Sefer ha-Zohar (The Book of Glow) has astonished and overwhelmed readers ever since it emerged in middle ages Spain toward the end of the thirteenth century. Composed in an unique, lyrical Aramaic, this masterpiece of Kabbalah exceeds the measurements of a normal book; it is virtually a body of literature, making up over twenty discrete sections. The bulk of the Zohar consists of a fascinating magical commentary on the Torah, from Genesis through Deuteronomy. This sixth volume of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition finishes the Zohar’s commentary on the book of Exodus. Some of the volume focuses on the House (or mishkan) built by Moses and the Israelites in the Sinai Desert. The mishkan represents Shekhinah, the womanly presence of God who “dwells” on earth. The building of the mishkan is meant to guarantee Her intimacy with the people?and particularly with Moses, who is really called Her partner. The remarkable episode of the Golden Calf receives special treatment. The praise of the calf is seen as a rejection of Shekhinah. Generally, She would have limited the rage of God’s masculine element and avoided Him from striking Israel; but having been declined, She rather left, leaving the people vulnerable. Whereupon the blessed Holy One hinted to Moses that it was up to him to safeguard Israel from divine destruction. By invoking the 3 patriarchs, Moses pinned God’s arms, as it were, and debilitated Him, conserving his individuals. With the look of this volume, The Zohar: Pritzker Edition has reached its halfway point. The forecasted Volumes VII-IX will complete the Zohar’s primary commentary on the Torah. Volumes X-XII will include the Zohar’s commentary on various other books of the Bible (such as Ruth and Tune of Tunes) as well as several independent compositions.
No comments:
Post a Comment