In this Parsha we have ראייה [seeing] at the beginning and ראייה at the end. First וירא אליו השם and then in the Akeida story "ויקרא אברהם שם המקום ההוא ה' יראה". There is another concept that connects to seeing and that is hearing - שמיעה. The pasuk says אֹזֶן שֹׁמַעַת וְעַיִן רֹאָה יְהוָה עָשָׂה גַם שְׁנֵיהֶם [Mishlei 20-12] - A listening ear and seeing eye, Hashem made both. This pair of seeing and hearing connects us to the previous Parsha.The vav of וירא adds and connects it to the previous Parsha. There we have Avraham "listening" to Hashem's command of Bris Milah. Now Avraham "sees" the שכינה. Like the pasuk says אֹזֶן שֹׁמַעַת וְעַיִן רֹאָה.
The power of ראייה is limited, as we see in the statement "אלמלי ניתנה רשות לעין לראות" - If the eye would be able to see. So ראייה is limited. הבטה is a seeing that is UNLIMITED. היה הקב"ה מביט בתורה ובורא את העולם. Hashem was מביט - looked into the Torah and created the world. An unlimited perspective. [הביטו וראו - איכה א,יב]. The word שמיעה meaning hearing even from a far distance. מַיִם קָרִים עַל נֶפֶשׁ עֲיֵפָה וּשְׁמוּעָה טוֹבָה מֵאֶרֶץ מֶרְחָק. Cold water on a tired soul and a positive "hearing" [or "tiding"] from a faraway land.
The concept of distance applies to spiritual matters as well. Torah is called "water" and just as we distinguish between the "upper waters" and "lower waters", so too in Torah we distinguish between תורה עילאה and תורה תתאה - Higher Torah and Lower Torah [see below].
The pasuk says "תהום אל תהום קורא לקול צנוריך" - Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls. Explains the Zohar Hakadosh that the Higher Torah calls from afar to the Lower Torah in order to spill on it "cold water on a tired soul" - מים קרים על נפש עיפה.
In the Gemara there is a Machlokes between R' Nechemia and R' Shimon about the last 8 psukim in the Torah. R' Shimon holds "הקב"ה אומר ומשה כותב בדמע" Hashem spoke and Moshe wrote בדמע which the Gra says means that he wrote the words all mixed together as they are in Shomayim. The Torah contains the Names of Hashem and hints in every letter and crown. These mystical meanings are not revealed to us in our limited conceptual world. However, the last 8 psukim in the Torah which appear after the passing of Moshe from this world, are already relevant to the Upper World and were written as תורה עילאה - Higher Torah and appears to us בדמע - mixed together. However according to R' Nechemiah, Yehoshua wrote the last 8 psukim b/c he navigates the transition of the Torah from תורה שבכתב to תורה שבעל פה. That is also a type of דמע - a mixture between two forms of learning.
To be continued .... hopefully!!!
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