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AND HE REMOVED FROM THENCE, AND DIGGED ANOTHER WELL. R. Hiya discoursed on the verse: "And the Lord will guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in brightness, and make strong thy bones" (Is. LVIII, 11).
'The true believers', he said, 'have derived strength from this verse, where promise is made to them of the world to come, for the word "continually" includes both this world and the world to come. Again, the term "continually", which seems superfluous, is an allusion to the continual burnt-offering which is offered at dusk, and is held firm underneath the arm of Isaac and is symbolic of the world to come. [1]
The term "guiding" is similarly used by David in the verse: "He guideth me in straight paths for his name's sake" (Ps. XXIII, 3). "And satisfy thy soul in brightness"; this is the "clear mirror" from the contemplation of which all souls obtain delight and benefit. "And make strong thy bones": these words do not seem to harmonise with what has gone before, which we have interpreted of the souls of the righteous ascending on high. We interpret them, therefore, to allude to the resurrection of the dead, when the Holy One, blessed be He, will reconstitute the bones and restore the body to its former state. The soul will then derive stronger illumination from the "clear mirror", so as to illumine the body to the full extent of which it is capable. Hence: "And thou shalt be like a watered garden" (Is. LVIII, 11), that is, like the celestial garden whose supernal waters never fail, but flow on for ever and ever; "and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not" (ibid.), alluding to the river that issues from Eden and flows on for all eternity. [2]
Observe that the "well of living waters" is a symbol within a symbol for guiding faith. There is the well which is the very source of the waters, and there is the well which is fed by that source of water. There are thus two grades, which are, however, really one with two aspects, male and female, in fitting union. The well and the issue of waters are one, designated by the name of "well", it being at once the supernal never-ceasing fountain and the well that is filled by it. And whoever gazes at that well gazes at the true object of faith. This is the symbol which the patriarchs transmitted in digging the well, in such a way as to indicate that the source and the well are indissoluble. [3]
AND HE CALLED ITS NAME REHOBOTH (lit. streets, broad places). By this he intimated that his descendants would one day tend that well in the fitting manner through the mystical potency of offerings and burnt-offerings (like Adam, when God "put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and keep it" (Gen. II, 15), to wit, by offerings and burnt-offerings), so that its springs should flow forth on every side, as Scripture says: "Let thy springs be dispersed abroad, and courses of water in the streets (rehoboth)" (Prov. V, 16). Hence here the name of Rehoboth (streets, broad places).' [4]
[Soncino Zohar, Tol'doth, 141a-141b, v2, pp. 51-52.]
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My notes...
[1] There is constant reference in the Zohar to what is called "the world to come". In terms of the Tree of Life diagram, this concept is represented by the sefirah Binah. (It is elaborated upon by Rabbi Simeon in the next section--see my next post.)
The "burnt-offering" is referred to Isaac (i.e. it symbolically occurs within the sefirah Geburah). It is the 'fire' of Geburah that burns up the offering. (The "smoke" of the burnt-offering rises from Geburah to Binah and evokes a response from Binah via Da'at.) The statement: "held firm underneath the arm of Isaac" is a reference to the 'arm' symbolism of Geburah (i.e. because Geburah represents the 'left arm' of Adam).
The Zohar symbolism involving "the world to come" is complex and represents the process through which the 'future world' in Binah is made manifest in Malkut. In other words, the 'future world' is held in potential in Binah and gradually manifests through a process of physical unfoldment in the 'present' as represented by Malkut.
The manifestation of our world (in Malkut) is also influenced negatively by the lower sefirot (i.e. Netzah, Hod, and Yesod)--that is, until those sefirot have been purged and purified and brought into alignment with Tifaret (embracing Geburah and Hesed). So Binah represents the manifestation of the 'ideal' world as symbolised by the 'garden of Eden', but it can only be brought into physical manifestation when humanity has aligned itself with Tifaret and developed the higher faculties of consciousness (as represented by the sefirot Geburah and Hesed).
[2] The "clear mirror" is a reference to the sefirah Tifaret. Like the Sun, it will eventually "illumine the body [of Adam] to the full extent of which it is capable".
The sefirot from Hesed to Yesod also represent the 'garden of Eden'. The term "Eden" refers specifically to the sefirah Da'at. A 'river' flows forth from Da'at and 'waters' the 'garden' (i.e. the lower sefirot). (This is further explained below in the next section. See my next post.)
[3] Da'at symbolises the 'higher' expression of the covenant which latter is (according to the Zohar) a 'covenant of faith'. (The sefirah Yesod is the 'lower' expression of the covenant.) It is only possible to reach the grade of Da'at on the Tree of Life diagram by walking a 'path of faith'. This concept does not involve the kind of 'blind faith' that is espoused by the various religions of our world. Rather, it involves a 'living demonstration' of deep faith in the Divine (i.e. a conscious personal awareness, and experiential knowledge of the Divine) by each individual in their day-to-day existence. This 'faith' (i.e. knowledge and personal awareness of the Divine) must become a strong influence that effects the life-decisions that each individual makes as their lives unfold. In other words, this deep 'faith' must directly and strongly effect each individual's life-direction. It is only through walking this 'path of faith' that we will be guided back into the 'garden of Eden', and thus achieve the grade of 'Israel' (as symbolised by Da'at).
The "well" that is the "very source of the waters" and the "supernal never-ceasing fountain" is represented by the sefirah Hockmah on the Tree of Life diagram. It is associated with the Hebrew Mother letter Maym (i.e. Water).
"The well which is fed by that source of water" is symbolised by the sefirah Da'at. Da'at is "the true object of faith".
The patriarchs (i.e. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) "dug" the well (of Da'at). This symbolism especially refers to the opening of the pathways from Geburah (Isaac) to Da'at, and from Hesed (Abraham) to Da'at. The path from Tifaret (Jacob) to Da'at is occupied by the Hebrew Mother letter Maym (i.e. Water) and represents the "the river that issues from Eden and flows on for all eternity".
[4] The "descendants" of Isaac refer to every human-being who achieves the grade of Israel (i.e. in Da'at). The "offerings and burnt-offerings" are made in the sefirot Hesed and Geburah (respectively). Those offerings evoke energies (i.e. Water from Hockmah, and Fire from Binah) that flow to the lower sefirot from Da'at--i.e. such that "its springs should flow forth on every side" (i.e. from Da'at to the side of Hesed, and from Da'at to the side of Geburah).
Blessings,
Patrick.
Venus-Gemini [2/1]
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