Kabbalah Library
Zohar for All, Volume 3
And the Lord Saw that Leah Was Hated
147) It is written, “And the Lord saw that Leah was hated, and he opened her womb; but Rachel was barren.” It is also written, “Who makes the barren woman to dwell in her house as a joyful mother of children. Hallelujah.” “Who makes the barren woman to dwell in her house” is Rachel, the essence of the house. “As a joyful mother of children” is Leah, who gave birth to six sons and a daughter.
148) “Who makes the barren woman to dwell in her house” is Shmita, Nukva of ZA, the essence, since this world is led by her. “As a joyful mother of children” is Yovel, Bina, upon which every joy and gladness in the worlds BYA depends, since the Nukva of ZA has nothing of her own, except what ZA receives from Bina and imparts upon her. And then she imparts upon all the worlds. Thus, every joy in the worlds BYA comes from Bina.
This verse is the sum of everything, comprising the hidden world and the revealed world. This is why the text ends, “Hallelujah,” which is above all the praises in psalms.
149) “And the Lord saw that Leah was hated.” But the sons of a hated one are not decent sons, and all the good sons came out of Leah. However, Yovel is the hidden world; this is why all its actions were concealed from Jacob, since she was in concealed love for him. On the surface, she seemed hated, since Leah is from Chazeh of ZA and above, which is considered Ima, Yovel, the hidden world. This is why all its matters are in concealment.
150) The lower world, Rachel, Nukva of ZA, is revealed, the beginning of everything in the rise in degrees. It is like upper Hochma, Hochma of AA, which begins everything from above downwards. Similarly, the lower world, Hochma, begins everything from below upwards.
She is called “you” because she is Shmita and she is revealed. The Hassadim in her appear in illumination of Hochma, which is the Yod that exits the Avir and Ohr [light] remains. At that time, the Nukva of ZA is called Shmita.
151) The upper world, Yovel, is Leah that is extended from Ima. We call it “he” because all its words are in concealment, since the word “he” implies to the hidden world. It is written about Leah, “And he lay with her that night.” The servant of the Levite is the work of the Tent of Meeting. The Levite works to draw blessings from him, from “he” to all the worlds.
“He” is the upper, hidden world, and Jacob was adhered to the revealed desire, as it is written, “And shall cleave unto his wife.” It is written, “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother,” which are the hidden world, “And shall cleave unto his wife,” who is the revealed world.
152) “And the Lord saw that Leah was hated,” since she extended from Ima. A man hates the nakedness of his mother because his mother is the hidden world. This is why it is written, “A man shall leave his father and his mother,” and a man is alone with his mother in every place, and does not fear the prohibition on seclusion [prohibition to be alone with a woman who is not a wife or first degree kin]. This is why everything was hidden from Jacob, since the upper world, Leah, which is extended from Ima, was not revealed at all.
