Kabbalah Library

11. It is written, “And they found a man gathering wood on the Sabbath day. What is this wood here, and who is this man? It is Zelophehad, who was making a precision in order to know about these trees, ZA and Malchut, which of them was greater than the other. He was not concerned about his master’s glory, and he swapped between Shabbat and Shabbat.

It is written, “He died for his own sin,” for a sin, Vav, for he blemished ZA, who is called the Vav of HaVaYaH. He died, and this is why his judgment was concealed and his judgment was not interpreted like other judgments. It is written, “gathering wood,” simply, since this matter should have been clandestine and must be concealed and not revealed. This is why it was not said openly, and the Creator gave honor to his honor.

There are two states in Nukva: The first state is when she is as big as ZA, they are both on the same degree, where ZA clothes the right line of Bina, and Nukva clothes the left line of Bina. At that time, she is not in a coupling with ZA since she receives everything from Bina and does not need ZA. She is separated from ZA, in the posterior, and full of judgments.

The second state is after the diminution, when she returned to being a dot under Yesod of ZA, and from there, she is built into a complete Partzuf face-to-face with ZA. However, she is already regarded as a degree below ZA, whose root is at the point of Chazeh of ZA, and she is filled with all the abundance.

On the Sabbath day, she is in a coupling with ZA face-to-face, and they clothe upper AVI. The sin of Zelophehad was that on the Sabbath day, when ZA and Nukva are in their fullest stature face-to-face, he was gathering wood. Wood, the two trees, the tree of life, ZA, and the tree of knowledge, the Nukva. Mekoshesh [gathering] means he was Makish [knocking] and comparing the woods, ZA and Nukva, so they would be equal, as Nukva was in the first state.

It therefore follows that he separated the Nukva from a coupling face-to-face with ZA on the Sabbath day and returned her to separation and to posterior, as she was in the first state. Moreover, he valued the first state of the Nukva more than the coupling face-to-face on the day of Sabbath, since he valued the posterior of Nukva more than the face-to-face of ZA.

He was making a precision to know about these trees, ZA and Malchut, which of them was greater than the other, for he wanted to return the Nukva to the first state, and he was examining so as to know if the first state and the separation of Nukva were not more important than the face-to-face of ZA. He did not mind that by that he was degrading the glory of his master, the glory ZA, and swapped between Sabbath and Sabbath, swapping the great importance of the coupling face-to-face on the day of Sabbath with a regular Sabbath, which is the posterior GAR of the Nukva in the first state, when she is the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

For this reason, his judgment was concealed, since that matter had to be in secret, for the matter of that sin, that he valued the degree of Nukva over that of ZA, does not honor the Nukva, and the Creator, ZA, did this for his honor, that he honored Malchut, who is called “honor,” so as not to reveal the meticulousness and the sin for one who values the Nukva most, as this does not honor the Nukva. The sin was implied in his name, Zelophehad, from the letters of Tzel Pahad [shadow of fear]. Because ZA diminishes the GAR of the left and leaves only the VAK of GAR, it is regarded that he casts a shadow over the GAR of the left.

However, that shadow, the Nukva, said, “In its shade I delighted to sit,” since prior to that, in the first state, although she did not have shade on the GAR, she was nevertheless concealed and did not bear fruit. However, now that she received the shadow from ZA, she said, “and its fruit was sweet to my palate,” since now she has fruits from him. However, Zelophehad feared that shadow and wanted to choose the first state, when there was no shadow at all on the Nukva, and this is why he died.

12. The rest of the trees, which are the seventy external ministers, with the Sabbath, was gathering, knocking and comparing the merit of the seventy ministers to the merit of the Sabbath day, and received his punishment in his time, and his iniquity was atoned for. Hence, Moses found it difficult to judge the daughters of Zelophehad, since he did not know if his iniquity had been atoned for and his daughters would have a portion and a lot in the land, or not. Since the Creator mentioned his name, as it is written, “The daughters of Zelophehad speak what is right; you shall surely give them a possession of inheritance,” it became known that his iniquity had been atoned for.

13. They are two trees: One above, the tree of life, ZA, and one below, the tree of knowledge, the Nukva. In this, there is life, and in that, there is death. One who swaps them, who values the Nukva when she is in separation more than ZA, causes himself death in this world and has no part in the next world.

Although the first state of the Nukva is separation and posterior, were it not for the first state, the Nukva would not have been able to receive Hochma in the second state, since the vessels of the first state remain in her in the second state, and in them she receives Hochma.

Therefore, after a person is rewarded with receiving from the first state of the Nukva, he must raise MAN for the purpose of the second state of the Nukva, and then he will have the full wholeness, Hochma and Hassadim together. However, if he does not do so, but chooses the first state, of separation, his punishment is death.

14. The ark and the Torah, which are Malchut, who is called “ark,” and ZA, who is called “Torah,” are in a coupling. The Torah in the ark is the main thing, and the ark is a house for the Torah. Hence, in every place, “ark” is missing a Vav [in Hebrew]: the ark of the covenant, the ark of the testimony, since the Torah inside the ark is Vav.

In every place, Aaron is the right arm, except in one, as it is written, “All who were numbered of the Levites, whom Moses and Aaron numbered. It [the word Aaron] is punctuated above, indicating that it is not the right arm here, Hesed, but Malchut, who is called an “ark.”

15. Moses was gripped to the tree of life. For this reason, he wanted to know if he was in the land or not. This is why he said, “Is there a tree in it, or is there not, and you shall strengthen yourselves and take from the fruit of the land,” since the tree of life is good for all. But they brought only grapes and figs, which hang and grip the other tree, the Nukva, and not ZA, which is the tree of life.

16. “Send out people for you.” “For you” means for you. It is written, “Like the cold of snow in time of harvest is a faithful messenger to those who send him, for he refreshes the soul of his masters.” “Like the cold of snow in time of harvest,” since then the cold is good for the body and the soul.” “A faithful messenger to those who send him” are Caleb and Pinhas, who were faithful messengers of Yehoshua [Joshua] when he sent them to spy on Jericho. “He refreshes the soul of his masters,” that they returned the Shechina to dwell in Israel and she did not depart from them.

17. Those spies that Moses sent cause weeping to the last generations, since on that day, the first and second temples were ruined, and caused several thousands and tens of thousands to depart from Israel, and caused the removal of the Shechina from the land, from among Israel. It is written about those whom Joshua sent, “and refreshes the soul of his masters.”