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Adding local short description: "Aramaic Kabbalistic discourse", overriding Wikidata description "Aramaic Kabbalistic discourse from the introduction to Tikunei Zohar 17a, attributed to Elijah, that enumerates and summarizes the sefirot, corresponding them to parts of the body"
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{{Short description|Aramaic Kabbalistic discourse}}
{{Short description|Aramaic Kabbalistic discourse}}
{{more footnotes needed|date=August 2022}}
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'''''Patach Eliyahu''''' ({{Script/Hebrew|פָּתַח אֵלִיָּהוּ}}, "[[Elijah]] opened"), also called ''Petihat Eliyahu HaNavi'' ({{Script/Hebrew|פתיחת אליהו הנביא}}, "The Introduction of Elijah the Prophet"), is an [[Aramaic]], [[Kabbalistic]] discourse from the introduction to [[Tikunei Zohar]] 17a. It is named after its initial words, where it is attributed to [[Elijah]] the Prophet. Considered a foundational text of Kabbalah, Patach Eliyahu is known for enumerating and summarizing the [[sefirot]], corresponding them to parts of the body, and describing the infiniteness and uniqueness of God.<ref>p. 159, ''The Thirteen Petalled Rose'' by R. Adin Steinsaltz.</ref>
{{verification|date=July 2022}}
⚫
'''''Patach Eliyahu''''' ({{Script/Hebrew|פָּתַח אֵלִיָּהוּ}}, "[[Elijah]] opened") is an [[Aramaic]], [[Kabbalistic]] discourse from the introduction to [[Tikunei Zohar]] 17a. It is named after its initial words, where it is attributed to [[Elijah]] the Prophet. Considered a foundational text of Kabbalah, Patach Eliyahu is known for enumerating and summarizing the [[sefirot]], corresponding them to parts of the body, and describing the infiniteness and uniqueness of God.<ref>p. 159, ''The Thirteen Petalled Rose'' by R. Adin Steinsaltz.</ref>

==Role in prayer==
==Role in prayer==
Most [[Sephardim]] recite ''Patach Eliyahu'' every morning as part of the order for the morning blessings before [[Shacharit]]. [[Chassidim]] who pray according to the [[Nusach (Jewish custom)|nusach]] of [[Isaac Luria|Arizal]] as compiled by Rabbi [[Shneur Zalman of Liadi]] recite it every Friday before the [[Minchah]] prayer as a preparation for [[Shabbat]]. [[Ashkenazim]] do not generally recite Patach Eliyahu in the course of prayer.
Most [[Sephardim]] recite ''Patach Eliyahu'' every morning as part of the order for the morning blessings before [[Shacharit]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Siddur Edot HaMizrach: Tfilat Shaharit Liymei HaHol, Ptichat Eliyahu |url=https://www.sefaria.org/Siddur_Edot_HaMizrach%2C_Weekday_Shacharit%2C_Petichat_Eliyahu.5 |publisher=Sefaria |access-date=29 August 2022}}</ref><ref name=MA1>{{cite book |last1=Eliyahu |first1=Meir |title=Sheelot UTeshuvot Merkavot Argaman, vol. 2 |date=2017 |location=Jerusalem |page=26 |edition=2 |language=Hebrew}}
<br />Also online: {{cite web |last1=Djavaheri |first1=Mordechai |title=Mekorot [Sources], Patach Eliyahu HaNavi: The Fundamentals of Kabbalah Recited Every Day |url=https://www.yutorah.org/download.cfm?materialID=552727 |website=YUTorah Online |access-date=29 August 2022 |language=Hebrew |page=20 of PDF, 26 of Merkavot Argaman vol. 2 |date=15 March 2021}}</ref> and some three times a day.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bar Tzadok |first1=Ariel |title=P'tah Eliyahu: The Prayer of the Prophet Elijah |url=http://koshertorah.com/PDF/ptah-eliyahu.pdf |website=Kosher Torah |page=1 |access-date=29 August 2022}}</ref> [[Chassidim]] who pray according to the [[Nusach (Jewish custom)|nusach]] of [[Isaac Luria|Arizal]] as compiled by Rabbi [[Shneur Zalman of Liadi]] recite it every Friday before the [[Minchah]] prayer as a preparation for [[Shabbat]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Siddur Tehillat Hashem, Annotated Edition |year=2002 |publisher=Kehot |isbn=0-8266-0152-9 |pages=148–151 |edition=2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Schneersohn |first1=Yosef Yitzchak |editor1-last=Schneerson |editor1-first=Menachem Mendel |title=Tackling Life's Tasks: HaYom Yom |pages=251, 252 (18 Nissan)}}</ref> [[Ashkenazim]] do not generally recite Patach Eliyahu in the course of prayer.


There are several purposes to reciting Patach Eliyahu. In general, it is read before a prayer to ensure that it is accepted on high<ref name=MA1/> in the merit of the study of the Zohar.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gross |first1=Shalom Yehuda |title=The Patach Eliyahu |url=https://www.hyehudi.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/patach-eliyahu.pdf |website=TheZoharInEnglish.com |page=3 |access-date=29 August 2022}}</ref> It is also taught in the name of the [[Isaac Luria|Arizal]] that recital before every prayer helps to open the heart<ref name=MA1 /> by meditating on the greatness of the Creator.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Eliyahu |first1=Meir |title=Sheelot UTeshuvot Merkavot Argaman, vol. 2 |date=2017 |location=Jerusalem |page=27 |edition=2 |language=Hebrew}}
It is believed to "open the gates of prayer" and allow for their acceptance on high; hence its recitation beforehand. Another employment for this is outlined by Rabbi [[Yehuda Fatiyah]], which in English was translated as the "Opening Discourse of the Prophet Elijah". Its Kabbalistic use centers around being said prior to reciting rectifications for the souls of the dead and repentance in general.
<br />Also online: {{cite web |last1=Djavaheri |first1=Mordechai |title=Mekorot [Sources], Patach Eliyahu HaNavi: The Fundamentals of Kabbalah Recited Every Day |url=https://www.yutorah.org/download.cfm?materialID=552727 |website=YUTorah Online |access-date=29 August 2022 |language=Hebrew |page=21 of PDF, 27 of Merkavot Argaman vol. 2 |date=15 March 2021}}</ref> It removes heavenly accusers, removes the forces of evil, and purifies the thoughts.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Djavaheri |first1=Mordechai |title=Patach Eliyahu HaNavi: The Fundamentals of Kabbalah Recited Every Day |url=https://www.yutorah.org/lectures/lecture.cfm/994701/rabbi-mordechai-djavaheri/patach-eliyahu-hanavi-the-fundamentals-of-kabbalah-recited-every-day/ |website=YUTorah.org |access-date=29 August 2022 |page=17:56}}</ref> Its recital reminds the petitioner that the purpose of prayer is not to change mind of Hashem, since He does not change, but to change the petitioner to become receptive to the flow of Divine blessing which is discussed in the passage.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gross |first1=Shalom Yehuda |title=The Patach Eliyahu |url=https://www.hyehudi.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/patach-eliyahu.pdf |website=TheZoharInEnglish.com |page=7 |access-date=29 August 2022}}</ref> It is also used outside of regularly scheduled prayer, as-needed, for repentance, to benefit the souls of the dead, on building or dedicating a new home,<ref name=MT1>{{cite web |last1=Djavaheri |first1=Mordechai |title=Mekorot [Sources], Patach Eliyahu HaNavi: The Fundamentals of Kabbalah Recited Every Day |url=https://www.yutorah.org/download.cfm?materialID=552727 |website=YUTorah Online |access-date=29 August 2022 |language=Hebrew |page=15 of PDF, 167 of M'vaseret Tzion vol. 1 |date=15 March 2021}}</ref> and to release sparks of holiness in the world from being bound by the [[kelipot]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Djavaheri |first1=Mordechai |title=Mekorot [Sources], Patach Eliyahu HaNavi: The Fundamentals of Kabbalah Recited Every Day |url=https://www.yutorah.org/download.cfm?materialID=552727 |website=YUTorah Online |access-date=29 August 2022 |language=Hebrew |page=13 of PDF, 165 of M'vaseret Tzion vol. 1 |date=15 March 2021}}</ref>


==English translation==
==English translation==
{{move to Wikisource}}
''Paragraph breaks and section headings are the translator's<ref>This is a free translation into English that I, Musashiaharon, created myself from the original Aramaic source. I hereby irrevocably license it under CC-BY-SA 3.0 and GFDL.</ref> and are not present in the original text. Square brackets [] mark explanatory material inserted by the translator.''
''Paragraph breaks and section headings are the translator's<ref>This is a free translation into English that I, Musashiaharon, created myself from the original Aramaic source. I hereby irrevocably license it under CC-BY-SA 3.0 and GFDL.</ref> and are not present in the original text. Square brackets [] mark explanatory material inserted by the translator.''


Latest revision as of 20:41, 10 January 2024

Patach Eliyahu (פָּתַח אֵלִיָּהוּ‎, "

Tikunei Zohar 17a. It is named after its initial words, where it is attributed to Elijah the Prophet. Considered a foundational text of Kabbalah, Patach Eliyahu is known for enumerating and summarizing the sefirot, corresponding them to parts of the body, and describing the infiniteness and uniqueness of God.[1]

Role in prayer

Most

Ashkenazim
do not generally recite Patach Eliyahu in the course of prayer.

There are several purposes to reciting Patach Eliyahu. In general, it is read before a prayer to ensure that it is accepted on high

kelipot.[12]

English translation

Paragraph breaks and section headings are the translator's[13] and are not present in the original text. Square brackets [] mark explanatory material inserted by the translator.

Opening

It is traditionally begun with saying

And may the grace of our L-rd our G-d be upon us, and may He establish our handiwork, yeah, our handiwork may He establish(
Psalm
90:17).

And thus the prayer begins

Elijah opened and said:
Master of the worlds! You are One, but not in number. You are He Who is Highest of the High, Most Hidden of the Hidden; no thought can grasp You at all.

Introduction to the Sefirot

You are He Who dispatched ten rectifications and called them ten sefirot, with which to conduct the hidden worlds which are not revealed and the revealed worlds. And with them You conceal Yourself from humankind. And You are He Who binds them and unifies them, and to the extent that You are within them, anyone who will separate one among these ten sefirot from its fellows is considered as if he made a separation within You.
And these ten sefirot proceed according to their order: one long [the right axis] one short [the left axis] and one intermediate [the middle axis]. And You are He who conducts them, and there is no one who conducts You, neither above, nor below, nor from any side.
You arranged garments for them, from which fly souls to mankind. And You arranged many bodies for them, which are called "bodies" compared to "garments" which cover them and are named in this arrangement:

Anatomical arrangement of the Sefirot

Chesed [Loving-kindness], the right arm. Gevurah [Might, severity], the left arm.
Tiferet [Harmony], the torso.
Netzach [Victory] and Hod [Glory] the two thighs.
Yesod [Foundation, bonding], the culmination of the body, the sign of the Holy Covenant [the circumcision].
Malchut [Kingship], the mouth; she is called the Oral Torah
.
Deuteronomy
29:28), "The hidden things belong to Havayah Elokeinu [the L‑rd our G‑d]."
Supernal
Atzilut
.

The nature of the flow of Divine Life-Force

And this waters the Tree in its limbs and its branches, just as water waters the Tree and it grows itself with this watering.
Master of the Worlds! You are He Who is the Cause of causes and the Source of sources, Who waters the Tree with this flow. And this flow - it is like a soul to the body, because it is Life for the body.
And there is no image or likeness of You, inside or out.
And You created the Heavens and the earth, and sent out from them the sun, the moon, the stars [planets included] and the constellations. And on earth [You sent out], trees, grasses, the Garden of Eden, shrubs, beasts, animals, birds, fish and humankind - to make known through them the things on High, and how You conduct the things on High and Below, and how You make known to them the things on High from the things Below, and there is none that knows You at all.

Divine Unity and Uniqueness

And aside from You, there is no unity on High or Below. And You are acknowledged [as] the Cause of everything and the Master of everything.
And every
sefirah has a known Name, and with these are the angels called. But You have no known Name, because You are He Who fills all Names
. And You are the completion of them all. And as soon as You remove Yourself from them, all the Names remain like a body without a soul.

Unknowable transcendence and Divine Justice

You are He Who is Wise, but not with a knowable wisdom; You are He Who is Understanding, but not with a knowable understanding. You have no known place.
But rather, to make known Your Power and Might to humankind, and to show them how You conduct the world with Justice and Mercy, because there is Righteousness and Judgement according to the deeds of humankind.
Justice is Gevurah; Judgement, the righteous median Pillar; Holy Kingship, the righteous Scales, the two Balance-pans of Truth; the righteous Measure, the sign of the Holy Covenant. All is to show how You conduct the world, but not that You have a known righteousness that is just, nor a known judgement that is merciful, nor any of these attributes at all.

Conclusion

Blessed is Havayah forever, [alt. Draw Havayah down to the world] amen and amen!

References

  1. ^ p. 159, The Thirteen Petalled Rose by R. Adin Steinsaltz.
  2. ^ "Siddur Edot HaMizrach: Tfilat Shaharit Liymei HaHol, Ptichat Eliyahu". Sefaria. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Eliyahu, Meir (2017). Sheelot UTeshuvot Merkavot Argaman, vol. 2 (in Hebrew) (2 ed.). Jerusalem. p. 26.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
    Also online: Djavaheri, Mordechai (15 March 2021). "Mekorot [Sources], Patach Eliyahu HaNavi: The Fundamentals of Kabbalah Recited Every Day". YUTorah Online (in Hebrew). p. 20 of PDF, 26 of Merkavot Argaman vol. 2. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  4. ^ Bar Tzadok, Ariel. "P'tah Eliyahu: The Prayer of the Prophet Elijah" (PDF). Kosher Torah. p. 1. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  5. ISBN 0-8266-0152-9
    .
  6. ^ Schneersohn, Yosef Yitzchak. Schneerson, Menachem Mendel (ed.). Tackling Life's Tasks: HaYom Yom. pp. 251, 252 (18 Nissan).
  7. ^ Gross, Shalom Yehuda. "The Patach Eliyahu" (PDF). TheZoharInEnglish.com. p. 3. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  8. ^ Eliyahu, Meir (2017). Sheelot UTeshuvot Merkavot Argaman, vol. 2 (in Hebrew) (2 ed.). Jerusalem. p. 27.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
    Also online: Djavaheri, Mordechai (15 March 2021). "Mekorot [Sources], Patach Eliyahu HaNavi: The Fundamentals of Kabbalah Recited Every Day". YUTorah Online (in Hebrew). p. 21 of PDF, 27 of Merkavot Argaman vol. 2. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  9. ^ Djavaheri, Mordechai. "Patach Eliyahu HaNavi: The Fundamentals of Kabbalah Recited Every Day". YUTorah.org. p. 17:56. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  10. ^ Gross, Shalom Yehuda. "The Patach Eliyahu" (PDF). TheZoharInEnglish.com. p. 7. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  11. ^ Djavaheri, Mordechai (15 March 2021). "Mekorot [Sources], Patach Eliyahu HaNavi: The Fundamentals of Kabbalah Recited Every Day". YUTorah Online (in Hebrew). p. 15 of PDF, 167 of M'vaseret Tzion vol. 1. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  12. ^ Djavaheri, Mordechai (15 March 2021). "Mekorot [Sources], Patach Eliyahu HaNavi: The Fundamentals of Kabbalah Recited Every Day". YUTorah Online (in Hebrew). p. 13 of PDF, 165 of M'vaseret Tzion vol. 1. Retrieved 29 August 2022.
  13. ^ This is a free translation into English that I, Musashiaharon, created myself from the original Aramaic source. I hereby irrevocably license it under CC-BY-SA 3.0 and GFDL.
  • Patach Eliyahu, brief translation and commentary by Avraham Sutton. Chabad.org.
  • Elijah's Prayer Meditation, in-depth translation and commentary by Avraham Sutton. Kabbalah Online.
  • Siddur Tehillas Hashem. Kefar Chabad: Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch, 2002.
  • Steinsaltz, Adin. The Thirteen Petalled Rose. New York: Basic Books, 2006.
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