The realm known as Akudim/Olam Ha'Akudim (World of "Binding/Ringed") is one of the many
spiritual worlds described by
Kabbalah
Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "receiver"). The defin ...
as being part of the order of development that God utilized to create the physical world. Its significance emerges in
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 earlie ...
, as a stage in the process of
Tohu and Tikun
''Olam HaTohu'' ( he, עוֹלָם הַתֹּ֫הוּ "The World of ''Tohu''-Chaos/Confusion") and ''Olam HaTikun'' ( "The World of ''Tikun''-Order/Rectification") are two general stages in Jewish Kabbalah, in the order of descending spiritual ...
.
Akudim (עֲקוּדִים in Hebrew) is the first world to result from
Adam Kadmon
In Kabbalah, Adam Kadmon (, ''ʾāḏām qaḏmōn'', "Primordial Man") also called Adam Elyon (, ''ʾāḏām ʿelyōn'', "Most High Man"), or Adam Ila'ah (, ''ʾāḏām ʿīllāʾā'' "Supreme Man"), sometimes abbreviated as A"K (, ''ʾA.Q.' ...
("Primordial Man").
Sfirot (Heavenly Attributes, depicted as lights) emanating from the eyes, ears, nose, mouth and forehead of Adam Kadmon interact with each other to create three sequential "worlds" containing combinations of fundamental
heavenly attributes: ''Akudim'', ''
Nekudim'' and ''
Berudim
The realm known as Berudim/Verudim/Olam HaBerudim (World of "Connection/Flecked") is one of the many spiritual worlds (Olamot) described by Kabbalah, as part of the order of development in Creation. Its significance emerges in Lurianic Kabbalah a ...
''. Luria read these three terms from the esoteric meaning of
Jacob
Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. J ...
's breeding of
Laban Laban is a French language, French surname. It may refer to:
Places
* Laban-e Olya, a village in Iran
* Laban-e Sofla, a village in Iran
* Laban, Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States
* 8539 Laban, main-belt asteroid
People
...
's flocks in
Genesis 30:27-43. The world of Akudim corresponds to ''Hiyuli'' (הִיּוּלִי, meaning "Potential" Creation). These three stages then interact to produce more "worlds" of increasing developmental complexity. The concepts of primordial man and his body are
figurative rather than literal.
The source of the world of Akudim
The world of Akudim is formed of the vapor that emanates from the "mouth" of Adam Kadmon.
"Lights" and "Vessels" in the world of Akudim
In this world, all the ten Sefirot lights are bound within one vessel, hence then name "Akudim" (meaning "binding"). The lights, unable to "settle" well into the one vessel, enter into a "dynamic" referred to as מטי ולא מטי ''mati v'lo mati'', literally "reaching and not reaching." The lights descend from the "mouth" of Adam Kadmon to enter the vessel of Akudim and then "about-face" to (partially) ascend back to their source in the "mouth" of Adam Kadmon, and so, back and forth forever.
Expressions of Akudim in human beings
In a human being this is represented by a situation in which all of one's attributes, be they emotional or intellectual, have only one way to express themselves. One can compare this to an infant who possesses the sole medium of "crying" (or a single word) that he can utilize to express his myriad attributes.
See also
*
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 earlie ...
*
Tohu and Tikun
''Olam HaTohu'' ( he, עוֹלָם הַתֹּ֫הוּ "The World of ''Tohu''-Chaos/Confusion") and ''Olam HaTikun'' ( "The World of ''Tikun''-Order/Rectification") are two general stages in Jewish Kabbalah, in the order of descending spiritual ...
*
Anthropomorphism in Kabbalah
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Kabbalah, the central system in Jewish mysticism, uses anthropomorphic mythic symbols to metaphorically describe manifestations of God in Judaism. Based on the verses "God created man in his own image, in the image of God created h ...
References
External links
The Worlds: Stages of the Creative Process from God's Infinite Light to Our Physical Worldfrom inner.org
Kabbalah
Isaac Luria
Kabbalistic words and phrases
{{Kabbalah-stub