H. Trees of the Idra Rabba Qadusha (Greater Assembly)
)
As previously mentioned, the main body of the five volumes of
the Sefer HaZohar (Book of Splendor), or simply the Zohar, is
an exegesis on the five books of the Torah (The Law). The heart
of the Sefer HaZohar is three jewels known as the Sifra
Detzniyutha (Book of THAT Which is Concealed), the Idra
Rabba Qadusha (Greater Holy Assembly), and the Idra Zuta
Qadusha (Lesser Holy Assembly). They are distinguished by
their depth, the obscurity of their language, and the propriety of their imagery. The Zohar’s exposition takes the form of a dialogue
among a group of rabbis led by Rabbi Shimeon Ben Yochai. )
In
qabalistic terms, each of the rabbis embodies a specific Sefirah,
and the nature of the respective Sefiroth colors what they say.
One Diagram displays a circular form of the Tree derived from several verses in the Idra Rabba. It presents the entire group of Zoharic rabbis in relation to their respective Sefiroth. All of the Sefiroth emanate from a central, invisible Sefirah described in the text as the “Hidden Brain” of Vast Face. The names and locations of the Sefiroth on the Idra Rabba Tree are distinctly different from those commonly found in other Zoharic Tree diagrams.
The Work of the Chariot Trust translation of the Idra Rabba also contains two other diagrams. A second Diagram depicts the first verse:
1. TRADITION - Rabbi Shimeon spoke unto his companions, and said: “How long shall we abide in the condition of one column by itself?, when it is written (Psalms 119:126): It is time for You hvhy to lay to your hand, for they have made void your Torah.”
)
A Third Diagram
depicts, in a different way, the
dynamic composite of the Greater Holy Assembly and the Lesser
Holy Assembly presented in The First Diagram. In this diagram, the
central invisible Sefirah surrounded by the six “crowns” of the
Directional Sefiroth is shown separated from the four Central
Column Sefiroth, called the “Holy Crowns of Small Face.” A
line is seen to descend from the Hidden Brain of the Ayn through
Vast Face (the One), and then downward from Vast Face to the
“Spirit of Small Face” (the many).
