Kabbalah Library
Zohar for All, Volume 3
And His Eyes Became Too Weak to See
118) “And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.” All of the Creator’s actions are words of truth, and all are in the upper world, for all are Mochin that are extended from Bina. Also, all the words of Torah are words of faith, the Nukva, and the upper secrets that shine in her.
119) Isaac was not rewarded like Abraham, for his eyes did not grow weak, but there is faith here, as it is written, “And God called the light Day.” This is Abraham, the light of day, the right line. His light, the light of Hassadim, grows stronger by the correction of the day. This is why it is written, “Now Abraham was old, advanced in age” [the Hebrew text uses the word “days”], meaning with the shining lights of Hassadim. And he is old, as it is written, “That shines more and more unto the perfect day.” This is why it is written about it, “And God called the light Day.”
120) “And the darkness He called Night.” This is Isaac, who is dark, darkening so as to receive the night within him. Hence, when he grew old, it is written, “And it came to pass that when Isaac was old, and his eyes became too weak to see,” since he was completely darkened. Certainly, he should be completely dark and properly cling unto his degree.
The day is ZA and the night is the Nukva. At their root, ZA is regarded as being entirely from the right line and the Nukva is regarded as being entirely from the left line. It is known that the left line is Hochma without Hassadim, which cannot shine without incorporation with Hassadim. Hence, at that time, it is regarded as darkness.
Also, the left line is in dispute with the right line and does not wish to be incorporated with Hassadim whatsoever until the middle line comes, the level of Hassadim that emerges on the screen of Hirik that diminishes the left line. And then it decides between them, and the Hochma dresses in Hassadim. At that time, she shines in full, and ZA is regarded as including the right line that is incorporated with the left, and the Nukva, from the left line that is incorporated with the right, and they unite in one another, as it is written, “And there was evening and there was morning, one day.”
“And the darkness He called Night.” This is Isaac. Because he is left line, which is Hochma without Hassadim, he is considered darkness, since Hochma will not shine without incorporation with Hassadim, and he darkens until he receives the Nukva within him and corrects her in the degree of night, until she is ready for a coupling with ZA, which is day. This is so because before he is completely darkened, the left line does not wish to cling to the right line, which is Hassadim. Hence, it gradually dims until it is completely darkened when it is old, for then it clings to the Hassadim, receives its complementation, and can shine.
121) Abraham shines from the side of his degree, Isaac is darkened from the side of his degree, and Jacob is darkened, as it is written, “Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age.” They were dimmed and not blinded like Isaac’s. “For age,” and not “For his age.” “For age” means for the age of Isaac, since he was comprised of both Abraham and Isaac. Hence, his eyes were weakened from that side of Isaac. It is written, “became too weak to see.” However, his eyes were not completely blinded. But for Isaac, his eyes were certainly completely blinded and it became dark, for then the night, Nukva, gripped him and he was sustained. “And the darkness He called Night.”
