Rebbe Shimon opened his discourse [concerning the first words of this Torah reading which are: "VeAta" in Hebrew, "And you… (shall command…)], saying: It is written, "And You [in Hebrew, 'VeAta'], O G‑d [Havayah], do not distance yourself from me; O my strength, come quickly to help me" (Psalms 22:20). The word "VeAta" [which represents the holy union of the spiritual dimension Nukva] and the name Havayah [Zeir Anpin] are all one unity. "…Do not distance yourself."

This is a meditation that the names Havayah and Ado-nai should remain united in my conscious understanding and not remove itself from me by disappearing into higher realms of the spiritual.

The name Havayah represents the infinitely merciful aspect of the Divine while the name Ado-nai represents strict judgement. The word-picture meditation where the name Havayah contains the smaller printed letters of Ado-nai in the final letter hei is found in many Sephardi prayer books.

When these two aspects of the Divine are separated, the great spiritual light which enables man to see the Divine in all aspects of his life, is darkened. Then the [merciful Divine] light is not found at all in the world.

The supernal light was lifted away and didn't return to its place….

This [separation between the light of the Divine, Zeir Anpin and malchut/physical reality] is what caused the destruction of the Temple in the days of Jeremiah. Even though the Temple was subsequently rebuilt, the light of the Divine Presence [the Shechinah] did not fully return. (Yoma 21b)

[The fact that the Shechinah did not return] is hinted in the very name of the prophet that foretold the destruction of the First Temple: Jeremiah.

His name can be broken up into two parts: "Yarim", which means to lift away, and the letters yud-hei-vav, which are the letters of the name Havayah. Hence his name means, "The disappearance of the Divine."

This is because the supernal light was lifted away and didn't return to its place even after the Temple was rebuilt….

But the persona of Isaiah brought about salvation [for the Israelite nation], the return of the supernal light to its proper place, and the rebuilding of the Temple; and all the [former] goodness and all the light returned as before.

"Isaiah" in Hebrew is "Yishayahu". "Yisha" means salvation, and the letters yud-hei-vav at the end of his name are the letters in the divine name Havayah. His name represents the return of that consciousness of the Divine to its proper place.


Zohar, pg. 179b; translation and commentary by Simcha-Shmuel Treister

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.