- The commandments of Torah given by the blessed Holy One to Israel are all written in Torah in general terms. In the beginning God created (Genesis 1:1). This is the first commandment of all, called awe of YHVH, which is called beginning, as it is written: The beginning of wisdom is awe of YHVH (Psalms 111:10), Awe of YHVH is the beginning of knowledge (Proverbs 1:7)…”37
Mr. Matt: ‘in general terms’ means “The commandments are alluded to in the opening verses of Genesis and spelled out later in the Torah.”38
My thoughts: The Zohar speaks frequently of ‘awe’ but seldom (if ever) of worship. To me the word ‘worship’ means not only awe, but also fear and supplication. The expectation of fear and supplication by by a deity from those those He created always seemed, to me, at best petty and at worst demeaning. Similarly the author of the Zohar seems to reject the idea of worship as the means to participate in the divine. Awe however seems entirely apropos, mirroring the astronomer’s awe of the vast number of galaxies in the universe or the molecular biologist’s awe of the elegant structure of DNA. Awe is a powerful stimulus for study towards greater knowledge of the cosmos and its origins. It should not surprise us that the Kabbalist finds such inspirational awe dates back to the beginning of the creation myth.
- “The second commandment: one to which the commandment awe is linked, never departing. This is love, loving one’s Lord consummately. What is consummate love? Abounding love, as is written: Walk in My presence and be wholehearted (Genesis 17:1) – consummate in love…The love called consummate abides both aspects, whether judgment or favor.”39
Mr. Matt: ‘Abounding love’ refers to “great love’’ a designation of Hesed, whiles Shehkinah is “small love.” 40 And ‘be wholehearted – consummate in love’ refers to Abraham who by fulfilling this command attained the rung of Hesed (“Love”).41
My thoughts: Here I think the word ‘linked’ (awe and love, that is) is confirmation that awe, not worship, is the expectation of the deity. However, this passage suggests ‘love’ was also instantiated into reality from the beginning. For the Kabbalist, consummate love is bidirectional, and on both parts survives strict judgment as readily as fortuitous reward. Likewise true love between two people should survive life’s ups and downs as well as inevitable episodes of flawed behavior. Love, it turns out, is another unexpected quality in reality and hence also a divine attribute pervading it.
CONCLUSION
There is much more, but I have already tested the reader’s patience. The Zohar offers a mystical exegesis of the Bible and a novel description of the nature of God that we can reconfigure for our use as philosophical seekers of the divine. Briefly, the cosmos originates from nothingness and/or infinity, first as a singularity or point that develops into the law-governed universe. Features of our world that justify the designation of ‘divine’ include in logical and chronological sequence: being, intelligence, will or life, morality, and love. The Kabbalist explains these as originating from an evolving and emanating divine being. The philosopher (and the scientist) cannot so readily attribute ‘divine’ features to an ontological agent. I will return to this question in the synthesis at the end of this section covering the theological perspective on ultimate reality.
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37Matt, Daniel C. (translator), The Zohar – Pritzker Edition. Stanford University Press, Stanford, California, 2004. ISBN 0-8047-4747-4, page 77.
38Ibid.
39Ibid., pages 79-80.
40Ibid.
41Ibid. page 80
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