Source: Marvin A. Sweeney, Jewish Mysticism: From Ancient Times through Today (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2020), 285–324.
Thispodcast delves into the Zohar, the central work of Jewish mysticism known as Kabbalah, highlighting its nature as a mystical commentary on the Torah that seeks the hidden meaning (sod) within the text. It emphasizes the Zohar's complex structure, composed of various sections and dialogues among rabbis, particularly R. Shimon bar Yohai, to explore profound concepts. Key themes discussed include the nature of God as the infinite Ein Sof and how this is manifested in the finite world through the Ten Sefirot, which are divine emanations organized into triads. The text also examines the Shekhinah, God's presence in the world, often depicted through metaphors of relationship and creation, and addresses the Sitra Ahra, or "Other Side," representing the origin and influence of evil in a monotheistic framework. Finally, it underscores the crucial roles of the Temple and the study and practice of Torah in human efforts to understand and interact with the divine presence, thereby completing and sanctifying the world
The Zohar: Nature, Components, and Authorship The Zohar is described as the quintessential work of Jewish mysticism and kabbalistic literature, with its Hebrew name meaning "splendor" or "radiance." It is a mystical commentary on the Torah, specifically elucidating the "sod" or secret meaning, associated with the letter samek in the acronym pardes, which represents four levels of interpretation. The Zohar is not a single, unified literary work but comprises several discrete compositions, seemingly by the same author. The core is the Zohar on the Torah, written in Aramaic, offering selective commentaries on weekly Torah sections (parashiyot), especially focusing on Genesis, Exodus, and Leviticus, often neglecting parts of Numbers and Deuteronomy. These commentaries are selective, addressing verses relevant to kabbalistic concerns and featuring a midrashic style with an opening (petihah) citing Psalms. Commentary often takes the form of dialogues among rabbinic figures, including R. Shimon bar Yohai and both known and invented sages. Other significant components include the Zohar on the Song of Songs (similar in form), the earlier Midrash Hane‘elam (on Genesis, early Exodus, Ruth, Lamentations, Song of Songs, written in Hebrew and Aramaic, focusing on creation, soul, afterlife, messianic age, and allegory), Sitrei Torah (individual comments on Genesis), kabbalistic Matnitim and Tosefta (discrete passages), Sava de-Mishpatim (discourse of an old man, R. Yava Sava, on the soul, appearing in Parashat Mishpatim), Yanuka (homilies by a wise child, appearing in Parashat Balak), Rav Metivta (teachings from the Head of the Heavenly Yeshivah, appearing in Parashat Shelah-Lekha), Sifra de-Zeni‘uta ("The Book of Concealment," focusing on Bereshit and divine mysteries, appearing in Parashat Terumah), Idra Rabba ("The Great Assembly," developing Sifra de-Zeni‘uta's ideas, appearing in Parashat Naso), and Idra Zutra ("The Small Assembly," R. Shimon bar Yohai's final discourses, appearing in Parashat Ha’azinu). Other discrete sections include Heikhalot (heavenly palaces), Raza de-Razin (physiognomy/chiromancy), Sitrei Otiyot (secrets of divine Name letters), Ma’amar Kav Hamiddah (unity of G-d), and a commentary on Ezekiel's chariot. The Raya Mehemna ("Faithful Shepherd," on the Ten Commandments, scattered) and Tikkunei Hazohar ("Corrections of the Zohar," seventy sections on Bereshit) together form the Zohar Hadash, sometimes circulating separately. Traditionally, the Zohar is attributed to R. Shimon bar Yohai, a second-century rabbi who legend says composed it in a cave. However, modern critical scholars like Gershom Scholem attribute authorship to R. Moses ben Shemtov de León in the late thirteenth century CE, citing the Zohar's Aramaic dialect (characteristic of the Middle Ages with Spanish words), its references to later rabbinic and mystical works, its geographical descriptions resembling medieval Spain, the lack of references to it before the late 1280s/early 1290s, and the account of R. Isaac of Akko who heard from de León's widow that he wrote the work himself and attributed it to R. Shimon bar Yohai for profitability.
The Divine: Ein Sof and the Ten Sefirot System Rabbinic Judaism traditionally avoids describing G-d's form to prevent idolatry and limitation, yet seeks to understand G-d's presence and action. Medieval philosophers approached this through human reason and intellect, seeing prophets as having advanced intellects capable of perceiving G-d's essence. Kabbalists, however, were more interested in how the transcendent, infinite divine manifests immanently in the finite world and how humans embody and interact with it. The Zohar posits the Ein Sof ("Infinity") as the infinite, supernal, transcendent G-d, beyond human thought, concept, beginning, or end. The Ein Sof is the cause of all causes, standing beyond creation and even the first emanation. However, the Ein Sof cannot be directly perceived or known; it is kept secret from human experience and reveals nothing of the divine presence directly. The divine presence in the finite world, the Shekhinah, is manifested through the Ten Sefirot. These are not multiple deities but ten emanations or qualities of G-d that together sustain the divine presence in creation. They represent the divine personality and are also reflected in human personality and creation. The Sefirot provide a model for understanding G-d's immanence. They are organized into three triads: mental, moral, and material, each with two dialectically opposite sefirot balanced by a third. The Ein Sof is within the Ten Sefirot in unity, and separating the sefirot is seen as making a separation within the Ein Sof. The Ein Sof is only recognizable through the Sefirot as witnessed in creation, possessing qualities like wisdom, understanding, love, and power, but not in ways known to humans.
The Ten Sefirot: Structure, Characteristics, and Emanation The Sefirot are central to the Zohar's understanding of divine manifestation. They emanate from the Ein Sof. The first sefirah is Keter Elyon ("Crown of the Most High"), representing the divine will to create or act, often closely identified with the Ein Sof or as its initial specification. It can be understood through the metaphor of willing to build a house. Hokhmah ("Wisdom") is the second, representing theoretical knowledge, conceptualization, and planning, like blueprints for the house. It is also described as a primal point through which light is conveyed. Binah ("Understanding") is the third mental sefirah, representing practical knowledge needed to realize a plan, like the specific skills for building. These three are intangible, mental aspects. The moral sefirot are Hesed ("Fidelity," "Mercy"), the fourth, representing the capacity to give or reward, associated with the right arm, like giving everything to a child. Gevurah ("Power," "Judgment," also Din), the fifth, is the opposite, representing the capacity to take or punish, associated with the left arm, like giving nothing to a child. Neither extreme is balanced, so Tiferet ("Beauty"), the sixth, balances Hesed and Gevurah, representing the golden mean or balance, associated with the torso and functioning as the center of the sefirotic system. The material sefirot are Netzah ("Endurance," "Dynamism"), the seventh, the dynamic principle (like motion, change, right leg). Hod ("Majesty," "Stability"), the eighth, is the opposite, the static principle (like no change, death, left leg). These are balanced by Yesod ("Foundation"), the ninth, which holds Netzah and Hod together, creating balance and representing the male penis, pointing to a sexual dimension. When the first nine function in balance, their infinite character is channeled through Yesod into the tenth sefirah. The process of emanation is often described using light metaphors, starting with a concealed existence and emerging as colors, linking the Sefirot to the initial words of creation in Genesis and the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Color itself is an intangible element through which the divine is revealed, with supernal colors associated with the name El Shaddai and YHWH, visible perhaps even with closed eyes. Thought, voice, and speech are also intangible elements reflecting the emanation from Hokhmah (thought) to Binah (understanding, voice/speech), building on Sefer Yetzirah's idea of Sefirot as divine speeches. The dialectical nature of the sefirot is illustrated by the names Elohim (Judgment) and YHWH (Mercy) often appearing together, showing the essential combination of opposites. The metaphor of sexuality (kiss, intercourse, river from Eden) describes how the Sefirot emanate and manifest divine presence, with Yesod uniting with Shekhinah/Malkhut.
The Shekhinah: Divine Presence and Relationship with Israel The Shekhinah, meaning "Dwelling," is the Hebrew term for the divine presence of G-d in the finite world of creation. It is also the tenth sefirah in kabbalistic literature, also called Malkhut ("Kingship" or "Sovereignty") because divine presence establishes divine sovereignty. Both terms are grammatically feminine, representing feminine aspects of G-d and Israel. As the culmination of the sefirotic process, the Shekhinah receives the channeled divine essence, metaphorically described as a sexual union with Yesod (the male sefirah). This union is often understood as a metaphor for the relationship between G-d and Israel, portraying Israel as the means by which divine holiness manifests in the world. This conceptualization draws on the Song of Songs, which is read as an allegory for the relationship between G-d and Israel, and prophetic literature where Israel is portrayed as G-d's bride. Imagery like the lily or rose from Song of Songs is used to portray the community of Israel as G-d's bride, with the colors (red/judgment, white/mercy) and number of petals/leaves (thirteen attributes of mercy, five gates of salvation) serving as metaphors for Israel's relationship with G-d. The image of the "rose of Sharon" portrays Israel's capacity to praise G-d and suggests fertility and connection to the river from Eden (sefirotic emanation). The Shekhinah's role is sometimes gendered as a wife providing food for her husband, related to temple offerings. The destruction of the Jerusalem Temple and the exile disrupt this relationship, portraying the Shekhinah mourning the loss and raising theological questions about G-d's abandonment of Israel and the breaking of the eternal covenant. The concept of the Dismissal of the Queen (Shekhinah/Israel) suggests Israel becoming the lowest of nations, replaced by a "maidservant," questioning G-d's kingship without the consort. While a future restoration is posited, the ontological problem of G-d violating the covenant remains, raising questions about whether G-d is evil, unreliable, or powerless. G-d's mourning for Israel after destruction is also described, questioning whether G-d was wrong to impose judgment. Ultimately, prayer and human actions contribute to the manifestation of the Shekhinah in the world and within the individual.
The Sitra Ahra and the Problem of Evil The Zohar confronts the problem of evil within a monotheistic framework, rejecting gnostic dualism. Evil must ultimately derive from the one G-d. Jewish thought traditionally sees evil, like the human inclination to evil (yetzer hara), as serving a divine purpose, allowing for punishment and encouraging humans to choose good (yetzer hatov). Earlier kabbalistic ideas suggested evil arose from an imbalance in the moral sefirot, specifically Gevurah (Judgment) overpowering Hesed (Mercy). Later models in the Zohar propose that evil is residue from earlier, failed attempts at divine emanation. These faulty emanations, described as destroyed worlds or kings, left fragments or imperfections in the world, causing chaos and conflict. The Sitra Ahra ("the Other Side") is the dimension of evil, derived from the sefirot but expressed through angels who chose evil actions. These forces of impurity exist as dross and waste, lacking independent existence or life, but they thrive and grow through human wrongdoing, threatening the order of the Shekhinah. The Sitra Ahra is ruled by Samael, an angel of destruction who oversees punishment and instills fear of it, thus serving a divine purpose in protecting creation. However, this also implies evil arises from the sefirots themselves, which are meant to bring order. Female demons like Lilith (Adam's first wife) and Na‘amah (mother of demons) are associated with Samael and seek to harm children. Demons are also explained as incomplete creatures from creation disrupted by Shabbat or born from forbidden unions. The Sitra Ahra and its forces represent "husks" or shells that conceal divine light and bring about judgment and chaos. Despite their destructive potential and opposition to the divine order, figures like Samael, Lilith, and Na‘amah, being demons or flawed angels lacking independent power, do not ultimately threaten the concept of G-d's oneness. The Sitra Ahra is described as emasculated and unable to bear fruit, in contrast to the fertile emanation of the Sefirot.
Human Beings: Nature, Role, and Interaction with the Divine Human beings hold primary importance in the Zohar's system as they connect the upper (divine) and lower (earthly) worlds. Unlike classical rabbinic thought which links the soul to the throne of glory, the Zohar traces the human soul back to the Ein Sof. Humans possess three souls: nephesh, ruah, and neshamah, representing ascending dimensions. The nephesh is the lowest, connected to the body and finite world, nourishing and depending on it; it is associated with Malkhut/Shekhinah. The ruah is the middle soul, receiving substance from the neshamah and mediating; it is associated with Tiferet, although the Zohar provides less detail on it. The neshamah is the highest, breathed into Adam by G-d, closely connected to the divine and upper world, and serves as the basis for studying and understanding divine Torah; it is associated with Binah. The Midrash Hane'elam, an earlier layer, placed the soul's origin in the throne of glory and described souls waiting in a storehouse before descending. Understanding divine Torah through the neshamah obligates humans to implement its teachings, manifesting the divine presence (Shekhinah) in the world. Torah study also elevates the soul. Before descending to the world, the soul spends time in the Garden of Eden, seeing the spirits of the righteous to motivate it to study Torah and help manifest the Shekhinah. Humans have free will to choose between the inclination for good (yetzer hatov) and the inclination for evil (yetzer hara). The soul, through wisdom and study, learns to trust the good inclination over the evil one, which is always ready to trap them from birth. Sleep is likened to death, during which the soul separates from the body and ascends to the Shekhinah for assessment of daily actions. Righteous souls ascend higher and have dreams related to angels or divine visions, while wicked souls join dimensions of impurity, are judged, and have dreams related to forces of evil. Death is the final separation of soul and body, leading to final judgment, potentially involving visions of deceased relatives or Adam. The death of the righteous is described as a kiss, allowing the soul to ascend and contemplate the sefirot. Humans are tasked with assisting G-d in completing and sanctifying creation, and the study and implementation of divine Torah, along with prayer and acts of worship, are the means to fulfill this role. The destruction of the Temple led to prayer and Torah study replacing sacrifice as central acts of worship, understood as worship of the heart (kavvanah, or intention). Prayer involves all aspects of the human being (thought, morals, action) and, when sincere, holds off the Sitra Ahra and manifests the Shekhinah. The synagogue is modeled on the heavenly temple to facilitate the relationship. Reciting the Shema and Amidah are key forms of prayer that unify the individual and congregation and enable cleaving to G-d. Torah study, especially reading the Torah, is a central act, opening the gates of heaven and requiring preparation and sincerity to capture Moses' original intention. By studying Torah, humans sustain the world and express G-d's mighty acts.