ON ADAM KADMON

The term "Adam Kadmon" refers to a macrocosmic construct comprised of lofty primordial "Divine Powers" or "Primordial Structures," as it were, through which the whole of manifestation came into being.

These were anthropomorphised, i.e. viewed from the angle of an androgynous human form since it is maintained all of us are "created in His image," hence the term Adam Kadmon" or "primordial man."

This is not a direct reference to the lower "golem" formed from the earth, the "Adam" of the "Garden of Eden" saga Neal referred to.

An archetypal "form" comprising primal forces is suggested in a famous portion of the Tikunei Zohar (second introduction) in which the nature of the Sefirot are explained by the prophet Elijah in the following manner:

"Elijah began to expound and said: 'Master of the Universe, You are one, but not as a numerical value,

You are elevated above all elevated beings, hidden beyond all hidden things, thought cannot grasp you at all.

It is You who have brought out the ten structures — we call them the Ten Sefirot — to control and guide hidden worlds, which have not been revealed, and worlds which have been revealed.

In them, You hide Yourself from humans, and You bind them together and unite them. Since You are inside them anyone who separates one of these ten from the others, it is as if he made a separation in You.

These Ten Sefirot are set out in order, one long, one short, and one in between.

It is You who direct them and there is nothing, either above or below or from any side, which directs You.

You have assigned garments for them from which souls blossom forth for human beings.

You have assigned a number of bodies to them; they are called bodies because of the garments which cover them. In this form they are called Chesed (Compassion) - the right arm; Gevurah (Might) - the left arm; Tiferet (Beauty) - the body; Netzach (Victory) and Hod (Glory) - the two thighs; Yesod (Foundation) - the end of the body, the sign of the holy covenant; Malchut (Kingdom) - the mouth, we call her the Oral Torah; Chochmah (Wisdom) - the brain, that is the inner thoughts; Binah (Understanding) - the heart, and through her the heart understands (concerning these two it is written "The hidden things are with the Lord our God" [Deuteronomy 29:28]); Keter Elyon (The Upper Crown) - the crown of kingship'."

According to the Kabbalists, the level of Adam Kadmon refers to this profound concept of God's Will which constitutes the underlying basis for all further existence.

For this reason Adam Kadmon serves as a kind of interface between the Infinite Creator and the finite creation.

As such, it constitutes an almost complete oneness with the Divine light that flows into it, and cannot be properly called a 'universe'.. ...

It is so sublime that it can be spoken of as completely attached to and united with the Infinite Ain Sof.

It is because of this 'proximity' to Ain Sof that Adam Kadmon is also referred to as Ain-Nothingness.

Finally, Adam Kadmon alludes to the ultimate purpose of creation.
The term itself is an anthropomorphism meaning literally 'primordial man.'

The Kabbalists explain this when they tell us that the very first ingredient in creation was the thought of Adam-Humanity. Though man was last in the external order of creation, the thought of man precedes creation.... .The thought of man is therefore called Kadmon, primordial. The first manifestation of God's purpose is thus called Adam kadmon, the primordial will that preceded all creation and hints to its ultimate level."

Now, regarding the fundamental ideas behind the Adam Kadmon concept, Moshe Idel ("Kabbalah: New Perspectives" ) reminds us that a "primeval anthropos" comprising ten powers exists in the teachings of the Gnostics, as depicted for example by Monoimus with his "man is the universe" statement or his perfect son" concept, i.e. the "form of God" which, though comprising a number of archetypal forces, is in fact an all-comprehensive "monad."

As far as the "sonship" of Adam Kadmon in Kabbalah is concerned, Christian Kabbalists were quick to "assign" these Divine "sonship" notions in Kabbalah as being specifically about the Christian saviour.

Anybody desiring a comprehensive and detailed scrutiny of the topic in question would do well to peruse Moshe Idel's mammoth study titled "Ben: Sonship and Jewish
Mysticism."

From: Jacobus Swart (kabbalist)

TO GOD BE THE GLORY FOREVER AND EVER. AMEN.