Sefirot
Sefirot are the 10 attributes/emanations through which Ein Sof ("infinite space") reveals itself and continuously creates both the physical realm and the seder hishtalshelut (the chained descent of the metaphysical Four Worlds). The sefirot as laid out on the schema of the Tree of Life are fundamental to understanding the key concepts of Kabbalah.
Occultists have attempted to syncretize these spheres into virtually everything from astrology and chakras to tarot. These forces of divine power are opposed by the qlippoth, which are emanations of the Tree of Death.
As revelations of the creator's will, the sefirot should not be understood as ten gods, but rather as ten different channels through which the one God reveals His will. In later Jewish literature, the ten sefirot refer either to the ten manifestations of God; the ten powers or faculties of the soul; or the ten structural forces of nature.
Etymology
Sefirot is derived from the original Hebrew: סְפִירוֹת; which is romanized as: səfiroṯ. This is the plural of the Koinē Greek word σφαῖρα, which literally means "sphere."
The term is alternatively transliterated into English as "sephirot" or "sephiroth", with the singular being "sefira" or "sephirah."
Textual origins
The original reference to the sefirot is found in the ancient Sefer Yetzirah, attributed to the first Jewish patriarch, Abraham. However, the names of the sefirot as given in later Kabbalah are not specified there, but rather are only identified by their attributes:
- "forward"
- "backward"
- "right"
- "left"
- "down"
- "up"
- "light"
- "darkness"
- "good"
- "evil"
Further references to the sefirot, with their later-accepted names, are elaborated on in the medieval Kabbalistic text of the Zohar, which is one of the foundational texts of Kabbalah.
Beliefs on the nature of the sefirot
In Cordoveran Kabbalah, the forces of creation are considered autonomous forces that evolve independently. By contrast, in Lurean or Lurianic Kabbalah (the Kabbalah of Isaac Luria), the sefirot are perceived as a constellation of forces in active dialogue with one another at every stage of that evolution. Luria described the sefirot as complex and dynamically interacting entities known as partzufim "faces," each with its own symbolically human-like persona.
In its early 12th-century dissemination, Kabbalah garnered criticism from some rabbis who adhered to Jewish philosophy for its alleged introduction of diversity into Jewish monotheism. The seeming plurality of the One God is a result of the spiritual evolution of God's light, which introduced a diversity of emanations from the infinite divine essence. This was necessary due to the inability of humanity to exist in God's infinite presence. God does not change; rather, it is our ability to perceive his emanations that is modified. This is stressed in Kabbalah to avoid heretical notions of any plurality in the Godhead. One parable to explain this is the difference between the Ma'or "Luminary" and the ohr "Light" that it emanates, like the difference between the single body of the sun and the multiple rays of sunlight that illuminate a room.
External and internal unification
As all levels of Creation are constructed around the 10 sefirot, their names in Kabbalah describe the particular role each plays in forming reality. These are the external dimensions of the sefirot, describing their functional roles in channelling the divine, creative Ohr (Light) to all levels. As the sefirot are viewed to comprise both metaphorical "lights" and "vessels," their structural role describes the particular identity each sefirah possesses from its characteristic vessel. Underlying this functional structure of the sefirot, each one possesses a hidden, inner spiritual motivation that inspires its activity. This forms the particular characteristic of inner light within each sefirah.
Understanding the sefirot throughout Jewish mysticism is achieved by their correspondence to the human soul. This applies to the outer, Kabbalistic structure of the sefirot. It applies even more to their inner dimensions, which correspond to inner psychological qualities in human perception.
List of the Sefirot
- The correspondences in this table are not universally agreed upon by all scholars of Kabbalah.
| Category | Sphere | Sefirot | Meaning | Tarot Card | Qlippoth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super-conscious | 1 | Keter | "Crown" | The Magician | Thaumiel |
| Conscious intellect | 2 | Chokmah | "Wisdom" | The High Priestess | Ghogiel |
| 3 | Binah | "Understanding" | The Empress | Satariel | |
| Conscious emotions | 4 | Chesed | "Kindness" | The Emperor | Gha’ag Sheklah |
| 5 | Gevurah | "Discipline" | The Hierophant | Golachab | |
| 6 | Tiferet | "Glory" | The Lovers | Thagiriron | |
| 7 | Netzach | "Victory" | The Chariot | A’arab Zaraq | |
| 8 | Hod | "Splendour" | Strength | Samael | |
| 9 | Yesod | "Foundation" | The Hermit | Gamaliel | |
| 10 | Malkuth | "Kingdom" | Wheel of Fortune | Lilith | |
| Unification | 11 | Da'at | "Knowledge" | The World | Belial |
Four Worlds of existence
These ten levels are associated with Kabbalah's four different "Worlds" or planes of existence, the main part from the perspective of the descending "chain of progression" (Seder hishtalshelut), that links the infinite divine Ein Sof with the finite, physical realm. In all Worlds, the 10 sefirot radiate, and are the divine channels through which every level is continuously created from nothing. Since they are the attributes through which the unknowable, infinite divine essence becomes revealed to the creations, all ten emanate in each World.
Nonetheless, the structure of the Four Worlds arises because in each one, certain sefirot predominate. Each World is spiritual, apart from the lower aspect of the final World, which is the Asiyah Gashmi ("Physical Asiyah"), the physical Universe. Each World is progressively grosser and further removed from consciousness of the Divine, until in this World it is possible to be unaware of or to deny God.
These four are, in descending order:
- World of Emanation (Hebrew: אֲצִילוּת, Atzilut): In this level the light of the Ein Sof radiates and is united with its source. Divine Chokmah, the limitless flash of wisdom beyond grasp, predominates.
- World of Creation (Hebrew: בְּרִיאָה, Beri'ah): In this level, is the first creation ex nihilo, where the souls and angels have self-awareness, but without form. Divine Binah, the intellectual understanding, predominates.
- World of Formation (Hebrew: יְצִירָה, Yetzirah): On this level, creation is related to form. The Divine emotional sefirot of Chesed to Yesod predominate.
- World of Action (Hebrew: עֲשִׂיָּה, Assiah): On this level creation is relegated to its physical aspect, the only physical realm and the lowest World, this realm with all its creatures. The Divine Kingship of Malkuth predominates, the purpose of Creation.