(sasna] dra Rabba “It has been taught in the Concealment [131a| of the Book: This beard, faith of -des all, proceeds from His ‘ending and ascending around the holy mouths descending, ascending, and covering the abundant offering of spices; great white of the glorious, descending evenly and covering to the navel." is springs of fine anoin iment like white snow, the hair of His head like clean fleece, His throne flames of fire, its wheels blazing fire. On the concluding phrase, “faith of all faith,” cf, below, note 98. Based on the extended description of the holy divine beard in dra Rabba (and dra Zata), kabbalists insisted on not trimming their own beards at all—or even removing a single strand—since the human beard sym- e beard, each strand of which conveys the flow of emanation. See Vital, Sha'ar ha-Mitsvot, 56b-57a (quoting Isaac Luria); Romanelli, Massa ba-’ray, 525 Wiener, Hadrat Panim Zagan, 37-46 and passim Horowitz, “AL Mashma'uyyot ha-Zagan bi Qhillot Yisra’el,” 137-46; Hallamish, Ha Qubbatal 313- On the divine beard, see Reading the Zohar, 18-24. On the beard as glorious, see BT Shabbat 152a, in the name of Rabbi Yehoshu’a son of Korhah: “The glory of a face is the beard.” See Ibn Ezra on Leviticus 19275 Zohar 2ab, 17ob-177b (Sd), wBob; sazob—134b (UR), 1398-140 (IR), 289a-b (IZ), 29sa-b (IZ). Cf. David Kimi on On the motif of the beard bolizes the divi 2 Samuel 10: wel, see Horowitz, “Al extending to the M iyyot ha-Zaqan bi-Qhillot Yis- ra'el,” 136-37. On the phallic association of the beard, see Zohar 2:186b (Vol. 6, p. 50, 0. 130)5 Wolfson, Circle in the Square, 196-97, 0. 6 idem, Venturing Beyond, 200, n. 87; Gi Reading the Zohar, 94, 123; Hellner-Eshed, Qer’ah ba-ldra Rabba. CE. M Sanhedrin 8:1, 4; Niddah 6:11. According to Talmudic tra- dition (BT Shabbat 152a, Yevamot 8ob), a uch is characterized by his lack of a beard. On the negative association of grabbing hr the glorious beard, perfect faith, within which stream thirteen flows— 1g oil, arranged in thirteen enhancements." someone’s beard, see Zohar 2:17 (MAN); Constable, “On Beards in the Middle Ages,” 625 Horowitz, “Al Mashma’uyyot ha-Zaqan bi-Qhillot Yisra'el,” 129-30. Cf. below, notes 99 335. 83, the Concealment of the Book... Referring to Sifra di-Tmni'uia (The Book of Concealment), See Zohar 21778 (SdT3}3 above, note ‘The phrase “offering of spices” alludes to the cheeks, based on the description of the beloved in Song of Songs s:13: his cheeks like 4 bed of spices |or: balsam. See Zohar 21774 (Sd); 31336, 154b, 139a, 140b fall IR), 2958 (2). 84. This is the glorious beard... ‘The streams beard of Arkh Anpin conveys thirte nanation via thirteen papn (vigqunin), nents, enhancements” (or locks, curlicues, formations, features), which of are described below. ‘On the term tiqquna, see above, notes 5, 32 38. On the thirteen enhancements of Ariki Anpin, see (in addition to the passage here, extending to 3:134a) Zohar 276b-177a (Sd13)5 5:289-b (IZ). On the connection between the thirteen enhancements and the thirteen attributes of Compassion, see be- low, note 99. According to rabbinic sources, thirteen rivers of balsam await the righteous in the world that is coming. See above, p. 77, m. 67. On thirteen springs associated with the beard of Arith Anpin, see Zohar asr7za (Sd'3); sitsta-b (IR), 134b (IR), 139a (IR), 140 IR), a89a-b (IZ), 2950 (IZ). See also Gikatilla, Sod Shelosh Esreh Middot, 219-25; Licbes, Sdies in the Zohar, 99-103. On the connec tion between the beard and faith, see below, note 98, 347