means One of the Three, which, though Three, are only One. This point (77) is the fountain of light remaining in, in Him who is without end, because He is without beginning; and he adds: דא בדא * נהיר בהאי ובהאי * ובג"כ כלא אחיד כד סליק כלא סלקן ואתאחדן ביה : i.e., Therefore all light is united, one with the other giving light here and there. This light penetrates all degrees, from the lowest degree of natural, to the highest degree of spiritual light, and all that is light is united in Him, who is the LIGHT.4 He saith on the same page: יהי אור דהוא אל גדול ..................וירא אלהים את האור כי טוב דא עמודא דאמצעיתא : i.e., Let there be Light. This Light is the great God..... . And God saw the Light, that it was good. This Light is the Middle Pillar in the Godhead.6 That the Middle Pillar in the Godhead is the Son of God, begotten of the Father from eternity, R. 4 St. John viii. 12; xii. 35, 36, 46. 5 Bechai makes a remarkable observation, (p. 4, versa, col. 2.) ויאמר אלהים יהי אור לרמוז על ימות המשיח שהזכיר בו הכתוב קומי אורי כי בא אורך וכבוד י"י עליך זרח : i.e., And God said, "Let there be light," to indicate the coming (lit., days) of the Messiah, of whom it is said: Arise, shine; for Thy Light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen in Thee. (Is. lx. 1.) Also Bechai calls the Messiah Light. • Φῶς δεύτερον κατὰ πάντα ἑαυτῷ ἀφωμοιώμενον. ι.., Α second Light like in all things to Himself. (Philo, as quoted by Euseb., Demonstr. Evang., lib. iv., cap. iii.) Simeon ben Jochai teaches not only in this passage, but in many other places in his valuable works. To quote but one. Speaking on Prov. xxvii. 10, he says, (Sohar, vol. ii., p. 115, versa): עמודא דאמצעיתא דאיהו בֶּן־יָהּ : i.e., "Better is a neighbour that is near, than a brother far off. This neighbour is the Middle Pillar in the Godhead, which is the Son of God." The chambers of light, into which the Word of God led me respecting this interesting subject, are so numerous, that the space of these pages will not permit me to open more of them to my readers; to conclude, I shall just communicate to them, what I saw in the last one of these chambers. ,אני בינה לי גבורה,14 .Pondering over Prov. viii "I am Understanding—I have strength," I had not a shadow of doubt, that Understanding means here the same self-existing Understanding as non, the self-existing Wisdom, the Son of God, speaking in this chapter, which truth R. Simeon ben Jochai corroborates. (Sohar, vol. iii., p. 290.) אלא כד אתחבר דא בדא יו"ד בה"א • מהו בינה * ..........ואפיקת בן ואולידת וג"כ בינה אקרי בן י"ה וג' : i.e., Who is the Understanding? (Prov. viii. 14.) When Jod (Jehovah) is united with Jod, (Jehovah,) a Son is born, and therefore 2, Understanding, is called, the Son of God." 7 is composed of 7 and ", by transposition of the letters. See foot note, page 84. § 4. MY ANCESTORS' TRIUMPHING FAITH IN THE SON Having been led by my teachers to a knowledge of the mystery of the 7th verse of the second Psalm, I sought earnestly their instructions as to the right meaning of the 12th verse: i.e., "Kiss the Son, lest He be angry," &c. ,נשקו בר פן ינאף וג' Observation. That does not signify, in this place, purity or virtue, as the more modern writers render it, is plain enough from the second and third members of the verse: 7, "Lest He be angry," Blessed are all they that put "אשרי כל חוסי בו and e., Blessed are all. טוביה לכל דסברין במימריה their trust in Him;" or as Jonathan paraphrases it, who trust in the Memra," (THE WORD.) Moreover, we know that in the more poetical parts of the inspired writings, the ancient Chaldee words and forms are used: thus for 2 (a son) is used not only in this Psalm, but also in Proverbs xxxi. 2: ,.e. מה ברי ומה בר בטני ומה בר נדרי: 66 What, my son? and what, the son of my womb? the son of my vows?" We find that Aben Ezra expounds the passage with the following words: ונשקו בר כנגד על עבדו את י"י כנגד על י"י • משיחו * והנה פי' בר כמו מה ברי ומה בר בטני וכן כתוב בני אתה : i.e., "Serve the Lord, (v. 11,) refers to Jehovah ; and Kiss the Son, refers to the Messiah; and the signification of 2, son, is as we find it, (Prov. xxxi. 2,) What, my son," &c. I went to one of our oldest teachers, who, as I said in my introduction, lived above seventeen hundred years ago, to be taught how to interpret these words, p, "Kiss the Son," and my soul drank of the pure and refreshing water of Divine knowledge. Before transcribing his solemn words of triumphing faith, I must remark that our ancient teachers, who are called "The Cabbalistical School," undoubtedly preserved the pure doctrine of the blessed Godhead. When, however, they imparted knowledge to their initiated pupils, they frequently made use of allegorical expressions, and sometimes of certain calculations from the numbers represented by the letters which a word contained. In this 8 manner, they hid their mysteries from the uninitiated until they were properly prepared to receive them. Thus in Sohar, vol. iii., p. 307, versa, Amsterdam Ed., I found the following instruction respecting the words, "Kiss the Son." Rabbi Simeon ben Jochai proves from Is. xix. 1, that Jehovah spoken of there as riding upon a swift cloud to execute judgment upon Egypt, is no other than "the Son of God" spoken of in the second Psalm, ver. 12, 22, "Kiss the Son." These are his words of triumphing faith: 1 אנת הוא רעיא מהימנא : 1. Thou art the faithful Shepherd. e Sohar, Genes. T (Addenda) p. 18, versa, we find the same passage, but evidently with an interpolation, which is rectified in the third volume, as quoted on the following page. 2 עלך אתמר נשקו בר : 2. Concerning Thee it is said, (Psalm ii. 12,) "Kiss the Son." 3 ואנת רב לתתא • רבן דישראל : 3. Thou art the mighty One of the earth, the Lord of Israel. בר לעילא • בר דקב"ה 4 רבן דמלאכי השרת • ושכינתא : 4. The Lord of the serving Angels, the Son of the Highest, the Son of the Holy One, blessed be He, yea, the Shechinah.9 5 אתמר לגבי דוד : גם ה' העביר חטאתך לא בהאי ג"ס (גאל משחת) אתכפר דוד : תמות * 5. "It is said with reference to David, 2 Sam. xii. 13: The Lord also hath put away thy sin ; thou shalt not die." Through the Redeemer from destruction, was David reconciled to God. $ 5. R. SIMEON BEN JOCHAI'S PRAYER AND EXHORTATION. (.cap. xviii., p. 65, Amsterdam Ed תקוני הזהר) The Prayer. .............קם רבי שמעון וכלהו חבריא ואמר • רעיא מהימנא רבן דכל נביאיא • קים אתער משנתך • דהא אנת איהו בכל נביאיא כגוונא דשמשא : i.e., "R. Simeon arose with all his companions and • What the Shechinah signifies, see part ii., § 15, page 34. |