Assiah (; also 'Asiya
[MEIJERS, L. D., and J. TENNEKES. "SPIRIT AND MATTER IN THE COSMOLOGY OF CHASSIDIC JUDAISM." Symbolic Anthropology in the Netherlands, edited by P.E. DE JOSSELIN DE JONG and ERIK SCHWIMMER, vol. 95, Brill, 1982, pp. 200–21. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1163/j.ctvbqs310.15. Accessed 12 Aug. 2022.] or 'Asiyah, also known as ''Olam Asiyah'', "World of Action"
[GUETTA, ALESSANDRO. "Kabbalah and Rationalism in the Works of Mosheh Ḥayyim Luzzatto and Some Kabbalists of His Time." Italian Jewry in the Early Modern Era: Essays in Intellectual History, Academic Studies Press, 2014, pp. 185–226. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt21h4w96.13. Accessed 12 Aug. 2022.]) is the last of the
four spiritual worlds of the
Kabbalah
Kabbalah or Qabalah ( ; , ; ) is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. It forms the foundation of Mysticism, mystical religious interpretations within Judaism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ...
based on the passage in . It is identical to the existing world that we live in.
According to the ''
Masseket Azilut'', it is the region where the
ophanim
The ophanim ( , ; singular: ), alternatively spelled auphanim or ofanim, and also called galgalim ( , ; singular: ), refer to the wheels seen in Ezekiel's vision of the chariot (Hebrew ) in . One of the Dead Sea Scrolls (4Q405) construes them ...
rule and where they promote the hearing of prayers, support human endeavour, and combat evil. Their ruler is
Sandalphon
Sandalphon (Hebrew: סַנְדַּלְפוֹן ''Sandalp̄ōn''; ''Sandalphṓn'') is an archangel in Jewish and Christian writings, although not in scripture. Sandalphon figures prominently in the mystical literary traditions of Rabbinic Juda ...
. According to the system of
Lurianic Kabbalah
Lurianic Kabbalah is a school of Kabbalah named after Isaac Luria (1534–1572), the Jewish rabbi who developed it. Lurianic Kabbalah gave a seminal new account of Kabbalistic thought that its followers synthesised with, and read into, the earli ...
, ʿAsiyya is the lowest of the spiritual worlds, containing the Ten Heavens and the whole system of mundane Creation. The light of the
sefirot
Sefirot (; , plural of ), meaning '' emanations'', are the 10 attributes/emanations in Kabbalah, through which Ein Sof ("infinite space") reveals itself and continuously creates both the physical realm and the seder hishtalshelut (the chained ...
emanates from these Ten Heavens, which are called the Ten Sefirot of ʿAsiyya. Through them, spirituality and piety are imparted to the realm of matter, the seat of the dark and impure powers.
Representing purely material existence, it is known as the World of Action, the World of Effects or the World of Making. In
Western esotericism
Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...
, it is associated with the
suit of coins in the
Tarot
Tarot (, first known as ''trionfi (cards), trionfi'' and later as ''tarocchi'' or ''tarocks'') is a set of playing cards used in tarot games and in fortune-telling or divination. From at least the mid-15th century, the tarot was used to play t ...
. The world of
Yetzirah precedes it.
Correspondences
*
He, the final letter in the
Tetragrammaton
The TetragrammatonPronounced ; ; also known as the Tetragram. is the four-letter Hebrew-language theonym (transliteration, transliterated as YHWH or YHVH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four Hebrew letters, written and read from ...
* The sefira of
Malkuth and hence the
partzuf
''Partzufim'' or ''Partsufim'' (, singular ''partzuf'', , from Greek: πρόσωπον ''prósopon'' "face" or "mask"), are "countenances" or "personas" of God described in the ''Zohar''.
The '' Idra Rabba'' describes a divine being composed of t ...
of Nukvah
* The
classical element
The classical elements typically refer to Earth (classical element), earth, Water (classical element), water, Air (classical element), air, Fire (classical element), fire, and (later) Aether (classical element), aether which were proposed to ...
of Earth
* The soul-level of
nephesh
Nephesh ( ''nép̄eš''), also spelled nefesh, is a Biblical Hebrew word which occurs in the Hebrew Bible. The word refers to the aspects of sentience, and human beings and other animals are both described as being nephesh. Not all living organis ...
* The
soul-garment of action
* The mouth in "
Patach Eliyahu"
* The
Oral Torah
According to Rabbinic Judaism, the Oral Torah or Oral Law () are statutes and legal interpretations that were not recorded in the Five Books of Moses, the Written Torah (), and which are regarded by Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jews as prescriptive ...
tradition in "
Patach Eliyahu"
* The
Shekhina
* The
birkot hashachar and the order of the
Korbanot
In Judaism, the (), also spelled or , is any of a variety of Sacrifice, sacrificial offerings described and commanded in the Torah. The plural form is , , or .
The term primarily refers to sacrificial offerings given from humans to God f ...
in the
Shacharit
''Shacharit'' ( ''šaḥăriṯ''), or ''Shacharis'' in Ashkenazi Hebrew, is the morning '' tefillah'' (prayer) of Judaism, one of the three daily prayers.
Different traditions identify different primary components of ''Shacharit''. E ...
prayer service
* In the allegory of the teacher and the student, the final stage is where the student comprehends the teacher's lesson, expanding the compressed information to its full breadth
* The fixed, earth, sign of
Taurus (astrology)
* * Within
Western esotericism
Western esotericism, also known as the Western mystery tradition, is a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas and currents are united since they are largely distinct both from orthod ...
; the
classical element of earth and the
suit of coins in
Tarot card reading
Tarot card reading is a form of cartomancy whereby practitioners use tarot cards to purportedly gain insight into the past, present or future. The process typically begins with formulation of a question, followed by drawing and interpreting cards ...
Notes
References
*
Four Worlds
Kabbalistic words and phrases
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