Tree of Life

Although our bodies are made up of many parts - represented by the Sefirot - all of our parts interact with each other in a dynamic way, and together comprise one person.  Kabbalists see the entire Universe in this same way.  In fact, the word Universe means 'one verse'.  In this Tree of Life Diagram, the network of lines that connect the circles represent how the Sefirot are ‘One Together’ - they process Life by working together as One.  That's why some Tree of Life Diagrams I make have 11 Sefirot or 13 instead of the usual 10.  It is more important to understand that they are One… more

When the Sefirot are presented in the Tanya (the classic text from the first Lubavitcher Rebbe) they are called 3 Mothers and 7 Doubles.  The 3 Mothers refer to the three higher Sefirot.  The Seven Doubles refer to the seven lower Sefirot.

However, the original source of the terms Three Mothers and Seven Doubles is the Sefer Yetzirah, where the 22 Hebrew Letters are presented as three groups - 3 Mothers, 7 Doubles and 12 Simples.

In this picture I joined both together and placed א in Keter (Crown), מ in Chochmah (Wisdom) and ש in Binah (Understanding) - these… more

I made this Tree of Life Diagram diagonal to hint at the shape of the first Letter א Aleph.  The 11th Sefirah, Daat, has a black dot to make it stand out, because it is the interface between the 3 higher Sefirot associated with the mind, and the 7 lower ones associated with the body.

The Sefirot are spoken of as emanations of God's Light.  א Aleph is the first letter of the Hebrew word for 'light'.  Modern Science tells us that physical light is non-dual - it paradoxically acts as both waves (which spread out in all directions from any Light source at the mind-boggling speed of 300… more

In Sefer Yetzirah, the Universe is said to exist in 5 dimensions.  There are 3 spacial dimensions (right and left; up and down; front and back).  These 3 dimensions of Space are defined by the Axis תלי (pronounced teli) - the imaginary line that the Universe resolves upon; or the line that represents the x y and z axises of spatial coordinates.  The Axis … more

A vision of the Divine Merkava is described in detail in Ezekiel Chapter 1.  The Hebrew word מרכבה (Merkava) means a vehicle; or a combination (of abilities).  The Kabbalah teaches that the more one becomes aware of one’s Eternal Soul, the more one sees oneself as a Merkava for the Shechinah.  The Tree of Life Diagram in this drawing has 13 Sefirot (instead of the traditional 10) that form two Magen Davids embedded in a large figure 8.  13 is the Gematria of the Hebrew word for 'One' אחד (echad).  13 is also the Gematria of the Hebrew word for 'Love' אהבה (ahava).  Putting these two 13s… more

The ancient tree in this picture is at least one thousand years old.  Its diameter is almost two meters wide.  The insides of olive trees get hollow as they grow older, and their trunks twist in a spiral around their hollow core.  I remember taking my wife and kids there when they were younger and all of us could fit inside the hollow core of this beautiful and ancient tree.
 
Several years ago I walked down to the small grove that contains this tree (and four or five other ancient olive trees) and discovered to my horror that someone had taken a chainsaw to these ancient trees… more

This drawing shows a woman sitting in meditation, visualizing her body as the Tree of Life Diagram - the 10 Sefirot - and the 4 Letters YHVH, the Holy Name of God.  Often called the One Name, it points to the Eternal Existence.  YHVH means Was, Is, and Will Be.  This Eternal Name was revealed to Moses by the burning bush in Exodus 3:15.  In Exodus 20:21 God said, "Any place in which my Name is called (or meditated upon), I will come to you and and bless you."  I made a woman here because Malchut is Feminine, and is associated with שכינה (Shechinah) a word that means dwelling within.  In… more

As in my painting 'The Tree of Life', the 3 columns of the Sefirot arrayed in this Tree of Life Diagram represents Nurture or our ability to choose.  We can act with Kindness (associated with the right column), with Strength (the left column), and with Beauty (the middle column).  Choosing is seen as Masculine in the Kabbalah, whereas Nature (as represented here by the Sefirot in their concentric 'round' array) is seen as Feminine.  Life is a combination of both - Nature and Nurture. 

Rabbi Isaac Luria (known as the Ari) described the Ten Sefirot in great detail in a way known as Partzufim (Faces of God).  This how Prophets and Kabbalists see God in their own likeness and form.  And since humans come in many forms - Masculine and Feminine, Young and Old - the Partzufim are seen in all of these forms.  In this picture, the blue square symbolizes the Masculine, the red triangle symbolizes the Feminine, and the yellow circle symbolizes the joining of the two together.  There are 5 major Partuzfim that comprise this Family Tree of Life.
 
The head of the largest… more

This picture is closely related to my picture Family Tree of Life.  The large face at the top represents a Grandfather who blesses his Children through their Fathers and Mothers that are on his arms.  The Grandfather's hands rest upon the head of a dark-haired Son whose hands rest upon the head of a Daughter with reddish hair. 
 
The Grandfather represents Adam who was created in God's likeness.  His shoulders are the Biblical Patriarch and Matriarch Abraham and Sarah.  His arms are Isaac and Rebecca - the parents of Jacob. … more