El (אל) is the Name of Power in Assiah—the divine force most directly vested in the sphere of Chesed, Mercy. The word El is a common Semitic root meaning “power” or “god,” and in Hebrew spelling the two letters, Aleph and Lamed, form a root whose literal sense is “to be strong” or “to be first.” As a Name, it emphasizes the aspect of the Deity that is the source of loving‑kindness, beneficence, and the expansive impulse of creation.

Position on the Tree of Life

The Name El corresponds to Sephirah 4, Chesed, and is placed at Path 17 on the Tree of Life in the world of Assiah. This path links the spheres of Netzach and Hod, flanking the Pillar of Severity and Mercy. On this path, the power of El manifests as the active, sustaining kindness that flows into the lower worlds—a force that does not judge but gives unceasingly.

Astrological and planetary correspondence

In the traditional attribution, El is associated with the planet Jupiter (Tzodeq), the celestial body of expansion, good fortune, and merciful rule. This reinforces the character of Chesed as the sphere of grace and abundance. The Jupiter‑Chesed link is one of the oldest in Western esoteric planetary magic, appearing as early as the Hellenistic assignations and consolidated in the Sepher Yetzirah.

Historical context

The name El appears with immense antiquity in the Semitic world. In Canaanite religion, El was the chief god, the “father of the gods,” a figure of supreme authority and wisdom seated on a heavenly throne. The Hebrew Scriptures adopt this same name for the supreme God of Israel, both alone and in compound forms such as El Shaddai (God Almighty) and El Elyon (God Most High). Philo of Byblos, drawing on earlier Phoenician sources, described El as a primordial creator who dwells in the far north—a location echoed in Psalm 48:2.

In Jewish Kabbalah, the Name El is systematically ascribed to Chesed. The Zohar and later Lurianic texts dwell on how this Name channels the flow of hesed (lovingkindness) from Keter through the partzuf of Abba (Chokmah) into the worlds of Beriyah and Yetzirah. The Sefer ha-Bahir and the Pardes Rimonim of Moses Cordovero confirm the use of El as the divine name in the fourth Sephirah. In practical Qabalah, such as the Magical Calendar of Tycho Brahe and later the Golden Dawn, the Name serves as the focal point for invocations to Jupiter and for rites of mercy, abundance, and the petition for grace.

In Liber 777

In the table of Liber 777, El (אל) appears in the row God‑Names in Assiah (Scale Step 17, Path 17). It is the specific divine name that operates in the outermost, material sphere of the Tree, where the energies of the Sephiroth descend into the world of action. The presence of El at this step affirms that even in the densest realm of existence, the mercy of Chesed remains the active and sustaining power.