זוהר, תצוה ז׳Zohar, Tetzaveh 7

Segment 1א׳

אֶת חַג הַמַּצּוֹת תִּשְׁמֹר, הַאי אִיהוּ אֲתָר דְּאִקְרֵי שָׁמוֹר. וּבְּגִין כָּךְ כְּתִיב, אֶת חַג הַמַּצּוֹת תִּשְׁמֹר שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תֹּאכַל מַצּוֹת כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוִּיתִיךָ. שִׁבְעַת יָמִים אִלֵּין, לָאו אִינּוּן כְּשִׁבְעַת הַיָּמִים דְּסֻכּוֹת, דְּאִינּוּן עִלָּאִין וְאִלֵּין תַּתָּאִין. וְעַל דָּא, בְּאִינּוּן הַלֵּל גָּמוּר, וּבְהָנִי לָאו הַלֵּל גָּמוּר, וְעַל דְּאִינּוּן לְתַתָּא, שִׁבְעַת יָמִים תֹּאכַל מַצּוֹת. מַצֹּת כְּתִיב חָסֵר בְּלָא ו', דְּעַד לָא שָׁרָאן אִינּוּן יוֹמִין עִלָּאִין, רָזָא דְּו'.

These “seven days” are not like the seven days of the feast of Tabernacles, avhich latter are “upper” days (belonging to the world of “Understanding”), whilst the former are “lower” days (belonging to the world of “Kingdom”). Therefore, on the feast of Tabernacles the full “Hallel”) in full. is recited, whilst on that of Passover (after the first day) only a part of it is recited.

Segment 2ב׳

וְאִי תֵּימָא, כֵּיוָן דְּהַאי רָזָא דְּחַג הַמַּצּוֹת אִתְקַדָּשׁ, אֲמַאי נַחְתָּא, דְּהָא תָּנֵינָן מַעֲלִין בַּקֹּדֶשׁ וְלָא מוֹרִידִין, אֲמַאי נַחְתָּא לְתַתָּא בְּאִינּוּן יוֹמִין תַּתָּאִין.

It may be asked, After the feast of the Passover has been sanctified (on the first day), why is there a descent to a lower plane on the succeeding days? Is there not an ancient rule that “in holy things there must be continual progress upward, not regression downward”? Why, then, is not the “complete” Hallel said on the remaining six days of the feast? Why does the sanctification “come down” in these “lower” days?

Segment 3ג׳

תָּא חֲזֵי, כְּתִיב (ויקרא ט״ז:ו׳) וְכִפֶּר בַּעֲדוֹ וּבְעַד בֵּיתוֹ וְגוֹ', מַאן דִּיְכַפֵּר, אִצְטְרִיךְ (נ"א לכפרא) עָלֵיהּ בְּקַדְמִיתָא, וּבָתַר עַל בֵּיתֵיהּ. כְּגַוְונָא דָּא, הַאי דַּרְגָּא, שָׁאֲרִי לְאִתְקַדְּשָׁא וּלְנָפְקָא בִּקְדוּשָׁה, לְכַפְּרָא עָלֵיהּ, וְכֵיוָן דְּאִיהוּ אִתְקַדָּשׁ, בָּעֵי לְכַפָּרָא עַל בֵּיתֵיהּ, וּלְקַדְּשָׁא לוֹן, וְעַל דָּא נַחְתָּא לְתַתָּא לְקַדְּשָׁא בֵּיתֵיהּ. וּבְמָּה מְקַדֵּשׁ לוֹן, בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל דִּלְתַתָּא. בְּחוּשְׁבָּנָא דְעוֹמֵר וְכֵיוָן דְּאִלֵּין מִתְקַדְשָׁאן, בָּעֵינָן לְסַלְּקָא לָהּ לְעֵילָּא, דְּהָא כַּד בֵּיתָא דְּמַטְרוֹנִיתָא אִתְקַדְשַׁת, כְּדֵין סַלְקַת לְעֵילָּא, לְאִתְקַשְּׁרָא בְּאִינּוּן יוֹמִין עִלָּאִין לְעֵילָּא.

The answer would be as follows: It is written concerning the High Priest: “And he should make an atonement for himself and for his house” (Lev. 16, 6); from which it is clear that he, being the medium of propitiation, must first make atonement on his own behalf and then be the means of atonement for his household. The same applies here: the grade of the Passover feast began to be sanctified first (on the first day), and having been sanctified itself required to sanctify its household, and for this reason it “came down”. And what is the instrument of that sanctification? Israel which is below, when she counts the days of the Omer (from the second night of Passover until the night of Pentecost). And when these have been sanctified, this grade must be raised in order to ascend above, for when the house of the Matrona (Israel, the “bearer” of the Shekinah) is sanctified, it ascends to the upper region in order to unite itself with those “higher” days above (on the Feast of Weeks).