- Zohar
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- Chapter 16
The Shabbat prayer
We learn that the Shabbat prayer consists of three prayers that correspond to three Shabbats (Binah, Zeir Anpin and Malchut) that are all really one. Anyone in the synagogue must occupy himself solely with praises, prayers and study of the Torah. Shabbat is the day of the souls. We are told of many things - of the praise to another grade, of the secret of the luminous light, of the hymn to the World to Come, and of the mystery of the 22 sacred letters in the prayer, "El, blessed, great in knowledge..." When the praise reaches the holy throne Malchut it waits there until all Yisrael recite the high Kedusha of the Musaf; then Malchut rises to Ima, Binah and Zeir Anpin rises to Aba. With the passage, "Moses rejoiced in the gift of his portion...," the Written Law, Tiferet up high, becomes connected to the lower Torah, the Oral Law, Malchut.
207. The Shabbat prayer of the holy people consists of three prayers, which correspond to three Shabbatot (Heb. plural), BINAH, ZEIR ANPIN AND MALCHUT THAT RULE TOGETHER, as was explained. And all of them are one. Once the holy nation comes to the synagogue, they are not allowed to concern themselves even with the needs of the synagogue, but with words of praise, prayers and Torah study, as they ought.
207. צְלוֹתָא דְּשַׁבְּתָא, דְּעַמָּא קַדִּישָׁא, תְּלַת צְלוֹתִין אִשְׁתְּכָחוּ בְּהַאי יוֹמָא, לָקֳבֵל תְּלַת שַׁבָּתֵי, וְאוּקְמוּהָ, וְכֻלְּהוּ חַד. כֵּיוָן דְּעָאלוּ עַמָּא קַדִּישָׁא לְבֵי כְּנִישְׁתָּא, אָסִיר לְאִשְׁתַּדְּלָא אֲפִילּוּ בְּצוֹרֶךְ בֵּי כְּנִישְׁתָּא, אֶלָּא בְּמִלֵּי תּוּשְׁבְּחָן וּצְלוֹתָא, וְאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְכַדְקָא חֲזֵי לוֹן.
208. And whoever is occupied with other things and with worldly matters, desecrates the Shabbat, and has no portion in the people of Yisrael. Two angels are appointed to that task on Shabbat. They put their hands on his head and say: Woe to so and so, who has no portion in the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore they should strive to pray, sing and praise their Master, and study the Torah.
208. וּמַאן דְּאִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּמִלִּין אַחֲרָנִין, וּבְמִלִּין דְּעָלְמָא, דָּא אִיהוּ בַּר נָשׁ דְּקָא מְחַלֵּל שַׁבְּתָא, לֵית לֵיהּ חוּלָקָא בְּעַמָּא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. תְּרֵין מַלְאֲכִין מְמָנָן עַל דָּא, בְּיוֹמָא דְּשַׁבְּתָא, וְאִינּוּן שַׁווּ יְדֵיהוֹן עַל רֵישֵׁיהּ, וְאַמְרֵי, וַוי לִפְלַנְיָּא, דְּלֵית לֵיהּ חוּלָקָא בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. וְע"ד, בָּעֵי לְאִשְׁתַּדְּלָא בִּצְלוֹתָא וּבְשִׁירִין וּבְתוּשְׁבְּחָן דְּמָארֵיהוֹן, וּלְאִשְׁתַּדְּלָא בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא.
209. Shabbat is the day of the souls, for with it the bundle of souls, BINAH, is decorated. To that purpose the praise of the souls is sung 'The soul of every living being shall bless Your name, Hashem our Elohim, and the spirit of all flesh...(Heb. nishmat)'. Praises refer solely to the side of the Ruach and Neshamah. This day too pertains to the Ruach and Neshamah and not to the body.
209. הַאי יוֹמָא, אִיהוּ יוֹמָא דְּנִשְׁמָתִין, דְּאִתְעַטְּרָא הַהוּא צְרוֹרָא דְּנִשְׁמָתִין. בג"כ מְשַׁבְּחֵי בְּתוּשְׁבְּחָן תֻּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דְּנִשְׁמְתָא, וְהַיְינוּ נִשְׁמַת כָּל חַי תְּבָרֵךְ אֶת שִׁמְךָ יְיָ' אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְרוּחַ כָּל בָּשָׂר וְכוּ'. וְלֵית תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא אֶלָּא בְּסִטְרָא דְּנִשְׁמְתָא וְרוּחָא, וְהַאי יוֹמָא, קַיְּימָא בְּרוּחָא וְנִשְׁמְתָא, וְלָאו דְּגוּפָא.
210. The song of another high grade, the secret of the day and the holy sun, ZEIR ANPIN, which is daylight, is THE BENEDICTION 'who forms light'. That is the secret of the luminous light, from which all the armies and Chariots, stars and constellations, and all those who rule the world, take their sustenance and light.
210. תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דְּדַרְגָא אַחֲרָא עִלָּאָה, רָזָא דְּיוֹמָא, שִׁמְשָׁא קַדִּישָׁא דְּאִיהוּ נְהוֹרָא דִּימָמָא, הַיְינוּ יוֹצֵר אוֹר. רָזָא דִּנְהוֹרָא דְּנָהִיר, דְּמִנֵּיהּ אִתְזְנָן וְנָהֲרִין כָּל אִינּוּן חַיָּילִין, רְתִיכִין, וְכֹכָבַיָּא וּמַזָּלֵי, וְכָל אִינּוּן דְּשַׁלְטִין עַל עָלְמָא.
211. The hymn to the World to Come, BINAH, on that day is 'El, the Master over all works'. It is based on the meaning of the twenty two sacred high and holy letters that crown themselves with the patriarchs, CHESED, GVURAH AND TIFERET, and with the holy supernal Chariot, BINAH.
211. תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי בְּיוֹמָא דָּא, הַיְינוּ אֵל אָדוֹן. וְתוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דָּא, אִיהוּ בְּרָזָא דְּעֶשְׂרִין וּתְרֵין אַתְוָון עִלָּאִין קַדִּישִׁין, דְּמִתְעַטְּרָן בַּאֲבָהָן וּבִרְתִיכָא עִלָּאָה קַדִּישָׁא.
212. The small letters, the twenty two letters of the lower world, MALCHUT, are in the prayer "El, blessed, great in knowledge..." The letters appear in each successive word in alphabetical order, and nothing breaks the sequence in between. NAMELY, THE INITIALS FOLLOW THE ALPHABETICAL ORDER. In the upper world, BINAH, EACH SEQUENTIAL ALPHABET LETTER BEGINS A PHRASE OF A FEW WORDS. Thus there is space and holy places between the letters. This is the highest praise, formed by the supernal letters of the seventh day, BINAH. It praises and proclaims before the high King 'who formed the world at the beginning', WHICH IS CHOCHMAH, THE SUPERNAL POINT.
212. אַתְוָון זְעִירִין, אִינּוּן עֶשְׂרִין וּתְרֵין אַתְוָון, דְּאִינּוּן בְּעָלְמָא תַּתָּאָה, דְּאִינּוּן אֵל בָּרוּךְ גְּדוֹל דֵּעָה וְכוּ', וְלָא אִית בֵּין תֵּיבָה לַתֵּיבָה, רְוָוחָא אַחֲרָא, אֶלָּא אָת רְשִׁימָא בְּכָל תֵּיבָה וְתֵיבָה. וּבְעָלְמָא עִלָּאָה, אִית רְוָוחָא, וְסִטְרִין קַדִּישִׁין, בֵּין אָת לְאָת. וְדָא אִיהוּ, תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא עַל תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא, דְּאַתְוָון עִלָּאִין דְּיוֹמָא שְׁבִיעָאָה, קָא מְשַׁבַּח וְאָמַר לְמַלְכָּא עִלָּאָה יוֹצֵר בְּרֵאשִׁית.
213. When this praise, "El, the Master over all works," rises, the sixty high Chariots we mentioned IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN, unite to take it from the holy nation, and elevate it to adorn some high Chariots, for the chiefs and all the righteous in the Garden of Eden. They all bedeck themselves with this praise, and all the Chariots and the souls of the righteous mount with that praise up to the secret of the throne, MALCHUT.
213. כַּד תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דָּא סַלְּקָא לְעֵילָּא, שִׁתִין רְתִיכִין עִלָּאִין דְּקָאָמַרָן, מִזְדַּמְּנִין וְנַטְלֵי לְהַאי תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא מֵעַמָּא קַדִּישָׁא, וְסַלְקֵי לָהּ לְאִתְעַטְּרָא בָּה, בְּכַמָּה רְתִיכִין עִלָּאִין, דִּי מְמָנָן, וְכָל אִינּוּן צַדִּיקַיָּיא דִּבְגִנְתָּא דְּעֵדֶן, כֻּלְּהוּ מִתְעַטְּרִן בְּתוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דָּא, וְכָל אִינּוּן רְתִיכִין, וְכָל אִינּוּן נִשְׁמָתִין דְּצַדִּיקַיָּיא, כֻּלְּהוּ סַלְּקִין בְּתוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דָּא, עַד רָזָא דְּכוּרְסְיָּיא.
214. When the praise THAT WAS SUNG by all Yisrael reaches the holy throne, MALCHUT, it waits there until YISRAEL recite the high Kedusha (lit. 'sanctification') of the Musaf (lit. 'the additional prayer'), NAMELY 'THEY SHALL CROWN YOU'. Then THOSE below may rise up, VIZ. MALCHUT, THE THRONE, RISES TO IMA - BINAH, AND ZEIR ANPIN RISES TO ABA, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE SUPERNAL POINT. In that way everything is united high up and becomes one. THUS, THE PRAISE "EL, THE MASTER..." WHICH ALREADY ASCENDED WITH MALCHUT TO BINAH, BINAH RECITES IT TO THE SUPERNAL KING, WHO IS CHOCHMAH. This praise is superior to all praises.
214. כַּד מָטָא לְכוּרְסְיָיא קַדִּישָׁא, תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דָּא דְּכָל יִשְׂרָאֵל, קַיְּימָא תַּמָּן, עַד זִמְנָא דְּקַאמְרֵי קְדוּשָּׁה עִלָּאָה דְּמוּסָף. וּכְדֵין סִלּוּקָא דִּלְתַתָּא לְעֵילָּא, לְאִתְאַחֲדָא כֹּלָּא לְעֵילָּא לְעֵילָּא, לְמֶהֱוֵי כֹּלָּא חַד. דָּא אִיהִי תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא, דְּסַלְּקָא עַל כֻּלְּהוּ תּוּשְׁבְּחָן.
215. Hereafter, the prayer continues as on the rest of the days, until the passage 'Moses rejoiced in the gift of his portion...' that is the rejoicing of the higher grade, TIFERET THAT IS CALLED MOSES, AND THE SECRET OF JACOB the most valuable patriarch, THE COLUMN THAT RECONCILES AND UNITES CHESED AND GVURAH THAT ARE CALLED ABRAHAM AND ISAAC. He is happy in his portion, MALCHUT, because the throne THAT IS MALCHUT goes up to him. He takes it and they are fused into one. This is the joy of the Torah, which is the Written Law, TIFERET, that rejoices in the lower Torah, the Oral Law, MALCHUT, and they unite with each other.
215. מִכָּאן וּלְהָלְאָה, סִדּוּרָא דִּצְלוֹתָא דִּשְׁאַר יוֹמֵי, עַד יִשְׂמַח מֹשֶׁה וְכוּ', חֶדְוָותָא דְּדַרְגָא עִלָּאָה, עִקָּרָא דַּאֲבָהָן, דְּחַדֵּי בְּהַהוּא עַדְבָא דִּילֵיהּ, כַּד סָלִיק כּוּרְסְיָּיא לְגַבֵּיהּ, וְנָטִיל לָהּ, וּמִתְחַבְּרָאן כַּחֲדָא. וְדָא אִיהוּ חֶדְוָה דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא עִלָּאָה דִּלְעֵילָּא, תּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָּב. דְּחַדֵּי בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא דִּלְתַתָּא, תּוֹרָה שֶׁבְּעַל פֶּה, וְאִתְחַבָּרוּ דָּא בְּדָא.
216. Once they are united, we should include the holy nation in that rejoicing, by SAYING "May they rejoice in Your kingdom, those who observe the Shabbat...our Elohim and Elohim of our fathers, accept our rest."
216. כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְחַבָּרוּ כַּחֲדָא, בָּעֵי ב"נ לְאַכְלְלָא בְּהַהוּא חֶדְוָה לְעַמָּא קַדִּישָׁא, יִשְׂמְחוּ בְמַלְכוּתָךְ שׁוֹמְרֵי שַׁבָּת וְכוּ', או"א רְצֵה נָא בִמְנוּחָתֵנוּ.