The sacrifices
The Faithful Shepherd says that the purpose of the sacrifices is to remove the impure sides and bring the holy sides near. Rabbi Shimon argues that God distributes the food of the sacrifices as appropriate - He gives the nourishment of the Torah to those on the side of holiness, and he gives ordinary food to those on the Other Side. God takes nothing from the sacrifice other than the desire and remorse of the heart. Rabbi Shimon says that the priest is the brain, the Levite is the heart, and Yisrael is the body. The Faithful Shepherd continues the discussion with a higher explanation of the union effected by the sacrifices, and we learn that those who are like animals were commanded to sacrifice animals for atonement, but that those who are like angels offer up their good deeds instead. Moses talks about the Prime Cause, Ein Sof, saying that the four elements have no proximity to one another except when He is among them, and saying that the sacrifices draw them close to Him.
Once again we have a passage that presents consequential findings in regards to the underlying cause of coronary heart disease and other chronic ailments. As such, we will explore each topic one at a time: The Liver and Bile. In verse 216, we learn that the human liver and all of its arteries are the abode of evil angels. The ancient sacrifices serve the same function as the liver: Evil angels devour the fat of the sacrifice just as the liver's bile digests the fat in our blood. Remarkably, it took another 1800 years for medical science to learn this Kabbalistic truth, when, in the 18th century, Swiss biologist Albrecht von Haller discovered that bile helps to digest fats. Spiritually, the fat that is sacrificed correlates to our negative characteristics born of ego. Accordingly, we must meditate to sacrifice and cleanse away these immoral traits from our nature as we read this section. This action engenders healing and wellness of the heart.
We arouse the spiritual influences of the ancient sacrifices to remove poisons, toxins and fat from our cardiovascular system. Furthermore, this action devours toxins and wastes from the spiritual atmosphere.
Our Accuser (the Satan) is hereby relieved of his duties as prosecutor, thus rendering any pending judgments null and void.
The Light we kindle imbues us with holiness so that we may now merit peace in this world and the next. Just as high blood cholesterol and fat eventually harden a man's arteries and destroy his heart, we now turn the tables on the demons as the Light devours their heart and kills off the evil angels.
The Liver, Blood, and Heart. Next, the Zohar reveals remarkable insights into the function of the blood, liver, and the heart. The Zohar speaks of a man's death, stating that "an image of a dog descends" at the time of death if a man is not worthy. The Hebrew word for dog is kelev. This word conceals another word within it - the Hebrew word for heart, which is lev (kelev כ-לב). Dog is therefore a code word for the human heart. Thus, the verse refers to a man's death caused by heart ailments if he is not "meritorious" or worthy. "Not meritorious" means a man is disconnected from the Light of the Creator, enslaved to the will of his ego, ruled by the anger and hostility borne of rash behavior. This, and nothing else, is the root cause of all illness, for it causes darkness on the spiritual level and liver dysfunction on a physical level. This darkness creates an opening for the evil angels to bring sickness upon us, through our liver. The foods we eat are merely an effect and not the ultimate causative factors behind heart disease or other illnesses. They are simply the tools used by negative forces to physically manifest the spiritual darkness caused by our wrongful and insensitive behavior. Moreover, these negative angels deceive us into believing that the disease is caused by physical effects alone, and not the cumulative effect of our reactive emotions, selfish behavior, and rude actions towards others.
Conversely, the Zohar says that if a man is meritorious, then when he leaves this world "the image of a lion descends to welcome his soul." When a man is spiritually aware and accountable for all of his negative behavior during life, then the first image that greets him upon his death is that of a lion. The lion represents the Sfirah of Chesed, which is Mercy. The lion also signifies King David, over whom the Angel of Death has absolutely no control. Moreover, the lion and the heart embody the concept of a king. A King wears a crown signifying the Sfirah of Keter, the highest spiritual dimension. While scanning this passage we are receiving spiritual energy from Keter, which offers us untold mercy and complete refuge from the Angel of Death.
These awesome positive forces now cause the World to Come to become our world in a kindhearted and merciful manner. These sublime secrets reveal Light which heals our hearts, purges any traces of the death force from our body, and deals a final death blow to the Angel of Death himself. And because the concept of immortality is a difficult one for us to believe, these verses strengthen our consciousness so that we perceive death's illusions and liberate our minds from the prison of skepticism and doubt. These benefits are realized only through the power of the sacrifices spoken of herein. What are these sacrifices on a practical level? The Zohar says they are: "a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart..." Namely, we must scan and meditate upon these words with repentance in our soul for the indignities we have shown to others; a broken heart for the disrespect and incivility we have inflicted upon friends and family; and deep remorse and acknowledgement of our discourteous and abusive behavior.
This is our sacrifice, and with it we become clean and purified, having attained all the goodness, Light, and healing that are expounded upon in this powerful passage.
Two Kinds of Fat. In verse 220, the Zohar first speaks about the priest as the "brain," then segues into a discussion on the Central Column, and immediately thereafter proceeds to reveal an astonishing truth concerning fat, the liver, the heart, and the arteries. We are told that there are two kinds of fat - pure and impure, as stated in the verse: "...in the body there are pure and impure fatty parts, clean blood without waste matter and blood contaminated with waste matter..." The pure fats, the Zohar says, are associated with a healthy heart and arteries, whereas impure fats are dangerous, used by the evil angel (do not pronounce this name) Samael, who is connected with our liver, to cause ailments of the heart and brain. The brain is the priest that works to overcome the control of Samael over the heart.
This secret is concealed in the following verse: "And if the liver, WHICH IS SAMAEL, wishes to offer fatty parts that are ritually impure to the heart, he takes only the fat of a ritually pure fatty part." Remarkably, 2000 years later, medical science confirmed this ancient observation: Science now understands that the human liver synthesizes cholesterol for the body. Cholesterol is, essentially, a fatty substance ("fatty parts"); and there are, in fact, two kinds of cholesterol - good and bad, pure and impure. ( Good cholesterol is known as HDL (high-density lipoproteins). ( Bad cholesterol is termed LDL (low-density lipoproteins). An overabundance of bad cholesterol clogs the arteries. It helps form plaque, which narrows the arteries and decreases blood flow to the heart and brain. With less blood, the heart receives less oxygen. A lack of oxygen can cause chest pain, called "angina." With a lesser flow of oxygen, one becomes much more susceptible to heart attacks, and strokes. Buildup of bad cholesterol is the most common cause of heart disease. Yet this buildup occurs so slowly, we are not even aware of the increasing danger. In the language of Zohar, bad cholesterol is referred to as the "fatty parts" that are "ritually impure" and "offered" to the heart by the liver, "Samael." Good cholesterol removes bad cholesterol from the bloodstream. It contains an enzyme that helps break down deposits and takes bad cholesterol away from coronary arteries back to the liver, where is it turned into bile, which absorbs and digests the fats; and it is then excreted from the body. Good cholesterol does not collect or stick to the inner linings of the arteries. High levels of good cholesterol reduce the risk of heart disease and strokes. The Zohar refers to the good cholesterol as "pure fatty parts," the "clean blood without waste matter."
Good and bad cholesterol levels are inversely connected. When one increases, the other decreases. That is, a constant cholesterol level with an increase in the level of good cholesterol will automatically lower the level of bad cholesterol, and, in turn, reduce the risk of coronary heart disease and stroke. Scientists use the ratio between good and bad cholesterol (LDL/HDL ratio) as a predictor of heart disease and stroke risk. Ratio and balance are the key. This medical truth is found in the Zohar's discussion on the "Central Column." The Central Column balances the Right and Left Columns ("pure" and "impure," respectively) in the appropriate and proper measure.
A malfunctioning liver can cause a dangerous imbalance between the good and bad cholesterols, coronary heart disease, immune dysfunction, and blood sugar problems. The Zohar then reveals the ultimate cause behind heart disease and liver dysfunction when it speaks of "Evil Inclination" and "Good Inclination," which, we are told, are rooted in the arteries of the liver and heart, respectively. This is a very profound insight. Our behavior towards others, our manner of living, be it spiritual or physical, is the ultimate determining factor that decides between health and sickness, according to the Zohar. Disease is not the result of eating habits or other external factors. They are merely the weapons, used by the negative forces, to inflict judgment and manifest the spiritual darkness we have created. If our consciousness and our behavior are rooted in our Evil Inclination, our liver will discharge impure fats into the arteries because the negative angel (do not pronounce this name) Samael seizes the pure fat, as stated in the verse: ."..he takes only the fat of a ritually pure fatty part" and offers "fatty parts that are ritually impure to the heart." Again, we have a verse of Zohar that is profoundly insightful, worthy of deep reflection. If we choose a life of spirituality, sacrificing our selfish impulses in favor of our Good Inclination, the evil being Samael relinquishes control. Clean, purified blood courses through our veins. Liver function is sound, reflecting the well-being of our spiritual state of mind.
This profound insight is further reinforced in the following verse: "...There are two types of people: Yisrael, WHO IS LIKE THE ARTERIES OF THE HEART, and the other nations of the world, WHO ARE LIKE THE ARTERIES OF THE LIVER." Yisrael refers to the spiritual individual - he who embraces the wisdom of Kabbalah and becomes accountable for all of his actions and their consequences. The term "other nations" refers to those of us who live according to the whims of egocentricity, who are guided by intellect alone, neglecting the needs and the will of the soul. The Light of this verse destroys the negative angel Samael and his army, and their destructive influence over our mind and the world. This spiritual energy balances our blood cholesterol levels in favor of the good cholesterol (HDL). Arteries are unclogged and cleansed. We receive healing of the liver, the brain, and entire cardiovascular system. Most importantly, we receive healing of the soul so that we now triumph over the Evil Inclination, once and for all, and bring immortality and joy to the world.
Of Angels, Supernal Worlds, and other Lofty things. The remainder of this passage speaks in deeply obscured prose concerning angels, sacrifices, supernal worlds, matings, the Tetragrammaton יהוה, different classes of souls, and other sublime matters. Most relevant to us is the Light that is cast from this narrative. This Light ignites the pertinent ancient sacrifices on our behalf. We are cleansed of sin. Supernal worlds are aligned, then connected, allowing divine Energy to cascade downward upon creation. The Energy of the Faithful Shepherd - Moses - becomes a beacon of Light for all mankind, leading us to our Final Redemption, only through peace and kindness.