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The Big Ten

Maayan Jaffe

Staff Reporter

Everyone talks about the “Tree of Life,” but few realize this tree is derived from a kabbalistic idea of 10 sefirot or divine emanations/powers. Those are:

1. Keter (crown): Corresponds to the super-conscious realm of experience, reflects God is all, His omnipresence, His omnipotence

2. Binah (wisdom): Associated with the power of conceptual analysis and reasoning, the ability to explain

3. Chochmah (intelligence): Associated with the power of intuitive insight

4. Gevurah (strength): Associated with restraint, ability to overcome one’s internal and external enemies

5. Chesed (kindness): Associated with goodness and love

6. Tiferet (magnificence): Corresponds to the characteristics of compassion, pride and mercy

7. Hod (glory): Indicates the power to continually advance, of deep inner commitment, of perseverance, manifests itself as the power to express gratitude

8. Netzach (eternity): Associated with the power to overcome obstacles, denotes both victory and eternity

9. Yesod (foundation): Associated with the power to contact, connect and communicate with outer reality, identified in the Torah with the tzadik

10. Malchut (kingship): Associated with self-expression, it’s often referred to as the world of speech

There’s a specific order for the sefirot from center, right, left, center, beginning with keter, to chochmah, binah then to chesed, gevurah, tiferet, netzach, hod, yesod, and finally malchut.