworthy 22 from the not Rabbinical Kabbalah Centre that made it into a business empire and I would not buy a pack of gum from them with their Kabbalah Water. I recommend the 15 or 16 volume versions because they are the whole Zohar including the Greater Assembly and Book of Concealment starting from Genesis/Bere#h.

En Soph is the hidden source of the ten Sefirot. A good way to describe En Soph is as the hidden God, who seeks to reveal Himself and unloose His hidden powers. (selected quotes from Isaiah Tishby vol 1)

The Sefirot are emanations of rays if light from Him. I would connect that with the creation of the light on day one before the celestial orbs, stars or planets or moons, light still existed as did time, before the orbs. I would call the light the Sephirot. There are ten with one hidden called Da'ath or Gnosis. It is too intricate to cover here so I will get back to En Soph.

Removed personally from the acts of creation which occur from His will alone, emanations, like the Christian Logos and Holy Spirit, they are God and do the creating. The Holy Spirit is the Shekhina though and no regular emanation or Sephira but I will get into that in a few.

Nothing in the Tanakh can be compared to En Soph, it doesn't mention Him because He is impossible to describe though the Zohar tries, lets get to some quotes.

Zohar 1, 22b,Tikkunei ha Zohar

That which is called "cause of causes" is the cause of [known] causes, for not one of these causes performs any act without obtaining permission from the cause that is above it, as I have explained on "Let us make man" indicates two, for one said to that which was above it, "Let us make," and it could do nothing without the express permission of the one above it,and the one above it could do nothing without first obtaining advice from its fellow.

There is even a "cause above causes" that

"has no companion from which to take advice, for it is single, preceding all, with no partner, and it is for this reason that it says," See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no God with Me," from whom it should take advice, it has no companion, partner or number. There does exist a shared unity, as with male and female, of whom it is said, "for one I called him" (Isaiah 51:2 referring to Abraham and Sarah). But this is one without number, and without companion, and it says therefore, "there is no god with Me."

"Happy is the man who is united with his master in the revelation of mysteries which are not revealed even to the angels. "

Zohar III, 225a, Raya Mehemna

He understands all, but none understands Him. He is not called by the name YHWH, nor any other name, except when His light extends himself upon them (Yod, He, Vav, He, each corresponding to a Sefirot). And when He removes himself from them, He has no name of His own at all.
"That which is exceedingly deep, who can find it? "(Ecclesiasties 7:24). No one can look upon him without becoming dark. Even the supernal Keter (Crown Sefirot), whose light is the strongest of all the levels, and of all the hosts of Heaven, both the upper and lower realms, is alluded to in" He made darkness His hiding place " (Psalm 18:12);

He encompasses all worlds, and none but He surrounds them on every side, above and below and in the four courners of the globe, and none may go beyond His domain. He fills all worlds, and none fill Him. He gives life to them, and there is no other god above Him.

If this is from the time of Moses de Leon and called the earth a globe, that is impressive.

The Shekhina

In aggadic literature the Shekhina is the divine presence. The Tree of Knowledge (the 10/11 Sefirot) is the Shekhina, and Adams sin was separating the Tree of Knowledge from the Tree of Life (Tiferet). You could say Jesus came to reunite the world with the Shekhina or Holy Spirit because it is believed at times She is exiled through the sin of "cutting", which unleashes the power of the "other side " (Lilith, Samael,)

In other words, based on the state of the world whether it is good vs when it is evil, the Shekhina loses power during times of great sin and the other side gains power. Cutting is akin to idolatry.

The Shekhina reveals the power of three judgements, the Judgement of justice, which promotes righteousness and virtue to sustain the world, using the "other side" as a henchmen.

Judgement of vengeance, to protect the Shekhina and rescue her from her tormenters (reminds me of Pistis-Sophia).

Judgement of fury, aroused by sin and is a reaction to the harm done to the Shekhina. This is a destructive force when the "other side" is in the world and defeats holiness.
(All quotes or paraphrased from Tishby)

Zohar 1, 221a A Rose and a Lily

Come and see. At first she is green like a rose, whose leaves are green ; afterward "a lily" (shoshanah), she is read with white colors. Shoshanah, with six leaves; shoshanah, because she changes (ishtaniat) from color to color, and varies her colors. "A lily"----first a rose; when she wishes to unite with the king, she is called" rose" and after she has become united with him, with the king, with those kisses she is called "lily" since it is written "His lips are as lilies" (Song of Songs 5:13) "A lily of the valleys," for she changes color, sometimes for good, sometimes for evil, sometimes for Mercy [Elohim], sometimes for judgment [Yahweh].

Zohar III, 97a, Raya Mehemna
A Woman of Worth

The woman who plays the harlot moves away from them, because she cannot exist by their side [loving wife and husband]. The woman of worth comes near, and approaches the High Priest, and she certainly is pure: "Then she will be cleared and shall conceive" (Numbers 5:28), and she gives additional strength to her husband. The woman who plays the harlot flees from the sanctuary, so as not to come near it, for if she came during the examining of the woman of worth, she would perish from the world. She has no desire for the sanctuary, and flees from it, leaving Israel in purity, with no foreign admixture, in respect to the mystery of faith. This recondite mystery is that of two sisters, and when one caught the examination of the other "her belly became swollen, and her thigh fell away" (Numbers 5:27), for the examination of the woman of worth is a fatal poison to the woman who plays the harlot. This, therefore, is the council of the Holy One, blessed be He, gave to His children ; that they should bring this offering for the sake of the woman of worth, so the harlot flees, and leaves the people of Israel free of foreign admixture.

Happy are they in this world, and the world to come!

I shared this because I learn when I write or type and to share something different with the crowd. If you enjoy it I'm happy but it helped me learn while doing it so either way it's all good.

"Happy is the man who is united with his master in the revelation of mysteries which are not revealed even to the angels. "

People who achieve a low level bliss have happy bodies since the chemicals the Amygdala release that result in increased sensory feeling. To a seeker the mind can understand how the connection between synchronicity and quantum entanglement happens and how the information flows between one part and many and is manifested in the body.

a reply to: LittleByLittle

I try to establish a conduit between the upper Wisdom/Divine Wisdom and the earthly wisdom, which without the divine is just information, knowledge.

Turning knowledge into Wisdom, the application of knowledge is impossible without Wisdom to the point if done you get Hiroshima and such. I don't care the reason, that was knowledge used for evil and unwise.

Plus I feel the world is in a good state, and the Shekhina is united to the Tree of Life and we are constantly being told "no, it isn't" everything is evil... Satan, Satan, Satan.

It's the rulers who are responsible, will have to answer. Average world citizens are on the level, it's the powerful who are corrupt.

Have you noticed an increase in the admiration of the Divine Feminine in Judaism and Christianity, the Holy Spirit being recognized as feminine?

That is a sign we are in a new era. The Sophia mythos was ressurected from the first three centuries and oblivion and ever since it was published Sophia has been a popular concept, as the Shekhina is for Judaism.

Even Lilith has achieved demigoddess like status.

Fundamental Christians would object, but what don't they object to, reject, ignore or don't realize?

a reply to: LittleByLittle

But the happiness that comes from intuiting things mysterious, solving mysteries on your own is more beneficial than doing it with a human master giving you answers that could be and often are misleading or wrong.

The "united with his master in the revelation of mysteries which are not revealed to the angels." Reminds me of the conduit I spoke of. Once you realize that you are able to establish union with a (Heavenly) master able to reveal certain things that require an intelligence that not all angels have it becomes an attractive concept, but a reasonable one too.

A simple explanation is there is a satisfaction that comes with knowing something others don't, the bigger the mystery the more satisfying the answer. If you have ever known something without knowing how or why you might know what I mean. Even small matters that are just things people don't know, including theologians, about the Bible give me reason to be happy because they are boxed in by oral tradition and theology and not free to learn independently. Metaphorically you could (sarcastically) consider these people and the average honest Christian (not sarcastically) as the angels, Jews and Muslims too, if they don't know scripture as well as you, it's a proper metaphor because they are good and do good deeds and just are not readers, understandable because everyone is spiritual in a different way.

The Sephirot is the Divine anatomy and energetic blueprint of a celestial being. Each of the ten aspects are Angelic hosts bound to the essence of the being forming a collective gestalt. Each aspect grants the being access to specific facets of divine authority and power.

Cool first thread Josh!
Very interesting topic.

And welcome to ATS!!

originally posted by: muzzleflash
Cool first thread Josh!
Very interesting topic.

And welcome to ATS!!

Ah, thanks much!!

a reply to: Geki09

The ten Sephirot are an interesting way of expressing God, and a confusing one, because the Tree of Life that is the ten also represents the Adam Kadmon or Primordial man.

And there are aspects within aspects of each of the ten, some corresponding to patriarchs, others to names of God.

It takes years to master the Zohar, I'm a beginner myself, so I appreciate your being interested and commenting. It's a really interesting series of books, makes the Bible a lot more interesting.

I like the story of ben Yochai, even the probably legendary accounts.

a reply to: muzzleflash

This is only his first thread under this ATS user account name. He has been known as LastDays, Gnosisisfaith , , , , , , , , , Joshuabennone.

He is a troll, who wont obey ATS T&C manners and regulations.