II.

‏און סוף‎ The Endless.

‏כתר‎
Crown
1
‏בינח‎
Intelligence
3 		‏חכמה‎
Wisdom
2
‏פחד‎
Justice
5 		‏חסד‎
Love
4
‏תפארת‎
Beauty
6
‏הוד‎
Splendour
8 		‏נצח‎
Firmness
7
‏יסוד‎
Foundation
9
‏מלכות‎
Kingdom
10

The three Sephiroth on the right, representing the principle of mercy (‏חסד‎), are called the Pillar of Mercy (‏סטרא ימינא עמודא דחסד‎); the three on the left, representing the principle of rigour (‏דין‎), are denominated the Pillar of Judgment (‏סטרא דשמאלא עמודא דדינה‎); whilst the four Sephiroth in the centre, representing mildness (‏רחמיﬦ‎), [[101]]are called the Middle Pillar (‏עמודא דאמצעיתא‎). Each Sephira composing this trinity of triads is, as it were, a trinity in itself. I, It has its own absolute character; II, It receives from above; and III, It communicates to what is below it. Hence the remark, “Just as the Sacred Aged is represented by the number three, so are all the other lights (Sephiroth) of a threefold nature.” (Sohar, iii, 288 b.) Within this trinity in each unit and trinity of triads there is a trinity of units, which must be explained before we can propound the Kabbalistic view of the cosmogony.

We have seen that three of the Sephiroth constitute uniting links between three pairs of opposites, and by this means produce three triads, respectively denominated the Intellectual World, the Sensuous or Moral World, and the Material World, and that these three uniting Sephiroth, together with the one which unites the whole into a common unity, form what is called the Middle Pillar of the Kabbalistic tree. Now from the important position they thus occupy, these Sephiroth are synecdochically used to represent the worlds which by their uniting potency they respectively yield. Hence the Sephira, Crown (‏כתר‎), from which the Sephiroth, Wisdom (‏חכמה‎) and Intelligence (‏בינה‎), emanated, and by which they are also united, thus yielding the Intellectual World, is by itself used to designate the Intellectual World (‏עולﬦ המושכל‎). Its own names, however, are not changed in this capacity, and it still continues to be designated by the several appellations mentioned in the description of the first Sephira. The sixth Sephira, called Beauty (‏תפארת‎), which unites Sephiroth IV (‏הסד‎, Love) and V (‏פחד‎, Justice), thus yielding the Sensuous World, is by itself used to denote the Sensuous World, and in this capacity is called the Sacred King (‏מלכא קדישא‎), or simply the King (‏מלכא‎); whilst the Sephira called Kingdom (‏מלכות‎), which unites the whole Sephiroth, is here used to represent the Material World, [[102]]instead of the ninth Sephira, called Foundation (‏יסוד‎), and is in this capacity denominated the Queen (‏מלכתא‎) or the Matron (‏מטרוניתא‎). Thus we obtain within the trinity of triads a higher trinity of units,—viz., the Crown (‏כתר‎), Beauty (‏תפארת‎), and Kingdom (‏מלכות‎),—which represents the potencies of all the Sephiroth.

II. The Creation or the Kabbalistic Cosmogony.

Having arrived at the highest trinity which comprises all the Sephiroth, and which consists of the Crown, the King, and the Queen, we shall be able to enter into the cosmogony of the Kabbalah. Now, it is not the En Soph who created the world, but this trinity, as represented in the combination of the Sephiroth; or rather the creation has arisen from the conjunction of the emanations. The world was born from the union of the crowned King and Queen; or, according to the language of the Kabbalah, these opposite sexes of royalty, who emanated from the En Soph, produced the universe in their own image. Worlds, we are told, were indeed created before ever the King and Queen or the Sephiroth gave birth to the present state of things, but they could not continue, and necessarily perished, because the En Soph had not yet assumed this human form in its completeness, which not only implies a moral and intellectual nature, but, as conditions of development, procreation, and continuance, also comprises sexual opposites. This creation, which aborted and which has been succeeded by the present order of things, is indicated in Gen. xxxvi, 31–40 . The kings of Edom, or the old kings as they are also denominated, who are here said to have reigned before the monarchs of Israel, and are mentioned as having died one after the other, are those primordial worlds which were successively convulsed and destroyed; whilst the sovereigns of Israel denote the King and Queen who emanated from the En Soph, and who have given birth to and perpetuate the present world. Thus we are told:— [[103]]

“Before the Aged of the Aged, the Concealed of the Concealed, expanded into the form of King, the Crown of Crowns [i.e. the first Sephira], there was neither beginning nor end. He hewed and incised forms and figures into it [i.e. the crown] in the following manner:—He spread before him a cover, and carved therein kings [i.e. worlds], and marked out their limits and forms, but they could not preserve themselves. Therefore it is written, ‘These are the kings that reigned in the land of Edom before there reigned any king over the children of Israel.’ ( Gen. xxxvi, 31 .) This refers to the primordial kings and primordial Israel. All these were imperfect: he therefore removed them and let them vanish, till he finally descended himself to this cover and assumed a form.” (Idra Rabba, Sohar, iii, 148 a.)

This important fact that worlds were created and destroyed prior to the present creation is again and again reiterated in the Sohar.[9] These worlds are compared with sparks which fly out from a red hot iron beaten by a hammer, and which are extinguished according to the distance they are removed from the burning mass. “There were old worlds,” the Sohar tells us, “which perished as soon as they came into existence: were formless, and they were called sparks. Thus the smith when hammering the iron, lets the sparks fly in all directions. These sparks are the primordial worlds, which could not continue, because the Sacred Aged had not as yet assumed his form [of opposite sexes—the King and Queen], and the master was not yet at his work.” (Idra Suta, Sohar, iii, 292 b.) But since nothing can be annihilated—“Nothing perisheth in this world, not even the breath which issues from the [[104]]mouth, for this, like everything else, has its place and destination, and the Holy One, blessed be his name! turns it into his service;” (Sohar, ii, 110 b.)—these worlds could not be absolutely destroyed. Hence when the question is asked—‘Why were these primordial worlds destroyed?’ the reply is given—“Because the Man, represented by the ten Sephiroth, was not as yet. The human form contains every thing, and as it did not as yet exist, the worlds were destroyed.” It is added, “Still when it is said that they perished, it is only meant thereby that they lacked the true form, till the human form came into being, in which all things are comprised, and which also contains all those forms. Hence, though the Scripture ascribes death (‏וימות‎) to the kings of Edom, it only denotes a sinking down from their dignity, i.e., the worlds up to that time did not answer to the Divine idea, since they had not as yet the perfect form of which they were capable.” (Idra Rabba, Sohar, iii, 135 b.)