Tzadkiel (צדקיאל) is the Archangel of Chesed, the fourth Sephirah on the Tree of Life. His name translates from the Hebrew as "Righteousness of God" or "Justice of God," though his domain is not punitive justice but the divine mercy, loving-kindness, and expansive grace that flows from the sphere of Chesed. He is the great prince of that Sephirah, the channel through which the unbound benevolence of the Divine is poured into creation.

Position on the Tree of Life

Tzadkiel presides over Chesed (4), the first Sephirah of the Pillar of Mercy. As the archangel of this sphere, he governs the impulse of expansion, charity, and forgiveness. He is the direct opposite of Kamael (Geburah, 5), who represents severity and judgment; together, they maintain the cosmic balance of mercy and discipline.

Astrological and planetary correspondence

Chesed corresponds to the sphere of Jupiter, the planet of expansion, beneficence, and authority. Tzadkiel is thus the archangelic governor of Jupiter's influence in the material world (Assiah). In astrological magic, he is invoked for justice, mercy, and the lawful increase of prosperity or wisdom.

Historical context

Tzadkiel appears in the Zohar and later Kabbalistic texts as one of the seven archangels who stand before the Throne of Glory. He is often identified with the angel who stayed Abraham's hand at the binding of Isaac, embodying the mercy that tempers divine command. In the Book of Enoch, he is listed among the chiefs of the heavenly host. The 17th-century grimoire The Magus by Francis Barrett places him as the angel of Jupiter, ruling over the spirits of that planet. In the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Tzadkiel is the archangel of the fourth path, the sphere of Chesed, and is invoked in rituals seeking forgiveness, generosity, and the establishment of righteous order.

In Liber 777, Tzadkiel appears as the Archangel of Assiah for the fourth Sephirah, Chesed. He is the active, manifest expression of Jovial mercy in the material world, the angelic force that brings divine justice tempered with compassion into earthly affairs.