The Book of Splendor

Main Text (Zohar)

Blessed are they and the requests they bring before the King to receive her, until the King shows her his hands A metaphor for divine strength and action and raises her up and returns her to her place, showing her that he shall never be separated from her again; and this shall be established in faith. So it is with the Holy One, Blessed be He Kadosh Barukh Hu: the masculine aspect of the Divine. All the times that the Assembly of Israel Knesset Yisrael: the mystical community of souls and the Shekhinah is in exile, when the time arrives, she awakens and binds herself before the King. But now, in this exile, it is not so; rather, the Holy One, Blessed be He will take her by His hands and raise her up, and be reconciled with her, and return her to her place.

And come and see that it is so, for it is written:

The virgin of Israel is fallen, she shall no more rise. (Amos 5:2)

And regarding this it is written:

In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen. (Amos 9:11)

She herself "shall no more rise" on her own from the time she was destroyed, but He shall raise her up. The fallen Sukkah of David Sukkat David: a metaphor for the Shekhinah in her state of exile—who is this Sukkah of David? This is the "virgin of Israel" who fell, as it is written, "she is fallen and shall no more rise," referring to the virgin of Israel; and from her wisdom, she did not learn this through her own testimony. Rabbi Yehuda said: The trees are for the sake of her choice in praise, and this is the clarity of the matter, and these things are like a word that exists in the expansiveness of the Lord. For we have learned that Rabbi Yossi said: The Holy One, Blessed be He is destined to make a proclamation concerning the Assembly of Israel and will say:

Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem. (Isaiah 52:2)

Like one who takes the hand of his friend and says, "Shake yourself off and arise," so the Holy One, Blessed be He will speak to her and say, "Shake yourself off and arise." Rabbi Abba said to him: And so all those members of the King's palace open the order with this melody:

Arise, shine; for thy light is come. (Isaiah 60:1)

The King is here, and there is great honor and joy for all when the King is reconciled with her. It is written, "And Bathsheba went in unto the king into the chamber"; in this manner, in all those times, she came to the King and stood before him, as in "she came before the King and stood before the King." But in this time the final redemption, it is not so; rather, the King will come to her and be reconciled with her and come to receive her. This is what is written:

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion... behold, thy King cometh unto thee. (Zechariah 9:9)

Certainly, she does not go to Him. Blessed is she that He comes to appease you, "comes to you" to prepare you, "shall be to you" to provide for you; all of them shall be for you, to elevate you, to sustain you, and for joy with you for all eternity. Then "I will betroth thee unto Me in faithfulness." While they were walking, Rabbi Yitzhak met them. They said: Behold, the path of the Shekhinah The Divine Presence comes to receive the faces of the Shekhinah. When they drew near as one, the light of the lamp shone and was established correctly. He opened and said:

And the voice of the shofar waxed louder and louder. (Exodus 19:19)

The "voice of the shofar" is mentioned here; our ancient books and all of them are established in one word. "The voice of the shofar" implies two voices: one of the shofar, making two. And one who is precise notes that it does not say "And the shofar waxed louder," but rather "the voice of the shofar"—the voice that emerges from the shofar. Truly, it is called Shofar as in "He shall blow with a Great Shofar" Shofar Gadol: the horn of the Jubilee, symbolizing ultimate liberation. And which is the shofar through which servants go out to eternal Freedom Herut? This has been established. And one who is precise notes that all is one, as it is written "the voice of the shofar," the voice that is called "shofar." And from here we know it is called "voice" from what is written:

...a great voice, and it was not heard again. (Deuteronomy 5:19)

And this voice is called "shofar," and regarding this, "the voice of the shofar goes" is written. "Goes"—this refers to the living word at Mount Sinai, which was for Israel and all that was needed. Rather, the Torah Oraita: the divine Law/Wisdom is found in it, and this was awakened, for all other rectifications are seen through these words. Regarding the ancients, these words were hinted at, and this is the spirit of the matter as it is written:

Graven upon the tables. (Exodus 32:16)

Do not read it as charut (graven), but as cherut (freedom); literal freedom, for all freedom depends upon it. And come and see, there is no other matter like this. In freedom, everything does not go to one place and one seeking, to cover and shield all; "all the rivers run into the sea," and it is written, "all go unto one place." "And waxed very strong"—as we have learned, "a vessel that holds blessing" is the Secret of the Lord Sod Hashem. "And waxed very strong"—for you have no word of the Torah that does not have the power to break, for every word is established and you will find it as strong as a hammer that shatters rocks. And its voice is as they established it, as it is written:

For it is not a vain thing for you. (Deuteronomy 32:47)

And if it is "vain," it is "from you" meaning any perceived emptiness in the Torah is due to the reader's lack of understanding. And regarding this, "and waxed very strong" is written.