THE SEPHER YETSIRAH
The Book of Formation
Chapter 1


1-1 In thirty-two wonderful Paths of Wisdom did Jah, Jehovah Tzabaoth, the God of Israel, the Elohim of the living, the King of the Universe, El Shaddai the merciful and gracious God, the exalted One, the Dweller in eternity, most high and holy engrave his name by the three writings (Sepharim): Numbers (Sephar), Letters (Sepher), and Sounds (Sippur).


1-2 Ten are the Sephiroth in the non-created. Twenty-two are the Letters, the Foundation of all things; there are Three Mothers, Seven Double and Twelve Simple letters.

1-3 The Sephiroth in the non-created are Ten, so are the number of the ten fingers; and as there are in man five fingers over against five, so established a unique covenant, precisely in the middle, by the circumcision of the tongue, and by the circumcision of the flesh.

1-4 Ten is the number of the Sephiroth in the non-created, ten and not nine, ten and not eleven. Observe with Wisdom and understand with intelligence. Examine them, interrogate them, so the Word will rise again towards its creator, and replace Him upon his Throne.

1-5 Ten is the number of the Sephiroth in the non-created, which have been assigned to ten vast regions, tem boundless things having no origin nor ending; the depth of good, the depth of evil; the depth of height the depth of depth; the depth of the East the depth of the West; the depth of the North the depth of South. The unique Master, God, the Faithful King rules all these from his holy mansion, for ever and ever.

1-6 Ten is the number of the Sephiroth in the non-created. Their origin is unseen and no end is perceived, and their appearance resemble the flash of Lightning. The Word is in them as they rush forth and as they return, they speak as from the whirling wind and returning fall prostrate in adoration before the Throne.

1-7 Ten is the number of the Sephiroth in the non-created, whose ending is in their origin, and whose origin is in their ending, They are like as a flame consuming a burning coal. For the Unique Master is without second. What number can you place before the One?

1-8 Ten are the 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' "the living creatures ran and returned." So was a Covenant made.

1-9 There are ten Sephiroth. The first is named: "the Breath of the Living Elohim". Blessed and glorified be the Name of Him. who gives life to the worlds. The Voice, the Breath, and the Word, these are the Holy Spirit.

1-10
The second is named: "The Breath of the Breath". With it, He produced Air, and wrote in it twenty-two letters; three Mothers, seven Double, and twelve Simple; but only the Spirit proceeds from these.

1-11
The third is named; "the Water of the Breath" of which He made the Waters from the Air, and from the formless and void He made mire and clay, and designed surfaces upon them, and wrote the twenty-two letters. He wrote the letters as designing a garden. He elevated the letters as a wall is built. He constructed the letters as a roof is built. He covered them with snow and they turned into dust, as it is written: "He said to the snow: Fall upon the earth!"

1-12
The fourth is named: "The Fire of the Water." Out of which He made the Throne of Glory and the Auphanim, Seraphim, the Hayot ha-Qodesh (the Living Creatures), as his ministering angels; and upon these three he established his dwelling, as it is written, "Who maketh his angels spirits and his ministers a flaming fire."

1-13
He selected three letters from among the simple ones in the mystery of the three mothers: Aleph, Mem, Shin. He sealed them into His Great Name, and with this He sealed the extremities of the universe in six directions. With the fifth, He looked above, and sealed the Height with Iod, Heh, Vav. With the sixth, He looked below, and sealed the Depth with Heh, Iod, Vav. With the seventh; He looked forward, and sealed the East with Vav, Iod, Heh. With the eighth; He looked backward, and sealed the West with Vav, Heh, Iod. With the ninth; He looked to the right, and sealed the South with Iod, Vav, Heh. With the tenth; He looked to the left, and sealed the North with Heh, Vav, Iod.

1-14
Behold ! From the Ten ineffable Sephiroth in the non-created do proceed: the One Breath of the living Elohim, the Breathof the Spirit, the Water of the Breath, the Fire of the Water, and also Height, Depth, East, West, North and South.










HOME