Kabbalah Library
Zohar for All, Volume 3
And Joseph Was the Governor
106) “And Joseph was the governor over the land.” When the Creator desires a person, he elevates him above all the people in the world and makes him head over all, and all his enemies surrender under him.
107) King David, his brothers hated him and rejected him from among them. The Creator lifted him above all the people in the world. His father-in-law, Saul, came and he fled from him. The Creator lifted him above all the kingdoms, and they all kneeled and bowed before him. And Joseph—his brothers rejected him. Afterwards, they all kneeled and bowed before him, as it is written, “And Joseph’s brothers came, and bowed down to him with their faces to the earth.”
108) “And now shall my head be lifted up above my enemies around me, and I will offer sacrifices in His tabernacle with trumpet sound I will sing praises to the Lord.” Now means “you,” the name of the Shechina [in Hebrew “now” and “you” sound the same], for he prayed that the Shechina would raise his head.
Time is a high degree, the letter Hey of HaVaYaH, the Shechina, and it is called, “now.” But “And now,” with a Vav is ZA and its court, the Nukva, since Vav from the “And now” implies ZA.
109) “My head be lifted up,” raising the head in honor and kingship. “Above my enemies around me” are the rest of the kings of the land. “And I will offer sacrifices in His tabernacle” is Jerusalem. “In His tabernacle” with a Vav implies the Tent of Congregation. “With trumpet sound” is to sound it to the whole world. “I will sing praises” because of the trumpet call, since the song and the praise come because of the trumpet call.
110) “And now shall my head be lifted up.” This is the assembly of Israel, the Nukva, which is called, “now.” “Above my enemies around me” is Esau and all his ministers. “And I will offer sacrifices in His tabernacle,” inside Israel, “With trumpet sound,” as it is written, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit,” to remove the judgment from the world. “I will sing praises,” to thank and to praise the Creator ceaselessly, forever.
111) “And now shall my head be lifted up.” “My head” is the good inclination, which prayed in every thing, meaning raising the good inclination over the evil inclination. “Above my enemies around me” refers to the evil inclination that surrounds man and hates him in everything. “And I will offer sacrifices in His tabernacle” is the study of Torah, which was given from the side of the fire, as it is written, “At His right hand was a fiery law,” for he raises his head for the Torah and all his enemies will break before him, as it is written, “You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.”
112) “And now shall my head be lifted up,” to be included in the patriarchs, HGT of ZA, since King David must cling to the patriarchs, for he unites with them as a fourth leg, and then he will rise and soar from Chazeh of ZA upwards, in one connection with them. “Over my enemies around me” are the litigants on the left side, who aim to destroy. And when he rises above them, the sun, ZA, bonds with the moon, Nukva, and all becomes one.
113) “And Joseph was the governor over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land.” Joseph is the sun, ZA, since Joseph is Yesod of ZA, which governs the moon (Nukva), shines to her and feeds her. He is the provider of all the people of the land, for all are fed by that river that stretches out of Eden, which is Yesod, called, “Joseph,” and from there the souls fly off to every person. This is why everyone bows before that place, for there is nothing in the world that does not depend on luck, which is Yesod.
