"And now, I pray of You, let the power of my L-rd be great." (Num. 14:17) Rabbi Aha and Rabbi Yosi said, Praiseworthy are the children of Israel over all the nations in the world in that G‑d is (1) desirous of them [choosing them from all the nations to receive His Torah] (2) calling them as part of His name [the G‑d of Israel] and (3) is glorified by them [as in the verse: “Israel in whom I will be glorified." (Isaiah 49:3) Three types of praise are given here to Israel reflecting the three levels of soul they are given, Life Force/Nefesh, Spirit/Ruach and Soul/Neshama.] The world was only created for the sake of the children of Israel, so they could occupy themselves in the study of Torah, since one [the written Torah, representing Zeir Anpin] and one [the Oral Torah, representing malchut] are united through it. The children of Israel below in this world are the cause of its continued existence. [As long as their souls are vested in their physical bodies, they uphold the world.] They are the cause of the continued existence of all the nations [through the strength of their Torah learning and worship of the Holy One Blessed be He]. When is this? It is when they do the wishes of their Master. [By fulfilling His will they draw down sustenance to all.]

Come and see: when G‑d created man in the world, He prepared him [below in the physical world] to reflect the format of the spiritual world above [as is written that man was created “in the image of G‑d/Elokim’]. He gave him strength and energy in the middle of his body, where the heart lies, and it provides vitality and sustenance to the entire body. He set up the organs and limbs of the body around the heart and placed the heart in the middle of all the body and all those organs and limbs draw their sustenance from the heart, which is the vitality of all. All depend on it and that same heart connects with and unites with the higher brain that dwells above it. [The brain is also connected to and strengthened by the heart.] G‑d made the world in a similar pattern.

Come and see when G‑d created the world [1], He set up the seas of the ocean so that they would surround all the settled areas of the world, and the settlement of all seventy nations [2] surround Jerusalem. Jerusalem [3] is situated in the center of all this settled area and it [4] surrounds the temple mount. The temple mount [5] surrounds all the temple courtyards, and we have learnt that no one is entitled to sit in the Temple courtyard except the Kings who are descendants of the House of King David, and these Temple courtyards [6] [figuratively] surround the Chamber of Hewn Stone [7], the seat of the high court of the Sanhedrin. [These represent the seven lower sefirot, and from here and above are the levels of consciousness.] The Chamber of Hewn Stone surrounded the Hall. The Hall surrounded the Inner Sanctuary and the Inner Sanctuary surrounded the Holy of Holies and it was there that the Shechinah dwelled, and there were the curtain and the cherubim and the ark of the covenant.

Here
[in the Holy of Holies] is the heart [the Shechinah] of all the land and of all the world [because this is where the Divine flow descends and from here spreads out over the whole world. This is the reason why] from here flows nourishment to all the settled inhabited areas, which are like the limbs of the body. This heart gets its nourishment from the brain in the head [malchut of Atzilut, the spiritual counterpart of the physical Temple] and they [Shechinah and malchut of Atzilut] unite with each other. This is what is written: "In the Sanctuary, G‑d, which Your hands have caused to act." (Ex. 15:17) [Rashi explains that the Holy Temple below is directly attuned opposite the Supernal Temple above, which You set in motion.]

BeRahamim LeHayyim: What does this mean to you, and why is it being revealed right now?

Let's get small. Or real tall. Wherever you go, whatever you do, the Divine Presence is there. What is big is also tiny. The Microcosm mirrors the Macrocosm. Every human is an entire universe. The Temple furniture corresponds to the human body, which corresponds to the supernal Temple. What is above is below, and below is above. The circulating billions of atomic particles mimic the circulating planets and stars in billions of galaxies. Billions and billions. To be able to see harmonic resonance is to be plugged in with the flow of the universal and the singular.

If we are connected, what difference does it make if the waitress brings you succotash instead of green beans, if you get cut off on the highway, or if it rains on your parade?

Think BIG, keep things simple/small, and the above Zohar will go along way to keep you aligned with the Mystery of Life.


Bracketed annotations from Metok Midevash and Sulam commentaries
Copyright 2003 by KabbalaOnline.org, a project of Ascent of Safed (//ascentofsafed.com). All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this work or portions thereof, in any form, unless with permission, in writing, from Kabbala Online.