Partzufim

Partzufim or Partsufim (, singular partzuf, , from Greek: πρόσωπον prósopon "face" or "mask"), are "countenances" or "personas" of God described in the Zohar.

The terms used for partzufim appear in the following texts of the Zohar: ''Sifra de'Tzniuta (the Book of Concealment), the Idra Rabba, and the Idra Zuta. The Idra Rabba describes a divine being composed of three partzufim: Arikh Anpin, the “Long-Faced One” or “Slow to Anger”; Zʿeir Anpin, the “Small-Faced One” or “Short-Tempered”; and Nukvah, the feminine aspect of the Divine. Although one can observe expression of certain sefirot in the partzufim, the Idra Rabba makes no attempt to bring these two paradigms into alignment. The Idra Zuta describes five partzufim, the aforementioned three and two additional ones Abba (Father) and Imma (Mother), forming an “inner” divine “family” within the Godhead.