Weeping and Yearning of the Lower Waters
by tillerofthesoil
“On the third day all the earth was flat like a plain and the waters covered the surface of all the earth. When the word of Gevurah was uttered, Let the waters [under the heavens] be gathered [in one place so that the dry land will appear] (Genesis 1:9)… the waters were rolled together and gathered into the valleys, as is said, and the gathering of waters He called Seas, [and Elohim saw that it was good] (ibid., 10). The waters became הֵעִיזוּ פְּנֵיהֶם (heizu peneihem), insolent, and attempted to ascend to heaven as at first until He rebuked and subdued them and placed them beneath the soles of His feet, as is said, Who makes a way in the sea and a path in עַזִּים (azzim), fierce, waters (Isaiah 43:16)” (Pirqei de-Rabbi Eli’ezer 18 [MS Oxford], cf. Alfa Beita de-Ven Sira, 232–34).
“Rabbi Berekhiah said: The upper waters receded from the lowers waters with weeping, as is written, The wellsprings of rivers he blocked from weeping (Job 28:11). Rabbi Tanḥuma proves it from here: He makes the earth through His power… as He sounds His voice—a roar of water in the heavens (Jeremiah 10:12). Voice—nothing but weeping, as is said, A voice in Ramah is heard, lament and bitter weeping (ibid. 31:14)” (Bereshit Rabbah 5:4, cf. Schäfer, Synopse zur Hekhalot-Literatur, §438; Rabbenu Baḥya on Leviticus 2:13).
“Rabbi Akiva expounded: When אִישׁ וְאִשָּׁה (ish ve-ishah), husband and wife, are worthy, Shekhinah [יהוה] abides between them; if not אֵשׁ (esh), fire, consumes them” (BT Sotah 17a).
“What is the Tree you spoke of? He said to him: The powers of the blessed Holy One—this one on the back of that one. Just as a tree produces fruit by means of water, so too the blessed Holy One multiplies the powers of the Tree by means of water. And what is ‘water’ of the blessed Holy One? [Lower] Ḥokhmah—soul of the righteous פּוֹרְחִין (porḥin), gushing, from the spring to the great channel, ascending and clinging to the Tree. What causes פּוֹרֵחַ (poreaḥ), blossoming? Israel: when they are righteous and good Shekhinah שְׁרוּיָה (sheruyah), abides, in their midst—[above] because of their [good] deeds [Shekhinah] sheruyah, overflows, in the blessed Holy One’s lap [cf. BT Yevamot 64a], making them fruitful and multiplied. And how do we know that the Shekhinah is called ‘water’? As is written, Riding through heavens with your help—in His triumph through the skies (Deuteronomy 33:26), and it is written, skies stream justice (Isaiah 45:8). And tsedeq, justice, is the Shekhinah, as is written, Tsedeq, righteousness, lodged in Her (ibid. 1:21). Tsedeq was given to David, as is written, YHVH shall reign forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations (Psalms 146:10). It is also written, [And David captured the stronghold of] Zion, which is the city of David (1 Chronicles 11:5)” (Bahir §119).
“Desire of the female toward the male arouses only when a spirit enters her and she gushes water toward upper, masculine waters [cf. Bereshit Rabbah 13:13]. Similarly Assembly of Israel arouses desire towards the blessed Holy One only by the spirit of the righteous entering Her. Then waters flow within Her toward waters of the male, all becoming one desire, one cluster, one nexus. Rapture, total rapture! An amble by the blessed Holy One with souls of the righteous” (Zohar 1:60b, cf. ibid. 1:244a–b).
“His disciples said to him: Rabbi from above to below we know, but from below to above we do not know. He replied: Is it not all one—below to above and above to below? They said: Rabbi, ascending is not like descending. One can run while descending, but it is not so while ascending. Moreover, the one who ascends can do so by a way other than the [way] he descends. He replied: Go out and see! He sat and expounded for them: Shekhinah is below just as Shekhinah is above. And what is ‘Shekhinah‘? Say that this is the light emanated from the primordial light, which is Ḥokhmah. He also surrounds everything, as is written, The fullness of all the earth is His glory (Isaiah 6:3). What is His function here? A parable: To what can the matter be compared? To a king who had seven sons, and [he assigned] each one his place, saying to them, ‘Sit, this one on the back of that one.’ The lowest one said, ‘I will not dwell below! I will not be so far from you!’ He said to them, ‘I will hereby swing round and see you all the entire day [cf. BT Ta’anit 31a].’ Behold: The fullness of all the earth is His glory. And why is He in their midst? To stand them up and make them endure” (Bahir §171, cf. BT Ḥullin 60b; Zohar 1:20a).
“This conflict is for the sake of Heaven, because the lower waters weep, saying: We yearn to be before the supernal King of all supernals! And they ask to be raised on high [cf. Zohar 1:17b: ‘A conflict of passionate love’]” (Tiqqunei ha-Zohar 19b).
“Rabbi Yitsḥaq said, ‘Why were our ancestors barren? Because the blessed Holy One yearns for the prayers of the righteous’” (BT Yevamot 64a, cf. Bereshit Rabbah 45:4; Shir ha-Shirim Rabbah on 2:14).
“Come and see: By arousal below there is similarly arousal above, and with arousal above there is also arousal further above, until arousal reaches the place where a lamp needs to be kindled, and it is. By arousal of smoke below, a lamp is kindled above, and when this is kindled, all other lamps are kindled and all worlds are blessed. Thus arousal of the offering is restoration of the world and blessing of all worlds.
How is this? Smoke begins to ascend; those holy forms appointed over the world are primed to arouse, and arouse in yearning above, as is said: The young lions roar for prey, seeking their food from God (Psalms 104:21). These arouse higher rungs above them, until arousal stimulates desire of the King to unite with the Matronita. Through yearning below, lower waters flow toward upper waters; for waters flow only through arousal of yearning below—then desire cleaves, lower waters flow toward upper waters, worlds are blessed, all lamps are kindled, and above and below are bathed in blessings…. The desire and yearning of Assembly of Israel for the blessed Holy One is consummated only by souls of the righteous; for they stimulate the flow of lower waters toward the upper, and at that moment—consummation of desire in single cleaving, yielding fruit” (Zohar 1:244a–b).
“The young son of the king took ill. Nebuchadnezzar said: Heal my son. If you don’t, I will kill you. Ben Sira immediately sat down and wrote an amulet with the Holy Name, and he inscribed on it the angels in charge of medicine by their names, forms, and images, and by their wings, hands, and feet. Nebuchadnezzar looked at the amulet, saying: Who are these?
The angels who are in charge of medicine; Snvi, Snsvi, and Smnglof. After God created man He said, ‘It is not good for the human to be alone [I shall make him a sustainer beside him’] (Genesis 2:18). He then created a woman for man, from the earth, as He had created man himself, and called her Lilith. Adam and Lilith immediately began to fight. She said: I will not lie below. He said: I will not lie beneath you, but only on top. For you are fit only to be below, while I am to be above. Lilith replied: We are equal to each other since we were both created from the earth. But they would not listen to one another. When Lilith saw this, she pronounced the ineffable Name and flew away into the air. Adam stood in prayer before his Creator, saying: Master of the Universe: The woman you gave me has run away! Immediately, the blessed Holy One sent these three angels to bring her back.
The blessed Holy One said to Adam: If she agrees to come back, fine. If not, she must permit one hundred of her children to die every day. The angels left God and pursued Lilith, overtaking her in the midst of the sea, in the fierce waters wherein the Egyptians were destined to drown. They told her God’s word, but she did not want to return. The angels said: We shall drown you in the sea.
She replied: Leave me! I was created only to cause sickness to infants. If the infant is male, I have dominion over him for eight days after his birth, and if female, for twenty days.
When the angels heard Lilith’s words, they insisted she go back. But she swore to them by the name of the living and eternal God: Whenever I see your names or your forms in an amulet, I will have no power over that infant. She also agreed to have one hundred of her children die every day. Accordingly, every day one hundred demons perish, and for the same reason, we write the angels’ names on the amulets of young children. When Lilith sees their names, she remembers her oath, and the child recovers” (Alfa Beita de-Ven Sira, 232–34).
“Ulla Bira’ah said in the name of Rabbi El’azar: In the future the blessed Holy One will make a מָחוֹל (maḥol), chorus [lit., a song and dance circle], for the righteous and He will sit in their midst in the Garden of Eden and each and every one of them will point with his finger towards Him, as is said, And it shall be said on that day: Look, this is our God in whom we hoped, and He rescued us. This is YHWH in whom we hoped, let us exalt and rejoice in His rescue (Isaiah 25:9)” (BT Ta’anit 31a).
How long will you slip away, rebellious daughter? For YHWH has created a new thing on earth—the female goes round the male (Jeremiah 31:21).
“[The lower waters wept, saying:] Woe to us that we are not worthy to ascend above to be near our Creator. They became insolent and split the deeps seeking to rise up until the blessed Holy One rebuked them, as is said, Who makes a way in the sea and a path in fierce waters (Isaiah 43:16); He rebukes the sea and it dries up (Nahum 1:4)—the blessed Holy One said to them: Since they acted to honor Me the upper waters will have no permission to utter song until [the lower waters] allow them, as is said, [The streams lifted up, O YHWH, the streams lifted up their voice, the streams lift up their roaring.] More than the sound of many waters, than the sea’s majestic breakers (Psalms 93:4). And what do they say? Majestic on high is YHWH (ibid.). Not only that but in the future they [Israel] will draw you near [to Me] by ascending towards the altar with salt and libations [alluding to the bitter tears of the weeping lower waters]” (Rabbenu Baḥya ben Asher on Leviticus 2:13).