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113-704: The concept of "Worlds" denotes the emanation of creative lifeforce from the Ein Sof or Godhead through progressive, innumerable tzimtzumim or concealments. Kabbalists identified the names of these worlds from Isaiah 43:7, "All who are linked to My name, Whom I have created , Formed , and made for My glory ( Biblical Hebrew : כֹּ֚ל הַנִּקְרָ֣א בִשְׁמִ֔י וְלִכְבוֹדִ֖י בְּרָאתִ֑יו יְצַרְתִּ֖יו אַף־עֲשִׂיתִֽיו׃ , romanized:  Kol hanniqrā b̲išmi wəlik̲b̲od̲i bərāt̲iw yəṣartiw ʾap̲-ʿăśit̲iw. )". The names are thus Beri'ah "Creation," Yetzirah "Formation," Assiah "Action," and Atziluth "Emanation." Below Assiah,

226-460: A whirlwind . God's speeches do not explain Job's suffering, defend divine justice, enter into the courtroom of confrontation that Job has demanded, or respond to his oath of innocence of which the narrative prologue shows God is well aware. Instead, God changes the subject to human frailty and contrasts Job's weakness with divine wisdom and omnipotence : "Where were you when I laid the foundations of

339-493: A "redeemer" who Job hopes can save him from God) as a prophecy of Christ, the predominant Jewish view became "Job the blasphemer", with some rabbis even saying that he was rightly punished by God because he had stood by while Pharaoh massacred the innocent Jewish infants. Augustine of Hippo recorded that Job had prophesied the coming of Christ, and Pope Gregory I offered him as a model of right living worthy of respect. The medieval Jewish scholar Maimonides declared his story

452-719: A Scriptural verse that relates to the mystical meaning of the 18th of Elul. Book of Job The Book of Job ( / dʒ oʊ b / ; Biblical Hebrew : אִיּוֹב , romanized:  ʾĪyyōḇ ), or simply Job , is a book found in the Ketuvim ("Writings") section of the Hebrew Bible and the first of the Poetic Books in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible . Scholars generally agree that it

565-766: A central concern of subsequent Kabbalah (see Tzimtzum ), and the "withdrawal" of God is interpreted only as a concealment from the perspective of the Creation, and only to apply to His light, not His Essence, as that would imply heretical limitations to the Divine. In Lurianic Kabbalah, the Tzimtzum concealed the Ohr Ein Sof , which resolved the dichotomy between the Infinite Light and the possibility of creating finite Worlds. Without this radical leap of concealment of

678-706: A connection with its ultimate source, we associate it with the Nartik . In Kabbalah, the level of the Ma'ohr is represented by the higher Hebrew name of God , the Tetragrammaton , and the Ohr is the revelation of that level. Similarly, the lower name of God, Elohim , represents the Nartik , and the light that stems thereof is the Ohr HaNartik , and as such, it lacks a higher level of nullification, enabling it to create

791-496: A descending chain, although the lowest world of Assiah has both a spiritual and a physical aspect. The physical level of Assiah is our physical finite realm, including the cosmological Universe studied by science. Consequently, as Kabbalah becomes more of a metaphysical study, the terms "higher" and "lower" are used as metaphors for being closer or further from Divine consciousness, revelation, and emanance. The 16th-century systemisation of Kabbalah by Moses ben Jacob Cordovero brought

904-489: A firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day. The descent of masculine waters can be a free expression of the Sephirah of Hesed (Kindness), which has

1017-449: A higher essential source of explanation that describes Divinity. Jewish mysticism views such alternative, spiritual interpretations of Torah as stemming from more revealed Divine realms in the Chain of Worlds . More generally, Ohr also refers to the revelation and expression of any particular spiritual level which descends from that level and enclothes itself in a vessel ( Kli ). This Ohr

1130-598: A parable, and the medieval Christian Thomas Aquinas wrote a detailed commentary declaring it true history. In the Protestant Reformation , Martin Luther explained how Job's confession of sinfulness and worthlessness underlay his saintliness, and John Calvin 's interpretation of Job demonstrated the doctrine of the resurrection and the ultimate certainty of divine justice. The contemporary movement known as creation theology, an ecological theology valuing

1243-688: A spiritual rung of ascent in human consciousness, as it approaches the Divine. Kabbalah distinguishes between two types of Divine light that emanate through the 10 sefirot (Divine emanations) from the Infinite ( Ein Sof ), to create or affect reality. There is a continual flow of a "lower" light, the Mimalei Kol Olmin , the light of eminence that "fills all worlds" is the creating force in each descending world, that itself continually brings everything in that level of existence into being from nothing. It

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1356-441: A way of thinking and a body of knowledge gained through such thinking, as well as the ability to apply it to life. In its Biblical application in wisdom literature, it is seen as attainable in part through human effort and in part as a gift from God, but never in its entirety – except by God. The three books of wisdom literature share attitudes and assumptions but differ in their conclusions: Proverbs makes confident statements about

1469-533: Is bittul . In devekut or daily spiritual life, it inspires the mystical humility of nullification of the ego. Ein Sof is the Kabbalistic term for the Godhead or "Luminary". Kabbalah describes ten sefirot that reveal the unknowable Godhead to the creations and channel the creative life force to all levels of existence. However, Kabbalists differentiated between the manifestations of God and their origin in

1582-606: Is a central Kabbalistic term in Jewish mysticism . The analogy of physical light describes divine emanations . Shefa "flow" ( שפע šep̄aʿ ) and its derivative, hashpaʾa "influence" השפעה hašpāʿā ), are sometimes alternatively used in Kabbalah and medieval Jewish philosophy to mean divine influence, while the Kabbalists favour ʾor because its numerical value equals ר״ז , a homonym for רז rāz "mystery". ʾOr

1695-499: Is a successively smaller concentric circle, representing diminished, more constricted Divinity. The same Kav line still connects the outer Ein Sof to the circle's centre, as the light of the Kav is the origin of all Creation after the Tzimtzum. However, its light undergoes innumerable second tzimtzumim, toward the circle's centre. The utilisation here of concentric circles, or spheres is also significant, as with each subsequent lower step,

1808-538: Is associated with the Kabbalistic Divine Name of Ban . The differentiation between the 10 Sephirot, each with its particular characteristic, arises from each of their different spiritual vessels. The light adapts itself to each vessel, to express the particular nature of each vessel. Kabbalists read their mystical teachings into exegetical interpretations of Scripture and Rabbinic literature . This arose from their belief that Kabbalah forms part of

1921-478: Is continuous. The faculty of Divine Will is represented in the sefirot (10 Divine emanations) by the first, supra-conscious Sephirah of "Keter"-Crown, that transcends the lower 9 Sephirot of conscious intellect and emotion. Once the Divine Will is manifest, then it actualises Creation through Divine Intellect, and "subsequently" Divine Emotion, until it results in action. The reference to temporal cause and effect

2034-530: Is impossible, and the Creator should not take his creatures so lightly, to come against them with such force. Job's responses represent one of the most radical restatements of Israelite theology in the Hebrew Bible. He moves away from the pious attitude shown in the prologue and begins to berate God for the disproportionate wrath against him. He sees God as, among others, Job then shifts his focus from

2147-552: Is itself a metaphor. The psychology of man also reflects the "Divine psychology" of the sefirot, as "Man is created in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27). In man the activation of willpower through intellect and emotion until deed, requires time and subsequent cause and effect. In the Divine Sephirot and their activation of Creation, this does not apply, as limitations only apply to Creation. The Book of Job states that "from my flesh I see God". In Kabbalah and Hasidism this

2260-631: Is one of the two main Kabbalistic metaphors for understanding God , along with the other metaphor of the human soul-body relationship for the sefirot . The metaphorical description of spiritual divine creative flow, using the term for physical light perceived with the eye, arises from analogy. These include the intangible physicality of light, the delight it inspires and the illumination it gives, its immediate transmission and constant connection with its source. Light can be veiled ( tzimtzum ) or reflected. White light divides into seven colours, yet this plurality unites from one source. Divine light divides into

2373-515: Is responsible for his happiness; if God were to take away everything that Job has, then he would surely curse God. God gives Satan permission to strip Job of his wealth and kill his children and servants, but Job nonetheless praises God: In chapter 2 , God further allows Satan to afflict Job's body with disfiguring and painful boils . As Job sits in the ashes of his former estate, his wife prompts him to "curse God, and die" , but Job answers: In chapter 3 , "instead of cursing God", Job laments

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2486-400: Is systematically explained in philosophical terms. Two levels of Divine Unity are explained, that paradoxically are both true perspectives. From God's perspective, in comparison to the unchanging Divine Infinity, all of Creation is literally as if it did not exist ( Acosmism ). This is represented by a Higher Bittul-"Bittul Hametsiyas" ("Nullification of Essence") of the light of the sun inside

2599-508: Is the Divine light of transcendence , rooted in the Ohr Ein Sof (primordial "Infinite Light") before the Tzimtzum of Lurianic Kabbalah . It descends through the Seder hishtalshelut (Chain of Worlds), representing Divine transcendence in each level. It could be revealed in a blessing or miracle above the vessels and limitations of that realm. Souls in their essence transcend the body and all

2712-521: Is the light that descends immanently to every level of the Chain of Worlds, itself creating every spiritual and, ultimately, physical vessel of each World. It undergoes the innumerable concealments and contractions of the second Tzimtzumim. Hasidic thought sees the ultimate advantage of this lower light, because the ultimate purpose of Creation lies in this lowest realm. Hasidism therefore rejected Jewish asceticism , seeking to utilise and mystically transform

2825-405: Is the relationship between the sun and the light that it gives off. However, technically speaking, the light that comes from the sun is not the perfect example for the Ohr , since it has already passed through a " Nartik " ("Sheath/Shield"), a level that reduces the intensity of the revelation of the sun. In truth, the Ohr that exists in the parable of the sun is the light of the sun that exists in

2938-402: Is the unknowable, undifferentiated, infinite Divine essence. The ten sephirot enable the Creation to know God and become God's attributes that reveal Divinity. They are also the channels through which all of Creation is continuously sustained from nothing, as in the Kabbalistic scheme, Creation is continuous, and God is the only true existence. A Chain of Progression of descending Worlds, including

3051-408: Is this light that undergoes the various divine concealments and contractions as it descends downward to create the next level, and adapts itself to the capacity of each created being on each level. A transcendent higher light Sovev Kol Olmin , the light that "surrounds all worlds" would be the manifestation on a particular level of a higher light which above the capacity of that realm to contain. This

3164-477: Is typically in a state of " Bittul " ("nullification") vis-a-vis the level from which it stems. Therefore, even when it descends to lower realms, it possesses a characteristic of " Ratzo " ("Run"), the desire to ascend and return to its source. Correspondingly, the Kli persuades the Ohr to descend through impressing upon it the need for Shuv ("Return"), the acknowledgment of the necessity of descent in order to fulfill

3277-533: Is ultimately rooted in the infinite light ("Ohr Ein Sof") that preceded Creation, the Tzimtzum and the Sephirot, rather than the source of the immanent light in the "Kav" (first emanation of creation after the Tzimtzum), in the teachings of Isaac Luria. Consequently, all the worlds are dependent for their continual existence on the flow of Divinity they constantly receive from the Divine Will to create them. Creation

3390-468: Is understood to refer to the correspondence between the "Divine psychology" of the Four Worlds and the Sephirot, with human psychology and the Sephirot in the soul of man. From understanding the Kabbalistic description of the human soul, we can grasp the meaning of the Divine scheme. Ultimately, this is seen as the reason that God chose to emanate His Divinity through the 10 Sephirot, and chose to create

3503-460: The Chalal on its terms. This representation is then augmented by a second, similar diagram, where the successive, unfolding Five Worlds, each with ten successive sefirot, are shown within the original circle as a series of concentric circles. The descending chain of Worlds proceeds in the diagram towards the circle's centre, representing our lowest physical realm. Each successive World and Sephirah

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3616-476: The Halachic sense a vessel is an object that can serve a useful purpose, even if it may not resemble a physical receptacle. This term is used frequently in discussion of the laws of Shabbat . In Jewish mysticism, typically, these narratives are given metaphysical interpretations, which relate " kli " to its Kabbalistic meaning. In Hasidic philosophy , the plural fourfold levels of meaning are viewed as uniting in

3729-604: The Light that fills all worlds , the divine creative light or ohr that is divine immanence . The ten sefirot "attributes" and their associated twelve partzufim or "personas" reflect this light in the Four Worlds, as do more specific Divine manifestations. In Lurianic Kabbalah , the partzufim interact dynamically, and sublime levels are clothed within lower existences, a concealed soul. Nonetheless, in each world, sefirot and partzufim predominate. The Five Worlds are, in descending order: The Four Worlds are spiritual, heavenly realms in

3842-410: The Ohr Ein Sof , even with the progressive, gradual concealments of the Chain of Worlds, the problem would not properly be overcome. Only a second, new light, immeasurably diminished and of a different quality than the Ohr Ein Sof , could become the creative source of all reality. This new light, a "thin" illumination from the Ohr Ein Sof , called the " Kav " ("Ray"), shone into the "Vacated Space", and

3955-583: The Oral Torah inherent in the revelation at Mount Sinai . Accordingly, in Jewish tradition, each verse and concept can be interpreted in the fourfold Jewish method of Pardes , with the metaphysical interpretations of Kabbalah and Hasidic philosophy forming a secret level of meaning. In this way, Kabbalah interprets a second meaning in Talmudic legislation and use of the term for "vessel" (" kli "). In

4068-589: The Tetragrammaton and Elohim, gives the Kabbalistic reason why Elohim is universally used in the Genesis creation narrative . Going back to the Scriptural commentary of Nachmanides , the seven days of creation are understood to symbolically refer to the seven emotional revelations of the sefirot, each one called a "day". These Hebrew sayings themselves, are explained in Kabbalah to be the creative channels of

4181-572: The Tisha B'Av fast (a day of mourning over the destruction of the First and Second Temples and other tragedies). The cantillation signs for the large poetic section in the middle of the Book of Job differ from those of most of the biblical books, using a system shared with it only by Psalms and Proverbs . The Eastern Orthodox Church reads from Job and Exodus during Holy Week . Exodus prepares for

4294-464: The or in sof is itself infinite, it could not itself directly be the source for the creation of the Four Worlds and seder hishtalshelut or "Chain of Progression." Any direct creations of the Infinite Light would be of infinite number and would not be actual creations at all, as they would remain nullified ( bittul ) to the Infinite Light and would have no independent self-awareness. Only through

4407-415: The 16th Century, taught the cosmic power of each person to affect and rectify the Divine scheme of Creation. In Lurianic Kabbalah, the ultimate Tikkun is dependent on each individual fulfilling their own unique tasks in Creation, through the mitzvot. This affect would occur whether the person was aware of the deeper meanings or not. The great delight the illumination of the ascending feminine waters causes in

4520-399: The 3rd episode of the 15th season of ER , the lines of Job 3:23 are quoted by doctor Abby Lockhart shortly before she and her husband (Dr. Luka Covac) leave the series forever. In season two of Good Omens , the tale of Job and his struggles with good and evil are demonstrated and debated as the demon Crowley is sent to plague Job and his family by destroying his property and children, and

4633-548: The Bible. Many later scholars down to the 20th century looked for an Aramaic , Arabic , or Edomite original, but a close analysis suggests that the foreign words and foreign-looking forms are literary affectations designed to lend authenticity to the book's distant setting and give it a foreign flavor. Job exists in a number of forms: the Hebrew Masoretic Text , which underlies many modern Bible translations;

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4746-472: The Divine chariot ( Merkavah ). These angels "ran and returned". In this explanation, they desired to ascend to God, but returned down to their station, to fulfil their purpose. In daily spiritual life too, man seeks dveikus (cleaving) with God, and then returns with this inspiration to fulfil his or her tasks in the World. Here the human soul is the "ohr", the body the "kli", and this realm presently an exile for

4859-402: The Divine creative light is hidden. In the spiritual Worlds of Creation, it is revealed, but they still lack true "Bittul" (nullification), as the souls and angels in those realms have some self-awareness, albeit totally nullified to God. This Lower Bittul-"Bittul Hayesh" ("Nullification of Ego") is represented by a light of a candle on a sunny day. In the Chain of Four Worlds , the first realm,

4972-432: The Divine essence. This difference overcame the criticism that they were introducing plurality into the pure Monotheism of Judaism. Kabbalistic texts take great care to emphasize this difference and warn against anthropomorphizing the subtle descriptions of Kabbalah in human terms. To avoid such heresies, the historical transmission of Kabbalah was traditionally restricted to direct teaching in close circles. In addition to

5085-662: The Divine light (beginning with the Ohr Ein Sof - the primordial "Infinite Light", and subsequently the ten sefirot emanations) and the Divine Ein Sof or divine source appears only relative to Creation. From God's perspective, Scripture states "For I, the Eternal, I have not changed". From the perspective of God's self-knowledge, the emanations remain completely united and nullified to their source. This answers early Rabbinic criticism of dualism in Kabbalah. The term in Kabbalah and Hasidic philosophy for this nullification

5198-461: The Four Worlds, links the Ein Sof with our physical realm. Each of the Sephirot is said to consist of a "light" vested in a "vessel" (a kli Hebrew : כלי ; plural: keilim Hebrew : כלים ). Generally speaking, the light is simple and undifferentiated, as it stems originally from the Ohr Ein Sof ("The Light of the Ein Sof"), God's infinite light. It represents Divine revelation in the world. It

5311-962: The Greek Septuagint made in Egypt in the last centuries BCE; and Aramaic and Hebrew manuscripts found among the Dead Sea Scrolls . In the Latin Vulgate , the New Revised Standard Version and in Protestant Bibles , it is placed after the Book of Esther as the first of the poetic books. In the Hebrew Bible it is located within the Ketuvim. John Hartley notes that in Sephardic manuscripts

5424-649: The Greek Septuagint translation ( c.  200 BCE ) and was furthered in the apocryphal Testament of Job (1st century BCE–1st century CE), which makes him the hero of patience. This reading pays little attention to the Job of the dialogue sections of the book, but it was the tradition taken up by the Epistle of James in the New Testament , which presents Job as one whose patience and endurance should be emulated by believers ( James 5 :7–11). When Christians began interpreting Job 19:23–29 (verses concerning

5537-624: The Heavenly realms ( Four Worlds ), leads to the reciprocal Divine response of descending blessing and light in the Masculine waters. This gives the inherent metaphysical Kabbalistic structure of the traditional Jewish belief of "Reward and Punishment", incorporated in Maimonides ' Jewish Principles of Faith . The Kabbalistic explanation puts these external categories in an inner scheme of Divine loving-kindness. An example given in Kabbalah of

5650-548: The Jewish mystical tradition. In the Sephirot , for example, Hasidic thought focuses on the inner motivational soul within each Sephirah, and its parallel in the spiritual psychology of man. A descending light is a Divine emanation "from above". It is metaphorically called "masculine waters" and "an arousal from Above" in Kabbalah, based on the verses in Genesis 1:6-8 about the Upper and Lower Waters: 6 And God said, Let there be

5763-540: The Messianic Age. In higher spiritual Worlds ( Seder hishtalshelus ), the souls and angels sense this, and seek to channel Divine flow down the chain of Worlds. Therefore, Shuv , even though it is an exile for the light to descend into the vessel, is the ultimate purpose of Creation. The terms " Ratzo " and " Shuv " come from the Biblical description of the angels in the vision of Ezekiel (1:4-26), when he beheld

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5876-484: The Sephirot in activating Creation. Only after Genesis recounts its first narrative of Creation, with the beginning of its second account, does it use the higher, essential, Divine name of the Tetragrammaton. Here it combines both names, as both are involved in Creation. Later on, when God speaks to Moses, the name of God used is only the transcendent Tetragrammaton. In the second account of Creation of Genesis 2:4,

5989-573: The Tzaddik receives from their illumination and blessing on the yartzheit. In the Kabbalistic scheme, this "arousal from below" elicited the "arousal of God from above" to descend "masculine waters" by the descent of the souls on this date, later on, of the Baal Shem Tov and Schneur Zalman of Liadi. Kabbalah finds an allusion to the deeper aspects of this structure, including the essence of the different spiritual teachings of these three figures, in

6102-413: The World of Atzilus , is not yet considered a Creation, but rather an emanation of supernal Divinity. It is characterised by the higher Nullification of Essence. The three lower realms of Beriah , Yetzirah and Asiyah are considered created realms as they only possess different levels of the lower Nullification of Ego. This explanation of the spiritual meanings of the different Hebrew names of God of

6215-642: The Worlds. If the light of the Tetragrammaton were to create the Worlds, they would not exist as creations with independent self-awareness. The immense revelation of the Divine would nullify them in their source, as the light of the sun inside the sun itself. In the second section of the Tanya by Schneur Zalman of Liadi , the Hasidic Panentheism of the Baal Shem Tov , the founder of Hasidism,

6328-581: The Worlds. Similarly, as the Zohar states that God is totally united with his Torah , the Torah is inherently transcendent in all Worlds, and each World studies it according to their mystical level of perception. The other light, called Mimalei Kol Olmin ("Filling All Worlds") is the Divine light of immanence , rooted in the Kav (first "Ray" of light) after the Tzimtzum in Lurianic Kabbalah. This

6441-509: The ability to create ex nihilo can only come from the Ein Sof, which is referred to by the Tetragrammaton. Nonetheless, the light to create existence must be constricted through the name Elohim. This process is referred to in this second account of Creation. Sovev means "surrounding" and Mimalei means "filling". The geometric associations of these adjectives are metaphorical. Kabbalah describes two types of light that emanate in Creation. One, called "Sovev Kol Olmin" ("Surrounding All Worlds"),

6554-467: The arguments of both parties: That is, suffering can make those afflicted more amenable to revelation – literally, "open their ears" (Job 36:15). Chapter 28, the Poem (or Hymn) to Wisdom, introduces another theme: Divine wisdom. The hymn does not place any emphasis on retributive justice, stressing instead the inaccessibility of wisdom. Wisdom cannot be invented or purchased, it says; God alone knows

6667-420: The ascent of "feminine waters", is the spiritual illumination created by each person through meritorious ethical or ritual mitzvot (Jewish observances). While Kabbalah offered radical theosophical cosmic explanations of Judaism , it remained inherently conservative. The metaphysical doctrines of Kabbalah support and deepen normative Jewish observance. Kabbalah, especially the new teachings of Isaac Luria in

6780-466: The book . It was adapted for Australian radio in 1939 . Writers Job has inspired or influenced include John Milton ( Samson Agonistes ); Dostoevsky ( The Brothers Karamazov ) ; Alfred Döblin ( Berlin Alexanderplatz ); Franz Kafka ( The Trial ); Carl Jung ( Answer to Job ); Joseph Roth ( Job ); Bernard Malamud; and Elizabeth Brewster , whose book Footnotes to the Book of Job

6893-405: The book deals with Job successfully defending himself against his unsympathetic friends, whom God admonishes, and God's sovereignty over nature. The Book of Job consists of a prose prologue and epilogue narrative framing poetic dialogues and monologues. It is common to view the narrative frame as the original core of the book, enlarged later by the poetic dialogues and discourses, and sections of

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7006-635: The book include Ralph Vaughan Williams 's Job: A Masque for Dancing ; French composer Darius Milhaud 's Cantata From Job ; and Joseph Stein's Broadway interpretation Fiddler on the Roof , based on the Tevye the Dairyman stories by Sholem Aleichem . Neil Simon wrote God's Favorite , which is a modern retelling of the Book of Job. Breughel and Georges de La Tour depicted Job visited by his wife. William Blake produced an entire cycle of illustrations for

7119-641: The book such as the Elihu speeches and the wisdom poem of chapter 28 as late insertions, but recent trends have tended to concentrate on the book's underlying editorial unity. In chapter 1 , the prologue on Earth introduces Job as a righteous man, blessed with wealth, sons, and daughters, who lives in the land of Uz . The scene then shifts to Heaven, where God asks Satan ( Biblical Hebrew : הַשָּׂטָן , romanized:  haśśāṭān , lit.   'the adversary') for his opinion of Job's piety. Satan accuses Job of being pious only because he believes God

7232-501: The concluding part of the frame narrative God restores and increases Job's prosperity, indicating that the divine policy on retributive justice remains unchanged. In the Second Temple period (500 BCE–70 CE), the character of Job began to be transformed into something more patient and steadfast, with his suffering a test of virtue and a vindication of righteousness for the glory of God. The process of "sanctifying" Job began with

7345-532: The corresponding chain of four Worlds (called the " Seder hishtalshelus "-"order of development"). He could have chosen to bridge the infinite gap between the Ein Sof and our World by a leap of Divine decree. Instead the Sephirot and Four Worlds allow man to understand Divinity through Divine manifestation, by understanding himself. The verse in Genesis of this correspondence also describes the feminine half of Creation: (Genesis 1:27) "So God created man in His own image, in

7458-547: The created beings on each level, to prevent their loss of identity before the magnificence of God. This illusion increases with more force in each subsequent descending realm. The number of graduations between the Infinite and the finite, is likewise infinite, and arises from innumerable, progressively strong concealments of the Divine light. Nonetheless, the four worlds represent fundamental categories of Divine consciousness from each other, which delineates their four descriptions. Consequently, each world also psychologically represents

7571-612: The descending chain of Worlds are called the Second Tzimtzum. Luria taught that the First Tzimtzum was the Creation in the Zohar . As Lurianic Kabbalah became universally accepted, the term "tzimtzum" now refers to this. In this radical concept of Luria, at the beginning of Creation, the Divine "withdrew" (a complete tzimtzum) from a halal ("Vacated space") to allow Creation to take place. The interpretation of this forms

7684-413: The dynamics of "masculine" and "feminine" waters, is found in the yartzheit (date of passing) and birthdays of three central figures in the Jewish mystical tradition. Judah Loew ben Bezalel (the Maharal) died on the 18th day (18 means "Chai"-"life" in Gematria ) of the Hebrew month of Elul in the year 1609 (17 September). The 18th of Elul, 12 days before Rosh Hashanah , is a central mystical date in

7797-417: The earth?" Job responds briefly, but God's monologue resumes, never addressing Job directly. In Job 42 :1–6, Job makes his final response, confessing God's power and his own lack of knowledge "of things beyond me which I did not know" . Previously, he has only heard God, but now his eyes have seen God, and therefore, he declares, "I retract and repent in dust and ashes" . God tells Eliphaz that he and

7910-410: The essential nature to give Divine blessing in an unlimited way, without considering whether the vessels of the Creation are worthy. Hesed is counterbalanced by Gevurah (Judgement), that measures and withholds the blessing according to the worth and capacity of the vessel. More commonly, the descent of direct light is in response to the ascent from below of reflected light. This "arousal from below",

8023-411: The existence of inexplicable suffering. The Book of Job is an investigation of the problem of divine justice. This problem, known in theology as the problem of evil or theodicy , can be rephrased as a question: "Why do the righteous suffer?" The conventional answer in ancient Israel was that God rewards virtue and punishes sin (the principle known as " retributive justice "). According to this view

8136-452: The formidable ' behemoth ' and ' leviathan '. Job's reply to God's final speech is longer than his first and more complicated. The usual view is that he admits to being wrong to challenge God and now repents "in dust and ashes" (Job 42:6), but the Hebrew is difficult: An alternative reading is that Job says he was wrong to repent and mourn, and does not retract any of his arguments. In

8249-416: The founder of Habad intellectual expression of Hasidism, Schneur Zalman of Liadi , was born on the 18th day of Elul in 1745 (September 4). Kabbalah teaches that the yarthzeit of a Tzaddik (righteous person) causes the spiritual revelation and ascent of their life's spiritual service, the ascent of the "feminine waters" the Tzaddik illuminated. Anyone who attaches themselves to the teachings and influence of

8362-411: The fourth generation. The character Job appears in the 6th-century BCE Book of Ezekiel as an exemplary righteous man of antiquity, and the author of the Book of Job has apparently chosen this legendary hero for his parable . Scholars generally agree that it was written between the 7th and 3rd centuries BCE, with the 6th century BCE as the most likely period for various reasons. The anonymous author

8475-468: The highest Sephirah ( Keter -"Crown"-the supernal Will of the plan in that World) of the next, lower World. Within each World too, the spiritual chain descends down the 10 Sephirot, with the illumination of one giving birth to the next, lower Sephirah. The " Ohr " ("Light") stems from the " Ma'ohr " ("Luminary"), the source of the light. Traditionally, the Mashal (parable) given to explain this relationship,

8588-584: The human view of Job's suffering "without any reason" (2:3). In the poetic dialogues Job's friends see his suffering and assume he must be guilty, since God is just. Job, knowing he is innocent, concludes that God must be unjust. He retains his piety throughout the story (contradicting the Adversary's suspicion that his righteousness is due to the expectation of reward), but makes clear from his first speech that he agrees with his friends that God should and does reward righteousness. The intruder, Elihu, rejects

8701-527: The image of God created He him, male and female created He them". Consequently, some of the sefirot are feminine, and the Shechina (immanent Divine presence) is seen as feminine. It is the intimate relationship between the Divine scheme of four World and man, that allows man's ascent more easily to Divine consciousness (see Dveikus ). Ohr Ohr ( Hebrew : אור , romanized :  ʾor , lit.   'Light', plural: אורות ʾoroṯ )

8814-622: The injustice that he himself suffers to God's governance of the world. He suggests that God does nothing to punish the wicked, who have taken advantage of the needy and the helpless, who, in turn, have been left to suffer the significant hardships inflicted on them. The dialogues of Job and his friends are followed by a poem (the "hymn to wisdom") on the inaccessibility of wisdom: "Where is wisdom to be found?" it asks; it concludes that it has been hidden from humankind in chapter 28) Job contrasts his previous fortune with his present plight as an outcast, mocked and in pain. He protests his innocence, lists

8927-414: The light encompasses" ( sovev - "surrounds") that level of "immanent" ( mimalei" -"filled") creation. Each of the Sephirot comprises both an encompassing light vested in its immanent vessel. Each World similarly incorporates its own relative level of Divine transcendence , illuminating its own level of Divine immanence . The ten sefirot describe the emanations or attributes of God in Kabbalah. The Ein Sof

9040-422: The limitations of the central metaphor of "light" are the physical inability of the luminary to withhold its radiance, the fulfilment of purpose the light gives the luminary, and the categorical differentiation between the source and its light. For God, the Creation metaphorically "arose in the Divine Will" and was not impelled. The emanation of Creation fills no lack in the perfection of God. The distinction between

9153-480: The lowest spiritual world, is the Assiah gashmi "Physical Assiah," the physical universe, which enclothes the last two sefirot , Yesod and Malkuth . Collectively, the Four Worlds are referred to as אבי״ע Aviyaʿ after their initial letters. In addition to the functional role each world has in the process of creation, they also embody dimensions of consciousness within human experience. The Worlds are formed by

9266-417: The meaning of the world, and he grants it only to those who live in reverence before him. God possesses wisdom because he grasps the complexities of the world (Job 28:24–26) – a theme which anticipates God's speech in chapters 38–41, with its repeated refrain "Where were you when ...?" When God finally speaks he neither explains the reason for Job's suffering (known to the reader to be unjust, from

9379-594: The modern Roman Rite , the Book of Job is read during: The Book of Job has been deeply influential in Western culture, to such an extent that no list could be more than representative. Musical settings from Job include Orlande de Lassus 's 1565 cycle of motets, the Sacrae Lectiones Novem ex Propheta Iob , and George Frideric Handel 's use of Job 19:25 ("I know that my redeemer liveth") as an aria in his 1741 oratorio Messiah . Modern works based on

9492-455: The moral status of human choices and actions is consequential, but experience demonstrates that suffering is experienced by those who are good. The biblical concept of righteousness was rooted in the covenant -making God who had ordered creation for communal well-being, and the righteous were those who invested in the community, showing special concern for the poor and needy (see Job's description of his life in chapter 31). Their antithesis were

9605-560: The needs of all creation, interprets God's speeches in Job 38–41 to imply that his interests and actions are not exclusively focused on humankind. Jewish liturgy does not use readings from the Book of Job in the manner of the Pentateuch , Prophets , or Five Megillot , although it is quoted at funerals and times of mourning. However, there are some Jews, particularly the Spanish and Portuguese Jews , who do hold public readings of Job on

9718-605: The night of his conception and the day of his birth; he longs for death, "but it does not come" . His three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite , Bildad the Shuhite , and Zophar the Naamathite , visit him, accuse him of sinning, and tell him that his suffering was deserved. Job responds with scorn: His visitors are "miserable comforters" . Job asserts that since a just God would not treat him so harshly, patience in suffering

9831-533: The orb of the sun itself. This is called the "Upper Divine Unity". The "Lower Divine Unity" describes the Unity of God from the illusory self independent perspective of the Creations. From this perspective, Creation does exist, but is continuously dependent on receiving its Divine lifeforce that constantly brings it into being from nothing. In our World, this constant, total dependence for the existence of everything on

9944-535: The parallel notions of Makif ("Outer") and Pnimi ("Inner"), taught in Hasidic philosophy . In the words of the Alter Rebbe : ... Ohr Pnimi is that which enters and abides in the vessel, in an aspect of yosher and descent from above to below, ChaBa"D, ChaGa"S, NaHi"Y. And the aspect of Ohr Makif is that which is unable to enter into the vessel at all because of the greatness of its light, and remains above

10057-485: The personal preparations of teshuvah (return to God) for the upcoming "Days of Awe". A central component of the teachings of the Maharal was the concept of Divine paradox, above intellect. This prepared the way for the Hasidic movement , that sought the inner expression in Hasidic philosophy of the Kabbalistic tradition. The founder of Hasidism, Israel Baal Shem Tov was born on the 18th of Elul in 1698 (August 27), and

10170-496: The physical into spirituality, through dveikus cleaving to God. Hasidic thought likewise describes another, higher type of miracle that is immanently invested within the physical laws of this World, without breaking them. Only a higher source rooted in the Divine essence , beyond infinite-finite duality, could unite the infinite encompassing light of Sovev within the limited invested light of Mimalei . These terms are equivalent to

10283-401: The preceding interpretations and schools into their first complete rational synthesis. Subsequent doctrines of Kabbalah from Isaac Luria , describe an initial tzimtzum (withdrawal of the universal Divine consciousness that preceded Creation) to "allow room" for created beings on lower levels of consciousness. Lower levels of consciousness require the self-perception of independent existence, by

10396-432: The principles he has lived by, and demands that God answer him. A character not previously mentioned, Elihu , intrudes into the story and occupies chapters 32–37. The narrative describes him as stepping out of a crowd of bystanders irate. He intervenes to state that wisdom comes from God, who reveals it through dreams and visions to those who will then declare their knowledge. From chapter  38 , God speaks from

10509-428: The process. In the first, a black circle is broken only by one thin, vertical, straight line that descends from the surrounding white into the centre of the black circle from the top. Here the surrounding white represents the Ein Sof , the black circle represents the Chalal vacated "space", and the thin white line represents the "thin" illumination of the Kav , derived from the Ohr Ein Sof , but able to illuminate into

10622-434: The prologue set in heaven) nor defends his justice. The first speech focuses on his role in maintaining order in the universe: The list of things that God does and Job cannot do demonstrates divine wisdom because order is the heart of wisdom. Job then confesses his lack of wisdom, meaning his lack of understanding of the workings of the cosmos and of the ability to maintain it. The second speech concerns God's role in controlling

10735-423: The reader an omniscient "God's eye perspective" which introduces Job as a man of exemplary faith and piety, "blameless and upright", who "fears God" and "shuns evil". The contrast between the frame and the poetic dialogues and monologues, in which Job never learns of the opening scenes in heaven or of the reason for his suffering, creates a sense of dramatic irony between the divine view of the Adversary's wager, and

10848-418: The restrictions of the sefirot and the descending Chain of Progression could the Worlds unfold. In the descending chain of Worlds from the Infinite to our finite realm, the creative flow of divine light encapsulated in the sefirot undergoes countless restrictions, diminution, and veilings to hide divinity progressively. In Kabbalah, these are called tzimtzum . After Isaac Luria , this innumerable tzimtzumim of

10961-455: The seven emotional sefirot, but there is no plurality in the Divine essence. Ohr is contrasted with ma'or "luminary" and kli , the spiritual vessel for the light. As a metaphor, it also has its limitations. Divinity can only be understood from analogous comparisons to the spatial and temporal phenomena we understand. Once these images are grasped, Kabbalah stresses the need to attempt to transcend them by understanding their deficiencies. Among

11074-410: The soul. The dynamics of Ratzo and Shuv are felt by the angels and man, but also apply to any spiritual emanation. The "Seder Histalshelus" describes the continuous descending chain from the Infinite to our finite World. In each World, the 10 Sephirot shine. Each World unfolds from the previous, with the lowest Sephirah ( Malchut -"Kingship"-fulfilment of the plan in reality) of one World, becoming

11187-419: The story of a man who is losing everything in his life. "The Sire of Sorrow (Job's Sad Song)" is the final track on Joni Mitchell's 15th studio album, Turbulent Indigo . In 2015 two Ukrainian composers Roman Grygoriv and Illia Razumeiko created the opera-requiem IYOV . The premiere of the opera was held on 21 September 2015 on the main stage of the international multidisciplinary festival Gogolfest . In

11300-426: The sun itself. The light that we see from the sun has already been limited in its quality and therefore lacks the " Bittul " ("nullification") of the true Ohr to its origin. Rather, this Ohr , being that it has been limited by the Nartik , is called Ohr HaNartik (the light of the sheath), for although it does not actually come from the Nartik , since the Nartik limited it in such a way that it no longer possesses

11413-479: The ten sefirot, Kabbalah also describes a more primordial light that shines directly from the Ein Sof. This light, the origin of all Creation and all lower lights, is called the or ein sof or "Light of the Infinite." Kabbalistic and Hasidic masters ask how there could be a revelation of the Infinite Light before Creation if there were no beings to behold it. The Infinite Light is a form of divine self-knowledge, and through God knowing Himself, He created everything. As

11526-626: The texts are ordered as Psalms , Job, Proverbs but in Ashkenazic texts the order is Psalms, Proverbs, and then Job. In the Catholic Jerusalem Bible it is described as the first of the "wisdom books" and follows the two books of the Maccabees . Job, Ecclesiastes , and the Book of Proverbs belong to the genre of wisdom literature, sharing a perspective that they themselves call the "way of wisdom". Wisdom means both

11639-412: The two other friends The three are told to make a burnt offering with Job as their intercessor, "for only to him will I show favour" . Elihu, the critic of Job and his friends, is notably omitted from this part of the narrative. The epilogue describes Job's health being restored, his riches and family being remade, and Job living to see the new children born into his family produce grandchildren up to

11752-438: The ultimate supernatural will. The purpose of Creation was not for the sake of the higher spiritual Worlds. In relation to the infinite Ein Sof , their great revelations of Divinity are a concealment, and have no comparison. Instead, the ultimate purpose of Creation in Kabbalah is for the sake of the lowest World, our physical realm. The Divine Will was to have a dwelling place in this World, made by man, which will be achieved in

11865-758: The understanding of Christ's exodus to his Father, of his fulfillment of the whole history of salvation; Job, the sufferer, is the Old Testament icon of Christ. The Roman Catholic Church reads from Job during Matins in the first two weeks of September and in the Office of the Dead, and in the revised Liturgy of the Hours Job is read during the Fifth, Twelfth, and Twenty Sixth Week in Ordinary Time . In

11978-477: The vessel, in an aspect of makif . And it is also the aspect of igul , as it surrounds the head and the feet as one (and this is the aspect of direct makif that never enters the vessel). Hasidism relates the esoteric spiritual structures of Kabbalah to their inner dimensions in the consciousness and perception of man. This is found in the Hasidic idea of dveikus (mystical fervour). It seeks an inner response to

12091-463: The wicked, who were selfish and greedy. The Satan (or the Adversary) raises the question of whether there is such a thing as disinterested righteousness: if God rewards righteousness with prosperity, will men not act righteously from selfish motives? He asks God to test this by removing the prosperity of Job, the most righteous of all God's servants. The book begins with the frame narrative, giving

12204-431: The world and its workings that are flatly contradicted by Job and Ecclesiastes. Wisdom literature from Sumeria and Babylonia can be dated to the third millennium BCE. Several texts from ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt offer parallels to Job, and while it is impossible to tell whether the author of Job was influenced by any of them, their existence suggests that the author was the recipient of a long tradition of reflection on

12317-595: Was a finalist for the 1996 Governor General's Award for poetry in Canada. Archibald MacLeish's drama JB , one of the most prominent uses of the Book of Job in modern literature, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1959. Verses from the Book of Job 3:14 figure prominently in the plot of the film Mission: Impossible (1996). Job's influence can also be seen in the Coen brothers ' 2009 film, A Serious Man , which

12430-640: Was a light that was adapted to the perspective of the subsequent creations on their terms. It could relate to finite creation ( Divine immanence ), rather than the infinite Primordial light (the ultimate Divine transcendence ). Interpretations of this in Kabbalah and Hasidic philosophy , are careful to avoid literal, spatial, geometric understandings of the Vacated Space and the Kav , as such dimensional understandings relate only to our physical world. Nonetheless, circular diagram representations of this, strictly metaphorical, are used in Kabbalah to represent

12543-675: Was almost certainly an Israelite, although the story is set outside Israel, in southern Edom or northern Arabia, and makes allusion to places as far apart as Mesopotamia and Egypt. Despite the Israelite origins, it appears that the Book of Job was composed in a time where wisdom literature was common, but not acceptable to Judean sensibilities (i.e. during the Babylonian exile and shortly after). The language of Job stands out for its conservative spelling and for its exceptionally large number of words, and word-forms not found elsewhere in

12656-509: Was nominated for two Academy Awards . Terrence Malick 's 2011 film The Tree of Life , which won the Palme d'Or , is heavily influenced by the themes of the Book of Job, with the film starting with a quote from the beginning of God's speech to Job. The Russian film Leviathan also draws themes from the Book of Job. The 2014 Indian Malayalam -language film Iyobinte Pusthakam ( lit.   ' Book of Job ' ) by Amal Neerad tells

12769-549: Was written between the 7th and 3rd centuries BCE. It addresses the problem of evil , providing a theodicy through the experiences of the eponymous protagonist. Job is a wealthy and God-fearing man with a comfortable life and a large family. God asks Satan ( הַשָּׂטָן , haśśāṭān , ' lit.   ' the adversary ' ') for his opinion of Job's piety. When Satan states that Job would turn away from God if he were rendered penniless, without his family, and materially uncomfortable, God allows him to do so. The rest of

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