ABiYA (The Four Worlds: Atzilut, Beriah, Yetzirah, Asiyah) Four stages ("worlds") which emerge out of God's infinite light and culminate in our finite physical universe.
Introduction Arba'ah Olamot
Olam Ha'Atzilut	Olam Ha'Beriah	Olam Ha'Yetzirah	Olam Ha'Asiyah

Olam Ha'Yetzirah
"The World of Formation"

The world of Yetzirah is the second of the three lower worlds.

In the world of Yetzirah, the ethereal "substance" of Beriah is endowed with spirit and generic form. The particular consciousness of this world is one of "formation" yesh m'yesh ("something from something"). Here existence takes the form of general archetypes or species. This state is referred to as "general existence" (in contrast to the state of "potential existence" of the world of Beriah).

The world of Yetzirah is referred to in Kabbalah as "the world of the angles." Though each of the three lower worlds possesses its individual class of angles as stated above, the general reality of "angles" as conscious beings possessing emotive power?independent motivation to enact God's Will?pertains to the state of consciousness characteristic of the world of Yetzirah.

The particular class of angles belonging to the world of Yetzirah are the chayot hakodesh ("the living creatures"). These are the angles which Ezekial saw in his vision of the Divine chariot. These angles are in a continuous state of "run and return," the essential life dynamic of continuous pulsation. While the fiery angles of Beriah experience their total consumption, ascent in fire, to enter the Divine reality of Aztilut (where they become nothing), the living creatures of Yetzirah experience their own pulse of life (independent of their ultimate source).

The world of Yetzirah is the spiritual origin of human emotion. The six emotive midot of Atzilut enliven the world of Yetzirah. Here one experiences love (for God and Israel), but at the same time "there is one who loves" (the one who loves possesses independent self-consciousness).

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