Daily Zohar # 3395 – Balak – The angel that taught Moses can be our advocate
Hebrew translation:
238. בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה רָמַז לְיוֹפִיאֵ”ל, רַבַּן הַתּוֹרָה, אָמַר לְמֹשֶׁה: אֲנִי דָרַשְׁתִּי פָסוּק זֶה. כָּתוּב כִּי יִהְיֶה לְאִישׁ – זֶה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁכָּתוּב (שמות טו) ה’ אִישׁ מִלְחָמָה. בֵּן – זֶה יִשְׂרָאֵל. סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה – שֶׁכָּתוּב (הושע ד) כִּי כְּפָרָה סֹרֵרָה סָרַר יִשְׂרָאֵל. אֵינֶנּוּ שֹׁמֵעַ בְּקוֹל אָבִיו וּבְקוֹל אִמּוֹ – זֶה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וּכְנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְיִסְּרוּ אֹתוֹ, שֶׁכָּתוּב (מלכים-ב יז) וַיָּעַד ה’ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וּבִיהוּדָה בְּיַד כָּל נְבִיאֵי כָל חֹזֶה וְגוֹ’. וְלֹא שָׁמַע אֲלֵיהֶם, שֶׁכָּתוּב וְלֹא יִשְׁמְעוּ אֶל ה’ וְגוֹ’. וְתָפְשׂוּ בוֹ אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ – בְּדַעַת אַחַת, בְּהַסְכָּמָה אַחַת.
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Zohar Balak
#237
Deuteronomy 21:18
“כִּי יִהְיֶה לְאִישׁ בֵּן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה אֵינֶנּוּ שֹׁמֵעַ בְּקוֹל אָבִיו וּבְקוֹל אִמּוֹ וְיִסְּרוּ אֹתוֹ וְלֹא יִשְׁמַע אֲלֵיהֶם.”
“If a man (אִישׁ) has a stubborn and rebellious son who is not obeying the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them”
Rabbi Aba wonders about this verse and says, we studied that the Holy One Blessed be He asked Moses to write this in the Torah. In the verses that follow, the father and mother take their son to the city’s elders, declare his bad ways, and the people of his city stone the son to death to purge the evil from their midst. Moses claimed that no father and mother would do such a thing to their son and ask God to remove this part from the Torah.
Moses could see what the Holy One would do to the children of Israel in the future, and God told him; I see what you see, write the words, and you are rewarded. You and I know that the story is related to me, study it and you will find the secret.
#238
At that time, יוֹפִיאֵ”ל, Yofiel, the angel that is appointed over the Torah told Moses; I studied this verse and the words ‘If a man (אִישׁ)’ refers to the Holy One Blessed be He as it is written in Exodus 15:3 “יְהוָה אִישׁ מִלְחָמָה יְהוָה שְׁמוֹ.” “YHVH is a man (אִישׁ) of war; YHVH is His name.” The ‘son’ is the children of Israel in the state of ‘stubborn and rebellious’ as it is written in Hosea 4:16
“כִּי כְּפָרָה סֹרֵרָה סָרַר יִשְׂרָאֵל עַתָּה יִרְעֵם יְהוָה כְּכֶבֶשׂ בַּמֶּרְחָב.”
“For Israel is stubborn Like a stubborn calf; Now YHVH will let them forage Like a lamb in an open country.”
The father and mother are the Holy One Blessed be He and the Shechina. ‘They have chastened him’ as described in 2 Kings 17:13
“וַיָּעַד יְהוָה בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל וּבִיהוּדָה בְּיַד כָּל נביאו [נְבִיאֵי] כָל חֹזֶה לֵאמֹר שֻׁבוּ מִדַּרְכֵיכֶם הָרָעִים וְשִׁמְרוּ מִצְוֹתַי חֻקּוֹתַי כְּכָל הַתּוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִי אֶת אֲבֹתֵיכֶם וַאֲשֶׁר שָׁלַחְתִּי אֲלֵיכֶם בְּיַד עֲבָדַי הַנְּבִיאִים.”
“Yet YHVH testified against Israel and against Judah, by all of His prophets, every seer, saying, “Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.”
Because the ‘son’ was ‘stubborn and rebellious’, and didn’t listen to them, they came together in agreement to correct him.
Deuteronomy 21:19
“וְתָפְשׂוּ בוֹ אָבִיו וְאִמּוֹ וְהוֹצִיאוּ אֹתוֹ אֶל זִקְנֵי עִירוֹ וְאֶל שַׁעַר מְקֹמוֹ.”
“Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;”
Continued in the next study.
Lesson;
The name of the angel ‘יופיאל’ ‘Yofiel’ means ‘Beauty of God’. The numerical value of his name is 137, same as קבלה ‘Kabbalah’ that reveals the beauty of the Torah and the wonders of the Holy One Blessed be He.
Today (24th of Tammuz) is the Hilulah of Rabbi Moshe Kordovero that was the leader of Safed in Israel at the times of the Holy Ari and I am happy to quote from his book Pardes Rimonim (“An Orchard of Pomegranates”)
“The angel Yofiel is the minister of the Torah and all the keys to wisdom is his hand. According to Kabbalists, he was the teacher of Moses. Yofiel demands from the Holy One Blessed be He to give good reward to all are after the scholars of Torah to study from them, even for those who seek the wisdom of the Torah for the sake of heavens as it says in Psalms 119:99 “from all my teachers I became wiser”.”
“ והחיה ששמה יופיאל הוא שר התורה וכל מפתחות החכמה בידו והוא היה רבו של מרע”ה לדעת קצת מקובלים. וזאת החיה תובעת מהקב”ה לתת שכר טוב לכל אותם הרודפים אחרי החכמים ללמוד מהם תורה ואפי’ מכל אדם שנאמר (תהלים קיט צט) מכל מלמדי השכלתי ולומדים לשם שמים.”
The angel Yofiel is connected directly to the wisdom of Kabbalah because Zohar reveals the wisdom of the Torah. And as we learn from Rabbi Moshe Kordovero of blessed memory, Yofiel will advocate rewards for us.
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