The Sefirot are our human perceptions of God’s various interactions with the world, as discussed in "The Ten Sefirot."
What is the significance of the number "ten"?
In the Kabbalistic metaphor, numbers are not merely arithmetic notations. Numbers have a personality and are qualitatively meaningful. This idea is not so abstruse, for we live with it colloquially as well. We say that something happened only "once," that there are "two" sides to every story, that "three timed" offenders should be put away, that "dozens" came for an event, etc. etc.
Therefore, if there are "ten" emanations or Ten Sefirot, there must be a representation behind that number.
The number ten is significant because it is the arithmetic base.
The number ten is significant because it is the arithmetic base. This is usually explained as a result of our having ten fingers, the natural extent of primitive men’s digits. But this explanation begs the question: If there is a purposeful creation, and every facet of human life and activity are pre-planned, then the "ten" fingers are also part of that plan. It means that God intended the number system to be "ten." Why?
And even if the number system is built on ten bases, why is that the amount of Sefirot?
TEN UTTERANCES
The Maharal, a 16th century mystic/philosopher offers an explanation. Although he really explains why God used "ten" utterances with which to create the world, the answer really fits the idea of Ten Sefirot, which are identical to the ten utterances.
God could have created the world with either one utterance ("sefira" in Hebrew), a few utterances (or sefirot), or ten utterances. Let us analyze the different possibilities.
If God had used one utterance, there is no way for us to analyze the world into component units.
If God had used one utterance, it would mean that there is no way for us to analyze the world into component units. For instance, take an ingenious businessman who acts intuitively and succeeds in business brilliantly. If we ask him to explain why he bought a certain company and what he gains from it, he will just stutter and say, "It just felt right." He really can’t explain it, for component terms such as "assets," "cash flow," and "infrastructure," are not part of his thinking and terminology. Similarly, a world that is totally encompassed in one description leaves us uncomprehending.
Let us then take a world created in two to nine commandments. This is a world with many component elements but no visible unifying underpinning. Thus, it may be compared to a person that does a lot of analytical investing but on an ad hoc basis; whenever opportunity presents itself he invests. We may understand particular moves of his but there is no overall picture to perceive.
Since God is One, this would be a false perception. A type of presentation where we can perceive bits and pieces, but not the connection between them, is pointless.
TENS OF TENS
We then come to the third possibility which is "ten." Ten consists of component pieces that may be seen as separate entities, and yet they add up to an entire group of "ten." Or better said, ten is the "one" that consists of components.
God created the world that allows itself to be analyzed in terms of components.
Thus, when we speak of "Ten" Sefirot, we mean to say that God created the world -- mankind, Torah, history and everything else -- that allows itself to be analyzed in terms of components. Not only ten components, but each of these ten has ten components, and so on.
On the other hand, no matter how many fractions we are capable of identifying, there is always a thread that allows us to understand how these various disparate elements converge to form the overriding unified picture, which is the "true" picture.
Therefore, when we study how God acts through the Ten Sefirot, we are looking at each detail with a double perspective:
- the particular point which each act expresses and
- the unifying element which interlocks all of God's activities into one seamless entity, as befits God Who is One.
(26) Anonymous, April 20, 2020 1:49 PM
Refence for maharal
Can someone be so kind as to point me where i can find this fascinating maharal?
(25) Gabriel m. kamau, June 25, 2016 7:07 PM
i preciate what you people are doing, at least i have a glimps of what i have been searching for over thirty years,
(24) Daniel, January 1, 2015 11:41 PM
Ten is two times five.
One first separates into two, one male one female. Ten is 5 male and five female. Same as our hand. Left hand is male, right hand is female.
But male and female aren't enough distinguishing factors. Too limited to express the universe. Black and white photo. Five colors are needed, five sounds are needed, five directions are needed. Each one male and female. The colors are blue, red, yellow, white and black. The sounds are the five natural sounds which can be heard when twirling a semi rigid pipe in the air. They are five naturally occurring pitches, do, re, mi, sol and la. More correspondences between the five fingers of gods hands and physical entities can be described. North - south, east-west, up-down, inward-outward, left-right.
(23) Steven, October 10, 2013 2:40 AM
One
God is One... We read the torah and we see all of God's ways. Love, wisdom, justice, mercy, etc.etc... God has created us in His image... God said that His Word would accomplish that which He sends it out to do. And His word would not return to Himself void. So then if we learn and seal our hearts with the whole torah. We know God as we did when He created us. God would see His Word and would receive Himself. Gods ways are not are ways nor His thoughts our thoughts. For His ways are Higher than our ways, and His thoughts Higher than our thoughts.... Isaiah 41:10 Do not be in awe! For I AM with you! Do not be dismayed! I AM your God! I shall strengthen you! Yes, I shall help you. Yes, I shall uphold you with the right hand of My Righteousness.
(22) Alan, September 24, 2013 4:22 PM
Ten Sefirot...
...ten dimensions. It is interesting that the latest quantum-physics string theories are finding that reality is ten-dimensional. It's possible (likely, I think) that the ancient kabbalists knew this somehow, and that knowledge was expressed as the ten Sefirot.
(21) Laurence Tompkins, May 8, 2012 2:17 PM
The Sefer Yetzirah makes it clear.
It is clearly written in the Sefer Yetzirah and stated quite mater of fact. "Ten is the number of the ineffable Sephiroth, ten and not nine, ten and not eleven. Understand this wisdom, and be wise by the perception." We can talk and ask around why but it seems pretty clear that 10 it is.
(20) Stevan, January 31, 2012 12:02 AM
A possibility of why 10
The following may provide a reason for 10 vs. 9, 11, or another number. Why not fewer? This query may be similar to a movable sitting stool which must have at least 3 legs to be stable. If less than 3, it can not support itself. This provides us a sense of a needed minimum number for something to function. Isn't a stool with 4 legs better than 3? For this one I'll paraphrase a quote from a book titled Programming Pearls of Wisdom attempting to warn programmers against putting everything including the kitchen sink into their program. < Beauty is not when nothing else can be added; beauty is when nothing else can be removed. > This reminds me of the simplicity in Einsteins formula E=MC2 as an example. If you add, or delete, any element the formula does not work. Perhaps it is the same with the 10 emanations of G-d? I'm not qualified to answer that one.
(19) Anonymous, April 6, 2011 10:42 PM
If only the world practice some of the laws
God knows what is necessary for earth and so he told us to leave the earth untouched, rivers unfished for the seveth year... now people are suffering because they have toiled the earth till it has nothing to offer , rivers have no fish. etc. The people could take the leaf from God's laws.
(18) Anonymous, July 23, 2010 5:24 AM
Huh?
I'm very much intrigued and impressed by the lessons so far. This one baffles me a bit--- Why would 2-9 commandments create for no underpinning? Why not 11? Why not 613? There are infinite perspectives that, as discovered, consistently change perceptions and truths about G-d. Why does ten reveal "the true picture"?
Anonymous, January 24, 2012 4:22 PM
"Ten"
Ten allows us to understand infinity in its simplest perspective. Infinity is truly a complex concept. A limitless expansion with no end. Primitive tools (2 hands) allow the concepts flow much easier through the generations. Two hands will suffice, not ten. Adam and Eve was given only one commandment. They don't want to talk about that and at that point everything was "good". More than that...."very good". 1's and 10's are true infinity and include everything else in between. I doubt they will ever print this...but the truth carries on...
Anonymous, April 20, 2012 5:52 PM
10 being truth
Even with the 613, you would add 6 1 3 and it's ten.
(17) rachel, March 4, 2006 12:00 AM
thank you
Thank you for blessing my sabbath with your wisdom.
It is difficut for many in this modern age to believe in absolutes. Most believe that knowledge is relative and, therefore, it does not matter what you believe. The result is the chaos of the world we live in. A world that needs much healing.
(16) anonymous, October 2, 2004 12:00 AM
been thinking
People often say "There are two sides of a story", but given more than two people in an event, there likely will be more sides to the story than two.
10 is one arithmetic base, and as others have mentioned before, binary, hexadecimal, octals can also be arithmetic bases.
What I want to ask is why we need to justify the use of 10 in the first place.
Like a rainbow, children most commonly use 7 or more colors to portray it. However, we know that the colors of the rainbow are infinite. Asking why we use 10 to describe God is like asking why we use 7 colors to draw the rainbow. Moreover, could it be possible that rather than using red, green and blue that we use cyan, maroon and yellow instead?
Bob, January 24, 2012 3:48 PM
colors are infinite?
All colors fall into a spectrum, which truly shows light is not infinite. All from white light. Infinity is a hard concept to truly attain please don't abuse it.
(15) Mercedes, June 28, 2004 12:00 AM
Thank you
I have been confirmed a Catholic but had lost my faith and beliefs, I needed to find myself, and I came to kabbalah, this website has taught me so much and I feel that it is changing my life for the better. Thank you
(14) Den Bledsoe, June 5, 2004 12:00 AM
Thank you so much for your diligence.
Again, thank you for sharing your gift of knowledge with the rest of the world.
(13) Ed, March 12, 2004 12:00 AM
Hehe
Well, the ten because we use ten, seems to be a sophism. I would prefeer instead some other explanation, such as "it is ten", because mitzvot imply action, and action implies using our hands.
And judaism is about action, hence, the action og G-d was manifested in the form of man, so we use ten fingers.
you get the idea!
=)
Eduardo Mendez
(12) Mindy, March 12, 2004 12:00 AM
I thoroughly enjoy your website. I am trying to replenish my soul and this website is always a source of inspiration and teshuvah for me as I am not orthodox but am aiming at a reconcilation with Hashem and his commandments. Thank you.
(11) Cuks Okwudili-YAH Elue, March 11, 2004 12:00 AM
Great! I would like to learn more and also the Hebrew language.Keep up the good work.
(10) C Pearson, August 22, 2003 12:00 AM
Use of base 10
Fascinating article, and I'll be continuing to read with interest, however, I've got to dispute one fairly crucial point:
"The number ten is significant because it is the arithmetic base."
The number ten is *an* arithmetic base. It may be the one most commonly in use today[1], but it is not the only one. The Babylonians used variants on base60, of which remnants remain today - for example, how we measure time & geometry: 60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour; 60 seconds in a geometrical degee, 360 degrees in a complete rotation (6 lots of 60).
How would one explain the significance of ten without this prior assumption of 10 being an intrinsically 'natural' basis for a number system?
C Pearson
[1] Actually, even that isn't strictly true - base10 may be the most commonly used in mental arithmetic; however, binary (base2) is, I would suspect, the most widely used number system, since it is what is used in computing!
(9) R'bibo marc daniel, April 23, 2003 12:00 AM
i will read it until i diggest it correctly,however that might take some times as we need to understand fully the meaning of each word herein.
one have to detach himself from the daily stress,to spend time enriching his soul from your teachings,at least my soul will have known a little bit of that splendid sensation.
(8) Annabelle Bar-moshe, June 14, 2002 12:00 AM
I want to know more about Jewish
Aish your the great educator.
(7) anita vanput, April 24, 2002 12:00 AM
fascinating
more please!
(6) Pejay Hughes, December 2, 2001 12:00 AM
Just what I have been looking for!
I have been looking for information about Kabbala for many years now with no luck. Thank you, this is wonderful and I look foward to learning.
(5) Nissim Abraham, October 28, 2001 12:00 AM
Perfect
THANK YOU
(4) alexander mccaffrey, August 3, 2001 12:00 AM
the Ratio of life= 1.1818181818.....
It is interesting that you refer to 10 as the one that consists of components,... this sounds like the decimal system is God's structural basis. so, using that line of reason,
:1.take any circle(a circle being the
geometric representation of oneness
and infiniteness at simultaniously).
2.inscribe within this circle a Star
of David whos six points touch the
circle and are symetrical along
all three axis.( the points on
star, if drawn correctly, are
equilateral,equiangular
triangles, with 60 degree
angels)
3. Now, take the diameter of
the circle in 1. and divide it
by any of the six strait lines
which are used to make the Star
in 2.
The resulting ratio is 1.1818181....(or 13/11). If we look at this as a message encoded in the decimal system, we see 1 on one side of decimal, and a infinitely repeating 18(the germetical value of Chai,or life) on the other. in other words ,as in the circle, oneness and infinite life.
(3) Glen Priddy, March 25, 2000 12:00 AM
I have waited years for this information, and now I am speachless with awe.
How wonderful to at last find that which I had been seeking for years. Rabbi, you are a G-d sent to me. Thank you is not enough, but there isn't any English word befitting to use...agape is the nearest I can thank of just now. You have blessed my soul.
(2) James Hale, March 1, 2000 12:00 AM
Very clarifying.
I find this series of articles very illuminating and certainly have helped me understand my own relationship with Hashem. Keep up the good work!
(1) Anonymous, March 1, 2000 12:00 AM
Great! Thank you
Excellent explanation. I had to read it a few times to really grasp why it had to be 10, instead of, say, 7 or 8. But, I fnally got it.