Zohar on Shir HaShirim – The Mare and the Shekhinah
Zohar on Shir HaShirim – The Mare and the Shekhinah
The Zohar HaKadosh says that Shlomo HaMelech said:
לסוסתי ברכבי פרעה – “Le-susati be-rikhvei Par'oh” – “To my mare among Pharaoh’s chariots.”
Behold, there are chariots on the right side—the secret of supreme holiness—and there are chariots on the left side, which represent the forces of impurity. They stand opposite one another. Some belong to holiness and contain mercy; others belong to the forces of impurity and contain judgments.
Explanation.
Why did Shlomo HaMelech compare the Shekhinah to a horse in Pharaoh’s chariot?
It sounds rather crude and disrespectful.
However, everything Shlomo HaMelech said bears the imprint of supreme wisdom, which means that a special meaning is concealed here as well.
When Pharaoh pursued the Jews, he placed the mares in front and harnessed the horses to the chariots behind them, so that despite the burden they would run faster after the mares.
When they drew near the Jews, however, Pharaoh did the opposite: he sent the mares to the rear of the army, unharnessed the horses, and placed them in front, since they were the warhorses of the Egyptian warriors.
Similarly, when we left Egypt, the Shekhinah went before us, as it is written: “By day—in a pillar of smoke; by night—in a pillar of fire.”
The Shekhinah, the Holy Spirit, went before us. We saw the radiance of the Shekhinah! Our souls were drawn after Her.
And we followed Her faster and faster... When Pharaoh’s chariots began to catch up with us, the Shekhinah moved in order to protect the Jews and came to stand between our camp and the Egyptian camp. This is the secret behind comparing the Shekhinah to the horses of Pharaoh’s army.
When the Almighty passed judgment on Egypt, His judgment was akin to the actions of the chariots of impurity. Just as the forces of impurity kill and take souls, so too did the Kadosh Baruch Hu execute judgment, as it is written: “And the Almighty slew all the firstborn.”
Although His way is the way of mercy, everything that happened to the Egyptians corresponded to their sins. דמיתיך רעיתי – “You are like my beloved”, said Shlomo HaMelech, comparing the Shekhinah to Pharaoh’s chariots, for She killed and took the souls of our enemies in the same manner as Pharaoh’s army—the forces of impurity.
(from a Skype lesson on “Zohar on Miketz” with Rav Tzvi Nisenzon)
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Tags: Shechinah, Shir HaShirim, Zohar on Shir HaShirim, Animals in Judaism, Zohar on Shir HaShirim — The Mare and the Shechinah, The Mare — a Symbol of the Shechinah in Shir HaShirim, The Shechinah in Shir HaShirim, Filly
