God said to Moses, ‘Come to Pharaoh’
The Zohar on Parashat Bo offers a mysterious and most profound explanation why God told Moses “Come to Pharaoh” instead of “Go to Pharaoh.” In a mystical allegory, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai describes how the Almighty brought Moses through rooms within rooms, until he reached the most formidable spiritual reptile, “the upper tanin.” This was Pharaoh’s soul root, as the Prophet Ezekiel states, “Here am I upon you, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, the great tanin that lies in its rivers.” When Moses saw that Pharaoh had such a profound spiritual source, he was afraid to approach it, instead, God took upon Himself the task of fighting the great reptile. Then God said to Moses, “Come [with Me] to Pharaoh.”
Moses was afraid to approach Pharaoh because he saw that Pharaoh’s soul root was higher than his own. Whereas Moses corresponds to the level of chochmah (wisdom), Pharaoh’s spiritual source is above chochmah, at the level of keter (the supernal crown). Chasidut explains that chochmah (the sefirah of wisdom) is the first of the three intellectual powers of the psyche. It is the initial spark of consciousness that enters the psyche. In contrast, keter (the sefirah of crown) represents the unfathomable superconscious. It rests above the conscious mind like a crown that rests above the head.
Keter contains an inner dimension and an outer dimension, both of which sustain the conscious sefirot. Allegorically, keter it is the underground source that sustains chochmah, which is like a spring flowing with water. The inner dimension of the crown gently nourishes the spring of wisdom drop by drop.
The outer dimension of keter is a chaotic powerhouse of energy. Accessing these energies is liable to bring down a deluge of destructive forces that one would do better to avoid. Pharaoh drew his powers from the outer dimension of keter. Before God promised him special assistance, Moses was afraid to access this treacherous torrent. Once we are aware that God is with us, we need not fear even the most powerful forces, even those that lie un-accessed in the innermost depths of our souls.
