There is a verse that comes from the Song of Channah, the prophet Samuel’s mother, that has been incorporated in many prayer books in the morning service: “There is none holy like God, for there is none besides You, neither is there any rock like You.” The sages taught, “Do not read this word as ‘rock’ rather as ‘artist’.”
Similar to how an artist signs his paintings, God’s signature is within every aspect of the incredibly complex and beautiful natural world He has created.
To reveal God’s signature, Kabbalah employs models and paradigms that help us see patterns and correspondences within the multiplicity of this world and the underlying Divine oneness that unites all plurality. Although using models to reveal concepts and correspondences has been used from the initial transmission of Kabbalah, it was the Arizal, the great Kabbalist of Tzfat in the 1500’s, who made it a cornerstone of his teachings.
THE MEANING OF THE WORD KABBALAH
The original Biblical meaning of the Hebrew root of Kabbalah means “parallel” or “correspond.” It is only at the very chronological end of the Bible, in the Book of Esther, that we find this same root used in the sense of “receive.” When applied to Kabbalah, the latter meaning alludes to this wisdom being a received body of Jewish mystical knowledge. But its more original meaning reveals that the foundational methodology used in Kabbalah is to draw parallels or correspondences. This meaning of the word sheds light on the very essence of what Kabbalah attempts to reveal and achieve. By drawing correspondences, we can use our intellect to somewhat grasp that which is concealed from our senses. Furthermore, once a correspondence is drawn, as explained elsewhere, the mind’s understanding can unlock a further awareness of the subject through the heart’s inner understanding. This is the meaning of the famous phrase, “understanding is the heart, and with it the heart understands.”
We are taught that the context in which a word or root first appears in the Torah defines its very nature and meaning. Turning then to the first appearance of the Hebrew root of Kabbalah in the portion of Terumah, which describes the instructions for making a Tabernacle, we can examine the context of its appearance and thus reveal the root or word’s deeper nature.
You shall make the Tabernacle of ten curtains, twisted linen with turquoise, purple and scarlet wool with a woven design of cherubim shall you make them. The length of a single curtain was twenty-eight cubits and the width for each curtain four cubits, the same measure for all the curtains. Five curtains shall be attached to one another and five curtains attached to one another. You shall make loops of turquoise wool at the edge of the single curtain at the end of one set and you shall make the same on the edge of the outermost curtain on the second set. Fifty loops shall you make on the first curtain, and fifty loops shall you make on the end of the curtain that is on the second set; the loops will correspond to one another. You shall make fifty hooks of gold, and you shall attach the curtains to one another with the hooks, so that the Tabernacle shall become one.
As the text clearly states, the purpose of fifty loops made on each set of curtains, was to connect them together with fifty gold hooks, “so that the Tabernacle shall become one.” This is in essence the purpose of Kabbalah: To reveal the parallels or correspondences between objects, entities, and events on manifold levels until the essential unity underlying all reality can be perceived. The study of Kabbalah makes us sensitive and aware of the connection and ultimate harmony between physical and spiritual, form and substance, cause and effect, plurality and singularity. Ultimately, Kabbalah seeks to reveal our deepest essence, to show how we are united with the Divine, and to unlock our fullest potential as human beings.
THE FOUR-LETTER NAME OF GOD
Perhaps of all the models that Kabbalah uses, the four letters of God’s essential Name, Havayah (י-הוה), are employed for corresponding the widest array of concepts. The words, “I place Havayah before me at all times” can be interpreted to mean: I recognize that every point of time and space is in reality a manifestation of the four letters of God’s name. Therefore, the four-letter name of God is used as an organizational paradigm through which we can map and meditate on all levels of reality.
It is important to note that Kabbalah explains that the tip of the letter yud, the first of the four letters, represents a spiritual level to itself. Therefore, the model of the four-letter Name of God is sometimes expanded to become a model of five.
THE TEN SEFIROT AND THE TWENTY-TWO LETTERS
Two other cardinal models in Kabbalah are the ten sefirot and the twenty-two Hebrew letters. According to the Jewish mystical tradition, creation is constructed from a combination of the twenty-two Hebrew letters and the ten sefirot, the Divine channels through which God creates and maintains the world. Kabbalah uses the models of the letters and the sefirot to symbolically structure all reality, from the highest spiritual realms to the physical world of matter.
THE FIVE NAMES OF THE SOUL
Another model used frequently is of the five levels of the soul. The five names or levels of the soul as learned from the sages are: nefesh, ru’ach, neshamah, chayah and yechidah. These five names refer to an ascending hierarchy of soul powers and serve as a powerful tool in analyzing and understanding the human psyche.
Nefesh, the lowest level of soul, can be translated as anima (or psyche) and refers to the instinctual and behaviorist drives and patterns of human action, most associated with the body; in the Tanya, it is sometimes replaced with the term “animal soul.” Ru’ach, or “spirit,” refers to the emotive faculties. Neshamah, which literally means “soul,” is considered the seat of the intellect. Chayah, which means, “the living one,” refers to the interaction between consciousness and its superconscious origin. Finally, yechidah, meaning, “the single, unique one,” relates to the most Divine aspect of soul.
There is a fascinating teaching regarding the 103rd and 104th Psalms, which both begin with the words, “Bless God, O my soul” (בָּרְכִי נַפְשִׁי אֶת־יְהוָה). In all, this phrase appears 5 times in these two chapters and the sages question why King David repeats it five times. The Talmud provides a fundamental answer: Each of the five repetitions alludes to a different characteristic of the soul and each of these traits is shared with the Creator:
- Just as the Creator fills the entire world, so the soul fills the body.
- Just as the Creator sees but cannot be seen, the soul also sees but cannot be seen.
- Just as the Creator sustains the entire world, the soul sustains the body.
- Just as the Creator is pure, so too is the soul.
- And, just as the Creator abides in the innermost chambers, so the soul also dwells deep within.
The sages conclude by stating that these five qualities of the soul should come together to praise the One who possesses these same qualities. Thus, the phrase “Bless God, O my soul” is repeated five times. This teaching is of utmost importance, as it ponders the specifics of our resemblance to God. Human beings are created in the image of God, a unique attribute that sets us apart from the rest of creation.
Remarkably, the five levels of the soul align precisely with the order of comparisons presented in the Talmud. The soul that fills the body corresponds to the nefesh, which represents the closest connection to the body and the physical realm. The soul that sees but remains unseen is the ru’ach, the spirit representing the emotional aspect of the soul. The soul that nourishes the body is the neshamah, the intellectual component of the soul. The soul that is pure is the chayah, the essence of life. And finally, the soul that dwells within the inner chamber is the yechidah, the unique Presence of God hidden within.
There is another fascinating insight here, a mathematical gem. The value of the phrase, “Bless God, O my soul” is 1099, the same as the sum of the five names of the soul, nefesh, ruach, neshamah, chayah, and yechidah. When we say the words, “Bless God, O my soul” we are activating all five levels of the soul. Thus, the five names of the soul together with the five comparisons of the soul to God become a powerful meditation.
letter of Havayahlevel of the soulproperty of God/soultip of yudyechidah (singular one)dwells in an inner chamberyud (י)chayah (living one)is purehei (ה)neshamah (soul)sustains the body with lifevav (ו)ru’ach (spirit)sees and is not seenhei (ה)nefesh (psyche/anima)fills the body