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The Tree of Life

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The Tree of Life

From our physical standpoint G-d is unknowable. He can only be described in terms of what He is not. Whatever positive statements we make about Him is imperfect. If we say G-d is "good" we can only comprehend the concept "good" in terms of our worldly experience. G-d's goodness is way beyond our limited interpretation of the word.

G-d is so different from the physical reality that surrounds us that any direct contact would lead to us ceasing to exist.

But G-d wants us to experience Him. The reason G-d created this physical universe and mankind was so that we would have the opportunity to draw nearer to Him.

G-d's influence constantly flows in and around us, but for the most part we are unaware of it. The reason for this is twofold. Firstly, we are so attached to the physical that we fail to see the spiritual - we are looking in the wrong direction. Secondly, G-d Himself conceals His influence from us. The influence is there - we just have to look for it.

The way G-d clothes His influence is through the sephiroth of the Tree of Life. The Sephiroth act as attenuators between the all-consuming reality of the G-dhead and our physical existence. If the sephiroth did not exist the physical universe would not exist, it would be absorbed into the G-dhead and thus be an intrinsic part of the G-dhead (though in reality we cannot conceive of the G-dhead being composed of "parts").

The Sephiroth provide us with a ladder stretching down from the infinity of G-d to the finite restriction of the physical universe.

If we turn round and face away from the illusory attractions of our physical world we will see this ladder, this pathway, stretching away from us into infinity.

G-d created he Sephiroth for two reasons:-

  1. to protect us from the overwhelming power of His glory
  2. to provide us with a way of returning to Him (the ultimate goal of mankind's existence

Each of the Sepiroth have specific functions in this two-fold process. They act in similar ways to the roundabouts, one-way streets and traffic lights used in road traffic control.

Each of the sephiroth has a specific name that is also descriptive of its function.

Traditionally the Sephiroth have been represented diagramatically thus:

In the beginning...
A Kabbalist's Prayer
(based on the Tree of Life)

Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh, Crown me
Yah, give me Wisdom
Elohim Chaim, grant me Understanding
El, with the right hand of His Love, make me great
Elohim, from the Terror of His Judgement, protect me
YHVH, with His mercy grant me Beauty
YHVH Tzabaoth, watch over me Forever
Elohim Tzabaoth, grant me beatitude from His Splendour
El Chai, make His covenant my Foundation
Adonai, open my lips and my mouth will speak of Your praise
And God said, "Let there be light" ...God created the heaven and the earth
And God said, "Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear". And God said, "Let there be a fimament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters".
And God said, "Let the earth put forth grass, herb yielding seed, and fruit-tree bearing fruit after its kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth".
And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let fowl fly above the earth in the open firmament of the heaven". And God said, "Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years; and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth".
And God said, "Let the earth bring forth the living creature after its kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after its kind".
And God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over evry creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth".

[the Paths on the Tree are arranged differently than in some more modern representations, but Mirach believes that the above is correct based on traditional sources]

The highest Sephiroth can be regarded as being "nearest" to the G-dhead. The lowest can be seen as being "nearest" to the physical and most "distant" from G-d.

These concepts of "nearness" and "distance" are themselves inadequate and misleading. In the spiritual realm, and as we are talking about G-d's influence it is the spiritual we are considering, "nearness" actually equates with similarity and "distance" with dissimilarity.

Our progression up the ladder of the Tree, along the path of the Sephiroth, is one of becoming more like G-d.

G-d created mankind in His image. We were formed to be similar to G-d. This similarity extended to us, like G-d, being invested with free-will. G-d is infinitely omnipotent and thus has ultimate freedom of will and expression.

At the lower level of our physical existence we have the freedom to choose whether we attach ourselves to physicality or turn around and realise our spiritual inheritance.

The Torah story of Adam and Eve's fall and expulsion from the garden of Eden describes the process by which mankind chose physicality.

But the ladder is still there, the Sephiroth still exist. We can now choose to pursue the spiritual path by turning round and using the tools we have been given.