By April 10, 2008 Read More →

Moses Cordevero, Pardes Rimmonim, 27:10, 61d-62a

Jewish Mysticism
There are those who explain that the zayyin is Yesod, and it is the secret of the covenant (sod ha-berit) and the secret of Sabbath (sod ha-shabbat), and just as Sabbath is the crown of the six weekdays, so in the zayyin there is a crown on the waw, and this crown is the corona of the phallus (‘atarah sheba-verit). … When [Malkhut] ascends to the head of every righteous man, she is the crown on the head of every righteous man. The intention is that the garment of the righteous in the world-to-come is from the side of Malkhut. … Indeed, this is from the side of Malkhut when she is below, exerting dominion in this world, but when she ascends above, from the side of Binah… she is a crown on the head of the righteous one who is the foundation of the world (saddiq yesod ‘olam). This is [the import of the rabbinic dictum] “In the world-to-come there is no eating etc., but the righteous are sitting and their crowns are on their heads,” for the world-to-come is Binah. … Since the crown is on the head of the righteous man, the yod is on top of the waw, and this is the zayyin. … Moreover, there is a crown on the top of the Torah scroll … and this refers to her ascent by way of the gradations to Hokhmah, which is above, and this is the “crown of her husband” (Prov. 12-4), Then she is a yod on top of the waw, and this is the zayyin. … Sometimes this yod sits on the head of the three patriarchs and three crownlets (ziyyunin) are made on the shin, and similarly with respect to Nesah, Hod, and Yesod.

Translated by Elliot Wolfson in, “Coronation of the Sabbath Bride- Kabbalistic Myth and the Ritual of Androgynisation,” Journal of Jewish Thought and Philosophy 6 (1997)- 301-344.

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