The Kabbalah: its doctrines, development, and literatureGinsburg, Christian D. (Christian David)
Religion
The Kabbalah: its doctrines, development, and literature
Ginsburg, Christian D. (Christian David)
Cabala
Now, the medium by which the En Soph made his existence known in the
creation of the world are ten Sephiroth [5] (ספירות) or
intelligences, which emanated from the Boundless One (אין סוף) in the
following manner:—At first the En Soph, or the Aged of the Aged (עתיקא
דעתיקין) or the Holy Aged (עתיקא קדישא), as he is alternately
called, sent forth from his infinite light one spiritual substance or
intelligence. This first Sephira, which existed in the En Soph from all
eternity, and became a reality by a mere act, has no less than seven
appellations. It is called—I, the Crown (כתר), because it occupies
the highest position; II, the Aged (עתיקא), because it is the oldest
or the first emanation—and this name must not be confounded with the
Aged of the Aged, which, as we have seen, is the appellation of the En
Soph; III, the Primordial Point (נקודה ראשונה), or the Smooth Point
(נקודה פשוטה), because, as the Sohar tells us, “When the Concealed of
the Concealed wished to reveal himself, he first made a single point:
the Infinite was entirely unknown, and diffused no light before this
luminous point violently broke through into vision;” (Sohar, i, 15 a).
IV, the White Head (רישא הוורה); V, the Long Face, Macroprosopon
(אריך אנפין), because the whole ten Sephiroth represent the
Primordial or the Heavenly Man (אדם עילאה), of which the first
Sephira is the head; VI, The Inscrutable Height (רום מעלה), because
it is the highest of all the Sephiroth proceeding immediately from the
En Soph. Hence, on the passage “Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and
behold the King of Peace [6] with the Crown!” (Song of Solomon iii, 2)
the Sohar remarks, “But who can behold the King of Peace, seeing that
He is incomprehensible, even to the heavenly hosts? But he who sees the
Crown sees the glory of the King of Peace.” (Sohar ii. 100 b.) And,
VII, it is expressed in the Bible by the Divine name Ehejeh, or I Am
(אהיה Exod. iii, 4), because it is absolute being, representing the
Infinite as distinguished from the finite, and in the angelic order, by
the celestial beasts of Ezekiel, called Chajoth (חיות). The first
Sephira contained the other nine Sephiroth, and gave rise to them in
the following order:—At first a masculine or active potency, designated
Wisdom (חכמה), proceeded from it. This Sephira, which among the
divine names is represented by Jah (יה Isa. xxvi, 4), and among the
angelic hosts by Oplianim (אפנים Wheels), sent forth an opposite,
i.e. a feminine or passive, potency, denominated Intelligence (בינה),
which is represented by the divine name Jehovah (יהוה), and angelic
name Arelim (אראלים), and it is from a union of these two Sephiroth,
which are also called Father (אבא) and Mother (אמא), that the
remaining seven Sephiroth proceeded. Or, as the Sohar (iii, 290 a)
expresses it, “When the Holy Aged, the Concealed of all Concealed,
assumed a form, he produced everything in the form of male and female,
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