Ayin (, meaning "nothingness", related to
Ain-"not") is an important concept in
Kabbalah and
Hasidic philosophy. It is contrasted with the term
Yesh ("something/existence/being/is"). According to kabbalistic teachings, before the
universe was created there was only Ayin, and the first manifest
Sephirah (Divine emanation),
Chochmah (Wisdom), "comes into being out of Ayin." In this context, the sephirah
Keter, the Divine will, is the intermediary between the Divine Infinity (
Ein Sof) and Chochmah. Because Keter is a supreme revelation of the
Ohr Ein Sof (Infinite Light), transcending the manifest sephirot, it is sometimes excluded from them.