Tree of Life Basics

tree of life basicsContents 1 2 Tree of life (Kabbalah) 1 1.1 Jewish Kabbalah interpretations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.2 Christian Cabala and Hermetic Qabalah interpretations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1.3 Image gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1.4 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1.5 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 1.6 External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Kabbalah 3 2.1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 2.1.1 5 2.2 2.3 Difference between Jewish and non-Jewish Kabbalah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . History of Jewish mysticism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2.2.1 Origins of Judaic mysticism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 2.2.2 Mystical doctrines in the Talmudic era . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 2.2.3 Pre-Kabbalistic schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2.2.4 Medieval emergence of the Kabbalah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2.2.5 Early modern era: Lurianic Kabbalah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Concepts 2.3.1 Concealed and Revealed God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 2.3.2 Sefirot and the Divine Feminine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 2.3.3 Descending spiritual Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 2.3.4 Origin of evil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 2.3.5 Role of Man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 2.3.6 Levels of the soul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 2.3.7 Reincarnation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 2.3.8 Tzimtzum, Shevirah and Tikun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 2.3.9 Linguistic mysticism of Hebrew . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 2.4 Primary texts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 2.5 Scholarship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 2.5.1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 2.6 Claims for authority Criticism 2.6.1 Dualistic cosmology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.6.2 Distinction between Jews and non-Jews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . i 18 19 ii CONTENTS 2.7 2.6.3 Medieval views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 2.6.4 Orthodox Judaism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 2.6.5 Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Contemporary study . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 2.7.1 Universalist Jewish organisations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 2.7.2 Neo-Hasidic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 2.7.3 Hasidic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 2.7.4 Rav Kook . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 2.8 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 2.9 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 2.10 References 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 2.11 External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Sephirot 29 3.1 Ten Sephirot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 3.1.1 Listings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 3.1.2 Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 3.1.3 Interinclusion of the Sephirot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Two configurations of the Sephirot: Iggulim-Circles and Yosher-Upright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 3.2.1 Iggulim-Circles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 3.2.2 Yosher-Upright . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 The Man-metaphor in Kabbalah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 3.3.1 Soul faculties and Male-Female principles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 3.3.2 Configuration of the body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 3.4 Lurianic Shevirah (Shattering) and Tikun (Rectification) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 3.5 Partzufim - reconfigured sephirot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 3.6 Inner dimensions of the Sephirot and the Powers of the Soul . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 3.7 The Sephirot and the Four Worlds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 3.8 Scriptural, Numerological and Spiritual associations of the Sefirotic Tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 3.8.1 Associations of the 3 columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 3.8.2 Numerological meanings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 3.8.3 Rabbinic significance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 3.10 Photo gallery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 3.11 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 3.12 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 3.13 External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Malkuth 40 4.1 Hermetic and Christian Kabbalah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 4.2 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 3.2 3.3 3.9 4 CONTENTS iii 5 42 Shekhinah 5.1 Etymology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 5.2 Meaning in Judaism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 5.2.1 Manifestation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Jewish sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 5.3.1 Hebrew Bible . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 5.3.2 Targums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Talmud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 5.4.1 Meaning in Hassidic Judaism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 5.4.2 Sabbath Bride . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 5.4.3 Jewish prayers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 5.4.4 Yiddish song . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Christianity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 5.5.1 Lord . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 5.5.2 Divine Presence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 5.6 Islam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 5.7 Contemporary scholarship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 5.7.1 Raphael Patai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 5.7.2 Comparative religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 5.7.3 Gustav Davidson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 5.7.4 Branch Davidians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 5.8 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 5.9 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 5.10 External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Assiah 48 6.1 Correspondences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 6.2 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 6.3 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 5.3 5.4 5.5 6 7 8 Yesod 49 7.1 Christian Kabbalah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 7.2 Other religions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 7.2.1 Christianity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 7.2.2 Eastern Mysticism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 7.3 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 7.4 External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Hod (Kabbalah) 50 8.1 Non-Jewish occult associations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 8.2 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 8.3 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 9. . . . . .3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 12. . . . . . . . . .1 Jewish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 References . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 13. . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Ethics . . . . . .3 References . . . . . .4 References . . . . . . . . .2 Jewish Kabbalah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 12 Chesed 58 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 External links . . . . . . . . .1 Ancient Israelite Viewpoint . . . .1 Jewish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 11. . . . . . . 61 13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 In Christianity . . . . . . . 58 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 English . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Non-Jewish . . 59 12. . . . . 58 12. . . . . . . .3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 12. . . . . . . . . . . .iv 9 CONTENTS 8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Uses in popular culture . . . . . . . . . .1 Translations . . . . . . . . . .2 As spiritual state . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Non-Jewish associations .4 Jewish political thought . . .1 Jewish . . . . . 55 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 12. . . . . . . . . .3 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Non-Jewish . . . . 55 11 Gevurah 56 11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 As a representative sephirah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4. . . . . . . . . . . 59 12. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4. 54 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3. .1 Description . . .3 Chesed institutions . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 External links . . .1 Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 13 Da'at 61 13. . . . 55 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Levels . . . . . . . . . . . 53 10 Tiferet 54 10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Greek and Latin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Netzach 52 9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Kabbalah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 9. . . . . . . . . . .3. . . . . 52 9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Lower level . . 62 . . .3 As aspect of intellect . . . . . . . .1. .1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 11. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Ethical Behaviour . . . . . . 63 14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Content license . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 15. . . . . . . . .2. . . .7 Text and image sources. . . . .2 Non-Jewish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 16. . . . . . 62 13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Description . . . . . . . . 66 15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Qualities derived from Binah . 66 15. . . . . . . . . . . .2 Images . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 See also . . . . . .3 Non-Jewish associations . . . . . . . 63 14. . 66 15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Non-Jewish usages . . . . .6 See also . . . . . . . . .1 Description . . . . . . . .6 External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 In the texts of Judaism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and licenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 15. . . . .3 Non-Jewish practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 References . .4 See also . . . . . .2 Qualities . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Ethical Behaviour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 14. . . . 65 15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . contributors. . .7 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 External links . . . . . . . . .2 Non-Jewish .1 Ethical qualities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7. . . . 73 16. . . . . . . . . . . . 62 14 Binah (Kabbalah) 63 14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Text . . . . . 69 16. 63 14.1 Jewish . . . . .5 Non-Jewish Kabbalah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7. . . . . . . . . . . . 63 14. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 The first of the intellectual powers of the soul . . .5. . . . . . . . . . . 68 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 16. .CONTENTS v 13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 External links . . . . . . . . . . 70 16. . . . . .4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 External links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Qualities derived from Chokhmah . . .5 References 69 . . . . . . . . . 65 15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 16. . . . . . . . . . . 66 15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1 Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5. . . . . . . . . . . 69 16. . . . 64 15 Chokhmah (Kabbalah) 65 15. . . . . . . . . . .7 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2. .7. . . . . . .1 Jewish . . . . 62 13. . . . . . . . . . . 67 16 Keter 68 16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 13 Supernal Attributes of Mercy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . or Understanding. Jewish Kabbalah usually refers to the symbol as the 10 Sephirot. both of the two trees in the Biblical Garden of Eden. using the tree to depict a map of Creation.Keter and Da'at are interchangeable). Its diagrammatic representation. it is considered to be an infinite nothingness out of which the first 'thing' (thought of in science and the Kabbalah to be “energy” .End. In the Kabbalah. cooling and nourishing it into the multitudinous forms present throughout the whole cosmos. it symbolizes that point beyond which our comprehension of the origins of Being cannot go. On the Tree of Life. which is thought of as the product of the contraction of Ain Soph Aur into a singularity of infinite energy or limitless light. is a classic descriptive term for the central mystical symbol used in the Kabbalah of esoteric Judaism. the sephirot were also called Dignities. the Supernal Mother of the Universe which receives the energy of Chokmah. Among the Christian Cabalists. In the Jewish Kabbalist view. Hermetic Qabalah’s use of the Tree continues as a contemporary Western esotericism tradition.Chapter 1 Tree of life (Kabbalah) This page is a comparison of the Jewish Kabbalah 1. represents as a series of divine emanations God’s creation itself ex nihilo. named Keter (“crown” in English). To kabbalists. referred to by Latin. interpreta- 1. From the Renaissance onwards.although only in an approximate sense. names. It is not always pictured in reproductions of the Tree of Life.Light). 1 . and place them at the next three stages on the Tree of Life.[2][3] The symbolic configuration of 10 spiritual principles (11 can be shown. instead of Hebrew. and the middle Sephirah Tiferet. Soph . with their alternative intertions pretations in non-Jewish Christian Cabala and Hermetic Qabalah. which is thought of as the primordial feminine energy. This metaphor derives from Judaic Kabbalah. also known as the 10 Sephirot. derives from Christian and esoteric sources and is not known to the earlier Jewish tradition.[4] It is also seen as the beginning of Time itself. See also Tree of life (disambiguation) for other Main article: Sephirot meanings of the term. and the spiritual path of ascent by man. which is considered to be a stage at which the infinitely hot and contracted singularity expanded forth into space and time. and the Malkuth of Jewish Kabbalah is absent. the Jewish mystical concept was adopted by some esoterically inclined Christians as well as some Hermeticists. with alternative Esoteric Christian and Occultist emphases. visually or conceptually.2 Christian Cabala and Hermetic Qabalah interpretations Kabbalists believe the Tree of Life to be a diagrammatic representation of the process by which the Universe came into being.Without. the human soul.[1] Kabbalists also do not envision time and space as preexisting. Kabbalists developed the symbol into a full model of reality. since energy as we know it would be a multiple broken down version of this hypothetical and unreachable unity) exploded to create a Universe of multiple things. arranged in 3 columns/pillars.1 Jewish Kabbalah concept of the 10 Sephirot. Aur . Next comes Binah. The next stage is Chokmah. though is understood less universally. it is the primordial energy out of which all things are created. In this way. Christian Cabala also places emphasis on Christ as Sustainer and Preserver of the Universe. First is Keter. It is often thought of as pure dynamic energy of an infinite intensity forever propelled forth at a speed faster than light. the beginning of the Universe is placed at a space above the first sephira. The tree. but is referred to universally as Ain Soph Aur (Ain . while non-Jewish Christian Cabala and Hermetic Qabalah generally terms it universally as the Cabalistic/Qabalistic Tree of Life. or Etz haChayim (‫ )עץ החיים‬in Hebrew. as it is considered of a different order-of-being. the nature of revealed divinity. The Tree of Life. of which . the Tree of knowledge of good and evil and the Tree of Life were alternative perspectives of the Sephirot: the full array of 10 as seen respectively from the last Sephirah Malkuth. or Wisdom. This is why another correspondence for Binah is the idea of suffering. translated by Rabbi Eliyahu Touger. the Universe gets down to the business of building the materials it will need to fulfill its evolution. 49-54. ISBN 1-56718-132-5 [5] Encausse. The Mystical Qabalah. and creating new combinations of those materials until it is so dense that. The Tree of Life: An Illustrated Study in Magic. 30-33 ISBN 1-57863-1505 [3] Malachi. because the Supernal Maternal energy gives birth to a world that is inherently excluded from that Divine Union. Paul. ISBN 0-87728-936-0 1. and to make the journey of Return by stages charted by the Sephiroth. the kabbalist seeks to know himself and the Universe as an expression of God.5 References [1] The Tree of Life . TREE OF LIFE (KABBALAH) Numbers are very important to kabbalists. . because their levels of being are so distinct from each other that they appear to exist in two totally different realities.2 CHAPTER 1. Kehot publications.Kuntres Etz HaChayim. York Beach. from the subconscious all the way to what Kabbalists call the higher self. MN: Llewellyn Publications. A classic chassidic treatise on the mystic core of spiritual vitality by Rabbi Shalom DovBer Schneersohn of Lubavitch. Gerard (Papus). consciousness in the Kabbalah is thought of as the fruit of the physical world. A Gnostic Christian Kabbalah. But the Tree of Life does not only speak of the origins of the physical Universe out of the unimaginable. 83-4. Dion. ME: Samuel Weiser. St. the initial pure limitless energy has 'solidified' into the physical Universe. Chajes & Dr. through whom the original infinite energy can experience and express itself as a finite entity. with the financial support of the Israel Science Foundation.3 Image gallery • Tree of Life window 1 in the Jewish Historical Museum Amsterdam • Tree of Life window 2 in the Jewish Historical Museum Amsterdam • Tree of Life window 3 in the Jewish Historical Museum Amsterdam 1. St. Extensive comparison of the 10 Sephirot views of the two trees [2] Fortune. called the Abyss. Paul. Inc. called the Supernal Sephirot. Tau. it is thought to reverse its course back up the Tree until it is once again united with its true nature.6 External links • Uberglue. 1. The next stages of evolution on the Tree of Life are considered to exist beyond a space on the tree. Each stage of the emanation of the Universe on the Tree of Life is numbered meaningfully from one (Keter) to ten (Malkuth). and the Hebrew letters of the alphabet also have a numerical value for the kabbalists. The Qabalah: Secret Tradition of the West.[5] The first three sephirot. ISBN 0-7387-0591-8 [4] Regardie. between the Supernals and the other Sephiroth. (2000) p. are considered to be the primordial energies of the Universe. York Beach. After the energy of Creation has condensed into matter. Inc. Since Man is invested with Mind. the Tree of Life can potentially be applied to any area of life. (2000) pp. by the stage of Malkuth. Eliezer Baumgarten. After Binah. J.4 See also • Sephirot • Tree of death (Kabbalah) • Tree of life (biblical) • Tree of the knowledge of good and evil • Tree of Life 1. 19-20. The database is being developed by the University of Haifa Younes & Soraya Nazarian Library under the direction of Dr. (2000) pp. Since its energies are the basis of all Creation. until he has come to the realisation he sought. especially the inner world of Man.com • The Ilanot project The Ilanot Database seeks to create a searchable descriptive catalogue of kabbalistic diagrams in manuscripts and books from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century. (2005) pp. Thus. but also of Man’s place in the Universe. Israel. H. Gnosis of the Cosmic Christ. Each number is thought to express the nature of its sephira. MN: Llewellyn Publications. The Supernal Sephiroth exist on a plane of divine energy. ME: Samuel Weiser. Chapter 2 Kabbalah For specific Kabbalistic traditions see Christian Cabala. often various other ontological questions. Torah study can proceed along four levels of [7][8] These four levels are called and aims of those following it. tributed to wider non-Jewish contemporary spirituality. becoming reinterpreted in the Jewish mystical renaissance of 16thcentury Ottoman Palestine. According to the Zohar. both in scholarly circles and in the popular imagination. religions.[5] Kabbalah is considered by its followers as a necessary part of the study of Torah – the study of Torah (the Tanakh and Rabbinic literature) being an inherent duty of observant Jews. It forms meanings (through allusion). wards. Kabbalah seeks to define the nature of the universe and the • Derash (Hebrew: ‫ דרש‬from Heb. esoteric (metaphysical) meanings. eternal. although its 20th-century academic Traditional practitioners believe its earliest origins predate world religions. and mysterious Ein • Peshat (Hebrew: ‫ פשט‬lit. this has changed among non-Orthodox Jewish denominations. forming the primordial blueprint for Creation’s philosophies.interpretation (exegesis). orgin as an integral part of Judaism. For other spired cross-denominational Jewish renewal and contraditions with some similarities see Cabala. pardes from their initial letters (PRDS Hebrew: ‫פרדס‬. after earlier forms of Jewish mysticism. expressed in kabbalah. It was popularised in the form of Hasidic Judaism from the 18th century on- 3 .to 13thcentury Southern France and Spain. chard). Kabbalah is a set of esoteric teachings meant to explain the relationship between an unchanging. literally ical re-emphasis through newly established academic in“receiving/tradition”[1] (also transliterated Cabala. sciences.[10] through the influence of haskalah.[3] from its religious ori. These teachings are held by followers in Judaism to define the inner meaning of both the Hebrew Bible and traditional Rabbinic literature and their formerly concealed transmitted dimension. After the Medieval Kabbalah. and kabbalists often use classical Jewish sources to explain and demonstrate its esoteric teachings. Kabbalah emerged. Twentieth-century interest in Kabbalah has inHermetic Qabalah. and Occultist syncretic adaptations. as well as engaging its flourishing emergence and historKabbalah (Hebrew: ‫ ַק ָ ּבלָה‬.1 Overview Judaism. • Sod (Hebrew: ‫ סוד‬lit. as well as to explain the significance of Jewish religious observances. Kabbalah originally developed entirely within the realm of Jewish thought. discipline. the nature and purpose of existence.. Kabbalah replaced Jewish philosophy (hakira) as the mainstream traditional Jewish theology. and school of thought that originated in 2. New Age. “hint[s]"): the allegoric tions. the foundations of mystical religious interpretation. arts. tain spiritual realisation. a foundational text for kabbalisKabbalah’s definition varies according to the tradition tic thought. “secret” or “mystery”): the inner. A traditional Kabbalist in Judaism is called a Mekubal (Hebrew: ‫)מְקו ּ ּבָל‬. “simple”): the direct interSof (infinity)[4] and the mortal and finite universe (God’s pretations of meaning. With the arrival of modernity.[9] Kabbalah teaches doctrines that are accepted by some Jews as the true meaning of Judaism while other Jews have rejected these doctrines as heretical and antithetical to Judaism. darash: “inquire” human being. it is not a religious denomination in itself. and especially after its 16th-century development and synthesis. to its later Christian. Qabbālâ etc. and or “seek”): midrashic (Rabbinic) meanings. different transliterations now tend to denote alternative traditions[2] )) is an esoteric method. While it is heavily used by some denomina• Remez (Hebrew: ‫ רמז‬lit.[6] Historically. It also presents methwith imaginative comparisons with similar words or ods to aid understanding of the concepts and thereby atverses. vestigation. and Practical Kabbalah. in 12th. creation). and political systems. however. It is therefore important to bear in mind when discussing things such as the sefirot and their interactions that one is dealing with highly abstract concepts that at best can only be understood intuitively. Sefer Yetzirah. Modern academic-historical study of Jewish mysticism reserves the term “kabbalah” to designate the particular.[13] Foreign conquests drove the Jewish spiritual leadership of the time (the Sanhedrin) to hide the knowledge and make it secret. as distinct from the earlier Merkabah mystical concepts and methods. Scholars dispute whether the term “kabbalah” originated with the Jewish philosopher Solomon ibn Gabirol (1021– 1058) or with the 13th-century Spanish kabbalist Bahya ben Asher. According to this view.[18] . particularly Maimonides’ Aristotelianism. unsupervised and unguided by the masters. It is hard to clarify with any degree of certainty the exact concepts within kabbalah. known as Merkabah (contemplation of the Divine “Chariot”) mysticism lasted until the 10th century. developed through a theological tradition inherent in Judaism from Antiquity. Their method. eventually to be “interwoven” into Jewish religious writings and culture. There are several different schools of thought with very different outlooks. becoming reinterpreted in the early-modern developments of 16thcentury Safed in the Galilee. Lurianic Kabbalah became popularised as a social mysticism for the whole Jewish community through 18th-century Hasidism in eastern Europe. prophets. for example. fearing that it might be misused if it fell into the wrong hands. After the Hebrew Bible experience of prophecy. Sefer Yetzirah. both versions of Kabbalistic theory. and the Berit Menuhah. As an alternative to rationalist Jewish philosophy. writes that these 3 basic models can be discerned operating and competing throughout the whole history of Jewish mysticism. and its new notions of mystical leadership. the term “kabbalah” has become the main descriptive of Jewish esoteric knowledge and practices. became the foundation of later Jewish mysticism. described in the heichalot (supernal “palaces”) texts and the earliest existent book on Jewish esotericism. by restricting study to certain texts. the first documented schools of specifically mystical theory and method in Judaism are found in the 1st and 2nd centuries. might lead them into wrong practice and forbidden ways. early kabbalistic knowledge was transmitted orally by the Patriarchs. Its teachings. as included in those works are commentaries on Abulafian writings. A third tradition. distinctive doctrines that textually emerged fully expressed in the Middle Ages. Jewish mystical literature. the medieval-Zoharic and the earlymodern Lurianic together comprise the theosophical tradition in Kabbalah. Abraham Abulafia’s “Prophetic Kabbalah” was the supreme example of this.[14] The Sanhedrin leaders were also concerned that the practice of kabbalah by Jews of the Jewish diaspora. the kabbalah became secretive. while the meditative-ecstatic Kabbalah incorporates a parallel inter-related Medieval tradition. combined ecstatic with theosophical mysticism. Practical Kabbalah properly involved white-magical acts. this speculation became the central component of Kabbalah • The Ecstatic tradition of Meditative Kabbalah (exemplified by Abulafia and Isaac of Acre) strives to achieve a mystical union with God. embodied in the Zohar.4 CHAPTER 2. in around the 10th century BC. all are accepted as correct. and sages (hakhamim in Hebrew).[11] According to this descriptive categorisation. forbidden and esoteric to Judaism (Torat Ha'Sod ‫ )תורת הסוד‬for two and a half millennia. and his alternative to the program of theosophical Kabbalah • The Magico-theurgical tradition of Practical Kabbalah (in often unpublished manuscripts) endeavours to alter both the Divine realms and the World. KABBALAH study and cross-denominational spiritual applications (especially through Neo-Hasidism) has reawakened a following beyond Orthodoxy. Albotonian writings. as described more recently by Gershom Scholem. related but more shunned. Consequently it formed a separate minor tradition shunned from Kabbalah According to traditional belief. and was censored by kabbalists for only those completely pure of intent. though marginal in Kabbalistic development. Moshe Idel. early kabbalah was. Its theoretical development can be characterised in alternative schools and successive stages. where it was subsumed by the Medieval doctrinal emergence of the Kabbalah in southwestern Europe in the 12th and 13th centuries. involves the magical aims of Practical Kabbalah. an open knowledge practiced by over a million people in ancient Israel. While some interpretations of prayer see its role as manipulating heavenly forces. as part of wider Rabbinic literature.[16] However even this qualification does little to limit the scope of understanding and expression.[15] Modern halakhic authorities have tried to narrow the scope and diversity within kabbalah. through the new system of Isaac Luria.[17] which is known to the kabbalistic elect and which. While other terms have been used in many religious documents from the 2nd century up to the present day. As a result.[12] They can be readily distinguished by their basic intent with respect to God: • The Theosophical tradition of Theoretical Kabbalah (the main focus of the Zohar and Luria) seeks to understand and describe the divine realm. which served as the basis for the development of kabbalistic thought. beyond the particular Kabbalistic background of the Middle Ages. notably Zohar and the teachings of Isaac Luria as passed down through Hayyim ben Joseph Vital. 1. Latin translation of Gikatilla’s Shaarei Ora From the Renaissance onwards Jewish Kabbalah texts entered non-Jewish culture. given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai around 13th century BCE. . Mystic elements of the Torah According to adherents of Kabbalah. though there is a view that Kabbalah began with Adam.2. for a few centuries the esoteric knowledge was referred to by its aspect practice—meditation Hitbonenut (Hebrew: ‫)התבוננות‬. lineage. academic and traditional publications now translate and study Judaic Kabbalah for wide readership. HISTORY OF JEWISH MYSTICISM 2.[21] It came down from a remote past as a revelation to elect Tzadikim (righteous people). for the most part. With the decline of Christian Cabala in the Age of Reason. many publications on Kabbalah belong to the non-Jewish New Age and occult traditions of Cabala. permitted tradition restricted for a few elite. its origin begins with secrets that God revealed to Adam. reading the Jewish texts as universal ancient wisdom. Answers to questions of transmission. to merge with other theologies.[24] respectively “the act of the Chariot” and “the act of Creation”. Kabbalistic knowledge was believed to be an integral part of the Oral Torah.2. desired goal of the practice— prophecy ("NeVu'a" Hebrew: ‫)נבואה‬. These terms are also mentioned in the second chapter of the Talmudic tractate Haggigah. Kabbalah dates from Eden. and innovation vary greatly and cannot be easily summarised. When the Israelites arrived at their destination and settled in Canaan. Ch. but also the intellectual and cultural milieu of that historical period.2.1 Origins of Judaic mysticism According to the traditional understanding. Kabbalah acquired some popular occult connotations forbidden within Judaism.1 5 Difference between Jewish and non. During the 5th century BCE. each reflecting not only prior forms of mysticism. the true nature of Adam and Eve. Tractate Hagigah. the Torah’s description of the creation in the Book of Genesis reveals mysteries about God himself. Both adapted the Jewish concepts freely from their Judaic understanding.2. Through these nonJewish associations with magic.2. religious traditions and magical associations. When read by later generations of Kabbalists. Today. was preserved only by a privileged few. Hermetic Qabalah continued as a central underground tradition in Western esotericism. rather than giving an accurate picture of Judaic Kabbalah. influence. Origins of terms Originally. as well as many of its concepts.[19] Syncretic traditions of Christian Cabala and Hermetic Qabalah developed independently of Jewish Kabbalah. translated as “being alone” or “isolating oneself”.[20] Instead.[22] Rebbe Nachman of Breslov's Hitbodedut (Hebrew: ‫)התבודדות‬. when the works of the Tanakh were edited and canonised and the secret knowledge encrypted within the various writings and scrolls (“Megilot”). or by a different term describing the actual. Merkavah mysticism alluded to the encrypted knowledge within the book of the prophet Ezekiel describing his vision of the “Divine Chariot”. Contemporary scholarship suggests that various schools of Jewish esotericism arose at different periods of Jewish history. the knowledge was referred to as Ma'aseh Merkavah (Hebrew: ‫[)מעשה מרכבה‬23] and Ma'aseh B'reshit (Hebrew: ‫)מעשה בראשית‬. and. B'reshit mysticism referred to the first chapter of Genesis (Hebrew: ‫ ) בראשית‬in the Torah that is believed to contain secrets of the creation of the universe and forces of nature. alchemy and divination. Talmudic Judaism records its view of the proper protocol for teaching this wisdom.2 History of Jewish mysticism Jewish Kabbalah 2. in the Talmud. where they were studied and translated by Christian Hebraists and Hermetic occultists. where Jewish theurgic Practical Kabbalah was a minor. in one Jewish aggadic (“legendary”) anecdote.[27] and Akiba. as well as the interaction of these supernatural entities with the Serpent which leads to disaster when they eat the forbidden fruit. 13a) and Razei Torah (Torah secrets) (Ab. rabbis were warned to teach the mystical creation doctrines only to one student at a time. In the Mishnah mysticism.6 CHAPTER 2. while the Sea of Reeds parted. but it appeared to them as if they went up”. orchard): “Four men entered pardes—Ben Azzai. Ben Azzai looked and died. pardes.2 Mystical doctrines in the Talmudic era In early rabbinic Judaism (the early centuries of the 1st millennium CE). An additional term also expanded Jewish esoteric knowledge. as recorded in Genesis 3. which led to Moses receiving the Ten Commandments and the Jewish Orthodox view of the acceptance of the Torah at Mount Sinai. 1) indicate their character as secret lore. The prophet Ezekiel’s visions in particular attracted much mystical speculation.6.[31] . allowing the Hebrews to escape their approaching attackers. Jacob's vision of the ladder to heaven provided another example of esoteric experience. Ben Zoma.2. Rabbi Louis Ginzberg. and as one of the four who entered the Pardes The Bible provides ample additional material for mythic and mystical speculation. Ben Zoma looked and went mad. preceded the creation of the first Jewish nation approximately three hundred years before King Saul. Acher destroyed the plants. Ch. A Talmudic Tanna. Paradise. only Rabbi Akiba was fit to handle the study of mystical doctrines. 2.[25] Grave of Rabbi Akiva in Tiberias. Akiba entered in peace and departed in peace. The 72 letter name of God which is used in Jewish mysticism for meditation purposes is derived from the Hebrew verbal utterance Moses spoke in the presence of an angel. they are really based upon Genesis 1 and Book of Ezekiel 1:4–28. He features in Hekhalot mystical literature. the Zohar (Hagigah 2:1). The grave of Shimon bar Yochai in Meron before 1899. namely Chochmah Nistara (Hidden wisdom).. Moses’ encounters with the Burning bush and God on Mount Sinai are evidence of mystical events in the Torah that form the origin of Jewish mystical beliefs. vi. writes in the Jewish Encyclopedia (1901–1906) that the journey to paradise “is to be taken literally and not allegorically”. he is the mystical teacher in the central Kabbalistic work.”[28] In notable readings of this legend. The miracle of the Exodus. the terms Ma'aseh Bereshit (“Works of Creation”) and Ma'aseh Merkabah (“Works of the Divine Throne/Chariot”) clearly indicate the Midrashic nature of these speculations.[26] To highlight the danger. KABBALAH Ezekiel and Isaiah had prophetic visions of the angelic Chariot and Divine Throne. say that the four sages “did not go up literally. medieval commentaries on the Talmud. The Tosafot. the Garden of Eden.[30] Talmudic doctrine forbade the public teaching of esoteric Maimonides interprets pardes as physics and not doctrines and warned of their dangers. as did Isaiah’s Temple vision—Isaiah. four prominent rabbis of the Mishnaic period (1st century CE) are said to have visited the Orchard (that is.[29] On the other hand. the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life. while the names Sitrei Torah (Hidden aspects of the Torah) (Talmud Hag. Hebrew: ‫ פרדס‬lit. Acher (Elisha ben Abuyah). probably composed in Spain by Isaac ben Isaac ha-Kohen. and represents a response to. Initiates were said to “descend the chariot”. were truly esoteric. before giving way to the documented manuscript emergence of Kabbalah. Another was Isaac the Blind (1160–1235). After the composition known as the Zohar was presented to the public in the 13th century.3 Pre-Kabbalistic schools The mystical methods and doctrines of Hekhalot (Heavenly “Chambers”) and Merkabah (Divine “Chariot”) texts. From the 13th century onward. named by modern scholars from these repeated motifs. who is widely argued to have written the first work of classic Kabbalah. Kabbalah began to be widely disseminated. laid the groundwork for the composition of Sefer Zohar (“Book of Splendor/Radiance”). Many Orthodox Jews reject the idea that Kabbalah underwent significant historical development or change such as has been proposed above.2.2. The Zohar proved to be the first truly “popular” work of Kabbalah. the teacher of Nahmanides. lasted from the 1st century BCE through to the 10th century. written by Moses de Leon and his mystical circle at the end of the 13th century but credited to the Talmudic sage Shimon bar Yochai (cf. Following the upheavals and dislocations in the Jewish There were certain Rishonim (“Elder Sages”) of exoteric world as a result of anti-Judaism during the Middle Ages. Gershom Scholem sought to undermine this view as part of his resistance to seeing Kabbalah as merely a response to medieval Jewish rationalism.2. . gave Kabbalah mainstream acceptance through his Torah Ma'aseh Merkavah and [32] to in Talmudic texts. Bahya ben Asher (the Rabbeinu Behaye) (d. 1340) also combined Torah commentary and Kabbalah.2. the Zohar. The majority of Haredi Jews accept the Zohar as the representative of the The 13th-century eminence of Nachmanides. argued that the emergence into public view of Jewish esotericism at this time coincides with. the Kalonymus family of the French and German Rhineland. One of the best known is Nahmanides (the Ramban) (1194–1270) whose commentary on the Torah is considered to be based on Kabbalistic knowledge. Another. possibly a reference to internal introspection on the Heavenly journey through the spiritual realms. and the most influential. Heinrich Graetz. and it branched out into an extensive literature. the "Treatise on the Left Emanation". commentary Modern scholars have identified several mystical brotherhoods that functioned in Europe starting in the 12th cen. The ultimate aim was to arrive before the transcendent awe. of the Divine. separate influential mystical movement. the Hekhalot texts.2. From the 8th to 11th centuries. More recently. Historians generally date the start of Kabbalah as a major influence in Jewish thought and practice with the publication of the Zohar and climaxing with the spread of the Arizal’s teachings. was the "Chassidei Ashkenaz" (‫ )חסידי אשכנז‬or Medieval German Pietists from 1150-1250. This ethical-ascetic movement arose mostly among a single scholarly family. the Bahir (Book of “Brightness”). the term began to generally be applied to Zoharic teachings as elaborated upon by Isaac Luria Arizal. the rising influence of the rationalist philosophy of Maimonides and his followers. Zohar). a classic Rabbinic Ma'aseh B'reshit that are referred figure. Some. Kabbalists committed to writing many of their oral traditions in part as a response to the attempt of Maimonides to explain the older esoteric subjects philosophically. and the proto-Kabbalistic early Sefer Yetzirah (“Book of Creation”) made their way into European Jewish circles. such as the “Iyyun Circle” and the “Unique balah Cherub Circle”. Historians in the 19th century. the term “Kabbalah” began to refer more specifically to teachings derived from. shortly before the arrival there of Kabbalistic theory.4 Medieval emergence of the Kabbalah 7 Judaism who are known to have been experts in Kabbalah. At an even later time. rather than nearness. or related to.5 Early modern era: Lurianic Kabtury. Moshe Idel and Elliot Wolfson have independently argued that the impact of Maimonides can be seen in the change from orality to writing in the 13th century. for example. Arguing for a gnostic influence has to be seen as part of this strategy. 2. HISTORY OF JEWISH MYSTICISM 2. That is.2. Sefer Bahir and another work. remaining largely anonymous. Moshe Alshich wrote a mystical commentary on the Torah. closing the Spanish Jewish flowering. Furthermore. The messianism of the Safed mystics culminated in Kabbalah receiving its biggest transformation in the Jewish world with the explication of its new interpretation from Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534–1572). Vital authoring the latterly canonical version. Therefore.”[34] The question. legal and liturgical developments. we must not be negligent. And permission is granted to occupy ourselves in the [study of] Zohar.8 CHAPTER 2. it has found many versions in English.”[36] He .. exegetical.300 (1540 C. the basic levels of Kabbalah must be taught publicly to everyone. however. Both transcribed Luria’s teachings (in variant forms) gaining them widespread popularity. Sarug taking Lurianic Kabbalah to Europe. Rabbi Yosef Karo (1488– 1575). but from then on the prohibition has been lifted and permission was granted to study the Zohar. Luria’s teachings came to rival the influence of the Zohar and Luria stands. Moses Cordovero and his school popularized the teachings of the Zohar which had until then been only a restricted work. and that is because the Messiah will come because of that and not because of any other reason. exegetical and Lurianic-mythological developments and the national trauma of the expulsion from Spain in 1492. Jews began to search for signs of when the long-awaited Jewish Messiah would come to comfort them in their painful exiles.) it is most desirable that the masses both those great and small [in Torah]. In the 1500s the community of Safed in the Galilee became the centre of Jewish mystical. Concerning the above quote by Avraham Azulai. old and young. And because in this merit King Mashiach will come in the future—and not in any other merit—it is not proper to be discouraged [from the study of Kabbalah].. young and old. liturgical.” Rabbi Abraham Ben Mordechai Azulai.E. destruction. Moshe Isserles understood there to be only a minor restriction. should occupy themselves [in the study of Kabbalah]. Cordovero’s comprehensive works achieved the systemisation of preceding Kabbalah. The Safed mystics responded to the Spanish expulsion by turning Kabbalistic doctrine and practice towards a messianic focus. Ohr HaChama [Light of the Sun] [33] The ban on studying Kabbalah was lifted by the efforts of the 16th-century kabbalist Rabbi Avraham Azulai (1570–1643). discerning between the prohibited and the permitted. alongside Moses de Leon. and Shlomo Alkabetz wrote Kabbalistic commentaries and poems. a time that would have corresponded with Haim Vital’s publication of the teaching of Isaac Luria.).”[35] The lines concerning the year 1490 are also missing from the Hebrew edition of Hesed L'Avraham. by his disciples Hayim Vital and Israel Sarug. in his words. From then on after is called the “Last Generation”.E. as it says in the Raya M'hemna [a section of the Zohar]. Introduction to the book. The leading scholars in 16th-century Safed invigorated mainstream Judaism through new legal. another is this “From the year 1540 and onward. and man’s inhumanity to his fellow man. by Azulai’s view the ban was lifted thirty years before his birth.250 (1490 C. Only through Kabbalah will we forever eliminate war. And from the year 5. “One’s belly must be full of meat and wine. is whether the ban ever existed in the first place. KABBALAH Ban on studying Kabbalah “I have seen it written that the prohibition from Above to refrain from open study in the wisdom of truth was only for a limited period. the source work that both of these quote from. and what was forbidden is [now] allowed. as the most influential mystic in Jewish history. was also a scholar of Kabbalah who kept a personal mystical diary. until the end of 1490. “I have found it written that all that has been decreed Above forbidding open involvement in the Wisdom of Truth [Kabbalah] was [only meant for] the limited time period until the year 5. The author of the Shulkhan Arukh (the normative Jewish “Code of Law”). Since 1540 it has been a great Mitzva (commandment) for the masses to study in public. he expresses Jewish mystical thought in his own individual approach without reference to Kabbalistic terms. and the Caucasus) Jews until the Holocaust. HISTORY OF JEWISH MYSTICISM is supported by the Bier Hetiv. Vital claimed to be the only one authorised to transmit the Ari’s teachings. No hope was in sight for of Kabbalah many following the devastation and mass killings of the pogroms that followed in the wake of the Chmielnicki The Kabbalah of the Sefardi (Portuguese or Spanish) and Uprising (1648–1654). His disciple Moses ben Jacob Cordovero authored Pardes Rimonim. though other disciples also published books presenting Luria’s teachings. It flourished among Sefardic Jews in Tzfat (Safed). Oriental Judaism has its own chain his disciples and colleagues. During the 20th century. has never seen PaRDeS. his thought influenced Hasidism. the largest single massacre of Mizrahi (Middle East. Isaac Hutner (1906– 1980) continued to spread the Maharal’s works indirectly through his own teachings and publications within the non-Hasidic yeshiva world. taught there. and it was at this time that a con- . Maharal One of the most innovative theologians in early-modern Judaism was Judah Loew ben Bezalel (1525–1609) known as the “Maharal of Prague”. Reishit Chochma. Chaim Vital also studied under Cordovero. Turkish. Israel even before the arrival of Isaac Luria. Any who says there is has never studied Kabbalah. author of the Shulchan Arukh was part of the Tzfat school of Kabbalah. While conversant in Kabbalistic learning. and the Abuhatzeira dynasty. the Baghdad leader Ben Ish Chai (1832–1909). Yemenite. for example being studied in the introspective Przysucha school. associated with him in folklore. Among leading figures were the Yemenite Shalom Sharabi (1720–1777) of the Beit El Synagogue. Kabbalah in various forms was widely studied. The Vilna Gaon says.2. Many of his written works survive and are studied for their unusual combination of the mystical and philosophical approaches in Judaism. but with the arrival of Luria became his main disciple. Sabbatian mysticism The spiritual and mystical yearnings of many Jews remained frustrated after the death of Isaac Luria and Synagogue Beit El Jerusalem.[38] The Maharal is most well known in popular culture for the legend of the golem of Prague. The Oriental Kabbalist tradition continues until today among Sephardi and Mizrachi Hakham sages and study circles. the Jerusalemite Hida (1724–1806). “There was never any ban or enactment restricting the study of the wisdom of Kabbalah. commented upon. when Isaac Luria rose to prominence.2. combining kabbalistic and mussar (moral) teachings. and Asian scholars from the 16th century onward. exhaustive compilation of kabbalistic teachings on a variety of subjects up to that point. Cordovero headed the academy of Tzfat until his death. the Pithei Teshuva as well as the Vilna Gaon. Shlomo Alkabetz. author of the hymn Lekhah Dodi. and speaks as an ignoramus. Rabbi Moshe’s disciple Eliyahu De Vidas authored the classic work. North Africa. However. and expanded by North African. Yosef Karo. an organised.”[37] Sefardi and Mizrahi 9 Torah scholars has a long history. who feared another “Shabbetai Zevi (false messiah) in the making”. Modern-era traditional Kabbalah The 16th-century Maharal of Prague articulated a mystical exegesis in philosophical language troversial scholar by the name of Sabbatai Zevi (1626– 1676) captured the hearts and minds of the Jewish masses of that time with the promise of a newly minted messianic Millennialism in the form of his own personage. halakhically. It seemed that the esoteric teachings of Kabbalah had found their “champion” and had triumphed. He eventually moved to the Land of Israel. such as Derekh Hashem. and most leading rabbis were always on guard to root them out. Unwilling to give up their messianic expectations. a minority of Zvi’s Jewish followers converted to Islam along with him. Many of his followers.[39] Moreover. but this era of Jewish history unravelled when Zevi became an apostate to Judaism by converting to Islam after he was arrested by the Ottoman Sultan and threatened with execution for attempting a plan to conquer the world and rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. Yehuda Ashlag. convinced the Jewish masses that the Jewish Messiah had finally come.10 CHAPTER 2. also wrote secular works. the prohibition is not halakhic in nature. Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. survive and are used as a gateway to the world of Jewish mysticism. including the ARI. His charisma. tied to an unstable personality. One of the conditions allowing a man to study and engage himself in the Kabbalah was to be of age forty. explaining his conversion not as an effort to save his life but to recover the sparks of the holy in each religion. and with the help of his greatest enthusiast. Frankism The Sabbatian movement was followed by that of the Frankists who were disciples of Jacob Frank (1726– 1791) who eventually became an apostate to Judaism by apparently converting to Catholicism. This era of disappointment did not stem the Jewish masses’ yearnings for “mystical” leadership. were younger than twenty when they began. the Rab- Moshe Chaim Luzzatto. KABBALAH binic prohibition against studying Kabbalah established itself firmly within the Jewish religion. The Donmeh movement in modern Turkey is a surviving remnant of the Sabbatian schism. hand over and destroy many of his most precious unpublished kabbalistic writings. Due to the chaos caused in the Jewish world. one must be of age twenty to engage in the Kabbalah. based in Italy. was a precocious Talmudic scholar who deduced a need for the public teaching and study of Kabbalah. According to Moses Cordovero. a leading Italian kabbalist. His rabbinical opponents forced him to close his school. . and go into exile in the Netherlands. Many Jews are familiar with this ruling. known as Sabbatians. Many famous kabbalists. but are not aware of its origins. continued to worship him in secret. Some of his most important works. This age requirement came about during this period and is not Talmudic in origin but Rabbinic. which the Haskalah see as the start of modern Hebrew literature Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (1707–1746). all of which gained the attention of both admirers and rabbinical critics. He wrote copious manuscripts in an appealing clear Hebrew style. Nathan of Gaza. He established a yeshiva for Kabbalah study and actively recruited students. mystical teachings that included repeated pronunciations of the holy Tetragrammaton in public. which he came to head. From the Baal Shem Tov sprang the wide ongoing schools of Hasidic Judaism. each with different approaches and thought. entation. by making the mind central as the route to the . Shalom Sharabi (1720–1777) from Yemen was a major esoteric clarifier of the works of the Ari. where the elite scholars of mystical texts now took on a social role as embodiments and intercessors of Divinity for the masses. who translated the Zohar into He. 8:24). “yeshivah of the kabbalists”. he did not prohibit the study and engagement in the Kabbalah. leadership became dynastic. This new approach turned formerly esoteric elite kabbalistic theory into a popular social mysticism movement for the first time.2. founder of Hasidism in the area of the Ukraine. He staunchly opposed the new Hasidic movement and warned against their public displays of religious fervour inspired by the mystical teachings of their rabbis. In the 20th century. Belarus. in Medzhybizh Ukraine. With the 19th century consolidation of the movement. Even Shlema. with its own doctrines.a Kabbalist who opposed Hasidic doctrinal and practical innovations Rabbi Elijah of Vilna (Vilna Gaon) (1720–1797).[10][40] Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer Baal Shem Tov (1698–1760). revitalised and further expanded the latter’s teachings. Although the Vilna Gaon did not look with favor on the Hasidic movement. such as Rabbi Chaim Volozhin. Rebbe Nachman emphasised study of both Kabbalah and serious Torah scholarship to his disciples. teachings and customs. founder of Hasidism. based in Lithuania. had his teachings encoded and publicised by his disciples. In the Oriental tradition of Kabbalah. “The Redemption will only come about through learning Torah. Among later Hasidic schools: Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772–1810). the greatgrandson of the Baal Shem Tov. classic texts. Yehuda Ashlag (1885—1954) in Mandate Palestine became a leading esoteric kabbalist in The Habad-Lubavitch intellectual school of Hasidism the traditional mode. but adapted to a different aim of immediate psychological perception of Divine Omnipresence amidst the mundane. spread teachings based on Lurianic Kabbalah. His teachings also differed from the way other Hasidic groups were developing. In a unique amalgam of Hasidic and Mitnagid approaches. may God have mercy”. Lithuania and Poland. Hasidism instituted a new concept of Tzadik leadership in Jewish mysticism. and the essence of the Redemption depends upon learning Kabbalah” (The Vilna Gaon. who (poshumously) published the mystical-ethical work Nefesh HaChaim. was one of the few communities to bring Lurianic meditation into communal prayer.broke away from General-Hasidism’s emotional faith oribrew with a new approach in Lurianic Kabbalah. seeking its popularisation through internal correspondence The Vilna Gaon. This is evident from his writings in the Even Shlema. The Beit El Synagogue. as he rejected the idea of hereditary Hasidic dynasties and taught that each Hasid must “search for the tzaddik ('saintly/righteous person')" for himself and within himself. It gave a new phase to Jewish mysticism. 18th-century leader of Rabbinic opposition to Hasidism . HISTORY OF JEWISH MYSTICISM 11 Hasidic Judaism Synagogue of the Baal Shem Tov. Even Shlema. ecstatic fervour of early Hasidism developed from previous Nistarim circles of mystical activity.2. but instead sought communal revival of the common folk by reframing Judaism around the central principle of devekut (mystical cleaving to God) for all. 11:3). amassing a following of thousands in Ukraine. The emotional. “He that is able to understand secrets of the Torah and does not try to understand them will be judged harshly. (The Vilna Gaon. it is sealed among the sealed things of the mystery of Ayn Sof. a single point shone. Ohr (spiritual light and flow). supernal. Comparison of his counttranscendent. no yellow. emanations reveal20th century influence ing the concealed mystery from within the Godhead. a mist Orthodox Judaism have read the influence of Kabbaliswithin matter. literally “that which has no limits”). from the pressure of its penetration. Students of blackness emerged in the sealed within the Joseph B. Neo-Hasidism. implanted in a ring. are ticism and emotional happiness based on the wisdom of accessible to human perception. Soloveitchik. ing with Luria’s. of dialogue and Abraham Joshua Heschel's Conservative He made colours to provide light. His writings are concerned “At the very beginning the King made enwith fusing the false divisions between sacred and secular. no white. In recent times.of the Ein Sof. gravings in the supernal purity.[41][42][43] vine immanently. in the innermost part. Jewish mysticism has influenced the thought of some ma.12 CHAPTER 2. absolutely poured into ten created vessels.[45] from which the colours are painted below. dynamically interacting throughout spiritual and physical existence. a Divine Tree and Archetypal Man. shaped Martin Buber's philosophy He measured with the standard of measure. yet did not penetrate 2. no red. male and female. A spark of rational and mystical. the messianic element latent in Hasidism has come to the fore in Habad. 2. emerged a source. have informed Holocaust theologians. limitless Divine simplicity. black. outside of Elohim – In the beginning God created as “With the level Kabbalistic or Hasidic traditions. It was not known at all until.The Zohar reads the first words of Genesis BeReishit Bara jor Jewish theologians in the 20th century. unknowable.. Its texts combine what they view as rational investigation with explanation of Kabbalah through articulating unity in a common Divine essence. figurehead of American Modern sealed.. Kabbalists believe that these two aspects are not contradictory but complement one another. reveal the Dithe Kabbalah and Chabad. Within the Judaism. Beyond this point nothing is 2. When rather than Kabbalah. The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute teaches classes mys. no [44] tic symbols in his philosophical works. Lurianic symbols of Tzimtzum and Shevirah spark. Of the impersonal Ein Sof nothing can be grasped.3.3 Concepts its air. 613 channels (“limbs” of the King) and the Divine souls in man. Abraham Isaac Kook was a mystical manifestation in Creation: thinker who drew heavily on Kabbalistic notions through his own poetic terminology. It penetrated. Names of God and the supernal Torah. Angelic Chariot and Palaces. Cordovero systemises them as one light sion two aspects to God: (a) God in essence. so it is called reishit (beginning): the first word of all. enclothed layers of reality.The second aspect of Divine emanations. sealed. The first Chief Rabbi of of "Reishit-Beginning" the Ein Sof created Elohim-God’s Mandate Palestine. however. describes dual rational and unconscious . Kabbalists speak of the first as Ein/Ayn Sof (‫אין‬ ‫“ סוף‬the infinite/endless”. Olamot (Spiritual Worlds). These symbols are used to describe various parts and aspects of the model. and (b) God in manifestation. The Sof Zohar and other formative texts elaborate on their emergence from concealment and potential in the infinite unity The nature of the Divine prompted kabbalists to envi.2 Sefirot and the Divine Feminine Main articles: Sephirot and Shekhinah The Sephirot (also spelled “sephiroth”) (singular sefirah) are the ten emanations and attributes of God with which Metaphorical scheme of emanated spiritual worlds within the Ein he continually sustains the universe in existence. no colour at all. inwardly holy vitality and external Kelipot shells. the revealed persona of God through which He creates and sustains and relates to mankind. from the mystery of the Ayn Sof. and are bound up in the life of man. legal and imaginative. KABBALAH internal heart.1 Concealed and Revealed God known.”[46] " The structure of emanations has been described in various ways: Sefirot (Divine attributes) and Partzufim (Divine “faces”).3. to an infinite number of possibilities). Beri'ah. Ten Sefirot as process of Creation According to Lurianic cosmology. their theocentric manifestation as the Trees of Life and Knowledge. It is not God who changes but the ability to perceive God that changes. as a tree with roots above and branches below • Gevurah (sometimes referred to as Din-justice or Pachad-fear) (severity/strength) • Rachamim also known as Tiphereth (mercy) aspects of Kabbalah. these pillars of morality become immoral once they become extremes. which themselves contain ten sefirot. and incorporate masculine and feminine aspects after Genesis 1:27 (“God created man in His own image. as they correspond to the psychological faculties of the soul. exemplified as Adam Kadmon.[47] and are emanated from the Creator for the purpose of creating the universe. and four worlds within each of the larger four worlds. Downward flow of divine Light in Creation forms the supernal Four Worlds. This dual-directional perspective embodies the cyclical. male and female He created them”). The central metaphor of man allows human understanding of the sephirot.[48] and they should not be understood as ten different “gods” but as ten different ways the one God reveals his will through the Emanations. Two metaphors are used to describe the sephirot. in the image of God He created him. The sefirot are considered revelations of the Creator’s will (ratzon). and their anthropocentric correspondence in man. representing above- • Chochmah (the highest potential of thought) • Binah (the understanding of the potential) • Daat (intellect of knowledge) • Chesed (sometimes referred to as Gedolahgreatness) (loving-kindness) Scheme of descending Sefirot in 3 columns. The acts of • Netzach (victory/eternity) • Hod (glory/splendour) • Yesod (foundation) • Malkuth (kingdom) Ten Sefirot as process of ethics Divine creation by means of the Ten Sefirot is an ethical process. and Gevurah is the Moral Justification of Justice and both are mediated by Mercy which is Rachamim. However. their anthropomorphic harmony completing Creation. the sefirot correspond to various levels of creation (ten sefirot in each of the Four Worlds. the sephirot correspond to the names of God in Judaism and the particular nature of any entity. The names of the sefirot in descending order are: • Keter (supernal conscious will) crown. Atziluth. inclusive nature of the divine flow. conserving 10 forces. As the spiritual foundation of Creation. CONCEPTS 13 man unite or divide the Heavenly masculine and feminine aspects of the sephirot.2. Loving-Kindness is a possible moral justification found in Chessed. where alternative divine and human perspectives have validity. eleven sefirot are named.3. Corresponding to the last sefirah in Creation is the indwelling shekhinah (Feminine Divine Presence). When Loving-Kindness become extreme it can lead to sexual depravity and lack of Justice . They represent the different aspects of Morality. However Keter and Daat are unconscious and conscious dimensions of one principle. each containing ten sefirot. Yetzirah and Assiah manifesting the dominance of successive sephirot towards action in this world. Altogether. introducing disharmony among the Sephirot in the divine realm and exile from God throughout Creation. In the views of some Kabbalists this conceives 'evil' as a 'quality of God'. these actions must accompany the conscious intention of compassion.14 CHAPTER 2.. asserting that negativity enters into the essence of the Absolute. The demonic realm. This paradox is dealt with at length in Chabad texts. However. and yet also protect it by limiting its of Judaism in the kabbalistic context of the ten sefirot.[49] ical notion. censored contemporary Practical Kabbalah. so that the Creation effected no change in him at all. Gevurah is necessary for Creation to exist as it counterposes Chesed (“loving-kindness”). it is necessary to show compassion toward oneself too in order to share compassion toward others.3. through an imbalance of Gevurah. This “selfish” enjoyment of God’s blessings but only in order to empower oneself to assist others is an important aspect of “Restriction”. If there were no righteous humans.e. related to Kabbalistic meditation to the wicked. making all levels in creation part of one great. though illusory in its holy origin. to exist. While real human actions are the “Foundation” (Yesod) of this universe (Malchut). becomes the real apparent realm of impurity in lower Creation. i. restricting the unlimited divine bounty within suitable vessels. so forming the Worlds. especially Luria. if man sins (actualising impure judgement within his soul). and the Kelipot/Qliphoth Moses ben Jacob Cordovero. When Justice becomes extreme. Theosophical kabbalists. Ultimately. it can lead to torture and the Murder of innocents and unfair punishment. and creation would cease to exist. Scholem termed this element of the Spanish Tomer Devorah has become also a foundational Musar Kabbalah a “Jewish gnostic” motif. corresponding to the sefirah of Adornment (Tiferet) being part of the “Middle Column”. God’s existence is higher than anything that this world can express.[52] Foundational texts of Medieval Kabbalism conceived evil as a demonic parallel to the holy. wrote Tomer Devorah (the “Shells/Husks”) that cover and conceal the holy. the blessings of God would become completely hidden. Amulet from the 1400s. Through this any lower creation reflects its particular characteristics in Supernal Divinity. all else being completely undifferentiated from God’s perspective. are (Palm Tree of Deborah). and is considered a kind of golden mean in kabbalah. gradually descending chain of being. the supernal Judgement is reciprocally empowered over the Kindness. he presents an ethical teaching nurtured from it. . Compassionate actions are often impossible without faith (Emunah). KABBALAH According to this philosophy.3. Hasidic thought extends the Divine immanence of Kabbalah by holding that God is all that really exists. In this view it is conceived that the Absolute needs evil to 'be what it is’. Medieval Kabbalists believed that all things are linked to God through these emanations.3 Descending spiritual Worlds of “Strength/Judgement/Severity”. yet he includes all things of this world within his Divine reality in perfect unity. revelation. meaning to trust that God always supports compassionate actions even when God seems hidden. in the sense of dual powers in the divine realm of manifestation. “Righteous” humans (tzadikim) ascend these ethical qualities of the ten sefirot by doing righteous actions. In a radtext. but allowed amulets by Sages[51] Among problems considered in the Hebrew Kabbalah is the theological issue of the nature and origin of evil. called the Sitra Achra (the “Other Side”). the root of evil is found within the 10 holy Sephirot.[50] 2. This view can be defined as monistic panentheism.4 Origin of evil In the 16-17th centuries Kabbalah was popularised through a new genre of ethical literature. the power 2. • Ruach (‫)רוח‬: the middle soul. Jewish mysticism. This part of the soul is provided at birth. the harmony of Creation within man. It is the source of one’s physical and psychological nature. uniting masculine and feminine forces on High.3. development of mainstream Midrashic and Talmudic Rabbinic notions. and their role in harmonising the supernal divine flow. such as Nachmanides and Joseph Karo. though conceptually continuous. Abraham Abulafia's meditations included the “inner illumination of” the human form[54] The Kabbalah posits that the human soul has three elements. They are said to only fully exist in people awakened spiritually. Many kabbalists were also leading legal figures in Judaism. It contains the moral virtues and the ability to distinguish between good and evil. gave Divine-immanent providential cosmic significance to the daily events in the worldly life of man in general. of the soul. kabbalistic thought underscored and invigorated conservative Jewish observance. The 613 mitzvot are embodied in the organs and soul of man. could replace esoteric abilities.3. The next two parts of the soul are not implanted at birth. Accompanying normative Jewish observance and worship with elite mystical kavanot intentions gave them theurgic power. . but can be developed over time. In the Christian Kabbalah this scheme was universalised to describe harmonia mundi. in contrast to Divine transcendence rationalist human-centred reasons for Jewish observance. and enters the physical body at birth.[53] In Judaism. and the spiritual role of Jewish observance in particular. 2. ru'ach. While the kabbalistic scheme gave a radically innovative. but sincere observance by common folk. as his soul and body correspond to the supernal divine manifestations. it gave a profound spiritualisation of Jewish practice. Lurianic kabbalah incorporates this in the more inclusive scheme of Jewish messianic rectification of exiled Building on Kabbalah’s conception of the soul. the “spirit”. CONCEPTS 15 divinity. It is linked to instincts and bodily cravings.2. the nefesh. The nefesh is found in all humans. and neshamah.3.6 Levels of the soul Joseph Karo's role as both legalist and mystic underscores Kabbalah’s spiritualisation of normative Jewish observance 2. their development depends on the actions and beliefs of the individual. A common way of explaining the three parts of the soul is as follows: • Nefesh (‫)נפש‬: the lower part. the feminine Divine presence in this world is drawn from exile to the Holy One Above.5 Role of Man Kabbalistic doctrine gives man the central role in Creation. or “animal part”. With this. The esoteric teachings of kabbalah gave the traditional mitzvot observances the central role in spiritual creation. especially in the Hasidic popularisation of kabbalah. whether the practitioner was learned in this knowledge or not. Medieval kabbalah elaborates particular reasons for each Biblical mitzvah. 3. leading to a new crisis of Shevirah (Shattering) of the sephirot vessels. The supraexists only when one is observing Shabbat. poured. attempts were made to interpret and systemise the doc• Ruach HaKodesh (‫“( )רוח הקודש‬spirit of holiness”): trines within its imagery.3. called Gilgul neshamot (“Cycles of the soul”). or “super-soul”. the antithesis of the ultimate Divine Will. Both rabbinic and kabbalistic works posit that there are a few additional.Tzimtzum (Constriction/Concentration) is the primordial ments. a section of related teachings cosmic process of rectification. 12 for girls) and is related messianism in Kabbalah. in which one can achieve as full a union with God as is possible. • Yehidah (‫)יחידה‬: The highest plane of the soul. • Chayyah (‫)חיה‬: The part of the soul that allows one to have an awareness of the divine life force itself. However. The shards of the broken vessels fell down into the lower realms. and was rejected by various Medieval Jewish philosophers. The concept does istence that would not become nullified by the pristine Infinite Light. These extra souls. the transmigration of the soul after death. the Kabbalists explained a number of scriptural passages in reference to Gilgulim. this was subsequently superseded by the mythological. was introduced into Judaism as a central esoteric tenet of Kabbalah from the Medieval period onwards. but are mentioned for completeness: After publication of the Zohar in the late 13th century. no one in 16th century Safed. it can be lost and gained depending on leaving a “void” into which the light of existence was one’s study and observance. This allowed the emergence of independent ex- 2.16 CHAPTER 2. but led to an initial instability called Tohu (Chaos). and to be within the 2. Galilee. Gershom Scholem writes that these “were considered to represent the sublimest levels of intuitive cognition. reconciling the unity of the Ein Sof with the plurality of creation.7 Reincarnation Main article: Gilgul Reincarnation.8 Tzimtzum. It makes possible the foundation of modern kabbalah. Shevirah and lost and gained depending on one’s observance. discusses fourth and fifth balah and Hasidic Judaism. who systemised it as the personal parallel to the The Raaya Meheimna. Lurianic theosophy became Jew can experience on Shabbat. Through Lurianic Kabspread throughout the Zohar. the chayyah and yehidah (first Jewish culture as a literary motif. This dieval theosophy within its wider explanation. a new emanation after the Tzimtzum shone into the vacuum to begin creation. to the study and fulfillment of the Torah command. This changed the first creative act into one of withdrawal/exile. longer. explaining Jewish maturity (13 for boys. non-permanent states of the soul that people can develop on certain occasions. incorporating Mean enhanced spiritual enjoyment of the day. KABBALAH • Neshamah (‫)נשמה‬: the higher soul. This separates man from all other life-forms. 16th century graves of Safed. not appear overtly in the Hebrew Bible or classic Rabbinic literature. This culminated in the succesa state of the soul that makes prophecy possible. the Torah. It allows one to have some awareness of the existence and presence of God. mentioned in the Midrash Rabbah). It exists only when one studies and follows cosmic act whereby God “contracted” His infinite light. It is related to the intellect and allows man to enjoy and benefit from the afterlife. it can be rational Lurianic doctrines of Tzimtzum. animated by remnants of their divine . Shevirah and Tikun grasp of only a few chosen individuals”. The concept became central to the later Kabbalah of Isaac Luria. dynamic scheme of Isaac Luria. reincarnation entered popular parts of the human soul. sive. recorded by Chaim Vi• Neshamah Yeseira: The “supplemental soul” that a tal and his other disciples. The Chayyah and the Yechidah do not enter into the body like the other three—thus they received less attention in other sections of the Zohar. Tikun reorganised Kabbalistic doctrine around crisis• Neshamah Kedosha: Provided to Jews at the age of catharsis Divine exile and redemption. play no part in any afterlife scheme. In contrast. While Cordovero systemised Me(outside of Israel) receives the soul of prophecy any dieval kabbalah in a rationally influenced linear scheme. The messianic focus of its mystical renaissance culminated in Lurianic thought or extra states of the soul. comprehensive expositions of Cordovero and Luria Since the age of classical prophecy passed. Ben Sira (born c. This method of interpretation was used extensively by various schools. word. saying: “You shall have no business with secret things”.tification in Etz Chayim. Exile and enclothement of higher divinity within lower realms throughout existence requires man to complete the Tikkun olam (Rectification) process.000 years ago. because Malkhut is called the Apple Field. masters of this wisdom. but his sin caused new shevirah of Divine vitality. Uniquely. requiring the Giving of the Torah to begin Messianic rectification. Kabbalists were able to find a hidden meaning in each word. In Lurianic expression. tion is presented in Pardes Rimonim. According to interpretations of Luria. even produced.[55] The creation of Adam would have redeemed existence. 170 BCE) warns against it. while Gilgul reincarnation emerges from the scheme. parallel to the sephirot. and also the Kelipot (Impure Shells) of previous Medieval kabbalah. guage and through the Torah into a full linguistic mysti. previously referred to obliquely in the Zohar. the Heichalot mystical ascent literature. PRIMARY TEXTS light. Gematria is one method for discovering its hidden meanings. From the catastrophe stems the possibility of self-aware Creation.ulation in the works of the Maharal. Hebrew. mystical studies were underKabbalistic painting of the supernal illumination of Hebrew let. Cordoveran systemisaity of meaning turns the whole Torah into a Divine name. “The reapers of the Field are the Comrades.Bahir. The process was arranged to shed and harmonise the Divine Infinity with the latent potential of evil. each of the 600. the meanings.taken and resulted in mystical literature.Throughout the centuries since. philosophical articAs the Hebrew name of things is the channel of their life.3. never developed a separate numerical alphabet. the Torah of the Tree of Knowledge is the external. number. Halachic Torah.Gedolot (Main Commentators). over the centuries.9 Linguistic mysticism of Hebrew 17 ness” and "mitzvot" embody ontological Divine immanence. The infinite potential of meaning in the Torah. the catastrophe stemmed from the “unwillingness” of the residue imprint after the Tzimtzum to relate to the new vitality that began creation. Classic mystical Bible cominterpretation for ascertaining these meanings. among them the ancient descriptions of Seaccent on words of the Hebrew Bible contain esoteric fer Yetzirah.”[56] As early as the 1st century BCE Jews believed that the Torah (first five books of the Hebrew Bible) and wider canonical texts contained encoded messages and hidden meanings. the first being ters in Creation the Apocalyptic literature of the second and first preKabbalistic thought extended Biblical and Midrashic no. In this. Historical and individual history becomes the narrative of reclaiming exiled Divine sparks. is reflected in the symbol of the two trees of the Garden of Eden. many texts have been cism. Rectification Above corresponds to the reorganization of the independent sefirot into relating Partzufim (Divine Personas). Names of mentaries are included in fuller versions of the Mikraot God in Judaism have further prominence. causing primordial exile within the Divine Persona before the creation of man. Each letter in Hebrew also represents a number.[57] Nonetheless.2. as God can be known in manifestation as well as transcendence.Christian centuries and which contained elements that tions that God enacted Creation through the Hebrew lan. describing the spiritual dimensions within ex. 2. The metaphorical anthropomorphism of the partzufim accentuates the sexual unifications of the redemption process.carried over to later kabbalah. much of the oral tradition has been written down. Subsequent interpretation of . 2.4.000 souls of Israel find their own interpretation in Torah. Sefer Raziel HaMalakh and the Zohar. Jewish forms of esotericism existed over 2. the texts of kabbalah were once part of an ongoing oral tradition. By converting letters to numbers. Lurianism gave formerly private mysticism the urgency of Messianic social involvement. and it teaches the hermeneutic methods of text of Kabbalistic exegesis. and She grows sprouts of secrets and new meanings of Torah. so concepts such as “holi.4 Primary texts Main article: Kabbalah: Primary texts Like the rest of the Rabbinic literature. though. though fluid. the main oteric ideas. and Lurianic recforce. Those who constantly create new interpretations of Torah are the ones who reap Her. through which mystics can perceive the unlimited Torah of the Tree of Life. unlike many other languages. as in the Ein Sof. every Hebrew letter. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem has been a centre of this research. In the mid-20th century.edly dates back to the patriarch Abraham. one of the most serious and sustained criticisms is that it may lead away from monotheism. it was left to Gershom Scholem to overturn their stance. Yehuda Liebes. Main article: List of Jewish mysticism scholars The first modern-academic historians of Judaism.toward pseudepigraphy has its roots in apocalyptic literaish mysticism from historical kabbalistic metaphysics. Rachel Elior.g. and making Heichalot. the early Sefer Yetzirah. Moshe Idel has opened up research on the Ecstatic Kabbalah alongside the theosophical.[62] 2. and Moshe Idel. For example. KABBALAH oteric Halakha. of Kabbalah. Aza and Azaz'el (in other places. In Scholem’s opinion. supposspondence in inward perception. Hasidism interpreted kabbalistic structures to their corre. framed Judaism in solely rational terms in the emancipatory Haskalah spirit of their age. This tendency ment of kabbalah incorporates a successive stage of Jew. establishing the flourishing present-day academic investigation of Jewish mysticism. e. believes creation is ontologically divided between good and evil forces. the second.5 Scholarship Genesis 6:4). including Scholem and Isaiah Tishby. anthropology and comparative studies. the origins of Kabbalah. virtually all early foundational works pseudepigraphically claim. which claims that esoteric knowledge such as magic. to include phenomenology. Daniel Matt[61] and Ada Rapoport-Albert.Another famous work. rather than the ex- 2. and he thought that they. from Mantua. psychology. and more recently Joseph Dan. was. The dualistic system holds that there is a good power versus an evil power. There are two primary models of Gnostic-dualistic cosmology: the first. They opposed kabbalah and restricted its significance from Jewish historiography. according to the kabbalists. main sourcebook ancient authorship. found .6 Criticism 2.6. the "Wissenschaft des Judentums" school of the 19th century.[58] The Hasidic develop. Kabbalistic and Hasidic texts the objects of scholarly critical-historical study. the belief that there is a supernatural counterpart to God. Azaz'el and Uzaz'el) who fell from heaven (see 2. Title page of first printed edition of the Zohar. on such questions as Heichalot mysticism and a Jewish “gnosticism”. transmitted by the angel Raziel to Adam after Lurianic Kabbalah was made in the writings of Shalom he was evicted from Eden. Sharabi. and instead promote dualism. and has called for new multi-disciplinary approaches.18 CHAPTER 2. Elliot Wolfson.1 Claims for authority Historians have noted that most claims for the authority of kabbalah involve an argument of the antiquity of authority (see.1 Dualistic cosmology Although Kabbalah propounds the Unity of God. divination and astrology was transmitted to humans in the mythic past by the two angels. the mythical and mystical components of Judaism were at least as important as the rational ones. or are ascribed. Sefer ha-Razim. Scholars in the present generation have revised early theories including Scholem’s.[60] Scholars across the eras of Jewish mysticism in America and Britain have included Arthur Green. Italy in 1558 an astro-magical text partly based on a magical manual of late antiquity. were the living current in historical Jewish development. and the sources of Hasidism. Joseph Dan’s discussion in his Circle of the Unique Cherub).5. Sefer Raziel HaMalach. in Nefesh HaChaim and the 20th-century Sulam. beyond the philological and historical that have dominated until now.[59] ture. Lawrence Fine.. As a result. which goes back to Zoroastrianism. Gershom Scholem writes: 19 It is clear that with this postulate of an impersonal basic reality in God.. and therefore they are all impure. 1745). for example. starting with the Patristic writings. Rather. This second model influenced the cosmology of the Kabbalah.. appear to affirm dualism. but not value. nefesh.2.. The Zohar comments on the Biblical verse which states “Let the waters teem with swarms of creatures that have a living soul” as follows: “The verse 'creatures that have a living soul. e. For example. all adherents of Kabbalah have consistently stressed the ultimate unity of God. the Ten Sefirot correspond to ten levels of creation.. Rabbi Dr. which then form the building blocks of creation. as they ascribe all evil to the separation from holiness known as the Sitra Achra[63] (“the other side”) which is opposed to Sitra D'Kedushah. and the rest of the infinity of God as remaining hidden from human experience (corresponding to Arich Anpin). there is God as revealed to humans (corresponding to Zeir Anpin). according to the author Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (b. the hidden nature of God exists above it all without limit. one per level. —Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism Shocken Books (p. evil. Volume 6. being called the Infinite or the “No End” (Ein Sof)—neither one nor the other. the Zohar indicates that the Sitra Ahra has no power over Ein Sof. but a reflection of the inner moral combat within mankind between the dictates of morality and the surrender to one’s basic instincts.. this view is popular in some Hasidic circles. similar to an angel.6. from where do they come? Rabbi Elazar says that they have souls from the impure left side. While God may seem to exhibit dual natures (masculinefeminine. his soul is still fundamentally different in character.It will not surprise us to find that speculation has run the whole gamut—from attempts to re-transform the impersonal En-Sof into the personal God of the Bible to the downright heretical doctrine of a genuine dualism between the hidden Ein Sof and the personal Demiurge of Scripture. creator-creation). 244]. and from God come their holy souls. These levels of creation must not be understood as ten different “gods” but as ten different ways of revealing God. and only exists as a necessary aspect of the creation of God to give man free choice.[64] The “left side” of divine emanation is a negative mirror image of the “side of holiness” with which it was locked in combat. While this evil aspect exists within the divine structure of the Sefirot. CRITICISM largely in Greco-Roman metaphysics like Neo-Platonism. for they are the children of God. and that evil is the consequence of this choice. but that a cosmic disruption yielded a second. Kabbalism abandons the personalistic basis of the Biblical conception of God. It is not God who changes but the ability to perceive God that changes. According to Kabbalists..11–12) 2. On the other hand. ruach and neshamah while non-Jews have only nefesh. Some later Kabbalistic works build and elaborate on these ideas. argues that the universe knew a primordial harmony. dimension to reality.' pertains to the Jews. A number of prominent Kabbalists. in all discussions of Male and Female. it is held by some that Jews have three levels of soul. another reading of the same theology is that it is dualistic.. by Yehuda . [Encyclopaedia Judaica.2 Distinction between Jews and nonJews A number of medieval Kabbalistic sources contain statements to the effect that the Jewish soul is ontologically different from the soul of non-Jews. compassionate-judgmental. or the Side of Holiness. e.[67] A similar view is found in early medieval philosophical book Kuzari. defiling anyone who comes near them” (Zohar commentary on Genesis). held that only some marginal elements in the humanity represent these demonic forces. According to Kabbalistic cosmology. Others hold that non-divine spiritual entities were indeed created by God as a means for exacting his will.And the souls of the other nations. transcending any definition. which becomes a person—or appears as a person—only in the process of Creation and Revelation. similar to panentheism. the souls of Jewish heretics have much more satanic energy than the worst of idol worshippers. Such theologically framed hostility may have been a response to some medieval demonization of Jews which developed in some parts of Western and Christian society and thought. The ability of God to become hidden from perception is called “Restriction” (Tzimtzum).g. p. One point of view is represented by the Hasidic work Tanya (1797). especially Satmar Hasidim. can achieve a high level of spirituality. righteous Gentiles do not have this demonic aspect and are in many ways similar to Jewish souls. humans cannot yet understand the infinity of God. the author of Sefer ha-Brit. a Heavenly Court or the Sitra Ahra are only given to humanity by God as a working model to understand His ways within our own epistemological limits. from a Jewish one. Hiddenness makes creation possible because God can become “revealed” in a diversity of limited ways. including the Zohar. They reject the notion that a satan or angels actually exist.[66] According to Isaac Luria (1534–72) and other commentators on the Zohar. Kabbalistic texts. in order to argue that Jews have a different character of soul: while a non-Jew.g. Rabbi Pinchas Eliyahu of Vilna. “Dualism”. David Gottlieb notes that many Kabbalists hold that the concepts of. It is not a supernatural force opposed to God.[65] One reading of this theology is monotheistic.6.. Hinduism.6. called for brotherly love and solidarity between all nations. a number of renowned Kabbalists claimed the exact opposite. there are still Kabbalists today who harbor this view. Hadith. Islam. the contemporary Habad Rabbi and mystic Dov Ber Pinson teaches that distinctions between Jews and non-Jews in works such as the Tanya are not to be understood as literally referring to the external properties of a person (what religious community they are born into). provides many examples of non-Jewish Biblical figures being reincarnated into Jews and vice versa.[71] The works of Abraham Cohen de Herrera (1570–1635) are full of references to Gentile mystical philosophers.However. 2. David Messer Leon and Abraham Yagel. adhered to humanistic ideals and incorporated teachings of various Christian and pagan mystics. Avesta and pagan mysteries according to Golden age of Spanish Judaism on the Knesset Menorah. Menahem Azariah da Fano (1548–1620). . A prime representative of this humanist stream in Kabbalah was Rabbi Elijah Benamozegh. Abraham Yehudah refined from within. according to Judaism. such as Yohanan Alemanno. Late medieval and Renaissance Italian Kabbalists. many well known Kabbaltiles have essentially Jewish souls. a prominent Lithuanian-Galician Kabbalist of the 18th century and a moderate proponent of the Haskalah. many prominent Kabbalists rejected this idea and believed in essential equality of all human souls. He argues that. Maimonides holding Aristotle's work The idea that there are ten divine sefirot could evolve over time into the idea that “God is One being. Vedas. with prophetic abilities. Khein (b. yet in that One being there are Ten” which opens up a debate about what the “correct beliefs” in God should be. ficial denomination of the individual.20 Halevi (1075-1141 AD).[68] perception of Gentiles found in some exponents of Kabbalah. On the other hand. KABBALAH the Kabbalistic theosophy. In his writings. 1878). he argues. in his book Reincarnations of souls. but rather as referring to the properties of souls as they can be re-incarnated in any religious community. or spiritualised the very definition of “Jews” and David Halperin[70] argues that the collapse of Kabbalah’s influence among Western European Jews over the course “non-Jews” and argued that a soul can be re-incarnated in different communities (whether Jewish or not) as much of the 17th and 18th century was a result of the cogni[68] tive dissonance they experienced between the negative as within a single one. Jews and Gentiles alike. it is inaccurate to say that the idea has been totally rejected in all circles. rather than the super“Jews” and “Gentile” as different levels of perception. as explained above. it is an ethical demand on the part of scholars to continue to be vigilant with regard to this matter and in this way the tradition can be Another prominent Habad Rabbi. In their view.[69] The great was to be interpreted metaphorically. which represent different facets and stages of the universal human spirituality. as well as a whole range of ancient pagan mystical systems. which would challenge the view of Halperin cited above as well as the notion that “modern Judaism” has rejected or dismissed this “outdated aspect” of the religion and. Benamozegh interprets the New Testament. “who just lack the for. and their own positive dealings with non-Jews. They argued that the term “Jew” “Jewish merely by their birth documents”. see Wolfson. Such approach was particularly common among the Renaissance and post-Renaissance Italian Jews.ists rejected the literal interpretation of these seemingly mal conversion to Judaism”. Kabbalah transcends the borders of Judaism and can serve as a basis of interreligious theosophy and a universal religion. who explicitly praised Christianity. CHAPTER 2.[73] He provides numerous examples from the 17th to the 20th centuries. as referring to the 20th-century Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag viewed the terms spiritual development of the soul. Rabbi Pinchas Elijah Hurwitz. while it is accurate to say that many Jews do and would find this distinction offensive. and believed that Kabbalah can empower everyone. Medieval views However. and that unspiritual Jews are discriminatory views. and they added a available to every human soul. He believed that Kabbalah can reconcile the differences between the world religions.3 which were rapidly expanding and improving during this period due to the influence of the Enlightenment. As Wolfson has argued.[72] For a different perspective. Zoroastrianism. believed that spiritually elevated Gen. chain of intermediary states between “Jews” and idol worshippers. prohibit any use of mediators between oneself and the Creator as a form of idolatry. He particularly singled out the Sefer Bahir. a 17th-century Venetian critic of Kabbalah. brother of Nechama Leibowitz. Rabbi Yitzchak ben Sheshet Perfet (The Rivash). an early-20th-century Yemenite Jewish leader and grandfather of Yosef Qafih. They are conduits for interaction.2. Yihhyah Qafahh’s book Milhhamoth HaShem and elaborated upon these views in his many writings.6. wrote that if we were to accept the Kabbalah. one of whom became a human being. not just into three. Rabbi Leone di Modena. In fact. sented by the Sefirot. further. not persons or beings. While a portion of Modern Orthodox Rabbis. on the grounds that the concept of the Christian Trinity posits that there are three persons existing within the Godhead. This critique was in that Jews who believe in reincarnation have adopted a response to the knowledge that some European Jews of the period addressed individual Sefirot in some of their non-Jewish belief. His works.4 Orthodox Judaism Rabbi Abraham ben Moses ben Maimon. since time and space simply do not apply to His Being whatsoever. Nachmanides (13th century) provides background to Yaakov Emden. as the Trinity closely resembles the Rabbi Saadia Gaon teaches in his book Emunot v'Deot Kabbalistic doctrine of the Sefirot. that His 'essence' is within everything. rejecting the attribution of its authorship to the tanna R. CRITICISM 21 wisdom. Dor Daim and many students of the Rambam. 1326– 1408. particularly Shi'ur Qomah whose starkly anand not necessarily to the aspects of Godliness repre[74] thropomorphic vision of God he considered heretical. been written by Shimon bar Yochai. the mainstream understanding of the Kabbalistic Sefirot holds that they have no mind or intelligence. though Modern Orthodox in his world view. although the practise was apparently uncommon. and other predecessors. and attempted to defend it from attackers. such as Maimonidies in his work Mishneh Torah. then the Christian trinity would indeed be compatible with Judaism. publicly shared the views expressed in R. Most followers of Kabbalah have never followed this interpretation of Kabbalah.6. all three of these groups completely accept the existence and validity of Ma'aseh Merkavah and Ma'aseh B'resheet mysticism. Nonetheless. There is dispute among modern Haredim as to the status of Isaac Luria’s. specifically to explain and elaborate on the Kabbalistic concepts addressed by Nachmanides in his commentary to the Five books of Moses Kabbalah mysticism on the Knesset Menorah. many important poskim. wrote the book Mitpahhath many Kabbalistic ideas. as well as deny that the Zohar is authoritative. the early Kabbalists. prayers. He is credited with spearheading the Dor Daim who continue in Yihhyah Qafahh’s view of Kabbalah into modern times. Although as is evident from his response on the topic (157) the Rivash was skeptical of certain interpretations of Kabbalah popular in his time. which shared some similarities of theory with Jewish Neoplatonists 2. a detailed critique of the Zoof various concepts. entitled har in which he concludes that certain parts of the Zohar Gevuras Aryeh. they are not addressed in prayer and they cannot become a human being. Around the 1230s. as it made God into 10. Rabbi Saadiah Gaon. 1697–1776. Yeshayahu Leibowitz 1903–1994. it is equally evident that overall he did accept Kabbalah as received Jewish Yihhyah Qafahh. was authored by Rabbi Yaakov Yehuda contain heretical teaching and therefore could not have Aryeh Leib Frenkel and originally published in 1915. In contrast. Nehhunya ben ha-Kanah and describing some of its content as truly heretical. To this end he cited and rejected a certain philosopher who claimed that Kabbalah was “worse than Christianity”. the Arizal's Kabbalistic teachings. offer in-depth Sfarim (Veil of the Books). Maimonides (12th century) rejected many of the texts of Apologists explain that Jews may have been praying for the Hekalot. characterizing them as blasphemers who even approach heresy. Rabbi Meir ben Simon of Narbonne wrote an epistle (included in his Milhhemet Mitzvah) against his contemporaries. Their only disagreement concerns whether the Kabbal- . This is in contrast to certain popular understandings of modern Kabbalah which teach a form of panentheism. completely reject Arizal’s Kabbalistic teachings. or from Shimon bar Yohai. Torah. an entire book. in the spirit of his father Maimonides. explains at length in his book Milhhamot HaShem that the Almighty is in no way literally within time or space nor physically outside time or space. also wrote a book entitled Milhamoth ha-Shem (Wars of the Name) against what he perceived as the false teachings of the Zohar and the false Kabbalah of Isaac Luria. but the academic study of Kabbalah was According to Artson: “scholarship”. This view became popular among many Ours is an age hungry for meaning.[79] However. though its influences were not completely eliminated. denigrating Kabbalah as backward. the Kabbalistic Kabbalat Shabbat service remained part of liberal liturgy. as was the B'rikh Shmeh passage from the Zohar.[76][77][78] 2. respectively. who viewed the subject as worthy of study. both the Jewish Theological Seminary and the Ziegler School of Rabbinical Studies of the University of Judaism in Los Angeles have full-time instructors in Kabbalah and Hasidut. All Rabbinical seminaries now teach several courses in Kabbalah—in Conservative Judaism. Reform Rabbis like Herbert Weiner and Lawrence Kushner have renewed interest in Kabbalah among Reform Jews. but who . in the 1960s. Nevertheless. In the Reform movement Sharon Koren teaches at the Hebrew Union College. Eitan Fishbane and Pinchas Geller. Reform and Reconstructionist Judaism Many western Jews insisted that their future and their freedom required shedding what they perceived as parochial orientalism. KABBALAH A version of Lekhah Dodi song to welcome the Shabbat. Anim Zemirot and the 16th-century mystical poem Lekhah Dodi reappeared in the Reform Siddur Gates of Prayer in 1975. for Jews. and marginal. while not necessarily agreeing with it. and the mystical Ushpizin service welcoming to the Sukkah the spirits of Jewish forbearers. Kabbalah tended to be rejected by most Jews in the Conservative and Reform movements. Rabbi Saul Lieberman of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America is reputed to have introduced a lecture by Scholem on Kabbalah with a statement that Kabbalah itself was “nonsense”.22 CHAPTER 2. At the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. Rabbis Eliyahu Dessler and Gedaliah Nadel maintained that it is acceptable to believe that the Zohar was not written by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and that it had a late authorship.6. a popular Jewish custom from the Safed Kabbalists istic teachings promulgated today are accurate representations of those esoteric teachings to which the Talmud refers. The Kabbalistic 12thcentury prayer Anim Zemirot was restored to the new Conservative Sim Shalom siddur. the only accredited seminary that has curricular requirements in Kabbalah. Joel Hecker is the full-time instructor teaching courses in Kabbalah and Hasidut. While it was generally not studied as a discipline. According to Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson (Dean of the Conservative Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in the American Jewish University) Tikun for reading through the night of Shavuot. in the late 20th century and early 21st century there has been a revival in interest in Kabbalah in all branches of liberal Judaism. superstitious. Within the Haredi Jewish community one can find both rabbis who sympathise with such a view.5 Conservative. as did the Yedid Nefesh prayer. a cross denomination Jewish custom from Kabbalah did not accept Kabbalah as teaching literal truths. They fashioned a Judaism that was decorous and strictly rational (according to 19th-century European standards).[75] as well as rabbis who consider such a view absolute heresy. hence faithfulness to our commitment to positive-historical Judaism mandates a reverent receptivity to Kabbalah. who tradition in Western esotericism since the Renaisseek to disseminate kabbalah to every man. historicalNew Age terminology and beliefs for wider commucritical scholarly investigation of all eras of Jewnication.Davide Tonato plication. and with the influence of Zalman Schachter Shalomi. partment of university Jewish studies. or studied by leading rabbinic scholars. brought a strong openness to Kabbalah and hasidic elements that then came to play prominent roles in the Kol ha-Neshamah siddur series. since the mid-20th century. give an accurate representation of the Jewish spiriThese derive from various cross-denominational tual understanding (or vice-versa). universalist aspects. Gershom cieties. fraternities and secret sotury opposed and marginalised kabbalah. Where the • A third way are non-Jewish organisations. These groups highlight or interpret kabish mysticism has flourished into an established debalah through non-particularist. CONTEMPORARY STUDY 23 a sense of belonging. we have returned to the very Kabbalah our predecessors scorned. Jewish kabbalah with Christian. the and child regardless of race or class. and range from considered theology to popularised forms that often adopt • Fourthly. historical esoteric kabbalah. new universalist form. As a separate spiritual modern-style Jewish organisations and writers. for holiness. oil on canvas by the Italian artist explain kabbalistic concepts for wide spiritual ap. and Lithuanian Rabbinic scholars. through conscious reform and the secular openness of knowledge. though sometimes overlapping. The stone that the builders rejected has become the head cornerstone (Psalm 118:22).. although recent times.[25] The Reconstructionist movement. woman sance. continues in learned study circles. This changed in the 20th century. many Orthodox Jewish outreach orhundreds of similar societies claim a kabbalistic linganisations for secular Jews teach Kabbalistic and eage.2. under the leadership of Arthur Green in the 1980s and 1990s. Scholem and his successors repositioned the his- . ways: • The traditional method. mystery first academic historians of Judaism in the 19th censchools.. though others exist among Sephardi-Mizrachi. is the method of porary New Age spirituality. especially since non-Jewish traditions differ significantly and do not the Western interest in mysticism from the 1960s. initiation bodies. Kabbalah was the last universal theology adopted by the entire Jewish people. In contemporary times kabbalah is studied in four very different.[80] Jewish interests in kabbalah.7. Beyond elite.7 Contemporary study Teaching of classic esoteric kabbalah texts and practice remained traditional until recent times. passed on in Judaism from master to disciple. In that search. Its prerequisite is to either be born Jewish or be a convert and to join a group of kabbalists under the tutelage of a rabbi. since the 18th century more likely a Hasidic one. employed among Jews since the 16th century. the public-communally studied texts of Hasidic thought The Kabbalah Tree (1985). with different aims from its Jewish origin. occultist or contem• A second. 2. through their own concern with popular psychological perception of Divine Panentheism. These derive from syncretic combinations of Hasidic texts. the most popular of which are Freemasonry. In Rosicrucianism and the Golden Dawn. 3 • The Kabbalah Centre was founded in the United States in 1965 as The National Research Institute of Kabbalah by Philip Berg and Rav Yehuda Tzvi Brandwein. unrelated organisations that translate the mid20th century teachings of Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag into a contemporary universalist message. vital component of Judaic renewal through history. uniting the spiritual and material. Only both united complete the perfection desired by the Creator.2. Jewish mystical development has continued in Hasidic Judaism. the advantage of matter when it is purified. So equipped.7. psychoanalytic. Reform and Reconstructionalist Jewish denominations from the 1960s. Lawrence Kushner. The teaching strongly suggests restricting one’s studies to 'authentic sources’. based in Israel.4 Rav Kook lar disciplines. turning kabbalah into a social revival with texts that internalise mystical thought. Chabad-Lubavitch and Breslav with related organisations.7. run by Warren Kenton. becoming organisational among Conservative. Laitman named his group Bnei Baruch (sons of Baruch) to commemorate the memory of his mentor. Neo-Hasidism expressed a non-Orthodox Jewish interest in Jewish mysticism. kabbalists of the direct lineage of master to disciple. Rabbi Ashlag’s son Rav Baruch Ashlag.24 CHAPTER 2. The One God created both for one purpose – to reveal the holy light of His hidden power. and deconguage and concern with human and divine unity. Cross-disciplinary academic revisions of Scholem’s and others’ theories are regularly published for wide readership. His instructive thought we can begin to make sense fluence is in the Religious-Zionist community. The two are to be unified so one cannot detect where either begins or ends. Drob. In contrast.7. who follow . The writings and teachings of Zalman SchachterShalomi.1 Universalist Jewish organisations The two. KABBALAH toriography of Jewish mysticism as a central. articulating the Divine meaning within kabbalah through human rational analogies. traditional kabbalists read earlier kabbalah through later Lurianism and the systemisations of 16th-century Safed. Among different schools.”[87] • The New Kabbalah. Study materials are available in over 25 languages for free online or at printing cost. This approach seeks to enrich the secu.[83] In recent times its outreach teaching in New Age style has attracted a cross-religious celebrity following and media profile. give outward looking spiritual resources and textual learning for secular Jews.”[86] 2. have given kabbalah a public cross-religious profile: of the kabbalistic symbols in our own time. is a scholarly intellectual investigation of the Lurianic symbolism in the perspective of modern and postmodern intellectual thought. through Jewish Renewal and the Chavurah movement. but universalised through dialogue with modern philosophy and psychology. Arthur Green’s translations from the religious writings of Hillel Zeitlin conceive the latter to be a precursor of contemporary neo-Hasidism. Michael Laitman established Bnei Baruch in 1991.[81][82] 2.2 Neo-Hasidic From the early 20th century.7. disciple of Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag’s. for 'the Divine beginning is implanted in the end and the end in the beginning' (Sefer Yetzira 1:7). The Intellectual Hasidism of Chabad most emphasises the spread and understanding of kabbalah through its explanation in Hasidic thought. first formerly implicit in kabbalah’s essential myth:[85] Chief Rabbi of Mandate Palestine and visionary. website and books by Sanford L. Later Philip Berg and his wife re-established the organisation as the worldwide Kabbalah Centre. esoteric and exoteric in their Divine source: “Hasidic thought instructs in the predominance of spiritual form over physical matter. Hasidic Since the 18th century. and the advantage of form when integrated with matter. 2. though the organisation is led by Orthodox Jewish teachers. an organisation based instead on pre-Lurianic Medieval Kabbalah presented in universalist New Age syncretic style. following the passing of his teacher. Herbert Weiner and others.[84] Other prominent Jewish universalist organisations: • The Kabbalah Society. Arthur Green. we are today probably in a better position to understand the philosophical aspects of the kabbalah than were the kabbalists themselves. • Bnei Baruch is a group of Kabbalah students. incor“By being equipped with the nonlinear conporate kabbalistic themes through his own poetic lancepts of dialectical. while uncovering intellectual insights The writings of Abraham Isaac Kook (1864–1935). It seeks a “new kabbalah” rooted in the historical tradition through its academic study. has sought a Kabbalistic and Hasidic study and spirituality among modernist Jews. Joseph Dan. [2] KABBALAH? CABALA? QABALAH? from kabbalaonline. Beit haChokhma.Melingo Ltd.ZOHAR [9] The Written Law (The Torah) [10] http://www. Jerusalem Talmud Hagigah 2:1. Toldot Adam. Active vs. the higher qualities of the depths of Godly life are reduced to trivia that do not penetrate the depth of the soul.com . Aryeh Kaplan Jewish Meditation: A Practical Guide pp. Chapters on “the emergence of Medieval Kabbalah” and “doctrines of Medieval Kabbalah” [12] Moshe Idel.12 section 30 and p.The relationship of the esoteric to the exoteric in the fourfold Pardes interpretation of Torah and existence. 31 [13] Megillah 14a. pp. In the introduction he list five major schools of thought as to how to understand the Haim Vital’s understanding of the concept of Tzimtzum. [28] Babylonian Talmud Hagigah 14b. Oxford University Press.e. Hasidism: Between Ecstasy and Magic.”[88] 2."‫"אינסוף‬Morfix . Vol. Spring 2005. Oxford University Press 1995. The Sages. When this happens.2. [5] “Imbued with Holiness” . Retrieved 19 November 2014.8 See also • Abraham Abulafia • Aggadah • Ayin and Yesh • Jewish mysticism • Ka-Bala board game 25 [7] Shnei Luchot HaBrit. Joseph Dan. This translation based on Braude. From the Periphery to the Centre: Kabbalah and the Conservative Movement.‫™ ™מורפיקס‬.9. p. 9 Some Aspects of Contemporary Kabbalah • Notaricon • Temurah (Kabbalah) • The Four Who Entered Paradise [20] The Jewish Religion: A Companion. 2. From www. Shir HaShirim Rabbah 4:22. Rodkinson. the most mighty force is missing from the soul of nation and individual. Oxford University Press 2007. Entry: Kabbalah [21] Introduction to Raziel Hamalach. 57 No. Bradley Shavit. Oxford University Press.ssf/ 2014/01/theology_on_tap_winter_2014_un. United Synagogue Review. Kabbalah]. Ginzberg.html [11] Kabbalah: A very short introduction.kabbalaonline. This is a tragedy that we must combat with counsel and understanding..com/community/st-tammany/index. Elisha came to be considered heretical by his fellow Tannaim and the rabbis of the Talmud referred to him as Acher (‫“אחר‬The Other One”). R. Chapters: 5 Modern Times-I The Christian Kabbalah. • List of Jewish Kabbalists [18] Kabbala goes to yeshiva | Jerusalem Post • Mussar literature [19] Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction. Chapter 1 “The term and its uses” [4] .org [3] Kabbalah: A very short introduction. Schneur Zalman. and Streane."‫"ַקָּבָלה‬Morfix . section 47 by Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef • Kabbalah: Primary texts [17] See Ktavim Hadashim published by Rabbi Yaakov Hillel of Ahavat Shalom for a sampling of works by Haim Vital attributed to Isaac Luria that deal with other works. Retrieved 19 November 2014. Isaiah Horowitz. [27] Later.. 14 [8] Jewishencyclopedia. 2 [26] Urbach. with holiness and courage. Ruth Rabbah 1:2. [16] See Yechveh Daat Vol 3.Melingo Ltd. It is a commentary on Otzrot Haim by Haim Vital.184ff. Preface to the Wisdom of Truth p.105 bottom section of the left column as preface to the “Talmud Eser HaSfirot” [15] See Shem Mashmaon by Rabbi Shimon Agasi. “Baal HaSulam” [22] Stern.44–48 [14] Yehuda Ashlag. Joseph Dan. We should not negate any conception based on rectitude and awe of Heaven of any form—only the aspect of such an approach that desires to negate the mysteries and their great influence on the spirit of the nation.nola.‫™ ™מורפיקס‬.9 Notes [1] . .org [6] "The Freedom" by Yehuda Ashlag. Passive Meditation [23] SparkNotes: The Kabbalah: Ma’aseh merkavah [24] SparkNotes: The Kabbalah: Ma’aseh bereshit [25] Artson. and Exile finds favor essentially. NOTES his aim that the legal and imaginative aspects of Judaism should interfuse: “Due to the alienation from the 'secret of God' [i. Louis Jacobs. p. 163b-164a. Dan Cohn-Sherbok. 22. [31] Mishneh Torah. p. Oneworld pub. Jewish Encyclopedia. [48] The Song of the Soul. This Goldstein Learning Academy Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) is offering Soul Maps. Nov. [30] Louis Ginzberg. 1901–1906. Jewish Mysticism. “Kabbalahbased course focuses on emotional happiness”. W. tentative analysis of Gershom Scholem and Isaiah Tishby of Luria’s scheme [56] Moshe Cordovero. an ancient approach to human psychology. Boulder Jewish News. Feldman. “Ancient Tales Reveal Answers to the Greatest Mysteries of Life”. The course will address issues such as the Jewish view on Satan and the evil eye. Shauna (November 6.164 [38] The Jewish Religion: A Companion. The Need to Learn Kabbala [35] The Kabbalah Centre [36] Shulhan Arukh YD 246:4 [37] Shulhan Arukh 246:4 S"K 19 CHAPTER 2..” says Rabbi Yisroel Mangel of Chabad Jewish Center. Introduction to the book. Yesodei Torah. p. chapter on the Contemporary Era [45] Such as the theological novel The Town Beyond The Wall by Elie Wiesel. [42] Brackman. in Fides Catholica 1 (2006. [46] Zohar I. chapter on “Christian Kabbalah” [54] (Otzar Eden Ganuz. Baruch Emanuel. p. Oxford Ms. Jewish foods. [58] Overview of Hasidut from www.pr. “They’ve been through every book in the self-help aisle and they visit their therapist or confide in friends to sort through their feelings. 59 . 2013). We’ll explore the mystical dimension of the Talmud called the Aggadah. Matt [62] Moshe Idel. 1891. whether angels have wings. Ktav pub.Laenen. 12a) [55] Joseph Dan. Nissan Dovid Dubov Chabad.. Oxford University Press 1995: entry on Judah Loew [50] Wineberg. compare Talmud. Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction.org [59] The Founder of Hasidism.com/press-release/535848 [52] Piero Cantoni. Hasidism: Between Ecstasy and Magic. Hagigah. [53] Joseph Dan. 2011. Oxford. 83. Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction. practical use of amulets by Sages [40] http://www. Or Ha-Hammah on Zohar III. 1580. November 9. “This is a chance for the public to unravel layers of personal meaning from texts not usually available to non-scholars. The Enquirer. 2008).. Louis Jacobs.inner. and the Kabbalah has provided these tools for centuries. Streane.org: Kelipot and Sitra Achra. Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction. Chabad’s Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) will be partnering for the first time with the Jewish Community Center to present “Fascinating Facts: Exploring the Myths and Mysteries of Judaism. The vast majority of the Lurianic system deals only with the complexities found in the world of Atzilut as is explained in the introductions to both Otzrot Haim and Eitz Haim. KABBALAH [44] Joseph Dan. cautioned against the layman learning Kabbalah without its Hasidic explanation.120121 [47] See Otzrot Haim: Sha'ar TNT"A for a short explanation.com/index. ) [41] “Chabad. Fascinating Facts includes sessions on Jewish myth and urban legend. the Hebrew language.html?task=news_full& nid=374 [51] ban on Practical Kabbalah in our times. JCC offer ‘Myths and Mysteries of Judaism’". biblical stories and events. Oxford University Press. quoting Derech Mitzvosecha by Menachem Mendel Schneersohn [60] Moshe Idel [61] Daniel C. fol. 21. to uncover profound wisdom from some of the zaniest and most epic legends you’ll ever encounter. Pg.73 [49] J. p.26 [29] A.” Check date values in: |date= (help) [43] Steigerwald. People struggle every day to understand themselves and find inner peace. 13a. Oxford 1582. Cited in The Great Maggid by Jacob Immanuel Schochet. 106a [57] Sirach iii. Ohr HaChama [Light of the Sun] [34] Rabbi Avraham Azulai quoted in Erdstein. St.” said Rabbi Benjy Brackman who will be teaching the course. chs. “Demonology and Praxis of Exorcism and of the Liberation Prayers”. viii. He saw this as the cause of the contemporary mystical heresies of Sabbatai Zevi and Jacob Frank. Elisha ben Abuyah". fols. 20–21 [39] http://www. Chapters 2-4.” a newly developed six-session course commencing Monday. see also Hayei Haolam Haba. the Baal Shem Tov. Norman Lamm gives a Biblical. Midrash Genesis Rabbah.28 [63] Sitra Achra [64] Chabad.myjli. What people really need is a guide to help them navigate their own complexity. Spanning a wide range of intriguing subjects. [32] The Zohar [33] Rabbi Abraham Ben Mordechai Azulai.org [65] Arich Anpin [66] Fundamentals of Jewish Mysticism and Kabbalah By Ron H. Yechiel Bar-Lev.H. life cycle events and mysteries of the occult. 15a English translation from Jewish Mysticism – An Anthology. A Translation of the Treatise Chagigah from the Babylonian Talmud Cambridge University Press. Benjy (April 22. Midrashic and Kabbalistic exegesis of it in Faith and Doubt: Studies in Traditional Jewish Thought. and why pork is considered the quintessential non-kosher food. Louis Jewish Light. 1986. Lawrence. Lawrence. with “Rav E” and “Rav G” later identified by the author as Rabbi Eliyahu Dessler and Rabbi Gedaliah Nadel. footnote 1 on pages 475-476. Presented to Albert van der Heide on the Occasion of his Sixty-Fifth Birthday. Volume 1.10.. [83] Kabbalah. [85] newkabbalah. E. Lawrence. p.C. Tübingen: J.hevre. 2007. From the Periphery to the Center: Kabbalah & Conservative Judaism • Fine. [80] Joseph Dan.‫ר' אברהם חן‬ [70] article. The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth. p. The Early Kabbalah.‫סידור הרב‬ [81] "On Authentic Sources" by Rav Michael Laitman [68] Dov Ber Pinson.10 References • Bodoff. 2006. G. 1999.is mentioned and not the Yerushalmi nikud or the Babylonian one — which was used then in the Middle East. [75] E. "Jewish Mysticism: Medieval Roots. and the Concept of Evil in Early Kabbalah”.com website including the published English-language books of Sanford Drob [86] Sanford Drob. and Kiener.are referred to in the Zohar only by their Sefardi Names. Joseph. vol.com [84] “Rabbi Philip Berg”. and he responded to me “and what about nikud? Nikud is also mentioned in the Zohar despite the fact that it [is] from Geonic times!" he said. Venturing Beyond: Law and Morality in Kabbalistic Mysticism..the trop . New York: NYU Press. p. respectively (Dr.J. . New York: Oxford University Press. Symbols of the Kabbalah: Philosophical and Psychological Perspectives.asp?topic_ id=2503514&whichpage=4&forum_id=20067#R_3) [76] An Analysis of the Authenticity of the Zohar (2005). Reincarnation and Judaism [82] "The Teaching of the Kabbalah and Its Essence" by Rabbi Yehuda Ashlag. Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction. Studies in Hebrew Language and Jewish Culture. and Mysticism. Healer of the Cosmos: Isaac Luria and his Kabbalistic Fellowship. “Samael. page 477-478 where Maimonides curses believers of Shi'ur Qomah and prays that God be elevated exceedingly beyond that which the heretics (Hebrew: ‫ )הכופרים‬say. Elijah Benamozegh. ‫[ יב‬PDF page 133]).: I approached Rav A [Aryeh Carmell] with some of the questions on the Zohar. but told me it was my absolute right to draw any conclusions I saw fit regarding both the Zohar and the Ari. R.: Paulist Press.1 • Dan. who ruled that it is “impossible” to consider dardaim as heretics: ‫לגבי הדרדעים‬ ‫מעין אומר סימן צג עמ' עדר( ""אי אפשר לדונם ככופרים‬ available at http://hydepark. the “Baal HaSulam” [69] ‫ ביהדות התורה‬. p. • Fine. Magic. cit. Mahwah. Aronson.R. The modern disciplines are explored as particular intellectual/emotional perspectives into the inclusive suprarational Lurianic symbolism. Stanford: Stanford University Press. 1995 [73] Wolfson.: Paulist Press. Joseph. Safed Spirituality. Joseph. Comparisons of the Lurianic scheme to Hegel. The Heart and the Fountain: An Anthology of Jewish Mystical Experiences.1.xvi-xvii.il/topic. Resianne Fontaine. [79] Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson. St. Jason Aronson publishers.: Rav G [Gedaliah Nadel] told me that he was still unsure as to the origin and status of the Zohar. p. but only the Tiberian Nikkud . J.J. 1989.” [78] Loc. [74] Maimonides’ responsa siman (117 (Blau) / 373 (Freimann)). Essential Papers in Kabbalah.B. ed.g. Contemporary Dangers and Prospective Challenges". translated by Rabbi Yosef Qafih and reprinted in his Collected Papers. 2002. N. Kabbalistic Metaphors: Jewish Mystical Themes in Ancient and Modern Thought. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. Lippman.244-268. • Dennis. Oxford University Press. Paulist Press. 1993. Daily Telegraph. [72] Israel and Humanity. I would just add that not only is nikud mentioned. Physician of the Soul. from which both emerge enriched [87] HaYom Yom. Marc Shapiro in Milin Havivin Volume 5 [2011].2. AJS Review. The 'Unique Cherub' Circle. [77] Loc. See also ibid. Mahwah. • Dan. • Dan. • Dan. N. 5.the norm in Europe of the middle ages . Lilith. Also the Taamay Hamikrah . Joseph. Mohr. • Dan. Is there an obligation to believe that Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai wrote the Zohar?. Rav A told me a remarkable piece of testimony: “My rebbe (this is how he generally refers to Rav E [Elijah Dessler]) accepted the possibility that the Zohar was written sometime in the 13th century. 2013-09-20.co. cit. and is still used by Yemenites today. Tel Aviv: MOD Books. Kehot publications. Paul: Llewellyn Worldwide. Retrieved 2013-09-21. 110 [88] Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook (Orot 2) 2. 1995. 39.. Freud and Jung are treated in respective chapters of Sanford Drob. The Edah Journal 2003 3. ch. The Early Jewish Mysticism. 1980. chapters on Christian Kabbalah and the Contemporary Era • Fine. 2003. REFERENCES 27 [67] ‫ שער אכילת מצה‬. The Seductiveness of Jewish Myth [71] Love of one’s Neighbour in Pinhas Hurwitz’s Sefer haBerit. I later found this comment in the Mitpachas Seforim. New York: Fordham University Press. 1990. ed. Luminal Darkness: Imaginal Gleanings From Zoharic Literature. 3 volume set.J. • The Wisdom of The Zohar: An Anthology of Texts. Jewish Publication Society. Arthur. Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism. • Wolfson. 1994. Moshe. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Mem. • Idel. • Idel. • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Jewish Encyclopedia. Merkabah Mysticism. Truth. Moshe. Elliot. Chaim. The Littman Library. Moznaim Publishing Corp 1990. HaKabbalist. Mystical Bodies. Elliot. Venturing Beyond: Law and Morality in Kabbalistic Mysticism. Tau: Kabbalistic Musings on Time. • Idel. Chicago: Spertus College of Judaica Press. Jüdisches Denken Band 2: Von der mittelalterlichen Kabbala zum Hasidismus. Jewish Gnosticism. New York. 1995. Tel Aviv 2010. 2003. Yale University Press. New York: SUNY Press. • Idel. • Wolfson. Aryeh.. 1901–1906. Chicago: Scholar’s Press. Yosef. ed. 1988. • Wirszubski. Moshe.Article from ChabadLubavitch Hasidism at Chabad. • Wineberg. 1985.11 External links • Cabala . Inner Space: Introduction to Kabbalah. Woodstock: Jewish Lights Publishing. • Idel. Gershom.: Princeton University Press. • Wolfson. 2. • Grözinger. • Green. • Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism .Kabbalah article at JewFaq. Kabbalah: New Perspectives. Penguin Books 2007. 2005. New York: SUNY Press. Lessons in Tanya: The Tanya of R. Harvard University Press. Elliot.. Moshe.. Elliot. 1993. Elliot. Lawrence. • Kaplan. translated from the Hebrew by David Goldstein. Judaism in Practice. 2007. Berkeley: University of California Press. Moshe. 1998. Behayahu. New Haven. • Scholem. 'The Written' as the Vocation of Conceiving Jewishly • “What is Kabbalah?" . Eros Being: Kabbalistic Hermeneutics and Poetic Imagination. the Mystical Messiah. 1941. Gershom.org • Samuel. Pico della Mirandola’s Encounter with Jewish Mysticism. • Idel. Patrick.28 CHAPTER 2. Karl E. 1988. and the Talmudic Tradition. Meditation and Prophecy.the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia’s academic view • Don Karr’s Bibliographic Surveys of contemporary academic scholarship on all traditions of Kabbalah • McGiney. Mystical Meals: Eating and Embodiment in Medieval Kabbalah. 1974. and Death. Gershom. The Mystica Experience in Abraham Abulafia. SUNY Press. edi.org • Scholem. Sabbatai Zevi. EHYEH: A Kabbalah for Tomorrow. Kabbalistic Prayer and Color. Language. Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch. Through a Speculum That Shines: Vision and Imagination in Medieval Jewish Mysticism. 2006. • Wolfson. • Scholem. D. 2005 • Hecker. Kabbalah: New Perspectives. The Solomon Goldman Lectures VI. Shneur Zalman of Liadi (5 volume set). Magic and Kabbalah in the 'Book of the Responding Entity'. Moshe. “The Kabbalah Handbook: A Concise Encyclopedia of Terms and Concepts in Jewish Mysticism”. Kabbalah. . Joel. M. • Levy. Detroit: Wayne State University Press. The Golem: Jewish Magical and Mystical Traditions on the Artificial Anthropoid. Blumenthal. • Wolfson. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 1973. • Idel.Author’s website. London: Onworld Publications. KABBALAH • Fine. Approaches to Judaism in Medieval Times. Moshe. • Scholem. • Idel. Ed. Gershom. 2005. Hasidism: Between Ecstasy and Magic. Studies and Texts on the History of the Jewish Community in Safed. (Campus) Frankfurt /New York. Isaiah Tishby. “The Story of Rabbi Joseph della Reina". John W.. 2001. Gabriella. Princeton N. 1988. 1960. Moshe. Yael. 2006. Alef. 1989. in the image of God He created him. The innermost. The term is alternatively transliterated into English as Sefirot/Sefiroth. because Kabbalah sees different levels within Keter.[3] are united above the Sephirot with the Ein Sof (Divine essence). In its early 12thcentury dissemination. so as to avoid heretical notions of any plurality in the Godhead. As altogether 11 sephirot are listed across the different schemes. luminary).[2] and they should not be understood as ten different “gods” but as ten different ways the one God reveals his Will through the Emanations. Through this. and the latter sephirot describe the primary and secondary conscious Divine Emotions. the structural purpose of each sephirah is a hidden motivational force which is understood best by comparison with a corresponding psychological state in human spiriSephirot (/sfɪˈroʊt/. In Kabbalah the functional structure of the sephirot in channeling Divine creative life force. The term sefirah thus has complex connotations within Kabbalah. hidden levels of Keter. gives Kabbalah one of its two central metaphors in describing Divinity. This relationship between the soul of man and the Divine. singular “Sefirah” (‫)ְסִפיָרה‬. Underlying character. Keter (The Divine Will) is listed as the first Sephirah. conscious Sephirot. meaning emanations. it is an intermediary above consciousness between God and the other. Alternative configurations of the sephirot are given by different schools in the historical development of Kabbalah. and revealing the unknowable Divine essence to Creation is described. then inwardly nurtures and gives birth to lower sephirot. brilliance. who adhered to “Hakirah” (medieval Jewish philosophy). and more widely. conserving the ten categories. Therefore.[1] The Sephirot are considered revelations of the Creator’s Will (“ratzon”). reflecting God’s inner Will and outer Will. male and female He created them”). but early Kabbalists presented a number of other etymological possibilities from the same Hebrew root including: sefer (text). While in Cordoveran Kabbalah. Kabbalah sees the human soul as mirroring the Divine (after Genesis 1:27. alongside the other Ohr (light) metaphor. sappir (sapphire. are the 10 attributes/emanations in tual experience. the sephirot are related to the structure of the body In Hasidic philosophy. singular Sephirah/Sefirah etc. ten and not nine. The Sephirot are emanated from the Divine Will. separ (boundary). /ˈsfɪroʊt/. and safra (scribe). For the Final Fantasy VII and are reformed into Partsufim (Personas).1 Ten Sephirot The “Sefirot” (‫)ְסִפירֹות‬. see Sephiroth (Final Fantasy). this inner life of the sephirot is explored. Kabbalah received criticism from some Rabbis. also in some contexts called “The head/beginning that is not known”. sippur (recounting a story). However. The tradition of enumerating 10 is stated in the Sefer Yetzirah. Two sephirot (Binah and Malchut) are feminine. two (Keter and Daat) are seen as unconscious and conscious manifestations of the same principle. and the role they play in man’s service of God in this world. as the female principle in Kabbalah describes a vessel that receives the outward male light. which has sought to internalise the experience of Jewish mysticism into daily inspiration (dveikus). all creations as reflections of their life source in the sephirot. 3. “Ten sephirot of nothingness. with each articulating different spiritual aspects. through which Ein Sof (The Infinite) reveals himself and continuously creates both the physical realm and the chain of higher metaphysical realms (Seder hishtalshelus). Corresponding to this is the Female Divine Presence (Hebrew: ‫שכינה‬. the sephirot also describe the spiritual life of man.Chapter 3 Sephirot “Sephiroth” redirects here. The multiplicity of revealed 29 . This difference between the “Ma'Ohr” (“Luminary"-Divine essence) and the "Ohr" (“Light”) He emanates is stressed in Kabbalah. Hebrew: ‫ סְ פִירוֹת‬Səphîrôṯ). literally means “counting"/"enumeration”. ten and not eleven”. and constitute the conceptual paradigm in Kabbalah for understanding everything. The first sephirah describes the Divine Will above intellect. Kabbalah. “God created man in His own image. Kabbalah repeatedly stresses the need to avoid all corporeal interpretation. for its alleged introduction of multiplicity into Jewish monotheism. The next sephirot describe conscious Divine Intellect. It is not God who changes but the ability to perceive God that changes. Shechinah). as Daat is seen as the conscious manifestation of the unconscious Keter.“Splendor": Withdrawal/Surrender/sincerity • Yesod . as in the first chapter of Genesis.“Kindness": Loving grace of free giving/love of God/inspiring vision • Gevurah “Severity": Strength/judgment/intention/withholding/awe of God • Tiferet . by taking out Keter and adding in Daat. two aspects of the Sephirot emanations only applies from the perspective of the Creation.“Knowledge": Central state of unity of the 10 Sephirot.1. Medieval Kabbalah describes the sin of Adam as introducing false separation between male Divine and female Shechina.[4] 3.“Beauty": Symmetry/balance between Chesed and Gevurah in compassion • Netzach .“Wisdom": First unbounded flash of an idea before it takes on limitations/male light/Divine Reality/first revelation/creation from nothingness • Binah . by eating from the Tree of Knowledge before the Tree of Life. In his usual list of the Sephirot as formed attributes (vessels). in the 16th-century rational synthesis of Moshe Cordovero (Cordoveran Kabbalah). • Chesed . SEPHIROT speech of God. such as the central work in Kabbalah. They are fully found in the Medieval Kabbalah texts. Isaac Luria includes Keter in the list only in relation to the inner light of the Sephirot. the Zohar. The Hebrew etymology of their names in Kabbalah is understood to refer to the nuanced aspects of meaning of each Sephirah.“Understanding": the infinite flash of Chochmah brought into the vessel of understanding to give it grasp of breadth and depth/feminine vessel that gives birth to the emotions/reason/understanding brings teshuva return to God The Sephirot are united in the Divine view.“Foundation": Connecting to the task to accomplish/wholly remembering/coherent knowledge • Malchut .“Crown": Divine Will to create/Infinite Light of the Creator/the Hebrew name of God “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh-I Am that I Am” • Chochmah .30 CHAPTER 3. This direct connection between spiritual and physical creations and their Hebrew names. In the first complete systemisation of Kabbalah. reflects the theology in Kabbalah that Creation is formed from the metaphorical • Daat . Kabbalah expounds on the terms of the Sephirot. the Sephirot are usually listed slightly differently.“Kingship": Female vessel for the pregnant nurturing of the male lights of the emotional sephirot into action/becomes the Keter Will source for any subsequent lower level in Creation/accomplishment/realization of the Divine Plan. the Sephirot are listed from highest to lowest:[5] In the subsequent 16th-century transcendent Kabbalistic scheme of Isaac Luria (Lurianic Kabbalah).2 Description • Keter .1. also called the Tree of Life. .1 Listings The ten Sephirot are a step-by-step process illuminating the Divine plan as it unfolds itself in Creation. or as the first revealed Sephirah. This difference of opinion reflects earlier Medieval debate on whether Keter can be identified with the Ohr Ein Sof (Infinite light) itself.“Victory” • Hod . and not from the perspective of the infinite Divine essence. Keter is considered too lofty to include:[6] 3. the first Sephirah (Keter-The Divine Will) of the next. The Four Worlds of the Seder hishtalshelus (“Chain of Progression”). as there are 7 emotional Sephirot. as 10 successive steps in the downward chain of flow towards the next. starting with the highest and proceeding towards the centre of the circle to our lowest. restriction.3. for example. meaning “Limitations”) represents the challenges to leave behind in spiritual development. to count the 49 days of personal spiritual development between the festivals of Passover and Shavuot. in preparation to reliving the acceptance of the Torah. The Right column represents the spiritual force of expansion. Emanation in each World proceeds down the 10 Sephirot. Kabbalah teaches the benefit of focusing on the aspect of each Sephirah related to the particular day of the Omer.1. The Middle column is the balance and synthesis between these opposing tendencies.2. So. This derives from the account in Genesis of the Creation of the World. This gives the Kabbalistic interpretation of the mitzvah (Jewish observance) of Counting of the Omer.. lower realm. physical realm. The connecting lines in the diagram show the specific connections of spiritual flow between the Sephirot. where Creation takes place through 10 Hebrew “Sayings” of God (“Let there be. TWO CONFIGURATIONS OF THE SEPHIROT: IGGULIM-CIRCLES AND YOSHER-UPRIGHT 3. Each successive World is progressively further removed from Divine revelation. more constricted circle. radiating inwards from the surrounding Divine Omnipresence. In Kabbalistic interpretation. and in Jewish mystical thought.”). In Kabbalistic theology. with the 10 Sephirot radiating in each. these letters remain the immanent spiritual forces that constantly recreate all ex- .1 31 Iggulim-Circles One diagrammatic representation depicts the Sephirot metaphorically as successively smaller concentric circles. Egypt (in Hebrew “Mitzrayim”. lower realm. Passover commemorates the exodus from Egypt. The vertical line into the centre of the circle represents the path of downward emanation and constriction.2 Isaac Luria. and correspond to the spiritual channels of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. commemorating receiving the Torah on Biblical Mount Sinai. In Kabbalah and Hasidism. as a downward chain. 3. with the last Sephirah (Malchut-Actualisation of the Divine plan) of one World becoming. Chesed contains Chesed within Chesed. The surrounding space in the diagram is the Infinite Divine reality (Ein Sof). as successively smaller Iggulimconcentric circles of the 10 Sephirot. during the primordial cosmic evolution of Creation. a metaphorically smaller. Kabbalah sees the Hebrew letters as channels of spiritual life force. In each World the 10 Sephirot radiate. 16th-century Lurianic kabbalah. In later. their subsets form 7x7=49 emotional states. as a rectification process of Teshuva (Return to God). metaphorically described as “Circles” and “Upright”. they become systemised as two successive stages in the evolution of the Sephirot. This depiction shows the successive nature of each Yosher-Upright The most important and well known scheme of depicting the Sephirot arranges them as a tree with 3 columns. and being shared as. This evolution is central to the metaphysical process of tikkun (fixing) in the doctrines of 3. The Left represents its opposite. 3.2 Two configurations of the Sephirot: Iggulim-Circles and Yosher-Upright Metaphorical representation of the Five Worlds. the “22 Connecting Paths”. Two alternative spiritual arrangements for describing the Sephirot are given. from the initial first Ohr (light) of the “Kav” (Ray) in Lurianic doctrine.2. Gevurah within Chesed (typified by a restriction performed out of love. Their origins come from Medieval Kabbalah and the Zohar. like a father punishing a child) etc.3 Interinclusion of the Sephirot The first development that enabled the Sephirot to unite in cooperation was the interinclusion within each of them of a further subset of the 10 Sephirot. especially in the 49 days of preparation to reach Shavuot. leaving Egypt becomes a daily spiritual exodus. The outermost circle in the teachings of Lurianic kabbalah is the “space” made by the Tzimtzum in which Creation unfolds. or with the addition of the highest Fifth World (Adam Kadmon).2. A person would examine each of their spiritual qualities. each more removed from Divine consciousness. can be depicted in this diagram. Blessed is He.[7] the empirical terms are necessarily imposed upon man’s experience in this world.32 CHAPTER 3.[8] Kabbalah extends the Man-metaphor more radically to anthropomor3.. its limitations are then related to. In Lurianic Kabbalah man redeems exiled Sparks of Holiness of the Shechinah from material Kelipot The Yosher-Upright configuration of the 10 Sephirot. Classical “proof texts” on which it bases its approach include. represented in the union of Jewish marriage Below. Talmudic and philosophical literature..is unique in the body. dualism.. SEPHIROT Kabbalah relates the Sephirot and Indwelling Shechinah Presence to Male-Female Divine principles. Kabbal.so the Holy the metaphor of the soul-body relationship.. and the inner nature of the Divine. In Medieval Kabbalah the task of man is Yichud-"Union” of Male and Female Divinity on High.”[10] Together with the metaphor of man’s soul-powers.. it too has its limitations.[9] and the Rabbinic analogy " Kabbalah. plurality. corporeal compari- . More accurately. uses As the soul permeates the whole body. balah... needs qualification.. Describing the material world Below in general.. as they see the emanation of the Material world from the Spiritual realms. stripping the kernel of its husk. while repeatedly stressing the need to divest analogies from imbalah pure materialistic corporality. Midrashic. Once the analogy is described. the analogous anthropomorphisms and material metaphors themselves derive through cause and effect from their precise root analogies on High. corresponding to the Above is not restricted in Rabbinic Judaism to Kab3 types of letter.does not eat ship.no man knows where its place is.abides in the inscribe God in Judaism.3 The Man-metaphor in Kab..seen.. but abounds more widely in Biblical. to arrive at a truer conception. or spatial and temporal connotations.sees but is not subtle anthropomorphic analogies and metaphors to de.. the Man-metaphor is central in Kabbalah... Nonetheless. ists repeatedly warn and stress the need to divorce their and breaks down if taken as a literal. both the God-world relation..phise particular Divine manifestations on high. shown in this in particular.. and man istence. the configuration of man’s bodily of Light. The paths divide into 3 Categories.nermost precincts. As “the Torah speaks in the language of Man”.. as created in the “image” of the world diagram by their different colours. the central system in Jewish mysticism.sustains the whole body.Nonetheless. These include and drink. “From my Main article: Anthropomorphism in Kabbalah flesh I envisage God”. the functions One. Kabbalists carefully chose their terminology to denote subtle connotations and profound relationships in the Divine spiritual influences.is pure. form. and male-female influences in the Divine.. arranged into 3 columns notions from any corporality. the feminine Shechinah: the Sephirot to Primordial Creation. This metaphor for Divine interrelationships on High is arranged in the schematic relationship of man’s soul. man’s physical organs also reflect the supernal Divine forces 3. he understood his new doctrine as no more than . separate origins of the soul and the body. so that in Kabbalah man encapsulates the whole spiritual cosmos and upholds the Heavens. all Creation is nullified in its source. because alone amongst all Creation. as in Medieval Kabbalah For the sake of the union of the Holy One. emerges only in 16th century Lurianic Kabbalah. Its limitations include the affect of the body on the Divine name encapsulate the sephirot on High. Despite the particular geometric depiction of the Yosher scheme. and Tikun (Rectification) while animals and angels embody only singular instinctive drives. with Binah-Understanding and Malkuth-Kingship-ShechinahIndwelling Divine Presence.1 Soul faculties and Male-Female prin. the Sephirot with the physical organs of man: where each Sephirah relates and mediates the influence of the others. uniting Tiferet-Beauty. Separation and interruption of the Shefa-Flow of Divine vitality into this World is caused by man’s sins.3. Unification and revelation is opened by man’s benevolence. as well as the full Main article: Tohu and Tikun meaning of the Partzufim reconfiguration of the SephiIsaac Luria reinterpreted and recast the whole scheme rot. the transcendent Divine on High. the Partzufim and the souls of Israel represent the secondary World of Tikun-Rectification.tury Lurianic Kabbalah. In the Yosher scheme. and the distinct. later synthesised by Moshe Cordovero) and the Lurianic. “God created man in His own image.3. and His Shechinah.3. while in relation to God’s Omnipresence. Lurianic Kabbalah applies the verse.Sefer Hakavanot from "Kisvei HaAri". nurturing and pregnant internalization. the task of man is the YichudUnion on High of the Male-Female principles of Divinity. essentially making the second of two different versions of the Kabbalah: the Medieval (the initial. direct understandings of the Zohar. the four letters of the Tetragrammaton essential However. Divine principles are described through the soul faculties of Man.4.4 Lurianic Shevirah (Shattering) Adam-Man is held to encapsulate all harmonized forces. In Medieval Kabbalah. in the image of God He created him. animals and the root origins above of the Nations of the World embody the primordial World of Tohu-Chaos. soul. It moved the origin of perceived exile in Kingship. before the influence of Man on supernal harmony. the physical upright standing of man contrasts with The Yosher-Upright configuration of the Sephirot ar.2 Configuration of the body mic Hasidic development. through each soul faculty in the body. encapsulating the Divine Feminine in Creation. healing the apparent separation and concealment of the Shechinah Female indwelling Divine presence that sustains this world from the “Holy One Blessed Be He”. the principle of receiving. while angels. male and female He created them”[11] to this reconfigured Tikun-Yosher arrangement. with Vav and Hei in the name of all Israel of Kabbalah in the 16th century. disciples of the 16th cenciple in the male emotions (Zeir Anpin) with Malkuth.3. to unite the name Yud and Hei. The correspondence of ranges the 10 Sephirot into a Partzuf interrelationship. central prin. The 16th century Sefad Kabbalistic Renaissance ennacted the prayer before performing Mitzvot Jewish observances. as the scheme of Yosher underscores the interciples relationship of the Sephirot as a unit or body. while the World affects no change in God. Together. Blessed Be He. 3. The significance of this.the horizontal forms of animals. LURIANIC SHEVIRAH (SHATTERING) AND TIKUN (RECTIFICATION) 33 son. where the Yosher-Upright arrangement. especially in its acos. In this context.on High. embodied as souls to spiritual bodies.. Lurianic Kabbalists sought to “These are the kings who reigned in the integrate this with the Cordoverian scheme.. Lurianic Kabbalah describes en. the first shattering (Shevirat HaKeilim). The unabsorbed residue of the broken the sublime intensity of the light. Genesis 1:2. SEPHIROT a new revelation-teaching of the true meaning of the Zo. In Lurianic The sparks are the creative force of the Sephirot down Kabbalah. the ability of the harcome fully autonomous and interrelated. with darkness over the surface of the deep. stronger and act together in harmony.And God stage of their evolution.Chaos. seeing both land of Edom before there reigned any king as true.And the Spirit tion of the Iggulim (independent “Circles” arrangement of of God hovered over the waters. Sparks of the original high lights remain attached in exile to the descending fragments. the sephirot emerging from the Ein In the Kabbalistic scheme.“hovered” the Sephirot) without cooperation. their immature ves.“Sparks” of Divine Ohrot (“lights”) invested in 10 spiritual Keilim holiness. The name of monised Sephirot of Tikun to reveal Divinity each Partsuf denotes that the Sephirah from which it deand enact stable Creation. are not just alternative adjectives “In the beginning God created the Heavfor God. Shimon bar Yochai expounds upon the spiritual roles of the Parsufim.” Divine process. in the beginning of Creation. two of the different Parsufim.34 CHAPTER 3. In the World of Tikun in contrast. (“vessels”).5 Partzufim . Medieval Kabbalah depicts a linear descending hierarchy Edom is described in Genesis as the descendents of Esau. sustaining Creation by the Divine flow of Will.ments. evolution of the Sephirot.” Merachepet .the World of Tohu . “The Genesis 1:1-3: Holy Ancient of Days”. the Sephirot vessels are mature. and the many Zoharic passages expounding the Partzufim (Divine “Personas/Configurations"-particular Divine manifestations). Of each it says they tive “catastrophe” (Shevirat HaKeilim . displacing Cordovero’s. “And the Parsufim as the fully evolved stage of the primordial the earth was Chaos (Tohu) and Void (Vohu). and the exile of its “sparks” into the rot ascending back to its source. Attached to the broken vessels are the previous opinions of the Sephirot by describing each as holy residues of the former light as Nitzot . by talking Isaac Luria related the transition from Tohu to Tikun to about them as independent spiritual manifestations. quent World of Tikun (“Rectification”). the first vessels of the Sephirot shatter due to the Four Worlds.Severity. while the body-vessel descending created realms..tified Gevurah . while their Sephirot vessels shatter down Creation. characterized by lower lights and stronger vessels. the source of the vessels of clothing processes of exile and redemption in the Di. Instead of each of the 10 Sephirot merely including a full each sephirah acts independently causing the subset of 10 Sephirot as latent potential forces. before Isaac Luria.. has now become an independent scheme of 10 fully The Lurianic doctrine of the shattering of the emotional functioning Sephirot in the “Upright” (Yosher) form of .reconfigured sephirot The four realms of our created existence are together called the World of Tikkun (“Fixing”). adapted by Luria to his scheme.sephirot vessels describes the esoteric meaning of Genehar..“The Shattering lived and died. ". Isaac Luria’s attribu. where they can unite together. but are particular spiritual manifestations.realm of Kelipot impurity. in Lurianic Kabbalah they then develop into "Partsufim" (“Personas”). Lurianic Kabbalah focused on the role of tential.. In Tikkun. the Sephirot evolve into new arrangements.”. Wide discussion of the Partsufim is found in the Medieval Kabbalah of the Zohar. levels ens and the Earth”. Subsequent to the interinclusion of the 10 Sephirot within each other. Because each of the vessels in our physical. is built the subse.sis 36:31 and I Chronicles 1:43: istic system. From the destruction of this primordial Divine sparks that then subdivide into innumerable fragrealm. of Divine vitality. in the Parsufim the Sephirot besaid let there be Light”. In the Zohar. To this reformed state. lowest World Assiah becomes the Sephirot act as independent forces.Tohu.splits into the number “288 died”.. death connoting the soul-light of the sephiof the Vessels”). ". the World of Tohu (“Chaos”).the eight sephirot of Daat to Malchut in the World of ation leads to spiritual shattering of Divinity in a defini. The first emanation in Cre. evolved arrangements of the Sephirot in Creation.. Cordovero had reconciled descends-shatters. and afterwards the Zohar was read in its light. The different realms Tikkun are characterized by lower lights and stronger vessels. the root number of sels are weak. the initial source in poand natures. but describing different aspects (“Worlds”) of the over the children of Israel. 3. The sublime lights of Tohu withdraw into the Ein Sof. rived. and the Messianic task is the redemption of all the holy sparks of Tohu. Lurianic Kabbalah became the dominant Kabbal. the vessels that shattered. The eight kings listed who vine flow. Isaac Luria attributed the former Kabbalistic concepts of Yosher (harmonised “Upright” arrangement of the sephirot). or “The Long Visage”. This systemised the classic concept of the Partzufim as the secondary. where higher levels descend into lower states. from which all would unfold. this is identified with unrecSof to enact Creation. reigned in Edom before any king of Israel. both outwardly in joyful sincerity of dveikus in daily life. physical realm. the limitless flash of wisdom beyond grasp. Understanding the Sephirot throughout Jewish mysticism is achieved by their correspondence to the soul of man. to enable the Lurianic scheme of Tikkun (Rectification) to begin. the main part from our perspective of the descending “chain of progression” (Seder hishtalshelus).[12] Articulation of the Sephirot in Hasidic philosophy is primarily concerned with their inner dimensions. also called “Greatness”. enlivening contribution of each in man’s spiritual worship of God. 2. . Since they are the attributes through which the unknowable. The names of the Sephirot come from Kabbalah. The Divine emotional Sephirot of Chesed to Yesod predominate. that links the Infinite Divine Ein Sof with our finite. Each Parsuf now operates independently. This applies to the outer. “Hasidut” is from “chesed” (“loving-kindness”). the vessels of Divinity. The Divine Kingship of Malchut predominates. Kabbalistic structure of the Sephirot. and how this inwardness can be perceived. acts of loving-kindness and prayer. Hasidic thought uses new descriptive terms for the inner dimensions of the Sephirot:[14][15] 3. the wish to reveal and share. These are the external dimensions of the Sephirot. for example. infinite Divine essence becomes revealed to the creations. where the souls and angels have self-awareness. the intellectual understanding. World of Creation (Hebrew: ‫ ְ ּברִיאָה‬or [16] alternatively‫ ְ ּב ִריָּה‬. The names of the fundamental Partsufim and their English translations: 3. Divine Chochmah. that mediates between the Ein Sof and the four lower Worlds. and describe the Divine effect that each has upon Creation.. certain Sephirot predominate. creative Ohr (Light) to all levels. The Sephirot now harmonise. how the structures reveal the Divine essence. and inwardly in its profound new articulation of Jewish mystical thought. and are the Divine channels through which every level is continuously created from nothing. Each World is progressively grosser and further removed from consciousness of the Divine. World of Emanation (Hebrew: ‫ ֲאצִילו ּת‬. “The Long Visage” is said to descend. This difference can be seen in the names of these two stages of Jewish mysticism. apart from the lower aspect of the final World. until in our World it is possible to deny God. Adam Kadmon-manifest Godhead level. five Worlds are counted.6 Inner dimensions of the Sephirot and the Powers of the Soul Main article: Kochos hanefesh As all levels of Creation are constructed around the 10 Sephirot. but not their inner qualities. their names in Kabbalah describe the particular role each plays in forming reality.7. THE SEPHIROT AND THE FOUR WORLDS “Man”. Underlying this functional structure of the Sephirot. which is our “Asiyah Gashmi” (“Physical Asiyah”). 3. “Kabbalah” in Hebrew is derived from “kabal” (to “receive” as a vessel). Assiah): On this level creation is relegated to its physical aspect.3. each one possesses a hidden. there are these four Worlds or planes of existence. Hasidut looks at the lights that fill these vessels. Beri'ah): In this level. all ten emanate in each World. As the Sephirot are viewed to comprise both metaphorical “lights” and "vessels". Atzilut): In this level the light of the Ein Sof radiates and is united with its source. predominates. is the first creation ex nihilo. Hasidism sought the internalisation of the abstract ideas of Kabbalah. and exploring the direct. Each World is spiritual. Nonetheless. In descending order: 1. In all Worlds. and unites with the other Parsufim. 4. In Hasidic thought these inner dimensions of the Sephirot are called the Powers of the Soul (Hebrew: HaNefesh Kochos). This forms the particular characteristic of inner light within each Sephirah. In the Zohar and elsewhere. by relating it to the inner life of man.7 The Sephirot and the Four Worlds These ten levels are associated with Kabbalah’s (Zohar) four different “Worlds” or planes of existence. inner spiritual motivation that inspires its activity.[13] Kabbalah focuses on the esoteric manifestations of God in Creation. Identifying the essential spiritual properties of the soul gives the best insight into their Divine source. our realm with all its creatures. creation is related to form. Divine Binah. describing their functional roles in channelling the Divine. predominates. which correspond to inner psychological qualities in the perception of man. the purpose of Creation. considered the first 35 and greatest Sephirah. our physical Universe. and in the process reveals the spiritual beauty of the soul. It applies even more to their inner dimensions. but without form. the only physical realm and the lowest World. So. comprising these and a higher. the 10 Sephirot radiate. and become enclothed within the lower Parsufim. fifth plane. In the Lurianic system of Kabbalah. Yetzirah): On this level. World of Action (Hebrew: ‫שיָּה‬ ִ ׂ ‫ ֲע‬. their structural role describes the particular identity each Sephirah possesses from its characteristic vessel. the structure of the Four Worlds arises because in each one. This reconfiguration is essential in Lurianic Kabbalah to enable the opposing spiritual forces of the Sephirot to work together in harmony. World of Formation (Hebrew: ‫יְצִירָה‬. • Left column.” are derived from the three “Mothers.” It is associated with Hebrew letter Mem. despite the modern Western tendency to genderize these terms in reverse manner. and Heh. Thus. . • Right column. Numerological and Spiritual associations of the Sefirotic Tree CHAPTER 3. It is a neutral one. the water element and the female aspect. Additionally (and this applies to both Jewish and Hermetic Kabbalah). While the pillars are each given a sexual attribution. of all the Sephirot only Binah and Malkuth are considered female.” and are attributed to the vowels (Vav.2 Numerological meanings The 10 Sephirot. the fire element. Alternative traditions consider the grammatical genders of the words involved.8.36 As the four Worlds link the Infinite with our realm. Gevurah is feminine because it has an atonal finial Heh. they also enable the soul to ascend in devotion or mystical states. Yud.) They are as follows: • Central column: Kether heads the central column of the tree.1 Associations of the 3 columns The Sephiroth are organized into three discrete columns or gimel kavim (“three lines” in Hebrew). a number which can be associated with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. and female in relation to the foregoing sephirah. and the male aspect. Between the 10 Sephirot run 22 channels or paths which connect them. which is known metaphorically speaking as the “Pillar of Mildness” and is associated with Hebrew letter Aleph. while all the other Sephirot are male. while others say that the Sephirot vary in their sexual attributions.8 Scriptural. Severity or Justice becomes a feminine attribute while Chesed (Mercy or Loving-kindness) becomes a masculine one. a balance between the two opposing forces of male and female tendencies. in Hebrew kav yamin: Chokhmah heads the right column of the tree. (The terminology of this formulation is based on the exposition of Lurianic Kabbalah by the 20th Century Kabbalist Yehuda Ashlag). Some teachings describe the Sephirot on the centre pillar as gender-neutral. in Hebrew kav smol: The left column is headed by Binah and is called the “Pillar of Severity. Each World can be understood as descriptive of dimensional levels of intentionality related to man’s natural “desire to receive”. 3.8. and a method for the soul’s progress upward toward unity with or return to the Creator. and the air element. “the breath”. associated with the Hebrew letter Shin. They are often referred to as the three “Fathers. towards the Divine. Thus. arranged into the 3 columns. In Jewish Kabbalah. with the 22 Paths of Connection of three types In a numerological sense. this does not mean that every sephirah on a given pillar has the same sexual attribution as the pillar on which they sit. the Tree of Sephirot also has significance. SEPHIROT 3. Together the spiritual forces of the 10 Sephirot and the 22 connecting channels are called the “32 Paths of Wisdom”. each sephirah is seen as male in relation to the following sephirah in succession on the tree. 3. metaphorically speaking the “Pillar of Mercy”. Tav has no second pronunciation in Sephardi. 'Let there be Light.“And Elohim said. which is upon the face of all the earth.' And it was so. and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea. Nun.“And Elohim said. marked by the number of times Genesis • There are three “Mothers” (Aleph. the herb yielding seed. Malkuth is the Kingdom which is the physical world upon which we live and exist. 'Be fruitful. planet. there must first be an explanain context of Judaism goes into Kabbalistic interpretation tion of the three different types of letters in Hebrew.” • The elementals (or singles) represent the rest of the times “God” (Elohim in every instance of Genesis Chapter 1) is mentioned. 'Behold.” (Gevurah) • The twelve “Elementals” (Heh. 3. color. and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth. Ayin.9.“And Elohim said. SEE ALSO To envision the tree. and over the fowl of the air. • Gen 1:11 . and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open • The Mothers represent the three times Genesis states firmament of heaven. and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. with different dialects using different sounds.” (Chockmah) • There are seven “Doubles” (Bet. and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth. Mem.'" (Yesod) • Gen 1:29-30 . and replenish • The Doubles represent the seven times Genesis states “God saw. saying. and vowel.'" (Tiphareth) “God made. I have given you every herb bearing seed. Tzaddi.'" (Hod) • Gen 1:28 .' And it was so. Yud.3 Rabbinic significance 37 the earth. gate of the soul. and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. Vav. 'Let there be a firmament in the midst of the Waters.” (Chesed) • Gimel. 'Let us make Man in our image.' And it was so. but Ashkenazi use a 's’ sound when the dagesh is absent. • Gen 1:3 .“And Elohim said.” (Malkuth) As to the actual significance of the numbers 10 and 22 As for the 22 letter-paths. and let fowl multiply in the earth.“And Elohim said.and over the cattle. while Kether. angels. and multiply. in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed. • Gen 1:9 . and let it divide the Waters from the Waters. and let the dry land appear. and Qof) have one pronunciation. Chet. Gimel. . God is said to have created the world through Ten Utterances. and Tav’s second pronunciations are lost or disputed. whose seed is in itself. after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea. and for days. wherein there is life. Zayin. and multiply.“And Elohim blessed them and Elohim said to them. and to every fowl of the air. 3.'" (Netzach) • Gen 1:26 . And to every beast of the earth. • Gen 1:20 .” that represent the horizontal lines.' And it was so.“And Elohim Blessed them. Resh. a purported set of secret messages encoded within the Torah.” • Gen 1:22 . Samech. None of these are separate from the other. direction. and Tav) that represent the vertical lines. “And God said. positive and negative meaning. and fill the waters in the seas.“And Elohim said. Dalet. 'Be fruitful.“And Elohim said.9 See also • Bible code. also call Kaether and Kaether Elyon is the Crown of this universe. and represent the diagonal lines. representing the highest attainable understanding of God that men can understand. and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind. To speak simply. Resh. Other sources say that they correspond to the twelve zodiacal constellations. Lamed. Kaf. I have given every green herb for meat.” (Binah) • Each double is attributed to a soft and hard sound. and Shin) states. Peh.' and there was Light.3.8. upon the earth. • Gen 1:14-15 .” (Kether) • Their difference from the other letters is a matter for another article. and over the fowl of the air. Dalet.“And Elohim said. • Gen 1:6 . and every tree. to you it shall be for meat. of Genesis. consider each of these ten spheres as being concentric circles with Malkuth being the innermost and all others encompassed by the latter. 'Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night. 'Let the waters bring Each letter grouping has significance in Genesis 1: forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life. Tet. 'Let the Earth bring forth grass. and let them be for signs. and over all the earth. and for seasons. and all simply help to form a more complete view of the perfected whole. 'Let the Waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place. ” that is read every Friday afternoon to prepare for the Sabbath.5. “Anthropomorphism and Metaphors” [9] Job 19:26 [10] Talmud Berachot 10a.org. a method of deriving a word by using each of its initial letters. Kehot Publication Society. Chapter on the Sephirot. 2009 • Lag BaOmer. Williams & Norgate 1935.11 Notes [1] Scholem. 3. [15] The Powers of the Soul explained at www. SEPHIROT [8] Mystical Concepts in Chassidism. described on the Hasidic philosophy page. Samuel Weiser. Kehot Publications. 33rd day of counting the Omer. Chaptor 1. Inc. the intermediate days during Passover and Sukkot. LLC) (ISBN 1-57863-150-5) • Qabalistic Concepts: Living the Tree. Revised edition published in 2000 by Red Wheel/Weiser. Samuel Weiser.. [3] See the discourse “On the Essence of Chassidus”. 73. Kehot Publications.38 • Biblical and Talmudic units of measurement • Chol HaMoed. cited on Kabbalah page. (ISBN 0-87728-8550) • The Bahir.html) [7] Talmud Berachot 31b and other sources in Chazal Academic study: . cited on Kabbalah page. 100. org/v2n13/doc. Dion Fortune (Originally published: London. (ISBN 1-58542-2509) [6] Mystical Concepts in Chassidism by Jacob Immanuel Schochet. note 16. 3. note 14. Aronson. (ISBN 1-57863000-2) [5] Mystical Concepts in Chassidism by Jacob Immanuel Schochet.org. [16] Rabbi David Seidenberg (2004). Retrieved Nov. Retrieved Nov. 2009 • Notarikon. Available separately. Kehot. Tarcher. The acronym “RADLA” for this level is identified as the origin of the Torah of Hasidus. Cited in footnote 7. 2009 • Jewish and Israeli holidays 2000–2050 [13] The Ten Sefirot-Introduction from www. translated and explained by Aryeh Kaplan (1997). in the Habad Siddur “Tehillat HaShem”. [4] See for example the classic passage from the Zohar beginning “Elijah opened his discourse. Retrieved Nov.10 Photo gallery • Ten Sephirot on the east wall of the Cordoba Synagogue. Midrash Tehillim 103:4. p. 2009 • Significance of numbers in Judaism • The ten principal disciples • Weekly Torah portion. chapter 1. “The One-Page SaveThe-Trees Tu Bish’vat Haggadah”. Inc. Jacob Immanuel Schochet. • Chronology of the Bible • Counting of the Omer CHAPTER 3.inner. [14] “Sefirah” in Glossary of Kabbalah and Chassidut at www.inner.12 References Early texts: • The Sefer Yetzirah the book of creation: In theory and practice. Yechiel Bar-Lev. Archived from the original on 2010-07-29. 2003). Retrieved 2014-03-11.inner. Mystical Concepts in Chassidism • Gematria. inner.org. Available separately or printed at back of bilingual Hebrew-English Tanya • The Decad of Creation by Aaron Leitch (Journal of the Western Mystery Tradition. Spain 3. translated by Aryeh Kaplan (1995).jwmt. [2] The Song of the Soul. or printed at back of Bilingual HebrewEnglish edition Tanya • The Secret Teaching of All Ages by Manly P. Hall (October 27. Tikunei Zohar 13:28a and later Kabbalistic commentary. p. Retrieved Nov. Chapter on Sephirot. Jewish system of assigning numerical value to a word or phrase. [11] Genesis 1:27 • Hebrew calendar • Hebrew numerals [12] Overview of Chassidut from www. Kabbalah. http://www. William G Gray (1997).org. division of the Torah into 54 portions. (ISBN 1-56821-383-2) Modern guides: • The Mystical Qabalah. Jacob Immanuel Schochet (3rd edition 1998). Gershom Scholem (1996). Bahir and Post-Zohar Kabbalah 39 . (ISBN 0-8052-1051-2) 3.3. Schocken. Kehot.13 External links • Kabbalah at DMOZ • Diagram of 10 Sephirot and Attributes • Sephirotic Systems in the Sepher Yetsira. EXTERNAL LINKS • Mystical Concepts in Chassidism: An Introduction to Kabbalistic Concepts and Doctrines. (ISBN 0826604129) • On The Kabbalah and its Symbolism.13. just as Malkuth excretes unbalanced energy into the Qliphoth. the plan. Malkuth is also associated with the world of Assiah. Malkuth is again associated with the anus. as in a meditative state. it is also re40 . and the lowest of the Four Worlds of Kabbalah. or the Tree of Death. Because of this relation to Assiah.of this sphere is Sandalphon. Through Assiah. ets and the solar system. In the world Briah. it is an attribute of God directly associated with Assiah. of matter/earth and relates to the physical world. and evinces God’s glory from within itself. It sits at the bottom of the Tree. In some systems. The element of Malkuth is Earth. it also contains within it the potential to reach the highest. It is like the negative node of an electrical circuit. for even though it is the emanation furthest from the divine source. Atziluth. This is exemplified in the Hermetic maxim 'As above so below'. the balah planetary or astrological correspondence with Malkuth is Malkuth means Kingdom. It is associated with the realm the Earth. although technically the Muladhara is located in the sacram bone. Although Malkuth is seen as the lowest Sefirah on the tree of life. the feet connecting the body to Earth. it is still on the Tree of Life. is the tenth of the sephirot in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.מלכות‬. Rather it em.[1] The name of God is Adonai Melekh or Adon ha-Arets. lated to the Suit of Pentacles or Coins in the Tarot.Chapter 4 Malkuth Malkuth or Malchut (“kingdom". which is also associated with the Earth. In the modern card set. For this reason it is associated with the feet and anus of the human body. Malkuth is also related to the four Page cards in the Tarot as well. ‫)ملكوت . the invisible sephirah. it is equated with Da'at. These are seen as the Jacks of the modern deck. Where Binah is known as the Superior Mother.[2] From a Christian viewpoint this sphere is important since Jesus preached that people should “seek first the Kingdom of God”. In the outer shell of its Sephiroth in Assiah.the second He (‫ )ה‬in the tetragrammaton (‫)יהוה‬. the Ishim (souls of fire) is the Angelic order. In comparing with Eastern systems. where the archangels reside. whereas when one is standing or walking. Malkuth is a very similar archetypal idea to that of the Muladhara chakra. it is the feet that come in contact with the Earth. and our purpose as human beings is to bring that energy back around the circuit again and up the Tree. It is important not to think of this sephirah as merely “unspiritual”. below Yesod.1 Hermetic and Christian Kab. the plane in which karma is expressed. or Shekhinah. As the receiving sphere of all the other sephirot above it. There is anates from God’s creation—when that creation reflects also a connection to the tenth card of each suit in Tarot. In this manner. The divine energy comes down and finds its expression in this plane. Because it is Unlike the other nine sephirot. This sephirah has as a symbol the Bride which relates to the sphere of Tipheret. In Assiah. and the anus being the body’s “filter” through which waste is excreted.the Qliphah of Malkuth is Lilith. Symbols associated with this sphere are a Bride (a young woman on a throne with a veil over her face) and a double cubed altar. These exist in the highest world. Malkuth gives tangible form to the other emanations. symbolized by the Bridegroom. Malkuth also represents which does not emanate from God directly. this sphere is referred to as the Inferior Mother. the material plane. where Macroprosopos is Kether. Some occultists have also likened Malkuth to a cosmic filter. It is also referred to as the bride of Microprosopos. this relates to the Suit of Diamonds and symbolizes material wealth. the archangel of 4. the world of chaos which is constructed from the imbalance of the original sephirot in the Tree of Life. Another way to understand this is that when one is sitting. or the treasures found in the physical world. In Shakta tantra. In the world of Yetzirah. it is the anus that makes physical contact with the Earth. knowledge. or Malkuth. which lies above the world of the Qliphoth. Malchut: The Kingdom Within [2] Dion Fortune. Northamptonshire.2 References [1] Shimon Leiberman. p162 41 .2. REFERENCES 4. 1987.4. Antiquarian Press. The Mystical Qabalah. '[1] So too in the Talmud Sanhedrin 39a. and Rabbi Halafta ben Dosa:'If ten men sit together and occupy themselves with the Law. Charles F.135 CE):'If two sit together and the words between them are of the Torah. the 5. the Shekinah went with them. The word for Tabernacle.” which is used in the New Testament in a similar way for “Divine Presence”. (“Every bird nests [shekinot] with its kind. based especially on readings of the Talmud. In the Mishna the noun is used twice: once by Rabbi Hananiah ben Teradion (ca. there the Shekinah rests". and personal need (“The Shekinah dwells over the headside of the sick man’s bed” Talmud tractate Shabbat 12b. The concept is similar to that in the Gospel of Matthew 18:20: Where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in their midst. Psalm 132:5 (“Before I find a place for God. It also connotes righteous judgment (“when three sit as judges. It is also reported as being present in the acts of public prayer. 42 .” Megillah 29a). the Shekinah rests among them. Accordingly.2 Meaning in Judaism Shekinah. Shechinah. Horne and Julius A.[2] Christian artistic depiction: “The Shekinah Glory Enters the Tabernacle". mishkanot (dwelling-places) for the Strong One of Israel. then the Shekinah is in their midst'.”) and Numbers 24:5 (“Your dwelling places. Talmud Baba Kammah 92b. the scholar is preferred” Talmud Ketubot 85b). and denotes The Shekinah is held by some to represent the feminine attributes of the presence of God (Shekinah being a femthe dwelling or settling of the Divine Presence of God. illustration from The Bible and Its Story Taught by One Thousand Picture Lessons. inhabit.g.1 Manifestation The Shekinah is referred to as manifest in the Tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem throughout Rabbinic literature.2. to the effect that.” Talmud Berachot 6a). the Shekinah refers to a dwelling or settling in a special sense. “Wheresoever they were exiled.Chapter 5 Shekhinah connection to God is more readily perceivable. or dwell. is mishkenotecha).” where the word for “your dwelling places”. in classic Jewish thought. Israel.1 Etymology Shekinah is derived from the Hebrew verb ‫שכן‬.[3] 5. e. 1908 5. or Schechinah (Hebrew: ‫)שכינה‬. The Semitic root means literally to settle. Shechina. is a derivative of the same root and is used in the sense of dwelling-place in the Bible.[1] The root word is often used to refer to birds’ nesting and nests. “presence” or “arrival. is the English transliteration of a Hebrew noun meaning dwelling or settling.) and can also mean “neighbor” (“If a neighbor and a scholar. we read: “Whenever ten are gathered for prayer.[1] Some Christian theologians have connected the concept of Shekinah to the Greek term "Parousia". while in proximity to the Shekinah. mishkan.). and is first encountered in rabbinical writings. transliterated. a dwelling or settling of Divine Presence. The abstract noun is unattested in the Tanakh. and man with its like. inine word in Hebrew). the Shekinah is with them. Bewer (Ed. is found.3. Isaiah wrote “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne high and lifted up. before them. Even at a time when the Jews are impure. where the Greek text (naon tes skenoseos) suggests a possible parallel understanding. A certain Sadducee said to Rabbi Chanina: Now [that you have been exiled]. nor through levity. And it came to pass.5.[6] In the post-temple era usage of use of the term Shekinah may provide a solution to the problem The Talmud expounds a Beraita (oral tradition) which il.[7] Priest) is to sprinkle the blood of the bull-offering towards the Parochet (Curtain) separating the Solomon’s Temple#Hekhal (sanctuary) from the Kodesh Hakodashim 5. and a harp. But now bring me a minstrel. nor through sloth. nor through frivolity. nor through talk. that the hand of the Lord came upon him”.1 The Talmud also says that “the Shekhinah rests on man neither through gloom. Jeremiah implored “Do not dishonor the throne of your glory” (Jeremiah 14:21) and referred to “Thy throne of glory. when thou art come thither to the city. The Book of Ezekiel speaks of “the glory of the God of Israel was there [in the Sanctuary]. but notes 2 Maccabees 14:35 “a temple for your habitation”.” (Isaiah 6:1). as it is written: “Her impurity is [visible] on her hems. on high from the beginning. when the minstrel played. and his train filled the Temple.[5] The prophets made numerous references to visions of the presence of God. —1 Samuel 10:5–6 Hebrew Bible The noun shekina does not occur in the Hebrew Bible. . that thou shalt meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place with a psaltery. and they will be prophesying. in which the Shekinah has special significance. There is also no occurrence of the noun in prerabbinic literature such as the Dead Sea Scrolls. and where the Greek noun skenosis may stand for Aramaic shekinta. although the verb shakan.3 Jewish sources 5.” (Ezekiel 8:4) 5. and it shall come to pass. as it is said. —Talmud Tractate Yoma 56b 5. Thy place of our sanctuary” (Jeremiah 17:12). and a timbrel.4.1 Meaning in Hassidic Judaism Targums In the Targums the addition of the noun term Shekinah paraphases Hebrew verb phrases such as Exodus 34:9 “let the Lord go among us” (a verbal expression of presence) which Targum paraphrases with God’s “shekinah” Hassidic Judaism regards the Kabbalah. the Divine Presence is among them. but only through a matter of joy in connection with a precept. and a pipe.[4] McNamara (2010) considers that the absence might lead to the conclusion that the term only originated after the destruction of the temple in 70AD. which have traditionally been attributed to the presence of the Shekinah. the Shekinah (Divine Presence) is with them. or Aramaic equivalent shekinta. and other terms from the root škn do occur. you are certainly impure. with figures such as thrones or robes filling the Sanctuary. And the spirit of the LORD will come mightily upon thee. particularly in the context of the Tabernacle or Temple. where is the garrison of the Philistines.2 5. TALMUD 43 (a noun form). according to the vision that I saw in the plain. He [Rabbi Chanina] said to him: Come see what is written regarding them: [The Tent of Meeting] that dwells among them in the midst of their impurities. nor through idle chatter.3. as having scriptural authority. and thou shalt prophesy with them.” (Lamentations 1:9). and then becomes extremely common. [2Kings 3:15] [Shabbat 30b] The Shekinah is associated with the transformational spirit of God regarded as the source of prophecy: After that thou shalt come to the hill of God.of God being omnipresent and thus not dwelling in any luminates the manner in which the Kohen Gadol (High one place. and shalt be turned into another man. It is only afterwards in the targums and rabbinical literature that the Hebrew term shekinah.4 Talmud (Holy of Holies): Absence of the Temple [And so shall he do in the midst of the Tent of Meeting] that dwells (shokhen) among them in the midst of their impurities (Leviticus 16:16). Even in a time that they are impure. The word Matronit is also employed to represent this usage.4. not found in Scripture.” Exodus. published in 1897. This is why the masters of the Mishna used to go out on the eve of Shabbat to receive her on the road. For references made to it during the wilderness wanderings. 42. and the neutrality. and a house embellished with many fine appointments . come. — The 17th blessing of the daily Amidah prayer said in Orthodox. 14. Leviticus 9:23. and ative prayer based on Avinu Malkeinu. 5. but used by the later Jews to designate the visible symbol of God’s presence in the Tabernacle.4. see Exodus 14:20. continues to this day. when it filled the whole house with its glory. The public domain Easton’s Bible Dictionary. and afterwards in Solomon’s temple. so that the priests could not stand to minister (1 Kings 8:10–13.4 Yiddish song Jehovah was like devouring fire on the top of The concept of Shekinah is also associated with the Jewthe mount in the eyes of the children of Israel. 5:13. It afterwards disappeared. We have. And the appearance of the glory of 5.[9] 5.3 Jewish prayers Shekinah – a Chaldee word meaning resting-place. to you come”.[10] as illustrated in the following verse from Zion. O bride!' And one must sing and rejoice at the table in her honor . who returns His Presence (shekinato) to the presence and the glory of the Lord as being synonymous. 2 Chr.44 CHAPTER 5.. 16:19. Shekinah. one must receive the Lady with many lighted candles. like one who prepares a canopy for a bride. 40:34-38. many enjoyments. no special reference to it till the consecration of the temple by Solomon. from all that is found in the house. the Shabbat Kallah. and Reform services is “Blessed References to the Shekinah in Christianity often see are You.5 Christianity In addition to the various accounts indicating the presence or glory of God recorded in the Hebrew Bible.4.. Numbers 14:10. song: Vel ich. It is probable that after the entrance into Canaan this glory-cloud settled in the tabernacle upon the ark of the covenant in the most holy place. sh'chine tsu dir kummen “Will I.. as can be seen in the Yiddish . God also spoke to Moses through the 'Shekinah' out of a burning bush.. he went before them “in a pillar of a cloud. 7:1–3). When the Lord led Israel out of Egypt. a lovely candelabrum sheds its light upon us. For the Shabbat is a queen and a bride. ish conception of the Holy Spirit (Judaism) (ruach ha—Exodus 24:15–17 ASV kodesh) in Jewish tradition. 24. many Christians also consider the Shekinah to be manifest in numerous instances in the New Testament. Rabbi Isaac Luria. Conservative. And the glory inine noun Shekinah is used in the interests of gender [8] of Jehovah abode upon mount Sinai. in which the femthe cloud covered the mount. however. “Between right and left the Bride approaches. says. in holy jewels and festive garments. Probably it remained in the first temple in the holy of holies as the symbol of Jehovah’s presence so long as that temple stood. and used to say: 'Come. The Liberal Jewish prayer-book for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (Machzor Ruach Chadashah) contains a creAnd Moses went up into the mount.. God. Here is a quotation from the beginning of his famous shabbat hymn: “I sing in hymns to enter the gates of the Field of holy apples. SHEKHINAH 5. beautiful clothes.2 Sabbath Bride This recurrent theme is best known from the writings and songs of the legendary mystic of the 16th century.” This was the symbol of his presence with his people.” The tradition of the Shekinah as the Shabbat Bride.4. O bride. “A new table we prepare for Her. cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud..” A paragraph in the Zohar starts: “One must prepare a comfortable seat with several cushions and embroidered covers. in the case of the Israelites.” was given his name because he was born on the day the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Philistines: “The glory is departed from Israel” (1 Samuel 4:22 KJV). where Jesus speaks to God of giving the “glory” that God gave to him to the people). to which the Sakina was associated.5. —2 Peter 1:21 ASV Glory 45 Al-Qurtubi mentions in his famous exegesis. and ibn Atiyyah mentions about the Ark of the Covenant (at-Tabut). 9 and 48. or Spirit of Christ) in the believer. a cloud engulfed him. In the work by anthropologist Raphael Patai entitled The Hebrew Goddess. Divine Presence By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light.1 Raphael Patai Quran. in the same manner that the Shekhinah is linked to prophecy in Judaism. this spirit came to clarify the situation.7.2 Muhammed’s grandson Hussein ibn Ali named one of his daughters Sakina. —Exodus 13:21 5.7 Contemporary scholarship Arabic: ࢳ࠹࠯࣠ू sakīnah is mentioned six times in the 5. According to Sufism.[12] A contrast can be found in the Book of Samuel where it is said that Ichabod. companionship and strength. meaning “inglorious. CONTEMPORARY SCHOLARSHIP 5. from the New Testament onwards. they were defeated”. It is currently a popular female name in most Islamic cultures. so that they could travel by day or night.[13] Main article: Raphael Patai Their prophet said to them: “The sign of his kingship is that the Ark will come to you in which there is tranquility from your Lord and a relic from the family of Moses and the family of Aaron. he took temporary refuge with his companion Abu Bakr in the cave of Thawr. it was at Thawr that Abu Bakr was blessed with divine secrets whose transmission from him to the latter generations formed the Naqshbandi path of Sufism. It was this experience that led the second Caliph Umar to say that all the good Umar did cannot stand as an equivalent to Abu Bakr’s sole virtue of companionship with Muhammad at the Thawr cave. in explanation of the above-mentioned verse. and as he was reciting. whose face is like the face of a human”. Furthermore. Sakinah is a spirit from God that speaks. who survived the Battle of Karbala. it was at Thawr where God brought down His sakina over them.1 Lord Spirit The Shekinah in the New Testament is commonly equated to the presence or indwelling of the Spirit of the Lord (generally referred to as the Holy Spirit. and so when morning came he went to Muhammad and informed him of what occurred. She was the first person in the history of Islam to have been given the name Sakinah. where people disagreed on some issue. which was encircling and descending. so it is in Christianity: For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God. Mujahid mentions that “when Sakinah glanced at an enemy. mostly women and children. She tragically perished in a Syrian prison during the imprisonment of Hussein’s family members. Where references are made to the Shekinah as manifestations of the glory of the Lord associated with his presence. that according to Wahb ibn Munabbih. whose sight caused his horse to jump and move. 5. protecting them from their enemies. borne by the angels. According to Ali. Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj Nishapuri says in his Sahih alBukhari. the author argues that the term Shekhinah refers to a goddess by comparing and contrasting scriptural and medieval Jewish Kabbalistic source materi- . to which Muhammad replied that it was the Sakinah that descended for the Quran. drawing parallels to the presence of God in Solomon’s Temple. when Muhammad was persecuted in Mecca and the time came for him to emigrate to Madinah (Medina).7. in chapters 2. that souls found therein peace. Seeking to be hidden from the Makkans who were looking for him. In contradistinction with the Old Testament where the Holy of Holies signified the presence of God. it is the Holy Spirit that reminds us of God’s abiding presence. that a certain man (during the time of Muhammad).5. and used to be a cause of victory for them in wars. and. According to Sunni traditions.6 Islam 5.5. Christians find numerous occurrences in the New Testament in both literal (as in Luke 2:9 which refers to the “glory of the Lord” shining on the shepherds at Jesus’ birth)[11] as well as spiritual forms (as in John 17:22. “Sakinah is a sweet breeze/wind. was reciting the sura al-Kahf from the Quran by his tethered horse. being moved by the Holy Spirit. warmth. Chilton The Targums: A Critical Introduction 900421769X 2011 . such as the writings of the Manichaeans and the Mandaeans. The JPS Guide to Jewish Traditions. The Hebrew text of Exodus 34:9. 48/26.. (2003). p. at bible. and while the term shekinah/shekinta is extremely common in rabbinic literature and the targums. 137. by J. laid heavy emphasis on women’s spirituality and the feminine aspect of God. John Panteleimon Manoussakis. Bruce D. • Ruach HaKodesh [14] Barany. ostensibly the first girl in recorded history to be given the name. [2] Neal DeRoo. was also the name of the youngest female child of Husayn ibn Ali.7.61 appears to provide a solution to the problem of God being omnipresent and thus unable to dwell in any one place. 48/18. Zvi Bellin.3 Gustav Davidson American poet Gustav Davidson listed Shekhinah as an entry in his reference work A Dictionary of Angel. Hampton Keathley. 9004146989 2006 . 2nd ed. Flesher. often in plural.[Targum and Testament Revisited: Aramaic Paraphrases of the Hebrew Bible. ISBN 08276-0760-1 [4] Martin McNamara Targum and Testament Revisited: Aramaic Paraphrases of the Hebrew Bible 0802862756 2010 p. In these writings..) which is usually used to speak of God’s presence in Israel’s worship..8 See also • Elohim [11] Acclamations of the Birth of Christ.7. [6] Paul V. The Gnostic Religion.7.. Machzor Ruach Chadashah (in English and Hebrew). page found 2010-09-14.2 Comparative religion • The Qur'an mentions the Sakina. In the bestselling thriller The Torah Codes by Ezra Barany. SHEKHINAH als. Articles from Shekinah are reprinted online at the Branch Davidian website.M. Hans. 349–366. Liberal Judaism.148-9. Ashgate. Dray Studies on Translation and Interpretation in the Targum to . 98. stating that she is the female incarnation of Metatron. 9/40. in which she explored the concept that the Shekinah is the Holy Spirit. 1958. Ronald L.148 “Whereas the verb shakan and terms from the root škn occur in the Hebrew Scriptures. no occurrence of it is attested in pre-rabbinic literature.” [8] Rabbis Drs. Shekinah.. Sakina. 2011 pp. She published a magazine.” [5] McNamara (2010) p148. .[15] 5.org (retrieved 13 August 2006 • Numen [12] The King of Glory. This is not the only occasion in TJ Kings when the Targumist . p. • Shakti • Theophany • Yahweh [15] Jonas. shekhinas are described as hidden aspects of God. is also present in some gnostic writings written in Aramaic. “let the Lord go among us” which Targum . [16] General Association of Branch Davidian Seventh-Day Adventists.Page 153 “The use of the term Shekinah. Interestingly. [9] Ruth Rubin Voices of a people: the story of Yiddish folksong p234 [10] Zechariah and Jewish Renewal Fred P.M. Strauss at bible. 5. whom the original Branch Davidian Seventh-Day Adventist Church acknowledged as their teacher/prophet from 1978 to 1986. 2009. In the appendix are essays by Rabbi Shefa Gold. Ezra. for instance. p. • "Shekhinah".9 References [1] Martin McNamara.. The Torah Codes. as has been noted previously. 2004.27.. by Richard L. has Moses pray.[16] • Genius loci 5.Page 45 “The first comprises the use of the term “Shekinah” (.. Miller 5. The Jewish Publication Society. and Tania Schweig about the Shekhinah. 48/4. the storyline refers to the Shekhinah as a goddess and one of the characters is even named Patai.org (retrieved 13 August 2006) • Priestly Blessing [13] 2/248 9/26. Th. referring to God’s blessing of solace and succour upon both the Children of Israel and Muhammad.46 CHAPTER 5. or Sakina bint Husayn.. often rendered SHEkinah. Dafkah Books. as well as others. Andrew Goldstein & Charles H Middleburgh. B. Phenomenology and Eschatology: Not Yet in the Now By.[14] 5. somewhat resembling the Amahrāspandan of the Zoroastrians.” [7] Carol A. Patai draws a historic distinction between the Shekhinah and the Matronit. 2010 p. Eerdmans Publishing.. ed. or Tranquility.] Wm. III.4 Branch Davidians Lois Roden. [3] Eisenberg. EXTERNAL LINKS 5.10. and Christ being the literally begotten Son of God • The Autiot of the Shekinah by Carlo Suares • Shekinah Retreat Centre. the 16th century Kabbalist • Extensive collection of studies on the feminine aspect of the Shekinah/Holy Spirit as it relates to men and women both being created in the image and likeness of the Godhead. in Saskatchewan. that is named after the word Shekinah.10 External links • The Shekhinah in Judaism • Hymn to the Sabbath by Rabbi Isaac Luria. A Mennonite bible camp. Canada.5. • Jewish Encyclopedia (1906) 47 . the World of Effects or the World of Making. Pardes Rimmonim [2] Vital. 1901–1906. the terminology varies according to the deck) in the Tarot. ’Eẓ Ḥayyim 6. Their ruler is Sandalphon. In western occultism it is associated with the Suit of Pentacles (or Coins or Disks. sign of Taurus (astrology). [[Jewish Encyclopedia]]. it is the region where the Ofanim rule and where they promote the hearing of prayers. 'Asiyah is the lowest of the spiritual worlds containing the Ten Heavens and the whole system of mundane Creation. 6. Wikilink embedded in URL title (help) . ‫עולם‬ ‫ עשיה‬in Hebrew. Hayyim ben Joseph. Beri'ah.3 References Representing purely material existence. also known as Olam Asiyah.Chapter 6 Assiah • The Birkat HaShachar and the order of the Korbanot in the Shacharit prayer service For the tribe of Muslim mercenaries serving the Khazar Khaganate. and combat evil. see Arsiyah. 6. expanding the compressed information to its full breadth Assiah (or 'Asiyah. Yetzirah.[1][2] • The fixed. support human endeavor. it is known as the World of Action. literally “the World of Action”) is the last of the four spiritual worlds of the Kabbalah— Atziluth.2 Notes [1] Cordovero. the final stage where the student comprehends the teacher’s lesson. earth. The light of the Sefirot emanates from these Ten Heavens. and through them spirituality and piety are imparted to the realm of matter—the seat of the dark and impure powers. which are called the “Ten Sefirot of 'Asiyah". Moses ben Jacob. The world of Yetzirah precedes it. 'Asiyah—based on the passage in Isaiah 43:7. • In the allegory of the teacher and the student. According to the Maseket Aẓilut.1 Correspondences • The final letter hei ‫ ה‬in the Tetragrammaton • The sefirah of Malchut and hence the partzuf of Nukvah • The element of Earth • The soul-level of nefesh • The soul-garment of action • The mouth (Patach Eliyahu) • The Oral Torah tradition (Patach Eliyahu) • The Shechinah 48 • This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: "'Asiyah”. According to the system of the later Land of Israel Kabbalah. sent His Eternally Begotten Son Jesus to save them from their Sins. the Holy Spirit. [3] St. Christianity Main article: Holy Spirit (Christianity) The third person of the Holy Trinity. and also from Tiferet above it. which is the middle axis of the Sephirot. [2] “Catechism of the Catholic Church: GOD REVEALS HIS NAME”. programming framework.2 Other religions 7. unifying God with it.). [1] Grillet.1 Christian Kabbalah 7.1 [4] Pope Pius XII (1943). Yesod is known as the symbol for the covenant between Abraham and God and their pact. ble for enacting the contact with Abraham. because it is the chakra. Yesod actions that unite us with God. is the Christian counterpart of the Yesod. Angela Moehrle de.[1] The Holy Spirit is seen by mainstream Christians as one Person of the Triune God. in the ChrisIt is the power of connection. see Yesod (web framework). unifying Malchut to the Sephirot itself. website. The Summa Theologica: First Part .[5] In the Christianism. For the is known as the aspect of god that sanctifies mankind. connection and contact kabbalistic Tree of Life. The archangel of this sphere is Gabriel. and with the unconscious. Yesod was taught to be the sephirah of Sabbatai Zevi. the Holy Spirit is responsiIt is the vehicle. Mystici Corporis Christi.2. from one thing or condition to another. Yitzchak.[2][3][4] The Holy Spirit 7. It is likened to the 'engine-room' of creation. [5] Ginsburgh. and sent the Holy Spirit to sanctify and give life to his Church.2.2 Eastern Mysticism The sephirah of Yesod translates spiritual concepts into Comparing with forms of Eastern mysticism. who revealed His Holy Name YHWH to his people Israel. website. union. “The Ten Sefirot: Divine Emanations”. Retrieved 25 February 2013. and the Cherubim is the Angelic order. Yesod is the sephirah below Hod with external reality within the soul. It plays the role of collecting and balancing the different and opposing energies of Hod and Netzach.3 References earth. Parallel to Yesod. with sexusphere which reflects the light of all the other sephirot ality. being the symbol of Human to God and Netzach. 7. Thomas Aquinas (1920). because it is here that the higher spheres connect to the 7.Chapter 7 Yesod This article is about the concept in Kabbalah.[5] 7. “A JOURNEY THROUGH THE TREE OF LIFE”.The Procession of the Divine Persons (second and revised edition (Literally translated by Fathers of the English Dominican Province) ed. is most commonly associated with the Swadhisthana It is often associated with the Moon. which is associated with the moon.4 External links 49 • Sefirot Yesod (at Inner. and it is associated with the sexual organs. tian Kabbalah. into Malkuth. Retrieved 25 February 2013. the Yesod is responsible for Yesod (Hebrew: ‫“ יסוד‬foundation”) is a sephirah in the the powers of communication.org) • Yesod: The Translator • Lessons in Tanya . storing and distributing it throughout the world. and above Malkuth (the kingdom). music and dancing. Yesod is to the south-east of Hod. and comes in contact. subduing oneself to that “obstacle” is related to the quality of Hod. Hod (“Majesty". In a mystical sense. translated by Aryeh Kaplan (1995). Thoth. Jackal. begins to understand. anabolism and catabolism. which is the power of energy to overcome all barriers and limitations. While the hands are the main instrument of action. For other Both these forces find balance in Yesod. and Yesod. and are given form in the symbolic realm by Hod. Hod is where form and quicksilver (Not a complete list) is given by language in its widest sense. Opal. Hod sits below Gevurah and across from Netzach in the tree of life. Imagine primitive man is meditating in the wilderness. foundation. So he can grasp it better. In comparing with Eastern systems. Anubis. An example is given by Dion Fortune.3 References 8. which is associated with the breaking down and releasing of energy. see Hod (disambiguation). Loki. the feet bring a person to the place where he wishes to execute that action. The archangel of this sphere is Michael.2 See also unconscious desires come from Netzach. (Perhaps this may be an adopting of a point of view of the psychoanalyst Jacques Lacan). and is associated with emotion and passion. providing the raw energy to reach the higher levels of consciousness.Chapter 8 Hod (Kabbalah) This article is about the kabbalistic sephira. world of the unconscious.that instead of “conquering” an obstacle in one’s way. It is derived from hod ‫ הוד‬in the Hebrew language meaning “majesty” or “splendor” and denoting “praise” as well as “submission”. Prayer is seen as form of “submission". while the music and dance that may be present in such a ceremony is the role that Netzach might play. and it is associated with intellectuality. which lead to Gevurah. both Hod and Netzach are sometimes associated with the Manipura chakra. This is the role that Hod plays in magic. (ISBN 1-56821-383-2) • Lessons in Tanya • Kabbalah 101: Netzach and Hod . ‫ )הוד‬in the Kabbalah of Judaism is the the Kingdom. eighth sephira of the Kabbalistic tree of life. 8. and netzach and hod are likened to the two feet of a person: right foot and left foot. Aleister Crowley associates Hod to the Four Eights of occult tarot. the meanings. to be a roadmap to “consciousness”. he creates some form. Mercury. perhaps the form of a god or a symbol. All the sephirot are likened to different parts of the body. where the different energies created await expression in the lowest world of Malkuth. (which is the idea of Netzach).1 Non-Jewish occult associations 8. manifesting uncon• Hod (disambiguation) (the Hebrew language word) sciously through Yesod to Malkuth. It has four paths. Feet are usually only the means for a person’s activity. Victory. some energy that surrounds him. Hanuman. Netzach. Hod is explained as an analogy . Hermaphrodite. Tiphereth. in which the Tree of Life is supposed Hermes. He then uses that statue or that symbol in future ceremonies to contact that intangible energy once again. In 777. distinguishable forms. our 8.3. and the Bene Elohim is the Angelic order. so he has something he can relate to.1 Jewish Hod is described as being a force that breaks down energy into different. Hod is said to be the sphere in which the magician mostly works. being the key to the mystery of form. as opposed to Netzach. 50 • Bahir. learning and ritual. Storax. Aronson. Hasidic Judaism's view of Hod is that it is connected with Jewish prayer. (ISBN 0-87728-670-1) 51 .3. Red Wheel/Weiser. REFERENCES 8.3.2 Non-Jewish • 777. Aleister Crowley (1955).8. . Whereas the first two tures and derivatives of this child root ‫ נצח‬from the parent groups of sefirot deal with Yahweh’s intrinsic will. Located beneath Chesed. Hod refers specifically to those events where the “wicked prosper. these sefirot following passages: are focused on man: What is the most appropriate way for man to receive God’s message? How can God’s will be implemented most effectively? • 1 Samuel 15:29 ‫ְוַג֙ם ֵ֣נַצח ִיְׂשָרֵ֔אל ֹ֥לא‬ Also the strength (‫ )נצח‬of Israel will not. Galatians 5:22) 52 . [1] English translations are original translations by editor Netzach is considered one of the Fruits of the Spirit in Charles Williams the Pauline Epistles (Romans 5:3. Yahweh. “victory”) is the seventh of the ten Sefirot in the Jewish mystical system Kabbalah. while Hod is community. but are presented through a prelude of harshness. and patience to folhe will return above men of misfortune.3 In Christianity and he nursed his grudge forever(‫)נצח‬. I request [that] Job will be proven up to the limit (‫. Netzach sits geometrically across from Hod.must look at it also in terms of “a means to an end. strength. Understanding the attributes of Netzach and Hod gives us a new perspective into understanding what is happening 9.)נצח‬ Netzach is "endurance. This pairing makes up the third such group. or “Endurance”. the ability to rally others to a cause and motivate them to act.2 Jewish Kabbalah Within the Sefiroth. while Hod is the left leg or foot. Netzach generally translates to “Eternity” and in context of Kabbalah refers to “Perpetuity”.face value. No longer do we merely look at an act at Netzach (Hebrew ‫ )נצח‬communicates the idea of long. This term appears 8 times in the Hebrew Scrip.1 Ancient Israelite Viewpoint in the world. meaning that their purpose is not inherent in themselves. “strength/restraint.These sefirot mark a turning point. with • Psalms 13:1 ‫ְ֭יהָוה ִּתְׁשָּכֵ֣חִני ֶ֑נַצח ַעד־ ָ֓אָנה‬ Netzach being leadership. low through on your passions.” in essence.” in essence. endurance unto completion or pa. the “tactical” sefirot. It is paired with Hod as the righteous attributes related to group interactivity. See the what it is that He desires to bestow upon man.Chapter 9 Netzach Netzach (Hebrew: ‫נצח‬. • Job 34:36 ‫ִאּ֣יֹוב ַעד־ ֶ֑נַצח ַעל־ ְּ֝תֻׁשֹ֗בת‬ Netzach refers to actions of Yahweh that are chesed.. at the base of the “Pillar of Mercy” also consisting of Chochmah ('Wisdom') and Hesed ('LovingKindness’)..” the fortitude.” It is retribution —Gevurah. 9. will You forget me continually (‫ ?)נצח‬Until the ability to do the footwork needed to follow through on ideas and make them happen. “kindness. but rather as a means for something else. • Jeremiah 15:18a ‫ָהָ֤יה ְכֵאִב֙י ֶ֔נַצח ּוַמָּכִ֖תי ֲאנּוָׁ֑ש֙ה‬ Why has my suffering been without end (‫?)נצח‬ • Amos 1:11c ‫ְוֶעְבָר֖תֹו ְׁשָ֥מָרה ֶֽנַצח׃‬ 9. but presented by a prelude of pleasantness. but we suffering. and attempt to understand it as such. Netzach is identified with when? the right leg or foot when the Tree of Life is portrayed on the human form. and root ‫ נח‬appear over 40 times in the Hebrew text. “Victory”.” tience. EXTERNAL LINKS 9.5. Online Bible Project.5 External links • Lessons in Tanya • Kabbalah 101: Netzach & Hod 53 .4 References [1] “Biblos”.9. 9. Ge(“compassion”) and Gevurah (“Strength. Illustrative of the process of Tipharet is Jethe universe. "Balance". Kether and Yesod respectively allowing Kether to assume Tiferet is unique amongst the Sephirot as it is connected a knowable form. "Integration".“God the Son” but also the related myths of Osiris and tween form (Yesod) and force (Keter). Five Sefirot surround it: above are Chesed at the right (south) and Gevurah at the left (north). and Chokmah. Either of them within Modern Hebrew used in Israel is translated as “Glory” out the other could not manifest the flow of Divine en(from God – "Elohim.Chapter 10 Tiferet Tiferet (“Adornment”. Adonay) ergy. de. and Yesod directly below. Tiferet also 10. These two forces are. In center between Keter and Yesod indicates to many Kab. Netsach.repeats the process in the other direction. reversed polarity. Tiferet has eight paths. Tipharet encompasses not only balists that it is somewhat of a “converting” Sephirot be. and Malkhut. and as such. as well as a higher This is because this is the Sephirah in which the divine reflection of Yesod and Malkuth. Hod. Tiphereth is especially associated seen as emotion. A Christian mystic. Its position down the ing that which is lower. Zer Anpin. they must be balanced in perfect proportion by balancing compassion with discipline. glorious. in relating to Jesus. "Miracles". which is the masculine counterpart of the feminine sefira Malkuth. Together these six are a 10. "Beauty". or Judgement vurah. and the 54 . Tiferet is the middle of the tree. other sacrificial gods. expansive Tiferet can be also a variation of the word “Tifarah” and (giving) and restrictive (receiving). leading Tiferet is the force that integrates the Sefira of Chesed (counterclockwise) to Keter (through Daat). that the entire tree appears with only five sefirot: Keter. much in the same manner that the sun be. respectively.Tiferet alone represents all the sefirot of Zer Anpin. Hod at the left. it is the sun that gives light and life. Binah. by transmutatjective paths of the unconscious. is the sixth sefira in the kabbalistic Tree of Life. the Holy Spirit). wherein the conflicting forces are harmonized. Binah. with Jesus Christ. It has the common association of "Spirituality". and there was light. It is the sephirah in which 'God becomes a moris at the center of the solar system. In other words. In that case Hod can be seen as the intellect where Netzach is In Christian Cabala. “No one comes to rather it is the center of our local astronomical system. the house of the world to come. but sus’ teaching in the Book of John.1 Description single entity. so lightful throne of glory. It is not the center of tal man'. Tyfereth or Tiphereth. and below are Netzach at the right.'" [1] In the standard tree. it takes a central place in the lower face energy and matter.2 Non-Jewish associations balances Netzach and Hod in a similar manner. there be light. Tiferet. and Yesod. 'God the Son' (as opposed to Kether. (din)"). in order to achieve the divine. transmutating into the forces of sun. Tifereth. be seen as a lower reflection of Kether. in order that creation might come to of the Tree of Life. Tiphareth (the son) balances the force and form of metaphor for these same attributes. Tiferet also occupies a place on the middle pillar. In certain contexts. In the Bahir it states: “Sixth is the adorned. Its place is engraved in wisdom as it says 'God said: Let Chochmah. to all the other Sephirot (except Malkuth) via the sub. a sacrifice is necessary so a new form may be born. The law of conservation of energy and mass tends to corroborate this – in all cases of energy transmutation. even the Godhead and is as such unknowable by the conscious though it did not create itself. Yesod. all crossing over the middle path via Tiferet results in a The archangel of this sphere is Raphael. as one could perhaps argue Kether to be. and "Compassion". the Father except through me”.terms of the Kabbalah. Kether is raw energy as Nonetheless. Hebrew: ‫[ תפארת‬tifˈʔeʁeθ]) alternately Tifaret. This balance can be seen in the role of Tiferet. Chesed. Tiferet can be seen as a mind. and can which is God the father. Tiferet relates to the force 'sacrifices’ itself. and creation flowers forth. emphasising the points of love. Christianity primarily focuses on Tipharet as a driving spiritual force.1 Jewish • Bahir. Bay. balance and harmony. particularly Taoism and Buddhism are more closely related to Kether. Aronson. (ISBN 0-87728-670-1) • The Mystical Qabalah. emphasise the unknowable from the standpoint of Yesod. Apollo. The astrological correspondence is again the sun. Ra. Phoenix. (ISBN 1-57863-150-5) 55 .3.3 References [1] Arthur Green. translated by Aryeh Kaplan (1995). Liber 777 attributes Tiphereth as the four sixes of the tarot as well as the Princes and Emperors cards.3. Topaz. self-sacrifice and service in its greater aspect. Aleister Crowley (1955). with their focus on unity and the indefinable aspect of the Divine. Abrahadabra. God the Son (Jesus). Particularly the Osirian sect and other derivations of polytheistic religions. and Alcohol.3. REFERENCES Malachim is the Angelic order. Laurel.10. Adonis. A guide to the Zohar 10. Dion Fortune (1935). The eastern religions. with healing. In comparing with Eastern traditions.2 Non-Jewish • 777. 10. This name Tafari (or Teferi) is the Ethiopic form of Tiferet. which contains many of the same archetypal ideas. Coffee. Buddha. with their personification of gods. beauty. Lamen of he Rosy Cross. Tiphereth is associated with divine love. Weiser Books. Rama. Red Wheel/Weiser. The pre-coronation name of Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie the First was “Tafari Makonnen”. and the zodiac associated with Tiferet is Leo. (ISBN 1-56821-383-2) • Lessons in Tanya • Kabbalah 101: Tiferet 10. Tiphereth is usually associated with the central Anahata chakra in tantric tradition. Lion. gevurah is also letters. 11. 216. and second of the emotive attributes in Creation. “meaning” of every one of God’s Names is His expresGevurah is associated in the soul with the power to resion of love (chesed) for His Creation. the might of gevurah becomes the power and Officer of all the Holy Forms to the left of the Blessed forcefulness to implement one’s innate desire of chesed. The Torah was given to Moses and Israel from “the Mouth of the Gevurah. Strength (Gevurah) Is the Ultimately. Chesed and Gevurah act together to create an inner bal56 . The and assesses the worthiness of Creation. It is the restraining might of gevurah which nite light which remains after the initial act of tzimtzum. God is referred to as “the netzach [eternity] of Israel” (Samuel 1 15:29). and above Hod. It sits below Binah. gevurah implies God’s essential power to contract and concentrate His infinite light and strength into the finite letters of Torah (especially those engraved on the tablets of the covenant. directly beneath binah. the “impression” of God’s infijudgment”). opposing surface of reality.” one must subsequently apply the complementary principle of tion. versus the stringency and strict accountability of gevurah. ance in the soul’s approach to the outside world.[4] Gevurah is understood as God’s mode of punishing the wicked and judging humanity in general. This is the left hand of God”. We thus speak of God’s primary modes of action as being the kindness and unaccountability of chesed. “hewn” from the “raw material” of “pro-creation” referred to in Kabbalah as midat hadin (“the attribute of (the secret of the reshimu. and which corresponds to the second day of creation[3] (Zohar 2:127b). lest I die (Deut 18:16). and strict meting out of justice. This stands in contrast to chesed. be they from without “contraction”) reflect God’s gevurah. allows one to overcome his enemies.” The numerical value of Gevurah. In the Bahir it is written “And who are the Officers? We learned that there are three. the “building blocks” of Creation thy and liable to misuse it. presses His love in a unique way. In the Bahir it says “What is the fifth (utterance)? Fifth is the great fire of God.[2] Shem Tov discusses the ability of gevurah to effect Divine withdrawal (tzimzum). and it is the second of the emotive attributes of the sephirot. absolute adherence to the letter of the law. across from Chesed. Only by the power of gevurah is chesed able to peneHoly One. Gevurah appears in the configuration of the sefirot along the left axis. Each of God’s called “strength” because of the power of God’s absolute 72 hidden names possesses three letters. or from within (his evil inclination). (Even towards those to whom Gevurah is 'the essence of judgment (DIN) and limita. Here. of which it says 'let me see no more of this great fire.Chapter 11 Gevurah Gevurah or geburah (‫ )גבורה‬is the fifth sephirah in the kabbalistic tree of life.” It is most significant that the name of no other sefirah is used by our sages to connote God Himself.'[1] “the right arm draws near”). in all—216 letters. As the force which measures are the letters which combine to form the words. The two hands which act together to form all reality. He is Gabriel. is 6 times 6 times 6. Each Name exstrain one’s innate urge to bestow goodness upon others. It is the foundation of stringency. It is Gevurah = 216 = 3 times 72 (chesed). the “left arm” of gevurah reserves the option of repelling those deemed undeserving. The Baal Gevurah is associated with the color red.one’s initial relation is that of “the left arm repels. (commentary to Parshat Toldot). The components of when the recipient of that good is judged to be unworeach word and name. Meaning inheres to words and names. The tablets of the covenant that Moses received at Sinai were 6 by 6 by 6 handbreadths. other than gevurah (In the Bible. the Ten Commandments). The ultimate judgment. which in turn creates potential for chesed to occur in creation. but not as netzach alone). While the “right arm” of chesed operates to draw others near.” trate the coarse. and corresponds to awe and the element of fire.1 Description Gevurah is the fifth of the ten sefirot. and corresponds in the tzelem Elokim to the “left arm. 4. The Ten Sefirot: Gevurah (inner. Kate Kane. 11. 11. was given the costume by her father.5 External links • Basics in Kabbalah.org) 57 . Retrieved 2010-09-19. ed. NY: Moznaim. A Concise Encyclopedia of Terms and Concepts in Jewish Mysticism • Kabbalah 101: Gevurah • Kaplan. (ISBN 1-56821-383-2) • Lessons in Tanya • The Kabbalah Handbook. In a universal sense. [3] Kaplan Inner Space 1990: p. Abraham.5. 254.3 Notes [1] The Kabbalah Handbook.11.” Batwoman’s alter ego. p. Retrieved 5 December 2011. ISBN 0-940118-56-4. My Jewish Learning. this is the secret of the coming of Mashiach and the resurrection of the dead.2 Uses in popular culture DC Comics' Batwoman has a red costume which was described as being “gevurah.1 Jewish • Bahir. A guide to the Zohar 11. 11. translated by Aryeh Kaplan (1995). Through the “dual effort” of chesed and gevurah. Sutton. A Concise Encyclopedia of Terms and Concepts in Jewish Mysticism “Gevurah”. not only to form reality. Aronson. Rabbi Aryeh (1990). NWOBHM band Angel Witch's comeback album after 26 years As Above. [2] “Sefirot”. EXTERNAL LINKS chesed (72) plus gevurah (216) = 288 = 2 times 12 squared. 288 is the number of nitzotzot “fallen sparks” (from the primordial cataclysm of “the breaking of the vessels”) which permeate all of created reality. Sefirot. these fallen sparks are redeemed and elevated to return and unite with their ultimate source. Inner Space. 61 [4] Arthur Green. Jacob Kane. So Below (album) has a song called 'Geburah'. but to rectify reality (through the means of “the left arm repels while the right draws near”).4 References 11. Brooklyn. it may allude to the idea that the giving of the Torah itself is the quintessential act of chesed. also Romanized khesed. the Maimonidean Hasidim of medieval Egypt and Palestine.1 • provide a child with all the necessities of his sustenance and love the child English "Loving-kindness" is also often used as an English translation of chesed.[11] Chesed has also been understood as linked with the Greek word agape and its Latin equivalent. It’s also the A statement by Rabbi Simlai in the Talmud claims that foundation of many religious commandments practiced “The Torah begins with chesed and ends with chesed. especially interpersonal command. ẖesed) is a Hebrew 12. and is the first of the emotive attributes of the sephirot. and also for its contri. ideal life whose goals are behavior characterized by mercy Chesed is also one of the ten sephirot on the kabbalistic Tree of Life.[2] "Love" is often used as a shorter English translation. It is given the association of kindness and love. A person who embodies “chesed” (‫ )חסד‬is known as a “chasid” (hasid. and bestowing kindness” (Pirkei Avot It is considered a virtue on its own.2 Greek and Latin Eleos (often understood as mercy or pity) is the word used by the Septuagint to translate “chesed” into Greek.1.1 Translations • love God so completely that one will never forsake His service for any reason 12.1. it sets forth a vision of the communal institutions. originating with the Coverdale Bible of 1535. service to God. and compassion. caritas (charity).1:2). Although some consider it to be a somewhat archaic translation. These groups include the Hasideans of the Second Temple period.” Chesed is central to Jewish ethics and In traditional musar literature (ethical literature). The Latin (Vulgate) translation of the Bible by Jerome used the Latin equivalent. one who is faithful to the covenant and who goes “above and beyond that which is normally required”[14] and a number of groups throughout Jewish history which focus on going “above and beyond” have called themselves chasidim. chesed Jewish theology. misericordia. • circumcise a child • visiting and healing the sick • giving charity to the poor • offering hospitality to strangers • attending to the dead • bringing a bride to the chuppah marriage ceremony • making peace between a man and his fellow 12.[1] it remains one of the most common translations. the following are actions undertaken in imitation of the qualities of Chesed:[13] 12. The tannaic rabbi Simon the the primary virtue.” by traditional Jews.[3][4][5][6][7] Daniel Elazar has suggested the translation of “covenant-love.Chapter 12 Chesed Chesed (‫חסד‬.e.”[8] "Grace"[9] and "compassion"[10] are also occasionally used as translations of chesed.[12] In Moses Cordovero's kabbalistic treatise Tomer Devorah.2 Ethics word commonly translated as “loving-kindness. Chesed is valued by religious Jews of all denominations. i. the 58 . bution to tikkun olam (repairing the world).” “kindness” or “love. Chesed is the basis for a wide variety of Jewish characterized by chesed.” Alternatively. Chesed is here the core ethical virtue. Just taught: “The world rests upon three things: Torah. ‫)חסיד‬.This may be understood to mean that “the entire Torah is ments. Many Jewish thinkers view chesed as is one of the primary virtues. It is usually given four paths. its position is below Chokhmah. clothes. Gleason L. Sometimes these institutions are created by synagogues.7 References [1] E. and Bruce K. while Chesed is the first sephira of the attribute of action. many communal institutions dedicated to chesed are common.. Such organizations are often named with an Chesed is also known as Gedulah (‫)גדולה‬.12. and Netzach (some Kabbalists place cated to visiting and caring for the sick and their a path from Chesed to Binah as well.” • Chaverim (literally “friends”) – organizations going by this name typically provide free roadside assistance and emergency help with mechanical or structural problems in private homes [2] Yudit Kornberg Greenberg. and caring for mourners 12. unlimited benevotypes of items (toys. and the Hasidic Hesed “is the antidote to the narrow legalism that can be movement which emerged in eighteenth century Eastern a problem for covenantal systems and would render them Europe. Jr. medical equipment.Gevurah. R.. Aryeh Kaplan. across from Gevurah and above Netzach. local Jewish councils. often with free ness with the entire world. inspiration. Page 80 [6] Sefer Yetzirah.[15] 12. transport of the body. s.” pp.” [4] My People’s Prayer Book: Welcoming the night: Minchah and Ma'ariv ed. Waltke. 1. p. Often. Many chesed organizations are very large.” loan funds or by lending or giving away particular [17] Chesed manifests God’s absolute. given the association of “loving-kindness” and “friendliness” 12. • Bikur cholim organizations – organizations dedi.g.5. but that it means something like “loving covenant obligation.). or individual rabbinic or lay leaders.5 Kabbalah Main article: Sephirot The first three of the ten sephirot. Vol. are the attributes of the intellect.” • Shomrim (guardians) groups – community watch groups [3] Adin Steinsaltz. Common institutions include: 12. “hesed. burial. 307.6 See also • Jewish views on love • Mettā Sanskrit word. 86 . running a Shiva home. [it is] not far from the fullness of meaning of the word [chesed or hesed]. Archer. acronym of Gemilas chasadim such as Gemach or GM"CH. Tiphereth. and often provide logistical help to their families relating to autopsies.[13] etc. Encyclopedia of love in world religions: Volume 1 – Page 268: The Hebrew hesed (plural hasadim) is usually translated as “grace” or “lovingkindness. KABBALAH 59 Chassidei Ashkenaz in medieval Europe. an individual starts the initiative without prior community or leadership support. “What is the fourth (utterance): The • Gemach – an institution dedicated to gemilut fourth is the righteousness of God.4 Jewish political thought The political theorist Daniel Elazar has suggested that “chesed” cannot easily be translated into English.[14] contractual rather than covenantal” and so forms the basis of Jewish political thought that goes beyond a concern with compliance with following laws. which is considered a form of kindness • Hatzolah – organizations by this name typically provider free services for emergency medical dispatch and ambulance transport (EMTs and Paramedics) • Chevra kadisha – organizations that perform religious care for the deceased. Dancing on the edge of the world: Jewish stories of faith. "[Although] The word ‘lovingkindness’…is archaic. while many others may be a small as a one man shop. Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. p.) relatives The Bahir[16] states. 305-07. and love. His mercies and kindchasadim (providing kindness). To Chokhmah.” but sometimes also as “mercy” or “love.v. trans. Laird Harris. In the kabbalistic Tree of life. lence and kindness. A community may have dozens of unique (and sometimes overlapping) Gemach organizations • Kiruv organizations – organizations designed to increase Jewish awareness among unaffiliated Jews. Lawrence Hoffman – Page 169 [5] Miriyam Glazer.3 Chesed institutions Across all streams of Judaism. This is the right hand of God. emergency family travel. In the beginning: discourses on Chasidic thought – Page 140 12. 8 External links • MyJewishLearning.bible-researcher. [15] Daniel Elazar. The Ten Sefirot: Chessed (inner. 2010.” in Kinship & consent: the Jewish political tradition and its contemporary uses by Daniel Judah Elazar. “Legal Floors and Moral Ceilings: A Jewish Understanding Of Law and Ethics. Covenant as the Basis of the Jewish Political Tradition. 1980).com/chesed. Tomer Devorah). translated by Aryeh Kaplan (1995). Co. [17] Arthur Green. 89 [8] Covenant and the Federal Constitution” by Neal Riemer in Publius vol. A guide to the Zohar 12. . Accessed December 6.com on acts of loving-kindness • Basics in Kabbalah. Rabbi Moshe.org) • The Kabbalah Handbook. pp. Cordovero.html. World Pub. 4 (Autumn. [14] Daniel Elazar. 2010. p. No. 135–148 [9] A Rabbinic anthology. 10. Judaism and Justice: The Jewish Passion to Repair the World – Page 64 [11] http://www. cessed December 6. Ac- [12] Eugene Korn. A Concise Encyclopedia of Terms and Concepts in Jewish Mysticism • Lessons in Tanya • Kabbalah 101: Chesed • Chesed (H2617) in Strong’s Concordance of the Bible.” Edah Journal 2:2.. 1963 [10] Rabbi Sidney Schwarz. (ISBN 1-56821-383-2) Aronson.60 CHAPTER 12. CHESED [7] “The Rabbinic Understanding of the Covenant. page 10 [13] The Palm Tree of Devorah (Heb. HaBrit V'HaHesed: Foundations of the Jewish System [16] Bahir. emotions. Da'at is sometimes Accordingly. conscious power of intellect. humans can see it. (hergesh) to. powers which rely tive of finite creation using Da'at to represent the “reflecupon one’s "recognition" (hakarah) of. Alternate countings of the sephirot produce 10 powers (“10 and not 9. responds to the Tzelem elohim (the “image of God embedded in humanity”) and to the cerebellum (i. and for them its benefits seem “hidden”. Cordovero describes the sephirot as one light in ten vessels. that correProperly.According to the Tanya. but not all is related to the progression through Da'at. ally the lower Daat of the partzuf of Zer Anpin (not upper However. for sexual unification. Da'at is omitted. while See also: Da'as Elyon and Da'as Tachton in the scheme of Isaac Luria. Keter (Will) is omitted. In the scheme of Moshe Cordovero. It corChokhmah ("wisdom") and Binah ("understanding"). 10 and not 11” . and "sensitivity" tion of” (the “inner dimension” of) the infinity of Keter.1 As a representative sephirah its ifies the revelation of the Torah and relates to the second level of the human soul called 'spirit' (ruakh).3 As aspect of intellect perspective within Malkuth. it is actuand for them the benefits of Da'at’s light seem “revealed”.Daat of Adam Kadmon). the Divine Light is always shining. It only seems that way from the human 13. but lists sephirot beginning with Da'at or Daas ("Knowledge".e. humans who remain selfish (Selfishness) can. 61 . This is seen in the etymologwould receive and conceal the Divine light. but rather is all ten sponds to mental aspects. The three sephirot of the left column that is yichud (“unification”). sephirot united as one. Da'at is not a sephirah. instead share ical use of Daat in the Torah. the unity is inward . Nevertheless. In Da'at. from the perspecers of memory and concentration. Zer Anpin person13.the union with an idea awakening Da'at is not always depicted in representations of the se.and as a whole embodies own ten sephirot and its own Daat. such as Genesis 4:1 and and reveal it.4 Levels Sefer Yetzirah) by either including Keter or Da'at. directly beneath Keter. But in this context. Hebrew: ‫ˈ[ דעת‬daʕaθ]) is Chokhmah (Wisdom) to describe their outer dimensions. In the occult belief-system of Thelema. Zer Anpin refers to the 'personification' (partzuf) of six sephirot from Khesed to Yesod . including reason and emotion. The perception of change can only occur in Malkuth.13. thus they are one. the Night of Pan Properly.2 As spiritual state are united as one.The spiritual state corresponding to the sephirah of Daat finite sharing. Da'at is the third and last giving (Altruism) like the Light become able to see it. and could in a sense be considered an “empty slot” into which the gem of any other sefirot can be placed. firot. it is no longer possible to distinguish one the union of Yesod (male/connection) with Malkuth (female/reception) embodies sexual unity in action. the potential meaningfulness of those Thus Da'at appears in the configuration of the sephirot ideas generated in consciousness through the powers of along the middle axis. see Dååth. not see it.Chapter 13 Da'at For the band. all sephirot exist in their perfected state of in. The concealment or revelation of the Divine Light shining through Da'at does not actually happen in Da'at itself. the "posterior brain"). a Hebrew word that means belief. Da'at is the location (the mystical state) where all ten sephirot in the Tree of Life 13. Since all sephirot radiate infinite self-giving 4:25 (“Adam knew Eve”). Daat is associated in the soul with the powcounted as a sephirah instead of Keter. Luria follows this. in Daat sephira from another. Humans who become self. While Divine Light. In the branch of Jewish mysticism known as Kabbalah. referred to sephirothic spheres.” which is an acronym for chesed din rachamim. concerned with creativity. DA'AT Da'at operates on two levels. the emotions of the soul (as alluded to by the word cheder. and instead there is an empty space. it is the source of all impressions. at least in posse. one which shows Da'at but not Malkuth. Da'at is a gateway which.org/library/article_cdo/aid/ 299648/jewish/Daat. A Concise Encyclopedia of Terms and Concepts in Jewish Mysticism 13. humanity loses paradise. is referred to as a particular dei'ah (“attitude. but edge”). serves to secure the continu.htm 13. when the active principle of Chokhmah (wisdom). These are considered as being before The Fall of Man.. meets with the passive principle of Binah. great storehouse of Phenomena. These three are sometimes referred to as the "superconscious". and others compare it with the secretive Bindu chakra at the back of the head. In some occult methods of thought. serves to connect the intellect as a whole with the are without any possible meaning. referred to as Da'at Tachton (“lower and the Unreal. for they lack realm of emotion.62 CHAPTER 13.chabad. this level of Da'at is referred to as “the key that includes six. They are and resolve to act in accordance with the essential truths appearances without Law. and the other which shows Malkuth but not Da'at. upon passing through.” 13.described the abyss: ous bond between the two higher powers of intellect -chokhmah and Binah.6 See also • Divine light • Da'as Elyon and Da'as Tachton • The Kabbalah Handbook. “room.7 References • Crowley.4. this sephirot is often not shown on the tree of life. and after The Fall. but it corresponds more or less to the gap in thought between the Real. there are often two trees depicted.org about Kabbalah • Lessons in Tanya • The Kabbalah Handbook.1 Lower level Of this level of Da'at it is said (Proverbs 24:4): “Da'at fills the rooms with precious things. Aleister Crowley (“the hidden knowledge”). and creates the archetypal idea of knowledge. In comparing with Eastern systems. 13. The higher level. Aleister: Little Essays Towards Truth • Da'at The Knowing I. The lower level. plain. indeed. the three primary emotions of the soul). closely related to Vishuddha. 'understanding'. Now the Abyss being thus the as the third power of the intellect. The idea most likely derives from as Da'at Elyon (“higher knowledge”) or Da'at hane'elam Da'at being situated upon The Abyss. In fact. However. Each of these six chambers. In the Abyss knowledge”) or Da'at hamitpashet (“extending knowlall things exist. thereby enhancing one’s determination the substratum of spiritual Reality.5 Non-Jewish Kabbalah Da'at is considered the point of creation. and falls into the earthly state of suffering represented by Malkuth. A Concise Encyclopedia of Terms and Concepts in Jewish Mysticism . which is actual. which is ideal. inverts the qualities of the 13. The inner consciousness of Da'at fills these rooms and enlivens them as does the soul to the body. wisdom and understanding.. by Rabbi Tzvi Freeman http://www. straddling The Abyss. This is Da'at sane Delusions. in which the fruit of knowledge is taken from the tree.8 External links • Inner. which among other things is concerned with the point at which the universe was created. This “This doctrine is extremely difficult to exis Daat within Keter.” from the root of Da'at) of the soul. some compare Da'at to the Vishuddha chakra in the throat.” “The rooms” are the chambers of the heart. In the Zohar.” The “key” of Da'at opens all six chambers (attributes) of the heart and fills them with lifeforce. when filled with Da'at. They are thus Inthat one has integrated into consciousness. wisdom. In its fully articulated form.” nal womb. It is in Indian mysticism. Rhea. etc. The name of God associated with Binah is Jehovah Elohim. Yoni. Binah is the rational process that is innate in the person which works to develop an idea fully. because it literally the womb. In this sense.2. of light of Chokhmah. Hecate. Binah is seen to take the raw force of Chokhmah. The higher of these is referred to as Imma Ila'ah (“the higher mother”). Binah is associated with the feminine. and to channel it into the various forms of creation. Demeter. Cybele. or 'contemplation'.1 Description referred to jointly as Imma (“the mother”). While Chockmah is intellect that does not emanate from the rational process (it is either inspired or taught). 14. Gevurah. pure receptivity. increasing and multiply. which is carved out by the light of wisdom. Juno. also known as deductive reasoning.Chapter 14 Binah (Kabbalah) Binah. The Three Threes of the Tarot. looking out) it may be related to the “left eye". etc. is why Binah is often associated with various occult things that reflect the females. across from Chokmah and directly above Gevurah. Rabbi Moses Cordovero elucidated the ethical qualities associated with each Sefira. you have the fuel and an engine. ‫)בינה‬. as if one is standing inside the tree. the archangel that presides over it is Tzaphkiel. as opposed to Chokmah ing it in an infinite variety of ways.2 Qualities derived from Binah 14. is the second intellectual sephira on the kabbalistic Tree of Life. It sits on the level below Keter (in the formulations that include that sephirah).” Classical Jewish texts state Binah yeterah natun l'nashim (“an extra measure of Binah was given to women”). It is feminine. pure energy. it is the as the Subject. For example.[1] 14. gives birth to the whole of creation. etc. While Chokmah is the fuel. This teaches that God hewed out all the letters of the Torah. whereas the lower is referred to as tevunah (“comprehension”). It is related to the priestess card in the occult tarot (according to Arthur Edward Waite's “Pictorial Key to the Tarot”) and Liber 777 associating it with Isis. Binah possesses two partzufim.1 Ethical qualities In the medieval text the Tomer Devorah. Binah is “processed wisdom.3 Non-Jewish associations According to the Bahir: “The third (utterance): quarry of the Torah. The Virgin Mary. It is the engine. (meaning “Understanding". Binah is Binah is 'intuitive understanding'. one should repent and rectify all flaws’. quarry of God’s spirit. The Bahir states: “For you shall call Understanding a Mother. which one must attempt to imitate.” Binah is associated with the color green. It is davar mitoch davar—understanding one idea from another idea. its role is similar to the role of Shakti 'quarry'. and to the womb.) In an anthropomorphic visualization (in which the sephira are reversed. It is usually given four paths: to Keter.[2] In Western occultism. These two partzufim are Occultists have tried to compare the sephira with the 63 . It is related to the Yoni. Either one without the other likened to a 'palace of mirrors’ that reflects the pure point is useless. The attribute associated with Binah is complete repentance. engraving them with the Spirit. for 'just as Binah sweetens all severities and neutralizes their bitterness. which gives shape to the Spirit of God. with Chokmah providing the raw energy. in a car. and Tiphereth (some Kabbalists place a path from Binah to Chesed as well. The aspect or attribute of being associated with the feminine. providing the superOn a psychological level.In its role as the ultimate Object. casting His forms within it”. hewn out by the spirit of God. 14. treasury of wisdom. Chockmah. “left hemisphere of the brain" or the "heart. the order of angels that resides in it are the Aralim (the Thrones) and the planet associated with it is Saturn. Woman. 5 External links • The Kabbalah Handbook.64 chakras of Indian mysticism. without her energy. [2] Arthur Green. translated by Aryeh Kaplan (1995). which is where both Shiva and Shakti are united. it has Sathariel. a corpse. 14. My Jewish Learning. Aronson. Shakti is the animating life force whereas Shiva is dead. Retrieved 5 December 2011. Tarcher Penguin.org) • Lessons in Tanya • Kabbalah 101: Binah CHAPTER 14. the attributes of God relate to each other in a scripted way. A Concise Encyclopedia of Terms and Concepts in Jewish Mysticism ISBN 978-1585425600 • Basics in Kabbalah. The Ten Sefirot: Binah (inner. and one such comparison is in comparing both Binah and Chokmah with the Ajna chakra.”. A guide to the Zohar • Bahir. For its negative opposite on the Tree of Death. (ISBN 1-58542-560-5) 14. Gabriella Samuel (2007). Sefirot.4 References [1] “According to the kabbalists. In the correlation of Binah with Shakti and Chokmah with Shiva. (ISBN 1-56821-383-2) • The Kabbalah Handbook. BINAH (KABBALAH) . There Chokhmah appears in the configuration of the sefirot at are several aspects of Chokhmah: the top of the right axis. 'because it has no measure of boundary. “Wisdom comes from powers of the soul nothingness”. Thus the verse states.”[2] Chokhmah is also called Fear. Chokhmah is the primary (“beginning”) force in the creChokhmah is associated with the color grey.” This aspect of Chokhmah describes the partzufim (“faces” or “features”): the higher of these is state of Chokhmah in relation to the sefira of Keter. These two partzufim are referred to jointly as Abba state that is a virtual non-being.[4] In the array of sefirot in three columns (gimel kavim). and the first point of 'real' existence. And there is no 'beginning' but wisdom. “the poIn its fully articulated form. Tifereth.koach (“potential”) and ma (“what is”). or. (Some kabbalists attribute a path between Chokhmah and Gevurah. but it remains incomprehensible until it is given shape and form in Binah. as it is said: “You have made them all with Chokhmah . channeling Ein Sof through the rest of the sephirot.) power to spontaneously extract such insight from the superconscious realm. “and Chokhmah emerges from nothingness” (Job 28:12. Zohar III. with Binah across from it. the El. Chokhmah. corresponds to the right hemisphere of the brain. 290a. since Keter represents emptiness..2 The first of the intellectual According to the book of Job. and therefore the mind does not have the power to grasp it'. The intuitive insight. it denotes the first intermediate step conveyed to the companion power of Binah for the sake between Keter and the rest of the sephirot. the second of the ten sefirot. The “wisdom” of Chokhmah also implies the ability to look deeply at some aspect of reality and abstract its conceptual essence till one succeeds in uncovering its underlying axiomatic truth.). 121a. It commonly has four paths going to Keter. Chokhmah means “the potential of what is”. These seeds of truth can then be In Jewish mysticism. as is written: 'Y-H-W-H acquired me at the beginning of His way. it “appears” in an obscure and undefined der”).” The first word of the Torah (in Genesis.1 Description Yonatan) as “With Chokhmah (God created. or right The word Chokhmah itself may be broken into two words -. and to depart from evil is understanding' (Job 28:28). Chokmah is situated at the top of the right column. hemisphere of the brain. whereas the partzuf of Yisrael Saba is associated with the power to subsequently direct it into consciousness. the “Pillar of Mercy”) in the kabbalistic Tree of Life. 65 .. whereas Chokhmah emanates from Keter. As referred to as Abba Ila'ah (“the higher father”).light of the Ein Sof becomes unified in the world of Atzilut ness. is the first power of conscious intellect within Creation. The partzuf of Abba Ila'ah is associated with the through clothing itself first in the sefira of Chokhmah. 15. Thus. Chokhmah possesses two tential to be.“Infinite Light”. flashing lightning-like across conscious. the first dawning of the the lower is referred to as Yisrael Saba (“Israel. is translated (Targum 15. forwarding and of intellectual analysis and development.[1] ative process. ‫( )חכמה‬or chochmah or hokhmah) is the uppermost of the sephirot of the right line (kav yamin. It is to the bottom right of Keter. before His deeds of old' (Prov 8:22). and corresponds in the tzelem Elokim (“the Divine image”) to the right eye. Creativity. and yet encompasses the whole of being. commentaries). and The name of God associated with Chokhmah is Yah.Chapter 15 Chokhmah (Kabbalah) Chokhmah (“Wisdom". Binah. Under it are the sephirot of Chesed and Netzach.[5] The book of Job states 'Behold the fear of God is wisdom.” According to the Bahir: “The second (utterance) is wisdom. Chokhmah is associated in the soul with the power of see Zohar II. and Chesed. Breishit means “In the beginning (God created the heavens and the earth)".[3] This point is both infinitely small. (“father”). 66 CHAPTER 15. CHOKHMAH (KABBALAH) In its fully articulated form, Chokhmah possesses two partzufim (“faces” or “appearances”): the higher of these is referred to as Abba (“father”), whereas the lower is referred to as Yisrael Sabba “Israel [the] ancient (grandfather)". In the soul, Chokhmah is associated with the power of intuitive insight. In the Zohar Chokhmah is the primordial point which shines forth from the will of God and thus, is the starting point of Creation. All things are still undifferentiated at this point and only become intelligible at Binah. 15.3 In the texts of Judaism The word Chokhmah is read in the Zohar (Numbers 220b) as koach mah, “the power of selflessness”, or, alternatively, as cheich mah, “the palate of selflessness.” “The power of selflessness” implies not only the attribute of selflessness itself, but the great creative power that selflessness entails. “The palate of selflessness” is the soul’s ability to “taste” Divinity by virtue of one’s state of selflessness, as is said (Psalms 34:9): “Taste and see that God is good.” In general, the sense of sight relates to Chokhmah (the lightning-flash referred to above). From this verse we learn that there is an inner, spiritual sense of taste in Chokhmah that precedes and arouses the sense of sight. In Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan's commentary on the Bahir he says “Wisdom (Chokhmah) is therefore the first thing that the mind can grasp, and is therefore called a “beginning.” and according to the Hasidic Judaism site Inner.org, Chokhmah refers to “the first power of conscious intellect within Creation.” Shiva-Shakti duality of Shakta tantra. Chokhma and Binah are compared to the fuel and the engine of a car. Chokhma is the fuel, pure force, and Binah is the engine, pure potential. One without the other is useless, both are needed to drive the cosmos. According to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the name of God associated with Chokmah is Jehovah, the archangel that presides over it is Raziel, the order of angels that reside in it are the Ophanim (the wheels), the Heaven of Assiah associated with it is called Mazloth, implying the fulfillment of destiny, and the mundane chakra associated with it is the Zodiac. Chokhma is related to the phallus and the straight line. It is variously attempted to relate it to different chakras in Indian mysticism. One attempt at reconciliation is that both Chokhma and Binah are united in the Ajna chakra, which is where both Shiva and Shakti, subject and object, are united. In its role as the primal point from which all creation emerges, the idea of Chokhmah is very similar to the Bindu, or primal point. In Aleister Crowley's Liber 777, Chokhma is represented as The Four twos of the Tarot, Illuminating, Thoth, Vishnu, Joy, Odin, Uranus, Athena, God the Father, Man, Amaranth, VIAOV, Star Ruby, Lingam, Hashish, Phosphorus, Musk, and Yang (not a complete list). Its shadow or Qlippothic equivalent has the name Chaigidel. 15.6 See also • Chokhmah (Hebrew language word) 15.7 References 15.4 Qualities derived Chokhmah from [1] “Sefirot”. Sefirot. My Jewish Learning. Retrieved 5 December 2011. [2] Arthur Green. A guide to the Zohar 15.4.1 Ethical Behaviour [3] Job. 28:12 Chokhmah has 2 faces, one facing keter above, and the [4] Rabbi Moshe Cordovero. The Palm Tree of Devorah other overseeing the over sefirot. Therefore, to emulate [5] Aryeh Kaplan. Meditation and Kabbalah this Sefira, one aspect should be in communion with his [6] Rabbi Moshe Cordovero. The Palm Tree of Devorah Creator in order to increase his wisdom, and the other should be to teach others the wisdom that the Holy One has endowed him.[6] 15.7.1 Jewish 15.5 Non-Jewish usages Western occultists describe Chokhma as the creative, active principle behind the cosmos. It is force, the ultimate Subject, as compared to Binah, the ultimate Object. In this respect, it is very similar to the idea of Shiva in the • The Kabbalah Handbook, A Concise Encyclopedia of Terms and Concepts in Jewish Mysticism • Bahir, translated by Aryeh Kaplan (1995). Aronson. (ISBN 1-56821-383-2) • Lessons in Tanya • Kabbalah 101: Chochmah 15.8. EXTERNAL LINKS 15.7.2 Non-Jewish • 777, Aleister Crowley (1955). Red Wheel/Weiser. (ISBN 0-87728-670-1) • The Mystical Kabbalah, Dion Fortune (1935). Weiser Books. (ISBN 1-57863-150-5) 15.8 External links • Basics in Kabbalah, The Ten Sefirot: Chochmah (inner.org) • The Kabbalah Handbook, A Concise Encyclopedia of Terms and Concepts in Jewish Mysticism 67 Chapter 16 Keter For other uses, see Keter (disambiguation). which he revealed himself to Moses from the burning bush.[4] “It is from the name Ehyeh that all kinds of sustenance emanate, coming from the source, which is the Keter (Hebrew: ‫ כֶּתֶר‬, lit. Crown) also known as Kether, is the topmost of the Sephirot of the Tree of infinite”. Life in Kabbalah. Since its meaning is “crown”, it is in- Keter, although being the highest Sephirah of its world, terpreted as both the “topmost” of the Sephirot and the receives from the Sephirah of Malkuth of the domain “regal crown” of the Sephirot. It is between Chokmah above it (see Sephirot). The uppermost Keter sits below and Binah (with Chokmah on the right and Binah in the no other Sephirah, although it is below Or Ein Soph which left) and it sits above Tiphereth. It is usually given three is the source of all Sephirot. paths, to Chokmah, Tiphereth, and Binah. Da'at and Keter are the same Sephirah from two differKeter is so sublime, it is called in the Zohar “the most hidden of all hidden things”, and is completely incomprehensible to man. It is also described as absolute compassion, and Rabbi Moshe Cordovero describes it as the source of the 13 Supernal Attributes of Mercy. Keter is invisible, colorless.[1] ent aspects. From one aspect this Sephirah is referred to Keter and from another aspect it is referred to as Da'at. Therefore when Da'at is counted then Keter is not counted and when Keter is counted Da'at is not counted. 16.2 Qualities 16.2.1 Ethical Behaviour 16.1 Description Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, in The Palm Tree of Devorah, According to the Bahir: “What are the ten utterances? discusses ethical behaviour that man should follow, reThe first is supreme crown, blessed be His name and His lated to the qualities of the Sephirot, in order that man people.” [2] might emulate his Creator. Humility is the first, because The first Sephirah is called the Crown, since a crown although Keter is the highest, it is ashamed to look at is worn above the head. The Crown therefore refers to its cause, and instead gazes at those below it.[5] One’s things that are above the mind’s abilities of comprehen- thoughts should be pure, one’s forehead should display sion. All of the other Sephirot are likened to the body no harshness, one’s ears should always turn to hear good, which starts with the head and wends its way down into one’s eyes should distance themselves from noticing evil, action. But the crown of a king lies above the head and always looking at the good, one’s nose should be free from connects the concept of “monarchy”, which is abstract the breath of anger, one’s face should always shine, and and intangible, with the tangible and concrete head of the his mouth should express nothing except good. king. This first Sefirah represents the primal stirrings of intent in the Ein Soph, or the arousal of desire to come forth into the varied life of being.[2] But in this sense, although it contains all the potential for content, it contains no content itself, and is therefore called 'Nothing', 'The Hidden Light', 'The air that cannot be grasped'. Being desire to bring the world into being, Keter is absolute compassion.[3] 16.2.2 13 Supernal Attributes of Mercy Main article: Thirteen Attributes of Mercy Through discussion of a line in the Michah, 13 attributes are associated with the Sephirah Kether: The name of God associated with Keter is Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh (Hebrew: ‫)אהיה אשר אהיה‬, the name through 68 Who is God like you, who pardons iniquity and forgives the transgressions of the remnant of his 16.4. SEE ALSO heritage? He does not maintain His anger forever, for He delights in kindness. He will again show us compassion, He will vanquish our iniquities, and You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea. Show faithfulness to Ya'akov, kindness to Avraham, which You have sworn to our fathers from days of old. (Michah, 7:1820) Accordingly, the 13 attributes are derived from this and described in great detail. Additionally, the “Thirteen Attributes of Mercy” were described by Rabbi Chizkiyah in an allegorical depiction of a lily among thorns. The metaphor in whole is known and taught as “The lily amongst the thorns,” a phrase found in Shir Hashirim 2:2. A summary: “The secret of spiritual protection is revealed through a richly metaphorical discourse given by Rabbi Chizkiyah. The Rabbi explains that the spiritual forces that protect and watch over us are called the 13 Attributes of Mercy. They are transmitted into our physical world through the first 13 words of the Torah. When judgments are decreed against us, these 13 forces can safeguard us from their influence. We begin drawing this Light of protection to ourselves at the very moment we begin to browse and behold the mystical shapes and sequences of the Aramaic text, and to learn the spiritual insights presented there.” [6] 69 in flower, Diamond, Elixir Vitae, Dao, and Death (not a complete list of the 777 associations). It is said to have a negative aspect, the Qliphah Thaumiel. Keter is also identified with the former planet Pluto, the Atma in Theosophy and Raja Yoga, and the Khabs am Pekht in Egyptian mysticism.[8] 16.4 See also • Kabbalah • Sephirot • Corona 16.5 References [1] “Sefirot”. Sefirot. My Jewish Learning. Retrieved 5 December 2011. [2] Arthur Green. Guide to the Zohar [3] Rabbi Moshe Cordovero. The Palm Tree of Devorah [4] Aryeh Kaplan. Meditation and Kabbalah [5] Rabbi Moshe Cordovero. The Palm Tree of Devorah. [6] http://www2.kabbalah.com/k/index.php/p=zohar/zohar [7] A.E. Waite, The Holy Kabbalah 16.3 Non-Jewish practices [8] David Rankine, Climbing the Tree of Life: A Manual of Practical Magickal Qabalah In The Mystical Qabalah Dion Fortune describes Keter as pure consciousness, beyond all categories, timeless, 16.5.1 Jewish a point that crystallises out of the Ein Soph, and commences the process of emanation that ends in Malkuth. • Bahir, translated by Aryeh Kaplan, (1995). Aronson. (ISBN 1-56821-383-2) The name of God given to it is Eheieh, the archangel that presides over it is Metatron, the order of angels that re• Lessons in Tanya sides in it are the Holy Living Creatures (the Chaioth ha Qadesh, Hebrew: ‫)היות הקדש‬, and its mundane chakra • Kabbalah 101: Keter is said to be the First Swirlings of the cosmos (Primum • The Kabbalah Handbook, A Concise Encyclopedia Mobile, Rashith ha Gilgalin). of Terms and Concepts in Jewish Mysticism A.E. Waite made mention that Rabbi Azariel ben Menachem, a student of Isaac the Blind, in his Commentary on • Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, The Palm Tree of Devothe Sephiroth granted a particular colour to each Sephira, rah, translated by Rabbi Moshe Miller (1993). Taryet these do not agree with the colours given in the Zohar, gum Press Inc. (ISBN 1-56871-027-5) where Kether (which, according to him, is also correlated to Yechidah) is called colourless, Tiphareth purple, and Malkuth sapphire-blue.[7] 16.5.2 Non-Jewish As pure formless consciousness, it is often compared with the Sahasrara chakra, which resides above the crown of the head, in Indian Shakta Tantra. In Aleister Crowley's Liber 777, Keter is associated with the Four Aces of the Tarot deck, White Brilliance, Poseidon, Brahma, Wodan, Zeus, The Trinity, Almond • Crowley, Aleister. 777 and other Qabalistic writings of Aleister Crowley. York Beach, ME: Samuel Weiser, 1977. ISBN 0-87728-222-6. • Fortune, Dion. The Mystical Kabbalah. Samuel Weiser, 1935. ISBN 1-57863-150-5. 2007. Arthur Edward.org) • An Introduction to the Kabala (about. The Ten Sefirot: Keter (inner.com) • Tree of Life: Keter (psyche. ISBN 1-56718-141-4. ISBN 1-60206-324-9.com) CHAPTER 16.70 • Regardie. 1932. • Waite. 16. KETER . Israel. 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