The Sefirah on the Tree of Life

Tiferet is the place where there is a deepening of the unfolding of Compassionate Awareness.

The right side of the Tree signifies force, and the left side, form.^[1] The central pillar signifies not only balance but identify. Tiferet is the Centre of the Tree of Life, where force and form attain balance.

There are many representations of the Tree which have all the sefirot, except Malchut, directly connected to Tiferet at the centre. This signifies Tiferet as the axis around which all of the other sefirot turn, the centre of the spinning wheel of life. If it is in its place and balanced, it can provide the center of balance between all the different forms and energies of all the other sefirot

The identity at Tiferet is the Inclusive “I”, the inclusive shared Self behind the exclusive ego-self. In Tiferet, there is a balance between the self which resides in the body and the Universal Self that exists beyond differentiation. Here the upper and lower worlds are connected.

Tiferet is the Heart of the Tree, reflected as the heart-space within each one of us. It provides a central focus, a place of deepening of compassionate awareness.

If the central pillar is the place of balance, it must also be the place of tension. Tiferet is asked to remain open to both force and form, to avoid the seductions of the limitlessness of force, as well as being bound by the limitations of form. Compassion is the experience at Tiferet—it is the acceptance of all that is given with equanimity. If it is true acceptance, then the flow might be balanced.

Breath is one of the keys to the opening of Tiferet-awareness. The Zohar urges, "Breathe like the ocean rises and falls and never becomes full." The breath is received and released fully—expansion and contraction—all in the service of Life.

The vowel sounds at Tiferet are often experienced as “Ah”, while “Oh” is the sound at Yesod, and “Ee” as the sound at Keter. In your meditations, you might try these sounds and see what unfolds for you.

The Name of G-d at Tiferet is pronounced Adonai, "Eternal One", but is written יהוה (the Hebrew letters Yod-Kay-Vav-Kay). This Name, which is not pronounced, was often translated as “Lord”, but is nowadays referred to as Ha’Shem. This name is not pronounced as it is written because it speaks of That Which Is Beyond Name.^[2]

This four-letter name is known as the tetragrammaton, and whenever it appears in the Hebrew Bible or in prayer texts, we pronounce the word Adonai. It is important to remember that Adonai is a totally different word which more literally translates as "Eternal Being."

The Name יהוה, is a form of the Hebrew verb which means "to be," and so can be translated, "Unlimited Being". That is why many of us translate Yod-Kay-Vav-Kay (saying Adonai) as "The Eternal One," or "The Eternal Presence."

Meditation for the Third Week at TIFERET.

שִׁוִּ֬יתִי יְהוָ֣ה לְנֶגְדִּ֣י תָמִ֑יד

I place YHVH before me always.
-- (Psalm 16:8)

Today we allow ourselves to awaken to a greater sense of balance. There is a peacefulness which expands within the Heart of our being, a peacefulness which gradually radiates through out consciousness. We open to an awareness that holds compassion for everything it touches.

Reflections

Footnotes

1. It is not only the balance between force and form, but also in the upper realm, between the expression of Mercy/Compassion versus the structures of Judgement/Strength. In the lower realm, it mediates the expression between physical force and physical forms. ↩︎

2. The names, the unnameable – any appellation you give to Ha’Shem will reduce it. It can only be described by what it is not, never by what it is. ↩︎