Daily Zohar # 3975 – Shelach Lecha – Walk behind me

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Hebrew translation:

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Zohar Shelach Lecha
Continued from previous DZ
#171
Genesis 17:1
“וַיְהִי אַבְרָם בֶּן תִּשְׁעִים שָׁנָה וְתֵשַׁע שָׁנִים וַיֵּרָא יְהוָה אֶל אַבְרָם וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלָיו אֲנִי אֵל שַׁדַּי הִתְהַלֵּךְ לְפָנַי וֶהְיֵה תָמִים.”
“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, YHVH appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.”
In Abram it is written, “walk before Me and be blameless (תָמִים)(complete)”. Because Abram was not yet circumcised, he was not ‘תָמִים’, ‘complete’, and was told, “Walked before me”, which means walk before the Shechina. After circumcision, that is the mark of the covenant, a man is complete and can walk behind the Shechina and be under her protection, as we read;
Exodus 23:20
“הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ לְפָנֶיךָ לִשְׁמָרְךָ בַּדָּרֶךְ וְלַהֲבִיאֲךָ אֶל הַמָּקוֹם אֲשֶׁר הֲכִנֹתִי.”
“Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared.”
When a person protects his mark of the covenant, the Shechina that is called ‘Angel’ comes in front of him to protect him in this world, Malchut.
1 Samuel 15:11
“נִחַמְתִּי כִּי הִמְלַכְתִּי אֶת שָׁאוּל לְמֶלֶךְ כִּי שָׁב מֵאַחֲרַי וְאֶת דְּבָרַי לֹא הֵקִים וַיִּחַר לִשְׁמוּאֵל וַיִּזְעַק אֶל יְהוָה כָּל הַלָּיְלָה.”
“I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned from behind Me, and has not performed My commandments.” And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to YHVH all night.”
King Saul “turned” from behind the Shechina and lost her protection because he didn’t follow Hashem’s commands given to him by Samuel the prophet.

#172
Noah was circumcised and considered ‘תָמִים’, ‘Complete’ but his circumcision was flawed because the step of ‘פריעה’ (a step that properly exposes the ‘crown’) was not done. This step comes after the removal of the foreskin. For that reason it is said;
Genesis 6:9
“אֵלֶּה תּוֹלְדֹת נֹחַ נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה בְּדֹרֹתָיו אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים הִתְהַלֶּךְ נֹחַ.”
“This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generation. Noah walked with God.”
It says “Noah walked with God” not behind God. He didn’t walk in front of the Shechinah because he was circumcised, and not behind the Shechina because he didn’t do ‘פריעה’. He walked with God.

Lesson;
The corona (crown, head) is covered by a two-layered fold known as the ‘foreskin’. The outer layer of this fold is smooth muscular tissue; The inner layer is a mucous membrane. The mohel cuts the outer layer with a knife, and this action is called ‘Mila’, ‘circumcision’. There are various customs regarding the removal of the inner layer/membrane, known as ‘פריעה’. These various customs are sometimes described as having one step, and sometimes as having two steps.
The two-steps method is described by Maimonides (מילה ב:ב). He writes that the ‘פריעה’ is done after the מילה, cutting the foreskin. The ‘פריעה’ is done using the nails, and not by a knife. These steps are described as removing the bad (foreskin) and exposing the good, (פריעה) revealing the ‘crown’ that channels ‘Life’.
The entire circumcision process removes four klipot that block the Light that comes from the level of Yessod.
The names of the Klipot are:
Stormy wind- רוח סערה
Great cloud – ענן גדול
Flaming fire- אש מתלקחת
Nogah (brightness) – נוגה
The first three are removed in the first cut, and the last one, Nogah, which has a good side (inner) and bad side (outer), is folded to the side of the ‘crown’ during the ‘פריעה’.

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