"The Prophet Holds the Sephirot"

by Ariel Xochitl Hernandez-Neikrug

Kabala literally means "receiving" in Hebrew. According to its adherents, intimate understanding and mastery of the Kabala brings man spiritually closer to God and as a result humanity can be empowered with higher insight into the inner-workings of God’s creation.

The Sephirot is literally a map of the Universe and are the ten attributes that God (who is referred to as Aur Ain Soph, "Limitless Light, Light Without End") created through which he can manifest not only the physical but the metaphysical universe.

Jewish sages identified ten Sephirot (ten being the number of divine perfection) known by the following names/characteristics from highest to lowest:

Kether - Divine Plan/Creator/infinite light/Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh - I AM THAT I AM (Supreme/Total Consciousness)
Chokmah - Divine Reality/revelation/Yesh me-ayin - being from nothingness (Power of Wisdom)
Binah - Understanding/repentance/reason (Power of Love)
Chesed - Mercy/Grace/Love of (intention to emulate) God (Power of Vision)
Geburah - Judgment/strength/determination (Power of Intention)
Tipheret - Symmetry/balance/compassion (Creative Power)
Netzach - Contemplation/Initiative/persistence (Power of the Eternal Now)
Hod - Surrender/sincerity/steadfastness (Intellectual/Observational Power)
Yesod - Foundation/wholly remembering/coherent knowledge (Power of Manifesting)
Malkuth - Kingdom/physical presence/vision and illusion (Power of Healing/Accomplishment/Level of Realization of Divine Plan)

The Da'at is the mystical state of unity of the 10 Sephiroth, also called the Tree of Life. These ten levels are associated with Kabbalah's (Zohar) four different "worlds" or "planes" which serve as the guide for returning to the Creator.

Atziluth or "World of Emanations", on this level of Creator, Reality/the light of the Ain Sof radiates and is united with its source.
Beri'ah or "World of Creation", on this conceptual level of creation ex nihilo (without form), only the highest ranking Angels (purity of being) inhabit.
Yetzirah or "World of Formation" on this level, creation (creativity) is related to form.
Asiyah or "World of Actions", on this level creation is relegated to the ' physical Asiyah' comprising our physical world with all its creatures.

Each of these worlds are progressively grosser and further removed from the Divine (Plan), however the ten Sephiroth manifest in all of them.

moving on....

To the right of Sama'el is the Emblem of Jerusalem or the Lion of Jerusalem. Within Judaism, the Tribe of Judah is traditionally symbolized by a lion. In Genesis, the patriarch Jacob refers to his son Judah as a Gur Aryeh "Young Lion" (Genesis 49:9) when blessing him. In Jewish naming tradition the Hebrew name and the substitute name are often combined as a pair, as in this case. As a result of the lion's link to the tribe of Judah, the dominant tribe among the ancient Israelites and the legendary ancestor of the Kingdom of Judah, Judea and the modern Jews, variations or translations of the word "lion" have been used as a substitute name for Judah (Yehuda) among Jews. An example is the name of Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel. Loew is a German/Yiddish word for "lion." The popular modern Hebrew name Ari (also Arieh or Aryeh) translates as "lion". Amongst Turkish Jews and Egyptian Jews, the male first name "Aslan" (Turkish for "lion") is sometimes given as a name for boys born with the Hebrew name "Yehudah".

To the left of Sama'el is the Star of David. According to some Judaic sources, the Star/Shield of David signifies the number seven: that is, the six points plus the center. Thee number seven has religious significance in Judaism, e.g., the six days of Creation plus the seventh day of rest, the six working days in the week plus Shabbat, the Seven Spirits of God, as well as the Menorah in the ancient Temple, whose seven oil lamps rest on three stems branching from each side of a central pole. And so on. Here's the kicker, the Star of David wasn't the original symbol for the Jewish people. Befor the star of was the Emblem of Jerusalem. The star became the 'official' symbol in the 18th century.

Quick note about Sama'el: if you noticed, Sama'el's feet are blistered and scared. that's because she had no shoes during the winter in Auschwitz. In fact, she perfers to walk barefoot, even in the snow, when she walks around the Seireitei.

 (2nd Attatchment)
"Death Gate, Auschwitz-Birkenau"
The photograph in the background is the train entrance into Auschwitz-Birkenau; often called "The Death Gate".
The arm in the foreground belongs to Sama'el (A573112).

(and the 3rd Attatchment)
"Lux Vivens"
lux vivens is latin for "living light".
I was listening to 'lux vivens' by Joycelyn Montgomery.
Sama'el's coat  still has the armband on it from when it was mandatory for Jews to wear them in Poland.  She's holding a sunflower.