Devolvement (Kabbalah)

The Hebrew word for devolvement, hishtalshelut, has the same root as the Hebrew word leshalshel, which means to lower, and shalshelet, chain. The devolvement, or hishtalshelut, represents the levels or stages of the creation of the world, beginning from the source, Ein Sof Himself, and culminating with the physical world. This series of stages is compared to a linked metal chain, in which each link is connected to its adjoining links above and beneath it. Similarly, each level of reality is linked with the level above it, as well as the level below it, like a series of links in a chain.