The Book of Splendor

Main Text (Zohar)

In several verses, it is written: "They shall make for Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among them," and then upon it you shall rest and be sweetened.
And He called to Moses. Leviticus 1:1 Rabbi Phineas opened his discourse:

"The blossoms have appeared in the land, the time of pruning has arrived, and the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land." Song of Songs 2:12

This verse requires contemplation. Since it is written "appeared in the land," why is it then written "heard in our land"? For they seem to be one and the same. Rather, "the blossoms have appeared in the land" refers to those plants that the Holy One, Blessed be He original: "Kadosh Baruch Hu," the standard rabbinic name for God uprooted and replanted in another place, where they took root. The scripture describes how they all flowered in the land and were blessed by Him as is fitting. And what was it before? A salty and rejected land. "The time of pruning has arrived" refers to the time to uproot the worship of the stars and their nations, and their dominion over Israel, in order to establish the Tabernacle. "And the voice of the turtle-dove is heard in our land"—this is the horn of the future inheritance that Israel received through Joshua. Who is the "voice of the turtle-dove"? This is the Supernal Turtle-dove a mystical reference to a divine masculine force who united with the Perfect Bride in the Sanctuary below. Then the Holy One, Blessed be He was crowned with His crowns like a groom with a bride; then the expansion and breadth of the harp of Zion was like King Solomon, etc. As the Book of Aggadah says: "The voice of the turtle-dove" is the Oral Torah, for the Written Torah is simply called "Torah," but the Oral Torah is called "the Turtle-dove of the Bride." And He called to Moses. "And He called"—this is the Shekhinah the Divine Presence, often personified as feminine calling to the Tabernacle. We have established this as it was said, and so it is. Come and see: when the Shekhinah rested upon the Tabernacle, it is written "the bride of Moses" a wordplay on "the completion of Moses"—missing the letter Vav—truly the Bride of Moses! And they established for every spirit that she is the Bride of Moses, the Bride of the Assembly of Israel Knesset Yisrael, the mystical community of souls, and "Bride" is a single word. To walk upon her, it is said: once the Tabernacle was established, Moses stood outside and said, "It is not fitting to enter within the canopy." Immediately, "And He called to Moses." Who called? The one of whom it is written "His was that Bride," for the whole canopy was her canopy.

And the Lord spoke to him—that which is called "the voice of Moses," that which Moses took hold of.
And He called to Moses. Rabbi Eleazar opened:

"Why, when I came, was there no man? When I called, was there no answer? Is My hand too short to redeem?" Isaiah 50:2

Worthy are Israel, for in every place they are found, the Holy One, Blessed be He is found with them, and the Holy One, Blessed be He is found among them and prides Himself in them, as it is written: "Israel, in whom I will be glorified" Isaiah 49:3. Not only that, but even though Israel is in Exile Galuta, they are like the feet of King Solomon, for they are holy. When Israel is perfect in their deeds, as it were, the Holy Heaven is made perfect. But when Israel is not perfect below, as it were, a blemish is found above. For we have learned: this one rises and that one descends. When Israel rises above, the Assembly of Israel is likewise established below, one from the other. The Holy Heaven remains in total perfection. Because the Assembly of Israel is like a lamp, and the deeds of Israel are like a lamp, the Holy One, Blessed be He is found among them. He is required to be holy in the synagogue, and He calls out and returns: "Woe to those who abandon their dwellings and there is no one to take My hand!" Then the Holy One, Blessed be He says: "Why, when I came, was there no man? When I called, was there no answer?" There is strength, but no one to awaken the spirit. Come and see: at that time when the Holy One, Blessed be He finds the holy ones and surrounds them, immediately "And He called to Moses, and the Lord spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting, saying." He spoke to him and informed him that there would be times when Israel would sin before Him and the Holy One, Blessed be He would be drawn away, and the "Appointed Time" Moed would become a time of liability, and it would not be repaired by their hands. As it is written in the portion: "And the Lord spoke to him from the Tent of Meeting." What is missing from the Tent of Meeting? The matters of the Tent of Meeting which are destined to be drawn into the liability of Israel and will not be sustained. Therefore, to the good: "When any man of you brings an offering to the Lord" Leviticus 1:2—these are the offerings that come for the Bride. Rabbi Hezekiah was present before Rabbi Shimon...