Zohar - Parshat Vayera - For Rosh HaShanah - The Sweetness of the Shofar

ZOHAR PARSHAT VAYERA DAF 114a

Matok Midvash pp. 607-609

THE SWEETNESS OF THE SHOFAR

The world is judged in mercy

Come and see – in this way did the Holy One Blessed be He give advice to be saved from the accusing Satan on the day of Rosh Hashanah and the day of Yom HaKippurim, that [it is then that] the attribute of judgment rules in the world - since the Holy One Blessed be He sits on the Throne of Judgment to judge the world. Then he – the Satan stands to accuse with the permissible power that is given to it. And Israel need to awaken through Teshuva [repentance] on Rosh HaShana by means of the blowing of the Shofar, and they need to awaken the supernal voice of Z”A by means of bringing out the sound of the Shofar which includes fire, water and wind. Fire is the warm air that comes through the power and strength of the breath of the person to bring out the sound through the Shofar. Water is the moist air that comes out with the sound. And the wind is the essence of the air of the mouth that the person blows through his mouth through the Shofar. And they – these three powers – become one by means of uniting in the inside of the body of the Shofar, and one needs to broadcast this sound through the Shofar outwards. And this sound rises upwards until the place of the Malchut that there is to be found the Throne of Judgment. And it strikes it and awakens it to lift it upwards into Binah through the awakening of the sound of the Shofar below. Since this sound reaches from below, then the voice of Jacob which is ChaGaT [Chesed, Gevurah , Tiferet] of Z”A is rectified and sweetened above, and the Holy One Blessed be He [Daf 114b] which is Binah awakens mercy upon Israel. That behold, just like Israel awaken below one sound that includes fire, wind and water that exists together through the Shofar, likewise there is awoken from above the supernal Shofar which is Binah. And this sound which is Z”A which consists of fire, water and wind, which is the secret of ChaGaT, is rectified and sweetened. For just as the sound of the Shofar goes out from below, opposite this the sound of the Shofar of Binah above, and the world is rectified and sweetened and mercy is found. And this prosecutor is confused, for it thought to rule in judgment and to prosecute in the world, and it sees that mercies have been aroused. And then it becomes confused and its strength is weakened, and it is no longer able to do a thing. And the Holy One Blessed be He judges the world in mercy. For if you say that complete judgment is administered on Rosh Hashanah, it cannot be so, and don’t think like this, but rather the mercies of Binah are joined with the judgments of Malchut, and sweeten it and the world is judged in mercy.

NOTES TO SIGNS USED IN FORMATTING:

Bold print: Original Zohar

Ordinary text: Matok Midvash

[Square brackets]: Rabbi Eliyahu Shear

(Round brackets): Either the source being quoted e.g. Proverbs etc., or alternatively used to quote the kabbalistic language as discussed in Matok Midvash. The Matok Midvash formats the Nigleh side of things in an ordinary print, and the Nistar terminology in Rashi script. I’ve therefore put the Rashi script – the Nistar terminology in round brackets.