The Book of Zohar. Chapter “Flower Buds” (abridged)
4. Rabbi Shimon opened (the Light): It is written in “Song of Songs”: “Flower buds appeared on the earth. “Flower buds” refer to the act of creation. “Appeared on the earth” – on the 3rd day of creation, when it was written in the Torah: “And the earth shall pullulate” (the middle line compels growth, because it comprises of the sum of the left and the right lines – desire and Light).
Then it is said in “Song of Songs”: “The time of singing has come” – and this is the 4th day of creation, the time of judgment (restriction; in order to provide an opportunity for growth it is necessary to restrict the growth of desire in accordance with its correction).
Then it is said in “Song of Songs”: “The voice of the turtle dove is heard” – this is the 5th day of creation, of which it is said in the Torah: “Let the waters swarm” – so as to produce offspring (the spiritual correction of broken desires).
And the word “heard” refers to the 6th day, where it is written, “Let us stand and create man,” and there it is said, “We shall do and we shall hear,” meaning that he will be able to perform actions (studying Kabbalistic sources, unification) that bring him to the property of bestowal (“hearing” is the property of Bina, bestowal, while “sight” is the property of Hochma, reception).
Then it is said in “Song of Songs”: “In our land” – this is the day of Sabbath, which is like the Land of Life, the world to come (“land” designates desire, “our” means corrected by the desire to bestow – the result is the corrected state called Sabbath).
5. Flower buds are the Patriarchs, the fundamental desires that entered with their correction the mind of the Upper One and the future world – Bina, and there they are concealed. They emerge from there concealed in the true prophets. Yosef was born and they concealed themselves in him. When Yosef entered the Holy Land (the soul’s corrected desires), they appeared and were revealed (to him as the Upper World). When are they revealed? When a rainbow is seen. It is the time of eradication of all the wicked from the world (final correction of all egoistic desires). That is why the flower buds can be seen in the earth. And if they could be seen earlier (if the Upper Light were to be revealed before the correction of all egoistic desires), they could not have remained in the world, and the world would not be able to exist (it would be destroyed, for Light would have come in contact with egoism, like an electrical short circuit).
6. Who animates the world and causes the revelation of the Patriarchs (the initially created desires)? – It is the voice of the children (revealed for the correction of previously concealed desires), who study the Torah (the method of correction). Thanks to these children (newly revealed desires, Reshimot) the world exists (the Creator’s revelation to people/souls). It is hence said in “Song of Songs”: “We will make you pendants of gold” (the Light of Hochma, gold, will fill the newly corrected desires). These are the children, the flower buds of the world, as is it said in the Torah (the method of correction): “You shall make two Cherubs of gold” (“cherub” comes from the word “Karov” or “Lakriv,” meaning to draw one closer – to draw man nearer the Creator by utilizing two cherubs, two lines, right and left, while the Creator speaks – is revealed, in the property of bestowal, between them, in the middle line).
“Flower Buds” – full commentary
My Comment: The Book of Zohar should be studied just like any other Kabbalistic text – with the intention of receiving the force of the soul’s correction from it. Then, to the extent that one’s soul is corrected, one begins to feel (reveal) what The Book of Zohar describes.
(See “The Introduction to The Teaching of the Ten Sefirot”, item 155.)
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