Origin : the specification framework¶
Why this document exists¶
The README states that the 12-module architecture comes from a 500-year-old cognitive framework. This document gives the full mapping, honestly and completely, for readers who want to understand the choice — or to engage with the primary sources directly.
You do not need to read this document to use or contribute to Etz Chaim AI. The public API is plain Python, and every module has a plain-English docstring. This document is for the curious.
The framework¶
The architecture is derived from Lurianic Kabbalah, a system of cognitive description systematized in the 16th century by Rabbi Isaac Luria (1534–1572) and codified by his disciple Rabbi Hayyim Vital (1542–1620) in Etz Chaim ("Tree of Life"). The mystical framing of the tradition is orthogonal to the structural content — we use only the structural content.
The framework provides :
- 10 discrete attributes (Sephirot) describing how intelligence organizes itself.
- 4 mature configurations (Partzufim) composed from those attributes.
- 13 rectification mechanisms (Tikkunei Dikna) for specific failure modes.
- Rules of layered composition (Hitlabshut) forbidding direct writes across layers.
Each of these has a machine-readable transposition in sifrei_yesod/sefarim/.
One-to-one mapping¶
The 10 attributes → 8 operational modules + 2 bridges¶
| Kabbalistic attribute | Plain name | Module |
|---|---|---|
| Chesed | Exploration | explorationengine/ |
| Gevurah | Judgment | autojudge/ |
| Tiferet | Tension | dissensuengine/ |
| Chokhmah | Insight | insightforge/ |
| Binah | Causal reasoning | causalengine/ |
| Hod | Self-knowledge | selfmap/ |
| Yesod | Memory | epistememory/ |
| Malkuth (via Lamed path) | Failure-learning | failuretoinsight/ |
| Keter | (meta-layer, planned) | — |
| Da'at | (synthesis bridge) | — |
The 4 mature configurations → 4 composition layers¶
| Kabbalistic configuration | Plain name | Module |
|---|---|---|
| Abba | Generative | partzufim/abba.py |
| Imma | Structuring | partzufim/imma.py |
| Zeir Anpin | Execution | partzufim/zeir_anpin.py |
| Nukva | Interface | partzufim/nukva.py |
The 13 rectification mechanisms → watcher patterns¶
| Tikkun | Failure pattern | Operational detection |
|---|---|---|
| 8 — Notzer Chesed (Mazal Elyon) | Exploration starvation | 0 connections on 24 h window |
| 13 — Ve-Nakeh (Mazal Tahton) | Residual unresolved causal claims | confounders_controlled = false + > 30 days old |
| 1–7, 9–12 | Planned (v0.2.0) | — |
Layered composition → Hitlabshut discipline¶
The specification forbids writing directly to aggregate states. All improvements must pass through a specific attribute channel. In code, this is the rule : no UPDATE partzufim_state SET overall_score = ... outside the authorized path. Enforced by static test.
Primary sources¶
- Zohar, Aramaic compilation (13th century Spain, traditionally attributed to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, 2nd century). Edition used : Sefaria Mantua 1558, CC-BY 3.0.
- Etz Chaim, Rabbi Hayyim Vital (ca. 1573). Public domain.
- Tikkunei Zohar, 14th century. Public domain.
Every doctrinal assertion in sifrei_yesod/sefarim/ carries a source_ref (edition, section, page), a verbatim original-language quote, and an epistemic label (E1 to E6) indicating how close the assertion is to the primary text.
Epistemic labels¶
| Level | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| E1 | Primary text, literal | Zohar III 128a quoted verbatim |
| E2 | Primary text, close paraphrase | Translation preserving technical terms |
| E3 | Authoritative commentator reading | Vital on the Zohar's Idra Rabba |
| E4 | Derived conclusion | Pattern synthesized from multiple sources |
| E5 | Extrapolation | Projecting to a new domain |
| E6 | Speculation | Beyond doctrinal warrant |
Downgrade in doubt. The word "isomorphism" is forbidden without a proved bijection ; use "structural analogy" (E3) instead.
What we do NOT claim¶
- We do not claim Etz Chaim AI is Kabbalah.
- We do not claim to reproduce the mystical or metaphysical content of the tradition.
- We do not syncretize with other traditions (no "Kabbalah = Tantra = alchemy" claims).
- We do not claim epistemic E1 for a translation ; translations are E2 at best.
What we do claim : the structural content of the framework — the 10/4/13 pattern, the composition rules, the rectification mechanics — is a useful architectural specification for building modular AI systems, independent of whether you accept or reject the mystical reading of the tradition.
How to read the corpus¶
from bridge import load_assertion
a = load_assertion("EC-K5-001")
print(a["source_he"]) # original Hebrew
print(a["source_ref"]) # "Sha'ar HaKlalim 5:1"
print(a["assertion"]) # plain French translation
print(a["epistemic_level"]) # "E1" — primary text, literal
See bridge/README for the full API.
Further reading¶
- Aryeh Kaplan, Inner Space (1990) — accessible introduction.
- Gershom Scholem, On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism (1965) — academic framing.
- Melila Hellner-Eshed, A River Flows from Eden (2009) and Seekers of the Face (2021) — scholarly readings of the Zohar and the Idra Rabba.
None of these are prerequisites for contributing to Etz Chaim AI.