The mystics of old wrestled with this all the time, particularly when contemplating the Divine Chariot, the Merkavah, described by the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1). What does it look like, this vehicle of God's presence? And how do we even begin to understand such a vision?
That's precisely what the ancient text, Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah, "138 Openings of Wisdom," seeks to illuminate. It dives deep into the complexities of prophetic visions, offering us glimpses into the very structure of spiritual reality. After laying a general groundwork, it turns to the specific details—the nuts and bolts, so to speak—of the Merkavah.
And one of the first, most fundamental questions it asks is: What form do the Sefirot take?
Now, the Sefirot—these are the ten emanations, the ten attributes through which the Divine manifests in the world. Think of them as the building blocks of creation, the channels of God's infinite light. But how do they appear in the prophetic vision? Do they arrange themselves in a circle, or stand upright, in a linear fashion?
Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah presents us with these two possibilities right from the start.
The text explains that the forms we see in prophetic visions are not to be taken literally, as physical shapes. They're symbolic representations, hints at deeper, spiritual realities. These forms offer us a framework for understanding the unfolding of the Divine will, how the Infinite becomes knowable.
Think of it like this: imagine trying to describe a complex emotion like love. You might use metaphors – a warm fire, a gentle breeze, a sturdy oak tree. These aren’t literally love, but they give us a way to grasp its essence. Similarly, the circular and upright forms are ways of conceptualizing the Sefirot.
So, what's the difference between them? Why both? The text goes on to explore the circular and upright, linear schemes in which the Sefirot appear. One arrangement speaks to a sense of cyclical completion, encompassing all within its bound. The other suggests a linear progression, a chain of cause and effect, a journey from one point to another.
These aren't just abstract concepts. They reflect different aspects of the Divine, different ways in which God interacts with the world.
The Kalach Pitchei Chokhmah is inviting us to contemplate not just the what of the Divine Chariot, but the how. How does the infinite become finite? How does the unseeable become seen, even if only in a symbolic, prophetic glimpse?
And perhaps, by wrestling with these questions, we can begin to glimpse that hidden architecture ourselves.