The Ten Sefirot: Guide, Meaning and Order on the Tree of Life

The sefirot (ספירות, singular sefirah) are, according to Kabbalah, the ten ways in which the Creator reveals Himself and governs the world. The word and the number come from Sefer Yetzirah, which insists: “Ten sefirot belimah, ten and not nine, ten and not eleven” (1:4). This guide goes through them in the classical order, with the meaning of each name, its inner quality and the divine name that the Pardes Rimonim of the Ramak assigns to it. For the general context, see what is Kabbalah.

The three columns

• Right (mercy): Chochmah, Chesed, Netzach.
• Left (severity): Binah, Gevurah, Hod.
• Center (balance): Keter, Tiferet, Yesod, Malchut.

The ten, one by one

For Netzach and Hod, the Ramak’s commentators give the names indicated; for the Rashbi, both share the name “Tzevaot.” For Yesod, other tables give “E-l Chai.”

1. Keter, the Crown

The first and most exalted. Just as a crown surrounds the head without being part of the body, Keter is sometimes considered to be above the other sefirot. It is associated with the divine will.

2. Chochmah, Wisdom

The first of the intellectual sefirot: wisdom as an overall vision, as a spark or inspiration, before it unfolds in detail. In the scheme of the partzufim it corresponds to Abba, the “father.”

3. Binah, Understanding

Understanding gives form and structure to what wisdom contributes as an impulse. In the scheme of the partzufim it corresponds to Imma, the “mother.”

4. Chesed, Kindness

Kindness and expansion: giving without limit. In the body image of the partzufim it is the right hand.

5. Gevurah, Severity

Restraint and limit: the power to hold back. Its name is also translated “strength” or “judgment.” In the body image it is the left hand.

6. Tiferet, Beauty

Beauty as harmony: it integrates Chesed and Gevurah, and therefore occupies the heart of the tree. Zeir Anpin, the partzuf that gathers the six emotional sefirot, is associated with it.

7. Netzach, Victory

Victory, eternity or perseverance: overcoming resistance. It completes the right column and, in the body image, is the right leg.

8. Hod, Splendor

Splendor or gratitude: its name is related to the word hodaah, gratitude. It completes the left column and, in the body image, is the left leg.

9. Yesod, Foundation

It gathers the forces of the higher sefirot and transmits them to Malchut. It closes the central column of the six emotional sefirot.

10. Malchut, Kingdom

The last: the vessel that receives and manifests the light of the higher sefirot and transmits it to the lower levels. In the scheme of the partzufim it corresponds to Nukva.

And Da’at?

Da’at means “knowledge.” The Torah names it together with Chochmah and Binah (Exodus 31:3; Proverbs 3:19-20), and Rashi explains the three: Chochmah is what one hears from others and learns; Binah, understanding on one’s own from what one has learned; Da’at, the holy spirit (ruach hakodesh). In the diagrams it is drawn beneath Chochmah and Binah, but it is not counted among the ten sefirot: Sefer Yetzirah says “ten and not eleven.”

From the original

Quotations from Sefer Yetzirah, chapter 1 (Hebrew text; our translation, which leaves belimah untranslated because its meaning is debated):

עֶשֶׂר סְפִירוֹת בְּלִימָה, עֶשֶׂר וְלֹא תֵשַׁע, עֶשֶׂר וְלֹא אַחַת עֶשְׂרֵה “Ten sefirot belimah: ten and not nine, ten and not eleven.” (1:4)

נָעוּץ סוֹפָן בִּתְחִלָּתָן וּתְחִלָּתָן בְּסוֹפָן כְּשַׁלְהֶבֶת קְשׁוּרָה בַּגַּחֶלֶת “Their end is fixed in their beginning and their beginning in their end, like a flame bound to a coal.” (1:7)

The sefirot as qualities of character

The Ramak’s Tomer Devorah, on the imitation of the divine attributes, and kabbalistic mussar read the sefirot as a model of conduct: the inner work consists in cultivating kindness without losing limits, and severity without losing compassion. The work Shaarei Kedusha takes this idea into the practice of refining character.

Frequently asked questions

How many sefirot are there? Ten, according to Sefer Yetzirah.

What is the order? Keter, Chochmah, Binah, Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet, Netzach, Hod, Yesod and Malchut.

What is the Kabbalah Tree of Life? The diagram that arranges the sefirot in three columns joined by paths. It starts from Sefer Yetzirah, which lists the ten sefirot, and was developed by the Ramak in the Pardes Rimonim and by the Arizal in the Etz Chaim.