Tehillim 130 – A Prayer from the Depths

Zohar on Tehillim 130 – A Prayer from the Depths

Tehillim 130:1 – “Shir Hama'alot, mima'amakim keraticha Adonai” – (A Song of Ascents: From the depths I called to You, O L-rd).  See, the Almighty has given you Shabbat. Rabbi Hezekiah said: Rabbi Hezekiah: שיר המעלות ממעקים קראתיך ה' – “A Song of Ascents: From the depths I called to You, O L-rd.” It asks why it is not written who sang this song. The answer is that it refers to the fact that in the future, all people will say it, because this song will remain for all generations forever. It asks, what is the meaning of the words: “From the depths I called to You”? It answers that everyone who prays before the Holy King must pray and plead from the depths of the heart, so that the heart may be united with the Almighty. One must contemplate what one is saying and concentrate on one's intentions and desires, as it is written: “From the depths I called to You.” It asks: Is this what David meant? For it is written: בכל ליבי דרשתיך – I sought You with all my heart. It seems that this should be sufficient—to pray with all one's heart. What, then, is added by the expression “from the depths”? We have learned: Everyone who brings a request before the King must seek to grasp the root of the source to which he turns, in order to draw blessing from the depths of the Well, which emanates from the Source of all. And what is this depth? It is the place where the River is found and from which it emerges—the concealed Chochmah, as it is written: ונהר יוצא מעדן – “And a river flows out of Eden.” Eden is Chochmah, and the River is Binah, which emerged from the rosh of Arich Anpin—the concealed Chochmah. And it is written: נהר פלגיו ישמחו עיר אלקים – “The streams of the River gladden the city of G-d.” This is what is called “from the depths”—the depth of everything, the depth of the Well from which the springs emerge and spread forth to bless all. This is the beginning of all blessings—from above downward. Rabbi Hezekiah explains: Rabbi Hezekiah. Atika is the most concealed level. When He desires to reveal blessings in the world, He gathers everything into this highest depth. This depth is the concealed Chochmah of Arich Anpin, and Binah emerges from it. From there the great River, Binah, flows forth and is filled. From it emerge streams and springs—the Light that waters everything. In other words, all the Light of ZON, Beriah, Asiyah, and Yetzirah originates there. One who prays must direct his heart and intention toward this root in the deepest place, so that his prayer will be accepted and his desire fulfilled. (Zohar “Chok LeYisrael” – Introduction to the Zohar, Shemot/Beshalach)