"in the evening she would go, and on the morrow she would return"

Synopsis

Rabbi Aba again goes over the matter of God persuading Moses to give His Holy Covenant of peace to Pinchas. We learn that Malchut has permission from Zeir Anpin to live among the righteous in the world. If Pinchas had not been given Malchut he would never have been able to attain the high priesthood.

Relevance

The Zohar expounds upon Zeir Anpin, which is the Upper World. It relates truths about the Right and Left Columns, which are Mercy and Judgment, respectively. In doing so, the Zohar balances and corrects our realm of Malchut.

We behold verses that tell of Pinchas's possession of Malchut, his attainment of the priesthood, and the secret of the covenant being an aspect of our world of Malchut when she cleaves to the Upper Right, which is Chesed of Zeir Anpin. This Upper Right will, in the future, construct the Holy Temple.

As we meditate upon these texts, we are actually rebuilding two Temples: Each of us is a microcosm of the Temple. Hence, construction of the Temple takes place within our own physical body, creating a place where the Light of the Creator can rest upon us; and we erect the Temple in Jerusalem, spiritually speaking, where the Light nourishes the entire world, initiating our Final Redemption. Malchut, which not only represents our world but all mankind, then rises and attaches to Zeir Anpin, uniting in a celebration of Light.

Brit (Covenant) Covenant (Brit) Moses Peace Pearls Pinchas Women

140. Rabbi Aba said to Rabbi Yosi: That holy pearl that was in your possession with the help of the holy pious one who visited us, NAMELY THE REPORT FROM RABBI PINCHAS BEN YAIR, WITH HIS HELP BY COMING TO US - it is so beautiful that I must go over it again. For it is certainly unnecessary to take out a wife to another place unless her husband so commands and gives her permission to go. ACCORDINGLY, one first of all informs her husband and placates him so that he should command her and give her permission to go to that place. So the Holy One, blessed be He, placated Moses until he gave his permission. Then He said to him: 'You say it - "Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace"' (Bemidbar 25:12), so She would abide in PINCHAS, and so long as he had not given Her permission to go, She did not go.

140. א"ר אַבָּא לר' יוֹסֵי, הַהוּא מַרְגְּלָא קַדִּישָׁא דַּהֲוָה תְּחוֹת יְדָךְ, מִגּוֹ סִיַּעְתָּא דַּחֲסִידָא קַדִּישָׁא דְּאִיהוּ גַּבָּן, כַּמָּה שַׁפִּיר אִיהוּ, וְאָהֲדַרְנָא בֵּיהּ. דְּהָא וַדַּאי לָא אִצְטְרִיךְ לְאַפָּקָא אִתְּתָא, לְמִשְׁרֵי בַּאֲתָר אַחֲרָא, עַד דְּבַעְלָהּ יַפְקֵד לָהּ וְיָהִיב לָהּ רְשׁוּ לְמֵהַךְ. וְאוֹדְעִין לְבַעְלָהּ בְּקַדְמֵיתָא, וּמְפַיְיסִין לֵיהּ, דְּהוּא יַפְקֵד לָהּ, וְיָהִיב לָהּ רְשׁוּ לְמֵיהַךְ לְהַהוּא אֲתָר. כַּךְ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא פָּיִיס לְמֹשֶׁה, וְעַד דְּיָהַב לֵיהּ רְשׁוּ, וא"ל אֵימָא אַנְתְּ, הִנְנִי נוֹתֵן לוֹ אֶת בְּרִיתִי שָׁלוֹם, לְמִשְׁרֵי בְּגַוֵּויהּ, וְעַד דְּיָהַב לָהּ רְשׁוּ לְמֵהַךְ תַּמָּן, לָא אַזְלַת.

Bride Chassadim Midnight Righteous Zeir Anpin

141. How do we know this? From the Righteous of the world, WHICH IS YESOD OF ZEIR ANPIN, who gave MALCHUT permission to abide among the righteous in this world, and she dwells among them as a bride in all her jewelry, and the Righteous of the world sees it, and is happy. But she lies in the arms of her husband, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE RIGHT COLUMN AND THE LEFT COLUMN, WHICH ARE CHESED AND GVURAH OF ZEIR ANPIN, and returns from there to be with the righteous, then returning to her husband, as it is written: "In the evening she would go, and on the morrow she would return" (Ester 2:14). "In the evening she would go" to her husband, NAMELY AT MIDNIGHT, FOR THEN IS THE UNION OF THE LEFT; "and on the morrow" WHEN SHE IS FULL OF CHASSADIM FROM THE UNION OF THE RIGHT, "she would return" to be among the righteous of the world, everything being done with the permission of her husband, ZEIR ANPIN.

141. מְנָלָן. מִצַּדִּיקוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, דְּיָהִיב לָהּ רְשׁוּ, לְמִשְׁרֵי גּוֹ צַדִּיקֵי בְּהַאי עָלְמָא. וְיָתְבָא עִמְּהוֹן, כְּכַלָּה גּוֹ קִשּׁוּטָהָא. וְצַדִּיקָא דְּעָלְמָא חָמֵי, וְחַדֵּי בְּהַאי. אֲבָל בֵּין דְּרוֹעֵי דְּבַעְלָהּ שְׁכִיבַת, וְאִתְהַדְּרַת לְמֶהֱוֵי בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ, וְתָבַת לְבַעְלָהּ. כד"א, בָּעֶרֶב הִיא בָאָה וּבַבֹּקֶר הִיא שָׁבָה. בָּעֶרֶב הִיא בָאָה, לְגַבֵּי בַּעְלָהּ. וּבַבֹּקֶר הִיא שָׁבָה, לְגַבֵּי צַדִּיקַיָּיא דְּעָלְמָא. וְכֹלָּא בִּרְשׁוּתָא דְּבַעְלָהּ.

Brit (Covenant) Covenant (Brit) Grades Moses Pinchas Righteous Temple, The Zeir Anpin

142. What Moses said was: "Behold I give to him My Covenant," WHICH IS THE SECRET OF MALCHUT. Just as the Righteous on high gives, so also do I give a present, on condition that the present be returned, NAMELY JUST AS THE RIGHTEOUS ON HIGH GIVES ON CONDITION THAT IT BE RETURNED. AS "IN THE EVENING SHE WOULD GO AND ON THE MORROW SHE WOULD RETURN," AS EXPOUNDED ABOVE, SO ALSO WITH MOSES. And because of this covenant, he earned the high priesthood, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF CHESED, and if he had not had MALCHUT with him, Pinchas could not have risen to the level of the high priesthood, for the covenant IS AN ASPECT OF MALCHUT, when she is always cleaving to the upper right, WHICH IS CHESED of ZEIR ANPIN. And this upper right will, in the future, construct the Temple, which is the covenant, NAMELY MALCHUT.

142. וּמֹשֶׁה כַּךְ אָמַר, הִנְנִי נוֹתֵן לוֹ אֶת בְּרִיתִי, כְּמָה דְּצַדִּיק דִּלְעֵילָּא נוֹתֵן, אוֹף אֲנָא הִנְנִי נוֹתֵן, מַתָּנָה לְמֶהֲדָר מַתָּנָה אִיהִי. וּבְגִין בְּרִית דָּא, רָוַוח כְּהוּנָה עִלָּאָה. וְאִי לָא תְּהֵא בַּהֲדֵיהּ, לָא אִתְקְשַׁר פִּנְחָס בְּדַרְגָּא דִּכְהוּנָה עִלָּאָה, דְּהָא בְּרִית דַּבְקָא אִיהוּ תָּדִיר בִּימִינָא עִלָּאָה. וִימִינָא עִלָּאָה דָּא, זַמִּין לְמִבְנֵי בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא, דְּאִיהוּ בְּרִית.