Kabbalah - Rabbi Aryeh Rotenberg

260629.Pinchas ver035
Pinchas: Verse 35
(A) Rabbi Yosi said: A rainbow comes to protect the world. It is like a queen wearing royal apparel who appears before the king every time he is about to hit his son because he has sinned against him. The king sees her and his anger with his son leaves him and he rejoices with her, as it is written: "and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant" (Beresheet 9:16). And this is why a rainbow appears in the world, only in the royal apparel of Malchut. THESE GARMENTS OF MALCHUT ARE: WHITE, RED AND GREEN, AND THEY SUGGEST THE THREE COLUMNS AS WILL BE EXPLAINED. When there is a righteous person in the world, he upholds the covenant and thus protects the world. But if there is no righteous person, then there is a rainbow to indicate that the world is about to perish but SURVIVES because of it.
(B) Rabbi Elazar said: This rainbow, NAMELY MALCHUT, has never worn anything except the apparel of the patriarchs, NAMELY, CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET OF ZEIR ANPIN, NAMELY green, red and white. The raiment of Abraham is green, and it was so colored when Ishmael issued from him. 'Red' is Isaac, who acquired this color when Esau issued from him. This red stretches down to the planet Mars - Ma'adim (from red - Heb. adom), which Esau is holding onto. White is the fine garment of Jacob, whose good countenance never changed, FOR HIS BED WAS PERFECT AND THERE WAS NO BLEMISH IN HIM.
(C) Rabbi Aba said: That is good, but the Holy Luminary, NAMELY RABBI SHIMON, said, 'White' is Abraham, who was purified ('whitened') in the white-hot heat of the fire BY NIMROD, WHO CAST HIM INTO UR (FIRE) OF THE CHALDEES. 'Red' is obviously Isaac, and 'green' is Jacob, who is between the other two colors, FOR GREEN INCLUDES WHITE AND RED. THIS GREEN STANDS FOR THE GREEN COLOR OF THE SUN. And about Jacob it is written, "Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale" (Yeshayah 29:22) because his whole bed was perfect. AND THE INTERPRETATION OF this is: "Jacob shall not now be ashamed" because he shall not be seen in red like Isaac, who fathered Esau. "neither shall his face now grow pale." This means that he shall not be seen in white like Abraham, who fathered Ishmael. Instead he took the colors WHITE AND RED and enveloped them to adorn himself in his ancestors. HE INCORPORATED WITHIN HIMSELF THE TWO PATRIARCHS ABRAHAM AND ISAAC, WHO ARE WHITE AND RED, AND THIS IS WHY HIS COLOR IS GREEN, WHICH INCLUDES WHITE AND RED. And the rainbow, NAMELY, MALCHUT, puts on these garments OF WHITE, RED, AND GREEN when it appears before the King, ZEIR ANPIN.
(D) Come and see: The secret of the Holy Covenant is the letter Yud that adorns itself with a supreme heavenly impression, NAMELY THE CORONA OF YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN and this is recorded forever in the everlasting covenant. And because Pinchas was zealous for the Covenant, that letter Yud was inserted into the spelling of his name. The Yud in the spelling of 'Pinchas' is a small one, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT, THE SECRET OF THE CORONA OF YESOD, FOR 'PINCHAS' HERE IS SPELLED WITH YUD, which is definitely the Covenant, which emanated from the upper holy Yud BECAUSE MALCHUT EMANATES FROM YUD OF YUD HEI VAV HEI IN THE SECRET OF THE FATHER ESTABLISHING HIS DAUGHTER. And this is why PINCHAS has a perfect existence before the Holy King and shall never perish from the world. And because of this he was without guilt at Peor. For he never lost himself from the world's holiness. "or where were the upright cut off?" this refers to Nadab and Abihu, who did not totally perish from the world BECAUSE THEIR SOULS INCARNATED IN PINCHAS, WHO CORRECTED THEM.

260628.Pinchas ver034Rabbi Yehuda says the rainbow appears to remind people of God's promise never again to destroy the world, and we also hear that the rainbow appears whenever there is no righteous person to protect the world. When Rabbi Elazar talks about the green, red and white colors in the rainbow that correspond to the three patriarchs, Rabbi Aba disagrees with his assignment of each color. He ends by talking about the letter Yud in Pinchas' name, and mentions that Nadab and Abihu were reincarnated in Pinchas.Relevance
This one passage alone is so potent that one heartfelt reading has the power to forever establish serenity in our souls and lasting peace in the world.
Sin is a constant trademark of man. And although transgressors physically outnumber the few righteous men of this world, the good deeds of these saintly souls outweigh all the sins of the wicked combined. Such is the power of Light over darkness. The righteous, we're told, protect us with their presence. And the rainbow, which appeared after the Flood as a sign of God's promise never to destroy this world, protects us when there are no righteous men among us.
The reason for this tale is crystal-clear - the Zohar is drawing upon the righteous and the rainbow to lay gently a blanket of protection over the entire world. And because this truth is emerging through the Zohar for the first time in history, the effect is unprecedented: Judgments looming over the horizon are cast off to sea forevermore as we evoke the name of Pinchas. The Earth's waters, once used to destroy mankind, are restored to their pre-Flood molecular structure. This divine substance transmutes into waters of healing that regenerate the soul and the cells of body.
The Zohar speaks of the colors green and white, which are healing colors. They shine here brightly; and they rectify us, heal us, and make us well again.
The color red - attributed to the war planet Mars, and to our Left Column trait of receiving - sparkles! Its illumination brings personal and global conflict to a peaceful end. Moreover, the seed of all conflict and strife - the brothers Isaac and Ishmael, and Jacob and Esau, combine and blend into one color, just as the colors of the rainbow unite into the color of white. This exquisite unity engenders love between the brothers, and among their posterity - the Jews, the Moslems, the Christians, and the entire family of man. Intolerance is thereby banished from the hearts of humans. Racial and religious barriers dissolve into nothingness.
The letter Yud is inserted into the spelling of our own spiritual name, into our essence, so that we experience an existence of perfection. Metaphysically, we will never again perish from this world.
The true hidden colors of the Three Columns burst forth in this breathtaking moment of meditation, marking the end of our personal and global exile. Our Lower World of Malchut joins together with the Upper World of Zeir Anpin; and in the process, the garments of black worn by Malchut are replaced "with the garments of the shining colors of the secrets of the Torah." Namely, darkness is removed, eternally, from civilization.
[Verse 36] Moses tells the Rabbis that Elijah is Pinchas so they must come up with some new interpretations. Rabbi Yehuda's opinion is that the rainbow does not shine with its proper colors, but the colors hint at the merits of the priests and Levites and Yisrael in all their beauty. Next we hear that Malchut in exile can only be dressed in black, and that the rainbow is really the angel Metatron, the eldest servant of God. God's promise to look at the rainbow and remember His Covenant refers to the shining secrets of the Torah, for light signifies all the mysteries of the Torah. Lastly we hear that every one of the names of God testifies about God who is above everything, and that all of Yisrael, as they are all the sons of Adam, must serve God.

260625.Balak v029
Rabbi Yitzchak and Rabbi Yehuda encounter the small son of Rav Hamnuna Saba, and find that he is preternaturally wise. The child rebukes them for not having read the Kriat Sh'ma and for having started to say grace while their hands were still dirty. He talks about the five fingers on the hand, the five bars of acacia wood, and the five hundred years, and he concludes from this that all the blessings of the priest are dependent on the fingers. The boy discusses the grace before the meal and the grace after the meal. When his mother begs the rabbis to look at her son with a benevolent eye, the child says he is not afraid of an evil eye because he is the son of a great and worthy fish, and a fish has no harm from the evil eye as the water acts as a protection for it. He talks about the fact that Malchut is called 'angel' when she is an emissary from Aba and Ima, but when she is at rest over the two Cherubim she is called Adonai. We read that Malchut appeared to Moses as an angel but to Abraham as Adonai, and that Jacob called to Malchut in the name of angel when he died. Moses joined with Malchut during his lifetime while still in his body but Jacob joined with her only in spirit after he died. We read about Metatron and Sandalphon who are from the great ocean, Malchut, and that they are fruitful and multiply in the land. When the wise boy says the blessing over the cup of blessing he speaks of Rabbi Yitzchak's nearness to death and says that he should find a guarantor down below, meaning Rabbi Shimon. The rabbis leave the boy's house, and Rabbi Shimon, when encountered, says that the boy will not live long. Next the rabbis wonder why Moses' merit did not protect the Midianites from destruction even though Ruth and Naamah protected Moab from destruction. Rabbi Shimon explained that Moab had not yet produced Ruth and her offspring so it had to be protected. Three of the rabbis return to see the boy, who welcomes them and who knows without being told that they have been talking about Amon and Moab. He discusses the secret of the wave offering and why barley is offered. They talk about wheat, saying that it is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. We hear that the Other Side has a part - the chaff - in all the five kinds of grain, and the chaff is exempt from tithe because it has no share in holiness. The boy says that even if the snake had not tempted Eve, Adam would still have produced offspring immediately, due to God's commandment to be fruitful and multiply. The boy talks about the grapevine known as sanctity and the grapevine of the Other Side; he tells why water must be added to wine for the blessing after the meal, to add compassion to mercy. We hear about the bad advice that the elders of Midian gave to Moab, and how they were punished. The boy informs the rabbis that Moab was punished later by David after Ruth had come out of that country. Generations later the Midianites were still longing to attack Yisrael. We learn that King David summoned the hosts of heaven and included his soul with them to bless God, and that later Yisrael took over the task of the serving angels. The boy and Rabbi Elazar talk about sanctification and blessings and about the mighty ones who perform God's bidding. Finally we hear about the great importance of teaching the Torah to one's son.

260623.Chukat v035
Chukat: Verse 35
"Then came the children of Yisrael, the whole congregation into the desert of Zin..." (Bemidbar 20:1). Rabbi Yehuda said: Why is the passage about the laws of the red cow near to the death of Miriam? The explanation was already established. HE RESPONDS: However, since the Judgment was executed upon this cow in order to purify the unclean, Judgment was executed upon Miriam for the purpose of cleansing the world, SINCE THE DEATH OF THE JUST ATONES FOR THE WORLD, and she departed from this world. When Miriam departed, the well that accompanied the children of Yisrael in the desert was gone. And the well of everyone was gone; THAT IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT.
Chukat: Verse 36
Rabbi Aba said that it is written: Now, you "son of man, take up a lamentation" (Yechezkel 28:12), about the virgin of Yisrael, THAT IS MALCHUT. HE ASKS: Is it about her alone? HE RESPONDS: No. It is only that everyone was broken because of her, since it was for her that the breaking of the right OF ZEIR ANPIN followed, THAT IS THE SECRET OF THE DEPARTURE OF CHESED DUE TO THE SEPARATION OF MALCHUT. FOR CHESED was bringing her near to the body, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN. And the body, which is the sun, MEANING ZEIR ANPIN THAT INFLUENCES MALCHUT, was dimmed for her, SINCE IT HAD NOBODY TO INSPIRE. This is the secret of: "save with Your right hand, and answer me" (Tehilim 60:7), MEANING SAVE THE RIGHT HAND THAT WAS SEVERED BY THE SEPARATION OF MALCHUT. ALSO, this affected the body, as it is written: "I clothe the heavens with blackness" (Yeshayah 50:3), since the sun, THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN, was darkened because of her. Similar to this is the verse: "And Miriam died there" (Bemidbar 20:1), BECAUSE THAT INDICATES THE DEPARTURE OF MALCHUT. AS MENTIONED ABOVE, THE WEAKENING OF THE RIGHT ALSO OCCURRED AND ZEIR ANPIN WAS DARKENED.
Chukat: Verse 37
"And there was no water for the congregation" (Ibid. 2), since the well of above departed, WHICH IS MALCHUT, as well as the lower, WHICH IS MIRIAM. Then the right was broken, as it is written: "Aaron shall be gathered to his people" (Ibid. 24). HE IS THE SECRET OF CHESED, WHICH IS THE RIGHT. Following that, the sun dimmed, as it is written: "and die in the mount...and be gathered to your people" (Devarim 32:50), AND MOSES WAS THE CHARIOT TO ZEIR ANPIN, REFERRED TO AS 'SUN.' We see here that the right arm was broken and the body, which is the sun, became darkened.
Chukat: Verse 38
Come and behold: there was no generation in the world similar to the generation when Moses as well as Aaron and Miriam lived in the world. If you say that the times of Solomon were similar, it is not so. In the times of Solomon, the moon was dominant, SINCE THAT GENERATION WAS RECEIVING FROM THE MOON, WHICH IS MALCHUT, and the sun was gathered, BECAUSE THEY DID NOT RECEIVE FROM ZEIR ANPIN, REFERRED TO AS 'SUN.' During the time of Moses, the moon was gathered, so THAT THEY DID NOT RECEIVE FROM MALCHUT, and the sun was dominant, AS THEY WERE RECEIVING FROM ZEIR ANPIN, REFERRED TO AS 'SUN.'
Chukat: Verse 39
There were three siblings, Moses, Aaron and Miriam, as it says: "and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam" (Michah 6:4). Miriam is the moon, MALCHUT, Moses is the sun, ZEIR ANPIN, Aaron is the right arm, CHESED, and Hur is the left arm, GVURAH. Some say that Nahshon, the son of Amminadab WAS THE LEFT ARM. At first Miriam died, and the moon departed and the well disappeared. Afterward, the right arm that always brings near the moon, WHICH IS MALCHUT, joyfully and with friendship, broke. Therefore, it is written: "and Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took..." (Shemot 15:20). Surely she is Aaron's sister, for he is the arm that brings her near in unity and brotherhood with the body, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN.

260622.Chukat v031
Chukat: Verse 31
After all this, WHEN ALL THE HIGHER AND LOWER GRADES WERE FILLED WITH ABUNDANCE FROM ABA AND IMA, IT SAYS: "the earth is satiated with the fruits of Your works" (Ibid.); that is, the sanctified land up high, MEANING MALCHUT. When it is blessed, all the worlds are gladdened and are blessed, and that happens when the blessings prevail from the watering of the stream, WHICH IS THE SPRING MENTIONED ABOVE, THAT IS ABA AND IMA, the deepest of all.
Chukat: Verse 32
At the time when the blessings are not available to descend upon the world, WHICH ARE CHASSADIM, AND MALCHUT RECEIVES CHOCHMAH FROM THE LEFT WITHOUT THE CHASSADIM, the world, THAT IS MALCHUT, sits in Judgment. From the left side stirs a spirit that extends over the world, and many regiments of harmful angels dwell in the world and rest over the people, SINCE WHEN CHOCHMAH IS WITHOUT CHASSADIM, ALL THE HARSH JUDGMENTS EMANATE FROM HER. And that spirit defiles them, similar to a person who dies and has a Spirit of Defilement dwell upon him. This is true for whoever comes near that SPIRIT FROM THE LEFT.
Chukat: Verse 33
That is what is meant when it says: "You hide Your face, they are troubled" (Ibid. 29). What does this verse mean? It is only, "You hide Your face, they are troubled." That is because THOSE LEVELS were not watered so that blessings would prevail in the world, SINCE "YOUR FACE" MEANS CHASSADIM AND BLESSINGS. THEN, "You take away their breath (also: 'spirit'), they die" (Ibid.), because another spirit stirs from the left direction, WITHOUT THE RIGHT. The Spirit of Defilement dwells upon people, upon those who died, those who were with them, and on the rest of humanity, MEANING THAT THE SPIRIT OF DEFILEMENT EXPANDS OVER THE WHOLE WORLD. What is its remedy? This is what is written: "and return to their dust" (Ibid.). That means the dust of the burning of this offering in order to have purification, and that is the secret meaning of, "all are of the dust" (Kohelet 3:20), even the sun's circle.
Chukat: Verse 34
After returning to this dust in order to be purified through it, AS MENTIONED NEARBY, the Spirit of Defilement is removed. And another Holy Spirit is aroused, which prevails upon the world. This is what it says: "You send forth your breath (also: 'spirit'), they are created" (Ibid. 30); they are created and healed with the loftier remedy of another spirit. "And You renew the face of the earth" (Ibid.); since it was purified, the moon is renewed and all the realms are blessed. Praised is the lot of Yisrael, since the Holy One, blessed be He, gave them counsel. All of it is a remedy in order to gain life in the World to Come, and for them to be considered purified in this world and sanctified for the World to Come. About them, it is written: "then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean" (Yechezkel 36:25).
Chukat: Verse 35
"Then came the children of Yisrael, the whole congregation into the desert of Zin..." (Bemidbar 20:1). Rabbi Yehuda said: Why is the passage about the laws of the red cow near to the death of Miriam? The explanation was already established. HE RESPONDS: However, since the Judgment was executed upon this cow in order to purify the unclean, Judgment was executed upon Miriam for the purpose of cleansing the world, SINCE THE DEATH OF THE JUST ATONES FOR THE WORLD, and she departed from this world. When Miriam departed, the well that accompanied the children of Yisrael in the desert was gone. And the well of everyone was gone; THAT IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT.