Healing Well of Miriam

The array the sefirot forms energetic triads that interact with each other.  This facilitates the balance of the flow of shefa (divine energy) into the world.   This concept, repeated throughout the array of the ten sefirot, is dramatically illustrated in the triad of Chesed, Gevurah, and Tiferet—ChaGaT.    Each of these is personified through one of the patriarchs.  Abraham served God through chesed, encouraging service through love. Isaac proclaimed the fear of God, warning against violating the prohibitions of the Torah.   Jacob held both, proclaiming the truth through balance between mercy and justice.   

~~

Chesed, lovingkindness, is an act that is not required from the perspective of Din (judgement).  Rather, it comes from one’s own volition, without any duress, for another’s benefit.   Such selfless giving is what prompted Abraham to pray for Sodom and Gomorrah.  EL, the King who dwells on the throne of mercy, is in charge of compassion and mercy and sits above the great court known as ELOHIM.  The abundant mercy of Chesed prompted Heaven to involve Abraham in the judgement process, knowing his heart would agree with God’s and plead their case in the world.   Abraham appealed to EL Elyon (the uppermost EL), knowing that the sins of the cities were so egregious that the people could not be spared on their own merit, and that they would not even consider praying for themselves.  We can engage the attribute of Chesed within ourselves through meditation, such as:

El, You are merciful and pardoning, long forbearing and abundant in kindness and truth.

From my flesh I see God. –Job 19:26

Overlaying the sefirot on the human body helps to comprehend the function of the divine attributes.  The center is the balance of the left and right sides.  We understand the giving and taking from one hand or the other.  We find it easier to lead with one leg rather than the other.  One side predominates and leads, while the other more naturally follows.  Even in reference to tendencies of behavior, some are called “left-brain” and others “right-brain.”  In this depiction above Malchut is shown as the mouth, for it is through speech that we experience dominion of our place in the world.  Each limb of the body is important for us to live a balanced life and experience the world in the fullest possible way.   

~~

“Gevurah” defines the left side as one of boundaries, restraint, and judgement.  From the word “gebor” (hero), “gevurah” denotes might, strength, courage.   

A common misunderstanding is that judgement is “bad.”  Everyday a person has to make judgements on his decisions.  While some may be “good” or “bad,” many times they are simply judging one thing from another in the process of making choices.  Heaven judges the behavior of people in the world according to laws set in the Torah.  These laws can be seen as a sort of “user’s manual,” meant to enable people to live the best possible way. The idea that judgement is “bad” is not realistic. 

Throughout the Creation story the Name Elohim is mentioned, because the physical world could not exist without delineation and boundaries.  All creatures were created through a line of judgement on size or shape,  on life span,  on where and how they would live, etc.  And each creature had to agree with the judgement of his unique destiny, being held before the Heavenly Throne to say, “Amen,” before coming into the world.  Only human beings were created in the image of the Creator, as He breathed life into Adam, creating him unlike any other creature—a hybrid of terrestrial from the earth and celestial from His breath.  With this thought, our meditation might be:    

Elohim, conform me into Your image.