Sefer, book of formation, or book of creation is the title of the earliest extant book on jewish esotericism, although some early commentators treated it as a treatise on mathematical and linguistic theory as opposed to kabbalah. Man does not live by bread only, but by every word that. He was the head of the great jewish academy at sura, babylonia, which under his leadership became the highest seat of jewish learning, and a vigorous opponent of the. Additionally, both the time of its composition and its author. With 32 wonderous paths of wisdom engraved yah, the lord of hosts, god of israel, the living god, king of the universe, almighty god, merciful and gracious, high and exalted, dwelling in eternity, whose name is holy, and created his universe with three books, with text sepher, with number sephar, and with communication sippur 2. It was written prior to rabbi shimons zohar, or the book of splendor. According to rabbi saadia gaon, the objective of the books author was to convey in writing how the things of our universe came into existence. The sepher yetzirah translated from the hebrew by william wynn westcott note. Jun 17, 2010 statistics tell us that more books are published but most of those are selfpublished or sold by tiny firms with next to no marketing push. Although the name sefer yetzirah means the book of formation, or the book. Harding, most famously including trysts in a white house coat closet. Instead, we have a variety of variant texts to work from. Sepher yirah, book of formation, or book of creation is the title of the earliest extant book on jewish mysticism, although some early commentators treated it as a treatise on mathematical and linguistic theory as opposed to kabbalah.
Sefer yetzirah, the cube of space, and the emergence of the tree of life by christopher p. It is traditionally ascribed to our father abraham, though modern scholarship tends to date it around the 9th century ce. Benton the word kabbalah, which is often used to denote the corpus of jewish mysticism and which literally means receiving, has a gematria1 of 7. The book of formation translated from the hebrew by wm. Rabbi aryeh kaplan has translated sefer yetzirah, the oldest and most mysterious of all kabbalistic texts, and now brings its theoretical, meditative, and magical implications to light. The saadia commentary on the sefer yetzirah by saadia ben joseph alfayumi 882942 ad jewish scholar, b. Sheherazade thousand and one nights story shopro books manga. I might suggest that it was worthwhile in getting both. Buy book of formation or sepher yetzirah new ed by akiba ben joseph isbn. The sefer yetzirah, or the book of creation, was written approximately 3,000 bce, and was the first kabbalistic book to be written. According to rabbi saadia gaon, the objective of the books author was to convey in writing from a jewish perspective how the things of our universe came into.
We publish academic books, fiction, memoirs and popular nonfiction, as well as books for children and young adults under our young zubaan imprint, aiming always to be pioneering, cuttingedge, progressive and inclusive. This is the book of the great rezial part 1 blessed are the wise by the mysteries coming from the wisdom. Scholem thought this was a reference to sefer yetzira, and ascribed it to the amoraic period, but this is doubtful and highly problematic. When properly understood, sepher yetzirah becomes the instruction manual for a very special type of meditation meant to strengthen concentration and to aid the development of telekinetic and telepathic powers. The ancient sefer yetzirah which explains the spiritual mechanics of creation science opens its text by saying that gd created this universe with three versions of this sapar. Of reverence, the torah is given to teach the truth to human beings. I also got a much more satisfying version by aryeh kaplan, sefer yetzirah, the book of creation. Kaballah itself cannot be defined, as it surfaced in jewish, islamic, christian, alchemical, astrological, and other. Letters and sefirot in the text of the sefer yetzirah as with many ancient texts, the original manuscript of the sefer yetzirah is no longer in existence. The sefer yetzirah meaning book of formation or book of creation is a text written down almost 2000 years ago that is generally considered the first of those texts that came from the pervasive influence known as kaballah. Class 2 handout is the same as class 1 please scroll down to the section titled origin of the sefer yetzirah. Notes on editions of sefer yetzirah in english don karr sefer yetzirah book of formation, hereafter sy is the oldest known speculative treatise in hebrew. Check out the new look and enjoy easier access to your favorite features.
The kabbalah unveiled containing the following books of the zohar the book of concealed mystery the greater holy assembly the lesser holy assembly s. The 32 paths of wisdomdocument however, was written about 1,400 years after the s. The sefer yetzirah is without question the oldest and most mysterious of all kabbalistic texts. The text states that the universe was created with a sapar, a sefer and a sippur. Thembelani ngenelwa is a personable 20something guy who cant find a good job in cape town. Like many of his peers, he goes to joburg in search of work and to catch up with old friends. Sheherazade thousand and one nights story shopro books manga shopro on. The sepher yetzirah is one of the most famous of the ancient qabalistic texts. Jacob as gaon of sura, while saadia conferred the exilarchate on davids brother hassan josiah. Saadia was attacked by the exilarch and by his chief adherent. Now in its 7th printing since republication in 1997, the sefer yetzirah has established itself as a primary source for all serious students of kabbalah. After leaving a friends house in an informal settlement one night, thembelani and three companions are attacked by a group of gunmen.
S d aleph bet and sefer yetzirah classes sounds of letters for purpose of practice. He was the head of the great jewish academy at sura, babylonia, which under his leadership became the highest seat of jewish learning, and a vigorous opponent of the karaites a jewish fundamentalist schismatic sect. He expounds on the dynamics of the spiritual domain, the worlds of the sefirot, souls, and angels. The officer of all holy forms to his right is michael. Sefer yetzirah, the cube of space, and the emergence of. Rabbi kaplans translation of this oldest and most mysterious of all kabbalistic texts provides a unique perspective on the meditative and magical aspects of kabbalah. Sefer habahir the book of illumination southern france, 12th century concepts from sefer ha yetzirah. Strength gevurah is the officer of all the holy forms to the left of the blessed holy one. With 32 wonderous paths of wisdom engraved yah, the lord of hosts, god of israel, the living god, king of the universe, almighty god, merciful and gracious, high and exalted, dwelling in eternity, whose name is holy, and created his universe with three books, with text sepher, with number sephar, and with communication sippur.
A final edited text was finally produced by the gra, rabbi eliahu gaon of. It is also the root verb for the word sippur story and sefer book. The 2nd book is a reference to hilchot yetzira in the talmud, which means the laws of creation. Theorigin oflettersandnumerals accordingtotheseferyetzirah phineasmordell philadelphia phineasmordell 1914 althoughthetitlepagebearsthedateof1914,theauthor. Running for their lives, the friends scatter in all directions, and. Hassan was forced to flee, and died in exile in khorasan. Nan britton described her sixyear affair with the late warren g. Pdf sefer yetzira the book of creation download full. Sefer yezirah book of formation is the title of the earliest extant book on jewish esotericism, although some early commentators treated it as a treatise on. When properly understood, sepher yetzirah becomes the instruction manual for a very special type of meditation meant to strengthen concentration and to aid the.
In babylonia he wrote his sefer hamoadim, or book of festivals, in which he refuted the assertions of. Like the tao teh ching, it is a brief work whose terse verses can easily mask its depth and complexity. In order to get more insight into the interpretive shift, i examine two of the medieval commentaries on sefer yetzirah cited by dan. President hardings paternity of brittons daughter elizabeth ann, born in 1919, was proved by dna testing in 2015. If we now momentarily turn our attention deuteronomy 8. The one who receives should try to receive the sefirot first in order to receive the divine overflow.
This is because each person is a unique desire to receive. Saadia gaon 882942 gives the book a thoroughly philosophical analysis, noting parallels between greek thought and hebrew thought. Sepher yetzirah translated from the original hebrew by william wynn westcott the sepher yetzirah is one of the most famous of the ancient qabalistic texts. The book of formation sefer yetzirah the matheson trust. The presidents daughter, americas first major kissandtell political biography, caused a sensation when it was published in 1928. References to the work appear in the first century, while traditions regarding its use attest to its existance even in. The sefer yetzirah is, according to the different approaches, the earliest jewish scientific treatise, or a treatise on mathematics and sacred grammar, or the earliest and most enigmatic book on jewish esotericism. And the living creatures ran and returned, 19 and upon this word a.
There was only one book, which appeared in the time of saadya gaon. In thirtytwo mysterious paths of wisdom, yah, eternal of hosts, god of israel, living elohim, almighty god, high and extolled, dwelling in eternity, holy be his name, engraved and created his world in three sefarim. Wynn westcott the sepher yetzirah is one of the most famous of the ancient qabbalistic texts. To most people, the very word kabbalah implies the mystical experience par excellence, but most modern books about this subject shed very little light into its ancient mystical and magical aspects. I chose this version because it was a rosicrucian order, amorc, publication. Westcotts translation of the sepher yetzirah was a primary source for the rituals and knowledge lectures of the golden dawn.
It was composed probably between the 3rd and 6th centuries of the christian era and was later attributed to r. For more information on the history of this work, see gershom scholems kabbalah, quadranglethe new york times book co. The first commentaries on this book were written in the 10th century, and the text itself is quoted as early as the sixth century. Modern scholars have not reached consensus on the question of its origins. There are ten intangible sefiroth, shut your mouth from speaking and your heart from thinking.
This is the first in a series of classes approximately 42 that are designed to give a student of kabbalah a personal experience of the creator. Sefer yetzirah, the cube of space, and the emergence of the. Statistics tell us that more books are published but most of those are selfpublished or sold by tiny firms with next to no marketing push. Sefer yetzirah is the title of the earliest extant book on jewish mysticism, although some early commentators treated it as a treatise on mathematical and linguistic theory as opposed to kabbalah. Jul 25, 2011 s d aleph bet and sefer yetzirah classes sounds of letters for purpose of practice. Zubaan is an independent feminist publishing house based in new delhi. Like the tao teh ching, it is a brief work whose terse verses can easily mask. Books by rabbi saadia gaon 882942 home my account policies about. In addition to endorsing traditional jewish views, saadia sought to address topics seemingly left up for grabs by the torah. Browse the worlds largest ebookstore and start reading today on the web, tablet, phone, or ereader. The book is traditionally ascribed to the patriarch abraham, although others attribute its writing to rabbi akiva. This particular volume should be considered a short version. In this essay i discuss the sefer yetzirah in light of some fourth way ideas.
The sepher yetzirah is the oldest and most mysterious of all kabbalistic texts. Talmud schottenstein english daf yomi size edition. He was the head of the great jewish academy at sura, babylonia, which under his leadership became the highest seat of jewish learning, and a vigorous opponent of the karaites a jewish fundamentalist schismatic sect, reputedly founded 8th cent. Pdf4c4e4 rabbi aryeh kaplan has translated sefer yetzirah, the oldest and most mysterious of all kabbalistic texts, and now brings. A delineation of the kaballah as it is taught through the sepher yetzirah. Rabbi aryeh kaplan has therefore translated the sefer yetzirah the oldest and most mysterious of all kabbalistic texts, and now brings its theoretical, meditative and magical. The sepher yetzirah is one of the most important founding works of qabalah. To most people, the very word kabbalah implies the mystical experience par excellence, but most modern books about this subject shed very little light on its ancient mystical and magical aspects. The book of creation pdf file for free from our online library. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read the roanoke girls. The exposition here is by no means exhaustive, but represents an approach to the sefer yetzirahan approach that i believe is productive the sefer yetzirah meaning book of formation or book of creation is a text written down almost 2000 years ago that is generally. The sepher yetzirah bill heidrick hermetic library. Tafsir kitab almabadi, an arabic translation of and commentary on the sefer yetzirah, written while its author was still.
1597 1111 45 23 1416 543 296 508 1256 667 4 1355 1314 1559 520 1542 670 672 1199 1607 1433 1018 337 796 1222 1207 190 67 1479 981 658 1307 1078 232 1338