171. Zohar, Amor
In The Zohar, Parashat Amor: “The assembly of Israel said, ‘I sleep in the exile in Egypt’” (Zohar, Amor, p.43).
The departure of the Mochin is called “sleep.” “And my heart is awake.” Heart is considered the thirty-two paths of wisdom. This means that Hochma (wisdom) was shining in them, but without the clothing of Hassadim (mercy), and this is called “the exile in Egypt.” For this reason it is called “sleep.” But at the same time they were worthy of receiving Mochin de Hochma, but in the form of Achoraim (posterior).
“Hark! My beloved knocketh,” meaning the voice of ZA, who is considered Hassadim. And this is what the Creator said, “Open for Me an opening like the tip of a needle.” This means that during the redemption, He had told them to draw the discernment of Hochma once more. And when it is without Hassadim, its opening was called “the tip of a needle,” since she does not shine without Hassadim.
“And I will open for you the Upper Gates,” meaning bestowing upon her the discernment of Hassadim, and then she will have abundance, Hochma and Hassadim.
“Open for Me… for the opening to enter Me is in you, for My children will not enter in Me, but in you.” This means that He cannot give to the children, who need Mochin de Hochma, as His discernment is only Hassadim. However, when she draws Hochma, it will be possible for the children to receive Hochma, too. This is why it is considered that only she can open this opening, whereas “I am closed so they will not find Me,” meaning “that they will not find Me in completeness.”
When ZA has only Hassadim, he has only Vak, and he is called “just air.” However, when he has Hochma, too, even though he then receives only Hassadim, his Hassadim are called “pure Air.” This is because then his Hassadim are better than Hochma, although without Hochma, he will not be found complete.
This is the meaning of the words: “To mate with You and to always be in peace with You. Come and see, when the Creator killed the firstborn of Egypt, all those that He killed at midnight and lowered the degrees from Above downward.” This is done through the correction of the Masach de Hirik, which causes two discernments: the departure of the Gar, and the extension of Hassadim, where by this Hitkalelut (integration), there is ability for the expansion of Mochin from Above downward.
“At the time when Israel came into the covenant of the holy sign, they were circumcised.” The “plague of the firstborn,” the “Passover blood,” and the “circumcision blood” are all one discernment. It is a known secret that the God of Israel was a Egypt . This means that the Passover sacrifice was aimed at their God.
The Klipa of Egypt was that they wanted to extend from the end of correction, like the sin of the tree of knowledge, that they wanted to extend the Light of Gar from Above downward. And through the Passover slaughter, they slaughtered the Gar de Hochma, by which there was the plague of the firstborn.
The firstborn is considered Gar; and they canceled the Gar. This occurred using the Masach de Hirik, which is considered raising the lock, which causes the cancellation of the Gar.
Dam (blood) comes from the word Dmamah (silence), which puts the Gar to death. This is the meaning of the circumcision blood. The chisel is the Dinim de Nukva, and the Dinim revoke the Dinim de Dechura, as it is written, “they were two bloods: the Passover blood and the circumcision blood.” By throwing the Passover blood, the Gar was cancelled and there was the Hitkalelut in the Tikkun of the lines. This is the meaning of the lintel and the two Mezuzahs.
“And on the fourth … and Israel departed from the other authority, and they were united with a Matzoh holy knot.” The leavened bread is the Mochin that expand from the Chazeh down, at which time they shine from Above downward. And the Matzoh is the Mochin that shine from the Chazeh upwards, a discernment in which there is no hold for the outer ones. And the reason is that the lock that appeared on Passover night, by which there was the Passover slaughtering and the plague of the firstborn, operates only from itself downward. This means that it was revealed at the Chazeh.
It follows that everything above it does not work with the judgment in it. However, it is not so from the Chazeh down, since the whole expansion is below its own discernment. This is why the judgment in it is felt, and this is why Israel were cautious on Passover night to eat Matzoh and not leavened bread.
There is a merit to the Matzoh which is not in the leavened bread, and a merit to the leavened bread which is not in the Matzoh. The merit in the Matzoh is that they are complete Mochin, Gar de Hochma, which are still considered “the two great Lights.” However, they are in the form of Achoraim, since they cannot shine because of the lack of Hassadim.
And there is a merit to the leavened bread: although it is only Vak, it is already clothed in Hassadim. At the Temple, where there was Mochin de Hochma, they were also in the form of from the Chazeh upwards, considered a Matzoh. This is why it is said, “for ye shall make no leaven, nor any honey, smoke as an offering.”