Ten Systems—Ten Sefirot

… mi‑b’sari echezeh Elokah—From my flesh I behold G‑d (Job 19:26)

Introduction – “In His Image”

The Torah’s initial description of humanity is both profound and enigmatic:

And God created man in His image; in the image of G‑d He created him; male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27)

Classical commentators often interpret tzelem Elokim (“image of G‑d”) as the divine gift of free will, given exclusively to humans. Kabbalah adds a deeper layer of meaning, seeing the “image” as a structural blueprint—the ten sefirot, the spiritual channels through which the Infinite Light, Or Ein Soff, interfaces with creation.^[1] These sefirot act as kelim (“vessels”) that both reveal and conceal the Divine light, Or Ein Sof, shaping every stratum of reality. The ten sefirot at a glance are:^[2]

Figure 1. Ten Sefirot—their names and meanings

Sefer Yetzirah first mentions the ten sefirot, comprising two groups of five, and analogizes them to ten fingers. It is significant because the very first mention of sefirot immediately establishes a parallel with the human body.^[3] Besides being reflected in ten fingers of human hands, this 5+5 sefirotic structure is reflected in the Two Tablets (Luḥot) where, at least according to some opinions, the Ten Commandments were inscribed five on each Tablet. A more common presentation of the ten sefirot depicts them as three triads, each representing a triad of thesis, antithesis, and synthesis.

Figure 2. The Tree of Life (Etz Ḥayim)—Ten Sefirot arranged in triads

Because Keter represents a super-conscious state, it is often replaced in experiential mappings by the quasi-sefirah Daʿat (“assimilated knowledge”)—the bridge that allows intellect to flow into emotions and deeds.

Ish: The Anatomy of Sefirot

The Tikkunei Zohar was the first to associate the sefirot with the limbs of the human body in Petach Eliyahu. ^[4] Much later, in his Pardes Rimonim, Rabbi Moshe Cordovero (the “Ramak”) described Adam Kadmon (the Primordial Man) as the macrocosmic blueprint of creation. He identified each of the ten sefirot with a corresponding “limb” on that human form of the Primordial Man.^[5] A few years later, Rabbi Isaac Luria (the “Ari”) deepened and popularized Ramak’s sketch, and his disciple Rabbi Ḥayim Vital recorded the Ari’s elaborate “Adam Kadmon” schema in Etz HaḤaim.^[6] Since then, the books of Kabbalah often pictured the sefirot arranged on the silhouette of a standing human form (Ish). In this model, Ḥokhmah and Binah are located in the right and left cerebral hemispheres; Ḥesed and Gevurah in the right and left arms; Tiferet in the torso; Netzaḥ / Hod in the legs, Yesod in the reproductive organ; and Malkhut in the mouth (or, the womb). Accordingly, ten sefirot are easily mapped on a human body as follows:

Figure 3. Anatomical mapping of Ten Sefirot on the parts of the human body

This anatomical mapping highlights the intimate connection between the divine structure and the human body.

The traditional mapping where sefirot are depicted in the form of a human body is called Ish (“man”):

Figure 4. Ish: Representation of the Ten Sefirot in the form of human body

Physiology: Ten Systems, Ten Sefirot

Sefirotic structure permeates the entire creation and, therefore, this structure should be reflected on all levels of existence. When it comes to the reflection of the sefirotic structure, one can expect to find it not only in anatomy but also in human physiology.

In the verse, “And G‑d created man in His image; in the image of G‑d He created him,” the repetition of the word “image” may hint that the “image of G‑d” (that is, the ten sefirot) are not only reflected in the anatomy of the human body but also in its physiology.

This essay proposes a correspondence between ten sefirot and ten major systems, revealing a profound integration of the spiritual and the biological.^[7] Below is the proposed mapping:

Figure 5. Physiological mapping of the Ten Sefirot on ten major systems of the human organism

Keter remains outside the physiological tableau, surrounding it as the intangible aura of will that animates every system and subsystem.

Toward an Integrated Theology of the Body

Viewing the body through the lens of the sefirot heals a modern schism between spirituality and biology. It affirms that:

• Holism – No system is self-sufficient; lymph, blood, hormones, and nerves intertwine just as the sefirot must cooperate in healthy character.^[8]
• Embodied Meaning – Each physiological process models a meaningful quality: digestion represents thoughtful discernment (binah) selecting nutrients (good) and rejecting waste (bad). This reflects a meaningful life where one constantly selects good while rejecting bad based on one’s moral values. The symmetry of lungs teaches balance (Tiferet) and adherence to the middle path. And the skeletal resilience of our bones reflects perseverance and endurance (Netzaḥ).
• Imago Dei – The oft-debated “image of God” is neither literal visage nor a mere abstraction, but a fractal pattern that repeats on each scale from supernal realms down to our very biology.

Conclusion

By mapping the ten sefirot onto ten physiological systems, we extend the rich kabbalistic tradition into the intricate realm of biology. Contemplating this correspondence can lead to an awe-inspiring realization that every heartbeat, every breath, and every neuron echoes the music and the mystery of creation.

[1] Sefer Yetzirah 1:5. Sefer Yetzirah is the first known source to mention the ten sefirot without naming them.

[2] Rabbi Hunia ben HaKanah, Sefer ha‑Bahir, (Provence, c. 1170s); Zohar; Talmud Ḥagigah 12a; Writings of Isaac the Blind (Itzḥaq Sagi Nehor) and his student R. Azriel of Gerona.

[3] At first glance, linking the ten sefirot to the ten fingers seems to confirm biblical critics’ argument that ancient counting systems were inherently decimal—based, like ours, on the digits of the hand—and therefore that it is hardly surprising Kabbalah enumerates ten sefirot. Kabbalah, however, offers a deeper perspective: the ten channels that structure creation are deliberately mirrored in our ten fingers because humanity—created in God’s image—stands at the culmination of divine purpose. As Sefer Yetzirah teaches, “Ten sefirot without measure — their end is wedged in their beginning, and their beginning in their end” (1:7). This cyclical principle is immortalized in the Kabbalat Shabbat hymn Lecha Dodi of Rabbi Shlomo Halevi Alkabetz of Tzfat, sung every Friday night. Its second stanza proclaims: “סוֹף מַעֲשֶׂה בְּמַחֲשָׁבָה תְּחִלָּה”—the  completion of the work (סוף מעשה) is foreshadowed in the initial thought (במחשבה תחילה).

[4] Tikkunei Zohar, Petach Eliyahu.

[5] Rabbi Moshe Cordovero (the “Ramak”), Pardes Rimonim, c. 1548, Gate 1.

[6] Rabbi Chaim Vital, Etz HaḤaim, Sha’ar HaKelim Ve‑HaOrot, Gate 1.

[7] This parallel is by no means perfect and is open to criticism. First, some may object that I omitted one of the major systems, the integumentary system, which includes the skin, hair, and nails. It is indeed an important system that is involved in protection from infections, temperature regulation, and sensory perception. However, skin, hair, and nerves originate from the ectoderm, one of three distinct germ layers that emerge at the earliest stages of cell differentiation. This may justify combining the integumentary system with the nervous system. This is further justified by the Kabbalistic notion that hair derives its hayut (life-force) from the brain, alluding to their common origin in ectoderm. Another objection can be raised that I combined the skeletal system and the muscular system into a single skeletal-muscular system. My thinking was that, since we are focusing here on the function rather than the specific tissue or organ, both skeletal and muscular systems share the same function—to maintain stability in space and enable movement. Furthermore, muscles, bones, and connective tissues all derive from mesoderm, another embryonic germ layer. A more fundamental issue is that the mapping of the sefirot on the physiological systems is not unique. One can argue, for example, that analytical Binah corresponds to the immune system, which is responsible for discriminating between foreign invaders (such as viruses, bacteria, or fungal infections) and native cells. It could also be argued that gevurah (which can be translated as “power” or “force”) is better mapped on the muscular system (when decoupled from the skeletal system). Many systems combine characteristics of multiple sefirot. For example, when we inhale, our lungs expand—this is the expansive characteristic of Ḥesed. When we exhale, our lungs contract—this is a contracting characteristic of Gevurah. This could be explained by the interinclusion of sefirot—every sefirah includes all others. Therefore, we will always observe characteristics of multiple sefirot in any biological system. In any event, I do not insist that my mapping of sefirot on human physiological systems is the only way to do it, and readily acknowledge that other mappings are possible. My goal was merely to demonstrate that we can find a reflection of the sefirotic structure in the system biology, although the reflection proposed herein may not be unique.

[8] One of the main innovations of the Lurianic Kabbalah was the understanding of sefirot in the universe of Tikkun as interacting, interincluded entities—each of the ten sefirot includes all ten as sub-sefirot.