זוהר שמות — דף ב ע”א

The parashah of Shemot opens with a foundational question: why does the text say *Ve-eleh shemot* ("And these are the names") rather than simply *Eleh shemot*? The connecting *vav* indicates that this parashah forms a continuous chain with the preceding sections and with all sacred history. The Zohar teaches that the divine radiance — the *Zohar* of the firmament — illuminates the Garden of Eden, at the center of which stands the Tree of Life. Only *Kedushah* (holiness) can dwell there, and those who enter are nourished by the fruits of the Tree of Life, the source of eternal existence. The twelve tribes, originating from the same sacred root, descend into Egypt — a necessary stage in the overall divine plan. Rabbi Shimon bar Yochaï expounds in his reading of Ezekiel 1 — *"Hayoh hayah ha-anan"* ("it was, it was the great cloud") — interpreting what he reads as an allusion to two levels: the upper world and the lower world, each illuminating the other. The divine spark shines within the Garden and serves as the source of all spiritual life.