Keys to Life: The Kabbalistic Meaning of Color

The colors that represent the Sefirot (divine emanations) of the right side (Chesed – kindness), which function as giving and masculine forces, are white and blue-turquoise (techelet). In contrast, the colors that represent the left side (Gevurah – judgment and restraint), which function as receiving and constraining forces, are red and black. Black, in particular, absorbs light without reflecting it. At its root, black is considered a form of red, but in a diminished state- similar to what the Talmud says: “Black blood is [essentially] red blood that has darkened.”

Red fire, which receives and consumes without giving back, leaves behind black, soot-colored remnants in the natural world. On a deeper level, the reddish color of the sky at sunset, just before the blackness of night, symbolizes the transition to the hours of influence by forces of the Sitra Achra (the “other side,” or spiritual impurity). As the verse says: “You bring darkness, and it becomes night- when all the beasts of the forest stir.” (Psalms 104:20)

Wather, which is transparent and similar to white, appears blue in seas and lakes (just as the sky appears blue) due to atmospheric components that absorb longer wavelengths and reflect shorter, blue ones. The central thread of the tzitzit (ritual fringes), which protects and guards a person in times of danger, was specifically commanded to be dyed blue-techelet, derived from a sea snail. The eight strands of white and blue-techelet, when made properly, would draw down divine energy from the Sefirot of kindness and mercy, offering spiritual protection to the wearer from all directions- beyond the strict demands of justice.

Even after the Temple was destroyed and the source of the techelet dye was lost, the white strands alone still transmit spiritual influence to the person wearing the tzitzit.

The colors of precious metals also reflect higher spiritual representations of natural hues: gold, which leans toward red, stems from the Sefirah of Gevurah (judgment), while silver, which leans toward white, originates from the Sefirah of Chesed (kindness). Their combination formed a balanced spiritual channel from the higher worlds to the physical realm through the Mishkan (Tabernacle) and the service of the High Priest.

The pillars of the Mishkan therefore stood upon silver sockets and were coated with gold. Similarly, the curtains of the Tabernacle and the High Priest's garments were woven from white linen ("shesh") and blue wool, along with purple-red wool (argaman), scarlet wool (tola’at shani), and gold threads. The white, blue, and silver are from Chesed, while the scarlet, purple, and gold are from Gevurah. Their integration created the full spiritual impact of the upper Sefirot into the world through the sanctuary and the High Priest’s sacred service.

It's no coincidence that in Jewish practice, utensils used for meat (associated with Gevurah) are marked red, while utensils used for dairy (associated with Chesed) are marked blue.

This dynamic is even mirrored in nature: those that give from above, like the sky and clouds, are blue and white. Those that receive from below, like the earth and soil, are brown and red. This mirrors the spiritual masculine-feminine dynamic of giver and receiver, Chesed and Gevurah. Every detail in creation, from the vast to the subtle, was fashioned according to the divine blueprint of the Sefirot and their corresponding colors, as established in G-d's infinite wisdom.