Misplaced Pages

#606393

42-489: Medieval Kabbalah described the ten sefirot as divine channels that emanate from their source and descend in a linear progression. Moses ben Jacob Cordovero systemised the different Medieval interpretations of the Zohar . Later, Isaac Luria recast Kabbalah into its second articulation. Lurianic Partzufim describe the dynamic relationships between personas, which interact with each other. The higher partzufim clothe themselves within

84-616: A Kabbalah academy in Safed in the Damascus Eyalet of Ottoman Palestine, which he led for approximately twenty years until his death. He is buried in Old Cemetery of Tzfat / Safed. His disciples included Eliyahu de Vidas , author of the Reshit Chochmah "Beginning of Wisdom", and Chaim Vital , who later became the official recorder and disseminator of the teachings of Isaac Luria . Moses

126-496: A descending chain, although the lowest world of Assiah has both a spiritual and a physical aspect. The physical level of Assiah is our physical finite realm, including the cosmological Universe studied by science. Consequently, as Kabbalah becomes more of a metaphysical study, the terms "higher" and "lower" are used as metaphors for being closer or further from Divine consciousness, revelation, and emanance. The 16th-century systemisation of Kabbalah by Moses ben Jacob Cordovero brought

168-581: A differentiated expression. In the Idrot narratives of the Zohar , Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai discusses profound manifestations of the partzufim. The Idra Zuta, traditionally ascribed to his day of passing from this world, his Yom Hillula "wedding day", is considered the deepest teachings of the Zohar. Moses ben Jacob Cordovero Moses ben Jacob Cordovero ( Hebrew : משה קורדובירו Moshe Kordovero ‎; 1522–1570)

210-440: A lucid thinker. The Pardes , as it is known, was a systemization of all Kabbalistic thought up to that time and featured the author's attempt at a reconciliation of various early schools with the conceptual teachings of the Zohar to demonstrate an essential unity and self-consistent philosophical basis of Kabbalah. His second work, a magnum opus titled Precious Light ( Hebrew : אור יקר , romanized :  Or Yāqār ),

252-974: A primordial world, Adam Kadmon , and called the Five Worlds , are the comprehensive categories of spiritual realms in Kabbalah in a descending chain of existence . The concept of "Worlds" denotes the emanation of creative lifeforce from the Ein Sof or Godhead through progressive, innumerable tzimtzumim or concealments. Kabbalists identified the names of these worlds from Isaiah 43:7, "All who are linked to My name, Whom I have created , Formed , and made for My glory ( Biblical Hebrew : כֹּ֚ל הַנִּקְרָ֣א בִשְׁמִ֔י וְלִכְבוֹדִ֖י בְּרָאתִ֑יו יְצַרְתִּ֖יו אַף־עֲשִׂיתִֽיו׃ , romanized:  Kol hanniqrā b̲išmi wəlik̲b̲od̲i bərāt̲iw yəṣartiw ʾap̲-ʿăśit̲iw. )". The names are thus Beri'ah "Creation," Yetzirah "Formation," Assiah "Action," and Atziluth "Emanation." Below Assiah,

294-607: A process that reflects sequential logic and coherence. His encyclopedic works became a central stage in the development of Kabbalah. Immediately after him in Safed, Isaac Luria articulated a subsequent system of Kabbalistic theology, with new supra-rational doctrines recasting previous Kabbalistic thought. While Lurianism displaced the Cordoverian scheme and became predominant in Judaism, its followers read Cordoverian works in harmony with their teachings. Where to them, Lurianism described

336-603: A rational study of Jewish thought, Moshe Cordovero produced the first full integration of the previous differing schools in Kabbalistic interpretation. While he was a mystic inspired by the opaque imagery of the Zohar, Cordoverian Kabbalah utilised the conceptual framework of evolving cause and effect from the Infinite to the Finite in systemising Kabbalah, the method of philosophical style discourse he held most effective in describing

378-545: A reputation of an extraordinary genius and a prolific writer. Besides his knowledge in kabbalah, he was a Talmudic scholar and a man of commanding mastery in Jewish philosophical thought who was respected in these fields. Contrary to popular belief, however, he was not one of the rabbis who received the special semicha ("ordination") from Jacob Berab in 1538, alongside Joseph Karo , Cordovero's teacher of halakha , Moses ben Joseph di Trani , Yosef Sagis , and Moshe Alshich . As

420-721: A spiritual rung of ascent in human consciousness, as it approaches the Divine. Kabbalah distinguishes between two types of Divine light that emanate through the 10 sefirot (Divine emanations) from the Infinite ( Ein Sof ), to create or affect reality. There is a continual flow of a "lower" light, the Mimalei Kol Olmin , the light of eminence that "fills all worlds" is the creating force in each descending world, that itself continually brings everything in that level of existence into being from nothing. It

462-456: A whole, Moses' contributions to posterity were in speculative and performative Kabbalah, but during his lifetime he was the renowned head of the Yeshiva for Portuguese immigrants in Safed. According to his testimony in the introduction to Pardes Rimonim , in 1542, at the age of twenty, Moses heard a "heavenly voice" urging him to study Kabbalah with his brother-in-law, Shlomo Alkabetz , composer of

SECTION 10

#1732852800607

504-540: Is characterised by lower lights in strong vessels, as through the partzufim the sefirot inter-relate to absorb the illumination from Tohu. Instead of each sefirah merely including a full subset of ten sefirot as latent potential forces, the first stage of their evolution in the Lurianic scheme, in the partzufim the sefirot become full autonomous arrangements where all 10 sefirot are active forces of intellectual and emotional powers arranged around one of their number, analogous to

546-472: Is continuous. The faculty of Divine Will is represented in the sefirot (10 Divine emanations) by the first, supra-conscious Sephirah of "Keter"-Crown, that transcends the lower 9 Sephirot of conscious intellect and emotion. Once the Divine Will is manifest, then it actualises Creation through Divine Intellect, and "subsequently" Divine Emotion, until it results in action. The reference to temporal cause and effect

588-545: Is itself a metaphor. The psychology of man also reflects the "Divine psychology" of the sefirot, as "Man is created in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27). In man the activation of willpower through intellect and emotion until deed, requires time and subsequent cause and effect. In the Divine Sephirot and their activation of Creation, this does not apply, as limitations only apply to Creation. The Book of Job states that "from my flesh I see God". In Kabbalah and Hasidism this

630-869: Is no division in Him, blessed be He and blessed be His Name forever. The sum of all this is: the Ancient of the Ancient and the Zeir Anpin are absolutely One. All is, was, and shall be; He will not change, He is unchanging, and he has not changed...Should you ask, what then is the difference between one and the other? It is all One, but from above His paths divide and from below judgement is found; from our perspective they differ one from another. The ten sefirot develop into five or six primary partzufim, which further develop into pairs of Male and Female secondary partzufim. The male principle in Kabbalah metaphorically denotes outward/emanator/giver, and

672-408: Is this light that undergoes the various divine concealments and contractions as it descends downward to create the next level, and adapts itself to the capacity of each created being on each level. A transcendent higher light Sovev Kol Olmin , the light that "surrounds all worlds" would be the manifestation on a particular level of a higher light which above the capacity of that realm to contain. This

714-574: Is ultimately rooted in the infinite light ("Ohr Ein Sof") that preceded Creation, the Tzimtzum and the Sephirot, rather than the source of the immanent light in the "Kav" (first emanation of creation after the Tzimtzum), in the teachings of Isaac Luria. Consequently, all the worlds are dependent for their continual existence on the flow of Divinity they constantly receive from the Divine Will to create them. Creation

756-462: Is understood to refer to the correspondence between the "Divine psychology" of the Four Worlds and the Sephirot, with human psychology and the Sephirot in the soul of man. From understanding the Kabbalistic description of the human soul, we can grasp the meaning of the Divine scheme. Ultimately, this is seen as the reason that God chose to emanate His Divinity through the 10 Sephirot, and chose to create

798-600: The Light that fills all worlds , the divine creative light or ohr that is divine immanence . The ten sefirot "attributes" and their associated twelve partzufim or "personas" reflect this light in the Four Worlds, as do more specific Divine manifestations. In Lurianic Kabbalah , the partzufim interact dynamically, and sublime levels are clothed within lower existences, a concealed soul. Nonetheless, in each world, sefirot and partzufim predominate. The Five Worlds are, in descending order: The Four Worlds are spiritual, heavenly realms in

840-604: The Yosher "Upright" human-like configuration of the sefirot in three columns. They can now interact with the other partzufim, becoming enclothed within them in dynamic interaction. For example, Arich Anpin, the Partzuf of Keter, means the "Long/Extended Face" as it acts as the foundational Divine Will within Creation, extending down through subsequent partzufim, sefirot and Worlds, though in successively more concealed mode. The task of man becomes

882-521: The " World " of Rectification , Cordovero described the pre-Rectification World. Both articulations of the 16th century mystical Renaissance in Safed gave Kabbalah an intellectual prominence to rival Medieval Rationalism , whose social influence on Judaism had waned after the Expulsion from Spain . The name Cordovero indicates that his family originated in Córdoba , Spain and perhaps fled from there during

SECTION 20

#1732852800607

924-503: The " World of Tikun " (Rectification). This follows on from the Shevirah "Shattering" of the sefirot vessels in the " World of Tohu " (Chaos), the initial, unstable form of Atziluth. In Tikun, the sefirot evolve into the harmonised partzufim new arrangements, where they can unite. The realm of Tohu is characterised by abundant light ( Ohr ) and weak vessels, as the ten sefirot act independently as absolute forces, causing it to collapse. Tikkun

966-528: The conceptual system of Kabbalah, with his new doctrines and philosophical system. The two schools of Cordoveran and Lurianic Kabbalah give two alternative accounts and synthesis of the complete theology of Kabbalah until then, based on their interpretation of the Zohar . After the public dissemination of the Zohar in Medieval times, various attempts were made to give a complete intellectual system of theology to its different schools and interpretations. Influenced by

1008-628: The corresponding chain of four Worlds (called the " Seder hishtalshelus "-"order of development"). He could have chosen to bridge the infinite gap between the Ein Sof and our World by a leap of Divine decree. Instead the Sephirot and Four Worlds allow man to understand Divinity through Divine manifestation, by understanding himself. The verse in Genesis of this correspondence also describes the feminine half of Creation: (Genesis 1:27) "So God created man in His own image, in

1050-547: The created beings on each level, to prevent their loss of identity before the magnificence of God. This illusion increases with more force in each subsequent descending realm. The number of graduations between the Infinite and the finite, is likewise infinite, and arises from innumerable, progressively strong concealments of the Divine light. Nonetheless, the four worlds represent fundamental categories of Divine consciousness from each other, which delineates their four descriptions. Consequently, each world also psychologically represents

1092-503: The earlier rational success of Jewish philosophy , especially the work of Maimonides , in producing a systematic intellectual articulation of Judaism, the Ramak achieved the first accepted systemisation of Kabbalah , based on its rational categorisation and study. Subsequent followers of the Ari saw their teachings as harmonious with, and a deeper interpretation of the Zohar and the Ramak's system, but

1134-676: The exact day of the funeral of Moshe Cordovero in 1570. When he joined in the funeral procession, he realised that only he saw a pillar of fire following the Ramak's presence. The Zohar describes this spiritual revelation as a sign to the individual who sees it, that he is meant to inherit the succession of leadership from the departed person. However, as Luria had been instructed to find his chosen disciple in Safed, Haim Vital , to reveal his new teachings to, he avoided accepting Kabbalistic leadership until six months later, when Rabbi Haim Vital approached him. The Ari only lived for two years after this, until 1572, but in those few months he revolutionised

1176-567: The expulsion of 1492 ensuing from the Spanish Inquisition . His Hebrew signature, however (Cordoeiro), strongly suggests a long-lasting residence in Portugal. Moses was either born in or moved to Safed in the Land of Israel , the city that was soon to become famed as a center of Kabbalah and mystical creativity. Albeit not involved in mystical studies until his twentieth year, he soon after gained

1218-480: The female principle denotes inward/receiver/nurturer, similar to the female process of pregnancy to nurture subsequent emanation. The terminology and system of partzufim describes detailed and specific aspects of Divinity, their nature and function discussed in Kabbalah. The fundamental primary partzufim and the sefirot they develop from are: The full array of primary partzufim and the secondary partzufim that develop from them: Tevunah ("Comprehension") Both of

1260-560: The harmonised order of partzufim, rectifies the mundane world by redeeming the exiled sparks of holiness through Torah study and performance of mitzvot . In Lurianic Kabbalah, the Four Worlds of our created existence are arranged in a stable form, through the reconfiguration of the original sefirot into partzufim. The first realm to exhibit this new arrangement is the mature form of Atziluth (the World of "Emanation"), therefore also called

1302-465: The lower ones, as a soul is clothed in a body. According to the Lurianic system, the linear scheme of sefirot precipitates the "shattering" of Tohu, the world of Chaos. Their reformation as partzufim in the World of Atziluth , or Rectification, begins cosmic repair. As a result of the collapse of the World of Chaos, sparks of holiness were lost, or exiled, in the three lower Worlds . Man, whose soul reflects

Partzufim - Misplaced Pages Continue

1344-477: The lowest spiritual world, is the Assiah gashmi "Physical Assiah," the physical universe, which enclothes the last two sefirot , Yesod and Malkuth . Collectively, the Four Worlds are referred to as אבי״ע Aviyaʿ after their initial letters. In addition to the functional role each world has in the process of creation, they also embody dimensions of consciousness within human experience. The Worlds are formed by

1386-602: The metaphorical nature of the partzufim. They are Divine "faces", manifestations of the Godhead , alternative aspects through which God manifests Himself, and do not imply any plurality in God. As Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai recounts in the Zohar : Whatever I said of the Atika Kadisha , Holy Ancient-One, and whatever I said of the Zeir Anpin , is all One; everything is absolutely One. There

1428-710: The methods explicated in Pardes Rimonim; Elimah Rabbati , a highly abstract treatise on kabbalistic concerns revolving around the Godhead and its relationship to the sefirot; and the Sefer Gerushin , a short and intimate composition which features the highly devotional slant of Cordovero, as well as his asceticism and religious piety. Certain parts of Moses' works are still manuscripts, whereas his existing writings suggest many other compositions which he either intended to write or had written, but were lost. Around 1550 he founded

1470-416: The mystical song Lecha Dodi . He was thus initiated into the mysteries of the Zohar . The young Moses not only mastered the text but decided to organize the kabbalistic themes leading to his day and present them in an organized fashion. This led to the composition of his first book, Pardes Rimonim "Orchard of Pomegranates", which was completed in 1548 and secured his reputation as a brilliant Kabbalist and

1512-467: The new system of Isaac Luria revealed completely new doctrines, as well as new descriptions of the earlier ideas of Kabbalah. In time, Lurianic Kabbalah emerged as the dominant system; however, the works of the Ramak are still highly esteemed and widely studied, as well. Light") - translated to English and annotated by Ira Robinson (1994). Four Worlds The Four Worlds ( Hebrew : עולמות ʿOlāmot , singular: ʿOlām עולם ), sometimes counted with

1554-401: The preceding interpretations and schools into their first complete rational synthesis. Subsequent doctrines of Kabbalah from Isaac Luria , describe an initial tzimtzum (withdrawal of the universal Divine consciousness that preceded Creation) to "allow room" for created beings on lower levels of consciousness. Lower levels of consciousness require the self-perception of independent existence, by

1596-417: The rectification of the fallen sparks of Tohu, the concealed sublime origins of lower Creation, latently active in their exiled state. The messianic goal is the union of the original great illumination of Tohu within mature vessels of Tikun, revealing the ultimate divine essence of both. As Medieval Kabbalists never tire of stressing the unity and non-plurality in the concept of the sefirot, so Luria stressed

1638-549: The secondary, male and female partzufim of Atik Yomin and Arich Anpin exist within the same configuration. There are therefore only 10 distinct secondary partzufim, and consequently the secondary partzufim of Keter do not have particular names, unlike the secondary partzufim of the other sefirot . The 6 primary and 12 secondary partzufim are the basic harmonised Divine manifestations in the Four Worlds of created existence. More specifically however, within their interaction are numerous more particular aspects of Divinity, each denoting

1680-585: Was a 16-volume commentary on the Zoharic literature in its entirety and a work to which Ramak had devoted most of his life. Some other books for which he is known are the Tomer Devorah ("Palm Tree of Deborah"), in which he utilizes the Kabbalistic concepts of the Sefirot to illuminate a system of morals and ethics; Ohr Neerav , a justification of and insistence upon the importance of Kabbalah study and an introduction to

1722-487: Was a central figure in the historical development of Kabbalah , leader of a mystical school in 16th-century Safed , Israel . He is known by the acronym the Ramak ( Hebrew : רמ״ק ). After the Medieval flourishing of Kabbalah , centered on the Zohar , attempts were made to give a complete intellectual system to its theology, such as by Meir ibn Gabbai . Influenced by the earlier success of Jewish philosophy in articulating

Partzufim - Misplaced Pages Continue

1764-601: Was survived by a wife, the sister of Solomon Alkabetz, whose name remains unknown and by his son Gedaliah (1562–1625). Gedaliah was the impetus behind the publication of some of Moses' books in Venice c. 1584–7. Gedaliah was buried in Jerusalem in the Damascus Eyalet, where he had spent most of his adult life after returning from Venice. According to tradition, Isaac Luria (known by the acronym "Ari" or "Arizal") arrived in Safed on

#606393