Kabbalah Library
Zohar for All, Volume 9
Let the Water under the Heaven Be Gathered into One Place
137. “And God said, ‘Let the water under the heaven be gathered.’” This is the bottom side, the left side, one side that comes in the Aleph, the bottom Yod in her, the side that is called “darkness.” This is “under the heaven,” below the middle line in the Aleph, Tifferet, which is called “heaven.” This is so because from that side, from the middle line, the lower water, meaning the left, were separated from the other side of the water, above, meaning right, and spring by extension of concealment since the middle line diminished and concealed the light of GAR on the left.
138. In which place was the light that was concealed, concealed? In the letter Vav, the middle line, which diminished the GAR of Hochma in the left. When it was concealed, everyone were concealed, the light of all those who were drawn from the left line became concealed, as it is written, “And denied the wicked their light.” The other side was concealed along with him, meaning that the light was taken from them.
This is why it is written, “under the heaven into one place,” for that place is the right side, which at first remained one without the other, when the light of the left was concealed. From the right side, when the water of the left was divided and gathered inside the right, at that time, the dry land was seen on the left side, for at that time, the light of the left was seen, as well. However, it seemed dry because of the judgments in it.
It is written, “And the dry land was seen,” meaning that the light was seen and revealed, which is dry because of all the judgments. It is also written, “Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.” This is so because from that side, Hochma was seen and became revealed. The text calls the north side, left, by the name “city of the great King,” since Hochma was seen and revealed from the left side, as it is written, “And the dry land was seen.”
“The great King” implies illumination of Hochma which is called “great” and “big.” After the two sides right and left were concealed, when they were incorporated in the middle line, everything returned to being Vav, under the control of Hassadim, and everything was concealed within it and became one light.
