Kabala Unveiled by Frater Temporator

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dential to the member receiving and are imparted only as an incident to
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this special discourse is and shall remain in the Supreme Grand Lodge of
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By
FR A TE R TEM PO RATO R
Scribe
INTRODUCTION
The study of the Kabala has gathered to itself through the centuries
the aura of the mysterious. Those who have written of it have done so
vaguely and in veiled terms as though it were too sacrosanct to be
dealt with openly and plainly. Their reasons for doing so have been
understandable, but they are no longer justifiable.
Mystics and occultists the world over have revered the Kabala and have
been genuinely appreciative of it as an aid to spiritual unfoldment.
They know it to contain fundamental esoteric teachings. The Rosicrucian Order has long recognized it as such. For this reason, A.M.O.R.C.
does not want to deny its members acquaintance with the Kabala as a
system even though for equally good reasons it has not been incorpo
rated as such in the Order's regular graded course of study.
You have now progressed to a point in your Rosicrucian studies where
you may be said to have grasped the fundamentals of sound judgment as
to essential Cosmic laws and principles. In your next Degree, you will
begin to apply these to the mystical and philosophic writings of others.
It is possible that an acquaintance with the Kabala will be useful to
you in this respect, and we are therefore offering this supplementary
teaching to those especially interested and qualified.
We ask, therefore, that you consider this series of discourses as con
fidential and private as your regular Rosicrucian monographs. All
Rosicrucian members in or above the Fourth Degree may apply for these
discourses on the Kabala.
* * * * * * * *
The word Kabala means tradition. It is esoteric Jewish mysticism usu
ally associated with the 2ohar, but actually including other works, and
having a history which goes back to the early centuries A.D. when the
Sepher Yezirah was written, if not earlier. The spelling Kabala has
Seen adopted for this series, although transcription of the word from
Hebrew includes a number of different spellings. The Zohar is the
"Book of Splendor" while the Sepher Yezirah is the "Book of Creation."
The English translation of the Zoliar by Harry Sperling and Maurice
Simon in five volumes was published in London by The Soncino Press in
1931. The Sepher Yezirah may be obtained from the Rosicrucian Supply
Bureau.
The Aramaic language of the Zohar is primarily a literary form of the
thirteenth century, although part of the work is from the Babylonian
Talmud and in the style of the old translation of the Torah. In the
work Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai of the second century teaches his students
the mysteries of the Kabala, and the Zohar has often been attributed
to him.
Some correspondences to other mystical teachings are probably not from
direct influence but are similar because they are archetypal concepts
and symbols. There are influences on the Kabala from Gnostic and Neoplatonistic works and teachings. These cannot be used to date the
work. However, Jewish sources, written and oral, no doubt influenced
the author of the Zohar, and these may be used for this purpose. What
the Zohar says about Islam and Christianity and the Near East is in
accord with events of about 1280, according to Scholem. This agrees
with the dates of the life of Moses de Leon who died in 1305, and his
knowledge of Abulafia and other kabalists and their thought of the
thirteenth century.
The author says he is revealing secret mysteries, which may be a refer
ence to oral teachings or secret manuscripts, indicating the nature
and method of carrying on the teachings. It cannot be proved, but it
is possible that the Kabala was taught in this way from the time of the
Sepher Yezirah and perhaps earlier.
This brings us to the Sepher Yezirah which is the earliest known kaba
listic work dated usually between the third and sixth centuries A.D.
This work and the Zohar will be taken up in later discourses. To give
a brief idea of the Sepher Yezirah, it is, in the edition translated
by Isidor Kalisch, an explanation of the ten spheres or emanations, the
Hebrew letters divided into three groups, the mother letters, double
letters, and single letters, their number correspondences and their
meanings.
The basic philosophy of the Kabala is rooted in the Bible, especially
the books of Moses, the Talmud, and other early Jewish writings. It is
the mystical interpretation of the ideas and symbolism which is specif
ically kabalistic. It is related to, but not the same as, Merkabah mys
ticism or the throne or chariot mysticism based on Ezekiel's vision.
The cultural elements in the Kabala are similar to other mystical phi
losophies and religions. There are many Jewish concepts which are not
to be found in other mystical works, at least in the same form. This
is true of the Torah or books of Moses and ideas based on them, the
presence of the Shekinah, and the letter-number symbolism.
History of the Kabala may be divided into periods, even though these
may be somewhat arbitrary and may overlap.
1.
The time of the Sepher Yezirah written about the third

to the sixth centuries A. D.
2.
Oral tradition passed on from teacher to student.
3.
The Zohar which dates from about 1280 to 1290; Spanish

kabalism, expulsion of the kabalists from Spain (1492).
4.
Kabalists after the expulsion.
Abraham Abulafia and the author of the Zohar were contemporaries. Men
such as Isaac Luria and Moses Cordovera of the sixteenth century are
examples of later kabalists who will be discussed in a later discourse.
The Kabala is said to be practical and theoretical. Practical Kabala

included magic, but magic was practiced and believed in by people in
Europe and elsewhere. Theoretical Kabala is a philosophy and meta
physics which is essentially mystical, but mysticism must be applied.
We can say, therefore, that theoretical Kabala is its study as a philos
ophy or mystical religion and its application for mystical purposes.
There are said to be two paths in the Kabala. The path of the sephiroth
or spheres is based on number symbolism as well as the names of the
sephiroth and the names of God. However, the path of names as such is
based on the symbolism of the Hebrew letters. These are, in a sense, two
aspects of the same concept, since the letters also represent numbers.
Both number and letter symbolism was used as the basis of mystical
meditation and rituals to enable the student to attain knowledge and
mystical union.
Application of the letter symbolism is threefold:
1.
Temurah is the transposition of the letters in a word

according to specific rules. This is more easily done
in Hebrew because the vowels are not printed. The
Zohar (I, 14) says BeHiBaReAm is an anagram of
BeABeRaHeM; the first means when they were created, and
the second means through Abraham. Through Abraham what
had been sealed up became serviceable.
2*
Notarikon is the use of the letters of a word as the

initial letters for other phrases of sentences. This
is simply a form of acrostics.
3.
Gematria is the substitution of the numerical value of

the letters for the letters themselves, finding the
numerical value of the whole word. Words with the same
numerical value were thought to have some relationship.
Adam means man and consists of the letters aleph, daleth,
and mem; their numerical values are 1, 4, and 40, which
adds to 45. Basically, gematria is a letter-number
cipher which could be used for mystical purposes as well
as secret messages. We are interested in these discourses
in the mysticism basic to the Kabala.
Mystical experience is intensely personal. The symbols used in any

mystical philosophy or religion will have generally accepted cultural
meanings, but they have personal, individual levels of meaning also.
Even though they express metaphysical and cosmological principles,
these are experienced along with personal emotions and ideas. They rep
resent the concept of union and oneness and the experience of the union
and oneness. This applies to the symbol of the sephiroth and the kaba
listic tree as well as other kabalistic symbols.
The word or creative utterance is a concept and symbol common to many
cultures, for example. It has a basic meaning which is found in these
uses. This is, in Carl Jung's sense of the term, an archetypal symbol,
a common human symbol, and it has a common meaning as well as meanings
which pertain to various cultures and individuals.
Both the basic mysticism and its symbolic function can be directed so
that the initiate learns to understand himself and the field of which
he is part. They can and should be used to attain mystical union.
The following gives the form of each Hebrew letter, its name, the numer
ical value, and derivation. For example, the letter aleph represents
the number 1, and is said to have been derived from the ox. The letter
beth represents the number 2, and its form is said to be derived from
the-house.
LETTER
NUMERAL
DERIVATION
Aleph
Ox
Brth
House
Gimel
Camel
Daleth
Door
He
Window
V v
Hook or nail
Zarin
Weapon
Heth
Fence or hedge
Teth
B
Yod
Cross in a circle
LETTER
NUMERAL
DERIVATION
Kaf
20
Hollow of the hand
30
Goad
40
Water
50
Fish
60
Prop or support
70
Eye or well
80
Mouth
90
Fisher
100
Back of head
200
Head
t i
300
Tooth
400
Sign of the cross
Lamed
b
Mem
&
Nun
:
Stmek
D
Ayin
V
Pe
E
Tude
S
Ko(
P
Reih
n
Shin
T .v
It should be remembered that the spelling of the Hebrew letxers differs

when they are transcribed into roman letters.
SUMMARY:
1.
The word Kabala means tradition.
2.
The best known kabalistic works are the Sepher Yezirah (300 - 600
A.D.) and the Zohar (late thirteenth century).
3.
Kabalistic mysticism was influenced by Gnosticism and Neoplatonism.

There may have been other influences, but most others are archetypal
similarities.
4.
The history of the Kabala may be divided into four periods: 1) the
Sepher Yezirah, 2) oral tradition, 3) the Zohar, 4) after the
expulsion from Spain in 1492.
5.
The Kabala is both practical and theoretical.
6.
The two paths in the Kabala are those of the sephiroth and of
the names.
7.
The basic mysticism and its symbolic function should be used to

attain mystical union.
8.
The Hebrew letters, numbers, and derivatives of the letters are

given.

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By
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4ft TT.fi.A.
There is a parable or allegory in the Zohar (I, 9-13) regarding the

choice of the letter with which to begin making the world. All the
letters present themselves before God with the reasons why each should
be placed first. The meaning of the letters comes from association
with the particular Hebrew words of which they are part.
"'When the Holy One, blessed be He, was about to make the world, all
the letters of the Alphabet were still embryonic, and for two thousand
years the Holy One, blessed be He, had contemplated them and toyed
with them. When He came to create the world, all the letters presented
themselves before Him in reversed order. The letter Tau advanced in
front and pleaded: May it please Thee, 0 Lord of the world, to place me
first in the creation of the world, seeing that I am the concluding
letter of EMeTh (Truth) which is engraved upon Thy seal, and seeing
that Thou art called by this very name of EMeTh, it is most appropriate
for the King to begin with the final letter of EMeTh and to create with
me the world. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her: Thou art
worthy and deserving, but it is not proper that I begin with thee the
creation of the world, since thou art destined to serve as a mark on
the foreheads of the faithful ones (vide Ezek. IX, 4) who have kept the
Law from Aleph to Tau, and through the absence of this mark the rest
will be killed; and further, thou formest the conclusion of MaWeTh
(death). Hence thou are not meet to initiate the creation of the world.
The Shin then came to the fore and pleaded: O Lord of the world, may it
please Thee to begin with me the world, seeing that I am the initial
letter of Thy name ShaDDal (Almighty), and it is most fitting to create
the world through that Holy Name. Said He in reply: Thou art worthy,
thou art good, thou art true, but I may not begin through thee the
creation of the world, since thou formest part of the group of letters
expressing forgery, ShekeR (Falsehood), which is not able to exist
unless the Koph and Resh draw thee into their company.
(Hence it is
that a lie, to obtain credence, must always commence with something
true. For the shin is a letter of truth, that letter by which the
Patriarchs communed with God; but koph and resh are letters belonging
to the evil side, which in order to stand firm attach to themselves the
shin, thus forming a conspiracy (QeSgeR).) Having heard all this, the
shin departed. Enters the Zade and says: 0 Lord of the world, may it
please Thee to create with me the world, inasmuch as I am the sign of
the righteous (Zadikim) and of Thyself who art called righteous, as it
is written, For the Lord is righteous, he loveth righteousness (Ps. XI,
7), and hence it is meet to create the world with me. The Lord made
answer: 0 Zade, thou art Zade, and thou signifiest righteousness, but
thou must be concealed, thou mayest not come out in the open so much
lest thou givest the world cause for offence. For thou consistest of
the letter nun surmounted by the letter yod (representing together the
male and the female principles). And this is the mystery of the cre
ation of the first man, who was created with two faces (male and female
combined). In the same way the nun and the yod in the zade are turned
back to back and not face to face, whether the- Zade is upright or
turned downwards. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her further, I
will in time divide thee in two, so as to appear face to face, but thou
wilt go up in another place. She then departed. The letter Pe pre
sented herself and pleaded thus? May it please Thee, O Lord of the
world, to create through me the world, seeing that I signify redemption
and deliverance (Purkana, Peduth), which Thou art to vouchsafe to the
world. It is, hence, meet-that through me the world be created. The
Lord answered: Thou art worthy, but thou representest transgression
(Pesha), and moreover thou are shapen like the serpent, who had his
head curled up within his body, symbolic of the guilty man who bends
his head and extends his hand. The letter 'Ayin was likewise refused
as standing for iniquity t'Awon), despite her plea that she represents
humility (Anavah). Then the Samekh appeared and said: 0 Lord of the
world, may it please Thee to create through me the world, inasmuch as I
represent upholding (Semikah) of the fallen as it is written, The Lord
upholdeth all that fall (Ps, CXLV, 14). The Lord answered her: This is
just the reason why thou shouldst remain in thy place, for shouldst
thou leave it, what will be the fate of the fallen, seeing that they
are upheld by thee? She immediately departed. The Nun entered and
pleaded her merits as being the initial letter in Fearful (Nora) in
praises, (Ex. XV, 11), as well as in Comely (Nawa) is praise for the
righteous (Ps. XXXVIII, 1). The Lord said: O Nun, return to thy place,
for it is for thy sake (as representing the falling, Nofelim) that the
Samekh returned to her place. Remain, therefore, under her support.
The Nun immediately returned to her place. The Mim came up and said:
0 Lord of the world, may it please Thee to create by me the world,
inasmuch as I commence the word Melekh (King) which is Thy title. The
Lord replied: It is so assuredly, but I cannot employ thee in the cre
ation of the world for the reason that the world required a King.
Return, therefore, to thy place, thou along with the Lamed and the
Kaph, since the world cannot exist with a MeLeKh (King). At the moment,
the Kaph descended from its throne of glory and quaking and trembling
said: 0 Lord of the universe, may it please Thee to begin through me
the creation of the world, seeing that I am Thine own Kabod (honour).
And when Kaph descended from its throne of glory, two Hundred thousand
worlds began to shake, the throne trembled, and all the worlds quaked
and were about to fall in ruins. Said to her the Holy One, blessed be
His Name: Kaph, Kaph, what doest thou here: I will not create the world
with thee. Go back to thy place, since thou standest for extermination
(Kelayah). Return, then, to thy place and remain there. Immediately
she departed and returned to her own place. The letter Yod then pre
sented herself and said: May it please Thee, 0 Lord, to vouchsafe me
first place in the creation of the world, since I stand first in the
Sacred Name. The Lord said to her: It is sufficient for thee that thou
art engraven and marked in Myself and that thou art the channel of My
will? thou must not be removed from My Name. The Teth then came up and
said: 0 Lord of the universe, may it please Thee to place me at the
head in the creation of the world, since through me Thou art Good (Tob)
and upright. The Lord said to her: I will not create the world through
thee, as the goodness which thou representest is hidden and concealed
within thyself, as it is written, 0 how abundant is thy goodness which
thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee (Ps, XXXI, 20). Since then
it is treasured within thyself, it has no part in the world which I am
going to create, but only in the world to come. And further, it is
because thy goodness is hidden within thee that the gates of the Temple
sank into the ground, as it is written, Sunk (Tabe1u) in the ground are
her gates (Lam. II, 9). And furthermore, the letter Heth is at thy
side, and when joined you make sin (HeT) . (It is for~hat reason that
these two letters are not to be found in the names of any of the
tribes.). She departed immediately. Then the Zayin presented herself
and put forth her claim, saying, O Lord of the World, may it please
Thee to put me at the head of the creation, since I represent the obser
vance of the Sabbath, as it is written, Remember (Zakhor) the day of
the Sabbath to keep it holy (Ex. XX, 8). The Lord replied: I will not
create the world through thee, since thou representest war, being in
shape like a sharp-pointed sword, or a lance. The Zayin immediately
departed from His presence. The Vau entered and put forth her claim,
saying: 0 Lord of the world, may It please Thee to use me first in the
creation of the world, inasmuch as I am one of the letters of Thy name.
Said the Lord to her: Thou, Vau, as well as He, suffice it to you that
you are of the letters of My name, part of tEe mystery of My name,
engraven and impressed in My name. I will therefore not give you first
place in the creation of the world. Then appeared the letter Daleth
as well as the letter Gimel and put forth similar claims. The Lord
gave them a similar reply,saying: It should suffice you to remain side
by side together, since the poor will not cease from the land (Deut. XV,
11), who will thus need benevolence. For the Daleth signifies poverty
(Dalluth) and the Gimel beneficence (Gemul). Therefore separate not
from each other, and let it suffice you that one maintains the other.
The Beth then entered and said: 0 Lord of the world, may it please Thee
to put me first in the creation of the world, since I represent the
benedictions (Berakhoth) offered to Thee on high and below. The Holy
One, blessed be He, said to her: Assuredly, with thee I will create the
world, and thou shalt form the beginning in the creation of the world.
The letter Aleph remained in her place without presenting herself.
Said the Holy One, blessed by His name: Aleph, Aleph, wherefore comest
thou not before Me like the rest of the letters? She answered: Because
I saw all the other letters leaving Thy presence without any success.
What, then, could I achieve there? And further, since Thou hast already
bestowed on the letter Beth this great gift it is not meet for the
Supreme King to take away the gift which He has made to His servant and
give it to another. The Lord said to her: Aleph, Aleyh, although I will
begin the creation of the world with the beth, thou wilt remain the
first of the letters. My unity shall not be expressed except through
thee, on thee shall be based all calculations and operations of the
world, and unity shall not be expressed save by the letter Aleph. Then
the Holy One, blessed by His name, made higher-world letters of a large
pattern and lower-world letters of a small pattern. It is therefore
that we have here two words beginning with beth (Bereshith bara) and
then two words beginning with aleph (Elohim eth). They represent the
higher-world letters and the lower-world letters, which two operate,
above and below, together as one.'"
(Zohar, I, 9-13)
The passage not only gives the Hebrew letters but the use of words and
meanings which is typically kabalistic. It also at the end of the
passage uses the higher-world and lower-world, or the Above and Below
correspondence which a number of mystical philosophies made an impor
tant part of their concepts.
The first sefirah is Kether, the Crown, but all ten sefiroth are some
times called crowns, as in the following passage from the Zohar concern
ing letters as the symbolic, creative Utterance.
"These twenty-two letters which are inscribed in the Torah are all
illustrated in the Ten Creative Utterances. Each of those ten, which
are the crowns of the King, is traced in certain letters. Hence the
Holy Name is disguised under other letters and each Utterance lends to
the one above it certain letters, so that they are comprised in one
another. Therefore we trace the Holy Name in other letters not its own
one set being concealed in the other, though they are linked together.
He who desires to know the combinations of the holy names must know the
letters which are inscribed in each crown said then combine them."
(Zohar, V, 85)
The basic symbolism of the Kabala is letter, name, and word symbolism
which, because of the nature of the Hebrew language and alphabet, is
associated with number symbolism.
The object of this type of symbolism and of rituals connected with it
is to attain harmonium and mystical union, to understand the nature of
cosmos, man, and God, and their relationship. This must be used cre
atively in daily life.
The Kabala and its symbolism, therefore, is a means to an end, not an
end in itself. In the long run, it is a means which the mystic learns
to use to accomplish union, the oneness of all.
The creative voice and utterance are shown in another passage (II, 382)
"The Voice speaks to the Utterance, there being no voice without utter
ance. This Voice is sent from a deep recess above in order to guide
the Utterance, the two being related as general and particular. The
Voice issues from the south and speaks to the west, inheriting two
sides, and therefore Moses said to Naphtali: Possess thou the west and
the south (Deut. XXXIII, 23). Observe that Thought is the beginning
of all. This Thought is recondite and inscrutable, but when it expands
it reaches the place where spirit abides and is then called Understand
ing (Binah), which is not so recondite as the preceding. This spirit
expands and produces a Voice composed of fire, water, and air, which
corresponds to north, south, and east. This Voice embraces in itself
all forces, and speaks to Utterance, and this shapes the word properly.
When you examine the grades closely, you find that Thought, Understand
ing, Voice, Utterance are all one and the same, and there is no separa
tion between them, and this is what is meant by the words; The Lord is
one and His Name is One."
(Zohar, II, 382)
SUMMARY:
1.
The parable regarding the choice of the letter with which to begin
the creation of the world is typical of the symbolism of and play
on words used in the Kabala. It is based on the correspondence of
the above and below, common to many mystical writings.
SUMMARY (cont'd):
2.
The Creative Utterance or Word in the Kabala is also typical of

other forms of mysticism.
3.
Letter, name, and word symbolism, along with number symbolism, is

charateristic of the Kabala because of the nature of the Hebrew
language.
BIBLIOGRAPHY!
Meltzer, David, editor
The Secret Garden: An Anthology in the Kabbalah. New York,
Seabury Press, 3^76.
*
Scholem, Gershom G,
Kabbalah. New York, Quadranqle, The New York Times Book Co.,
1974.
Scholem, Gershom G.
Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism, third edition.
Schocken Books, 1954.
Scholem, Gershom G.
On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism.
Kegan Paul, 1965.
New York,
London, Routledge and
Kalish, Isidor, translator

Sepher Yezirah, photolithograph of 1877 edition by L. H. Frank
and Company, New York.
(Sold by the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC)
The Zohar, translated by Harry Sperling and Maurice Simon, five
volumes. London, Soncino Press, 1931.
For further reading (to be read critically):
Frank, Adolphe
The Kabbalah.
Secaucas, N. J., 1967.
Myer, Isaac
Qabbalah: The Philosophical Writings of Solomon Ben Yehudah...
Ibn GebTrol or Avicebron. Philadelphia, The Author, 1888.
Reprint, New York, Samuel Weiser, 1970.
(This does not dis
tinguish between the kabala and corresponding systems and
concepts such as the I Ching, Dionysios, Akkadian and Chaldean
ideas.)
Waite, Arthur Edward
The Holy Kabbalah, reprint.
Books, 195?T.
New Hyde Park, New York, University
THE KABALA UNVEILED

-B-
BIBLIOGRAPHY (cont'd)
Waite, Arthur Edward
The Secret Doctrine in Israel.
no date.
New York, Occult Research Press,

Council o f the A.M.O.R.C. All matters herein contained are strictly confi
are to be used for the sole and exclusive information o f the receiving
By
FRATER TEMPORATOR
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Special Discourse
Number 3
The Zohar seeks primarily to teach the relationship between man, the
universe, and God, or as much of deity as man can attain and understand
It does this by explaining the creation of the cosmos and man from the
cosmic or archetypal pattern and the resulting correspondences in the
attributes of God, grades of manifestation, or letters of creation.
The Creative Agent is expressed in symbols, some of which are the cre
ative utterance or Maamar, the letters of the alphabet and their combi
nations, Wisdom and its nature, the two pillars of Mercy or Hesed and
Judgment or Geburah*
In form, the Zohar, or Book of Splendor, is a commentary on the five
books of Moses by means of conversations resulting from meditations of
the Rabbis. Some of these commentaries are interpretations of partic
ular passages by simply expounding a meaning. In some cases, there is
more than one interpretation of the same passage. There are also some
parables, such as the one of the alphabet to be used in the creation.
God, or what we might call the Absolute, is unknowable to man in His
ultimate essence. Hence, creation begins with En-Sof, the Infinite or
Unknowable. God is known by his radiations, emanations, grades, or
attributes, which are what man knows of that which is actually without
attributes. The most important symbols of these attributes are the ten
sefiroth, and the names of God, which are not the same as the sefiroth,
but which do correspond.
As in the case in many mystical systems, man's ascent to God is the re
verse of the Cosmic Creation. The ten sefiroth or attributes are
emanated from God; first is Wisdom, then Understanding, then Mercy,
then Judgment, and so on. Man ascends to God in reverse order, the
first step being the last sefiroth.
The Zohar has the basic elements of mysticism found in other systems so
that it is often difficult to know when there has been any influence
of one philosophy or religion on another* It has, as we have seen, the
basic As above, so below concept and the related idea of the archetypal
pattern from whicE the type is derived. On this is based the macrocosm
and microcosm, the great and small worlds, the cosmos and man, or as
it is put in the Zohar the Macroprosopus and Microprosopus, the concept
of God as the Great Man and of man as the lesser god, and the kabalisti
greater and lesser countenances.
The above-below idea is related to the doctrine of correspondences. If
the lower realm is like the upper realm, then the things and beings of
the two realms correspond, or in kabalistic terms the grades form cor
responding series.
The concept of polarity or duality is often expressed in the Zohar in
terms of man and woman, king and queen. The king and queen are symbols
also used in alchemy. The two pillars unite in a central column result
ing in three or the triangle. Each pair of sefiroth unite to form a
third, so that the central sefiroth and pillar are perfect creation.
The Torah itself, the foundation of Judaism, is also dual in a sense;

it is oral and written, and these correspond to the two pillars. The
two names of God YHVH and Elohim, are a corresponding duality.
The Zohar involves a complex system of mystical interpretation of bib
lical passages on different levels, and the interpretations do not
always agree. This implies that the interpretation is to some extent
up to the individual; however, any interpretation is based on esoteric
tradition whether oral or written. The main method of interpretation
consists of manipulation of and play on words and numbers, which is
possible because of the nature of the Hebrew language.
In a sense, the Bible constitutes a kind of symbolic realm which is
both archetype and type, and which represents the Divine Archetype of
which it is thought to be the emanation or expression. This is true
in the dogma of most religions, whether it is consciously realized or
not. This is also the concept of the cosmos, the Earth, and the Cosmic
man. Each is a symbolic archetype and type which is an emanation of
the Divine.
The Zohar is cosmological because it explains the creation and order of
the universe. It is philosophical in that it is a systematic exposi
tion of the beliefs and attitudes of a group. It is mystical since its
aim is the perfection of man through mystical experience and the mani
festation of the Divine plan.
The importance of the accounts of creation in the Zohar and other kaba
listic works can hardly be overestimated. Next in importance is proba
bly the nature of man. These lectures, therefore, explain these by
quotations from the Zohar and by an explanation of the Sepher Yezirah.
The material has sometimes been abridged, but this will be noted.
"When God designed to create the universe, His thought compassed all
worlds at once, and by means of this thought were they all created....
By this thought--which is His Wisdom were this world and the world
above created. He stretched forth His right hand and created the world
above. He stretched forth His left hand and created this world....
All were created in one moment. And He made this world corresponding
to the world above, and everything which is above has its counterpart
here below, and everything here below has its counterpart in the sea;
and yet all constitute a unity."
(Zohar III, 65)
"Furthermore, the Holy One, when about to create the world, used the
Torah as a copy, and also the Divine Name, which is the epitome of the
Torah, and by it firmly established the world. By three energies is
the world upheld, to wit, by Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge. So
scripture says: 'The Lord by wisdom founded the earth, by understanding
he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths were broken up1
(Prov. Ill, 19-20). Observe that with the same three the Tabernacle
was built, as it is written: 'And I have filled him with the spirit of
God, in wisdom and in understanding, and in knowledge' (Ex. XXXI, 3);
and all these are indicated in the story of creation. Thus, 'In the
beginning' corresponds to Wisdom, 'God created' hints at Understanding;

'The heaven' to Knowledge..,. The two thus correspond to each other."
(Zohar, IV, 253)
"For just as one hammer-blow causes sparks to fly off in all directions,
so God brought into being simultaneously manifold species and hosts,
each differing from the other, without number. The world was brought
into being by a word and a breath together.... One is inoperative with
out the other, but from their combined action there came into being
hosts upon hosts all simultaneously. Now when God was about to create
the world, He produced a secret spark from which there issued and radi
ated all the lights which are disclosed. First there spread from it
those lights which constitute the upper world. Then it continued its
radiation, and the Artificer made it into a light without brightness,
and thus He made the lower world. And by reason of its being a light,
but without illumination, it feels itself attracted towards the upper
world. Now it is that light without illumination which through its
attachment to the upper world brought into being all those legions and
hosts of existences, of all the multitudinous species, of which it is
written, 'How manifold are thy works.' And whatever is on earth has
its counterpart on high, there being no object, however small, but what
is subordinate to its counterpart above which has charge over it; and
so whenever the thing below'stirs itself, there is a simultaneous stim
ulation of its counterpart above, as the two realms form one inter
connected whole."
(Zohar, II, 101)
One passage uses correspondences between the Earth, the Sanctuary and
Jerusalem as the point and first circle, and the human eye. "Thus the
point is in the centre, and the various expansions encircle it. The
first expansion embraces the Sanctuary and all its courts and enclosures
and all its appurtenances, as well as the whole city of Jerusalem
bounded by the wall; the second expansion embraces the whole of the
Land of Israel, the Land which was declared Holy; the third expansion
comprehends the rest of the earth, the dwelling-place of all the other
nations. Then comes the great ocean which surrounds the whole. The
whole arrangement is symbolized by the structure of the human Eye."
(Zohar IV, 259) Diagrammed, this would consist of the central dot,
three- concentric circles, and then the waters.
SUMMARY s
1.
The Zohar is a commentary on the Bible, particularly the books of

Moses.
2.
It teaches the relationship between man, the universe, and God.
3.
One important aspect of the Zohar is its explanations of creation,
4.
The diagram on page four is based on the explanation of the rela

tionship between the center point, the Sanctuary, Jerusalem, Israel,
the Earth, and the waters.
WATERS

Council o f the A.M.O.R.C. A ll matters herein contained are strictly confi
A.M.O JI.C. and it should be returned upon its request. The contents herein
does, ipso facto, terminate all rights o f the member, and is a violation of
the statutes o f this Order. Such violation will be legally dealt with.
By
FRATER TEMPORATOR
Scribe
Using the symbolism of the letters, one passage says, "The very first
thing taught to children, the Aleph Beth, transcends the comprehension
and the mind of man, and even of the higher and highest angels, because
the Holy Name is concealed in the letters. A thousand and four hundred
and five worlds are suspended from the point of the aleph, and seventytwo holy names traced in their full spelling, which uphold heaven and
earth, upper and lower beings, and the Throne of the King, are suspended
along the stroke of the alegh, while the mystery of Wisdom and the
hidden paths and the deep rivers and the ten Words all issue from the
lower point of the aleph. From this point aleph begins to extend into
beth, and there is no end to the wisdom that is here inscribed."
(Zohar, V, 74)
Aleph is the beginning of the alphabet and of number. In Hebrew it is
a consonant having no actual sound but is the beginning of all spoken
sound, including the symbolic Creative Word.
It is the beginning of both spoken sound and written letters, and it is
thus the beginning of creation and the beginning of the revelation to
Moses on Mount Sinai.
"R, Judah followed with a discourse on the verses 'The counsel (sod) of
the Lord is with them that fear him? and his covenant to make them know
it1 (Ps, XXV, 14).
'The counsel' (sod) he said, 'alludes to the sub
lime mystical knowledge which remains hidden and undisclosed save for
those that fear the Lord continuously and thus prove themselves worthy
of these secrets and able to keep them. Observe that the world has
been made and established by an engraving of forty-two letters, all of
which are the adornment of the Divine Name. These letters combined and
soared aloft and dived downwards, forming themselves into crowns in the
four directions of the world, so that it might endure. They then went
forth and created the upper world and the lower, the world of unifica
tion and the world of division. In the latter they are called 'moun
tains of separation' (bather) (S.S. II, 17), which are watered when the
south side begins to come near them. The water flows with supernal
energy and with ecstatic joy. Whilst the Thought mounts up with exult
ing joy out of the most Undisclosed One, there flows out of it a sparks
the two then come into contact with each other, as explained elsewhere.
These forty-two letters thus constitute the supernal mystical principle;
by them were created the upper and the lower worlds, and they indeed
constitute the basis and recondite significance of all the worlds. Thus
he explained the verse, 'The secret of the Lord is to them that fear
him? and his covenant to make them know it1, the first part alluding to
the undisclosed engraven letters, whereas the latter speaks of the
revealed. Now, it is written: 'And thou shalt put in the breastplate
of judgement the Urim and the Thummin' (Ex. XXVIII, 30). The term
'Urim' (lit. light, illumination) signifies the luminous speculum, which
consisted of the engravure of the Divine Name composed of forty-two
letters by which the world was created? whereas the Thummin consisted
of the non-luminous speculum made of the Divine Name as manifested in
the twenty-two letters. The combination of the two is thus called
Urim and Thummim. Observe that by the power of these sunken letters
were the other letters, namely, the raised letters forming the names
of the tribes, now illumined, now darkened. The letters of the Divine
Name embrace the mystery of the Torah, and all the worlds are a projec
tion of the mystery of those letters. The Torah begins with a Beth
followed by an Aleph, indicating thereby that the world was created by
the power of these letters, the Beth symbolizing the female principle
and the Aleph the male principle, and both engendering, as it were, the
group of the twenty-two letters.'"
(Zohar, IV, 299-300)
Another passage is pertinent to this: "For the Torah is the Name of the
Holy one, blessed by He. As the Name of the Holy One is engraved in
Ten Words (creative utterances) of Creation, so is the whole Torah en
graved in the Ten Words (Decalogue), and these Ten Words are the Name
of the Holy One, and the whole Torah is thus one Name, the Holy Name of
God Himself, Blessed is he who is worthy of her, the Torah, for he
will be worthy of the Holy Name,"
(Zohar III, 278)
"R. Eleazar further discoursed on the verse: 'A song of ascents; of
Solomon. Except the Lord build the house, thy labour is in vain', etc.
(Ps. CXXVII, 1).
'This verse', he said, 'was uttered by Solomon at the
time when, having begun to build the Temple he became aware that the
work proceeded of itself, as it were, in the hands of the labourers.
Except the Lord', he thus said, 'build the hours', etc. This alludes
to the statement that 'In the beginning God created heaven and earth'
(Gen. I, 1), and tells us that the Holy One, blessed by He, created and
garnished this world and fitted it out with all its requirements, thus
making it a House.
'They labour in vain that build it': this alludes
to the streams that come forth and enter the House in order to furnish
it with all its needs; try as they may, yet except the Lord of the
supernal world make the House and put it in proper order, they labour
in vain.
'Except the Lord keep the city', etc.
(Ibid.) This is in
harmony with the verse: 'The eyes of the Lord thy God are always upon
it, from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year' (Deut.
XI, 12), indicating the providence by which it is guarded on all sides.
And though it is also written, 'Behold, it is the couch of Solomon;
threescore mighty men are about it' (S.S. Ill, 7), all guarding it,
this is 'because of dread in the night1 (Ibid. 8), to wit, the dread of
Gehinnom that confronts it and tries to annihilate it. All thus are
standing guard round about it. When the Thought is illumined, it re
mains undisclosed and unknowable, but it forms a centre of energies and
of expansion in all directions. One outcome of that expansion is the
Supernal World, the world of interrogation, as it were, or of the
Supreme Utterance, the world called 'Who?', alluded to in 'Lift up your
eyes on high, and see: Who hath created these?1, or in other words, the
creative utterance, the Who?, created these; but subsequently it ex
panded and became the sea, symbolic of the lowest grade, and created a
lower world after the pattern of the upper, the two being the counter
parts of each other. Hence the guarding of the universe is from above
downwards, that is, from the upper world which was formed by the expan
sion of the Thought. We thus understand the meaning of the passage,
saying, 'Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman watcheth in vain1,
'the watchman' referring to the watchman of Israel, since protection
depends not on him but on the higher world. Note that the blue employed
in the work of the Tabernacle symbolized the mystery of the upper world,
the blue and the purple together symbolized the knitting together of
the upper world and the lower."
(Zohar, IV, 272-273)
"'AND BEHOLD A LADDER SET UP ON EARTH.1 This ladder signifies the grade
on which the other grades rest, to wit, the 'Foundation of the world'.
AND THE TOP OF IT REACHED TO HEAVEN, so as to be attached to it. For
this grade is the conclusion of the Body standing between the upper and
the lower world.... " The ladder symbolizes the ascent from Earth to
heaven and is another commonly used symbol.
"'Lift up your heads, O ye gates' (Ps. XXIV, 7), and refer to the super
nal grades by and through which alone a knowledge of the Almighty is
possible to man, and but for which man could not commune with God. Sim
ilarly, man's soul cannot be known directly, save through the members
of the body, which are the grades forming the instruments of the soul.
The soul is thus known and unknown. So it is with the Holy One, blessed
be He, since He is the Soul of souls, the Spirit of spirits, covered and
veiled from anyone; nevertheless, through those gates, which are doors
for the soul, the Holy One makes Himself known. For there is door
within door, grade behind grade, through which the glory of the Holy
One is made known. Hence here 'the tent door* is the door of righteous
ness, referred to in the words, 'Open to me the gates of righteousness'
(Ps. CXVIII, 19), and this is the first entrance door; through this
door a view is opened to all the other supernal doors. He who succeeds
in entering this door is privileged to know both it and all the other
doors, since they all repose on this one. At the present time this
door remains unknown because Israel is in exile; and therefore all the
other doors are removed from them, so that they cannot know or commune;
but when Israel returns from exile, all the supernal grades are des
tined to rest harmoniously upon this one. Then men will obtain a knowl
edge of the precious supernal wisdom of which hitherto they wist not,
as it is written, 'And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the
spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might,
the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord' (Is. XI, 2). All
these are destined to rest on the lower door which is the 'tent door':
all too will rest upon the Messiah in order that he may judge the world,
as it is written, 'But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, etc'
(Ibid. 4). (Zohar, I, 332-333)
SUMMARY s
1.
The Holy Name is concealed in the letters; Aleph and its symbolism
is important because the worlds, holy names, upper and lower realms,
among other things are suspended from it.
2.
Some of the letter symbolism is given.
3.
The importance and symbolism of the Torah is indicated.
THE KABALA UNVEILED

-B-
SUMMARY (cont'd)
4.
The world is compared to a house which God made. The passage ex

plains the upper world and the formation of the universe from above
downwards.
5.
The ladder is compared to the grades of the sefiroth.
6.
Knowledge of the soul, man and God is explained. There is grade

within grade through which the glory of the Holy One is known.

By
FR ATE R TEM PO RATO R
Scribe
The Zohar discusses this passage from the biblical account of creation:
'"AND THE LORD GOD BUILT (VAYIVEN) THE SIDE WHICH HE HAD TAKEN FROM
MAN, ETC.1 Said R. Simeon-) 'It is written, God understandeth the way
thereof, and he knoweth the place thereof (JobXXVIII, 23). t HTs
verse may be taken in many ways. One is that the word 'understood'
(hevin) has the same sense as vayiven in the second chapter of Genesis,
Hence the 'side' here is the Oral Law, which forms a 'way1, as it is
written, 'who maketh a way in the sea' (Is. XLIII, 16), Similarly,
'place* here can be interpreted as the Written Law, which is the source
of knowledge. The double name 'Lord God' is used to show that it was
completed in all details. Hence it is called both Hokmah (wisdom) and
Binah (understanding)....because the Oral Law issued ^rom the Written
Torah, INTO A WOMAN: to be linked with the flame on the left side,
because the Torah was given from the side of Geburah. Further, ishah
(woman) may be analyzed into esh he (fire of he) signifying the union
of the two. AND HE BROUGHT HER TO THE MAN: as much as to say that the
Oral Torah must not be studied by itself but in conjunction with the
Written Torah, which then nourishes and supports it and provides all
its needs.... According to another explanation, this verse has a deep
esoteric meaning, namely, that the primal is unknowable save to God,
who 'understands its way,' i,e. the future world, while 'He', i.e. the
great inscrutable called hu (he) 'knows its place1." (Zohar, I, 153154)
"According to R. Judah, 'father* represents Wisdom (Hokhmah) and
'mother' Understanding (Binah). Said R. Judah: 'Both interpretations
mean one and the same thing, for we have taught that the Torah emanated
from the Supernal Wisdom.' R. Jose said that Torah emanated from Under
standing, for it says: 'to perceive the words of understanding* and
'forsake not the Torah of thy mother.1 Said R. Judah: 'The Torah is
an emanation of both Wisdom and Understanding, and combines the influ
ence of both..,,'"
(Zohar, III, 258)
Summarizing
Jacob was a
Ancient and
harmonizing
another passage concerning the sephiroth, it says that

complete man, perfect in regard to both sides, the Holy
the Microprosopus, and also to the supernal Grace and Power
the two.
Wisdom (Hokmah) is the totality of the holy Sephiroth, and supernal

Grace (Hesed) emanates from Wisdom, and Power (Geburah) from Understand
ing (Binah)V
Wisdom beat against the stones of the thirty-two Paths and caused the
wind to gather many waters into one place. From the Paths emanated ten
luminous crowns, and there were left twenty-two Paths. The wind
whirled down those Paths, and fifty Gates of Understanding were opened
and the twenty-two letters were engraved upon fifty gates of the Jubi
lee and were crowned with the seventy-two letters of the Holy Name.
These opened sideways anfl wpre crowned with the seventy-two letters of
Compassion which are contained in the Ancient of Days, who bestows
light on them, eanh according to its place. Fifty engraved letters
also were crowned with forty-two supernal letters of the Holy Name, by
which heaven and Earth were created. And eight gates were opened,
which are eight significations of Mercy, which emanate from the Holy
Ancient and proceed to the Microprosopus or Lesser Countenance. They
unite with those holy crowns, Supernal Wisdom and Understanding, taking
Supernal Mercy from the one side and Judgment or Power from the other.
Then came the merit of Jacob and synthesized both and made them one,
for he signifies supernal harmony*
When Wisdom began to cause the shaping of the Crowns, it begem with
Understanding (Binah), for in Understanding all is contained. There
fore fifty gates are opened in its name, and thus it is found that all
the letters and all the crowns are engraved in Wisdom.
"Who has measured the water in the hollow of his hand, and meted out
heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a mea
sure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?"
{la. XL, 12)
"The water" symbolizes Understanding and Grace.
"Heaven" symbolizes
Beauty (Tifereth), and "dust" refers to Power (Geburah). "Mountains"
refers to the other crowns, and "hills" alludes to somewhat lower
chariots.
Judgment proceeds from Mercy, and Mercy from Judgment. One quality
emanates from another, each imbibes from each, and finally it is made
manifest that all are one, and all depend on One, and One is all in all
There can be no perfection unless one aspect is joined to the other and
a third holds them together to harmonize and complete them.
All this differentiation of the Divine Personality is from our side and
relative to our knowledge? above, all is one, all is set in one balance
unvarying and eternal. All the heavenly lights are illumined from one
and depend on one, and all the lights there form only one Light, and
desire never to be separated, and he who does separate them in his mind
is as though he separated himself from life eternal.
(Zohar, IV, 108f)
The Zohar uses colors to symbolize the attributes of God. One passage
says"J The re are colours disclosed and undisclosed, this being a part
of the mystery of Faith, but men neither know nor reflect on these
matters. The visible colours were not perceived by any human being be
fore the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.... And what are these
visible colours? Those of El_ Shaddai (which means God Almighty), the
reflection of higher colours. But these latter are hidden, and Moses
alone perceived them. The Patriarchs, however, were not entirely igno
rant of them; since they apprehended those undisclosed ones through the
visible ones which they knew. And it is written: 'And the wise shall
be resplendent as the splendor of the firmament, and they that turn
many to righteousness shall be like the stars for ever and ever.1 The
'wise* is he who by the power of hio wvm uunLciu^lation attains to the
perception of profound mysteries which cannot be expressed in words.
The 'firmament* is the 'firmament of closes * (his grade of Divine knowl-
NUMBER FIVE
edge), which is set at the centre and whose splendour is veiled. This
firmament is above that other which is non-resplendent and the colours
of which are visible and not so bright as the invisible. There are
four lights (i.e. Emanations), three of which are recondite and one
disclosed. There is one which sheds light abroad (Hesed); one shines
for itself only (Geburah), being like the heavens in purity; one of
purple hue gathers light into itself (Tifereth); and one which is of
itself lightless (Malkuth), but which looks- xp to the others and re
flects them as a lamp reflects the sun. The first three are recondite
and brood over the one which is disclosed.
(Of all this the eye is the
symbol. In the eye three colours are visible, but none of these shines,
because they are non-luminous. They are the parallel of those lights
which are revealed; and it was by means of these visible colours that
the Patriarchs were enabled to discern the colours which are luminous
but invisible that is, those colours of which Moses alone had cogni
zance, which were concealed from all others but revealed to him in that
firmament to which he had attained, and which are above the visible
colours.) To understand this mystery, close thine eye and press thine
eyeball, and thou wilt discern radiating and luminous colours which can
only be seen with closed eyes."
(Zohar, III, 77-78)
One passage says that God constructed for the world seven pillars by
which it was to be upheld. These in turn are upheld by one grade from
among them called "the Righteous One, the everlasting foundation."
When the world was created, it was started from that spot which is the
perfection of the world, the central point of the universe, which is
Zion. Zion and Jerusalem, while one, represent two degrees, the one
being the channel of Judgment, the other of Mercy. First there issues
from one the sound of Mercy and afterwards the other voice of Judgment,
the two forming one source from which the paths of Judgment and Mercy
issue and diverge.
(Zohar, II, 210)
Zion, Jerusalem
Central point
T
Seven Pillars
t
The Righteous One
-C-
SUMMARY:
1.
The Oral Law forms a way of knowledge, as does the Written Law.
Lord God, Hokmah and Binah are related. The Oral and Written Torah
must be studied together, perhaps alluding to an oral tradition.
2.
Some of the sephiroth are discussed, as well as letter symbolism.
3.
Colors and firmaments are related to creation and the sephiroth.

The passage also uses the eye as a symbol.
4.
The chart explains creation based on the Righteous one, seven

pillars, Zion, Jerusalem, and Mercy and Judgment.
The Kabalistic Tree on page five is usually done as follows:

Council of the A.M.O.R.C. All matters herein contained are strictly confi
By
FR ATE R TEM PO RATO R
Scribe
Special Discourse
Number 0
Discussing the idea that the world was created with ten sayings, the
Zohar says, "Yet on examination they prove to be only three, viz. Wisdom, Understanding, and Knowledge. The world was created only for the
sake of Israel. When the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to endow
the Earth with permanence, He formed Abraham in the mystery of Wisdom,
Isaac in the mystery of Understanding, and Jacob in the mystery of
Perception, that is to say, of Knowledge. Therefore it is said: 'With
wisdom is the house built, and by understanding it is established, and
by knowledge shall the chambers be filled...'
(Prov. XXIV, 4-5)."
(Zohar, III, 46-47)
In another passage these three attributes are said to correspond to
three books of Solomon, the Song of Songs to Wisdom, Ecclesiastes to
Understanding, and Proverbs to Knowledge.
(Zohar, V, 53-54)
R. Simeon ben Yochai interprets the verse, "God created the (eth) heav
ens and the (eth) Earth" (Gen. I, 1) by saying that the first eth re
ferred to the Right Hand and the second to the Left Hand. The passage
states, "These two 'stand together' (Isa. XLVIII, 13) through the
agency of the Crown which is called zoth and which comprises both Mercy
and Judgement." Later in the passage there is a reference to the Song
of Solomon, III, 6 "Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like
pillars of smoke?" This is interpretated by saying, "This smoke sym
bolizes the Crown which is called Zoth (Lit. this, i.e. the Sephira
Malkuth Kingdom) and 'Woman' (Gen. II, 23)."
(Zohar, III, 116-117)
The Zaddik symbolizes the righteous man, and one passage refers the
sephiroth to his body. It is explaining the river that becomes four
heads (Gen. II, 10). "The first of these is Hesed (Kindness), which is
the right arm. From this shall drink the campT^f Michael, and with it
the tribe of Judah and his two accompanying tribes. The second is
Geburah (Force), and from it shall drink the camp of Gabriel, and with
it the tribe of Dan and his two accompanying tribes. The third is
Nezah (Victory), the right leg, and from it shall drink the camp of
Nuriel, and with it the tribe of Reuben and his two accompanying tribes.
The fourth is Hod (Majesty), the 'left leg' (referred to in what was
said of Jacob, that he halted on his left thigh), and from it shall
drink the camp of Raphael, whose mission is to heal the ills of the
captivity, and with it the tribe of Ephraim and his two accompanying
tribes."
(Zohar, I, 102-103)
One passage is on wisdom, but it also points out the importance of the
symbolism of the Voice and the Word. The latter are not only important
in kabalistic symbolism but in many other religious and mystical systems
as well. R. Jose is discoursing on the verse: She openeth her mouth
with wisdom, and the law of kindness is on her tongue (Prov. XXXI, 26).
1The word wisdom*, he said, 'signifies the Beth of the word bereshith
(in the beginning), as already explained ellewEere. The Beth is closed
in on one side as symbolic of that which is written: 'And thou shalt
see my bacx' (Ex. XXXIII, 23), ana open on tne other side so as to illu
mine the higher worlds.
(It is also open on one side in order to
receive from the higher worlds, like a hall in which guests gather.)
For that reason it is placed at the beginning of the Torah, and was
later on filled in. Again, 'She openeth her mouth with wisdom1, for
so the word bereshith is rendered in the Chaldaic version, behokhmetha
(with wisdomT"!
'And the law of kindness (hesed) is on her tongue',
i.e. in her subsequent utterances, as it is- written: 'And God said:
Let there be light, and there was light.' The 'mouth' again is an
allusion to the He of the Divine Name, which contains the Whole, which
is both unrevealed and revealed, and comprises both the higher and
lower emanations, being emblematic of both.
'She openeth her mouth
with wisdom', inasmuch as, though herself hidden and absolutely unknow
able, as it says, 'And it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept
close from the fowls of the air' (Job XXVIII, 21), yet when she begins
to expand by means of the Wisdom to which she is attached and in which
she resides, she put forth a Voice which is the 'law of kindness'
(hesed). Or again, the 'mouth* can be taken as alluding to the final
He of- the Divine Name, which is the Word that emanates from Wisdom,
wKile the 'law of kindness on her tongue' signifies the Voice which is
above the Word, controlling it and guiding it, since speech cannot be
formed without voice, as has been agreed.'"
(Zohar, II, 67-68)
R. Isaac interprets the revelation to Moses on Mount Sinai. "In the
hour when the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself on Mount Sinai,
that mountain began mightily to shake and all the other hills and high
places of the earth trembled in accord with it, so that they heaved
and quaked until the Holy One stretched out His hand and calmed them,
and a voice was heard: 'What aileth thee, 0 thou sea, that thou fleddest, and thou Jordan that thou wast driven back? Ye mountains that ye
skipped like rams, and ye hills like young sheep?' And the answer was:
'Tremble 0 earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the
God of Jacob* (Ps, CXIV, 5-7). Now, 'the Lord' in this verse refers to
the 'Mother* (Binah); 'earth1 to the 'Mother' below (Malkuth); 'the God
of Jacob', to the Father (Hokmah), whose 'firstborn son is Israel*
(Ex. IV, 23), whom 'his mother crowned in the day of his espousals':
she crowned him with the symbolic colours, white, red, and green, in
which all other colours are included, and in him they were all united.'
According to R. Judah, the 'crown' symbolizes Israel, who is God's
glory, as it is written: 'Israel, in whom I am glorified' (Isa. XLIX,
3); 'and I will glorify the house of my glory' (Ibid. LX, 7)."
(Zohar III, 252-253)
"I AM THE LORD THY GOD WHO BROUGHT THEE OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT. R.
Eleazar referred to the verse: *My son, hear the instruction of thy
father, and forsake not the Torah of thy mother' (Prov. I, 18).
'The
instruction of thy father', he said, 'refers to the Holy One; 'the Torah
of thy mother* to the Community of Israel.' According to R. Judah,
'Father' represents Wisdom (Hokhmah) and 'mother' Understanding (Binah).
Said R. Judah: 'Both interpretations mean one and the same thing, "for
we have been taught that the Torah emanated from the Supernal Wisdom.'
R. Jose said that the Torah emanated from Understanding, for it says:
'to perceive the words of understanding' and 'forsake not the Torah of
thy mother*. Said R. Judah: 'The Torah is an emanation of both Wisdom
and Understanding, and combines the influence of both, for it says:
'My Son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the Torah
of thy mother'.' R. Abba said: 'It contains the influence of all the
emanations, in virtue of containing those two: grace, judgement, and
mercy, and every one required for perfection. When the King and Matrona
are in harmonious union all attributes are harmoniously united, and
wherever these are found all the others are found as well.'" Matrona
is a name for the Shekinah and Malkuth? the King may refer either to
Kether or Tifereth.
(Zohar, III, 258)
"R. Simeon here discoursed on the verse: WISDOM CRIETH ALOUD IN THE
STREET, SHE UTTERETH HER VOICE IN THE BROAD PLACES (Prov. I, 20).
'This verse', he said, 'contains a deep mystical teaching. The term
hokhmoth (lit. wisdoms) implies the superior Wisdom and the lesser Wisdom which is included in the superior Wisdom and abides therein. The
superior Wisdom is an essence most recondite and concealed, unknown and
unrevealed, as Scripture says: 'Man knoweth not the price thereof, etc.'
(Job XXVIII, 13)? and when it expands into a source of light, its illu
mination is that of the world to come, and that world is created by it:
for so we have learned, that the world to come was created by the Yod,
and there Wisdom remained hidden, the two being one. When God was
crowned, it was through the mystery of the future world, as already
said. There was joy at this illumination, but all was in silence with
out a sound being heard abroad, wisdom then willed it to expand fur
ther, so that from that space there issued fire and water and air, as
already said, from which there sprang up a voice which issued forth
abroad and was heard, as already said. From that point onwards all is
exterior (huz), whereas in the interior the voice is silent and not
heard abroad. Once, however, the secret force has become audible, it
is called 'without' (huz). Hence it is incumbent on man to be zealous
in searching after wisdom 'in the wide places' (ba-rehoboth). This
refers to the firmament, which contains all the luminous stars, and
which constitutes the fountain of perennial waters, referred to in the
verse: 'And a river went forth from Eden to water the garden' (Gen. II,
10). And there 'she uttereth her voice', both the superior and the
lower Wisdom, which in truth are one. Solomon alluded to this in say
ing: 'Prepare thy work without (ba-huz), and make it ready for thee in
the field' (Prov. XXIV, 27), where the word 'without' is used as in the
verse 'Wisdom crieth out without', indicating the point from which man
can commence to inquire and investigate, as it is written: 'For ask now
of the days past...and from one end of heaven unto another* (Deut, IV,
32). The 'field' again is the 'field which the Lord hath blessed* (Gen.
XXVII, 27). When a man has penetrated into the mystery of Wisdom and
perfected himself therein, then Solomon tells him to 'build his house'
(Prov. XXIV, 27), i.e. to cultivate his soul in his body, so as to
attain perfection. Hence, when Isaac digged and prepared the well in
peace he called it Rehoboth (wide places), and all was done in the
right manner. Happy the righteous by whose works the Holy One sustains
the world, as it says: 'For the Upright shall inhabit the land' (Prov.
II, 21), where the term yishkenu (they will inhabit) may be read
yashkinu they shall cause tc be ir.hrxbitsd.'" (Zohar, II, 52-53)
Rahamim is sometimes used in the Zohar in place of Tifereth.
"R. Simeon
said that when the Holy One came to reveal Himself on Mount Sinai, He
called together His whole celestial Family and said to them: 'At
present the Israelites are like children, they will not know how to
deport themselves in My Presence. If I should reveal Myself to them
in the attribute of Power (Geburah) they will not be able to bear it,
but when I manifest Myself to them in love (Rahamim) they will accept
My Law.* Therefore the manifestation on Mount Sinai took place on
the third day, which is the Day of Love (Rahamim)," (Zohar, III, 242)
The third day corresponds to the third or middle pillar; hence, this
is the pillar of love.
"R. Simeon discoursed on the verse: 'As a hind panteth after the water
courses so my soul panteth for thee, 0 Lord* (Ps. XLII, 2). 'Happy
are Israel,1 he said, 'for that God gave them the Holy Law and caused
them to inherit holy souls from a holy place, that they might keep His
commandments and delight themselves in His Law. For the Torah is
called a delight, and this is what is meant by the saying that God
comes to delight Himself with the righteous in the Garden of Eden, to
wit, to regale Himself from the selfsame stream as the righteous. And
whoever studies the Torah is privileged to delight himself along with
the righteous from the waters of this stream. So we are told here
that the 'hind', to wit, the Community of Israel, pants for the water
brooks to receive a draught from the sources of the stream at the
hands of the Righteous One. What are these sources? One is above,
of which it is written, 'And a river went forth from Eden to water the
Garden', etc., and from there it flows forth and waters the Garden and
all the streams issue from it and meet again in two sources called
Nezah and Hod, and these pour forth water into that grade of Zaddik
which goes forth from thence and waters' the Garden. Observe that the
soul and the spirit are inseparable. We have learnt that the perfect
service offered by man to God consists in loving Him with his soul and
his spirit. As these cleave to the body and the body loves them, so
a man should cleave to God with the love of his soul and his spirit.
Hence it says, With my soul I have desired thee and with my spirit I
seek thee early. It has been taught: Happy is the man who loves the
Almighty with such a love? such are the truly virtuous for whose sake
the world is established and who can annul all evil decrees both
above and below."
(Zohar, V, 61-62)
The Zohar speaks of wisdom, intelligence, and knowledge, referring to
the upper sephiroth. In this case, Kether, the Crown is uppermost but
is not connected to the Tree, and the diagram of the tree would be:
(See diagram of the tree on page five).
The Tree symbolizes God, man, and the universe. En-Sof is said to be
the infinite and is unknown except to God. The sephiroth make En-Sof
known or manifest. Creation is from the point by which originally
motion becomes line, plane.
SPECIAL DISCOURSE
PAGE FIVE
NUMBER SIX
Kether
Binah-_____________________ _____ ^.Hokhmah
^ Daath
SUMMARY:
1.
The World was created with three sayings: Wisdom, Understanding,

and Knowledge.
2.
The sephiroth are compared to the body of the righteous man, the
Zaddik.
3.
A passage on Wisdom also points out the importance of the Voice

and Word symbolism.
4.
The Father, Mother, and Son are Hokmah, Binah, and Israel.
5.
The Torah is an emanation of both Wisdom and Understanding.
6.
The superior and lesser Wisdoms are discussed.
7.
Rahamim or love is sometimes used in place of Tifereth.
8.
The perfect service of man to God is to love Him.
The matter contained herein ifl officially issued through the Supreme
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"R. Jose thereupon began to speak on the words: The song of songs,
which is Solomon1s (S.S. I, 1). Said he: 'This song King Solomon
poured forth when the Temple was erected and all the worlds, above and
below, had reached their perfect consummation. And although concerning
the exact time of its singing there is some difference of opinion among
the members of the Fellowship, we may be certain that it was not sung
until that time of absolute completion, when the Moon the Shekinah-came to her fulness and was revealed in the full perfection of her
radiance, and when the Temple had been erected in the likeness of the
Temple that is above. The Holy One, blessed be He, then experienced
such joy as He had not known since the creation of the world. When
Moses set up the Tabernacle in the wilderness, another such was raised
in the heavenly spheres, as we learn from the words: 'And it came to
pass...,that the Tabernacle was reared up', the reference being to the
other Tabernacle, to that which was above, namely the Tabernacle of
the 'Young Man', Metatron, and nothing greater. But when the first
Temple was completed another Temple was erected at the same time, which
was a center for all the worlds, shedding radiance upon all things, and
giving light to all the spheres. Then the world was firmly established,
and all the supernal casements were opened to pour forth light, and all
the worlds experienced such joy as had never been known to them before,
and celestial and terrestrial beings alike broke forth in song. And
the song which they sang is the 'Song of Songs', ... '" (Zohar, IV, 3-4)
The Temple is discussed in the Zohar in a number of places, and the
correspondence of the Temple built Below by human hands to the one
Above is important. This passage also says that the moon is the Sheki
nah. Metatron is the highest angel. The joy, of course, is expressed
by both the light and the song.
"R. Simeon continued: 'We have a tradition that when the Holy One,
blessed be He, created the world, He engraved in the midst of the mys
terious, ineffable and most glorious lights, the letters Yod, He, Vau,
He, which are in themselves the synthesis of all worlds both above and
below. The upper was brought to completion by the influence symbolized
by the letter Yod, representing the primordial supernal point which
issued from the absolutely hidden and unknowable, the mysterious Limitless (En-Sof). Out of this unknowable issued a slender thread of light
which was itself concealed and invisible, but which yet contained all
other lights, and which received vibrations from That which does not
vibrate and reflected light from That which diffused it not. This
slender light in turn gave birth to another light wherein to disport
and to conceal itself; and in this light were woven and fashioned six
impressions which are not known save to that slender light when it goes
in to hide itself and shine through the other light. The light which
issues from the slender light is mighty and terrible, and it expands
and becomes a world which illumines all succeeding worlds a hidden and
unknown world in which dwell six myriads of thousands of supernal powers
and hosts. When the worlds were all completed they were joined into a
single organism, and are symbolized by the letter Vau (=6) when it is
united with the veiled world. And this is the esoteric meaning of the
words, 'For Jacob has chosen Jah unto himself.'"
(Zohar, III, 358-359)
"Said R. Simeon: 'How pleasant is the shade of these trees! Surely the
beauty and peace of this place is worthy of being crowned with some
exposition of the Torah?' He then began to discourse, saying: 'It is
written: 'King Solomon made him a palanquin (apiryon) of the trees of
Lebanon. He made the pillars thereof of silver, the bottom thereof of
gold, the covering of it of purple, the midst thereof being paved with
love by the daughters of Jerusalem' (S.S. Ill, 9, 10). This verse we
interpret as follows. Apiryon symbolizes the Palace below which is
formed in the likeness of trie Palace above. This the Holy One, blessed
be He, calls 'The Garden of Eden', for He created it in order to satisfy
His own ardent desire for joyous and continual communion with the souls
of the righteous who have their abode there these being those souls
which have no bodies in this world. These all ascend and are crowned
in that place of perfect delight, and have each their appointed places
from whence they can perceive the 'loveliness of the Lord', and partake
of all the delicious streams of pure balsam (aparsamon). This aparsamon
symbolizes the hidden Supernal Palace, whereas apiryon is the Palace
below, which has no 'stay' until it obtains it from the upper Palace.
Now the streams of the aparsamon issue forth from the celestial sphere
and the souls which have no earthly bodies ascend to imbibe from the
light which emerges from them, and to revel therein. As for the souls
who are clothed in bodily raiment and garmented with flesh, they ascend
likewise and imbibe nourishment, but from the light of the sphere
apiryon, for that is the region which appertains to them: which having
clone, they descend again. They both give and take. They emit sweet
savours from the good works which they have wrought in this world, and
they imbibe the aroma which was left in the Garden, and of which it is
written: 'as the savour of the field which the Lord has blessed' (Gen.
XXVII, 27), the 'field' being the Garden of Eden. And in this Garden
all the souls appear, both those who dwell in earthly bodies and those
whose sole being and joy is in the world above. The verse proceeds:
'King Solomon made him': that is, He made it for His own glory. Should
ye ask, But do not the souls of the righteous share the joy with Him?
I would say, Most assuredly I For His joy would be as naught without
them, since to have pleasure in their companionship is the very essence
of His desire and delight. The term 'King Solomon' refers to the King
'to whom peace belongs'--namely, the Supernal King: and the term 'king'
by itself refers to the King Messiah.
The trees of Lebanon' denotes
those trees which the Holy One uprooted and planted in another place,
as it is written: 'the cedars of Lebanon which he hath planted' (Ps.
CIV, 16). Of these trees the apiryon was built. And what are these
trees, the 'trees of Lebanon'? They are the six primordial Days of
Creation. Now each of these Days performs in this apiryon the part
which is assigned to it.
"'By the first ordering, the primeval light which was afterwards stored
away was taken from the Right Side and brought into the apiryon by
means of a certain 'Foundation', and performed its function therein.
Afterwards the apiryon produced an image in the likeness of that origi
nal light, as is indicated by the words, 'Let there be light, and there
was light1 (Gen. I, 3), the repetition of the word 'light' denoting that
the first light brought forth another light. This was the first day of
the 'trees of Lebanon'.
_c-
"By the second ordering, there was drawn from the Left Side the divi
sion of waters through the stroke of a mighty fire, which entered into
this apiryon and performed its function therein, dividing between the
waters of the Right Side, and those of the Left; and afterwards the
apiryon brought forth an image in the likeness thereof. This was the
second day of the 'trees of Lebanon*.
"'By the third ordering, there was drawn from the sphere of the centre
and the Right Side a certain third day which made peace in the world
and from which were derived the seeds of all things. This performed
its function in the apiryon, and brought forth various species, herbs
and grasses and trees. Its likeness was left there, and the apiryon
brought forth similar species, and this was the third day of the
'trees of Lebanon1.
"By the fourth
the darkness of
did not perform
in the likeness
of Lebanon'.
ordering, the light of the Sun was kindled to illumine

the apiryon, and it entered therein to give light, but
its function till the fifth day. The apiryon produced
thereof, and this was the fourth day of those 'trees
"'By the fifth ordering, there was produced a certain movement in the
waters, which laboured to bring forth the light of the ordering of the
fourth day, and it performed its function in the apiryon and brought
forth various species; and all remained in suspense until the sixth
day, when the apiryon brought forth all that was stored in it, as it
is written, Let the earth bring forth living creature after its kind,
etc.'
{Gen. I, 24). This was the fifth day of the 'trees of Lebanon'.
"'The sixth ordering was the day on which the apiryon came into comple
tion, and apart from that sixth day of Creation it can have neither
completion nor life-energy. But when that day was at length arrived
the apiryon was completed, with many spirits, many souls, many beauti
ful virgins, privileged to abide in the Palace of the King. In the
completion of this day the previous five days are completed also, and
the upper and lower spheres are perfectly united in friendship, in joy,
and in one ardent desire for the companionship of their King. Thus was
the apiryon sanctified with supernal sanctifications and crowned with
its crowns, until finally it was exalted with the Crown of Rest and was
designated with a noble name, a name of holiness, to wit, Sabbath,
which presages rest and peace, the perfect harmonization of all things
both above and below. That is the significance of the words, 'The King
Solomon made him an apiryon out of the trees of Lebanon.' He who is
worthy of this Apiryon is worthy of all things, is worthy to repose in
the peace of the Holy One1s shadow, as it is written: 'I sat down under
his shadow with great delight' (S.S. IIf 3). And now, as we ourselves
here sit under the shadow of this peace, it behoves us to observe that
we really abide in the shadow of the Holy One, with that Apiryon, and
remain for ever there: and we must crown this place with supernal
crowns, so that the trees of that Apiryon may be induced to cover us
with a shade yet more comforting.'
(Zohar, III, 360-363)
One passage discusses the quotation from Deuteronomy, VI, 4, "Here, 0

Israel; The Lord our God, the Lord is one." 'Ancient Israel' symbol
izes the union of the Shekinah with her Spouse, and in pronouncing that
name we have to concentrate our mind on the principle of unity, on the
union of the two habitations; we have to put all our being, all the
members of our body, our complete devotion, into that thought so as to
rise and attach ourselves to the En-sof (Infinite), and thus achieve
the oneness of the upper and the lower worlds. The words, 'the Lord
our God* are to reunite all the Members to the place from which they
issued, which is the innermost Sanctuary. The same thought is contin
ued in the words, "the Lord is one', in the recital of which we have to
make our thoughts range throughout all the grades up to the Infinite
(En-sof) in love and fear. This is the method of avowing the unity of
God practised by Rab Hamnuna the Venerable, who learnt it from his
father, who had it from his master, and so on, till it came from the
mouth of Elijah.'"
(Zohar, IV, 235)
This expresses the union of not only Malkuth but
the Infinite, or what we might call the union of
implies the union of man with what we would call
One. The last part may also indicate the method
Kabala from one person to another orally.
all the sephiroth with

the whole, which
the Cosmic. All is
of passing on the
R. Simeon is again speaking.

"How foolish1, he said, 'are the sons of
men who neither know nor care about the ways of the Almighty, their
eyes being closed as in sleep. God made man after the supernal pattern,
each limb corresponding to something in the scheme of Wisdom. For when
the whole body of man had been duly shaped with all its members, God
associated Himself with him and put a holy soul into him, so as to teach
man to walk in the ways of the Torah and to observe His commandments in
order that he might attain to his full perfection. Hence, while the
holy soul is still within man's body, it is incumbent on him to multiply
the image of the King in the world. There is herein an esoteric
thought involved, namely, that just as the celestial stream flows on
for ever without ceasing, so must man see that his own river and spring
shall not cease in this world. And so long as a man is unsuccessful in
his purpose in this world, the Holy One, blessed be He, uproots him and
replants him over and over again.'"
(Zohar, II, 212)
SUMMARY:
1.
The Temple below was erected in the likeness of that above.
2.
The creation is explained by the letters Yod He Vau He of the in

effable name, and the thread of light which contained all other
lights.
3.
The six primordial days of creation, or the six orderings are

explained.
4.
The oneness of the upper and lower worlds is achieved by our

complete devotion, and man is made after the supernal pattern.

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Special Discourse
Number 8
"R. Eleazar asked of R. Simeon how far in the heights the burnt-offering reaches. In reply R. Simeon said: 'Even as far as En-Sof (without
end) the Infinite, where is the union and consummation oT al1 in com
plete mystery. En-Sof cannot be known, nor how it makes beginning or
end, just as the zero number produces beginning and end. What is the
beginning? This is the supernal Point, the beginning of all, hidden
in 'Thought'. And it makes the end which is called 'the end of the
matter' (Eccles. XII, 13). But beyond, there is 'no end' neither inten
tion nor light nor lamp; all the lights are dependent on it, but it
cannot be reached. This is a Supreme Will, mysterious above all mys
teries. It is Zero (*En). When the supreme Point and the World-tocome ascend, they catcE""ho more than a scent of it....'"
(Zohar, IV,
314)
*'R. Hiya discoursed on the words: Who cove rest thyself with light as
with a garment, who stretchiest out the heavens like a "curtain (yerHTah)
fPsT CIV, 2). Said he: 'These words have been interpreted as follows:
When the Holy One was about to create the world He robed himself in the
primordial light and created the heavens. At first the light was at
the right and the darkness at the left. What, then, did the Holy One
do? He merged the one into the other and from them formed the heavens:
shamaim (heavens) is composed of esh and mayim' (fire and water, i.e.
right and left). He brought them together and harmonized them, and
When they were united as one, He stretched them out like a curtain, and
formed them into the letter vau. From this letter the light spread, so
that 'curtain* became 'curtains', as it is written: 'And thou shalt
make the tabernacle with ten curtains. Seven firmaments are stretched
out and stored in the supernal treasure-house, as has been explained,
and over them is one firmament which has no colour and no place in the
world of cognition, and is outside the range of contemplation; but,
though hidden, it diffuses light to all and speeds them each on its
fitting orbit. Beyond that firmament knowledge cannot penetrate, and
man must close his mouth and not seek to reflect upon it. He who does
so reflect is turned backwards, for it passes our knowledge. The ten
curtains of the Tabernacle symbolized the ten firmaments, and their
mystery can be comprehended only by the wise of heart. He who grasps
this attains great wisdom and penetrates into the mysteries of the
universe, for he contemplates in this that which is above in the region
to which every one of them is attached, except those two that are at
the right and at the left, and which are hidden with the Shekinah.'
"Said R. Jose: 'There are nine firmaments, and the Shekinah completes
the number, bringing them up to ten. For if there are ten apart from
the Shekinah, then She would be the eleventh, in addition to the ten.
Thus really there are nine, and the nine days which come between New
Year's Day and the Day of Atonement are the symbol of them: nine days,
which are completed by the tenth. The same is true of the ten curtains
in the Tabernacle, corresponding to the ten firmaments. Here is a
mystery of mysteries, which none but the adepts in esoteric wisdom can
fathom--one of those mysteries of the Holy Lamp (R. Simeon) who could
expound the mystery of every firmament and of every being who officiates
in each of them. There are seven firmaments above, and corresponding
to them another seven below. There are seven firmaments in which the
stars and planets have been placed to direct the world in its path.
And in both, those above and those below, the seventh is the most ex
alted, with the exception of the eighth, which stands above and directs
them all,
"'It is written: 'Extol him that rideth upon araboth1 (Ps, LXVIII, 4).
Who is it that rides upon araboth, and what is meant by araboth? It is
the seventh firmament, andIt"Tscalled araboth (lit, mixturesV because
it is composed of fire and water, from the region of the South and from
the region of the North, being 'mixed* from both these regions. And as
Araboth is intrinsicially the synthesis of all other firmaments, it
forms intrinsically the Supernal Chariot.'"
(Zohar, IV, 67-69) The
footnotes say that the seventh firmament is Hesed and the eighth is
Binah.
The passage explains a complex series of correspondences including the
firmaments above and below, the ten curtains of the Tabernacle which
like the temple are also above and below, and the South and North, fire
and water.
R. Simeon is commenting on the text from Psalms LXXVI, 3: "In Salem
al60 is his tabernacle," "He said: 'When God decided to create the
world, He first produced a flame of a scintillating lamp. He blew spark
against spark, causing darkness and fire, and produced from the recesses
of the abyss a certain drop which He joined with the flame, and from
the two He created the world. The flame ascended and encircled itself
with the Left, and the drop ascended and encircled itself with the
Right. They then crossed and changed places, going up and down alter
nately until they were closely interlocked, and there issued from be
tween them a full wind. Then those two sides were made one, and the
wind was set between them and they were entwined with one another, and
so there was harmony above and harmony below; the grade was firmly
established, the letter he was crowned with vau and vau with he, and so
he ascended and was joined in a perfect bond.1" (Zohar, I, 250*)
This, of course, is still another explanation of creation, and it is
interesting and helpful to compare these passages and their symbolism.
"R. Simeon said: 'When praying, I raise my hand on high, that when my
mind is concentrated on the highest, there is higher still that which
can never be known or grasped, the starting-point that is absolutely
concealed, that produced what it produced while remaining unknowable,
and irradiated what it irradiated while remaining undisclosed. It is
the .desire of the upward-striving thought to pursue after this and to
be illumined by it. In the process a certain fragment is detached, and
from that fragment, through the pursuit of the upward-striving thought,
which reaches and yet does not reach it, there is a certain illumination.
The upward-striving thought is thus illumined by a light undisclosed
and unknowable even to that thought. That unknowable light of Thought
impinges on the light of the detached fragment which radiates from the
unknowable and undisclosed, so that they are fused into one light, from
which are formed nine Palaces (Hekaloth) These Palaces are neither
lights nor spirits nor souls, neither is there anyone who can grasp
them. The longing of the nine illuminations which are all centered in
the Thought the latter being indeed counted as one of them is to pur
sue these Palaces at the time when they are stationed in the thought,
though they are not (even then) grasped or known, nor are they attained
by the highest effort of the mind or the thought. All the mysteries of
faith are contained in those Palaces and all those lights which proceed
from the mystic supreme Thought are called EN-SOF (Limitless). Up to
this point the lights reach and yet do not reach: this is beyond the
attainment of mind and thought. When Thought illumines, though from
what source is not known, it is clothed and enveloped in Binah (under
standing) , and then further lights appear and one is embraced with
the other until all are intertwined. The symbolism of the sacrifices
consists, then, in this. When the whole ascends, one part is knit with
the other and its elements shine through one another, so that all as
cend and the thought is embraced in the limitless. The light from
which the upward-striving thought is illumined is called En-Sof, and
from it all radiation proceeds and on it is based the whole of existence.*" (Zohar, I, 212-213)
Even though human thought cannot attain the unknowable light of Thought,
it is illumined by that undisclosed Thought. It is then enveloped with
understanding or Binah, this being the aim of the mystic.
R. Isaac and R. Judah were studying the Torah, and R. Judah said: "It
is written: 'Thus saith God the Lord, he that creates the heavens, and
stretcheth them forth, he that spreads forth the earth, and that which
comes out of it, he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and
spirit to them that walk therein' (Is. XI, 5). The first part of the
verse refers to the Holy One,.blessed be He, in His operations on high,
as He *createth the heavens' and continually and at all times renews
them. The 'earth* here is an allusion to the holy land which consti
tutes the 'bundle of life'; and it is this earth which 'gives soul
(neshamah, lit. breath) unto the people upon it.' Said R. Isaac: 'The
whole ^verse speaks of the upper world, as it is from thence that the
soul of life emerges into that land; and that land, in its turn, is the
reservoir from which issue souls for all. Observe that when the Holy
One, blessed be He, created Adam, He gathered his earthly matter from
the four corners of the world and fashioned him therefrom on the site
of the Temple here below and drew to him a soul of life out of the
Temple on high. Now the soul is compounded of three grades, and hence
it has three names, to wit, nefesh (vital principle), ruah (spirit),
and neshamah (soul proper). Nefesh is the lowest of the three, ruah is
a grade higher, whilst neshamah is the highest of all and dominates the
others. These three grades are harmoniously combined in those men who
have the good fortune to render service to their Master. For at first
man possesses nefesh, which is a holy preparative for a higher stage.
After he has achieved purity in the grade of nefesh he becomes fit to
be crowned by the holy grade that rests upon it, namely ruah. When he
has thus attained to the indwelling of nefesh and ruah, andqualifies
himself for the worship of his Master in the requisite manner, the
neshamah, the holy superior grade that dominates all the others, takes
up its abode with him and crowns him, so that he becomes complete and
perfected on all sides; he becomes worthy of the world to come and is
beloved of the Holy One, blessed be He; of him Scripture says: 'To
cause my beloved ones to inherit substance1 (Prov. VIII, 21), the 'be
loved ones' being those who have attained to the holy neshamah.1 R.
Judah remarked: 'If that be so, how can we understand the verse in the
account of the Flood: 'All in whose nostrils was the soul of the spirit
(nishmath-ruah) of life...died*
(Gen. XII, 22)?' R. Isaac replied:
1This bears out what I said. Among the generation of the Flood no one
was left that possessed the holy neshamah, as, for instance, Enoch or
Jered or any of the other righteous who by their merits could have
saved the earth from destruction, and its inhabitants from being exter
minated. Scripture thus tells us that 'all those on dry land died',
that is to say, they had died already and departed this world, so that
none was left to shield the world at that time. Observe that nefesh,
ruah, and neshamah are an ascending series of grades. The lowest o!
them, nefesh, has its source in the perennial celestial stream, but it
cannot exist permanently save with the help of ruah, which abides be
tween fire and water. Ruah, in its turn, is sustained by neshamah,
that higher grade above it, which is thus the source of both ne?esh and
ruah. When ruah receives its sustenance from neshamah, then nefesh re
ceives it in turn through ruah, so that the three form a unity.'"
(Zohar, II, 279-281)
SUMMARY:
1.
En-Sof, beginning, and end are discussed.
2.
The ten curtains of the Tabernacle symbolize the ten firmaments,

both above and below.
3.
Creation is explained by the flame of a lamp.
4.
Human thought cannot attain the unknowable light of Thought, but

it is illumined by that Thought.
5.
The three grades of soul are explained, nefesh, ruah, and neshamah.

By
Scribe
Special Discourse
Number 9
In
IT.S.A.
The following passage from the Zohar uses the symbol of the brain.
"The Holy One, blessed be He, found it necessary to create all these
things in the world to ensure its permanence, so that there should be,
as it were, a brain with many membranes encircling it. The whole world
is constructed on this principle, upper and lower, from the first
mystic point up to the furthest removed of all the stages. They are
all coverings one to another, brain within brain and spirit within
spirit, so that one is a shell to another. The primal point is the
innermost light of a translucency, tenuity, and purity passing compre
hension. The extension of that point becomes a 'palace* (Hekal), which
forms a vestment for that point with a radiance which is still unknow
able on account of its translucency. The 'palace' which is the vestment
for that unknowable point is also a radiance which cannot be compre
hended, yet withal less subtle and translucent than the primal mystic
point. This 'palace' extends into the primal Light, which is a vest
ment for it. From this point there is extension after extension, each
one forming a vestment to the other, being in the relation of membrane
and brain to one another. Although at first a vestment, each stage
becomes a brain to the next stage. The same process takes place below,
so that on this model man in this world combines brain and shell,
spirit and body, all for the better ordering of the world. (Zohar, I,
83-84)
The following is a brief explanation of what is meant by the statement,
"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, i.e. partaking of
six directionsr compounded of all, after the supernal pattern, with
limbs arranged so as to suggest the esoteric Wisdom, altogether an ex
ceptional creature.
'Let us make man': the word adam (man) implies
male and female, created wholly through the supernal and holy Wisdom.
'In our image, after our likeness': the two being combined, so that man
should be unique in the world and ruler over all."
(Zohar, I, 147)
As to Adam, the Zohar says, "In the heavenly Academy, however, the words
ish middah (man of dimensions) were explained as 'one whose dimensions
were the dimensions of the first man Adam.'"
(Zohar, I, 38)
"R. Isaac discoursed on the verse: And the dust retumeth to the earth
as it was, and the spirit retumeth unto God who gave it (Eccl. XII,
77. "He sai3! 'When the Holy One, blessed be He, createcT Adam, He took
the dust from the site of the Temple and built his body out of the four
corners of the world, all of which contributed to his formation. After
that He poured over him the spirit of life, as it says, 'and he breathed
into his nostrils the breath of life' (Gen. II, 7). Adam then arose
and realized that he was both of heaven and of earth# and so he united
himself to the Divine and was endowed with mystic Wisdom. Each son of
man is, after the same model, a composite of the heavenly and the
earthly; and all those who know how to sanctify themselves in the right
manner in this world, when they beget a son cause the holy spirit to
be drawn upon him from the region whence all sanctities emerge. Such
are called the children of the Holy One; and as their bodies were
formed in sanctity, so are they given a spirit from the supernal holy
region. Observe that the day on which a man is about to depart from
this world is a day of reckoning when the body and the soul in combina
tion have to give an account of their works. The soul afterwards
leaves him, and the body returns to the earth, both thus returning to
their original source,..,'"
(Zohar, II, 20-21)
R. Jose is speaking on the following: "MOREOVER THOU SHALT MAKE THE
TABERNACLE WITH TEN PIECES OF TAPESTRY (Ex. XXVI, 1).
'Here', said he,
again we have symbolism of the Unity, for the Tabernacle was made up
of many parts, and yet it says (v. 6), 'and the tabernacle shall be
one1. Now as the human body possesses many organs, higher and lower,
some internal and not visible, others external and visible, and yet
they all form one body, so also was it with the Tabernacle: all its
individual parts were formed in the pattern of that above, and when
they were all properly fitted together 'the Tabernacle was one*. Of
the commandments of the Torah the same is true: they are each and all
members and limbs in the mystery above, and when they all unite as one
whole, they all ascend into the one mystery. The mystery of the
Tabernacle, which thus consists of members and limbs all ascending into
the mystery of the heavenly Man, is after the pattern of the command
ments of the Torah, which are all also in the mystery of Man, both Male
and Female, which, when united, form one mystery of Man. And he who,
by breaking even one commandment, sullies its perfection, has marred,
as it were, the prototype of the Faith, for the commandments are members
and limbs after the likeness of man. Therefore all ascends in the
mystery of Unity. For the same reason is Israel called 'a unique
nation1; 'who is like thy people Israel, one nation on earth?'
(2 Sam.
VII, 23); Ye are my flock, the flock of my pasture, ye are man (Ezek,
XXXIV, 21)'
"R, Isaac happened to be in the company of R. Eleazar, and said to him:
'Verily, the love of man to the Holy One arises primarily out of the
emotions of the heart, for the heart is the source of the awakening of
love. This being so, why does it say also 'with all thy soul', as
though there were two sources from whence love could emanate, the heart
and the soul? If the heart is the source, why mention the soul?' R.
Eleazar replied: 'There are indeed two sources, yet they are united as
one, for heart, soul, and possessions are united as one, though the
heart remains intrinsically the centre and basis of all.
'With all thy
heart' means with the good and the evil inclinations, each of which is
called 'heart'.
'With all thy soul1 the 'all' includes all aspects of
the soul, viz, nephesh, ruah, and neshamah. As to 'with all thy posses
sions', these also have various aspects, each one different from the
other. True love to the Holy One, blessed be He, consists in just this,
that we give over to Him all our emotional, intellectual, and material
faculties and possessions, and love Him. Should it be asked, How can a
man love Him with the evil inclination? Is not the evil inclination the
seducer, preventing man from approaching the Holy One to serve him?
How, then, can man use the evil inclination as an instrument of love to
God? The answer lies in this, that there can be no greater service done
to the Holy One than to bring into subjection the 'evil inclination'
by the power of love to the Holy One, blessed be He. For, when it is
subdued and its power broken by man in this way, then he becomes a true
lover of the Holy One, since he has learnt how to make the 'evil incli
nation' itself serve the Holy One. Here is a mystery entrusted to the
masters of exoteric love. All that the Holy One has made, both above
and below, is for the purpose of manifesting His Glory and to make all
things serve him,... It is the will of the Holy One that men should
worship Him and walk in the way of truth that they may be rewarded with
many benefits.'"
(Zohar, IV, 60-62)
Good and evil are discussed in another passage. " 'Man was formed with
two inclinations, the good and the evil, one corresponding to Water and
the other to Fire. The word 'man' (adam) indicates a combination of
male and female. The dust from which he was formed was that of the
Holy Land, of the Sanctuary.
'He breathed in his nostrils the breath
of life': this is the holy soul which derives from the life above.
'And
the man became a living soul': he was provided with a holy soul from
the supernal 'living being' which the earth brought forth. Now, as long
as that holy soul is attached to a man, he is beloved of his Master, he
is guarded on all sides, he is marked out for good above and below, and
the holy divine presence rests upon him. But if he perverts his way
the divine presence leaves him, the super-soul does not cling to him,
and from the side of the evil serpent a spirit arises which can abide
only in a place whence the heavenly holiness has departed, and so a man
becomes defiled and his flesh, his facial appearance and his whole
being, is distorted. Observe that because this 'living soul' is holy,
therefore when the holy land absorbs it, it is called 'super-soul'
(neshamah)? it is this which ascends and speaks before holy King and
enters without let or hindrance in all gates, and therefore it is called
'speaking spirit'."
(Zohar, V, 12)
"'We have learnt: Man in the Scripture has four names adam, geber,
enosh, ish and the highest of them is adam.' Said R. Judah: 'But is
it not written, 'When a man (adam) shall bring from you an offering'
(Lev. I, 2), and who is it that requires to bring an offering? Is it
not a sinner?' R. Isaac replied: 'The offering is the mainstay of the
world, of the upper and lower beings, the solace of the Almighty, and
who is fitting to offer it? Surely this man who is called Adam.' Said
R. Judah: 'If so, what of the verse, 'When a man (adam) has on the skin
of his flesh...and it become in the skin of his flesh the plague of
leprosy1? He replied: 'This one God desires to heal more than all
others, and therefore it is written concerning him, 'he shall be brought
unto the priest'? it is the duty of anyone who sees him to bring him to
the priest, in order that the holy image may not remain thus.' Said R.
Judah: 'But it is written, 'Now Moses the man (ish) '; why is he not
called 1adam'? He replied: 'Because he was the 'servant of the king',
and therefore he is called ish in relation to the supernal Adam. But,'
he said, 'why then is it written, 'The Lord is a man (ish) of war'?'
He replied: 'The secret of the Lord is to them that fear him.' Said R.
Judah: *1 too am one of them, yet I have not been privileged to hear
this.' Said the other: 'Go to R. Abba, for I learnt it from him only
on condition that I should not tell.' So he went to R. Abba, and found
him discoursing and saying: 'When is there said to be completeness
above? When the Holy One, blessed be He, sits on his throne. For so
it is written: 'And upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as
the appearance of a man (adam) upon it above' (Ezek. 1 , 26)? the term
*adam1 indicates wholeness and completeness.'"
(Zohar, V, 14-15)
"AND THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES IN THE WILDERNESS OF SINAI, IN THE TENT
OF MEETING, ETC. R. Abba cited here the verse; !And God created man in
his own image, in the image of God created he him1, etc.
(Gen. I, 27).
'We have already explained1, he said, 'that when the Holy One, blessed
be He, created man, He made him in the image of the higher and lower
grades, so that he epitomised the whole, and his light shone forth from
one end of the world to the other, and the whole of creation feared
him. It is necessary, however, to look deeper into this verse. For
since Scripture says 'And God created man in his own image1, why repeat
'in the image of God created he him'? But what it signifies is a two
foldness of grades, of male and female comprised within the man, which
made him a duality of prosopa, so that he was complete in all respects,
and he contemplated in wisdom both what was above and what was below.
But once he sinned his prosopa (image) diminished, wisdom departed from
him, and he could survey only the affairs of his body. He then begat
offspring partaking both of the higher and of the lower nature, but the
world was not settled by either of them until Adam begat a son called
Seth, by whom the world was made complete. Yet was not the lower world
finally completed, nor was it firmly established until Abraham appeared,
until Abraham took hold of it by the right hand as one upholds with his
right hand one who is falling. Then came Isaac, who seized the world
by the left hand, establishing it still more firmly. When Jacob came,
he held the world by the centre of the body, uniting the two sides,
whereby the world became firm and immovable. With all that it did not
take deep root until there were born the twelve tribes and their off
spring, numbering seventy souls. Nor yet was the world finally com
pleted until Israel received the Torah on Mount Sinai and the Tabernacle
was set up. All worlds were then finally established and perfected,
and higher and lower creatures were properly based. The Torah and the
Tabernacle thus having been established, the Holy One, blessed be He,
desired to take a muster, as it were, of the forces of the Torah and
the forces of the Tabernacle. For a thing cannot be finally settled in
its place until its name has been called and it has been assigned there.
We thus see here that the Holy One, blessed be He, decided on an enumer
ation of the forces of the Torah and of those of the Tabernacle, these
two being in essence one and inseparable on the celestial model. Their
forces were thus enumerated and noted, excepting some who did not enter
into the count. Therefore it is written that 'the Lord spoke unto
Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting', the two cor
responding one to the Torah and the otKer to tKe Tabernacle. Both were
'in the first day of the second month', the two being one. That month,
besides, is called Ziv (= brightness, splendour), in allusion to the
brightness of the moon of that month in that year, by reason that the
world altogether found themselves in completion.'"
(Zohar, V, 163-164)
SUMMARY:
1.
All created things from the first mystic point to the furthest
removed are like coverings one to another. They are compared
to the brain and its membrane, the membrane becoming like
another brain to the next stage.
2.
Man, adam, is made after the supernal pattern.
3.
Adam, and each man, is a composite of the heavenly and earthly.
4.
The tabernacle and man are both made of many parts, yet each is
one, and each is part of the Unity.
5.
True love of the Holy One consists in giving Him all in love.
6.
Good and evil are discussed.
7.
Man is made in the image of the higher and lower grades or

sefiroth. The world was finally completed when the Torah was
received on Mt. Sinai and the Tabernacle was set up.

Council of the A.M.O.R.C. All matters herein contained are strictly confi
does, ipso facto , terminate all rights o f the member, and is a violation of
By
Scribe
Special Discourse
Number lO
The colors in the following passage represent the attributes of God.

Again, it symbolizes the process of creation.
"At the outset the decision of the King made a tracing in the supernal
effulgence, a lamp of scintillation, and there issued within the impen
etrable recess of the mysterious limitless a shapeless nucleus enclosed
in a ring, neither white nor black nor red nor green nor any colour at
all. When he took measurements, he fashioned colours to show within,
and within the lamp there issued a certain effluence from which colours
were imprinted below. The most mysterious Power enshrouded in the
limitless clave, as it were, without cleaving its void, remaining wholly
unknowable until from the force of the strokes there shone forth a
supernal and mysterious point. Beyond that point there is no knowable,
and therefore it is called Reshith (beginning), the creative utterance
which is the starting-point of all."
(Zohar, I, 63)
The shapeless nucleus is enclosed in a ring. The Power remained unknow
able until there shone forth a supernal and mysterious point. This
above is unknowable by whatever is below. The point is a kind of di
vider between the unknowable and knowable, and it is called beginning,
the creative utterance.
"It is written: And the intelligent shall shine like the brightness of
the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness like the stars
for ever and ever (Dan. XII, 3TT There was indeed a 'brightness'
(Zohar). The Most Mysterious struck its void, and caused this point to
shine. This 'beginning' then extended, and made for itself a palace
for its honour and glory. There it sowed a sacred seed which was to
generate for the benefit of the universe, and to which may be applied
the Scriptural words 'the holy seed is the stock thereof' (Is. VI, 13).
Again there was Zohar, in that it sowed a seed for its glory, just as
the silkworm enclosed itself, as it were, in a palace of its own pro
duction which is both useful and beautiful. Thus by means of this
'beginning' the Mysterious Unknown made this palace. This palace is
called Elohim, and this doctrine is contained in the words, 'By means
of a beginning (it) created Elohim.' The Zohar (meaning brightness,
not the book) is that from which were created"all the creative utter
ances through the extension of the point of this mysterious brightness.
Nor need we be surprised at the use of the word 'created' in this con
nection, seeing that we read further on, 'And God created man in his
image' (Gen. I, 27). A further esoteric interpretation of the word
bereshith is as follows. The name of the starting-point of all is
Ehyeh I shall be). The holy name when inscribed at its side is Elohim,
but wh^n inscribed by circumscription is Asher, the hidden and recon
dite temple, the source of that which is mystically called Reshith."
(Zohar, I, 63-64)
From the brightness were created the creative utterances through the
extension of the point. However, it is the point which divides the un
knowable from the knowable, and it is called "I shall be." The passages
above and those which follow are continuous; nothing has been omitted
from them. What follows is a typical kabalistic play on words.
"The word Asher (i.e. the letters Aleph, Shin, Resh from the word
bereshith) is- anagrammatically Rosh (head), the beginning which issues
ilrom Re'sHith. So when the point and the temple were firmly established
together, then bereshith combined the supernal Beginning with Wisdom.
Afterwards the character of that temple was changed, and it was called
'house' (bayith). The combination of this with the supernal point
which is called rosh gives bereshith, which is the name used so long as
the house was uninabited. When, however, it was sown with seed to make
it habitable, it was called Elohim, hidden and mysterious. The Zohar
was hidden and withdrawn so long- as the building was within and yet to
bring forth, and the house was extended only so far as to find room for
the holy seed. Before it had conceived and had extended sufficiently
to be habitable, it was not called Elohim, but all was still included
in the term Bereshith. After it ha3~acquired the name of Elohim, it
brought forth offspring from the seed that had been implanted in it.
"What is this seed? It consists of the graven letters, the secret
source of the Torah, which issued from the first point. That point
sowed in the palace certain three vowel-points, holem, shureq, and
hireg, which combined with one another and formed one entity, to wit,
the Voice which issued through their union.
(The vowel points are the
points written or printed under the Hebrew letters to indicate what
vowels the word has. Vowels in some Gnostic systems were thought to
be esoteric, possibly even sacred, especially A, I, and 0.) When this
Voice issued, there issued with it its mate which comprises all the
letters? hence it is written Eth hashammaim (the heavens), to wit, the
Voice and its mate. This voice, indicated by the word heaven', is the
second Ehyeh of the sacred name, the Zohar which includes all letters
and colours, in this manner. Up to this point the words The Lord our
God the Lord' (Yhvh Elohenu Yhvh) represent three grades corresponding
to this deep mystery of bereshith bara Elohim. Bereshith represents
the mysterious source from which the whole expanded. Elohim represents
the force which sustains all below. The words eth hashammaiin indicate
that the two latter are on no account to be separated, and are male
and female together. The word eth consists of the letters aleph and
tau, which include between them-all the letters, as being the first and
last of the alphabet. Afterwards he was added, so that all letters
should be attached to he, and this gave the name attah (Thou); hence we
read 'and Thou (ve-attaK) keepest all of them alive' TNeh. IX, 6). Eth
again alludes to Adonai (Lord) , who is so called. Hashammaim is YhvET
in its higher signification. The next word, ve-eth, indicates the firm
union of male and female; it also alludes to tKe appellation ve-Yhvh
(and the Lord) , both explanations coining to the same thing. Ha-aret2
(the earth) designates an Elohim corresponding to the higher orm, to
bring forth fruit and produce. This name is here found in three applica
tions, and thence the same name branches out to various sides.
"Up to this point only extend the allusions to the Most Mysterious who
carves out and builds and vivifies in mysterious ways, through the
esoteric explanation of one verse. From this point onwards bara shith
'he created six', from the end of heaven to the end thereof, sTx sides
which extend from the supernal mystic essence, through the expansion
of creative force from a primal point. Here has been inscribed the
mystery of the name of forty-two letters,
"And the intelligent shall shine (Dan. XII, 3). This 'shining' corre
sponds to the movement given by the accents and notes to the letters
and vowel-points which pay obeisance to them and march after them like
troops behind their kings. The letters being the body and the vowelpoints the animating spirit, together they keep step with the notes
and come to a halt with them. When the chanting of the notes marches
forward, the letters with their vowel-points march behind them, and
when it stops they also stop. So here: 'the intelligent' correspond
to the letters and the vowel-points; 'the brightness' to the notes;
'the firmament' to the flow of the chant through the succession of
notes; while 'they that turn to righteousness' correspond to the pausal
notes, which stop the march of the words and bring out clearly the
sense. These 'cause to shine' letters and vowels, so that they all
flow together in their own mystical manner through secret paths. From
this impetus the whole was extended. Again, the words 'and the intelli
gent shall shine as the brightness of the firmament' may be referred
to t..e pillars and sockets of the 'celestial palenguin* (apiryon) . The
'wise and intelligent' are the supernal pillars and sockets, since they
ponder with understanding all things needful for the upholding of the
palace. This use of the term 'intelligent' (maskilim) has its parallel
in the passages 'Blessed is he that considereth (maskil) the poor' (Ps.
XLI, 2).
'They will shine', for if they do not shine and give light,
they cannot well consider and ponder the needs of the palace.
'As the
brightness of the firmament', namely, of that firmament which rests
upon those 'intelligent' we have mentioned, and of which it is written,
'And over the head of the Hayyah there was the likeness of a firmament,
like the colour of the terrible ice' (Ezek. I, 22).
'The brightness'
is that which illumines the Torah, and which illumines also the heads
of the Hayyah, those heads being the 'intelligent', who shine contin
ually and ever contemplate the 'firmament'; and the light which issues
therefrom, to wit, the light of the Torah which radiates perpetually
without cease."
(Zohar, I, 64-66)
The letters aleph and tau which are the first and last letters of the
alphabet are not to be separated. Furthermore, they are called male
and female together, alluding to the right and left pillars of the
tree symbol.
"NOW THE EARTH HAD BEEN VOID AND WITHOUT FORM. The word hoithah (was),
being pluperfect, implies that the earth had been previously. There
was snow in the midst of water, from the action of which was produced
a slime. Then a mighty fire beat upon it and produced in it a refuse.
So it was transformed and became Tohu (chaos), the abode of slime, the
nest of refuse, and also Bohu (formlessness), the finer part which was
sifted from the Tohu and rested on it. The word 'darkness' in the text
alludes to this mighty fire. This darkness covered the Tohu, namely,
the refuse, and was buoyed up by it. The 'spirit of God1 IT a holy
spirit that proceeded from Elohim Hayyim (living God), and this was
'hovering over the face of the waters1 . When this wind blew, a certain
film detached itself from the refuse, like the film which remains on
the top of boiling broth when the froth has been skimmed off two or
three times. When Tohu had thus been sifted and purified, there issued
from it 'a great ancTstrong wind rending the mountains and breaking in
pieces the rocks', like that which Elijah saw (I Kings XIX, 11-12).
Similarly Bohu was sifted and purified, and there issued from it earth
quake, as with Elijah. Then what we call 'darkness' was sifted, and
there was contained in it fire, just as to Elijah there appeared 'after
the earthquake fire'. When what we call 'spirit' was sifted, there was
contained in it a still, small voice. Tohu is a place which has no
colour and no form, and the esoteric principle of form' does not apply
to it. It seems for a moment to have a form, but when looked at again
it has no form. Everything has a 'vestment' except this. Bohu, on the
other hand, has shape and form, namely, stones immersed in thechasm
of Tohu, but sometimes emerging from the chasm in which they are sunk,
and drawing therefrom sustenance for the world. Through the form of
their vestment they draw sustenance from above to below, and ascend
from below above, and therefore they are hollow and strong. These
are suspended in the expanse; that is to say, sometimes they are
suspended in the expanse when they rise out of the chasm, and some
times they are hidden, to wit, on the 'day of cloud*, when they draw
waters from the abyss to supply therewith Tohu, for then there is
joy that Tohu has spread in the universe.
^Darkness' is a black
fire, strong in color. There is a red fire, strong in visibility;
a yellow fire, strong in shape; and a white fire, the colour which in
cludes all.
'Darkness' is the strongest of all fires, and this it was
which took hold of Tohu. 'Darkness' is fire, but fire is not darkness,
save when it takes hold of Tohu. The symbol for this is, 'hi* -**s
were dim so that he could not see, and he called Esau, etc.'
XXVII, 1). Here, too, 'the countenance of the evil one was darkened'
because it countenanced the evil one. Hence this fire is called 'dark
ness' because it rested upon Tohu and took hold of it; this is the
inner meaning of the words, 'and darkness on the face of the abyss'.
'Spirit' is the voice which rests on Bohu, and grasps it and guides it
as required. This is symbolized in the words 'The voice of the Lord
is on the waters' (Ps. XXIX, 3); and so too, 'the spirit of the Lord
was hovering over the face of the waters'. By 'face of the waters' is
meant stones sunk in the abyss, so called because waters issue from
them. Thus each was provided as befitted. Tohu is under the aegis of
the name Shaddai; Bohu under that of Zebaoth; Darkness, under that of
Elohim; Spirit, under that of Yhvh. We now understand what happened
to Elijahs 'there was a strong wind breaking the mountains, but the
Lord was not in the wind', because this name was not in it, since
Shaddai presides over it through the mystic nature of Tohu.
'After the
wind-there was a quaking, but the Lord was not in the quaking', since
over it presides the name of Zebaoth, through the mystic nature of Bohu
(which is called 'quaking' (ra'ash), because it quakes continually).
'After the quaking there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire',
because over it presides the najne Elohim from the side of darkness.
'And after the fire there was a small still voice'; and here at last
was found the name Yhvh. There are in this verse four clauses corre
sponding to the four so-called 'sections of the body' and 'limbs' which,
being four, are resolvable into twelve. Here, too, is the graven name
of twelve letters which was transmitted to Elijah in the cave.
(Zohar, I, 66-68)
SUMMARY:
To give an adequate summary of this discourse would be impossible. It
explains the creation and the point, the seed, the brightness or Zohar,
and gives an example of kabalistic anagrams. It uses the utterance and
letter symbolism. Snow and water produce slime. Fire beat on it and
produced a refuse and the slime became chaos. Tohu is chaos, while
Bohu is formlessness. Darkness is fire, but fire is not darkness ex
cept when it takes hold of chaos.

By
Scribe
Special Discourse
Number 11
Continuing the previous discourse, the Zohar is explaining creation.

"AND GOD SAID, LET THERE BE LIGHT: AND THERE WAS LIGHT. From this
point we can begin to discover hidden things relating to the creation
of the world in detail. For up to this point the Creation has been
described in general, and lower down the general description is re
peated, so that we have a combination of general-particular-general. Up
to this point the whole was suspended in the void in direct dependence
on the limitless. When, however, energy had been extended through the
supernal palace alluded to in the name Elohim, the term 'saying* is
used in connection with it, in the words^ 'And God said'. For to that
which is beyond no detail 'saying' is ascribed? for although the word
bereshith is a creative utterance (maamar), the actual words 'and said'
are not used in connection with it. This expression 'and said'
(vayomer) opens the door to inquiry and understanding. We define this
'saying' as an energy that was culled, as it were, in silence from the
mystic limitless through the mystic power of thought. Hence 'and God
said* means that now the above-mentioned palace generated from the
holy seed with which it was pregnant. While it brought forth in si
lence, that which it bore was heard without. That which bore, bore in
silence without making a sound, but when that issued from it which did
issue, it became a voice which was heard without, to wit, 'Let there be
light.' Whatever issued came forth under this category. The word Yehi
(let there be) indicates that the union of the Father and Mother sym
bolized by the letters Yod He became now a starting-point (symbolized
by the second Yod) for furtKer extension,
"LIGHT, AND THERE WAS LIGHT. These words imply that there had already
been light. The word, awr (light), contains in itself a hidden signifi
cance, The expansive force proceeding from the hidden recesses of the
secret supernal ether opened a path and produced from itself a mysteri
ous point (or, rather, the En Sof (Limitless) clave its own ether and
disclosed this point), Yod, when this expanded, that which was left of
the mysterious AWIR (ether) was found to be AWR (light). When the first
point had developed from it, it showed itself upon it, touching and yet
not touching it. When it expanded, it emerged into being, and thus was
light (awr) left from ether (awir)? and this is what we mean by saying
that it had been* previously; and so it remained. It went up and was
stored away, and there was left of it one dot, which continually ap
proaches by invisible paths the other point, touching and yet not touch
ing, illuminating it in the manner of the first point from which it
issued. Therefore the whole is linked together, and it illumines both
one and the other. When it ascends, all ascend and are attached to it,
and it reaches the place of En Sof, where it is stored away, and all
becomes one. This dot of the word Awr is Light, It extended, and there
shone forth in it seven letters of the alphabet, which did not solidify
but remained fluid. Afterwards Darkness issued, and there issued in it
seven other letters of the alphabet, and they too were not solidified
and remained fluid. There then issued the Firmament, which prevented
discord between the two sides. In it there issued eight other letters,
making twenty-two in all. Seven letters jumped from one side and seven
from the other, and all were graven in this Firmament, where they re
mained for a time fluid. When the firmament solidified, the letters were
also solidified, and took material shape. Thus there was graven there
the Torah to shine abroad.
'Let there be light': to wit, El Gadol
(great God), that which emerged from the primal ether.
'AnS there was':
this signifies Darkness, which is called Elohim. 'Light': signifying
that the Left was included in the Right, and so from that which we call
El was produced Elohim. Right was included in Left, and Left in Right.
"AND GOD SAW THE LIGHT THAT IT WAS GOOD. This is the Central Column:
Ki Tob (that it was good) threw light above and below and on all other
ITdes, in virtue of Yhvh, the name which embraces all sides. AND GOD
DIVIDED: He put away strife, so that the whole was in perfect order.
AND GOD CALLED. The word 'called' here means 'called to' or 'invited1.
God summoned to issue forth from this complete Light which was in the
centre a certain radiance which is the foundation of the world, and on
which worlds are established. From that complete Light, the Central
Pillar, extended the foundation, the Life of worlds, which is day from
the side of the Right. AND THE DARKNESS HE CALLED NIGHT. He summoned
to issue from the side of Darkness a kind of female moon which rules
over the night and is called night, and is associated with Adonai, the
Lord of all the earth. The Right entered into the complete Pillar of
the centre united with the Left, and the primal point thereupon ascended
on high and there seized the energy of three dots, the holem, the
shureg, and the hireg, the seed of holiness (for no seed has been sown
save from this source). The whole was then united in the Central Pil
lar, and it produced the foundation of the world, which therefore is
called Kol (all), because it embraces the whole in the radiation of
desire. Meanwhile the Left flamed forth with its full power, producing
at all points a kind of reflection, and from this fiery flame came
forth the female moonlike essence. This flaming was dark because it
was from Darkness. These two sides produced these two grades, one male
and one female. Unity was retained in the Central Pillar from that
surplus of light which was in it. For since that Central Pillar was
complete in itself and made peace on all sides, additional light was
lent to it from above and from all sides through the universal joy in
it. From that additional joy came forth the foundation of worlds,
which was also called Musaf (additional). From this issued all the lower
powers and spirits and holy souls, alluded to in the expression, 'Lord
of Hosts' (Yhvh Zebaoth) and 'God the God of spirits' (Num. XVI, 22).
'Night' is *the Lord of all the earth' from the side of the left, from
Darkness. It was because the desire of Darkness was to merge itself in
the Right, and it was not strong enough, that night spread from it.
When night began to spread, and before it was complete, Darkness went
and merged itself in the right, and the night was left defective. Just
as it is the desire of Darkness to merge itself in Light, so it is the
desire of night to merge itself in day. Darkness abated its light, and
therefore it produces a grade which was defective and not radiant.
Darkness does not radiate save when it is merged in Light. So night
which issued from it is not light save when it is merged in day. The
deficiency of night is only compensated by the Musaf. What is added in
w.*
1* subtracted f^om the other. The Musaf contained a symbolism
of the supernal point and of the Central Pillar, and therefore two
letters were added in respect of it which were lacking in respect of the
night, viz., the vau yod of vayikra (and he called). Herein is an allu
sion to the name of seventy-two letters, the tracing of the supernal
crown.
"AND GOD SAID, LET THERE BE A FIRMAMENT IN THE MIDST OF THE WATERS.
Here in the particular (day) there is an allusion to the separation of
the upper from the lower waters through that which is called 'the Left',
Here, too, discord was created through that which is called 'the Left1.
For up to this point the test has alluded to the right, but now it
alludes to the left; and therefore there was an increase of discord
between this and the right. It is the nature of the right to harmonize
the whole, and therefore the whole is written with the right, since it
is the source of harmony. When the Left awoke there awoke discord, and
through that discord the wrathful fire was reinforced and there emerged
from it the Gehinnom, which thus originated from the left and continues
there."
(Zohar, I, 68-72)
This is an explanation of the light, but also of the three pillars.
"Right was included in Left, and Left in Right." And the Right entered
into the center united with the Left, and "the primal point ascended on
high." "The whole was then united in the Central Pillar." This makes
the symbolism of the tree and pillars a key to the kabalistic concept
of creation. This should be kept in mind while studying the following.
"Moses in his wisdom pondered over this and drew a lesson from the work
of creation. In the work of creation there was an antagonism of the
left against the right, and the division between them allowed Gehinnom
to emerge and to fasten itself to the left. Then the Central Column,
which is the third day, intervened and allayed the discord between the
two sides, so that Gehinnom descended below, and the Left became ab
sorbed in the Right and there was peace over all. Similarly, the
quarrel of Korah with Aaron was an antagonism of the left against the
right. Moses, reflecting on what had happened during the Creation,
said: 'It seems proper to me to compose the difference between the right
and the left.' He therefore endeavored to effect an accord between the
two. The left however, was not willing, and Korah proved obdurate.
Moses thereupon said: 'Assuredly the Gehinnom is embittering this quar
rel. The left ought to strive upwards and absorb itself in the right.
Korah has no wish to attach himself to the higher influences and to
merge himself in the right. Let him, then, descend below in the impetus
of his wrath.' The reason why Korah refused to allow the quarrel to be
composed by the intervention of Moses was that he had not entered upon
it for a truly religious motive, and that he had scant regard for the
glory of God, and refused to acknowledge His creative power. When Moses
perceived that he had thus placed himself outside the pale, he 'was
very wroth' (Num. XVII, 15). He was 'wroth' because he was not able to
compose the quarrel; he was 'very wroth* because they denied the creative
power of God. Korah denied this power wholly, both in the higher and
the lower sphere, as implied in the phrase: 'when they strove against
the Lord* (Num. XXVI, 9). Hence Korah clave to that which was meet for
him. A dispute that was composed on the pattern of the supernal dispute,
NUMBER ELEVEN
that became more and not less worthy as it proceeded, and that perpetu
ated itself rightly, was that between Shammai and Hillel. The Holy
One, blessed be He, approved of their dispute, for the reason that its
motive was lofty and that it therefore resembled that which took place
at the Creation. Hence, like the latter, the dispute between Shammai
and Hillel has survived to this day. Korah, on the other hand, denied
the Creation, fought against heaven itself and sought to confute the
words of the Torah. He certainly was of the following of the Gehinnom,
and therefore remained attached to it. All this is brought out in the
Book of Adam. It says there that when Darkness asserted itself, it
did so with fury, and created the Gehinnom, which attached itself to
it in that quarrel we have mentioned. But as soon as the wrath and the
fury abated there arose a quarrel of another kind, to wit, a quarrel of
love. Thus the dispute fell into two distinct parts. It is the way of
the righteous to enter on a dispute stiffly and end it amicably. Korah
continued the dispute as he begem it, in wrath and passion; and there
fore clung to Gehinnom. Shammai conducted his dispute in that spirit
of calm which should follow on the first burst of passion; it therefore
became a quarrel of love and obtained the approval of Heaven. This is
indicated by our text. It says first: 'Let there be a firmament in the
midst of the waters, and let it divide, etc.' This refers to the begin
ning of quarrel, the outburst of passion and violence. There was a
desire for reconciliation, but meanwhile the Gehinnom arose before the
wrath and passion cooled down. Then fGod made the firmament, etc.';
that is, there emerged a quarrel of love and affection which made for
the permanence of the world. And in this category is the dispute be
tween Shammai and Hillel, the result of which was that the Oral Law
approached in loving mood the Written Law, so that they mutually sup
ported each other."
(Zohar, I, 72-73)
Korah was a Levite who revolted against Moses and Aaron. Shammai was
the founder of a school of sages and with Hillel transmitted Pharasaic
tradition. Hillel was founder of a school named after him (Beth Hillel)
and a spiritual leader of the Jews.
"LET THERE BE A FIRMAMENT: i.e. let there be a gradual extension. There
upon El (God), the 'right cluster', El Gadol (Great God), spread forth
from tKe midst of the waters to complete this name El and to combine
with this extension, and so El was extended into EloKim (*E1+H, Y, M).
These H, Y, M, extended and Became reversed so as to form lower waters,
Y, M, H. This extension which took place on the second day is the
upper waters. The he, yod mim, form hayam (the sea), which is the upper
waters. The reversal orthese letters, yamah (seaward), is the lower
waters. When they were firmly established, all became one whole, and
this name was extended to a number of places. The upper waters are male
and the lower waters female. At first they were commingled, but after
wards they were differentiated into upper and lower waters. This is
the meaning of 'Elohim upper waters', and this is the meaning of 'Adonai
lower waters'; and this is the meaning of upper He and lower He. It is
further written: AND GOD MADE THE FIRMAMENT. That is to say, this
extension took this name. Elohim is the upper waters, and the lower
waters are Adonai; nevertheless,since the upper waters are completed
by the lower, this name spread to the whole.
NUMBER ELEVEN
"Even after the separation between the waters, the discord did not
cease till the third day, when peace was restored and everything was
settled in its place. It is on account of this strife, necessary as
it was for the existence of the world, that the phrase 'that it was
good' is not applied to the work of the second day, because it was not
completed. So long as the upper and lower waters were commingled,
there was no production in the world: this could only be when they were
separated and made distinct. They then produced, and in this way, al
though on the second day there was separation and discord, the third
day brought complete harmony. This is the name which is graven with
the lettering of Yhvh to reconcile the upper with the lower waters,
the upper with the Tower He? the insertion of the Vau between them har
monizes the two sides. Symbolic of this is the crossing by the Israel
ites of the Jordan (Josh. Ill, 16): 'the waters (of the Jordan)'
corresponds to the upper waters; 'rose up in one heap' corresponds to
the lower waters, which descended into the sea, whilst the Israelites
passed between the two.
"Five 'firmaments are mentioned in this section, and the Life of the
World passes among them and leads them, and they are all interwoven.
But for this discord, however, which was composed by the mediator, they
would not have been intertwined or harmonised. They correspond to the
five hundred years to which the Tree of Life clings in order to become
a source of growth and fruitfulness to the world. All the waters of
creation which issue from the original source branch out from its foot."
(Zohar, I, 75-76)
SUMMARY:
1.
The emphasis of these passages is on union and harmony and shows

that these may arise out of discord.
2.
Light in the creation process is explained.
3.
Essentially, the three pillars are one.
4.
Elohim is El plus H, Y, and M.

the lower waters, Y, M. H.
The letters are reversed forming

By
FRATER TEMPORATOR
Scribe
Special Discourse
Number 12
p . 3 irV 7 ft
Printed in U.S.A.
"AND GOD SAID, LET THE WATERS FLOW: The word flow (y i k a w u ) implies
that they were to go in a line (kav) so as to take a straight path.
For from the first mystic point the Whole issues in secret, until it
reaches and is gathered in to the supernal Palace, and from there it
issues in a straight line to the other grades, until it comes to that
place which collects the whole in a union of male and female; this is
the 'Life of worlds'. THE WATERS: to wit, those that issue from on
high, from under the upper Ite. FROM UNDER THE HEAVEN: this is the
lesser Vau (hence the word vTkawu is spelt with the two vau *s , one for
'the heaven' and one for *under the heaven'). In consequence: LET THE
DRY LAND APPEAR. This is the lower H. This is disclosed and all the
rest is undisclosed? from this last we conclude by inference to that
which is undisclosed. TO ONE PLACE: so called because it is here that
the whole of the upper World is linked into one.
"It is written: The Lord (Yhvh) is_ one and his name is One (Zech, XIV,
9). Two unifications are Here indicated, one of the upper World in its
grades, and one of the lower World in its grades. The unification of
the upper World is consummated at this point. The Life of Worlds was
there firmly based, and through its unity the upper World was bound
together, and therefore it is called 'one place. All grades and all
members were gathered there and became in it one without any separation;
nor is there any grade in which they are embraced in one unification
save this. In it, too, they all mysteriously conceal themselves in one
desire. In this grade the disclosed World is linked with the undis
closed. The disclosed World is similarly unified belpw, and the dis
closed World is, in fact, a lower world. Hence such expressions as:
'I saw the Lord* (Is. VI, 1), 'And they saw the God of Israel' (Ex.
XXIV, 10), 'And the glory of the Lord appeared' (Num. XIV, 10; XVII, 7),
'So was the appearance of the brightness round about; this was the
appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord* (Ezek. I, 28).
This, too, is the inner meaning of the words here, 'and let the dry
land appear'. The same is referred to in the words, 'My bow I have set
in the cloud* (Gen. IX, 13): to wit, from the day on which the world
was created. On the day of cloud, when the bow, 'the appearance of the
likeness of the glory of the Lord1 appeared, the Left arose in might.
Then 'Rachel went forth and had pain in childbirth'. With her appeared
Michael on one side, Raphael on another, and Gabriel on a third, these
being the colours which appeared in the 'likeness*. Hence 'the appear
ance of the brightness round about', to wit, the radiance which is
hidden in the pupil of the eye, becomes *the appearance of the likeness
of the glory of the Lord', to wit, corresponding colours, so that the
lower unity is formed in correspondence with the upper unity. This is
signified by the formula, 'The Lord our God the Lord' (Deut. VI, 4).
The mysterious and undisclosed colours which are linked 'in one place'
form one higher unity; the colours of the bow below in .which are united
white, red, and yellow, corresponding to those other mysterious colours,
form another unity, signified by the formula 'and his name is One'.
Further, the form 'Blessed be the name of the glory of his kingdom for
ever and ever' signifies the lower unity, while the upper unity is sig
nified by the form 'hear, 0 Israel, the Lord Our God the Lord is one.'
These forms correspond, each having six words.... H (Zohar, I, 76-78)
"Man here below possesses an ideal form and likeness, but he is not so
permanent as those supernal beings. These are formed in their proper
shape without any outer covering to modify it. Hence they are change
less; whereas man below assumes form through the medium of an outer
covering. Hence he endures for a while, and every night the spirit is
divested of that garment and ascends and is consumed by that consuming
fire, and then reverts to its former state and takes the same outer
shape again. Hence they have not the same permanency as those supernal
forms, and in allusion to this it is written, 'new every morning1 (Lam.
Ill, 23), i.e., human beings who are renewed every day,"
(Zohar, I, 81)
"AND GOD MADE THE TWO GREAT LIGHTS. The word 'made' signifies the due
expansion and establishment of the whole. The words 'the two great
lights show that at first they were associated as equals, symbolizing
the full name Jehovah Elohim (although the latter part is not revealed,
but is known inferentially). The word 'great' shows that at their cre
ation they were dignified with the same name, so that through them the
name of the Whole was called Mazpaz Mazpaz, the two highest names of
the thirteen categories of mercy. These were invested with greater
dignity, and they are placed at the head because they derive from on
high and ascend for the benefit of the world and for the preservation
of worlds. Similarly the two lights ascended together with the same
dignity. The noon, however, was not at ease with the sun, and in fact
each felt mortified by the other. The moon said 'Where dost thou
pasture?'
(S.S. I, 7) The sun said Where dost thou make thy flock to
rest at noon?
(Ibid.). How can a little candle shine at midday?' God
thereupon said to her, 'Go and diminish thyself.' She felt humiliated
and said Why should I be as one that veileth herself? (Ibid.). God
then said 'Go thy way forth in the footsteps of the flock. Thereupon
she diminished herself so as to be head of the lower ranks. From that
time she has had no light of her own, but derives her light from the
sun. At first they were on an equality, but afterwards she diminished
herself among all those grades of hers, although she is still head of
them; for a woman enjoys no honour save in conjunction with her husband.
The great light' corresponds to Yhvh, and the lesser light' to Elohim,
which is the last of the degrees ancT~the close of the Thought. At
first it was inscribed above among the letters of the sacred Name, in
the fourth letter thereof, but afterwards it took a lower rank with the
name Elohim; nevertheless, it still ascends in all directions above in
the letter He in the union of the letters of the sacred Name. After
wards degrees extended on this side and on that. The degrees that ex
tended upwards were called 'the dominion of the day', and the degrees
that extended downwards were called 'the dominion of the night'.
'The
stars' are the remainder of the forces and the hosts which, countless
in number, are all suspended in that 'firmament of the heaven' which is
the life of the universe, as it is written, 'and God .placed them in
the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth....' This is
the lower earth, which derives light from them as they from above. On
this (the fourth) day the kingdom of David was established, the fourth
leg and support of the (divine) throne, and the letters (of the divine
name) were firmly fixed in their places. Yet withal until the sixth
day, when the likeness of man was fully formed, the throne was not firmly
fixed in its place; but then at last both the upper and the lower
thrones were established, and all the worlds were settled in their
places, and all the letters were fixed in their spheres by the exten
sion of the primordial vapour. The fourth day was rejected of the
builders, because on it this luminary degraded itself and abated its
radiance, and the outer shells were reinforced. All those radiating
lights are suspended in that firmament of the heaven, that by them the
throne of David may be established.
"Those lights are formative agents in the lower world to perfect the
shape of all those who are included in the term man1. This is the
name given to every interior shape; and thus every shape which is com
prised in this extension is called 'man', which properly indicates
mans spirit emanating from the realm of holiness, to which his body
is a vestment, as we read, 'Thou clothest me in skin and flesh' (Job,
X, 11). Hence we often meet the expression 'flesh of man', implying
that the real man is within and the flesh which is his body is only a
vestment. The lower beings which have been compounded with this spirit
assume shapes which are clothed in another vestment, such as the forms
of clean animals, ox, sheep, goat, deer, etc. They would fain partake
of the vestment of man, corresponding to their inner nature, but their
forms are covered by the name applied to their bodies; so we find
'flesh of o x 1, 'ox' being the inner element of that body, while the
'flesh' is the vestment; and so with all. Similarly with the 'other
side'; the spirit which is found in the idolatrous nations issue? from
the realm of uncleanliness and is not, properly speaking, 'man'; there
fore it is not covered by this name and has no portion (in the future
world). Its body, which is the vestment of that unclean thing, is un
clean flesh, and the spirit is unclean within the flesh that clothes it.
Therefore as long as that spirit is within that body it is called 'un
clean'. When the spirit emerges from that covering it is not called
'unclean', and the vestment does not bear the name of man. The lower
beings compounded with this spirit assume shapes which clothe themselves
in another vestment, such as the forms of unclean animals, of which the
Law says 'this shall be unclean to you', such as the pig and unclean
birds, and beasts of that side. The spirit is covered by the name of
the body in which it is clothed, and the body is called 'flesh of pig'
pig with the flesh which clothes it. Consequently these two groups
are sharply separated, one side being embraced under the category 'man'
and the other under the category 'unclean', and the individuals flock
each to its kind and return to their kind. Thus the supernal lights
radiate in that 'firmament of the heaven' to fashion in the lower world
the requisite shapes, as it is written, 'and God set them in the firma
ment of heaven...and to rule by day and by night'.
"It is fit and proper that two lights should rule, the greater light by
day and the lesser light by night. The lesson we derive is that the
male rules by day to regulate his household and to bring food and suste
nance into it. When night arrives, the female takes command, and she
rules the house, as it is written, 'she rises while it is still night
and giveth food to her house' (Prov. XXXI, 15) she and not he. Thus
the dominion of the day belongs to the male and the dominion of the
night to the female. Further, it is written, AND THE STARS. As soon

as the wife has given her orders and retired with her husband, the
direction of the house is left to the maidens, who remain in the house
to look after all its requirements, Then when day comes the man again
duly takes command."
(Zohar, I, 84-87)
Again we have the first point which is the beginning of creation. The
upper World is one, and the lower World is one, but they are united as
one whole. The place of the Sun and Moon are illustrated by a typical
allegory; we may take the male to be the positive polarity and the
female the negative polarity, but they refer to the right and left pil
lars of the kabalistic tree also. It is noteworthy that the throne
was not complete until man was fully formed.
Referring to the firmament above heaven in Ezekiel: I, 22, the Zohar
says that it is the first He beyond which it is impossible for tKeTTuman mind to penetrate, because "it is further enveloped in the thought
of God, which is elevated above the comprehension of man. If that
which is within the Thought cannot be comprehended, how much less the
Thought itself 1 What is within the Thought no one can conceive, much
less can we know the En Sof, of which no trace can be found and to which
thought cannot reach 5y any means. But from the midst of the impene
trable mystery, from the first descent of the En Sof there glimmers a
faint undiscernible light like the point of a needle, the hidden recess
of thought, which even yet is not knowable until there extends from it
a light in a place where there is some imprint of letters, and from
which they all issue. First of all is Aleph, the beginning and end of
all grades, that on which all the grades are imprinted and which yet is
always called 'one', to show that although the Godhead contains many
forms, it is still only one. This is the letter on which depend both
the lower and the upper entities. The top point of the Aleph symbolises
the hidden supernal thought, in which is contained potentially the ex
tension of the supernal firmament. When Aleph issues from that firma
ment in a form symbolising the commencement of Thought, there issue in
its middle bar six grades, corresponding to the hidden supernal
Hayyoth (living beings) which are suspended from the Thought. One is
the light which shone and was withdrawn. This is the 'heat of the day*
which Abraham felt when he was sitting at the 'door of his tent', the
door which opens the way from below to above, and on which shone 'the
heat of the day.' A second light is that which fades away at eventide,
to restore which was the object of Isaac's prayer, as it is written,
'Isaac went forth into the field to meditate at eventide' (Gen. XXIV,
63). A third light is that which combines these other two, and shines
for healing, and it is hinted at in the verse which says of Jacob that
'the sun rose upon him, etc.*
(Gen. XXXII, 32)." f Zohar, I, 88-89)
Again the point is used as a symbol of the beginning of creation, but
here it is "a faint undiscernible light like the point of a needle" and
it is unknowable until a light extends from it. The letters issue from
it, the first of which is Aleph. The explanation of Aleph in creation
is based on the form of Aleph.
SUMMARY:
1.
The first mystic point is the beginning, and from it issues the
Whole, including the supernal Palace, and the grades. The male
and female refer to the two pillars, right and left.
2.
The upper World and its grades are unified, as is the lower World
and its grades.
3.
The two Worlds are unified or there is one whole, a unity.
4.
The color and eye symbolism is used again.
5.
God made two great lights, the Sun and Moon. The Sun corresponds
to Yhvh, the Moon to Elohim, two of the names of God.
6 . On the sixth day the likeness of man was fully formed and the
throne was fixed in its place.
7.
Man's spirit emanates from the realm of holiness.
8.
The first He in Yhvh is impossible for the human mind to penetrate.

The thought of God cannot be comprehended.
9.
A light like the point of a needle descends from the hidden recess
of thought.
10.
The letters issue from it, presumably meaning the thought.

the first letter, is the beginning and end of all grades.
Aleph,

By
FRATER TEMPORATOR
Scribe
Special Discourse
D . Irt'Tfl
Number 13
Printed in U.S.A.
"Before God created the world, His name was enclosed within Him, and
therefore He and His name enclosed within Him were not one. Nor could
this unity be effected until He created the world. Having, therefore,
decided to do so, He traced and built, but the aim was not attained
until He enfolded Himself in a covering of a supernal radiance of
thought and created therefrom a world. He produced from the light of
that supernal radiance mighty cedars of the upper world, and placed
His chariot on twenty-two graven letters which were carved into ten
utterances and infixed there. Hence it is written, 'from the trees of
Lebanon', and it is also written, 'the cedars of Lebanon which he hath
planted' (Ps. CIV, 16). It says in our text, 'King Solomon made for
himself.' The words 'for himself' indicate that He made it for his
own behoof, for His own advantage, to display His glory, to show that
He is one and His name one, as it is written, 'and they shall know that
it is thou alone whose name is the Lord' {Ps, XVIII, 19). Through the
blows of His light various realms were made intelligible. He glanced
at this side above, He glanced to the right. He turned to the left and
descended below, and so to all four cardinal points. Thus His kingdom
spread above and below and in all four directions, since a certain
supernal stream flowed downwards and formed a great sea, as it says,
'all the rivers flow into the sea and the sea is not full* (Eccl, I, 7),
for it gathers the whole and draws it into its midst, as it is written,
'I am the rose of Sharon' (S.S. II, 1), Sharon being the basin of the
great sea which draws to itself all the waters of the World and absorbs
them. Thus the one discharges and the other collects, and one shines
through the other in a specified manner. Of this relationship it is
written, 'By wisdom is the house built'? hence the beth (=2) of
bereshith, implying that the upper house is built in wlsdom and the
lower one also. The upper house, which is the greater, makes the world
habitable, and is called Elohim? the lower one is called simply 'king'.
It is written, 'The king shall rejoice in Elohim* (Ps. LXIII, 12): to
wit, when the supernal Geburah (Force) bestirs itself to embrace him
and draw him to himself, so that all should be one. Again, the words
may be taken to refer to the gladness of the stream which issues in one
hidden and secret path and enters as two which are one, thus rendering
the world complete and whole. Or again, The king shall rejoice in
Elohim', i.e., the lower world rejoices in the upper recondite world
which sent forth life to all, which was called the life of the king.
This is the foundation of the house. This house built the house of the
world, and built a world. This is what is meant by 'in the beginning
God created': 'in the beginning', to wit, in Wisdom.
"When it collected the whole into itself, it became the great sea, a
sea of which the waters were congealed, those waters which had flowed
in from the upper source, as we indicate by the verse, 'From the womb
of Whom (Mi) came forth the ice' (Job XXXVIII, 29), its waters congeal
ing in itTn order to draw the others. This ice was a frozen sea the
waters of which did not flow until the force of the South reached it and
drew it to itself. Then the waters which were congealed in the side of
the North were relaxed and commenced to flow? for it was on the side of
the North that the waters were frozen, and on the side of the South that
they thawed and began to flow, in order to water all the 'beasts of the
field' (Ps. XIV, 11). These are called hare bather (mountains of sep
aration), and ail are watered when the side of the South begins to
approach and to make the waters flow. Through the streaming of this
supernal energy all were in gladness. When it so pleased the thought
of the Most Mysterious, a river flowed forth therefrom, and when one
joined the other by a path which cannot be traced either above or
below, herein was the beginning of all, and Beth (=second), which is
plain 'king', was completed from this beginning, and one was like the
other. With this energy God created the heavens, a hidden point the
waters of which flow forth without, and produced therefrom a voice
which is called the voice of the Shofar. Hence it says, 'God created
the heavens1, to wit, the voice of "theShofar. The heavens control
the life of the supernal King upon the earth (as indicated by the
catchword, 'the son of Jesse is alive upon the earth1, since life de
pends upon the son of Jesse). It is through Vau that life flows to it,
and it controls all and the earth is fed therefrom; hence it is written,
'and (v^) the earth1, the vau being added to control the sustenance of
the earth. The word eth refers to something in the upper world, to
wit, the power of the totality of the twenty-two letters, which Elohim
produced and gave to the heavens (as it says, 'with the crown with
which his mother crowned him on the day of his espousals'); hence, 'the
(eth) heavens', to associate and combine one with the other, so as to
be established together by the 'life of the king', that the heavens
should be fed therefrom. The words 'and (ve-eth) the earth' indicate
the union of male and female, which were traced with individual letters,
and the 'life of the king' which flowed from the heavens, the heavens
pouring them forth to maintain the earth and all its denizens.
"In this way the so-called supernal Elohim made a heaven and earth for
permanency, and produced them together-by the supernal energy, the
starting-point of all. The supernal essence then descended to a lower
grade, and this latter made a heaven and earth below. The whole proc
ess is symbolized by the letter beth. There are two Worlds and they
created worlds, one an upper world and one a lower world, one correspond
ing to the others; one created heaven and earth and the other created
heaven and earth. In this way the letter beth signifies two further
worlds; one produced two worlds and the other produced two worlds; and
all through the energy of the supernal reshith. When the upper de
scended into the lower, it was filled from the channel of a certain grade
which rested on it, corresponding to that hidden, secret and recondite
path above, the difference being that one is a narrow path and the other
a way. The one below is a way, like 'the way of the righteous which is
as a shining light' (Prov. IV, 18), whereas the one above is a narrow
path, like 'the track which the vulture knoweth not* (Job XXVIII, 7).
The mnemonic for the whole is the verse, 'who maketh a way in the sea
and a path in the mighty waters' (Is. XLIII, 16); and similarly it is
written, 'The way is in the sea and thy path is in great waters.'
(Zohar, I, 110-113)
The unity of God and his name was effected when he created the world;
the world, therefore, is an essential part of the Whole. When it says
his kingdom spread above and below and in all four directions, this may
be taken as saying the above is as the below and also as referring to

the four directions plus height and depth.
"AND THE EARTH WAS VOID AND WITHOUT FORM. This describes the original
state as it were, the dregs of ink clinging to the point of the pen
in which there was no subsistence, until the world was graven with
forty-two letters, all of which are the ornamentation of the Holy Name,
When they are joined, letters ascend and descend, and form crowns for
themselves in all four guarters of the world, so that the world is
established through them and they through it. A mould was formed for
them like the seal of a ring? when they went in and issued, the world
was created, and when they were joined together in the seal, the world
was established. They struck against the great serpent, and penetrated
under the chasms of the dust fifteen hundred cubits. Afterwards the
great deep arose in darkness, and darkness covered all, until light
emerged and cleft the darkness and came forth and shone, as it is
written, 'He uncovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out
to light the shadow of death' (Job XII, 22). The waters were weighed
in a balance. Fifteen hundred times three fingers flowed into the bal
ance, half for preservation and half to go below. At first one side of
the balance rose and the other fell. When, however, the lower side was
raised by the hand, the balance was even and did not incline to left or
right; hence it is written, 'Who hath measured the waters in the hollow
of his hand?' (Is. XL, 12). At first all the powers of the earth were
latent and not productive, and the waters were frozen in it and did not
flow. They only spread abroad when a light from above was shed upon
the earth, for when this struck it with its rays its powers were re
leased. So it says, 'And God said, Let there be light, and there was
light.' This is the supernal primordial light which was already exist
ing; from this came forth all powers and forces, and through this the
earth was firmly established and subsequently brought forth its product
When this light shone on what was below, its radiance spread from one
end of the world to the other? but when it observed the sinners of the
world, it hid itself away, and issued only by secret paths which cannot
be discovered.
"AND GOD SAW THE LIGHT THAT IT WAS GOOD. We have learnt that every
dream which contains the term tob (good) presages peace above and below
provided the letters are seen in their proper order.,..
(There is
omission in the text.) These three letters were afterwards combined to
signify 'the Righteousness one (Zaddik) of the world', as it is written
'Say of the righteous one that he is good', because the supernal radi
ance is contained therein.'"
The kingdom of God was spread above and below in all four directions,
and the upper and lower are built in wisdom. An example of the letter
and number symbolism is given in the statement that the supernal energy
made heaven and Earth, the process being symbolized by beth which is 2.
"IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED. The word reshith (beginning) refers to
the supernal Wisdom; the letter beth (i.e./ bayeth, house) designates
the world, which is watered from that stream which enters it, and which
is alluded to in the verse, 'A stream went forth from Eden to water the
garden.1 This stream gathers all the waters from a supernal hidden
source, and flows perenially to water the Garden.
(This hidden source
is the First Temple.)
In reshith all the letters were enclosed by a
secret path hidden within IFI From this source went forth two entities,
as it is written, 'the heavens and the earth'. The earth was at first
included in the heavens, and they emerged together, clinging to one
another. When the first illumination came, the heavens took the earth
and put it in its place. Thereupon the earth, being separated from the
side of the heavens, was amazed and dumbfounded, desiring to cleave to
the heavens as before, because she saw the heavens bathed in light
while she was enveloped in darkness. At length, however, the celestial
light descended upon her, and from her place she looked at the heavens
face to face; and so the earth was firmly established. Light came
forth on the right side and darkness on the left, and God afterwards
separated them in order again to unite them, as it is written, 'And God
divided the light from the darkness.' This does not mean that there
was an absolute separation, but that day came from the side of light,
which is the right, and night from the side of darkness, which is the
left, and that, having emerged together, they were separated in such a
way as to be no longer side by side but face to face, in which guise
they clung to one another and formed one, the light being called day
and the darkness night, as it says, 'And God called the light day and
the darkness he called night.' This is the darkness that is attached
to night, which has no light of its own, although it comes from the
side of the primordial fire which is also called 'darkness'. It remains
dark until it is illumined from the side of day. Day illumines night,
and night will not be light of itself until the time of which it is
written, 'the night shineth as the day, the darkness is even as the
light' (Ps. CXXXIX, 12)."
(Zohar, I, 115-117)
God separated the light and darkness in order again to unite them. In
other words, He creates the above and below, but then He unites them,
or All is One. The Zaddik, or righteous one, is good and contains the
supernal radiance. The Zaddik is an important symbol, and one which we
shall meet again.
SUMMARY:
1.
The unity of God and His name was effected when He created the
world.
2.
His kingdom spread above and below and in all directions.
3.
The upper and lower houses are built in wisdom.
4.
The supernal Elohim made a heaven and earth for permanency, and
produced them by the supernal energy, the starting-point.
5.
This energy made heaven and earth below, the process being sym
bolized by beth or 2.
SUMMARY; (cont'd)
6.
Through the letters which are joined and ascend and descend,
the world is established.
7.
The waters were frozen and only spread abroad when a light from
above was shed on earth and its powers released.
8.
From the supernal primordial light came forth all powers and
forces. When it shone below, its radiance spread from one end
of the world to the other.
9.
The Zaddik, the righteous one, is good and contains the supernal
radiance. He is what we might call the Cosmic man.
10.
He unites the light and darkness, the above and below.

By
FRATER TEMPORATOR
Scribe
Special Discourse
Number 14
in IT S. A.
In the following passage Gedulah is used in place of Hesed. This dis

course will give the terms used for the sefiroth in the Zohar.
HR. Jose propounded the question: 'What are the 'six days of bereshith1
of which the Rabbis speak so often?' R. Simeon answered: 'These are,
in truth, 'the cedars of Lebanon which he has planted'. As the cedars
spring from Lebanon, so these six days spring from bereshith. These
are the six supernal days which are specified in the verse: 'Thine, 0
Lord, are the Greatness (Gedulah), the Might (Geburah), the Beauty
(Tifereth), the Victory (Nezah), and the Majesty (Hod)' (Chron, XXIX,
11). The words 'For all' refer to the Zaddik (righteous one), who is
Yesod (foundation of the world) ....
(There is an omission in the text.)
The word bereshith we interpret to mean 'the second, i.e., Hokmah (Wis
dom) is the starting-point', because the supernal Kether (Crown), which
is really first, is too recondite and therefore is not counted; hence
the second is the starting-point. Again, the word be-reshith indicates
that there are two reshith's , because as the upper Wisdom i s a reshith
(starting-point), so the lower Wisdom is a reshith. Further, we reckon
bereshith as a maamar (creative utterance), and six days issued from
it and are comprised in it, and bear the names of those others.'"
(Zohar, I, 118-119)
"R. Isaac said: 'The radiance which God produced at the time of the
Creation illumined the world from one end to the other, but was with
drawn, in order that the sinners of the world might not enjoy it, and
it is treasured up for the righteous, i.e., for the Zaddik, as it is
written, 'light is sown for the Zaddik (Ps. XCVII, 11); the worlds will
be firmly established and all will form a single whole, but until the
time when the future world shall emerge, this light is hidden and stored
up. This light issued from the darkness which was carved out by the
strokes of the Most Recondite; and similarly from that light which was
stored away there was carved out through some hidden process the lowerworld darkness in which light resides. This lower darkness is what is
called 'night' in the verse, 'and the darkness he called night' (Gen. I,
5). Hence the Rabbinical exposition of the text: 'He uncovereth deep
things out of darkness' (Job XII, 22)' on which R. Jose said: 'This
cannot be the original darkness, since all the supernal crowns contained
therein are still undisclosed, and we call them 'deep things'. The
term 'uncovereth' can be applied to those supernal mysteries only in so
far as they are contained in that darkness which is in the category of
night. For all those deep and hidden things which issue from (God's)
thought and are taken up by the Voice are not disclosed till the Word
reveals them. This Word is Speech, and this Speech is called Sabbath,
because this Speech seeks to dominate and not to let any other do so.
It is this Speech which comes from the side of darkness that discloses
hidden things from that darkness.'"
(Zohar, I, 120-121)
"R. Simeon said: 'The world is created and established on the basis of
a covenant, as it is written, 'If not for my covenant with the day and
night, I had not appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth' (Jer.
XXXIII, 25). This covenant is the Zaddik (righteous one), the founda
tion of the world, and therefore the world is established on the cove-
nant of day and night together, as stated in our text, the 'ordinances
of heaven* being those which flow and issue forth from the celestial
Eden.1 R. Simeon discoursed here on the text: From the (place of) the
voice of those who mediate between the water drawers, there they shall
rehearse the kindnesses of the Lord, etc, {Judges V, 11).
'This
voice', he said, 'is the voice of Jacob, which rests between those who
draw waters from on high, and takes hold of both sides and unites them
in itself.
'There they shall rehearse the kindnesses of the Lord':
i.e., there is the place for faith to cleave fast? there the kindnesses
of the Lord draw sustenance. The verse proceeds: 'The kindnesses of
him who is generous to Israel,' This is the Righteous One of the
world1, who is everlasting and holy, and who draws in to Himself the
stream of the Whole and disperses the supernal waters into the great
sea.'"
(Zohar, I, 121-122)
The radiance which God produced at the creation is treasured up for the
Zaddik, the Righteous One. Also, the covenant which was the basis for
the establishment of the world is the Zaddik, the foundation or Yesod.
"R. Simeon arose and spoke thus: 'My meditation disclosed to me that
when God came to create man, all creatures trembled above and below.
The sixth day was proceeding on its course when at length the divine
decision was formed. Then the source of all lights shone forth and
opened the gate of the East, for thence light issues. The South dis
played in full power the light which it had inherited from the commence
ment, and joined hands with the East. The East took hold of the North,
and the North awoke and spread forth and called aloud to the West to
come and join him. Then the West went nap into the North and united
with it, and afterwards the South took hold of the West, and the South
and the North, which are the fences of the Garden, surrounded it. Then
the East approached the West, and the West was rejoiced and said to the
others, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness', embracing
like us the four quarters and the higher and the lower. Then the East
united with the West and produced him. Hence our Sages have said that
man emerged from the site of the Temple.'"
(Zohar I, 129-130)
The four directions or quarters and the higher and lower may be compared
to the lower sephiroth without Malkuth. The directions or sephiroth are
all linked together and are one? furthermore, they made man embracing
like us the four quarters and the higher and the lower. The tree, then,
represents the directions or quarters as well as man.
"IN THE BEGINNING. R. Judah said: 'There were two houses, the first
house and the second house, one higher and one lower. There are two
he's, one higher and one lower? all, however, form only one. The higher
beth opens the gates to every side, and when combined with reshith forms
the 'beginning' in the list of the component parts of the building.1
R. Isaac said in the name of R. Eleazar: 'This bereshith is the compre
hensive form in which all forms are embraced. This is the inner meaning
of the words, 'this was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of
the Lord1 (Ezek. I, 28)? to wit, the appearance in which the six others
are discernible. Hence we analyse the word bereshith into bara shith
(created six). When the six colours enter into this appearance, it
makes itself ready to reflect them, and through them to keep the world
going. Yet the credit for this must be ascribed not to this grade
alone, but to all the six.*"
(Zohar, I, 141)
"LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE, AFTER OUR LIKENESS, i.e., partaking of
six directions, compounded of all, after the supernal pattern, with
limbs arranged so as to suggest the esoteric Wisdom, altogether an ex
ceptional creature.
'Let us make mem': the word adam (man) implies
male and female, created wholly through the supernal and holy Wisdom.
'In our image, after our likeness*: the two being combined so that man
should be unique in the world and ruler over all. " (Zohar, I, 147)
Again, the passage from volume one, page 141 stresses the six, meaning
the six lower grades or sephiroth without Malkuth. In the other passage,
man is also likened to these six.
The text preceeding the following quotation concerns lamps and light.
"'Let there be light, and there was light' (Gen. I, 3). Why, it may be
asked, was it necessary to repeat the word 'light* in this verse? The
answer is that the first 'light' refers to the primordial light which
is of the Right Hand, and is destined for the 'end of days': while the
second 'light' refers to the Left Hand, which issues from the Right.
The next words, 'And God saw the light that it was good' (Gen, I, 4),
refer to the pillar which, standing midway between them, unites both
sides, and therefore when the unity of the three, right, left, and mid
dle, was complete, 1it was good', since there could be no completion
until the third had appeared to remove the strife between Right and
Left, as it is written, 'And God separated between the light and between
the darkness' (Ibid.). Since there were five grades which emanated
from that primordial light, the word 'light' is mentioned five times at
the beginning of the account of Creation? all of these grades emanated
from the Right Side and were included in it. When they were to be
included in the Left Side they were symbolized by 'water'; for which
reason 'water' also is mentioned five times (Gen, I, 6-8). And when
they were completed by the mystery of the middle, 'firmament' is men
tioned five times (Ibid.). And these three, light, water, firmament,
are the three grades ^hich include in themselves all five grades, and
therefore are all mentioned five times.
"'Here is a mystery of mysteries? namely, that in these three is the
mystery of the human personality portrayed. Here there is first light,
then water, then is a firmament formed in the midst of the waters.
Similar is the formation of man at his birth. First he is the 'seed'
which is light, because it carries light to all the organs of the body.
That 'seed' which is light sheds itself abroad and becomes 'water1,
which in its moisture penetrates to all parts of the body; in which
body, when it has taken shape, the diffusion of the water is solidified
and is called 'firmament1. This is indicated by the words: 'Let there
be a firmament in the midst of the waters.1" (Zohar, IV, 76-77)
NUMBER FOURTEEN
Left Hand
1. Second light
2. Water
Right Hand
1. First primordial light
2. Light
CENTER
1. Light that was good
2. Firmament
Possibly the five grades which emanated from the primordial light of
the Right Hand, or Right Pillar, are the five lower sephiroth, Geburah,
Tiphereth, Nezach, Hod, and Yesod. Hesed is the primoridal light, so
this leaves out Malkuth. However, the five are included in each of the
three pillars. The three, light, water, and firmament include all five
grades.
"AND THE PILLAR OF THE CLOUD REMOVED FROM BEFORE THEM AND STOOD BEHIND
THEM. What was this pillar of cloud? R. Jose said that it was the
cloud which is always seen with the Shekinah, the cloud into which
Moses entered (Ex. XXIV, 18). R. Abba said that it was that which sup
ports the Zaddik, coming from the side of Grace (Hesed), wherefore it
went by day, while there was another cloud which went by night and was
called 'pillar of fire'. R. Simeon said that the pillar of cloud by
day represented Abraham (Mercy), and the pillar of fire by night, Isaac
(Severity), both attributes being united in the Shekinah, through the
agency of the grade mentioned by R. Abba.
'The word 'removed', in this
sentence1, he said, 'implies that there was a movement from Grace to
Severity, for the time had arrived for the Holy One to clothe Himself
with judgement.' R. Simeon further said that the ,Moonl--the Shekinah
was then in her fullness and perfection, manifesting both attributes
and representing in herself seventy-two holy Names according to the
threshold order. In virtue of the first order of the letters, she
clothed herself with the garment of Grace, shining with the resplendence
of the light which the Supernal Father caused to shine for her; in
virtue of the second she adorned herself with the implements of war,
expressing Severity, and sixty 'whips' of fire, emanating from the Su
pernal Mother. The third order of the letters represents Her in gar
ments of purple, the adornment of the Holy Supernal Father, designated
'Beauty* (Tiphereth), which is communicated to the Holy Son (i.e., the
letter Vau in the Tetraqrammaton) in seventy crowns from the side of
the Father (Yod) and of the Mother (He). We have been taught that from
the side of Grace there are seventy-two witnesses; from the side of
Severity, seventy-two scribes; from the side of Beauty, seventy-two
colours of glory. In the transcendent sphere they are all linked one
to the other, forming the Holy Name, the mystery of the Divine Chariot.
Here (in the three verses, Ex. XIV, 19-21) are inscribed the patriarchs
in unison, forming the Holy Name of seventy-two letters of the three
verses. And this is the order of their combination: the first verse is
to be written straight, for all its initial letters are found in Hesed;
the second verse (20) is to be written backward, for all its second
NUMBER FOURTEEN
letters are found in Geburah? in this way Judgment may be roused, with
all those powers that emanate from the left side. The letters of the
third verse when written out show forth the colours which crown the
Holy King? and all these letters are united in Him, and He is crowned
with His diadems in the proper manner, like a king fully crowned.
Here is the Holy Name engraved in seventy-two letters, which are
crowned with the Fathers who are the supernal Holy Chariot."
(Zohar,
III, 157-159)
This might be put this way:
Second order
Severity ( Geburah)
Isaac
Pillar of fire
Night
He
Mother
First order
Mercy (Hesed)
Abraham
Pillar of cloud
Day
Yod
Father
Third order
Beauty (Tifereth)
Purple
Vau
Son
Shekinah
Moon
Malkuth
SUMMARY:
1.
The text explains some of the sephiroth and the Zaddik.
2.
The radiance which God produced at Creation illumined the world

from one end to the other and is treasured up for the Righteous
One, the Zaddik.
3.
The Zaddik draws to Himself the stream of the Whole and disperses
the supernal waters to the sea.
4.
The directions or sephiroth are linked together and are one.

tree represents these as well as man.
5.
The two houses, the higher and lower, form one.
6.
The six colors are reflected in six grades.

directions, comparing man and the tree.
7.
A diagram is given of the Right, Left, and Center, and of the

first, second, and third orders and their correspondences.
The
Man partakes of six
THE KABALA UNVEILED

-C-
SUMMARY (cont'd):
8.
The terms or names given to the sephiroth in the Zohar may be

summarized in this way:
Kether is the crown of God. Hokmah is Wisdom. Binah is intelligence

or_ understanding, Daath is used sometimes and means knowledge. Hesed
is mercy? Gedulah may be used instead of Hesed and means greatness.
Geburah is judgment or power? sometimes Din or sternness, Pechad or
fear are used rather than Geburah. Rahamim is sometimes used rather
than Tifereth, beauty? Rahamim means love. Nezah means victory or
endurance. Hod means majesty- or glory. Yesod means foundation and is
the Zaddik. Malkuth means kingdom and may refer to the Shekinah.

Council of the A.M.O.R.C. All matters -herein contained are strictly confi
By
FR ATE R TEM PORATOR
Scribe
D .i- t.,1
t>> it a
The Shekinah corresponds to the tenth sefirah, Malkuth, the Kingdom,

and it encompasses or reflects all the sefiroth. Malkuth is also said
to return to Kether. The end returns to the beginning. Also, it is
union of Malkuth with Tifereth which is the main symbol of the sacred
marriage in the Kabala.
The kabalists also used Adam Kadmon as the symbolic Cosmic or primor
dial man. He is the archetype which corresponds to the biblical Adam
or man. In this representation, the sefiroth correspond to the body of
Adam Kadmon.
The symbolic golem in kabalistic literature is comparable to the alchem
ical homunculus, the man artificially created by the initiate, which
perhaps referred to a mystical process of the transmutation of the ini
tiate himself. The golem was the basis of many Hasidic legends, but he
might be considered as a projection of the inner being, and mystically
of the ideal Self.
Frequently in the Zohar a person, particularly one of the Jewish patri
archs, is said to correspond to one of the sefiroth, or to be the per
fect man, or the righteous man, the Zaddik.
Many people interested in the Kabala today know the kabalistic tree
given in some books, but this is not the only nor the most important
such symbol. For these reasons it seems justifiable to de-emphasize
the tree, although it should be discussed to some extent, as has been
done in these discourses.
The seven lower sefiroth can be considered as symbols of the directions
East, West, North, South, height and depth with the center one,
Tiphereth representing the Holy Temple.
Speaking of prayer and devotion, the Zohar says, "Happy is the portion
of whoever can penetrate into the mysteries of his Master and become
absorbed into Him, as it were. Especially does a man achieve this when
he offers up his prayer to his Master in intense devotion, his will
then becoming as the flame inseparable from the coal, and his mind con
centrated on the unity of the lower firmaments, to unify them by means
of a lower name, and then on the unity of the higher firmaments, and
finally on the absorption of them all into that most high firmament.
Whilst a man's mouth and lips are moving, his heart and will must soar
to the heights, so as to acknowledge the unity of the whole in virtue
of the mystery of mysteries in which all ideas, all wills and all
thoughts find their goal, to wit, the mystery of the En-Sof (Infinite,
Illimitable)." ( Zohar, IV, 224-225)
"One day R. Simeon sat at the gate of Sepphoris, when R. Jesse said to
him: 'R. Jose applied the verse, 'Who hath ascended, etc.', first to
Moses, then to the Holy One, and finally to the four elements, and I
saw that thou, Master, didst bless himl1 Said R. Simeon: 'What he said
was perfectly true. All the applications signify one and the same
thing, since they all have their root and fulfilment in the Holy One,
and they are practically equivalent.' R. Jesse was deeply impressed

by these words and said: 'Now I see that this is indeed so. And I have
also heard it on another occasion from the mouth of the Master. But
what is the meaning of the words, 'And what is his son's name?'.' R.
Simeon replied: 'The inner meaning of this I myself have taught my son,
R. Eleazar.'
'I Pray thee, tell it to me, for I did ask thee concern
ing it in a dream, but when I awoke I had forgotten the answer.'
'And
now, when I tell thee, wilt thou remember it?'
'I surely will,'
replied R. Jesse, 'I always remember what my Master tells me,' Said
R. Simeon: 'The words must be understood in the light of the expression,
'My first-born son Israel' (Ex. IV, 22), and 'Israel, in whom I am
glorified' (Isa. XLIX, 3).
'Israel' here refers to the supernal world,
and it is this which is called 'son'.' Whereupon R, Jesse replied:
With all due respect to the Master, this is a secret which I already
know.' But yet again he forgot it. He was much perturbed. But when
he went into his house and lay down to sleep, he saw in his dream an
haggadic book, wherein it was written: 'Wisdom (Hokmah) and Glory
(Tifereth) in His sanctuary.' When he awoke, he straightway went to
R Simeon, kissed his hand, and said: 'This night I saw in my dream an
haggadic book wherein were written the words: 'Wisdom' above, 'Glory'
below, and 'in His sanctuary' at the side. This I saw in a dream, and
I found it on my lips when I awoke.' Said R. Simeon to him: 'Until
this time thou wast too young to join the company of the 'reapers of
the field,' but now everything has been shown unto thee! Thus the mean
ing is: Wisdom (Hokmah) is His Name and Glory (Tifereth) the name of
His son.'"
(Zohar, III, 235-236)
The meanings of the sefiroth and En-Sof are discussed in the following
passage.
"Had the brightness of the glory of the Holy One, blessed be
His Name, not been shed over the whole of His creation, how could He
have been perceived even by the wise? He would have remained unapprehendable, and the words 'The whole earth is full of his glory' (Isa.
VI, 3) could never be spoken with truth. But woe unto the man who
should presume to compare the Lord with any attribute, even one which
is His own, much less any human created form, 'whose foundation is in
the dust* (Job, IV, 19), and whose products are frail creatures, soon
vanishing, soon forgotten. The only conception of the Holy One, blessed
be He, which man dare frame is of His sovereignty over some particular
attribute or over creation as a whole. And if we perceive Him not
under those manifestations, there is left neither attribute, nor simili
tude, nor form in Him; even as the sea, whose waters have neither form
nor tangibility in themselves, but only when they are spread over a
certain vessel which is the earth. On the basis of this fact we can
calculate thus: The source of the sea is one. A current issues from it
with a revolution which is Yod. The source is one and the current makes
two. Next it makes a great basin, like a channel dug in the earth,
which is filled by the waters which emanate from the source. It is this
basin which we know as 'Sea': This is the third factor involved. This
large basin is split up into seven channels, which are like so many long
tubes. Thus the waters are conveyed from the sea into these seven
channels. The source, the current, the sea, and the seven channels
form together the number ten. Should the master who constructed these
tubes come to break them up, then the waters return to their source,
and there remains nought but broken vessels, dry, without water. It
is thus that the Cause of causes has brought forth the ten Sephiroth,
and called the Crown, the 'Source1, an inexhaustible fount of light,
whereof He designates Himself 1En-sof', Limitless. He has neither
shape nor form, and there is no vessel that could contain Him, no means
to comprehend Him. It is in this sense that it has been said, 'Search
not the things that are too hard for thee, and seek not the thing which
is hidden from thee' (Ben Sira, 320-324). Then He formed a vessel,
small as the letter Yod, which is filled from Him, and He called it
'Wisdom-gushing Fountain', and Himself in virtue of it wise'. After
wards He made a large vessel and called it 'Sea', and designated it
'Understanding1 (Binah) and Himself in virtue of it 'understanding*.
He is both 'wise' and 'understanding' in His own essence: for Wisdom
does not merit the title by itself, but only through Him who is wise
and who has filled it from His 'fountain; and Understanding does not
merit the title by itself, but only through Him who filled it from His
own essence: if He were to depart from it it would be turned into arid
ity. In regard to this it is written, 'As the waters fall from the
sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up' (Job, XIV, 11), finally 'He
smites (the sea) into seven streams (Isa. XI, 15), i.e. He diverts it
into seven precious vessels, and calls them 'Greatness', 'Strength',
'Beauty', 'Victory', 'Majesty', 'Foundation', 'Sovereignty'; and Himself
He calls 'great' in the 'Greatness1, 'strong* in the 'Strength', 'beau
teous* in 'Beauty', 'victorious' in 'Victory'; in 'Majesty* He calls
His Name 'the beauty of our Fashioner1 and in 'Foundation' 'righteous'
(cf. Prov. X, 25). In 'Foundation' He sustains all things: all vessels
and all worlds. Finally, in 'Sovereignty' He calls Himself 'King',
whose is 'the greatness, the strength, the beauty, the victory, the
majesty; for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine. Thine
is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all' (I Chr.
XXIX, 11). All things are in His power, whether He wills to lessen the
number of vessels or to increase the light which springs from them, or
whether He wills the contrary. Above Him, however, there is no god who
could increase or lessen. Then He created ministering beings to those
vessels: one throne supported on four columns and six steps to the
throne: ten altogether. And the whole throne is like the chalice of
benediction, in regard to which ten things are formulated, in harmony
with the Torah which was given in Ten Words (Decalogue), and with the
Ten Words by which the world was created. Then He prepared for the
throne angelic hierarchies to serve Him:..."
(Zohar, III, 131-132)
This gives not only meanings for the sefiroth but divides the ten into
four and six rather than the more usual three and seven. In the follow
ing passage, the Righteous One, of course, refers to God, and the sym
bolism of the upper and lower is used again.
"R. Hizkiah said: 'We have affirmed that what the lower world produces
belongs to the category of separation, as it written 'and from thence
it was parted* (Gen. II, 11). If so, what about Joseph and Benjamin?
How can you say that they belonged to the same world as the others,
since they did not issue from the upper world, and what the lower world
brings forth is for the lower world and not for the upper world? and
if so, they are separated from the others, since it has been laid down
that whatever the lower world produces belongs to the category of
separation.' R. Abba came up and kissed him and said: 'This is the
real difficulty, since it is true that the upper world becomes perfect
ed by the twelve which properly belong to it. But it can be solved
esoterically as follows. At every moment the Righteous One both leaves
and enters the lower world. Hence he is built up in this place, while
his root is above. Thus he is always present in the lower world. It
is written: 'And it came to pass as her soul (nafshah) was in departing,
for she died' (Gen. xxxv, 18). Now the Righteous One is both in and
out of this lower world. When he enters it he does so as symbolised
by Joseph the righteous; and when he leaves it he does so as symbolised
by Benjamin. Hence it says in connection with the birth of Benjamin:
'And it came to pass as her soul (nafshah) was in departing for she
died', where 'her soul' alludes to the Righteous One that was departing,
to wit, Benjamin, She called him Ben-oni (son of my sorrow), thinking
that what she bore belonged to the lower world, the world of separation,
thus leaving only eleven as belonging to the upper world. His father,
however, called him Benjamin (son of the right hand) (Ibid.), implying
that he ascended on high to the upper world? for when Joseph disappeared
Benjamin took his place. Thus did the Righteous One both enter the
lower world and leave it. Hence Joseph and Benjamin and all others
completed the number of twelve, who formed a unity after the supernal
pattern, 1,1 (Zohar, II, 98-99)
SUMMARY:
1.
There are three basic kinds of kabalistic symbols: those based on

man, the three pillars, and those that are geometric.
2.
God is conceived in anthropomorphic terms,
3.
The golem was a symbolic man artificially created by the initiate.
4.
Man must attain the heights, mystically speaking, so as to acknowl

edge the unity of the whole.
5.
The meanings of the sefiroth such as Hokmah and Tifereth are dis
cussed, along with En Soph.
6.
It is the Righteous One who unites the upper and lower.

By
FRATER TEMPORATOR
Scribe
Special Discourse
Number 16
R-3 1078
Printed in U.S.A.
The following passage from the Zohar uses the voice symbolism again,
but it is also about the Zaddik and some of the sefiroth.
"AND SAID:
IF THOU WILT DILIGENTLY HEARKEN TO THE VOICE OF THE LORD THY GOD.
'And Said.' Who said? As it is not directly stated, it refers to the
Holy One, blessed be He. R. Hezekiah pointed to a similar expression
in the passage: 'And to Moses he said, Go up unto the Lord' (Ex. XXIV,
1). R. Jose said that from the context it is clear to whom the 'he
said' refers. Why, however, does the text continue, 'if thou wilt
hear the voice of the Lord thy God', instead of 'My voice'? To indi
cate that voice to communion with which they had attained. R. Abba
said: 'When the holy sign was manifested in them they entered into a
dual holy state, as has been pointed out above? and having entered into
these two holy conditions, they thereby entered into communion with two
other holy conditions, so that they should not be deprived of any bless
ings from above, blessings emanating from the Holy King Himself. All
this is indicated in the above verse: 'and he said', namely the Holy
King; 'the voice of the Lord thy God' refers to the Shekinah as repre
senting the Community of Israel? 'wilt do what is right in His sight*
refers to the Zaddik? *and will give ear to His commandment' refers to
Nezah (Victory), while Hod (Majesty) is indicated in the words: 'and
keep all His statutes'. Further, the words 'I am the Lord that healeth
thee* refers to the Holy King. From this we learn that he who guards
the sign of the covenant rises eventually to the perception of the Holy
King. R. Isaac said: 'He who is worthy of the perception of Zaddik is
also worthy to perceive Nezah and Hod, the triad by which the Community
of Israel is blessed? and he who is worthy of these reaches the percep
tion of the Holy King, and so has communion with all four.'"
(Zohar,
III, 189)
"'AND THOU SHALT BIND THEM FOR A SIGN UPON THY HAND. Our colleagues
who dwell in the South have explained the inner meaning of the four com
partments of the phylacteries in their own way, viz., that the passage
'sanctify to me every firstborn' is to correspond to the Supernal Crown
(Kether); 'and it shall come to pass when the Lord bringeth thee' to
Wisdom; 'hear, 0 Israel,' to Binah; and 'and it shall come to pass if
thou hearkenest diligently* to Hesed. Then they are all combined in
one on the left arm which is called Strength (Geburah). We, however,
do not accept this view, because the Supreme Crown comprises all and is
not reckoned (among the grades). Further, the section 'and it shall
come to pass when the Lord bringeth thee* is connected with the going
forth from Egypt, and so with that place in which is freedom for slaves
Hence, our colleagues are not right. We commence from Wisdom, and we
hold that the Holy One, blessed be He, wears them, four above, four
below, four in the place of the brain, and four in the place where the
heart is, because one is linked with the other. Man should crown him
self with them, because they form the supernal Holy Name, and whoever
crowns himself with the supernal Holy Crown is called firmament. AND
THOU SHALT WRITE THEM ON THE DOORPOSTS OF THY HOUSE AND ON THY GATES in
order that a man may be found complete in all, complete in the precepts
of his Master, inscribed above and inscribed below. Happy is the por
tion of Israel.'
"R. Eleazar then discoursed as follows,

'We find sometimes the expres
sion 'Thus saith the Lord of Hosts', and sometimes 'Thus saith the Lord
God', What is the difference? A message opening with the words 'Thus
saith the Lord of Hosts' is one of mercy, whereas a message opening
with 'Thus saith the Lord God' is one of judgement. The reason is that
in the first case the Koh (thus) is blessed from the Zaddik and Nezah
and Hod, which are cal Ted 'the Lord of Hosts', and there fore the message is delivered in gentleness, since it comes from the place thereof.
But in the other case it sucks from the side of judgement, from the
side of the supernal Geburah; and I have learnt from my father that it
is the judgement with mercy. Thus the prophet was careful to give the
source of his message, and the sons of the true faith knew whence it
depended.'"
(Zohar, V, 364-365)
Although the text does not say so, it may be that the brain and above
correspond to Hokmah, Binah, Hesed, and Geburah, while the heart and
below correspond to Nezah, Hod, Tifereth, and Yesod.
"R. Jose then discoursed on the next verse: YE SHALL DO NO UNRIGHTEOUS
NESS IN JUDGEMENT, ETC. IN RIGHTEOUSNESS SHALT THOU JUDGE THY NEIGHBOUR.
'Two grades are here mentioned, 'judgement' and 'righteousness'. What
is the difference between them? One is mercy and one judgement, and
one is established by the other. When 'righteousness* is aroused it
deals out sentence to all impartially without indulgence? but when
'judgement* is aroused, clemency is also in it. I might then think
that judgement alone should be used? therefore the verse says, 'In right
eousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour', not sentencing one and pass
ing over another, but treating all equally. Should, then, righteousness
alone be used? No: the verse tells us 'thou shalt judge', implying
that both must be together. Why so? Because God is there, and there
fore the trial must be without flaw: as he does below, so does God do
above. For God sets up His throne of judgement when the judges sit on
earth, and it is from there that God's Throne is established, that
Throne consisting of righteousness and judgement. Hence if a judge of
fends against these, he, as it were, impairs the Throne of the King,
and then God leaves the judges and does not remain among them.1"
(Zohar, V, 101)
Judgment and righteousness refer, as it says, to two grades or sefiroth,
Hesed and Geburah.
The following passage also refers to these two sefiroth.
"R. Hiya dis
coursed on the text: Therefore hearken unto me, ^e men of understanding:
Far be it from God that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty
that~TTe~should commit iniquity. For the work of man will he^ requite
unto Him, and cause every man to find according to his ways (Job XXl<IV,
10-11)
*God,' he said, 'in creating t3ie world, meant it to be based
on justice, and all that is done in the world would be weighed in the
scales of justice, were it not that, to save the world from perishing,
God screened it with mercy, which tempers pure justice and prevents it
from destroying the world. The world is thus governed in mercy and
thereby is able to endure.'"
(Zohar, II, 190)
NUMBER SIXTEEN
The grades or sefiroth are both above and below, and here below they
function according to both God and man. Man's justice and mercy are
tempered by God's.
Mercy, justice, left, and right, and the Zaddik are discussed in this
texts "R. Judah then commenced with the text: 'Maskil to Ethan the
Ezrahite' <Ps. LXXXIX, 1). He said: 'This psalm was uttered by our
father Abraham when he devoted himself to the service of his Master
and conferred on mankind the boon of teaching them to acknowledge God
as ruler of the world; and he was called Ethan (lit. strong) because
he clung strongly to God.
'I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for
ever.' Song comes from the side of the Left, not of Hesed (Mercy); so
by this exordium the side of the Left was embraced in the Right. It
was for this purpose (to combine Left with Right) that God tried
Abraham, in order that he might be found to unite justice with mercy,
and so be perfect. Hence he could say: 'I will sing of the mercies of
the Lord for ever.' He continued: 'With my mouth will I make known thy
faithfulness to all generations.' This refers to the faithfulness of
God in making Abraham known in the world and causing his name to be in
the mouth of all creatures. God made known to Abraham the true princi
ples of faith, and he thereupon realized that he was the foundation and
support of the universe. For when God created the universe, He saw
that it could not endure unless He stretched forth His right hand to it.
For this world was created under the aegis of justice, and it was not
established save by the right hand. Hence Abraham continued: 'I said,
the world is built up on mercy (hesed)', the first step in the building
up of the world having been the light of the first day. Then on the
second day the Left came into play and with it was established the
heaven, as it says: 'Thou establishest the heavens, thy faithfulness is
in them.1 (This may also be explained to mean that the heavens were
established by those mercies of the first day, and that the mystery of
faith was established in them, the heavens being the bulwark of faith.)
The text continues: 'I have made a covenant with my chosen.' This cove
nant is the secret of faith. Or we may interpret the 'chosen one' of
Za^dik from whom issue blessings to all the lower creation, all the
holy Hayyoth being blessed from the stream which flows forth to the
lower world.'" (Zohar, II, 337-338)
One passage gives correspondences to Mercy and Severity by saying that
from sunrise to sunset is called day, and the attribute of Mercy is in
the ascendant. After that it is evening, which is the time for the at
tribute of Severity. The morning hours are symbolized by white, the
evening by red. Also, fire corresponds to Severity, water to Mercy.
(Zohar, III, 70-73) This gives the following:
Severity
Night
Red
Fire
Mercy
Day
White
Water
The tree symbol is used, but it differs in the following passage from
the tree of the sefiroth.
"It is written: And the wise shall be resple-
dent as the splendour (zohar) of the firmament, and they that turn many
to rigKteousness shall be like the stars for ever and ever~(Dan. XII,
3).
'The wise1 are those who- penetrate to the real essence of wisdom;
'they shall be resplendent1, i.e. illumined with the radiance of the
supernal Wisdom; 'as the splendour', this is the flashing of the Stream
that goes forth from Eden (Gen. XI, 10), this being alluded to as 'the
firmament'. There are suspended the stars, the planets, the Sun and
the Moon, and all the radiant lights. The brightness of this firmament
shines upon the Garden of Eden, and in the midst of the Garden stands
the Tree of Life, whose branches spread over all forms and trees and
spices in fitting vessels. All the beasts of the field and all the
fowls of the air shelter beneath the branches of this Tree. The fruit
of the Tree gives life to all. It is everlasting. The 'other side'
has no abode therein, but only the side of holiness. Blessed are they
who taste thereof; they will live for ever and ever, and it is they who
are called 'the wise', and they are vouchsafed life in this world as
well as in the world to come.
"The Tree rises to a height of five hundred parasangs, and its circum
ference is six myriads of parasangs. Within this Tree is a light out
of which radiate certain colours; they come and go, never being at rest
save in the Tree. Should they issue from it to show themselves in the
brightness which does not shine of itself, they are not at rest but
flit about. From this Tree went forth twelve tribes, who had long been
warmed by it, and they went down with this light that does not shine of
itself into the exile of Egypt, accompanied by multitudes of heavenly
hosts."
(Zohar, III, 3)
SUMMARY:
1.
He who is worthy to perceive the Zaddik is worthy to perceive Nezah

and Hod, Victory and Glory.
2.
The brain, heart, above, below, and eight sefiroth four and four
correspond.
3.
The sefiroth judgement and righteousness work together.
4.
As God does below, so He does above.

righteousness and judgment.
5.
Correspondences to Mercy and Severity are given.
6.
The brightness of the firmament shines on the Garden of Eden where

stands the Tree of Life,
His Throne consists of

By
Scribe
"Now the Tree of Life extends from above downward, and it is the sun
which illumines all. Its radiance commences at the top and extends
through the whole trunk in a straight line. It is composed of two
sides, one to the north, one to the south, one to the right, and one
to the left. When the trunk shines, first the right arm of the tree
is illumined, and from its intensity the left side catches the light.
The 'chamber' from which he goes forth is the starting-point of light,
referred to also in the words of the next verse, 'from the end of the
heaven1, which is, indeed, the starting-point of all. From that point
he goes forth veritably as a bridegroom to meet his bride, the beloved
of his soul, whom he receives with outstretched arm. The sun proceeds
and makes his way toward the west? when the west is approached the
north side bestirs itself to come forward to meet it, and joins it.
Then 'he rejoices as a strong man to run his course' (Ps. XIX, 6), so
as to shed his light on the moon. Now the words WHEN THOU LIGHTEST THE
LAMPS contain an allusion to the celestial lamps, all of which are lit
up together from the radiance of the sun."
(Zohar, V, 203)
"R. Hezekiah discoursed on the verse: Blessed is the man unto whom the
Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose""spirit there~Ts no guile (Ps.
XXXII, 2") . He said! How blind are the cfiiTdren-o? men wKo neither see
nor perceive what the foundation is of their existence in the world!
Behold, when the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, He formed
man in His own image, so disposing his capacities as to enable him to
study the Torah and walk in His way. Therefore man was created from
the dust of the lower Sanctuary? and the four winds of the world united
at that place which afterwards was named the House of Holiness, and
these four were then joined to the four elements of the lower world:
fire, air, earth, and water. And when these winds and these elements
were thus mingled, the Holy One, blessed be He, formed one body of won
drous perfection. Therefore it is plain that the substances composing
man's body belong to two worlds, namely, the world below and the world
above.' Said R. Simeon: 'The first four elements have a deep signifi
cance for the faithful: they are the progenitors of all worlds, and
symbolize the mystery of the supernal Chariot of Holiness. Also the
four elements of fire, air, earth, and water have a deep significance.
From them come gold, silver, copper, and iron, and beneath these other
metals of a like kind. Mark well thisl Fire, air, earth, and water
are the sources and roots of all things above and below, and on them
are all things grounded. And in each of the four winds these elements
are found fire in the North, air in the East, water in the South,
earth in the West? and the four elements are united with the four winds
--and all are one. Fire, water, air, and earth: gold, silver, copper,
and iron? north, south, east, and west these make altogether twelve?
yet are they all one. Fire is in the left, at the side of the North,
for fire has the energy of warmth, and the power of dryness is strong
in it, and the North is just the reverse, and so the two are commingled.
Water is in the right, in the side of the South, and the Holy One mixes
the warmth and dryness of the South with the coldness and moisture of
the water and they become one, as with the previous combination. The
North is cold and moist, and its element, fire, hot and dry, and con
trariwise, the South is warm and dry, and its element, water, cold and
moist, and so the Holy One mixes them. For water comes from the South,
enters into the North, and flows again from the North; and fire comes
out from the North, and enters into the South, and it is from the South
that powerful heat goes out into the world. For the Holy One makes one
borrow from the other as He sees right. In a similar fashion He proceeds
with the air and the East. Observe now. Fire from one side, water
from the others there is opposition. Then comes the air (wind, spirit)
between them and brings them together and they become one, as it is
written: 'And the spirit (air) of God brooded over the water' (Gen. I,
2). For fire is aloft and water is on the surface of the earth, and
air enters between them, unites both elements and makes peace between
them. Earth has water, air, fire above it and receives from all three.
Observe, further, that the East is warm and moist, and the air is warm
and moist. Hence the warm-moist composite can take hold of both sides
with its warmth the fire, and with its moisture the water, and thus
end the conflict between fire and water. The earth is cold and dry,
therefore it can receive all others fire, water, and air and all can
accomplish their work in it. She receives from all of them, therefore
through their influence can produce nourishment for the whole world.
Now the side of the West, which is cold, united with the North, which
is cold and moist, for cold unites with cold, and from the other side,
the dry, West unites with the South, which is warm and dry, and thus
the West attaches itself to both sides. In the same fashion the South
is united with the East on its warm side, and the East with the North
in virtue of its moisture. Thus we find united: South-East, North-East,
North-West, South-West, and all are contained in one another in mutual
intermingling. In this way the North brings forth gold, which is pro
duced by the side of the fire-power, as- it is written, 'Gold cometh
from the North' (Job XXXVI, 22). For when fire joins with the earth
gold is produced, as it is written: 'As for the earth...it hath lumps
of gold' (Ibid, XXXVIII, 5-6) When water is united with earth, the cold
with the moist brings forth silver, and so the earth is united with two
sides, gold and silver, and situated between them. Air joins to water,
and also to fire and produces an amalgam which is 'the colour of pol
ished copper' (Ezek, I, 7). As to the earth mentioned above, when it
is by itself in its coldness and dryness it brings forth iron; therefore
it says: 'If the iron be blunt' (Eccl. X, 10). Earth, however, combines
with all the other elements, and all work through it according to their
several ways. For without earth there is no gold, no silver, no copper.
For each element imparts of its character to the other to form a com
pound, and earth mingles with all, because the two sides, fire and
water, are attached to it. Air also joins with it on account of those
two, and acts upon it. Now we find that the earth, when united with
them, brings forth also secondary products resembling their primary com
pounds. Thus corresponding to gold it brings forth the green dross
which is subordinate to gold and resembles it; corresponding to silver,
lead; corresponding to the superior copper, the inferior, tin? corre
sponding to iron, however, it brings forth only iron, and so it is said?
'Iron with iron together'; (Prov. XXVII, 17).
"'Fire, air, water, and earth are originally all united one with the
other, and there is no separation between them. But when the earth-dust
began to generate its products were no longer united like the supernal
elements, as it says* 'From thence it was parted and became into four
heads' (Gen. II, 10). In this was separation; for the earthy, when it
generated in the power of the three upper elements, brought forth four
streams, where precious stones are found. These precious stones are
twelve in number, distributed in all the four cardinal directions, and
corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israels 'And the stones shall be
with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their
names' (Ex. XXVIII, 21). Observe that though all these supernal sides
of which we spoke are united and bound up one with another, and form
the foundation of things above and things below, yet is air (spirit)
superior to them all, as it is the substance of all, without which
nothing would live, and the soul exists only through the spirit, for
if the air were to fail, even for a moment, the soul would not be.
This is hinted in the wordss 'Also when the soul is without knowledge
it is not good' (Prov. XIX, 2): soul without spirit 'is not good', and
cannot exist. Note, further, that those twelve stones correspond to
the twelve oxen under the sea of brass which was in the Temple (I Kings
VII, 25). Therefore the princes, the heads of the tribes, sacrificed
twelve oxen (Num. VII, 3). All this is a deep mystery, and he who com
prehends these words comprehends a mystery of the supernal wisdom, in
which is the root of all things.1
"R. Simeon concluded: 'See now the truth of R. Hezekiah's saying, that
when the Holy One created man He took the dust of the lower Sanctuary,
but for the making of his soul He chose the dust of the upper Sanctuary.
Just as in the formation of mem's body from the dust of the lower Sanc
tuary, three cosmic elements were combined, so in the formation of his
soul from the dust of the upper Sanctuary, further elements, to the
number of three were mingled, and so man was completely formed. And
this is the significance of the words: 'Blessed is the man to whom the
Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile'.
When does the Lord impute not iniquity? When there is no guile in his
spirit. Moses was perfected to a higher degree than were the Patriarchs,
since the Holy One spoke to him from a higher grade than to them, and
Moses stood within the Palace of the King. Hence it says: 'And I ap
peared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of EL
SHADDAI, but by My name YHVH was I not known to them*; and so we af
firm.'"
(Zohar, III, 79-83)
SUMMARY:
1.
The Tree, in the first passage, extends downwards.

of two sides, north and south, or right and left.
It is composed
2.
Man, formed in the image of God, was created from the dust of the
lower Sanctuary; the substances from which he was created belong to
two worlds.
3.
The four winds united at that place and were joined by the four
elements of the lower world.
SUMMARY (cont'd):
4.
From the elements come gold, silver, copper, and iron.
5.
In the elements, all things are grounded.
6.
The text does not give the correspondences to the metals in so

many words, but probably they should be as follows;
North
East
South
West
fire
air
water
earth
gold
silver
copper
iron
7.
The Earth receives from all of them.
8.
Man's soul comes from the upper Sanctuary, his body from the lower
Sanctuary.

does, ipso facto , terminate all rights o f the member, and is a violation of
By
FRATER TEMPORATOR
Scribe
As stated in earlier
from about the third
an oral tradition of
that and was carried
Zohar was written.
discourses, the Sepher Yezirah is usually dated

to the sixth centuries A.D. It is possible that
kabalistic mysticism dates from earlier times than
on through the middle ages until and after the
The Sepher Yezirah was translated into Latin by William Postel in the
sixteenth- century, and from there it was studied by Christian mystics
who put their own interpretation on it and often used it with other
philosophies, occult sciences, and magic.
The work is an account of creation based on the Hebrew letters and
their correspondences in the world, the year, and man, plus the "decade
out of nothing."
The creative agents are the letters and numbers, and the creative utter
ance which is analogous to the Logos or Word, as well as the utterance
and voice in the Zohar. This is stated in Chapter II, Section 6, of
the Kalisch translation: "He predetermined, and by speaking created
every creature and every word by one name."
The first section of the work says, "Yah, the Lord of hosts, the living
God, King of the Universe, Omnipotent, All-King and Merciful, Supreme
and Extolled, who is Eternal, Sublime and Most-Holy, ordained and
created the Universe in thirty-two mysterious paths of wisdom by three
Sepharim, namely: 1) S'for? 2) Sippur? and 3) Sapher, which are in Him
one and the same."
The word Sepharim is sometimes translated as forms of expression or
forms of emanation. The three forms are translated in different ways:
numbers, letters, and words; number, word, writing or work; knowledge,
the knower, the known. In any case, creation involves both numbers and
letters, numbers being represented by the ten spheres or sephiroth and
by the letters of the alphabet, since the letters also represent numer
als. It is by their permutations and combinations that creation was
accomplished.
The thirty-two paths consist of a "decade out of nothing and of twentytwo fundamental letters." The ten spheres are attributes of God, and at
the same time they are Cosmic principles which are manifest in every
realm. The twenty-two letters form three categories: three mother let
ters, seven double letters, and twelve simple letters.
First is nothing or En, which is infinity, but which is nothing only be
cause of our capacity. It is not actually nothing. After En is En-Sophf
the infinite which is still beyond man's comprehension. The creation
consists of thirty-two paths or the emanated cosmos which is the mani
festation or emanation of the seeming nothing.
The ten are like the ten fingers and ten toes, according to the text,
implying that ten is made up of five plus five. However, the ten may
also be considered to consist of the three mother letters and the seven
double letters. There are, therefore, at least two ways of considering

a series of ten. The center of the ten is the covenant with the Holy
One. Section 4 of Chapter I gives the series of ten as follows:
1. The beginning infinite
2 . The end infinite
3. The good infinite
4. The evil infinite
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
The
The
The
The
The
The
height infinite
depth infinite
East infinite
West infinite
North infinite
South infinite
Section 8 gives "the ten categories of existence out of nothing."

1. The spirit of the living God
2. Air emanated from the spirit
3. Primitive water emanated from the air
4. Fire or ether emanated from the water
5. He sealed the height
6 . He sealed the depth
7. He sealed the East
8. He sealed the West
9. He sealed the South
10. He sealed the North
These two sections not only give the ten as four and six, but the four
are given in two separate ways.
"The appearance of the ten spheres out of nothing is like a flash of
lightning, being without an end." That is they are infinite.
(Section
5) "His word is in them, when they go and return;..." "The creative
Word is in them," but the Word is also the agent of the return to God,
"The decade of existence out of nothing has its end linked to its begin
ning and its beginning linked to its end, just as the flame is wedded
to the live coal." This is similar to the idea that the sefirah
Malkuth is united to Kether; the end returns to the beginning. The coal
and flame analogy is also used in the Zohar. The end and beginning are
linked "because the Lord is one and there is not a second one, and be
fore one what wilt thou count?" Before one all that is counted is the
Infinite itself, En.
"He selected three consonants from the simple ones which are in the hid
den secret of three mothers or first elements." The three consonants
are the three mother letters: aleph, mem, and shin, "air, water and ether
or fire." The letters and the three elements therefore correspond, and
they are the second, third, and fourth categories of existence.
"He sealed them with spirit and fastened them to His great name and
sealed with it six dimensions." In other words, he sealed them with the
letters yod, he, vau, but in various permutations of them. By air he
formed twenty-two consonants. By primitive water he established "Bohu
(water, stones) mud and loam.11 By fire or ether He established "the
throne of glory, the Seraphim and Ophanim, the holy living creatures
and the angels, and of these three He formed His habitation, as it
reads: 'Who made His angels spirits, His ministers a flaming fire.'
(Psalm 104, 4) The yod, he, vau are letters of the sacred name, YHVH,
and they are thus the creative agent.
Chapter II begins explaining the nature of the letters, and it begins,
"There are twenty-two letters, stamina." In some translations the
word stamina is replaced by foundation, the idea being that the letters
are the foundation or basis of creation.
"The three fundamentals [aleph, mem, and shin] have as their basis the
balance. In one scale is the merit and in the other criminality, which
are placed in equilibrium by the tongue." This is explained further.
The letter mem is mute like water, shin hissing like fire, and aleph
is among them, a breath of air which reconciles them. This means that
mem and shin are compared to the two pans of the scale, while Aleph is
the tongue between them reconciling them.
The twenty-two letters "after having been appointed and established by
God, He combined, weighed and changed them, and formed by them all
beings which are in existence, and all those which will be formed in
all time to come." Using the voice symbolism, the text says that he
established the letters by the voice and gives the five types according
to pronunciation, gutterals, palatals, linguals, dentals, and labials.
This emphasizes the fact that letters are sound.
God fixed the letters "on the sphere like a wall with two hundred and
thirty-one gates, and turned the spheres forward and backward." The
gate symbol is also used in the Zohar and represents points of emanation
of the creative power. An example o the kabalistic play on words is
given. The letters ayin, nun, and gimmel in that order mean joy. Nun,
gimmel, ayin mean trouble or plague. The text says, "There is nothing
better than joy, and nothing worse than sorrow or plague."
The method of creation is explained. God "combined, weighed and
changed." Aleph was combined with all other letters and all others with
aleph; beth with all and all with beth, and so with the whole series.
"Hence it follows that there are two hundred and thirty-one formations,
and that every creature and every word emanated from one name." The
one name is a symbol of the essential oneness of God and creation.
"He created a reality out of nothing, called the nonentity into exis
tence and hewed, as it were, collossal pillars from intangible air" or
aleph. The pillar symbolism is, of course, used in the Zohar also.
Chapter III explains the mother letters, beginning by saying they "are
a great, wonderful and unknown mystery, and are sealed by six rings, or
elementary circles,..." As in the other two groups of letters, he formed
by them created categories in the world, the year, and man.
By the letter aleph, God formed "the air in the world, moistness in the
year, and the breast in man, male and female?..." By mem he formed the
earth in the world " (including land and sea), coldness in the year, and
the belly in male and female?..." By shin he formed "heaven in the world
heat in the year, and the head of male and female." This gives the
following table:
Aleph
Mem
Shin
Air
Earth
Heaven
Moistness
Coldness
Heat
Breast
Belly
Head
In explaining the three letters the text says that God crowned it,
which will remind us of Kether, the crown, and in the Zohar the crown
is that of the King, symbolizing God.
SUMMARY
1. - The Sepher Yezirah is an account of creation based on the Hebrew
letters and their correspondences in the world, the year, and man,
plus a "decade out of nothing."
2.
God ordained and created the universe in thirty-two paths of wisdom,

meaning the ten spheres and the twenty-two letters.
3.
The series of ten may be made up of five plus five, three plus
seven, or four plus six.
4.
The decade out of nothing has its end linked to its beginning.
5.
The third chapter explains the three mother letters and their cor
respondences ,

By
FRATER TEMPORATOR
Scribe
This discourse will discuss the remainder of the Sepher Yezirah.

Chapter IV is on the seven double letters, aspirated and unaspirated.
The text says that they "serve as a model of softness and hardness,
strength and weakness." They represent seven qualities and the "anti
theses to which human life is exposed." These are wisdom and foolish
ness, wealth and poverty, fruitfulness and childlessness, life and
death, dominion and dependence, peace and war, beauty and ugliness.
"The seven double consonants are analogous to the six dimensions:
height and depth, East and West, North and South, and the holy temple
that stands in the centre, which carries them all."
These double consonants are beth, gimel, daleth, kaf, pe, resh, and
tav. They are seven "and not six, they are seven and not eight; re
flect upon this fact, inquire about it, and make it so evident, that
the Creator be acknowledged to be on His throne again." Aside from
the letters, the directions, temple, and throne are symbols to be found
in the Zohar. By these letters God formed "seven planets in the world,
seven days in the year, seven gates, openings of the senses, in man,
male and female."
God let beth "predominate in wisdom, crowned it, combined one with the
other and formed by them: the moon in the world, the first day in the
year, and the right eye in man, male and female."
In the same way, gimel predominates in wealth and forms "Mars in the
world, the second day in the year, and the right ear..." Daleth pre
dominates in producibility, and forms "the sun in the world, the third
day in the year, the right nostril..." Kaf predominates in life and
forms Venus, the fourth day, and the left eye. Pe predominates in
dominion and forms Mercury, the fifth day, and the left ear. Resh pre
dominates in peace, and forms Saturn, the sixth day, and the left
nostril. Tav predominates in beauty and forms Jupiter, the seventh
day, and the mouth. This gives the following table ;
Letter
Beth
Gimel
Daleth
Kaf
Pe
Resh
Tav
Quality
wisdom
wealth
producibility
life
dominion
peace
beauty
Man
right eye
right ear
right nostril
left eye
left ear
left nostril
mouth
first
second
third
fourth
fifth
sixth
seventh
Planet
Moon
Mars
Sun
Venus
Mercury
Saturn
Jupiter
When the text says beth predominates in wisdom, it infers its opposite
or foolishness. The day in the above table refers to the year, and
the planet to the world. However, by world it means what we would call
the cosmos or universe.
By the double letters were also designed seven worlds, seven heavens,
seven lands, seven 6eas, seven rivers, seven deserts, seven days a week
seven weeks from Passover to Pentecost, a cycle of seven years.
"Hence
God loves the number seven under the whole heaven." The text does not
give these in detail, except that the seven weeks are those from Passover to Pentecost, and the seventh year is the release year. There
are, then, a series of correspondences to the seven double letters.
The final section of the fourth chapter gives the following permuta
tions: "Two stones build two houses, three stones build six houses,
four build twenty-four houses, five build one hundred and twenty
houses, six build seven hundred and twenty houses and seven build five
thousand and forty houses. From thence further go and reckon what the
mouth cannot express and the ear cannot hear." The note on the section
in the Kalish translation says that the rule for permutation is 1 times
2 times 3 times 4 times 5 times 6 times 7 equals 504 0, so the text
should read 5040 not 5004 houses, and he has changed the translation
to read as it is above. In any case, creation is multiplied or com
pounded.
In Chapter V the twelve simple letters are those with a single pronun
ciation. They "symbolize, as it were, the organs of speaking, thinking,
walking, seeing, hearing, working, coition, smelling, sleep, anger,
swallowing and laughing." It might be better to say functions rather
than organs. They also represent the "twelve oblique points: east
height, north east, east depth, south height, south east, south depth,
west height, south west, west depth, north height, north west, north
depth. They grew wider and wider to all eternity, and these are the
boundaries of the world."
These twelve "having been designed, established, combined, weighed and
changed by God, He performed by them: twelve constellations in the
world, twelve months in the year, and twelve leaders (organs) in the
human body, male and female." The Jewish calendar varies considerably
from year to year, but Nisan comes late in March or early April, and
the other months follow in order.
He predominates in speaking and forms Aries, the month Nisan, and the
right foot. Vav predominates in thinking and forms Taurus, the month
Iyar, and the right kidney. Zayin predominates in walking and forms
Gemini, the month Sivan, and the left foot. Heth predominates in see
ing and forms Cancer, the month Tamus, and the right hand. Teth pre
dominates in hearing and forms Leo, the month Ab, and the left kidney.
Yod predominates in working and forms Virgo, the month Elul, and the
left hand. Lamed predominates in coition and forms Libra, the month
Tishri, and the gall. Nun predominates in smelling and forms Scorpio,
the month Marcheshvan, and the small intestines. Samek predominates in
sleep and forms Sagittarius, the month Kislev, and the stomach. Ayin
predominates in anger and forms Capricorn, the month Teves, and the
liver. Tzaddi predominates in swallowing and forms Aquarius, the month
Schwat, and the esophagus. Qoph predominates in laughing and forms
Pisces, the month Adar, and the milt (the milt is the spleen).
"He made them as a conflict, drew them up like a wall; and set one
against the other as in warfare."
Letter
He
Vav
Zayin
Heth
Teth
Yod
Lamed
Nun
Quality
speaking
thinking
walking
seeing
hearing
working
coition
smelling
Samek
Ayin
Tzaddi
Qoph
sleep
anger
swallowing
laughing
Man
right foot
right kidney
left foot
right hand
left kidney
left hand
gall
small
intestines
stomach
liver
esophagus
milt
Month
Nisan
Iyar
Si van
Tamus
Ab
Elul
Tishri
Marcheshvan
Zodiac
Aries
Taurus
Gemini
Cancer
Leo
Virgo
Libra
Scorpio
Kislev
Teves
Schwat
Adar
Sagittarius
Capricorn
Aquarius
Pisces
Chapter VI, the final one, is a resume. There are some points which
are of interest and are important. Section 2 says, "To confirm this
there are faithful witnesses; the world, year and man, the twelve, the
Equipoise, the heptade, which God regulates like the Dragon (Tali),
sphere, and the heart." The Equipoise refers to the scale used in ref
erence to the three mother letters. The heptade, of course, refers to
the seven double letters, and twelve to the single letters. There is
disagreement about the meaning of the Dragon, whether it refers to the
constellation or to the points in which the moon's orbit intercepts
the ecliptic. Even though they were written at such different times,
it might help to remember, in studying the Sepher Yezirah, the refer
ence in the Zohar (II, 10), "In the centre of the heaven there is an
illumined path, which is the celestial dragon, and in it are fixed
multitudes of little stars which are charged to keep watch over the
secret deeds of human beings."
In any case, the text is referring both to the three types of letters,
mothers, doubles, and singles, and to the correspondences in the world,
the year, and man. To do this it mentions the dragon, the sphere, and
the heart. The sphere is used in the sense of sephiroth as emanations
from God. The heart is the life of man, and to many ancient peoples
the seat of the soul. The dragon would logically refer to that in the
year which corresponds to the sphere and heart, except for Section 4
which says, "Dragon (Tali) is in the world like a king upon his throne,
the sphere is in the year like a king in the empire, and the heart is
in the human body like a king in war." The king is a common symbol in
the kabala and represents God. The dragon, sphere, and maybe the heart
have a double meaning. The heart is a common solar symbol. All three
may refer to God as He is in Himself and as He is manifest.
"There are twenty-two letters by which the I am, Yah, the Lord of hosts,
Almighty and Eternal, designed, formed and created by three Sepharim,
His whole world, and formed by them creatures and all those that will
be formed in time to come."
The final section of the Sepher Yezirah may be an addition by a later
writer. It makes an important point however.
"When the patriarch
Abraham comprehended the great truism, revolved it in his mind, con-
ceived it perfectly, made careful investigations and profound inquir

ies, pondered upon it and succeeded in contemplations, the Lord of the
Universe appeared to him, called him his friend, made with him a cove
nant between the ten fingers of his hands, which is the covenant of
the tongue, and the convenant between the ten toes of his feet, which
is the covenant of circumcision, and said of him: 'Before I formed
thee in the belly I knew thee.'
(Jer. I, 5.)"
The appearance of the Lord of the Universe may be a way of symbolizing
mystical union through meditation. Abraham comprehended the truth,
and succeeded in contemplations, which is one way of saying he meditated,
and the Lord appeared to him symbolizes the mystical experience.
The two tables will summarize the letters and their meanings. It will
help to understand the Sepher Yezirah itself. The analysis in these
discourses should, we feel, help inthat understanding.

By
Scribe
The Sepher Yezirah and the Zohar are written from entirely different
points of view even though both are kabalistic. They should be
studied with that in mind; both are basic kabalistic ideas and symbol
ism, yet the symbolism especially is different in point of view and
application. It will be helpful to study the two works together with
this in mind, and of course, being kabalistic, there are basic simi
larities as well as differences. They are not contradictory but are
different aspects and presentations of the same basic mysticism. They
mean much more studied together than either one separately.
Any history of the Kabala given here must of necessity be too short.
Many kabalistic works are not available in English, and there are still
kabalistic works in manuscripts. We refer the reader to Scholem's
Kabbalah for further information.
There were influences, especially on particular writers, from gnosti
cism and neoplatonism; they will be pointed out as we proceed. In any
case, the Kabala stands by itself. Obviously, no matter what work or
period we discuss, the Kabala or any mystical religion or philosophy
exists in a social, political, and philosophic milieu. The term
science was formerly used to mean knowledge, and this should be kept
in mind. Science, in our sense of the word, differed in various peri
ods of time as well as places.
Abelson in his introduction to the English edition of the Zohar says
that it is a compilation of material from Jewish and non-Jewish works
covering many centuries. This disagrees with what Scholem says, and
the latter*s belief that it was written by Moses de Leon is the conclu
sion we have accepted. The Zohar does, as has been said, express
different ideas and opinions in the form of discussions between the
Rabbis, or expressed interpretations of biblical texts. These are Jew
ish kabalistic mysticism from the time of Moses de Leon even though
they probably are traditional in many cases.
The Sepher Yezirah, as was stated earlier, dates from about the third
to the sixth centuries. There are indications of influences from the
gnostics, neopythagoreans, and perhaps other philosophies. It is
possible, for instance, to compare the statement, "The appearance of
the ten spheres out of nothing is like a flash of lightning" to the
gnostic concept of emanation. Scholem has compared the sealing of the
directions in the Sepher Yezirah with Yod He Vau to the gnostic use of
the vowels i, a, and o . The thirty-two paths of wisdom may have been
influenced by the gnostic aeons, but this is difficult to prove, as is
the possibility that the wisdom referred to in the Sepher Yezirah may
have been influenced by the word gnosis and its use as meaning knowledge
or wisdom. Pythagorean number symbolism may have been a factor also.
From the seventh to the eleventh centuries kabalistic mysticism contin
ued, but there is no evidence of much new thought. Whether this was
because it was kept secret and passed on from one individual or group
to another, or because there really were no new concepts is probably
impossible to prove and document. Gnostic and neoplatonist influence
came with the Kabala to Provence in southern France, but this too is
difficult to document. There were kabalists in southern France during
the time of the Cathars, Christian mystics who were exterminated for
their "heresy" except for a very few who escaped. Whether there was
any connection between the two is not known? if there was, they them
selves would have kept it secret. Still, both were part of a deep and
important mystical religious movement.
Isaac the Blind, who died about 12 35, was born in Narbonne in southern
France. He was, as far as is known, the first kabalistic mystic of
that area and had followers in both southern France and Catalonia.
His work would be better known today if he had not carefully kept his
works within the group of his followers.
The Zohar is, of course, the Book of Splendor; the Sepher Yezirah, the
Book of Creation? while the Sepher^Ka-Bahir might be translated as the
Book oT Brightness. Aside from the Sepher Yezirah, it is, with the
Zohar, one of the oldest kabalistic works.
It was probably written in
the twelfth century from old manuscripts which came to Europe from the
Near East, and it shows some gnostic influence. It deals with the
sefiroth and also has commentaries on biblical passages. A number of
works dating from this time are known, but they are short in length
and have not been published in English except for the Sepher ha-Bahir
which is in The Secret Garden listed in the bibliography.
Early in the thirteenth century Gerona in Spain became a center for the
kabalists. From here their influence in Spain spread# and there were
those who believed in transmitting the Kabala secretly as well as those
who wanted to make it known to those who were interested, which would
have made it much more public knowledge.
Among the Spanish kabalists one of the best known was Nahmanides, who
lived from about 1194 to 1270. He was well known for his works in
other fields, and while they do not include any on the Kabala, except
for a commentary on part of the Sepher Yezirah# there are some veiled
references and kabalistic symbolism.
Abraham Abulafia (1240c.-1292) was roughly contemporary with Moses de
Leon, and he was an important kabalist. He is noted for his work on
meditation with sacred names and with letters, on prophetic Kabala,
and the mystical experience.
Isaac Ibn Latif of the thirteenth century was a kabalist and a philos
opher influenced by neoplatonism, Ibn Gabirol, and others. Yet he was
an independent thinker, much of his work being based on his interpreta
tion of the Bible. To him, in spite of other interests, the Kabala was
more important than philosophy. There was also a group in fourteenth
century Spain pointing to the difference between the kabalists in
Castile who were influenced by gnosticism and the Catalonians. The
Zohar is of course a product of the Spanish Kabala and its most impor
tant work and is a blend of the Castilian and Catalonian systems.
Joseph Gikatilla was influenced by gnostic groups but he was earlier a

follower of Abraham Abulafia. His books, also written in the late
thirteenth century, study the sefiroth and are sometimes similar to
the Zohar. In effect, he used three kabalistic systems, the Zohar,
kabala of Gerona, and Abulafia.
The Kabala during the fourteenth century spread through Spain to Italy
and the Near East as far as Persia with an increasing volume of works.
Some of these works influenced kabalists as long as the sixteenth
century. A number of them were influenced by Nahmanides and his fol
lowers, and by the unknown author of the early fourteenth century work,
Ma* arekhet ha-Elohut, a systematic exposition of the Kabala.
The kabalists were expelled from Spain in 1492, causing both great dis
tress and its spread to other countries such as Israel and north Africa.
This resulted in deep change in Jewish thought and religion, and it
made the Kabala more public.
Moses Cordovero (1522-1570) of Safed was an important kabalist, but he
did not altogether follow earlier writers. His concepts, such as those
on the sefiroth, varied widely from earlier works and thinkers. During
the course of his life and works, his own thinking changed. Some of
his followers spread his work to Italy, and their influence and
Cordovero's lasted at least as late as the eighteenth century.
Isaac Luria studied with Cordovero for only a brief time. While his
system of thought in itself is not to be compared to Cordovero's, his
influence was great. Again it was his followers who made his work
known. In this process, Luria's work was interpreted differently, but
this did not seem to affect its influence.
One kabalist who should not be overlooked is Ibn Gabirol who was born
about 1021 and died about 1058. He was a Spanish poet and kabalist and
was influenced by neoplatonism and its mysticism. He has often been
accused of being non-Jewish, and he had more influence on later Chris
tians than on Jews. Yet some of his poems were influenced by the
Sepher Yezirah.
The messianic Shabbateans changed traditional kabalistic beliefs within
those groups and were considered heretical by some. Yet to others
Shabbatai Sevi (1624-1664) was the expected messiah, but the movement
was largely influenced by the ideas of Nathan of Gaza who died about
16 80 and Abraham Miguel Cordoza who died about 1706.
More traditional Kabala was based on Isaac Luria's ideas and the older
Kabala. As time went on the Kabala become more popular, emphasizing
basic teachings. There were kabalists in north Africa, Yemen, and
Kurdistan as well as Europe from the seventeenth century on, and in
Jerusalem an important group came into existence in the mid-eighteenth
century.
Christian Kabala came from Jewish converts to Christianity, but more
especially from the Florentine Academy. Pico della Mirandola (1462-
1494) had some kabalistic works translated, and some of his 900 theses
were based on the Kabala. Pico applied these ideas to Christian doc
trines, and his ideas spread in some European countries. He influenced
Johannes Reuchlin (1455-1522) whose works had an important effect on
some Christian writers. There were other important Christian kabalists
such as Guillaume Postel (1510-1581) who translated both the Sepher
Yezirah and the Zohar into Latin. A number of Renaissance and later
writers were interested in the Kabala, among them Franciscus Mercurius
van Helmont, Knorr von Rosenroth, probably Jacob Boehme, and later the
Cambridge Platonists. Some, like Cornelius Agrippa mixed the Kabala
with occult sciences.
SUMMARY:
1.
The Sepher Yezirah and the Zohar should be studied together.
2.
Some kabalists were influenced by gnosticism, neoplatonism, and

perhaps neopythagoreans.
3.
The Kabala continued from the seventh to the eleventh centuries.
4.
There were kabalists in southern France during the time of the

Cathars.
5.
Isaac the Blind was a thirteenth century kabalist in southern

France.
6.
The Sepher ha-Bahir was probably written in the twelfth century

in the Near East.
7.
Nahmanides, Abulafia, Isaac Ibn Latif, Gikatilla, Cordovero,

Luria, and Ibn Gabirol have been discussed.

By
FRATER TEMPORATOR
Scribe
Special Discourse
Number 21
IM .
If G A
One mystic and Rosicrucian who wrote on the Kabala was Thomas Vaughan
who lived from about 1622 to 1665. He was the twin brother of Henry
Vaughan, the poet. Most of his ideas on the Kabala are in his Magia
Adamica, The Antiquitie of Magic, published in London in 1650. It is
in Vaughan1s Works eHEi'tecT*and translated by A. E. Waite, London, 1919.
Vaughan uses magic in his works, but he is also speaking of magic in
the sense of Magus or Magi. He writes, "Magic is nothing but the wis
dom of the Creator revealed and planted in the creature." He goes on
to say that magicians were attendants of Jesus. He admits that the
attempt to reconcile it to the world is more plausible than possible
because of the prejudice. What follows is a modernized summary of
some of Vaughan*s ideas.
According to Aristotle, Vaughan writes, the Divine Mind is the First
Cause of knowledge. The magicians believed that no word is effective
unless it is first animated with the Word of God. Vaughan mentions
Cornelius Agrippa, Johannes Trithemius, and Johannes Reuclin. The
first two wrote on a combined form of occult sciences, mysticism, al
chemy, and the Kabala. Obviously in Vaughan's case, his Kabala is
Christian and influenced by the other fields of knowledge just men
tioned. It should be remembered that this was a common practice of
his and earlier times.
Magic in this wide sense, including what we would consider separate sub
jects, is a mystery to be considered several ways because of its subjects.
Its original existence is in God, for it is the practice or operation of
the Divine Spirit working in the matter, uniting principles into com
pounds and resolving these again into principles. We are, Vaughan says,
to consider it as it was imparted to man, and this properly has no begin
ning but there is rather, a revelation of the art. I must build my dis
course on the traditions of those to whom the written and mystical word
was entrusted. These were the Jews in general, but particularly the
kabalists. My intention is to justify the Rabbis from Scripture and with
proofs both Divine and human.
It is the opinion of the Hebrews that before the Fall of Adam there was
more communion between heaven and Earth, God and elements, than there
is now. But on the transgression of the first man, Malkuth, say the
Kabalists, was cut off from the Tree and a breach was made between both
worlds. Malkuth is the invisible, archetypal moon by which our moon is
governed. God, to punish the sin of Adam, withdrew Himself from the
creatures. Vaughan notes as imperfections the dark spots in the Moon
and Sun revealed by the telescope.
He says he would not dwell on this, and he quotes from a kabalist with
out naming him. "In the beginning of the creation of the world God did
descend and cohabitate with things here below. And when the Divine
habitation was here below, the heavens and the earth were found to be
united, and the vital springs and channels were in their perfection,
and did flow from the superior to the inferior world? and God was found
sinned, whereupon the descents from above were restrained and their
channels were broken; and the watercourse was no more; and the Divine
Cohabitation ceased, and the society was divided."
Because he has promised Scripture to his readers, Vaughan quotes from
Genesis, III, 17-19. God says because He had commanded Adam not to
eat of the tree, the ground is cursed, and in sorrow Adam will eat of
the tree all his life.
"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,
till thou return unto the ground; for out of it was thou taken: for
dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." What the curse on
Adam was must be understood by knowing that God essentially is light
and evil is darkness. The evil is corruption that takes place on the
removal of that which is good. God having removed His light from the
elements, the darkness and cold of matter prevailed, and the Earth was
nearer her first deformity and was less fruitful and vital. Heaven
and hell, or light and darkness, are the two extremes which consummate
good and evil, Vaughan refers to Jesus' statements, "Come, ye blessed"
and "Depart from me, ye cursed." The curse was a restraint of those
blessings which God had formerly communicated to His creatures.
"And
thus I conceive there is a very fair and full harmony between Moses
and the Kabalists," says Vaughan.
The curse was intended chiefly for man but extended to the elements,
because otherwise to exclude Adam from Eden would have been to turn
him out of one paradise into another. The curse on the serpent in
cluded all cattle and beasts, but the serpent more than any. But as
they were cursed in the fall of man, for man's sake, so in his restitu
tion they shall be blessed for his sake.
Man was a stranger in this world, could not distinguish medicines from
poisons, and was not skilled in the ordinary preparation of meat and
drink. He heard sometimes of a Tree of Life in Eden, but the vege
tables of this world, for all he knew, might be trees of death. I con
clude, Vaughan goes on, that he had some instructor to initiate him in
the ways of life and show him the intricate path of that wilderness.
His outward miseries and inward despair were motives whereupon God
revealed a certain art to him, by which he might relieve his necessities
and embrace a firm hope of a future restitution. God having ordained a
second, eternal Adam (referring to Jesus) by some mysterious experience
manifest the possibility of His coming to the first, who was now a very
fit patient for so Divine and Merciful a Physician.
Omitting our own reasons, let us repair to the kabalists, who are very
high in the point. God, they say, having made fast the doors of His
Paradise and turned out Adam, retained His former affection towards him.
God is said to love His creatures, not because there is anything lovely
in them without their Creator, but He desires their perfection. He
would have them conformable to Himself and fit to receive His image or
similitude. To restore this in Adam was impossible unless God reassumed
to Himself what was not fallen from Him. God in His secret will was re
solved to unite the nature of man to Him and vindicate him from death
by taking him into the Deity, the true fountain and centre of life.
This was first revealed, say the kabalists, to the angels by God when
he said, "Behold an Adam like one of us, knowing good and evil." This
speech they call "a most secret conference which God had with the
blessed angels in the Inner Chambers of Heaven." Vaughan says this
text may not concern the first Adam, who knew evil by committing it
and could not be like God because of that knowledge. This speech con
cerned the second Adam, Jesus Christ, who knew the evil but did not
commit it and was therefore like one of the Trinity.
According to Vaughan, the kabalists say Raziel the angel was dispatched
to communicate to Adam this intelligence and acquaint him with the mys
teries of both worlds, eternal and temporal. He had to obtain the
blessings of the eternal world by a true faith apprehending the Three
Eternal Principles of it. So he could not fully enjoy the benefits of
this temporal world unless he truly understood the Three above and
three beneath, Three as St. John says in Heaven and three on earth.
The inferior bear witness to the Superior and are their only proper
receptacles. They are the signatures and created books where we may
read the mysteries of the supernatural Trinity.
The kabalists
patriarchs to
This doctrine
ble for us to
Spirit of God
angels.
not only attribute a guardian to Adam but to each of the

assist and instruct them in the worldly peregrinations.
is no more religious than necessary, for it is impossi
find out mysteries of ourselves. We must either have the
instruct us or His ministers, whether they are men or
"Said the Kabalist: 'The building of the Sanctuary which is here below
is framed according to that of the Sanctuary which is above.* Here we
have two worlds, visible and invisible, and two universal natures, vis
ible and invisible, out of which both those worlds proceeded. The
passive universal Nature was made in the image of the active universal
one, and the conformity of both worlds or Sanctuaries consists in the
original conformity of their principles."
SUMMARY:
1.
Vaughan uses magic in his works, meaning the Wisdom of the Creator
revealed in the creature.
2.
He also combines Christian Kabala with occult sciences, mysticism,

and alchemy, as did many other writers on these subjects.
3.
It must be remembered that science or natural philosophy at that

time was a much more inclusive term, and meant knowledge in general.
4.
Vaughan explains in detail the sin or transgression of Adam and its

resulting curse.
5.
The curse included the creatures of the world below, (that is, the
elements and animals) as well as man.
SUMMARY (cont'd):
6.
God loves his creatures because He desires their perfection.
7.
God was resolved to unite the nature of man with Him.
8.
The building of the Sanctuary below is framed according to that

which is above.

Ro8icrucian member and not otherwise. Any other use or attempted use,
By
FRATER TEMPORATOR
Scribe
-D~
PAGE ONE
Dr. Robert Fludd was an English physician and Rosicrucian who lived
from 1571 to 1637. His Mosaics11 Philosophy was the only one of his
books published in English and this was in 1659 after his death. Part
of it compares the Kabala with other philosophies and religions. It
must be remembered that this is Christian Kabala, and there are differ
ences between any Christianized form of the Kabala and the Jewish
Kabala. The English in the following material has been modernized and
the text summarized rather than quoted.
He begins by saying to the reader that his desire is to prove the true
philosophy with the properties of that eternal Wisdom which is the
foundation whereon it is grounded. How is it possible for us earthly
creatures or divine images, housed in clay tabernacles, to wade through
the confused labyrinth of the creature to the Essence of the Creator;
that is, to search out the mysteries of the true Wisdom in this world
and its creatures. It must be done by penetrating with a mental spec
ulation into the earthly mansion and to attain the heavenly palace, the
middle point thereof where her abiding place is who is the center of
all things, whose circumference is nowhere. If God in his Eternal
Word or Divine Wisdom has first made the creatures and sustained them
to the present, how can a philosopher explain the mysteries of the
Creator in the creature or behold the creature in the Creator, except
by the rules the storehouse of wisdom, the Scriptures, have registered.
The Scriptures have a twofold meaning, an internal, spiritual, and an
external or literal. Likewise man has a double nature, a spiritual
soul and a material body.
The true Mosaical principles are darkness, water, and light. All plen
itude and vacuity in the world consist in the presence or absence of
the immaterial principle which is Light.
(Fludd uses the term formal,
which at that time meant the essential, immaterial aspect.) Moses
shows how the active properties, cold and heat, issue from darkness and
light, as the passive natures, moisture and dryness originate from the
active.
Fludd compares different religious and philosophical beliefs, Thales
of Milesius believes that water was the beginning of all things.
Anaximenes affirms that an infinite air was the first cause of all
existence. Zoroaster says all things begin from fire and light.
Pythagoreans say there is one universal fire in all things in this
world. Each of these opinions will be found to approach the Mosaical
truth. A divine fire or light issuing from darkness suddenly by its
bright presence revealed the hidden and invisible waters, the subtler
part of which is the spirit of air. The Stoic Zeno believed that the
first principle, the substance of fire was converted into water by the
air and was the beginning of all things. Empedocles said the four ele
ments are the radical principles of all things, of which two are agents
and two patients.
The divine light or sacred emanation which the Scriptures call the holy
Spirit of Wisdom was the beginning of all things. Nevertheless there
NUMBER TWENTY-TWO
was another property before it, of the same sacred essence, termed the
divine power. This preceded his act or emanation as the Father is
said to exist before the Son.
That principle Moses terms darkness or the dark Abyss, Aristotle calls
first matter. Plato calls it hyle (matter) which is esteemed nothing
since it is invisible and without form. Hermes calls it fearful
shadow. Pythagoras makes it his symbolic Unity. Hippocrates names it
deformed chaos without form or shape.
(Again, form and deformed refer
to the immaterial principle, not to shape.)
That which Moses calls waters Aristotle entitles second matter. Plato
terms it the Spirit, Hermes the humid nature. Hippocrates and Anaxi
menes call it the vast and universal air of this world. Pythagoras
says it is symbolically the number of duality and the mark of imperfec
tion. That animating principle which Moses calls light proceeding from
the Spirit of the Lord, Aristotle makes his formal beginning. Plato
says it is the act or soul of the world. Pythagoras delineates it by
the number three, and Hippocrates calls it that immortal heat which,
when all things were troubled in the beginning by contention, soared up
into the upper region the ancients call the ether of heaven.
The Mosaical principles are evident to all who wisely contemplate the
words of Moses in his first chapter of Genesis. Before there is any
mention of the separation which by the Word of God was effected in the
six days work of Creation, it is said that darkness was on the face of
the Abyss, and that the earth was without shape and form. The Heavens
and the earth were not yet inacted or informed, but were one deformed
mass. All were complicitly comprehended in one Dark Abyss, but explic
itly they were as yet nothing. St. Augustine compares this nothing to
speech, which while it is in the mind of the speaker is as nothing to
him to whom it is spoken. Plato compares it in this state of nullity
to a vision in a dream which when a man awakes proves nothing but mere
imagination.
God created all things of nothing. The nothing is not a negative noth
ing which does not come under man's reason. The first essence and
matter of all things was from all eternity in God, one and the same
thing. Nothing ever came into being from any other but God? neither
can anything exist but in him.
What Moses meant by dark abyss, Job termed lethal darkness because it
is void of form and life. Form gives to each thing its name and being.
Hermes terms it divine power or puissance. Moses said Darkness was upon
the face of the abyss. Hermes has it that there was an infinite shadow
upon the abyss? also water and a thin intellectual spirit were in the
chaos, which agrees with Moses.
All things were complicitly in the divine puissance or power before, by
the emission of his inacting Spirit, they were reduced into an explicit
Being. "For this reason," Hermes says, "shall I sing thy praises in those
things which thou hast made to appear out of darkness, or in those

things which lie hid in thy secret bosom?" By this he argues that both
the things that hid in darkness and those which are made manifest are
all one in the sight of the abstruse unity, who is the God of those
things which are not, in respect of our capacity, as those which are
or appear to our senses,
Reuclin speaks of the beginning according to the mystical and learned
Rabbis in these words: Nothing is the beginning but Wisdom, and it is
the highest of the three numerations of the Cabalistic tree, which you
are accustomed to call the three persons in divinity, which is an
absolute essence. While it is retracted in the abyss of darkness and
rests quiet, having respect to nothing, it is termed Ain by the Hebrews,
or nothing. Because we are affected with extreme poverty of capacity
in the conception of divine things, judge those things which do not
appear as we are accustomed to do of such things as are not at all.
But when it has showed itself to be something indeed, and that it really
exists in human apprehension, then the dark Aleph is coverted to light
Aleph, for it is written, as his darkness is, such is his light.
The waters were the material principle being created by the spirit of
the Lord, or Elohim Ruach. Secondly, it was the eternal Wisdom, or
spirit Elohim, who brought forth this birth and gave it act and form.
Thirdly, the heavens above were made of purer, brighter waters, the
elementary world beneath of the grosser, darker waters. There was a
middle kind which participated in both extremes and was termed the
firmament, whose main office was to divide the water from the waters.
Out of the lower waters, by the same word or spirit, the elements were
proportioned and placed.
Later Pludd says that the kabalistic explanation of the Hebrew word for
the sun is written in Hebrew Shin Mem Shin, where we have two Shins
which the Kabalistists make the symbolic character of fire and light,
and Mem in the middle which signifies a watery corpulency. The humid
nature of the heavens, being contracted in their center, is illuminated
with a double proportion of the divine emanation flowing from the
sephira called Tiphereth or beauty. By this it is argued that the
heavenly mass is made a tabernacle for the spiritual sun or divine
Spirit of Light.
The universal substance of the world's machine was made of one thing,
the matter produced out of the dark chaos by the power of the divine
Word, which matter Moses termed Waters, and Hermes the humid nature,
and of which the heavens and earth were made. Out of this mass of
waters the universal sublunary element was derived, or air. This gen
eral element is by the breath of the divine Spirit Ruach Elohim al
tered and changed from one shape into another. The visible waters were
first made of the air, which is invisible water, as again the visible
water by condensation was made earth. We are taught by chemical experi
ence that the earth is coagulated waters, and visible water is invisible
air reduced by condensation to visibility, and fire is rarified air.
(By chemical, Fludd is referring to alchemy.) All visible things were
first produced out of things not visible, that is to say, aerial or

heavenly. Therefore it is evident that the sublunary air is the main
material substance of that which the world calls elements. It is
altered from one state into smother by the Word or divine Spirit Ruach
Elohim, I mean, by the eternal wisdom.
God animated the Emperial heaven or the intellectual spirit which is
the seat of angels. The emperial heaven animates the stars or etherial
region. The starry heaven is the multiplier and vivifier of the ele
mentary region and his creatures. Not only the Kabalists but the profoundest philosophers, have made an everlasting memory of this perfect
and formal root with his triple dimension. They have founded on this
subject their formal and mystical arithmetic and geometry which are
not exercised about common subjects, but employed about the profound
meditations of the true Kabala, natural magic, and essential alchemy.
Because they are condemned under those titles, they are termed by the
mystical with the names of the science elementary, celestial, and
supermundane. These are three mystical sciences which are by wise men
appropriated to the knowledge of the three worlds, the intelligible,
the celestial, and elementary, represented according to the Kabalists
by these three letters of the name Adam: Aleph, Daleth, and Mem. Rabbi
Zoar said there are three things which correspond to one another in
this ternary dimension, since they are formed after the pattern of the
archetype and radical idea, namely the Tabernacle of God which Moses
erected, the Temple of Solomon, and man's body, according to the three
manner of numbers applied to them, the vocal or operative, the formal,
and the rational or divine.
All things were created by one eternal Spirit of Wisdom to inform and
inact all things explicitly which before were contained in the divine
puissance of the everlasting Unity. By the emanation of this universal
beam of divine Light all particular things were framed, shaped and
animated, proceeding by multiplication from the root to the trunk of a
tree from which all boughs, twigs, leaves and fruit spring. As the
progression springs from the root, so the divine emanation proceeds
directly from En Soph by emanation not separated from his eternal origin,
God operates by his divine organs so that all angelical lights proceed
from the same universal emanation. Diversity and opposition of their
natures proceed from the multiplicity of properties in the general
emanation. This is the reason that this eternal creating Spirit of wis
dom is termed by Solomon, One and manifold (Wisd. 7). This is expressed
by the Kabalistic Rabbis in the description of their numerical or
sephirotical Tree. The mystical theologians observed ten special names
ascribed to God, so they perceived that each of these imported a
diverse operation. The Hebrews called on this or that Name of God men
tioned in the holy Text according to the nature of the necessity they
had of God's assistance.
God's name Tetragrammaton is the common agent in every bough of the
Kabalistic Tree and has the dominion over all the trunk or body of that
Tree. Consequently all the other ten names of God are assigned to it as
having relation to the properties or effects of his multiplicity of

powers or actions in one individual essence. All the rest are subject
to it and wholly comprehended within it, Fludd then gives the divine
attributes ascribed to the sacred Essence as they are numbered in the
Kabalistic Tree. These will be given in a brief form.
The first name of the Divine Attribute is Ehieh and means the origin
of all creatures, the foundation of clemency. It is the President of
the radical gate called Kether or Crown.
(The names of the sefiroth
have been spelled as they are in earlier discourses.) The second name
is Jah, which means the blessed emanation of the world and extraction
of the waters out of the Chaos. This is Hokmah or Wisdom. The third
is Elohim, the bright port through which the reflecting beams of his
property stream. This is Binah or prudency.
The seven following branches pertain to those alterations to the crea
tures which befall them in this world. The fourth branch has for his
President the merciful attribute of God called El. This is Hesed,
clemency. It is the fountain from which Jupiter receives his benevo
lent emanation. The fifth name is Elohim Gibbor and is an attribute
which sends malevolent influence down to the creatures. This is
Geburah or power, and the celestial influence is Mars. The sixth name
is Eloach, whose emanations are full of life and beauty. This is
Tiphereth, and its channel is the sun. The seventh name is Jehova
Seboath, and it is the god of jubilation. This is Nezach, which sig
nifies justice and charity. Its storehouse is Venus. The eighth name
is Elohim Saboth, and its channel is Mercury. It is called Hod, praise
or honor. The ninth name is Elchai, and his gate is Jesod, that is,
the foundation. Its channel is the moon. The tenth and last name is
Adonae; the port by which he sends his illuminations is Malkuth or
kingdom. Its influx goes directly into the elementary world.
In these ten general properties of God signified by the ten attributes
of the Divine Essence, we find all things in the world, good or evil,
concordant or discordant which descend from this fountain of Unity.
SUMMARY;
1.
Dr. Robert Fludd's Mosaicall Philosophy deals in part with Christian

kabala.
2.
His desire is to prove the true philosophy with the properties of

eternal Wisdom.
3.
The Scriptures have a two-fold meaning, internal, spiritual, and

external or literal. Man has a double nature, spiritual and
material,
4.
The true Mosaical principles are darkness, water, and light.
SUMMARY (cont'd):
5.
Fludd compares different religions and philosophical beliefs.

These include principles based on the books of Moses. With these
and ideas from Reuclin, he gives kabalistic principles.
6.
All things were created by one Spirit of Wisdom. All were con
tained in the everlasting Unity. By this all things were framed
and animated.
7.
The ten sephiroth are given, the names of God, and the planetary
channels associated with the seven lower sephiroth.

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The matter contained herein is officially issued through the Supreme

Council of the A.M.O.R.C. A ll matters herein contained are strictly confi

The time of the Sepher Yezirah written about the third

Oral tradition passed on from teacher to student.

The Zohar which dates from about 1280 to 1290; Spanish

Kabalists after the expulsion.

The Kabala is said to be practical and theoretical. Practical Kabala

Temurah is the transposition of the letters in a word

Notarikon is the use of the letters of a word as the

Gematria is the substitution of the numerical value of

Mystical experience is intensely personal. The symbols used in any

Hollow of the hand

Sign of the cross

It should be remembered that the spelling of the Hebrew letxers differs

The word Kabala means tradition.

Kabalistic mysticism was influenced by Gnosticism and Neoplatonism.

The Kabala is both practical and theoretical.

The basic mysticism and its symbolic function should be used to

The Hebrew letters, numbers, and derivatives of the letters are

The matter contained herein is officially issued through the Supreme

There is a parable or allegory in the Zohar (I, 9-13) regarding the

The Creative Utterance or Word in the Kabala is also typical of

Letter, name, and word symbolism, along with number symbolism, is

London, Routledge and

Kalish, Isidor, translator

Secaucas, N. J., 1967.

New Hyde Park, New York, University

THE KABALA UNVEILED

New York, Occult Research Press,

The matter contained herein is officially issued through the Supreme

The Torah itself, the foundation of Judaism, is also dual in a sense;

beginning' corresponds to Wisdom, 'God created' hints at Understanding;

The Zohar is a commentary on the Bible, particularly the books of

It teaches the relationship between man, the universe, and God.

One important aspect of the Zohar is its explanations of creation,

The diagram on page four is based on the explanation of the rela

The matter contained herein is officially issued through the Supreme

Some of the letter symbolism is given.

The importance and symbolism of the Torah is indicated.

THE KABALA UNVEILED

The world is compared to a house which God made. The passage ex

The ladder is compared to the grades of the sefiroth.

Knowledge of the soul, man and God is explained. There is grade

The matter contained herein is officially issued through the Supreme

another passage concerning the sephiroth, it says that

Wisdom (Hokmah) is the totality of the holy Sephiroth, and supernal

Some of the sephiroth are discussed, as well as letter symbolism.

Colors and firmaments are related to creation and the sephiroth.

The chart explains creation based on the Righteous one, seven

The Kabalistic Tree on page five is usually done as follows:

The matter contained herein is officially issued through the Supreme

Binah-_____________________ _____ ^.Hokhmah

The World was created with three sayings: Wisdom, Understanding,

A passage on Wisdom also points out the importance of the Voice

The Torah is an emanation of both Wisdom and Understanding.

The superior and lesser Wisdoms are discussed.

Rahamim or love is sometimes used in place of Tifereth.

The perfect service of man to God is to love Him.

ordering, the light of the Sun was kindled to illumine

One passage discusses the quotation from Deuteronomy, VI, 4, "Here, 0

all the sephiroth with

R. Simeon is again speaking.

The Temple below was erected in the likeness of that above.

The creation is explained by the letters Yod He Vau He of the in

Binah-_________________ _ ^.Hokhmah