The Components of Creation in Detail, Part 1

Synopsis is not necesarrily in Rabbi Kessin's own words

Rabbi Kessin elaborates on the different parts of creation as set forth by the Ramchal.

Hashem

• Hashem Himself is unknowable

The Sefiros

• • These are unknowable to us
  • They create reality and all that is contained within
  • These can be thought of as Hashem’s fingers, so to speak, meaning the tools by which He creates and maintains the realities
  • 2 sets of 10:
    • Sefiros D’Igulim / The Cyclical Sefiros: These create and maintain realities and all beings. They do not change
    • Sefiros D’Yosher / The Straight Sefiros: These are responsible for the quality of existence. Their illumination can be revealed or hidden to varying degrees by Jews resulting in different effects in creation.

Malachim / Angels

• Beings that serve as agents who carry out the will of Hashem
• There are 10 classes of malachim, each with subdivisions

Physical Organisms

• These have a lifeforce called the nefesh habehami / animalistic spirit or the nefesh tachtonis / the lower spirit.
• This force is completely physical, though it is the most ethereal of anything physical. It is detectable (as opposed to spiritual entities). This force resides in the blood.
• Variations on the magnitude of this force provide varying degrees of faculties.
• When the organism dies, it’s nefesh habehami evaporates.

Man

• A composite of spiritual and physical elements
• Man cannot access his spiritual elements directly until zikuch / purification of the body by the soul takes place
• Man has a nefesh tachtonis in addition to the neshamah / soul.
• The neshamah is the greatest being after the sefiros
• There are 5 levels to the soul – each corresponding to a different level of reality and are connected or relate to the body in some way:
  • Nefesh elyonah / the higher spirit
    • Connected to the liver
    • Corresponds to the reality of Asiyah (the physical realm)
  • Ruach
    • Connected to the heart
    • Corresponds to Yetzirah
  • Neshamah
    • Connected to the brain
    • Corresponds to Briyah
  • Chayah
    • A spiritual aura around the person
    • Corresponds to Atzilus
  • Yechidah
    • Hovers over the person
    • Corresponds to Adam Kadmon
• A Jew has all 5 parts of the neshama and, through them, can influence the illumination of the Sefiros. This allows him to take part in creating Olam Haba and thereby take part in it.
• A Non-Jew only possesses a nefesh elyonah. He can influence the physical and his own mazal
• Non-Jews can experience a certain degree of Olam Haba by virtue of a connection to a Jew

Sheidim / Demons

• Sheidim are also physical / spiritual composites, having both physical and spiritual attributes, for example:
  • We cannot detect them directly like a spiritual entitiy
  • They have spiritual abilities
  • They have physical limitations
  • They can die and propegate
• There are many types of sheidim