Jacob’s Ladder: The Covenants of the Endowment as a Kabbalistic Path of Ascension

How the five covenants of the Endowment are related to the central sephirot of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life

Image from the book Portae Lucis, by Paulus Ritius, Published in 1516

We all know that the covenants that we make in the Endowment are essential to entering the Celestial kingdom. But have you ever thought that they are like rungs on Jacob’s ladder, leading us up through higher and higher planes of existence? According to scripture, the kingdom we will inhabit in the next life is determined by the law that we are willing to obey, and the number of these  kingdoms is infinite (See D&C 88:22-24, 36-38 and D&C 105:4-5). This idea of ascending to Heaven by degrees is a universal concept that is taught using many different symbols.

The image of Jacob’s Ladder is the most obvious example of the path of ascension in the Judaeo-Christian tradition, but if you know what to look for, the theme pops up everywhere. The concept of a conduit to heaven is often referred to as the “Axis Mundi,” which is Latin for “World Axis.” As the name implies, it is usually portrayed as being in the center of the known world. In this sacred place, the prayers of man are able to ascend up to God, and His blessings are able to descend. The Biblical tree of life is a prime example of an Axis Mundi: it is in the center of the Garden of Eden, it’s roots draw up nourishment from the earth (the ascending prayers of mankind), and the branches produce fruit from above (blessings descending from heaven). Other examples of the Axis Mundi are the cross, the temple and its spires, the obelisk, the pyramid, and the lingam. The human body also has its own symbolic world axes including the navel/umbilical cord and the spine topped by the skull (the significance of the spine and skull should be clear to anyone familiar with the Hindu chakra system. According to this philosophy, there are seven essential spiritual centers, or chakras, that ascend from the base of the spine to the top of the skull. Each one represents a higher level of spiritual functioning that is supported by the ones below it).

One of the most detailed examples of an Axis Mundi is the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, which bears many similarities to the covenants of the Endowment. To understand the cryptic glyph known as the Tree of Life, it is essential to first know about its origin: the Kabbalah. The word “Kabbalah” means “to receive,” and probably references the way that these secret teachings were passed on from mouth to ear. Kabbalistic doctrine was thought to be too sacred for the masses and was therefore only taught to the Hebrew elect who had demonstrated their worthiness. These teachings mainly focus on ten divine attributes and their relation to each other. This is where the “tree of life” diagram comes in; it arranges the ten attributes in an ascending pattern with connecting lines showing the “paths” between these attributes. The attributes themselves are portrayed within circles known as “sephirot” (the singular form of the word is sephirah). The Hebrew words for each sephirah are generally used to distinguish them, but it helps to know that even the English translations of these names don’t tell the whole story. There is a lot more to each of the sephirah than it’s name implies.

The Kabbalistic Tree of Life can be interpreted in many ways. It is most often interpreted as the various manifestations of God from the highest level of Heaven down to the physical plane. It can also be seen as the path that we must follow to return to God, as well as a map of the human psyche.

The Tree of Life may look complicated, but it’s much simpler when the sephirot are viewed as three columns or “pillars.” The central pillar represents our path to exaltation, and the two pillars on each side represent opposing forces that must be kept in balance in order to stabilize the central pillar. These opposing forces include intellect and emotion, mercy and justice, and masculinity and femininity.

There are five sephirot on the central pillar of the Tree of Life which, interestingly, correspond with the five covenants of the Endowment. If we start at the bottom sephirah of this pillar and move up, we can identify a connection to each covenant in the order that they appear in the temple ceremony. The first covenant of the Endowment is obedience, which corresponds to the sephirah Malchut (Kingdom). Just as Malchut is the starting place for ascending to Heaven, obedience is the starting place on the covenant path; all other covenants are meaningless without it. After all, what is the point in covenanting to keep a commandment if one does not intend to obey God’s comments? Malchut is associated with the material world, the world in which we live. It is interesting to note that Adam and Eve covenanted to obey God’s commandments at the time that they were driven out of the Garden of Eden into the lone and dreary world. Clearly, there is a connection between the covenant of obedience and life on this material plane.

The second covenant of the Endowment is Sacrifice, which corresponds to the sephirah of Yesod (Foundation). Yesod is associated with the spirit world and is therefore the spiritual “foundation” of the material world we live in. In addition, it is also associated with the idea of Platonic forms, which are the concepts and ideas upon which physical objects are based. It is significant that Yesod represents the plane of forms and symbols because the Law of Sacrifice is essentially symbolic. The practice of animal sacrifice given in the Law of Moses was a “form” of the atonement of Jesus Christ, as is our modern sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit (See 3 Nephi 9:19-20).

Yesod is supported by two sephirot on either side: Hod (Splendor) and Netzach (Victory), representing reason and emotion. These are the two major forces that animate and define our spirits. They also represent the sacrifice that Jesus has asked each of us to make: that of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. The broken heart represents reason because the heart is the seat of reason in the scriptures, and the contrite spirit represents emotion because a person’s “spirit” is synonymous with his or her passions. 

The third covenant of the Endowment is to obey the Law of the Gospel which is the higher law taught by Jesus Christ. The placement of this covenant in relation to the others is significant. The first two covenants represent the Law of Moses (the Old Testament teachings of obedience and sacrifice) which was followed by the higher Law of the Gospel (the New Testament teachings of Jesus Christ). The Law of the Gospel is the central covenant in the Endowment, having two covenants preceding it and two following it. This makes it the most important of the five covenants if the Endowment is viewed as a chiasmus. A chiasmus is a scriptural literary style with sections that follow the format A, B, C, B, A. The most important message of the chiasmic passage is C, and the other passages, A and B, reflect around it in order to emphasize this central point.

Just as the Law of the Gospel is at the center of the Endowment, the sephirah known as Tiferet (beauty) is at the center of the Tree of Life. This central location represents balance, harmony, and interconnectedness. Tiferet is often interpreted as a symbol of Christ who is an intermediary between Heaven and the fallen world. The central location of Tiferet also represents Jesus’ condescension: although divine, He became mortal; although He was above all things, He descended below all things (See D&C 88:6). Because of these paradoxical themes surrounding Jesus, he can be seen as the sacred center between extremes. One significant aspect of Tiferet is that it is supported on either side by the sephirot Gevurah (Justice), and Chesed (Mercy). This placement of Tiferet is related to Christ’s role as the mediator between Justice and Mercy, reconciling these two opposing laws through His sacrifice (See Alma 34:14-16).

The covenant that follows the Law of the Gospel is Chastity. On the surface, this covenant may seem a little out of place. One has to keep the Law of Chastity to enter the temple, so why do we covenant to keep this law within the temple? The placement of this covenant starts to make more sense as one digs deeper. The placement of the commandment is not based on its difficulty but on what it represents, and the Law of Chastity symbolizes the next step in our progression: unity with one’s spouse. To be chaste means that there are no competing lovers to come between oneself and one’s spouse, which signifies commitment and oneness in marriage. Loyalty to one’s spouse, in turn, is symbolic of our loyalty and commitment to God. This is why marriage is so often used as a metaphor for our relationship with the Divine in scripture.

The Law of Chastity is associated with the sephirah Da’at (Knowledge). This sephirah is a bit complicated.... There are supposed to be only ten sephirot, but Da’at is often seen as the “hidden” eleventh sephirah. It is also rationalized as a reflection, or a lower manifestation, of the sephirah Keter above it. So what does “knowledge” have to do with chastity? The connection becomes clearer when one considers the sephirot to the left and right of Da’at which are Binah (Understanding) and Chokmah (Wisdom). All three of these attributes (wisdom, understanding, and knowledge) are cognitive in nature. Wisdom represents the transmission of an idea from one person to another; it is the spark or genesis of knowledge. Understanding represents the receipt of this transmitted idea. It is like the fertile ground that receives the seed and nurtures it. As a result of the growth of this seed, a mature plant develops, representing a sure knowledge. In this way, wisdom, understanding, and knowledge are representative of the human reproductive process. Wisdom, the father, projects information outward. Understanding receives the information into her womb and nourishes it. The child that she bears is Knowledge. Because of this relationship between wisdom (Chokmah), understanding (Binah), and knowledge (Da’at), Chokmah and Binah are viewed by Kabbalists as the masculine and feminine archetypes. Da’at therefore symbolizes unity between male and female which is the purpose of the Law of Chastity. There is a further connection between knowledge and the Law of Chastity: in the scriptures, knowledge is used as a term to describe intimacy between a husband and wife (i.e. “And Adam knew Eve his wife,” Genesis 4:1) and is representative of their mutual understanding and the unity between them.

The fifth and final covenant is the Law of Consecration. It represents total unity with God though devoting all of our means and faculties to His service. The sephirah associated with this covenant is Keter (Crown). Keter is the “crown” because it is the highest state we can attain. Keter, the highest sephirah, represents the mysteries of God. Prior to this point, God was only partially known, but now He is fully comprehended. In this way, Keter is suggestive of entering God’s presence and seeing Him face to face. Because Keter represents unity with God, it makes sense that Da’at, which represents unity with one’s spouse, is a reflection of Keter on a lower plane. 

Now that we have gone through the five covenants of the endowment and compared them to the central sephirot of the Tree of Life, we must consider what the connections imply. It is unlikely that Kabbalah influenced the creation of the Endowment, and any similarities between the two could be coincidental. Ultimately, both Kabbalah and the temple ordinances have the same purpose: to guide their adherents into the presence of God. It should be no surprise, therefore, that some of the concepts overlap. The comparisons presented in this article are not intended to prove a connection between Kabbalah and the Endowment. Instead, the intention is to enhance our appreciation for the Endowment through comparison to a similar tradition. If we can see the ordinances of the temple as an ascent up Jacob’s ladder, we will allow our lives to be elevated accordingly.

Latter-day Gnosis: Joseph Smith's Teachings on the Knowledge Required for Salvation

You are familiar with the faith vs. works debate, but what is the role of knowledge in salvation? Read my article to find out what the Book of Mormon, Joseph Smith, and Jesus Christ have to say on this subject.

Illustration by the author

Salvation is a complicated subject. There are so many different angles on it... Is it by faith or works? Is it a one-time event or a lifelong process? Just when I thought I had all these intricacies sorted out, I encountered another conundrum: Is knowledge required for salvation? And, if so, what knowledge?

 In my childhood, I was taught the basics of salvation; according to the Articles of Faith, salvation comes “through the atonement of Christ...by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the gospel.” These laws and ordinances include faith in Jesus Christ, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. These four steps were often portrayed as rungs on a ladder leading to heaven. As my understanding of the gospel expanded, I realized that there are more than four rungs on this proverbial ladder. One of these additional rungs is knowledge.

Is knowledge required for salvation? According to Joseph Smith, the answer is yes:

“It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance.” (D&C 131:6)

“… A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge…” (History of the Church, 4:588)

“Knowledge is necessary to life and godliness. Woe unto you priests and divines who preach that knowledge is not necessary unto life and salvation. Take away Apostles, etc., take away knowledge, and you will find yourselves worthy of the damnation of hell. Knowledge is revelation. Hear, all ye brethren, this grand key: knowledge is the power of God unto salvation.” (From a discourse given on May 21, 1843, quoted by Martha Jane Knowlton Coray)

“Whatever principle of intelligence we attain unto in this life, it will rise with us in the resurrection. And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come.” (D&C 130:18-19)

In addition to teaching that knowledge plays a part in salvation, Joseph taught that knowledge is the defining attribute of God. This makes sense given that salvation is a process of becoming like God:

“The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth.” (D&C 93:36)

The Mysteries of God

After pondering the teachings of Joseph Smith on knowledge, I began to pick up on a similar theme in the Book of Mormon. Throughout this book, there are several references to something called the “mysteries of God.” In each of these references, the mysteries are described as hidden knowledge that can only be obtained through diligent seeking. Note the pattern in the following scriptures:

“For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come….” (1 Nephi 10:19)

“Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing—unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God….” (Alma 26:22)

“It is given unto many to know the mysteries of God; nevertheless they are laid under a strict command that they shall not impart only according to the portion of his word which he doth grant unto the children of men, according to the heed and diligence which they give unto him. And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.” (Alma 12:9-10)

These descriptions of the mysteries of God left me with some questions: What exactly is this knowledge that is reserved for the faithful? And how does God protect it from those who are unworthy?

To Know God

As I pondered these questions, I came across some teachings of Jesus that gave the answers:

“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3)

“…no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.” (Matthew 11:27)

The mysteries of God were starting to make sense: The hidden knowledge wasn’t information; it was knowing God. To actually know God, and not just know about Him, is something that is non-transferable. The only way to gain this knowledge is through one’s own personal seeking. Also, as Jesus explained, the Father can only be known through the assistance of the Son. I was starting to see a connection between the “mysteries” and the first principle of the gospel: faith in Jesus Christ.

Faith Becomes Knowledge

The scriptures teach that faith can eventually transform into knowledge. We learn about this in Alma’s famous analogy of the seed. In this analogy, a seed is nourished through faith, and as the seed grows into a tree, the faith becomes a “perfect knowledge.” Note how faithfully nurturing the seed parallels the diligent seeking required to receive the mysteries of God:

“And now, behold, because ye have tried the experiment, and planted the seed, and it swelleth and sprouteth, and beginneth to grow, ye must needs know that the seed is good. And now, behold, is your knowledge perfect? Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant; and this because you know…And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck the fruit thereof....” (Alma 32:33-34, 42)

Knowledge is Salvation

One thing I learned from my studies is that knowledge isn’t a step on the ladder to salvation; knowledge is salvation. Jesus didn’t say that knowing God leads to eternal life, but that knowing God is eternal life. In his vision of the Kingdoms of Glory, Joseph Smith described those in the Celestial Kingdom thus:

“They who dwell in his presence are the church of the Firstborn; and they see as they are seen, and know as they are known….” (D&C 76:94)

My interpretation of this scripture is that those who inherit the Celestial Kingdom will know God as well as He knows them. From this, it can be inferred that the Celestial Kingdom is more of a state of knowledge than a physical location. How well we know God determines the degree to which we are saved.

The Endowment

The concept of salvation through receiving hidden knowledge is central to the temple Endowment. This pattern is evident in Brigham Young’s explanation of the ordinance:

“Let me give you a definition in brief. Your endowment is, to receive all those ordinances in the house of the Lord, which are necessary for you, after you have departed this life, to enable you to walk back to the presence of the Father, passing the angels who stand as sentinels, being enabled to give them the key words, the signs and tokens, pertaining to the holy Priesthood, and gain your eternal exaltation in spite of earth and hell.” (Discourses of Brigham Young, comp. John A. Widtsoe, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1941, p. 416)

I have often wondered about “key words, signs, and tokens” enabling me to enter God’s presence. It’s hard for me to understand how this fits in with the concept of the Judgement. Based on the scriptures, I believe that I will stand before God personally to be judged, and He will know exactly who I am and if I am worthy of exaltation. So, given that God will already know me, how do “key words, signs, and tokens” come into the picture?

I have been able to make sense of this conundrum by viewing the Endowment as a symbolic template for life. In the Endowment ceremony, we learn that obedience leads to knowledge, and knowledge grants admission into God’s presence. According to my interpretation of the ordinance, the signs and tokens are not the actual knowledge needed for admission into God’s presence; they are symbols of the only knowledge that is truly secret and truly has power to save. That knowledge is to be personally acquainted with God.

The Brother of Jared's Experience

The concept salvation through knowing God is further supported by the experience of the Brother of Jared in the third chapter of Ether. Many scholars have noted the parallels between the Endowment and the brother of Jared's experience with God on the mountain. The most obvious of these is how the brother of Jared first speaks to the Lord through the veil, then sees His finger, then passes through the veil to enter His presence. The brother of Jared is allowed to pass through the veil because he knows of God's reality beyond any doubt:

“…the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you… And because of the knowledge of this man he could not be kept from beholding within the veil; and he saw the finger of Jesus, which, when he saw, he fell with fear; for he knew that it was the finger of the Lord; and he had faith no longer, for he knew, nothing doubting. Wherefore, having this perfect knowledge of God, he could not be kept from within the veil; therefore he saw Jesus; and he did minister unto him.” (Ether 3:13,19-20)

Faith, Works, and Knowledge

Although the idea of salvation through knowledge might seem incompatible with the concept of faith-based salvation, the two can be seen as parts of the same process. As illustrated in Alma chapter 32, faith in God eventually develops to knowledge of Him if we are diligent. Likewise, salvation through knowledge also fits in with the principle of being judged by our works. As a King Benjamin explained, good works cause us to become acquainted with Heavenly Father:

“For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?” (Mosiah 5:13)

In sharing these thoughts on knowledge, I am not trying to teach a new doctrine or redefine salvation. I don’t pretend to know wether salvation comes by faith, works, or knowledge. Ultimately, salvation can’t be attributed to one single principle of the gospel. As mortals, we can’t fully comprehend exaltation, and the process by which we are exalted is also beyond our understanding. Joseph Smith said this best:

“When you climb up a ladder, you must begin at the bottom, and ascend step by step, until you arrive at the top; and so it is with the principles of the gospel—you must begin with the first, and go on until you learn all the principles of exaltation. But it will be a great while after you have passed through the veil before you will have learned them. It is not all to be comprehended in this world; it will be a great work to learn our salvation and exaltation even beyond the grave.” (King Follett Sermon, April 7, 1844)

Notes:

For more information on the similarities between Ether 3 and the temple, see the Book of Mormon Central article, Why did Mormon use temple imagery while telling the brother of Jared Story? (https://knowhy.bookofmormoncentral.org/content/why-did-moroni-use-temple-imagery-while-telling-the-brother-of-jared-story)