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The Cow Jumped Over the Moon
Zohar, parashat Chukat, p.180b;
translation and commentary by Simcha Treister
This is the ordinance of the Torah which the Lord has
commanded, saying: "Speak to the people of Israel, that they may bring you a
completely red heifer that has no blemishes and on which never came a yoke."
(Num. 19:2)
This heifer was burnt outside the camp by the deputy
High Priest, and its ashes were used to purify the ritually impure, enabling
them to take part in Temple activities. Strangely, the one who sprinkles the
water with the ashes becomes impure, while the one who is sprinkled becomes
pure. It is thus called an "ordinance" (in Hebrew, "chok" - thus the name
of the parasha) because it defies logic.
This heifer came to purify, and it purifies the impure.  | " The five Hebrew letters that change form
...represent distance from the light of the infinite..." | | |
The word "heifer" - in Hebrew "parah" -
is made up of three Hebrew letters, peh, reish and hei. Peh
and reish spell "par", meaning "heifer", and together their
numerical value is 280 (80+200). The number 280 represents the 280 "dinim",
strict judgments, the numerical value of the sum of the five Hebrew letters that
change form when at the end of a word: mem, nun, tzadi, pei and chaf.
Since they signal the end of a word they are equivalent to finality, the
opposite of the infinite. They therefore represent distance from the light of
the infinite.
This finality is further hinted at by the letter
hei in the word "parah", which represents the sefira
of malchut. As such, the word "parah" represents the sefira
of malchut, removed from the influence of the infinite. It is this state
that allows for the external forces, the forces of impurity, to flourish.
This heifer receives from the left side, and what is
this "left side"? It is as is written, "The face of an ox on the left side...."
(in the vision of the Divine Chariot, Ezekiel 1:10) | | " Red like the color of a red rose..." | | |
The ox in the prophetic vision of Ezekiel, was on the
left side of the chariot, symbolizing the connection between the ox (and
therefore also the heifer) and the power of the left side, that of judgments.
Not only does the type of beast used in this ceremony symbolize judgments, so
does its color.
[This heifer must be] red like the color of a red
rose. This is like the verse "As a rose among the thorns, so is my loved one
among the maidens." (Songs 2:2) [The color] red refers to the strict judgments
issued [by the sefira malchut].
Since judgments issue from the sefira of
malchut, it is proper that the rectification of those judgments come from
that sefira. These judgments are like the thorns on the rose.
[And what does the requirement that it be] "completely
[red]" [in Hebrew, "temima"] mean? This is like the [two examples used to
explain two types of damages payable] "the simple [in Hebrew, 'tam'] ox
versus the ox liable to cause damage."
The Talmud in Baba Kamma divides the
requirement to pay damages caused by an inherently dangerous animal like an ox,
into two broad categories: the "simple" ox and the "inherently dangerous" ox.
The simple ox is an innocuous animal; it can be assumed that its owner had no
foreknowledge that it may unexpectedly cause damage by turning wild. The owner
pays less for the damage caused by wild behavior for this ox than for an ox that
has already caused damage, which should have been carefully supervised. This
requirement that the heifer be unblemished therefore hints at a lesser level
than strict judgments.
The "simple" ox represents weaker judgments; the
"inherently dangerous" ox represents harsh judgments.
Also in our case [regarding the red heifer, where the
verse says,] "simple" [in Hebrew, "temima", from the same word as "tam"]
represents weaker judgments, which are in the lower [sefira of] gevura
[within malchut]; this is the "unblemished" one. The higher [sefira
of] gevura is harsh judgment, and it represents a strong and violent
force. | | " When the aspect of malchut within Zeir Anpin is rectified, it helps to make whole the partzuf of Nukva..." | | |
The description of the heifer in the Torah thus
teaches that it can be used to purify and bring back those who are not too far
removed from the sefira of malchut. This is opposed to those who
have fallen into the displeasure of the higher level of judgment of Zeir
Anpin. We now see two places from which judgments issue. These are the
sefirot of malchut and of gevura of Zeir Anpin. The
latter is harsher and more difficult to appease - after all it is more elevated
and removed than the sefira of malchut.
"...that has no blemishes..." (Num. 19:2) is as is written
"You are all beautiful, my love, and there is no blemish in you". (Songs 4:7)
"...and on which never came a yoke [in Hebrew, 'ole']".
(Ibid.)
The word "yoke" is written in a defective way. It is
spelled ayin lamed, without the letter vav in the middle
that usually appears. The numerical value of the word "ole"
is 100 (ayin, 70 + lamed, 30). This hints at the 10 sefirot
of Zeir Anpin each in turn made up of ten (10 X 10 = 100). This influence
of Zeir Anpin has not touched the red heifer, as we shall see. The number
100 also hints at the 100 blessings which we say every day as a rectification of
the sefira of malchut.
This is as in the verse "And these are the last words
of David who spoke as David the son of Jesse, the speech of the man who was
raised up on high [in Hebrew, "al", spelled like "ole"
above: ayin, lamed]. (Samuel II, 23:1)
King David represents the sefira of malchut,
and his activities were all in order to manifest this sefira on earth.
Midrash Rabba (18:17) comments on this verse that King David established the
"yoke" of repentance and established the requirement to say 100 blessings each
day to rectify and sweeten the sefira of malchut.
What is the reason? It is because she [malchut]
is the completion of the belief of Israel.
The Zohar is asking, "What is the reason for Zeir
Anpin to be rectified in its aspect of malchut through these 100
blessings?" The sefira of malchut is found within each of the 10
sefirot of Zeir Anpin. She can thus be seen to complete Zeir
Anpin. It is important to note that when the aspect of malchut within
Zeir Anpin is rectified, it helps to make whole the partzuf of
Nukva, itself a "terrestrial" manifestation of the sefirotic
component of malchut. | | " Nukva...is rectified in the mystery of the red heifer in a way that is unusual..." | | |
The phrase "belief [in Hebrew, 'emunim']
of Israel" is a play on words, since "emunim" can be read "amenim"
- meaning amens, hinting that the 100 daily blessings, to each of which
is answered "amen", completes the sefirot of Zeir Anpin.
"And on which never came a yoke", not on her
but with her. This is as is written: "The virgin of Israel has fallen."
(Amos 5:2) "A virgin and no man has known her." (Gen. 24:16)
This requirement of having no yoke "on" her shows that
Nukva is being represented as a virgin in respect to Israel, referred to
as Zeir Anpin, the masculine attribute. Nukva is "jumping over the
moon", standing independently of the higher spiritual world, and is rectified
via the mystery of the red heifer in a way that is unusual because it is
specifically designed to prepare her for unification with Zeir Anpin
rather than actually bring her into unity with Zeir Anpin. Once an
individual's general attribute of Nukva is completed, i.e. purified, he
can proceed into the presence of the Divine - the Tabernacle or Temple. Put
another way, once we have raised our consciousness through the meditation on the
100 blessings that represent the sefirot of malchut in all of the
levels of Zeir Anpin, we can then prepare malchut's manifestation
in the partzufim, Nukva, for unification with the higher spiritual
aspects of Zeir Anpin.
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