A Thousand Years in Your Eyes are like Yesterday Gone
by tillerofthesoil
“It has been taught: Rabbi Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan, ‘Before the blessed Holy One created the world, He and His Name were one. It arose in His mind to create the world, and He created first a thousand worlds, as is said: the thousand are yours, Solomon (Song of Songs 8:12). Afterward He created other worlds—to show that all is naught before Him” (Zohar Ḥadash 2d, cf. Pirqei de-Rabbi Eli’ezer 3).
“Rabbi Amora sat and expounded: What is fullness—the blessing of YHWH. To the west and the south His possession (Deuteronomy 33:23)? It means that everyplace ב (bet) is said is blessed, and this is: fullness—בִּרְכַּת (birkat), the blessing, of YHWH. From there those in need drink. And from the fullness She offered counsel at the beginning (Proverbs 9:10).
A parable: A king wanted to build a palace for himself among mighty cliffs [cf. Shem Tov ibn Shem Tov, MS British Museum 711]. He cut rocks and hewed boulders, uncovering a great spring of living water. The king then said, ‘Since I have flowing water, I will plant a garden. Then I will delight in it, and so will the entire world.’ As is written, And I was by Him an intimate, I was His delight day after day (Proverbs 8:30). Torah says, ‘For two thousand years I was in the blessed Holy One’s lap, as His delight,’ therefore the verse reads: day after day; a day of the blessed Holy One is a thousand years, as is written, For a thousand years in Your eyes are like yesterday gone (Psalms 90:4). From here forward: at times, as is said, each time (Proverbs 8:30). But the remainder is לְעוֹלָם (le-olam), everlasting, thus it is said: I draw My breath, and for My praise, hold it for you, [so as not to cut you off] (Isaiah 48:9). What is My praise? As is written, Praise to David. Let me exalt You (Psalms 145:1–2). Why is this praise? Because: Let me exalt You. And what is this exaltation? Let me bless Your name לְעוֹלָם (le-olam), forevermore (ibid.).
What is בְּרָכָה (berakhah), blessing? A parable: A king planted trees in his garden. Although rains fell constantly, and it was absorbed, and the soil was wet, he must water it from a spring, as is written, The beginning—wisdom, the fear of YHWH, good knowledge to all who perform it (Psalms 111:10). And if you say it lacks something [i.e., an end], look: His praise stands for all time (ibid.)” (Bahir §§5–6).
“It has been taught: The Book of Concealment, a book balanced on scales. For until there was a balance, they did not gaze face-to-face, and the primordial kings died and their weapons vanished and the earth was nullified. Until the head of Desire of all Desires arranged and bestowed garments of glory [on ‘a balance,’ see Bereshit Rabbah 12:15; on ‘they did not gaze face-to-face,’ see BT Bava Batra 99a; on ‘the primordial kings,’ see Genesis 36:31–39].
This balance hangs in a place that is not; weighed upon it were those who did not exist. The balance stands on its own, ungrasped and unseen. Upon it rose and upon it rise those who were not, and who were, and who will be.
Secrecy within secrecy was prepared and arranged in a single skull filled with crystalline dew. Membrane of air, purified and sealed; those strands of clean fleece hanging evenly. Will of Wills is revealed through prayer of those below [on the forehead as expressing the Will, see Zohar 3:129 (IR) on Exodus 28:38]. Open-eyed watching, never sleeping, ever vigilant; supervision below by supervision of radiance above. Two nostrils of an official arousing breath for all [as a nose supervising commandingly, cf. Zohar 3:137b–138a (IR); on טַלָּא דִּבְדוֹלְחָא (talla di-vdulḥa), crystalline dew, cf. Rashi on Numbers 11:7; Ibn Ezra on Genesis 2:12].
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ (Be-reshit bara Elohim et ha-shamayim ve-et ha-arets), In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1:1). שִׁיתָא (Shita), six [words]—בְּרֵאשִׁית (be-reshit), in the beginning, above them. All of them are below, suspended from the seven [features] of the skull until Glory of Glories [cf. BT Shabbat 152a: ‘The glory of a face is the beard’].
The second earth is not included in the calculation, as has been said, and it emerged from that which was cursed, as is written: from the soil that YHWH cursed (Genesis 5:29). הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ וְחֹשֶׁךְ עַל פְּנֵי תְהוֹם וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם (Hayetah tohu va-vohu ve-ḥoshekh al penei tehom ve-ruaḥ Elohim meraḥefet al penei ha-mayim), Was waste and empty, with darkness over the face of the abyss and the wind of God hovering over the face of the waters (ibid. 1:2)—thirteen [words] suspended from thirteen [‘strands of clean fleece’] of Glory of Glories [i.e., the divine beard; on the thirteen attributes of Compassion, see Exodus 34:6–7].
Six thousand years are suspended from the first six; seventh above them, fortified alone. All will be destroyed in twelve hours [cf. the twelve hour rise and fall of Adam, described in Avot de-Rabbi Natan A, 1; B, 1; Vayiqra Rabbah 29:1; BT Sanhedrin 38b], as is written: was waste and empty…. Thirteen, He will raise them in Compassion—renewing themselves as before—and all those six will rise, since it is written created, and afterward is written was, for it surely was! [cf. Bahir §2]. And in the end, תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ (tohu va-vohu), welter and waste, with darkness—YHWH alone will be exalted on that day (Isaiah 2:11)“ (Zohar 2:176b, Sifra di Tsni’uta).
“For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be recalled and shall not come to mind (Isaiah 65:17, cf. Zohar 1:262b).
There is a thing of which one would say, “See this, it is new.” It already has been in the עֹלָמִים (olamim), eons, that were before us (Ecclesiastes 1:10).
“And you should know there is a tradition handed down to us about [ב (bet) of] בְּרֵאשִׁית (bereshit), In the beginning (Genesis 1:1), from which goes out the Name of Forty-two—associated with the quality of Judgment—until ב (bet) of בֹהוּ (vohu), void (ibid., 2). By means of many permutations, and if the eyes of the heart are illuminated, you will discover in it the count of בהר״ד (two, five, two-hundred and four) [i.e., day two, hour five, 204/1080 parts of an hour, see Maimonides, Qiddush ha-Ḥodesh 6:8; Rabbi Zeraḥiah Gerondi, Sefer ha-Ma’or, Avodah Zarah]… these four letters [בהר״ד] are encoded in the text—between each and every letter are forty-two letters.
And the enlightened will discern that it is not by chance, indeed it is conclusive proof about the חִדוּשׁ הַעוֹלָם (ḥidush ha-olam), renewal of the world. Before mountains were born, [before You spawned earth and world…] (Psalms 90:2), and בהר״ד, without a vessel did not yet exist, the quality of Judgment existed acting in place of בהר״ד and issued a vessel for its actualization” (Rabbenu Baḥya ben Asher, Peirush al ha-Torah, Genesis 1:1, cf. Rabbenu Tam).
בהר״ד (day two, hour five, 204/1080 parts of an hour) at an interval of forty-two, מֹלָד (molad), birth, at an interval of two (reading backwards), הַיָרֵחַ (ha-yareaḥ), the moon, at an interval of thirty-seven (reading backwards):
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ וְחֹשֶׁךְ עַל פְּנֵי תְהוֹם וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים יְהִי אוֹר וַיְהִי אוֹר וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאוֹר כִּי טוֹב וַיַּבְדֵּל אֱלֹהִים בֵּין הָאוֹר וּבֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹהִים לָאוֹר יוֹם וְלַחֹשֶׁךְ קָרָא לָיְלָה וַיְהי עֶרֶב וַיְהִי בֹקֶר יוֹם אֶחָד (Genesis 1:1–2).
“The moment of creation, calculated retroactively to an imaginary set date and moment—known in Hebrew as בהר״ד (an acronym for ‘second day, fifth hour, 204’)—played a prominent role in Jewish computus as the fixed point from which all further chronological and horological calculations would proceed. The justification for this particular point of time was based on the story of creation, and particularly the creation of man, the first creature to appreciate the concept of time. The serpent symbolized the expulsion from Eden, an event that marked the end of primordial time and the beginning of historical time” (Carlebach, Palaces of time: Jewish calendar and culture in early modern Europe, p. 89).
“He rides a cherub of light, and sails through 18,000 worlds; for it is said, The chariots of God are myriads beyond count, אַלְפֵי שִׁנְאָן (alfei shinan), thousands repeated (Psalms 68:18). Do not read שִׁנְאָן (shinan), repeated, but שֶׁאֵינָן (sheinan), which are lacking (i.e., 18,000 and not 20,000 as the verse may seem to indicate)” (BT Avodah Zarah 3b, cf. Sanhedrin 97b; Sukkah 45b).
“Three were called by the name of the blessed Holy One, and they are the following: the righteous, the Messiah, and Jerusalem… as is written: The circumference [shall be] 18,000 [cubits]; and the name of the city from that day on shall be YHWH-שָׁמָּה (Shammah), Is-There (Ezekiel 48:35). Do not read shammah, Is-There, but שְׁמָהּ (shemah), is Her name” (BT Bava Batra 75b).
“As long as all the days of the earth (Genesis 8:22)—an end has been fixed for the earth. The Rabbis interpretation of the circumference [shall be] 18,000 [cubits] (Ezekiel 48:35) is very precious. However, even one in a thousand does not know its meaning” (Ibn Ezra on Genesis 8:22, cf. ibid. on Genesis 1:5; Leviticus 25:2).
“According to the way of Kabbalah: And it happened, as the ark journeyed on (Numbers 10:35)—this section hints to the duration of the world, because seven אָלְפִים (alefs) are rooted in it as in the first verse [i.e., the seven times א (alef), alluding to אֶלֶף (elef), one thousand, appears in Genesis 1:1, including a hidden א (alef), as it were, and Numbers 10:35–36]. And the sages explain ‘The world [exists] six thousand years, and one it is desolate…’ (BT Sanhedrin 97a). And this matter wants to hint at the wilderness, a place of destruction and desolation. Yet, the Torah is built and founded on the renewal of the [civilized] world, which it must be understood has an end, since everything that has a beginning must have an end, as is written, I am the first, and I am the last (Isaiah 44:6). For just as the blessed Holy One was before Creation, so He will be after every Creation. David illuminated this: Of old You founded the earth, and the heavens—Your handiwork. They will perish and You will yet stand. They will all wear away like a garment. Like clothing You change them, and they pass away. But You—Your years never end (Psalms 102:26–27).
The letter א (alef) indicates the Sixth Millennium: וּבְנֻחֹה יֹאמַר שׁוּבָה יְהוָה רִבְבוֹת אַלְפֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל (U-venuḥoh yomer shuvah Adonai rivvot alfei yisra’el), come back O YHWH to Israel’s teeming myriads (Numbers 10:36). אַלְפֵי (Alfei), myriads—the sixth word in the verse, and the seventh is יִשְׂרָאֵל (yisra’el), Israel. And the interpretation of Israel here is a withdrawal of the forces of nature. For the cessation of their on going existence is the Seventh Millennium of which they said, ‘and one, it shall be desolate.’ And thus we find בְּשׂוּרִי מֵהֶם (besuri mehem), I depart from them! (Hosea 9:12) [spelled unconventionally] with שׂ (sin) instead of ס (samekh). And it is an expression of הֲסָרָה וּבִּטוּל (hasarah u-bitul), withdrawal and nullification, or עִבּוּר (ibbur), impregnation [i.e., the intercalation of the moon]. Thus the word Israel includes the inverse matter and may be interpreted as the polar opposite, according to the two [aforementioned] expressions. Therefore it may be said that just as with the destruction of the Temple so too the Torah teaches concerning creation in the wake of destruction [cf. BT Makkot 24b], for it includes the degeneration of the forces of nature. And it is a hint for you that after the destruction of the Seventh Millennium and after the nullification of the forces of nature and their withdrawal, order will be restored and renewed in the world as it was, and this is the mystery of: [A David psalm. YHWH’s is the earth and its fullness, the world and its dwellers within it. For He on the seas did found it,] and on the torrents sets it firm (Psalms 24:2). It does not say כוֹנְנֶהָ (khon’neha), set it firm, corresponding to: יְסָדָהּ (yesadah), did found it [but rather יְכוֹנְנֶהָ (yekhon’neha), He will set it firm (in future-tense)]. For the matter of the destruction occurs. The psalm indicates that everything returns as at first, and so too the matter of the renewal.
And from this you discover A psalm, a song for the Sabbath day (Psalms 92:1): The righteous man springs up like the palm tree (ibid., 13), hints to after the Sabbath [i.e, the Seventh Millennium]. And this is sealed in the mystery of the words: וַיְכֻלּוּ (va-yekhullu), and they were completed (Genesis 2:1), לַעֲשׂוֹת (la’asot) to do (ibid., 3)—alluding to מַעֲשֶׂה (ma’aseh), an act, after the Sabbath. And recall I have already mentioned this: May the just man flourish in his days (Psalms 72:7)—in each and every שְׁמִטָה (shemittah), sabbatical year; and abundant peace till the moon is no more (ibid.)—in its light the matter will go until the Great Jubilee, when all the powers of the world including the sun and the moon will be nullified.
The world will return to welter and waste (Genesis 1:1), as is said: As long as all the days of the earth [seedtime and harvest and cold and heat and summer and winter and day and night shall not cease] (Genesis 8:22)—there is a fixed time for the earth, its world of jubilee. And this is what Solomon said: A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth endures לְעוֹלָם (le-olam), forever (Ecclesiastes 1:4)—עוֹלָמוֹ שֶׁל הַיּוֹבֵל (olamo shel ha-yovel), a world belonging to the Jubilee, was his intended meaning [and not forever literally]. And his father David knew so as well, as is written, Of old You founded the earth, and the heavens—Your handiwork. They will perish and You will yet stand (Psalm 102:26–7) [cf. Mekhilta, Mishpatim, 21:6; Ibn Ezra on Exodus 21:6].
What is written? Praise YHWH from the heavens, praise Him on the heights (ibid. 148:1). For He commanded and they were created and they endure until le-olam: He founded earth on its solid base, not to be shaken forevermore (Psalm 104:5). It is not an eternal decree but rather their creation is beset from the side of rigor and firmness. They endure perpetually, and will not collapse until the One who created them decrees it.
Since it is inconceivable that this sequence of shemittot of the world proceed indefinitely, this particular passage is enclosed by נוני״ן (nunin), a pair of [the letter] nun, at the beginning and at the end to indicate that it will proceed until the Great Jubilee which is one thousand generations, and the world will be nullified and return to welter and waste. And the inverted ׆ (nun) comes to teach the matter very well since the inversion of the letter and its removal from its fitting position teaches concerning the destruction, as is written, He uproots mountains and they know not, overturns them in His wrath (Job 9:5), and, Therefore we fear not when the earth breaks apart, when the mountains collapse in the heart of the seas (Psalms 46:3)—in the Great Jubilee, the mountains and the heavens and the earth will collapse and return to their foundations [or: their elements].
Perhaps in order to strengthen the matter a pair of nuns [are employed] since [both] the heavens and the earth will be renewed in the future after the jubilee. And recall the expression after each nun, to instruct concerning after each and every jubilee. And there is a secret regarding the נ (nun) missing from the pleasant songs of the psalm a David song of praise (Psalms 145:1) [cf. BT Berakhot 4b; Zohar 3:6a–b]. Accordingly the nun is a fallen letter of the Torah. In jubilee it is readied to fall and return to welter and waste, and in order to illuminate that future renewal after the jubilee the nun hints so, saying, YHWH props up all הַנֹּפְלִים (ha-noflim), the fallen (ibid., 14)….
In order to awaken the hearts concerning this matter our Torah comes with the pure mitsvah of shemittah and jubilee, received mitsvot. But if the matter be fixed in your heart, planted in your mind, examine for yourself what the destruction of the world and its renewal in shemittot is and what caused the nullification of reality and its renewal in jubilees.
It is known that the six sefirot were active in the six days of Creation. Each and every sefirah in its day: the first day is Binah, the second day is Ḥesed, the third day is Gevurah, and so on, until the seventh day, Yesod, entered and performed its function. And what was its function? Delight and rest, for itself and for all six. For with its cessation all of them ceased and rested, and this is: For six days did YHWH make the heavens and the earth… and He rested on the seventh day (Exodus 20:10). For He made six sefirot and with them completed His work and rested on the seventh day, which is Yesod [see Bahir §158].
Six thousand return and begin to perform with the first thousand, Binah, and with the second, Ḥesed, and with the third, Gevurah, and so on until He gathers the seventh, Yesod, and so it is a Sabbath of rest. And the world must be destroyed according to the function of each and every sefirah, one thousand for each, all of them returning and receiving from Binah above. And since Tif’eret and Kavod [Malkhut] conduct the supernal sun and moon above, each countenance must withdraw, and this is the destruction of the world that will come to pass. In the future, however, there will be no [lasting] welter and waste since they will return as before and will draw below what they receive above and then the world will be renewed.
So will be the matter from seven to seven until the Great Jubilee, and as the Great Jubilee arrives all ten [sefirot] are eradicated in Ein Sof. And this is the reason why the world will inevitably be swallowed up: and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their army [shall fall down, as the leaf falls off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree] (Isaiah 34:4) [cf. ibid. 51:6]—jubilee. And so the earth corresponds to תֵּבֵל (tevel), firm land, since Tif’eret and Kavod [Malkhut] correspond to the sun and the moon, and the heavens and the earth will be swallowed by the Holy and return to their source. And this matter is illuminated by King David: For YHWH’s is the earth and its fullness [תֵּבֵל (tevel), the world, and the dwellers within it] (Psalms 24:1) [cf. Proverbs 8:31: Playing בְּתֵבֵל אַרְצוֹ (be-tevel artso), with His inhabited world].
Remember the source of the upper and lower, it begins with the lower and concludes with the upper. In the end it is said concerning the withdrawal of the qualities [i.e., sefirot] and their ascent and return to Ein Sof: Lift up your heads, O gates, and rise up, עוֹלָם (olam), eternal, portals (Psalms 24:7). And the enlightened will understand these verses for themselves, for I am not permitted to elaborate on them. So it follows that all that exists will be null and void but after the jubilee it will be renewed, for the ten [sefirot] will emerge from Ein Sof as in primordial days and continue to return with the upper and the lower, and thus from jubilee to jubilee until 18,000 jubilees, since each and every sefirah acts on one thousand jubilees. And this corresponds to ten sefirot above and ten sefirot below, and since it is inconceivable that these jubilees continue indefinitely without end, recall Come back O YHWH teeming myriads (Numbers 10:36), to teach that in the future the blessed Holy One will return two myriads to His world which are 20,000 jubilees. However, it says Israel’s thousands (ibid.) to indicate that He subtracts two thousand from the myriads, and this is ‘The chariots of God are myriads אַלְפֵי שִׁנְאָן (alfei shinan), thousands repeated (Psalms 68:18). Do not read שִׁנְאָן (shinan), repeated, but שֶׁאֵינָן (sheinan), which are lacking [i.e., 18,000]’ (BT Avodah Zarah 3b) [cf. Zohar 1:4b, 23a (TZ); 3:295a (IZ); ZḤ 49b–c]. And this is the mystery of: all around eighteen thousand (Ezekiel 48:35). Therefore, know that we avoid contemplating this matter, as is said, ‘[From one end of heaven to the other you may inquire, but you may not inquire] what is above, what is below, what is before, what is after’ (BT Ḥagigah 11b)” (Rabbenu Baḥya ben Asher on Numbers 10:35, cf. idem on Leviticus 25:8).
“There are seven chambers below, and seven chambers above. The seven voices that correspond to them appear in the psalm, Grant to YHWH (Psalms 29:1), which includes eighteen [iterations of] יהוה (YHWH). By these the blessed Holy One sails through eighteen worlds according to the mystery of: The chariots of Elohim are myriads, thousands of thousands (Psalms 68:18) and there are 18,000 worlds. Many guardians of the gates stand before the chambers to receive the prayers and no prayer enters without being measured and weighed” (Zohar 1:23a [TZ], cf. Bahir §§45–49; Zohar 1:5a).
“It has been taught as follows: All attains equilibrium. Because lower judgments join and cling to the hair of this one, He is called Harsh Judgment; but when the hair of His head is removed, He is assuaged. Therefore He is called pure, for one is only called pure when he emerges from impurity, as is written: Who can produce pure from impure? (Job 14:4). And here is written: וְאִישׁ כִּי יִמָּרֵט רֹאשׁוֹ (Ve-ish ki yimmaret rosho), When a man’s hair is plucked out, he is bald; he is pure (Leviticus 13:40).
Come and see: The head of this ish, man [of war] (Exodus 15:3), is the Lamp of Adamantine Darkness, and so the skull and head of this one are completely red as a rose, and His hair red within red. From it dangle lower crowns below, arousing judgments in the world, and when His hair is removed and He becomes bald, He is completely assuaged by supernal Ḥesed and named after it…” (Zohar 3:48b).
“And the holy hair, which are known channels, draws from this source. And those channels which shine on several worlds which the blessed Holy One created and encircle the supernal Form are a secret of the Nazarite, as is written, to grow loose the hair on his head (Numbers 6:5). Because this is the hair growing one thousand years until it reaches a certain limit. When it reaches that certain limit it immediately cuts those channels and they return to their former position. Accordingly the Sages taught: ‘A king cuts his hair every day’ (BT Ta’anit 17a). And the blessed Holy One’s day is one thousand years, as is written, For a thousand years in Your eyes are like yesterday gone (Psalms 90:4). And the honored fire which cuts that holy hair which really emanated from Him is called the primordial light. When the blessed Holy One first wished to create the world, He created His world like this world, and brought light out from the quality of Keter to illuminate it, but it could not tolerate that supernal light and He destroyed it. Accordingly the Rabbis said in this respect: It teaches that ‘He created worlds and destroyed them’ (Bereshit Rabbah 3:7) until ‘He concealed that hidden light for the righteous’ (BT Ḥagigah 12a)…. And this is the quality [Keter] even in the Seventh Millennium of which is written, and YHWH alone shall be raised high on that day (Isaiah 2:11) when those ten sefirot are not revealed, this sefirah stands firm and does not ever change” (Rabbi Yosef Hamadan, Paris MS 853, 80b–81a).
“You must realize that the secret of the shemittah is a wondrous and hidden matter. I have made you aware of several of its aspects in various places; now I come to remind you and benefit you concerning the secret of the holy shemittah.
The secret of the shemittah is A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth endures forever (Ecclesiastes 1:4)—a shemittah goes and a shemittah comes, while the earth, namely, the world on high called the breadth of the earth (Job 38:18) [Binah] … [endures forever].
As each shemittah leaves, the next one comes, for each sefirah rules over one shemittah [שָׁנָה (shanah), year, is numerically equivalent to סְפִירָה (sefirah)]. Like the sefirah, so the shemittah. If the sefirah [leans] toward Judgment, the shemittah is Judgment; if the sefirah is Compassion, the shemittah is Compassion; if it is Justice, so is its shemittah. The true tradition that we have received, one from the mouth of another, back to Moses our Rabbi, peace be upon him, is that the last shemittah was of Ḥesed, while the shemittah we are now in belongs to Gevurah. That is why so many harsh decrees, severe judgements, persecutions (due to our many sins), and the harshness of exile have been aroused during this shemittah. Indeed, this harsh exile is an indication of Gevurah, [the second sefirah] which is now ruling.
When six thousand years pass, which is a world, twilight will immediately set in. The righteous will sit with their crowns on their heads, basking in the splendor of Shekhinah; they will adorn themselves to enter the great Sabbath, Mother of the Children. When the Sabbath begins, all the worlds, rungs, and chariots will be drawn up to Binah, as is written, For dust you are and to dust shall you return (Genesis 3:19)” (Rabbi David ben Yehudah he-Ḥasid, Sefer Mar’ot Ha-Tsove’ot, 102:9–27 adapted from Matt, The Book of Mirrors, p. 32–33).
“When the time arrives for the shemittah to begin, at twilight, all these rivers [the seven lower sefirot] return to the ancient stream, the stream that flows out of the depth of Thought, as is written, For dust you are and to dust shall you return (Genesis 3:19), for the quality of Binah is called Dust” (ibid. 104:20–23).
“Keter is called בֶּלַע (Bela) (Genesis 46:21) because He absorbs and בּוֹלֵעַ (bole’a), swallows, all the rungs and everything that exists in the year of the shemittah that is the Great Jubilee, as is written, For dust you are and to dust shall you return (Genesis 3:19), for Keter Elyon is also called Dust” (ibid. 224:10–12).
“A jubilee it shall be for you, and you shall go back each man to his holding and each man to his clan, you shall go back (Leviticus 25:10)—his clan, indeed! For everyone will return to his family on high, to the place from which he was hewn and emanated [see Zohar 1:113a, 126b; ZḤ 10b (all MhN)]. The mystery is: [And dust returns to the earth as it was,] and the life-breath returns to Elohim who gave it (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
You already know that all creatures are prefigured above in the exact form that they will occupy in this world [see Zohar 2:161b], whether it be the face of a human, a lion, an eagle, or an ox. Each one, as he is below, so he is above. Thus each soul has a source from which she is hewn from the place on high. When the fiftieth year arrives, namely, the jubilee, all souls ascend to see the face of the blessed Holy One; all of them return to their holding and their clan, indeed, to the place from which they were emanated and hewn, as is written, In this jubilee year you shall go back, each man to his holding (Leviticus 25:13). Understand this well” (ibid. 107:20–29).
“יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (YHWH Elohim) [made earth and heavens] (Genesis 2:4). This may be compared to a king who had some empty glasses. Said the king: ‘If I pour hot water into them, they will burst; if cold, they will contract [and snap].’ What then did the king do? He mixed hot and cold water and poured it into them, and so they remained [unbroken]. Even so, the blessed Holy One said: ‘If I create the world on the basis of Compassion alone, its offences will be great; on the basis of Judgment alone, the world cannot exist. Hence I will create it on the basis of Judgment and of Compassion, and may it then stand!’ Hence, יְהוָה אֱלֹהִים (YHWH Elohim)” (Bereshit Rabbah 12:15).
“Before the world was created, it arose in thought to create a great shining light. A light so bright was created no creature could control it. When the blessed Holy One saw that no one could bear it, He took one-seventh and gave it to them in its place. The rest He hid away for the righteous in the time to come, saying, ‘If they prove worthy of this seventh and guard it, I will give them the rest in the final world’” (Bahir §160).
“And what is the fear of God? It is the first light. Thus Rabbi [Meir] said: Why is it written God said, ‘Let there be light!’ And there was light’ (Genesis 1:3)? Why does it not say, ‘and it was so?’ But this teaches that the light was very intense, so that no creature could gaze upon it. The blessed Holy One therefore stored it away for the righteous in the future to come” (Bahir §190).
וְהָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ (Ve-ha-arets haitah tohu va-vohu), And the earth then was welter and waste, is numerically equivalent to אַלְפַּיִם שָׁנָה בְּלִי תוֹרָה (alpayim shanah beli torah), two thousand years without Law’ (Ba’al ha-Turim on Genesis 1:2).
5000 (1239 CE) 18:00 Thursday
5250 (1489 CE) 00:00 Friday
5500 (1739 CE) 06:00 Friday
5750 (1989 CE) 12:00 Friday
5770 (2009 CE) 12:30 Friday
6000 (2239 CE) 18:00 Sabbath
“Rav Qattina said: Six thousand years is a world, and one [thousand years that are] desolate, as is written, And YHWH alone shall be raised high on that day (Isaiah 2:11). Abbaye said: Two [thousand years are] desolate, as is said, He will revive us after two days, on the third day raise us up, that we may live in His presence (Hosea 6:2) [the thousand-year interval, i.e., day, pertains to the shemittah, while the two thousand years, i.e., two days, applies to the jubilee: the years from 48,000 to 49,000 constitute the period of desolation of the seventh shemittah; another thousand years must be reckoned for the jubilee, bringing the total to fifty thousand, ‘This accords with the calculations’ (Rabbi David ben Yehudah he-Ḥasid, Sefer Mar’ot Ha-Tsove’ot, 106:13). Cf. JT Qiddushin 1:2, 59a; BT Nedarim 61a]” (BT Sanhedrin 97a).
“Said the small Yitsḥaq of Akko [circa 5065/1305 C.E.]: I saw [the need] to write a great secret which is fitting to conceal very well: Know that a day of the blessed Holy One is one thousand years of ours, as is said, For a thousand years in Your eyes are like a day (Psalms 90:4). Now, our year is 365 and a quarter days. If so, a year above is 365,250 years of ours. And two years above are 730,500 years of ours. From now on go out and double, [then] and go out and double [again], until 49,000 years—that each day of the 365,250 above is a thousand years of ours, as is written, [The eyes of human haughtiness are brought down, and men’s righteousness is bowed low,] and YHWH alone shall be raised high on that day (Isaiah 2:11); Who can utter YHWH’s mighty acts, [can make heard all His praise?] (Psalms 106:2). Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom, forever and ever. And all of this is as Scripture said. Surely, its figure—[be it] twice as much, thousands upon thousands of thousands—is not in His eyes reckoned [as even] a moment. Now, [the world’s] יֹצְרוֹ (yotsro), Fashioner, is צ״ע—צַדִּיק עֶלְיוֹן (tsaddiq elyon), the supernal Righteous One [cf. Proverbs 10:25: The Righteous One is the foundation of the world; JT Berakhot 1:5, 10b. Alt., Now, צִיּוּרוֹ (tsiuro), its figure (i.e., the duration of the world) צ״ע—צָרִיךְ עִיּוּן (tsarikh iyyun), requires further speculation]. Surely, with אֵין סוֹף (ein sof), Infinity, it is enough for you to say ein sof, without end [and nothing more]…. Behold, our eyes see that the duration of the world is very long, to remove from the hearts of those who say its duration is only 49,000 years, which are seven shemittot, years of release” (Rabbi Yitsḥaq of Akko, Otsar Ḥayyim, 86b–87b).
“Rabbi Berekhiah said: It is written, And the earth was welter and waste (Genesis 1:2). Was—what does it mean? Welter, already was” (Bahir §2).
“Rabbi Amora sat and expounded: What is fullness—the blessing of YHWH. To the west and the south His possession (Deuteronomy 33:23)? It means that everyplace ב (bet) is said is blessed, and this is: fullness—בִּרְכַּת (birkat), the blessing, of YHWH. From there those in need drink. And from the fullness She offered counsel at the beginning (Proverbs 9:10).
A parable: A king wanted to build a palace for himself among mighty cliffs [cf. Shem Tov ibn Shem Tov, MS British Museum 711]. He cut rocks and hewed boulders, uncovering a great spring of living water. The king then said, ‘Since I have flowing water, I will plant a garden. Then I will delight in it, and so will the entire world.’ As is written, And I was by Him an intimate, I was His delight day after day, playing before Him at any time (Proverbs 8:30). Torah says, ‘For two thousand years I was in the blessed Holy One’s lap, as His delight,’ therefore the verse reads: day after day; a day of the blessed Holy One is a thousand years, as is written, For a thousand years in Your eyes are like yesterday gone (Psalms 90:4). From here forward: from time to time, as is said, at any time. But the remainder is everlasting, thus it is said: I draw My breath, and for My praise, hold it for you, [so as not to cut you off] (Isaiah 48:9). What is My praise? As is written, Praise to David. Let me exalt You (Psalms 145:1–2). Why is this praise? Because: Let me exalt You. And what is this exaltation? Let me bless Your name לְעוֹלָם (le-olam), forevermore (ibid.).
What is בְּרָכָה (berakhah), blessing? A parable: A king planted trees in his garden. Although rains fell constantly, and it was absorbed, and the soil was wet, he must water it from a spring, as is written, The beginning—wisdom, the fear of YHWH, good knowledge to all who perform it (Psalms 111:10). And if you say it lacks something [i.e., an end], look: His praise stands for all time (ibid.)” (Bahir §§5–6).
“Know that there are parables in this book whose details you should not seek out, such as: Buds can be seen in the land, the time of pruning has arrived and the turtledove’s voice is heard in our land (Song of Songs 2:12) [see Zohar 1:1b; 3:4b]. We must not probe it and similar texts. Rather, we should simply interpret it allegorically as referring to blossoming of the coming days of shemittah, while the winter rains refer to departing days of exile [see ibid., 11: For, look, the winter has passed, the rain has gone away]. Similarly, Your belly a mound of wheat…. Your two breasts like two fawns, twins of a gazelle (ibid. 7:3–4). Neither by rational nor traditional means should you seek out their detailed meaning, for you will mire your mind in a great many multitude of words, vanities, and obstacles: Hear it, and you—you should know (Job 5:27) [i.e., ‘accept this’]” (Rabbi Ezra of Gerona, Perush le-Shir ha-Shirim, Haqdamah).
“The seventh day of Creation points towards the Seventh Millennium when the world will be annihilated, as is said: Who but looks down to earth, and it trembles…. (Psalms 104:5)—the time allotted it is one thousand generations. That is fifty thousand years, fifty years for a generation….
There are 18,000 worlds. As King David says: The chariots of God are myriads, thousands of thousands (Psalms 68:18). Myriads—20,000 worlds, corresponding to ten sefirot above and ten sefirot below. However, He subtracts two thousand from their number, for they are naught. All this is true—the worlds number 20,000, but two thousand are not included in the count, for they are Naught. Each and every world consists of a thousand generations. There are consequently 18,000 worlds. The primal essences originate in the mystery of Ḥokhmah and its Cause. For this reason, it is fitting that וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים (va-yomer Elohim), God said, appears but nine times in the Account of Creation. The tenth is an allusion to Naught. Though it is comprised in בְּרֵאשִׁית (bereshit), in the beginning (Genesis 1:1) it is fitting that it not be spoken” (Rabbi Ezra of Gerona, Perush le-Shir ha-Shirim on 6:5).
“Rabbi Eli’ezer son of Hyrcanus [said], ‘… Before the world was created, there existed only the blessed Holy One and His great name. The thought of creating the world arose in His mind. He traced the world, but it did not endure” (Pirqei de-Rabbi Eli’ezer 3).
“שְּׁמוֹ (Shemo), His Name, is numerically equivalent to רָצוֹן (ratson), will, desire” (Rabbi Naftali Bacharach, Emeq ha-Melekh, Sha’ar Adam Qadma’ah 47:9, cf. Tiqqunei ha-Zohar 3b).
Diagram with permutations of the name of God, Eastern Europe, circa 1825. Ink on paper, 34.2 x 30.1 cm; Gross Family Collection, Tel Aviv. See The Ilanot Database — A University of Haifa Digital Humanities Project.
“And I found this language in the writings of the kabbalists…. How did He devise and create עֹלָמוֹ (olamo), His world? Like a person taking a deep breath and holding it, so that the small contains the large. Similarly, He contracted His light to a hand-breadth—according to the measure of His hand-breadth—and the world was left in darkness. In the darkness He cut rocks and hewed boulders to clear wondrous paths of wisdom, as is written, [To the flintstone He set His hand, upended mountains from their roots. Through the rocks He hacked out channels, and all precious things His eye has seen. The wellsprings of rivers He blocked.] וְתַעֲלֻמָהּ (ve-ta’alumah), And what was hidden, He brought out to light (Job 28:11)” (Shem Tov ibn Shem Tov, MS British Museum 711).
“I have found that some of kabbalists of our time who have delved into Secrets of Torah, do not agree with what we have written, for they find it troubling that the Messianic period for Israel should be so short, less than a thousand years. For reason dictates that the days of tranquility should be a thousand times longer than the time during which the nations oppressed us when we suffered to sanctify the name of the blessed Holy One” (Rabbi Menaḥem Recanati, Levushei Or Yeqarot, 68b).
“A king makes a land stand firm through justice (Proverbs 29:4)—the blessed Holy One created His world through דִּין (din), Justice, as is said, In the beginning אֱלֹהִים (Elohim) created (Genesis 1:1)—יהוה (YHWH) is not said, but rather, Elohim. So, too, for all [such verses]. Thus, David says, But Elohim is the judge (Psalms 75:8)—to teach you that through Judgment the world is created” (Shemot Rabbah 30:13). On justice as the basis of the world, see M Avot 1:18; Avot de-Rabbi Natan B, 43; Bereshit Rabbah 14:1; Zohar 1:180b; 2:22b, 122a; 3:30b, 32a; Rabbi Moshe de León, Sefer ha-Rimmon, 291, 345.
“And I found proof in Menaḥot [53b on Jeremiah 11:15 in the name of Rabbi Ḥiyya son of Rabbi Ḥinnana] on the duration of the world until the great jubilee by the will of the Creator, blessed be He. And this is the decisive aggadah that the shemittot, sabbatical years, began to act from below to above” (Rabbi Yosef Angelet, Livnat ha-Sappir, Bereshit 4).
“Know that we do not know whether this [shemittah] הֶקֵּף (heqqef), cycle [lit., circumference, perimeter, cf. Ezekiel 48:35], we are [in], if [we are] in the first, if in the last, [or] if in the middle. And according to the words of our Rabbis, of blessed memory, and according to the plain meaning [of Genesis], apparently we are not in the first. For it [is] said: Let there be light (Genesis 1:2)—teaching that He was building worlds and destroying them. And there are those who say: Teaching that there was an order of time before this [see Bereshit Rabbah 3:7; 9:2]. And [Rabbi Berekhiah] said in the Bahir [§2], ‘And the earth was welter and waste (Genesis 1:2). [Was—what can it mean?] Welter already was.’ And more over: Let there be light—there already was [see Bahir §25]. Indeed, the inner meaning of their words [is that] you extend their intention into Atsilut, Emanation: The first days are called ‘worlds’” (Ma’arekhet ha-Elohut, 13).
“One error fell into the mouths of a few of the kabbalists, such as [that which is written in] Sefer Qanah and the book of the master of the Temunah, saying that there will be seven שְׁמִטּוֹת (shemittot), sabbatical years, in the world and every seven thousand years is one shemittah. And the first shemittah already passed and we are now in the second shemittah hinting to the sefirah Gevurah, and so forth. With this they elaborated on things which are not so. And now I will make you know not to trust these things. And the cause [of] who delivered them into the hands of error, this will be clarified in these words of ours: …” (Rabbi Yitsḥaq Luria, Sha‘ar Ma’amarei Rashbi 46b).