Having finished the Prologue, we are now in Chapter One (Bereshith) of Vol. I of the Zohar. We immediately notice that the format is different. Here, there is no narrative structure, no interaction between the various Rabbis, but only expositions, starting with the first verses of the first parashah. Here we are dealing directly with mythological cosmology. The verses in this section are some of the most foundational in Jewish mysticism, and the zoharic expositions are crucial for later Chasidism and its philosophy.
Again we see, on page 64 of the Soncino edition (15a-15b of Mantua), an anachronistic mention of Masoretic-style pointing, not possible at the time of Simeon Bar Yohai, but quite current at the time of Mosés de León.
On p. 82 of Soncino (p. 19b of Mantua), we encounter something of great importance: the first mention of a "q'lifah" קליפה plural "q'lifot," which is a "shell," "covering," or "membrane." This is a foundational concept in Lurianic Kabbalah, the basis of modern Chasidism, where everything in the world is composed of divine sparks which are covered by these "q'lifot" or shells. It is the job of the Chasid to liberate the "sparks" from the "shells" through personal righteousness and devotion.
When we come to "And God said, Let us make Man," there is a long stretch (Soncino p. 90/Mantua p. 22a to Soncino p. 110/Mantua 29a) that was evidently not an integral part of the Zohar.
Many have wondered about the source of the Zohar. Some have said that it could not have been written by one person. My theory is that it was indeed written by a single man, Mosés de León, but it did not all necessarily originate with him. In other words, I think that the Jungian concept of "active imagination," what we like to call "channeling" these days, applies here. Every mystic, and every poet, knows that there is such a thing. There is always the possibility of self-deception, but things that are absolutely amazing, and absolutely true, can also be given to us in this way.
Text and image Copyright © 2021 by Donald C. Traxler aka Donald Jacobson Traxler.
