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55-527: The first Rebbe of Strashelye was Rabbi Aharon HaLevi Horowitz , a student of Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (1745–1812), the founder of the Chabad Chassidic school of thought. While both Strashelye and Lubavitch considered Rabbi Shneur Zalman to have been the first rebbe of their respective schools, the former considered Rabbi Aharon HaLevi Horowitz to be his successor. The latter consider Rabbi Dovber Schneuri (the oldest son of Rabbi Schneur Zalman)

110-478: A "counting" or "enumeration"; or from the same triliteral root: sefer "text," sippur "recounting a story," sfar ("boundary" - ספר), and sofer , or safra "scribe"; or sappir "sapphire." This term had complex connotations within Kabbalah. The original reference to the sefirot is found in the ancient Sefer Yetzirah "The Book of Formation," attributed to the first Jewish patriarch, Abraham . However,

165-561: A Polish rabbi is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Sephirah (Kabbalah) Sefirot ( / s f ɪ ˈ r oʊ t , ˈ s f ɪr oʊ t / ; Hebrew : סְפִירוֹת , romanized :  səfiroṯ , plural of Koinē Greek : σφαῖρα , lit.   'sphere' ), meaning emanations , are the 10 attributes/emanations in Kabbalah , through which Ein Sof ("infinite space") reveals itself and continuously creates both

220-569: A cleaving, in other words that one's emotional feeling be a lasting one, not one that would evaporate after a short time. Rabbi Aharon disagreed, maintaining that it is acceptable and even commendable for a Chassid to become outwardly excited during prayer. Rabbi Shneur Zalman himself was known to pound his fist so hard on the wall while praying that he sometimes literally bled from his hand. Rabbi Aharon displayed similar excitement and intensity during prayer. Moreover, he encouraged others to similarly express themselves openly during prayer. Furthermore,

275-571: A person's meditation can appear to be cold and emotionless on the exterior, where the prayer causes the person praying to feel oneself one with The Creator. To that end, Rabbi Dovber prayed with great D'veikus (cleaving), rather than with Hispaylus (excitement), where the one praying gets excited over the Creator but remains, in his own feeling and understanding, a separate entity and existence. Rabbi Dovber prayed while perfectly still, hardly moving. His outward countenance remained completely unaffected. It

330-462: A royal decree in 1798, Aaron traveled from town to town to collect money from his master's followers, to ransom him, or at least to bribe the jailer and the prison warders to allow them to see Rabbi Shneur Zalman. After the latter's death in 1812, Aaron took up his residence as rabbi at Staroselye , and many flocked to him to have the Law explained in accordance with the teachings of his master. These formed

385-516: A school known as the Hasidim of Staroselye . Aaron was the author of Sha'are Abodah ( Hebrew : שערי עבודה , The Gates of Worship), Shklov, 1820–21, a work which is also known by the name Avodat HaBenonim ( עבודת הבינונים , The Worship of the Average men). It is divided into five sections: the first on the unity of God; the second on the union of souls; the third on divine service; the fourth on

440-490: A similar name. In it, Rabbi Aharon argues that the corresponding part of Tanya was incomplete, and that it is therefore necessary to learn his book in order to understand it fully. Sha'arei HaYichud v'HaEmuna focuses on the creation of the universe, and the universe's relationship with God. It develops the concept of pele (wonder), which refers to the paradox caused by God's and the universe's simultaneous existence. It then argues that one will never "understand" God, because God

495-546: Is an important concept in Jewish Kabbalah. Generally translated as "infinity" and "endless", the Ein Sof represents the formless state of the universe before the self-materialization of God. In other words, the Ein Sof is God before he decided to become God as we now know him. The sefirot are divine emanations that come from the Ein Sof in a manner often described as a flame. The sefirot emanate from above to below. As

550-535: Is continuously created from nothing. Since they are the attributes through which the unknowable, infinite divine essence becomes revealed to the creations, all ten emanate in each World. Nonetheless, the structure of the Four Worlds arises because in each one, certain sefirot predominate. Each World is spiritual, apart from the lower aspect of the final World, which is the Asiyah Gashmi ("Physical Asiyah"),

605-515: Is important to note this mode of davening was something personal to him, as he was able to conceal his emotions, rather than something he recommended for everyone. When the Rebbe DovBer noticed that his chassidim (followers) thought that they should be devoid of any emotional appearance, he wrote a public letter stating that this is wrong. His disagreement with Rabbi Aharon was rather that he felt that there must be an understanding of Godliness and

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660-458: Is incomparable with created existence. Therefore, the closest thing man can come to "grasping" God is to meditate on the pele , and to constantly desire to understand God further. The book further elaborates on the relationship between the universe, God, and the Ten Sefiros . The second of his books is called Sha'arei HaAvoda (The Gates of Divine Service). It is based on the first book of

715-456: Is merely enough for a person to know that God is so great that His Existence precludes the existence of any created beings, but that created beings exist, nonetheless. This very paradox is a testimony to the greatness of God. While Rabbi Aharon's teachings involve some of the deepest aspects of Kabbalistic wisdom, they nonetheless entreat the reader to use the deep intellectual wisdom of Kabbala in order to inspire simple love and fear for God. This

770-601: Is not known what the disagreement was about. What is known is that Rabbi Aharon left Liadi (where both he, Rabbi Shneur Zalman and Rabbi Dovber lived), and settled in his home town of Strashelye. After Rabbi Shneur Zalman died, Rabbi Dovber moved to the city of Lubavitch. Seeking to become the leader of the Chabad school, Rabbi Dovber became the Rebbe of the Lubavitch school of Chabad Chassidus. Rabbi Aharon, similarly seeking to be

825-564: The Toldos Avraham Yitzchak Rebbe instructed his Chassidim to study Rabbi Aharon's books. The discourses constitute explanations of passages in the Torah, or concepts in Torah thought, in the light of his Chassidic outlook. After Rabbi Aharon died, his son, Rabbi Haim Raphael HaLevi ben Aaron of Staroselye (d. 1842), became rebbe in his place. However, the dynasty did not last into the next generation. Most chassidim of

880-521: The Crown, is the first sefirah. It is the superconscious intermediary between God and the other, conscious sefirot. Three different levels, or "heads," are identified within Keter. In some contexts, the highest level of Keter is called "The unknowable head," The second level is "the head of nothingness" ( reisha d'ayin ), and the third level is "the long head" ( reisha d'arich ). These three heads correspond to

935-550: The Ein Sof and the four lower Worlds. As the four Worlds link the Infinite with this realm, they also enable the soul to ascend in devotion or mystical states, towards the Divine. Each World can be understood as descriptive of dimensional levels of intentionality related to the natural human "desire to receive", and a method for the soul's progress upward toward unity with or return to the Creator. (The terminology of this formulation

990-472: The God-world relationship, and the inner nature of the divine. These include the metaphor of the soul-body relationship, the functions of human soul-powers, the configuration of human bodily form, and female-male influences in the divine. Kabbalists repeatedly warn and stress the need to divorce their notions from any corporality, dualism, plurality, or spatial and temporal connotations. As "the Torah speaks in

1045-546: The Habad School, ( ISBN   0-226-49045-9 ) On the teachings of R. Aaron HaLevi See Rachel Elior, "The Paradoxical Ascent to God," New York Suny 1992. Also see Louis Jacob's "Seeker of Unity: The Life And Works Of Aharon of Starosselje" (Vallentine Mitchell, 1966.) Aharon HaLevi Horowitz Aaron HaLevi ben Moses (Hurwitz) of Staroselye was a Talmudic scholar and Kabbalist of note who lived in Poland during

1100-535: The Infinite (the highest goal of Chabad Chassidism). Rabbi Dovber, by contrast, called that approach a glorification of the self. Rabbi Aharon's students compiled many of the oral discourses that Rabbi Aharon gave, and some of the discourses that he either wrote himself or transcribed from discourses given by Rabbi Shneur Zalman. That compilation is called Avodas HaLevi . While his books are not commonly studied within Chabad circles today, they are widely respected for their scholarly insights and broad scope. Furthermore,

1155-523: The Law and the Commandments; and the fifth on repentance. He also wrote Avodat HaLevi ( עבודת הלוי ), Lemberg, 1861, a commentary on the Pentateuch. All of Aaron's teachings are based on the oral traditions of Rabbi Shneur Zalman and on his work, Tanya . Rabbi Aaron was a descendant of Rabbi Isaiah Horowitz (Shaloh HaKadosh). Rabbi Aaron's son, Haim Raphael HaLevi ben Aaron of Staroselye ,

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1210-480: The Man-metaphor more radically to anthropomorphise particular divine manifestations on high, while repeatedly stressing the need to divest analogies from impure materialistic corporality. Classical proof texts on which it bases its approach include, "From my flesh I envisage God", and the rabbinic analogy "As the soul permeates the whole body...sees but is not seen...sustains the whole body...is pure...abides in

1265-467: The Strashelye returned to Chabad-Lubavitch in the third generation, accepting Menachem Mendel Schneersohn as their rebbe. The information in this article about Rabbi Aharon and about his leadership comes mostly from Beis Rebbe (by Hillman) ( Hebrew ). The information about his teachings come from the books themselves, and from Naftali Lowenthal's book "Communicating The Infinite: The Emergence of

1320-748: The Tanya, which outlines the specific divine service of the Beinoni (the "Average Man"; see the article on Tanya ). It was in this book, and in Avodas HaLevi, that Rabbi Aharon systematized his approach to divine service: Rabbi Aharon emphasized the importance of heartfelt emotions as a tool of connecting with the Divine. He argued that, contrary to Rabbi Dovber Schneuri's position, cold and intellectual contemplation cannot lead to true self-nullification. Only by openly and emotionally desiring to cleave to God can one attain something approaching nullification before

1375-514: The World effects no change in God; and the distinct, separate origins of the soul and the body, while in relation to God's omnipresence, especially in its acosmic Hasidic development, all creation is nullified in its source. As all levels of Creation are constructed around the 10 sefirot, their names in Kabbalah describe the particular role each plays in forming reality. These are the external dimensions of

1430-399: The concept of knowledge. Will and knowledge are corresponding somewhat dependent opposites. The seven subsequent sefirot ( Chesed , Gevurah , Tiferet , Netzach , Hod , Yesod and Malkuth ) describe the primary and secondary conscious divine emotions. The sefirot of the left side and the sefira of Malkuth are feminine, as the female principle in Kabbalah describes a vessel that receives

1485-450: The conceptual paradigm in Kabbalah for understanding everything. This relationship between the soul of man and the divine gives Kabbalah one of its two central metaphors in describing divinity, alongside the other Ohr (light) metaphor. However, Kabbalah repeatedly stresses the need to avoid all corporeal interpretation. Through this, the sefirot are related to the structure of the body and are reformed into partzufim (personas). Underlying

1540-488: The difference between the single body of the sun and the multiple rays of sunlight that illuminate a room. In Kabbalah, there is a direct correspondence between the Hebrew name of any spiritual or physical phenomenon and its manifestations in the mundane world. The Hebrew name represents the unique essence of the object. This reflects the belief that the universe is created through the metaphorical speech of God, as stated in

1595-609: The emanation of the material world from the spiritual realms, the analogous anthropomorphisms and material metaphors themselves derive through cause and effect from their precise root analogies on High. Describing the material world below in general, and humans in particular, as created in the "image" of the world above is not restricted in Rabbinic Judaism to Kabbalah, but abounds more widely in Biblical , Midrashic , Talmudic and philosophical literature. Kabbalah extends

1650-411: The first Sefira is closest to Ein Sof, it is the least comprehensible to the human mind, while in turn the last is the best understood because it is closest to the material world that humanity dwells on. The singular, sefira ( ספירה səpirā ), was a loanword from Koinē Greek : σφαῖρα , lit.   'sphere' ). However, early Kabbalists presented several other etymological possibilities:

1705-889: The first chapter of the Book of Genesis . Kabbalah expounds on the names of the sefirot and their nuances, including their gematria (numerical values), to reach an understanding of these emanations of God's essence. In the 16th-century rational synthesis of Moses ben Jacob Cordovero (Cordoveran Kabbalah), the first complete systemization of Kabbalah, the sefirot are listed from highest to lowest: 3 Binah - "Understanding" 4 Chesed - "Kindness" 5 Gevurah - "Discipline" 6 Tiferet - "Glory" (Secondary emotions:) 7 Netzach - "Victory" 8 Hod - "Splendour" 9 Yesod - "Foundation" (Vessel to bring action:) 10 Malkuth - "Kingdom" Kingship Kabbalah uses subtle anthropomorphic analogies and metaphors to describe God in Judaism , both

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1760-508: The forces of creation are considered autonomous forces that evolve independently. By contrast, in Lurean or Lurianic Kabbalah (the Kabbalah of Isaac Luria ), the sefirot are perceived as a constellation of forces in active dialogue with one another at every stage of that evolution. Luria described the sefirot as complex and dynamically interacting entities known as partzufim "faces," each with its own symbolically human-like persona. Keter,

1815-527: The infinite divine essence. This was necessary due to the inability of humanity to exist in God's infinite presence. God does not change; rather, it is our ability to perceive his emanations that is modified. This is stressed in Kabbalah to avoid heretical notions of any plurality in the Godhead. One parable to explain this is the difference between the Ma'or "Luminary" and the ohr "Light" that it emanates, like

1870-404: The inner dimensions of the sefirot: These ten levels are associated with Kabbalah's four different "Worlds" or planes of existence, the main part from the perspective of the descending "chain of progression" ( Seder hishtalshelut ), that links the infinite divine Ein Sof with the finite, physical realm. In all Worlds, the 10 sefirot radiate, and are the divine channels through which every level

1925-540: The inner life of man. Articulation of the sefirot in Hasidic philosophy is primarily concerned with their inner dimensions, and exploring the direct, enlivening contribution of each in man's spiritual worship of God. Kabbalah focuses on the esoteric manifestations of God in creation, the vessels of divinity. Hasidut looks at the lights that fill these vessels, how the structures reveal the divine essence, and how this inwardness can be perceived. This difference can be seen in

1980-467: The innermost precincts...is unique in the body...does not eat and drink...no man knows where its place is...so the Holy One, Blessed is He..." Together with the metaphor of light, the Man-metaphor is central in Kabbalah. Nonetheless, it too has its limitations, needs qualification, and breaks down if taken as a literal, corporeal comparison. Its limitations include the effect of the body on the soul, while

2035-416: The language of Man", the empirical terms are necessarily imposed upon human experience in this world. Once the analogy is described, its limitations are then related to stripping the kernel of its husk to arrive at a truer conception. Nonetheless, Kabbalists carefully chose their terminology to denote subtle connotations and profound relationships in the divine spiritual influences. More accurately, as they see

2090-411: The latter part of the eighteenth century and the early part of the nineteenth. He was one of the most enthusiastic and steadfast disciples of the kabbalist Shneur Zalman of Liadi , rabbi of Liozna and Liadi , and studied under him until he had acquired a full knowledge of his mystic lore. He urged Rabbi Shneur Zalman to publish his work, Tanya (Slavita, 1796); and when the latter was imprisoned by

2145-402: The leader of the Chabad school, became the Rebbe of the Strashelye school of Chabad Chassidus. The two competing schools held strongly to the ideological distinctions between their leaders. Rabbi Aharon's two books were based on Rabbi Shneur Zalman's magnum opus, Tanya . Rabbi Aharon's first book, Sha'arei HaYichud ve'Ha'emuna (The Gates of Unity and Faith), is based on the section of Tanya of

2200-484: The names of the sefirot as given in later Kabbalah are not specified there, but rather are only identified by their attributes "forward," "backward," "right," "left," "down," "up," "light," "darkness," "good" and "evil." Further references to the sefirot, now with their later-accepted names, are elaborated on in the medieval Kabbalistic text of the Zohar , which is one of the core texts of Kabbalah. In Cordoveran Kabbalah,

2255-452: The names of these two stages of Jewish mysticism. "Kabbalah" in Hebrew is derived from "kabal" (to "receive" as a vessel). "Hasidut" is from "chesed" ("loving-kindness"), considered the first and greatest sefirah, also called "Greatness", the wish to reveal and share. The names of the sefirot come from Kabbalah, and describe the Divine effect that each has upon Creation, but not their inner qualities. Hasidic thought uses new descriptive terms for

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2310-526: The outward male light , then inwardly nurtures and gives birth to the sefirot below them. Kabbalah sees the human soul as mirroring the divine (after Genesis 1:27, "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them"), and more widely, all creations as reflections of their life source in the sefirot. Therefore, the sefirot also describe the spiritual life of man, break down man's psychological processes, and constitute

2365-410: The particular characteristic of inner light within each sefirah. Understanding the sefirot throughout Jewish mysticism is achieved by their correspondence to the human soul. This applies to the outer, Kabbalistic structure of the sefirot. It applies even more to their inner dimensions, which correspond to inner psychological qualities in human perception. Identifying the essential spiritual properties of

2420-556: The physical Universe. Each World is progressively grosser and further removed from consciousness of the Divine, until in this World it is possible to be unaware of or to deny God. In descending order: In the Zohar and elsewhere, there are these four Worlds or planes of existence. In the Lurianic system of Kabbalah, five Worlds are counted, comprising these and a higher, fifth plane, Adam Kadmon-manifest Godhead level , that mediates between

2475-430: The physical realm and the seder hishtalshelut (the chained descent of the metaphysical Four Worlds ). The term is alternatively transliterated into English as sephirot/sephiroth , singular sefira/sephirah . As revelations of the creator's will ( רצון rāṣon ), the sefirot should not be understood as ten gods, but rather as ten different channels through which the one God reveals His will. In later Jewish literature,

2530-519: The second rebbe. In as much as that is the case, the Strashelye branch of Chabad Chassidus began in 1812, when Rabbi Shneur Zalman died. While both were good friends, Rabbi Dovber and Rabbi Aharon disagreed about the emphasis on, and correct method of, emotional expression in Chassidic prayer. According to Rabbi Dovber, the greatest service a Jew can perform in worship is to totally nullify himself before The Creator. Therefore, maintained Rabbi Dovber,

2585-452: The sefirot, describing their functional roles in channelling the divine, creative Ohr (Light) to all levels. As the sefirot are viewed to comprise both metaphorical "lights" and " vessels ", their structural role describes the particular identity each sefirah possesses from its characteristic vessel. Underlying this functional structure of the sefirot, each one possesses a hidden, inner spiritual motivation that inspires its activity. This forms

2640-598: The soul gives the best insight into their divine source, and in the process reveals the spiritual beauty of the soul. In Hasidic thought these inner dimensions of the sefirot are called the Powers of the Soul ( Kochos HaNefesh ). Hasidism sought the internalisation of the abstract ideas of Kabbalah, both outwardly in joyful sincerity of dveikus in daily life, acts of loving-kindness and prayer; and inwardly in its profound new articulation of Jewish mystical thought, by relating it to

2695-456: The structural purpose of each sefirah is a hidden motivational force which is understood best by comparison with a corresponding psychological state in human spiritual experience. In Hasidic philosophy , which has sought to internalise the experience of Jewish mysticism into daily inspiration ( devekut ), this inner life of the sefirot is explored, and the role they play in man's service of God in this world. The Ein Sof (lit: without end)

2750-455: The superconscious levels of faith, pleasure and will in the soul. In its early 12th-century dissemination, Kabbalah garnered criticism from some rabbis who adhered to Jewish philosophy for its alleged introduction of diversity into Jewish monotheism. The seeming plurality of the One God is a result of the spiritual evolution of God's light, which introduced a diversity of emanations from

2805-559: The ten sefirot refer either to the ten manifestations of God; the ten powers or faculties of the soul; or the ten structural forces of nature. Alternative configurations of the sefirot are interpreted by various schools in the historical evolution of Kabbalah, with each articulating differing spiritual aspects. The tradition of enumerating 10 is stated in the Sefer Yetzirah , "Ten sefirot of nothingness, ten and not nine, ten and not eleven". As altogether 11 sefirot are listed across

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2860-434: The two disagreed about the extent to which the deepest elements of Chassidic wisdom should be taught openly. Rabbi Dovber, in his magnum opus Sha'ar HaYichud (The Gate of Unity), explains the entire spiritual superstructure of creation . Rabbi Aharon, on the other hand, argued that it was dangerous to discuss certain aspects of creation because it could lead a person to inadvertently view God anthropomorphically. Therefore, it

2915-590: The various schemes, two ( Keter and Da'at ) are seen as unconscious and conscious manifestations of the same principle, conserving the 10 categories. The sefirot are described as channels of divine creative life force or consciousness through which the unknowable divine essence is revealed to mankind. The first sefirah, Keter , describes the divine superconscious Will that is beyond conscious intellect . The next three sefirot ( Chokmah , Binah and Da'at ) describe three levels of conscious divine intellect. In particular, Da'at represents Keter in its knowable form,

2970-488: Was the foundation of Rabbi Dovber's doctrine as well, and in fact a cornerstone in Rabbi Shneur Zalman's own Tanya . The difference lay primarily in the outer (Chitzonius) emotional conduct Rabbi Aharon expected of his followers, and the intense manifestation of self-effacement Rabbi Dovber expected of his. At some point before Rabbi Shneur Zalman's passing, Rabbi Dovber and Rabbi Aharon had a disagreement. It

3025-475: Was the second rebbe of Strashelye. Michael Levi Rodkinson , an early Hasidic historiographer was Aaron's grandson. [REDACTED]  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain :  Soosnitz, Joseph Loeb (1901). "Aaron Ha-Levi ben Moses of Staroselye". In Singer, Isidore ; et al. (eds.). The Jewish Encyclopedia . Vol. 1. New York: Funk & Wagnalls. p. 16. This biographical article about

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