The Sefirot

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(Adapted from Mystical Concepts in Chassidism by Rabbi Jacob Immanuel Schochet, Copyright 1981 "Kehot" Publication Society.) The Sefirot are ten spheres or classes in the following order: Keter (Crown); Chochma (Wisdom); Binah (Understanding); Chesed (Kindness; Grace; Benevolence); Gevurah (Might; Power; Prevalance); Tiferet (Beauty); Netzach (Endurance; Victory); Hod (Splendour; Majesty); Yesod (Foundation); Malchut (Sovereignty; Kingship); In some schemes [such as thirtysevenbooks.com] Keter is omitted from the order of the ten Sefirot; these schemes take Chochma as the first of the ten and insert Da'at (Knowledge) as a Sefirah after Bina. Rabbi Moses Cordovero (the Ramak), leader of the kabbalists in Safed until his passing in 1570, always counts Keter as part of the ten Sefirot and excludes Da'at as a separate Sefirah. In the system of Rabbi Isaac Luria (the Arizal), successor to the Ramak as leader of the Safed kabbalists and followed by Chassidism, Da'at is usually counted as one of the Sefirot while Keter is excluded. The total order of the Sefirot is generally divided into two groups referred to as the "three mothers and seven multiples." That is, the first three are the principal Sefirot, the immot (mothers), from and through which the other seven Sefirot issue forth. When beginning with Chochmah, the triad of the first three Sefirot is also called Sechel (Intellect) while the other seven Sefirot are called Midot (Attributes; Emotive Faculties). Another distinction is made by calling the first three the "three Rishonot" (the three First Ones, or at times the three Upper Ones), and the other seven are called the "seven Tachtonot (seven Lower Ones). The "seven Lower Ones" are subdivided into the two triads of Chesed-Gevurah-Tiferet and Netzach-Hod-Yesod (all these six together are called the "six Kitzavot"--the "six Extremities"), and the singular last one of Malchut. While there are a number of other such groupings and distinctions that abound in the mystical writings, the above are the principal or most common ones. The Sefirot are Divine emanations, various phases in the manifestation of Divinity. As we speak of them in terms of numerous gradations, extreme care must be taken to avoid any fatal misconception of dualism or plurality in the G-dhead. There is no suggestion that the Sefirot are to be taken as entities distinct and separate from the En Sof. On the contrary, there is a basic and intrinsic unity between the En Sof and the Sefirot. This absolute and intrinsic unity has already been stressed in the ancient Sefer Yetzirah: "The ten Sefirot are without anything (beli-mah). Their end is wedged in their beginning, their beginning is wedged in their end--like a flame bound up in the coal. For the Eternal is One, and there is no second to Him, and prior to One what can you count!"

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