Sepher Yetzirah

by Anonymous, William Wynn Westcott (Translator)

The Sepher Yetzirah is one of the most famous of the ancient Qabalistic texts. It was first put into writing around 200 C.E. Westcott's Translation was first published in 1887.

Genres: Religion, Occult, Judaism, Spirituality, Mysticism, Jewish, Philosophy

28 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 200

About the author

Books can be attributed to "Anonymous" for several reasons:

* They are officially published under that name
* They are traditional stories not attributed to a specific author
* They are religious texts not generally attributed to a specific author

Books whose authorship is merely uncertain should be attributed to Unknown.

See also: Anonymous

Reviews

[Ian Slater · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the moment, I'm withholding my detailed observations and opinions -- other readers may wish to join in -- except to say that this is a very strange translation-&-commentary for a very strange little book.

The Sefer Yetzirah (or Yesira, or other transliterations) has been dated to wildly different periods of time, and is, depending on the commentary you read, the earliest Hebrew-language book of science, or a key work of Kabbalah (a form of Jewish mysticism apparently beginning in the late twelfth century, and still alive), a meditative text, or even a book of magic. Sometimes, it seems, all of them at once.

A significant portion of the text is given over to drawing correlations between the natural world and the letters of the Hebrew alphabet - which was, of course, God's tool in creating the world. One response to the book has been to associate it with the animating of a Golem (an artificial humanoid made of clay), using permutations of the letters of creation.

Tradition has attributed it to the patriarch Abraham, on the one hand, and to Rabbi Akiba (c. 50 – c. 135 CE; a founder of the rabbinic tradition as we know it, and regarded -- to use Christian terms -- as a saint and martyr) on the other.

Modern arguments about dating have ranged from the early centuries of the Christian era to shortly before the appearance of the earliest datable commentary, by Saadya Gaon (882-942 CE: a celebrated Talmudist, liturgical authority, and philosopher).

It in even exists in three commonly recognized different forms, known as the Short Recension, the Long Recension, and Saadya's Recension. There are shorter and longer variants of the Short and Long versions, of course: and Saadya's version was long suspected to represent his own editing, until an independent manuscript of it was identified. (Some versions are so short that it has been suggested that some copies, at least, were not intended to be read by their eventual owners, but to be folded up and enclosed in an amulet.)

A fourth redaction has been published (1997) by Y. Tzvi Langermann (to whom I owe the idea that SY might have been used in an amulet), from a manuscript which unfortunately is incomplete. This appeared too late for Kaplan to consult it (indeed, the article in which it was published refers the reader to Kaplan's bibliography).

And there is a fifth version, edited (successively) by early modern scholars and mystics, bringing it more into conformity with what are now regarded as much later writings, but which they thought of as very early. This is the redaction which Aryeh Kaplan chose to translate and comment on in the main body of the book. However, he includes, as appendices, translations of the three more traditional texts.

Kaplan observes that the numerous commentaries all reflect the intellectual trends of the times in which they were written, and, as at least one critic has noted, his own is no exception, since his own commentary draws on higher mathematics and modern physics (in which he had a professional-level education, before turning to Jewish studies).

Kaplan's book has been generally ignored by academics, but it has received some guarded but interested attention from Y. Tzi Langermann (the critic noted above), a leading authority on medieval Jewish (and other) scientific and philosophical literature, who discussed it for a general readership as recently as October 2017, in the magazine "Tablet." He argues that it is at least as "authentic" and interesting as earlier twentieth-century commentaries by obviously traditional Kabbalists.

The article as ‘Sefer Yesira,’ the Story of a Text in Search of a Commentary, can be found using his page on academia.edu (you will need to log in to academia.edu by creating a free account, and then do a search for "Langermann"), or from the Tablet site itself (try http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-... )

[josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Very technical, thorough, and does a great job of explaining the origins of the world and the inherent powers in the universe and ourselves. It reads very much like a textbook. Not for the light reader. Talks about the sefirot and thier properties. I learned the significance of the spatial and higher dimensions, significance and power of the Hebrew letters, and a whole bunch more. Has totally changed the way I view the universe.

[K.D. Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this one of the most informative books out there if you are looking to understand true Qabalah from a cross-spiritual perspective. Full of Gems. There are some books that move you forward on your way to understanding other books and text, and this is one of them. Historically, religious and spiritual texts were written with metaphor, blinds and veils. It basically takes reading them all to understand even one. However, some books provide more help in this journey
(if you are seeking to understand the big picture across cultural and religious borders) and this is one of them.

[Natalia · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Definitive guide to Kabbalah. Be warned, this is not an easy read - it is quite technical and knowledge of the Hebrew language (in particular the alphabet) is advantageous. However, despite my very poor hebrew skills, This book changed my view of the world and the universe in many subtle ways. I have yet to find an aspect of life and reality that do not fit this code (for lack of better word). I especially enjoyed its complex and multifaceted approach which seems to neatly slot into any area of the world and its workings. I once made the mistake of lending this book to someone and regretted it instantly. After waiting for a few years I put this on my Xmas wish list... As the only item. Needless to say that I will never be letting go of it again!

[Alex Shrugged · Rating 5 out of 5]

On a second read, this time through the audiobook, I upped my rating by one star. It was fabulous. The publisher's description is reasonably accurate. I will add regarding the audiobook that the narrator actually pronounces Hebrew correctly and is careful regarding God's Holy Name. I heard him use a common substitute for God's name... the name we do not pronounce out loud.

There are some prerequisites before reading this book as an audiobook. You must know the Hebrew alphabet, the names for all the letters and vowels. Otherwise you will be lost. Also one should know a simple transliteration system for Hebrew letters. If you have no idea what I am talking about, you shouldn't be reading this book.

For both the audiobook and hardcover readers, one should have already read, "Meditation and Kabbalah". The author occasionally makes reference to it, and frankly, it will help in your understanding when he throws out names that you should know very well had you read the previous book. In this book the author does not go into detail.

There are also various common Jewish usages that all Jewish students should already know, such as, do you know what Gra or HaGra stands for? It stands for the Vilna Gaon. Who was the Vilna Gaon? Yeah... it was Rabbi Eliyahu ben Shlomo Zalman, of blessed memory, but if you didn't instantly understand that "The Vilna Gaon" was (and still is) a really important Jewish authority (whether you agree with him or not) then you should not be reading this book. I'm just saying.

I study Kabbalah but I do not practice it in the sense of Torah. I use it for meditation and in the sense of Midrash... very useful... but I'm not planning to make a golem any time soon. Know what I mean? If you don't know what I mean, you shouldn't be reading this book. It will be a waste of time and money for you.

I will probably read this book again.

[Deirdre · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find it very difficult to even contemplate writing a review of this book. It is a most personal journey, something to be tasted, chewed slowly and swallowed like dessert. The saying is so true that "not one teacher can teach one pupil". The pupil must open his mind to the teaching in order to teach himself. You have to step over the admonishments, open the book and step inside. The journey is yours alone.

[Bianka Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is what QBL (Cabalah) is all about- screw some stupid red bracelets. And thank you Mr. Kaplan for your science and for your religion, I am sure the world is a slightly darker place without you anymore.

[Mohsen Abootalebi · Rating 2 out of 5]

بعضی بخشهاش خوب بود ولی در کل محاسباتشون غلطه و قرآن کجا و این کتابای اینجوری کجا
در هنگام خوندن کتاب مدام یاد این گفته میفتادم که شیطان پیروانش گمراه میکنه...

[Louhikärmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel a bit fake for giving a review for nearly 2000 year old mystic poetry. This can be read in an evening but I'm not sure if I'll ever even begin to understand all the depth hidden there. It's probably a good idea to come back to this periodically. Need to read some Aryeh Kaplan and Lon Milo DuQuette in the meanwhile.

[Lluis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Como siempre ando curioso.... Lectura para resolver dudas.

Tiene mi interés y mi atención, pero la mística judía la dejaré para más adelante, cuando regrese a los manuales de fenomenología.

[Yitzchok · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are six primary chapters in the original Sefer Yetzirah. Chapters 4, 5 and 6 mostly revolve around astrology. Fascinating and a great resource showcasing astrologies importance in Judaism. I feel that Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan did a great job making it understandable to the reader and thoroughly researching all the versions and commentary on Sefer Yetzirah.

I was also fascinated to see in the first three chapters are primarily about what we are familiar with as Eastern meditation. Chanting letters and sounds. Concentrating on stillness. Repeating sounds and letters etc.

This mesmerizing video by Victoria Hanna encapsulates some of the first 3 chapters of Sefer Yetzirah.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcnxR...

I suspect that Sefer Yetzirah which is supposedly written by Abraham (Avrohum Aveinu) may be the source of much of Eastern enlightenment of the Buddhist variety as well as Astrological insight by the Caledeans and their successors.

4 star rating is not because it is an easy or enjoyable read, but rather because of the age of the book, its supposed author and the fascinating connections it makes between Astrology and Judaism. More like an important Sefer/textbook than a reading pleasure type rating.

[Philip Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great incite for those interested in Kabbalah, Creation, Gematria, Hebrew & Spirituality... Especially if you're able to think & reason both laterally/vertically at the same time. For those that have that gift, you KNOW what I mean! :)

[Justin LaBossiere · Rating 5 out of 5]

When it comes to picking the right version of a book which can demand a lifetime worth of study, the student of Kaballah should look no further.. This is the definitive translation of the Sefer Yetzirah.

[Bob Ladle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enlightening puzzle.

Etymological understanding of key Hebrew words. The mathematical underpinnings. This was my second read and now I want to read it again with an eye to the gematria of the thing. You could spend a lifetime with this one.

[Nathan Elberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the authoritative edition for those not actually steeped in traditional Judaism and Kabala. Kaplan provides the original text along with his own translation and commentary. In a subject so arcane, it must be remembered that the translation of the text is itself a form of commentary.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not an easy read prior knowledge of hebrew is important. But it's not for the blue pill thinkers out there.

[Aaron Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Probably the best edition I have read on the Sefer Yetzirah. Well worth the time put into studying it.

[Paulo Reimann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not an easy ride

Requires, surely, several re-readings. Not an easy one. But is the way to go to grasp meaning and understanding of Kabbalah.

[Joseph Knecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

Occult writings from Kabalistic philosophy that attempts to describe the beginning of reality.

The literal translation of the name is the "Book of Formation", and in style and philosophy is very similar to the Book of Genesis. The whole aim of the writing is to describe the creating of the universe, first by creating the early elements of air, water, fire and earth. Then by creating the semantic world in which 22 letters of the alphabet create symbolic representation of that world.


"Every element has its source from a higher form, and all things have their common origin from the Word (Logos), the Holy Spirit…. So God is at once, in the highest sense, both the matter and the form of the universe. Yet He is not only that form; for nothing can or does exist outside of Himself; His substance is the foundation of all, and all things bear His imprint and are symbols of His intelligence."

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.

For God (18) is superlative in his Unity, there is none equal unto Him: what number canst thou place before One.

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.

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)

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.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is hard for the casual reader. Although there are some quite interesting concepts, it reads like a highly technical textbook. The original text itself is over a thousand years old and is quite brief, written so succinctly that it's almost shorthand, seemingly with the assumption that the reader already knows the material and just needs a reminder. It's rather inscrutable, and largely consists of numerology, gematria (numerology with letters), and medieval astrology.

Kaplan's commentary delves deep into various attributes of the Sephirot, often in mind numbing detail. He incorporates the practices and thinking of later kabbalists, who lived centuries after the book was originally written, and we have to take his word for it that this is what the original author(s) actually meant with their cryptic phrases. Based on my understanding of the modern historical research, a lot of that seems to be him projecting his own knowledge and beliefs onto the text, more revisionism than analysis.

Zooming out, it's fascinating to see how these medieval scholars deployed every available tool at their disposal in order to better understand the universe, much as modern scientists do. Only their tools are numerology, basic geometry, gematria, linguistics, and biblical exegesis. They grappled with the same large questions as conventional theologians, such as how a perfect infinite being created a finite imperfect world populated by imperfect creatures. But beyond straightforward scholarship, they delved into more esoteric approaches in an attempt to unlock the unfathomable and ineffable secrets of creation.

[Saffron · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone studying the Kabbalah or Qabalah, this is an invaluable edition to your library. Firstly this edition is printed in clear font, diagrams are not grainy and all in all easy to read. This helps greatly when trying to take in the enormity of information such as the teachings here. My only problem, the notes were added at the end rather than as footnotes, which always means flicking back and forth which makes reading disjointed sometimes.

The commentary is based on the Gra version but the short and long versions are also added at the back. Kaplan makes the information accessible to everyone by breaking down each sentence of the text with an explanation, even though the contents of the teaching are exceedingly complex! This is a book that to get even a small understanding of the knowledge and wisdom needs to be read many times.

I only wish he had lived long enough to have given a similar translated edition of the Sepher Rezial Hemelach.

[Chen malul · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the ancient Jewish Mystical work known as 'Sefer Yetzirah' (Book of Creation), there is no mention of prayer, life after death, the end of days or messianic redemption. Even the people of Israel are not mentioned. What we find - and in abundance - are references to creation.

So how was the world created according to the Book of Creation? The 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet together with the ten Sefirot (probably the first ten numbers) are the building blocks that make up the world. Creation, therefore, is based on the laws of language.

This is a short work, and one that is very much mysterious. It inspired one Kabbalah scholar to muse that all of Jewish Mysticism is but is a footnote to Sefer Yezirah. and indeed, the most well known concept in Kabbalah - the ten Sefirot, which are God's powers or qualities emanating to our world, that's a word that appear from in this work.

https://malulchen.substack.com/

[Taylor Swift Scholar · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a hard time finding an edition of this book, but I am glad I chose this one. The Sefer Yetzirah was fascinating and I would have been utterly lost without Kaplan's commentary. I don't plan on making a golem anytime soon, but I was fascinated by the power that the early mystics ascribed to language -- in particular, individual letters and combinations of two or three letters of the Hebrew alphabet. I didn't realize going into it how much would be about meditating on the shapes and meanings of these letters as well.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This translation is mostly wothwhile for the introduction and contributions by Waite, some correspondences with the Tarot, and the general Western esoteric tradition. But, as it seems from the introduction, it is no critical edition, and the supplementary material is mildly interesting at best, confusing and vague at worst (speaking mostly of the "32 Gates of Wisdom"). It did however have its interesting bits, definitely would recommend it if you want another perspective on the Sefer Yetzirah (as one interested in the occult and mystical, generally).

[AL · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read most of this six months back and misplaced it moving things around. I just found it and realized I had a little left to read. All I know is that I will read this over and over again to assist in meditation, as well as general contemplation of its wisdom and mystery. This translation is especially good to assist in the understanding of its arcane language, and to have the original Hebrew text to consult to enhance the experience.

[Gary Jaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute must own if you are interested in Jewish Kabbalah. Through a misreading of this text there was created a version of the "GRA Tree" that has been disseminated throughout the web and into books on the Qabalah that have Kaplan's own creation the so-called 'Natural Array' as thought to be the GRA Tree. My own research and essay explains that the true GRA Tree is, surprise, the one depicted on the books cover!

An essential book to understand the Sefirot and Jewish Kabbalah.

[Jamie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Designed to be deciphered using Hebrew numerology (gematria), this foundational work of Kabbalah was intended to function as a pre-scientific Rosetta Stone to the universe, a sort of religious physics of creation, from which mystics and occultists believe magical powers can be invoked and holy insights gained. Interesting anthropologically, a hard "meh" in every other respect.

[Hillary DG · Rating 5 out of 5]

It feels a little silly to give a star rating to a book that is at least a millennium old, or to the explanations written by one of the leading Jewish thinkers in modern times. It was still confusing, but I think that’s the point!

[Ign33l · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not sure how this book changed my life, it made me go through several parts of myself, trying to understand where it ends and where it beggins. I feel bitter about this, hopeless but listen to the little voice, that is god in you. The nothingness