Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Aba rejoiced, wept, and said, “Go, ride the donkey, and we will prod it behind you (Zohar for All, “The Donkey Driver”).

That is, the sages recognized that the force that exists in the donkey (“donkey” in Hebrew is Homer, the matter of all creation) is the dwelling place of the Creator. Therefore, they began to treat differently the one who drives them, accompanies them, and leads them to the goal.

When they arrived at the house of Rabbi Yosi, son of Rabbi Shimon, son of Lakunia, they saw Rabbi Shimon there and they were glad. Rabbi Shimon was glad. He told them, “You must have passed through a road of miracles and high tokens, for I have been sleeping now and saw you and Benayahu Ben Yehoyada sending you two crowns through an old man, to crown you. It must be that the Creator was on that way, for I see that your faces have changed.” Rabbi Yosi said, “You said well—that a sage is preferable to a prophet.” Rabbi Elazar came and placed his head between the knees of his father, Rabbi Shimon, and told him the feat.

That is, they did not fully understand everything, but now that they have finished their journey, they are beginning to reveal that in fact, they have passed such degrees that they never assumed or knew they would pass. They talk about this further in The Book of Zohar.

It means that this is just the beginning, just the first chapter, and then the whole Book of Zohar tells about what they found there, on these degrees.

Question: It is clear that there is some allegorical meaning here. Because it is said that Rabbi Elazar, the son of Rabbi Shimon, who wrote The Zohar, came and placed his head between the knees of his father, Rabbi Shimon, and told him the feat,  about what had happened to this donkey driver. What does “came, placed his head between the knees of his father” mean?

Answer: Placed his head between the knees of his father means that Rabbi Elazar bowed before the wisdom of his father and, as the one who follows him along the spiritual degrees, asked for help to ascend to the next degree.
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From KabTV’s “Introduction of The Book of Zohar” 9/3/23

Related Material:
The Creator Is the Driver
Are You On The “Donkey” Or Is The “Donkey” On You?
The Donkey Driver

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