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Creation (Kabbalah)

Sep 25, 2024, 11 min read

Three Veils of Existence

Ayin (Nothingness)

  • More existent than all the being of the world. But since it is simple, and every simple thing is complex compared with its simplicity
  • No one can understand anything about it. It is negated of every conception. No one can know anything about it—except the belief that it exists. Its existence cannot be grasped by anyone other than it.
  • Therefore its name is “I am becoming.” It exists according to its own idea of existence.
  • Being joins with Nothingness in the nexus of infinity. This is where we apply our faith towards.
  • No vessel can contain God, unless it is Ayin.

Ein Sof (Infinity)

  • Genesis alludes to a primal beginning via the emanation of God and the sefirot from Ein Sof (lit. Endless). Ein Sof represents the radical transcendence of God from negations. It is God prior to manifestation.
    • Although the sefirot emanate from Ein Sof, they are merely different aspects of it. If Ein Sof is white light, the sefirot are the individual colors as it passes through tinted glass.
  • Ein Sof cannot neither be conceived nor expressed, for these would imply differentiation. It cannot be known because it is hidden in the mystery of absolute nothingness. It is a place pertaining to Oblivion

Metaphysics

  • The nature of God is Oneness — being everything. He is Nothing that Exists.
    • Divine Existence is indivisible. Everything is linked with everything else.
  • God is not dual. All existence is God. Nothing is devoid of God’s divinity..
    • God made everything and is within everything.
    • Thus, humans have divinity within them, for they, like God also emanate from Ein Sof.
  • God enlivens everything. God’s presence fills the entire world.
    • Divinity flows in each thing. Without God, all existence would be nullified for all is one.
  • The nature of existence — Ein Soft is independent of existence. Nullifying existence does not nullify Ein Sof.

Emanation

  • Prior to emanation, all the sefirot were one with Ein Sof.
  • After which, Ein Sof emanated one point called Keter ,and from there all the other sefirot emerged.
  • All the sefirot need the power of Ein Sof, but Ein Sof does not need the power of the sefirot.

Ohr Ein Sof (The Boundless Light)

  • The Light is the divine emanations from Ein Sof, from God.

The Creation of the World

  • According to Luria, Ein Sof withdrew (tsimtsum) its presence from itself to itself, away from one point at the center of Infinity which served as the site of creation. It made room for God. However, aspects of this were shattered into 288 sparks of light (shevirah) as the light of Ein Sof caused the vessels gathering it to break, and causing pure to mix with unpure. The role of humans is to mend it through holy acts (tiqqun).
    • Shevirah is said to be what gives the emanation the ability to be perfect. They cannot become perfect if they maintain their original form. Creation is in the process of constant renewal.
    • The process of tsimtsum was governed by Geburah as it required demarcation. Thus, Creation required evil to exist and not return to Unity.

A perfect world cannot be created, for it would then be identical to God Himself, who cannot duplicate Himself, but only restrict Himself. 1

In the bliss of contemplating the righteous, of imagining holy people—in this fluctuation, the power to create was born. 2

  • Another proposed reason for creating the Universe is that Ein Sof wished to reach awareness of itself, which can only be done through shevirah.

  • The Sefirot gave rice to ten numbers (see Sepher Yetzrah Ch. 1)

    1. The Spirit of God of the Living (i.e., the Holy Spirit)
    2. From the Spirit, He produced Air and formed in it twenty-two sounds (Hebrew)
    3. From the Air, the Waters and the Surfaces.
    4. From Water, Fire and a Throne of Glory with the angels.
    5. Height (sealed with I H V)
    6. Depth (sealed with I V H)
    7. East (sealed with H I V)
    8. West (sealed with H V I)
    9. South (sealed with V I H)
    10. North (sealed with V H I)

  • Hebrew is derived from Spirit. Three mothers, Seven doubles, and Twelve Simples: 3 4

    • The Mothers are:
      • Aleph - Air / Equilibrium - Abundance
      • Mem - Water / Silent - Cold
      • Shin - Fire / Sibilant. - Heat
    • The Doubles (which have two sounds) are:
      • Beth - Wisdom - Life / Death
      • Gimel - Health - War / Peace
      • Daleth - Fertility - Wisdom / Folly
      • Kaph - Life - Wealth / Poverty
      • Peh - Power - Beauty / Ugliness
      • Resh - Peace - Fertility / Barrenness
      • Tau - Beauty - Power / Slavery
      • They were allotted a direction (Above, Below, East, South, West, North)
      • From these derive the Planets (Moon, Mars, Sun, Venus, Mercury, Saturn, Jupiter), the Days of the Week, and the Gates of the Soul (two eyes, two ears, the mouth, two nostrils).
    • The Simples are
      • Heh - Speech - Seeing
      • Vau - Thought - Hearing
      • Zain - Movement - Air
      • Cheth - Sight - Speech
      • Teth - Hearing - Taste
      • Yod - Work - Sexual Intercourse
      • Lamed - Sexual Desire - Work
      • Nun - Smell - Movement
      • Samech - Sleep - Anger
      • Oin - Anger - Joy
      • Tzaddi - Taste - Thought
      • Qoph - Joy - Sleep
      • These were allotted a direction (North/South-East/West, and North/South/East/West-Above/Below).
      • They formed the 12 celestial constellations of the Zodiac. The 12 months of the year and the 12 organs (two hands, two feet, two kidneys, spleen, liver, gall, genitals, stomach, and intestines.)

  • From the 22 letters, everything was made.

The production of all things from the twenty-two letters is the proof that they are all but part of one living body. 5

  • The Existence stemming from God is divided into four divisions:
    • Atsilut / Atziluth (Emanation) - the ten emanated sefirot through which spreads the light of Ein Sof.
    • Beriah / Briah (Creation) - The Throne of God. The Will of God is acted on by the Archangels.
    • Yetsirah / Yetzirah (Formation) - comprises ten bands of angels and celestial palaces.
    • Assiyah / Asiyah (Actualization)- the heavens and the material world. Actualization. It includes the ten heavens.
  • The Sefirot emanate the light of Ein Sof from Atsilut to Assiyah.

Destroyed Worlds and Evil

  • One theory in Qabalah says that God created a world where the principles from the left side dominate. These worlds were destructive and destroyed themselves.

    • Isaac ha-Cohen posits God made three attempts which were ruled by Qamtiel, Belial, and Ittiel, each getting successively worse. Ittiel’s world even wished to place themselves above the divine and chop down the Tree of Life itself. The remnants of these worlds are The Qliphoth.
    • Thus, God made the world have both good (yeser ha-tob) and evil (yeser ha-ra).

  • There are also the 11 Kings of Edom, those prior to any Israelite. Edom means A kingdom of a severity, not weakened by any pity.

    • Their names: Tinma, Alva, Jetet, Oholibama, Ela, Pinon, Kenas, Teman, Mibsar, Magdiel, Iram.
    • Edom was also said to be ruled by Satan.

50 Gates of Intelligence

First Order: Elementary

  1. Chaos. Hyle. The first matter.
  2. Formless, void, lifeless.
  3. The Abyss
  4. Origin of the Elements
  5. Earth
  6. Water
  7. Air
  8. Fire
  9. Differentiation of Qualities
  10. Mixture and Combanitation

Second Order: Decad of Evolution

  1. Minerals differentiate
  2. Vegetable principles appear
  3. Seeds germinate in moisture
  4. Herbs and Trees
  5. Fructification of Vegetable Life
  6. Origin of Low Forms of Animal Life
  7. Insects and Reptiles appear
  8. Fishes, Vertebrate life in the Waters
  9. Birds, Vertebrate life in the Air
  10. Quadrupeds - Vertebrate Earth Animals

Third Order: Decad of Humanity

  1. Appearance of Man
  2. Material human body
  3. Human Soul conferred
  4. Mystery of Adam and Eve
  5. Complete Man as the Microcosm
  6. Gift of Five Human Faces acting Exteriorly
  7. Gift of five powers of the soul
  8. Adam Kadmon — the Heavenly Man
  9. Angelic Beings
  10. Man in the Image of God

Fourth Order: World of Spheres

  1. The Moon
  2. Mercury
  3. Venus
  4. Sol
  5. Mars
  6. Jupiter
  7. Saturn
  8. The Firmament
  9. The Primum Mobile
  10. The Empyrean Heaven

Fifth Order: The Angelic World

  1. Ishim - Sons of Fire
  2. Auphanim - Cherubim
  3. Aralim - Thrones
  4. Chashmalim - Dominions
  5. Seraphim - Virtues
  6. Malakim - Powers
  7. Elohim - Principalities
  8. Beni Elohim - Angels
  9. Cherubim - Arch-Angels

Sixth Order:

  1. God. Ein Soph

32 Paths of Wisdom

  • Associated with the Nechushtan — the serpent twined about the boughs of the Tree of Life.
  1. Admirable or Hidden Intelligence - The Light giving the power of comprehension of Ein Sof. The Primal Glory that is unattainable.
  2. Illuminating Intelligence - the Crown of Creation. The Splendor of Unity / Oneness.
  3. Sanctifying Intelligence - the Creator of Faith. The foundation of Primordial Wisdom
  4. Cohesive or Recepticular Intelligence - it contains all the holy powers, and from it emanates all the spiritual virtues.
  5. Radical Intelligence - resembles Unity which unifies Binah emanating from Chokmah.
  6. Mediating Intelligence - it causes the influence to flow into all reservoirs of Blessings, with which these are united.
  7. Occult Intelligence - the Refulgent Splendor of all intellectual virtues perceived through intellect and faith.
  8. Absolute or Perfect Intelligence - it is the means of the primordial which has no root other than in Magnificence from which emanates its own proper essence.
  9. Pure Intelligence - it purifies the Numerations, corrects the designing of their representation and combination.
  10. Resplendent Intelligence - exalted above every head. It illuminates the splendor of all the lights.
  11. Scintillating Intelligence - the essence of that curtain which is placed close to the order of the disposition, and this is a special dignity given to it that it may be able to stand before the Face of the Cause of Causes.
  12. Intelligence of Transparency - the Chazchazi - the place whence issues the vision of those seeing in apparitions.
  13. Uniting Intelligence - it is itself the Essence of Glory. The Consummation of the Truth of individual spiritual things.
  14. Illuminating Intelligence - it is the founder of the concealed and fundamental ideas of holiness and of their stages of preparation.
  15. Constituting Intelligence - constitutes the substance of creation in pure darkness
  16. Triumphal or Eternal Intelligence - the pleasure of the Glory. The Paradise prepared for the righteous.
  17. Disposing Intelligence - provides faith to the righteous. The Foundation of Excellence in the state of higher things.
  18. Intelligence of Influence - from it, the arcana and hidden senses are drawn forth.
  19. Intelligence of the Secret - diffuses intelligence from the most high and exalted sublime glory.
  20. Intelligence of Will - the means of preparation of all and by which the existence of Primordial Wisdom is known.
  21. Intelligence of Conciliation and Reward - receives the divine influence which flows into it from its benediction upon all existence.
  22. Faithful Intelligence - increases the spiritual virtues.
  23. Stable Intelligence - has the virtue of consistency among all mannerisms
  24. Imaginative Intelligence - gives a likeness to all the similitudes
  25. Intelligence of Probation or Temptation - the primary temptation which are renewed by the creation of the world
  26. Renewing Intelligence - renewed by the creation of the world
  27. Active Intelligence - through this, all things receive spirit and motion.
  28. Natural Intelligence - perfected within nature
  29. Corporal Intelligence - it forms every body which is formed in all worlds/
  30. Collective Intelligence - embodied in judgment from the Stars
  31. Perpetual Intelligence - regulates the motions of the Sun and the Moon
  32. Administrative Intelligence - directing the motion of planets.

Links

Footnotes

  1. Karlsson p. 63 ↩

  2. Matt, Creative Arousal. ↩

  3. Note, there are several ways to assign the attributes to the letters. The Sepher Yetzrah does not make an assignment explicit. Assignment for the Doubles are to what concepts they pertain to (i.e., Beth refers to Wisdom). Assignment for the Simples are to where they are predominant in (i.e. Heh is predominant in Speech). See more in Links. ↩

  4. Classifications are based on Sepher Yetzrah, and Karlsson respectively (separated by -) ↩

  5. Sepher Yetzrah Ch. 2 ↩