Ein Sof Ohr

The Light that chases away The Darkness (Art by Sucno)

> Ein Sof Ohr is the personification of the unlimited light of God. Like Ein Sof, Ohr is impersonal, yet still immersed in all of Creation, illuminating all existence and bringing the resplendent glory of God to soothe afflicted souls even in the coldest and darkest places in the universe.
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> **Carl Black.**

**Ein Sof Ohr** is an emanation of God who personifies the unlimited light of the Creator that was used to separate light from The Darkness, giving rise to Night.

## Overview

When God said "let there be light" a mighty light manifested in the Hand of the Creator and through that light all creation came into being. Ein Sof is the Kabbalistic term for God, in the Kabbalistic concept, simple Ohr Elion (Upper Light, too. Ein Sof Ohr) is used to represent all reality filled only by Ein Sof. Kabbalists metaphorically differentiated the manifestations of God as being lights. This difference outweighed the criticism, "introducing plurality into the monotheism of Judaism," of the rabbinate. The primary texts: they take great care in emphasizing this difference, and caution against anthropomorphizing the subtle descriptions of Kabbalah in human terms. To avoid such heresies, the historical transmission of Kabbalah was traditionally restricted to direct teaching in closed circles.

## Physical Appearance

Much like Ein Sof, Ein Sof Ohr doesn't have any definite true form, however, it has been described to appear as an endless amount of light. Due to being an infinite amount of light, Ein Sof Ohr's true form is incomprehensible and unending with it spreading throughout all of existence.

## History

In the beginning there was nothing, the universe was without form, and void. And the Spirit of God moved over the face of an ocean of chaotic waters, the darkness covered the Abyss. God didn't like that unproductive, disordered state of the universe, so the Lord breathed into the depths of the Abyss and said, "let there be light" and there was light. This light was emanated by God, called Ein Sof Ohr, which was cast over Darkness and illuminated the dense darkness, causing it terrible pain. God then separated darkness from light, giving way to Day and Night, and God saw that it was good.

## Myths and Legends

The Ein Sof (literally: "Without End"/Limitless/Infinite) is the Kabbalistic term for the Divine essence. Kabbalah describes 10 Sephirot (The 10 Divine emanations or attributes), that reveal the unknowable Godhead to the creations and channel the creative life-force to all levels of existence. However, these 10 attributes of God do not represent the Divine essence. The Kabbalists differentiated between the manifestations of God (forms of "light"), and their origin in the Divine essence (the "Luminary"). This difference overcame the criticism that they were introducing plurality into the pure Monotheism of Judaism. Kabbalistic texts take great care to emphasize this difference and warn against anthropomorphizing the subtle descriptions of Kabbalah in human terms. To avoid such heresies, the historical transmission of Kabbalah was traditionally restricted to direct teaching in close circles.

As well as the 10 "lights" of God encapsulated in the Sephirot, Kabbalah also describes a more primordial light that shines from the Ein Sof (Infinite) itself. This light, the origin of all Creation, and all lower lights, is called the "Ohr Ein Sof" ("The light of the Infinite", or alternatively, itself "The Infinite Light"). The Kabbalistic and Hasidic masters ask the question of how there can be a revelation of God, in the Ohr Ein Sof, before Creation. Surely, there can be "no king without a people". Before Creation, there could be no being to behold a revelation of Divine light. The Ohr Ein Sof is a form of Divine self-knowledge, and through God knowing Himself, He created everything, with its subsequent historical unfolding, and its ultimate purpose in the innermost Divine Will.

## Quotes

> And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
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> **Genesis 1:3.**

> Behold, before the emanations were emanated and the created creatures, Superior Simple Light had filled all existence.
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> And there was no emptiness, such as an empty atmosphere, a void, or a ditch, for everything was filled with simple and unlimited light.
> And there was no such part as head, or end, For all was One, Simple Light, balanced evenly and evenly And it was called Endless Light.
> And when under His simple will came the desire to create the world and emanate the emanations, To bring to light the perfection of His actions, His names, His appellations, which were the cause of the creation of the worlds, He then restricted Himself to himself, in the middle, Precisely in the center, He restricted the light.
> And the light went away to what surrounds that central point.
> And there remained an empty space, a vacuum Circling the central point.
> And the restriction was uniform Around the empty point So that space would circulate evenly around it.
> There, after the restriction, Having formed a vacuum and a space Precisely in the midst of the endless light, A place was formed, Where the emanating and the created may reside.
> Then from the Endless Light, a single line descended, Down into that space.
> And through that line, He emanated, created, formed, and Made all the worlds.
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> Before these four worlds came into being There was an infinite, a name, in the wonderful, hidden union, And even in the angels closest to Him There was no strength or fulfillment in the Endless And there is no mind that can perceive Him, For he has no place, boundary or name.
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> **Rabbi Isaac Luria.**