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Sefirot 1: Worlds and Emanations
All worlds are the result of a constriction and
lessening of the Infinite Light (the Or Ein Sof), and are, to one degree
or another, limited and defined. That is to say, the revelation of G-d is less
or more limited, depending on which world is referred to. Therefore the word for
"world" in Hebrew, "olam," is etymologically related to the word "he'elem,"
meaning concealment -- referring to the concealment of G-d's Infinite Light. In
the higher worlds the Infinite Light is more revealed, and in the lower worlds
the Infinite Light is less revealed.
The light is revealed in each world by what Kabbala
calls the sefirot. These are divine emanations by which G-d reveals
Himself to man and by which He conducts the worlds, as the introduction to the
Zohar states, "You are He who brings forth ten...sefirot."  | | " The sefirot constitute the inner structure of each of the worlds" | | |
The sefirot are not distinct entities or
intermediaries, which might imply duality or plurality in the Infinite Light or
in G-d. Quite the contrary -- they are nothing other than various phases and
levels of G-d's revealing Himself to man. Thus, in Sefer Yetzira the
sefirot are called bli-mah, "without substance". The sefirot
constitute the inner structure of each of the worlds, somewhat like the way in
which bones give shape and form to the human body. How and to what degree the
sefirot reveal the Infinite Light in each world gives each particular world,
each plane of reality, its individual character. Furthermore, the sefirot
account for the dynamic interactions that take place in each of the worlds.
Even though the sefirot in all of the worlds
bear the same names, it is nevertheless self-understood that the quality and
power of the sefirot in the elevated world of Atzilut, for
example, are of incomparably greater quality and power than those of the world
of Asiya, for in the world of Atzilut the Infinite Light is
revealed through the sefirot to a much greater extent and in a much more
elevated way than in any of the worlds below it.
The origin of the word " sefira" is explained in
four ways in the classical texts, and each one of these four explanations
corresponds to the sefirot as they exist in each of the four
worlds of Atzilut, Beriya, Yetzira and Asiya:
1) Regarding the sefirot of the world of
Atzilut, the world of Emanation, the word sefira is explained as
deriving from the word "sapir" -- a diamond or sapphire in Hebrew. Just
as the beauty and value of a sapphire is determined by its clarity and purity
(how perfectly and flawlessly it reflects light), so too, the sefirot of
Atzilut are characterized by the flawlessness and purity with which they
reveal and manifest the Infinite Light.
2) Regarding the sefirot of the world of
Beriya, the world of Creation, the word sefira is explained as deriving from
the word "sippur", meaning "story" in Hebrew, as is mentioned in the
verse in Psalms, "the heavens tell of (mesaprim) the glory of G-d." A
good story describes an event clearly and succinctly to someone who did not see
the event himself, and the person listening to the story can then picture the
event in all its details in his mind. Nevertheless, one who hears a story
experiences the event only second hand. It is obviously not the same as
experiencing the event oneself. This is therefore the proper explanation of the
word sefira as it applies to the world of Beriya, since the
sefirot of Beriya do not reveal and manifest the Infinite Light to a
degree comparable to that of Atzilut. The only "tell the story," so to
speak.
3) Regarding the sefirot of the world of
Yetzira, the world of Formation, the word sefira is explained as
deriving from the world "sfor", meaning boundary or border. This is very
much the characteristic of the world of Yetzira. The light that descends
into the world of Yetzira is given form and dimension. In a spiritual
sense, borders signify a qualitative limitation. This means that in
Yetzira the light is limited qualitatively just as the natural limitations
of the power of sight or of hearing in a human being are limited to a certain
range of physical light or sound which a person can see or hear.
4) Regarding the sefirot in the world of
Asiya, the world of Action, the word sefira is explained as deriving
from the word "mispar", meaning number. Numbers signify a quantitative
limitation, stressing the idea of finitude. The effect or power the light will
have is severely limited by its descent into the world of Asiya.
Although we just now explained that the ten sefirot
of the world of Atzilut are very different from those of Beriya,
and the ten sefirot of Beriya from those of Yetzira, etc.,
nevertheless, in a certain sense, the sefirot of all the worlds are
similar to each other. The reason for this is quite simple. The ten sefirot
of the world of Asiya derive from the ten sefirot of Yetzira,
and those of Yetzira derive for Beriya and those of Beriya
from the sefirot of Atzilut. In the language of Kabbala, it is
said that within the ten sefirot of Asiya are the ten sefirot
of Yetzira, and within the sefirot of Yetzira are the
sefirot of Beriya and within the sefirot of Beriya are
the sefirot of Atzilut, in which abides the light of the Ein
Sof. | | " Delving...into the essence of these divine manifestations, one can come to ... elevated planes of reality" | | |
Each individual sefira can be placed in the
context of any of the four worlds, only that in the more elevated worlds the
sefirot are more abstract. By a process of increasing abstraction, delving
deeper and deeper into the essence of these divine manifestations, one can come
to greater understanding of the inner structure of the increasingly elevated
planes of reality and to ever increasing awareness of G-d's revelation of
Himself.
The ten sefirot are called keter, chochma,
bina, chesed, gevura, tiferet, netzach, hod, yesod and malchut. In
certain Kabbalistic texts an additional sefira is mentioned, but in
reality there are only ten sefirot, not eleven. Sometimes, however,
keter is counted in the ten, and at other times daat is counted
instead of keter, depending on whether one is looking at them from the
point of view of the Creator or from the point of view of the created. In the
process of creation, in which the sefirot emanated from above, i.e. from
G-d to the physical world, keter is counted and not daat, since it
is the first emanation, the manifestation of the Divine Will, the place from
which all other emanations derive. When the process is from below to above (i.e.
man elevating himself from level to level in his desire to cleave to G-d),
daat is counted and not keter, since the latter is a level so sublime
that it is generally beyond the scope of the average individual's ability to
comprehend.
From the "Fiftieth Gate" edition of the Zohar,
Introduction
To continue on to the next article in this series on the sefirot, Keter, which is also the next article in the "Kabbala for Beginners" tutorial,
click here
If you would like to know what the Kabbala for Beginners Tutorial is all about, click here.
Visitor Comments: 1
Anonymous, 3/25/2004
Pronounciations of textual and
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