Fine flour for an offering

Synopsis

We learn that the fine flour should be composed of both the right and left side.

[Verse 657] Moses explains the flour by talking about Isaac, the left hand of Zeir Anpin, and Abraham, the right hand of Zeir Anpin. He says the fine flour is the lower Shechinah, as it has no connotation of darkness. Just as the chaff and straw have to be removed from the grain during threshing, Yisrael must remove any dark ones that become intermingled with them. Moses says that darkness is the Evil Inclination.

Meal offering Meals Offering Shepherd

Abraham Darkness Earth Grades Hands Heavens Isaac Light Meal offering Meals Morning Prayer Shechinah Shepherd Strength Tetragrammaton Yud Hei Vav Hei (YHVH) Zeir Anpin Zohar

657. Ra'aya Meheimna (the Faithful Shepherd). And in the first composition, the Faithful Shepherd said: From this, FROM WHAT THE ZOHAR SAYS ABOUT "THE FINE FLOUR FOR A MEAL OFFERING" BEING BETWEEN THE TWO ARMS, it must be understood that these are hidden matters that have to be explained to the friends. It is said about Abraham and Isaac, who instituted the morning and afternoon prayers: "My hand also has laid the foundation of the earth" (Yeshayah 48:13), which refers to Isaac, WHO IS THE LEFT HAND OF ZEIR ANPIN, "and My right hand has spanned the heavens" (Ibid.) refers to Abraham, WHO IS THE RIGHT HAND OF ZEIR ANPIN. Their levels are Chesed and Fear, as it is said about them: "Hashem has sworn by His right hand, and by the arm of His strength" (Yeshayah 62:8), which are the two arms to the King, which is Yud Hei Vav Hei, NAMELY, ZEIR ANPIN, the Central Column. And His fine flour is the lower Shechinah, NAMELY, MALCHUT, which is His light, THAT IS OF ZEIR ANPIN, and is clean fine flour from His sides, NAMELY, WHEN CLEAVING TO HIS RIGHT AND LEFT SIDES, without blemish of darkness, and without any implication of contaminated darkness. For such is the relationship of light to darkness, as clean grain is to chaff and straw. MALCHUT IS THEREFORE TERMED FINE FLOUR WHEN SHE IS WITHOUT ANY INTIMATION OF DARKNESS.

657. (רעיא מהימנא) וּבְחִבּוּרָא קַדְמָאָה, אָמַר רַעְיָא מְהֵימָנָא, מֵהַאי אִשְׁתְּמוֹדַע, הָנֵי מִילִּין סְתִימִין אִינּוּן, וְצָרִיךְ לְמִפְתַּח לוֹן קַמֵּי חַבְרַיָּיא, אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק דְּתָקִינוּ שַׁחֲרִית וּמִנְחָה, אִתְּמַר עָלַיְיהוּ, אַף יָדִי יָסְדָה אֶרֶץ, דָּא יִצְחָק. וִימִינִי טִפְּחָה שָׁמָיִם, דָּא אַבְרָהָם. דְּדַרְגִּין דִּלְהוֹן חֶסֶד וָפַחַד. דְּאִתְּמַר עָלַיְיהוּ נִשְׁבַּע יְיָ' בִּימִינוֹ, וּבִזְרוֹעַ עֻזּוֹ, אִינּוּן תְּרֵין דְּרוֹעִין דְּמַלְכָּא, דְּאִיהוּ יְדֺוָ"ד, עַמּוּדָא דְּאֶמְצָעִיתָא. סֺלֶת דִּילֵיהּ, דָּא שְׁכִינְתָּא תַּתָּאָה, נְהוֹרָא דִּילֵיהּ, סֺלֶת נְקִיָּיה מִסִּטְרוֹי בְּלָא פְּגִימוּ דַּחֲשׁוֹכָא, וּבְלָא תַּעֲרוֹבֶת חֲשׁוֹכָא כְּלָל. דְּהָכִי אִינּוּן חֲשׁוֹכִין עִם נְהוֹרִין, כְּבַר קֳדָם מוֹץ וְתֶבֶן.

Cloud Correction Darkness Evil Evil Inclination Food Light Sacrifice Sun Wheat

658. But in the iniquities of Yisrael, dark ones become mixed up with the luminous ones. And just as a man threshes the grain and then makes his selection OF THE WHEAT FROM THE CHAFF AND STRAW, like one picking out food from amongst rubbish, so it is with Yisrael that, when dark ones become intermingled with them, they have to make AND CORRECT their spirits. And the secret of the matter is contained in the verse: "The sacrifices of Elohim are a broken spirit" (Tehilim 51:19). For darkness - which is the Evil Inclination that covers the spirit as the chaff that covers the grain or as the cloud that covers the sun not allowing it to give light - is broken.

658. וּבְחוֹבֵיהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, מִתְעָרְבִין חֲשׁוֹכִין בִּנְהוֹרִין, וּכְגַוְונָא דְּדָשׁ ב"נ תְּבוּאָה, וּלְבָתַר אִיהוּ בּוֹרֵר לָהּ, כְּבוֹרֵר אוֹכֶל מִתּוֹךְ פְּסוֹלֶת. כַּךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל, צָרִיךְ לְמֶעְבַּד בְּרוּחֵיהוֹן, כַּד אִתְעֲרָב בְּהוֹן חֲשׁוֹכִין. וְרָזָא דְּמִלָּה, זִבְחֵי אֱלֺֹהִים רוּחַ נִשְׁבָּרָה וְגוֹ'. דִּבְהָכִי אִתְבַּר חֲשׁוֹכָא, דְּאִיהוּ יֵצֶר הָרָע, דִּמְכַסֵּי עַל רוּחָא, כְּמוֹץ דִּמְכַסֶּה עַל חִטָּה. אוֹ כְּעָנָן, דִּמְכַסֶּה עַל שִׁמְשָׁא, וְלָא מָנַח לֵיהּ לְאַנְהָרָא.

Darkness Evil Evil Inclination Good Inclination Hosts Light

659. And in the time when darkness, which is the Evil Inclination, covers the Good Inclination, the latter, which is light, is like one who is imprisoned in the prison of the Evil Inclination. And so, too, when the Good Inclination is imprisoned in the domain of the Evil Inclination, the hosts of the Good Inclination are also imprisoned in the domain of the hosts of the Evil Inclination. And when a person breaks his spirit in all his limbs before Hashem, what does Scripture say? "That you may say to the prisoners, Go forth; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves" (Yeshayah 49:9).

659. וּבְזִמְנִין דְּחֺשֶׁךְ, דְּאִיהוּ יצה"ר, מְכַסֶּה עַל יֵצֶר הַטּוֹב, דְּאִיהוּ אוֹר. אִיהוּ כְּמַאן דְּתָפִיס בְּבֵית הָאֲסוּרִין דיצה"ר. וְאוֹף הָכִי, כַּד יֵצֶר הַטּוֹב אִיהוּ תָּפִיס בִּרְשׁוּ דיצה"ר, הָכִי אִינּוּן תְּפִיסִין חַיָּילִין דְּיֵצֶר הַטּוֹב, בִּרְשׁוּ דְּחַיָּילִין דְּיֵצֶר הָרָע. וּבְזִמְנָא דְּיִתְבַּר ב"נ רוּחֵיהּ, בְּכָל אֵבָרִין דִּילֵיהּ, קֳדָם יְדֺוָ"ד, מַה כְּתִיב. לֵאמֺר לַאֲסוּרִים צֵאוּ וְלַאֲשֶׁר בַּחֺשֶׁךְ הִגָּלוּ.

Darkness Oil Shechinah Vine

660. אֲבָל שְׁכִינְתָּא אִיהִי סֺלֶת נְקִיָּיה, דְּלֵית חֲשׁוֹכָא וְקַבָּלָא יָכִיל לְאִתְעָרְבָא בָּהּ. אִיהִי כַּגֶפֶן, דְּלָא מְקַבְּלָא הַרְכָּבָה מִמִּין אַחֲרָא, דְּלָאו אִיהִי מִינָהּ. וְהַאי סֺלֶת בֵּין דְּרוֹעֵי מַלְכָּא אִיהִי יָתְבָא, בְּלוּלָה בְּשֶׁמֶן כָּתִית. (ע"כ רעיא מהימנא)