Beri'ah (
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
: בְּרִיאָה), Briyah, or B'ri'ah (also known as ''Olam Beriah'', עוֹלָם בְּרִיאָה in Hebrew, literally "the World of Creation"), is the second of the
four celestial worlds in the
Tree of Life
The tree of life is a fundamental archetype in many of the world's mythology, mythological, religion, religious, and philosophy, philosophical traditions. It is closely related to the concept of the sacred tree.Giovino, Mariana (2007). ''The ...
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 ...
, intermediate between the World of Emanation (
Atziluth
Atziluth or Atzilut (also ''Olam Atsiluth'', עוֹלָם אֲצִילוּת, literally "the World of Emanation") is the highest of four worlds in which exists the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. It is also known as "near to God."MEIJERS, L. D., and J. ...
) and the World of Formation (
Yetzirah), the third world, that of the
angel
An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
s. It is known as the World of Creation, or Korsia (from Heb. כּוּרסָה - "seat, chair", ''the Throne'').
Beri'ah is the first of the four worlds to be
created ''ex nihilo'', since Atzilut was emanated rather than created. Thus, although there exist beings that dwell in Atzilut, those beings are overwhelmed by the Divine Light and are unaware of their own existence; in Beri'ah however, the angels are dimly aware of their own existence as distinct from God's.
Beri'ah is the abode of the permanent archangels, as opposed to the non-permanent angels which dwell in Yetzirah.
Correspondences
* The first of the two letter hei's ה 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
sefirah of
Binah 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 Ima
* The
element of Air.
* The soul-level of neshamah
* The
soul-garment of thought
* The heart (
Patach Eliyahu
''Patach Eliyahu'' (, "Elijah opened"), also called ''Petihat Eliyahu HaNavi'' (, "The Introduction of Elijah the Prophet"), is an Aramaic, Kabbalistic discourse from the introduction to Tikunei Zohar 17a. It is named after its initial words, w ...
)
* In the allegory of the teacher and the student, the second stage where the teacher prepares the concept in his mind, splitting it into manageable parts and linking them together; the first conceptual expansion
* The recital of the
Shema
''Shema Yisrael'' (''Shema Israel'' or ''Sh'ma Yisrael''; , “Hear, O Israel”) is a Jewish prayer (known as the Shema) that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services. Its first verse encapsulates the monothe ...
in
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 ...
* Within the
Western mystery tradition
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 water and the
suit of cups
The suit of cups is one of four suits of tarot which, collectively, make up the Minor Arcana. They are sometimes referred to as goblets and chalices. Like the other suits of the Minor Arcana, it contains fourteen cards: ace (one), two through te ...
in
divinitory Tarot
Notes
References
*{{JewishEncyclopedia, url=http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?letter=B&artid=839, article=Beriah, or 'Olam ha-Beriah
** In
Paul Foster Case's "An Introduction To The Tarot" this world has a water element as its correspondence to better fit the Suit Of Cups.
Four Worlds
Kabbalistic words and phrases