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Five Phases or Five Sefirot

Because the Creator started out by giving, this is the foundation
for the relationship with the Creator, marked by five phases of
spiritual development. The starting point for you and I involves
receiving. The Creator gives, and we receive.
So Phase Zero is the Creator, the desire to give, and happily
receiving is Phase 1 in the cycle of spirituality. But the Creator
gave humans more than a mere desire to enjoy. He gave us the
desire to become like Him because what could be better than
being like Him? Because being like the Creator is even better
than mere receiving, Phase 2 is wanting to give, and in this case,
it means wanting to give back to the Creator.
In Phase 3, we (the created beings) understand that the only
way to give to the Creator is to do what He wants because there
is nothing else we can give Him. Because He wants us to receive,
that’s what we do in Phase 3. But note the difference: this isn’t
like the receiving in Phase 1. Here, in Phase 3 we receive because
He wants to give, not because we wish to receive. Our intention
has changed from receiving for ourselves to receiving for the
Creator. This, in Kabbalah, is considered giving.
Phase 3 could have been the end of the process if it hadn’t
been for this tiny issue called “the third stage.” We previously
said that our goal is not merely to be attached to the Creator,
but to become like Him. This can only happen when we have
His Thoughts, when we know and actually participate in the
Thought of Creation. Therefore, Phase 4 introduces a new thrill:
the desire to understand the actual Thought of Creation. Here
you want to understand what the giving is for, what makes it 

pleasurable, why giving creates everything, and what
wisdom it provides. The four phases and
their root each have a second name. Phase Zero is also
called Keter, Phase 1—Hochma,
Phase 2—Bina, Phase
3—Tifferet or Zeir Anpin (ZA), and Phase

4—Malchut. These
additional names are called Sefirot (Sapphires), because they
shine like sapphires.