Sacred
Glossary

The first and highest blueprint of creation in Kabbalah — the original “design” from which all worlds unfold.

The soul's love and longing for closeness with the Divine.

In several traditions, a subtle “record” holding the memory of every soul and event.

The first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, a symbol of divine oneness and primordial light.

The Hebrew letters, viewed in Kabbalah as living forces of creation, not just symbols for sounds.

The core prayer of every Jewish service, said standing in quiet devotion.

Rabbi Isaac Luria (16th century), whose teachings shaped much of modern Kabbalah.

The highest, most hidden divine realm in Kabbalah, beyond ordinary comprehension.

A branch of Chassidus that stresses using the mind to awaken the heart; also the community Aaron was raised in.

A movement within Judaism that brings Kabbalah into the heart — emphasizing joy, inner devotion, and a felt relationship with God.

A hidden feminine blueprint of creation, a counterpart to Adam Kadmon in Aaron's writings.

A very high level of the soul, close to its divine source, usually beyond ordinary awareness.

God's boundless, limitless essence — the Divine as it is before taking any form. Literally “without end.”

A famous passage (Proverbs 31) praising the ideal woman; in Kabbalah, an image of the Divine Presence.

The practice of reading meaning in the numeric values of Hebrew letters and words.

The final Redemption — the healing and elevation of the whole world, the dawn of the Golden Era.

A common Jewish way of referring to God; literally “The Name.”

The mystical heart of Jewish tradition — its teachings on how the infinite God relates to creation, the soul, and daily life.

In yogic tradition, the coiled life-force that rises up the spine as one awakens.

A scroll of scripture — most often the Book of Esther, read on the festival of Purim.

A geometric figure said to contain the building-block shapes of creation; Metatron is an archangel in Jewish tradition.

The daily Jewish afternoon prayer service.

The short prayer of thanks said the moment one wakes, for the return of the soul to the body.

In Jewish tradition, the awaited redeemer who ushers in an era of universal peace, awakening, and closeness to God — the Golden Era.

The most physical level of the soul, tied to the body and its vitality — the first of the soul's five levels.

The intellectual, God-aware level of the soul — the seat of understanding and conscience.

A traditional washing of the hands, done on waking and before meals, marking a shift into a sacred state.

The infinite delight or pleasure of God — a joy at the very root of existence.

The opening songs and psalms of the morning prayers that prepare the heart for deeper prayer.

The Jewish holiday celebrating a hidden, behind-the-scenes rescue — a symbol of the Divine working in disguise.

God's will or desire — the deep intention behind creation.

The level of soul that carries feeling and character — literally “spirit” or “breath.”

In Kabbalah, the ten channels or qualities — like wisdom, kindness, and strength — through which the infinite God creates and sustains the world.

God's intimate, playful delight — the self-delight of the Infinite before creation.

The daily Jewish morning prayer service.

God's felt, indwelling presence in the world — often described in feminine terms.

The traditional Jewish prayer book, ordering the daily prayers.

The foundational book of Chabad Chassidus, a practical map of the soul and the inner spiritual life.

A profound, essential pleasure or delight; in Kabbalah, a force even deeper than will.

The foundational Jewish scripture and the whole body of divine teaching that flows from it.

The Kabbalistic idea that God “withdrew” or concealed the infinite light to make room for a world to exist.

The highest level of the soul — the point of pure oneness with God that never separates from its source.

Reverence and awe before the Divine — not fear, but the trembling wonder of standing before something infinite.

The central classic of Kabbalah, a mystical commentary on the Torah written largely in Aramaic.