|
Tikunei Zohar, Tikun 21 p.42a;
translation and commentary by Simcha Treister
One of the central commandments related to Rosh Hashanah is
to hear the blowing of the shofar, the ram's horn. On the simple
level, we are declaring G-d to be King, and this coronation ceremony is
accompanied by trumpet blasts. The following Zohar translation deals with the
inner meaning of the different types of shofar blasts and their purpose. There
are three main "notes" blown on the shofar: Terua, consisting of nine
short blasts; Shevarim, three short blasts, each one taking the same
length of time as three blasts of the Terua; and Tekia a single
blast that is the length of the Terua and Shevarim combined when
those blasts are sounded one after the other.
Terua: You shall break them [in Hebrew, "tero'aim"]
with a rod of iron; you shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.
(Psalms 2:9)
The Terua blasts are in the sefira of
tiferet and break the power of the negative spiritual energies, the
Sitra Achra, breaking them with powerful shattering blasts.
These blasts act like an iron rod shattering pottery, and this
is why King David chose the word "teroaim", which shares the
same root as "Terua", to describe a shattering action.
Tekia: Take all the chiefs of the people and hang them up [in Hebrew, "hoka"] in broad daylight [in Hebrew, "neged hashemesh", literally "opposite the sun"], that the fierce anger
of G-d may be turned away from Israel.
(Num. 25:3)  | | " The Tekia blast is rooted in the sefira of chesed...." | | |
After the people sinned with the Midianite women, who enticed
them into idolatry, Moses was instructed to placate the anger of G-d by
executing them and hanging them up on a poll. Note the similarity between the
word for hanging up, "hoka", and the English word "hook". The Tekia
blast is rooted in the sefira of chesed. Here the verse is
interpreted to mean that the blast takes the Sitra Achra and hangs him
up "opposite the sun". "The sun" is a code for Zeir Anpin, the loving
and active influencing power of the Divine. Acts of kindness (chesed)
avert even fierce anger.
And the shofar is the [simple] voice. From her issues the
voice [from which come the blasts of] Tekia, Shevarim and Terua.
The feminine gender of the word "shofar" hints at the
sefira of bina, which is the root of the sound that issues from
it. She is the root of chesed, gevura and tiferet, which
are the three sefirot represented by the different types of blasts made
with the "voice" which issues from the shofar.
Tekia comes from the brain.
The sefira above chesed in the diagram of the
sefirot is chochma. This is the state of chesed in elevated
consciousness.
Shevarim comes from the heart. This is reflected in
the verse "The contrite [in Hebrew, "nishbar"] spirit is a sacrifice
[in Hebrew, "zevach"] to G-d; O G-d, You will not despise a contrite and
broken ["nishbar"] heart." (Psalms 51:19) | | " When the heart is broken, as opposed to being full of itself, the light of the Divine can enter..." | | |
The word "shevarim" means "broken" and is
related to the sefira of gevura since it takes strength, i.e.
gevura, to break something. In the quoted verse, the same root word, "shever",
describes the contrite and broken heart. The higher source of the sefira
of gevura is bina. This is reflected in the diagram of the
sefirot where bina is above gevura, hinting that gevura,
when elevated in conscious, becomes bina. Bina in turn relates
to the heart. When the heart is broken, as opposed to being full of itself,
the light of the Divine can enter. The Shevarim blasts of the shofar
represent the breaking of pride in the heart that diminishes bina
consciousness.
This also [represents] the broken, i.e. contrite, spirit
that is the sacrifice to G-d.
The harsh judgments are "slaughtered" (from the word "zevach",
meaning to "slaughter" above) by a broken and contrite spirit. The harsh
judgments have hold over a person in a state of egotism. As soon as this state
is renounced for true humility, these forces have no source to grasp onto and
automatically fall away. It requires true gevura - strength - to
conquer egotistical desires, but once this is done a person can receive
bina consciousness and truly see reality.
The sound of the Terua is from the wings of the
lungs [the source of the sound], and the lungs and the windpipe contain it
completely. They make the simple sound and the mouth makes the speech. | | " The Neshama and Ruach and Nefesh of a person are also represented by the sounds of Tekia, Terua and Shevarim...." | | |
The nine blasts of the Terua require a deep breath.
This involves the two wings of the lungs that represent tiferet, a
sefira that is the combination of two others. The wind generated and
carried through the throat represents bina consciousness and the sound
completes the rectification of Zeir Anpin. The mouth and specifically
the lips make the "speech" of the shofar, namely the three types of blasts.
Speech always represents the sefira of malchut and so in the
very act of blowing the shofar we have a representation of the unification of
the Divine.
In addition to this, the Neshama and Ruach
and Nefesh of a person are also represented by the sounds of Tekia,
Terua and Shevarim. The Nefesh is in the heart, and that is
represented by the Shevarim as is derived from the [above] verse "a
broken and contrite heart".
The Nefesh is the raw life force and is represented by
the blood. The heart distributes the blood and so it represents the Nefesh.
The name Elo-him is mentioned 32 times in the description of Creation
in the opening chapter of the book of Genesis. In Hebrew the number 32 is
represented by the letters lamed (=30) plus beit (=2). These two
letters also spell the word "lev", meaning "heart". In the constricted
state of consciousness, the heart is controlled by these 32 names of
Elo-him. In expanded consciousness the name Elo-him is replaced by
the name Havayah, so that a person sees the mercy of G-d in every
aspect of reality instead of feeling his own constricted essence.
The Neshama is in the brain, and that is the
Tekia [elevated from chesed to chochma, as explained above].
The Ruach is in the two wings of
the lungs that cool the heart, which is like a burning fire. If it were not
so, the heat of the heart would burn the whole body. The secret of this is
revealed in the verse "You shall shine like the wings of a dove covered with
silver". (Psalms 68:14) [Silver represents chesed and the word "wings"
hints also at the wings of the lungs]. The Ruach also includes fire and
water [chesed and gevura], and because of this, the Ruach
is represented by Terua [which is in tiferet, which combines
chesed and gevura]. Concerning this, it is written: "Happy is the
people who know [in Hebrew, "yodei"] the Terua blast;
they shall walk in the light of Your countenance G-d." (Psalms 89:16)
The nine Terua blasts are in tiferet. That
sefira is below daat in the sefira diagram, hence the word "yodei",
derived from the same root as "daat", is used to describe the state of
mind of those who are made happy by hearing these blasts. Because they
understand the spiritual source of these sounds and internalize their message,
they merit to walk in G-d's light.
Copyright 2003 by KabbalaOnline.org. All rights reserved,
including the right to reproduce this work or portions thereof, in any form, unless
with permission, in writing, from Kabbala Online.
|
