The Spiritual Garment & the Colours of the Sefirot

In "The Book of Self Creation" I referred to a unique literature in Kabbalah dealing with what is termed a “Malbush,” a special spiritual “garment.” These writings are amongst the most interesting which have survived in the collection of Merkavistic documents. A fair amount of this literature weathered the travails of time, and some has been made available in English, e.g. in the translations of Shi’ur Komah material.

The Sod ha-Malbush (Secret of the Garment) refers to a special vestment which spirit entities have to dress themselves in, acting almost like a skin as it were. It is said higher beings, i.e. angels, have to wear such a “garment” when they descend to a “lower world” like ours, in order to become visible in these lower domains. The following quote from an anonymous Kabbalistic text, the Sefer ha-Meshiv (The Book of the Answering [Angel]), apparently written in Spain in the first half of the 15th century, is most informative regarding angels descending and becoming visible through the power of a special spiritual garment:

“You should know that the secret causing the descent of the supernal book is the secret of the descent of the supernal chariot, and when you pronounce the secret of the great name, immediately the force of the ‘garment’ will descend downward, which is the secret of Elijah, who is mentioned in the work of the sages. And by this R. Simeon bar Yochai and Jonathan ben Uzziel learned their wisdom, and they were deserving of the secret of the ‘garment,’ to be dressed in it. And R. Chanina and R. Nechuniya ben ha-Kanah and R. Akiva and R. Ishmael ben Elisha and our holy rabbi and Rashi and many others learned likewise. And the secret of the ‘garment’ is the vision of the garment,’ which the angel of God is dressed in, with a corporeal eye, and it is he who is speaking to you.....And the secret of the garment was given to those who fear God and meditate upon his name; they have seen it, those men who are the men of God were worthy of this state. And they were fasting for forty days continuously, and during their fast they pronounced the Tetragrammaton forty-five times, and on the fortieth day (the ‘garment’) descended to him and showed him whatever he wished [to know], and it stayed with him until the completion of the [study of the] subject he wanted [to know].....” [quoted in Idel, M.: Absorbing Perfections: Kabbalah and Interpretation, Yale University Press, New Haven & London 2002]

By the end of the 16th century the doctrine of the Malbush was transformed in the writings of Israel Sarug, who saw it as the primordial Torah, a garment comprising the exact combinations of letters constituting the 231 gates referred to in the Sefer Yetzirah, which according to Sarug played an important role in the act of creation.

Now, I chanced upon a statement comparing this donning of the Malbush to the saga of the “Fall of Man.” In this case it is said that we ourselves were originally spiritual beings, but were obliged to dress ourselves in “coats of skin” in order to exist in this nether world. However, as in the case of Angelic beings having to wear a “garment” in their descent to this nether world, we too have to clothe ourselves in a garment of light in order to ascend into the loftier realms of existence. In this regard, I noted in "The Book of Sacred Names," that we are taught that during conception a soul is granted a Levush Neshamah, a “soul garment,” which can accurately be considered the “body” used by the Neshamah, the “Higher Self,” during the period of its incarnation in the flesh.

I further noted that Chaim Vital maintained “there is no soul [Neshamah] in the world.....that can exist naked, without a garment [Levush] in which it is clothed in this world.”[Vital, Chaim: Sha’ar ha-Gilgulim, edited Yehudah Ashlag, Eshel, Tel Aviv 1961; quoted in Fine, L.: Physician of the Soul, Healer of the Cosmos: Isaac Luria and His Kabbalistic Fellowship, Stanford University Press, Stanford 2003.] In fact, it is understood that throughout our lives, we receive the sacred life-force, or “Divine Abundance,” via these Levushei Neshamot, these “bodies of light” of our Higher Selves. It is maintained that the actual quality of this “garment” is dependent on both parents, the best “garment” being acquired when the parents of the soul in question love each other, acknowledge the sanctity of their sexual union, and couple in holiness.[Zacutto, M.: Shorshei ha-Shemot, Hotzaat Nezer Shraga, Jerusalem 1999.] In this regard, Meir Poppers tells us that even in the case where “a great soul” is incarnating in the flesh, that soul “needs the sanctity of his father and mother during lovemaking so as to bring forth a superior garment, lest this garment cause him to sin.”[Poppers, M.: Ta’amei ha-Mitzvot, Vilna 1880. Transl. in Fine, L.: Physician of the Soul, Healer of the Cosmos: Isaac Luria and His Kabbalistic Fellowship, Op. cit.] In fact, in the case of such a sacred sexual union, the Kavvanah (focussed attention) of the one to be born will be centered on Achatri’el, whilst he or she is being clothed in the “Levush Neshamah.”[Zacutto, M.: Shorshei ha-Shemot, Op. cit.]

Now, sometimes the Malbush, the "spiritual garment," was perceived to be a literal garment, a "mantle of righteousness," as in the case of a work entitled “The Book of the Putting on and Fashioning of the mantle of Righteousness.”[Sefer ha-Malbush v’Tikkun me’il ha-Tzedakah, MS British Museum, Margoliouth 752; quoted in Scholem, G.: On the Kabbalah and Its Symbolism, Schocken Books Inc., New York 1965] In this instance a pure deer-hide parchment was chosen and a sleeveless garment, in the form of a high priest’s Efod, was cut from this. It covered the shoulders and the chest, falling down the sides to the loins, and stretching down to the navel. A hood was connected to the garment, and on this “magic robe” the secret Divine Names were written. The practitioner was however not allowed to dress in this robe until the following conditions were fulfilled.

The wearer had to fast for a week, was not allowed to touch anything unclean, and had to follow a vegetarian diet. At the end of the week he was supposed to go to a body of water, such as a river or a lake, during the night, and call the Divine Name written on the parchment-robe over the water. If he saw a green shape above the water, something still unclean was within the individual concerned, and the preparations would have to be repeated for another seven days, accompanied by Mitzvot (good deeds) and Tzedakah (Acts of Righteousness mainly understood to be charitable deeds). If the shape over the water was red, “know that you are inwardly clean and fit to put on the Name. Then go into the water up to your loins and put on the venerable and terrible Name in the water.” This “putting on the Mantle of Righteousness” was believed to give the wearer immeasurable power.

It is a mystery to me why seeing a green figure “above the water” should signify “uncleanness” or the vision of red figure should specifically be equated with “purity” or “cleanliness,” but there are perhaps some clues in one of the first systems in Kabbalah of attributing colours to the various Sefirot on the Tree of Life, the colours then being mainly blue, red, green, white and black. Of course the last two are not really colours, but we should remember that the latter were definitely considered colours by these authors. Red, Green and White are by far the most important colours in this system, which Cordovero explained in some detail in his introduction to Kabbalah.[Robinson, I.: Moses Cordovero’s Introduction to Kabbalah: An Annotated Translation of His Or Ne’erav, The Michael Sharf Publication Trust of the Yeshiva University Press, New York 1994.] He said “colours are ascribed to the qualities [Sefirot] according to their actions,” and originally these were:

Keter (Crown) — White/Black

Chochmah (Wisdom) — Blue

Binah (Understanding) — Green

Chesed (Loving-kindness/Mercy) — White

Gevurah (Strength/Severity) — Red

Tiferet (Beauty) — White

Netzach (Victory/Endurance)— Red

Hod (Glory/Splendour) — Green

Yesod (Foundation) — White

Malchut (Kingdom) — White

Rabbi Cordovero explained that as one cannot attribute any colour to Nothingness, no colour can be ascribed to Keter, a sefirah understood to be balanced between the states of pure being and becoming, but still hidden, as it were, within the Eternal No-Thing. He referred to Keter as being represented by the extremes of white and black. As white is understood to represent “Mercy,” it shows the “Mercy of Keter.” The attribution of black is said to indicate the true “essence” of Divinity, beyond time, space and events, hidden as said. Thus the great Rabbi wrote in Pardes Rimmonim “That essence does not change colour at all, neither judgment nor compassion, neither right nor left. Yet by emanating through the [Sefirot]—the variegated stained glass—judgment or compassion prevails.”[Cordovero, M.: Pardes Rimmonim quoted in Matt, D.C.: The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism, HarperSanFrancisco, San Francisco 1995]

Cordovero referred to Chochmah as the “beginning of action” and referred to blue as the “beginning of the development of colour from blackness,” or the first radiations of light from Ain Sof. He further stated that green is attributed to Binah since this colour “contains the colours of red and white, which are perceived together.” He also claimed that it “contains the colour blue, which is from Chochmah.” Cordovero is saying simply that Binah unites the principles of “Mercy” and “Severity,” respectively “white” and “red,” and is also channelling “Wisdom” (blue).

Now, while “white” is attributed to Chesed, its colour is considered to be quite different from that of Keter, almost as if the Light of Mercy, having been received via Chochmah and Binah, had become a bit contaminated and was thus somewhat grey, with a good dose of “blue” (Wisdom) in it. Now, while Gevurah is considered to be red (the colour of judgment), Cordovero attributed a number of colours to it. He said that blue can also be found here, since the “Light of Gevurah” also emanated via Chochmah and Binah, but he said this sefirah is also black because it contains that aspect of retribution that “blackens the faces of creatures.” Cordovero considered the special link between Gevurah and Binah by referring to “the joysome wine which proceeds from Gevurah to Binah.”

While Tiferet is traditionally understood to be white, Cordovero saw it as basically green, as well as comprising the principles represented by several colours at work within this special sefirah. Thus he wrote: “They ascribed to it sapphire in extension of Da’at (Knowledge). In its revealed aspect of determination, it includes white and red, that is, the green of an egg yolk, in truth. Now Tiferet includes the colour[s] of Chesed and Gevurah in one of two [manners]. It is either above them in the mystery of Da’at, which includes them in their roots or in its lower aspect, that is, the mixture of red and white. It also possess the colour of purple, which includes five colours. They are the mystery [of the angels] Uriel, Refael, Gavriel, Michael, and Nuriel.” [Robinson, I.: Moses Cordovero’s Introduction to Kabbalah: An Annotated Translation of His Or Ne’erav, Op. cit.]

Netzach and Hod are respectively described as “red shading to white, for it is mostly mercy because of its orientation to the side of Chesed,” and “white shading to red because it is mostly Judgment due to its orientation to the side of Gevurah.”

Again, whereas Yesod was originally considered to be white, as were all the spheres of the “Middle Pillar”—being the “Pillar of Being” in contradistinction to the outer “Pillars of Doing,” Cordovero maintained Yesod to be “a mixture of white shading to red and red shading to white,” thus focussing the qualities of Netzach and Hod within itself. However, since the Light of Yesod is refracted via the preceding Sefirot, the colour of Yesod was also understood to be a kind of sapphire blue.

Finally Malchut, originally white, was seen by Cordovero to comprise all colours, i.e. all the Light derived from all the Sefirot was focussed in Malchut, which is like a rainbow.

Now, looking at this teaching in which the sefirot of the “Middle Pillar” are white, and the colours red and green are connected to certain sefirot on the “Outer Pillars” it is clear that “Understanding” and “Splendour” (or “Glory”), representing the top and bottom of the “Left Pillar” are “Green,” while “Severity” — which represents the forces of Din (Judgment) [also considered “Discipline” as well as Pachad (“Fear”)], and Netzach (“Victory”) [also considered “Endurance” and “Determination”] are “Red.”

Using this information in order to comprehend the earlier references to the states of “purity” and “uncleanness” of an invocant attempting to put on the “Mantle of Righteousness,” this being indicated above the water respectively by a “red figure” and a “green figure,” and knowing very well that one is often confronted with that which one needs most in ones life, these messages might be interpreted this way:

Green figure: “While you perceive the splendour [Hod—green] of comprehension [Binah—green], you are in a state of imbalance [Left Pillar only]. You have not used self-discipline [Gevurah—red] in order to conquer [Netzach—red] lower desires and your fears [Gevurah—red].”

Red figure: “Your fears [Gevurah—red] have been conquered [Netzach—red]. Having proceeded with determination [Netzach—red], you were brought by your discipline [Gevurah—red] of self to a state of victory [Netzach—red] which will endure [Netzach—red].”

However.....there are many different ways in which these indicators can be read.....as many as there are people to interpret them. Everyone will understand in accordance with personal perceptions. Truly, each one of us perceives the world through “me”–coloured glasses!

Tracing the Bet - Part 3

Let us look at a meditation/ritual procedure pertaining to the “Twelve Banners,” which is one of two such procedures I have addressed in fair detail in "The Book of Self Creation," and which I have found especially useful. Both practices have been taught to me under the title “Tracing the Bet.”

Commenting on the twelve “single letters” of the Hebrew alphabet, referred to in the “Sefer Yetzirah,” Aryeh Kaplan makes reference to an exercise in which one meditates the twelve gevulim (boundaries/ definitions) of space, collectively represented as a “cosmic cube” so to speak. We are told that these “boundaries” correspond to the twelve permutations of the Ineffable Name, and that each set of three in turn relates to one of the four directions. In this regard, Aryeh Kaplan wrote “The permutations beginning with Y corresponding to the east; those beginning with the first H, to the south; the V, to the west, and the final H, to the north.”

Aryeh Kaplan further explained that “in each of these four directions, one first takes the upward boundary, then the right boundary, and then the lower boundary. In this manner, one describes the letter Bet on each side. This corresponds to the teaching that the world was created with a Bet, this being the first letter of the Torah.” He mentioned that “the initiate meditates on the four letters Bet which seal the universe on four sides, setting the limits of thought.” To this he adds that the initiate “also meditates the twelve permutations of the Tetragrammaton, which correspond to the twelve diagonals. In this manner, he can reach the level where they extend to ‘eternity of eternities,’ beyond the realm of space and time.”

In the current “Tracing the Bet” exercise, titled “Contemplating Definitions: Gevulim,” the twelve “boundaries” of the “cosmic Bayit” (Cosmic House or Cosmic Cube) are mentally traced in each quarter (direction), in accordance with the pattern of the letter Bet. Here, the “Twelve Banners” are, as it were, virtually engraved mentally, in a manner in which the three permutations comprising each set, sort of slot into one another. In this way, each set forms the letter Bet which can then be clearly visualised. Here are the four patterns associated with the four directions. Remember that the Hebrew text is always written and read from right to left, and also that the positions of North and South are always reversed in the Southern Hemisphere.

Note how the permutations comprising each set, are integrated to form the letter Bet. Working this meditation requires only a little skill, which is easily acquired with regular practice.

Commence by visualising and tracing, i.e. mentally writing or engraving, Y–H–V–H from right to left in exact order, so as to form the upper line of the Bet, simultaneously vocalizing each letter. Next, trace the downward stroke of the Bet with the permutation Y–H–H–V. Starting at the top right, focus the Yod, coinciding it exactly with the one on the upper line, then mentally writing the second permutation from top to bottom, while uttering the sound of each letter. Lastly, trace the bottom stroke of the letter Bet by visualising the third permutation Y–V–H–H, positioning the initial letter of this permutation (Yod) to the right of the last letter (Vav) of the previous permutation. From Right to left, continue tracing the final permutation of the “first banner,” conjoining the second letter (Vav) with the one which concluded the “downstroke” permutation, and completing the pattern with the two letters Heh, again simultaneously uttering the sounds of the letters whilst tracing the concluding permutation of this first set. The same model is repeated with the three permutations of each of the remaining “banners.”

The practice is concluded with a brief contemplation of the four Bet’s, these being the four “banners” formed into the “Cosmic Bayit” (house) which was traced in this special practice. Also remember to pay some attention to the way in which the “Four Banners” are collectively an expression of the Tetragrammaton, each respective “banner” being a letter of the Ineffable Name. You might find it most meaningful to complete the procedure with the standard Hebrew formula:

Transliteration:

Baruch Shem K’vod Malchuto l’Olam Va’ed

Translation:

"Blessed is the Name of his glorious kingdom throughout eternity forever."

Tracing the Bet - Part 2

As mentioned previously regarding the attribution of the "Twelve Banners" to the Zodiac, in Lurianic Kabbalah the attributions of Elul and Adar are reversed, and the same applies to the associated verses, as shown in Sharabi’s “Or Levanah.” We should also remember that the twelve permutations are attributed to the central six sefirot on the Tree of Life, specifically:

Additionally, the “Four Banners,” comprising three permutations each, respectively corresponding to the four directions, i.e. the first three permutations starting with the letter Yod pertain to Mizrach (East); the second set starting with the first Heh corresponds to Darom (South); the third group starting with the letter Vav relates to Ma’arav (West); and the last three permutations starting with the final letter of the Tetragrammaton, Heh, pertain to Tzafon (North).

While Aryeh Kaplan lists these specific directional attributions in his “Sefer Yetzirah,” even here there are some differences of opinion. For example, Moses Cordovero offers a different set of attributions in “Pardes Rimmonim,” e.g. he assigns the first three to the South; the second set to the North; the third group of three to the East, and the last three to the West. What is perhaps strangest of all, is Cordovero’s version of the “Twelve Banners,” which is totally at odds with Gikatilla’s original version, as shown in the following table. The highlighted permutations indicate the differences between the two sets.

It is worth noting that the arrangement Aryeh Kaplan described in his “Sefer Yetzirah,” comfortably aligns with the exercises involving the application of these specific twelve permutations in the “Tracing the Bet” meditations.

Before we finally get to share a few practical applications, it is worth perusing the attribution of the twelve permutations to the hours of the day. In this tradition the daily cycle is marked from sunset to sunset, rather than from sunrise to sunrise. Hence the daily cycle comprises two sub-cycles of twelve hours each, the first from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m.; the second from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The pattern of twelve permutations follow the two sets of twelve hours in exact order, e.g. the cycle is repeated in each twenty-four hour cycle. In related teachings, we are told that the twelve hours comprising the “night cycle,” pertain to the twenty-four permutations of ADONAI, while the twelve hours of the “day cycle” are associated with two sets of twelve permutations, respectively those of YHVH and EHYEH. For our purposes, the simple attribution of the twelve permutations of the Tetragrammaton to the hours of the day in two sub-cycles of twelve hours each, works perfectly well without any need for further complexities at present.

(More to follow)

The Name Elohim in Practical Kabbalah - Part 2

Regarding its usage in “Practical Kabbalah,” Elohim is not extensively employed as a Divine Name on its own in Jewish Magical incantations. I surmise this absence to be due to the fact that this specific Name is traditionally associated in Jewish esotericism with the qualities of “severity,” “judgment,” and “fear.” Clarifying this in terms of Gevurah, the fifth sphere on the sefirotic Tree, Joseph Gikatilla wrote “Behold, the Name that is known as Elohim is the Name that has been appointed for judgment. This appellation is encoded in the verse ‘Judgment is for Elohim’” (Deuteronomy 1:17). He continued “When He, may He be Blessed, performs an activity from the realm of judgment, He is called Elohim. Now, know and see that this realm is called the left side, and this side’s cognomen in the Torah is Elohim, for that side is the side of judgment. This Name judges all who traverse the world with the appropriate judgments, whether they be positive or adverse, for life or for death.”

As it is, the Name Elohim features particularly prominently in the “Creation” saga as recounted in the first chapter of Genesis. Again Gikatilla informed us that “the reason that the Name Elohim is employed throughout the Creation story,” is “to remind you that all creatures were created with the straight line of Din (Judgment), and forthrightness. There are no curves or deceptions.” The prominent position of Elohim in the “Work of Creation” is of particular importance to Kabbalists, since it is believed this pertains directly to the so-called thirty-two “Paths of Wisdom” referred to in the “Sefer Yetzirah”(The Book of Creation). These “Paths of Wisdom” are considered to be the “wondrous hidden ways” through which Elohim manifested the entirety of existence. Tradition tells us that the “Thirty-two Paths” are indicated in the thirty-two times the name Elohim occurs in the creation saga recounted in the first chapter of the biblical book of Genesis:

The great mystics of our tradition quickly noticed that there is, as it were, a “pattern” in this presentation of the “ways of Wisdom” expressing the will of Elohim in the original act of creation. The Sefer Yetzirah informs us that the “Thirty-two Paths” comprise the ten Sefirot and the twenty-two Otiot Yesod (“foundation signs” = letters of the Hebrew Alphabet), but there is really no further specific reference to these “Thirty-two Paths of Wisdom.” However, that single statement in the first verse of the “Book of Creation,” has engaged most intensely the mystical mindsets of Western Esotericists. I personally think one of the reasons for this is the number thirty-two itself, since this figure is associated with three important fundamental concepts of Kabbalah:

1. LeV ( [ (Lamed) 30 + (Bet) 2 = 32]) meaning “heart”;

2. KaVoD ( [ (Kaf) 20 + (Bet) 2 + (Vav) 6 + (Dalet) 4 = 32]) meaning “respect,” “honour,” “abundance,” “importance,” “riches,” “dignity,” “majesty” and “glory”; and

3. the triple Yod () which is used since ancient days by scribes as a substitute for the Ineffable Name.

(more to follow)

Kabbalistic Curiosities: Moon Mansions and Seven Seals - Part 1

Since this topic is quite extensive and needs to be addressed in detail, I thought it prudent to address the kabbalistic views on the twenty-eight "Lunar Mansions," and associated concepts in installments. Readers who are familiar with Hebrew will find a lot of details regarding the "Lunar Mansions," or more accurately "Lunar Times" ( [Ittot]—"times" ), in the "Commentary on the Sefer Yetzirah" attributed to the Raavad. There are facsimiles of both the 1562 and 1806 editions available in electronic format, which you can access directly at:

http://www.hebrewbooks.org/11726 http://www.hebrewbooks.org/39079

Further details can also be found in the Tikunnei Zohar section 69, 101b - 102a.

The twenty-eight "Lunar Mansions" pertain to the twenty-eight days of the lunar month, or more precisely of the "sidereal month." This topic was of particularly importance in Chinese, Japanese and Hindu astrology, and the "Lunar Mansions" featured equally strongly in Islamic Astrology. We should acknowledge the contribution medieval moslem astrologers like Abu'l-Rayhan Muhammad ibn Ahmad Al-Biruni ("The Book of Instruction in the Elements of the Art of Astrology") made to the study of the twenty-eight "mansions" of the moon, and how greatly "Lunar Astrology" impacted on the Jewish mystics who resided in Moslem lands in the Middle Ages, like for example those who lived in medieval Yemen, where the twenty-eight "mansions" played an important role as "markers" in Yemenite agriculture customs.

Whilst this aspect of Lunar astrology was derived from ancient oriental sources, it was given a unique treatment in Kabbalistic traditions, involving special verses from the Hebrew Bible, the seven "double letters" of the Hebrew alphabet aligned with "seven Sefirot," "seven seals," as well as the "seven planets" of traditional astrology. These are in turn associated with a set of Divine Names, and finally the entire caboodle was worked into a harmonious whole with the twelve signs of the Zodiac, etc. Most importantly, the Kabbalistic approach to this topic pertains to the Shechinah, the "Female" aspect of Divinity, or the "Divine Presence" in manifestation, specifically to "Her" being associated with "time." In this regard, the Zohar (1:198a) informs us that (Et - "time") is "a supernal rung." It continues by asking "And who is this Et?" to which we are told that it is the letter (Heh), and then, by adding the letter Heh as a suffix to Et, further elucidates that "it is called (Atah)," a term meaning "Now." Daniel Matt explained that the reason for "time" being "a supernal rung" is that the Shechinah "is known as 'time' since She conducts the world according to a cosmic schedule, enabling phenomenon to unfold in its proper time," and further that "She is also symbolized by the letter (Heh), the final letter of the divine name (YHVH)." (Zohar Vol. 3, Pritzker Edition)

Since the Shechinah is traditionally associated with both "Time" and the "Moon," we can understand why the twenty-eight "Lunar Mansions" are collectively considered to be, as it were, an expression of the "Divine Presence" in manifestation. Furthermore, these twenty-eight Lunar Ittot (times) are associated with the twenty-eight "qualities of time" listed in Ecclestiastes 3:1-8 reading:

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to seek, and a time to lose; A time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; A time to to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace."

Note there are fourteen benevolent "times" and fourteen malevolent ones. Kabbalistically speaking these are considered to pertain to the "good" and "bad" time cycles of the twenty-eight "Lunar Mansions," fourteen from the aspect of Chesed (Mercy or Benevolence) and fourteen from the aspect of Din or Pachad (respectively "judgment" and "fear," also Gevurah). As an aside, it is worth perusing the exposition of Et Tovah ("good time" also Et Ratzon ("time of favour") and Et Ra ("bad" or "evil" time) in "Gates of Light" (Sha'arei Orah) by Joseph Gikatilla [see page 103–104 in the Avi Weinstein translation].

Now, the fourteen positive and fourteen negative aspects listed in these verses were arranged in a particular manner in Kabbalah to coincide with the seven "double letters" of the Hebrew alphabet, as well as with the seven attributes or qualities associated with these letters. According to all the manuscripts of the "Saadia" and "Long" versions of the Sefer Yetzirah I have consulted, which is quite different from the much later and currently very popular "Gra version," the seven "attributes" are associated with the "double letters" in the following manner:

Aryeh Kaplan maintained the order in which Kabbalists associated these attributes with the mentioned twenty-eight "times" in Ecclesiastes 3, to be "somewhat different than that of the Scripture." ("Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and Practice") He also mentioned that it does not correspond to the order found in the Sefer Yetzirah. Accordingly the order is said to be:

(to be continued)