The Zohar HaKadosh on the Prayer “Nishmat Kol Chai” and the Number of Praises It Contains

The Zohar HaKadosh on the Prayer “Nishmat Kol Chai” and the Number of Praises It Contains

The Zohar HaKadosh says that “Nishmat Kol Chai” (the soul of every living being) is a soul that soars forth from “the One who gives life to the worlds,” Yesod of Zeir Anpin. And since it belongs to Him—the One from Whom all blessings emanate and in Whom they dwell, and Who fills and blesses below, Malchut—the soul that emerges from Him has the right to bless this place, Malchut. Therefore, souls soar forth from “the One who gives life to the worlds” on Erev Shabbat. These soaring souls fully bless the place called the “lower Name,” Malchut. Therefore it says: “The soul of every living being shall bless Your Name”—that is, Malchut, which is called “the Name.” And the place itself from which the souls emerge, Yesod, also blesses Malchut from above. Thus, this Name receives blessing from below and from above, and contains all aspects. On weekdays, Malchut receives blessings from the other souls, which bless it from below. On Shabbat, it receives blessings from the higher souls of Atzilut, which bless it with 45 words, corresponding to the gematria of the name MA (45). MI is the higher world, Binah. MA is the lower world, Malchut. From the words “the soul of every living being” to the word “last”—there are 45 (MA) words. And from the words “if our mouths were filled with song” to the word “from (milefan im)”—another praise ascends, containing 50 words. Although this word is not included in the count—that is, it does not appear at the end of the phrase, which would indicate a single count—for the word “from (milefan im)” appears directly in the middle of the recitation of this phrase, this praise nevertheless constitutes the number MI, that is, 50 words. From here onward, another praise ascends, consisting of 100 words, up to “You will be exalted in the mouths of the righteous”. This is the completion of everything—the greatness of Malchut, which contains 10 sefirot, each consisting of ten, for a total of 100. And this is a single structure (merkavah), over which the perfection of the higher realms rests. All this praise, all these words, are known elements—that is, levels—in the count that completes Shabbat, so that it may be perfected through them as appropriate. Fortunate is the people who know how to offer praise to their Master properly. From here onward, the prayer is recited in the prescribed order. (Zohar on Parashat Terumah, p. 205)