Divine Names and the Ten Sefirot

In "The Book of Divine Names" I noted some details regarding the attribution of certain Divine Names to the Sefirot which I thought might be of interest here. When it comes to such attributions, most modern writings have it that the following Names are assigned to the ten spheres of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life:

Keter — Ehyeh

Chochmah — YHVH

Binah — [YHVH] Elohim

Chesed — El

Gevurah — Elohim [Gibur]

Tiferet — YHVH [Eloah va-Da'at]

Netzach — YHVH Tzva'ot

Hod — Elohim Tzva'ot

Yesod — Shadai [El Chai]

Malchut — Adonai [ha-Aretz]

Whilst this is generally conceded to be correct, in primary Kabbalistic literature some of the listed Names are also assigned to more than one Sefirah, and a veritable host of other Names are equally correlated with the ten Sefirot. In this regard, a lot of details can be found in, amongst others, the "Shorshei ha-Shemot" by Moses Zacutto.

There is for example the very interesting Name Adiriron. It is one of three unique Divine Names, regarding the pertinence of which in relation to the Eternal One, we are informed that "Yah Achatri’el is His Greatness, Hadri’el the God of Israel is His Holiness, Adiriron is His Power." (Adiriron) is an ancient Divine Name of great significance, especially since it is amongst the set of Names which had to be uttered 112 times before one could "go down to the Divine chariot," or "descent" into the Merkavah. We are told the meaning of Adiriron is "the Mighty One sings," and there can certainly be no doubt that this Name is directly affiliated with (adir), the Hebrew word for "mighty." This Name has been ascribed to Binah (Understanding) on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, however, whilst this attribution is clear to some, others maintain it should be attributed to Hod (Glory) on the sefirotic Tree. Others again insist Adiriron is affiliated to all the spheres from Binah to Hod. Whatever the case may be, Adiriron is termed the "Name of Joy" or "Name of glad song" (—rinah). It is also the first of forty-two unique Divine Names respectively affiliated with the letters of the "Forty-two Letter Name."

Attributions of this kind appears to be always in harmony with a specific mindset or reasoning pattern, and naturally the same could be said of the generally considered "standard" Divine Name associations with the Sefirot. However, in investigating the latter, I could not help noticing some interesting details which appear to have been missed in later writings. As a case in point, take the Name (Adonai) which corresponds to the attribute of Malchut (Kingdom), and is affiliated with all the abundance traditionally associated with the latter, hence it is considered a very powerful Divine Name directly related to our sphere of existence. Of course, this explication is generally acknowledged, however, the "interesting detail" here is that we are informed that the Shefa (Divine Abundance) which this Name is channelling into Malchut, the "Kingdom of Manifestation," derives from two Divine Names directly affiliated with this Name. Alef, the initial letter of Adonai () is said to refer to Ehyeh (), the Divine Name of Keter, the Crown of Consciousness on the Tree of Life, whereas the Yod, the concluding letter of Adonai, refers to YHVH (), the Ineffable Name. The forces inherent in these two Names are said to combine in Adonai, from whence it is poured out as "universal abundance" into this realm of manifestation.

Considering another Divine Name correlated with the sefirotic Tree, i.e. Elohim (), we notice it is associated with both Binah (Understanding), Gevurah (Severity/Strength) and Hod (Splendour). In fact, traditionally the entire left line (Pillar) is aligned with the "forces" of Elohim, whilst the right line (Pillar) is associated with those of YHVH, and the middle line (Pillar) with Ehyeh. However, whilst the Name Elohim is linked to the Tree of Life in the manner depicted, the singular form of this Name, i.e. (Eloah), as well as its "root" Name (El), are both related to Chesed ("Kindness" or "Mercy") on the kabbalistic Tree of Life. We might note that since the Name Eloah is understood to act as a covering for the Neshamah, the Higher Self, it is called (gushpanka d’nishmata), i.e. "Seal of the Higher Soul," as indicated in Job 3:23 which reads (va-yasech Eloha ba’ado—"and whom Eloha hath hedged in").

Of course, conjunctions of Divine Names like (El Chai), (El Shadai), etc. relate to different spheres on the sefirotic Tree. Both mentioned combinations pertain to Yesod ("Foundation"). There are others still of the "El" Divine Name combinations, like (El Elyon) which relates to sphere of Binah (Understanding); the lofty (El YHVH) termed (hame’ir ba’olam ha-yetzirah), the "Luminosity of the World of Formation"; (El Adonai) which applies to our physical realm of existence, and is called (ha-me’ir ba’olam ha-Asiyah), the "Luminosity of the World of Action."

Another interesting Name we might consider is (Ar'arita), to which some of the most outrageous attributions have been made in 20th century magical writings. Be that as it may, Moses Zacutto tells us that he had seen in the works of the Arizal (Rabbi Isaac Luria) that this name pertains to the Keter (Crown) of Asiyah (the World of Action). In fact, it would seem that the name is the "crown of action," since the word is supposed to be used to empower prayers. The instruction is that this name should be uttered aloud by those saying the blessing of a person listening to a prayer, since this name would strengthen the prayer and ensure its efficacy. We are also informed that according to the Ribal, Rabbi Isaac Baer Levinsohn, this name brings "illumination." There is also a reference in the "Shorshei Shemot" to the name Ar’arita being linked to Shadai, which is the Divine Name associated with Rosh Chodesh, the first day of the month equated with the appearance of the New Moon. Moses Zacutto informs us correctly that the gematria of (Rosh Chodesh) is the same as that of the Name (Ar’arita) Hence, as this Divine Name has a special meaning on this most auspicious day, it should be uttered aloud on Rosh Chodesh, that is at the consecration of the New Moon.

Then there is the Name (Tzurtak). which some claimed was derived from the bible, whilst others maintained it is an abbreviation of "Tzurat ha-Kodesh" meaning "the form of the holy." In this regard, it is written in the "introduction" to the "Commentary on the Sefer Yetzirah" attributed to the Ra’avad, that the Divine Name in question is the "Knot of Forms," since all the "patterns" in the whole of existence were drawn by Tzurtak into manifestation via Binah, the sphere of "Understanding" on the sefirotic Tree. Commenting on this, Moses Chaim Luzzatto says that "to produce the separate creations in themselves, there has to be one power that governs the form in which they are designed, and this power stands over the separate creations themselves to maintain them in their appointed form." He continues that this "power" is Tzurtak, which "contains the power to bring forth the separate creations into actual being out of nothingness so as to be branches of it. This is because it is a unique kind of radiation that produces no other branches except separate creations, being out of nothingness, in accordance with the unique aspect of this power." This means that the entire complexity of manifestation as a separate existence, is only possible because of the differentiating action of Tzurtak.

This is but a sampling of what can be found in primary Kabbalistic literature on Divine Names and their associations with the Ten Sefirot.

Kabbalah, Tarot Magic & an Evangelist

A while back I received an email from an individual who queried whether Kabbalists believe “in the magic of tarot cards and such,” which the querant ranked amongst the “evil stuff God mentions in the bible to not engage in.” The individual lectured me “to not engage in the things of the world, but to come with prayer and faith to Him and He shall deliver you.” Plainly, I was simply faced with another of those unpleasant, invasive evangelical types, who like to barge in on ones private space, like a bull in a china shop, employing as intense condemnatory rhetoric as possible, and jumping to unfound conclusions without any comprehension of the basic facts of the matter.

Resisting my initial reaction to dispatch individuals such as these to the very conflagration they maintain to be the consequence of “Divine Wrath,” I thought I would attempt a rejoinder in a more civil manner. As can be expected, the “civil response” turned out to be a waste of time, however, I thought others who scrutinize this blog might find something beneficial in the said reply.

“I have yet to find any reference to ‘magic of tarot cards’ in the Bible or anything of the kind in primary Kabbalistic literature. Furthermore, there is no indication anywhere in our Tradition that Kabbalists ‘believe’ in ‘tarot cards and such.’ I do however know that there are many, including my late mentor (William G. Gray), who have applied the tarot in terms of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life in order to get a better understanding of the workings of creation, our role within it, and the meaning of being. It is perfectly clear that some of these applications have indeed turned out to be most fruitful and meaningful.

However, I do not believe the Tarot to be the fundamental issue here. It is clear that you are keen to express the ultimate authority of a brand of religion promulgating no engagement ‘in the things of the world but to come with prayer and faith to Him and He shall deliver you.’ This approach presupposes that all manifestation, the entirety of physical existence is naturally evil, that all humans are automatically sinners for being born into this world, and therefore not warranting a decent place in the hereafter. It further assumes that an enormous gulf exists between a holy God out there somewhere and an exeedingly unholy humanity down here, and that ‘He’ is the ‘master’ whilst we are the ‘slaves.’ Let me make it clear that this is not Kabbalistic teaching. To Kabbalists everything is part of God, and all existence the manifestation of God, hence God can be found even in a stone of most insignificant appearance.....

.....why should you pray as a slave to a master? Why should we grovel in front of a jealous, dictatorial deity; an insecure one requiring our eternal praises; a spiteful deity who, it is said, will cast us into a fire because we did not flatter him enough? That is not my idea of a ‘god’! I do not praise God for God's sake, I praise God for MY sake! I am the one who stands in awe at the wonders of creation around me, and who feels the need to say ‘Baruch ha-Shem! This is a most wonderful example of your handiwork! Now could You show me how I could emulate something like that in my own life?’

The idea of prayer should be a relationship with God, a mutual relationship, through which God and we evolve together. I believe that God manifest is also evolving, because He would not be almighty if He could not. I was taught in Kabbalism that He originates out of Nothing, that He IS but His origination IS NOT. If He thus evolves towards the Infinite Nil of His origination, He will do so eternally, because He will never find His beginning or His end. It is simply a question of the better you make yourself, the better you make God, and thus, because of my belief in the evolution of God, I also know that our evolution has no end. We also evolve eternally. I cannot fathom a condition in which I will be in eternal bliss and ecstasy, one in which I would not be able to grow ever higher, but would be condemned to sameness for ever and ever. I would deplore such a state, because it would be static and boring. I am reminded of a rather profound phrase in a song from the musical ‘Paint Your Wagon,’ which goes something like ‘When I get to Heaven, tie me to a tree, for I’ll begin to roam and soon you know where I will be?’

Besides, what is prayer and how can a ‘God’ hear us? Only THROUGH OURSELVES, and to the extent that we are in contact with ‘God.’ On this earth WE are the ears, eyes and agents whereby It knows man. By making a ‘God’ in the very best and finest form we can imagine It, we are helping that Being become its own Intention. To pray is to entreat, to postulate and to make supplication, and it seems to me the greatest supplication to the Eternal Living Spirit is surely for It to be what It wills within oneself. Our relationship with God should always be based on a continuous flow of energy, generated and projected by Divinity to us, which we have to focus and return for renewal and reprojection to us, to be refocused again and returned to God, and so on. I believe that God and ourselves stand in a reciprocal relationship, each benefitting the other. It is really no wonder that this special relationship is called a ‘Mystical Marriage’ when it is fully realised.”