Leave Your Father’s House, Go to Yourself!
by tillerofthesoil
“[Abraham] already knew and tested all those rulers conducting the entire inhabited world; he already balanced and tested those who ruled throughout the world, conducting stars and constellations—who overpowered whom. He had succeeded in balancing the entire inhabited world, but when he reached this site [the land of Canaan] he saw an unbearable, impenetrable potency of depths.
Once the blessed Holy One saw his arousal and desire, He immediately revealed Himself to him, saying Go to yourself (Genesis 12:1), to know yourself to refine yourself. From your land—from that habitation to which you clung. From your birthplace—from that wisdom through which you envision and gauge your birth, the precise moment you were born, under which star and constellation. From your father’s house—do not consider your father’s house, whether you are rooted in your father’s house to succeed in the world. So, Go you forth!—from this wisdom, this speculation” (Zohar 1:78a).
“Rabbi Yose and Rabbi Ḥiyya were traveling on the road. As they were going along, night dusked; they sat down. While they were sitting, the day lightened. They said, ‘Let us rise and go on.’ They rose and went on; morning began to glow.
Rabbi Ḥiyya said, ‘Look at the face of the east, how it shines! Now all those children of the East, of mountains of light, are bowing to this light and worshiping it before the sun comes out. For once the sun comes out, how many there are who worship the sun! But these are those who worship this light, calling this light—which shines in the zone of the sun before it emerges—‘God of the shining pearl,’ and their oath is by ‘God of the shining pearl.’
‘Now, you might say, ‘This worship is in vain.’ But since ancient, primeval days they have thereby known wisdom. When the sun lightens, before emerging, the prince appointed over the sun emerges, with holy letters of the supernal holy Name inscribed above the head of the sun. By the powers of those letters, he opens all the windows of heaven, striking them and passing. That prince enters the radiance shining around the sun, and there he remains until the sun comes forth, spreading through the world. That prince is in charge of gold and all rubies, and they worship that image there. With points and signs inherited from the ancients, from primeval days, they come to know the points of the sun, enabling them to find the location of gold and gems.’
Rabbi Yose said, ‘How long will all these rites persist in the world! Surely falsehood has no pillars on which to stand [cf. BT Shabbat, 104a]!’
The other one opened, saying, ‘The lip of truth will be established forever, but the tongue of falsehood lasts only a moment (Proverbs 12:19). Come and see: If all inhabitants of the world worshiped falsehood, it would be so. But the light and shining radiance are surely true; stars aloft in the sky are true. If out of stupidity and deficiency, they call them ‘God,’ the blessed Holy One does not wish to destroy His own creation. Even in the time to come, the stars and luminaries of the world will not be destroyed. But who will be destroyed? Those who worship them [cf. BT Avodah Zarah 54b]” (Zohar 2:188a).
“Abraham was told Go forth from your land (Genesis 12:1), namely, from your nativity, from those houses of the Moon, of Saturn, or Mars—since it says of Mars, Saturn and the Moon that one must not begin a new undertaking on Monday or Wednesday [cf. responsa of Naḥmanides 242; Shulḥan Arukh 179:2], because Mars contains the redness of the Sun, [which pertains to] Hell, and Esau’s mother, who was born on the second day. The Moon is both good and evil; good when it shines [fully] and evil when it is in wane… There is another star, a small dot over the Moon, which is a luminary. This is the dot [ ֹ ] ḥolam, a King’s daughter, Queen Sabbath. And the dominion of both [Shabbtai (Saturn) and Sabbath] is on the seventh day, of which it says, that your male slave and your slave-girl may rest like you (Deuteronomy 5:14). For the order of their creation is not like the order of calculation [which derives from the Moon, see Zohar 1:46b]. This is why the Sun and Mars, which are red and Hell, were created on the second day, and the Moon and Saturn were created on the fourth day, [indicating] hunger and darkness. Therefore we do not start on Monday or Wednesday, since Hell was created on the second day and the eclipse of the luminaries on the fourth day” (Ra’aya Meheimna Ki Tetze).
“You may wonder why we learned that one should not begin anything on the second day of the week or finish on Wednesday meaning on the second and on the fourth because they are pairs, which applies to matters of decrees as well, even though those sent on pious missions will meet no evil. He answers, this is when with the motley throng who are never sent on pious missions, because they have not converted for Heaven’s sake. [Then it is] forbidden to begin on Monday or Wednesday. However, the righteous, who have no connection with the motley throng may start on Monday and Wednesday for the sake of performing a decree, because those sent on a pious mission shall come to no harm [see BT Qiddushin 39: Rabbi El’azar said: Those who are engaged on a decree are never harmed, either when going or returning. Cf. Pesaḥim 8a; Yoma 11a: Where danger is to be expected, it is different, for it is written: And Samuel said, ‘How can I go? For should Saul hear, he will kill me.’ And YHWH said, ‘Take a heifer with you, and you will say, ‘To sacrifice to YHWH I have come’ (1 Samuel 16:2)]” (Ra’aya Meheimna Eqev).
“From your land… your birthplace… your father’s house (Genesis 12:1). Why did He not reveal [the place] to him? In order to make it more beloved in His eyes and to reward him for every step he took. This agrees with another teaching of Rabbi Yoḥanan, for Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Take your son (Genesis 22:2)—which one? Your only one (ibid.). Each is the only one of his mother? Whom you love (ibid.). I love them both: are there limits to one’s emotions? Said He to him: Isaac (ibid.).
And why did He not reveal it to him [without delay]? In order to make him even more beloved in His eyes and reward him for every word spoken, for Rabbi Huna said in Rabbi Eli’ezer’s name: The blessed Holy One first places the righteous in doubt and suspense, and then He reveals to them the meaning of the matter” (Bereshit Rabbah 39:9).
If Abraham has left his land, then of course he has left his birthplace and his father’s house. This is geographically backwards. Thus, the meaning is not geographical, but emotional.
“Rabbi Shemu’el son of Rav Yistḥaq said, ‘[Abraham said,] my מַזָּל (mazal), constellation, oppresses me, declaring: ‘Abram does not engender.’ The blessed Holy One replied, ‘Just as you say: Abram and Sarai do not engender; Abraham and Sarah do engender!'” (Bereshit Rabbah 44:10). By changing the names of Abram and Sarai (Genesis 17:5, 15), God freed them from their flux of destiny and enabled them to engender Isaac.
מַזָּל (Mazal), flux of destiny, fortune, luck, stands for: מָקוֹם (maqom), place, זְמַן (zeman), appointed time, and לַעֲשׂוֹת (la’asot), to act, or לֵב (lev), heart, or לִמוּד (limmud), learning.
“The fourth [of the Ten Commandments], the statement about the Sabbath, corresponds to the sphere of Shabbtai [Saturn]. The astrologers tell us that each one of the moving planets has a certain day in the week in which its power is manifest. The star is the dominant power the first hour of the day. The same is true concerning the star that is the dominant power in the first hour of the night. They say that Shabbtai [Saturn] and Mars are harmful planets. Hence harm befalls anyone who begins any work or sets out on a journey when one or the other dominates.
The sages therefore said that permission was given for harming on Wednesday night and on the Sabbath eve [see BT Shabbat 129b]. Now we do not find these two ‘demons’ ruling night and day, back to back, on any other day of the week except for Shabbat day. It is therefore unfit for one to occupy himself on the Sabbath day with everyday matters. On the contrary, one should devote himself on this day to the fear of God…
The tenth, namely, You shall not covet (Exodus 20:17) clearly corresponds to the sphere of the Moon, which is the lowest of the spheres. She indicates desire [having no light of Her own, only reflecting the light provided to her by the Sun, ‘a speculum that does not shine’ in the words of Zohar 2:130a, cf. BT Yevamot, 49b]” (Ibn Ezra, Perush ha-Torah on Exodus 20:14, cf. Leviticus 19:26, Deuteronomy 18:9-12).
Therefore You have forsaken your people, the house of Jacob, because they are filled with customs from the east, and are soothsayers like the Philistines, and they make bargains with the children of strangers (Isaiah 2:6).
You are wearied in the multitude of your counsels. Let now the astrologers, the stargazers, the monthly prognosticators, stand up, and save you from these things that shall come upon you (Isaiah 47:13).
“Imagine the following: the seven moving stars are like horses that run along a path. They do not run with the intention of doing good or bad. They act in accordance with their nature. Now imagine that a blind man is in their path. The blind man does not know how the horses act. He does not know when they go to the right and when they go to the left. The blind man depends on a person with sight who knows the way the horses run. Now the person with sight will guard the blind man. When the horses run to one side he will lead the blind man to the other side. The course of the horses running does not change but the blind man is saved. It is because of this that scripture states, [The sun and the moon and the stars, all the array of the heavens…] which YHWH your God allotted to all the peoples under the heavens but you did YHWH take… to become for Him a people in estate as this day (Deuteronomy 4:19-20). The portion of Jacob is not like them; for He is the maker of all things (Jeremiah 51:19). This is the meaning of, That I and Your people may be distinguished from every people (Exodus 33:16). This is what the rabbis mean by ‘Israel has no constellation’ as long as they keep Torah. If Israel does not keep Torah, then the stars rule over them, as has been proven, for any conjunction combined with Aquarius is an evil arrangement [Aquarius is Israel’s constellation, see Ibn Ezra on Exodus 31:18]. It results in harm befalling Israel. This is admitted by the astrologers” (Ibn Ezra, Perush ha-Torah on Exodus 33:21).