Page 624 - 24107

Orchard of Delights
£Returning to the Garden of EdenReturning to the Garden of EdenReturning to the Garden of Eden of laws and decrees that direct virtually every aspect of life. They
££
According to the Zohar, the Torah contains fifty-three portions.
The Hebrew word for garden (gan) has a numerical value of fifty-
three. Based on this equivalence, the Zohar compares the Torah
to the Garden of Eden, suggesting that the Torah is God’s gift to
us, providing us with instructions on how to return to our natural
birthright. This equivalence also suggests a link to PaRDeS, the
four-tiered system of biblical interpretation that literally means an
orchard of trees. We can enter the world of Torah and the Garden
of Eden through the methods and levels of consciousness offered by
PaRDeS.
One problem with the correspondence suggested by the Zohar is
that there really are fifty-four portions! Several explanations have
been given, but the reason most widely-accepted is that Nitzavim
and Vayeilech can be counted as one portion. There are a number of
reasons given to support this reasoning, among these are the facts
that they are the two shortest portions in the entire Torah and they
are thematically connected. Nonetheless, each version of how many
portions there are has merit and inner meaning, as we have discussed
previously: “These and these are the words of the living God” (Eruvin
13b).
The notion that the number of portions in the Torah alludes to the
Garden of Eden is a beautiful and powerful idea. Since Adam and
Eve were exiled from utopia, humanity has struggled to return to the
Garden, forever attempting to solve the paradoxical and existential
predicaments of life. Perceiving the Torah as a road map guiding us
to proper moral behavior and as a lighthouse leading us in the correct
spiritual direction in a dark and confusing world gives great meaning
and purpose to living a Torah life. It also provides human beings
with the means to establish healthy relations with other people as
well as with their Creator.
The numerical value of the Hebrew word for passing judgment
(dan) is fifty-four. The Torah and the mitzvot are an elaborate system
624
20 Vayeilech # 24107
#
provide us with clear boundaries. As we have learned, one of the
most popular diagrams of the sefirotic structure portrays the sefirot
in three vertical columns: two exterior columns and one interior,
unifying, one. Chesed (loving-kindness) represents the right-hand
column and Gevurah (strength) the left-hand one. Humanity’s return
to the Garden is represented by the right-hand column, while God’s
judgment is associated with the left-hand one. Both of these forces
are complementary, intrinsic parts of both Torah and life itself.
After Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of the Eden,
the cherubim were appointed to guard the entrance. Imposing figures,
armed with a rotating sword, they “guard the way to the Tree of Life”
(Genesis 3:24). Although they are obviously tasked with preventing
humanity from re-entering the Garden, many commentators teach
that they also guard the path back to the Tree. They serve to remind
humanity to aspire to return. The rotating sword alludes to both these
functions as one side of the sword represents God’s loving-kindness,
while the other side represents His judgment. Furthermore, each
of these sides of the sword alludes to the two different versions of
how many portions there are in the Torah. The version enumerating
fifty-four portions represents judgment and corresponds to the side
of the sword keeping humanity away from the Tree until humanity
is ready, while the version which enumerates fifty-three portions
represents God’s Chesed in placing us in the Garden in the first place
and corresponds to the sword guarding our way back to the Garden. 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 20 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:06 | SR:-- | Magenta
#24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 20 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:06 | SR:-- | Yellow 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 20 - A | 18-01-28 | 12:12:06 | SR:-- | Black 24107-EYAL - 24107-EYAL | 20 - A
625