Tefilin

Synopsis

Rabbi Yosi here explains that the Evening Service is obligatory because Zeir Anpin (day) and Malchut (night) must be joined in union. He says that "And you shall love" is right, and "And it shall come to pass, if you hearken" is left; this is more specific than the general unity or joining of left and right in Sh'ma Yisrael. This unity, we are told, is similar to the head Tfilin and the hand Tefilin. The head Tefilin with its four paragraphs is congruent with the three names, "the Creator our Elohim, the Creator" in the Sh'ma Yisrael. Rabbi Yosi then tells us that the left and right columns of the paragraphs, and of the three names, both join with Da'at in the Central Column as the union of Chochmah and Binah. The hand Tefilin is the unity of the head Tfilin with Malchut, and the secret of this unity, we learn, is 'Blessed'. All blessings flow from the upper point, Chochmah, which is male, to the World to Come, Binah, which is female. Binah is therefore called 'Baruch', and also 'a blessing'. Rabbi Shimon comments that the unity of Zeir Anpin (the head Tefilin) and Malchut (the hand Tefilin) is set in order by way of Chochmah, Binah, the right of Da'at and the left of Da'at.

Relevance

Tefilin is an antenna. In it, we see the power of joining left and right and above and below. As a battery requires both a positive and negative pole to produce power, Tefilin generates metaphysical power by incorporating the positive (right) and negative (left) spiritual poles permeating the planet and the heavens. This joining is also germane to the connection of the evening service. Our reading stirs the forces generated through the laying of Tefilin and the performance of the evening service.

Our Evil Inclination and the dark forces that dominate the night are crushed, so great is the Light channeled by the Zohar. Chochmah unites with Binah, the upper world conjoinsour world, our bodies are tuned to our souls, and all that exists shines with resplendent Light.

Altar Kriat Sh'ma Sacrifice Tfilin Zeir Anpin

651. Rabbi Yosi opened the discussion saying, We have learned that the Evening Service is obligatory. It is certainly an obligation, because the Evening reading of Sh'ma is obligatory, for the Holy One, blessed be He, unites WITH MALCHUT during the night just as He unites during the day. The aspect of night, WHICH IS MALCHUT, is included in the day, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, and the aspect of day is included in the night. And one union is formed. If one says THAT THE EVENING SERVICE is voluntary, it is because IT CORRESPONDS to the portions of the sacrifices and the fat that are consumed on the altar during the night, FOR THERE IS NO OBLIGATION THAT THEY SHOULD BE BURNT DURING THE NIGHT, as we have already established.

651. פָּתַח רַבִּי יוֹסִי וְאָמַר, הָא דְּתָנֵינָן דִּצְלוֹתָא דְּעַרְבִית חוֹבָה, חוֹבָה אִיהִי וַדַּאי, בְּגִין דִּקְרִיאַת שְׁמַע דְּעַרְבִית חוֹבָה, וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְיָחַד בְּלֵילְיָא, כְּמָה דְּאִתְיָחַד בִּימָמָא, וּמִדַּת לֵילְיָא אִתְכְּלִיל בִּימָמָא, וּמִדַּת יְמָמָא אִתְכְּלִיל בְּלֵילְיָא, וְאִתְעָבֵיד יִחוּדָא חֲדָא. וּמַאן דְּאָמַר רְשׁוּת, בְּגִין אֵמוּרִין וּפְדָרִין דְּמִתְאֲכְּלֵי בְּלֵילְיָא וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא.

Heart Love Sh'ma Yisrael Soul, The Unity Yud Hei Vav Hei (YHVH)

652. It is written, "And you shall love Hashem your Elohim with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might" (Devarim 6:5). We already established this verse and the friends have established it, but it could be asked, In this union of 'Sh'ma Yisrael,' everything is included, right and left, BECAUSE YUD HEI VAV HEI IS RIGHT AND OUR ELOHIM IS LEFT. Why IS IT NECESSARY TO SAY afterwards "And you shall love," WHICH IS RIGHT, and "And it shall come to pass, if you hearken" (Devarim 11:13), WHICH IS LEFT. They were already included in the unity OF 'SH'MA YISRAEL.' HE ANSWERS, They are ALLUDED TO in general there IN 'SH'MA YISRAEL,' but here IN, "AND YOU SHALL LOVE" AND "AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, IF YOU HEARKEN," they are specified. This is the way it should be.

652. כְּתִיב וְאָהַבְתָּ אֶת יְיָ' אֱלֹֹהֶיךָ בְּכָל לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל נַפְשְׁךָ וְגוֹ,' הַאי קְרָא אוֹקִימְנָא לֵיהּ, וְאוּקְמוּהָ חַבְרַיָּיא. אֲבָל אִית לְשָׁאֲלָא, אִי בְּהַאי יִחוּדָא דִּשְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל, אִתְכְּלִיל כֹּלָּא, יְמִינָא וּשְׂמָאלָא, אֲמַאי לְבָתַר וְאָהַבְתָּ וְהָיָה אִם שָׁמוֹעַ, דְּהָא בְּיִחוּדָא אִתְכְּלִילוּ. אֲבָל הָתָם בִּכְלָל, וְהָכָא בִּפְרַט, וְהָכִי אִצְטְרִיךְ.

Hands Head Sh'ma Yisrael Tfilin Unity

653. וּבְרָזָא דְּיִחוּדָא דָּא אִתְּעַרְנָא בֵּיהּ, יִחוּדָא דָּא אִיהוּ כְּגַוְונָא דִּתְפִלִּין דְּרֵישָׁא, וּתְפִלִּין דִּדְרוֹעָא. בִּתְפִלִין דְּרֵישָׁא ד' פָּרְשִׁיָּין, וְהָא אִתְּמַר, וְהָכָא תְּלַת שְׁמָהָן אִינּוּן. הָתָם בִּתְפִילִין דְּרֵישָׁא, ד' פָּרְשִׁיָּין, כָּל חַד וְחַד בִּלְחוֹדוֹי, וְהָכָא תְּלַת שְׁמָהָן, מַה בֵּין הַאי לְהַאי.

Head Mochin Point Sh'ma Yisrael Tfilin Unity Yud Hei Vav Hei (YHVH)

654. HE ANSWERS, They have observed about these four paragraphs that the one PARAGRAPH, "SANCTIFY" (SHEMOT 13:2), is the first upper point, NAMELY CHOCHMAH AND THE RIGHT COLUMN. Another PARAGRAPH "AND IT SHALL BE WHEN HASHEM SHALL BRING YOU" (IBID. 11), is the secret of the World to Come, WHICH IS BINAH AND THE LEFT COLUMN. One PARAGRAPH "AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, IF YOU HEARKEN," is the secret of the right OF THE MOCHIN OF DA'AT and the final PARAGRAPH, "AND IT SHALL BE IF YOU HEARKEN," is the secret of the left OF THE MOCHIN OF DA'AT. BECAUSE DA'AT, WHICH IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN, COMBINES CHOCHMAH AND BINAH, WHICH ARE RIGHT AND LEFT. This is the secret of the head Tefilin and here in the secret of the unity OF 'SH'MA YISRAEL' are three names, which are like the four paragraphs. The first Yud Hei Vav Hei is the upper point, which is the beginning of everything, WHICH IS CHOCHMAH AND THE RIGHT COLUMN. Our Elohim is the secret of the World to Come, NAMELY BINAH AND THE LEFT COLUMN, the last Yud Hei Vav Hei is the combination of right and left together in one combination, NAMELY DA'AT, WHICH IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN, THAT COMBINES RIGHT AND LEFT. This is ALSO the unity of the head Tefilin. SO WE SEE THAT THEY ARE BOTH EQUAL. This is the first unity, NAMELY 'SH'MA YISRAEL...,' WHICH IS THE UPPER UNITY THAT PRECEDES THE LOWER UNITY, WHICH IS, "BLESSED IS THE NAME OF THE GLORY OF HIS KINGDOM... "

654. אֶלָּא אִינּוּן ד' פָּרְשִׁיָּין, הָא אִתְּעֲרוּ בְּהוּ, חַד, נְקוּדָה קַדְמָאָה עִלָּאָה. וְחַד, רָזָא דְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי. וְחַד, יְמִינָא. וְחַד, שְׂמָאלָא. אִלֵּין רָזָא דִּתְפִלִּין דְּרֵישָׁא. וְהָכָא, בְּרָזָא דְּיִחוּדָא דָּא, תְּלַת שְׁמָהָן, וְאִינּוּן כְּגַוְונָא דְּאִינּוּן ד' פָּרָשִׁיּוֹת. יְיָ' קַדְמָאָה, דָּא נְקוּדָה עִלָּאָה, רֵאשִׁיתָא דְּכֹלָּא. אֱלֹהֵינוּ רָזָא דְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי. יְיָ' בַּתְרָאָה, כְּלָלָא דִּימִינָא וּשְׂמָאלָא כַּחֲדָא, בִּכְלָלָא חֲדָא, וְאִלֵּין אִינּוּן תְּפִלִּין דְּרֵישָׁא, וְדָא אִיהוּ יִחוּדָא קַדְמָאָה.

Dwellings Hands Head Tfilin Unity Zeir Anpin

655. The hand Tefilin is the combination of all these four PARAGRAPHS together, FOR THEY ARE NOT PLACED IN FOUR INDIVIDUAL COMPARTMENTS LIKE IN THE HEAD TEFILIN, BUT RATHER ARE ALL IN ONE COMPARTMENT. This is the secret OF THE UNITY of, 'Blessed is the Name of the glory of His kingdom forever and ever,' WHICH IS THE LOWER UNITY OF MALCHUT. Here, IN THE LOWER UNITY, is the inclusion of the head Tefilin, WHICH IS CHOCHMAH, BINAH AND DA'AT OF ZEIR ANPIN, which are included in the hand Tefilin, WHICH IS MALCHUT.

Blessing Female Flow Male Point Unity World to Come, The Zeir Anpin

656. The secret of this UNITY is 'Blessed.' This is the secret of the upper point, which is blessed, for all the blessings flow from there, WHICH IS CHOCHMAH. If you ask if the World to Come, WHICH IS BINAH, is called 'Blessed.' It is not so, because the upper point is male, and the World to Come is female; THEREFORE, it is called 'Blessed' and she is called 'a blessing.' Therefore, 'blessed' is the upper point, CHOCHMAH, 'Name' is the World to Come, WHICH IS BINAH, which is a Great Name, as it is written, "And what will You do for Your Great Name" (Yehoshua 7:9). Glory refers to upper Glory, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, that combines right and left.

656. וְרָזָא דָּא, בָּרוּךְ: דָּא רָזָא דִּנְקוּדָה עִלָּאָה, דְּאִיהוּ בָּרוּךְ, דְּכָל בִּרְכָאן נַבְעִין מִתַּמָּן. וְאִי תֵּימָא עָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי אִקְרֵי בָּרוּךְ. לָאו הָכִי, דְּהָא נְקוּדָה עִלָּאָה אִיהוּ דְּכַר, עָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי נוּקְבָּא. אִיהוּ בָּרוּךְ וְאִיהִי בְּרָכָה. בָּרוּךְ דְּכָר. בְּרָכָה נוּקְבָּא. וְעַל דָּא בָּרוּךְ אִיהוּ נְקוּדָה עִלָּאָה, שֵׁם: דָּא עָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, דְּאִיהוּ שֵׁם גָּדוֹל, כד"א וּמַה תַּעֲשֵׂה לְשִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל. כְּבוֹד: דָּא כָּבוֹד עִלָּאָה, דְּאִיהוּ יְמִינָא וּשְׂמָאלָא.

Hands Zeir Anpin

Faith Hands Head Tfilin Unity Zeir Anpin

658. This is the unity of the head Tefilin, WHICH IS ZEIR ANPIN, and of the hand Tefilin, WHICH IS MALCHUT. As it is the secret of the union of the Tefilin, so is it the union of everything. This is the clarification of the matter, and I have arranged this unity before the holy luminary, RABBI SHIMON, who said to me that in four manners is the unity set in order, WHICH ARE CHOCHMAH, BINAH, THE RIGHT OF DA'AT, AND THE LEFT OF DA'AT. This order is clearer than all of them. It is certainly so, and they are all the secret of the Faith, WHICH IS MALCHUT THAT RECEIVES THEM, but the order OF THE UNITY of the Tefilin is the upper unity, OF ZEIR ANPIN, as appropriate.

658. וְדָא אִיהוּ יִחוּדָא דִּתְפִלִּין דְּרֵישָׁא, וּתְפִלִּין דִּדְרוֹעָא, וּכְגַוְונָא דְּרָזָא דְּיִחוּדָא דִּתְפִלִּין, הָכִי אִיהוּ יִחוּדָא דְּכֹלָּא, וְדָא אִיהוּ בְּרִירָא דְּמִלָּה. וְהָא סָדַרְנָא יִחוּדָא דָּא קָמֵי בּוּצִינָא קַדִּישָׁא, וְאָמַר לִי, דְּהָא בְּד' גַּוְונִין אִתְסָדַר יִחוּדָא, וְדָא בְּרִירָא מִכֻּלְּהוּ, וְהָכִי אִיהוּ וַדַּאי, וְכֻלְּהוּ רָזָא דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא, אֲבָל סִדּוּרָא דִּתְפִלִּין, דָּא אִיהוּ יִחוּדָא עִלָּאָה, כַּדְקָא יֵאוֹת.