Daily Zohar # 4685 – Beresheet – Why the world is desolate and dry

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Hebrew translation:

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Zohar Beresheet
Continued from previous DZ
#217
Afterward, God created the heavens and the earth upon Tohu (chaos), where there was no foundation—that is, no Brit (covenant)—to support them. This refers to the lower heavens and earth, which are Zeir Anpin and Nukva because before Malchut was sweetened through Binah, the Nukva was in the state of Tohu. This is what is meant by “והארץ היתה תהו”: “The earth was formless and void” (Genesis 1:2).
Because of this, the Holy One, Blessed be He, desired to give the Torah to the nations of the world, which is truly the Brit Milah (covenant of circumcision). But they did not wish to receive it. This means that God wanted to give the Torah to the nations of the world, which is likened to Brit Milah because, through the correction of Brit Milah, they would have sweetened Malchut with Binah. The Mochin, called Torah, would have been revealed to them at that point. However, the nations did not want to accept it.
As a result, the earth remained desolate and dry—meaning it was left without the proper spiritual foundation and connection to the upper levels.

Notes:
The Zohar reveals that God desired all nations to participate in this spiritual correction. However, the nation’s refusal to accept the Brit Milah left the world desolate. The Brit is seen as the key to sweetening judgment and allowing the light of the Torah to manifest in the world, transforming chaos into order and dryness into life.

#218
This is what is written:
Genesis 1:9
“וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, יִקָּווּ הַמַּיִם מִתַּחַת הַשָּׁמַיִם אֶל-מָקוֹם אֶחָד, וְתֵרָאֶה, הַיַּבָּשָׁה; וַיְהִי-כֵן.”
“Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so.”
The phrase “Let the waters be gathered” refers to the Torah, which is called water. “To one place” refers to Israel because their souls are drawn from the place about which it is said, “בָּרוּךְ כְּבוֹד-יְהוָה, מִמְּקוֹמוֹ.” “Blessed be the glory of YHVH from His place” (Ezekiel 3:12). “The glory of the Lord” refers to the Shechinah, the lower Shechinah, which is Malchut. “מִמְּקוֹמוֹ” “From His place” refers to the upper Shechinah, which is Binah. Thus, Binah is called “מקום” Makom,
And since their souls come from there, the Name of YHVH surely rests upon them. About them, it is said, “For YHVH’s portion is His people” (Deuteronomy 32:9). And this is the meaning of “Let the waters be gathered to one place”—that the waters, representing the Torah are gathered to Israel, who are the recipients of the Torah. This contrasts with the nations of the world, who did not want to receive the Torah, and therefore, the earth remained desolate and dry.

#219
The Torah is the foundation of the world, for by it, the world was created, and by it, the world is sustained, as explained above. The nations of the world that did not accept the Torah remained desolate and dry. This is the meaning of “the Holy One, Blessed be He, created worlds and destroyed them”—those worlds that did not observe the commandments of the Torah and thus did not elevate Malchut to sweeten its judgments (Dinim) with the attribute of mercy from Binah. As a result, the world remained desolate because of them.
However, the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not destroy His creations, as humans might think. God does not obliterate His works, such as the heavens and the earth and all that is in them, as people might misunderstand from the phrase “He created worlds and destroyed them.”
Why would God destroy His children, about whom it is said “בהבראם” (when they were created), which hints at “בה’ בראם” (He created them with the letter Hei)—meaning He created them with Malchut that has been sweetened by the attribute of mercy from Binah. Since Binah rectifies them, they are according to God’s will. Therefore, why would He destroy them?

Notes:
The Zohar explains that the concept of God creating and destroying worlds is not about God arbitrarily destroying His creations. Rather, it refers to spiritual worlds or nations that did not align with the divine order by observing the Torah. The Zohar also emphasizes that the creation of Israel, symbolized by the letter Hei and rooted in the balance of Malchut and Binah, is aligned with the Creator’s will and thus not subject to destruction. As the foundation of creation, the Torah is critical to sustaining the world, and those who uphold it are part of God’s everlasting creation.

#220
Those who converted from the nations of the world caused the small Hei of Abraham’s name to fall in the fifth millennium, which corresponds to the Hei. This millennium is characterized as desolate and dry—desolate during the destruction of the First Temple and dry during the destruction of the Second Temple. This refers to the fifth millennium, which is spiritually desolate and dry, as it is written, “And the river will dry up and become desolate” (Isaiah 19:5). Desolate refers to the destruction of the First Temple. Dry refers to the destruction of the Second Temple.

Notes:
This passage explains the periods of destruction and exile, explicitly linking them to the small Hei in Abraham’s name and the fifth millennium. The First Temple’s desolation and the Second Temple’s dryness reflect spiritual desolation and a lack of divine flow during these challenging times.

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