A study on the four heavenly realms, the letters of the ineffable Name of God, Y-H-V-H (Yod, Hay, Vav, Hay) and God's presence (The Shekinah) including the Tree of Life and the Sefiroth.
____________________________
The following commentary on the Shema (Hear or Listen), from the Zohar, mentions Ezekiel's chariot and brings forth a relationship between seventy names and two other names. The seventy are associated with the angelic beings who watch over the nations, and also defend the Shekinah from the nations and the (evil) powers associated with them. The two other names in this section are related to the Shekinah (Malkuth) and to Tipheret (Messiach). This combination of the heavenly hosts, the Shekinah, and Tipheret (amounting to 70+1+1), brings us to the 72-letter name of God. It would seem that this name is associated with God in His fully unified state, which occurs with the establishment of His Kingdom.
The Zohar section also addresses the interesting fact that in the Torah, the last letter of the first word (the "a" in Shema, which is the Ayin) and the last letter of the last word (the "d" in Echad, which is the Dalet), are both written very large. These two letter combined spell 'ed, which means "witness." Hence, the Shema acts as a witness through time:
________________________________
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 160b-161b -
R. Hiya and R. Jose were walking together. Said R. Jose: ‘Let us now think on spiritual matters and talk on the words of the Torah.’ He thereupon began by pointing out that three passages are introduced by the words, Hear, O Israel. "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One" (Deut. VI, 4); "Hear, O Israel, this day thou hast become a people to the Lord thy God" (Ibid. XXVII, 9); and "Hear, O Israel, thou art to pass the Jordan this day" (Ibid. LX, I). ‘Why’, he said, ‘did Moses commence in each of these cases with the word "hear"? In the first, indeed, the word seems appropriate, but what is its point in the other two cases? The truth is that in all three passages it is meant to teach a special lesson. This is obvious in the case of the first, where the word "hear" indicates the unity in the supernal Wisdom of what is above and what is below. The word Shema’ consists of shem (name) and ‘ain (seventy), indicating the combination of this Name and the other seventy from whence it derives blessing. At the recitation of the Shema’, therefore, one must concentrate attention on this union of all the Divine names. For these seventy Names constitute the mystery of the supernal Chariot from whence that Name receives blessing and in which it is contained. Then comes the word Israel, referring, as we have learnt, to "Ancient Israel" (Tifereth), so that this emanation may also be included. So "Hear, O Israel," signifies the union of the Spouse with her Husband (i.e. Malkuth with Tifereth), so that all is in all, and all is one.
... At the time of the recitation of the Shema, a man has to be prepared to proclaim the unity of the Divine Name and to accept the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven. On the head of him who thus recites the Shema, to accept the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven, the Shekinah rests-a witness to testify of him before the Holy King that twice daily does he declare the Unity of the Name, and thus, consciously, unite the Above and the Below. Therefore is the letter ‘ain of the Shema written large, and also the daleth, of the ehad (one), which, when put together, make the word ‘ed (witness): a witness before the Holy King. The mystery contained in the words, "The Lord our God, the Lord", the mystery of the Unity in three aspects (lit. "in three sides") has often been referred to by the Holy Lamp (R. Simeon), and we are not permitted to enlarge upon what he has said. However, certain it is, that upon the head of the man who unifies the Name of the Holy One above and below, the Shekinah descends to rest, and to bless him with seven blessings, and to proclaim concerning him: "Thou art my servant, Israel, in whom I am glorified"
_______________________________
The Zohar makes another connection to Ezekiel's Chariot, linking it to the "Holy One" of Proverbs chapter 30 (Who has a "Son" [Proverbs 30:4] directly associated with Tipheret). The following reference is an allusion to the Millennium, when the Name of God as well as His creation will all be unified:
_______________________________
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 197b -
According to another exposition: "Who hath ascended up into heaven?" refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, the allusion being contained in the word Mi (Who?), as explained elsewhere. Here in this passage is contained the mystery of the Divine Chariot, consisting of the four directions of the world which are the four primordial elements, all of which depend on that supernal region called Mi (Who?), as already said. ‘Observe this. When the hour arrives at which it pleases the Holy One, blessed be He, to unify the Supernal Chariot, [Tr. note: Al. "to combine the Supernal Chariot with the Lower Chariot".] a voice issues from that divine supernal region called Heaven to assemble all the saints beneath and all the holy chiefs and supernal legions, so that they should all be in readiness together.
___________________________
Although God's Name is unified in one sense (as Ezekiel was privy to), from our perspective (living in physical time) it is not. In the mystical Hebrew writings, the letters of the ineffable Name of God, Y-H-V-H (Yod, Hay, Vav, Hay), are said to be related to the various aspects of God. The first letter, the Yod, is directly associated with the unknowable God, called the En Sof. The last (or lower) Hay (or as the Zohar refers to it, the "He") is associated with the Shekina. The Zohar says that the Shekina (signified by the "He"), is in exile with Israel, and its degree of light is dependent on their faith:
__________________________
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 8a-10a -
At the period when there is perfection, peace, and harmony, the two names are not separated one from another, and it is forbidden to separate them even in thought and imagination; but now in exile we do separate them, the Matrona from Her Spouse, as She (Shekinah) lies in dust (in exile with Israel). "Apart from thee" being far away from Thee, and being ruled by other powers, "we make mention of thy name" in separation, thy Name being separated from the Name expressed by Beka. All this in the days of exile; for the first exile began during the first Temple, and lasted seventy years, during which time the Mother (the Shekinah) did not brood over Israel, and there was a separation between the Yod and the He, the Yod ascending higher and higher to infinity (En Sof), and the holy Temple above- corresponding to the Temple below-did not send forth living waters, its source being cut off. The seventy years of the first exile corresponded to the seven years which it took to build the first Temple. However, far be it from us to think that during that time the kingdom of Babylon had power in the heavens over Israel.
The fact is that as long as the Temple stood there was a bright light descending from the Supernal Mother, but as soon as it was destroyed, through Israel's sin, and the kingdom of Babylon got the upper hand, that light was covered up and darkness prevailed here below and the angels below ceased from giving out light, and then the power symbolized by the letter Yod of the Holy Name ascended into the upper regions, into the Infinite, and thus during the whole seventy years of exile Israel had no divine light to guide her, and, truly, that was the essence of the exile. When, however, Babylon's power was taken away from her and Israel returned to the Holy Land, a light did shine for her, but it was not as bright as before, being only the emanation of the lower He (Hay) since the whole of Israel did not return to purity to be a "peculiar people" as before. Therefore, the emanation of the supernal Yod did not descend to illumine in the same measure as before, but only a little. Hence Israel were involved in many wars until "the darkness covered the earth" and the lower He was darkened and fell to the ground, and the upper source was removed as before, and the second Temple was destroyed and all its twelve tribes went into exile in the kingdom of Edom. The He also went into exile there, and therefore the exile was prolonged.
_______________________________
This Zohar passage continues with a description of the arrival of the Messiah and advent of the Millennium.
______________________________
... ‘A mystery of mysteries has been revealed to them that are wise of heart. The He of the second Temple [the Shekniah] is in exile with her twelve tribes and their hosts. Twelve tribes form a great number, and because the mystery of the He is in them, the exile lasts during this whole number.
... From then the Holy One, blessed be He, [Tipheret] shall begin to do signs and wonders, as we have described. But over Israel those tribulations will come. After that King Messiah shall fight against the whole world, aided by the Right Hand of the Holy One.
... Then the lower He (Shekinah) shall be filled from the upper spring [see section on Rivers of Eden] (the highest Sephiroth), and be crowned and radiate in perfection until the Sabbath of the Lord arrives to gather souls in the joy of holiness throughout this whole seventh millennium. Then the holy spirits of the people of Israel at the fulness of time will be invested with new, holy bodies, and be called "Saints": "And it shall come to pass that he that is left in Zion and that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy" (Isa. III, 4). These are the veiled mysteries.’
_____________________________________
The marriage of the Shekina to the Messiah, and unification of the three pillars of the Godhead, is also linked to the unification of the worlds above and below.
Commenting on the Shema, the Zohar says:
_____________________________________
Soncino Zohar, Shemoth, Section 2, Page 215b-217b -
The term SH e M a’ (hear) is esoterically analysed into SH e M (name) and the letter ‘Ain (70), that is, one Name comprising seventy names whilst remaining a unity. "Israel" here signifies "Ancient Israel", [Tipheret] in contrast to "Little Israel", of whom it is written: "When Israel was a child, then I loved him" (Hos. XI, 1). "Ancient Israel" symbolizes the union of the Shekinah with her Spouse, and in pronouncing that name we have to concentrate our mind on the principle of unity, on the union of the two habitations; we have to put all our being, all the members of our body, our complete devotion, into that thought so as to rise and attach ourselves to the En-sof (Infinite), and thus achieve the oneness of the upper and the lower worlds. The words, "the Lord our God" are to reunite all the Members to the place from which they issued, which is the innermost Sanctuary. The same thought is continued in the words, "the Lord is one", in the recital of which we have to make our thoughts range throughout all the grades up to the Infinite (En-sof) in love and fear
...