The Illumination of the Sefirot Versus the Illumination of the Letters

On the relationship between letters and Sefirot, the Ramban wrote in his commentary on the Book of Formation: "Within the ten, there are twenty-two." This implies that ten Sefirot are the roots of the twenty-two letters. Similarly, the Ramak in "Pardes Rimonim" states that the letters "spread and emanate from the essence of the Sefirot. It's not suitable to think that they are separate forms from the Sefirot or a matter by themselves like angels and chariots, but rather, they are parts of the Sefirot." Rabbi Yitzchak of Akko further suggests that the Sefirot are the inner light that manifests in the form of letters and works through them. His words: "For the actions of the Sefirot could not appear and be revealed without being clothed in letters. And the letters could not come to be and create existence, and perform actions, without the inscription of ten Sefirot in them." In other words, the ten Sefirot are ten ways of divine governance, whose various illuminations created twenty-two pathways of different forces, known as 'letters', whose combinations in various ways created the distinct elements of the universe. The action of the letters is only possible because of the clothing of the ten Sefirot within them, and their illumination through and by means of the letters.

Thus, the ten Sefirot can be seen as the building blocks of each of the twenty-two letters. Just as with those stones, one can build structures in various forms: tower, pyramid, house, etc., so from the illumination of the ten Sefirot, each letter is constructed differently, manifesting in the graphical form of the letters, their pronunciation, and their numerical value, each letter according to its unique role and power of action in the world. However, this form specific to each letter is determined according to the source of its illumination from a specific Sefirah, which is its root above.

Once the letters are created, the root Sefirah of each letter illuminates through it and acts in the world according to the power path specific to that letter (e.g., the power of connection in the letter Vav, or the power of support in the letter Samech, as will be explained later in the book). However, how this power will express and act in our world, whether through Chesed (kindness) or Gevurah (strength), or a blend of both, depends on the actions of the ten Sefirot within each letter, which operate according to human actions.

In sum, thirty-two pathways compose and activate the universe. This elucidates and is the source for the phrase "32 pathways" in the famous song "Bar Yochai Nomshachat Ashrecha," written in honor of the divine sage Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, of blessed memory, by the Kabbalist Rabbi Shimon Lavi, of blessed memory, sung by many.

The ten Sefirot, corresponding to the ten utterances with which the world was created, are the inner aspect of every aspect of creation. Thus, every detail in creation is made and composed of ten Sefirot and operates through the divine light within them.

The Internal Structure of Every Detail in Creation

Every detail in creation is made and composed in its innermost form from a unique spiritual combination according to the letters of its name, and from the ten Sefirot within these letters. For the illumination of the Sefirot (which comes from the unlimited light of Hashem, as mentioned) is the root of every existing detail in the universe, from which everything is constructed. Even within the Sefirot themselves, each Sefirah is also composed of ten Sefirot, each of which is composed of ten Sefirot, and so on ad infinitum. As Rabbi Chaim Vital, of blessed memory, wrote in his book "Gates of Holiness". In light of this, one should not be surprised by the fact confirmed with the advancement of scientific research that every biological cell contains (in DNA) the details of the structure of the entire body to which it belongs. For the material is but a kind of replica of the spiritual. Just as in the spiritual source, each part of the whole contains the structure of the whole, so it is in the copy. According to this principle, additional data can be discovered about the structure of the material world from the spiritual structure learned in the esoteric Torah. Hence, it should be known that all the new discoveries in modern physics research in general, and quantum theory and string theory in particular, have not yet discovered the true depth in the details of the material world.

The Origin of the Term "Sefirot"

The origin of the term "Sefirot" comes from the word "numerals," indicating that just as all numbers are included in the first ten digits, so all particulars of reality are included in the ten stages of the Sefirot. Some interpret that the term "Sefirot" comes from the name of the precious blue-violet stone called "Sapphire." As it is stated: "and under His feet, it was like the work of a sapphire brick, and like the essence of the sky in clarity." According to this, ten "Sefirot" means ten "illuminations."

Structure of the Ten Sefirot

The ten Sefirot are divided into three first Sefirot (G"R) and seven lower Sefirot (Z"T). The first corresponds to the head in humans, and the lower to the body.

However, the division of the ten Sefirot according to their modes of action is similar to three descending lines, parallel to the human body's structure: right line, left line, and middle line. Three Sefirot on each side, and four in the middle:

Chacham, Chesed, Netzach (wisdom, kindness, victory) on the right, is the line of Sefirot of kindness flowing as the male action.

Binah, Gevurah, Hod (understanding, strength, glory) on the left, is the line of Sefirot of strength that restrains the flow, as the female action.

Dat, Tiferet, Yesod (knowledge, beauty, foundation) in the middle, is the line of Sefirot of mercy that mediate and blend between them.

And at the end of the middle is the tenth Sefirah, Kingdom, defined as having nothing of its own but receiving from the other Sefirot, and it's in the form of 'giving birth', bringing forth the results of the preceding Sefirot's actions from potential to actual.

The Structure of Sefirot in Worlds

Every world out of the four worlds A"BY"A is composed of ten Sefirot. The Sefirah of Kingdom of each world acts as a connecting beam from edge to edge. This means a sort of line that passes from the first Sefirah, the Superior Crown, and links between all the Sefirot that illuminate through it, reaching the last Sefirah, the Sefirah of Kingdom, where the illuminations of all Sefirot focus, and they illuminate through it to the lower world. Therefore, the Kingdom Sefirah of the world of Emanation parallels the Crown Sefirah of the world of Creation, descending from the world of Emanation. The same applies to the other worlds.

The Structure of Sefirot and Worlds in Humans

In truth, the structure of the Sefirot is not in the form of the human body; rather, the human body form is made according to the structure of the ten Sefirot.

Furthermore, the matter of male and female in our world is made according to the essence and structure of Sefirot and the upper worlds and their mutual influences. For instance: the right Sefirah of Chacham, in the form of a male, influences the left Sefirah of Binah, which is in the form of a female. Similarly, with the letters, the letter Aleph, in the form of a male, influences its 'partner,' the letter Bet, in the form of a female. This applies to the other letters. The four worlds are also constructed in the format of giver and receiver in the form of male and female pairs.

To purchase Rabbi Zamir Cohen's book "The Code," visit Hidabroot Shops.