Kabbalah Library
Zohar for All, Volume 6
A Man in Whom There Is a Flaw
41. A man from your descendants, throughout their generations, in whom there is a flaw, shall not draw near to offer the bread of his god, since he is flawed, and one who is flawed is unfit to serve in the holy, as there is no faith in him, and the flaw testifies to him. It is all the more so with a priest, that he must be complete and with more faith than anyone.
43. It is written, “To the law [Torah] and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word.” The Torah is the written Torah, ZA. The testimony is the oral Torah, Malchut. The oral Torah is not present in a flawed place since it is built from the written Torah, for Malchut is built from ZA, who is complete. It is written, “Bind up the testimony, seal the Torah among my disciples.” “Bind up the testimony is the oral Torah, since there, in Malchut, the bundle of life is bound. In the testimony, the tie of the life of above is tied, from ZA, so all will be one.
44. From there down, from Malchut, the paths and trails separate, and roads separate from there in all the worlds, as it is written, “And from there it separated and became four heads.”
45. “Seal the Torah with my disciples,” the sealing of the written Torah, ZA. In what place is it? In my disciples. These are the prophets, who are called “disciples of the Creator,” Netzah and Hod, as it is written, “He set up the pillar on the right and called its name Yachin,” which is Netzah. “He set up the pillar on the left and called its name Boaz,” which is Hod. From there, ways are extended to the faithful prophets who receive from Netzah and Hod.
These Netzah and Hod stand in existence to the body, ZA, to the six lights in it, as it is written, “His thighs are pillars of marble.” His thighs, Netzah and Hod, are pillars to ZA, in whom there are six Sefirot. Everything stands in wholeness, and the holiness of everyone is present only when they are in wholeness, since when ZA connects in Malchut, everything is complete, everything is one, and no place is flawed. This is why the assembly of Israel is called “complete,” as it is written, “And Melchizedek the king of Shalem [whole], for Melchizedek is Malchut, and he is a complete king, and it is written, “And in Shalem was His abode, Malchut.
46. For this reason, everything is present only in a complete place. This is why it is written, “Any man in whom there is a blemish may not approach.” Likewise, an offering in which there is a blemish shall not approach, as it is written, “for it shall not be acceptable on your behalf.” But it is written, “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit.” Can it be that the Creator is present in a broken place, in a broken vessel? Yet, that place is more complete than all, since he lowers himself so that the pride of all will be upon him, the pride of the upper one, and this is complete. However, it is not written “I dwell with the blind, the broken, the mutilated, and one with a limb too long,” but rather “with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit,” since one who bows himself, the Creator straightens him up.
47. For this reason, the priest, who is below such as above, must be more complete than everyone, and a flaw must not be seen in him. Hence, He warns the priests, “A man from your descendants, throughout their generations, in whom there is a flaw, shall not draw near.”
48. “And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice, it is not bad, and when you offer the lame and sick, it is not bad.” When the Creator says, “not evil,” is it good? However, in those days, Israel were appointing flawed priests and flawed offerings on the altar, and to work in the Temple. They said, “What would the Creator miss if it is this or that?” And they would say, “It is not bad.” The Creator replied to them the same words that they were saying, and said, “Israel, you say that when sacrificing blemished offerings for My work, it is not bad, what does the Creator miss?”
49. At the end of the verse, it is written, “Offer it then to your governor! Would he be pleased with you or accept you?” If a man from among you had to pay the king and sacrifice an offering before him, would you send him a flawed one or not? Would he be pleased with you and accept you with that flawed gift?” It is several times more so when you bring before me a flawed person to sacrifice an offering to Me, since your gift will be given to a dog, for the flawed one is flawed in everything, flawed in faith.” This is why “Any man in whom there is a flaw may not approach.”
50. The Creator is destined to complement Israel, so they are complete with everything, so there are no flawed ones at all among them because at the time of revival, there will be the correction of the world, just as the vessels and clothes of a person are the corrections of the body, which is why he will complete them.
51. When they awaken from the dust, at the revival of the dead, they will rise as they had entered the grave. If they entered lame or blind, they will rise lame and blind. They will rise with the same clothing, which is the body, so it will not be said that it is another who has awakened for the revival. Afterwards, the Creator will heal them and they will be whole before Him, and then the world will be complete with everything. And then it is written, “On that day, the Lord will be one and His name, One.”
