Sefer Bahir 1:2
Tuesday, January 6, 2015
Sefer Ha-Bahir
Section 1 Verse 2
“Rabbi Berachiah said: It is written (Genesis 1:2), "The earth was Chaos (Tohu) and Desolation (Bohu). What is the meaning of the word "was" in this verse? This indicates that the Chaos existed previously [and already was ]. What is Chaos (Tohu)? Something that confounds (Taha) people. What is Desolation (Bohu)? It is something that has substance. This is the reason that it is called Bohu, that is, Bo Hu - "it is in it."
What does it mean that the earth was Tohu v’Bohu? To understand this statement we must grasp that the concept of earth is not the physical state of existence of our planet nor is it related to the realm of matter as at this stage of conscious creation matter is a long ways from becoming actualized. The term “earth” comes from the Hebrew word eretz. Eretz is spelled: “Aleph, Reysh, Tzaddi.” The term eretz is a letter sequence signifying the process of conscious manifestation at this moment in the Bahir’s descriptive narrative. The letters of eretz indicate that at this stage of the revelation of the ratzon/Divine will (thought) that this manifestation is two-fold there is the new existence of the contained (the vessel which resulted in the concealment of the Light) and then there is that which is contained (a residue of Light left revealed and is called reshimu). With this concept in mind let’s examine the letters of eretz closely…
1.) Aleph- the first letter Aleph represents the numeral 1 in Hebrew and represents that Singularity of Source as was described in Section 1 and verse 1 of the Bahir.
2.) Raysh- is the after effect of the Light of Infinity as it becomes concealed it forms a boundary or a periphery (in the words of the Arizal) creating a container for existence.
3.) Tzaddi- The Light which is not concealed is called the reshimu. The reshimu is allegorized as a sort of left-over energy which will become the basis for which the existence of some-thing is constructed. This is the meaning of the word “was” in the context of the Bahir’s narrative.
Aleph, representing the principle of Divine Unity, is buried or concealed within the container elements (Eretz) from the primordial Cosmic level to the level of the individuated human psyche. Thus we now progress to the next explanation of the Bahir: “What is Chaos (Tohu)? Something that confounds (Taha) people.” This means that the concealment of the Primordial Light created the illusion of a dualistic reality that is disconnected from the Aleph of Singularity. This is a state of “Taha” (confusion) as the creature perceives itself as separate from the Creator. This perception of separation allows for the gestation of substance or form which is the direct expression of the Divine Thought (ratzon) and this is called Bohu. The Bahir points out that Bohu is composed of two words: Bo and Hu, meaning “it is in it;” this phrase indicates that the “It” is the Source of which all is made and is contained within “It,” or in other words the creature and the Creator are one in the same.
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