Ein Sof, or Eyn Sof (/eɪnsɒf/, Hebrew: אֵין סוֹףʾēyn sōf; meaning "infinite", lit.'(There is) no end'), in Kabbalah, is understood as God prior to any self-manifestation in the production of any spiritual realm, probably derived from Solomon ibn Gabirol's (c. 1021 – c. 1070) term, "the Endless One" (she-en lo tiklah). Ein Sof may be translated as "unending", "(there is) no end", or infinity.[1] It was first used by Azriel (c. 1160 – c. 1238), who, sharing the Neoplatonic belief that God can have no desire, thought, word, or action, emphasized by it the negation of any attribute. Of the Ein Sof, nothing ("Ein") can be grasped ("Sof"-limitation). It is the origin of the Ohr Ein Sof, the "Infinite Light" of paradoxical divine self-knowledge, nullified within the Ein Sof prior to creation. In Lurianic Kabbalah, the first act of creation, the Tzimtzum self "withdrawal" of God to create an "empty space", takes place from there. In Hasidic Judaism, the Tzimtzum is only the illusionary concealment of the Ohr Ein Sof, giving rise to monisticpanentheism. Consequently, Hasidism focuses on the Atzmus divine essence, rooted higher within the Godhead than the Ein Sof, which is limited to infinitude, and reflected in the essence (etzem) of the Torah and the soul.[citation needed]
Before He gave any shape to the world, before He produced any form, He was alone, without form and without resemblance to anything else. Who then can comprehend how He was before the Creation? Hence it is forbidden to lend Him any form or similitude, or even to call Him by His sacred name, or to indicate Him by a single letter or a single point... But after He created the form of the Heavenly Man, He used him as a chariot wherein to descend, and He wishes to be called after His form, which is the sacred name "YHWH".[2]
In other words, "Ein Sof" signifies "the nameless being". In another passage the Zohar reduces the term to "Ein" (non-existent), because God so transcends human understanding as to be practically non-existent.[3]
In addition to the Sefer Yetzirah and the Zohar, other well-known explications of the relation between Ein Sof and all other realities and levels of reality have been formulated by the Jewish mystical thinkers of the Middle Ages, such as Isaac the Blind and Azriel.[4] Judah Ḥayyaṭ, in his commentary Minḥat Yehudah on the Ma'areket Elahut, gives the following explanation of the term "Ein Sof":
Any name of God which is found in the Bible can not be applied to the Deity prior to His self-manifestation in the Creation, because the letters of those names were produced only after the emanation. . . . Moreover, a name implies a limitation in its bearer; and this is impossible in connection with the "Ein Sof".
According to Gershom Scholem, the Ein Sof is the emanator of the ten sefirot. Sefirot are energy emanations found on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life.[4] Ein Sof, the Atik Yomin ("Ancient of Days"), emanates the sefirot into the cosmic womb of the Ayin in a manner that results in the created universe. The three letters composing the word "Ayin" (אי״ן), indicate the first three purely intellectual sefirot, which precede any emotion or action.[5] The order of devolution can be described as:[citation needed]
The ten sefirot were preceded by a stage of concealment called tzimtzum, which "allows space" for creations to perceive themselves as separate existences from their creator. The sefirot exhibit reflection in sets of triads between more exalted states of being (or "non-being," when "otherness" does not yet exist) and the lower, more mundane levels of existence:
Ayin, Ein Sof, Ohr Ein Sof
Keter, Chokhmah, Binah
Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet
Netzach, Hod, Yesod
The sefirot consist of lights invested in vessels, similar to water poured into a glass. While taking on the shape of the glass, the water is essentially unchanged.
Concerned that misinterpretation could lead to the idolatrous belief of duality or multiplicity in God, the Kabbalists frequently stress that the sefirot are bound up in the Ein Sof, and that without the Ein Sof the sefirot have no existence. However, there is an apparent contradiction, since in Kabbalah, the sefirot are sometimes called divine in themselves, despite the assertion that they are only vehicles to manifest God. Moses ben Jacob Cordovero, who gave the first full systemization of Kabbalah in the 16th century, resolved the contradiction, explaining that the sefirot consist of lights invested in vessels. In detail, whereas the vessels are differentiated vehicles for creation, the light is the undifferentiated light of the Ein Sof. This is similar to how water poured into differently-shaped vessels will take on the vessels' forms, or how light streaming through different colors of glass appears in different colors. Despite the change in appearance, the water and the light emanate from a single source and are essentially unchanged; the vessels merely serve to filter and veil the light to reveal different aspects of the creator, and to permit creations to benefit from his light. This explanation was accepted and expanded upon in later works of Kabbalah and Hasidic philosophy.[6][7]
Hasidic Judaism in the 18th century internalised the esoteric, transcendent emanations of Kabbalah into immanent, psychological perception and correspondence.[8] The term in Hasidic philosophy for the divine source is Atzmus ("essence"). While the Ein Sof of Kabbalah can only be infinite, Atzmus, rooted higher in the Godhead, is beyond finite/infinite duality. As the Etzem, it both transcends all levels, and permeates all levels. This is reflected in the paradoxical acosmicmonism of Hasidic panentheism, and relates to the essence of the Torah and the soul. In Hasidic thought, Kabbalah corresponds to the World of Atzilus, the sephirah of Chochmah and the transcendent soul level of Chayah; Hasidic philosophy corresponds to the World of Adam Kadmon, the sephirah of Keter and the soul essence of Yechidah.[9] The Baal Shem Tov taught that the only reflection of Atzmus is the sincerity of the soul in performing the Jewish observances and prayer. Consequently, Hasidism gave new emphasis to the common folk, and to prayer and action over traditionally pre-eminent Torah study, as Atzmus is most reflected in the lowest levels, the purpose of creation in making a "dwelling place" for God in the lowest realms. In response, Chaim Volozhin, the main theological theorist of the Misnagdim, opposed Hasidic panentheism and re-emphasised Talmudic study.[10]
In Modern Hebrew
In Modern Hebrew as spoken in contemporary Israel, "ein sof" (often contracted to "einsof" – אינסוף) is commonly used as simply the word for "infinity", without reference to God and to the above intricate Kabbalistic connotations.[11]
^On the essence of Chassidus, Kehot publications, New York
^Torah for Torah's sake in the works of Haim Volozhin and his contemporaries, Norman Lamm, Yeshivah University
^For example, the term einsof (אינסוף) with that meaning is used by the Davidson Institute, Popular Science section of the Weizmann Institute of Science, in an online Hebrew-language article on the origin of the Infinity symbol[1]
soph, redirects, here, other, uses, soph, disambiguation, hebrew, ין, סו, ʾēyn, sōf, meaning, infinite, there, kabbalah, understood, prior, self, manifestation, production, spiritual, realm, probably, derived, from, solomon, gabirol, 1021, 1070, term, endless,. Ain Soph redirects here For other uses see Ain Soph disambiguation Ein Sof or Eyn Sof eɪ n s ɒ f Hebrew א ין סו ף ʾeyn sōf meaning infinite lit There is no end in Kabbalah is understood as God prior to any self manifestation in the production of any spiritual realm probably derived from Solomon ibn Gabirol s c 1021 c 1070 term the Endless One she en lo tiklah Ein Sof may be translated as unending there is no end or infinity 1 It was first used by Azriel c 1160 c 1238 who sharing the Neoplatonic belief that God can have no desire thought word or action emphasized by it the negation of any attribute Of the Ein Sof nothing Ein can be grasped Sof limitation It is the origin of the Ohr Ein Sof the Infinite Light of paradoxical divine self knowledge nullified within the Ein Sof prior to creation In Lurianic Kabbalah the first act of creation the Tzimtzum self withdrawal of God to create an empty space takes place from there In Hasidic Judaism the Tzimtzum is only the illusionary concealment of the Ohr Ein Sof giving rise to monistic panentheism Consequently Hasidism focuses on the Atzmus divine essence rooted higher within the Godhead than the Ein Sof which is limited to infinitude and reflected in the essence etzem of the Torah and the soul citation needed Contents 1 Explanation 2 The Ten Sefirot 3 Atzmus 4 In Modern Hebrew 5 See also 6 References 7 BibliographyExplanation EditThe Zohar explains the term Ein Sof as follows Before He gave any shape to the world before He produced any form He was alone without form and without resemblance to anything else Who then can comprehend how He was before the Creation Hence it is forbidden to lend Him any form or similitude or even to call Him by His sacred name or to indicate Him by a single letter or a single point But after He created the form of the Heavenly Man He used him as a chariot wherein to descend and He wishes to be called after His form which is the sacred name YHWH 2 In other words Ein Sof signifies the nameless being In another passage the Zohar reduces the term to Ein non existent because God so transcends human understanding as to be practically non existent 3 In addition to the Sefer Yetzirah and the Zohar other well known explications of the relation between Ein Sof and all other realities and levels of reality have been formulated by the Jewish mystical thinkers of the Middle Ages such as Isaac the Blind and Azriel 4 Judah Ḥayyaṭ in his commentary Minḥat Yehudah on the Ma areket Elahut gives the following explanation of the term Ein Sof Any name of God which is found in the Bible can not be applied to the Deity prior to His self manifestation in the Creation because the letters of those names were produced only after the emanation Moreover a name implies a limitation in its bearer and this is impossible in connection with the Ein Sof The Ten Sefirot EditMain articles Sefirot and Ohr According to Gershom Scholem the Ein Sof is the emanator of the ten sefirot Sefirot are energy emanations found on the Kabbalistic Tree of Life 4 Ein Sof the Atik Yomin Ancient of Days emanates the sefirot into the cosmic womb of the Ayin in a manner that results in the created universe The three letters composing the word Ayin אי ן indicate the first three purely intellectual sefirot which precede any emotion or action 5 The order of devolution can be described as citation needed 000 Ayin Nothing אין 00 Ein Sof Limitlessness אין סוף 0 Ohr Ein Sof Endless Light אור אין סוף Tzimtzum Contraction צמצום 1 Keter Crown כתר 2 Chokhmah Wisdom חכמה 3 Binah Understanding בינה 4 Chesed or Gedulah Loving Kindness or Mercy חסד 5 Gevurah or Din Power or Judgement גבורה 6 Tiferet Beauty or Compassion תפארת 7 Netzach Triumph or Endurance נצח 8 Hod Majesty or Splendor הוד 9 Yesod Foundation יסוד 10 Malkuth Realm מלכות The ten sefirot were preceded by a stage of concealment called tzimtzum which allows space for creations to perceive themselves as separate existences from their creator The sefirot exhibit reflection in sets of triads between more exalted states of being or non being when otherness does not yet exist and the lower more mundane levels of existence Ayin Ein Sof Ohr Ein Sof Keter Chokhmah Binah Chesed Gevurah Tiferet Netzach Hod Yesod The sefirot consist of lights invested in vessels similar to water poured into a glass While taking on the shape of the glass the water is essentially unchanged Concerned that misinterpretation could lead to the idolatrous belief of duality or multiplicity in God the Kabbalists frequently stress that the sefirot are bound up in the Ein Sof and that without the Ein Sof the sefirot have no existence However there is an apparent contradiction since in Kabbalah the sefirot are sometimes called divine in themselves despite the assertion that they are only vehicles to manifest God Moses ben Jacob Cordovero who gave the first full systemization of Kabbalah in the 16th century resolved the contradiction explaining that the sefirot consist of lights invested in vessels In detail whereas the vessels are differentiated vehicles for creation the light is the undifferentiated light of the Ein Sof This is similar to how water poured into differently shaped vessels will take on the vessels forms or how light streaming through different colors of glass appears in different colors Despite the change in appearance the water and the light emanate from a single source and are essentially unchanged the vessels merely serve to filter and veil the light to reveal different aspects of the creator and to permit creations to benefit from his light This explanation was accepted and expanded upon in later works of Kabbalah and Hasidic philosophy 6 7 Atzmus EditMain article Atzmus Hasidic Judaism in the 18th century internalised the esoteric transcendent emanations of Kabbalah into immanent psychological perception and correspondence 8 The term in Hasidic philosophy for the divine source is Atzmus essence While the Ein Sof of Kabbalah can only be infinite Atzmus rooted higher in the Godhead is beyond finite infinite duality As the Etzem it both transcends all levels and permeates all levels This is reflected in the paradoxical acosmic monism of Hasidic panentheism and relates to the essence of the Torah and the soul In Hasidic thought Kabbalah corresponds to the World of Atzilus the sephirah of Chochmah and the transcendent soul level of Chayah Hasidic philosophy corresponds to the World of Adam Kadmon the sephirah of Keter and the soul essence of Yechidah 9 The Baal Shem Tov taught that the only reflection of Atzmus is the sincerity of the soul in performing the Jewish observances and prayer Consequently Hasidism gave new emphasis to the common folk and to prayer and action over traditionally pre eminent Torah study as Atzmus is most reflected in the lowest levels the purpose of creation in making a dwelling place for God in the lowest realms In response Chaim Volozhin the main theological theorist of the Misnagdim opposed Hasidic panentheism and re emphasised Talmudic study 10 In Modern Hebrew EditIn Modern Hebrew as spoken in contemporary Israel ein sof often contracted to einsof אינסוף is commonly used as simply the word for infinity without reference to God and to the above intricate Kabbalistic connotations 11 See also EditApeiron Ayin and Yesh Divine simplicity Essence energies distinction God in Judaism Hayyi Rabbi Panentheism Wuji philosophy References Edit morfix online dictionary Zohar part ii section Bo 42b Zohar ib part iii 288b a b Scholem Gershom 1974 Kabbalah Jewish Publication Society pp 88 and ff Shoshan Sodot 1b Tanya ch 2 author s note Hemshech Samech Vov pp 3 4 6 Overview of Chassidut from inner org On the essence of Chassidus Kehot publications New York Torah for Torah s sake in the works of Haim Volozhin and his contemporaries Norman Lamm Yeshivah University For example the term einsof אינסוף with that meaning is used by the Davidson Institute Popular Science section of the Weizmann Institute of Science in an online Hebrew language article on the origin of the Infinity symbol 1 Bibliography Edit This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain Singer Isidore et al eds 1901 1906 En Sof The Jewish Encyclopedia New York Funk amp Wagnalls Ehrenpreis 1895 Die Entwickelung der Emanationslehre in der Kabbala des XIII Jahrhunderts Frankfort on the Main p 26 Franck 1889 La Kabbale Paris p 136 Ginsburg Christian David 1865 The Ḳabbalah London p 105 Joel 1849 Die Religionsphilosophie des Sohar Leipsic Karppe 1901 Etude sur les Origines et la Nature du Zohar Paris p 344 Myer 1888 Qabbalah Philadelphia pp 251 et seq Scholem Gershom 1974 Kabbalah Jewish Publication Society Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Ein Sof amp oldid 1133843156, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
