Daily Zohar # 1398 – Bo – 10 Plagues part 1
Hebrew translation:
5. רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר פָּתַח, (שם א) וַיְהִי הַיּוֹם וַיָּבֹאוּ בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים לְהִתְיַצֵּב עַל ה’ וַיָּבוֹא גַם הַשָּׂטָן בְּתוֹכָם. וַיְהִי הַיּוֹם – זֶה רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹמֵד לָדוּן אֶת הָעוֹלָם, כְּמוֹ זֶה, וַיְהִי הַיּוֹם וַיָּבֹא שָׁמָּה. אוֹתוֹ יוֹם הָיָה יוֹם טוֹב שֶׁל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה.
6. וַיָּבֹאוּ בְּנֵי הָאֱלֹהִים – אֵלּוּ מְמֻנִּים גְּדוֹלִים שְׁלוּחִים בָּעוֹלָם, לְהַשְׁגִּיחַ בְּמַעֲשֵׂי בְּנֵי הָאָדָם. לְהִתְיַצֵּב עַל ה’ – כְּמוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלכים-א כב) וְכָל צְבָא הַשָּׁמַיִם עֹמֵד עָלָיו מִימִינוֹ וּמִשְּׂמֹאלוֹ. אֲבָל לְהִתְיַצֵּב עַל ה’, בְּפָסוּק זֶה מָצָאנוּ אַהֲבַת הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, מִשּׁוּם שֶׁהַשְּׁלוּחִים הַלָּלוּ, שֶׁמְּמֻנִּים לְהַשְׁגִּיחַ עַל מַעֲשֵׂי בְּנֵי הָאָדָם, הוֹלְכִים וּמְשׁוֹטְטִים וְלוֹקְחִים אֶת כָּל אוֹתָם הַמַּעֲשִׂים, וּבַיּוֹם שֶׁבָּא הַדִּין לַעֲמֹד לָדוּן הָעוֹלָם, נַעֲשִׂים קָטֵגוֹרִים לַעֲמֹד עַל בְּנֵי אָדָם. וּבֹא רְאֵה, מִכָּל הָעַמִּים שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם לֹא עוֹמְדִים לְהַשְׁגִּיחַ בְּמַעֲשֵׂיהֶם רַק עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל לְבַדָּם, מִשּׁוּם שֶׁאֵלֶּה בָּנִים שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא.
Zohar Portion: Bo 4-6
The two Torah portions of Vaerah and Bo are connected with the 10 plagues. Vaerah brings the story of the first seven and Bo brings the last three.
The most important questions are why are there 10 plagues? Why did G-d harden Pharaoh’s heart?
In this short article I will try to explain the amazing teaching the Torah gives us. First remember that we just started the Book of Exodus and Jacob connected to Joseph to form the connection from the upper triangle of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Chessed, Gevurah, Tiferet) to Joseph (Yesod).
Think of this as the power outlet on the wall ready to channel the energy out. Joseph is the source or the positive (hot wire). Having that setting, the spiritual system is with great potential of manifestation.
The first verse of Vaera reveals the desire of the Light to show more of its forces in this world.
Exodus 6:2, 3 “God also said to Moses, “I am YHVH. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name YHVH I did not make myself known to them.”
“וַיְדַבֵּר אֱלֹקים, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה; וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו, אֲנִי יְקוָק.”
“וָאֵרָא, אֶל-אַבְרָהָם אֶל-יִצְחָק וְאֶל-יַעֲקֹב–בְּאֵל שַׁדָּי; וּשְׁמִי יְקוָק, לֹא נוֹדַעְתִּי לָהֶם”
We see that G-d prepares Moshe for a greater revelation of light and asks him to prepare the people to connect to the new forces, (6:7)
וְלָקַחְתִּי אֶתְכֶם לִי לְעָם, וְהָיִיתִי לָכֶם לֵאלֹקים;
וִידַעְתֶּם, כִּי אֲנִי יְקוָק אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, הַמּוֹצִיא אֶתְכֶם, מִתַּחַת סִבְלוֹת מִצְרָיִם.
(6:7) I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am YHVH your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.
G-d wanted to fulfill his promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and the process had to start now. After Joseph established the channel of Yessod, God needed a ‘consumer’ for the light in order to create a complete circuit like an electrical device that requires electricity (the Light), consumer (us) that uses the energy and returns it back to the source. Without a ‘consumer’ that ‘grounds’ the energy there is no circuitry and no flow of energy. G-d needed the people to achieve that goal and in many ways they had no choice but to accept.
That is the reason for the command to Pharaoh “שַׁלַּח אֶת-עַמִּי, וְיַעַבְדֻנִי” (Let my people go, so that they may worship me)
The next part will be tomorrow.