The Book of Splendor

Main Text (Zohar)

"If a bird's nest chances to be before you on the road, in any tree or on the ground, with fledglings or eggs, and the mother is sitting upon them... you shall surely let the mother go." Deuteronomy 22:6 We have established this verse, and it is one of the hidden commandments of the Torah. They are life for us within the hidden longings of the Torah, concealed and hinted at among the companions; all of them hang upon and are tied to the entirety of the Torah. Rabbi Shimon said to Rabbi Elazar his son: "Elazar, at the time when the King Messiah awakens, how many signs and supports will awaken in the world!" Come and see: in the Garden of Eden below, there is one hidden and secret place that is unknown, and it is embroidered with many colors. Within it are hidden a thousand palaces of longing, and no one enters them except for the Messiah, who stands continually in the Garden of Eden. And the entire Garden is surrounded by the crowns of the righteous, and the Messiah stands over many matters and oversees the righteous in the Garden and their mercies and merits. In that place below, within all those palaces, they dwell. Within all those palaces, there is one place, hidden and secret, which is not known at all and is called "Eden," and no one knows of it. And the Messiah is close Variant: to be revealed outside of the Chariot Merkavah; the divine assembly or vehicle of that place, until a place called the "Bird's Nest" is revealed to him. This is the place where the herald calls out concerning that Eagle The "Eagle" here refers to a celestial awakening or a specific angelic force that awakens in the Garden of Eden every day. In that place, the images of all the other nations who gathered against Israel to do them evil are embroidered. He enters that place, lifts his eyes, and sees the Patriarchs who entered the destruction of the House of God The Holy Temple in Jerusalem, until he sees Rachel with her tears upon her cloak. The Holy One, Blessed be He, comforts her, but she refuses to accept comforts. Then the Messiah raises his voice and weeps, and the entire Garden of Eden and all those righteous ones who are there cry out and weep with him. They cry out and weep a second time, and that firmament above the Garden trembles—one million two hundred thousand upper hosts—until it reaches the Supernal Throne. Then the Holy One, Blessed be He, signals to that Eagle, and his nest trembles, and he gathers toward the Messiah and calls what he calls and awakens what he awakens. Until from within the Holy Throne, that Bird's Nest is called three times, and the Messiah ascends on high. The Holy One, Blessed be He, sees him and swears to remove the other kingdom Sitra Achra; the "Other Side" or forces of evil/exile from the world by the hand of the Messiah, and to take the vengeance of Israel, and all those benefits that the Holy One, Blessed be He, is destined to do for His people. Then that Bird's Nest and the Messiah return to their place. The Messiah returns and is hidden within that place as before.

And at the time when the Holy One, Blessed be He, awakens to repair the worlds in perfection, the letters of the Name The Tetragrammaton will all be repaired to be as they should be in one vision. Then a single star will awaken in the middle of the firmament, the color of glowing purple, and it will sparkle in the day before the eyes of the whole world. A flame of fire will rise from the north side within the firmament, and this shall stand opposite that for forty days, and all the inhabitants of the world will be terrified. At the end of forty days, the star and the flame shall do battle before the eyes of all, and that flame shall spread with a burning of fire from the north side within the firmament and think to swallow that star. And many rulers, kings, nations, and peoples will be terrified by this. Then that star will move to the south side and rule over that flame, and the flame will be swallowed little by little in the firmament before that star until it is not seen at all. Then that star will make its paths in the firmament for twelve days. After twelve days, all the inhabitants of the world will tremble, and the sun will be darkened at midday, just as the day was darkened when the Holy Temple was destroyed, until heaven and earth cannot be seen. And a voice will awaken with thunder and lightning, and the earth shall quake from that voice, and many hosts and legions shall die from the force of it. And on that very day, a flame of fire shall awaken in the great city of Rome Symbolizing the seat of the exile, and that voice shall awaken throughout the entire world.