The Arizal on the Parashah

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The central figure of the Kabbalah as it is studied today is Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (1534- 1572), known universally as the Holy Ari (“Lion”), the acronym formed by the initials of his title, “the G-dly Rabbi Yitzchak” (Ha-Eloki Rabbeinu Yitzchak), or as the Arizal “the G-dly Rabbi Yitzchak of blessed memory” (Ha-Eloki Rabbeinu Yitzchak, zichrono livrachah).

The Arizal’s teachings cover many topics, including mystical cosmology, eschatology, reincarnation, the anatomy of the soul and the mystical significance of the commandments. This book is a collection of the Arizal’s teachings on the Torah, in which he expounds on the mystical dimension of the stories and laws in the Torah.

The Arizal never wrote a commentary on the Torah per se; in fact, he hardly wrote anything. His teachings were recorded by his disciples, principally Rabbi Chaim Vital (1543-1620). The teachings in the present anthology are culled from several of Rabbi Vital’s works, chiefly Sha’ar HaPesukim, Sefer HaLikutim, and Likutei Torah.

The translations and commentary I present here were originally produced on a weekly basis and circulated via the Internet. It was thought worthwhile at this point to present them in book form, even though there still remains a sizeable amount of the Arizal’s material on the Torah to be translated. Please G-d, when this additional material is ready, we will reissue this book and include a short biography of the Arizal as well as a description of how his teachings were recorded and edited in the generations immediately following his passing.

The translation of the text of the Arizal’s teachings is accompanied by explanatory notes

and charts to assist the reader in understanding the text.

Moshe Wisnefsky

Disclaimer: the following translations have not yet been checked over for accuracy by any

authority on the teachings of Kabbalah. Therefore, although I have rendered and explained the Arizal’s teachings as best I can based on my knowledge and research, there may be passages that I misunderstood and rendered incorrectly. Before publishing these translations in book form they will, please G-d, be examined for accuracy by a competent authority, and any necessary changes will be made then.

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Parashat Bereishit

The first verse in the Torah literally reads “In the beginning, G-d created the heavens and the earth.” The verb in this verse, “to create,” refers to the second of the four worlds,Atzilu t (“emanation”),Beriah (“creation”),Yetzirah (“formation”), andAsiyah (“action”).

The Torah does not [here] speak about the world ofAtzilut, but rather the world ofBeriah. The Torah is therefore called “the Torah ofBeriah.” And therefore the Torah begins with the letterbeit, for thealef (which is the first letter) alludes toAtzilut [which is both the first world and begins with the letteralef], while the letterbeit (which is the second letter) alludes toBeriah, which is [both] the second world and begins with the letterbeit.

Not only does the verb in the first verse put us squarely in the world ofBeria h, but this fact is alluded to also in the first letter of the Torah. In the words of our sages, “all is according to the beginning.” This letter,beit, refers to the world ofBeriah both because its numerical value is 2 and because it is the initial of the wordBeriah.

It is also known that “Ima nests in the [world of the] chariot.”1 This is another

reason why the Torah begins with the letterbeit, forbeit is the first letter ofbinah.

It is stated in theZo ha r thatAbba nests in the world ofAtzilu t;Ima in the world of the chariot; Z’eir Anpin in

Yetzirah, and Nukva d’Zeir Anpinin Asiyah. Beriah is called here “the world of the chariot” because the Divine

chariot that figures in the vision of Ezekiel is identified with this world. Thepa rtzufim referred to here are the

partzufimof Atzilut; the meaning is that Abbaof Atzilut nests in Atzilut, while Imaof Atzilut descends and rests in

Beriah, and so forth.

All this simply means that, although each world possesses its own array of tensefiro t (in the form of their respectivepartzufim), each world is nonetheless pervaded by an overall consciousness that is an expression of one of thep a rtzu fim ofAtzilu t.Abba is thep a r tzu f ofch o chm ah, which is the consciousness ofbitu l (“self-nullification”); a person experiencing a flash of insight is not aware of himself but is rather absorbed totally in the experience of the revelation. This, overall, is the general consciousness of the world ofAtzilut; the revelation of G-d in this world is so great that it leaves absolutely no room for self-awareness.I ma is thep artz u f ofb inah, which is a consciousness of self-awareness. A person involved in understanding the implications, applications, and ramifications of an insight he has received isvery aware of himself and the way he perceives the world; it is precisely this self-awareness that he uses to evaluate the effect of his insight. This self-awareness is what distinguishes the world ofBeriah from the world ofAtzilut. InBeriah, for the first time, there is such a thing as self-awareness or self-consciousness; the beings that exist in this world are aware of themselves as entities distinct from G-d. The same paradigm applies toZ’eir

Anpin with regard to Yetzirahand Nukva d’Zeir Anpin with regard to Asiyah.

This is why the world was created inTishrei, which is [an expression of the idea contained in the verse] “His left hand is under my head.”2 ForAbba is always [associated with] the right side, andIma the left. The letters of the word for “in the beginning” [bereishit,beit-reish-alef-shin-yud-tav] may thus be rearranged to spell “on the first ofTishrei” [beit-alef tav-shin-reish-yud].

1 Tikunei Zohar 6 (23a).

2 Song of Songs 2:6.

The Arizal on parashat Bereishit

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Although the world was created on the 25th ofE lu l, the crown of creation was the creation of man, who was created on the sixth day, or the 1st ofTish rei. The whole six-day creative process may thus be viewed as a preparation for what happened on the 1st ofTishrei, and therefore the world may be spoken of as having been truly or fully created inTish rei.

Tishrei is the beginning of the cold half of the year, in contrast to Nisan, which is the beginning of the warm

half. The holidays ofTishrei emphasize human effort, to crown G-d king (Rosh Hashanah), to achieve atonement for man’s sins (Yom Kippur), to rejoice in G-d’s protection, to achieve joy in His service, and unity in His people (Sukkot), and to elicit Divine revelation through the study of the Torah (Shemini Atzeret—Simchat Torah). The holiday of Nisan—Pesach—in contrast, emphasizes G-d’s initiative (in taking us out of bondage). Thus, the cold half of the year (which we have to “warm up” on our own) is characterized more by human effort ascending heavenward, while the warm half of the year is characterized more by G-d “taking over” and our simply being open and receptive to His leadership.

This dynamic in our relationship with G-d is alluded to in the verse, “His left hand is under my head, and His right hand will embrace me.” The left hand signifiesgevu ra h, the Divine attribute of judgement and justice, while the right hand signifiesch esed, the Divine attribute of loving-kindness.Tishrei and the half of the year it ushers in is thus clearly an expression of G-d’s left hand (cf. G-d as judge on Rosh Hashanah, etc.), whileNisa n and its half- year are an expression of G-d’s right hand.

This is also why [in the entire account of creation] the NameEloki m is

mentioned 32 times. For the 32 pathways ofAbba are 32 NamesHavayah, while in

Ima they are 32 Names Elokim.

It is stated in Sefer Yetzirah that there are 32 “pathways ofchochmah.”3 The simplest understanding of these pathways is that they are the tensefiro t and the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, i.e., ideas and their means of expression. The two principle Names of G-d,Ha va ya h andElokim, are associated withchochmah andb in ah, respectively. This is because the NameElokim, whose numerical value (86) is the same as that as the word for “nature” (ha-teva,h ei-tet-b eit-a yin), signifies G-d as He is manifest in nature, while the NameHava yah, being a combination of the words for “was”, “is,” and “will be,” signifies G-d as He transcends nature (i.e., the limitations of time and space). Similar to what we said above, the experience ofch o chm ah is transcendent in nature, in which the individual is temporarily abstracted from the context of his own self-awareness, while the experience ofb inah is much more “natural,” in which the individual is firmly positioned in the context of the limits of his own intellect.

Thus, when the revelation ofAbba entersIm a, it is no longer represented by the NameHava yah but by the

NameElokim.

The word “beginning,” [however,] refers tochochmah, as in the verse “the

beginning of wisdom.”4

This phrase (reishit chochmah) can poetically be taken to mean “the beginningis wisdom.” Also, since

chochmah is the first conscious sefirah (as opposed to keter, which is sub- or super-conscious), it can rightfully be

called “the beginning” of the sefirotic (and thus any) process.

Thus, although the first verse of the Torah seems to revolve principally aroundBeriah andIma, it also

contains an allusion toch o chm ah (and thus toAtzilu t).

This [double allusion tochochmah andbinah] may be seen in thebeit, [the first letter] ofbereishit [“in the beginning”]. [Thedagesh inside the letter] alludes to “the point in its palace,” i.e., [the state in which]Abba andIma are equal and together.