Matt Vol 1, p267
| Genesis 2:21-23 | Bereishit | |
|---|---|---|
| 21 God יהוה cast a deep sleep upon the Human; and, while he slept, [God] took one of his sides and closed up the flesh at that site. | כא וַיַּפֵּל֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֧ים | תַּרְדֵּמָ֛ה עַל־הָֽאָדָ֖ם וַיִּישָׁ֑ן וַיִּקַּ֗ח אַחַת֙ מִצַּלְעֹתָ֔יו וַיִּסְגֹּ֥ר בָּשָׂ֖ר תַּחְתֶּֽנָּה: | |
| 22 God יהוה fashioned the side1 that He had taken from the Human into a woman and He brought her to the Human. | כב וַיִּ֩בֶן֩ יְהֹוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֧ים | אֶת־הַצֵּלָ֛ע אֲשֶׁר־לָקַ֥ח מִן־הָֽאָדָ֖ם לְאִשָּׁ֑ה וַיְבִאֶ֖הָ אֶל־הָֽאָדָֽם: | |
| 23 Then the Human said, “This (at last) Is bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh. This (one) shall be called Woman, For from Man was this (she) taken.” |
כג וַיֹּ֘אמֶר֘ הָֽאָדָם֒ זֹ֣את הַפַּ֗עַם עֶ֚צֶם מֵֽעֲצָמַ֔י וּבָשָׂ֖ר מִבְּשָׂרִ֑י לְזֹאת֙ יִקָּרֵ֣א אִשָּׁ֔ה כִּ֥י מֵאִ֖ישׁ לֻֽקֳחָה־זֹּֽאת: |
Adam - the Human, the primordial man. The Human template.
- If he was a being of light, with no skin/body/husk, then where/what was the rib that was removed from him? Thus it cannot be a rib. A side makes much more sense.
- If a side, then
- Does removing a side of the Human make It less of a Human (which is often described as an androgynous being of light)
- Does removing a “side” i.e., a portion, of the light change the light from which it was separated?
- Not if it is primordial, for it is not removed from it, but only a product of it as primordial represents the simplest form beyond which there is only No-Form.- After the removal, we have now the ishah, the female, that was formed from the side of Adam, the Human. The final, third verse, then speaks of the ish, the male—but not from what or where he was formed. One could conclude that the ish is what was left over from Adam, when the ishah was removed from it. And we have no idea what it was (or is).
- The 9 hours Adam was supposed to be alive were not UST hours, but time periods of creation which can only be represented by a change of state (even if they are not described in the Torah), a progression.
Matt Vol 1, p274.
R’ Pinchas said, “I am eager to hear some of those sublime words you convey every day.”
R’ Shim’on opened, saying, “*He went on his journeys…
| Genesis 13:3 | Lech Lecha |
|---|---|
| 3 He continued on his travels, from the Negeb as far as Bethel, to the place where his tent had been formerly, between Bethel and Ai, | ג וַיֵּ֨לֶךְ֙ לְמַסָּעָ֔יו מִנֶּ֖גֶב וְעַד־בֵּֽית־אֵ֑ל עַד־הַמָּק֗וֹם אֲשֶׁר־הָ֨יָה שָׁ֤ם אָֽהֳלֹה֙ בַּתְּחִלָּ֔ה בֵּ֥ין בֵּֽית־אֵ֖ל וּבֵ֥ין הָעָֽי: |
He went on his journeys. The verse should read: his journey. Why his journeys? Because there are two journeys: one, his; one, of Shekhinah. For every human being should manifest as male and female to fortify faith; the Shekhinah never separates from him.
Shekhinah, the Divine Presence, the Immanent Face (פרצוף) of G-d, know also as the Feminine Aspect of G-d.
“You might say: ‘If one sets out on the road and is no longer male and female, the Shekhinah separates from him. Come and see: Whoever sets out on the road should offer his prayer to the Blessed Holy One to draw upon himself Shekhinah of his Lord before he leaves, while still male and female. Once he offered his prayer and Shekhinah rests upon him, he can leave, for Shekhinah has coupled with him so that he will be male and female: male and female in town, male and female in the countryside, as it is written: Righteousness goes before him, and he sets out on his way (Ps. 85:14).
“Come and see: As long as one lingers on the way, he must guard his conduct, so that supernal coupling will not separate from him, leaving him defective, lacking male and female. In town, he must, when his female is with him; how much more so here, for supernal coupling is linked with him! Further, this coupling protects him on the way, not parting from him until her returns home.
“Upon entering the home, he should delight the lady of his house, for she engendered that supernal coupling. As soon as he reaches her he should delight her anew, for two nuances. First, because the joy of this coupling is joy of mitsvah, and joy of mitsvah is joy of Shekhinah.2 Further, he increases peace below,3 as it is written: You will know that your tent is at peace, attend to your abode and do not sin (Job 5:24). Is it a sin if one does not attend to his wife? Certainly so, for he diminishes the splendour of supernal coupling couple with him, engendered by the lady of his house. Second, if his wife conceives, Covenant of the blessed Holy One4. So one should focus on the joy of Sabbath, coupling of the wise.5 So, You will know when your tent is at peace (i.e., in order), for Shekhinah accompanies you and dwells in your house; therefore you will attend to your abode and not sin. What is the meaning of not sin? Not fail to perform the joy of mitsvah in the presence of Shekhinah.6
Similarly, when disciples of the wise part from their wives all days of the week to engage in Torah, supernal coupling couples with them, not parting from them, so that they be male and female. Once Sabbath enters, disciples of the wise should delight their wives anew for the sake of the splendour of eternal coupling, focusing their hearts on the will of their Lord.
“Similarly, when a man’s wife undergoes days of impurity and he waits for her fittingly, supernal coupling couples with him all those days, so he is male and female. Once his wife is purified, he should delight in her anew–joy of mitsvah supernal joy!”
“All the reasons we have offered rise to a single rung.[^1306] The gist of the word: All scions of faith should focus their heart and will on this.7”
“Now you might say, ‘If so, it is more admirable for a person to set out on the road than to stay at home because of supernal coupling who couples with him.’ Come and see: When a man is at home, the essence of the home is his wife, for on account of her, Shekhinah, does not leave the house. So we have learned: Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah (Gen. 24:67), for the lamp was kindled. Why? Because Shekhinah entered the home.8
Mystery of the matter: Supernal Mother appears with the male only when the house is arrayed, when male and female join.9 She then pours blessings upon them. Similarly, Lower Mother appears with the male only when the house is arrayed, when the male approaches his female and they join as one.10 She then pours blessing upon them. So a man at home is adorned with two females, as above.11 This corresponds to the mystery written: until the desire of hills of eternity (ibid. 49:26). The desire of hills of eternity extends to this until: supernal female, to array, adorn and bless Him; lower female, to unite with Him, be nourished by Him.12
Similarly below, when a male is married, the desire of hills of eternity verges toward him, and he is adorned with two females, one above and one below: the upper to pour blessing upon him, the lower to be nourished by him, unite with him. A man at home is the focus of the desire of hills of eternity, with whom he is adorned. Not so when he sets out of the road: Supernal Mother unites with him, while the lower is left behind. Upon returning home, he should adorn himself with two females, as we have said.
Footnotes
Footnotes
The word צלע (tsela) is often translated “rib,” but it means “side,” which is the meaning adopted here. ↩︎
Uniting with one’s wife upon returning from a journey, is a religious obligation and stimulates the union of Shekhinah with her partner, Tif’eret. “Shekihina abides, neither through the gloom nor laziness nor frivolity nor levity nor talk not idle chatter or vain pursuits, but only through the joy of mitsvah.” ↩︎
He guarantees peace and harmony in his house. Rabbi Shimon of Chalaftah refers to the phallus as “peacemaker of the home.” ↩︎
The Covenant of the blessed Holy One The human phallus, inscribed with the covenant of circumcision, symbolises the sefirah of Yesod, the divine phallus. Human sexual union stimulates the divine union of Yesod and Shekhinah, which generates the soul. ↩︎
Coupling of the wise Ketubot 5:6 discusses how often husbands of various professions are required to fulfill the commandment of עונה (onah), “conjugal rights,” i.e., to satisfy their wives sexually. Ketubot 62b adds: “When is the onah” of the disciples of the wise? [i.e., What is the proper interval between two successive times of fulfilling this mitsvah]? ↩︎
Not sin* Not fail… The Hebrew word חטא (chet) means both “to sin” and “to fail, miss.” ↩︎
Scions of faith Those who believe in the reality of the sefirotic realm are called בני מהיתמנותא (benei meheimanuta), “children of faith.” ↩︎
the lamp was kindled The presence of the light of Shekhinah in the home depends upon the presence of the essence of the home (the wife). See Psalms 113:9; Bereishit Rabbah 71:2; Vayetse 15; Zohar 1:29a-b, 148b, 154a, 157b. ↩︎
Supernal Mother appears… Binah, the Divine Mother, manifests only when Tiferet and Shekhinah join. ↩︎
Lower Mother appears… Shekhinah manifests only when husband and wife establish a home and join together. ↩︎
adorned with two females Adorned with both his wife and Shekhinah, as in the sefirotic realm, Tif’eret is adorned both with His partner, Shekhinah, and the Divine Mother, Binah. ↩︎
The desire of hills of eternity … until… Binah and Shekhinah are the hills of eternity towering, respectively, over the lower sefirot and the lower worlds. Both of these female divine entities desire the male potency (Tif’eret or Yesod), who is know as עד (ad), until. ↩︎