| The text of Tomer Devorah, written by Rabbi Moshe Cordovero (HaRamak). Teshuvah Elyonah ~ Exalted Repentance. Chapter Four, Binah (Divine Enlightenment). Presented in the original Hebrew text and accompanied with the English translation. The English text is annotated with the commentary of “Laughter Will Fill Our Mouths.”
(ח) ובסוד ׳וירח השם את ריח הניחח׳, יחזר ההתפשטות ההוא (של החרון אף) אל מקורו. (8) And through the secret underlying the verse (Genesis 8:21): And God smelled the pleasant aroma [of the offering made by Noach after exiting the Ark], this outspread [of Divine wrath] returns to its source.
A Sweet Aroma
The notion that the enticing scent of a roasting offering should appease the Almighty’s wrath seems extraordinary, to say the least! The Torah is obviously alluding to something deeper than a physical scent. How can we begin to understand this? To shed light on this enigmatic phenomenon, we refer to a relevant passage in the holy Zohar (Noach 70a):
The verse regarding the incense offering states (Deuteronomy 33:10): They (the ministering Kohanim) shall place incense in Your nose. For the fire (i.e., the pleasant-smelling smoke of an offering), returns to its place, that is, the “Divine Nostril.” The aroma is drawn through that breath into the inner recesses, to the point where all is unified and returns to its place, and the entirety is drawn into [the realm of] thought, and becomes a unified will. And this is similar to [the concept that God finds the aroma of offerings] to be a “scent [that is] pleasant;” meaning, ‘Wrath was put to rest and became Pleasantness’’…And regarding this it is written: “God smelled the pleasant aroma”: like one who smells a pleasant scent and inhales it in its entirety and brings it all inside, to its place.
The Ramak’s Elucidation
The Ramak, in his The Orchard of Pomegranates (Gate 8, Chapter 12) sheds light on this esoteric passage. He explains: “When a person smells a fragrance, it ascends to his brain, wherein the sense of smell is centered. It thus transpires that ‘that breath,’ which delivers the pleasant fragrance of the offering, returns to its source.”
In the previous passage, regarding the Nahar Dinur (River of Fire), the Ramak revealed that the Divine Wrath was discharged — or “exhaled” — from Binah (Divine Enlightenment). By stating “the breath returns to its source,” the Ramak indicates that it was not inherently separated from its root in the pure goodness that is Binah; rather, it was drawn out from there and is now merely returning to its original, proper location. We can express this as follows: When Judgment awakens, the “breath” is “exhaled,” descending from Binah and the Upper Realm and entering into the Lower Realm, where Judgment is operative. Thus is the Divine Wrath, i.e., “the fire” kindled. However, the pleasant aroma of the offering transmits the fiery breath back to its root. The fragrant smoke ascends to the “Divine Nostril” in Binah, where it converts back into a sweet fragrance.
In keeping with this, the verse states: “And God smelled the pleasant aroma,” meaning, through the sweet fragrance of the offering, the bitter judgment converts to sweet forgiveness.
Rejoicing on Rosh HaShanah
Similarly, although Rosh HaShanah is the Day of Judgment, its observance is marked by joyful practices and behavior. For example, we freshly groom ourselves and don our finest attire; and feast and rejoice, trusting that the Merciful One will gaze favorably upon us and miraculously pronounce us for “Life.” Astounding! Specifically on this, the most solemn of days, when our fate for the upcoming year hangs in the balance, we conduct ourselves in a clearly joyous fashion! How is it possible to act in such a manner with the fear of Judgment hanging over our heads? What is the factor that transforms Judgment to Sweetness? According to what we have seen, the reason is because the root source of Judgment is – Joy!
In part four of the Introduction, we noted the principle brought in the Zohar that joy opens the gates of Binah. These teachings regarding the Wine of Binah and the joy we experience on Rosh HaShanah align perfectly with this idea. As the Zohar states (Terumah 165a): “One who ascends before the Sefira of Binah must do so with joy, and with no anguish nor sadness whatsoever.”
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