SEPHER YETZIRAH
The Book of Formation
CHAPTER I Section 1. In thirty-two (1) mysterious Paths of Wisdom
did Jah, (2) the Jehovah of hosts, (3) the God of Israel,
(4) the Living Elohim, (5) the King of ages, the merciful
and gracious God, (6) the Exalted One, the Dweller in
eternity, most high and holy--engrave his name by the three
Sepharim (7) --Numbers, Letters, and Sounds.(8) 2. Ten are the ineffable Sephiroth. (9) Twenty-two are
the Letters, the Foundation of all things; there are Three
Mothers, Seven Double and Twelve (10) Simple letters. 3. The ineffable Sephiroth are Ten, as are the Numbers;
and as there are in man five fingers over against five, so
over them is established a covenant of strength, by word of
mouth, and by the circumcision of the flesh. (11) 4. Ten is the number of the ineffable Sephiroth, ten and
not nine, ten and not eleven. Understand this wisdom, and be
wise by the perception. Search out concerning it, restore
the Word to its creator, and replace Him who formed it upon
his throne. (12) 5. The Ten ineffable Sephiroth have ten vast regions
bound unto them; boundless in origin and having no ending;
an abyss (13) of good and of ill; measureless height and
depth; boundless to the East and the West; boundless to the
North and South; (14) and the Lord the only God, (15) the
Faithful King rules all these from his holy seat, (16) for
ever and ever. 6. The Ten ineffable Sephiroth have the appearance of the
Lightning flash, (17) their origin is unseen and no end is
perceived. The Word is in them as they rush forth and as
they return, they speak as from the whirl-wind, and
returning fall prostrate in adoration before the Throne. 7. The Ten ineffable Sephiroth, whose ending is even as
their origin, are like as a flame arising from a burning
coal. For God (18) is superlative in his Unity, there is
none equal unto Him: what number canst thou place before
One. 8. Ten are the ineffable Sephiroth; seal up thy lips lest
thou speak of them, and guard thy heart as thou considerest
them; and if thy mind escape from thee bring it back to thy
control; even as it was said, "running and returning" (the
living creatures ran and returned) (19) and hence was the
Covenant made. 9. The ineffable Sephiroth give forth the Ten numbers.
First; the Spirit of the God of the living; (20) Blessed and
more than blessed be the Living God (21) of ages. The Voice,
the Spirit, and the Word, (22) these are the Holy
Spirit. 10. Second; from the Spirit He produced Air, and formed
in it twenty-two sounds--the letters; three are mothers,
seven are double, and twelve are simple; but the Spirit is
first and above these. Third; from the Air He formed the
Waters, and from the formless and void (23) made mire and
clay, and designed surfaces upon them, and hewed recesses in
them, and formed the strong material foundation. Fourth;
from the Water He formed Fire (24) and made for Himself a
Throne of Glory with Auphanim, Seraphim and Kerubim, (25) as
his ministering angels; and with these three (26) he
completed his dwelling, as it is written, "Who maketh his
angels spirits and his ministers a flaming fire." (27) 11. He selected three letters from among the simple ones
and sealed them and formed them into a Great Name, I H V,
(28) and with this He sealed the universe in six
directions. Fifth; He looked above, and sealed the Height with I H
V. Sixth; He looked below, and sealed the Depth with I V
H. Seventh; He looked forward, and sealed the East with H I
V. Eighth; He looked backward, and sealed the West with H V
I. Ninth; He looked to the right, and sealed the South with
V I H. Tenth; He looked to the left, and sealed the North with V
H I. 12. Behold! From the Ten ineffable Sephiroth do,
proceed--the One Spirit of the Gods of the living, Air,
Water, Fire; and also Height, Depth, East, West, South and
North. (29) CHAPTER II Section 1. The twenty-two sounds and letters are the
Foundation of all things. Three mothers, seven doubles and
twelve simples. The Three Mothers are Aleph, Mem and Shin,
they are Air, Water and Fire Water is silent, Fire is
sibilant, and Air derived from the Spirit is as the tongue
of a balance standing between these contraries which are in
equilibrium, reconciling and mediating between them. 2. He hath formed, weighed, and composed with these
twenty-two letters every created thing, and the form of
everything which shall hereafter be. 3. These twenty-two sounds or letters are formed by the
voice, impressed on the air, and audibly modified in five
places; in the throat, in the mouth, by the tongue, through
the teeth, and by the lips. (31) 4. These twenty-two letters, which are the foundation of
all things, He arranged as upon a sphere with two hundred
and thirty-one gates, and the sphere may be rotated forward
or backward, whether for good or for evil; from the good
comes true pleasure, from evil nought but torment. 5. For He shewed the combination of these letters, each
with the other; Aleph with all, and all with Aleph; Beth
with all, and all with Beth. Thus in combining all together
in pairs are produced the two hundred and thirty-one gates
of knowledge. (32) 6. And from the non-existent (33) He made Something; and
all forms of speech and everything that has been produced;
from the empty void He made the material world, and from the
inert earth He brought forth everything that hath life. He
hewed, as it were, vast columns out of the intangible air,
and by the power of His Name made every creature and
everything that is; and the production of all things from
the twenty-two letters is the proof that they are all but
parts of one living body. (34) a m c CHAPTER III Section 1. The Foundation of all the other sounds and
letters is provided by the Three Mothers, Aleph, Mem and
Shin; they resemble a Balance, on the one hand the guilty,
on the other hand the purified, and Aleph the Air is like
the Tongue of a Balance standing between them. (35) 2. The Three Mothers, Aleph, Mem and Shin, are a great
Mystery, very admirable and most recondite, and sealed as
with six rings; and from them proceed Air, Fire, and Water,
which divide into active and passive forces. The Three
Mothers, Aleph, Mem and Shin, are the Foundation, from them
spring three Fathers, and from these have proceeded all
things that are in the world. 3. The Three Mothers in the world are Aleph, Mem and
Shin: the heavens (36) were produced (37) from Fire; the
earth from the Water; and the Air from the Spirit is as a
reconciler between the Fire and the Water. 4. The Three Mothers, Aleph, Mem and Shin, Fire, Water
and Air, are shown in the Year: from the fire came heat,
from the waters came cold, and from the air was produced the
temperate state, again a mediator between them. The Three
Mothers, Aleph, Mem and Shin, Fire, Water and Air, are found
in Man: from the fire was formed the head; from the water
the belly; and from the air was formed the chest, again
placed as a mediator between the others. 5. These Three Mothers did He produce and design, and
combined them; and He sealed them as the three mothers in
the Universe, in the Year and in Man--both male and female.
He caused the letter Aleph to reign in Air and crowned it,
and combining it with the others He sealed it, as Air in the
World, as the temperate (climate) of the Year, and as the
breath in the chest (the lungs for breathing air) in Man:
the male with Aleph, Mem, Shin, the female with Shin, Mem,
Aleph. He caused the letter Mem to reign in Water, crowned
it, and combining it with the others formed the earth in the
world, cold in the year, and the belly in man, male and
female, the former with Mem, Aleph, Shin, the latter with
Mem, Shin, Aleph. He caused Shin to reign in Fire, and
crowned it, and combining it with the others sealed with it
the heavens in the universe, heat in the year and the head
in man, male and female. (38) b g d k p r t CHAPTER IV Section 1. The Seven double letters, Beth, Gimel, Daleth,
Kaph, Peh, Resh, and Tau have each two sounds associated
with them. They are referred to Life, Peace, Wisdom, Riches,
Grace, Fertility and Power. The two sounds of each letter
are the hard and the soft--the aspirated and the softened.
They are called Double, because each letter presents a
contrast or permutation; thus Life and Death; Peace and War;
Wisdom and Folly; Riches and Poverty; Grace and Indignation;
Fertility and Solitude; Power and Servitude. 2. These Seven Double Letters point out seven localities;
Above, Below, East, West, North, South, and the Palace of
Holiness in the midst of them sustaining all things. 3. These Seven Double Letters He designed, produced, and
combined, and formed with them the Planets of this World,
the Days of the Week, and the Gates of the soul (the
orifices of perception) in Man. From these Seven He bath
produced the Seven Heavens, the Seven Earths, the Seven
Sabbaths: for this cause He has loved and blessed the number
Seven more than all things under Heaven (His Throne). 4. Two Letters produce two houses; three form six; four
form twenty-four; five form one hundred and twenty; six form
seven hundred and twenty; (39) seven form five thousand and
forty; and beyond this their numbers increase so that the
mouth can hardly utter them, nor the ear hear the number of
them. So now, behold the Stars of our World, the Planets
which are Seven; the Sun, Venus, Mercury, Moon, Saturn,
Jupiter and Mars. The Seven are also the Seven Days of
Creation; and the Seven Gateways of the Soul of Man--the two
eyes, the two ears, the mouth and the two nostrils. So with
the Seven are formed the seven heavens, (41) the seven
earths, and the seven periods of time; and so has He
preferred the number Seven above all things under His
Heaven. (42) Supplement to Chapter IV NOTE.--This is one of several modern illustrations of the
allotment of the Seven Letters; it is not found in the
ancient copies of the "Sepher Yetzirah." He produced Beth, and referred it to Wisdom ; He crowned
it, combined and formed with it the Moon in the Universe,
the first day of the week, and the right eye of man. He produced Gimel, and referred it to Health; He crowned
it, combined and joined with it Mars in the Universe, the
second day of the week, and the right ear of man. He produced Daleth, and referred it to Fertility; He
crowned it, combined and formed with it the Sun in the
Universe, the third day of the week, and the right nostril
of man. He produced Kaph, and referred it to Life; He crowned it,
combined and formed with it Venus in the Universe, the
fourth day of the week, and the left eye of man. He produced Peh, and referred it to Power; He crowned it,
combined and formed with it Mercury in the Universe, the
fifth day of the week, and the left ear of man. He produced Resh, and referred it to Peace; He crowned
it, combined and formed with it Saturn in the Universe, the
sixth day of the week, and the left nostril of man. He produced Tau, and referred it to Beauty; He crowned
it, combined and formed with it Jupiter in the Universe, the
Seventh Day of the week, and the mouth of man. By these Seven letters were also made seven worlds, seven
heavens, seven earths, seven seas, seven rivers, seven
deserts, seven days, seven weeks from Passover to Pentecost,
and every seventh year a Jubilee. Mayer Lambert gives:--Beth to Saturn and the Hebrew
Sabbath--that is Saturday; Gimel to Jupiter and Sunday;
Daleth to Mars and Monday; Kaph to the Sun and Tuesday; Peh
to Venus and Wednesday; Resh to Mercury and Thursday; and
Tau to the Moon and Friday. h w z j f y l n s u x q CHAPTER V 1. The Twelve Simple Letters are H?h, Vau, Zain, Cheth,
Teth, Yod, Lamed, Nun, Samech, Oin, Tzaddi and Qoph; (43)
they are the foundations of these twelve properties: Sight,
Hearing, Smell, Speech, Taste, Sexual Love, Work, Movement,
Anger, Mirth, Imagination, (44) and Sleep. These Twelve are
also allotted to the directions in space: North-east,
South-east, the East above, the East below, the North above,
the North below, the South-west, the Northwest, the West
above, the West below, the South above, and the South below;
these diverge to infinity, and are as the arms of the
Universe. 2. These Twelve Simple Letters He designed, and combined,
and formed with them the Twelve celestial constellations of
the Zodiac, whose signs are Teth, Shin, Tau, Samech, Aleph,
Beth, Mem, Oin, Qoph, Gimel, Daleth, and Daleth. (45) The
Twelve are also the Months of the Year: Nisan, (46) Yiar,
Sivan, Tamuz, Ab, Elul, Tishri, Hesvan, Kislev, Tebet, Sabat
and Adar. The Twelve are also the Twelve organs of living
creatures: (47) the two hands, the two feet, the two
kidneys, the spleen, the liver, the gall, private parts,
stomach and intestines. He made these, as it were provinces, and arranged them as
in order of battle for warfare. And also the Elohim (48)
made one from the region of the other. Three Mothers and Three Fathers; and thence issue Fire,
Air and Water. Three Mothers, Seven Doubles and Twelve
Simple letters and sounds. 3. Behold now these are the Twenty and Two Letters from
which Jah, Jehovah Tzabaoth, the Living Elohim, the God of
Israel, exalted and sublime, the Dweller in eternity, formed
and established all things; High and Holy is His Name. CHAPTER VI Section 1. Three Fathers and their generations, Seven
conquerors and their armies, and Twelve bounds of the
Universe. See now, of these words, the faithful witnesses
are the Universe, the Year and Man. The dodecad, the heptad,
and the triad with their provinces; above is the Celestial
Dragon, T L I, (49) and below is the World, and lastly the
heart of Man. The Three are Water, Air and Fire; Fire above,
Water below, and Air conciliating between them; and the sign
of these things is that the Fire sustains (volatilises) the
waters; Mem is mute, Shin is sibilant, and Aleph is the
Mediator and as it were a friend placed between them. 2. The Celestial Dragon, T L I, is placed over the
universe like a king upon the throne; the revolution of the
year is as a king over his dominion; the heart of man is as
a king in warfare. Moreover, He made all things one from the
other; and the Elohim set good over against evil, and made
good things from good, and evil things from evil: with the
good tested He the evil, and with the evil did He try the
good. Happiness (50) is reserved for the good, and misery
(51) is kept for the wicked. 3. The Three are One, and that One stands above. The
Seven are divided; three are over against three, and one
stands between the triads. The Twelve stand as in warfare;
three are friends, three are enemies; three are life givers;
three are destroyers. The three friends are the heart, the
ears, and the mouth; the three enemies are the liver, the
gall, and the tongue; (52) while God (53) the faithful king
rules over all. One above Three, Three above Seven, and
Seven above Twelve: and all are connected the one with the
other. 4. And after that our father Abraham had perceived and
understood, and had taken down and engraved all these
things, the Lord most high (55) revealed Himself, and called
him His beloved, and made a Covenant with him and his seed;
and Abraham believed on Him (56) and it was imputed unto him
for righteousness. And He made this Covenant as between the
ten toes of the feet--this is that of circumcision; and as
between the ten fingers of the hands and this is that of the
tongue. (57) And He formed the twenty-two letters into
speech (58) and shewed him all the mysteries of them. (59)
He drew them through the Waters; He burned them in the Fire;
He vibrated them in the Air; Seven planets in the heavens,
and Twelve celestial constellations of the stars of the
Zodiac. The End of "The Book of Formation
THE THIRTY-TWO PATHS OF WISDOM Translated from the Hebrew Text of Joannes Stephanus
Rittangelius, 1642: which is also to be found in the
"Oedipus Aegyptiacus" of Athanasius Kircher, 1653. (These paragraphs are very obscure in meaning, and the
Hebrew text is probably very corrupt.) The First Path is called the Admirable or the Hidden
Intelligence (the Highest Crown): for it is the Light giving
the power of comprehension of that First Principle which has
no beginning; and it is the Primal Glory, for no created
being can attain to its essence. The Second Path is that of the Illuminating Intelligence:
it is the Crown of Creation, the Splendour of the Unity,
equalling it, and it is exalted above every head, and named
by the Kabalists the Second Glory. The Third Path is the Sanctifying Intelligence, and is
the foundation of Primordial wisdom, which is called the
Creator of Faith, and its roots are AMN; and it is the
parent of Faith, from which doth Faith emanate. The Fourth Path is named the Cohesive or Receptacular
Intelligence; and is so called because it contains all the
holy powers, and from it emanate all the spiritual virtues
with the most exalted essences: they emanate one from the
other by the power of the Primordial Emanation. The Highest
Crown.) (1) The Fifth Path is called the Radical Intelligence,
because it resembles the Unity, uniting itself to the Binah,
(2) or Intelligence which emanates from the Primordial
depths of Wisdom or Chokmah. (3) The Sixth Path is called the Mediating Intelligence,
because in it are multiplied the influxes of the emanations,
for it causes that influence to flow into all the reservoirs
of the Blessings, with which these themselves are
united. The Seventh Path is the Occult Intelligence, because it
is the Refulgent Splendour of all the Intellectual virtues
which are perceived by the eyes of intellect, and by the
contemplation of faith. The Eighth Path is called the Absolute or Perfect
Intelligence, because it is the means of the primordial,
which has no root by which it can cleave, nor rest, except
in the hidden places of Gedulah, (4) Magnificence, from
which emanates its own proper essence. The Ninth Path is the Pure Intelligence, so called
because it purifies the Numerations, it proves and corrects
the designing of their representation, and disposes their
unity with which they are combined without diminution or
division. The Tenth Path is the Resplendent Intelligence, because
it is exalted above every head, and sits on the throne of
Binah (the Intelligence spoken of in the Third Path). It
illuminates the splendour of all the lights, and causes an
influence to emanate from the Prince of countenances.
(5) The Eleventh Path is the Scintillating Intelligence,
because it is the essence of that curtain which is placed
close to the order of the disposition, and this is a special
dignity given to it that it may be able to stand before the
Face of the Cause of Causes. The Twelfth Path is the Intelligence of Transparency,
because it is that species of Magnificence called
Chazchazit, (6) the place whence issues the vision of those
seeing in apparitions. (That is the prophecies by seers in a
vision.) The Thirteenth Path is named the Uniting Intelligence,
and is so called because it is itself the Essence of Glory.
It is the Consummation of the Truth of individual spiritual
things. The Fourteenth Path is the Illuminating Intelligence and
is so called because it is that Chashmal (7) which is the
founder of the concealed and fundamental ideas of holiness
and of their stages of preparation. The Fifteenth Path is the Constituting Intelligence, so
called because it constitutes the substance of creation in
pure darkness, and men have spoken of these contemplations;
it is that darkness spoken of in Scripture, Job xxxviii. 9,
"and thick darkness a swaddling band for it." The Sixteenth Path is the Triumphal or Eternal
Intelligence, so called because it is the pleasure of the
Glory, beyond which is no other Glory like to it, and it is
called also the Paradise prepared for the Righteous. The Seventeenth Path is the Disposing Intelligence, which
provides Faith to the Righteous, and they are clothed with
the Holy Spirit by it, and it is called the Foundation of
Excellence in the state of higher things. The Eighteenth Path is called the Intelligence or House
of Influence (by the greatness of whose abundance the influx
of good things upon created beings is increased), and from
its midst the arcana and hidden senses are drawn forth,
which dwell in its shade and which cling to it, from the
Cause of all causes. The Nineteenth Path is the Intelligence of the Secret of
all the activities of the spiritual beings, and is so called
because of the influence diffused by it from the most high
and exalted sublime glory. The Twentieth Path is the Intelligence of Will, and is so
called because it is the means of preparation of all and
each created being, and by this intelligence the existence
of the Primordial Wisdom becomes known. The Twenty-first Path is the Intelligence of Conciliation
and Reward, and is so called because it receives the divine
influence which flows into it from its benediction upon all
and each existence. The Twenty-second Path is the Faithful Intelligence, and
is so called because by it spiritual virtues are increased,
and all dwellers on earth are nearly under its shadow. The Twenty-third Path is the Stable Intelligence, and it
is so called because it has the virtue of consistency among
all numerations. The Twenty-fourth Path is the Imaginative Intelligence,
and it is so called because it gives a likeness to all the
similitudes which are created in like manner similar to its
harmonious elegancies. The Twenty-fifth Path is the Intelligence of Probation,
or Temptation, and is so called because it is the primary
temptation, by which the Creator trieth all righteous
persons. The Twenty-sixth Path is called the Renewing
Intelligence, because the Holy God renews by it all the
changing things which are renewed by the creation of the
world. The Twenty-seventh Path is the Active or Exciting
Intelligence, and it is so called because through it every
existent being receives its spirit and motion. The Twenty-eighth Path is called the Natural
Intelligence; by it is completed and perfected the nature of
all that exists beneath the Sun. (This Path is omitted by Rittangelius: I presume by
inadvertence.) The Twenty-ninth Path is the Corporeal Intelligence, so
called because it forms every body which is formed in all
the worlds, and the reproduction of them. The Thirtieth Path is the Collective Intelligence, and
Astrologers deduce from it the judgment of the Stars and
celestial signs, and perfect their science, according to the
rules of the motions of the stars. The Thirty-first Path is the Perpetual Intelligence; but
why is it so called? Because it regulates the motions of the
Sun and Moon in their proper order, each in an orbit
convenient for it. The Thirty-second Path is the Administrative
Intelligence, and it is so called because it directs and
associates the motions of the seven planets, directing all
of them in their own proper courses.