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Blessing from the Heart
From the Zohar; translation and commentary by Simcha
Treister, based on Metok MiDevash
(From our sister-site, Kabbala
Online)
 This
week's Zohar explains the manner in which people should bless each other
properly.
Rabbi Yitzchak opened his discourse with the verse: "G-d has been
mindful of us to bless us; He will bless the house of Israel; He will
bless the house of Aaron." (Psalms 115:12) The term for "mindful
of us" [in Hebrew, "zachareinu"] shares the same
letters as the word "male" ["zachar"] and can
be read "G-d will bless our males". The males were elevated
to be counted in the desert and The Holy One Blessed Be He blesses them
and adds to that blessing at all times.
Come and see: The person who praises his friend, his children or his
property should bless him and then confirm the blessing. We learn this
from Moses from the verse "The Lord your G-d has multiplied you,
and behold, you are this day as many as the stars in heaven" (Deut.
1:10). What is written afterwards? "May the Lord G-d of your fathers
make you a thousand times more numerous as you are now, and bless you
as He has promised you!" (Deut. 1:11) There are two blessings here;
the first blessing relates to the large number of the people, that is
the first blessing; afterwards, "May you be blessed to become even
more numerous", which confirms the first blessing and is a blessing
upon a blessing.
If a person recounts the praise of his friend and doesn't confirm that
the praise is for a blessing, then that person is ensnared [to his harm]
in the spiritual realms first. However, if he blesses him, then he himself
is blessed from above. Furthermore he should bless with a good eye and
not with a bad [i.e. jealous] eye. In every instance the Holy One, Blessed
Be He, wishes that the person blessing has love in his heart for his friend.
The Holy One, Blessed Be He, wants the person to bless with good intentions
and an expansive heart and with merciful love. How much more so is this
valid for one who blesses G-d! When he makes a blessing he should have
a good eye and a good heart and a feeling of love in his heart. This is
the reason it is written, "And you shall love the Lord your G-d with
all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might."
(Deut. 6:5)
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Copyright 2003 by KabbalaOnline.org. All rights reserved, including the
right to reproduce this work or portions thereof, in any form, unless
with permission, in writing, from Kabbala Online.
Shmuel-Simcha Treister is a lawyer from New Zealand who made aliya
to Safed with his family in 1993 to study Zohar. He continues doing so
to this day. He also works in the Ascent multi-media center.
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