Zohar on Tehillim – The 70 Years of a Person’s Life
Zohar on Tehillim – The 70 Years of a Person’s Life
Tehillim 90:10«And know that the words “which G-d created to make” (Bereshit)hint to the fact that the six days of Creation contain, in embryo, the entire history of the universe, for the universe will exist for six thousand years. (Rosh HaShanah 31a)And the Sages said in this regard:“The day of the Holy One is a thousand years,” as it is written in Tehillim: “For a thousand years in Your eyes are like a day.”(Ramban on Bereshit)– “Yemei shenoteinu vahem shiv’im shanah, ve’im bigvurot shemonim shanah, verahbam amal va’aven, ki gaz hish vanuafah” – (the days of our life are 70 years, and if with strength, 80 years, and all their “glory” is toil and iniquity).See: a person’s days were created and established on the highest levels, namely, in the seven sefirot: HaGaT, Netzach, Hod, and Yesod. Since their existence is completed within these levels, it is said: “The days of our life are in them seventy years” – (Tehillim 90:), corresponding to the seven sefirot, each of which includes ten.When there is no higher level from which existence can be received, then: ורהבם עמל ואון – and all their “glory” is toil (a wearisome, meaningless endeavor) and iniquity (wickedness) (Tehillim 90:10).עמל (amal)– toil – a wearisome, meaningless endeavor.These are judgments that conceal the ability to see that everything that happens is for the good, and they are evil deeds.און (aven) – iniquity – wickedness.This means that if such a person lives beyond 70 years, it is only “a wearisome, meaningless endeavor and wickedness,” since there is no further sefirah from which life can be drawn. Therefore, it is as though these years do not exist, for they contain no benefit.Zohar Bereshit א, section קכג: But the lives of the righteous live on and endure even if they live beyond 70 years, because they receive life from the higher level of Mazal. This level grants them as many additional years of life as it wishes. Concerning this it is said: “and the life of Sarah was…” (בראשית כג, א), and it is also written: ואלה ימי שני חיי אברהם – “and these are the days of the years of Abraham’s life.”(בראשית כה, ז)A question may arise: why, then, is it also said about Ishmael: ואלה שני חיי ישמעאל – “and these are the years of Ishmael’s life”(בראשית כה, יז), despite the fact that he was not righteous?The reason is that he performed teshuvah and therefore eleh(these) is said of his days, just as it is said of Abraham’s.Zohar Bereshit א, section קכד: Rabbi Yehudah said: When a person’s feet fall into a trap and his days of death draw near, that day is called the day of the Most High – in order to return that spirit to Him. We have learned that on that day, the holy sefirah visits the spirit of this person, and it is said about him (about that day): “The days of our life are in them seventy years”(תהילים צ, י). This is the seventh sefirah, namely, Nukva – the seventh sefirah, which completes all the sefirot.Zohar Bereshit א, section קכה: If Nukva comes to a person (giving him its abundance) from the side of Gevurah, that is, from Binah, which is higher than the seven sefirot HaGaT, Netzach, Hod, and Yesod, then it is written: אם בגבורות שמונים שנה – “and if with strength, eighty years”(תהילים צ, י), because the sefirah of the level of Gevurah is the eighth. There is no possibility of drawing life from a higher level, and therefore it is said: “and all their ‘glory’ is their wearisome, meaningless endeavor and wickedness”(Tehillim 90:10), for a building cannot be constructed without a foundation.Explanation.A person’s soul is born from the levels of ZON (the sefirot HaGaT, Netzach, Hod, and Yesod, each of which includes ten, making seventy in all).This idea is expressed by the pasuk: “The days of our life are in them seventy years”(Tehillim 90:10).Since the upper vessels are chosen first, we may say that the first ten years of a person’s life correspond to the sefirah of Hesed, the second decade to Gevurah, and so on; the seventh decade corresponds to the level of Malchut.After this, there is nowhere from which to draw life, and the person dies.This is because the life force is drawn from the higher levels of ZON.But if the root of his soul is in the level of Binah, and it is Gevurah, as expressed by the verse: אני בינה לי גבורה – “I am Binah (understanding), and Gevurah belongs to Me (might).” (משלי ח, יד)Then the years of his life are 80 years. ורהבם – “Their pride”, meaning that if he lives longer, those years are: “a wearisome, meaningless endeavor and wickedness,” because there is nowhere from which those years can draw their life force.How One Reaches 70 Years Shmuel HaNavi lived for 52 years. Interestingly, when the young Shmuel sinned before his master and teacher and was to be punished, Hannah pleaded on his behalf: “For this child I prayed.” The Passover Haggadah contains the following passage: “Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah said: ‘Although I appear to be 70 years old…’” At that time, Rabbi Elazar was only 18 years old, so how could he say this about himself? Chazal explain that Rabbi Elazar was a gilgul of the soul of Shmuel HaNavi, who lived for 52 years. If we add his 18 years to Shmuel’s 52, we arrive at 70 years. Hannah prayed for a son – “ben” – the gematria of the word “ben” is 52.Sometimes souls undergo gilgul in order to complete the years of life. (Rav Tzvi NisanZon, from a personal conversation about the lesson “Zohar on Tehillim,” Zohar on Bereshit א, section קכב)
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