ה' גבורות (the Five Gevuros), corresponding to the final letters of the Alef-Beis—מנצפ"ך—are the spiritual powers that divide and channel undifferentiated energy into articulated form. They serve as the divine mechanism by which a formless breath is divided into the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew language, enabling both thought and speech. These five letters are also understood as the five aspects of the divine name אלקים that act as vessels of constriction and limitation.[1]
Definition
The process of articulation—both physical and spiritual—depends on the division of a single, continuous breath (הבל הלב) into discrete letters. This function is carried out by the ה' גבורות, which correspond to the five points of articulation in the human mouth: lips, teeth, palate, throat, and tongue. On a deeper level, these letters are expressions of divine gevurah (constraint), shaping the undefined into form.[2]
In Malchus
In the Sefirah of מלכות—which is the divine faculty of speech (כח הדיבור)—the ה' גבורות serve to divide the supernal breath (הבל הלב העליון) into the 22 letters of actual speech. Just as physical organs form sound into articulate speech, the spiritual dynamics mirror this, culminating in the עשרת המאמרות, the Ten Utterances with which the world was created.[3]
In Binah
In בינה, the realm of intellectual comprehension, the ה' גבורות function at a subtler level. Here, they divide the flow of understanding into the letters of thought. Initially, the intellect grasps concepts in an undivided flash of clarity. It is only through these five gevuros that the understanding is brought down into defined letters and internal dialogue. Thus, the ה' גבורות in בינה are the root of the same forces in מלכות.[4]
In Atik
In the innermost level of כתר, known as עתיק, the ה' גבורות attain their most essential form. Here, the distinction between Chesed and Gevurah dissolves—“לית שמאלא בהאי עתיקא” (there is no ‘left side’ in Atik). The gevurah here is not opposition, but the precise channeling of infinite energy. The five gevuros in Atik are called "בוצינא דקרדוניתא", a metaphor for bursts of revelation that emerge through divine striking—like sparks flying from molten iron when struck by a hammer. These are revelations that leap directly from essence, not through measured gradation.[5]
The analogy given in Chassidus: just as the human hand can only give through the division into five fingers, the divine influence can only reach creation through these five gevuros. The act of dividing itself enables transmission. They are both the hand that strikes and the sparks that fly.[6]
Summary
Ultimately, the letters מנצפ"ך serve a dual role: they are both the instruments that divide divine light into individual expressions, and the tools that combine these expressions into ordered structures—thought, speech, and ultimately, reality itself. Their source is in the innermost aspect of כתר, but they manifest throughout the chain of creation—from עתיק to בינה to מלכות—bridging the formless with the formed.[7]
References
- ↑ Siddur Im Dach, p. 52d
- ↑ Siddur Im Dach, p. 52d
- ↑ Siddur Im Dach, p. 52d
- ↑ Eitz Chayim, Shaar 25, Derush 2; Ohr HaTorah Nach vol. 1
- ↑ Shemos 36–39; Kuntres U’Ma’ayan, ch. 2.
- ↑ Kuntres U’Ma’ayan, ch. 2; Maamarei Admor HaZaken al Parshiyos HaTorah, vol. 2.
- ↑ Maamarei Admor HaZaken al Parshiyos HaTorah, vol. 2 (1965)