Kabbalah
Kabbalah (קבלה) is an ancient Hebrew word meaning to receive. A true kabbalist is one who is receiving knowledge from the divine.
“All matters in the Torah are of a superior nature and are uppermost secrets.
Woe to those wicked who say that the Torah is merely a story and nothing more, for they look at the dress and no further.”
— Zohar, Bamidbar 152a
Twenty Two Letters of Kabbalah
Letter | Sofit (Final Form) |
Name | Sound | Ordinal Value | Absolute Value | Reduced Value | Literal Meaning | Symbolic Meaning | Arcanum |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
א | Aleph | a | 1 | 1 | 1 | ox, bull | strength, leader, first | Magician | |
ב | Bet / Beth | b/v | 2 | 2 | 2 | tent, house | household, in, into | Priestess | |
ג | Gimel | g | 3 | 3 | 3 | camel | pride, lift up | Empress | |
ד | Daleth | d | 4 | 4 | 4 | door | pathway, to enter | Emperor | |
ה | He / Hei / Heh | h | 5 | 5 | 5 | window, fence | the, to reveal | Hierarch | |
ו | Vav | u | 6 | 6 | 6 | nail | and, add, secure, hook | Indecision / The Lover | |
ז | Zayin / Zain | z | 7 | 7 | 7 | weapon | cut, to cut off | Triumph / The Chariot | |
ח | Chet / Cheth | ch | 8 | 8 | 8 | fence, hedge, chamber | private, to separate | Justice | |
ט | Teth / Tet | t | 9 | 9 | 9 | to twist, a snake | to surround | The Hermit | |
י | Iod / Yod | i | 10 | 10 | 1 | closed hand | deed, work, to make | Retribution / The Wheel | |
כ | ך | Kaph / Kaf | j | 11 | 20 | 2 | arm, wing, open hand | to cover, allow, strength | Persuasion |
ל | Lamed | l | 12 | 30 | 3 | cattle goad, a staff | prod, go toward, tongue | The Apostalate | |
מ | ם | Mem | m | 13 | 40 | 4 | water | massive, overpower, chaos | Immortality / Death |
נ | ן | Nun | n | 14 | 50 | 5 | moving fish | activity, life | Temperance |
ס | Samech | x | 15 | 60 | 6 | a prop | support, turn | Passion | |
ע | Ayin | o | 16 | 70 | 7 | eye | see, know, experience | The Fulminated Tower | |
פ | ף | Peh / Pei | p/f | 17 | 80 | 8 | mouth | speak, open, word | Hope |
צ | ץ | Tzadi / Tsadi | c | 18 | 90 | 9 | fish-hook | harvest, desire | Twilight |
ק | Quph / Kuf | q | 19 | 100 | 1 | back of the head | behind, the last, least | Inspiration / Alliance | |
ר | Resh / Reish | r | 20 | 200 | 2 | head | person, head, highest | Resurrection | |
ש | Shin / Sin | s/sh | 21 | 300 | 3 | teeth | consume, destroy | Transmutation / The Fool | |
ת | Tav | t | 22 | 400 | 4 | sign, cross | covenant, seal | Return / Crown of Life |
All the characters, places, and events in the Bible can be broken down according to symbolic meaning of the letters. For example, Moses (Moshe) is spelled with three letters: משה.
Mem (מ) represents water.
Shin (ש) represents fire (that which consumes, transforms, renews).
Hei (ה) represents birth.
Therefore, Moses means “born of the water and the fire.” Fire is a symbol of the spirit (Acts 2) or God (Exodus 3) in both the Old and New Testaments.
The Tree of Life (עץ החיים) is simultaneously an exposition of our “inner worlds” and the cosmic organization of the Divine. The image above is focusing on our inner constitution.
There are ten main aspects of the Tree of Life, plus three aspects of the Unmanifested, and a secret aspect called Daath.
The three aspects of the Unmanifested:
Ain (אין). Ain in Hebrew means “nothingness.”
Ain Soph (אין סוף), meaning “the limitless.”
Ain Soph Aur (אין סוף אור), “the limitless light.”
From the unmanifested, come ten manifested aspects or sephiroth (ספירת).
The first three are the Trinity as it is known in Christianity:
Kether (כתר) - “Crown” - Father
Chokmah (חכמה) - “Wisdom” - Son
Binah (בינה) - “Intelligence” - Holy Spirit
Below the trinity are the seven aspects of the Spirit:
Chesed (חסד) - “Mercy” - Also called Gedulah (גדולה). Our unique Inner Spirit.
Geburah (גבורה) - “Strength” - Spiritual Soul, where all the wisdom of experience is deposited, and the source of intuition.
Tiphereth (תפארת) - “Beauty” - Human Soul, that which can do the will of God, or the will of the ego.
Netzach (נצח) - “Victory” - Intellect, Reasoning, Mind which is trapped by our desires.
Hod (הוד) - “Glory” - Emotions, which is also trapped by our desires.
Yesod (יסוד) - “Foundation” - our vital energy, sexual / creative energy
Malkuth (מלכות) - “Kingdom” - the physical body.