Washing of Hands
We will now proceed to the ceremonial washing of the hands. The fingers of the hand represent the tree or book of your life. The circle made by the thumb and first finger is called the endless circle, or ein soph. The three remaining fingers represent the mind, the body, and the soul. When we wash our hands, we show that we participate in this ceremony wholeheartedly and with renewed hope.
Ein Soph and the Ten Sefirot
The white in this picture represents God’s Infinite and Eternal Light ( Ein Soph ). The Ein Soph contains infinite possibilities and is beyond what any finite being can perceive or know. According to the Kabbalah, before the tzimtzum (the contraction of the Infinite Light that gave birth to creation) only the Ein Soph existed. The tzimtzum reveals the Ten Sefirot (ten emanations of visible light), and these were first expressed as the ten concentric colored circles in this picture. The names of these Sefirot are written in these circles, from the largest to the smallest:
Keter -Crown,
Chochmah -Wisdom,
Binah -Understanding,
Chesed -Loving-kindness,
Gevurah -Strength,
Tiferet -Beauty,
Netzach -Eternity,
Hod -Majesty,
Yesod -Foundation
and Malchut -Kingship.
Notice how these circles are imperfect and incomplete. Creation was intentionally made that way so we can be partners with God in repairing the world ( Tikkun Olam ). Now look at the white circles. See how they are complete and all connected to each other? The formless Infinite Light is given form by the Sefirot, as our body expresses and gives form to our soul.
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