Binah Chochma
Gevorah Chesed
Hod Netzach
Template of Creation 1"?D 89
stow things. Pure generosity will keep piling the food high on the plate; it will spin cotton candy until it fills the circus tent; it will give away the fam
ily jewels.
Gevorah is the quality of contraction and restraint. It stands in opposi
tion to generosity. Restraint is the ability to say no even when social pres
sure is brought to bear. Gevorah represents universal justice as well; it understands that everything impacts and has repercussions. The tendency of gevorah is to be excessively conservative, preferring things just as they are. Un
controlled,gevorah is stifling. It does not allow for any movement. It is strictly conformist, unspontaneous, rigid, and hypercritical.
These two poles work and interact with each other. At times we are drawn more by our generous spirit; other times we withdraw. The system is dynamic and continuously fluid. We all have tendencies to lean one way or the other. Yet we are under the influence of many variables. Thus, nobody is ever 1 00-percent predictable.
Because the poles of generosity and restraint constantly tug or push against each other, a pendulum, or balance point (tiferet), is needed to me
diate between the two. Tiferet represents compassion and beauty. In many ways it is the middle path, neither too self-indulgent nor too self-restrictive. It is important to note that tiferet has its own impact on the triad; it is not merely the passive consequence of the two opposing forces. It brings to bear a third component, which is drawn from the trunk of the tree itself reflection to generosity, and consideration to restraint. Thus one can see that the entire triad is dynamic and mobile.
The next triad includes netzach, which represents parent, domination, confidence, and self-centeredness. Its opposite is hod, which represents child, yielding, receptivity, and acceptance. We can immediately see positive and negative aspects in this dichotomy. Parenting, which is a force of protection as well as one of domination, versus childing, which has purity and inno
cence as well as dependency. In simple terms, this is the dance between our inner parent and our inner child, between self-confidence and yielding to that which is outside of the self.
The mediator for this is yesod, normally translated as foundation, but often called harmony. Without a balance in the drama between inner child and inner parent, we do not have a solid foundation. Once again, however, this system is dynamic. Sometimes we are more self-confident; other times we are quite insecure. We have various degrees of acceptance, depending upon the strength of our inner voice of doubt. We sometimes push harder to get our way, while at other times we yield to a situation.
Harmony slides along this line and brings to bear an additional force. It
90 -c:D God Is a Verb
pressures the inner child to be more assertive; it pushes against our ego
centeredness to lighten up. It invites a balance between individual confidence and the potential of yielding to reason.
Finally, malkhut, at the bottom of the tree, is the result of everything hap
pening in these other six sefirot. It is our reality. Things happen to us in life that cause ripples upward. Malkhut is the receiver from both ends. We are the accumulation of a set of archetypes that interact with the world drama that enfolds us.
C H O C H M A A N D
B I N A H C O N S C I O U S N E S S
lower seven sefirot represent ordinary consciousness. All the things that normally go on in our minds could be defined by combi
nations of the lower seven sefirot. They represent the physical universe. This is the level at which ordinary consciousness operates.
However, we have access to higher realms of consciousness. Various names are attributed to the experience of these higher levels, such as satori or cosmic consciousness. In Kabbalah, we call it chochma and binah con
SCiousness.
Kabbalah says that thought is born out of the realm ofNothingness. This Nothingness is called chochma, which translated literally means "wisdom."
Obviously, it does not mean wisdom in the ordinary way. Rather, it is an ar
chetype of wisdom out of which the mold of thought can first form.
If somebody offers a mathematical formula, such as A2 + B2 = C2, it is meaningless unless we know how to apply it. We must know what A and B represent. Without this understanding, a formula is pure chochma conscious
ness. It is an empty mold. It may have great wisdom, it may represent a uni
versal truth, but without the element of binah (understanding), it does not help us in any way.
Binah would be the realization that there is a relationship between the two sides and the hypotenuse in every right triangle. This is interesting and good information, but it is not of too much use until we know how the re
lationship works. Once we put chochma together with binah, the formula with the understanding, we have knowledge (daat). This is the model of con
sciousness suggested in the Tree of Life. It is the conscious process for almost everything we do in life.
At first, we go through each level, up to daat, at lightning speeds. But if
Template of Creation -eo 9 1
we are able to closely investigate our thought processes, we will usually be able to spot most, if not all, of these elements.
The meditative practice of attaining binah consciousness and chochma consciousness is described in detail later in the Path of Selflessness (page 21 1).
F o R T Y - N I N E D A Y S T O M E N D T H E S O U L
holy day of Shavuot comes fifty days after Passover. The num
her fifty represents the gateway to a new level of awareness. It is some
times called the "mysterious gate," because we do not know exactly how to access it. 6 The Talmud tells us that "fifty gates of understanding were cre
ated in the world and all were given to Moses but one."7
The forty-nine days between Passover and Shavuot are called the Count
ing of the Orner. During this period, Jews count the days and weeks as part of the conventional prayer service, preparing for the time of Shavuot, which was also known as the day of the first fruits, a time when the barley harvest was completed and the wheat would be planted. Each week of the seven weeks represents a different sifirah on the Tree of Life, beginning with chesed and ending with malkhut. Each day of the week also represents its own sifirah.
Traditionally, Shavuot is celebrated as the day when the Torah was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. Because the Torah is viewed as a gift to help us at
tain higher consciousness, and by kabbalists as the blueprint of creation, the mystics explain the forty-nine-day count of the Orner as a period in which we can prepare ourselves to be ready to receive the light of Torah.
To the extent that we can, during these forty-nine days of counting we try to examine characteristics within ourselves in great detail. The practice of counting the Orner is really a musar practice (developing one's ethics and morals) to investigate our inner process.8 By spending a half hour in con
templation each day for forty-nine days, we can significantly alter our lives.
Even busy people can do this.
The first day of the first week of our practice is called chesed of chesed.
If we think of chesed as generosity, this day would represent the heart of lov
ingkindness. We would explore the source of generosity. Which part of me is giving? How does it feel when I give? How does it feel when I do not give? Where is my inner giver connected to my higher self? We spend ten
9 2 -c?D God Is a Verb
to fifteen minutes contemplating these questions. Throughout the day we allow ourselves a few minutes at various times to reflect on them.
The second day is gevorah of chesed. It represents our restraint within our generosity. Where is my inner giver cramped? What part says no? What part is really the self-protector as distinct from the selfish part?
The third day is tiferet of chesed: the compassion within generosity. What part of me is connected to my center when I am giving? Do I have com
passion regarding myself when I give and when I do not give? Is my giving balanced; too much, too little? How do I best determine a balanced, gener
ous perspective?
The fourth day is netzach of chesed: self-confidence when generous. Do I have regrets when I give things away? Do I have strings attached? Do I re
member my generosity for long periods? Am I attached to being a gener
ous person? Do I crave to be identified as a great giver?
This process continues for the forty-nine days as we go through the per
mutations of the characteristics and explore ourselves in exhausting detail.
It is a good idea to keep a journal during this practice. Each evening we write down any insights we . have learned about ourselves during that day. Even one or two sentences is sufficient. More examples are included in the end
notes.9
As might be imagined, we learn a great deal about ourselves by spend
ing considerable time in introspection. We become our own therapists, and we put into action any new self-discovery.
C Y C L E S W I T H I N C Y C L E S
believe that every chronological process paral
the Tree of Life. The first seven years of life are viewed as an era of chesed. The first year is chesed of chesed (the essence of ex
pansion) , the second gevorah of chesed (the restraint of expansion), the third tijeret of chesed (the beauty of expansion) , and so on. The second seven years of life, leading up to adolescence, is viewed as an era of gevorah (restraint or justice), with each year representing a different sefirah within gevorah. Ages fourteen to twenty-one are viewed as a time of tijeret (balancing lov
ingkindness and restraint) , and so on. At age forty-nine, we complete a cycle.
Jewish mystics say that every seventh year should be a year of reflection.
The forty-ninth year should lead into a Jubilee, where we free ourselves from as many old habits as we can and take a deep look at our lives. We can
par-Template of Creation -eo 93
ticipate in this Jubilee in many ways. We do not have to give up our jobs and wander the world. Rather, we can celebrate our sevens and forty-nines by bringing a wealth of different experiences into our daily lives. We try new things, give ourselves more personal time, eliminate many time-consuming distractions, try to develop new aspects to relationships we already have, re
flect on who we are and what we have done with our lives. We can do all this in the course of regular daily activity.
Marriages and relationships also go through cycles. Some say that each of these cycles lasts seven years as well. Whatever the numbers, the cyclic na
ture of life is crucial for us to understand. Our tendency is to view things as if they will never change. The stock market is going down, so we sell; it goes up, we buy. Things are rough in our relationships, we want to bail out; things are great, we want to make commitments forever.
When we work with the kabbalistic techniques, we learn not only about ourselves, but also about the permutations of life. We gain insight into the ebbs and flows of the universe and of our own rhythms. Just as we have bio
rhythms throughout various periods in our lives, we have emotional rhythms, mental rhythms, and, on the mystical level, spiritual rhythms.
There are times when things just seem to go better than others in our relationships, our financial situations, our well-being, our moods, our luck, and just about everything else. It is not as important for us to explain the differences in our rhythms as to become aware of them. This awareness helps us understand the cyclic nature of everything in creation. When we fully comprehend these cycles, our choices and decisions are far better informed.
We do not get caught in the roller coaster of events or whipsawed by our emotions. Understanding cycles is a key to success in all areas of life.
94 'CD God Is a Verb
F I V E W O R L D S , F I V E S 0 U L D I M E N S I O N S
ccording to Kabbalah, creation is composed of five major cat
of consciousness, called worlds or universes. 10 Although we give different names to the worlds, they are not separate universes, but are concentric, one within the other. Assiyah is the world of physicality; yet
zirah, the world of emotions; beriyah, the world of the intellect; atzilut, the world of the spirit; and adam kadmon, the primordial source.
Each of these worlds is a lens through which we gain a unique per
spective of reality. Thus, the Kabbalah teaches that the soul has five levels, five dimensions of awareness. Each soul dimension has a unique relationship with its world, and each relationship is the vehicle through which we mys
teriously connect with that world. Some aspects of soul relate more to our physicality, while others dwell, so to speak, in different realms of awareness.
One aspect of the soul is always joined with the center of creation, and this is our eternal link with truth.
Briefly, the soul dimensions are as follows:
Five Worlds, Five Soul Dimensions 'C?D 95
N E F E S H : T H E W o R L D o F A c T I O N
nefesh is the level of the soul most connected with physicality.
In essence, nefesh is the soul of atomic structure. Every particle of mat
ter has a nefesh, every rock, every plant, every celestial body.
In human terms, the nefesh is associated with body awareness. It is the part of us most linked with the physical world around us. After death, it is the aspect of the soul that lingers around the deceased for the longest pe
riod. It is also the part of the soul that is most involved with the process of purification after death.
The nefesh is sometimes called the animal soul. The Zohar has a beauti
ful description of it: " Nefesh is the lowest stirring to which the body cleaves, like the dark light at the bottom of the candle-flame which clings to the wick (body) and exists only through it. When the candle is fully kindled, this dark light becomes a throne for the white light above it (the next higher soul level:
ruach) . When both are fully kindled, the white light becomes a throne for a light which cannot be fully discerned (still a higher level of the soul: neshama) . So there is formed a complete light."11
Thus, although the nefesh is the densest part of the soul, the least con
nected with its Divine Source, it is the foundation of all the soul levels and the most directly associated with the body. This aspect of the soul is integral to life itself, and virtually any Jewish law can be overridden for the single most important commandment, that of the mitzvah of saving life, called pikuach nefesh.
Many forms of physical matter, such as elementary atoms, neutrons, protons, and electrons are primarily composed of the nefesh soul level. How
ever, just as physical matter can be organized in increasingly complex forms, from single-celled organisms to the human being, so too can the essential soul develop aspects, higher levels of the soul, that are more closely united with the central source of creation. This process distinguishes human life.
96 -eo God Is a Verb
R u A c H : T H E W o R L D O F f O R M A T I O N
uach means "wind" or "spirit." It is associated with elementary consciousness and information that moves through the senses. In , ruach is related to speech and emotions, both of which are con-stantly moving within the body. Whereas nifesh is associated with body awareness, ruach is more correlated with emotional awareness.
Our "spirituality" is founded upon the ruach level of soul. It inexpress
ibly moves us to tears when we are touched by a poem, a glance, a work of art, or a simple moment in nature. Love on this level is more real to us and longer lasting. Our senses of purpose and meaning in life depend a great deal upon the extent to which our ruach is nourished.
This nourishment is the result of how we live our lives, where we spend our time, and the raw materials we ingest through our senses. Just as a body is sustained by food, the soul is supported by experiences. In many tradi
tions, foods are classified by qualities, such as agitating, soothing, stimulat
ing, disturbing, calming, strengthening, and so forth. In the same way, experiences affect the spirit.
When the ruach is raised to its highest elevation, we attain a state of aware
ness that is described as ruach ha-kodesh, literally translated as holy spirit. It is a state of being that transcends ordinary awareness. With ruach ha-kodesh, we dwell in other dimensions of reality and gain a clear sense of the way life will unfold. All of the biblical prophets had ruach ha-kodesh; this level of prophesy is one of the aspirations of intense contemplative work in Judaism.
N E s H A M A : T H E W o R L D O F C R E A T I O N
word "neshama" has the same root in Hebrew (nshm) as the for breath. This soul level is associated with higher awareness and angelic realms. It is a defining quality of human consciousness.
The Zohar describes the neshama as follows: "The nifesh and the ruach intertwine together, while the neshama resides in a person's character. This is an abode which cannot be discovered or located. Should a person strive
Five Worlds, Five Soul Dimensions 'C'D 97
towards purity in life, he or she is aided by a holy neshama. But should the person not strive for righteousness and purity of life, this person is animated only by two grades: nefesh and ruach. "12
Although we all have the power to develop the neshama aspect of our souls, there is no assurance that we will do so. For instance, consider a pot
ter's kiln. Some glazes require baking at a specific temperature for a fixed length of time. If this temperature is not reached, the glaze will not set.
From a spiritual perspective, our lives are fired by conscious action (fuel) and clean living (oxygen). We need a good mix of the two to get the tem
perature high enough to vitalize our higher soul potential. Once this is ac
complished, we have access to expanded realms of awareness.
Even though our power to nurture our highest soul level is not guar
anteed, it is assumed that the purpose of human existence is to parent this lofty objective. The Zohar says: "At first a person has a nefesh. Then she or he is crowned by the grade that rests upon the nefesh, which is the ruach.
anteed, it is assumed that the purpose of human existence is to parent this lofty objective. The Zohar says: "At first a person has a nefesh. Then she or he is crowned by the grade that rests upon the nefesh, which is the ruach.