The next group of installments in this series will cover the ten sefira of the Tree of Life.
Over the years, the sefirot have been analyzed by Jewish and Christian commentators pursuant to many frameworks. In discussing the sefirot, I'll be focusing mainly on the following topics:
(a) The names of each sefira - Much contemporary qabalistic literature (primarily Hermetic) discusses the sefirot in terms of numerology, astrological correspondences, corresponding gemstones, scents, musical notes, colors, etc. The attributions are valuable in assisting people to grasp concepts that are, in essence, not describable using human language. Interestingly, though, contemporary writers often don't focus much on the names of the sefirot themselves. For instance Hod is analyzed in terms of the properties of the number 8 (it is the 8th sefira), Mercury (its Hermetic astrological attribution), etc. But there's little discussion of "Glory" or "Splendor" (English translations of the Hebrew word "Hod"). In this series, the sefira name will be used as a primary basis for understanding what the sefira is all about. (Some interesting issues will be raised by the fact that several sefirot are known by more than one name.) Related to the names of the sefirot ...
(b) Gematria, etc. - Correspondences through gematria, word roots, etc. based on the names and numbers of the sefirot can sometimes provide interesting insights. Where applicable, these will be presented.
(c) Five opposite Five - As shown in the previous section, the conventional diagram of the Tree of Life arrays the sefirot on three vertical columns. But Sefer Yetzirah (1:3) announces "Ten sefirot of nothingness, in the number of ten fingers, five opposite five, with a singular covenant precisely in the middle...." (The covenant in the middle is the space between the fingers of the side-by-side hands.) This five versus five layout also appears in places in the Zohar, and is often presented as per the male/female dichotomy. Hence all sefirot (even the middle column sefirot numbered 1, 6, 9, and 10) will be assigned to male or female for purposes of the five-opposite-five framework. Does this five-opposite-five framework contradict the three column tree layout? Yes. But recall back to the section 1, where I stated:
"even a single school of thought may contain a variety of ideas that don't necessarily sit with one another in a readily perceivable completely consistent system. I recommend that you simply accept each idea on its own terms and not worry too much about treating each as a component with its own unique place in a sleek machine. Eventually, you should find it all holding together despite the presence of paradox contradiction."
(d) The 10 "directions" - Related to the five-opposite-five classification, Sefer Yetzirah 1:5 identifies five pairs of opposites: "A depth of beginning, A depth of end, A depth of good, A depth of evil, A depth of above, A depth of below, A depth of east, A depth of west, A depth of north, A depth of south..." Each sefira will be discussed here in terms of its assigned "depth" (there is disagreement as to which sefirot pairs match of with which pairs of depths; this series will use the Lurianic correspondences presented by Aryeh Kaplan).
(e) Sayings of Creation - Jewish qabala maintains that the ten sefirot correspond to the ten "sayings" of creation from Genesis 1:1 (the occasions where the Torah tells us "God said..."). The relationships between the sefirot and the sayings isn't always evident, and there is some ambiguity as to the precise manner in which the sefirot and sayings should be matched. So in addressing these correspondences, I'll do the best I can given the ambiguities that exist.
(f) The ten sefirot are also said to correspond to the Ten Commandments. These correspondences are not always easily evident, but I'll discuss them to the extent I'm able.
(g) God Names - Judaism is a monotheistic system in that worship is directed to a singular, unseen God who is the source of all creation. But this God has been referred to through a variety of names, and qabalists maintain that each name reflects a different aspect of the one God. This idea is discussed in Zohar II:42b:
"For in the beginning, before shape and form had been created, He was without form and similitude... But when He created the form of supernal Man it was to him as a chariot, and He descended on it, to be known according to the style `YHVH,' in order that He might be known by His attributes and perceived in each attribute separately. For this reason He let Himself be called `El, Elohim, Shaddai, Zebaoth, and YHVH', each being a symbol to men of his various Divine attributes, that it may be made manifest that the world is sustained by mercy and justice, according to the works of men. Had the brightness of the glory of the Holy One, blessed be His Name, not been shed over the whole of His creation, how could He he have been perceived even by the wise? He would have remained unapprehendable..."
Hence each sefira is said to correspond with a different God name. To the extent feasible, I will try to address the characteristics of the particular God name and how it relates to the sefira to which it is attached. Note, though, that in connection with this topic, the Zohar (II:42b) reminds us how important it is not to lose sight of the fact that each attribute is a mere aspect of the unified Godhead. ("But woe unto the man who should presume to compare the Lord with any attribute, even one which is His own, much less any human created form...") This harkens back to the breaking of the vessels when they tried to exist independently of one another in the "spotted" world. However convenient it may be for us to look at the sefirot one at a time, we must not forget that they are components of a single unified system that must stand in its entirety with all its component parts. ("The only conception of the Holy One, blessed be He, which man dare frame is of His sovereignty over some particular attribute or over creation as a whole." Id.)
(h) Tomer Deborah ("Palm Tree of Deborah") - This is an interesting ethical text by Moses Cordovero, in which he offers behavioral guidelines which one can use to develop the qualities reflected by each sefira. Again, the match between the suggested ethical behaviors and the meanings of the sefira are not always obvious, but they can all provide interesting food for thought and I'll try to relate them as best I can.
After covering the sefirot individually, I'll discuss various frameworks for viewing the sefirot in groups. Much of this focus will relate to the qabalistic "universes" (tarot users will recognize these as the sources for the suits under the Golden Dawn system), the most sacred of God's names (YHVH), Adam Kadmon (the archetypal human), and the "partzufim" (archetypal personalities). From there, the series will move on to the 22 Hebrew letters/paths.
The sefirot are often described as coming into manifestation one at a time, in strict sequence, starting with kether/crown (#1) and concluding with malkuth/kingdom (#10). Writers using the diagram of the three-pillar tree draw a line connecting the sefirot, in sequence, and wind up with a zig-zag pattern that looks like and is typically described as a "lighting flash."
But this lighting flash pattern of sequential unfolding doesn't work in every context. For instance, it would be inapplicable to the five-opposite-five framework discussed above. Zohar II:42b presents another method of unfolding. We start with kether/crown (#1), move to chochma/wisdom (#2) and then on to binah/understanding (#3) in sequence. Binah is then likened to a sea that splits into seven rivers, which represent the rest of the sefirot. So we go in sequence from 1 to 3, and then the remaining 7 appear at once. In the words of the Zohar:
"The source of the sea is one. A current issues from it... The source is one and the current makes two. Next, it makes a great basin, like a channel dug in the earth, which is filled by the waters which emanate from the source. It is this basin which we know as `Sea': this is the third factor involved. The large basin is split up into seven channels, which are like so many long tubes... thus the waters are conveyed from the sea into these seven channels. The source, the current, the sea, and the seven channels form together the number ten... It is thus that the Cause of Causes has brought forth the ten sefirot..."
This serves as one more reminder of how difficult it can be to wrap qabala up neatly into one package, and more importantly, of the fact that this is mystical metaphor, not physics. As we go through the sefirot, keep in mind that the important things are the essence of each sefira, and how the idea of each relates to the ideas of the others. If you like to work with a particular diagram of the Tree of Life, keep in mind that it's just a tool for your own convenience, since there are many frameworks in which the sefirot can be studied. And, perhaps, this may shed some light on the Torah's prohibition of graven images. We can see, with Tree of Life diagrams, that they can be very limiting.
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