Kabbalah Portions -II

  In this portion I ll observe the meaning of the Tree of Life and shortly the ten sefirot. What is the meaning of the Tree? What are sefirot, where do they come from?

    I. All the worlds are concealed from men by initial plan of God –Ein Sof the infinite Light. Since the beginning there was just Light filling the whole space. It was only God alone abiding. Then he had the first inner motion – the will to create. God created the first world – imagine it like a sphere inside another sphere, inside another…until time, space and physical reality are created.

     God created a constriction in the middle of His Ein Sof, in such way an empty space or void occurred. As there was no place for creation, the divine force made a space. This given space expanded, and created the Spiritual worlds  -in Kabbalah tradition they are four. Even so the spiritual worlds are encompassed by the Infinite Light – Ein Sof, as God essence is still in the center and on the edge (ends) of the last sphere. In such way the physical world is far away from the center, but also far and in the same time close to the edge of infinite Light – which is outside the World as we perceive as physical”. The worlds are: Atzuluth (emanation, concealed potential of God, masculine principle), Beriah – first creation, feminine principle, Imma –woman, 3.Yetzirah – formation of worlds of good and evil spirits, angels that are helping humans, human emotions, 4. Assiah – action, movement, expansion of worlds – manifestation of spiritual in physical reality and our world. Assiah has spiritual and physical sphere.

Each of this worlds is a huge sphere of Light, that fills the space, and all of them are in the spiritual plane, except the last sphere of Assiah. Each of the worlds encompasses principles, creates angelic presences and angelic hierarchies, and expands infinitely. These worlds are not static, but they continue to move and expand. They contain little spheres of Divine emanation of Light. This light is the plan of existence of Creator, send to all living beings – in form and in shape, in physical bodies or spiritual. In such way the worlds contain the allegorical image of Tree of Life and seforot – the main concept in Kabbalah.

II. Tree of Life ~ Etz ha Chayim

    The tree represents the divine emanations of God and his creation from nothing (ex nihilo). This is the nature of revealed divinity and human soul. The tree consists of ten Spheres called Seforot (numbers, counting), and 22 paths connecting them in well formed shape. Each of the sefirot is emanation of divine qualities, that should be recognized and reached by humans to highest possible degree. In order to do that, the human needs to ascend through spiritual paths – which are the 22 connections.

The Tree is symbol of map of Creation and explains in depths the full meaning of creation and God, with his concealed and revealed aspects.

Most things in the world are concealed from the five senses of humans, as humans are just advanced animal world. They have barrier of their human senses, that prevents them from seeing and observing and accepting the spiritual reality. That’s why there is a barrier between the Sefirot Malchut (Kingship) and all others above. The Tree of life is amazing mirrored view of the universe. Its roots are spiritual worlds and are up in the “higher realms”, its branches and leaves are in the physical reality and our Earth. But the ultimate goal of Kabbalah (and God) is to achieve the desire in each human to be closer to Creator and become creator himself. That means he starts to fill in with divine Light slowly, and his desire for giving (bestowing) love, kindness, strength, beauty (all divine qualities of sefirot) becomes higher. Humans desire to “receive” is also there as we are vessels of Divine light, but the desire decreases with increasing of will of giving.

III. Sefirot – emanation of divine Light Ein Sof ~

10 sefirot are symbols of the divine qualities, or spiritual principles, that should be observed and achieved by men. Tree is representation of process how universes and worlds begin to exist and expand. The space above the first Sefira –Keter is named in Jewish scripts “Ain Sof Aur” – Light without end. Keter is a thought – singularity of the Limitless light. This is the primordial Light. The next is Chochma – wisdom, in which Space and time started to spread. Before that they didn’t exist. This is pure dynamic energy that expands with speed faster than Light. Binah is primordial feminine energy, represented by primordial Waters. Binah receives the energy of Chochmah, nourishing it. Binah is beginning of Time. These three sefirot are the first primordial energies of the Universe – they are Supernal sefirot.

What is the role of the man?

Human beings are seen as the fruit of the Tree of Life, through which the eternal divine essence and energy can express and experience finite form in physical world. The process now is reversed – the human is obliged to trace his existence and aims to reunite again with all divine essences, until it reaches the Infinite Light –Crown, and become one with the Creator. This is the aim of existence.

All sefirot – divine emanations, qualities are:

I.                   Keter – Crown

II.                 Chochma – Wisdom

III.              Binah – understanding

IV.              Chesed – Kindness, love

V.                Gevurah – Severity, Judgment

VI.              Tiferet – Beauty

VII.           Netzah – Strength

VIII.         Hod – Glory, Splendor

IX.             Yessod – Foundation

X.                Malchut – Kingship

As I ll observe later, each sefira has corresponding aspects – angelic being, color, crystal, metals, number, planet, even part of the body. 

nina Lea-nour *