[Avodah] Tomer Devorah

[Micha Berger]

On Mon, 28 Aug 2006 08:58:09 , RHG Schild asked:
: In  Tomer Devorah, the first section deals with emulating the 13 attributes
: of Mercy; the latter sections are relating through the 10 sefiros.
: What is  the relationship between the 13 and the 10 and why does he use
: both?

I think the point of the seifer's structure is that Rachamim logically
preceeds the sefiros. I don't know if this refers to the sefiros as they exist
ontologically, as they exist for vehalachta derakhav, or even if sefiros exist
ontologically or only as human perception cast "upward" into reality.

This is a question I have asked in the past. Does mankind have middos that
parallel the sefiros, or do the sefiros appear in our studies of shamayim
because it's man who is trying to model the higher reality? Or is this even a
meaningful distinction because "histakeil beOraisa ubara alma" -- neither is
logically prior?

-mi
http://www.aishdas.org/asp