“And G-d said: Let us make man in Our image and
likeness” (Genesis
1:26)
It is
expressly written in the Book of Genesis that G-d created humankind in His
image. According to Maimonides, one of the greatest Jewish philosophers and
legal authorities of all time, men and women resemble G-d in that they received
from Him divine attributes, such as the capacity for ethical behavior, rational
thought, and free will. We resemble G-d
intellectually, emotionally and spiritually - not physically. Maimonides
teaches that our purpose in this world is to emulate G-d’s ways. Just as G-d is
merciful, so should we be merciful. Just as He is holy, so should we be holy.
In addition,
the Kabbalah explains that G-d’s attributes manifest themselves in heavenly
spheres known as sefirot. Sefirah (sefirot in the plural) can be translated as emanation,
characteristic, quality or divine attribute. We also have a reflection of these
sefirot within us, which are also
known as middot. By focusing on perfecting
our own sefirot, we are able to
emulate G-d and to better relate to Him. That is why it is so important to
acquire a clear understanding of what the sefirot
are and represent.
One of the
easiest ways to comprehend the meaning of the sefirot is through a better understanding of the “Seven Shepherds,”
the seven tzadikim (righteous men)
that the Jewish people has the privilege of “receiving” in the sukkah during the Jewish festival of Sukkot.
The Jewish
People have three patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. On the first night of Sukkot, the Jewish people have the honor
of receiving Abraham. This patriarch is characterized by his tremendous
kindness and generosity, represented by the sefirah
of chesed. So imbued was the sefirah of chesed in Abraham that the kabbalistic work Sefer HaBahir states that the sefirah
of chesed itself “complained” to
G-d of its lack of purpose during the life of our patriarch.
Because Abraham was
chesed
personified, the attribute felt that it had nothing left to do
. Abraham was extremely hospitable,
always receiving guests at his home in an exceptional manner – even when those
guests were completely idolatrous. Furthermore, Abraham went to war to rescue
his nephew Lot, even though Abraham was well aware of his flaws. All of this
demonstrates that our father had a very strong inclination towards chesed.
Next is the sefirah of gevurah, which signifies strength, discipline, and self-control.
Isaac, Abraham’s son, visits the sukkah
on the second night of the holiday. Pirkei
Avot tells us that the one who is a gibbor
(strong, literally one that has gevurah)
is the one who dominates his or her physical impulses. This sefirah is connected with Isaac, who
controlled his impulses to such an extent that he even allowed Abraham to offer
him as a sacrifice. Gevurah also
represents strength and the ability to restrain oneself and not to give to
another when such giving may cause harm to the receiver, or when the receiver
is simply undeserving. An example of this occurred when Isaac gave no additional
blessings to his son Esau. Isaac loved Esau very much, yet he had just given
all the blessings he had in store to Jacob. Isaac also appears to have finally
understood that Esau himself was not deserving of those blessings.
Following
this chronology, it is Jacob who comes to the sukkah meal on the third night. This patriarch is connected to the sefirah of tiferet, a balance between chesed
and gevurah. Jacob, who later had his
name changed to Israel, represents such harmony. He started his life more
connected with the sefirah of chesed (he
was his mother Rebecca’s favorite, and Rebecca, like Abraham also represents chesed). Later in life, Jacob had to
wear the clothes of Esau, who is linked to the evil part of gevurah, in order to receive his father’s
blessings. From that moment on, Jacob faced extreme challenges with tremendous
courage and discipline, such as working for Laban, facing Esau's angel, and
then facing Esau himself, before returning to the Land of Israel. The sefirah of tiferet is also known as rachamim,
mercy. Rachamim, mercy is not pure
kindness like chesed. It contains an
element of gevurah in that it
provides for a certain leniency in the context of a judgment, din. Din
and gevurah are also kabbalistic
terms that are often interchangeable.
After the
presence of the three patriarchs, on the fourth night of Sukkot, the Jewish people receive in their sukkah a new guest: Moses. This great leader is characterized by
his humility, perseverance, redemption and victory, symbolized by sefirah of netzach. Moses, the humblest man on Earth, firmly persevered
against Pharaoh in Egypt, who represented the pinnacle of arrogance. It was
through Moses that G-d redeemed the Jewish people from Egypt and gave them the
Torah.
During the
fifth night of Sukkot, Aaron, the
brother of Moses, visits the sukkah.
On this night, the focus is on the sefirah
of hod. Hod can be understood by gratitude, acknowledgement and glory, but
also as devotion and self-sacrifice in divine service, as well as nullification
before G-d. This sefirah is connected
to Aaron, who was the first High Priest, serving, thanking and glorifying G-d
with his whole being, totally nullifying himself before Him. Aaron served the
Jewish people in a similar manner, always seeking harmony and peace for those
around him.
On the sixth
night, Joseph comes to the sukkah.
Joseph is connected to the sefirah of
yesod, which means foundation,
firmness and uprightness. Joseph stood firm and resisted the seductions of
Potiphar's wife, and preserved his Jewish identity even after many years alone
in Egypt. It is noteworthy that of all Seven Shepherds, Joseph is the one known
as Yosef Hatzadik, “Joseph the
Righteous.” The tzadik is the
foundation of the world,
and is characterized by the sefirah
of yesod, representing the source of
spiritual and material sustenance for the whole world, as was Joseph.
Finally, on
the last night of the festival of Sukkot,
the Jewish people receive a visit from King David, who is linked to the sefirah of malchut. This sefirah can
be translated as kingship or royalty, and represents the ability to make an
impact on this material world. Malchut
absorbs the qualities of all the other sefirot,
and puts them into practice. The sefirah
of malchut is also linked to the
attribute of speech, as it is mainly through speech that a king wields power.
King David represents well this sefirah
given that his reign, as well as that of his son Solomon, is the greatest
example of the manifestation of the Kingdom of G-d in this material world. It
was Solomon who built the Temple, G-d’s home on Earth, after King David had
laid its physical and spiritual foundations. King David also instituted the
reading of the Psalms (again, connected to the attribute of speech), and taught
the world of the great power of repentance and return to G-d, teshuvah. Moreover, malchut is the only emotional sefirah
that is feminine. Therefore, in addition to King David, malchut often is symbolized by our matriarch Rachel. The Shechinah, the Divine Presence in this
world, which is also female, is represented by the divine attribute of malchut as well.
There are
ten sefirot in total, three
intellectual and seven emotional. However, it should be noted that during the
Counting of the Omer, the three intellectual sefirot are not worked on simultaneously
with the emotional sefirot. This is
because on Passover, G-d provides us with a higher level of these three sefirot: chochmah, binah and da'at (or keter), respectively: wisdom, understanding, and knowledge (or
crown). Chochmah represents the first
contact with wisdom; that initial “eureka”
feeling when an idea lights up in our minds. Binah represents the development of a concept after it is first
conceived. Da’at is the application
of that knowledge to the reality of everyday life. Endowed with these
qualities, we now have the ability to further develop his emotional attributes
during the Counting of the Omer. After this task is completed, as a
reward, on Shavuot, G-d gives us an
even higher level of these intellectual sefirot,
in a way that is completely above physical limitations.
