(כו) שְׂאוּ־מָר֨וֹם עֵינֵיכֶ֤ם וּרְאוּ֙ מִי־בָרָ֣א אֵ֔לֶּה הַמּוֹצִ֥יא בְמִסְפָּ֖ר צְבָאָ֑ם לְכֻלָּם֙ בְּשֵׁ֣ם יִקְרָ֔א מֵרֹ֤ב אוֹנִים֙ וְאַמִּ֣יץ כֹּ֔חַ אִ֖ישׁ לֹ֥א נֶעְדָּֽר׃
Who created these?
The One who sends out their host by count,
Who calls them each by name:
Given such great might and vast power,
Not a single one fails to appear.
זהר ב ע"א
בשעתא דסתימא דכל סתימין בעא לאתגלייא עבד ברישא נקודה חדא, ודא סליק למהוי מחשבה. צייר בה כל ציורין, חקק בה כל גליפין ואגליף גו בוצינא קדישא סתימא גליפו דחד ציורא סתימאה, קדש קדישין, בניינא עמיקא דנפק מגו מחשבה ואקרי מ"י, שירותא לבנינא, קיימא ולא קיימא, עמיק וסתים בשמא, לא אקרי אלא מ"י.
בעא לאתגלייא ולאתקרי בשמא ואתלבש בלבוש יקר דנהיר וברא אלה וסליק אל"ה בשמא. אתחברון אתוון אלין באלין ואשתלים בשמא אלהים, ועד לא ברא אלה לא סליק בשמא אלהים. ואינון דחבו בעגלא על רזא דנא אמרו (שמות ל"ב:8) אלה אלהיך ישראל. וכמה דאשתתף מ"י באל"ה, הכי הוא שמא דאשתתף תדיר, וברזא דא אתקיים עלמא.
‘When Concealed of all Concealed45 verged on being revealed, it produced at first a single point,46 which ascended to become thought. Within, it drew all drawings, graved all engravings,47 carving within the concealed holy lamp48 a graving of one hidden design, holy of holies, a deep structure emerging from thought, called מי (Mi), Who, origin of structure.49 Existent and non-existent, deep and hidden, called by no name but Who.
‘Seeking to be revealed, to be named, it garbed itself in a splendid, radiant garment and created אלה (elleh), these.50
אלה (Elleh) attained the name: these letters joined with those, culminating in the name אלהים (Elohim).51
Until it created אלה (elleh), it did not attain the name אלהים (Elohim).52
Based on this mystery, those who sinned with the Golden Calf said “ אלה (Elleh), These, are your gods, O Israel!” (Exodus 32:8).53
Just as מי (mi) is combined with אלה (elleh), so the name אלהים (Elohim) is constantly polysemous.54 Through this mystery, the universe exists.’
FOOTNOTES
45. Concealed of all Concealed Ein Sof or Keter, the most hidden recesses of divinity.
46. single point The primordial point of Ḥokhmah (“Wisdom”), the first emanation.
47. it drew all drawings... The sefirot were prefigured within divine thought before they emerged in the process of emanation.
48. concealed holy lamp Ḥokhmah.
49. graving of one hidden design... Binah, the origin of the structure of the seven lower sefirot.
50. created אלה (elleh), these Binah emanated the seven lower sefirot, which are less hidden than Binah and therefore referred to as these.
51. these letters joined... אלהים (Elohim) The letters אלה (elleh) (these) joined with the letters מי (mi) (who) to form the divine name אלהים (Elohim).
52. Until it created... Binah was not called אלהים (Elohim) until She emanated the seven lower sefirot.
אלה“ . 53 (Elleh), These, are your gods...” Their sin was that they separated the lower, more concrete sefirot ( אלה [elleh], these) from their mysterious source, Binah ( מי [Mi], Who), and worshiped these alone.
54. constantly polysemous The name Elohim refers not only to Binah, but also to Gevurah and Shekhinah, as well as to angels and human judges.