The Essence

Rabbi Moshe Cordovero’s teachings cover an astonishingly broad range of Torah thought, from Talmudic commentary and analysis at one end of the spectrum, to his renowned Pardes Rimonim – in which he systematizes and expounds the entire gamut of Kabbalistic thought until his time, resolving many apparent contradictions and hundreds of long-unanswered questions – at the other. In addition, it could be correctly pointed out that Rabbi Moshe’s genius lay not in his power of innovation per se, but in his innovative way of explaining, delineating and reconciling the different streams of kabbalistic thought and literature from Sefer Yetzira through Zohar until the writings of his contemporaries. Accordingly, a comprehensive analysis of his kabbalistic teachings is far beyond the scope of this monograph, and we will have to suffice with a few main points, painted with a relatively broad brush.

The Creator is One Infinite Eternal Being (Ein Sof), and there is no other. He is the Cause of all causes and the Producer of all effects. He is not one in the numerical sense, since the concepts of change and transience, definition and multiplicity, which apply to numbers, do not apply to Him. Oneness is therefore only a borrowed term, used in a figurative sense.[1] The Creator is within everything that exists,[2] and everything is contained within Him in potential;[3] He is the beginning and Cause of everything. He brings everything into being and maintains its existence, and even if every effect would cease to exist, He would still exist, for His existence is necessary,[4] whereas the existence of everything else is contingent. He is the "place" of the world, meaning that He defines the parameters of existence and creation, but the concept of "place" does not apply to Him at all.

The concept of tzimtzum as formulated by Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (the Arizal) was unknown to Ramak.[5] The Arizal understood the tzimtzum as the self-exclusion of the infinite Ein Sof-light from a state of revelation, thereby allowing finite worlds to exist.[6] Prior to creation, there was only the infinite revelation of G-d – the Ein Sof-light – filling all of existence. Within this infinite revelation, finite worlds and beings could not exist. When it arose in G‑d’s Will to create the worlds and all their inhabitants, He contracted and concealed His infinite light, creating a "void" in which finite existence could endure. The worlds then came about by way of a new influx of Ein Sof-light (the kav, or "beam of light") that was introduced into the chalal (void) created by the tzimtzum. This is the view of the Arizal.

Ramak, however, understood the tzimtzum only as the self-contraction or self-limitation (but not self-exclusion) of the infinite Ein Sof-light, thereby allowing finite worlds to exist. The worlds then came about, according to Ramak, by a series of emanations that proceeded in a sequence of cause and effect, in which the Creator gradually reduced the intensity of the Ein Sof-light and downgraded it from level to level until the worlds were created.[7] Accordingly, the Ein Sof-light was never actually "removed" from the chalal. A corollary of Ramak’s view is that the Zohar’s statement, "no place is devoid of Him"[8] applies even to lowly things[9] – G‑dliness is clearly to be found there too.[10] The "tzimtzum" according to Ramak, therefore creates a "place" where G-d makes His actions known, although not His essence.[11] This is through the sefirot, which He emanated in order to bestow His outpouring of goodness upon man and His creatures and to reveal His exaltedness.[12] Nevertheless, the essence of Ein Sof remains unknown to man, just as He was unknown before He emanated the sefirot.[13]

He brought forth the ten sefirot, which are His actions[14]; they are the Ten Utterances through which the world was created.[15] He acts through them and they are as tools or vessels for the actions drawn from Him into the world. Nevertheless, His Existence and Essence permeate them. There are ten sefirot and not nine; ten and not eleven. One may neither add to them, nor subtract from them, for in His wisdom He decreed that the purpose for which He emanated them requires this exact number.

In fact, the Divine Names are themselves the sefirot, and are not merely associated with the sefirot. Rather, the sefirot and the Names are appellations (or designations) of the Infinite One (Ein Sof) according to His activities.[16]

Ein Sof is not keter, as some kabbalists maintained; rather Ein Sof is the First Cause of everything in existence, and there is no other cause preceding it, whereas keter is the first effect, and from it is drawn the entire seder hishtalshelut. It is therefore the first of the ten sefirot, even though it is not revealed among the other sefirot due to its lofty state and extremely subtle nature. (For this reason daat is counted among the sefirot in place of keter, even though daat is not a sefira in its own right).

No descriptive terms, such as "Blessed," "Glorious," "Praised," and so on actually apply to Him, since He is the source of all blessing, glory, praise, life etc. from the very loftiest levels to the most mundane. Accordingly no letters, symbols, images, descriptions or qualities, neither positive nor negative, apply to Him – not before creation came into existence and not after creation came into existence.

The Infinite One emanated ten essential sefirot (called the ten sefirot hagenuzot) that may be described as "G-d thinking in a defined (structured) way." These sefirot are united with Him in His thought, and He and they comprise one unified whole. These sefirot are Divine energy (literally: "neshamot") and become enclothed in the ten sefirot designated by the Names, as mentioned above. The latter are the vessels for the aforementioned essence, and it is by way of these vessels that there is justice and compassion and all the other acts mentioned previously. Thus they cannot be posited as "attributes" of the Infinite One. Furthermore, these acts remain abstract (on the level of Atzilut) and only become manifested in reality through further descent and eventual investment in Beria, Yetzira and Asiya.

The devolution of the sefirot from a state of quintessential oneness began with the manifestation of only one sefira initially, keter, as an infinitesimal dimensionless point, which is therefore referred to as ayin ("nothingness"). It is from keter that chochma, called yesh, ("being") devolved. Chochma is thus the first incidence of yesh mi-ayin – ex nihilo. Nevertheless, chochma is only the beginning of being – it is not yet existence, which begins with bina, which develops from chochma. It is from these that all the other sefirot descend and develop.

The sefirot are arrayed in triads, keter-chochma-bina; chesed-gevura-tiferet; netzach-hod-yesod and malchut below them in the middle, so that each sefira is mitigated by its opposite quality (e.g., chesed by gevura and gevura by chesed). Furthermore, their harmonization or synthesis is manifested in the third sefira of the triad. The sefirot also interact with one another, so that keter is invested within chochma, chochma within bina, bina within chesed, chesed within gevura and so on. This process also works in reverse, so that malchut is invested in yesod, yesod in hod, hod in netzach and so on, until chochma is invested in keter, for the higher sefirot need the lower ones, and the lower sefirot need the higher ones, so that the power of the lower is in the upper and the power of the upper is in the lower. All of them require the power of the Ein Sof, but He does not require any of them.

Man’s soul is an indivisible essence concealed within the Ein Sof.[17] It emanates from above via the ten sefirot, so that the ten powers of the soul derive from these sefirot.[18]

There are four levels of soul – nefesh, ruach, neshama and neshama l’neshama. Each of these levels derives its character and path in Divine service from the sefira via which it emanates: nefesh from malchut; ruach from the six emotional attributes (chesed to yesod), neshama from bina; neshama l’neshama from chochma.[19]

The soul is enclothed within the body via the tzelem (image). The tzelem of man is the human mold of his physical form, linking his body and soul. This mold derives from the configuration of sefirot by which man’s soul descends. The soul reflects the atzmut or Infinite Light (or illumination) that illuminates the sefirot. This reflection is the demut (likeness) of man to his spiritual source above.[20] Thus man includes all of creation within him, from the loftiest spirituality to the must mundane physicality.[21]

To be privileged to channel G-d’s blessing and beneficence into the world (which a person has the ability to do by virtue of his including the entire creation within him) man must emulate his Creator. It is not enough that man is created in the Divine likeness – he must constantly, consciously and willingly cleave to G-d by emulating Him in every way.[22]

Thus when a person occupies himself with good in this world, his soul disseminates G-d’s abundant goodness and reveals His greatness. Through man’s good deeds certain sefirot prevail, depending on the nature of the deed. For example, Abraham occupied himself with acts of kindness and love, of which he was the epitome. These qualities derive from the sefira of chesed.[23] Accordingly he caused this attribute to illuminate the world, and G-d conducted the world in a manner of chesed. When a person occupies himself with Torah, he causes the sefira of tiferet to prevail, and so on.

Those who are proficient in kabbala are able to consciously channel G-d’s blessing and beneficence into the world. This is achieved through the process of kavana, "intention," (pl. kavanot) – kabbalistically formulated meditations used during prayer or while fulfilling a mitzva. It is through kavana that the sefirot become properly harmonized and united, allowing the Divine efflux to flow down, and the soul of the person practicing the kavana (called a "mechaven") becomes a channel through which G-d pours out His benevolence.

When the mechaven cleaves to his Creator in thought and in deed (by fulfilling the mitzvot) his soul rises up and is elevated from level to level, from principle to principle and from cause to cause, until He pours out upon him a great outflow of beneficence so that eventually this righteous person can become the seat and locus of outflow for the entire world. He becomes the abode of the Shechina and the node through which G-d’s blessing issues forth to the world. The mechaven therefore bears great responsibility towards his fellow man; at the same time, he is a greatly privileged individual.

When meditating, the mechaven does not focus on the sefirot per se, but rather on the atzmut (the Infinite Light) illuminating the sefirot – his prayer is "to Him, not to His attributes."[24] Proper kavana focuses upon G-d as He is when acting through the sefira of chesed, for example, or through gevura. The Essential Name of G-d represented by the four letter Tetragrammaton – Yud-Hei-Vov-Hei, is indicative of the Infinite Light clothed within the sefirot. Each sefira is distinguished from the others by the manner in which the Infinite Light is clothed within it. This is indicated by the change in the vowel-points (nekudot) found underneath each of the four letters of the Name in each sefira:[25]

SEFIRA	TETRAGRAMMATON	NEKUDAH
Keter		Kametz
Chochma		Patach
Bina		Tzeirei
Chesed		Segol
Gevura		Sheva
Tiferet		Cholam
Netzach		Chirik
Hod		Kubutz
Yesod		Shuruk
Malchut		No vowels

One who is versed in kabbala knows how to act at the right time by knowing which sefira dominates at a particular time, and he cleaves to the light of the dominant sefira. He can then bring about the correct adjustment and harmonization of the sefirot through proper thought, speech and deed. In this way a person extricates himself from lack of awareness of G-d, which may be compared to sleep and death, and binds himself to holiness and eternal life, which is the mystery of Gan Eden (the Garden of Eden). Thus the Crown of the Shechina never departs from his head.[26]

(Sources: Pardes Rimonim; Or Ne’erav; Eilima Rabbati; Tomer Devorah; Shiur Komma; Or Yakar on Zohar).

Rabbi Moshe-Leib Miller was born in South Africa and received his yeshiva education in Israel and America. He is a prolific author and translator, with some twenty books to his name on a wide variety of topics, including a new, authoritative, annotated translation of the Zohar.

(Click on the footnote number to return to the text.)

[1]. Eilimah Rabbati, Ein Kol HaAretz, Tamar 1, chap. 4. Or Neerav 6:1.

[2]. This is the concept of "the light that fills the worlds" – memalei kol almin.

[3]. This is the concept of "the enveloping that surrounds the worlds"– soveiv kol almin.

[4]. Since His existence is of His essence. Eilima Rabbati, ad loc chap. 11.

[5]. Nevertheless, Rabbi Shalom DovBer of Lubavitch wrote that essentially "there is no difference between him (Ramak) and the kabbala of the Arizal… only that ‘in two hundred, one hundred is already included.’" (Siddur Tefillot l’kol HaShanah p. 319d).

[6]. See our entry on the Arizal’s teachings, where we explain that the concept of self-exclusion has been interpreted in four different ways.

[7]. See e.g., Eilima Rabba, Eyn Kol Tamar part 2, chaps 3-5, 11-12; part 3, chap. 1.

[8]. Tikunei Zohar, tikun 57 (p. 91b).

[9]. See e.g. Shiur Komma p. 206b to Zohar vol. III, 141b (Idra Rabba); Or Yakar vol. 15 p. 203, klal 7 to Zohar II, 42b (Raya Mehemna).

[10]. Whereas in the Arizal’s formulation of the tzimtzum there is room for error in this regard – if one understands the tzimtzum in a literal sense. (See Likutei Sichot vol. 24 p. 345). See also our entry on the Arizal’s teachings, where we explain four interpretations of the Arizal’s concept of tzimtzum.

[11]. Pardes Rimonim, shaar 4, chap. 6; Or Yakar to Tikkunei Zohar (Modena manuscript) p. 8.

[12]. Pardes ibid.

[13]. Or Yakar to Tikunei Zohar vol. II, p. 207.

[14]. See also Midrash Tanchuma, Shemot chap. 20.

[15]. Avot 5:1.

[16]. Or Ne’erav chap. 1, shaar 2.

[17]. Pardes Rimonim sha’ar 4, chap 7.

[18] Pardes Rimonim, sha’ar 24 chap. 11.

[19]. Pardes Rimonim, sha’ar 31 chaps. 1, 3.

[20]. Pardes Rimonim, sha’ar 31 chap. 4.

[21]. Pardes Rimonim, sha’ar 4 chap. 10.

[22]. The manner in which man ought to emulate G-d is the subject of Ramak’s Tomer Devorah.

[23]. Pardes Rimonim, shaar 31 chap. 1; Eilima Rabba pp. 1, 43..

[24]. Sifri.

[25]. Pardes Rimonim shaar 32, chaps. 1-3

[26]. Tomer Devorah chap. 10.