Excerpts from The Zohar for Yom Kippur

EMOR
34. Yom Kippur
A Synopsis
We learn that it is a commandment to be afflicted on Yom Kippur, to subjugate body and soul.

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Raaya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd)
227b. It is a commandment to be afflicted on Yom Kippur, to subjugate body and soul by
means of the five afflictions, the five grades of Yom Kippur, WHICH ARE CHESED,
GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH AND HOD, for the prosecutor comes to impart their sins as
we learned. And they are all, ALL OF YISRAEL, repenting wholly before their Father, as we
learned in different places.
End of Raaya Meheimna
PINCHAS
120. Yom Kippur
A Synopsis
The Zohar tells us that Yom Kippur is from the Tree of Life, where no evil has any part. On
that day even those people who are under a sentence of judgment are forgiven. We hear
about the difference between vows and oaths, and about the iniquities of Yisrael that are
purified or whitened through repentance. We learn that on Yom Kippur a Shofar raises up a
voice for freedom. There are three grades of worship on that day: thought, speech and deed.

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807. And you shall have on the tenth day of this seventh month which is the month of
Tishrei, a holy gathering (Bemidbar 29:7), which is Yom Kippur, which is the tenth, which
is Yud, and these are the Ten Days of Repentance, and five prayer services were ordained for
it in order to join the Yud with the Hei, NAMELY, CHOCHMAH WITH BINAH. What is the
meaning of holy gathering? It is to differentiate it from other days when secular work is
permitted which is why scripture says: you shall not do any work (Ibid.).

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808. And those days on which secular work may be done are from the side of the Tree of
Knowledge of Good and Evil, that turned from a rod into a serpent and from a serpent back
into a rod, for each person according to his deeds, and this Metatron is rod, while Samael
IS serpent. But on this day, which is Yok Kippur that is called holy, the Tree of Life is in
control, and no devil nor evil spirit joins with it, and from its side nor shall evil dwell with
You (Tehilim 5:5), BUT IT IS THROUGHOUT GOOD. And this is why in it, in the Tree of
Life, the slaves find rest and go out to freedom, and emerge from their chains.

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809. Those over whom there is a verdict, A VERDICT NOT TO BE CHANGED under vow or
oath, it was decreed for this reason that the following shall be recited: All vows (Aramaic
Kol nidrei), bonds...they shall all of them be released and annulled. They shall not be
binding, nor shall they have any power. BUT THE VERDICT SHALL BE VOIDED FROM
THEM. And this is why the vow is in the name of Yud Hei Vav Hei, which is Tiferet, while
the oath is in the name of Adonai, which is Malchut, for they caused their own exile BY
THEIR SINS. AND NOW, by means of Chochmah and Binah, they will be released and
annulled; they shall not be binding, nor shall they have any power. And all the
congregation of the children of Yisrael shall be forgiven (Bemidbar 15:26). Chesed is
water, Gvurah is fire, and Tiferet is air, AND SINCE THE VOWS ARE IN TIFERET, WHICH IS
AIR, the sages of the Mishnah therefore taught: release from vows hovers in the air, FOR

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THE RELEASE FROM CHOCHMAH AND

AND FROM THERE ANNULS THE VOW.

BINAH

HOVERS IN THE AIR, WHICH IS

TIFERET,

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812. And it is said about Yom Kippur: and you shall afflict your souls (Bemidbar 29:7)
AND ALSO: in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, you shall afflict your
souls (Vayikra 16:29). And five afflictions were decreed for it, so that small Hei, WHICH
IS MALCHUT, should be purified in upper Hei, WHICH IS BINAH, OF WHOSE LEFT
COLUMN, THE AFFLICTIONS ARE DRAWN, which are five prayers, to establish in Yisrael:
though your sins be like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow (Yeshayah 1:18). And
this is the secret of the crimson colored strip, WHICH WAS TIED TO THE DOOR OF THE
SANCTUARY FROM INSIDE, WHICH, WHEN THE HE-GOAT REACHED THE WILDERNESS,
TURNED WHITE. All the iniquities of the House of Yisrael reach to Malchut; and
Repentance, which is Binah, purifies (whitens) them, for it is written about it, ABOUT
MALCHUT: I AM HASHEM that remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness
(Vayikra 16:16). And the four garments of white and the four garments of gold for apparel
are THE SECRET OF Yud-Aleph-Hei-Dalet-Vav-Nun-Hei-Yud, WHICH IS THE
COMBINATION OF THE LETTERS OF YUD HEI VAV HEI AND THOSE OF ADONAI. FOR
THE FOUR GARMENTS OF WHITE ARE THE SECRET OF THE FOUR LETTERS OF YUD HEI
VAV HEI WHILE THE FOUR GARMENTS OF GOLD ARE THE SECRET OF THE FOUR
LETTERS OF ADONAI.

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813. And it was decreed that a Shofar be sounded on Yom Kippur, to raise up a voice,
which is Vav OF YUD HEI VAV HEI, NAMELY, ZEIR ANPIN, to freedom, WHICH IS
BINAH, about which it is said: In all their affliction He was afflicted (or: there was
affliction for (Heb. lo) him) (Yeshayah 63:9). LO IS with Aleph and Vav, THAT IS, in
how it is pronounced and written, FOR IT IS SPELLED WITH ALEPH (NO), ALTHOUGH
PRONOUNCED WITH VAV (FOR HIM). FOR IN ALL THEIR AFFLICTION ALLUDES TO
FIVE AFFLICTIONS AND THE JUDGMENTS WHOSE SOURCE IS IN BINAH, IN ITS LEFT
COLUMN. AND IN THE SECRET OF THE SHOFAR BLOWING, ZEIR ANPIN IS ALSO RAISED
UP THERE TO BINAH, AND THIS IS WHY THERE ARE TWO VERSIONS OF THE TEXT, AS
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WRITTEN AND AS READ, WITH AN ALEPH AND WITH A VAV, WHERE THE ALEPH
ALLUDES TO BINAH, IN THE SECRET OF TEACH (HEB. ALEPH) BINAH, AND THE VAV
ALLUDES TO ZEIR ANPIN THAT ASCENDED TO BINAH. And worship on Yom Kippur is

conducted at length and comprises three grades: thought, speech, and deed.
TETZAVEH
14. On the tenth day of this seventh month
A Synopsis
The old sage explains why the Yom Kippur is on the tenth day. We learn of the seventy
years that apply to everyone. We learn that on Yom Kippur one must not reveal his sins
to another, because the accusers may use it against him, and besides, it is shameless to
reveal ones sins it is a desecration of Gods Holy Name. The seventh month is Gods,
but He gave it to Yisrael as a revelation. This entire month is from the Upper World,
Binah; therefore it is covered because the Upper World is in concealment. On the
fifteenth day of the month, it is revealed, since everything becomes revealed with the
fullness of the moon. From this day the Sfirot descend to the secret of the Lower World,
Malchut. The old sage and Rabbi Shimon discuss the question of who passed Judgment
on the world on Rosh Hashanah, and why Malchut judges only those who are twenty
years of age or older.

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116. It is written: On the tenth day (Heb. beasor) of this seventh month (Bemidbar
29:7), and: Also on the tenth day of this month (Vayikra 23:27). HE ASKS WHY IT IS
WRITTEN beasor (lit. on day ten) when it should say tenth. Why ten? HE
ANSWERS: It is because now, on this day, all the high grades come upon each other,
MEANING THAT THE TEN SFIROT THAT HAVE THREE FIRST SFIROT ARE DRAWN FROM
IMA to rest upon the moon, WHICH IS MALCHUT, to shine on it. And they all pertain to the
secret of ten so they add up to a hundred, BECAUSE TEN TIMES TEN EQUALS A HUNDRED.
When it is based on the secret of a hundred, MEANING THAT IT HAS FIRST THREE SFIROT,
then it is all one, FOR MALCHUT IS ONE WITH IMA. And BOTH are called the Day of
Atonement. Therefore, it is written, on day ten (Heb. asor), WHICH IS DERIVED FROM
THE WORD SOURCE, as written, Remember (Shemot 20:8) and Keep (Devarim 5:12).
THIS IS BECAUSE TENTH (HEB. ASIRI) MEANS AN ALLUSION TO MALCHUT ONLY,
WHICH IS THE TENTH SFIRAH, BUT TEN, WHICH IS DERIVED FROM SOURCE,
INDICATES ALL TEN SFIROT TOGETHER. For they all come FROM IMA in order to multiply
by ten EVERY SFIRAH and shine by means of ten NAMELY, ALSO INCLUDING THE
THREE FIRST SFIROT.
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117. The old sage turned towards Rabbi Shimon and said to him: I know that you have a
question about this passage, On the tenth day of this month. Rabbi Shimon said to him:
Certainly, on day ten, WHAT YOU SAID, THAT IT POINTS TO TEN is fitting. But if it is so,
why does it add up to a hundred? From the passage, it seems that it all adds up only to
seventy, for it is written: On day ten of this seventh month And when you multiply
seven by ten, it equals seventy. He said to him: For this did I turn to you, because I know
you are a wise man.

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118. Come and behold: there are two secrets here. The first is that the moon, WHICH IS
MALCHUT, is called the seventh month and therefore the seventh month is called ten,
AS IT SAYS, ON DAY TEN OF THIS SEVENTH MONTH. This is because they shine on it
tenfold, MEANING TEN SFIROT, AND TEN TIMES TEN equals a hundred. THERE IS another
SECRET HERE, because what you said, THAT TEN INDICATES MULTIPLYING SEVEN BY
TEN, assuredly amounts to seventy on that day, IN SUCH A MANNER, that it is both in the
level of seventy and in the level of a hundred. IT IS in the level of a hundred in order to
make it whole WITH THE THREE FIRST SFIROT and shine on it; AND IT IS in the level of
seventy because on this day MALCHUT receives all Yisrael in order to judge them. They
are all in the soul rather than in the body, because on this day the soul is afflicted but not
the body, as is written: And you shall afflict your souls (Vayikra 23:27), and, for
whatever person (lit. soul) shall not be afflicted (Ibid. 29). For that day takes all the
souls, and they are under its authority. Had it not been of the secret of seventy, it would not
have authority over the souls, because souls are maintained by means of seventy, as it is
written: The days of our years are seventy (Tehilim 90:10).
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