The Idra, which means ''

threshing floor Threshing (thrashing) was originally "to tramp or stamp heavily with the feet" and was later applied to the act of separating out grain by the feet of people or oxen and still later with the use of a flail. A threshing floor is of two main type ...

'' in

Aramaic The Aramaic languages, short Aramaic ( syc, ܐܪܡܝܐ, Arāmāyā; oar, 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀; arc, 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀; tmr, אֲרָמִית), are a language family containing many varieties (languages and dialects) that originated in ...

, is a

Kabbalistic Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...

work included in printings of the

Zohar The ''Zohar'' ( he, , ''Zōhar'', lit. "Splendor" or "Radiance") is a foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah. It is a group of books including commentary on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five ...

, and was probably written and appended to the main body of the Zohar at a later date. Contemporary scholars believe the ''Idra'' dates to the third generation of Zoharic literature, which produced also the Tikunei haZohar, the Ra'aya Meheimna, and other Zoharic material. The main body of the Zohar, or guf ha-zohar, dates to the second generation of Zoharic material. There are actually two texts in Zoharic literature called ''Idra'': the first being the ''Idra Rabba'', or "greater ''Idra''", and the second being the ''Idra Zuta'', or "lesser ''Idra''", with these two texts being intimately connected to each other. The story of the ''Idroth'' is as follows: * Idra Rabba (''Zohar'' 3:127b-145a): R.

Shimon bar Yohai Shimon bar Yochai (Zohar#Language, Zoharic Aramaic: שמעון בר יוחאי, ''Shim'on bar Yoḥai'') or Shimon ben Yochai (Mishnaic Hebrew: שמעון בן יוחאי, ''Shim'on ben Yoḥai''), also known by the acronym Rashbi, was a 2nd-cen ...

convenes with nine other scholars, and they gather in the sacred אִדְרָא, or threshing field, where they thresh out secrets. Each scholar expounds various configurations of the

partsufim Partzufim/Partsufim ( he, פרצופים, singular partzuf, he, פרצוף), meaning "Divine Personas", are particular reconfigured arrangements of the ten sefirot, divine attributes/emanations of Kabbalah. Each partzuf is thus a configuration o ...

, and three of them die in ecstasy while doing so. * Idra Zuta (''Zohar'' 3:287b-296d): Years later, at RASHB"I's deathbed, the seven still-living scholars come to his deathbed, along with the whole

heavenly host Heavenly host ( he, צבאות ''sabaoth'' or ''tzva'ot'', "armies") refers to the army () of angels mentioned both in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, as well as other Jewish and Christian texts. The Bible gives several descriptions of angels ...

. He alone explains the configurations of the partsufim, so this work is more unified. RASHB"I wavers between this world and the next. He directed his students to celebrate his passing that day as a

Yom Hillula A ''Yom Hillula'' ( he, יום הילולא, day of festivity) is another word for ''yahrzeit'' (the anniversary of a death). However, it differs from a regular ''yahrzeit'' in two respects. It refers specifically to the ''yahrzeit'' of a great Tz ...

(wedding), as it would Messianically unite the immanent and transcendent Divine

Lights Light is an electromagnetic radiation, part of which stimulates the sense of vision. Light or Lights may also refer to: Illumination * Light bulb * Traffic light Arts and entertainment Music * Lights (musician) (born 1987), Canadian singer-son ...

of Creation. The Idra Zuta is considered the deepest teachings of the Zohar. In the standard printed edition of the Zohar, the ''Idra Rabba'' is printed in ''Naso'', and the ''Idra Zuta'' is printed in ''Ha'azinu''.

Lurianic systemisation of the Partzufim

16th century Lurianic Kabbalah systemised the Zoharic Partzufim in its recasting of the whole Kabbalistic scheme. On one occasion, as recorded by Chaim Vital,

Isaac Luria Isaac ben Solomon Luria Ashkenazi (1534Fine 2003, p24/ref> – July 25, 1572) ( he, יִצְחָק בן שלמה לוּרְיָא אשכנזי ''Yitzhak Ben Sh'lomo Lurya Ashkenazi''), commonly known in Jewish religious circles as "Ha'ARI" (mean ...

convened his students in the traditional location of the Idra Rabba Assembly near

Meron Meron may refer to: People * Meron (surname), including a list of people with the name * Meron Abraham (born 1995), an Eritrean cyclist * Meron Amanuel (born 1990), an Eritrean cyclist * Meron Benvenisti (born 1934), an Israeli political scienti ...

, placing each one in the designated location of their former incarnations as the students of RASHB"I. In so doing, he identified himself with Shimon Bar Yohai.

Fine 2003 Fine may refer to: Characters * Sylvia Fine (''The Nanny''), Fran's mother on ''The Nanny'' * Officer Fine, a character in ''Tales from the Crypt'', played by Vincent Spano Legal terms * Fine (penalty), money to be paid as punishment for an offe ...

, pp
300
/ref>

References

Bibliography

* * * {{cite book , title=Physician of the Soul, Healer of the Cosmos: ''Isaac Luria and His Kabbalistic Fellowship'', last=Fine , first=Lawrence , editor1-first=Aron, editor1-last=Rodrigue, editor2-first=Steven J , editor2-last=Zipperstein , year=2003 , publisher=Stanford University Press , location=Stanford, CA , isbn=0-8047-4826-8 , pages=480 , url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B2o8vqvrQOcC , access-date=2010-08-16 , ref=FINE_2003 Kabbalah texts Aramaic words and phrases

Lurianic systemisation of the Partzufim

See also

References

Bibliography