Lech Lecha: Chapter 8

"And I will make of you a great nation," part two

Synopsis

At every beginning, at every opening, within every seed-level moment, there are dark forces present whose sole objective is to taint, negatively influence, and curse all that will come after. The Zohar reveals the process by which we can break these curses and remove any negative factors.

Relevance

New projects and new beginnings in our life start out with bountiful optimism and hope. Be that as it may, unseen negative forces often infect the seed level leading to broken dreams and unrealized goals. In this portion, we receive the power to break our own negative nature and the negative forces around us that try to curse new beginnings in our life.

Abram Blessing Curse Earth Seven

41. Sitrei Torah (Concealed Torah). THERE ARE SEVEN BLESSINGS THAT APPEAR IN THIS PASSAGE. One, "And I will make of you a great nation;" two, "and I will bless you;" three, "and make your name great;" four, "and you shall be a blessing;" five, "And I will bless them that bless you;" six, "and curse him that curses you;" and seven, "and in you shall all families of the earth be blessed." And after he received these seven blessings, it is written, "So Abraham departed, as Hashem had spoken to him." THIS MEANS THAT HE WENT down to the world, as he was commanded to do.

41. (סִתְרֵי תּוֹרָה) וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ לְגוֹי גָדוֹל, הַאי בִּרְכְּתָא חָדָא. וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ, תְּרֵין. וַאֲגַדְּלָה שְׁמֶךָ, תְּלַת. וֶהְיֵה בְּרָכָה, אַרְבַּע. וַאֲבָרְכָה מְבָרֲכֶיךָ, חָמֵשׁ. וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ אָאוֹר, שִׁית. וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ כָּל מִשְׁפְּחוֹת הָאֲדָמָה, הָא שֶׁבַע. כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְבָּרְכוּ בְּאִלֵּין שֶׁבַע בִּרְכָאן, מַה כְּתִיב, וַיֵּלֶךְ אַבְרָם כַּאֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר אֵלָיו ה'. לְנָחֲתָא לְהַאי עָלְמָא, כְּמָה דְּאִתְפָּקְדָא.

Abram Aramaic Body Curse Door Haran Klipot (Shells – Negativity) Lot Serpent Seven Seventy Shells (Klipot) Soul, The Thirteen Twelve Year

42. Immediately, "Lot went with him." This is the serpent that was cursed and caused the world to be cursed. THE SCRIPTURES CALL THE SERPENT BY THE NAME LOT, BECAUSE LOT MEANS 'A CURSE' IN ARAMAIC. THE SERPENT WAS CURSED AND BROUGHT CURSES ON THE WORLD. SO HE ACCOMPANIES THE SOUL DURING ITS STAY IN THIS WORLD. And the serpent stands at the opening, in order to mislead the body, AS IT IS WRITTEN, "SIN CROUCHES AT THE DOOR" (BERESHEET 4:7). And this is why the soul will not start fulfilling the mission it was commanded to perform until it has completed thirteen years in this world. Because from the twelfth year onward, the soul is aroused to fulfill its task. Therefore, it is written, "and Abraham was seventy five years old" (Beresheet 12:4) -SEVENTY IN REDUCED NUMERICAL VALUE EQUALS SEVEN, and seven and five equals twelve. THEN THE SOUL LEAVES CHARAN, WHICH IS THE KLIPOT, AND IS AROUSED TO SERVE HASHEM AND FULFILL ITS ALLOTTED TASK.

42. מִיָּד וַיֵּלֶךְ אִתּוֹ לוֹט. דָּא אִיהוּ נָחָשׁ דְּאִתְלַטְיָא, וְאִתְלַטְיָא עָלְמָא בְּגִינֵיהּ, דְּאִיהוּ קָאֵים לְפִתְחָא, לְאַסְטָאָה לְגוּפָא, וְלָא תִפְעוֹל נִשְׁמָתָא, פּוּלְחָנָא דְאִתְפַּקְדַת, עַד דְּיַעַבְרוּן עֲלָהּ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, י"ג שְׁנִין, דְּהָא מִתְּרֵיסַר שְׁנִין וּלְעֵילָא, נִשְׁמָתָא אִתְעָרַת, לְמִפְלַח פּוּלְחָנָא דְאִתְפַּקְדַת, הה"ד וְאַבְרָם בֶּן חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וְשִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה. שֶׁבַע וְחָמֵשׁ תְּרֵיסַר אִינוּן.

Grades Hundred Nukva Seven Seventy Soul, The Tree Tree of Life Twelve Year Zeir Anpin

43. And then, AFTER TWELVE YEARS, the soul can be seen in this world, because it comes from the "five years," which are the five hundred parasangs of the Tree of Life. IT IS THEN ACKNOWLEDGED AS AN OFFSPRING OF ZEIR ANPIN, WHICH IS CALLED THE TREE OF LIFE, WHICH IS FIVE HUNDRED PARASANGS WALK. "And seventy years" refers to the same tree, which is the seventh among the grades, NAMELY, THE NUKVA, WHICH IS THE SEVENTH SFIRAH AMONG THE SEVEN SFIROT: CHESED, GVURAH, TIFERET, NETZACH, HOD, YESOD AND MALCHUT. AND THEN THE SOUL IS ACKNOWLEDGED AS THE OFFSPRING OF ZEIR ANPIN AND THE NUKVA.

43. וּכְדֵין אִתְחֲזִיאַת נִשְׁמָתָא בְּהַאי עָלְמָא. דְּאִיהִי אַתְיָא מֵחָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים, דְּאִינוּן ת"ק פַּרְסֵי דְּאִילָנָא דְחַיֵּי. וְשִׁבְעִים שָׁנָה, דָּא אִיהוּ הַהוּא אִילָנָא מַמָּשׁ, דְּאִיהוּ שְׁבִיעָאָה לְדַרְגִּין, וְשִׁבְעִין שָׁנָה אִתְקְרֵי.

Body Haran Satan, The Serpent Soul, The

44. Then the soul departs from the filth of the serpent and enters to the holy work. And so it is written, "when he departed out of Charan," from the wrath and aggression of the Satan, who until now had ruled over the body by deceiving it.

44. כְּדֵין נָפְקַת מֵהַהוּא זוּהֲמָא דְנָחָשׁ, וְעָאלַת בְּפוּלְחָנָא קַדִּישָׁא, הה"ד, בְּצֵאתוֹ מֵחָרָן, מֵהַהוּא רוּגְזָא וְתוּקְפָא דְּהַהוּא נָחָשׁ, דַּהֲוָה אַסְטֵי לֵיהּ עַד הַשְׁתָּא לְגוּפָא, וְשָׁלְטָא עֲלוֹי.

Body Foreskin Orlah Serpent Soul, The Thirteen Tree Year

45. The Orlah (lit. 'foreskin') rules over the tree for three years, WHICH ARE CALLED THE "ORLAH YEARS." In the human being, the first thirteen years are called the "Orlah years." After the body has lived these years, the soul is aroused to fulfill its holy task. It then receives full control over the body and inspires the goodwill necessary to overcome the serpent. Andthen the serpent will not be able to control the body as it did before.

45. בְּאִילָנָא, שָׁלְטָא עָרְלָה תְּלַת שְׁנִין. בְּבַר נָשׁ, תְּלַת סְרֵי שְׁנִין, דְּאִקְרוּן שְׁנֵי עָרְלָה, כֵּיוָן דְּאַעֲבָרוּ עַל גּוּפָא אִינוּן שְׁנִין, וְאִתְעַבְרַת נִשְׁמָתָא, לְמִפְלַח פּוּלְחָנָא קַדִּישָׁא, פְּקִידַת לְגוּפָּא, לִרְעוּתָא טָבָא, לִכְפוֹף לְהַהוּא נָחָשׁ, דְּהָא לָא יָכִיל לְשַׁלְטָאָה כְּמָה דְהַוֵּי.

Abram Body Female Lot Male Sarah Serpent Soul, The Thirteen Year

46. As it is written, "And Abraham took Sarah his wife..." (Beresheet 12:5). "SARAH HIS WIFE" refers to the body, which in comparison to the soul is like the female toward the male. "And Lot his brother's son" refers to the serpent that does not completely leave the body EVEN AFTER THIRTEEN YEARS, because the clinging of the body is not entirely gone from it. Nevertheless, the arousal of the soul strikes it always, warns and reproves it, and forces it to obey so that it cannot take control any more.

46. דִּכְתִיב, וַיִּקַּח אַבְרָם אֶת שָׂרַי אִשְׁתּוֹ וגו', דָּא גּוּפָא, דְּאִיהִי לְגַבֵּי נִשְׁמָתָא, כְּנוּקְבָא לְגַבֵּי דְכוּרָא. וְאֶת לוֹט בֶּן אָחִיו, דָּא נָחָשׁ, דְּלָא אַעֲדֵי כָּל כָּךְ מִן גּוּפָא, בְּגִין דִדְּבֵקוּתָא דְּגוּפָא, לָא אַעֲדִיוּ כָּל כָּךְ מִנֵּיהּ, אֲבָל אִתְעֲרוּתָא דְנִשְׁמָתָא אַלְקֵי לֵיהּ תָּדִיר, וְאַתְרֵי בֵּיהּ, וְאוֹכַח לֵיהּ, וְכָפִיף לֵיהּ, עַל כָּרְחֵיהּ, וְלָא יָכִיל לְשַׁלְטָאָה.

Body Deeds Evil Foreskin Haran Judgment Klipot (Shells – Negativity) Nefesh (Soul) Neshamah (Soul) Serpent Shells (Klipot) Soul (Nefesh) Soul (Neshamah) Soul, The Thirteen Year

47. "And all their substance that they had gathered..." refers to the good deeds that a person performs in this world because of the awakening of the soul. "And the souls (Nefesh) that they had made in Charan..." REFERS TO that Nefesh, which at first was attached to the foreskin of the body and clung to it and which later was amended BY THE NESHAMAH. IT IS DESCRIBED BY THE WORDS, "AND THE NEFESH THAT THEY HAD MADE IN CHARAN," WHICH REFER TO THE CRAVING NEFESH, WHICH FEELS GREAT ATTACHMENT TO THE LUST OF THE BODY AND THE KLIPOT. So after thirteen years, when the Neshamah is aroused to amend the body, both THE NESHAMAH AND THE BODY amend the Nefesh that participated in the harsh JUDGMENTS of the serpent and its evil desires. As it is written, "and the Nefesh that they had made in Charan..." THE REASON WHY "THEY HAD MADE" IS WRITTEN IN THE PLURAL IS BECAUSE IT REFERS TO THE NESHAMAH AND THE BODY, WHICH TOGETHER AMEND THE NEFESH-THE NESHAMAH BY AWAKENING THE BODY, AND THE BODY BY ITS GOOD DEEDS.

47. וְאֶת כָּל רְכוּשָׁם אֲשֶׁר רָכָשׂוּ, אִלֵּין עוֹבָדִין טָבִין דְּעָבֵיד בַּר נָשׁ, בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, בְּאִתְעֲרוּתָא דְנִשְׁמָתָא. וְאֶת הַנֶּפֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ בְחָרָן. הַהוּא נֶפֶשׂ, דַּהֲוַת בְּקַדְמֵיתָא בִּדְבֵקוּתָא בְּחַבְרוּתָא דְהַהִיא עָרְלָה, בַּהֲדֵי גוּפָא, וְאַתְקִין לָהּ לְבָתַר, דְּהָא לְבָתַר דִּתְלֵיסַר שְׁנִין וּלְעֵילָא, דְּנִשְׁמָתָא אִתְעָרַת, לְאַתְקָנָא לְגוּפָא, תַּרְוַוייהוּ מְתַקְּנִין לְהַהוּא נֶפֶשׂ, דְּמִשְׁתַּתְּפָא בְּתוּקְפָא דְנָחָשׁ, וּתְאוּבְתֵּיהּ בִּישָׁא, הה"ד וְאֶת הַנֶּפֶשׂ אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ בְחָרָן.

Abram Dwellings Neshamah (Soul) Repentance Serpent Shechem Shechinah Soul (Neshamah)

48. With all of this, the Neshamah continues to attack the serpent in order to break it, so that it will surrender and be enslaved under the influence of repentance. Therefore, it is written, "And Abraham passed through the land to the place of Shchem" (Beresheet 12:6), BECAUSE SHCHEM IS THE DWELLING PLACE OF THE SHECHINAH. AND THAT IS BECAUSE THE POWER OF THE SERPENT HAS ALREADY BEEN COMPLETELY BROKEN BY THE NESHAMAH. (End of Sitrei Torah)

48. וְעִם כָּל דָּא, נִשְׁמְתָא אַתְקֵיפַת בֵּיהּ, בְּהַהוּא נָחָשׁ, לְתַבְּרָא לֵיהּ, בְּתוּקְפָא בְּשִׁעְבּוּדָא דִּתְשׁוּבָה, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וַיַּעֲבוֹר. (עד כאן סתרי תורה)

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