Daily Zohar # 2204 – Devarim – Desert
The section above is from Zohar Tezaveh 82,84,85
Hebrew translation:
84. בִּגְלַל שֶׁחָטְאוּ בְּכַמָּה פְעָמִים, נָשַׁךְ אוֹתָם הַנָּחָשׁ, וְאָז הִתְקַיֵּם (בראשית ג) הוּא יְשׁוּפְךָ רֹאשׁ וְגוֹ’. יִשְׂרָאֵל הִכּוּ רֹאשׁוֹ בַתְּחִלָּה וְלֹא יָדְעוּ לְהִשָּׁמֵר מִמֶּנּוּ, וּלְבַסּוֹף הוּא הִכָּה בָאַחֲרוֹנָה, וְנָפְלוּ כֻלָּם בַּמִּדְבָּר, וְהִתְקַיֵּם וְאַתָּה תְּשׁוּפֶנּוּ עָקֵב. וְאַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה לָקוּ מִמֶּנּוּ, כְּנֶגֶד אַרְבָּעִים מַלְקוֹת שֶׁל בֵּית דִּין
85. וְעַל זֶה כָּתוּב אֲשֶׁר רָאִיתָ, בְּעֵינֵיהֶם הָיוּ רוֹאִים אֶת אֲדוֹן הַמִּדְבָּר הוֹלֵךְ קָשׁוּר לִפְנֵיהֶם, וְלָקְחוּ נַחֲלָתוֹ וְגוֹרָלוֹ. מִנַּיִן לָנוּ? שֶׁכָּתוּב (שמות טו) אָז נִבְהֲלוּ אַלּוּפֵי אֱדוֹם, וְאֵלֶּה הֵם (דברים ח) נָחָשׁ שָׂרָף וְעַקְרָב. וַאֲנַחְנוּ גַּם כָּךְ נִפְרַדְנוּ מֵהַיִּשּׁוּב לַמִּדְבָּר הֶחָזָק לְעַיֵּן שָׁם בַּתּוֹרָה, כְּדֵי לְהַכְנִיעַ אֶת הַצַּד הָאַחֵר
.
God carried us in the wilderness like a father carrying his son (Deuteronomy 1:31). God gave us the protection of the pillar of fire during the night and clouds of honor during the day. We were protected until we sinned because of the Snake and his partners that are very strong in the wilderness. They distracted us from following the Light and the result was that the entire generation that left Egypt (age 20 and above) had to die in the desert.
This study of the Zohar was done by Rabbi Shimon and his friends while they were walking outside the town. Zohar explains that when we go out to the desert and study Torah we break the Snake and the other side. The desert that the Israelites went through was the opportunity for them to reveal Light and break the Snake.
The desert for us is the aspect of the challenges we face every day, opportunities to reveal more Light in our lives. We do that with Zohar study and positive actions. The study comes before the action because spiritually is on a higher level. Positive actions and revealing Light are on the level of Malchut but in most cases it’s limited to the people involved in the action.