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Temple Israel
Introduction to Judaism
KABBALAH
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Keter
r,f
Understanding
Palace of Reflection
Womb
Spring
Upper mother
Power, Judgment
Limitation
Obedience, Discipline
Isaac
Crown
Ehyeh
Mind Beyond Mind
Pure Compassion
Between Concealment
and Manifestation
Bina
Hokhmah
vbhc
vnfj
Wisdom
Primal Point
Spark of
Existence
Hesed
Grace
Free-flowing Love
Abraham
Gevurah
soj
ihs
Beauty
The Blessed Holy One
Balance Restored
Jacob/Israel
Tiferet
,rtp,
Restraint
Self control
Aaron
Netsah
Hod
jmb
siv
Yesod
sioh
Malchut
,ufkn
Prophecy
Messianic Vision
Sensual delight
Laughter
Moses
Foundation
Joseph
Phallus/Covenant
Balance Restored
Indwelling Presence
God’s Kingdom/
Community of Israel,
Bride of God
Mother of Lower Worlds
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There once was a King who was a master of creating illusions. He wanted very much to
be close to his people, and wanted to give them goodness, but mostly he wanted for his people
to want to be close to him. So he devised a plan. He built around himself a great castle-illusion.
There were illusory walls and doorways and towers. There were chambers and courtyards and
passageways. And in front of each one the King placed illusory treasures of every kind. Bags of
money, trips to Florida, beautiful landscapes, other beautiful looking people... Then he
proclaimed throughout the land that he wished to be found. All the people came to the illusory
castle but one by one they gave up searching for the King, settling instead for the illusory
treasures.
At last the King’s son came. He saw that it was all an illusion and that his father was in
plain view, sitting on a folding chair in the middle of a great, open field.
What a strange world this story presents, a world in which nothing is as it seems! The
people in the story think that the treasures which surround them are “real”. As it turns out,
however, the treasures represent only the most superficial aspects of reality.
There was a man who lived in the mountains. He knew nothing about those
who lived in the city. He sowed wheat and ate the kernels raw. One day he
entered the city. They offered him good bread. The man asked, “What’s this for?”
They replied, “Its bread, to eat!”
He ate, and it tasted very good. He asked, “What’s it made of?”
They answered, “Wheat.”
Later they offered him thick loaves kneaded with oil. He tasted them, and
asked, “And what are these made of?”
They answered, “Wheat.”
Later they offered him royal pastry kneaded with honey and oil. He asked,
“And what are these made of?”
They answered, “Wheat.”
He said, “Surely I am the master of all these, since I eat the essence of all
these: wheat!”
Because of that view, he knew nothing of the delights of the world, which
were lost on him. So it is with one who grasps the principle but is unaware of all
those delectable delights deriving, diverging from that principle.
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The Hidden Light
(From: Zohar: Annotated and Explained, Chapter 4, by Daniel Matt)
God said, "Let there be light!" And there was light.
God saw how good the light was
And God separated the light from the darkness.
~ (Genesis 1:3-4)
Rabbi Yitshak said
"The light created by God in the act of Creation
flared from one end of the world to the other
and was hidden away,
reserved for the righteous in the world that is coming,
As it is written:
"Light is sown for the righteous." (Psalms 97:11)1
Then the worlds will be fragrant, and all will be one.
Rabbi Yehudah responded,
"If the light were completely hidden,
the world would not exist for even a moment!
Rather, it is hidden and sown like a seed,
giving birth to seeds and fruit.
Thereby the world is sustained.
Every single day, a ray of that light shines into the world,
animating everything;
with that ray God feeds the world.
And everywhere that Torah is studied at night,
one thread-thin ray appears from that hidden light
and flows down upon those absorbed in her.2
Since the first day; the light has never been fully revealed,
but it is vital to the world,
renewing each day the act of Creation."3
1
Reserved for the righteous…: This notion is based on the Midrash: “With the light created by God on the first day,
Adam could gaze and see from one end of the universe to the other. Since God foresaw the corrupt deeds of the generation
of Enosh and the generation of the Flood, He hid the light from them. Where did He hide it? In the Garden of Eden for the
righteous, as is written: Light is sown for the righteous.”
2
Those absorbed in her: In the Talmud, Resh Lakish explains that whoever studies Torah at night is extended “a threadthin ray of love” during the day. The Ba’al Shem Tov, the founder of Hasidism, explains that the light of Creation is
hidden within the Torah, and so whoever studies Torah can see from one end of the world to the other.
3
Renewing each day…: This parallels the expression in the morning prayer: “Lord of wonders, who renews in His
goodness every day continually the act of Creation.”
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Glossary of Kabbalah Terms
Ayin - · Nothingness. When Ein Sof began to create the universe, it had to make yesh, (something) out of ayin
(nothing). Before Ein Sof created the universe, only ayin existed.
Binah - · Binah means “understanding” and represents structure and femininity. In the stages of creation,
Binah comes after Chochmah, when specific thoughts and ideas begin to exist. Binah, as the first female
presence, is also considered the mother of other sefirot. Binah represents the left hemisphere of God’s brain and
lies on the left (feminine) side of the Tree of Life.
Chesed - · Chesed, the fourth sefirah, represents love, or mercy. In the stages of creation, Chesed heralds the
beginning of emotional energy. Chesed is also identified with the Biblical character Abraham, the patriarch of
the Jews. Chesed is associated with God’s right shoulder or arm and lies on the right (masculine) side of the
Tree of Life.
Chochmah - · The second of the ten sefirot. Chochmah means “wisdom.” In the stages of creation, Chochmah
represents the beginning of thought. Chochmah represents the right hemisphere of God’s brain and lies on the
right (masculine) side of the Tree of Life.
Ein Sof - · Kabbalists call their God “Ein Sof,” which means “the infinite.” Kabbalists believe Ein Sof exists
everywhere in the form of energy. Though its presence and power are infinite, Ein Sof remains a distant
unknowable God, entirely devoid of form. Kabbalists all aim to reunite with God by restoring Ein Sof to its
original form through righteous acts and devout study of Kabbalah.
Gevurah - · Gevurah is sometimes also called Din, and means “strength” or “judgment.” It is the fifth sefirah
and represents the specific emotional energy that creates feelings. Gevurah represents God’s left shoulder and is
often associated with Isaac, Abraham’s son. Gevurah lies on the left (feminine) side of the Tree of Life.
Gilgul - · The Hebrew word for reincarnation. Kabbalah’s views on reincarnation split into two main theories:
ibbur and dybbuk, explained below.
Hod - · The eighth sefirah, Hod represents the world of sensation—smells, sights, sounds, and so on. Where
Netzach is a kind of undefined physical energy, Hod represents contained energy. Hod is the left leg of God and
is often associated with Aaron, the first high priest of the Jews. Hod lies on the left (feminine) side of the Tree
of Life.
Keter - · The first and highest of the ten sefirot. Keter means “crown” and is the link between the finite world
we inhabit and the infinite world of Ein Sof. In the stages of creation, Keter is the stage in which material reality
begins to come into existence. Keter is associated with God’s head and appears at the top of the Tree of Life.
Klippot - · “Shells” or “husks.” Klippot are demons who draw their strength from the netzutzot, or sparks of
divine light, which they jealously guard. Kabbalists believe they must save the netzutzot from the klippot to
restore Ein Sof.
Material reality - · The world of matter, sensation, and physical reality that humans inhabit. Kabbalists
distinguish between the reality that we experience, and the larger reality inhabited by the sefirot and Ein Sof,
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only parts of which humans can perceive. Though Ein Sof and the sefirot exist in material reality, material
reality is only a small part of reality in total.
Mysticism - · The belief in direct communication with God or gods through physical and spiritual experiences.
Mystics, including kabbalists, tend to think of God as an infinite source of energy, without personality or form.
As God exists everywhere at all times, mystics tend to think of everyone and everything as part of God and
therefore capable of interacting directly with God.
Netzach - · The seventh sefirah, Netzach stands for limitless energy, endurance, and victory. Netzach
represents God’s right leg and is often associated with the biblical character Moses, who led the Jewish slaves
out of Egypt. Netzach lies on the right (masculine) side of the Tree of Life.
Netzutzot - · The sparks of divine light that fell to Earth when Ein Sof attempted to transfer its radiance into
the vessels it created. To restore Ein Sof to a state of wholeness, kabbalists are expected to liberate the netzutzot
through righteous acts and meditation.
Safed - · A village above the Sea of Galilee and the geographic center of Kabbalah as of the mid 1500s. The
people of Safed believed that to make the Messiah appear, only one city needed to act in a godly way—they
believed Safed could be that city. The people of Safed introduced many core traditions to Kabbalah, including
the keeping of the Sabbath. Moses Cordovero and his pupil Isaac Luria were leaders of the religious community
in Safed.
Sefer Yetzirah - · The Sefer Yetzirah, which means “Book of Formation,” explains the creation of the
universe. Many kabbalists consider it the first book of Kabbalah, a gift from God to Abraham, the father of the
Jews. These kabbalists argue that since Abraham received the Sefer Yetzirah years before Moses received the
Ten Commandments, Kabbalah actually predates the Bible and the major religions that follow it, including
Judaism and Christianity. Others argue that the Sefer Yetzirah was written between the second and third
centuries in Palestine. Perhaps the Sefer Yetzirah’s most important contribution to Kabbalah ideology is its
explanation of the sefirot, the ten aspects of Ein Sof (see Sefirot below).
Sefirot - · The sefirot are the ten “emanations” or “aspects” of Ein Sof that transmit Ein Sof’s energy to the
world. Existing separately and together at once, the sefirot are always a part of God—they are God. The ten
sefirot, with English translations in parentheses, are Keter (crown), Binah (understanding), Chochmah
(wisdom), Gevurah (strength), Chesed (love), Tiferet (beauty), Hod (splendor), Netzach (endurance), Yesod
(foundation), and Shekhinah (kingdom). Each sefirah (the singular form of sefirot) represents many things,
including a quality of God, a stage in the creation of the world, and a part of God’s body. Shekhinah, the sefirah
that represents God in the human realm, is the most accessible of the sefirot. Kabbalists believe that devout
study of Kabbalah can lead from awareness of Shekhinah through each successive sefirah to Keter, the highest
level of understanding of God human beings can attain. The brief descriptions below of the Tree of Life and of
each sefirah only scratch the surface of the innumerable meanings of each emanation of God.
Shekhinah (also called Malchut) - · Shekhinah means “kingdom” or “immanence” and is the tenth and final
sefirah. Shekhinah is associated with God’s feet or the base of God’s spine. Shekhinah represents the presence
of God in the everyday world in which humans live. Shekhinah’s biblical character is David, the second king of
the twelve tribes of Israel. Shekhinah lies in the center of the Tree of Life at its base.
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Shevirat ha-kelim - · The “Breaking of the Vessels” When Ein Sof created the universe, it made vessels to
contain its light. Due to the strength of Ein Sof’s radiance, the vessels shattered. The shattering process is
known as shevirat ha-kelim.
Talmud - · The Talmud is a compilation of Jewish writings that cover laws, customs, ethics, and myths. The
Torah dictates the rules that Jews must follow, whereas the Talmud tells Jews how to follow them and specifies
when each rule applies. The Talmud divides into two main texts: the Mishna, a book of the “Oral Law,” written
in Hebrew; and the Gemara, a collection of commentaries on the Mishna, written in Aramaic.
Tiferet - · The sixth sefirah, Tiferet represents beauty and is associated with the center of God’s chest. As the
mediator of Gevurah and Chesed, Tiferet balances mercy and judgment. Tiferet is often linked to the biblical
character Jacob, who fathered the twelve tribes of Israel. Tiferet lies in the center of the Tree of Life.
Torah - · In Hebrew, torah means “teaching,” “instruction,” and “law.” Modern Jews often use the word torah
to refer to Jewish scripture and oral tradition in its entirety. In The Essential Zohar, Rav Berg, the current
spiritual leader of Kabbalah, describes Torah simply as “truth.” To kabbalists, Torah means a commitment to
accepting the truth that “God is One,” and that every kabbalist must act righteously to restore God to its original
state of oneness, or wholeness. Kabbalists consider Torah study a privilege and an honor that never ends: they
believe one can spend an entire lifetime studying Torah and still only scratch the surface of its limitless
meanings and teachings. The actual text of the Torah contains only the five books of Moses, which make up the
Bible’s Old Testament. These five books are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
The Tree of Life - · A visual rendering of the ten sefirot, the Tree of Life shows how the ten sefirot relate to
one another. The Tree divides into three main columns. The left side contains the three feminine sefirot, and the
right side holds the three masculine sefirot. The two sefirot in the middle column are considered neutral. At the
top of the Tree is Keter, the first sefirah, while Shekhinah, the most accessible of the sefirah, lies at the bottom.
Each sefirah’s location relates to the part of God’s body the sefirah represents and to other symbolic traits of
each sefirah.
Tsimtsum - · Kabbalah’s rabbi Isaac Luria developed the theory of tsimtsum, which explained how Ein Sof
had to first withdraw from the universe in order to make room for its creation. Tsimtsum, also spelled zimsum,
means “withdrawal.”
Yesh - · Something. Yesh is the first “something” that emerged from the ayin, or nothingness, before creation.
Yesod - · The ninth sefirah, Yesirah represents individuality and serves as the mediator of Netzach and Hod.
Yesod is usually associated with God’s penis. The biblical character associated with Yesod is Joseph, Jacob’s
son. Yesod lies in the center of the Tree of Life.
Zohar - · Zohar means “The Book of Radiance” and refers to the Kabbalah’s five main books. Most of the
Zohar is written from the point of view of Simeon ben Yohai, a famous rabbi of the second century and the
book’s supposed creator. The Zohar consists of stories of Simeon ben Yohai wandering through the desert of
Galilee, commenting on the Torah and exchanging kabbalistic wisdom with his companions and followers. The
Zohar has been translated into English in a twenty-two-volume set.
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Gematria
Gematria is a system of calculating numerical value to a word or phrase in the belief that words or
phrases with identical numerical values bear some relation to each other, or bear some relation to the
number. Hidden meanings and words can be found by using values of the underlying letters (see
chart). A good Gematria example is the Hebrew word Chai (“life”), which is composed of two letters
which add up to 18. This has made 18 a “lucky number” among Jews, and gifts in multiples of $18 are
very common. (Wikipedia)
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BIBLIOGRAPHY of Reference Material for Jewish Mysticism and Zohar
Provided by Rabbi Sim Glaser
Cooper, Rabbi David, God is a Verb – Kabbalah and the Practice of Mystical Judaism
Riverhead Books, 1997
Heschel, Abraham Joshua, God in Search of Man: A Philosophy of Judaism
Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1955
Green, Arthur, Ehyeh, A Kabbalah For Tomorrow
Jewish Lights, 2003
Kaplan, Aryeh, Jewish Meditation
Schocken Books, 1985
Kushner, Lawrence, The Book of Letters
Harper and Row, 1975
Kushner, Lawrence, Honey From the Rock
Harper and Row, 1977
Kushner, Lawrence, The River of Light
Jewish Lights Publishing, 1981
Kushner, Lawrence, The Way Into Jewish Mystical Tradition.
Jewish Lights Publishing, 2001
Matt, Daniel, The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism
Castle Books, 1983
Scholem, Gershom, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism
Schocken Books, 1946
Steinsaltz, Adin. The Thirteen Petalled Rose
Basic Books, 1980
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