The Son of Yah in the Zohar

The Son of Yah in the Zohar
By
James Scott Trimm

We read in the Zohar, concerning the “light” of Genesis 1:3-4:

Concerning this, too, it is written: “Let there be light, and there was light” (Gen. I, 3). Why, it may be asked, was it necessary to repeat the word “light” in this verse? The answer is that the first “light” refers to the primordial light which is of the Right Hand, and is destined for the “end of days”; while the second “light” refers to the Left Hand, which issues from the Right. The next words, “And God saw the light that it was good” (Gen. 1, 4), refer to the pillar which, standing midway between them, unites both sides, and therefore when the unity of the three, right, left, and middle, was complete, “it was good”, since there could be no completion until the third had appeared to remove the strife between Right and Left, as it is written, “And Elohim separated between the light and between the darkness” (Ibid.).
(Zohar 2:167a)

And:

This is the Middle Pillar: Ki Tob (that it was good) threw light above and below and on all other sides, in virtue of YHWH, the name which embraces all sides.
(Zohar 1:16b)

This is very similar to what the Jewish writer Philo of Alexandria wrote in the First Century:

…the Divine Word (Logos)…fills all things and becomes a mediator and arbitrator for the two sides….from the Divine Word (Logos), as from a spring, there divide and break forth two powers. One is the creative through which the Artificer placed and ordered all things. This is named “God”. And the royal, since through it the Creator rules over created things. This is called “Lord” And from these two powers have grown the others. For by the side of the creative power there grows the propitious of which is named “beneficial” while (besides) the royal the legislative, of which is aptly named “punitive”. And below these and beside them is the ark.
(Philo on Q&A on Exodus, II.68)

The Zohar informs us that this “Middle Pillar” is “the Son of Yah”:

“YHWH is near to all those who call upon Him” (Ps. 145:18). Better is “a neighbor that is near, than a brother far off” (Prov. 27:10), This is the Son of Yah, which is the Middle Pillar, that ascended above, that is Binah (understanding). This world is the world of Jubilee, which is the fifty letters of the unity. Because in this world a son of man has redemption through the Tzadik, 6 (vav) years which encompasses the three first and the three final blessings. The small vav is “six years he shall work”. However, in the world to come, which is the world of Jubilee where exist the 50 (nun) letters of Kriat Sh’ma (the recitation of the Sh’ma), the cantor cannot exempt another from his duty, because there is no redemption through others. And recite the Sh’ma in whatever language you hear. And in this is a hint (remez), “If I am not for myself, who is for me” (m.Avot 1:14). “Who?” And this is the world of Jubilee,
(Zohar 2:115b)

This reference to the recitation of the Sh’ma recalls another passage of Zohar, which explains the meaning of the Sh’ma as the unification of the Three Pillars:

The [profession of] unity that every day is [a profession of] unity
is to be understood and to be perceived. We have said in many places
that this prayer is a profession of Unity that is proclaimed:

”Hear O Yisrael, YHWH“ first, [then] “Eloheynu” [and] “YHWH” they are all One and thus He is called “One”.

Behold, these are three names, how can they be one? Is it because we call them one? (literally: And also concerning the proclamation that we call them one?). How these are one can only through the vision of the Holy Sprit be known. And these are through the vision of the closed eye (or the hidden eye) To make known that these three are one. And this is the mystery of the voice that is heard. The voice is one. And is three GAUNIN: fire and air and water. And all these are one in the mystery of the voice.

And also here “YHWH, Eloheynu, YHWH” these are One. Three GAUNIN that are One. And this is the voice of the act of a son of man in [proclaiming] the Unity. And to which he sees by the Unity of the “All” from Eyn Sof (the Infinite One) to the end of the “All”. Because of the voice in which it is done, in these are three that are one.

And this is the [profession] of the daily profession of Unity that is revealed in the mystery of the Holy Spirit.

And there are many GAUNIN that are a Unity, and all of them are true, what the one does, that the other does, and what that one does, the other does.

But this unification that we awaken from below, by the mystery of the voice which is one, clarifies the Word. It is in general after the particular, as has been stated.
(Zohar 2:43b)

(The Aramaic word GA’UN (sing.)/GAUNIN (plural) comes from the word for “color” and refers to an “aspect, element, substance, essence”. )

Thus the Zohar understands the Sh’ma to mean that YHWH, Elohim and YHWH are three GA’UNIN. This section of the Zohar also recalls a reading from the Sefer Yetzirah:

Three “mothers”: Alef; Mem and Shin
Their foundation is a pan of merit
a pan of liability
and the tongue of decree deciding between them.
(Sefer Yetzirah 3:1)

The Hebrew word for “tongue” (לשון) has the same gematria (386) as “Yeshua” (ישוע)

Three “mothers”, Alef, Mem, Shin
in the universe are air, water, fire…
(Sefer Yetzirah 3:4a)

(Note: The letter SHIN has a gematria (numerical value) of 300 which is the same as the gematria of the phrase ”Ruach Elohim” (the Spirit of Elohim).)

The “tongue of decree deciding between them” is the Middle Pillar of the Godhead which reconciles the two outer pillars of the Godhead.

Another passage of the Zohar which mentions the Son of Yah says that the Rod of Moshe represents the Son of Yah and, as such, the vav (ו) in YHWH (יהוה) represents the Son of Yah, the Middle Pillar. It is of special interest that the Hebrew letter vav was originally a pictograph of a nail:

And now that you have turned in repentance and have become attached into the Tree of Life. Now you have departed from being a servant and returned to being a son of the Holy One, blessed be he, and the rod (mateh) which is given into your hand is the Tree of Life. 6 (vav) which is the Son of Yah, and will penetrate into the MAT (49) aspects you have in the Torah, and become a rod (mot) and shall be fulfilled in “He shall not allow the righteous to be moved (mot)” (Ps. 55:23) The 49 aspects are the 49 letters of the Sh’ma Yisrael, and blessed is the Name. Six denoting the unity above, 6 (vav) above, tif’ret. six aspects of the repetition of “Blessed is the Name” 6 (vav) repeated is the Tzadik a rod (mat) in the middle is alef. “And they carried it on a pole by twos.” (Num. 13:24)
(Zohar 2:114b)

The Zohar also tells us this Son of Yah that “ascends on high, on the third day“:

The Faithful Shepherd said ‘Malchut, in six sefirot it ascends continually to the vav (6) that is unified in them. It is the Son of Yah, hidden in Binah (understanding). And in a certain sefira of the six, it ascends on high, on the third day, which is called tiferet. That on the Sabbath day a second soul is added upon him, which is Binah. The Supernal Hei of YHWH, the sign of Shabbat, supernal chochmah, the king adorned with a crown. For this reason in the Musaf (additional) prayer, is ‘A crown they shall give you.’
(Zohar 3:229b)

In another passage, the Zohar declares that the Holy One has a Son (the Son of Yah):

The Holy One, blessed be He, has a Son, whose glory shines from one end of the world to another. He is a great and mighty tree, whose head reaches heaven, and whose roots are set in the holy ground, and his name is “Mispar” and his place is in the uppermost heaven… as it is written, “The heavens declare (me-SaPRim) the glory of God” (Ps. 19:1). Were it not for this “Mispar” there would be neither hosts nor offspring in any of the worlds.
(Zohar 2:105a)

Here the Zohar is drawing from the Bahir to teach us that the Son of Yah is the sum of the Sefirot:

Why are they called Sephirot? Because it is written (Ps. 19:2), “The heavens declare (me-SaPRim) the glory of God.”
(Bahir 125)

This is because the Middle Pillar harmonizes the outer two pillars and is thus the fullness of the everlasting Godhead.

Finally the Zohar interprets the “kiss the son” in Psalm 2:12 as a reference to this Son of Yah:

We may also translate “he who withholds blessings from the Son” (Prov. 11:26), whom the Father and Mother have CROWNED and blessed with many blessings, and concerning whom they commanded, “Kiss the SON lest he be angry” (Ps. 2:12), since he is invested with judgment (GEVURAH) and with mercy (CHESED)”
(Zohar 3:191b)

As many of you know, we are losing our home of over seven years. We have found a new home. We have had to make some sacrifices. There is no wood burning fireplace, that was not in the cards. And our rent will be higher, we were blessed with a really good deal here, but staying is not an option (the owner is selling). We signed the new lease and paid the security deposit (equal to one month’s rent) and the pet fees for our dogs. However, we now face major expenses in order to actually make the move. Our new lease starts on February 1st (that is the furthest out we could make it, and we did not want to lose the new house). We must still pay the first month’s rent on the new home by January 30th. And our lease here actually ends on March 1st, so we will still have to pay rent here on February 1st as well. This means we will be paying double rent, but it also gives us plenty of time to move. To put this another way, including the security deposit we already paid (equal to one month’s rent) and paying rent on both houses on the 30th/1st, we are paying out *triple* rent this month. Plus, my wife and I are not in sufficient health to move the furniture and major appliances, so we will need to have professional movers move at least those. So now more than ever we need your help. just to get the keys to the new home, we must pay that first month of rent early (on January 30th) otherwise we will have no place to go (and we absolutely have to be out of here very quickly). Thank you all for all of your help so far. We are now coming to the final lap, and need a final push to get into the new home. Any donation is better than no donation, and every donation helps. Thanks to all who have donated so far. Any more help you can give in this final stretch is appreciated.

You can visit our Go Fund Me Page at: https://gofund.me/f551fb4f

As many of you know, my wife is chronically ill, disabled since and dealing with chronic pain daily, since her fifty three day hospitalization in late 2018, and I am her caretaker.

We need more of you to step up to the plate to donate, even in small amounts. I know you are out there.

This work takes hours of my time, and I spend most of my time at home as her caretaker. I work at a desk less than six feet from her bed. So I am in a position to dedicate many hours to this important work that I have been directed to do.

But I also realize that it is not the activity of James Trimm alone who is responsible to do this work, it is all of us together who are charged with the responsibility of accomplishing this work. I very much look on the efforts of this restoration work as a cooperative one with each one of you. We are all joint heirs with Messiah and should always be about our Father’s business. I am honored to be able to be partnered with truth seekers as this restoration of Scripture moves forward in fulfillment of prophecy.