"Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand"
Rabbi Elazar says here that water is Chesed. Rabbi Shimon then replies that water is Binah, but that they are the same thing. He next explains the meanings in "and meted out heaven with the span," "and comprehended the dust of the earth as a measure," "and weighed the mountains in scales," and "and the hills in a balance." Rabbi Elazar then summarizes by saying that it is implied that Jacob, who is Tiferet, emerges from harsh Judgment because Isaac had harsh Judgment in his portion. Rabbi Shimon extends this argument by adding that Isaac (Gvurah) emerged from Chesed, therefore in all the levels Judgment emerges from Mercy and Mercy from Judgment: it is recognized that it is all one and that they all come from one. Rabbi Elazar, we find, thinks that it appears there is no perfection unless one is attached to the other, so that the Central Column, Mercy, unites Chesed and Judgment. He next says we have learned that it is not considered such a great distance between Chesed and Judgment, except from our viewpoint. Rabbi Yehuda then concludes by saying that all the candles illuminate from one, from Ein Sof (Infinity); all the candles are one, and we must not distinguish between them, for one who separates them is in turn separated from eternal life himself.
In this section, we read that God's judgment is achieved through understanding, measurement, and weighing and balancing, with the exercise of loving kindness and mercy. Spiritually, we are being taught that Light is an endless, infinite Force whose sole essence is goodness. This Light never stands in judgment of us. Nor does this boundless Force execute punishment. Good fortune and reward, judgment and punishment, are the result of the manner in which we knowingly or unknowingly interact with the Light that permeates all existence.
As a model, the force of electricity can bring great light and benefit to a city, comfort and security to a community. Or it can bring destruction if our fingers carelessly touch raw current. In the case of the latter, it is meaningless to say electricity punished us. The Zohar is providing us with the schematic of the cosmos, the blueprint of the soul.
It is our behavior, the blend and balance of judgment and mercy, that we extend to others that determines how much judgment and mercy the cosmos reflects back to us. Thus, we learn that a man offers compassion because he will one day need it. And a man bestows mercy for the times when he seeks it. Jacob, as the Central Column force, embodies the wisdom of balance, the perfection of sharing and receiving, judgment and mercy. Jacob creates a circuit of Light through the union of opposite forces, much like the filament in a bulb that unites, through resistance, the positive and negative poles to produce ordinary light. The wisdom and will to embody such balanced behavior is bequeathed to us through Jacob. The entire world is herewith measured, balanced, unified, and illuminated by the supernal candle, the Creator of the cosmos. And because mercy now grows in our heart, this is all achieved with boundless benevolence.
916. We have learned that it is written, "Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand" (Yeshayah 40:12). What is water? Binah. Rabbi Elazar taught it this way, that this is Chesed. Rabbi Shimon said to him, They are all the same, FOR CHESED IS DRAWN FROM BINAH, "and meted out heaven with the span" (Ibid.). What is "heaven?" It is Tiferet, as it is written, "The beauty (Heb. Tiferet) of Yisrael" (Eichah 2:1). THEREFORE, THE WORD 'METED' IS USED, THE IMPLICATION BEING THAT IT IS ARRANGED FOR SPLENDOR AND BEAUTY. "And comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure" (Yeshayah 40:12) is Gvurah, MEANING THE LEFT COLUMN, FOR BEFORE IT IS INCLUDED IN THE RIGHT, IT DOES NOT ILLUMINATE AND IS LIKE THE DUST OF THE EARTH. "And weighed the mountains in scales" (Ibid.): These are the other crowns, MEANING SFIROT, that are called 'mountains of pure balsam,' WHICH ARE NETZACH, HOD AND YESOD. "And the hills in a balance?" (Ibid.): These are the rest of the Chariots below them, NAMELY THOSE IN MALCHUT AND BRIYAH, YETZIRAH AND ASIYAH.
916. תָּאנָא, כְּתִיב מִי מָדַד בְּשָׁעֳלוֹ מַיִם וְגוֹ.' בְּשָׁעֳלוֹ מַיִם. מַאן מַיִם. דָּא הוּא בִּינָה. ר' אֶלְעָזָר מַתְנֵי הָכִי, דָּא חֶסֶד. א"ל ר"ש, כֹּלָּא בְּחַד מַתְקְלָא סַלְּקָא. וְשָׁמַיִם בַּזֶּרֶת תִּכֵּן, מַאן שָׁמַיִם. תִּפְאֶרֶת. דִּכְתִּיב תִּפְאֶרֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְכָל בַּשָּׁלִישׁ עֲפַר הָאָרֶץ. דָּא הוּא גְּבוּרָה. וְשָׁקַל בַּפֶּלֶס הָרִים, אִלֵּין אִינּוּן שְׁאַר כִּתְרִין, דְּאִקְרוּן טוּרֵי אֲפַרְסְמוֹנָא דַּכְיָא. וּגְּבָעוֹת בְּמֹאזְנָיִם, אִלֵּין שְׁאַר רְתִיכִין תַּתָּאִין מִנַּיְיהוּ.
917. Come and see, It is written, "in the hollow of his hand." What is "the hollow of his hand?" HE ANSWERS, This is the spirit of Chochmah, for we have learned a knotted path is overcome by a palanquin.
917. תָּא חֲזִי, בְּשָׁעֳלוֹ, מָאי שָׁעֳלוֹ. דָּא רוּחַ חָכְמְתָא דְּהָכִי תָּנֵינָן, שָׁעֳלָא דְּקִיטְרֵי בְּקִיזְפָא שְׁקִיעָן.
918. "And meted out heaven with the span:" What is a span? HE ANSWERS, These are the fifty gates OF BINAH that were opened and scattered to all directions, BECAUSE THE WORD 'SPAN (HEB. ZERET)' MEANS SCATTERING, as is said, "And spread (Heb. zreti) dung upon your faces" (Malachi 2:3). "And comprehended in a measure (Heb. shalish)" (Yeshayah 40:12): What is shalish? NAMELY Mercy, WHICH IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN, TIFERET, THAT INCLUDES WITHIN ITSELF THREE (HEB. SHLOSHAH) COLUMNS, which is the completion of everything. "And weighed the mountains in scales:" What means scales? Rabbi Shimon said, As it is written, "Just balances, just weights" (Vayikra 19:36), WHICH ARE NETZACH AND HOD. Rabbi Shimon also said, I have established these subjects in the lecture about 'who forms everything.'
918. וְשָׁמַיִם בַּזֶּרֶת תִּכֵּן, מַאן זֶרֶת. אִלֵּין אִינּוּן חַמְשִׁין תַּרְעִין דְּאִתְפָּתָחוּ וְאִתְפָּזְרוּ לְכָל סִטְרִין, כד"א וְזֵרִיתִי פֶרֶשׁ עַל פְּנֵיכֶם וְגוֹ.' וְכָל בַּשָּׁלִישׁ, מַאן שָׁלִישׁ. רַחֲמֵי. שְׁלֵימוּתָא דְּכֹלָּא. וְשָׁקַל בַּפֶּלֶס, מַאי פֶּלֶס, אָמַר ר' שִׁמְעוֹן, דִּכְתִּיב מֹאזְנֵי צֶדֶק. אַבְנֵי צֶדֶק. תּוּ אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, הָנֵי מִילֵּי בְּשִׁיעוּרָא דְּיוֹצֵר כֹּלָּא אוֹקִימְנָא.
919. Rabbi Elazar said, Here it is implied that Jacob, WHO IS TIFERET, emerges from harsh Judgment, FROM GVURAH, WHICH IS HIS OPPOSITE, because Isaac, WHO IS GVURAH, had harsh Judgment in his portion. Rabbi Shimon said to him, Is that all? Indeed Isaac, WHO IS GVURAH, emerged from Chesed, and so in all THE LEVELS, Judgment emerges from Mercy and Mercy from Judgment. Abraham inherited an inheritance of Chesed, and Isaac emerged with Judgment from Chesed. Jacob emerged with Mercy from harsh Judgment, WHO IS ISAAC, and so it is above IN THE LEVELS OF ATZILUT. One EMERGES from another and one nourishes from the other, NAMELY GVURAH FROM CHESED AND CHESED FROM GVURAH, until it is recognized that it is all one and they are all come from one and they are all really one. Blessed be His Name forever and ever.
919. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, ש"מ, דְּיַעֲקֹב מִגּוֹ דִּינָא קַשְׁיָא נָפִיק, דְּהָא יִצְחָק דִּינָא קַשְׁיָא, אָחִיד לְחוּלָקֵיהּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ ר' שִׁמְעוֹן, וְדָא הוּא בִּלְחוֹדוֹי, וְהָא יִצְחָק מִגּוֹ חֶסֶד נְפַק, וְהָכִי כֻּלְּהוּ, דִּינָא מִגּוֹ רַחֲמֵי נָפְקָא, וְרַחֲמֵי מִדִּינָא. אַבְרָהָם יָרִית אַחֲסָנָא דְּחֶסֶד, נָפַק יִצְחָק בְּדִינָא מִגּוֹ חֶסֶד. יַעֲקֹב נְפַק בְּרַחֲמֵי, מִגּוֹ דִּינָא קַשְׁיָא, וְכַךְ הוּא לְעֵילָּא, דָּא מִן דָּא, וְיַנְקָא דָּא מִן דָּא, עַד דְּאִשְׁתְּמוֹדַע כֹּלָּא דְּהוּא חַד, וּמֵחָד תַּלְיָין כֻּלְּהוּ, וְכֹלָּא אִשְׁתְּכַח חַד. בְּרִיךְ שְׁמֵיהּ לְעָלַם וּלְעָלְמֵי עָלְמִין.
920. Rabbi Elazar said, It appears that there is no perfection unless one is attached to the other, CHESED TO JUDGMENT AND JUDGMENT TO CHESED and THE CENTRAL COLUMN WHICH IS MERCY, is attached to both of them, FOR IT UNITES THE TWO COLUMNS, CHESED AND JUDGMENT, to fasten them all. This is like Jacob, WHO IS THE CENTRAL COLUMN, as it is written, "Shall reach from end to end" (Shemot 26:28). THAT IS THE MIDDLE BAR, WHICH IS THE SECRET OF THE CENTRAL COLUMN THAT REACHES FROM THE END OF CHESED TO THE END OF HARSH JUDGMENT, EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE OPPOSITES FROM ONE ANOTHER. STILL IT REACHES THEM AND UNITES THEM THE ONE WITH THE OTHER.
920. אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, אִשְׁתְּמוֹדַע, דְּלֵית שְׁלֵימוּתָא אֶלָּא כַּד אָחִיד דָּא מִן דָּא, וְדָא אָחִיד בְּתַרְוַויְיהוּ, לְשַׁכְלְלָא כֹּלָּא, כְּגוֹן יַעֲקֹב, וְהַיְינוּ דִּכְתִּיב מַבְרִיחַ מִן הַקָּצֶה אֶל הַקָּצֶה.
921. We have learned that it is not considered such A GREAT DISTANCE BETWEEN CHESED and JUDGMENT, except from our viewpoint and everything shows from our side, AS WE SAID ABOVE. Because everything above rises in one manner, it neither changes nor will it change, as it is written, "For I am Hashem, I do not change" (Malachi 3:6). Rabbi Yehuda said, All the candles illuminate from one, FROM THE BLESSED ENDLESS LIGHT, and they depend upon one. All the candles are one, and one must not distinguish BETWEEN THEM, for one who separates between them is separated from eternal life.
921. תָּאנָא, כּוּלֵי הַאי לָא אִתְקְרֵי אֶלָּא מִסִּטְרָא דִּילָן, וּמִסִּטְרָא דִּילָן אִשְׁתְּמוֹדַע כֹּלָּא. דְּהָא בְּהַאי לְעֵילָּא כֹּלָּא בְּחַד מַתְקְלָא סַלְּקָא. לָא שָׁנִי, וְלָא יִשְׁתָּנֵי, כְּמָה דִּכְתִּיב אֲנִי יְיָ' לָא שָׁנִיתִי. אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה, כֻּלְּהוֹן בּוּצִינִין נְהִירִין מֵחַד, וּמֵחָד תַּלְיָין, וּבוּצִינִין אִינְהוּ חַד כֹּלָּא. דְּהָא לָא בָּעוּ לְאִתְפָּרְשָׁא, וּמַאן דְּפָרִישׁ לוֹן, כְּאִלּוּ אִתְפְּרַשׁ מִן חַיֵּי עָלְמָא.