质点被认为与造物主的意志相关,这些质点不应被视为十个不同的“上帝”,而应视为同一上帝通过流溢来彰显意志的十种不同方式。在Cordoveran Kabbalah中,Keter(神圣意志;王冠)被列入第一个质点中,它居于意识之上,是介于上帝与其他意识质点之间的媒介物。质点由神圣意志发散流出,卡巴拉认为Keter内的不同层级反映了上帝内在与外在的意志。Keter最深处的隐藏层级,在一些文献中也被称为“未知的太初”,[4] 。Keter最深处及其以上的质点,则与无限(即Ein Sof (页面存档备份,存于互联网档案馆),神圣本质)相统一。Keter并不是能够带来改变的上帝,而是一种感知上帝要带来的改变的能力。卡巴拉强调了这种“发光体”(“Ma'Ohr (页面存档备份,存于互联网档案馆)”,即本质)与它散发流出的 “光”(“Ohr (页面存档备份,存于互联网档案馆)”)之间的不同,就是为了避免神性中的许多异教主张。在12世纪早期的宣传中,卡巴拉受到了来自拉比(Rabbis)犹太教的彻底批判,拉比服从于“Hakirah”(一种中世纪的犹太哲学),其中所谓的多元性入门简介实为犹太一神论,并认为彰显出的流溢的多元性,源于造物,而非源于无限(Ein Sof (页面存档备份,存于互联网档案馆))的神圣本质。[5]
描画质点的最为重要且广为知晓的图表,将之绘为树状且分为三列。右列代表扩张的灵性力量。左列代表它的对立面,限制。中间一列是这两个对立趋势的的平衡与综合。图表中的连接线显示了质点之间灵性流动的独特连接,“22条连接路径”,这与希伯来字母表的22个字母的灵性通道相一致。卡巴拉将希伯来字母视为灵性生命力的通道。《创世纪》对此解释为,创世是通过上帝的10个希伯来语所言进行的(“Let there be..”)。在卡巴拉理论中,这些字母依然保持了内在灵力,来不断地再造万物。在图中依所在列的不同,这些路径分为三类,而这与字母的三种样式一致。
^"Ten sephirot of nothingness, ten and not nine, ten and not eleven"
^o-bible.com. 创世纪 1:27: "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them". [2011-08-10]. (原始内容存档于2021-02-05).
^Scholem, Kabbalah, p. 100, cited on Kabbalah page, note 14.
^See the discourse "On the Essence of Chassidus", Kehot Publication Society, described on the Hasidic philosophy page. The acronym "RADLA" for this level is identified as the origin of the Torah of Hasidus.
^See for example the classic passage from the Zohar beginning "Elijah opened his discourse.." that is read every Friday afternoon to prepare for the Sabbath, in the HabadSiddur "Tehillat HaShem".
^Mystical Concepts in Chassidism by Jacob Immanuel Schochet. Kehot Publications. Chapter on the Sephirot. Available separately, or printed at back of Bilinguel Hebrew-English edition Tanya
^Mystical Concepts in Chassidism by Jacob Immanuel Schochet. Kehot Publications. Chapter on Sephirot. Available separately or printed at back of bilingual Hebrew-English Tanya
Mystical Concepts in Chassidism: An Introduction to Kabbalistic Concepts and Doctrines, Jacob Immanuel Schochet (3rd edition 1998). Kehot. (ISBN 0826604129)