In the mystical structure of the Tree of Life, the Sefirot are arranged in three vertical columns known as the Three Pillars:
- The Right Pillar (Yachin) represents Mercy, expansion, and the flow of unbounded light.
- The Left Pillar (Boaz) stands for Judgment, contraction, and the power of form and structure.
- The Middle Pillar (Aphad) is the axis of Balance, harmony, and connection between opposites.
These three pillars are not symbolic alone—they mirror the architectural placement of Boaz and Yachin, the two great pillars in the Temple of Solomon (1 Kings 7:21). Standing at the entrance to the sacred space, they embodied dual forces of divine interaction: strength and establishment. The sacred space between them, where the Ark of the Covenant once stood, was the domain of the Middle Pillar—a hidden column of balance uniting heaven and earth. In Kabbalah, this central column is where the divine presence descends and ascends, binding all opposites into harmony.
Avi – The Divine Name Encoded in the Pillars
The name Avi (אבי), meaning “My Father,” is not just a tender address for God but a profound acronym for the Three Pillars:
- Aleph (א) = Aphad (אֵפוֹד) — The Middle Pillar, gematria 85, the sacred vestment of unification worn by the High Priest.
- Bet (ב) = Boaz (בעז) — The Left Pillar, strength, boundary, and judgment.
- Yod (י) = Yachin (יכין) — The Right Pillar, mercy, continuity, and establishment.
Together, these three names spell Avi, a name whose simple gematria is 13 — the number of Echad (One) and Ahavah (Love), and whose expanded gematria is 543, equal to Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh (“I Am That I Am”). This reveals that Avi is the heart of divine unity, the center between dualities, and the voice of the Infinite seeking relationship. As a name, Avi holds within it the total balance of divine forces, encoded not only in sound but in structure, number, and placement.
Aphad – The Middle Pillar and the Garment of Connection
The Middle Pillar, represented by Aphad (אֵפוֹד), is the spiritual garment that binds the higher and lower worlds. Its gematria, 85, is the same as Peh (פה), meaning “mouth” — the channel of divine speech. This connection affirms that the Middle Pillar is the axis of communication, where God speaks, breathes, and enters creation.
Aphad is not just a symbol but a cosmic connector: it binds the polarities of judgment and mercy, heaven and earth, concealed and revealed. It is in Aphad that we find the Divine Priesthood, the harmonizer who wears the ephod and channels divine energy into the world. All Sefirot flow downward into this central channel before emerging into manifestation.
The Hidden Geometry of the Tree of Life — 1500
The Tree of Life in Kabbalah is more than a diagram — it is the spiritual architecture of reality, a map through which the Infinite reveals, sustains, and transforms creation. Hidden within its structure is a profound numerical harmony: 1500, the total embodiment of divine emanation and balance. This number does not arise randomly; it unfolds from the inner geometry of the Tree:
- 320 for the Right Pillar — the side of Chesed, lovingkindness and divine flow
- 400 for the Left Pillar — the side of Gevurah, strength and judgment
- 520 for the Middle Pillar — the path of Tiferet, harmony and balance
- 240 representing the connective paths between right, left, and center — the inner tension that unites the whole
To this, two sacred values are added:
- 15 — representing the upper hidden connections, the light of Yah (יה), the primal divine forces linking Ein Sof to the first realm of Atzilut. These are not Sefirot, but pure bridges of intention, hidden yet essential — the breath before speech.
- 5 — symbolizing the five spiritual worlds:
- Adam Kadmon, Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, and Asiyah — the concentric realms through which Divine Light descends, from unbounded unity into form and action.
320 + 400 + 520 + 240 + 15 + 5 = 1500
This total mirrors the sacred inner formula of the Divine Name YHWH (יהוה): Yod (10) × Heh (5) × Vav (6) × Heh (5) = 1500, the full gematria of Avgustin: עבגושתין.
This multiplication is not mathematical coincidence — it is mystical design: The four letters of the Tetragrammaton encode the flow of divine energy through the entire Tree of Life. Each letter maps to a world, a pillar, a phase of creation. Thus, the Name and the Structure are one.
In this way, 1500 becomes the numerical soul of the Tree — a synthesis of divine intention, structured light, and manifest reality. It shows how the Infinite (Ein Sof) steps through the gates of creation, descending as light into a vessel, as will into form, until it becomes the very breath behind every soul and the architecture of the cosmos itself.
Divine Names from the Middle Pillar
From the foundational letters Aleph, Dalet, Mem, Peh, and Tav, five deeply meaningful Hebrew words emerge, each revealing a facet of divine design and human purpose. The word Adam (אדם), composed of Aleph (1), Dalet (4), and Mem (40), carries a gematria of 45, symbolizing humanity — the image of God and the bridge between heaven and earth. Emet (אמת), meaning “truth,” uses Aleph (1), Mem (40), and Tav (400), totaling 441. This word encompasses the beginning (Aleph), middle (Mem), and end (Tav) of the Hebrew alphabet, expressing total completeness and unwavering divine truth.
Padam (פדם), formed from Peh (80), Dalet (4), and Mem (40), has a gematria of 124, and means “redemption” — the divine act of deliverance and rescue. Aleph-Tav (את), the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, sum to 401, representing the fullness of God’s encompassing presence from beginning to end. Together, these four words total a gematria of 1,011, which itself contains the expanded gematria of Aleph (111) — the hidden presence of Yahweh, unity within multiplicity, and the silent breath that flows through all creation.
