THEMES of Featured Zohar Articles

The Zohar teaches that the builders of the city of the Tower of Babel used their knowledge of the Hebrew language in the use or manipulation of divine names to force the ministering angels to aid them in their task of building the city and the tower.

The name of G-d (referred to as "Havayah") is pronounced in a way unrelated to its spelling, as it is forbidden to pronounce this name. The Zohar teaches that this hidden aspect is the place from which issues all blessings.

"He sent off the dove" refers to G-d sending the Jews into exile. Rabbi Pinchas said: Every time the Jewish People were sent into exile, G-d set a limit to the exile. But this final exile has no set limit, and everything depends upon repentance.

Formerly, the creatures of the world looked upon man and saw the holy supernal image and trembled with fear. But as people sinned, their image was transformed in the eyes of the beasts, which is why human beings now tremble with fear of other creatures.

Noah intended to rectify the vine with which Adam had transgressed and therefore uprooted the grapevine [i.e. the Tree of Knowledge] that was banished from the Garden of Eden and planted it outside of the Garden of Eden.

On the same day that he planted it, it produced fruits which he squeezed to make wine. He then drank the wine and became intoxicated, thus deepening the breach in the world which Adam's sin had made.

The Zohar understands Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to be the human embodiment of the sefirot - chesed, gevura and tiferet. Tthe lights of the Patriarchs will come to fruition in malchut, becoming revealed and manifest in the world as G‑d''s sovereignty at the time the rainbow appears; the beaming colors of the rainbow represent the shining of the attributes chesed, gevura and tiferet into the world.