What Are the Sefirot? | My Jewish Learning

There are 10 sefirot, linked in a complex figure that some have called the “Tree of Life,” significantly a phrase also often used to refer to the SkiptoSearch SkiptoContent SkiptoFooter Share Youmightalsolike Maimonides’ConceptionofGod Beliefs&Practices MeditationsontheSederPlate MyJewishLearningisanot-for-profitandreliesonyourhelp Donate ThemedievalkabbalistsbelievedthatGod’sselfcouldnotbeunderstood,butGodhasrevealedattributesthatinteractwitheachotherandtheworld.Theseareknownassefirot.Justashumanbeingsaremadeupofvariousinternaltraitsortendenciesofpersonality,allofwhichinteractwithoneanother,sotooGodismadeupofvariousinternaltraitsor“drives.”Theimageryusedtodescribethesefirotandtheirrelationshipsisoftenvisualandphysical,evensexual. ThefollowingarticleisreprintedwithpermissionfromEssentialJudaism:ACompleteGuidetoBeliefs,Customs&Rituals.ThepictureofthesefirotisreprintedwiththepermissionofEliezerSiegel.Thereare10sefirot,linkedinacomplexfigurethatsomehavecalledthe“TreeofLife,”significantlyaphrasealsooftenusedtorefertotheTorah.TheyareKeter(Crown),Hokhmah(Wisdom),Binah(Understanding),Hesed(Lovingkindness),Gevurah(Might)orDin(Judgment),Tiferet(Beauty),Hod(Splendor),Netzah(Victory),Yesod(Foundation),andMalkhut(Sovereignty)orShekhinah(theDivinePresence).EachofthemrepresentsoneaspectoftheGodhead,afacetofthepowersoftheAllPowerful.Eachisalsoidentifiedwithapartofthebodyoraspectsofthehumanpersonality,acolor,andoneoftheNamesoftheHolyOne.Therelationshipofthesefirotlookssomethinglikethis: Asyoucanseefromthediagram,theattributesofGodarehighlyinterdependent,witheachonelinkedtoseveralothers.(AccordingtothekabbalistsofSafed,eachofthetensefirotcontainswithinitalloftheothers[i.e.,eachsefirahrepresentsapieceofatotalityandcontainsanimageofthistotalitywithinitself].)Byunderstandingtheirinterrelationship,wecanunderstandinsomesmallwaytheprocessofTheCreationitself.KeterKeter(Crown)(occasionallycalledKeterElyon[theSupremeCrown])representsthefirststirringsofWillwithintheGodhead,aprimalimpulsethatprecedeseventhoughtbutwhichisessentialforanyactiontotakeplace.ItisalsocalledAyin(Nothingness),foritwasoutoftheinfinitevoidthattheAlmightycreated.WhenaJewseeksaonenesswithGodthroughecstaticprayerormeditation,itistothisstateofNothingness,theannihilationofallego,thatsheaspires.ThenameofGodassociatedwithKeteris“Ehyeh,”whichiswhatGodsayswhenMosesaskswhospeaksfromtheburningbush:“Ehyehasherehyeh(IwillbewhatIwillbe).”Insomekabbalistictexts,thissefirahisassociatedwiththepointatthetipoftheletteryodintheTetragrammaton(thefour‑letternameofGodwhichisneverspoken,butwhichisspelledyud‑hey‑vav‑heyinHebrew).ThebodypartassociatedwithKeteris“aura,”thespacedirectlyabovethehead;Keterhasnocolor.HokhmahHokhmah(Wisdom)representsthefirstimpulsetoCreateasitaroseintheCreator.Itis“primordialTorah,”absoluteandDivinewisdom,theflashofintuitionorinspirationthatprecedesconsciousthought.Inanothersense,Hokhmahisthe“sperm”thatwillimpregnateBinah(Understanding)asthefirststepintheCreativeprocess.(OneaspectoftheInfinitudeisthatGod,althoughwithoutgender,encompassesbothmaleandfemaleattributes.)ThenameofGodassociatedwithHokhmahisYahortheyodintheTetragrammaton.ThebodypartassociatedwithHokhmahistherighthemisphereofthebrain.Hokhmah‘scolorisblue.BinahBinah(Understanding)representsthepointatwhichtheDivineinspirationbeginstotakeonadefiniteform.SomerefertoHokhmahasthecontemplativeandsyntheticelementofDivineThought;bycontrast,Binahisseenasanalyticanddistinguishing.Theuppermostfemaleelementofthesefirot,Binahisthewombintowhichthe“sperm”ofHokhmahwasdeposited.Fromthatunion,thelowersevensefirotwereborn.Toputitdifferently,Binah,whichisalsotranslatedas“insight”or“discernment,”isthepointatwhichtheflashofintuitionisrefinedintoaconsciousthought.BinahisassociatedwiththeletterheyintheTetragrammatonandwiththenameofGodElohim.Inthebody,Binahisusuallyassociatedwitheitherthelefthemisphereofthebrainortheforehead.Binah‘scolorisgreen.HesedHesed(Lovingkindness)representsthegenerous,benevolentsideofGod,thequalityofunconditionalDivineLove.Hesedisoftentranslatedinthiscontextas“love,”“compassion,”or“grace.”HesedisassociatedwiththeDivinenameElorElElyon(SupremeGod).Itcorrespondstotherightarm.Hesed‘scoloriswhite.GevurahGevurah(Might)(alsocalledDin[Judgment])counterbalancesHesed.ItisthesideofGodmostfamiliartothosewithasuperficialunderstandingoftheHebrewBible,thewrathfulDivinityofawfulpunishments.WithoutGevurah,theworldwouldbesooverwhelmedbyGod’slovethatitwouldbereabsorbedintotheDivine;withoutHesed,God’sjudgmentwouldunleashforcesofdestructionontheworld.ItmustbenotedthattheseedsoftheSitraAkhra(literally“OtherSide,”areferencetodemonicforcesofevil)arefoundinGevurah,aswell;Seferha‑ZoharteachesthatanexcessofGevurahisthesourceofUltimateEvil.ItisthebalanceofJusticeandMercyevokedrepeatedlyinTanakh,Talmud,andmidrash,thatisthekeytotheworld’sthriving.Andthatbalance,necessaryintheDivinerealm,isalsoessentialinhumanendeavor.GevurahisassociatedwithElohimasthenameofGod.Itcorrespondstotheleftarm.Gevurah‘scolorisred.TiferetTiferet(Beauty)(alsotranslatedas“glory”)isfoundinthemiddleofthe“tree”ofsefirot,abalancingforcebetweenHesedandGevurah,infact,theiroffspring.Thisbalanceisessentialtotheproperrunningoftheuniverse.Tiferetisthesefirahthatunitestheupperninepowers.Itisconsideredtheprimary“male”attributeofGod.(InsomeversionsofthesefirotthisattributeiscalledRahamim[Mercy].)OftenassociatedwiththeWrittenTorah(Tanakh),TiferetcorrespondstotheTetragrammatonitself;insomesystems,itisassociatedwiththevavoftheTetragrammaton.ThetorsoisthebodypartthatcorrespondstoTiferet.Tiferet‘scolorispurple.Netzah&HodNetzah(Victory)andHod(Splendor)arecounterpartstooneanother.TheymaybeseenasmoreearthlyversionsofHesedandGevurah,respectively.TheformerrepresentsGod’sactivegraceandbenevolenceintheworld,thelatterthemannerinwhichthejudgmentoftheDeityisdispensedonearth.Hodisalsoassociatedwiththepowerofprophecy.NetzahandHodareassociatedwiththeDivinenamesYHVHTsva’ot(LordofHosts)andElohimTsva’ot(GodofHosts),respectively.Netzahcorrespondstotherightleg,Hodtheleft,buttheyarealsooftenlinkedtotheleftandrightkidneys(sourcesofadviceintalmudiclore),thetesticles,orthefemalebreasts(sourcesoffertilityandnurturingsustenance,respectively).Netzah‘scolorislightpink,Hod‘sdarkpink.YesodYesod(Foundation)isthechannelthatunitestheothertwomiddlefiguresofthe“tree.”Inotherwords,itisthemeansbywhichTiferet,themaleprincipleoftheDivine,impregnatesShekhinahorMalkhut,thefemaleembodimentoftheDivine.YesodisthewayinwhichDivineCreativityandFertilityarevisiteduponallcreation.Yesodisassociatedwiththephallusandis,therefore,closelylinkedwiththemitzvahofcircumcision.Yesod‘scolorisorange,andthenamesofGoditcorrespondstoareElHai(TheLivingGod),ElShaddai(GodAlmighty),andthepointatthebottomtipofthevavintheTetragrammaton.Malkhut(Sovereignty)istheculminationandsynthesisofalltheattributesofGod,therecipientofalltheforcesinplayinthedelicatebalanceofthesefirot,andthequalitythatlinkstheEternalSovereigntothe“real”world.MalkhutisperhapsmorefamiliarlyknownastheShekhinah,theDivinePresence,God’simmanentandfemaleaspect,thewayinwhichweexperiencetheDivine.WhentheJewishpeopleareinexile,theShekhinahtravelswiththem;whentheirexileendswiththecomingoftheMessiah,theShekhinah‘swanderingswillendaswell.Insomekabbalisticsystems,Malkhutcorrespondstothefeetbutinothersitissaidtobeassociatedwiththemouth.MalkhutisassociatedwiththenameAdonai(OurLord)orthefinalheyoftheTetragrammaton.Malkhut‘scolorsareblueandblack.Asyoucanseefromthediagramandthedescriptionofthesefirot,theleftsideofthe“tree”correspondstoattributesofpowerandjustice,theattributesthatcharacterizeGevurah.ThisisseenbythekabbalistsasthefemininesideofGod,representingthefearandaweofGod,theprinciplesofseparationanddistinction.Bycontrast,therightside,themasculineside,representsqualitiesofunity,harmony,andbenevolence,theattributesthatcharacterizeHesed.Buttheworldcanonlysurviveifitisfoundedonabalancebetweenthetwo.ItisinthesearchforthatbalancethatthehumanroleinCreationcomesintoplay.Thesefirothaveapurposeandweareanintegralpartofthatpurpose.Ourbehaviorinthelowerworld,ourworld,affectstheupperworld(orworlds,asLuria’sfollowerswouldhaveit)oftheDivinity.Onlywhentheidealbalanceofjusticeandmercy,ofGod’stranscendentandimmanentqualities,isachievedcantherebepeaceandfulfillment.Andthat,thekabbaliststeach,canonlybebroughtaboutthroughhumanactions,throughself‑mastery,throughprayerandmeditationandthefulfillmentofthemitzvot.Thus,thekabbalisticideacomesbacktothebasicteachingsofthesacredtexts. Torah Pronunced:TORE-uh,Origin:Hebrew,theFiveBooksofMoses. JoinOurNewsletter EmpoweryourJewishdiscovery,daily Email SignUp DiscoverMore Study SaadiahGaon’sTheology Writtenin933,TheBookofBeliefsandOpinionsprovidedrationalanalysisofGodandJudaism,settingaprecedentformedievalphilosophers. Study TheKabbalisticConceptionofGod Themedievalmysticsmadeadistinctionbetweentheinfinite,unknowableGodandGod'srevealedaspects. Study JewishConceptionsofGodintheMiddleAges AnoverviewofmedievalphilosophicandkabbalisticapproachestoGod. SkiptoBanner/Top SkiptoSearch SkiptoContent