Mayim Achronim – Ki Tavo and The Opposing Sefiros

 

How do we know that Rosh Hashanah is really the new year and a "judgement day" if the Torah seemingly doesn’t say so? Find out in the latest shiur here, where we also discuss the geographical location of the Garden of Eden, the identity of the Forbidden Fruit, the nature of Satan, and how the current generation is a return of the generation of the Exodus.  Counter-Sefirot and the Seven Chambers of Hell

This week’s parasha, Ki Tavo, records some of Moses’ final instructions to the people before his passing, and what the nation should do upon entering the Holy Land. Among these things is to have the Twelve Tribes divided upon two mountains, and pronounce a set of curses and blessings. The Torah records a total of 11 distinct curses. Although the word “cursed” appears twelve times, the last instance is only a general statement that “Cursed be the one who does not uphold the words of this Torah, to fulfill them…” In his mystical commentary on this week’s parasha (in Sha’ar HaPesukim), the Arizal explains that the 11 curses are neutralized by the 11 ingredients of the special Ketoret incense. Similarly, they are blocked by the 11 curtains of the Mishkan. Why specifically 11? The Arizal explains that just as there are Ten Sefirot in the realm of holiness, there are ten opposing “counter-Sefirot” forces in the realm of kelipah, the unholy “husks”. These ten counter-Sefirot have an additional 11th source which gives them energy, since they are otherwise empty on their own. This is unlike the holy Sefirot, each of which is imbued with, and shines forth, its own unique energy and light. Having said that, among the Sefirot there is indeed an eleventh aspect, too, which is the unifying Da’at (itself portrayed as only the inverse of Keter). Although Rabbi Chaim Vital records little else in Sha’ar HaPesukimthat the Arizal said on Ki Tavo, we do know that the Arizal’s source for the counter-Sefirot was actually the Zohar—not on this week’s parasha, but on parashat Pekudei. In one of the longest, most complex, and most esoteric passages of the Zohar (starting at II, 242b), we learn about the energies that oppose (and, in some ways, balance out) the Sefirot in the realm of the Sitra Achra, the “Other Side”. Making sense of the Zohar’s cryptic language is a huge challenge, and I hope to do it some justice in the overview that follows. (Note: It may help to first review the Ten Sefirot here.) The Counter-Mochin  Recall that the Mochin refers to the “higher” and “mental” (or “intellectual”) Sefirot of Keter, Chokhmah, and Binah. The Zohar refers to the opposite of the Mochin as “Darkness” (חֲשׁוֹכָא). Just like the Mochin, it has three aspects: “Smoke” (תְּנָנָא), “Fire” (אֶשָּׁא), and “Blackness” (אוּכָם). The Blackness is the opposite of Keter, which shines with a bright white light (as explained previously in the ‘Colours of the Sefirot’). The Zohar says that Blackness “descends” into the lower realm to cause all kinds of bodily harm, including imprisonment and even death. (Beneath Keter lies Tiferet, which is always referred to as the “body” of the Sefirot, hence the bodily harm when Blackness descends.) Smoke is opposite Chokhmah, and instigates anger and rage in the world below. Just as smoke naturally does, this rage spreads everywhere, and fills other vessels, too. There are four types of rage and anger that it causes. The Smoke of the Sitra Achra “clouds” Chokhmah, just as anger “clouds” a person’s mind and makes them act illogically. On the other side of the smoke is “Fire”. We typically associate fire with Gevurah, along with all things red, including blood. Indeed, the Zohar says that the “Fire” counterpart to Binah (which sits above Gevurah) descends below to cause war and bloodshed. The Counter-Middot  We then go into the counter-Middot below. Recall that the first Middot, called Chessed and Gevurah, are associated with the right and left arms. The Zohar says that just as each arm has three segments (the hand, forearm, and upper arm), the counter-Sefirot of Chessed and Gevurah also have three aspects. The three parts opposing Chessed are called “Wrath, Fury, and Trouble” (עֶבְרָה וְזַעַם וְצָרָה), while the three opposing Gevurah are collectively known as a “Delegation of Evil Messengers” (מִשְׁלַחַת מַלְאֲכֵי רָעִים). From the latter emerge all evil spirits, says the Zohar. Corresponding to the middle Sefirah of Tiferet, the “body”, is a force known simply as the “Centre” (אֶמְצָעִיתָא), and much harm emerges from there. The “legs” of Netzach and Hod each have three segments as well. The Zohar points out how while the arms bend forward, the legs bend backward. The opposing forces to Netzach and Hod work together, and are together referred to as the “Pursuers” (רוֹדְפִים, alluded to in Lamentations 4:19). They are the cause of disease and illness. They can harm the righteous, too, but for the righteous it is only in the form of “afflictions of love” (יִסּוּרִין דְּאַהֲבָה). As discussed elsewhere (such as Berakhot 5a), these are sent by God upon righteous people for good purpose, such as to cleanse the righteous of what little sin they have. As is well-known, the Sefirah of Yesod is mainly associated with sexual purity. Fittingly, the opposing force to it is known as “Foreskin” (עָרְלָה). The Zohar implies that this is the main source of temptation. The force corresponding to Malkhut doesn’t have a specific name, but is described as the place of “evil judgements” (דִּינִין בִּישִׁין). It receives negative energy directly from the “Centre” force above it (that is corresponding to Tiferet), and ends up appearing “red like a rose” (סוּמָקָא כְּוַורְדָּא). The Zohar goes on to state that corresponding to (or emerging from) the seven counter-Middot in the Sitra Achra are the seven levels of the yetzer hara, the “evil inclination”. These seven levels are called “Satan”, “Impurity”, “Hater”, “Stumbling Block”, “Uncircumcised”, “Evil”, and “Northern” (שָׂטָן. טָמֵא. שׂוֹנֵא. אֶבֶן מִכְשׁוֹל. עָרֵל. רָע. צְפוֹנִי). And corresponding to these are the seven levels of Gehinnom or Hell: “Pit”, “Grave”, “Silence”, “Filthy Mud”, “She’ol”, “Shadow of Death”, “Underworld” (בּוֹר. שָׁחַת. דּוּמָה. טִיט הַיָּוֵן. שְׁאוֹל. צַלְמָוֶת. אֶרֶץ תַּחְתִּית). The Zohar goes on to describe these seven “chambers” of Hell. Continue reading → The Zohar above names and describes many angels that operate within the chambers of Hell. It speaks of these same angels as operating in our world, too, suggesting an entirely different view of Hell and the afterlife, as explored in 'An Honest Look at Death and the Afterlife'.  www.MayimAchronim.com