Four Worlds should not be confused with Fourth World.
The Four Worlds (Hebrew: עולמות ʿOlamot, singular: ʿOlam Hebrew: עולם), sometimes counted with a prior stage to make Five Worlds, are the comprehensive categories of spiritual realms in Kabbalah in the descending chain of Existence.
The concept of "Worlds" denotes the emanation of creative lifeforce from the Ein Sof Divine Infinite, through progressive, innumerable tzimtzumim (concealments/veilings/condensations). As particular sefirot dominate in each realm, so the primordial fifth World, Adam Kadmon, is often excluded for its transcendence, and the four subsequent Worlds are usually referred to. Their names are read out from Isaiah 43:7, "Every one that is called by My name and for My glory, I have created, I have formed, even I have made" each elucidating the names Atziluth ("Emanation/Close"), Beriah ("Creation"), Yetzirah ("Formation"), and Assiah ("Action"). Below Assiah, the lowest spiritual World, is Assiah-Gashmi ("Physical Assiah"), our Physical Universe, which enclothes its last two sefirot “emanations” (Yesod and Malkuth).[1] Collectively, the Four Worlds are also referred to as ABiYA, after their initial letters. As well as the functional role each World has in the process of Creation, they also embody dimensions of consciousness within human experience.
See also: Seder Hishtalshelut. The Worlds are formed by the Ohr Mimalei Kol Olmin, literally "Fills all Words", which is the Divine creative light that represents the concept of Divine immanence. The 10 sefirot attributes and their associated twelve partzufim "shine" in each world, as do more specific Divine manifestations. In Lurianic Kabbalah, the partzufim dynamically interact with each other, and sublime "levels" are enclothed within lower existences, representing a sort-of concealed soul. Nonetheless, in each World, particular sefirot and partzufim predominate. The Five Worlds are, in descending order:
The Four Worlds are spiritual, heavenly realms in a descending chain, although the lowest world of Assiah has both a spiritual and a physical aspect. The physical level of Assiah is our physical finite realm, including the cosmological Universe studied by science. Consequently, as Kabbalah becomes more of a metaphysical study, the terms "higher" and "lower" are used as metaphors for being closer or further from Divine consciousness, revelation, and emanance.The 16th-century systemisation of Kabbalah by Moses ben Jacob Cordovero brought the preceding interpretations and schools into their first complete rational synthesis. Subsequent doctrines of Kabbalah from Isaac Luria, describe an initial tzimtzum (withdrawal of the universal Divine consciousness that preceded Creation) to "allow room" for created beings on lower levels of consciousness. Lower levels of consciousness require the self-perception of independent existence, by the created beings on each level, to prevent their loss of identity before the magnificence of God. This illusion increases with more force in each subsequent descending realm. The number of graduations between the Infinite and the finite, is likewise infinite, and arises from innumerable, progressively strong concealments of the Divine light. Nonetheless, the four worlds represent fundamental categories of Divine consciousness from each other, which delineates their four descriptions. Consequently, each world also psychologically represents a spiritual rung of ascent in human consciousness, as it approaches the Divine.
Kabbalah distinguishes between two types of Divine light that emanate through the 10 sefirot (Divine emanations) from the Infinite (Ein Sof), to create or affect reality. There is a continual flow of a "lower" light, the Mimalei Kol Olmin, the light of eminence that "fills all worlds" is the creating force in each descending world, that itself continually brings everything in that level of existence into being from nothing. It is this light that undergoes the various divine concealments and contractions as it descends downward to create the next level, and adapts itself to the capacity of each created being on each level. A transcendent higher light Sovev Kol Olmin, the light that "surrounds all worlds" would be the manifestation on a particular level of a higher light which above the capacity of that realm to contain. This is ultimately rooted in the infinite light ("Ohr Ein Sof") that preceded Creation, the Tzimtzum and the Sephirot, rather than the source of the immanent light in the "Kav" (first emanation of creation after the Tzimtzum), in the teachings of Isaac Luria. Consequently, all the worlds are dependent for their continual existence on the flow of Divinity they constantly receive from the Divine Will to create them. Creation is continuous. The faculty of Divine Will is represented in the sefirot (10 Divine emanations) by the first, supra-conscious Sephirah of "Keter"-Crown, that transcends the lower 9 Sephirot of conscious intellect and emotion. Once the Divine Will is manifest, then it actualises Creation through Divine Intellect, and "subsequently" Divine Emotion, until it results in action. The reference to temporal cause and effect is itself a metaphor. The psychology of man also reflects the "Divine psychology" of the sefirot, as "Man is created in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27). In man the activation of willpower through intellect and emotion until deed, requires time and subsequent cause and effect. In the Divine Sephirot and their activation of Creation, this does not apply, as limitations only apply to Creation.
The Book of Job states that "from my flesh I see God". In Kabbalah and Hasidism this is understood to refer to the correspondence between the "Divine psychology" of the Four Worlds and the Sephirot, with human psychology and the Sephirot in the soul of man. From understanding the Kabbalistic description of the human soul, we can grasp the meaning of the Divine scheme. Ultimately, this is seen as the reason that God chose to emanate His Divinity through the 10 Sephirot, and chose to create the corresponding chain of four Worlds (called the "Seder hishtalshelus"-"order of development"). He could have chosen to bridge the infinite gap between the Ein Sof and our World by a leap of Divine decree. Instead the Sephirot and Four Worlds allow man to understand Divinity through Divine manifestation, by understanding himself. The verse in Genesis of this correspondence also describes the feminine half of Creation: (Genesis 1:27) "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him, male and female created He them". Consequently, some of the sefirot are feminine, and the Shechina (immanent Divine presence) is seen as feminine. It is the intimate relationship between the Divine scheme of four World and man, that allows man's ascent more easily to Divine consciousness (see Dveikus).
| World: | Descriptions: | Dominant Sephirah: | Letter of Tetragrammaton: | Level of soul: | Level of Torah-PaRDeS: | Other associations: |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adam Kadmon "Primordial Man" | Primary form of Kav Above consciousness Sephirot concealed Latent potential Tetragrammatons United with Ein Sof Divine intent Pure light, no vessels | Keter-Crown In relation to 4 Worlds Inherent Will to Create Revealed in Keter-Will of Atzilut | Apex atop י Yud Above representation Alluded to by thorn | Yechidah-Singular Essence of soul Unity with God | Sod Sh'b'Sod Secret within Secret Reflects Atzmut-Essence Inner soul of Torah Yechidah-source of Torah | Beyond all names Including all names Beyond good-bad polarity |
| Atziluth "Emanation/Nearness" | From Tohu to Tikun Sephirot revealed First perception Unrestricted illumination Divine insight No self-awareness Nullification of Essence Divine All | Chochmah-Wisdom Source of intellect Partzuf of Abba-Father | י Yud Dimensionless point First illumination-Male Dot in the Palace | Chayah-Living Encompassing soul Spiritual awareness | Sod-Secret Kabbalah Soul of Torah Chayah-Wisdom of Torah | Concealed World with Beriah Divine name ע״ב Divine good Ayin-Nothingness Torah scroll Ta'amim-Notes |
| Beri'ah "Creation" | Formless existence First self-awareness Parsah-Veil from Atzilut to Beriah Divine Intellect Nullification of Being First sensed Creation Divine Throne Higher Garden of Eden | Binah-Understanding Grasp of intellect Partzuf of Imma-Mother | Higher ה Hei Dimensional expansion Vessel for intellect-Female Palace | Neshamah-Breath Divine intellect in soul Highest internalised potential Breath is internalised | Drush-Homiletic Midrash Neshamah-Understanding of Torah Aggadah alludes to Kabbalah | Divine name ס״ג Mostly good Little potential source of bad Thought garment Torah scroll Nekudot-Vowels |
| Yetzirah "Formation" | General existence Divine Emotions Striving for ascent Awareness of distance Active self-nullification Archetypal forms Lower Garden of Eden | Midot-6 Emotions Chesed to Yesod Centred round Tiferet Partzuf of Zeir Anpin-Son | ו Vav Descending illumination Emotional revelation-Male Reveals Da'at-Knowledge | Ruach-Spirit Divine emotions in soul Potential internalised spirit Emotional movement | Remez-Hint Ruach-Emotions of Torah Soul of simple meaning Some Torah commentaries | Revealed World with Asiyah Divine name מ״ה Equal good-bad potential Speech garment Torah scroll Tagin-Crowns |
| Asiyah "Action" | Particular existence Divine action Concealment of God 1 Asiyah Ruchni-Spiritual Below it: 2 Asiyah Gashmi-Physical Purpose of Creation | Malkuth-Kingship Fulfilment in action Partzuf of Nukvah-Daughter Shechinah-Divine Presence | Lower ה Hei Dimensional expansion Vessel for emotions-Female Nurtures action | Nefesh-Lifeforce Vitality of actions Invested in body | Pshat-Simple Nefesh-Physicality of Torah Halachah and Torah narratives | Divine name ב״ן Mostly bad-little good Action garment Torah scroll Otiyot-Letters |