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The Sepher
Yetzirah
Chapter 1
1.1
With thirty two wonderful paths of wisdom Yah - the
Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, the living God, King of the Universe, El
Shaddai, Merciful and Gracious, High and Exalted, Dwelling in eternity, Whose
name is Holy, He is lofty and holy - engraved and He created His universe with
three books: with letters, with number and with sound.
1.2
Ten Sephiroth of Nothingness and 22 formative letters: 3
Mothers, 7 Doubles and 12 Singles.
1.3
Ten Sephiroth of Nothingness, the number of ten fingers, five
opposite five with a singular covenant exactly in the middle in the circumcision
of the tongue and the circumcision of the flesh.
1.4
Ten Sephiroth of Nothingness, ten and not nine, ten and not
eleven. Understand with Wisdom, be wise with Understanding. Examine with them
and probe from them. Make each thing stand on its essence and make the Creator
sit on His throne.
1.5
Ten Sephiroth of Nothingness: their measure is ten which have
no end:
A depth of beginning, a depth of end;
A depth of good, a depth of
evil;
A depth of above, a depth of below;
A depth of East, a depth of
West;
A depth of North, a depth of South.
A single Master, God faithful
King, dominates over them all from His holy dwelling until the end of time.
1.6
Ten Sephiroth of Nothingness: their vision is like the
"appearance of lightning" (Ezekiel 1:14), their limit has no end. And His word
in them is "running and returning" (Ezekiel 1:24). They rush to His command like
a whirlwind and prostrate themselves before His throne.
1.7
Ten Sephiroth of Nothingness: their end is embedded in their
beginning and their beginning in their end, like a flame in a burning coal. For
the Master is singular, He has no second. And before One, what do you count.
1.8
Ten Sephiroth of Nothingness: stop your mouth from speaking and
your heart from thinking. If your heart runs return it to its place. It is
therefore written "The Chayot running and returning" (Ezekiel 1:24). Regarding
this a covenant was made.
1.9
Ten Sephiroth of Nothingness: One is the Spirit of the Living
God. Blessed and praised is the name of the Life of the Worlds, the voice of
breath and speech, and this is the Holy Breath.
1.10
Two: Breath from Spirit. With it He engraved 22 formative
letters, 3 Mothers, 7 Doubles, 12 Singles, and one Breath within them.
1.11
Three: Water from Breath. With it He engraved and carved the
22 letters from chaos and void, mire and clay. He engraved them like a garden,
He carved them like a wall, He covered them with a roof. He poured snow over
them and it becam Earth (see Job 37:6).
1.12
Four: Fire from Water. With it he engraved and carved the
Throne of Glory, Seraphim, Ophanim and the Holy Chayot and Ministering angels.
From these three He founded His dwelling, as it is written, "He makes His angels
His messengers, His ministers of flaming fire" (Psalms 104:4).
1.13
He chose three letters from among the formatives - aleph,
mem, shin - and He set them in His great Name and with them sealed the six
extremities.
Five: He sealed Height, faced upwards and sealed it with yod, he
vau;
Six: He sealed Depth, faced downwards and sealed it with he, yod,
vau;
Seven: He sealed East, faced straight ahead and sealed it with
vau, yod he;
Eight: He sealed West, faced backwards and sealed it with
vau, he yod;
Nine: He sealed South, faced to the right and sealed it
with yod, vau, he;
Ten: He sealed North, faced to the left and sealed
it with he, vau yod.
1.14
These are the Ten Sephiroth of Nothingness: The Spirit of the
Living God, Breath from Spirit, Water from Breath, Fire from Water, up, down,
East, West, North, South.
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