The Sephiroth, the spheres on the Tree of Life, are a powerful set of symbols with which to talk about Man and God and their Relationship of Life. Both a map of emannation of Life from above and a map of ascension to Light from below, the sephiroth are best understood by metaphor. It has become my custom to open each of these lessons with a story. so far, I have used stories, which although Jewish in origin, are well known to most. Today's story may not be. Unlike the stories of Sinai and Eden, this is not a story about one monumental event in one place. Rather, it is the story of a day, and a theme which transcends time. Today's lesson is on suffering and loss, grief and tragedy. It is the story of Tisha B'Av; the 9th Day of the Hebrew Month of Av.
This year, the 9th of Av will fall on this coming Sunday (July the 29th). So, there seems no better time to tell the story of Tisha B'Av, and to explain the mournign of Isreal. Our story begins in Numbers, where we learn of the report of the 12 spies. Isreal is plunged into mourning. The date was the 9th of Av. The Babylonians destroyed the First Temple of Isreal in 586 BCE. The date was the 9th of Av. The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans in the year 70 CE. The date was the 9th of Av. The Bar Kachba revolt, the Jews last stand against the Romans, was crushed at the battle of Betar in 135 AD. The date was the 9th of Av. In 1492, the Inquistion proclaimed that Jews in Spain had three options, convert, flee, or die. The date was the 9th of Av. In 1942, Hitler announceed his Final Soultion to the Jewish Problem. The date was th 9th of Av. I cannot say if further tragedy will befall Isreal this Sunday. I pray it will not. But, if it does, Isreal will survive, and the Almighty will continue his emanantion form above, as, I pray, we all will continue to climb the Tree in Search of Him.
To discuss the sehpiroth is truley to come to know God thru knowing the Universe. The lecture on the sephiroth is split into two; the first lesson progresses downward (emmantion-way) from the veils, thru Keter, into TIphereth. The second starts at Malchat and continues up (climb-wards) to Tiphereth.
The discussion of the sephiroth can be sumarized by a table of metaphores. the most famous of these tables is the one by Crowley, in his monumetal "777". A slightly modified version can be found at http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~abszero/kaballah.htm. The second source upon which I have drawn is my absolute favorite kabbalah tome ever, the "Tomer Devorah" ("The Palm of Deborah") by Moses Codovera. Until recently, I had been unable to find it in translation. However, today I ran across it here. A table of attribute compiled form these sources, as well others, and form my own perosnal work is available at