Yosher (יושר) — Uprightness

Core definition

Yosher — literally "uprightness" or "straightness" — is the mode of divine revelation that proceeds in a straight line: with division, distinction, and the coordinates of above and below. It stands opposite igulim (circles), the mode that is whole, undifferentiated, and encompassing. In Kabbalah as developed in the corpus, these are the two geometries of the light: through the kav (the line) comes head and end, above and below [31674/maamar_026 :: §2432–2444]. The vessels of tohu are in the aspect of igulim; the vessels of tikkun are in the aspect of yosher [31651/maamar_002 :: §230].

How the Rebbeim develop it

Roots before and after the tzimtzum. In their first root, the igulim stem from the essence of the light of Malchus of the Ein Sof as it is before the tzimtzum, which comes only in the aspect of encompassing the worlds, without division, without up and down [31680/maamar_016 :: §21, §160]. Yosher's root is the letters of the reshimu and the revelation of the kav after the tzimtzum [31680/maamar_016 :: §21]. Thus yosher is the light after the tzimtzum, clothed in the worlds, in division, in above and below [31680/maamar_016 :: §161]. The igulim are far above yosher in essence — yet from igulim only its externality (nefesh) can be revealed to the worlds, while from yosher its inwardness (ruach) too can be revealed [31680/maamar_016 :: §162–169].

Division and multiplicity. Igulim is "one essence, in which there is no division"; yosher is "multiplicity of division in multiplicity of particulars" [31651/maamar_002 :: §594–597]. The earth is the malchus of yosher; the sea is the malchus of igulim; the heavens likewise belong to igulim [31651/maamar_002 :: §460–462]. Hence the sea is uniform and the earth is divided and varied — and uniquely possesses the power of growth: creating something new from nothing, boundlessly [31651/maamar_002 summary].

"Their beginning is wedged in their end." A central doctrine: specifically in yosher does "na'utz techilasan besofan" (their beginning is wedged in their end) apply — at the very end, in the earth, the lowest level of yosher, the beginning is wedged so that it can innovate a thing from nothing to something [31651/maamar_002 :: §582–588]. The earth, as malchus of yosher, uniquely holds the power to bring created beings into existence from nothing — a new coming-into-being [31651/maamar_002 :: §587–588]. The Ramaz's gloss (cited) roots this: the line comes from the Ohr Ein Sof that the tzimtzum did not touch at all — the Ein Sof before the will's arising — hence the line's end, and the earth's growing power, exceeds the circles' level [66495/maamar_030 :: summary §1152].

Man, the upright. "It is known that man is the aspect of yosher (uprightness)" — man walks upright, in the form of face, hand, and foot [31680/maamar_016 :: §17]. The serafim, in human form, are yosher; the ofanim, wheels within wheels, are igulim [31680/maamar_016 :: §17–19]. Their roots are sovev kol almin (encompassing all worlds) and memale kol almin (filling all worlds) respectively [31680/maamar_016 :: §20].

Igulim and yosher in the soul. The two modes also describe inner life: igulim and yosher correspond to nefesh and ruach, to katnus and gadlus (smallness and greatness) — the general-encompassing versus the inner-divided [31688/maamar_023 :: §409–410]. The teacher–student analogy makes the dynamic concrete: at first the transmitted intellect is makif over the student's mind, grasped only in generality; through contemplation the particulars divide and settle inwardly — that is yosher: when the particulars divide in revelation, it is "actual revelation, inner light" [31688/maamar_023 :: §477–478]. In short: igulim is concealment, yosher is revelation [31688/maamar_023 :: §484–485], and in all the worlds there are ten sefiros of igulim and ten of yosher [31688/maamar_023 :: §481–483].

Key distinctions

Related concepts

Sources