Sanctuary of the Divine Presence by J. Zohara Meyerhoff Hieronimu D.H.L

Author:J. Zohara Meyerhoff Hieronimu, D.H.L.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Spirituality/Kabbalah
Publisher: Inner Traditions
Published: 2012-03-22T16:00:00+00:00

The Song of Gevurah: Cutting Through (Zemer)

Zemer, a type of song made by instrumental music, is associated with Gevurah. Both zemer and the Hebrew word for song, shir, mean “to cut,” though one is done with the voice and the other with musical instruments. When we sing praises to God we cut through our doubts and feelings of separateness from holiness. When we use our musical tools, the things we make to hold the Divine Presence such as a harp or a horn, these vessels represent our will to glorify divinity, and as such they are an extension of our voicing this splendor.

In the context of Joshua’s life, the Sefirah of Gevurah is also called din, or judgment. Having learned in our first chapter that music elevates the soul of the prophet in preparation for hearing the Word of God and is thus a tool of prophecy, we are reminded that the power of our sword of Gevurah to cut off from ourselves that which is destructive of holiness is in itself a prophetic action. Therefore, Joshua’s song, a zemer, cuts through the kelipot (the husks of evil) attached to living forms.

The emotional quality of a zemer suggests a conservation of energy, an energetic restraint, before a final, full emergence. This is precisely the emotional quality of the song of Gevurah. It is explicitly associated with fear and awe of God and a supreme attachment to His holiness and power, as witnessed when Joshua, with God’s help, takes command of the sun and the moon at the Battle of Gibeon. Joshua expresses this same quality in his life and actions, redeeming lands at God’s command from the enemies of Israel, allowing the people to finally emerge victorious from their Exodus.

The word zemer is comprised of the letters Zayin (7), Mem (40), and Reish (200). It can mean harvesting produce, pruning a juice-producing vine, singing a wordless melody, or it can simply refer to a knife and the idea of cutting through. God told Moses to instruct Joshua in the ways of Torah in preparation for his future role. Joshua’s ability to stop the natural course of the sun and the moon reveals the notion that the Tent of Meeting is where one refines one’s sefirotic qualities and learns to control the natural elements of the mind and the emotions. In the Tent, one is infused with the radiating light of the Godhead, which comes from gaining a heart of courage and mastering the alchemical rites of the Israelites as expressed in the Tabernacle rituals, which have their roots in the Sefirot of the Tree of Life.

The Sword of Gevurah: The Blade of Discrimination

The Hebrew word for sword, cherev, (Chet [8] Reish [200] Bet [2])—can be interpreted as meaning using our mind (Reish) to choose life (Bet) over death (Chet). This expresses the essential nature of Gevurah and describes the emotional quality of this Sefirah’s song, a zemer, which translates as “cutting through.” The numerical value of the Hebrew word for

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