so

I
\/

THE ORIGIN

r LETTERS

AND NUMERALS

AUUORDlNa TO THE SEFER YETZIRAH

BY

PHINEAS MORDELL

PHILADELPHIA

PHINEAS MORDELL
1914

THE ORIGIN
OF LETTERS

AND NUMERALS

ACCORDING TO THE SEFER YETZIRAH

PHINEAS MORDELL

PHILADELPHIA

PHINEAS MORDELL
1914

page bears the date of 1914, the author

the
of this thesis from German)-, where
copies
did not receive the
account of the war.
was printed, until August 1921, on

Although the

title

booklet

year (1922) by a supplement

Distribution was delayed unril this
philosophy.
aiming at a solution of the Pythagorean
requested to serid
Magazines and periodicals are respectfully

thesis to the author, P. Mordell,

copies of their reviews of this
4137 Leidy Ave., Philadelphia, Pa.

Printed by H.

F1

i s c

Breslau (Germany)

m ann

DEDICATED

TO THE

MEMORY OF MY SISTER

SARAH MORDELL

The present
new

thesis appeared in the

series for April

1912 vol

11,

and

JEWISH QUATERLY REVIEW

for April 1913 vol. 111.

by the Dropsie College Philadelphia Pa.

Published

CHAP.

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS ACCORDING

TO THE SEFER YETZIRAH
By PHINEiS MORDBLL
THERE
and

Bible

hardly

is

another

Talmud

the

commented upon

book

excepted,

as the Sefer Yetzirah.

of deep study, not only to the mystic,

source ot

esoteric lore, but

Talmudist.

And

Yetzirah

him.
to

it

remains
are

it

to

to

book.

theories into this little book, with

they agreed with the text or not.

the Sefer Yetzirah.

written in an obscure half-mystical

the

original

"Sefer

commentary, which may be referred

It

thus happened that

"Sefer Yetzirah"

number

The various commentaries

all

since the

For

style.

worse, the commentators of the eighth

blended

and the

years, the Sefer

no book in Jewish literature that

understand as

tury

as the

it

philosopher

would seem that every commentator endeavored

own views and

is

who regarded

the

to

much

so

has been the subject

bewilder the student than to enlighten

hardly any concern whether

There

It

literature, the

been

more than a thousand

sealed

more apt

Indeed,

read his

has

yet, despite all the efforts of a large

of scholars of repute for

upon

also

Jewish

in

that

or

it

To

to

as

of

matters

ninth

with

an

cenearly

"Sefer Yetzirah II."

the commentaries

beginning

difficult

originally

make

of the

Yetzirah"

so

is

was

the

written

tenth

on

the

century

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

commentary and not on

are chiefly based on this

Safer

Although

Yet/.irah.

hard

Sefer Tetzirah

the

understand, the solution

to

of

many

its

an unsolved problem

partly due to a lack

is

Hebrew orthography,

which

on

since the beginning of the

which may be considered

tenth

century,

there

as really based on the

Hebrew but Arabic.

Arabic influence came to

The Hebrew
that

believe

Koran hold good

When

Testament.
expressing

make

to

my

views on Hebrew orthography

many

years of study,

Yetzirah, as

the

lundamental

the

rules

of

is

my
')

S z o 1 d,

pre.<!ent

Hebrew

fittnded to

and

in style.

me

in

iLis

study

advised

me
me

opinion

his

Finding that
those

Avith

of

it.

that

orthography, but

numerals.

and

purpose to seth

Henry Malter.

the Old

of

of

After

the Sefer

Hebrew grammar, contains not only

and Dr

work, both

This

also

an

account

forth*).

wish to express here oiy thanks to

Prof.

in

extant.

harmonized

exhaustive

acconnt of the origin of letters

it

he

reached the conclusion

earliest

language

for the

which

Hebrew grammar

made an

ortho-

Mayer Sulzberger heard

a study of the Sefer Yetzirah

under

of

rules

For

taught,

still

grammarians

views on Hebrew orthography,

the Sefer Yetzirah,

one

not

is

Hebrew.

language

the

for

the Honorable

constitutes the earliest

my

also

is

tliose

graphy which the Arab grammarians invented

of the

of

based.

is

Hebrew orthography

Hebrew orthography which has been and

not

knowledge

of

is

long

so

the Sefer Yetzirah

In spite of the numerous works written on

is

exceedingly

diflicalties

The reason why they have remained

not impossible.

the

the original

is

I s

in

J.

aac

Broyde, Miss Henrietta

H u s k for many courtesies
i

the arrangement of ihe uialeria!

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

The

Mishnah

first

-ispi n'BDi

reads

nBiDs nix35t nin^

"Thirty-two
hosts, ordained

n'

mysterious

ways

Hebrew

letters

with

are of divine

the

sounds.'')

the ancients that the

of

Sefer Yetzirah

explains

that

wisdom were ordained by God through:

(Scribe), the

(1) "isiD

belief

origin, the

the thirty-two ways of

are the twenty-two letters

represent thirty-two

alphabet, whicli

accordance

In

the Lord, the Lord of

has

through Scribe, Script and Scroll."

The thirty-two mysterious ways

of the

nia^nj DTtri CB'^tf

as follows:

ppn ms^^s.

man whom God

inspired

to

invent

the alphabet;
(Script), the letters;

(2) "iiBD
(3)

nsD

(Scroll),

the material

o.i

which

the letters were

displayed.
In order to

show how the twenty-two

constitute the thirty-two

to the division of the letters in the

He

divides

them

letters of the

alphabet

ways of wisdom, the author proceeds

into simple

second and following Mishnahs.

and double sounds, and also into

vowels and consonants. The simple letters he called mDitys, and

the double, m^iSD; the vowels, niDX (=ni3X), and the consonants,
rm'?in.

Altogether

they

sounds of the ten*) double

simple

form thirty-two sounds: the twenty

letters,

and the twelve of the twelve

letters.

") All the commentators explain that the thirty-two ways of wisdom
are the twenty-two letters and the ten Sefirot. Below will be found the
reasons why the present writer cannot accept this interpretation.

3)

Below

there are ten

will

be explained that, according

double

letters

commentators since Saadya.

to

and not only seven,

the
as

is

Sefer Yetzirah,
believed by all

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

The

Sefer Yetzirah*) emphasizes that

double letters

is

no

of the

and the number

ten,

no more than twelve.

and

of the simple letters no less

number

the

and no more than

less

The

Sefer Yetzirah urges us to investigate and examine the letters,

that

we may have

that, at the
letters, or

some

of

indeed, that

Bible was made,

when

was believed

it

be transliterated by

rendered

them, was

of

time

the

at

e,

o,

translation

that the

for

>'.

a simple letter.
it

'lad not

example, could

If it

favor of the

in

only the sound of the Arabic ?,

the Sefer Yetzirah, the

to

has the sound oi ?

should also have the sound of

it

tained by Jerome,
it

have also the

to

it

have

can

the sound of A,

sound of

impossible

is

n,

if

the y

as

main-

ti,

that

it

If

we

should

Furthermore, according

or 0, etc.

the Sefer Yetzirah, the letters

g,

one vowel sound.

only

it

impossible

is

Moreover,

..

was originally a vowel only and had no sound of

ascribe to

know,
of the

and the translators accordingly

or g,

But according

but also of the ^.

that

We

misunderstood.

the Greek

variously by one of these three sounds.

it

view that the Hebrew y

is

nature of the

tlie

Arguments have repeatedly been advanced

This proves

a clear insight into the subject.

time when the book was written,

s are also simple letters,

and each must have had only one sound and not two as in Arabic.

The author

of the Sefer Yetzirah apparently cautioned against

the very errors and mistakes into which

grammar have
letters

fallen.

into ten double

By dividing

See

text, 3.

on Hebrew

twenty-two Hebrew

and twelve simple, representing thirty-

two sounds, the author desired

*)

all writers

the

to

make

clear

how

different the

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

Hebrew alphabet

themselTcs

apparently meant Assyrian.

wavS

which

frttn the alphabet

is

and which the Arabs

used

invented

language,

which

Hence

When

"to/v."

was apparently

It

or eighteen

sounds.

whose

Arabs,

the

original

alphabet was the Himyarite, consisting of twenty-eight

adopted the

alphabeth, they gave to some

".s-r/yv"

three sounds, and such

two

or

now

as two or three letters.

even

As according

each double letter must

ascribed

be

letters,

letters

Hebrew

the

alphabet

twelve simple, therefore to

and

letters

".sw/z-r'

are each counted

letters

Sefer Yetzirah

to the

double

of ten

consist'^

suri

Assyrian-Babylonian

the

seventeen

consisted of

name

the

By

Tiie so-called Arabic alphabet

represent

to

Arabic

as

,s/v.

call

consisted originally of only seventen letters.

originally

known

is

to

two sounds and to each

simple letter only one sound without any regard to their value
in

Arabic.
best transliteration of the double letters

The
a
T

=
=

e,

=--

d,->

ch or Arabic
bic ^,

tr

The
r!

i,h

2 -^

f./i

in

/',

.sA,

"t/ie,"

=
c =

/>,

=
=

b,

French

V,

u,

A
,/

=
= w,

ff,

(?),

as English j (?)

k, 2

or ph, n

',

I,

=
'^

English

m,

;,

n
w,

=
D

/;

(Arabic
.V,

/',

"

?,

as follows:

is

=
=

"

"tlrnxkr

as follows:

is

<,

German

r or Arain

^/^

best transliteration of the simple letters

/,,;

0,

=
p

fe,

German

^.

Yetzirah
After giving this division of the letters, the Sefer

shows how, from these twenty-two

letters,

all

the

words that

have ever existed or ever will exist can be formed.^)

')

See

text,

5,

and

7.

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

10

Biliteral combinatinnx

upon

irhich all other

combinatinm are

bated.

a
a
yi

tfi

v:

%,i

t^

vi

vi

v.
V.

VJ

"-"

vi
Vi

\T-

NX'

v:
v.

n:
v:

15

-J-

>r:

vi

)^

vi

vi

i^

13

N-

vi

Ki

a
d
o a a a a

a g

no

a,

is
NT- NT- ^X' "^^ ^I" ^'" NX- %/ :J~ NX" NX- .J- NX- NX- NX- 'X'

-J

u u
-I

6 ^ J
-J

15

-<i

3 3 3
Q

3 ^

II

"3

nT

UIJUUDutJUijijUULIUU
u
-G3-."nJ!., ux
-"-Onxu
D

a d xi a -i- ^
G
G
15 v:
a -O"^"
3 3 3 3
W (5
O "-O-J^iJ
1^

'

G 3 ^ ^ 3

-1

li

3C

GgGGGGgGGGGGGG
G3-'--UJ>-uX
3333333333333^
-G3-^-'3-J!-'uX

^ 3

VJ

aC;S-^J":SG3=JiJ3Z}duJC
a

riQJ-dP:W'6'-'o^'J^G3^^3J'^u3C
^^3^3333 3 33-133333
3H^
DQj-xlM;5^DCiONr-u-JG3=5-3J>:^uX
3Qj-i<si5^ac!a-x-u-iG3=JJ3jdux
-I

4j

Sj

t.

S^

3Q--JW>5^a>-"OX-<J 'G3-'-'3-l'-'UX
l-

4-#

i.

j^

t,

Ij

Ij

i.#

i_,

l.

i^

i^,

j_,

ij

l_^

j^

!_,

^G3-"3J>^U3C
Z X
3^j-Oii;WvjoCO\ru-^03253j
OnX-u

THE ORIGIN OF LETTEKS AND NUMERALS.

The purpose

of the author was to e

1 ]

the superiority

..pliiisizc

of alphabetic writing over the non-alphabetic writing (ideographic

and syllabic) used

now by

by

all

a great portion of

cally all

the

nations

mankind.

biliteral combinations,

joining x with

all

letters,

the

as

2 with

result a list of ^84 combinations

all

(22-'

of antiquity, and even

If

we arrange alphabetiScfer Yetzirah directs,

letters,

= 484).

there

etc.,

Furthermore, by the expres.sion lO'Di "nnsi D^JS

Vj:

noD^

i^vi

r^bvab

y^V

lai^ the

trilitcral

triliteral

their

combinations

we

If

desire

made

indi-

the basis of

arrange

to

all

combinations that can be formed from the 22

number

will

be

22'

or

10,()48.

For this

mm

'?:i"?;n

Yetzirah

Sefer

cates that the biliteral combinations can be

all

must

(See preceding page.)

it

the

letters,

would be

necessary to draw up twenty-two tables with the biliteral combinatioi.s, leaving sufficient space
for the addition

of a letter.

On

between every two combinations

one table an n would have to

be added at the beginning of each

tiic

result would

tions beginning with an

the same way,

combination, and

biliteral

be a complete table of 484 triliteral combina-

on another a 3 would be added in

S;

making a complete

table of

484

binations with the letter 2 at the beginning.

with the remaining

combinations

letters,

can be

that

we should get

made

all

triliteral

possible triliteral

out of the twenty-two letters.

In this way two-thirds of the labor otherwise necessary

for
to

adding the third

produce

all

letter is

of the

22

letters,

is

saved,

only one third of the labor required

the triliteral combinations.

write all the quadriliteral

com-

Proceeding thus

Should we desire

to

combinations that can be made out

we have only

to

make twenty-two

copies of

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

12
all

the triliteral combinations, leaving sufficient space between

two successive

combinations

for

bination,

an

N.

we

shall attain

Proceeding

same way with

10,648 quadriliterals beginning with

remaining

22\

which would give a

letters,

The number

quinqueliteral

of

3,

and

so

total of

combinations

we

;,

shall obtain

forth with the

or 234,256.

2"2*,

would amount

of

twenty-two up

to

484

--

22^

10,648

=-

22'

=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=
=

234/256

113,379,904

2,494,357,888

54,875,873,536
1,207,269,217,792

26,559,922,791,424
584,318,501.411,328
12,855,002,631,049,216

Thus

it

is

evident that the twenty-two

combinations and

of an infinity of

represent not only

in

to

12 are as follows:

5,153,632

com-

beginning with

or 5,153,632.

The powers

\B^

letter;

of each triliteral

10,648 quadriliterals

the

in

new

the addition of a

then by adding an x at the beginning

all

all

conceptions

languages whatever.

The same

results

letters

will

22*
22*
22
22'
22
22'
22'"
22i'

22

admit

arrangements, sufficient
of

'^

to

the mind, but all words

'

would

be

obtained, according

to

the

Safer Yetzirah, by adding a letter at the end of each combination.

When

a letter

is

added

at the

beginning, the process

is

called

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

Q^JS

added

is

end,

the

at

"turns" behind each

^J

made

be

tional

either

y,

How

mim, the

table

be formed

from the com-

so all the triliteral combinations can

beginning

the

at

end of the

at the

or

and the quadriliterals from the

the

letters

triliterals.

anew, when

are desired.

numbers

infinite

twenty-two

of

words

are

formed out of the

demonstrates by permu-

the Sefer Yetzirah

letters,

whicli letters never repeat themselves but only

tations in

their places.

2N, X3

Out

two

of

let ers")

Out of three

two

biliteral

letters six triliteral

as: :i3K, 3:s, 3X3, Hi2, axJ, X2i.

literal

letter

turning behind the y becomes

without the necessity of writing

new combmations

JJ

as

and when a

out of the biliteral combinations, by adding an addi-

letter,

biliteral combinations,
etc.,

as

JJy or yiJ can

by adding an

JJV.

called "nnx b^bin

is

it

letter,

Thus, as either

VjJ-

bination

as

front ot each letter,

table "tarns" in

the

"inni,

'?.i'?3n

"turning" in front of the V becomes

3J

13

Out

-M2, :iX3, 1N33,

li2, m-12, N:n3, 13SJ,

X313, 33X1, 33X1, 3X31, X331,

words are formed

of four letters

words are formed as: nJ3K, J13K,

3X31, X331.

change

words are formed

i3:iK,

24 quadri-

2T,, i2iH, 3jnx,

21M, 1X33;
Out

120 quinqueliteral words are formed, out of six

of

HlZi, 3X13,
five

letters

letters

720

six-

seven-letter
letter words are formed and out of seven letters 5,040

The

words are formed.

to

that of seven

and

Sefer Yetzirah

concludes

and count further, what the mouth

the ear

is

See

unable to hear."

teit,

8.

gives the factorials up

the Mishnah
is

by saying: "Go

unable to pronounce, and

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NCHERALS.

14

The

factorials

up

to that of

are as follows:

1"2

5,040

=
=
=
=
=
=

40,320

2
6

24
120

720

39,916,800

=
=
=

479,001,600

==

362,880
3,628,800

The

factorials

\V.

to

36 are given

The Mishnah

Cipher.

art.

explained by

up

all

in

Thus the
according

letters

as

first,

second

the place of A, there are two

of

choose for B; and then remains

(4
(5

(6
(7

(8
(9

(10
(11
(1-2

S.

Donnolo.

permutation says'):

different

or third;

places

(3

permutation was well

treating of

A, B, C, will make

stands

(2

Eees' Encyclopedia,

commentators, especially by

Stanley Jevons on the subject

(1

between

permutations

having

decided

which we may

but one place for C.

Accor-

dingly, the permutation of these letters will be altogether 3 x

2 X

or 6 in

number.

With

four things or letters A, B, C,

and D, we shall have four choices

of places for the

first

letter,

three for the second, two for the third, and one for the fourth, so
that there will be altogether 4 x 3 x 2 x

The same simple

')

The

1,

or

24 permutations.

rule applies to all cases; beginning with the

Principles of Science,

London 1887,

17S, 179.

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

whole number

we multiply

of things,

at each step

by a number

"

decreased by a unit

He

further says:

"Many

writers

have

time to time

from

remarked upon the extraordinary magnitude of the numbers with

which

we

deal

in

Taquet

this subject.

twenty-four letters of the alphabet

calculated

may be

the

that

arranged

in

more

than 620 thousand trillions of orders; and Schott estimated that

if

men were employed

a thousand million of

same number

for the

of years in writing out these arrangements, and each

each day, forty pages with

would not have accomplished

written only

arrangements

forty

584 thousand

the

task,

trillions

as

instead

filled,

have

would

they
of

man

each, they

in

620 thousand

trillions."

CHAP,

THE TETRAQRAMMATON AND THE VOWELS

All words arising from the combination of the letters are

combined

and

permuted

whole of creation and

Yetzirah,
is

held by

all

the alphabet

many

letters of the

with the Tetragrammaton, called by

"One Name"

the Sefer Yetzirah

did

Semitic

nin',

from which emanated the

languages^).

According

to the

Sefer

scholars, but

had

vowels

Tetragrammaton themselves being vowels.

also,

the(

Indeed,

i-a-o-ti-e^).
the ancients transcribed nin' by the vowels i-e-u-o, and

8)

See

9^

Comp.

not consist of consonants only, as

text, 9.

188S,
Reiiao, History of the People of Israel, Boston

I,

69.

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

IQ

To understand how the

be vowels,

it

is

necessary

what the Hebrew

know

Here the view of various writers

are.

Ibn Tamim"j, whose

writers, maintained

vowels of

was

opinion

others held that the six letters

are the four letters

vmns

by X;

when

originally vowels;

were

by

still

"';

and u and

by V, M by

and

i,

five letters y'ir;N

the

original

vowels

used as vowels in tran-

characters.

The Sefardic

with Hebrew letters, transcribe a

o

by

German with Hebrew

writing

by N,

opinion

which are

'iyi</

writing Spanish

and

my

languages in Hebrew

scribing other

Jews, when

In

the original

are

and Jerome and many others asserted that the

were the original vowels.

many Hebrew

by

letters '"S

Roger Bacon*'), Masklef, and

Hebrew alphabet;

the

vowels

Dunash

widely.

differ

shared

the three

that

Tetragammaton can

letters of the

to

or

./

The Ashkenazic Jews,

letters, transcribe

An

by \

a and o

investigation into

the relation of the letters to the vowel points according to the

Ashkenazic pronunciation led

the sound of

a,

H of

and

e,

me
o,

''

to the conclusion that V

of

i,

and

of u,

besides

has
its

sounds of w.
If this
rect, not

opinion with regard to the original letters be cor-

only an x

is

hidden under a n

ton ni.T, as believed by

of the

Tetragramma-

Dnnash Ibn Tamim,'^) Judah ha-Levi,

and Abraham Ibn Ezra, but also an

V-

In order to understand

the secret of the Tetragrammaton, the nature of the ~

better defined.

We

must be

have seen that many authors since Jerome

w) Sefer YeUirah, London 1902, 20, 45, 48.

") See JQR., XV, 336.

") Sefer Yetzirah, London 1902, 45.

tHE OR IGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

believed n to be a vowel.

Yetzirah.

counts n

It

This

among

On

We

the other hand,

indicating that

silent,

must

the n

the

As

the place

end of words as

the vowel letters as zero does

not a digit

is

vowel

of

Now, what

after the

is

Dunash

he

"secret name."

which occurred

According

mother
by

the

the

letters,

letters

to

to

Tetragrammaton

the

opinion, b'dn

27;

the three mother

te.xt

earth.

The

Sefer

the

"in''

stands for ivs, and

nDS

of the Sefer Yetzirah (Raslii,

Sachs, ~jvn,

p.

94) stands for

there are four

8.

ra'N, cryptograms which should be deciphered

"Vh:

the x

by

s,

From

'.

the

a by the

these four

V.

letters

the Sefer Yetzirah, the four elements,

and

characters

which

the original Sefer Yetzirah

'28,

and the n by the

according

occupy

be the three vowel letters

to

it

with

the Rashi

commentary on Job

'

according to the Sefer Yetzirah?

declared

my

In

In the Tetra-

after the

original letters of the Tetra-

"great secret,"

identified

in

only

instead of ~'~\

tiie

Tamim

Ibn

which

and the n

The

letter.

(vowels) B'OS contain

letters

but

itself,

of a digit, so the silent n is not a vowel

place

grammaton were xiy

fire,

among
zero

grammaton, both the ~

''VS.

at the

but merely occupies the place of a vowel.

itself,

'IS,

occurs

conse-

can be attached to

/(

assume that the Sefer Yetzirah considers

therefore

numerals.

occupies

of

tiiat

occupies the place of a vowel letter.

it

n to play the same part

among

not the opinion of the Sefer

is

the simple letters, and,

quently, no sound in addition to

it.

17

Yetzirah

representing

apparently

'""VX^

because

used
the

ntfDX

the

tf

by

emanated,
air,

water,

as

secret

Hebrew alphabet

is

TdK OklGIN UF LETTERS AND NUMEKALS.

l8

with the n at the

arranged

and the

and the n

tf

beginning,

at the end

was originally arranged with the

the middle, and the

and

',

middle,

the

in

Arabic alphabet

the

at the

the

while

beginning, the V in

The Arabic alphabet

at the end.

consisted originally of the following seventeen letters:")

u?

'

'

The

CI

"^

~^

>-J

~'

^^
a

t2

L-

K'

at the

be-

that the Arabic alphabet has the n

fact

the

ginning,

middle,

the

V in

and

the

and

"

the

'

the

at

'

'""VS were originally vowels and as ,~ has an aspirate

which originally may not Lave been counted as a ci nsonant,

") As

sound,

Hugo

therefore there are only twelve consonant letters in this alphabet.

Winckler (Die Babylonische Kullur, Lei[

urspriinglich zwolf

nach

dem

/.ig

190i

(P. 47)

Says: Es warden

benannte

Tierkreiszeichen

^Konsonanten""

unterschicden, wclche durch drei Vokale rogiert wcrder, wie der Tieiknis

Regfuten.

<lurch die drei

The Hebrew

order would be as follows 'in

If this

'J

letters according

Arabic

to the

DO'' "Dp r)Syti *"iB' Di Tin;. r2N.

were also the original order of the Hebrew alphabet, the s

at the beginning, the y in the middle and the \ and

must have been

the

'

at the end, instead of

at the beginning,

and

in the middle,

\i.'

and n at the end.

its

Although the S has been placed at the beginning of the alphabet

o, however, harmonize between a and u the sounds

two sounds e and

of y

and

respectively.

CnrD y'DD

(Text

10).

^"bui

r'p^'Z'

This would

(1=)

also of an order of the vowel letters, as 'isy

G. H. von Meyer
says: T'zerniack

first

that

'ISSy

showed that the elevation of the

(ee in see)

the greatest

(y

^) n"D
km w

the author

i,

New York

(The organs of Speech,

with the utterance of each vowel,

the vowel

TDOl"

]"^Z'

indicate

u,

o, e,

1881

p.

a.

'2:>5

soft palate differed

eleva'.ion occurring

wilh

and that the elevation gradually diminished when

the vowels were uttered in the following order:

Yetiira seems to he of the same opinion

i,

u,

o,

e,

a."

The

Sefer

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

19

end, leads to the conclusion that the arrancjement of the Arabic

alphabet
trary

The
whole

older than that of the Hebrew,

is

was

alphabet

universe.

middle, and

God

tiie

e,

s=

r),

'

symbolize

He

the

is

the

in

~'.~->

beginning,

sounds, we

= u,

'

letters,
'-=

may

divided

count, in

and twenty-seven

i)

Hebrew

tlie

into live vowels

>'

made

vowels and consonants were

in

stands

1,

Tiii)

the form of a "state and

Isaac Taylor

arranged like an army in battle array."

"Like soldiers on parade the

<(,

Each

consonants.

but the consonants are <lependent on the vowels.

itself,

\s

tlie

end.

vowel, according to the Sefer Yetzirah isee text, 12

by

the

the original letters

were placed at the beginning,

to tlieir

thirtytwo

alphabet,
ii

con-

tlie

the end of the alphabet, to signify that

at

According

to

were

wiiich

of the whole universe, that

middle, and

believed

anciently

vowels

Tlie

of the Tetragrammaton,

the

although

generally believed to be the case.

is

characters

have been dressed."

in

'*i

says:

the alphabetic line

V
CHAl*.

III.

SEFIROT.
The

origin

fflyphics,

from

the

')

the

of

to scholars.

luestion

or from

alphabet was, and

Did

it

still

is,

burning

spring from the Egyptian

liioro-

the cuneiform systems of the Assyrians,

hieroglyphics of the Hittites,

The Alphabet, London

1883,

I,

125.

or

or

from the Syllabary

'20

ORIGIN OF LETTEKS AND NUMEllAhS.

I'llE

The

Cyprus?

of

But what does

mean by

cussions arose; and

designed

theological,

Most of the

mysteries.

8,

Dunash Ibn Tamim

'^),

3,

2,

5,

4,

object to

6,

total

would

if

the Sefer Yetzirah had

iiave said

addition

the

of

Sefi-

not a digit, there are only nine signi-

the

weightier

numerals

of the 9 Arabic numerals

However, there can

meant

ni'SD yrn (nine

reason

opposing

for

the Sefer Yetzirah gives ten as the total

from

by

shared

is

of the Sefirot with the Arabic numerals

identification
tliat

it

A much

numbers.

licant

view

who, however, admits that some peojde

for as the cipher is

physical

so-called Arabic numerals,

This

0.

and maintain that

it,

the Arabic numerals,

rot)

and

\),

or

on explaining the Sefer

maintain that by mT'ED ityy

meant the

the Sefer Yetzirah

7,

1,

Sefirot"'^).

this point endless dis-

philosophical,

bent

writers,

Yetzirah in a philosopiiical way,

.~;D''?3.

On

Setirot?

has even been disputed whether they are

it

express

to

"From the

Sefer Yetzirah answers:

it

be

1,

2,

the

the fact

number resulting
and

added together

no

is

is

4,

and the

45.

doubt that the Sefirot philo-

sophy of the Sefer Y^etzirah rested on some system of numeral

I

have

found

that

notation.

have

studied various

harmonizes

it

systems of antiquity

amounting

sisting of a series of strokes from one to four,

all

to ten

1,
|

1,

3,

2,

and the zero

and

0.

in

Indeed, the numbers

known

to

all

indicated

by

familiar with

such a series of
the old

South-Arabian systems of notation.

'^)

See

"')

See Sefer Yfsirah, London 1902, 24, 25.

text,

and 4 were originally

strokes, as is well

Greek,

and

with a numeral system con-

14.

Roman,

The numeral

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NDMERALS.

systems

ot the

indicated
of

strokes,
1

as

and

=== ><,

=
111

strolces, their

and by

to ten "),

for nothing, is

belief

~ai'?;'i

III

Babylonians

Egyptians,

G,

5,

8 and 9 by

7,

5,

|||

G,

|||

is

number amounting,

~'^''T2.

meant

it

liow

by

the

ten

in

means

The

strokes.

as

they

of the strokes

are

it

is

50

Hebrew.

rn^Ec

ib*v

possible to ex-

be indi-

numbers

nine,

tiian

and the

zero, all

500.

.5000

^^=.

numbers may be expressed,

The numbers

50000 may be expressed

^00,^000,^0000.

instance would be represented thus:

for

and

may

as_0, =0, =0, =0, ^0,

1907

3,

strokes to indicate

expressed by the Arabic numerals.

10, 20, 30, 40,

2,

we must demonstrate

were anciently written vertically and iiorizontally as

]!y

|||

being a symbol

"nothing"

Sefirot"*),

even those higher

ten

||

zero.

numbers by the
numbers,

all

1,

that originally the text must have had

and

7,

wlien added together,

whicli,

zero,

the equivalent of "a'-a,

ten digits

all

cated

1
]

even

etc.,

four groups

There can be uo doubt, there-

9.

As, according to the Sefer Yctzirah,

press

tlie first

by r"r:zc "cy the Seler Yetziraii meant

that

4 written in

My

|||

||

III

fore,

Phoeuicians,

numbers

tlie

21

=0

^'^i.

my attentiou to the following passage of

r^zp- "ODn 'u.'i, Leipzig 1853, p. 20:
'n-.o
m'^'ssn riMVi 's^ ya-us: -^^bbz: D-tr pitec iry -sic pu'n "ra"
n^-^sn -rs -;"; 3"!< -i -^^a
'sibH -r 'zrz: '.^S2) n; db's r-h-im
") Dr.

Abraham

H.

Malter

calls

Abulalia in Jellinek's

_. ^-|j^ -;)

This passage

had been known

to

proves that

some Hebrew

')

See

')

Some Pythagoreans used

teit, S

the true meaning of the Seiirot

writers.

16-

the strokes with the principle of

abacus
tion without a zero in the columns of an
matischc

Bi^itriiye,

page 202).

|iosi-

Ur. M. Cantor's Mathe-

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

22

Such a system of notation

and

was

apparently

and may

Chinese,

of the

tation

Arabic numerals,

origin

tlie

To avoid writing

many

too

to

represent five units.

1),

0,

were

14U5r)36

written,

|,

instace

for

practically the abacus on paper

is

source of the scientific system

tlie

of wliich

strokes, the Chinese

M| M

was written

=0^

Cantor's Mathematische Heitriige. Halle

table figures

15,

figures

',

^,

from the primitive numerals

:
||

The

respective numbers.
circle,

|||||

1863,

5,

stroke
7,

(J,

8,

in._lTTl^

TT.

M.

(sec

and 47;

4(i

3,

"2,

(1,

|||

and

first

4) origina-

They

||||.

a combination of two, three, and four strokes,

which

4,

K;).

The East-Arabian
ted

|,T

made one

3,

2,

1,

tlie

admittedly doubtful.

is

The numerals
|

of no-

have been the source of

to

are only

indicate the

from

the

in the primitive system of numeral notation

was

figure

^^

for

5 originated

the fifth symbol representing a zero, and in the South-Arabian

system of numeral notation was a symbol representing ten units.

The East-Arabian

figures,

^ (6,

'^.

",

The

combination of two strokes.

figure

and

7,
1

8)

from a circle and a stroke, and a dot indicated

Many

writers

principle

of

however,

now

maintain

position

and

that

the

period

the

We

are,

zero was discovered.

many

centuries

the Christian Era. a sexagesimal position was known.

before

In

my

position originated from the decimal

opinion,

the sexagesimal

position,

and not the reverse

was

zero.

only at a later

Babylon,

certain that in

each

are

originated apparently

for the earliest abacus,

doubtless based on a decimal position,

is

which

older than the

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

sexagesimal

symbol

Had

system.

in

l)osition

for

F.

We

zero.

Cajori

principle

zero

Did

ask,

tiie

old

as

is

Babylonians possess one?

am

inclined to believe that

-'

i)rinciple of position

tlie

a.-

perfection of the so-called Arabic

'Die final

i.

system of notation consisted,

not in the discovery of the princii)le of position and the

pointing out

how the primitive

but

ratlier in

tion

and the zero can be conveniently used

such as

2,

1,

Although

"'^

a,

4,

3,

G,

7,

and

8,

was used only,

it

attention to the recent change

576

Cantor's

of

edition, vol.

I),

1894, p. 7.

in

opinion

the

concept

iHier

]'orlesuiigeii

GesvhUhte

the following words are found:

is

due

the third edition,

our

the discovery

due

is

to the

is

due

reads

to the

to the Hindoos.''

It is certain that the

"According

The

follows:

Babylonians,

known

(second

our opinion

its

to

the deepening of

"The

use in positional arithmetic.

in

use of this

scriptions belongs to the third century B.

state-

"According

G. A. Miller farther says:

Greeks employed zero

earliest

to

The corresponding
as

the second century B. C.

denote the absence of degrees, minutes, or seconds

mal notation.

On page

Mathonatil;

der

Hindoos."

page 616,

discovery of zero, as used above, implies

to

177, G. A. Miller

of view in reference to several im-

the history of elementary mathematics.

in

the discovery of zero

ment

figures,

higher mathematics, as in

in

") In the Americnn Mathematical Moitlhhi, 1909, p

portant

nine

witii

9.

New York

History of Mathematics,

qnestions

zero,

principle of posi-

sexagesimal position was anciently known in

tlie

Babylonia, yet

calls

of

they already taken the gigantic step of representing by a

symbol the absence of units?"

tlie

"The

says:'")

and systematic application required a

general

its

23

symbol

C, but

it

is

in

their sexagesi-

in

Babylonian

in-

supposed that

it

At the International Mathematical

Congress held in Paris in 1900, Cantor suggested that zero was probably in use among the Babylonians as early as 1700 B. C. Even if

was

in use at a

much

earlii r

date.

such an early date cannot be established,

will

hereafter

attribute

the

discovery

Babylonians instead of the Hindoos."

of

it

appears likely that scholars

positional

arithmetic

to the

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

24
astronomy,

etc.;

system

of

notation,

we

that in

find

was

notation

ordinary

for

without

purposes

was a decimal

there

When

principle of position.

tiie

Egypt and Phoenicia only a decimal system

used,

without

the principle of position,

of

may

it

not be taken as proof that the decimal position and zero were

unknown.

decimal system of notation without the principle

was

position

of

in

ancient times considered more convenient

than a decimal system of notation based upon the principle of

position.

When
were

0,

was, that

it

numbers

the

indicate

2,

1,

not

venture

they

may have been known

began

they

known

to

"')

rezini

conjecture.

to

be

to

widely

author

tiie

primitive numerals,

tlie

3,

to

5,

4,

But

it

7,

and

8,

Tliey

men

{,

9.

{,

to

tliat

before

even been

Yet by

'-'-).

shall

long

may have

Sefer Yetzirah

that

"i'^"";

practiced the so-called Arabian system of

lodians

the

(M. Cantor's

Ihitriigt,

Itlnl/it-nintUclie

Halle

1863,

arguments have been advanced that the Indians invented

at least taught

it

to the Arabs.

Musa meant by

pians,

As an early Arabian mathematiciaa Mohammed ben Musa Alkhowa-

said

notation

ben

||,

proper to assume,

a few learned

used.

of tlie

6,

is

|,

by the East-Arabs,

into the figures used

clianged

or

any

other

Indians.

nation

But

it is

pagi? 269),

this system, or

very doubtful what

Mohammed

By Indians he might have meant

under

the

torrid zone

Ethio-

which the ancients

tu denominate as Indians (T. Astle, The Origin and Progress of

London 1784, p. 41: rhu!', IX, 354, 439). <r he could have
meant Jewish astronomers like JIashallah, who was called by Abraham
ibn Eira an Indian sage (mr; Din) (see M. Steinschneider, Arab. Litf

used

Writing,

ratur
of

<ler

Juden, Frankf. a.M. 1902, p. 15)

notation

Sefer

apparently

Yetzirah,

Hebrews

as

its

delphia 1876,

II.

it

is

originated

from

As the Arabic numeral system

the

Selirot

philosophy

proper to share the view of those

of the

who claim

the

inventors (E. Brooks, the Philosophy of Arithmetic, Phila24).

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

r'-^BC the autlior meant,

no'''?;

primitive numerals,

file

nut the Arabic numerals,

|||.

||,

|,

25
but

from which the Arabic

0,

||||,

numerals originated.
As, according to the Sefer Yetzirah, the alphabet originated from the ten Sefirot, which are, as was demonstrated,
first

four groups of strokes

that

tlie

first

circle

each a

is

__.

their

origin

in

with

best

which we actually

strokes;

of

in

^. =,

|,

three,

as

point, without a doubt,

the first four groups of strokes,

various

or four strokes

letters

asn,_[.

are so

Tl

first

and the

||||

|||,

||,

Two,

Libjan-

tjie

find each of the

Moreover, the other letters of

letter.

same alphabet have such forms

the
to

or

harmonizes

]ieeuliarity

Uerberic alphabet,
four groui)s

the

we must assume

to ten,

alphabet must have been constructed out of these

This

strokes.

amounting

combined as

IJ-

||

|||

||||.

indicate the

to

GZl'TTllll

QD

etc. 25).

Similar
iiave

been

Mr. W.

J.

to

these

found

on

cliaracters are the linear letters,

the

Egyptian pottery.

Harding King^*)

On

"Mr. Evans

says:

which

this subject,

and Professor

Minders Petrie have shown that certain linear characters which

have

been

nary

in

found on

with the Libyan and Tilinagh.

are

may

earlier than

form a sig-

the Egyptian pottery

which a large number

of the

The

the hieroglyphics,

characters are identical

linear characters in

though

ultimately have been fused with the latter.

')

Evolved at a

K. Faulniann, Gesclndite 'kr Schnft, AVien 1880, p. 257,

Hebrew Grammar,

Loipiig 1877.

Egypt

few of the forms

Table of Semitic characters

Bickell,

by Julius

Euting, No. 52, 03.

*<)

A Search

fur the

Masked Tawaroks, London 1903,

p. 322.

THE OniGlN OE

26

when

date

hieroglyphic

nitli

a strange

It

proper to note

it:

two,

ditlerent

indicate
...

dots

some Herberic alphabets

i)laced

The

tour groups of dots

which may be arranged

.,

representing

tlie

that

lirst

as

2,

1,

3,

and

As

4'*^).

alphabet invented was

al-

similar to

used by the Berbers, whence the inference, that there

still

may

numbers

four

first

.-...

to

were originally also symbols

the Pythagoreans arranged them,

ready demonstrated, the

in

triangular I'orm

in

one,

-^j,

various positions,

are

letters.

persisted

tliey

were never absorbed or ousted."

in

lliat,

four

or

three,

was unknown,

wTitiiig

and

vitality,

AND NUMERALS;

hfiTTfiRS

have

when the Hebrews

been a time

May

alphabet.

rn:

"SJ';:^'-

not

'''')

also used such an

meant Libyan

originally have

writing':'

According
alphabet

According
or

the

vowel

were

sisted,

Cyrus

V,

|||

ten

to

and

four,

invented
of

chiefly

.'Viaericau

decipherment
is

..

or^is

or

10,

11.

|,

such
of

at

V,

||,

|||,

||||

Libyan
is

||||

19,20, 21)
is

'.

by

indicated

originally
strokes,

is

18,

or

||||

the

of

|||

sounds were originally

") K. Faulman,
">)

is

or

||

vyx were

amounting

invention

or

vowel-letters

these

Halevy's

the Sefer Yetzirah (

one, two, three,

bols

s,

to
II

groups
If

J.

is

N,

is

to

or

n.

Hence,
tlie

four

=^=-

or

the numeral words for

we may assume that the vowel sym-

the

same time

as

the numerals.

The

an alphabet as the Libyan must have con-

symbols

p.

Thomas

for

consonants, because vowel sym-

257-8.
in

the

19lh Annual

Report of

Ethnology, Smithsonian Institution, 1897

") Sanhedrin 2Ib.

98,

p.

the Bureau of
860.

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

were

bols

in

alre;iily

from

existence

27

time the numerals

tiie

were invented.
In

way we can understand why

tliis

gammatoni

wore

originally

~'''-^III

II

This

lllj.

also

is

commentary

name

~".~ s:r

wiiicli

Ten

the

is

.lehovah.

r.-'2c

Setirot.""

the 'mothers' (vowelsj

tions

n-^ECn

"i^-iv:

cond chapter

nux

-2-':

The
it

was

according

to

emanated

from

the

earth from the

loxr

1.

Sefer

The

it

in

tlie

se-

alludes to the

;"5: 't-rs

-123

from

created,

the

',',

tire

emanated,

vowels ^'jn;

from the

".

air

and

originally identical with

from the Setirot that the whole universe

is

it

men-

it

and earth, from which

tire,

As the vonels were

".

comijriscs

Seitirot themselves."

everything was

Yetzirah,

He

"When

Dip;> ^: >:

the s- water from the

the ten Setirot.

emanated'-"'

believed

:.

"In His great

was explained

"it

four elements, air, water,

anciently

for

says 'mothers,'

it

""' r-iUS

Scfirot themselves."

?.>k*:,

means the

it

-irna-:

wherever

that,

'n -fiix"):

"-rr^r.

~:" ' i:r x-n

'

itt'V

harmony with the loUo-

in

winif ((notations from the

vowels (the Tetra-

tlie

with the ten digits

identical

Setirot

cosmogony

is

given

by the Sefer

Yetzirah as follows:

With
hewed

With
is

out
'two'

'one.'

voice,

the
air,

living

God

God graved and

this

is

whole universe,

viscous stones, sunk in the abyss,

") .SV/Vr

See

YeUtni/i,

teit,

17.

Warsaw

1884,

]).

6!),

74,

and

and

Spirit.

Void
chaos

whence water comes

forth."

-"')

the Holy

iiewed out void and chaos.

a green line that surrounds the

refers to

of the Universe graved

and speech, and

W.

THE ORIGIN or LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

28
Witli
Hl'

God graved and hewed out mud and

'three'

arranged them like

He

wall.
tliein

God

iour'

"\\'ith

ministering angels"

pavement,

like a

out

cosmogonists,

clay.
like a

poured upon

and

and hewed out the Throne of

the ancient cosmogonies the vacant, in-

in

out

all

things that exist.

He

Ovid,

of

which the universe was formed into

represent

to

as

it

W. Enfield")

further says:'^)

God

suppose

Later

as

some writers understood water, and make

principle".

and the

seraphim, the holy animals,

which sprang

of

such

mass,

graved

the

cosmos, or harmonious order.

not

up

tiiem

"'i.

.signified

space

shapless

set

and the earth was formed."

Glory, the ophanini,

Chaos

He

garden bed.

them

covered

snort',

finite

"By Chaos

says:

this the first material

"The theogonists

have been prior

confused,

the

in

tiie

certainly do

order of time to

matter: they speak of Chaos as eternal, and seem to have been

wholly unaciiuainted with the doctrine of creation from nothing".

This
the

is

at variance

with

which emphasizes

Sefer Yetzirah,

tlie

"He

of creation from nothing by the statement:

doctrine

(Godi formed existence out of void, something out of nothing"

(Mishnah

It

'22i.

created, but

holds that chaos was not even the

was preceded by

voice,

]/<i(l.,

History

, Intelligible

1,

ISO.

131.

") The number philosophy

Enfield,

thing

See teit, 18-21.

") History of Philosoplij, London 1819.

)

first

and speech-").

air,

of Pythagoras

of Philosophy London,

numbers

fore all things, from

are those

1819

has been explained (W.

vol.

which subsisted

which everything has received

always remain immutably the same.

It is the

1.

p.

383) as follows

in the divine
its

mind

form, and

be-

which

model, or archetype, after

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS

The numeral system

may

plained,

bol originated the

It

identical

is

similar

in

the

numerals

with the

identical,

originally

have ex-

From

this

of

letters

|,

||,

("> ol the

Arabic alpha-

and

is

||,

originated from the zero.

||||,

|||,

were thus pri-

0,

vowel-letters ~'iyx which were

five

Tetragrammaton

the

|,

sym-

which indicates the absence

possible that the "

is

it

the East-Arabian notation.

in

(.ji

as

of live symbols,

symbol.

fifth

29

indicates the absence of a vowel letter,

primitive

first

marily

numeral

Tetzirah,

consist

to

nature to the zero,

its

of a digit,

The

Sefer

tlie

form with the letter

in

As the -

bet.

of

considered

the cipher being the

0,

nil,

III,

be

NUMEUaLS.

ANlJ

-,r,\

Tiie five

primitive symbols are the five elements with whicli God created

which the world,

tssence

beings

to

being deprived

in
.

all
.

its

parts,

framed.

is

The Monail,

Xutiibers are the cause of

or unity,

is

that quantity which,

whence called Monad. It

is the fountain of all numbers.
The Duad is impeif^ct and passive, and
the cause of inciease and division.
The Triad, composed of llie Monad
of all nnnibcr,

and Duad, partakes

nian number,

of the

remains fixed

nature of both.

four former, comprehends

all

The Tetrad,

Tctractys, (jualer-

The Decad, which

the most peit'ect.

is

is

the

sum

of the

arithmetical and musical proportions. Accor-

ding to some writers, the Mona

diinotcs the active principle of natuie,

or God: the Duad, the passive principle or mother

the Trial, the

woild

(in the Sefer Yetzira, the earth) formed by the union of the two former:

and the

Tetiacly.-i,

this mysterious

the

the perfection

uiimbor

human mind:

of nature.

others, the four cardinal virtues:

so absurd as to suppose Pythagoras

the

mamc

made use

of (iod, in reference te the

cxpretsed in

the

Some have understood by

the four elements; other.', the four faculties of

Hebrew language.

and others have been

of this

number

to

express

word r,;~\ by which that name is

But every attempt to unfold this

mystery has hitherto been unsuccessful".

The reader \Vill find below my view on the origin of the Pythago1 will
only say here that there is no absurdity in
rean philosophy.
identifying the Tetractys with the Tetragrammaton; and moreover the
identity

is

established by the Sefer Yetzirah.

Jj^

THB ORIGIN Of LETTEftS AND NUMfcRALS.

the universe,

tlie

rt

or

-ns

nm

'

DNitrT

;;':

"He formed

zero being the filth element, as the

tlie

C':2H

Safer Yetzirah says:'*)

antry

:ijni i;r' -j'n

two in number, one

The word

in

ching
the

universe

as

'J''?^

it

so-

in

is

accordance

element (Wilhelm

fiftii

witli

must conclude

that

tea-

tlie

iK-r

from two symbols,

the so-called Arabic numerals and

0,

iiltcr,'

1.

from the ten digits and the

originated

the "alphabet

Bauer,

Berne 18U7, pp. 83. 84, 88, 89

l\ltha(ii,rei^mn.s,

ratiier

thus, twenty-

air,

the Pythagoreans wlio counted the void surrounding

of

We

nr

^rno

which symbolizes the creation of

This

nothing.

ot

intangible

of-

has the same meaning as

'"n (void;

out

trot:

tisd mr.-;.

sj)irit."'

also equivalent to zero,

mething

-ryi

-irsB*

existence out of void, something out of nothing,

and He hewed large stones out

is

rsr:

lai'' |D'ci

or

zero,

the stroke and the circle.

L. D.

Nelme'''), in his essay on the origin of kttors, shows that all

") See
^')

teit, 22.

"An Essay

Coinp.

Elements of Language

towards an Inveatigatidn of the Origin and

and Letters" by

L.

I).

Nelme, London

On

I7G:'.

page 16 we read as follows: "All his (Gods) creation, and every minutest
the line 1 the
part thereof, participates of two most essential forms
:

symbol

of

the

altitude,

and

the

the

circle

Th'se s5mbol8 contain in them the

There doth not eiist
ted nature.

lirst

in

symbol

tlie

mind conceive
every

idea

thtin

the

of

any

of

which

matter

elements

oxis'ence,

that

tis

arises in the

of every art,

and thfy are the radii of

crea-

nor can the

all

tirst

matter but also

human mind:

or

human
to

they contain iu

and of cveiy science known to man;

which we have already considered

letters also,

ayuibols eipressiva of ideas."

all

without ideas that include these

not only forms essential to

are

the horizon.

whole creation any being,

thing, that doth not portafe of the tirst principles:

elements:

of

elements, the forms of

OF LBtTERS aKD NUMERALS.

tllE ORIGIN

elementary
line

and

also

holds

and a
unity,

cliaracters,

the

that

derive

forms from the

tlieir

understand the Sefer Yetzirair,

it

written characters originated from a line

all

but from a line that was originally a symbol for

circle,

and

or letters,

As

circle.

3l

that was

circle

originally

the symbol for zero.

Similarly, all cuneiform characters originated from two symbols

< those

for

one and ten.

L. L. Conant"^j says:

ed philosopher

and

numeration,

system

of

system

would he

"Two

only

the

and

symbols

needed

such a

in

Leibnitz found in the represen-

numbers by means

tation of all

centuries ago the distinguish-

mathematician Leibnitz proposed a binary

and

of two digits

a fitting

symbolization of the Creation out of chaos or nothing,

Universe by the jiower of the Deity."

system

only a binary

system
it

has

.Arabic

of

numeration,

been

pointed

numerals

out

with which
for

zero;
a

a zero.

the

as

so

zero,

God

even

the

may two

may be

digits be

Sefer Yetzirah

a tilting

decimal

Moreovei-,

and the so-called

from these two symbols.

There-

may have meant by two

created void and chaos,

ten digits

Thus, the

and

bits,

but

that the alphabet

originated

the

have seen that not

be expressed by a stroke and a zero.

the author of the Sefer Yetzirah

tore,

and

may

of

We

expressed

digit

and a

by nine digits

represented by a digit and

may have

symbolization

of the

believed two dicreation,

out of

chaos or nothing,

of the universe, by

J{ecause the zero in the

a digit, onlv

number

the power of the Deity.

ten occupies the space. of

nine strokes, not ten, are used: and, therefore, we

The Number Concept, New York

189G, p.

10>.

tMe origin or lettehs and numerals.

32

may

say that

sists

of nine digits

tlie

numeral system of the Sefer Yetzirah,

and the

For

zero.

||||

|||

||

con-

||||||||| 0,

The

and the symbol =^ expresses the wliole numeral system.

The

an >")

Halevy,

according to

presented,

and

linown in South Arabia,

figure was anciently

latter

it

re-

Sefer Yetziraii

the letters "stones" (c^:2N), because they originated from

calls

the numerals (Sefirot), which were originally indicated by stones.

It

=^

possible, therefore, that the

is

from which

the philosopher's stone,

is

Arabic numerals, the alphabet, and

tlie

all

civiliz-

ation originated.

Moreover, since in =^ are united the ten

and

Tetragrammaton,

the

name ~'~\

the

containing

This

angel

name

D'^sn ivf "iMiioo

identified

the

witii

referred

known

chiefly

is

"Prince of Creation," or the

Upon

the universe.

tlie

heaven,

creation

Law,

To

'^1.

and

known

earth,

to

Logos,"

rivers,

seas,

this angel

wisdom;

of

him

as

20, 21.

He

witii

is

the

~~''i^~

is

ir

which God created

crown of the head of this angel "The

Holy one -Blessed be He" wrote

ted

-23,

of the Face" and

Prince

Elijah'*).

Exodus

to in

kabbalistic literature by the

in

"Metatron,

prophet

the vowels

Sefirot,

a])parently symbolized the angel

it

God

and

all

letters

with which were crea-

and

etc.,

all

the elements of

intrusted all the secrets of the

the

mysteries of creation are

they are known to the Creator Himself*"i.

As the Arabic numeral system of notation, the vowels, and the

^')

18S9, p.

Comp

1).

H. Mailer,

Efiii/niphisclie fMiikinalei' aiis Ara/iieii,

19.

") 'JilKT Uip"". Lemberg 1860,

")

Ibiil.,

5-2b.

") Ibid, 48b.

p.

47b.

Vienna

The origin of letteks and numerals.

Tetragrammaton were originally

same

author of the Sefer Yetzirah

apparently

is

(text,

10, 11, 14

^i^vj

the

forbidden by the

is

This secret

1.

the angel

by

symbolized

identical, they all contain

the revelation of which

'great secret'

33

the

letter

which was anciently written also

V,

as 4=.

The most mysterious

prophet Elijah.

God

true

nant,

Jewish history

is

the

was he who demonstrated that m.T

is

the

He

-|S~^.

cumcision.

It

is

character

He

and no other.

r,''i2~

decide

It

in

called the angel of the Cove-

is

believed

is

also believed

to

that he

be present at the cir-

bound

is

come and

to

knotty points in the law, and to appear before the

all

true Messiah arrives.

In kabbalistic literature,
all

(ed.

not only

tiie

vowel letter

the letters are considered images of angels.

Amsterdam,

n";pn ana

t;"i

p.

but

126) occurs the following:

mBJU'

d^ik^d,- dp,in r,a-

Adam who

"Like
those angels

y.

In Sefer Raziel

engraved

letters

rvms ppnr dind

out of the likeness ot

who had been driven away, whom

the Holy

(^ne,

Blessed be He, rebuked and cast down from the high heavens.

He

graved their likeness from Aleph to Taw."

then

The

vowel

the cipher ~
a picture

before

is

and

the cipher

God

however,

letters,

the

letters

of

the

are images and pictures of superior angels.

grammaton,

also

a letter of the

image

of a superior angel.

n symbolizes,
to

Tetragrammaton,

is

prosecute

apparently Satan
all

mortal

it

Tetra-

Since
is

also

The angel which

]r:z',

who appears

beings as he prosecuted

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

34
and

Job

Joshua

Zechar. 3,

system

contrast

in

symbolize

to

The

emanated.

to

good God,

the

i*,

symbolize the

numeral

the

to

numeral

C r2:

7;

zero in the Arabic

the system from which the latter

in

was anciently believed

or Satan*'),

1,

cipher ~ so the

the

and

notation,

of

originated,

thought

son of Jehozadak (Job

Like

li.

one

and

one

whom

from
the

zero

deity,

evil

which was

1,

good

all

are a fitting

symbolization of the two opposing principles concerning which

the Sefer Yetzirah

"Also God

iv>

evil,

and

evil;

good testing

away

for the good,

says as follows:

good out of good; and

against good:

evil

The

"23)

the one over against the other, good against

set

evil,

account

and
of

and

evil

evil

is

the

stored

origin

of

away
letters

evil out of

good

testing good:

is

stored

for the evil."

and numerals the

author of the Sefer Vetzirali concludes as follows:

"When Abraham

our father arose, he looked nnd saw and

investigated and observed and engraved and hewed and combin-

formed and calculated, and his creation was successful.

ed and

Then the Master

ot

all

revciiled

") 'It was nut very easy

iif

and

printed

allusion

metic,

of the other d'gits.

value

its

numeration,
in

tor
to

language,

on

by John Leslie,
arithmetic

of

longing

to black art

prejudice

tliat

itself,

at

lirst

tlie

and made a
precise

fiii<

cnly serves to detirmine the

sort of mystery, which has im-

to hang over the practice of

wo still speak of decipherinj;, and of writing in (iphor,
some dark or concealed art" (The Philosophy of Arith-

trace

history

(E

tumprehend

to

the cipher, whicli, insignilic.iiit by

rank

himself to him,

seemed

Edinburgh
in

Europe

and the devil

delayed

its

general

Brooks, The Philosophy of

1817, p.

....
:

114).

"Indeed, in the early

the system was regarded as be-

and

it

was, no doubt, this popular

introduction

into

t'hristian Europe'-

Arithmetic, Philadelphia 1901,

p.

107).

THE OaiGlN OF LETTEKS AND NUMEMAl-S.

covenant

with

covenant

and

bini

him nn

witli

with

covenant of the tongue;

and

this

two

letters of the

covenant

tlic

He made

seed forever.

ten lingers of Ids liands, and this

tlie

the

is

his

35

and

on

the

a
is

ten toes of his feet,

circumcision; and tied the twenty-

ot

"Torali""

to

liis

tongue and revealed

him

to

their secret ..."

The name

Abraham

of

Mishnah suggested
self wrote the Sefer

pugnant
closing
is

Mishnah
doubt

no

Yetzirah,

critical raind,

perfect

in

mention

view

re-

this

my

In
to

name

of

is

tlie

opinion there
original Sefer

all

the original

Abraham does

with

mentioninspired

it.

It

tion

("iSiD)

whom God

alphabet, the scribe

tlie

ed in the opening Mishnah as the person

not

but that

indicate that the Patriarch wrote the Sefer Yetzirah,

he was the inventor of

closing

tiie

entirely

harmony with

the

of

in

Abraham him-

tliat

some writers regard

Mishnah belongs

this

is

it

The

mentioned

as a later interpolation.

that

for

material.

is

As such

Yetzirah.

modern

to the

whicli

many commentators

to

is

worthy

of letters

also Suidas

in

to

ot

note that Philo attributes the

Abraham

iRees,

Abraham and

Isidor Hispal, Origg,

CHAP.

tirst

inven-

Ci,clopediii, art. I.ftter: cm\\).

H).

1,

IV.

THE TEXT.
No Hebrew book
Yetzirah.

versions of

As
it,

early

has been so tampered with as

as the tenth

century

varying in length and in

tiie

Sefer

there existed several

arrangement.

There

THE ORIGIN or LETTERS AND NUMEKALS.

^y

were the short and the

Mantua
Paris, in

ment

edited by M.

Although Saadia's version

Mantua
of

it

11,

differs

almost

is

the matter contained in one chapter in

in

a general

Mantua

II

former

numbering

contains twice as

may

II

about 2400

be found

while entire

Both Mantua texts agree

arrangement, but

their

in

much

arrange-

thus happens that

it

Mantua

II.

way with each other

Iromthe

up and distributed among

Saadia's text are cut

Mantua

in

in the

scattered througli several chajiters in Saadia's text

])aragraphs in

in

the same length

ot

materially tlierefrom

three difterent chapters in

edited

Lambert,

texts is different

chapters and the paragraphs, and

tlie

were

whicli

version,
text,

Each of these three

891.

others.
as

long

1562, and Saadia's

in

material as Mantua

words,

the

I,

only

the latter

1200

words.

study^leads

critical

to

sions contain only obouth

The remaining

Yetzirah.

words

in

Mantua

Sefer Yetzirah.

Yetzirah,

(iOO

separate

Sefer Yetzirah

red to

as

a separate treatise,

now remains
(f

in

Safer

or

1800

Mantua

in

tlie

tiic

original

which may be

treatise,

which

may

be

leferred

explain the Sefer Yetzirah

little

to as

ded as a commentary on Sefer Yetzirah

Although
I,

Sefer
I,

it

II.

need be said

contradictions and repetitions.

Sefer
refl'e-

arrangeii

Having already explained the Sefer Yetzirah

to

ver-

original

All the interpulations

I.

the Sefer Yetzirah II

trifles,

words

these

tliat

the

of

All the matter belonging to

arranged as

II.

words

are all interpolations jind not of the original

also as

Yetzirah

conclusion

the

tiOO

its

it

it

abounds

was inten-

author had no con-

ception whatever of what the original Sefer Y'etzirah was.

He

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

saw

in

cosmogony based upon the

only a

it

phabet and

According

Setiroth.

tlie

of the

al-

created

the

letters

God

liim

to

37

universe with thirty -two wonderful ways of wisdom. These ways

and the twenty-two

are the ten Setiroth

The

are:

tiroth

Spirit of God,

of

jtarts, or

hooks innED

emanated

tirst

them

divided

three mothers tras

permuta-

six

second Selirah (Air) God

the

and

letters,

ntt'^tt')

the

fourtii,

letters

into

thre

seven double

psv Dib

nn.

'ttn

these three classes, or groups, of letters were created

soul.

world

of the

various parts
tiie

With

and twelve simple

r"^E; -"i2,

With

of

''".

twenty-two

created the

the

the

emanated from the

six setiroth

the letters

Se-

ten

from the second the third, from the third the

and the remaining

letters

The

letters.

Water, Fire, Height, Depth,

From

and South.

East, West, North,

second:

tions

Air,

ish'-j),

of

the year

and

("Jti')

WZi).

The author

the Sefer Yetzirah

of

ho explains that by the

three

mother

11

contradicts

letters,

original Sefer Yetzirah declares to be a "great secret""

are meant the

letters

"-

of the great

thus not being a separate class at

all

himself:

trox, which the

name "-;

C?'" TiD)

the mothers

but part of the simple

letters.

As a
the

matter of

letters into three

division, one of ten

as one

says^^) as
2)

The

class.

he himself abandons the division

parts,

and rearranges them

and one of twelve

ift:s

counts the letters

and of the

fact,

whole theory

Mantua

11

of the world,

of

by tens and twelves.

chap VI Sepher Yetzirah

II,

of

a twofold

For, tinally, he

with the seven double letters

soul, is expressed

loUows

letters.

in

chap. V.

msD
the

^33,

year,

Indeed he

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

98

....

iB'v

....
The world

T-^Ec

~itt*yn

c^Jtt*"

n'--,";

r-rv: nr-'EC

-E*v D';b't

b-e:

The year

is

counted by ten and tAvelve

The

is

counted by ten and twelve

It

soul

....
....
....

countot by ten and twelve

is

therefore follows that, according to the

Sefer Yetzirali

the

II,

twenty-two

author

the

of

are divided into ten

letters

double rns: -:c ,rox and twelve simple letters psy cjr "un

According

the author of the Sefer Yetzirali

to

however,

II,

double letter represents only one way of wisdom, as each

The twenty- two

letter does.

him,

to

ning

twenty -two

only

ten

ways

wisdom

of

ways

explained to be the Spirit of God,

east, west, north,

and south.

understood the numeral w-ords.

water,

air,

.V-"x

tlie

occuiTing in the original Sefer Yetzirali, to

He imagined

third and fourth.

nal Sefer Yetzirali

gotten

ing

that

and

er,

to

count
the

tire,

that the

had counted only four

tlie

remaining
Sefiroth

four

The

truth

is

tirst,

but one, two, three and four, and

are the ten Setiroth

from which

.crs"
tirst,

all

.rnx

second,

author of the origi-

and

east,

number

that the numerals

V-~N .... Ctt" mean, not

mean

and
after

the Spirit ot God,

are

he counted height, depth,

south as six Sefiroth to complete the

firoth.

Sefer Yetzirali II

Seliroth,

Sefiroth,

six

he

height, depth,

tire,

'-"'^'

remai-

which

Sefiroth,

Tlie author of
.

The

wisdom.

of

the ten

are

simple

according

therefore, are,

letters,

Ti.-i.

each

....

iiad

air,

west, north,
of

the

:\"K'

for-

explain-

ten

wat-

and
Se-

.... rns

second, third and fourth,

these

numbers

them.'selTes

letters of the aljdiabet '.par-

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

ticularly the vowel letters) originated.

The

39

Sefiroth, therefore,

cannot be counted as ten separate ways uf wisdom.

view requires

latter

the thirty-two ways of wisdom, not only twenty-two ways of

all

wisdom
by

The

that the twenty-two letters shall be taken to be

all

as

explained by the Sefer Yetzirah

CHAP.
Saadia.
grouiis
to

which

11

followed

is

commentators.

who was

vnns,

the

fio^:, p:>;,

He

be consonants.

first

nb^-,,

V.

divide

to

y-'jfC',

interpolated

the

this

into

letters

believed

five

the letters

all

division in

the

Sefer

Yetzirah without knowing that by ns:s the original Sefer Y'etzirah

meant vowels.

The

first

was Dunash Ibn 'J'amim

mother

letters

letters "x.

riTnr must
his version

He

to
*'),

perceive

tPOS the Sefer Yczirah

failed,

that

max

who explained

means

that

meant

three

three

vowel

the

however, to see that by way

necessarily

mean consonants.

of the Sefer Yetzirah contained

vowels

by the

of contrast

Now, he knew that

many

mistakes, that

ignorant people had blended the original and an early

tary"), and consequently the original text did not

commenYet

exist.

he did not perceive the absurdity of the division of the letters

into

three

double
psv-

classes

letters

msz

The category

named:
-'^2

three

mother

,mothers' (mos)

letters

simple letters

and twelve
is

B'tss,

DJ^

seven

'cn

'-

not in any sense coordinate

*')

Sefer Yetzirah', London. 1902. p. 45

")

Ibid., p. 65.

ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUUERALS.

I'HE

40

that of "double letters"' and "simple letters", which con-

witli

admirably

trast

eacli

witii

Sefer

letters

the

known

Yetzirali,

He

and not only seven.

double
all

Moreover,

otlier.

perceive that according to the

is

14 are contained in

of whicli

makes the simple

are

variance witii

sounds

ot

Besides,

15.

it

understand liow Dunash could have counted the

as

sim))le letters having one sound,

have had several sounds: namely

w, u and o;

Long
tlie

tiiat

before

my nNrpr:
discussed

-ip;r

to

"prT

base this division

letters,

'

i,

u,

'

V.

ot

had concluded

on

thus

the

,r

,-

,i

will

which

in

letters

are:

"

,2 ,s

,;

that the letters

assunaption

Hebrew

,:

i.

are:

letters

alphabet,

Hence, the letters

so that these together with

double

represen-

which the reader

The then double

are the original vowels of the

0,

"

this conclusion in investig-

the true sounds of these letters were as follows

and e:

(will a]ipear shortly

lengtii.

at

it

came

of the vowels,

and the twelve simple

inust

simple sounds;

,r

"VX

consequeiitlv

consisted of ten letters with

tetters with

the pronunciation

have

and

the sounds of

ever saw the Sefer Yetzirali.

Hebrew alphabet

ting thirty-two sounds.

tind in

same

at

of a and other vowel sounds.

sounds and twelve

ating

'^'

letters
tlie

and declare

originally they were vowels

tliat

"Jit,

~:.::,

very hard

is

to

time

simple

twelve

give

to

ten

seven double letters ~~tz

tlie

number

letters

failed

also at

versions of the text, which

while he, in counting the total number

letters,

he
there

'N

and that
a,

^e,

are also double

the six letters rs:

".':,

the

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

"

letter
lioiR'.e,

and the
ten

I'lusion,

Ibnnd

letter

^'

number and

the

the only ditTeronce

letters;

simjile letters,

while

gave instead the

be double

to

letters:

.\fter rcachini; this

con-

the division ol'the letters ol'the Seter Yetzirah

tliat

bore a decided similarity to

the same

known

were

with double sounds,

letters

41

In

it.

same

fact,

that

is

Nevertheless,

c.

counts

it

considered the

the Seter Yetzirah gives

among

'

the

a double letter, and

as

do

the

single

the

of

classilication

from

not believe

grammatical point of view, that the author of the original Sefer

Yetzirah could have counted the
of the letter -V and
letters

letter

as a double

Further

people.

letter

as a

the

without including at least

pronounced

'

counted

have

could

simple

letter

letter instead

which

tt-

double

seven

only

still

is

by a great majority of the Jewish

proved

investigation

there

anciently

that

were counted ten double letters.

As

is

grammarians,

well-known, some old

among whom

was the author of the "Dikduke ha-Teamim"" counted the final

letters

as

making

separate letters, thus

the

the letters of the alphabet twenty-seven.

monizes with the statement

the

letters ^J^s

ot

and the end of the alphabet

count the

finals

the

as

*''i,

Talmud and
beginning,

the

form respectively

Midrash
the

for otherwise

the

oi

thus

make

o can

not

the

be

that

middle,

which can be true only

separate letters and

number twenty-seven,

number

total

This calculation har-

we

if

total

in

the

do not conmiddle of the alphabet. Some grammarians, though they

sider the

*5)

linals

as separate

letters,

yet count the letters twenty-

ocnirred
According to Rashi, Job XXVIII, 27 the wor.l T-^S

th Sefcr Yetzirah: comp. above

p.

17.

in

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

42

figuring the double letters re:

iiifle,

Convinced

lourteen letters.

twelve simple letters,

tliat

-;.r

and the

or the

"i

concluded that there must

have

when the Hebrew alphabet was reckoned thirty-two

a time

without the

final

letters,

'

as

there are ten double letters and

and thirty-seven

been
letters

or thirty-nine

with

the final letters, as follows:

but the

in sucii an arrangement of the letters, not the

~

letter

is

the middle of

iti

On reaching
the

alphabet.

tlio

this conclusion.

in

of

the al}ihabet.

my

correctness of

This

to

nx'ipr':

and

it

fact,

if

Because

it

"Why
is

letters

V'X

in

These

found,

the letter T

is

tiie

the Midrash Tadsho

letters.

the middle

in

prove

the

as explained

Tip"

in

7'?'^'^

would also prove that the original Sefer Yetzirah

great delight,

following:

"

would

established,

gave the number of double sound

my

some author-

to find

tlie

views on the Hebrew vowel points and their

the vowel

relation

To

sought

ancient literature for placing

ity

letters'.

that the letter ^

make

letters,

and

and not seven.

as ten,

the S3'py '-"" rrr'.s

the

higher than the other letters?

middle of the

*''i.

passages

counted ten double

letters

in

it

in

clear
their

is

also

in the

that

found

the

ancients

arrangement of the

phabet, they sometimes counted them as tw^enty

in

middle of the

al-

^'i.

rVJDlpD. \\ ion 1887 p XVIII

The philosopher and Grammarian Profiat Daran "Ma'ase Efod"
p. 34) aho says that the ancients divided the twenty-two letters of the
Hebrew alphabet into ten and twelve, according to the ten spheres
*')

Epstein, Z'~'~'-

*')

(D'^-'i^^)

nd the twelve signs of

th(

zodiac (r'"'!?).

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

This seemed to justify

and

my

are

meant the thirty-two sounds

E :

:,

; X rriE^

contention

sisting of ten

my

.^..j

j,,

by

that

48

reading of the ten double letters

^j^g ^^^-^^

the

Yetzirah, and not seven,

thirty-two

ways

mysterious

Hebrew

of the

duuble letters and twelve simjde

alpliabet, con-

letters.

CHAP. VI
.^UTHOHSHIP.
Thus

far.

tlic

origin for

it

wards

to

it:

has been impossible to determine

it

authorship of

Sefer Yetzirah.

was intrusted by

Abraham and

iiis

Judah Barseloni,
^p.

Abraham***).

relation
in

his

tiic

ago and

.Tcwish tradition claims divine

tlie

Lord

to

Adam and

after-

very interesting passage concerning

to

the Sefer Yetzirah

commentary

on

the

quoted

is

Sefer

by

Yctziraii

268), from an ancient text.

~"2r. ':e^ r-BT ^:x^?> ,-r.:s ir;N c--rs tH:!:':';

IDS TO z:~: oD ins r,czr: chy: -r r^ z'-s abv;
crnzH" -k't:: "s" t^ r.b los"; mr^ -^a;! c~-!2.so ':n ,-d:d-:

'"v

;;(3i

r."2~

-B-2 -"z- -"d: tj:

'^i:'

,Tn

rriwnb

sh
t^p2D

.;

'-; hz-': v:-; sirs*

i^yoi

.-ns

-rj

:h'' 'je'"

t-' ^bt ,--; arnasi- 'iDa:

ci'r:

'b

-lan:

Hp ri

-^^iS-p

/ains

-an; -ts-

-n-rv,- -; s'hz -z "zr'-

V2-r bz'r N- nrsi -,2 T.ipn; 'I'-i- iec tk'z; --a 'jk '^x -osv
Dn-3S -^r, tj: iz -"in dd':b' iz -czr:, tz- -n-ivb z^,p -r,' -.z
lay sb"! la- atpr
yn rB':v > ahyr ns -is^ vt* "^i^zr:. I'ju-^
-r2'r:: :-;r '; -y -r^rz- s'-- czrr -r x^s --n' -.z ]'Z'z- z-h
';.

*'')

Poter

Hecr,

Pand, Hrnnn 1823,

p.

(iiiscliichtc

10,

12. 21.

religiusor

Sektcn

dcr Judi^n,

Zweiter

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

44

.-^13

We

find

an ancient

in

"When Abraham,

?"

Directly, the

tlie

My

augels of lainistrv

Lord of the World!

'o

wilt thou conceal anythinij

Holy On blessed be He

'My daughter, come and we

es

She said

beloved."

to

and takes meekness.'

which

said,

said,

He

by himself studying

sat

anytliinj,',

God then consulted

it,

Me?

then understand."

there

is

no

to

am One

their

it

When

it,

you

together,
to

From

can understand

But when they do understand

hearts desire.

created the

his teacher

They looked

years.

form the world.

that

into

it

time

to

alone, there

be two wise men. and they cannot understand

years.

'Dost

said,
I

it

At once, Abraham went

man who

understand

to

and

But thou canst not understand

it.

Shem. and stayed wit him three

and they knew how

Abraham, who

able

Get thee an associate, and look into

alone.

Abraham

the Sefer Yetzirah,

heavenly \oice came forth

until a

Sefer Yetzirah, and studied

this,

thee to

over to

it

without being

thou seek to compare thyself with

will

many

ivill

'Shall

said to

him, 'Xo. not until the meek one com-

God then handed

"Yes'.

-o;n

conceal from Abraham?' and consulted the Torah.

her,

it

mT'

73 -'h

foliows

was born,

hast a beloved one in the world,

from him
I

fatlier

min-

a?

Holy One, Blessed be He:

said to the

Thou

our

roadintj;

before

it

must
three

they can do anything

.\braham understood

it,

his

wisdom

increased greatly, and he taught the wliole law.""

The world

which Abraham and

able to form after three years

may

lie

of

his

teacher

study of the

understood to moan the world of

Shem

were

Sefer Yetzirah

letters.

Indeed^ the

tllK

OHIUIN OF LCTTEKS ANU NUMEKALS.

invention of letters was anciently spoken of as the

45

of

creation

the universe.

The names

of Moses, Ezra*'),

and Rabbi Akiba have also

The

been advanced as the authors of the Sefer Yetzirah.

attri-

bution of the work to Rabbi Akiba umbjubtedly rests on a confusion of

The

titles.

writers IJ'^K D--|2S

drash

Ni^v

bw

'21

ha-Kabbalah, says

which

some

called by

is

authors

Slialshelet

in his

r'l rb-2'pr\

"Tr

H"

-isci

^r^'DO i2c

-i:n

xim

the Sefer Mechiltin, and the Sefer Yetzirah on

"He composed
There

by ancient

called

and was confounded with the Mi-

which

nvnis*,

lEC

~i2~-z- rn'-i-

to

was

Sefer Yetzirah

ni'ms,

Thus Gedaliah Ibn Yahya,

Sefer Yetzirah.

Kabbalah.

'tB'

Yetzirah

a Sefer

is

made

Nachmanides

composed

Abraham,

by

wonderful com-

and

great

mentary."
This passage was apparently misunderstood

who imagined

writers,

by some

later

that Rabbi Akiba was the author of the

Abraham.

Sefer Yetzirah attributed to

Hence Isaac de Lates;

criticism in the introduction to the Zohar

nn\-e' nJB'D

"Besides,

Yetzirah
liioin

by

"^

iec 2-r:^

S27V

called

tradition

Peter Beer,

Band, Hrnnn 18i3,

p.

"21''

ith

"J

tvi

7\'arr.

who permitted Rabbi Akiba

They
I'nil

r,-,-r

i.i'xnp-.

D,-n3so rh^pi d-^d3

lA

it

Mishnali, and

from

to

write

tiie

Sefer

ns hinided down

to

Alualiaiii."

(ic'chidilc
21.

it

leligiiiji^r

Si'kti'n

d.T .Imteu, zweili>r

OKlGfN OF LETUiRS AND NCIMIiRALS.

I'HE

46
Moses

denies Kabbi Akiba's authorship

Goidovcro'^''i flatly

of the Sefer Yetzirah.

Kimmonim

the Panles

In

he says

D>:2D T'- Ci^rn vbv u'za q-^zs'" r".:t:- m^'i' ied lirx

"We
ascribe

have a Sefer Yetzira attributed

it

Kabbi

to

but

Akiba,

Some

Abraham.

to

there

rum

no general agree-

is

ment."

Modern

writers are also divided in their opinions

Some

ning the age of the Sefer Yetzirah.

to

be a production of the

others place
to

the ninth

clination

is

in the

it

second

the

concer-

them believe
century

the

discussion of the text

My personal in750 931) for that

but

mud

in

is

pre-Talmudic, and

the following passages

N^jn

;-i

.C'n'^ 'VsKi sn'^n abi'v in*

riTT

r''^hr.2

'pcy r-

srzr

is

';

.-^isv^

'"^-i)

5')

Quoted from

'iTT "'Op'' .TTIB'

i"

nx xn^n

nri m^s'

5')

SanhedriD, 65b.

' )

Ibid, 67 b.

by

L.

]t2

^'n

(Cr
n^'^

yov' xnaa* -^yo ^d

21' xr:n 2n~2

"isc2

'-ya b2 N^ytf-x

CJ iD"l CIIE

1905.

was

H~2j h-2 H2-

S-'i

.(":;'' ''Tixi

Frankf.,

of letters, wliich

retTered to in the Tal-

rr r-,\-"x p-ns TiObT r.TT ~Ec 'T

1--D Xp -- xh '--2 'yPB'U up <'DP' Tin n''VB'iN ill

II,

have no doubt that the

part containing the account of the origin

explained above

Christian Era.

of the

accept the late date (about

portion of the book which has been referred to as Sefer Yetzirah

in

it

R. 0.

Geonic period, ranging from the seventh

centuries
to

or

first

of

sr'"T

s c

x'"j'y 'nb

t,

n^'Di

Sefer Velzirah

uKllilN

I'Hli

Eaba

created a

and sent him

LETTEKS AND NUMERALS.

through

(Raslii says,

Rabbi Zera

to

He

no answer.

man

01'

who spoke

to

then said to him, "you are

tlie

47.

Sefer Yetzirah),

him,

but received

a creature

of the

learned, return to your dust."

Rabbi Hanina and Rabbi Oshaiah

sat the entire eve of the

Sabbath studying the Sefer Yetzirah and created a three-year old

and ate

calf,

it'

"Like the case of Rabbi Hanina and Rabbi

Oshaiah who studied the

a three-year-old

The
these

call

Sefer Yetzirah

passages

Hilchot

was created

Friday,

and

them, which they ate".

and the Hilclmt

undoubtedly

are

Yetzirah every

for

our

Yetzirali.

original

mentioned

in

Sefer Yetzirah,

words
from which was borrowed the Baraitha beginning with the
Yetzirah:

of the Sefer

V()i(l

is

green line that surrounds the whole universe."

original Sefer
This passage must have been a part of the
with the
tallies
it
for
Yetzirah and not a later interpolation,
a gap
leaves
omission
its
that
it,
paragraphs before and after
that

no other can

From
tiie

lill

so

a passage of a

thirteenth century,

satisfactorily

commentary on the Sefer Yetzirah

which

is

still

e.xtant

in

see that the

(Bodleian Library, Codex 1947), we can

was written by
tator believed that the Sefer Yetzirah
Uziel, for he says

'^,

commen-

.losepli

Hagigah, 12 a.

r^CT'

of

manuscript.

"B"~ ~T!

ben

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

48

"These are the words

them from Jeremiah

....

Joseph ben Uziel,

and restore the creator

As the commentator
to

of

'Voice, air.

speech",
to

tliis is

who

received

the lioly spirit

abode."

liis

declares words in

the Sefer Yetzirah

be the language of Joseph ben Uziel, he evidently believed

that he wrote

it.

In another passage the

.... ^222

commentator

says.

T,c n-jj s'2Jn .Ts-)'

't'^

''ra-.;-;

^cv -2

So Joseph ben Uziel received from Jeremiah the Prophet.

The

secret

"'2

By

was revealed

in

Babylonia.''

apparently meant the Sefer Yetzirah

is

he believed to have been revealed and transmitted

From

ben Uziel by the prophet Jeremiah.

which

^*j,

Joseph

to

the ending

of this

commentary we gather that the commentator had before him an

which had

ancient text of the Sefer Yetzirah,

-x\v;

^pv

Abraham and

n:'D'i

cmzs

Mishnah

the

ryi"^

''Here ends

of Joseph ben

other writers took this colophon to

was

the author

caused

tiie

of

the

di-

-n^'S'

quoted

^s'"y

work by the

title

was given

it

Mishnah

of

Recanati and

that Joseph ben Uziel

misunderstanding

under the

s'r"~2

title

-2c.

In the Leipzig Codex (No.

treatise called

Uziel.""

This

bibliopraphers to catalogue

bn'v:; ]2 ^iDVT

siders a

mean

commentary.

end pre

at the

the

XXX,

f\cv~ Nr""i2,

fol.

1-2)

there

is

another

same author

which A. f;pstein^) conas the

to the treatise

commentary.

The

apparently because of the

following passage occurring therein:

'*)

("omp. Rashi

on Jer. 23,

18

where ""D

Yetzirah.

") ipinn, Krakan-Wien 1898-95,

II,

p. 41.

is

i-xplained

by Sefer

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

"Joseph ben Uziel taught

Jeremiah

piopliet,

tlie

except the

and

it

It

it.

was revealed to him by

must not be revealed

modest?;.

pious" (the

49

passage

In this

to

anyone

tlie

author

doubtless refers again to the Sefer Yetzirah, which was revealed

or

handed down by the prophet Jeremiah

J.

J.

following passage, which occurs

15299

e]DT'i'i

ua

irj ^211

omo
b2

ayo

"ps'iiy^

to

from the

L. Barges''*) quotes,

also

r^bw

Joseph ben Uziel.

Paris

'm onsD

d-'IID

Cod.

7()'2

the Brit. Mus.

in

'n

on 'hn

p pyotf 'i pns o'pis 'n u tr^ '?32m

im pis iditd -tryD pis xa^v 'n nvnis
niD'rn mo iiav "no nivB' mo nnips no abiv

ni3N pis 'nv

'-'

.fns

n^jtfD'i

the
(Jod.

nsD
pie

"no

sin 'D niDx tf-pn mi nxs^i ona n3S ^d itryi n^xn n^nn
iDX '13 p '112 'jx -10X1 [XTD p] ^''ts-iv lo'j mx 'Ja^ nno
prsi onann i^x [xtd p] ^''tssy 'sd anDi f|DV db-' to i"t
.... '131 m'S' IBD px2 onsD

nVjB'
h
'n

"These are the

five

Sefarim (books) and the

(orders) which Ben Sira revealed

to

son

his

five

Sedarim

Uziel, and

his

grandson Joseph, Sefer Yetzirah, Sefer Tagin, Sefer Dikduk, Sefer

Pesikta Eabbati in two forms, Sefer Zerubbabel, which contains
five chapters:

di

Simeon ben Yohai, Abolh

darim are

Seder

When

the host of heaven shook,

said

[Ben

'Who

is

it

Sira] arose

*)

VJn nSD,

Eretz.

five

Tlie

Se-

01am, Seder Pekudoth, Seder Shaot, Seder

Ibbur, Seder Halakoth.

Rabbi Nathan, Otiot

di

Rabbi Akiba, Maase Misiikan, Derek

lie

and the holy

my

that revealed

and said:

revealed all these secrets, all

'I

Buzi son

Paris 18G6, p. X.

spirit

secrets to

of

came out and

mankind
Buzi'.

tr"D^jy

The

holy

50

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

spirit said to

him: 'Enough'.

Immediately

and wrote down these words

and he wrote them

Sira],

the

at

in

books on

five

Joseph

down

sat

of ty"Bsy [Ben

dictation

earth

the

Sefer

Yetzirah, etc."

Although the greater part of this passage

rious, attributing,

authors,

may

it

as

be authentic with regard to the Sefer Yetzirah,

which heads the

It

list.

Sefer Yetzirah had

not unlikely that originally only the

is

been ascribed to Joseph ben Uziel, but

same volume, some

there were several other works in the

copyist attributed

have

them

The

him.

all to

as

careless

original passage

may

read as follows:

nt'^B'Si

noj

TD .^n

"lax

"ib

,^^^2

htd

iJ3 ^s^r.y^

Pior'?';

'lu

"This

is

his son Uziel,

the Sefer Yetzirah,

and

his

mankind?

said:

nsD r"aiV

Who

ti'"BSy arose

wrote

nno

zdz' ^pv 2B"

'ej:

When

to

he had revealed

heaven trembled, and the holy spirit

is

it

down the

my

that has revealed

and said:

'I

Then

Immediately Joseph sat

Yetzirah

sefer

secret, to

Buzi son of Buzi'.

the holy spirit said to him: 'Enough'.

down and

n*

which Ben Sira revealed

grandson Joseph.

secret, all the iiosts of

came out and

m'S' -dd sin

n'^:B'

idni E'"t:ay -oy anx ^:2b

':x

.rn^s'

this

obviously spu-

is

ben Uziel works of other

does, to Joseph

it

at the

dictation of

B'"usy."

This

passage also

the Sefer Yetzirah.

Jeremiah

but Ben Sira

Yetzirah to
of

iiis

ben Uziel wrote

indicates that Joseph

According

to

revealed

grandson Joseph

nen Sira Josef ben Uziel

is

this

the

passage,

philosophy

ben Uziel.
also

In

mentioned

however,
of

not

the Sefer

the Alphabet
as a

grandson

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

of

Ben

mother was a daughter

Sira's

There are also legends that Jeremiah and

miah.

Ben

Ben

Sira and

51

^')

of Jere-

grandson

his

Sira studied together the Sefer Yetzirah.

The
cabalistic

....

ra

Lemberg 1860,

20a,

nx^'re, as

mp masi hp
f\-iD2b'

Bip^"'

"'JSix-i

work

nxs''

iedd

.-IT'S'

m'S' -ISD3 ipovr;

D'ja'3

from

quotes

follows:

^'nnn

pioy^

n-'o-f

nt'd ^sn -fin

iJ2

,-i2n -(?

--m TDs insDa 3inD n'm nns ons crb siaj -losom V^dh wye'
'sn

'xa --'D-i'

^"x r,DN b^

'h r:,n

pmo

inx

-t;! n"13J-

'';''2

{'so

nina hdd

d\-; nas nrj rrna- ^^x^ -"na^ ^tra i^ ha'as V'x

imn'str -iv ^^3 ,rDx'?D2 xy, injaix^ c^j-.a
-'n xh n-^-^a nas
':2 'a
'ija'ixr: ivtb'si naxr; -"y '?;n ly-'B' ly inja'.s mo D-a'^i

mx

mx

D'xj3 D'tyyji inB3n3

E'uinB'D';

,D''t:iB's

iB'isjts'

'j3

Dn33ai D-'^x n^D

ny Dn3i3

D^'tt'iy

d^dVi-i

on

"Jeremiah began

came

forth

went

(0 his

getiier.

and said

riB'iy

m^B'

...

He answered, T

Jeremiah said
will tell

man who

truth).

and no one appreciated

induced him

knew

it

all

to teach

his

many

mx

'J3 0,-3

cmx

When

accordingly
Yetzira

The person
the

letter

to-

created

Aleph

'Why do you
This case

that

is

of
?'.

similar

houses, countries, and towers,

art or his work,

them the

thoroughly.

him,

to

you a parable'.

built

He

the Sefer

had a knife in his hand, and was erasing

to that of a

in''jn

moi

na imas

created by them, upon whose

man was

forehead was written 'Emet' v'^^x

the word Emet.

xihb'

7jv3 Dn3 o^poiy.

'Get tiiee an associate'.

son Sira, and tiiey studied

Finally

m33

""j:::

?-B'

-m

study Sefer Yetzira, when a heavenly voice

to
:

-iri3

"ia-xn

.''2^-,s

i^'nnn injiDni

i-ia:pt'

until

secret of his art,

they learned the

two

men

so that they
art,

and the

Berlin 1858. ICb.

") See -Alphabet of Ben Sira", ed. Steiuschneider

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMFRALS.

52

man's

and method, they began

secret

words, and tinally

became builders
did

they

all

What

him.

like

When

to irritate liim with their

did for a dennriua,

lie

them, and negotiating with them

may

which

This passage,

they

people learned of their existence,

the original artisan and

left

them and

his science with

t;iking

liim,

peshutivi.

three

fi'r

left

went

in their

them, honoring

to

building enterprises

"

be considered as having

also

been prefixed originally to a copy of the Sefer Yetzira. not only

Ben

indicates that Jeremiah and

Sira studied the philosophy of

the Sefer Yetzira (or the invention of the alphabet),

why

gives a reason

In
says''**)

vh

D^JB'

'j

mexi ^f na
nspo^i

\wv.-\7\

"B'snr;

work Sffer ha-Gematriu^

his

'3

mx

d-x rx

isiar N^i
zi- x-i3J-

nxs"'

ipoyi

nsD3
h^d-':

-a;

Rabbi .ludah

voice

came

to

'jxtf

'rss

-'t;-''

i''3x

r'iir:

nsn
D-x arb nex
niB-y^

"lien Sira wanted

m'S' 1202 picy^

nos

-n-iDa zirDi
.

-"3p-

T:i-\

'b

also

he-Hnsid

r.Dxa

mx

-nx
.

std

-V- --2^

-.Nnztf

in'.tfy

d-^ si3J
inxn orb

pdsd nx -no

p^* ^d ,ro xsar,

.e'ijx i'-d

.iBy': ntt-yj to-, 'n-i02E'

enly

but

be kept secret.

^Din

-iDX

this study should

oHyr; 12 lyc

onx

x^^:'

ir;

ipnoi yiSD^ nvn-xn f]njj

'x

study the Sefer Yetzira, when a heav-

out and snid:

'Thou canst nut do

So he went to his father Jeremiah

and they

it

aloin-'.

studied

it.

At the end of three years a man was created by them, on whose

foiehead was written
of

Adam.

Emet (nDX

truth),

Then the one whom they had

'God created Adam, and when He wanted

he

erased

"*)

a letter

Qiintp.I

fro7n

hy Epstein

in

the wind

D'Ti.-'T;

as on the

forehead

created said to them:

to

put him to death,

p]met and

it

rVJlDHpO, Winn

became Met

18S7, p

i-22.

THE OKIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

(no

So

dead).

want

to

the

world

much

more reason

the

go

man who

them

'Transpose the order of

'
.

the

from the word Emet (nas)

been

man and

generation

of

to

and erase the Aleph

letters,

my

should

created said

the

like

had

tiic

in

why

there

is

not again create a

him

through

astray

Then

Enosh
:

may

do the same, so that you

53

Immediately

torehead.

he

turned into dust."

work

must

contents

long before

who

it

have

been

was written

actually put

known,
down.

impossible that the prophet

Sira studied

From

its

to
It

and

his

evident

that

so

quoted

legendary

written

by a Joseph

Ben

Its

persons,

not

therefore,

Jeremiah

it

is

at all

grandson Ben

passages,

far

prove either the

to

According

the exact age of the Sefer Yetzirah.

this

is,

few

least a

at

been the

writing.

into

it

philosophy.

the foregoing

document by which

historic

could not have

like the Sefer Yetzirah

product of the person,

the

however,

the

to

above

Sefer Yetzirah

a grandson

ben Uziel,

we have no

authorship or

of

Ben

Sira.

was
If

Sira was the author of Ecclesiasticus, which apparently

was written

in

the third century B. 0. E., his grandson Joseph

ben Uziel could have written the Sefer Yetzirah in the second
century B. C. E.

with

If,

however,

Joseph ben Uziel could

later

not

than at the end of the

of the above quoted passages

of

Ben

Sira doubtless

have
fifth

Sira

was

identical

his

grandson

written

in

Sefer Yetzirah

The authors

the author of the Alphabet

Ben

Sira to be

the high-priest Joshua son of Jehozadak, to

taugh

the

century B. C. E.

and

believed

Ben

of Jehozadak,

this

the high-priest Joshua son

Ecclesiasticus was attributed.

identical with

whom

the

wisdom

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

54

Isidore of Sevile in his remote day (620), identified Jesus,

the son

of Sira, with Josiiua ben Jehozadali,

Mss. of Ecclesiasticus,

it

is

stated that

and

the Latin

in

Ben Sira was

a son oi

Like Ecclesiasticus, the Pseudo-I3en Sira's "Alpha-

Jehozadak^').

bet of ben Sira" was also attributed to Joshua ben Jehozadak.

Hence

its

title

in the

Hebrew-German

edition (Ofl'enbach, 1728).

Already Abraham Abulafia perceived that the Pytliagorean

number philosophy

is

the Sefer Yetzirah.

variously

explained.

the Pythagorean
Yetzirah.

identical with the Sefiroth philosopliy

The

relation they

A. F. Thimus'^"),

philosophy

is

bear

each

to

shares

an adaptation

the

from

other

view

of
is

that

the Sefer

author of the Sefer Yetzirah

Others hold that the

borrowed his philosophy from Pythagoras and Plato.

But

do not pretend to be able to solve this difficult question.

wish to

call attention to a

few points which

may

suggest

a solution or at least guide further investigation.

Tlie

person

of

Pythagoras*')

quantity as that of Ben Sira.

is

as

much

an

unknown

Philolaus, the first one to publish

") See Nestle in Hasting's Bi/i/e Diclionnry, vol IV, p 542.

Die Harmonikak Symbolik, Koln 1876, II, pp. VJ, 2, 133, 241.
>) Dr. A. Hirsh (JQR., vol. XX, p. 61)
doubts whether there ever
was a Pythagoras, althongh he has no doubt there existed a Pythagorean
")

school of philosophers.

It is

admitted

(J.

Burnet, Early Greek Pliitosopliy,

page 99) that "all that has come down to us under the names of various
The
disciples of Pythagoras is pure forgery, of the most worthless kind.
is therefore
conjectural, and all
what wc are told by Aristotle". According to some writers Pythagoras was a Greek, according to others, he
was either a Phctnician or a Syrian. There have been also some writers

whole (arly history of Pythagoreanism

we

really

know

of the school

is

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

the Pythagorean

ben Uziel who

corresponds

philosophy,

55

curiously

to

Joseph

Would

down the Sefer Yetzirah.

wrote

be

it

genuine

to bold to conclude that the Sefer Yetzirah represents the

fragments of Philolaus"?

SEFEE YETZIKAH
Chap.

(K p-lS)

D^nB'i

na"!!:

rix"'Vs

mx3S

-EC! lE'ic:

ppn

r:
:

-EC-

Scroll.

D''B'Va'

I'rs'.

"(n

These

icy mx^'TE

mViE:

n-iB'V c^nti'i

DTtri n-i^'V ]^^' rimts-E

rvnx

:n-nn

the

are

ways,

mysterious

thirty

ten

letters, of

mtry

,"'

'^

1^'

,a /n

,1

tP^B'

s"'?i

n-B'y

'"

^i itpy

" muitPB

s'n "tt-y dtb*

mtpy

-s '-

''

.mtry rns

D'ntr

,D }?

rnx

~vv

the Torah.

3
The ten double

nb^i

two

and twelve simple, which are the

twenty-two

yttT

double

"?

njtro

'J

of hosts,

ordained through Scribe, Script,

and
QTK'i

Lord

has the Lord,

's njB'B

mrTJ

ways

Thirty-two mysterious

D'tf'rB'

~^-^'

nvmx

,p ,s ,y ,c

DTitt'

,:

mtpy

,n

,v

and

,1

,B

nine,

not

eleven.

The

letters are
,p ,S ,y

,'

,i

letters

are

/S

ten

and

not

,i

,1

,3

ten

twelve
, ,h

,'

simple

,B ,n

,n

,D twelve and not eleven

Grossyriechtnlaud und Pylhabelieve that he was a Jew. (Rathgeber,

even been ident.hed with
Gotha 1866, pp. 325, 461, 466). He has
should
If Pythagoras was a Hebrew he
the prophet Ezekiel. (M,rf, 534).
high-priest Joshua son of Jehozadak.
rather be identified with the

who

noras,

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

56

n^vm pa

hv 13-

:"J12D

^v

pa

iina

twelve and not

"isv atyni

ima

vestigate them, examine tliem,

-npni

matter

the

establish

In-

thirteen.

clearly,

and restore the Creator

His

to

abode.
'1

mpipn
nB3

rutrD

niTis

o^ntPi

mynp nna

Twenty-two

ontPV

ni2isn

:mDipD

hpa

nti-ens

and

in the air,

moutli in

^D

pD

ns

'.-iVib

Tny-

in

the

He

en-

fixed

DTtfl onK'y

|E-is

n^Ji

are en-

places.

five

'n njtra

psn ppn nvnix

letters

graved by the voice, hewn out

Twenty-two

letters

p''Dm

ppr

graved,

nxi

"iis^n

changed, combined, and formed

b'2

hewed

them

out of

and

all

weighed,

out,

all existing

forms,

may

in the

forms that

future be called into existence.

"i

DV

f]bH

'<

1^2 Dy r^3

nmin

njifD

p-'Dm

i'?-!:

How

i^ptr lEna ns'D

,^W ay

oy pi3 pi

pisi

.n^a

i"?!:

oy ]h3i

He combine them,

did

weigh them, and change them?

s with
of

all

them and

all

and so

of

all

them

ol

them with N

of

2,

all

all

all of

them with 3

them with

them turning around

thus

and

with

words and

all

all

of

in order;

existing

forms are derived from

them.

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

njipo

'1

nvmx

myiDp

ontry

dtb'i

Twenty

iinsi

D'JB

Jjy

bibir\

n'7yD'?

onytf

inni
laV'?

vy

io'di

:yjj ntso'?

two

in

fixed

VVi

57

thus

backward;

and

forward

484

with

circle turns

and the

divisions,

are

letters

circle,

the

in JJy [delight],

is

at

the beginning; in V^i [plague],

y

tiie

at the end.

is

'n nitrr:;

t)ut of

y21X

,D"in2

HB'B'

mJ13

nuia

DTia nyaisi on^'y

antryi

msD
nuu

nxo

ruia

yatp

arc built,
six

tron

d''J3S

yntr niju d'J3S

D'jas

D'J3X
d''J3n

tfty

,D'n3

ontpyi

,D'n3

1XD0 ,D'na D^yaTsi d's'ts ntrnn

:r!Bn

)-'HV

no aiB-m ss

jyiDtt'"? ri'?i3i

i?''Ht

iTixn^si lan"?

"pis'

two stones two houses

out of three stones

houses

built,

are

out

of

four stones twenty-four houses

are built,

out

of

five

stones

one hundred and twenty houses

are

built,

of

out

stones

six

twenty

and

hundred

seven

houses are built, out of seven

stones five thousand and forty

Go and count

houses are built.

further,

what

mouth

the

ear

is

unable to hear.

Ohap.

(3 piB)

He
and

ss? ^u^^;

II

'B njtfD

:nnj< Dtfo

is

and the

unable to pronounce,

^21

iwr.

all

combines

makes
speech

and

all

with

changes

forms

and

the

one

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

58

Name; thus

all

speech

derived

are

forms and

from

all

the

one Name.
10

X^EIB b)ii -ic tyoN riDx

Three vowels B'aK constitute

ty'?B*

and

a great secret, marvellous

From them go

hidden.

noan d"d

laV'?

.dt^^

|D''d;

air,

water, and

forth

Fire above

fire.

and water below, and air holding

the balance between

mute,

is

X holds

^'

is

them

thus

and

hissing,

balance between

the

them.
11

mas

s^Eio Vni Tic r"aN

,"!sy

D^D

mi

ts'Vtt'

Q^Nsv -nai rciDci

nB'an ]~v; n"tt'as

mas

nyatfi

'inaty

-n^u

cntt-y

yais
niss

:m.i'?in

Three vowels n"ax constitute

a great secret, marvellous and

From them go

hidden.
air,

water,

and

vowels n"2'BX,
that

vowels,

forth

Four

earth.

which are
gave

birth

five

to

twenty-seven consonants.
12

3"i njtro

laiy

naV nns

b'z

max

ntt'an

D-ipHs D^ia min'?in nyae-i nn^'yi

piyi

nna

-ya ?
ly

wip

-^n^

i'bs
'ins-,

"pyaa

ist:";

^mnsa

.nan'ja

j'^ids

j^aa

'rB'-a "lax;

:ny

ny

The

five

one by
seven

itself,

but the twenty-

consonants

pendent

on

made them
state,

stand each

vowels

tlie

are

all

de-

vowels.

He

form

of a

in the

and arranged them

like

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

59

The

an array in battle array.

One

only

faithful

the

King, rules over them

from His

and

God,

Master,

abode

holy

forever

ever.

13

rvms

mas

ciB-yi

nyatfi

DTttn

nc-Dn

onE'v iVx

nn'ED itryo msas

nnhn
^D''B'

n-.n'' ,t'

The
seven

vowels and twenty-

live

consonants,

contained
letters

which

are

these

twenty-two

the

in

Lord

the Lord,

established out of the

of hosts,

ten digits and zero.

-I"''

-Jtt'D

-'E

u;hz -a-<b2-

-p^

]'-\

rn::

^y

titec

oipa"?

'3

The

"itpy

-ph nm^D

CXI -imn^o
"i3i

Chap.

pIB)

(a

3ib'

:m3

Ill

H
and zero

ten digits

close tliy

and thy heart from

and
let it

mouth from speaking

if tliy

come back

thinking,

should leap,

heart

to its place;

for

concerning this has the covenant been made.

15

i"t n:ts'o

The

ten

digits

and

their end is joined with

Dsm -DDna

-pn r^nja

miB'p

beginning, and their beginning

with their end,

:-iBiD

nns no nnx

zero,

their

is

as

the

attached to the coal.

stand wisdom

tlame

Under-

and be wise

in

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

60

understanding,

there

that

and

but one Master,

is

there

is

no second to Him, and before

One, what countest thou?

10

,r"ss

nTED

rtQ''b2'

itt'v

The

ten

digits

their appearance

is

and

zero,

like light-

ning; to their aim there

j-

iXDD

:5-~'

"js^-.

-BiC:

They go and

limit.

His word, and at His

ti)e_v

is

no

come

at

command

pursue like the whirlwind,

and kneel before His throne.

1"'

-t3'^31

njK'o

niTSD

-12";^

1"

"'^x

These are the ten digits and

zero,

with which the Eternally

God,

Living

be

blessed

His

name, ordained His world.

18

nn

^ip

asm ppn rrx

n2

itfipn

nn

nii -112m

One

He

out of

and

it

graved and hewed

voice, air

this is the

,1-3"

^3

inn in- isni

Pi'patP

me'^iEa c';3X
:d''d

piT

ppn
"ip

nT,t^'

'"x 'in:%'i^'3

irr

ohv"

cxsv ]~qv U--D2 niypx'e-

Two He
out of

Void

is

them

and speech,

Holy

Spirit.

ly

graved and hewed

void

and chaos.

a green line that sur-

rounds the whole universe, and

chaos refers to viscous

stones,

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

sunk

the

in

61

whence

abyss,

water comes forth.

njB'D

'3

-Din 1^03 P'sn n:mv vo3

:hfff

D-'S'

]i<^'V

-2'r;o -'03 iddd

ps'-.

20

Three
out

He graved and hewed

mud and

them

of

He arranged them
He

bed.

set

He

wall.

pavement,

chiy.

like a

garden

them up

like a

covered them like a

and

upon

poured

them snow, and the earth was

formed.

S"3 -3K'0
-iUDH sc; -na

21

asm ppn v^ix

Four
out

of

He

graved and hewed

them

the

throne

of

glory, the ophanim, the seraph-

im, the holy animals, and the

ministering angels.

a"a njB'a

UB"

iJ's ntryi

ni^n:.

ijiKB-

I'lso

D'nB"i

D'ltfy

"lait'

:,"a

,avLi

nmy'7

pnaD aian

void,

"iD'C"

tt'snj

nothing, and hewed large stones

nm

"J'^a

,a-iun

and made something out of

out of intangible air, thus twentyin

number one

vi"^

/Vi

nx

nuiy''?

d;
a-.a

Also God set the

spirit.

evil,

and

ns

good

out

,y-in

one

over

against the other, good against

ym piao am

ns vnaa yini

in

23

-jtro

" riDiv^ n-

,y-iD

out of

asm

two

nti'V

existence

n'jas

:-nx

(D'H^xn

22

He formed

tPDD inno ns'

evil

of

against

good,

and

good;
evil

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS.

62

good testing

out of evil:

and

evil

testing good

away

stored

away

evil is stored

ppm

-snan :t3

1^ n'-i3 r.-i3i
-pa

nna

i^

ipm

vzni
rrhv'

Vd- v~*<

m3

,D^iy

rtxii

:'ni

is-.

for the evil.

nns

engraved and hewed and com-

and

and

creation

trND IP"?- D'03 "sa'D piD

"pnji

investigated and observed and

bined and formed

Nini

itfyi?

father

^y lynh

"j-'a

mhsa

our

and saw and

he looked

''^V ^"^^

vt myasx iB-y
nna i^ mDi
mysss nry
Dntfy itppi n'p'Dn nna xim v^.'"i
nbi uitf^a -iin- nvmx cntr*
iiB''?n

arose,

is

and

-24

When Abraham
3sni

evil,

good

for the good,

l"3 nJB'D

^l-is'i

m-12

rx

'h

"tfyi

:mu"B'E -Tify dtb'i

lated,

his

Then

successful.

the

calcu-

was

Master

of all revealed Himself to him,

and made a covenant with him

and with his seed

made

the ten fingers

and

of

him on
hands,

his

this is the covenant of the

and on

tongue;
of

his

and

feet,

the ten toes

this

tied the

twenty-two

the Torah to

revealed to

his

him

their

stormed them through

them

in

fire,

letters.

of

and

secret.

water;

air,

kind-

and melted

into ten double

simple

and

letters

tongue

He drew them through

them

the

is

covenant of circumcision;

led

He

forever.

a covenant with

and twelve

COREECTIONS.
6

1.

16 For heard nie expressing

P. 12

1.

25 For conceptions read conceptions

p.

For

my

P.

IG

I.

'i

P.

25

1.

IG P-Jr

P.

31

1.

P. 37

1.

P. 40

1.

17

For

P.

40

1.

21

For then read ten

P.

43

1.

14

For Barseloni read IJarceloni

P. 44

P.

1.

4 4

<

viewts read: heard

my

view^s

o,

read

~\

~"

H_-^

_^

read

f <

For thre road three

tetters read letters

8 For On read One

For wit read with

'O

valiants to the Sefer Vetzirah

Mantua

and Mantua

this

work which

fitihe

proof-sbeetj

read

~], _1

8 For
11

The
texts

o'

have

to

will

1,

the teit of Sefer Yetzirah 11,

be found

will

in the

Hebrew

edition of

Ma Iter

for reading

appear shortly.

acknowledge
;

and also

my
to

indebtedness to Dr. H.
i)r.

Israel

Davidson for suggesting a few

improvements.

\T

Printed by

II.

Kloiscbraann

Bieslau Reusche.str.

Vtl

/v

"

A SOLUTION OF THE
PYTHAGOREAN NUMBER PHILOSOPHY
SUPPLEMENT TO
^THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS

BY PHINEAS MORDELL.
Copyright igai by Phineas Mordell.

The

real reason

to be the elements

why

and

the Pythagoreans considered numbers

origin of everything

numeral symbols to have preceded

This

is

what they

nature are the

physics,

Book

really

first

was that they believed

other forms of writing.'

meant when they

and prior to

Chapter

1,

all

S).

The

having been numeral symbols,

said:

things."

all

"Numbers by

(Aristotle's

letters of the earliest

all

Meta-

alphabet

words were originally made

up of numeral symbols or numbers.

In the Hebrew language which also resembles the Phoenician
language, (and

it

was anciently believed that Pythagoras himself

was a Phoenician) both "words" and "things" are designated by

the term D^^^T. Since "words"
the Pythagoreans said that

and composition

Now

in

first

the equivalent of "things"

is

things

(i.e.

words) had their origin

numbers.

according to both the Sefer Yetzira and the Pytha-

goreans, the four elements,

the

all

four numbers,

fire, air,

water, earth, emanated from

11, 111, 1111.

I,

For lamblichus (Life of Pythagoras,

London, 1815,
simple ^bodies,

p.

332) says:

fire, air,

according to numbers.
tetractys, that

transl.

"The fourth

by Th. Taylor,

tetractys

is

of the

water and earth, which have an analogy

For what the monad was

fire is in this.

But the duad

is

air,

in

the

first

the triad

is

of Signs to represent numbers is doubtless much older

writing" (Chambers Encyclopaedia, 1893, Vol. VII, p. 548).
characters, were first invented because they were first necessary

'"The invention
than any form

"Numeral
to

mankind."

ol

(Th. A&t\e

The

Origin and Progress oj Writing,

London
65

1784).

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS

66

water and the tetrad

air

number

number

two, earth with the

four.'

The

1,

with

fire

number

number

the

amounting to ten which were

11, 111, 1111,

numbers and

The key

one, water with the

three and

elements of the Pythagoreans were also a

real four

series of strokes

originally

In the Sefer Yetzira however,

earth.""

is

associated with the

is

letters.

to the complete identification of the philosophy of

Pythagoras with that of the Sefer Yetzira as interpreted

thesis

above

is

in this

According to the Sefer Yetzira as explained

the Zero.

HO v^ means

Zero.

the Pythagoreans.?

Was

known

the Zero a secret

to

solution to this question will be found in

the Pythagorean dualism.

The "one"

in

the Pythagorean dualism

Contrary to the prevailing opinion,

oreans regarded the Zero,
called

the infinite,

0, as

We know now that even

the second element which was

is

etc.

the second Symbol.

I,

and the Zero,

This

0.

the Pythagorean formula that

originated from two elements, the limited

unlimited (the Zero,

I.

the decimal system of notation originated

from the two symbols the one,

harmony with

the Symbol,

indeterminate duality, infinite binary,

In a binary system of notation the Zero

fect

is

believe that the Pythag-

0).

Therefore,

all

all

is in

per-

numbers

(the one, 1,) and the

things according to the

Pythagoreans originated from two elements One,

and the

1,

'"Die Pythagoreer fuehrten daheralles auf die Zahl und nicht auf die
mathematischen Figuren zurueck" (S. A. Byk. Die Vorsokratische Philosophie
1.

Leipzig 1876, p. 116).

'

It

is

the "central fire" (fiery angels the throne of glory) that

in the Sefer Yetzira (above

p.

61 para. 21) with the

number

is

associated

four or ten which

the principle of place value makes a harmonious one (see below about har-

mony). The harmonious one (zusammengefuegtes Eins) was confounded

with the plain one and thus fire came to be regarded as the Pythagorean
first material element..

THE ORIGIN OF
Zero, 0.

Since One,

1 is

the

finite,

The One,

of the Pythagoreans.
it

L ETTERS

AND NUMERALS

the Zero,

is

67

the true infinite

was considered the Good,

represents that which exists, but the Zero,

was

for

called the

evil, for it represents non-existence.

The Pythagoreans could not have meant by infinite duality

as many writers believe, for as the one is finite,
the number two and every other number must also be finite.

the
so

number two,

Moreover,

in a

binary system of notation the symbol one,

becomes two just

one,

itself,

Boeckh
Pythagorean

as in a decimal system of notation the

becomes

ten.

{Philolaos, pp. S3, 140, 148)

which

infinity

not a number at

1 itself

symbol

is

made

it

clear that the

identical with infinite duality

is

See also A. Heinze, Metaphyische Grundleh-

all.

ren, Leipzig, p. 26.^

As Leibnitz has represented God's Creation of the Universe

out of chaos or nothing, by means of two
al.^o

second element the

infinite

Ill, p.

109.

"The Deity,

the

W. W. Goodwin,

vol.

Boston 1870).
it is

thought by some, was distinguished by the

P3'thagoreans as absolute unity,

The Chinese Philosophers even

line

God and

binary (the Zero, 0) as the visible

(Plutarch's Morals translated by

world.

digits as symbols, so

interpreted the one as

some Pythagoreans

from unity conceived."

actually said that the circle

aie the first elements trom which

all

{A

and the

writing and everything

originated. (Thimus Harmonikale Symbolik Koeln 1876, vol. 1, pp. 79-83).

By the "hounded line" and "unbounded line" trom which according
der Forto the Pythagoreans everything originated (Diels H. Die Fragmente
symbols for
sokraliker p. 250) they surely meant the line and the circle the

one and zero.

'Alter having written this supplement I lound that Mr. S. Klyce (f/niinfinity are logically
verse 1921 para. 43 f) advances the view that zero and
identical.

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS

68

History of Greek Philosophy, Dr.

AUeyne, London 1881,

vol.

1.

E. Zeller, translated

bj^ S.

F.

p. 398.)

Such a view was apparently that of the Sefer Yetzira (above

p.

59 para. 15) "Understand wisdom and be wise

that there

So

but one Master, and there

is

in "iniT -:'ip\n

one which

ibn Gebiroi

Thou

different

is

]2rin2

in the

"The

is

is

understanding,

him."

to

Nin n:S Thou

"in

nnx3

art

So Solomon

counted.

says: 'i:::m 'i;pn

and not as the one that

George Boole inThe Laws

also says:

iib\

from the one that

m^Vs inr

in

art one

said

it is

in

no second

is

x*?!

inx -nx

created and counted.

London

of Thought,

1854, p. 48,

and

respective interpretations of the symbols

system of Logic are Nothing and Universe."

In ancient times various interpretations were given to the

two s)'mbols

and

0, as the

Platonic antithesis of "being" and

"Plenum"

(Boole, ibid, p. 414,) and Leucippus's

"non-being."

and "vacuum," into which

all

existence

The Philosophy and

ibid, p. 413).

was resolved (Boole,

Dualism apparentl)'

religion of

arose from an interpretation of the symbols one,

and

zero, 0.

Various views prevailed about the origin of these two sym-

Some

bols.

believed that the Zero,

haps the Chinese cosmogony

is

preceded the One,

1.

Per-

The author

based on this view.^

of the Sefer Yetzira and the Pythagoreans believed that the one

preceded the zero.

The view

Therefore, the zero was second.

held bj'

some Kabbalists that the nine

numerals (1-9) have emanated from

infinity-C]"iD

that the Zero 0, has preceded the One,

1.

author of the Sefer Yetzira and the

ually

by

f"There was first ot

Nothing took upon

all

a period

itself

New

York, 1901,

p.

implies

But according

to the

P}'thagoreans even infinity

when Nothing

existed

Grad-

the form and limitation of Unity, represented

a point at the centre ot a circle" (H. A. Giles,

erature,

Sefiroth or

VX

3).

History of Chinese Lit-

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS

emanated from the One,

-^IID ]^X

69

1.

After the invention of the symbols 11, 111, 1111,

when

the

binary system of notation developed into a decimal, the zero was

regarded as the

symbol and hence the

fifth

symbols or elements

five

fifth

11, 111, 1111, 0,

1,

element.

The

were supposed to

symbolize the whole cosmos which was believed to be in harmony

with a decimal system of notation expressible by these symbols.'

'"Die Weltkugel besteht aus fuenf Koerpern: dies sind
innerhalb der Kugel Feuer, Wasser, Erde, Luft und ausserdem
fuenftens das Gehaeuse der Kugel selbst." (Nestle, Die Forsokratiker.

The

Jena 1908,

p. 162).

air, water, earth and fire

were also symbolized by ten dots
arranged in a triangular form and the sphere of void
encompassing them was symbolized by a circle.
Hence the void and the universe were symbolized by

four elements,

and apparently was simplified

in a

X \

to Boethius, the Neo-Pythagoreans used as a

The void and

by

ized

nine

numerals

also be

symbol

for zero.

symbol-

numeral figures

be designated by
nr3, 3 njn,
noDn,
7
nv:, S
nn, 9 niD'

may

1
Kabbalistic names as
4 ion, 5 msDn, 6 mua,

may

a circle containing the nine

The

1-9.

the universe

which according

and the zero circle embracing them may be designated by =liD fN or niaV:! "in3.

noi^o

Kabbalistic origin of onr numerals see A. J. H.

Vincent in Jouraal Je Mathematiques Par Joseph Liouville Paris 1839
Archaolot'ique 18J5-184f) pp. 601-621.)
Kevue
and
in
261-280
pp.
f

About the Hebrew

According to the Sefer Yetzira the Hebrew alphabet conoften double letters and twelve simple leters, representing
the vigesimal and duodecimal systems of notation, still more
fully symbolizes the universe.
sisting

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS

70

If

we

consider every stroke as a separate symbol the zero

the

is

eleventh as 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0, or the tenth as 1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1,0

From

Pythagorean point of view the

like infinity is only

also

is

another

name

for

fifth

element "aether"

vacuum.* Therefore, aether

(Com. above

logically identical with zero

"modern physics following Einstein

the 'aether' as a substance obstinately evades

at observing

it,

and

all

phenomena occur

as if

Now

30).

p.

asserts that

since

all

our attempts

it

did not exist,

the word 'aether' lacks physical meaning, and therefore aether

does not exist" (M. Schlick, Space and Time,

are free to use words at pleasure there

word

is

vacuum

'aether' in the future to represent the

must be very cautious, however, not

"Since

p. 12).

we

no objection to using the

to picture

it

we

as

matter"

(ibid p. 20).

In the above explained system of notation from which our

system of notation originated, the principle of position (place

value) plays an important

It

role.

possible to express all numbers,

and the Zero,

makes
p.

one,

0.

The

this principle that

is

principle of position

many and many,

ten digits and zero their end

"'Das luenfte Element

ist also

is

it
1

the "miracle" that

In the Sefer Yetzira (above

one.

59 para. 15) the principle of position

"The

makes

by only two symbols the One,

is

is

indicated

b}'

the words

joined with their beginning,

nicht aus der fuenfren

mathematischen

Deswegen
ganz formlos ist.
weil das
vier Elementen,
bios
noch
und
daher
im
Kosmos
Urgrund
keine
Zahl
Juenfte Element als reiner
nicht voshanden ist." (S. A. Byk, Die I'orsokratische Philosophic 1. Leipzig

Figur geworden, da dasselbe

auch Stobaeus von
spricht

als

Urgrund

1876, p. 94).
"Infinity

is

not the aflSrmation ol space but

Waldon Carr, The General

its

disappearance" (H.

Principles of Relativity 1920, p. 152).

Perhaps it is more correct to read (above p. 60 para. 15) 5)10 "N ID'^Dm
"and their termination is infinity" instead of ejlD \!^? pS jrivDni "to their
aim there is no limit."

THE ORIGIN OF LETTERS AND NUMERALS

as a flame

is

attached to the coal."

ber philosophy

Now

the Pythagorean

if

was based on such a system of notation

on which the philosophy of the Safer Yetzira

is

of position, (place value) must have been

known

71

num-

as that

based, the principle

to the

Pytha-

goreans and must have played an important role in their phil-

But how did they express

osophy.

mean

it?

Did

their

The Pythagorean philosophy

philosophical

is

the greatest enigma of

systems of antiquity.

as the origin of the

years of study have convinced

etc.,

have been

Pythagorean philosophy.

me

all

Various sources such as

Egyptian, Indian, Greek, Phoenician, Hebrew,

advanced

is

"harmony"

the principle of position?'

Many

that the Pythagorean philosophy

identical with the philosophy of the Sefer Yetzira and both are

The philosophy

of Hebrew origin.

of the Sefer Yetzira apparently

emanated from the Hebrew prophetic

That which

tured by Joseph Molitor.

the

of the Sefer Yetzira,

guild or school as conjee-/

really

was the philosophy

Greeks designated as Pythagorean

philosophy and transmitted this to posterity in such a mutilated

form that

in spite

of everything that has been written on the

Pythagorean philosophy since Aristotle,

really understood.
his

philosophy

that

may

be, I

is

The

entire

unreliable and

hope

have at

it

has never yet been

Greek account of Pythagoras and

most

likely

is

a forgery.

least succeeded in

However,

removing some

obstacles to a better understanding of the Sefer Yetzira and the

Pythafrorean philosophy and their relation to each other.

'"Das
Monas,

absolute Princip dieser Harmonic sahen die Pythagoraeer in der

nur im Gedanken vorhandene mit sich scibst noch

sie ist ilinen die

unentzweite Einheit, die das viele zu ihrem Gegensatze hat. In diesem Stadist sie nur Monas. Zur Harmonic wird sie erst, wenn sie aus sich selbsi
(S. A. Byk, ibid, p. lOS).
ztim Vielen wird."

ium

PLEASE

CARDS OR

DO NOT REMOVE

SLIPS

UNIVERSITY

FROM

THIS

OF TORONTO

POCKET

LIBRARY

H&SS
A6225

Supplement Printed by M. Magil,

1311 N. 52iid St., I'hiladelphia, To.

m CM
CM
O

LU
> -^^O ^~
^~
W
z
1
T. ^
5
^
o
Q
o
1<
_i
o
1
z
3
^
a>
Q TO
</3

BAY