Rabbi Aqiba

 

"Happy is the man who knows it and is careful in its regard, for he merits to inherit eternal life in the world to come." 

 

R. Ishmael said: "He who recites the secret shall have a glowing face and an attractive body and his fear shall be cast upon his fellow man and his good name shall be known among Israel: His dreams shall be peaceful and His Torah shall be stored upon his hand (such that) he never forget (any) words of the Torah for all of his days."

 

"It is good for him in this world and peaceful for him in the world to come. The evil inclination holds no sway over him and he is safe from spirits, demons, damages and robbers, and from evil animals, snakes, scorpions and imps."

 

"And furthermore, I R. Aqiba, once we learned the dimensions of our creator, (found that it was) good for us in the world and peaceful for us (when we contemplate our future in) the world to come."

 

Dead Sea Scrolls 4Q 491 fragments: 20-22

 

"[EL Elyon gave me a seat among] those perfect forever, a mighty throne in the congregation of the gods. None of the kings of the east shall sit in it and their nobles shall not [come near it]. No edomite shall be like me in glory, and none shall be exalted save me, none shall come against me. For I have taken my seat in the [congregation] in the heavens and none [find fault with me]. I shall be reckoned with gods and established in the holy congregation. I do not desire [gold] as would a man of flesh; everything precious to me is the glory of [my G-D]."

 

"[The status of a holy temple] not to be violated, has been attributed to me, and who can compare with me in glory?"

 

"What voyager will return and tell [of my equivalent] who [laughs] at grief's as I do? And who is like me [in bearing] evil?”

 

“Moreover, if I lay down the law in a lecture [my instruction] is beyond comparison [of any man's]."

 

"And who will attack me for my utterances? And who will contain the flow of my speech? And who will call me into court and be my equal? In my legal judgement [none will stand against me]. I shall be reckoned with gods, and my glory, with [that of] the kings sons. Neither refined gold, nor gold of ophir [can match my wisdom]."

 

Hekhalot Passage (Synopse 109)

 

"When the time for the afternoon prayer arrives each day, the glorious King sits and extols the "hayyot". Before he finishes speaking, the holy "hayyot" come out from beneath the throne of Glory. Their mouths are full of exultation, their wings full of joy, their hands playing music, and their feet dancing."

 

"They surround their king, one on his right and one on His left, one before Him another behind."

 

"They embrace and kiss Him and uncover their faces. They uncover, while the king of Glory covers His face."

 

"The firmament Avarot splits open like a sieve before the glorious King..."

 

Nag Hammadi Texts: Sabaoth

 

And as he [Sabaoth} had authority, he made himself first of all a mansion. It was huge, magnificent, 7 times as great as all those that exist in the 7 heavens.

 

And before his mansion he created a throne, which was huge and was upon the 4 faced chariot called "cherubim".

 

Now the cherubim had 8 shapes per each of the 4 corners so that all the forms amount to 64 forms and he created 7 archangels that stand before it, he is the 8th, and has authority. All the forms amount to 72 ...

 

3 Enoch Synopse 14

 

... in 3 Enoch 2, Metatron declares that: "all the secrets of the world, and all the secrets of creation are revealed before me as they are revealed before the Creator. Metatron states that out of the great love and mercy which the Holy One, BBH, loved and adored me more than all the children of heavens, He wrote with his finger, with a burning style, upon the crown of my head the letters by which the heavens and earth were created."

 

Note: These are shapes that make up heaven and earth, the geometry, which make the Crown, on which the letters of creation are written.

 

3 Enoch 22

 

"Above them is a prince, noble, wonderful, mighty, praised with all manner of praise: Keruviel YHWH is his name, a valiant prince, full of boundless power, a majestic prince, with whom is majesty. A righteous prince, with whom is righteousness, a Holy prince, with whom is Holiness. A prince glorified by thousands of hosts, a prince extolled by countless legions."

 

"A crown of Holiness is on his head, with a sacred name engraved upon it, from which lightning flickers. The bow of the shekinah is across his shoulders, his sword, like lightning flashes, are in his belt, a breastplate of consuming fire hangs round his neck, and the coals of juniper encompass him. The splendour of the shekinah is on his face; horns of majesty are on his wheels, a royal turban crowns his head."

 

Tree of Life

 

Introduction to the Kabbalah

Z'ev Ben Shimon Halevi

Notes are my interpretation

 

Preface: The Tree of Life is an analogue of the Absolute, the Universe and Man. Man, meeting point between Heaven and Earth, is an image of his creator. A complete but unrealised tree in miniature, and lower than the angels, his is to choose to rise higher by climbing the branches of himself, and so to gain the ultimate fruit.

 

The relative universe hovers between the poles, all and nothing. Either end of the axis can be seen as nothing or all as both become the entry and exit for the absolute who stands apart from creation.

 

The tree is a model of the universe. it is a template of all the world, carrying within it a recurring system of order. Any complete sub organism or organisation is an imitation of its plan. Man is the prime example. He is a microcosm of the macrocosm.

 

As man is an image of creation so creation is but a reflection of the creator. Through the tree of life we have an objective connection which gives us insight and knowledge by the principle of parallel- into the upper and lower, inner and outer universes.

 

The Lightning Flash 

 

Beginning with (1): Kether, the Crown, it flows towards (2): Hochma, Wisdom, where it manifests itself as a potent dynamic at the top of the active column headed by Abba the Cosmic Father, or Male Principle.

Note: I suggest that Kether (1) is the Cosmic father, Hashem's and the High Priest's domain, flowing to Hochma (2) Wisdom, the Cosmic Mother, as the Husband crowns His Wife. 

 

Then it crosses to (3): Binah, Understanding, which as Aima the Cosmic Mother, heads the Female Column.

Note: I suggest Binah (3) to be the Cosmic Son, crowned by His mother, Hochma (2). (Songs: 3:11)

 

The active and passive columns are also called the Pillars of Severity and Mercy, the latter being the Male. Note: Interesting gender swap. I suggest the masculine Boaz column (Binah (3) is on the left facing (of Egypt, Solar, Justice, Severity) and the feminine Jachin column (Hochma (2) is on the right facing (of Assyria, Lunar, Wisdom/Mercy/Forgiveness).

 

Note: Lightning strikes the centre of the Crown, the Throne Room, the energy then passes to the Female Jachin (Angel of Fire) column (right side), and then to the Male Boaz (Angel of Smoke) (left side) column. Interpretations depend from which perspective the Tree of Life graphic is projected onto the Temple structure (front viewing, internal Priestly viewing or underside viewing).

 

The Flow emanations, not diminished in essential nature, though transforming into another order, then crosses the central column of equipoise and passes on to the Sephira (4): Hesed, or mercy.

 

Note: The central vertical column of equipoise (containing Daat), corresponds to the model's diagonal line from Kether (1) to Malcut (6-9-10). Daat is the externalised Mercy Seat (the outer manifestation of the inner Mercy Seat), or Chariot Seat (Paper burning Altar) over which the Throne Room hovers. Daat is the same space of smouldering smoke that the energy jumps, from Chokmah (2) to Hesod (4), and Binah (3) to Gerburah (5). Daat is the last of the inner Sanctuary structure, before progressing to the outer carrying Chariot Structure, linked by chains (the chariot reins).

 

Here, the power, on being received into the active column again, takes on the dynamic expanse quality of this stage, before emanating across to (5): Gevura, or Judgement.

 

Note: Hesod (4) and Gerburah (5) are the chains that carry and balance the externalised Mercy Seat/Paper Altar and Throne Room.

 

Here the forces are checked, balanced, and adjusted, before being passed on to Tepheret (6), the vital Sephira on the middle of the tree. At this juncture there is a critical point of equilibrium. Tepheret, or beauty, has a special relationship with Kether the Crown, by connection through the axis of the central column.

 

Note: Tepheret is the backbone of the Horses/Cherubim carrying the entire Chariot Structure and Throne Room suspended within.

 

The only thing that separates Tepheret from Kether is an unseen Sephera known as Daat, or Knowledge, which functions only in particular conditions. Note: Daat is the Altar/Chariot Seat on which the daily sins of Greater Israel are burnt, printed on paper, with curling smoke (Hashem's beard) catching the light, refracted through the Torah Crown's 12 jewels, as the reflecting wings dip in worship at prayer time. 

 

At Tepheret an image is held, it is a mirror of Kether, but operating on a lower scale. The emanations are then passed into the active Sophia: Netzah (7), or eternity.

 

This is the point where active functions repeat and repeat to maintain the energy level. From the transformer the emanations cross to Hod (8) - Splendour. This may be translated from the Hebrew root word as reverberation, which is perhaps a better description of the function of Hod, whose job it is to pick up and pass on information. Note: (6-7-8) is the energy oscillating between the inner backbone and sides of the 3-D carrying Angels/Creatures (made up of 2-D rails and rungs of the ladders).

 

From here the emanations again touch the central column and focus on Yesod (9) - the Foundation. Here they are again mirrored, but more dimly, being a reflection of a reflection - powerful enough to cast a strong projection - but only a projection.

 

Directly below is the last Sephira, Malcut (10) - the Kingdom.

 

Note: Malcut (10), the Kingdom, is directly connected to Yesod (9), Foundation, by the model's outermost upright ladder rail, suggests the outer reaches of the Tree's influence, the encompassing aspect, related to the Great Angel Metatron, defining the edge of the Temple Courtyard and beyond.

 

The Sphiroth on the tree might be regarded as a system of functions in a circuit through which flows a Divine current.

 

Each function creates not only phenomena, but transforms all the adjacent sub-circuits. Any Sephiroph can change the direction of the flow, creating variable fields and actions. Power may be stepped up or down in all the Sephiroth thereby modifying events, while the current returns to the source via the earth of Malcut.

 

Qabalistic Symbolism

 

On the Spheres of the Tree of Life

Gareth Knight

 

Geburah (The Chains)

 

This Sephirah is of adjustment and assessment, a sphere of absolute and unmitigated truth.

 

Note: Vacant area of Rainbow Light within the structure, between the Chariot and Throne Room.

 

 One could say that it would have been in the light of Geburah that on the 7 days of creation, G-D looked at what he had done ... was good.

 

There is an aspect of Gerburah known as "The Hall of Justice" or "Hall of the Lord of Karma". Justice:- as the perfect balance between mercy and severity, is properly assigned to Daat, the conjunction of Chokmah and Binah.

 

The aspect of Gerburah can be imagined as a Great Hall, completely empty, but radiant throughout with scarlet light. Justice, not Judgement, no sentence in pronounced... Silence reigns supreme. The silence of Binah, understanding ... to which Gerburah is united.

 

Tiphareh

 

Tiphareh is the central sephirah of the Tree of Life, the keystone of the whole creation, holding the balance between all the other sephiroth which it connects: between G-D in the highest in Kether and the physical universe of malcut, between the upper and the lower poles of the psyche in Daat and Yesod between the opposites of Chokmah and Binah, Chesed and Hod, Geburah and Netzach

.

Note: Tiphareh (6) are the central structural supports of the model, from which the Chariot structure emanates, is held up and held together.

 

There are 2 sides to this sephirah and is a linking sephirah, reconciling the upper to lower tree. 

Note: Tiphareh (6) links to Netzah (7) and Hod (8), linking the lower and upper pavements, being the lower Temple Courtyard, and the inner Upper Courtyards, surrounding the Throne Room.