Daily Zohar # 4682 – Acharei Mot – We remove it to reach Israel
Daily Zohar 4682
Hebrew translation:
301. וּמַה לְּיִשְׂרָאֵל כָּזֶה, לְעַמִּים עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה. וְכָל מִי שֶׁלֹּא נִמּוֹל וְנוֹתְנִים לוֹ אֲפִלּוּ אוֹת קְטַנָּה שֶׁל הַתּוֹרָה, כְּאִלּוּ הֶחֱרִיב עוֹלָם וּמְשַׁקֵּר בִּשְׁמוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁהַכֹּל תָּלוּי בָּזֶה, וְזֶה בָּזֶה נִקְשָׁר, שֶׁכָּתוּב (ירמיה לג) אִם לֹא בְרִיתִי יוֹמָם וָלָיְלָה חֻקּוֹת שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ לֹא שָׂמְתִּי.
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Zohar Acharei Mot
Continued from previous DZ
#300
The question is asked: What does the verse intend by saying, “חֻקָּיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו לְיִשְׂרָאֵל” “His statutes and judgments to Israel” (Psalms 147:19)? The answer given is as follows: Anyone who has been circumcised and is marked with the holy Name is first introduced to the revealed aspects of the Torah. That is, they are taught the basics—its foundational principles and given strict warnings about observing the commandments of the Torah, but no more than that until they ascend to a higher level. This is the meaning of the phrase “מַגִּיד דְּבָרָיו לְיַעֲקֹב” “He declares His words to Jacob” (Psalms 147:19).
However, “חֻקָּיו וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו לְיִשְׂרָאֵל” “His statutes and judgments (justice) to Israel” refers to someone at a higher level. As it is written, “Your name will no longer be called Jacob…” (Genesis 32:28), showing that “Israel” is more significant than “Jacob.” Therefore, “His statutes and judgments to Israel” refers to the secrets of the Torah, the statutes, and the hidden aspects of the Torah, which should only be revealed to someone who has attained a higher level of spirituality, as appropriate.
Notes:
In conclusion, this passage illustrates the progression of spiritual learning within the Torah. Initially, individuals are given the revealed teachings, which are practical and essential for living according to the Torah laws. As they ascend spiritually and become “Israel,” they are then granted access to the deeper dimensions of the Torah. This structure ensures that the sanctity and depth of the Torah’s hidden aspects are protected and shared only with those capable of understanding and appreciating them.
#301
And if this is the case for Israel, that the Torah is only revealed to someone who is at a higher spiritual level, then how much more so for idol-worshipping nations (non-Jews). And anyone who is not circumcised and is given even a small letter of the Torah, it is as if they have destroyed the world and are lying in the Name of the Holy One, Blessed be He. For everything depends on this — circumcision — and it is all interconnected. The Torah is bound to circumcision, as it is written: “If not for My covenant (circumcision) day and night, I would not have established the laws of heaven and earth” (Jeremiah 33:25).
Notes:
This passage highlights the profound connection between circumcision (Brit Milah) and the ability to receive and comprehend the Torah. It builds on the earlier discussion regarding who is worthy of studying the Torah’s deeper aspects, asserting that circumcision is a key prerequisite for entering the divine covenant and, consequently, for gaining access to the Torah’s teachings.
Receiving Torah knowledge signifies one’s participation in the covenant with God. The Torah is intrinsically bound to this covenant, and without it, a person cannot grasp the Torah’s true essence. Giving the Torah to someone outside of this covenant is considered harmful, as it disrupts the sacred relationship between the Jewish people and the divine order that the Torah supports.
This connection between circumcision and spiritual purity stems from the sin of Adam and Eve. After the sin, Adam (man) developed a foreskin over his Yessod (the foundation, the spiritual channel that transmits life force). Yessod is the Sefira responsible for channeling life from the male to the female vessel. The foreskin represents a spiritual barrier imposed by the Snake, corrupting the connection between the spiritual and physical worlds, between the flow of divine light and the vessel that receives it.
Circumcision removes this barrier, revealing the purity of Yessod and restoring man to the perfect state he was in before the sin. Only in this purified state can a person attain a higher level of understanding, allowing them to grasp the deeper meanings of the Torah and uncover its hidden secrets. This is why circumcision is essential for accessing the Torah’s profound spiritual truths—it signifies the removal of spiritual impurity and the restoration of a perfect, unblocked connection between the divine and the physical world.
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