Jerusalem Between the Sefirot

The Ilan as a Celestial Map

Abstract

This article examines the development of visual representation in the writings of R. Yosef Gikatilla and in works attributed to him, situating this visual tradition within the broader context of medieval European cartographic discourse. It traces the gradual transition from the early diagrams found in Ginat Egoz and Sha‘arei Orah to the large sefirotic scrolls produced in his wake. Through a chronological analysis, the study demonstrates a significant evolution—from relatively simple diagrams intended to clarify specific ideas to elaborate scrolls depicting a comprehensive system of relationships: among the sefirot, between Israel and the nations, and between the upper divine realm and Jerusalem. The article identifies clear parallels between these diagrams and the conventions of medieval mapping, particularly maps of Jerusalem and mappae mundi. Like these cartographic forms, the later ilanot display narrative layering of figures and events, a sharp distinction between inner and outer realms, and the marking of boundaries and gates threatened by intrusion. The article argues that these ilanot function not merely as representations of kabbalistic concepts but as celestial maps that chart the sacred realm and the dangers surrounding it. Finally, the article shows that the integration of passages from Sod ha-Naḥash and related esoteric sections transforms the scrolls into a call to action. The recitation of Psalms, the chanting of the Qedushah, and the performance of commandments are depicted as practices that reinforce the defensive structure of the upper realm. In this way, the ilan becomes a spiritual ״battle map, ״ linking Jerusalem above, Jerusalem below, and the individual who contemplates the scroll.