Fred Reiss

Sepher Yetzirah Fred Reiss

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