Daily Zohar # 5231 – Beresheet – Why the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden

Hebrew translation:

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Zohar Beresheet
Continued from previous DZ
#425
Rabbi Abba said, Why is it written “וְעֵץ הַחַיִּים בְּתוֹךְ הַגָּן וְעֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב” “and the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of good…” (Genesis 2:9)? Is the Tree of Knowledge not in the middle of the garden? (As he concludes below in section 427.) We have learned that the Tree of Life is a journey of five hundred years, and all the waters of Beresheet divide beneath it. And he explains the reason that it is a journey of five hundred years: because the Tree of Life is truly in the middle of the garden — that is, it is the aspect of the middle line. And therefore it includes and pours forth from the five sefirot that are in Binah, each one of which is the secret of one hundred, to the garden, which is the secret of Malchut, who is also called “שנה” “year.” This is the secret that the Tree of Life is a journey of five hundred years: that it journeys and pours the five sefirot Keter-Chochmah-Binah-Tiferet-Malchut that are in Binah to the “year,” which is the secret of Malchut and the garden. And it takes all the waters of Beresheet — that is, all the Mochin that are in Binah that have returned to Chochmah, which is called Bereshit — and they divide beneath it.
Notes:
The Tree of Life stands in the true middle of the garden as the middle line. It channels the five sefirot of Binah (each counted as 100, totaling 500 years) into Malchut, the garden. All the Mochin of Binah that have returned to the level of Chochmah (Beresheet) flow through it and divide beneath it.

#426
Now he explains the reason why all the waters of Bereshit divide beneath the Tree of Life. And he says that the river which flows and goes out from Eden, that is Binah, rests upon the garden and enters into it. That is, the Mochin that the Tree of Life shines into the garden are from the river, which is Binah. And from there, from the aspect of Binah, the waters divide into several sides, for the Mochin do not shine in Binah except in the secret of the three points Cholam, Shuruk, and Chirik, which are the division of the Mochin into three sides: right, left, and middle. And the garden takes all three sides that are in the Mochin, and afterward they go out and are poured from her into the lower ones, dividing into several streams below. That is, just as the garden received the Mochin in the division into three sides — right, left, and middle — so when she pours to the lower ones, they also receive in the division into three sides, as it is written “יַשְׁקוּ כָּל חַיְתוֹ שָׂדָי” “they water all the beasts of the field” (Psalms 104:11), which means that each of the lower ones receives from the aspect that corresponds to it in the Mochin of the Nukva. And he explains the reason in more detail. He says that just as the Mochin go out from that upper world, that is Binah, where they go out on three sides as above, and Binah waters the Mochin to those upper mountains of pure balsam, which are Chessed-Gevurah-Tiferet of Binah. Afterward, when they reach from there —from Chessed-Gevurah-Tiferet of Binah —to the Tree of Life, which is Zeir Anpin, the Mochin also divide to each side according to their way—that is, right, left, and middle. And therefore they likewise divide in the garden that receives from the Tree of Life, and also in Beriah-Yetzirah-Asiyah that receive from the garden.
Notes:
The Mochin flowing from Binah (the river of Eden) reach the garden only after being divided into the three lines — right, left, and middle — corresponding to the vowel points Cholam, Shuruk, and Chirik. The garden receives all three aspects and then channels them downward, so that every lower level receives according to the side that matches it. The same threefold division continues from Binah through Zeir Anpin into the garden and further into the lower worlds.

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