Sefer Yetzirah

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. Rabbi Kaplan's translation of this oldest and most mysterious of all Kabbalistic texts provides a unique perspective on the meditative and magical aspects of Kabbalah. He expounds on the dynamics of the spiritual domain, the worlds of Sefirot, souls and angels. This translation is based on Gra version of the Sefer Yetzirah and includes the author's extraordinary commentary on all its mystical aspects including kabbalistic astrology, Ezekiel's vision and the 231 gates. Also included are three alternative versions to make this volume the most complete work on the Sefer Yetzirah available in English.

The Sepher Yetzirah, or Book of Formation, although very short, is probably the most important of the Kabalistic texts. Its secrets were passed on in the Hebrew oral tradition until it was written down in the 2nd century b.c.e. It lays out the principles of Kabalistic cosmology and the Tree of Life, how humankind (the microcosm) reflects the Divine (the macrocosm). It also sets forth the Hebrew doctrine of Logos--the creation of the world in numbers, letters, and sound. As such, it is a seminal text for all serious magicians. Stenring has made a word-for-word translation from several texts, choosing only those parts which he believed to be authentic. He reveals the text's secrets in his diagrams, tables, and extensive notes. His "Master Key to the Theoretical and Practical Kabala" is a diagram of the correspondences between the English and Hebrew alphabets and is not found in other translations of the Sepher Yetzirah. Also unique in this translation is Stenring's assignment of certain tarot cards to the paths on the Tree of Life. Several authors have done this before, but Stenring asserts that he arrived at his correspondences on his own. The introduction by Waite surveys the historical background of the Sepher Yetzirah translations and the import of this foundational Kabbalistic text.

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. He expounds on the dynamics of the spiritual domain, the worlds of the Sefirot, souls, and angels. When properly understood, Sefer 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.

2019 Reprint of 1923 Edition. Full facsimile of the original edition, not reproduced with Optical Recognition software. 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. Yetzirah is more literally translated as "Formation"; the word Briah is used for "Creation". The book is traditionally ascribed to the patriarch Abraham, although others attribute its writing to Rabbi Akiva. Modern scholars have not reached consensus on the question of its origins. According to Rabbi Saadia Gaon, the objective of the book's author was to convey in writing from a Jewish perspective how the things of our universe came into existence. Translated from the Hebrew, with annotations by Knut Stenring. Includes the 32 paths of wisdom, their correspondence with the Hebrew alphabet and the Tarot symbols and with an introduction by Arthur Edward Waite.

Considered to be the oldest known Jewish mystical text now an important part of Cabalistic studies. It first appeared in historical records during the first century C.E., but its principles had been passed down for centuries before this, with Jewish scholars believing that the patriarch Abraham had received the teachings directly.

Sefer Yetzirah is one of the oldest Jewish esoteric texts, which inspired mystics throughout the centuries, and it is hard to exaggerate its importance in the development of spiritual thought. In a concise style it describes the Divine Primordial Creation of the World --the Ten Sefirot, Physical Space, Calendric Time, the Human Body and Life Conditions-- by combining the primary Elements of Air, Fire and Water, with the creative power of Numbers and the 22 Letters of the Hebrew Alphabet as the Prima Materia.

This revised and renamed edition of Ancient Secrets of Creation, captures the earliest meanings and contexts of the philosophy, theology, and magic presented by Sepher Yetzirah by basing the translations, interpretations, and explanations on texts and ideas existing during or before the tenth century C.E., when the first commentary on Sepher Yetzirah appeared. This is an important component of what distinguishes Sepher Yetzirah: The Book That Started Kabbalah from other recent translations and commentaries, which draw on doctrines and beliefs unknown at the time of Sepher Yetzirah's composition. Another distinguishing feature is the author's search for the answer to the question "why?" Those familiar with Kabbalah know, for example, the Hebrew letters aleph, mem, and shin as the mother letters, but why these three letters and not another set of three letters? Why also are there ten sephirot and not, say, nine or eleven? Why were the twelve simple letters assigned their specific roles and not different roles? Sepher Yetzirah: The Book That Started Kabbalah is divided into two parts. The first part is called Foundation, and its two chapters lay out the Greek philosophical and Jewish theological bases for the material found in Sepher Yetzirah. The second part, called Wisdom, is a translation of and commentary on Sepher Yetzirah's six chapters. The first chapter gives a description of the ten sephirot and their relationship to God and creation; the second, explains the general operation and control of the twenty-two Hebrew letters; the third through fifth chapters describe the specific functions and governances of the three mother letters, seven double letters, and twelve simple letters, respectively. The final chapter offers a summary of all the ideas and concepts expounded by Sepher Yetzirah. In Sepher Yetzirah: The Book That Started Kabbalah the author expands on his original work by relating the interconnections among the mathematical rules, alphabetical laws, and uncanny coincidences found between Sepher Yetzirah and the natural world, all of which are symbolisms in support of Sepher Yetzirah's assertions. Endeavoring to show an inexorable link between the mystical topics presented by Sepher Yetzirah and Judaism, many paragraphs begin with a quote from the Hebrew Bible paralleling the essence of Sepher Yetzirah's message. The Epilogue links Sepher Yetzira's ideas and concepts with modern science's metaphors about creation. Also provided is a glossary of important terms, a version of Sepher Yetzirah in its original Hebrew, and an index. Sepher Yetzirah cries out that everything in the cosmos is part of a network of associations in which God, His creations, and the universe are a unified whole. The profound secrets in Sepher Yetzirah, which are shared with the reader in this edition, disclose natural harmonies, fundamental constants, and unique imagery as evidence of God's benevolence. Sepher Yetzirah divulges how God performed His creative acts and left veiled signs in nature, relationships for those who care to look and understand.

Meditative methods of Kabbalah. A lucid presentation of the meditative methods, mantras, mandalas and other devices used, as well as a penetrating interpretation of their significance in the light of contemporary meditative research.

The ?Sepher Yetzirah, ? or ?Book of Formation, ? is perhaps the oldest philosophical treatise which is yet extant in the Hebrew language. The great interest which has been evinced of late years in the Hebrew Kabalah, and the modes of thought and doctrine allied to it, has induced me to translate this volume from the original Hebrew texts, and to collate with them the Latin versions of mediaeval authorities. Three important books of the ?Zohar, ? or ?Splendour, ? which is the great storehouse of Kabalistic teaching, have been for the first time translated into English by that skilful and erudite Kabalist, my fellow student in occult science, MacGregor Mathers, and the ?Sepher Yetzirah? in an English translation is almost a necessary companion to these even more abstruse disquisitions: the two books indeed mutually explain each ot

This is the first translation with commentary of selections from The Zohar, the major text of the Kabbalah, the Jewish mystical tradition. This work was written in 13th-century Spain by Moses de Leon, a Spanish scholar.

Sefer Yeṣirah, or "Book of Formation," is one of the most influential Jewish compositions of late antiquity. First attested to in the tenth century C.E. and attributed by some to the patriarch Abraham himself, Sefer Yeṣirah claims that the world was created by the powers of the decimal number system and the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This short, enigmatic treatise was considered canonical by Jewish philosophers and Kabbalists and has fascinated Western thinkers and writers as diverse as Leibnitz and Borges. Nonetheless, Sefer Yesirah is nearly impossible to contextualize, mainly owing to its unique style and the fact that it does not refer to, nor is it referenced by, any other source in late antiquity. After a century and a half of modern scholarship, the most fundamental questions regarding its origins remain contested: Who wrote Sefer Yeṣirah? Where and when was it written? What was its "original" version? What is the meaning of this treatise? In "Sefer Yeṣirah" and Its Contexts, Tzahi Weiss explores anew the history of this enigmatic work. Through careful scrutiny of the text's evolution, he traces its origins to the seventh century C.E., to Jews who lived far from rabbinic circles and were familiar with the teachings of Syriac Christianity. In addition, he examines the reception of Sefer Yeṣirah by anonymous commentators and laypeople who, as early as the twelfth century C.E., regarded Sefer Yeṣirah as a mystical, mythical, or magical treatise, thus significantly differing from the common rabbinic view in that period of the text as a philosophical and scientific work. Examined against the backdrop of this newly sketched historical context, Sefer Yeṣirah provides a unique and surprising aperture to little-known Jewish intellectual traditions of late antiquity and the early Middle Ages which, despite their distance from the rabbinic canon, played a vital role in the development of medieval Jewish learning and culture.

The Sepher Yetzirah is one of the main and most important works of Kabbalah. Referenced by other works such as the Bahir, it is broken apart into a series of statements on the Hebrew alphabet and numeric systems. Among other concepts it expounds the concept of creation via the three mothers; Alef, Mem, and Shin, and their relative powers. It is one of the most integral works from which such types of occultism stem.

According to Kabbalah, matter does not exist by itself. As soon the letters of the Holy Alphabet are pronounced by the mouth of God, they materialize and become the actual object representing that word. Among the many versions, this edition with Lurianic notes is the most complete nowadays

El Sefer Yetzirá es uno de los textos cabalísticos más antiguos que se conocen, considerado el primer libro existente sobre esoterismo judío. El título significa literalmente "Libro de la Formación" o "Libro de la Creación", también se lo conoce como "Libro de Abraham" ya que supuestamente aquí se recogen sus enseñanzas.Este texto es una gran introducción a los misterios y conocimientos de la Cábala; es un instructivo filosófico del origen de la creación del universo y del hombre. Para la correcta comprensión del texto, por lo menos en sentido parcial, hay que prestarle especial atención a la peculiaridad esencial de la lengua hebrea: aquella asociación indisoluble y necesaria entre números y letras; cada letra sugiere un número, y cada grupo de letras tienen una significación numérica, tan vital como su significado literal. Es, junto con el Zohar, la principal obra de la Kabbalah.'El Sefer Yetzirah describe cómo fue creado el mundo por el Dios de Israel, a través de los 32 senderos de la sabiduría. Explica cómo se creó el mundo a través de su palabra, para lo que hace una síntesis del significado de las letras del alfabeto desvelando muchos misterios cabalísticos (Ribadeneira, 2013).Esta es una recopilación y publicación del Sefer Yetzirah, realizada por Sangue shi (Sangue, 2020).

This book has been considered by academicians and scholars of great significance and value to literature. This forms a part of the knowledge base for future generations. So that the book is never forgotten we have represented this book in a print format as the same form as it was originally first published. Hence any marks or annotations seen are left intentionally to preserve its true nature.

It is impossible to overstate the importance of the Sefer Yetzirah to the development of Kabbalah. The Sefer Yetzirah lies at the very heart of the way Kabbalah has been understood and practiced since the 2nd century. The Sefer Yetzirah also serves as the very foundation stone of the Western Mystery Tradition; much of what is considered gospel by students of Tarot, magic and Kabbalah is derived from one or another particular translation or interpretation of the Sefer Yetzirah. Sefer Yetzirah: Magic and Mysticism explores the deep mysteries of the Sefer Yetzirah. By comparing translations of different versions of the text, the mystical meaning hidden in each Verse is revealed. Suggested meditations and exercises are provided to aid the spiritual student.

A highly radical interpretation of the Bible demonstrating the methods of meditation used by the Prophets to attain their unique states of consciousness. First English translation from ancient unpublished manuscripts, with commentary.

1910 for whatever faith may be held by he enquirer he will gain not only knowledge, but also will broaden his views of life and destiny, by comparing other forms of religion with the faith and doctrines in which he has been nurtured, or which he has adop.