These are my comments on The Thirteen Petalled Rose by Adin Steinsaltz, translated by Yehuda Hanegbi. It is supposed to be a straightforward explanation of the Kabbalah.

Chapter 1: Worlds

There are many worlds that interact all at once to provide the reality that we experience. The author mentions an "inconceivably vast system of worlds." It is not clear whether he means vast in number or vast in some other way, for he later specifies four worlds, in order from "lowest" (nearest us) to "highest" (nearest God). These are the worlds of action, formation, creation, and emanation. All the worlds have their own equivalent of the concepts of "space," "time," and "self," called "world," "year," and "soul." The world of action is the one in which we live, composed of both a world of matter and a world of spirit. Next above that is the world of formation, primarily a world of emotion or feeling. This world is inhabited by angels, each of which represents a specific emotion or feeling. They can serve as messengers from our world to the higher worlds, or from the higher worlds to our world. While some angels have existed from the beginning of creation, man can also create angels by his actions, for each act of goodness carries with it good feelings, good energy, which become detached from the act and become an angel, causing transformations in the higher worlds.