Daily Zohar # 4646 – Acharei Mot – Thread of Chessed

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Hebrew translation:

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Zohar Acharei Mot
Continued from previous DZ
#216
Come and see, the soul (Nefesh) and spirit (Ruach) are always united. We have learned that the complete service that a person should offer to the Holy One, blessed be He, is as we have learned in the verse, ‘וְאָהַבְתָּ אֵת ה’ אֱלֹהֶיךָ’ ‘And you shall love YHVH your God…’ This means that one should love the Holy One with the love of the soul (נפש Nefesh) itself. And this is perfect love—love of one’s soul and spirit (Nefesh and Ruach). Just as the soul and spirit are attached to the body, and the body loves them, so should a person attach themselves to loving the Holy One and cleaving to Him, as one loves their soul and spirit. This is what is meant by the verse, ‘My soul longs for You in the night,’ meaning my actual soul (Nefesh), which is clothed in the body.

Notes:
The Zohar emphasizes the unity of the soul (Nefesh) and spirit (Ruach) within a person and draws a parallel between this unity and the love one should have for Hashem. Just as the body is inherently connected to and dependent on the Nefesh and Ruach, a person should strive to be inherently connected to Hashem.
The Zohar uses the verse “And you shall love YHVH your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might” (from the Shema Israel prayer) to illustrate that true love for God involves the entirety of one’s being—both the soul and spirit, which are deeply intertwined with the body. The soul, Nefesh, is the force of Life in the body and keeps it in existence. The spirit, Ruach, is the level of the heart that drives emotion and love.  
The body naturally loves and relies on the Nefesh and Ruach for Life, so too should a person naturally love and seek to attach themselves to Hashem, understanding that their very essence and existence depend on a connection to Hashem.

#217
This means that I should cleave to You with great love during the night. For a person should rise every night out of love for the Holy One, blessed be He, to engage in His service until the morning awakens, and draw upon themselves a thread of Chessed. We have learned that blessed is the portion of the person who loves the Holy One with this kind of love. And these true Tzadikim who love the Holy One in this way—the world endures for their sake, and they have control over all harsh decrees, both above and below.

Notes:
The Zohar highlights the deep connection when waking up at night, driven by love for Hashem, to engage in sacred study or prayer until the morning light. This practice is not merely about fulfilling a duty. Still, it expresses profound love for the Creator, symbolized by the night as a time of spiritual intimacy and connection.
The “חוט של חסד” “thread of Chessed” drawn upon oneself in the morning represents the flow of Chassadim and blessings that one can attract through this nightly devotion. The Zohar teaches that those who are truly righteous and love Hashem with such intensity play a crucial role in sustaining the world. Their dedication can avert harsh decrees, influencing both the spiritual and physical realms. This reinforces the idea that the love and spiritual work of the Tzadikim are vital to the well-being of the entire creation, both seen and unseen.

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