Daily Zohar # 4874 – Acharei Mot – Before and after the Torah

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Hebrew translation:

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Zohar Acharei Mot
Continued from previous DZ
#369
We have learned: After Cain and Abel were gone, Adam returned to his wife and was clothed with a different spirit, and from this union, he fathered Seth. From Seth were descended the generations of the righteous in the world. And the Holy One, Blessed be He, increased Chessed in the world. And with each male child, a female was born alongside him for the sake of populating the world—in a manner similar to the structure above (the spiritual world). This is comparable to Zeir Anpin (Z “A) and Malchut, who were brother and sister in their origin. And the friends already explained in the anonymous Mishnah that the verse, “וְאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִקַּח אֶת אֲחֹתוֹ בַּת אָבִיו אוֹ בַת אִמּוֹ” “A man who takes his sister, the daughter of his father or mother…”  applies to them, and it is said: “It is a Chessed”— Indeed, it is Chessed, because once Chessed rests upon them, roots and branches extend from behind (אחורים) above—and the branches spread out, meaning Zeir Anpin and Malchut.
What was previously close became distant, for Zeir Anpin and Malchut, who were joined initially back-to-back, were now separated through Chessed. (All of this has been explained at length earlier in the portion of Vayikra, #100.)
Then, the branches, Zeir Anpin and Malchut, grew and came to join in a complete union—a face-to-face coupling in the tree of life. This initial stage occurred when Malchut was in her first state, during the concealment of the world, when she was still only in the state of achorayim (backs), and at that stage, Zeir Anpin and Malchut were considered brother and sister, as both emerged from Binah. And because the verse says: “אָמַרְתִּי עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה” “I said, the world shall be built with Chessed,” the Chessed caused them to be separated, and Malchut descended beneath Zeir Anpin and was no longer considered his sister, but rather a lower level. Therefore, from that point onward, if people are found who take their own sisters, they shall be cut off before the eyes of their people, as the verse warns.
Notes:
We are bound by Torah law, and what was once spiritually allowed is now strictly forbidden. Taking one’s sister is no longer a reflection of Divine unity but a grave transgression.
Yaakov Avinu (Jacob) married two sisters—Rachel and Leah (spiritually connecting to Leah, Binah and Rachel, Malchut)—a union that later became explicitly forbidden by the Torah, as it states: “וְאִשָּׁה אֶל־אֲחֹתָהּ לֹא תִקָּח” (“You shall not take a woman in addition to her sister…” – Vayikra 18:18). This raises a profound question: how could one of the holiest patriarchs engage in something that the Torah would later prohibit? The answer lies in the distinction between the pre-Sinai and post-Sinai worlds. Before the giving of the Torah, the patriarchs followed Divine intuition and prophetic guidance rather than a codified legal system. Their actions aligned with heavenly truths as understood in their time. Yaakov’s marriage to both sisters was a manifestation of a higher spiritual reality—one that reflected the unification of complementary soul roots. However, once the Torah was given at Sinai, the Divine will was revealed in the form of immutable law, and what once carried spiritual validity was now forbidden. This shift teaches us that closeness to Hashem in our age comes not through subjective spiritual instinct but through obedience to Torah law, where holiness is defined by the boundaries the Torah establishes.
#370
We have learned: “עֶרְוַת אֲחוֹת אָבִיךָ” “The nakedness of your father’s sister” (Leviticus 18:12) — this refers to that which was revealed in concealment, meaning what was revealed during the state of back-to-back (Achorayim), when Malchut was then considered the sister of Zeir Anpin (Z “A), who is your father. The meaning of the verse is that one should not reveal the nakedness of Malchut from that initial back-to-back state when she was the sister of your father, Zeir Anpin. It is written: “כִּי יְשָׁרִים דַּרְכֵי ה’ וְצַדִּיקִים יֵלְכוּ בָם” “For the ways of Hashem are straight; the righteous walk in them…” (Hosea 14:10)
Happy is the portion of the righteous who know the ways of the Holy One, Blessed be He, and walk in them, for they are revealed to them—happy is their portion.
Notes:
This teaching illustrates that revealing or engaging with outdated spiritual configurations, even ones that were once Divinely ordained (like Malchut being the “sister” of Zeir Anpin), is now considered a form of spiritual indecency or regression. It emphasizes the importance of walking in the refined paths of Divine connection established through Torah and Kabbalah and not returning to primitive spiritual stages.
While the text uses symbolic and esoteric language, the core message is highly relevant today: One must respect spiritual evolution. Practices or patterns that were once acceptable may now be harmful or inappropriate. The “righteous” are those who discern the correct spiritual alignment for their time and do not reveal or reawaken outdated modes of relationship with the Divine.

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