The notion of God having two forms and ten Sefirot mediating between them is central to the belief system of which mystical tradition?
"enable the opposing spiritual forces of the sefirot to work together in harmony. Each Parsuf now operates independently, and unites with the other Parsufim. So, for example, ""The Long Visage"" is said to descend, and become enclothed within the lower Parsufim. The sefirot now harmonise, to enable the Lurianic scheme of Tikkun (Rectification) to begin. The names of the fundamental partzufim and their English translations: As all levels of Creation are constructed around the 10 sefirot, their names in Kabbalah describe the particular role each plays in forming reality. These are the external dimensions of the sefirot, describing their functional"
"influenced the cosmology of the Kabbalah. According to Kabbalistic cosmology, the Ten Sephirot correspond to ten levels of creation. These levels of creation must not be understood as ten different ""gods"" but as ten different ways of revealing God, one per level. It is not God who changes but the ability to perceive God that changes. While God may seem to exhibit dual natures (masculine-feminine, compassionate-judgmental, creator-creation), all adherents of Kabbalah have consistently stressed the ultimate unity of God. For example, in all discussions of Male and Female, the hidden nature of God exists above it all without limit, being"
"across the different schemes, two (Keter and Da'at) are seen as unconscious and conscious manifestations of the same principle, conserving the ten categories. The sefirot are described as channels of Divine creative life force or consciousness through which the unknowable Divine essence is revealed to mankind. The first sefirah, Keter, describes the Divine superconscious Will that is beyond conscious intellect. The next three sefirot (Chokhmah, Binah and Da'at) describe three levels of conscious Divine Intellect. The seven subsequent sefirot (Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod and Malkuth) describe the primary and secondary conscious Divine Emotions. Two sefirot (Binah and Malkuth)"
"term ""Jew"" was to be interpreted metaphorically, as referring to the spiritual development of the soul, rather than the superficial denomination of the individual, and they added a chain of intermediary states between ""Jews"" and idol worshippers, or spiritualised the very definition of ""Jews"" and ""non-Jews"" and argued that a soul can be re-incarnated in different communities (whether Jewish or not) as much as within a single one. The idea that there are ten divine ""sephirot"" could evolve over time into the idea that ""God is One being, yet in that One being there are Ten"" which opens up a"
"integrally. He identifies, on the one hand, the ten Sefirot with the ten spheres of the philosophers, and, on the other, explains the thirteen attributes of God as derivations of the three middle Sefirot: (love, justice, mercy), which he designates as fundamental principles. According to Gershom Sholem Asher ben David is the main transmitter of Kabbalistic doctrines to the Catalan rabbinic schools, and in particular the School of Girona, in the early thirteenth century. Asher ben David Asher ben David was a Provençal Kabbalist born in Posquières, who flourished about the middle of the thirteenth century. He was the son"
"creating the universe. The ""sephirot"" are considered revelations of the Creator's will (""ratzon""), and they should not be understood as ten different ""gods"" but as ten different ways the one God reveals his will through the Emanations. It is not God who changes but the ability to perceive God that changes. Divine creation by means of the Ten Sephirot is an ethical process. They represent the different aspects of Morality. Loving-Kindness is a possible moral justification found in Chessed, and Gevurah is the Moral Justification of Justice and both are mediated by Mercy which is Rachamim. However, these pillars of"
"example of this. In Zoharic Kabbalah, God is represented by a system of ten sephirot emanations, each symbolizing a different attribute of God, comprising both male and female. The Shechina (indwelling Divine presence) was identified with the feminine sephira Malchut, the vessel of Kingship. This symbolizes the Jewish people, and in the body, the female form, identified with the woman in Song of Songs. Her beloved was identified with the male sephira Tiferet, the ""Holy One Blessed be He"", central principle in the beneficent Heavenly flow of Divine emotion. In the body, this represents the male torso, uniting through the"
"developed the concept that the Universe is regarded as a series of emanations from the Godhead, namely, the 10 sefirot. It is said that God created the world using the sephirot, pouring Divinity into creation through these ""vessels,"" which also have personality traits. The highest sefirah, Keter ""Crown"", holds the most divine light and is the least accessible to humanity. The lowest sefirah, Malkuth, is still higher than matter itself, so the parallel with Neoplatonism is not complete, but Malkuth is considered that aspect of God that can be perceived in the material world. It is also known as the"
"world. The acts of man unite or divide the Heavenly masculine and feminine aspects of the sephirot, their anthropomorphic harmony completing Creation. As the spiritual foundation of Creation, the sephirot correspond to the names of God in Judaism and the particular nature of any entity. According to Lurianic cosmology, the ""sephirot"" correspond to various levels of creation (ten ""sephirot"" in each of the Four Worlds, and four worlds within each of the larger four worlds, each containing ten ""sephirot"", which themselves contain ten ""sephirot"", to an infinite number of possibilities), and are emanated from the Creator for the purpose of"
"a metaphorically smaller, more constricted circle. Emanation in each World proceeds down the 10 sefirot, with the last sefirah (Malchut-Actualisation of the Divine plan) of one World becoming, and being shared as, the first sefirah (Keter-The Divine Will) of the next, lower realm. The vertical line into the centre of the circle represents the path of downward emanation and constriction, from the initial first Ohr (light) of the ""Kav"" (Ray) in Lurianic doctrine. The most important and well known scheme of depicting the sefirot arranges them as a tree with 3 columns. The Right column represents the spiritual force of"
"doctrine it becomes systemised as one of the 6 Primary Partzufim Divine Personae, as part of the cosmic process of Tikkun Rectification. Zeir Anpin, the emotional sephirot centred on Tiferet (Beauty), is the transcendent revelation of God to Creation (""The Holy One Blessed Be He""), a perceptible manifestation of the essential Divine infinity (the Tetragrammaton name of God). Nukvah (""Female"" of Zeir Anpin) is the indwelling immanent Shekhinah (Feminine Divine Presence) within Creation, the concealed Divine finitude (the name Elokim). In Medieval Kabbalah, the sin of Adam, as well as later sin, introduces apparent separation (perceived from Creation) between the"
"a king traveling in his country, and the heart like a king at war."" To harmonize the biblical statement of the creation """"ex nihilo"""" with the doctrine of the primordial elements, the ""Sefer Yetzirah"" assumes a double creation, one ideal and the other real. Their name is possibly derived from the fact that as numbers express only the relations of two objects to each other, so the ten ""Sefirot"" are only abstractions and not realities. Again, as the numbers from two to ten are derived from the number one, so the ten Sefirot are derived from one ""their end is"
"impossible for man to relate to. The higher Kavod emanates from God, and is still very distant from man, but slightly more accessible. And finally, the lower Kavod is the element that man can access. It is at the lower Kavod that man can attempt to understand. This description of God and His divine realm directly parallels the kabbalistic ten-headed sefirotic system, with Ein Sof (Hebrew אין סוף) beyond knowledge on the top, and the ten sefirot emanating downward; the lower the sefira, the more relatable it becomes. Just as the unity of the sefirot is an indispensable concept in"
"traditional system of Jewish metaphysics. In the Medieval Kabbalah, new doctrines described the 10 ""Sephirot"" (Divine emanations) through which the Infinite, unknowable Divine essence reveals, emanates, and continuously creates existence. The Kabbalists identified the final, feminine ""Sefirah"" with the earlier, traditional Jewish concept of the ""Shekhinah"" (immanent Divine Presence). This gave great spirituality to earlier ideas in Jewish thought, such as the theological explanations of suffering (theodicy). In this example, the Kabbalists described the ""Shekhinah"" accompanying the children of Israel in their exile, being exiled alongside them, and yearning for Her redemption. Such a concept derives from the Kabbalistic theology"
"at the other. The ten Sefirot are the energy of God, the forms in which His being manifests itself. The ""Bahir"" adopts the concept of reincarnation to solve the question of why the just may suffer in this world, while the wicked may be prosperous: ""The just may have been wicked in their former lives, and the wicked righteous."" One of the most accurate manuscripts of the final form of ""Sefer Bahir"" was written in 1331 by Meir ben Solomon Abi-Sahula; his commentary on the ""Bahir"" was anonymously published as ""Or HaGanuz"", ""The Hidden Light"". It has been translated into"
"and Hebrew texts in Spain in the 13th century. The Renaissance trend was a relatively short-lived phenomenon, ending by 1750. Christian Kabbalah ""reinterpreted Kabbalistic doctrine to a distinctly Christian perspective, linking Jesus Christ, His atonement, and His resurrection to the Ten Sefirot"", linking the upper three Sephirot to the hypostases of the Trinity and the last seven ""to the lower or earthly world"", or ""would make Kether the Creator (or the Spirit), Hokhmah the Father, and Binah—the supernal mother—Mary"", which ""places Mary on a divine level with God, something the orthodox churches have always refused to do"". Christian Cabalists sought"
"round. The depth of the sea was five ells, corresponding to the distance of five hundred years' journey between heaven and earth (compare Chagigah 13a). The band of thirty ells around it corresponded to the Ten Commandments, to the at the creation of the world, and to the ten Sefirot: for the world can exist only when the Ten Commandments are observed, and the ten Sefirot as well as the ten words of God were the instruments of the Creation. The two rows of colocynths (knops) below the rim were symbolic of the sun and the moon, while the twelve"
"Sefer Yetzirah, which links these letters of creation to the overall mysticism presented in the Torah. Section 3 (v. 45-122) concerns the Seven Voices and the Sefirot. Section 4 (v. 124-193) is grouped under the section title of Ten Sefirot. Section 5 (v. 193-200) completes the discourse and is called Mysteries of the Soul. The Hebrew word ""sefirot"" was first described in Sefer Yezirah as corresponding to the ten basic numbers, and did not possess the meaning that later Kabbalists gave to it. It is in the Bahir that we find the first discussion of the Kabbalistic concept of Sefirot"
"in the ""Ein Sof"" until their manifestation in the mundane world. In particular, Moses ben Jacob Cordovero (known as ""the Ramak""), describes how God emanated the myriad details of finite reality out of the absolute unity of Divine light via the ten sephirot, or vessels. Comparison of the Ramak's counting with Luria's, describes dual rational and unconscious aspects of Kabbalah. Two metaphors are used to describe the ""sephirot"", their theocentric manifestation as the Trees of Life and Knowledge, and their anthropocentric correspondence in man, exemplified as Adam Kadmon. This dual-directional perspective embodies the cyclical, inclusive nature of the divine flow,"
"Yetzirah"", where the spirit of God, רוח (= πνεῦμα), air, water, and fire are the first four ""Sefirot"". The remaining six ""Sefirot"", or the limitations of space by the three dimensions in a twofold direction, are also found in the Clementina, where God is described as the boundary of the universe and as the source of the six infinite dimensions. The ""dragon"" (תלי ""tli"", perhaps meaning ""curled one"" as a coiled serpent) which plays such an important part in the astrology of the book, is probably an ancient Semitic figure; at all events its name is not Arabic, as scholars"
"and the supernal Torah, Olamot (Spiritual Worlds), a Divine Tree and Archetypal Man, Angelic Chariot and Palaces, male and female, enclothed layers of reality, inwardly holy vitality and external Kelipot shells, 613 channels (""limbs"" of the King) and the divine souls in man. These symbols are used to describe various parts and aspects of the model. The ""Sephirot"" (also spelled ""sefirot""; singular ""sefirah"") are the ten emanations and attributes of God with which he continually sustains the existence of the universe. The Zohar and other Kabbalistic texts elaborate on the emergence of the sephirot from a state of concealed potential"
"the soul. The dynamics of ""Ratzo"" and ""Shuv"" are felt by the angels and man, but also apply to any spiritual emanation. The ""Seder Histalshelus"" describes the continuous descending chain from the Infinite to our finite World. In each World, the 10 Sephirot shine. Each World unfolds from the previous, with the lowest Sephirah (Malchut-""Kingship""-fulfilment of the plan in reality) of one World, becoming the highest Sephirah (Keter-""Crown""-the supernal Will of the plan in that World) of the next, lower World. Within each World too, the spiritual chain descends down the 10 Sephirot, with the illumination of one giving birth"
"of Tohu, the concealed sublime origins of lower Creation, latently active in their exiled state. The messianic goal is the union of the original great illumination of Tohu within mature vessels of Tikun, revealing the ultimate divine essence of both. As Medieval Kabbalists never tire of stressing the unity and non-plurality in the concept of the sefirot, so Luria stressed the metaphorical nature of the Partzufim. They are Divine ""faces"", manifestations of the Godhead, alternative aspects through which God manifests Himself, and do not imply any plurality in God. As Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai recounts in the Zohar: Whatever I"
"The light of the Sefirot emanates from these Ten Heavens, which are called the ""Ten Sefirot of 'Asiyah""; and through them spirituality and piety are imparted to the realm of matter—the seat of the dark and impure powers. Representing purely material existence, it is known as the World of Action, the World of Effects or the World of Making. In western occultism it is associated with the Suit of Pentacles (or Coins or Disks, the terminology varies according to the deck) in the Tarot. The world of Yetzirah precedes it. Assiah Assiah (or 'Asiyah, also known as ""Olam Asiyah"", עוֹלָם"
"holiness, sustaining Creation by the Divine flow of Will. The sparks are the creative force of the sefirot down the Four Worlds. The unabsorbed residue of the broken vessels in our physical, lowest World Assiah becomes the realm of Kelipot impurity. Genesis 1:2, ""...And the Spirit of God hovered over the waters."" ""Merachepet"" - ""hovered"" splits into the number ""288 died"", the root number of Divine sparks that then subdivide into innumerable fragments. The four realms of our created existence are together called the World of Tikkun (""Fixing""). In Tikkun, the sefirot evolve into new arrangements, where they can unite."
"is fairly similar. Da'at Da'at or Daas (""Knowledge"", ) is a word in the Hebrew language. In the branch of Jewish mysticism known as Kabbalah, Da'at is the location (the mystical state) where all ten ""sefirot"" in the Tree of Life are united as one. In Da'at, all ""sefirot"" exist in their perfected state of infinite sharing. The three sefirot of the left column that would receive and conceal the Divine light, instead share and reveal it. Since all sefirot radiate infinitely self-giving Divine Light, it is no longer possible to distinguish one ""sefira"" from another; thus they are one."
"unfolding creation of the spiritual realms, while meditative Kabbalah experiences and influences these supernal forces through the human psyche, as mystical Kavanot intentions during prayer, Jewish observance, or isolated practice. Kabbalistic doctrine sees unifications in the divine realm among the sephirot, and between God and lower creation, as the theurgic restorative task of man. Among the sephirot this is symbolised by the unification of the revealed male principle Tiferet (""The Holy One Blessed be He"") and the female Malkuth (which descends immanently into creation as the exiled Shekhina divine Presence). ""Yichud Mah u Ban"" in the human psyche is the"
"In the system of 10 Sephirot Divine emanations in Kabbalah, each of the 7 emotional expressions is related to an archetypal figure in the Hebrew Bible. The first emanated realm to emerge from God's potential Will in Creation is Atziluth, the World of ""Emanation"". As it is still nullified to Divinity, so not yet considered a self-aware existence, it is the realm where the 10 Sephirot attributes of God are revealed in their essence. In lower spiritual worlds the sephirot also shine, but only in successively lower degrees, concealed through successive contractions and veilings of the Divine vitality. Seven Biblical"
"anthropomorphic three-column configurations of 10 sephirot, each of which interacts and enclothes within the others. Through the parzufim, the weakness and lack of harmony that instigated shevirah is healed. Atziluth, the supreme realm of Divine manifestation and exclusive consciousness of Divine Unity, is eternally rectified by the partzufim; its root sparks from Tohu are fully redeemed. However, the lower three Worlds of Beri'ah (""Creation""), Yetzirah (""Formation"") and Assiah (""Action"") embody successive levels of self-consciousness independent of Divinity. Active ""Tikun"" rectification of lower Creation can only be achieved from Below, from within its limitations and perspective, rather than imposed from Above."
"a Partzuf interrelationship, where each sefirah relates and mediates the influence of the others. This metaphor for Divine interrelationships on High is arranged in the schematic relationship of a human soul, because alone amongst all Creation, Adam-Man is held to encapsulate all harmonized forces, while animals and angels embody only singular instinctive drives. The significance of this, as well as the full meaning of the Partzufim reconfiguration of the sefirot, emerges only in 16th century Lurianic Kabbalah, where the ""Yosher""-Upright arrangement, the ""Partzufim"" and the souls of Israel represent the secondary World of Tikun-Rectification, while angels, animals and the root"
"scheme. Ultimately, this is seen as the reason that God chose to emanate His Divinity through the 10 Sephirot, and chose to create the corresponding chain of four Worlds (called the ""Seder hishtalshelus""-""order of development""). He could have chosen to bridge the infinite gap between the Ein Sof and our World by a leap of Divine decree. Instead the Sephirot and Four Worlds allow man to understand Divinity through Divine manifestation, by understanding himself. The verse in Genesis of this correspondence also describes the feminine half of Creation: (Genesis 1:27) ""So God created man in His own image, in the"
"the paths between them describe ways of knowing the Divine. According to the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn's interpretation of the Kabbalah, there are ten archangels, each commanding one of the choirs of angels and corresponding to one of the Sephirot. It is similar to the Jewish angelic hierarchy. Traditionalist Judaic views of Kabbalah's origins view it as an original development from within the Jewish religion, perhaps expressed through syncretic terminology from Medieval Jewish Neoplatonism. Contemporary academics of Jewish mysticism have reassessed Gershom Scholem's theory that the new doctrine of Medieval Kabbalah assimilated an earlier Jewish version of Gnosticism;"
"Partzufim Partzufim/Partsufim (, singular Partzuf, ), meaning Divine ""Personae/Visages/Faces/Forms/Configurations"", are particular reconfigured arrangements of the ten sephirot (Divine attributes/emanations of Kabbalah). Each partzuf is thus a configuration of disparate entities into a harmonious unit. The names of the partzufim are derived from the Zohar, the foundational text of Kabbalah. There, they are synonymous terms for the sefirot. Their full doctrinal significance emerged in 16th century Lurianic Kabbalah with reference to the cosmic processes of Shevirah-""Shattering"" and Tikun-""Rectification."" Medieval Kabbalah described the ten sefirot as Divine channels that emanate from their source and descend in a linear progression. R. Moshe Cordovero,"