13.8.18

SEPHER YETZIRAH

 INTRODUCTION
The “Sepher Yetzirah,” or “Book of Formation,” is perhaps the oldest Rabbinical treatise of Kabalistic philosophywhich is still extant. The great interest which has been evinced of 1ate yearsin the Hebrew Kabalah, and the modes of thought and doctrine allied to it, hasinduced me to translate this tractate from the original Hebrew texts, and tocollate with them the Latin versions of mediaeval authorities; and I have alsopublished An Introduction to the Kabalah which may be found useful to students.
Three important books of the “Zohar,” or“Book of Splendour,” which is a great storehouse of Kabalistic teaching, havebeen translated into English by S. L. MacGregor Mathers, and the “SepherYetzirah” in an English translation is almost a necessary companion to theseabstruse disquisitions: the two books indeed mutually explain each other.
The “Sepher Yetzirah,” although this name means “The Book of Formation,”is not in any sense a narrative of Creation, or a substitute Genesis, but is anancient and instructive philosophical treatise upon one aspect of the origin ofthe universe and mankind; an aspect at once archaic and essentially Hebrew. Thegrouping of the processes of origin into an arrangement, at once alphabetic andnumeral, is one only to be found in Semitic authors.
Attention must be called to the essentialpeculiarity of the Hebrew language, the inextricable and necessary associationof numbers and letters; every letter suggesting a number, and every group ofletters having a numerical signification, as vital as its literal meaning.
The Kabalistic principles involved in the reversal of Hebrew letters,and their substitution by others, on definite schemes, should also be studiedand borne in mind.
It is exactly on these principles that the “ground-work idea” ‘of thisdisquisition rests; and these principles may be traced throughout theKabalistic tractates which have succeeded it in point of time and development,many of which are associated together in one volume known as the “Zohar,” whichis in the main concerned with the essential dignities of the Godhead, with theEmanations which have sprung therefrom, with the doctrine of the Sephiroth, theideals of Macroprosopus and Microprosopus, and the doctrine of Reincarnation.
The “Sepher Yetzirah,” on the other hand,is mainly concerned with our universe and with the Microcosm. The opinions ofHebrew Kabalistic Rabbis and of modern mystics may be fitly introduced here.
The following interesting quotation isfrom Rabbi Moses Botarel, who wrote his famous Commentary in 1409: –”It wasAbraham our Father–blessed be he–who wrote this book to condemn the doctrine ofthe sages of his time, who were incredulous of the supreme dogma of the Unity. Atleast, this was the opinion of Rabbi Saadiah–blessed be he–as written in thefirst chapter of his book The Philosopher’s Stone. These are his words: Thesages of Babylonattacked Abraham on account of his faith; for they were all against himalthough themselves separable into three sects. The First thought that theUniverse was subject to the control of two opposing forces, the one existingbut to destroy the other, this is dualism; they held that there was nothing incommon between the author of evil and the author of good. The Second sectadmitted Three great Powers; two of them as in the first case, and a thirdPower whose function was to decide between the two others, a supremearbitrator. The Third sect recognised no god beside the Sun, in which itrecognised the sole principle of existence.”

Rabbi Judah Ha Lévi (who flourished about 1120), in his criticaldescription of this treatise, wrote: “The Sepher Yetzirah teaches us theexistence of a Single Divine Power by shewing us that in the bosom of varietyand multiplicity there is a Unity and Harmony, and that such universal concordcould only arise from the rule of a Supreme Unity.”
According to Isaac Myer, in his Quabbalah(p. 159), the “Sepher Yetzirah” was referred to in the writings of Ibn Gebirolof Cordova, commonly called Avicebron, who died in A.D. 1070.
Eliphas Levi, the famous French Occultist, thus wrote of the “SepherYetzirah,” in his Histoire de la Magie, p. 54: “The Zohar is a Genesis ofillumination, the Sepher Jezirah is a ladder formed of truths. Therein areexplained the thirty-two absolute signs of sounds, numbers and letters: eachletter reproduces a number, an idea and a form; so that mathematics are capableof application to ideas and to forms not less rigorously than to numbers, byexact proportion and perfect correspondence. By the science of the SepherJezirah the human spirit is fixed to truth, and in reason, and is able to takeaccount of the possible development of intelligence by the evolutions ofnumbers. The Zohar represents absolute truth, and the Sepher Jezirah providesthe means by which we may seize, appropriate and make use of it.”
Upon another page Eliphas Lévi writes:“The Sepher Jezirah and the Apocalypse are the masterpieces of Occultism; theycontain more wisdom than words; their expression is as figurative as poetry,and at the same time it is as exact as mathematics.
In the volume entitled La Kabbale by theeminent French scholar, Adolphe Franck, there is a chapter on the “SepherYetzirah.” He writes as follows: –
“The Book of Formation contains, I will not say system of physics, butof cosmology such as could be conceived at an age and in a country where thehabit of explaining all phenomena by the immediate action of the First Cause,tended to check the spirit of observation, and where in consequence certaingeneral and superficial relations perceived in the natural world passed for thescience of Nature.”…”Its form is simple and grave; there is nothing like ademonstration nor an argument; but it consists rather of a series of aphorisms,regularly grouped, and which have all the conciseness of the most ancient oracles.”
In his analysisof the “Sepher Yetzirah,” he adds: –”The Book of Formation, even if it be notvery voluminous, and if it do not altogether raise us to very elevated regionsof thought, yet offers us at least a composition which is very homogeneous andof a rare originality. The clouds which the imagination of commentators havegathered around it, will be dissipated, if we look for, in it, not mysteries ofineffable wisdom, but an attempt at a reasonable doctrine, made when reasonarose, an effort to grasp the plan of the universe, and to secure the linkwhich binds to one common principle, all the elements which are around us.”
“The last word of this system is thesubstitution of the absolute divine Unity for every idea of Dualism, for thatpagan philosophy which saw in matter an eternal substance whose laws were notin accord with Divine Will; and for the Biblical doctrine, which by its idea ofCreation, postulates two things, the Universe and God, as two substancesabsolutely distinct one from the other.
“In fact, in the ‘Sepher Yetzirah,’ Godconsidered as the Infinite and consequently the indefinable Being, extendedthroughout all things by his power and existence, is while above, yet notoutside of numbers, sounds and letters--the principles and general laws whichwe recognise.”
“Every element has its source from ahigher form, and all things have their common origin from the Word (Logos), theHoly Spirit…. So God is at once, in the highest sense, both the matter and theform of the universe. Yet He is not only that form; for nothing can or doesexist outside of Himself; His substance is the foundation of all, and allthings bear His imprint and are symbols of His intelligence.”
Hebrew tradition assigns the doctrines of the oldest portions of the“Zohar” to a date antecedent to the building of the Second Temple, but RabbiSimeon ben Jochai, who lived in the reign of the Emperor Titus, A.D. 70-80, isconsidered to have been the first to commit these to writing, and Rabbi Mosesde Leon, of Guadalaxara, in Spain, who died in 1305, certainly reproduced andpublished the “Zohar.”
Ginsburg, speaking of the Zoharic doctrines of the Ain Suph, says thatthey were unknown until the thirteenth century, but he does not deny the greatantiquity of the “Sepher Yetzirah,” in which it will be noticed the “Ain SuphAur” and “Ain Suph” are not mentioned.I suggest, however, that this omission isno proof that the doctrines of “Ain Suph Aur” and “Ain Suph” did not thenexist, because it is a reasonable supposition that the “Sepher Yetzirah” wasthe volume assigned to the Yetziratic World, the third of the four KabalisticWorlds of Emanation, while the “Asch Metzareph” is concerned with the Assiatic,fourth, or lowest World of Shells, and is on the face of it an alchemicaltreatise; and again the “Siphra Dtzenioutha” may be fittingly considered to bean Aziluthic work, treating of the Emanations of Deity alone; and there wasdoubtless a fourth work assigned to the World of Briah--the second type, but Ihave not been able to identify this treatise. Both the Babylonian and theJerusalem Talmuds refer to the “Sepher Yetzirah.” Their treatise, named “Sanhedrin,”certainly mentions the “Book of Formation,” and another similar work; and Rashiin his commentary on the treatise
“Erubin,” considers this a reliable historical notice.Other historicalnotices are those of Saadya Gaon, who died A.D. 940, and Judah Ha Levi, A.D.1150; both these Hebrew classics speak of it as a very ancient work. Somemodern critics have attributed the authorship to the Rabbi Akiba, who lived inthe time of the Emperor Hadrian, A.D. 120, and lost his life in supporting theclaims of Barchocheba, a false messiah: others suggest it was first writtenabout A.D. 200.
Graetz however assigns it to early Gnostic times, third or fourthcentury, and Zunz speaks of it as post Talmudical, and belonging to the Geonimperiod 700-800 A.D.; Rubinsohn, in the Bibliotheca Sacra, speaks of this latteridea as having no real basis.
The Talmuds were first collected into a concrete whole, and printed in Venice, 1520 A.D.
The “Zohar” was first printed in Mantuain 1558; again in Cremona, 1560; and at Lublin, 1623; and afourth edition by Knorr von Rosenroth, at Sulzbach in 1684. Some parts are notvery ancient, because the Crusades are mentioned in one chapter. Six extantHebrew editions of the “Sepher Yetzirah” were collected and printed at Lembergin 1680. The oldest of these six recensions was that of Saadjah Gaon (by somecritics called spurious).There are still extant three Latin versions, viz.,that of Gulielmus Postellus; one by Johann Pistorius; and a third by JoannesStephanus Rittangelius; this latter gives both Hebrew and Latin versions, andalso “The Thirty-Two Paths” as a supplement.

CHAPTER I
Section 1. In thirty-two mysterious Paths of Wisdom did Jah, the Jehovahof hosts, the God of Israel, the Living Elohim, the King of ages, the mercifuland gracious God, the Exalted One, the Dweller in eternity, most high andholy–engrave his name by the three Sepharim–Numbers, Letters, and Sounds.
2. Ten are the ineffable Sephiroth. Twenty-two are the Letters, theFoundation of all things; there are Three Mothers, Seven Double and TwelveSimple letters.
3. The ineffable Sephiroth are Ten, as are the Numbers; and as there arein man five fingers over against five, so over them is established a covenantof strength, by word of mouth, and by the circumcision of the flesh.
4. Ten is the number of the ineffable Sephiroth, ten and not nine, tenand not eleven. Understand this wisdom, and be wise by the perception. Searchout concerning it, restore the Word to its creator, and replace Him who formedit upon his throne.
5. The Ten ineffable Sephiroth have ten vast regions bound unto them;boundless in origin and having no ending; an abyss of good and of ill;measureless height and depth; boundless to the East and the West; boundless tothe North and South; and the Lord the only God, the Faithful King rules allthese from his holy seat, for ever and ever.
6. The Ten ineffable Sephiroth have the appearance of the Lightningflash, their origin is unseen and no end is perceived. The Word is in them asthey rush forth and as they return, they speak as from the whirl-wind, andreturning fall prostrate in adoration before the Throne.
7. The Ten ineffable Sephiroth, whose ending is even as their origin,are like as a flame arising from a burning coal. For God is superlative in hisUnity, there is none equal unto Him: what number canst thou place before One.
8. Ten are the ineffable Sephiroth; seal up thy lips lest thou speak ofthem, and guard thy heart as thou considerest them; and if thy mind escape fromthee bring it back to thy control; even as it was said, “running and returning”(the living creatures ran and returned) and hence was the Covenant made.
9. The ineffable Sephiroth give forth theTen numbers. First; the Spirit of the God of the living; Blessed and more thanblessed be the Living God of ages. The Voice, the Spirit, and the Word, theseare the Holy Spirit.
           Second; from the Spirit He produced Air,and formed in it twenty-two sounds– the letters; three are mothers, seven aredouble, and twelve are simple; but the Spirit is first


and above these. Third; from the Air He formed the Waters, and from theformless and void made mire and clay, and designed surfaces upon them, andhewed recesses in them, and formed the strong material foundation. Fourth; fromthe Water He formed Fire and made for Himself a Throne of Glory with Auphanim,Seraphim and Kerubim, as his ministering angels; and with these three hecompleted his dwelling, as it is written, “Who maketh his angels spirits andhis ministers a flaming fire.”
11. He selected three letters from among the simple ones and sealed themand formed them into a Great Name, I H V, and with this He sealed the universein six directions. Fifth; He looked above, and sealed the Height with I H V.Sixth; He looked below, and sealed the Depth with I V H. Seventh; He lookedforward, and sealed the East with H I V. Eighth; He looked backward, and sealedthe West with H V I.
Ninth; He looked to the right, and sealed the South with V I H. Tenth;He looked to the left, and sealed the North with V H I.
12. Behold! From the Ten ineffableSephiroth do, proceed– the One Spirit of the Gods of the living, Air, Water,Fire; and also Height, Depth, East, West, South and North.

CHAPTER II
Section 1. The twenty-two sounds and letters are the Foundation of allthings. Three mothers, seven doubles and twelve simples. The Three Mothers areAleph, Mem and Shin, they are Air, Water and Fire Water is silent, Fire issibilant, and Air derived from the Spirit is as the tongue of a balancestanding between these contraries which are in equilibrium, reconciling andmediating between them.
2 He hath formed, weighed, and composed with these twenty-two lettersevery created thing, and the form of everything which shall hereafter be.
3 These twenty-two sounds or letters are formed by the voice, impressedon the air, and audibly modified in five places; in the throat, in the mouth,by the tongue, through the teeth, and by the lips.
4 These twenty-two letters, which are the foundation of all things, Hearranged as upon a sphere with two hundred and thirty-one gates, and the spheremay be rotated forward or backward, whether for good or for evil; from the goodcomes true pleasure, from evil nought but torment.
5 For He shewed the combination of these letters, each with the other;Aleph with all, and all with Aleph; Beth with all, and all with Beth. Thus incombining all together in pairs are produced the two hundred and thirty-onegates of knowledge.
6 And from the non-existent He made Something; and all forms of speechand everything that has been produced; from the empty void He made the materialworld, and from the inert earth He brought forth everything that hath life. Hehewed, as it were, vast columns out of the intangible air, and by the power ofHis Name made every creature and everything that is; and the production of allthings from the twenty-two letters is the proof that they are all but parts ofone living body.
CHAPTER III
מּאַשׂ
Section1. The Foundation of all the other sounds and letters is provided by the ThreeMothers, Aleph, Mem and Shin; they resemble a Balance, on the one hand theguilty, on the other hand the purified, and Aleph the Air is like the Tongue ofa Balance standing between them.
2 The Three Mothers, Aleph, Mem and Shin, are a greatMystery, very admirable and most recondite, and sealed as with six rings; andfrom them proceed Air, Fire, and Water, which divide into active and passiveforces. The Three Mothers, Aleph, Mem and Shin, are the Foundation, from themspring three Fathers, and from these have proceeded all things that are in theworld.
3 The Three Mothers in the world are Aleph, Mem and Shin: the heavenswere produced from Fire; the earth from the Water; and the Air from the Spiritis as a reconciler between the Fire and the Water.
4 The Three Mothers, Aleph, Mem and Shin, Fire, Water and Air, are shownin the Year: from the fire came heat, from the waters came cold, and from theair was produced the temperate state, again a mediator between them. The ThreeMothers, Aleph, Mem and Shin, Fire, Water and Air, are found in Man: from thefire was formed the head; from the water the belly; and from the air was formedthe chest, again placed as a mediator between the others.
5These Three Mothers did He produce and design, and combined them; andHe sealed them as the three mothers in the Universe, in the Year and inMan–both male and female. He caused the letter Aleph to reign in Air andcrowned it, and combining it with the others He sealed it, as Air in the World,as the temperate (climate) of the Year, and as the breath in the chest (thelungs for breathing air) in Man: the male with Aleph, Mem, Shin, the femalewith Shin, Mem, Aleph. He caused the letter Mem to reign in Water, crowned it,and combining it with the others formed the earth in the world, cold in theyear, and the belly in man, male and female, the former with Mem, Aleph, Shin,the latter with Mem, Shin, Aleph. He caused Shin to reign in Fire, and crownedit, and combining it with the others sealed with it the heavens in theuniverse, heat in the year and the head in man, male and female.

CHAPTER IV
בּגּדּכּפּרּתּ
Section 1. The Seven double letters, Beth, Gimel, Daleth, Kaph, Peh,Resh, and Tau have each two sounds associated with them. They are referred toLife, Peace, Wisdom, Riches,
Grace, Fertility and Power. The two sounds of each letter are the hardand the soft בּגּדּכּפּרּתּthe aspirated and the softened. They are called Double, because eachletter presents a contrast or permutation; thus Life and Death; Peace and War;Wisdom and Folly; Riches and Poverty; Grace and Indignation; Fertility andSolitude; Power and Servitude.
2 These Seven Double Letters point out seven localities; Above, Below,East, West, North, South, and the Palace of Holiness in the midst of themsustaining all things.
3 These Seven Double Letters He designed, produced, and combined, andformed with them the Planets of this World, the Days of the Week, and the Gatesof the soul (the orifices of perception) in Man. From these Seven He bathproduced the Seven Heavens, the Seven Earths, the Seven Sabbaths: for thiscause He has loved and blessed the number Seven more than all things underHeaven (His Throne).
4 Two Letters produce two houses; three form six; four form twenty-four;five form one hundred and twenty; six form seven hundred and twenty; seven formfive thousand and forty; and beyond this their numbers increase so that themouth can hardly utter them, nor the ear hear the number of them. So now,behold the Stars of our World, the Planets which are Seven; the Sun, Venus,Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars. The Seven are also the Seven Days ofCreation; and the Seven Gateways of the Soul of Man–the two eyes, the two ears,the mouth and the two nostrils. So with the Seven are formed the seven heavens,the seven earths, and the seven periods of time; and so has He preferred thenumber Seven above all things under His Heaven.
Supplement toChapter IV
NOTE. –This is one of several modern illustrations of the allotment ofthe Seven Letters; it is not found in the ancient copies of the “SepherYetzirah.”
He produced Beth, and referred it toWisdom ; He crowned it, combined and formed with it the Moon in the Universe,the first day of the week, and the right eye of man.
He produced Gimel, and referred it toHealth; He crowned it, combined and joined with it Mars in the Universe, thesecond day of the week, and the right ear of man.
He produced Daleth, and referred it to Fertility; He crowned it,combined and formed with it the Sun in the Universe, the third day of the week,and the right nostril of man.
He produced Kaph, and referred it to Life; He crowned it, combined andformed with it Venus in the Universe, the fourth day of the week, and the lefteye of man.
He produced Peh, and referred it to Power; He crowned it, combined andformed with it Mercury in the Universe, the fifth day of the week, and the leftear of man.
He produced Resh, and referred it to Peace; He crowned it, combined andformed with it Saturn in the Universe, the sixth day of the week, and the leftnostril of man.
He produced Tau, and referred it to Beauty; He crowned it, combined andformed with it Jupiter in the Universe, the Seventh Day of the week, and themouth of man.
By these Seven letters were also made seven worlds, seven heavens, sevenearths, seven seas, seven rivers, seven deserts, seven days, seven weeks fromPassover to Pentecost, and every seventh year a Jubilee.
Mayer Lambert gives:--Beth to Saturn and the Hebrew Sabbath--that isSaturday; Gimel to Jupiter and Sunday; Daleth to Mars and Monday; Kaph to theSun and Tuesday; Peh to Venus and Wednesday; Resh to Mercury and Thursday; andTau to the Moon and Friday.

CHAPTER V
ה ו ז ח ט י ל נ ס ע צ ק
1.                  The Twelve Simple Letters are Héh, Vau,Zain, Cheth, Teth, Yod, Lamed, Nun, Samech, Oin, Tzaddi and Qoph; they are thefoundations of these twelve properties: Sight, Hearing, Smell, Speech, Taste,Sexual Love, Work, Movement, Anger, Mirth, Imagination, and Sleep. These Twelveare also allotted to the directions in space: North-east, South-east, the Eastabove, the East below, the North above, the North below, the South-west, theNorthwest, the West above, the West below, the South above, and the Southbelow; these diverge to infinity, and are as the arms of the Universe.
2.                  These Twelve Simple Letters He designed,and combined, and formed with them the Twelve celestial constellations of theZodiac, whose signs are Teth, Shin, Tau, Samech, Aleph, Beth, Mem, Oin, Qoph,Gimel, Daleth, and Daleth. The Twelve are also the Months of the Year: Nisan,Yiar, Sivan, Tamuz, Ab, Elul, Tishri, Hesvan, Kislev, Tebet, Sabat and Adar. TheTwelve are also the Twelve organs of living creatures: the two hands, the twofeet, the two kidneys, the spleen, the liver, the gall, private parts, stomachand intestines.

He made these, as it were provinces, and arranged them as in order ofbattle for warfare. And also the Elohim made one from the region of the other.
Three Mothers and Three Fathers; and thence issue Fire, Air and Water. ThreeMothers, Seven Doubles and Twelve Simple letters and sounds.
3. Behold now these are the Twenty and Two Letters from which Jah,Jehovah Tzabaoth, the Living Elohim, the God of Israel, exalted and sublime,the Dweller in eternity, formed and established all things; High and Holy isHis Name.
Supplement toChapter V
NOTE.--This is a modern illustration ofthe allotment of the Twelve Letters; it is not found in the ancient copies ofthe “Sepher Yetzirah.”
1.                  God produced Hé predominant in Speech,crowned it, combined and formed with it Aries in the Universe, Nisan in theYear, and the right foot of Man.
2.                  He produced Vau, predominant in mind,crowned it, combined and formed with it Taurus in the Universe, Aiar in theYear, and the right kidney of Man.
3.                  He produced Zain, predominant in Movementcrowned it, combined and formed it with Gemini in the Universe, Sivan in theYear, and the left foot of Man.
4.                  He produced Cheth, predominant in Sight,crowned it, combined and formed it with Cancer in the Universe, Tammuz in theyear, and the right hand of Man.
5.                  He produced Teth, predominant in Hearing,crowned it, combined and formed with it Leo in the Universe, Ab in the Year,and the left kidney in Man.
6.                  He produced Yod, predominant in Work,crowned it, combined and formed with it Virgo in the Universe, Elul in theYear, and the left hand of Man.
7.                  He produced Lamed, predominant in Sexualdesire, crowned it, combined and formed with it Libra in the Universe, Tishriin the Year, and the private parts of Man.(Kalisch gives“gall.”)
8.                  He produced Nun, predominant in Smell,crowned it, combined and formed with it Scorpio in the Universe, Heshvan in theYear, and the intestines of Man.
9.                  He produced Samech, predominant in Sleep,crowned it, combined and formed with it Sagittarius in the Universe, Kislev inthe Year, and the stomach of Man.
10.              He produced Oin, predominant in Anger,crowned it, combined and formed with it Capricornus in the Universe, Tebet inthe Year, and the liver of Man.
11.              He produced Tzaddi, predominant in Taste,crowned it, combined and formed with it Aquarius in the Year, and the gullet inMan).
12.              He produced Qoph, predominant in Mirth,crowned it, combined and formed with it Pisces in the Universe, Adar in theYear, and the spleen of Man.

NOTE. –Mediaeval authorities and modern editors give very differentallocations to the twelve simple letters.
CHAPTER VI
Section 1. Three Fathers and theirgenerations, Seven conquerors and their armies, and Twelve bounds of theUniverse. See now, of these words, the faithful witnesses are the Universe, theYear and Man.The dodecad, the heptad, and the triad with their provinces; above is theCelestial Dragon, T L I, and below is the World, and lastly the heart of Man. The Three areWater, Air and Fire; Fire above, Water below, and Air conciliating betweenthem; and the sign of these things is that the Fire sustains (volatilises) thewaters; Mem is mute, Shin is sibilant, and Aleph is the Mediator and as it werea friend placed between them.
2The Celestial Dragon, T L I, is placedover the universe like a king upon the throne; the revolution of the year is asa king over his dominion; the heart of man is as a king in warfare. Moreover,He made all things one from the other; and the Elohim set good over againstevil, and made good things from good, and evil things from evil: with the goodtested He the evil, and with the evil did He try the good. Happiness isreserved for the good, and misery is kept for the wicked.
3The Three are One, and that One standsabove. The Seven are divided; three are over against three, and one standsbetween the triads. The Twelve stand as in warfare; three are friends, threeare enemies; three are life givers; three are destroyers. The three friends arethe heart, the ears, and the mouth; the three enemies are the liver, the gall,and the tongue; while God the faithful king rules over all. One above Three,Three above Seven, and Seven above Twelve: and all are connected the one withthe other.
4And after that our father Abraham hadperceived and understood, and had taken down and engraved all these things, theLord most high revealed Himself, and called him His beloved, and made aCovenant with him and his seed; and Abraham believed on Him and it was imputedunto him for righteousness. And He made this Covenant as between the ten toesof the feet--this is that of circumcision; and as between the ten fingers ofthe hands and this is that of the tongue. And He formed the twenty-two lettersinto speech and shewed him all the mysteries of them. He drew them through theWaters; He burned them in the Fire; He vibrated them in the Air; Seven planetsin the heavens, and Twelve celestial constellations of the stars of the Zodiac.
THE FIFTY GATES OFINTELLIGENCE
Attached to some editions of the “SepherYetzirah” is found this scheme of Kabalistic classification of knowledgeemanating from the Second Sephira Binah, Understanding, and descending bystages through the angels, heavens, humanity, animal and vegetable and mineralkingdoms to Hyle and the chaos. The Kabalists said that one must enter and passup through the Gates to attain to the Thirty-two Paths of Wisdom; and that evenMoses only passed through the forty-ninth Gate, and never entered the fiftieth.See the Oedipus Aegyptiacus of Athanasius Kircher, vol. ii. p. 319.
First Order: Elementary.
1. Chaos, Hyle, The first matter.
2. Formless, void, lifeless.
3. The Abyss.
4. Origin of the Elements.
5. Earth (no seed germs).
6. Water.
7. Air.
8. Fire
9. Differentiation of qualities.
10. Mixture and combination. Second Order:Decad of Evolution.
11. Minerals differentiate.
12. Vegetable principles appear.
13. Seeds germinate in moisture.
14. Herbs and Trees.
15. Fructification in vegetable life.
16. Origin of low forms of animal life.


17. Insects and Reptiles appear.
18. Fishes, vertebrate life in the waters.
19. Birds, vertebrate life in the air.
20. Quadrupeds, vertebrate earth animals.Third Order: Decad of Humanity.
21. Appearance of Man.
22. Material human body.
23. Human Soul conferred.
24. Mystery of Adam and Eve.
25. Complete Man as the Microcosm.
26. Gift of five human faces acting exteriorly.
27. Gift of five powers to the soul.
28. Adam Kadmon, the Heavenly Man.
29. Angelic beings.
30. Man in the image of God. Fourth Order:World of Spheres.
31. The Moon.
32. Mercury.
33. Venus.
34. Sol.
35. Mars.
36. Jupiter.


37. Saturn.
38. The Firmament.
39. The Primum Mobile.
40. The Empyrean Heaven. Fifih Order: TheAngelic World.
41. Ishim--Sons of Fire.
42. Auphanim--Cherubim.
43. Aralim--Thrones.
44. Chashmalim--Dominions.
45. Seraphim--Virtues.
46. Malakim--Powers.
47. Elohim--Principalities.
48. BeniElohim--Angels.
49. Cherubim--Arch-angels. Sixth Order:The Archetype.
50. God. Ain Suph. He Whom no mortal eyebath seen, and Who has been known to Jesus the Messiah alone.

NOTE. –The Angels of the Fifth or AngelicWorld are arranged in very different order by various Kabalistic Rabbis.
THE THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM
Translated from the Hebrew Text of Joannes Stephanus Rittangelius, 1642:which is also to be found in the “Oedipus Aegyptiacus” of Athanasius Kircher,1653.
(These paragraphs are very obscure in meaning, and the Hebrew text isprobably very corrupt.)
The First Path is called the Admirable or the Hidden Intelligence (theHighest Crown): for it is the Light giving the power of comprehension of thatFirst Principle which has no beginning; and it is the Primal Glory, for nocreated being can attain to its essence.
The Second Path is that of theIlluminating Intelligence: it is the Crown of Creation, the Splendour of theUnity, equalling it, and it is exalted above every head, and named by theKabalists the Second Glory.
The Third Path is the Sanctifying Intelligence, and is the foundation ofPrimordial wisdom, which is called the Creator of Faith, and its roots are AMN;and it is the parent of Faith, from which doth Faith emanate.
The Fourth Path is named the Cohesive or Receptacular Intelligence; andis so called because it contains all the holy powers, and from it emanate allthe spiritual virtues with the most exalted essences: they emanate one from theother by the power of the Primordial Emanation. The Highest Crown.)
The Fifth Path is called the RadicalIntelligence, because it resembles the Unity, uniting itself to the Binah, orIntelligence which emanates from the Primordial depths of Wisdom or Chokmah.
The Sixth Path is called the Mediating Intelligence, because in it aremultiplied the influxes of the emanations, for it causes that influence to flowinto all the reservoirs of the Blessings, with which these themselves areunited.
The Seventh Path is the Occult Intelligence, because it is the RefulgentSplendour of all the Intellectual virtues which are perceived by the eyes ofintellect, and by the contemplation of faith.
The Eighth Path is called the Absolute orPerfect Intelligence, because it is the means of the primordial, which has noroot by which it can cleave, nor rest, except in the hidden places of Gedulah,Magnificence, from which emanates its own proper essence.
The Ninth Path is the Pure Intelligence,so called because it purifies the Numerations, it proves and corrects thedesigning of their representation, and disposes their unity with which they arecombined without diminution or division.
The Tenth Path is the ResplendentIntelligence, because it is exalted above every head, and sits on the throne ofBinah (the Intelligence spoken of in the Third Path). It illuminates thesplendour of all the lights, and causes an influence to emanate from the Princeof countenances.
The Eleventh Path is the ScintillatingIntelligence, because it is the essence of that curtain which is placed closeto the order of the disposition, and this is a special dignity given to it thatit may be able to stand before the Face of the Cause of Causes.
The Twelfth Path is the Intelligence of Transparency, because it is thatspecies of Magnificence called Chazchazit, the place whence issues the visionof those seeing in apparitions. (That is the prophecies by seers in a vision.)
The Thirteenth Path is named the Uniting Intelligence, and is so calledbecause it is itself the Essence of Glory. It is the Consummation of the Truthof individual spiritual things.
The Fourteenth Path is the IlluminatingIntelligence and is so called because it is that Chashmal which is the founderof the concealed and fundamental ideas of holiness and of their stages ofpreparation.
The Fifteenth Path is the Constituting Intelligence, so called becauseit constitutes the substance of creation in pure darkness, and men have spokenof these contemplations; it is that darkness spoken of in Scripture, Jobxxxviii. 9, “and thick darkness a swaddling band for it.”
The Sixteenth Path is the Triumphal or Eternal Intelligence, so calledbecause it is the pleasure of the Glory, beyond which is no other Glory like toit, and it is called also the Paradiseprepared for the Righteous.
The Seventeenth Path is the Disposing Intelligence, which provides Faithto the Righteous, and they are clothed with the Holy Spirit by it, and it iscalled the Foundation of Excellence in the state of higher things.
The Eighteenth Path is called the Intelligence or House of Influence (bythe greatness of whose abundance the influx of good things upon created beingsis increased), and from its midst the arcana and hidden senses are drawn forth,which dwell in its shade and which cling to it, from the Cause of all causes.
The Nineteenth Path is the Intelligence of the Secret of all theactivities of the spiritual beings, and is so called because of the influencediffused by it from the most high and exalted sublime glory.
The Twentieth Path is the Intelligence ofWill, and is so called because it is the means of preparation of all and eachcreated being, and by this intelligence the existence of the Primordial Wisdombecomes known.
The Twenty-first Path is the Intelligenceof Conciliation and Reward, and is so called because it receives the divineinfluence which flows into it from its benediction upon all and each existence.
The Twenty-second Path is the Faithful Intelligence, and is so calledbecause by it spiritual virtues are increased, and all dwellers on earth arenearly under its shadow.
The Twenty-third Path is the Stable Intelligence, and it is so calledbecause it has the virtue of consistency among all numerations.
The Twenty-fourth Path is the Imaginative Intelligence, and it is socalled because it gives a likeness to all the similitudes which are created inlike manner similar to its harmonious elegancies.
The Twenty-fifth Path is the Intelligence of Probation, or Temptation,and is so called because it is the primary temptation, by which the Creatortrieth all righteous persons.
The Twenty-sixth Path is called theRenewing Intelligence, because the Holy God renews by it all the changingthings which are renewed by the creation of the world.
The Twenty-seventh Path is the Active or Exciting Intelligence, and itis so called because through it every existent being receives its spirit andmotion.
The Twenty-eighth Path is called the Natural Intelligence; by it iscompleted and perfected the nature of all that exists beneath the Sun.
(This Path is omitted by Rittangelius: Ipresume by inadvertence.)
The Twenty-ninth Path is the Corporeal Intelligence, so called becauseit forms every body which is formed in all the worlds, and the reproduction ofthem.
The Thirtieth Path is the Collective Intelligence, and Astrologersdeduce from it the judgment of the Stars and celestial signs, and perfect theirscience, according to the rules of the motions of the stars.
The Thirty-first Path is the Perpetual Intelligence; but why is it socalled? Because it regulates the motions of the Sun and Moon in their properorder, each in an orbit convenient for it.
The Thirty-second Path is the Administrative Intelligence, and it is socalled because it directs and associates the motions of the seven planets,directing all of them in their own proper courses.

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