Ayin and Yesh

Common card · No. 344452

Ayin (Hebrew: אַיִן, lit. 'nothingness'; related to אֵין, ʾên, 'not') is an important concept in Kabbalah and Hasidic philosophy. It is contrasted with the term Yesh (יֵשׁ, lit. 'there is/are' or 'exist[s]'). According to kabbalistic teachings, before the universe was created there was only Ayin, the first manifest Sephirah (Divine emanation), and second sephirah Chochmah (Wisdom), "comes into being out of Ayin." In this context, the sephirah Keter, the Divine will, is the intermediary between the Divine Infinity (Ein Sof) and Chochmah. Because Keter is a supreme revelation of the Ohr Ein Sof (Infinite Light), transcending the manifest sephirot, it is sometimes excluded from them. Ayin is closely associated with the Ein Sof (no: אין סוף, lit. 'without end'), which is understood as the Deity prior to His self-manifestation in the creation of the spiritual and physical realms, single Infinite unity beyond any description or limitation. From the perspective of the emanated created realms,...

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