Before the universe existed, what was God? Kabbalah calls this state Ein Sof.

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In Jewish mysticism, Ein Sof represents the divine before any self-manifestation or creation. It is the infinite, nameless being that transcends all human attributes, forms, and names. To understand the origin of existence, Kabbalists look to this paradoxical state of divine concealment that precedes the very possibility of reality.

The term Ein Sof, meaning 'no end' or 'infinite', describes God prior to the production of any spiritual realm. First utilized by Azriel of Gerona in the 13th century, the concept posits that the divine cannot possess desires, thoughts, or actions, as these imply limitation. Because any name found in the Bible suggests a boundary, the Ein Sof remains fundamentally nameless and beyond human comprehension, sometimes described in the Zohar as 'Ayin' or 'non-existent' due to its absolute transcendence.

The mechanism of creation involves the tzimtzum, a divine self-withdrawal that creates a space for separate existence. From this void, the Ein Sof emanates the ten sefirot—energy vessels that filter the infinite divine light. Moses ben Jacob Cordovero, a 16th-century systematizer, likened this to water taking the shape of different vessels; while the vessels appear distinct, the light within remains the undifferentiated essence of the Ein Sof. This framework ensures that the sefirot are not separate entities but are entirely bound to the divine source.

Later developments, particularly in 18th-century Hasidic philosophy, introduced the concept of Atzmus, or 'divine essence'. While Ein Sof is limited to the concept of infinitude, Atzmus is viewed as rooted higher within the Godhead, transcending the duality of finite and infinite. This shift emphasized immanence, suggesting that the divine permeates all levels of reality. Conversely, the Sabbatean movement offered a heterodox view, suggesting the Ein Sof was the origin of both creative light and a 'thoughtless' material substrate, leading to a cosmic struggle between divine order and the world of the qlippoth.

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