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“Sefirah” redirects here. For Sefirat Ha-Omer, see Counting of the Omer. Counting of the Omer (or Sefirat Ha'omer, Hebrew: ספירת העומר) is a verbal counting of each of the forty-nine days between the Jewish holidays For other uses, see Sephiroth (disambiguation).
The Sefirot in Jewish Kabbalah
Keter Binah Chokhmah Da'at Gevurah Chesed Tiferet Hod Netzach Yesod Malkuth
The Sefirot in Jewish Kabbalah
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 Category:Sephiroth
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Sephirot [or "enumerations", Sephiroth, Sefiroth (סְפִירוֹת), singular: Sephirah, also Sefirah (סְפִירָה "enumeration" in Hebrew)], in the Kabbalah of Judaism, are the ten attributes that God (who is referred to as אור אין סוף Aur Ain Soph, "Limitless Light, Light Without End") created through which he can manifest not only in the physical but the metaphysical universe. Kabbalah (קַבָּלָה lit "receiving" is a discipline and school of thought discussing the mystical aspect of Judaism. Kabbalah (קַבָּלָה lit "receiving" is a discipline and school of thought discussing the mystical aspect of Judaism. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut In Judaism, the name of God is more than a distinguishing title Ein Soph or Ayn Sof ( Hebrew אין סוף, literally "without end" denoting "boundlessness" and/or " Nothingness "

Contents

Ten Sephirot

Through a careful study of the Tanakh, Jewish sages identified ten Sephirot (ten being the number of divine perfection). See also Old testament, Septuagint, Targum, Peshitta The Tanakh (תַּנַ"ךְ (taˈnax or; also Tenakh or Tenak is At their fundamental level, the ten Sephirot are a step-by-step process illuminating the Divine plan as it unfolds itself in our world. They are known by the following names/characteristics from highest to lowest:

  1. Keter - Crown - Divine Plan/ Creator/ infinite light/ Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh - I AM THAT I AM (Supreme/ Total Consciousness)
  2. Chokmah - Divine Reality/ revelation/ Yesh me-ayin - being from nothingness (Power of Wisdom)
  3. Binah - Understanding/ repentance/ reason (Power of Love)
  4. Chesed - Mercy/ Grace/ Love of (intention to emulate) God (Power of Vision)
  5. Gevurah - Judgment/ strength/ determination (Power of Intention)
  6. Tipheret - Symmetry/ balance/ compassion (Creative Power)
  7. Netzach - Contemplation/ Initiative/ persistence (Power of the Eternal Now)
  8. Hod - Surrender/ sincerity/ steadfastness (Intellectual/ Observational Power)
  9. Yesod - Foundation/ wholly remembering/ coherent knowledge (Power of Manifesting)
  10. Malkuth - Lower Crown - Kingdom/ physical presence/ vision and illusion (Power of Healing/ Accomplishment/ Level of Realization of Divine Plan)

The Sephirot above are listed in order according to the version given to us by rabbi Moses ben Jacob Cordovero. Keter (" Crown " in Hebrew כתר) also known as Kether, is the topmost of the Sephirot of the Tree of Life in Chokhmah ("Wisdom" חכמה (or chochmah or hokhmah) in the Kabbalah of Judaism, is the uppermost of the Sephirot Note The Hebrew word 'chesed' חסד is also the root word upon which the name Hasidism is based Gevurah ("Severity" גבורה (also as Gebrah or Geburah and Din ("Judgment" in the Kabbalah of Judaism Tiferet ("Adornment" Hebrew: תפארת ti'feʔɾɛθ or Tifereth, Tyfereth, Tiphereth - also known as Rakhamim ("Mercy" Netzach ( Hebrew: נצח, "victory" is the seventh Sephirot in the Kabbalah, located beneath Chesed, at the base of Yesod ("foundation" יסוד is one of the important Kabbalistic sephirot. Malkuth ("kingdom" מלכות or Shekhinah is the tenth of the Sephirot in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. Moses ben Jacob Cordovero or Moshe Cordevero (1522-1570 ( Hebrew: משה קורדובירו) known by the Acronym However, Rabbi Isaac Luria listed the Sephirot somewhat differently by taking out Keter and adding in da'at:

  1. Chokmah - Divine Reality/ revelation/ Yesh me-ayin - being from nothingness (Power of Wisdom)
  2. Binah - Understanding/ repentance/ reason (Power of Love)
  3. Da'at - Knowledge, the bridge between the intellect and emotion
  4. Chesed - Mercy/ Grace/ Love of (intention to emulate) God (Power of Vision)
  5. Gevurah - Judgment/ strength/ determination (Power of Intention)
  6. Tipheret - Symmetry/ balance/ compassion (Creative Power)
  7. Netzach - Contemplation/ Initiative/ persistence (Power of the Eternal Now)
  8. Hod - Surrender/ sincerity/ steadfastness (Intellectual/Observational Power)
  9. Yesod - Foundation/ wholly remembering/ coherent knowledge (Power of Manifesting)
  10. Malkuth/ Lower Crown - Kingdom/ physical presence/ vision and illusion (Power of Healing/ Accomplishment/ Level of Realization of Divine Plan)

The Da'at is the mystical state of unity of the 10 Sephiroth, also called the Tree of Life. Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534 – July 25 1572) was a Jewish mystic in Safed. Chokhmah ("Wisdom" חכמה (or chochmah or hokhmah) in the Kabbalah of Judaism, is the uppermost of the Sephirot For the band see DÅÅTH. Daat or Daas ("Knowledge" Hebrew: דעת 'daʕaθ in Jewish mysticism Note The Hebrew word 'chesed' חסד is also the root word upon which the name Hasidism is based Gevurah ("Severity" גבורה (also as Gebrah or Geburah and Din ("Judgment" in the Kabbalah of Judaism Tiferet ("Adornment" Hebrew: תפארת ti'feʔɾɛθ or Tifereth, Tyfereth, Tiphereth - also known as Rakhamim ("Mercy" Netzach ( Hebrew: נצח, "victory" is the seventh Sephirot in the Kabbalah, located beneath Chesed, at the base of Yesod ("foundation" יסוד is one of the important Kabbalistic sephirot. Malkuth ("kingdom" מלכות or Shekhinah is the tenth of the Sephirot in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. For the band see DÅÅTH. Daat or Daas ("Knowledge" Hebrew: דעת 'daʕaθ in Jewish mysticism See also Sephirot (Kabbalah See also Tree of life (disambiguation for other meanings of the term These ten levels are associated with Kabbalah's (Zohar) four different "worlds" or "planes" which serve as the guide for returning to the Creator.

  1. Atziluth (אֲצִילוּת), or "World of Emanations", on this level of Creator, Reality/ the light of the Ain Sof radiates and is united with its source. Atziluth, or Atzilut (also Olam Atzilut עולם אצילות literally World of Emanation is the highest of Four worlds in which exists the Kabbalistic
  2. Beri'ah (בְּרִיאָה) or "World of Creation", on this conceptual level of creation ex nihilo without form, only the highest ranking Angels (purity of being) inhabit. Beri'ah, or Briyah (also known as Olam Briyah עולם בריאה in Hebrew literally World of Creation is the second of four worlds in the kabbalistic Tree of Life An angel is a Spiritual Supernatural being found in many Religions Although the nature of angels and the tasks given to them vary from tradition to tradition
  3. Yetzirah (יְצִירָה) or "World of Formation" on this level, creation (creativity) is related to form. Yetzirah (also known as Olam Yatzirah עולם יצירה in Hebrew is the third of four worlds in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, following Assiah and preceding
  4. Asiyah' (עֲשִׂיָּה) or "World of Actions", on this level creation is relegated to the 'physical Asiyah' comprising our physical world with all its creatures. Assiah (or Asiyah, also known as Olam Asiyah עולם עשיה in Hebrew literally the World of Action is the fourth and lowest of the Four worlds described by

Each of these worlds are progressively grosser and further removed from the Divine (Plan), however the ten Sephiroth manifest in all of them.

Whereas in the Zohar and elsewhere there are four worlds or universes (planes of existence), in the Lurianic system, Five Worlds, a fifth plane, Adam Kadmon-manifest Godhead level, mediates between the Ein Sof and the four lower worlds which can be understood as descriptive of dimensional levels of intentionality related to the man's natural "desire to receive" and a (secret Science of Kabbalah) method for the soul's progress upward toward unity with or return to the Creator. For the village in southern Israel see Tzohar The Zohar (זהר lit Splendor or Radiance) is widely considered the most important

The pillars

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Shimon bar Yochai · Moshe Cordovero · Isaac the Blind · Bahya ben Asher · Nahmanides · Azriel · Isaac Luria · Chaim Vital · Jacob Emden · Jonathan Eybeschutz · Chaim ibn Attar · Nathan Adler · Vilna Gaon · Shalom Sharabi · Chaim Joseph David Azulai · Shlomo Eliyashiv · Baba Sali · Ben Ish Chai
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The Sephiroth are organised into 3 different columns or gimel kavim ("three lines" in Hebrew):

Kether heads the central column of the tree, which is known metaphorically speaking as the "Pillar of Mildness" and is associated with Hebrew letter Aleph, "the breath", and the air element. Kabbalah (קַבָּלָה lit "receiving" is a discipline and school of thought discussing the mystical aspect of Judaism. Qliphoth, kliffoth or klippot ( Heb קליפות qelippot, meaning "peels" "shells" or matter singular קליפה Raziel ( Heb רזיאל "Secret of God " is an Archangel within the teachings of Jewish mysticism (of the Kabbalah Ein Soph or Ayn Sof ( Hebrew אין סוף, literally "without end" denoting "boundlessness" and/or " Nothingness " In Jewish Mysticism, Tzimtzum (צמצום Hebrew: "contraction" or "constriction" refers to the notion in the Kabbalistic theory of See also Sephirot (Kabbalah See also Tree of life (disambiguation for other meanings of the term Seder hishtalshelus (Hebrew סדר השתלשלות means the "order of development" or "order of evolution" where the word Hishtalshelus (or Jewish meditation can refer to several traditional practices of contemplation visualization analysis and gaining intuitive insights See also Jewish views of astrology Note This article does not describe normative Judaism as practiced by the majority of Jewish In Hebrew astrology was called hokmat ha-nissayon, "the wisdom of prognostication" in distinction to hokmat ha-hizzayon (wisdom of star-seeing or Astronomy Shimon bar Yohai, ( Aramaic: רבן שמעון בר יוחאי Shimon son of Yohai, Simon son of Yohai or Rashbi (רשב"י pronounced Moses ben Jacob Cordovero or Moshe Cordevero (1522-1570 ( Hebrew: משה קורדובירו) known by the Acronym Rabbi Yitzhak Saggi Nehor רַבִּי יִצְחַק סַגִּי נְהוֹר also known as Isaac the Blind, (c Bahye ben Asher ( Hebrew: בחיי בן אשר) or Bahye ben Asher ben Halawa also known as the Rabbeinu Behaye, born about the middle of the Nahmanides (1194 &ndash c 1270 was a Catalan Rabbi, philosopher, Physician, Kabbalist and biblical commentator. Azriel of Gerona Azriel ben Menahem ( Heb עזריאל בן מנחם) (c Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534 – July 25 1572) was a Jewish mystic in Safed. Rabbi Chaim ben Yosef Vital (1543 in Safed - 23 April 1620 in Damascus) was one of the most famous exponents of Kabbalah. Jacob Emden ( (the Yabets) was a Jewish Rabbi and notable Talmudist and prominent opponent of the Shabbethaians. Jonathan Eybeschutz ( Kraków 1690 - Altona 1764 was a Talmudist Halachist, Kabbalist, and secret Shabbatean, holding Chaim ben Moses ibn Attar חיים בן משה אבן עטר was a Talmudist and kabbalist; born at Mequenez, Morocco, in 1696 died in Jerusalem Nathan Adler (1741-1800 was a German Kabalist born in Frankfurt, December 16, 1741. Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman, known as the Vilna Gaon or Elijah of Vilna and simply by his Hebrew Acronym Gra (" G aon Sar Shalom Sharabi ( Hebrew: שר שלום מזרחי דידיע שרעבי also known as the Rashash, the Shemesh or Ribbi Shalom Rabbi Chaim Joseph David ben Isaac Zerachia Azulai (1724 &ndash 21 March 1807) ( Hebrew: חיים יוסף דוד אזולאי Rabbi Shlomo Elyashiv (12 Tevet, 1841 - March 13 (27 Adar) 1925 (שלמה בן חיים חייקל אלישיב, also known as the Leshem or Ba'al Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira (ישראל אבוחצירא known as Baba Sali באבא סאלי (بابا صلى "praying father" (1890-1984 was a Moroccan Yosef Chaim ( 1 September, 1832 – 30 August, 1909) ( Hebrew: יוסף חיים מבגדאד) was a leading Hakham Like the rest of Rabbinic literature, the texts of Kabbalah were once part of an ongoing oral tradition though over the centuries much of the Oral Torah has been For the village in southern Israel see Tzohar The Zohar (זהר lit Splendor or Radiance) is widely considered the most important Sefer Yetzirah ( Hebrew, "Book of Creation" ספר יצירה is the title of the earliest extant book on Jewish Esotericism. Bahir or Sefer Ha-Bahir סֵפֶר הַבָּהִיר ( Hebrew, "Book of the Brightness" is an anonymous mystical work attributed pseudepigraphically Heichalot (The Palaces refers to a collection of Jewish literature is the reconstructed name of the first letter of the Proto-Canaanite alphabet, continued in descended Semitic alphabets as Phoenician It is a neutral one, a balance between the two opposing forces of male and female tendencies. Some teachings describe the Sephirot on the centre pillar as gender-neutral, while others say that the Sephirot vary in their sexual attributions.

Chokhmah heads the right column of the tree, metaphorically speaking the "Pillar of Mercy", associated with the Hebrew letter Shin, the fire element, and the male aspect;

The left column is headed by Binah and is called the "Pillar of Severity. Shin (also spelled Šin or Sheen) is the twenty-first letter in many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew " It is associated with Hebrew letter Mem, the water element and the female aspect. Mem (also spelled Meem or Mim) is the thirteenth letter of many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew

While the pillars are each given a sexual attribution, this does not mean that every sephirah on a given pillar has the same sexual attribution as the pillar on which they sit. In Jewish Kabbalah, of all the Sephirot only Binah and Malkuth are considered female, while all the other Sephirot are male. Additionally (and this applies to both Jewish and Hermetic Kabbalah), each sephirah is seen as male in relation to the following sephirah in succession on the tree, and female in relation to the foregoing sephirah.

Alternative traditions consider the grammatical genders of the words involved. Thus, Gevurah is feminine because it has an atonal finial Heh. Thus, Severity or Justice becomes a feminine attribute while Chesed (Mercy or Lovingkindness) becomes a masculine one, despite the modern Western tendency to genderize these terms in reverse manner.

Numerology

In a numerological sense, the Tree of Sephiroth also has significance. Between the 10 Sephiroth run 22 channels or paths which connect them, a number which can be associated with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. In addition to each of these channels being assigned a letter of this alphabet, each path is also identified with one of the major trumps of the Tarot deck of symbolic cards. When combined with the 10 Sephiroth, these 22 paths make the number 32 which makes reference to the 32 Qabbalistic Paths of Wisdom and also the 32 degrees of Freemasonry. There are 32 teeth in an adult human's mouth. There are 32 bits in a doubleword.

To envision the tree, consider each of these ten spheres as being concentric circles with Malkuth being the innermost and all others encompassed by the latter. Malkuth ("kingdom" מלכות or Shekhinah is the tenth of the Sephirot in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. None of these are separate from the other, and all simply help to form a more complete view of the perfected whole. To speak simply, Malkuth is the Kingdom which is the physical world upon which we live and exist, while Kether, also call Kaether and Kaether Elyon is the Crown of this universe, representing the highest attainable understanding of God that men can understand. Keter (" Crown " in Hebrew כתר) also known as Kether, is the topmost of the Sephirot of the Tree of Life in

Hypothetically there also exists an Eleventh Sephirah called Daath. For the band see DÅÅTH. Daat or Daas ("Knowledge" Hebrew: דעת 'daʕaθ in Jewish mysticism Its meaning is the Abyss and its universal element is Neptune which makes it an important element of the Tree of Sephiroth. Neptune (Neptūnus is the god of water and the sea in Roman mythology, a brother of Jupiter and Pluto. However, the first Qabbalists did not include any such sphere, making Daath a contested point of philosophical discussion. The Jewish Kabbalists that do accept this entity state that it is not a Sephirah, but rather the absence of one. In the Jewish tradition, the idea of an eleventh Sephirah is tantamount to blasphemy, as stated in the Sefer Yetzirah: "Ten Sephirot of Nothingness, ten and not nine, ten and not eleven. ”

Rabbinic significance

As to the actual significance of the numbers 10 and 22 in context of Judaism goes into Kabbalistic interpretation of Genesis. God is said to have created the world through Ten Utterances, marked by the number of times Genesis states, “And God said. ” Upon scrutiny, there are only nine, but the Kabbalists count the first verse: “In the Beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth. ” (Genesis 1:1) This is because something was created, which parallels what happens every time “And God said” is stated. As for the 22 letter-paths, there must first be an explanation of the three different types of letters in Hebrew. See “Bahir Tree” of “Kircher Tree” image for reference.

Each letter grouping has significance in Genesis 1:

In Hermetic Qabalah

Main article: Hermetic Qabalah

The French hermetic occultist author Eliphas Levi wrote extensively and popularized the relationship between the Tarot and the Tree of Life. Hermetic Qabalah (from the Hebrew קַבָּלָה "reception" is a Western esoteric and mystical tradition Eliphas Lévi, born Alphonse Louis Constant, ( February 8, 1810 - May 31, 1875) was a French Occult author The tarot (also known as tarocchi, tarock or similar names is typically a set of seventy-eight cards comprised of twenty-one trump cards, one According to Levi, the tarot cards originated from Gypsies who brought the tree of life out of Egypt in the form of tarot cards. The Romani people (singular Rom, plural Roma as a Noun; also known as Romanies or Roma people) are an ethnic group with origins The French occultist Papus, author of The Tarot of the Bohemians, was also a supporter of this theory. Gerard Encausse ( July 13, 1865 - 25 October 1916 whose esoteric pseudonym was Papus, was the Spanish -born French [1] This theory lacks credibility now since it is known that Gypsies actually came from India, not Egypt. The earliest known appearances of tarot cards came from the Dukes of Milan, not Gypsies, namely under the rule of Filippo Maria Visconti and Francesco I Sforza. The following is a list of rulers of Milan from the 13th century to 1859 when Milan and the rest of Lombardy were incorporated into the Kingdom of Filippo Maria Visconti, ( September 23, 1392 &ndash August 13, 1447) was ruler of Milan from 1412 to 1447 Francesco I Sforza ( July 23, 1401 - March 8, 1466) was an Italian Condottiero, the founder of the Sforza dynasty in According to Levi and others, the 22 paths of the tree of life are directly related to the 22 trump cards of the tarot deck. The Four Suits are related to the four elements. The Ten numbers are related to the 10 sephiroth.

The sephirotic tree is a representation of both the macrocosm - God - and the microcosm - Man. When depicting the latter it is shown as a human body, usually superimposed over the sephirotic tree and, as such, symbolizes the archetypal Man: Adam Kadmon. In the religious writings of Kabbalah, Adam Kadmon is a phrase meaning "Primordial Man" or "Primal Man" comparable to the Anthropos of Gnosticism Each Sephirah corresponds with a body part or organ of this archetypal man.


Notes

  1. ^ Papus. The Tarot of the Bohemians

References

External links

Kabbalah at the Open Directory Project

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