The Power of the Tu B’Shevat Seder, Part Two: Challah, Shekinah, and the First Fruits

….continuing from Part 1

Adam is the Eternal Challah, as we have seen and read from various sources, including Shaar HaPesukim of Rabbi Chaim Vital she’be’al-peh Ari HaKadosh. Which Adam? The Adam shaped from a portion of mud in Bereshit/Genesis 2, not the Adam of Bereshit/Genesis 1.

This Adam, because of sin (חטא), became the portion that was the Choicest– Reishit, Rishon, Rosh– that became the portion removed/reduced to 120 Amot/120 years because he did not remove the portion from the fruit he ate of the tree: Middah Neged Middah! Thus the wheat (חִטָּה) contains the secret of the sin (חַטָּאָה) which we will soon reveal…

….Thus, we offer up Challah, which is Adam HaRishon ascending, elevating the Holy Sparks of Israel as the “first fruits”, acting through mitzvot and kavanot to rectify the 7 Days as 7 Sefirot in the archetypes of the 7 Kings. Thus, the 7 days are rectified through observing the authentic Shabbat Shel HaTannaim, the Shekinah whose identity was usurped, according to Tikkunei Zohar, Her Sanctuary plundered, ravished, defiled as Dinah was defiled, in the code of dinim: the harsh dinim that befall Israel in exile due to the changing of the calendar and keeping the false Shabbat of Saturn, according to the so-called Gregorian calendar of the Northern Hemisphere.

Tikkunei Zohar also tells us there are 7 types of Challah. Amazingly, these 7 types are the same 7 fruits of the Tu B’Shevat seder, the 7 Species of Eretz Israel! In Daat u Tevuna of Ben Ish Chai and among the halachot of Ketubot in the Shulchan Aruch of Ari HaKadosh, we come to understand that, like the secret encoded in the “Hadarim”, only the ones who live in Eretz Israel (Yoshvei Tevel) are sustained and made prosperous by the 7 levels of Shefa/Abundance provided by the Shekinah. Eretz Israel is where the Bnei Ish live. Eretz Israel as Eretz Tzvi is where the humble ones dwell in Olam HaShefel (the Realm of the Lowly or Humble), not the Bnei Adam occupying the lower land Olam Hazeh nor Olam HaTachton the Underworld. It is the Bnei Ish who possess the Atzmut of Light, those who contain the humble soul (Shaphel Ruach) we know as Adam Ha’Yisraeli.

Challah is the Chokmah Illa’ah: the wisdom of Shekinah, Nukvah, the final Heh. This is the true “first” of B’Reishit, according to Tikkun 14 of Tikkunei Zohar. This higher Chokmah, the Supernal Wisdom is where we have the Ohr HaGanuz, the hidden Dark Light/Black Light (Chosheck) of the Begging. Thus, the Shekinah is the feminine firstborn; the Vav, the Kav, Zeir Anpin, is the masculine firstborn. Thus, these two are the two pillars of support of Truth, the Panim and Achorayim of the Torat Alef. As the feminine firstborn, all first fruits are called by Her Name. This, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai reveals, is the secret of Shemot/Exodus 23:19:

רֵאשִׁ֗ית בִּכּוּרֵי֙ אַדְמָ֣תְךָ֔ תָּבִ֕יא בֵּ֖ית יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ לֹֽא־תְבַשֵּׁ֥ל גְּדִ֖י בַּחֲלֵ֥ב אִמּֽוֹ׃ {פ}

The choice first fruits of your soil you shall bring to the house of the ETERNAL your God.

You shall not boil a kid in its mother’s milk.

There are many interpretations of what type of fruit was yielded by Etz HaDaat Tov U Ra’: some say the fruit was a fig, some say the fruit is the grape of the vine. As previously mentioned, a makloket does not indicate contradiction or opposition, rather, insight into different dimensions of the spiritual manifestation. There is a reality in which the fruit of Etz Daat is wheat and our Sages explain that this wheat, like the Manna of the wilderness, tasted like all 7 of the aforementioned species, according to the desire– or quality of soul– of the one eating. This was the tree from which the first man ate and sinned because he did not elevate the challah as the choicest first tenth.

One who does elevate challah by separating does not merit the protection of God from sin. Thus, the challah then goes from חטה to ח”ט (sin) because the ה did not manifest with[in] it. And what is the ה? The nukvah separated like Shekinah in exile, Lilith who flew away, Chauah whom Adam divorced and, separated from, sinned further by wasting seeds, bringing death to the world like the 7 Kings who incarnated without the balance of the feminine aspect– hence why Hadar, the 8th King, the archetype of Messiah, is the only King of Bereshit 36 who manifested with his Queen, Mehetavel.

Therefore, Adam died because of challah, not Chauah.

Challah is Shekinah/Shechinteh fulfilled who is כלילא, perfect among– more accurately– perfected as the sum of the 7 species, as Malkhut is the culmination of, and the end of the 7 sefirot.

Just as 1/10 is the tithe, the terumah as the 10th portion, the dough removed from challah resembles the “drop” which in Tikkunei Zohar is the Yod of Creation, the “Rosh” of Yesod itself, when the Challal is fixed to receive Abundance, b’sod “Heh (ה), you have seeds…”

ורזא דמלה ה"א לכם זרע.

Although we have 7 species of choice fruit as Challah that must be sanctified through separation of the 10th, only one is removed with a Bracha in the preparation of every Shabbag: wheat. However, on the special Shabbat that is Tu B’Shevat, during the seder we remove a portion and, like the elite Priesthood, eat the choicest portion, thus making ourselves as the kohanim who eat Teruma and to whom are offered up tithe, as the rectification of the 7 Kings.

Upon fulfilling the mitzvot of this seder, we ensure we receive the 7 flows of Abundance from Shekinah, perfected as the 7 species, so that we will not be impoverished and will eat the bread as promised in Debariim/Deuteronomy 8:9 as Bnei Ish of Eretz Tzvi, Eretz Israel as Malchut, the Nukvah of Zeir Anpin reunited as HaKadosh Baruch Hu to His Shekinah (Shabbat Malketa, our Shabbat Bride), just as we are the betrothed (Me’orashah), the Bride receiving our Ketubah as Torah. Our Sages reveal this hint in the Gemara in Berakhot 57a, concerning the pasuk תּוֹרָ֥ה צִוָּה־לָ֖נוּ מֹשֶׁ֑ה מוֹרָשָׁ֖ה קְהִלַּ֥ת יַעֲקֹֽב׃ in Debariim/Deuteronomy 33:4, where they encourage us thusly:
"Do not read it מוֹרָשָׁה morashah (inheritance), but מְאוֹרָשָׂה me’orasah (betrothed)…”

כִּ֚י יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ מְבִֽיאֲךָ֖ אֶל־אֶ֣רֶץ טוֹבָ֑ה אֶ֚רֶץ נַ֣חֲלֵי מָ֔יִם עֲיָנֹת֙ וּתְהֹמֹ֔ת יֹצְאִ֥ים בַּבִּקְעָ֖ה וּבָהָֽר׃

For the ETERNAL your God is bringing you into a good land, a land with streams and springs and fountains issuing from plain and hill;

אֶ֤רֶץ חִטָּה֙ וּשְׂעֹרָ֔ה וְגֶ֥פֶן וּתְאֵנָ֖ה וְרִמּ֑וֹן אֶֽרֶץ־זֵ֥ית שֶׁ֖מֶן וּדְבָֽשׁ׃

a land of wheat and barley, of vines, figs, and pomegranates, a land of olive trees and honey;

רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֨ר לֹ֤א בְמִסְכֵּנֻת֙ תֹּֽאכַל־בָּ֣הּ לֶ֔חֶם לֹֽא־תֶחְסַ֥ר כֹּ֖ל בָּ֑הּ אֶ֚רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֲבָנֶ֣יהָ בַרְזֶ֔ל וּמֵהֲרָרֶ֖יהָ תַּחְצֹ֥ב נְחֹֽשֶׁת׃

a land where you may eat food without stint, where you will lack nothing; a land whose rocks are iron and from whose hills you can mine copper.

וְאָכַלְתָּ֖ וְשָׂבָ֑עְתָּ וּבֵֽרַכְתָּ֙ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ עַל־הָאָ֥רֶץ הַטֹּבָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר נָֽתַן־לָֽךְ׃

When you have eaten your fill, give thanks to the ETERNAL your God for the good land given to you.

הִשָּׁ֣מֶר לְךָ֔ פֶּן־תִּשְׁכַּ֖ח אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ לְבִלְתִּ֨י שְׁמֹ֤ר מִצְוֺתָיו֙ וּמִשְׁפָּטָ֣יו וְחֻקֹּתָ֔יו אֲשֶׁ֛ר אָנֹכִ֥י מְצַוְּךָ֖ הַיּֽוֹם׃

Take care lest you forget the ETERNAL your God and fail to keep the commandments, rules, and laws that I enjoin upon you today.