Kether
The God-name associated with Kether is Ehyeh Asher
Ehyeh.
Kether, meaning "crown" is the first Sephirah. It is the highest
point of the Tree of Life. Just as a crown sits higher than the head that wears
it, so Kether is beyond thought.
Kether is also known as Ain ( ), Nothingness. This does not mean that it does not
exist. We are, intellectually, able to conceive of a cause preceding all that
we are aware of. But as our knowledge and appreciation of that cause is as
Nothing.
From Kether the Divine Will flows down the Tree, reducing in
intensity as it passes through the Sephiroth. If we were in direct contact
contact with Kether we would be overwhelmed by its energy.
We are so far removed from the sublime joy of Kether because mankind
in general and ourselves in particular have consistently exercised our free
will in the pursuit of personal, material ends rather than turning our actions
towards the highest. The Hebrew word for "I" is Ani ( ). This is made up of the same letters
and Ain, Nothingness. because our perception is clouded by our material
preoccupations we confuse the personal "I", the ego, with the Divine "I".
All we can definitely say about G-d is that He exists. He is "I". To
return to G-d, to experience Kether, we have to transform the personal "I" in
to the Divine "I".
This process of transformation is known as "rectification" (Heb.
tikkun).
G-d placed us in this material world so that we could experience
free will. We can choose which "I" we pursue. It is only by actively and freely
opting for the Divine "I" that rectification can be achieved.
G-d wants us to climb the Tree and reach Kether. he has placed us at
this particular point in time and space because it is the here and now that
offers us the chance of achieving the greatest rectification for both ourselves
and mankind as a whole.
He has also given us the tools to achieve this goal. For the Jews
these are the 613 precepts (or mitzvoth). For the non-Jew these are the
7 Noahide Laws.
Active and willing adherence to these "rules" realigns us to G-d's
Will, we have started on the path back to Kether and, ultimately, G-d.
Kether can be seen as the interface between G-d and His creation.
Kether is above creation, above the other Sephiroth. In this aspect it is
Nothingness. Kether is also the point at which G-d expresses himself externally
into creation. In this aspect it is the Divine "I".
Kether is often depicted as a point. Mathematically speaking a point
has position but no size. It is smaller than the point of the finest needle.
Again this symbolism helps us to understand the intrinsic Nothingness of Kether
as seen from our standpoint.
From G-d's position the point offers infinite possibilities. Having
no size it can develop into anything the Creator wishes. The non-existent
Nothingness of Ain can become the infinite expansion of Ani.
However, if the Ain did indeed become the infinite Ani
we would be overwhelmed. So, Kether, the point of Nothingness does expand, but
only within the confines of the Sephirothic Tree. Its expansion is controlled
and channeled, moderated and modulated, to just the correct extent to enable
creation to exist and start the climb back to the source.
The fundamental paradox of Kether is that we are not able to
experience it directly, but G-d created us with the urge to climb and reach it.
Providing our intention is pure (as measured against the 613
precepts and/or the 7 Noahide Laws) each step we take towards Kether is matched
by a similar step by Kether towards us. It increases our own ability to
withstand Kether's undiluted energy and it increases the amount of Kether's
light available to mankind as a whole. We start the process of personal
rectification and at the same time help in the rectification of mankind as a
whole.
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