Alfa Beta Shel Metatron: The Alphabet of Metatron – Part 4

(Tet) Elucidation is somewhat obscure as far as the symbolical significance of the present magical glyph for the letter (Tet) is concerned. The indication is that it might refer to the toothed edge of a wall. However, we are informed that the shape comprises two hidden letters at the top and three at the bottom. In this regard, it is said the intimation is that the one who walks in humbleness and avoid all contention, will receive a threefold measure of goodness. This pertains to the injunction in Proverbs 17:14 reading:

Transliteration:

Poter mayim reishit madon v’lifnei hit’gala hariv netosh

Translation:

The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water; therefore leave off contention, before the quarrel break out.

As it is, the letter Tet is the initial of the word (Tov—"good"). In this regard, we are again sternly admonished that at the end of time the whole world will be judged, and whilst Israel will be granted the blessing of goodness, all who are found to have acted for personal benefit alone, will suffer dire consequences for having sinned in this manner.

In this regard, I noted previously that "the old idea of a touchy, ill-tempered God raging away at human antics because those ‘offended’ His ideas of propriety, does not ‘go over’ any more," and that "sin," as seen by modern eyes, refers to "wrongful behaviour which damages us by the doing in such a way, that we fail to achieve anything like the ‘Intention of God’ in ourselves for our period of incarnation. Therefore, in ‘falling short’ of the mark by so far, we hinder our progression toward ‘Perfection’ by that much. In sinning against ourselves, we sin against the ‘God-in-us’."

I also maintained "the old-time concepts of ‘sin’ as intentional offenses against a God, who laid down arbitrary dictates of behaviour, did not stand up very well in the light of experience," and in this regard listed two axioms which I thought were very revelatory. The first is that "a thing is not just because God wills it, but God wills it because it is just," and the second is that "we are punished by our sins, not for them." In fact, human behaviour has become so complex that definite pronouncements no longer apply to a great deal of it. All we can do is accept certain overall codes of conduct as being best to observe amongst us for the sake of general welfare. We might try our best to keep to those codes, i.e. strike an average, and let individuals sort out their own affairs, providing they do not hurt those who are undeserving of it.

(Yod) We are told the magical glyph for the letter (Yod) indicates a small bench with two endings. We are informed that the construct refers to those who humble themselves in the physical world, and who deserve to inherit a lofty throne in the world to come. Regarding the biblical King David we are informed (v’David hu ha-katan—"And David was the youngest [literally ‘smallest’]") (I Samuel 17:14), and that this humbleness of the king earned him the most exalted status in the hereafter, regarding which it is related in Psalm 89:36 [37]:

Transliteration:

v’chis’o kashemesh neg’di

Translation:

and his throne as the sun before Me.

We are also reminded that even the Divine One selected from the entire Hebrew alphabet the smallest letter, (Yod), to be the initial of the Ineffable Name, i.e. (YHVH).

(Kaf) The magical glyph for the letter (Kaf) is said to stand upright, and, like a monarch, it is wearing a crown. The gematria of Kaf is twenty. In this regard, we are told that there were twenty generations between our primal ancestor Adam and the patriarch Abraham, and that in that period there was no acknowledgment nor sanctification of the Divine Creator, that is until Abraham honoured and recognised the holiness of the Divine One. Hence he established the Covenant of Circumcision, and we are informed that he was granted the knowledge and wisdom of creation (Yetzirah). Tradition has it that the Sefer Yetzirah, the mystico-magical "Book of Creation," derived from Abraham.

Now, the rest of the jargon on the magical glyph for the letter Kaf pertains to the amount of lashes to be dished out in the afterlife to the wicked for their transgressions. In this regard, I refer to my earlier remarks regarding "sin" and "divine" punishment. Besides, I would think the worst pain of "hell" is, as a theological saying puts it, feeling ones own unworthiness of Heaven, i.e. the realisation that one has excluded oneself deliberately from the Divine Presence. In this regard, I do acknowledge the validity of the Kabbalistic teaching of "Chibut ha-Kever" (—"torments of the grave"), but not in any way of it being understood as punishment inflicted upon us by the Divine One in person.

We are told that "The body begins to decompose soon after it is buried. The effect of watching this must be both frightening and painful. The Talmud teaches us, ‘Worms are as painful to the dead as needles in the flesh of the living, as it is written, "his flesh grieves for him" (Job 14:22).’ Most commentaries write that this refers to the psychological anguish of the soul in seeing its earthly habitation in a state of decay.

The Kabbalists call this ‘Chibut ha-Kever,’ the punishment of the grave. We are taught that what happens to the body in the grave can be an even worse experience than Gehenom.

This varies among individuals. The more one is obsessed with one’s body and the material world in general during his lifetime, the more he will be obsessed with it after death. For the person to whom the material was everything, this deterioration of the body is most painful.

On the other extreme, the person who was immersed in the spiritual may not care very much about the fate of his body at all. He finds himself very much at home in the spiritual realm and might quickly forget about his body entirely.....

Many of us think of death as a most frightening experience. Tzaddikim, on the other hand, have looked forward to it. Shortly before his death, Rabbi Nachman of Breslav said, ‘I very much want to divest myself of this garment that is my body.’

If we truly believe and trust in a merciful God, then death has no terror for us.....” [Kaplan, A.: The Aryeh Kaplan Anthology I: Illuminating Expositions on Jewish thought and Practice by a Revered Teacher, National Conference of Synagogue Youth/Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, New York 1991]

Whilst our bodies are animals, it does not mean that we should be unkind to them. You should no more ill treat your own body, than you would beat any animal to death. Yet people persist in ill treating their bodies, bashing them about and scourge them. This is just sheer cruelty and abuse of a harmless, innocent creature, which does not help their evolution in the least. If we really befriend our bodies, we might well be freed eventually from the confinements of three dimensional existence. Some might think they are occupying a lump of meat, however one should at least try to befriend the “poor brute” and guide it along its path of progress on this planet. We certainly do not have to treat our bodies as gods, but at least we should treat them as friends.

From what I understand, our actions sometimes result in “klipot” (demonic shards) attaching themselves to ones being, hence a “purification” process is required after death, in order to prepare the “Self” for “life to come” or rebirth. We should always keep in mind that distress leads to release. This is the penalty we have to bear in life and death, if “Chibut ha-Kever” is to believed, and we should realise that there is only compensation in the “Divine Judgment” which we carry within ourselves.

Now, when it comes to dealing with those mentioned "demonic shards" which may have become attached to ones being, the traditional "beating" of the willow branches during Rosh Hashanah is, as it were, a kind of "sympathetic magic," the action being to drive away and untie oneself from klipot. I have observed this procedure being delineated a "lightening of Chibut ha-Kever." In this regard, it appears the "beating of the willows" to be somewhat akin to the practice of Tashlich, the latter referring to "casting" ones "sins" upon the waters of a running stream. Collectively these actions pertain to breaking the "ties that bind." A similar intention is behind the Kabbalistic Agala’a fire ritual enacted on Erev Rosh Hashanah, which I described in "The Book of Sacred Names."

A related and somewhat easier practice in terms of execution, is the very assertive chanting of the "Shem Vayisa Vayet" conjoined with the Name Agala’a, e.g. Agala’a Vehu Yeli Sit Elem Mahash Lelah Agala’a; Agala’a Achah Kahet Hezi Elad Lav Hahah Agala’a; Agala’a Yezel Mebah Hari Hakem Lav Keli Agala’a; etc. However, I am not informed regarding the employment of any amulets one might carry on ones person as a protection against "Chibut ha-Kever." However, I do know that there was (and perhaps still is) a custom in which the Name (KaRo’), the third three-letter portion of the "Forty-Two Letter Name," was written on a piece of parchment, which was afterwards stuck up the nose of a corpse so as to protect the deceased individual from the afflictions of "Chibut ha-Kever" and from going to "hell." As mentioned in "The Book of Sacred Names," this practice is somewhat meaningless to me, since "I do not buy into the idea of ‘hell’ per se." However, as indicated, I do believe in a posthumous purification process as far as the "Self" is concerned, and also concede "that there may indeed be parties interested in saving family and friends from a presumed infernal destiny in the hereafter" by sticking amulets up the nostrils of their cadavers!

(More to follow)

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)

Tracing the Bet - Part 1

In "The Book of Self Creation" I addressed certain practical workings based on the set of permutations of the Ineffable Name termed the “Twelve Banners” in Joseph Gikatilla’s “Gates of Light” as indicated in the following table:

These permutations have been attributed to the twelve months, the twelve signs of the Zodiac, and the twelve ancient Hebrew Tribes. They have also been divided into four groups, each attributed to an “Element,” “Direction,” etc. However, there is again no consensus to be found in primary Kabbalistic literature regarding these attributions. For example, Aryeh Kaplan noted that the permutations attributed to Elul and Adar are interchangeable. It would seem that Gikatilla’s delineation of the “Twelve Banners” was fairly standard amongst the older Kabbalists, and that the switching occurred specifically in Lurianic Kabbalah, i.e as shown in “Or Levanah” by Shalom Sharabi, Lurianic Siddurim (prayer books); etc. We might also note that much of the practical techniques of pre-Lurianic Kabbalah were dismissed out of hand as “bad” and even declared taboo by the Lurianic faction.

Having investigated the related sets of permutations in, amongst others, “Chayei ha-Olam ha-Ba,” “Mafteach ha-Shemot,” "Sefer Raziel," and "Shorshei ha-Shemot," all of which align with the “Sha’arei Orah,” I personally subscribe to Joseph Gikatilla’s attributions, as shown in the following illustration. It certainly offers the clearest sequence of attributes in terms of the practical workings we are addressing:

To facilitate a better understanding of the associated practical applications, we need to consider additional details, i.e. besides the alignment of the “Twelve Banners” with months, Zodiac signs and Hebrew Tribes, each permutation is respectively associated with a verse from the Tanach (Hebrew Bible), in which the initial letters or final letters of the component words spell the related permutation, like this:

(More to follow)

What Exactly Comprises Practical Kabbalah?

I have been queried regarding what exactly comprises "Practical Kabbalah." My personal stance is that the expression "Practical Kabbalah" incorporates a lot more than simply "magical applications," such as those addressed in my "Book of Sacred Names." Besides these, I personally include:

1. meditational techniques like those of Abraham Abulafia, as well as the Kavvanot and Yichudim of Lurianic Kabbalah, the Tzerufim of Albotini, and the many kabbalistic practices which Aryeh Kaplan, amongst others, listed in "Meditation and Kabbalah," etc.;

2. worshipful invocations and prayers such as those found in Kabbalistic Siddurim (prayer books), etc.;

3. practical applications of the ten sefirot, the latter having been termed "the spiritual energies of Mind and Emotion" by Rabbi Laibl Wolf in his book "Practical Kabbalah," and of which there are a number of wonderful and well-known "practical" studies such as those by my late mentor, William G. Gray, or the more recent very innovative and equally well written "The Miracle Tree: Demystifying the Qabalah" by R.J. Stewart, etc.

There is probably a lot more to add to this list. Whatever the case may be, I personally believe that ALL practical applications of Kabbalistic doctrines, pertain to what is collectively termed "Practical Kabbalah."

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)

Kabbalistic Curiosities: Wheel of Lights

The title of this post refers to a well-known image from Sefer Emek ha-Melech (The Book of the Valley of the King) by Naftali Bacharach (published in Amsterdam in 1648). The illustration depicts a “Wheel of Lights” comprised of the ten Sefirot. Before we analyse this remarkable illustration, we should look at the life of its equally remarkable originator, whose work comprises particularly detailed descriptions of Lurianic Kabbalah gleaned from the writings of Chaim Vital and Israel Sarug, perhaps the two greatest disciples of Isaac Luria.

Now, beyond the fact that our author was born in Frankfurt, we don’t have any details about his date of birth or of his death for that matter. We are informed that he studied Kabbalah in Poland for several years, after which — on his return to his home town — he wrote his Emek ha-Melech. This text, based as said on the writings of Chaim Vital and especially on Israel Sarug's Limmudei Atzilut, had an enormous impact on Kabbalists, but it also elicited outrage and widespread condemnation. Chayim ha-Kohen of Aleppo, a pupil of Chaim Vital, objected in the strongest terms to the claim that Bacharach’s work represents the true realisation of the teachings of Isaac Luria. Others complained that Bacharach plagiarised the writings of other authors, including virtually the entire mentioned text of Sarug in his own work, without any acknowledgment of the original authors. One complainant, Moses Chagiz, renamed Emek ha-Melech calling it Emek ha-Bacha (Valley of Tears).

It would seem Bacharach was constantly embroiled in controversy. His claims that he acquired his sources of Lurianic Kabbalah during the period in which he resided in Israel turned out to be false, since it is clear that he never went to Israel at all. He ended up in a rather heated dispute with Joseph Solomon Delmedigo, claiming that when the latter was his pupil (another questionable claim) Delmedigo had appropriated manuscripts belonging to Bacharach, and had then published them in his Ta’alumot Chochmah and Novelot Chochmah. Interestingly enough, the real facts of the matter would proof the opposite, and like in the case of the earlier mentioned authors, it was discovered that it was actually Bacharach who appropriated Delmedigo’s work.

Naphtali Bacharach focussed specifically on demonology and the concept of the “sitra achara” (the “other side” or realm of evil) in his writings, and whilst his exposition of the Lurianic doctrine of tzimtzum (primordial contraction) differs totally from the same expounded by Chaim Vital, his “Book of the Valley of the King” had a vast impact on post-Lurianic Kabbalah, influencing the Gaon Elijah ben Solomon Zalman of Vilna, the Kabbalistic teachings of Chabad Chasidism, and even Shabbatean literature. The famous Moses Chaim Luzzatto was himself influenced by Bacharach’s Emek ha-Melech, and one wonders what went through his mind when Isaiah Bassan complained that the translation into Latin and inclusion of large sections of Bacharach’s text in the Kabbalah Denudata of Knorr von Rosenroth “were among the important causes of prolonging the exile.” Finally Chaim Joseph David Azulai, the great 18th century Kabbalist, informs us “I have heard that no genuine writings got into his (Bacharach’s) hands..... therefore the initiated refrain from reading either it or the Novelot Chochmah.”

Gershom Scholem called Naftali Bacharach “a fanatical Kabbalist” whose enthusiastic interests pertained more to “Practical Kabbalah,” rather than the speculative and philosophical aspects of our great Tradition. Bacharach did not only draw from Lurianic sources, but also from the writings of the early Kabbalists, an important factor which we should keep in mind when it comes to scrutinising his “wheel of lights” illustration, to which we now turn our attention. A translation by Jerome Rothenberg and Harris Lenowitz of the Hebrew inscriptions appeared some decades ago in “A Big Jewish Book.” As this translation is not in the least satisfactory and following the idiosyncratic style of the “artistic” 1970's, this translation can be misleading. I have thus decided to offer a somewhat different version here, simultaneously acknowledging the fact that any translation of the Hebrew text is difficult. Amongst the terms Naftali Bacharach used to describe the different aspects of Light are “Zohar,” “Bahir” and “Nogah.” All could be translated “brilliance” or “brightness,” yet we know very well that each term describes quite a different quality of light, and the term Nogah also refers to the “morning star,” “morning light” and the planet “Venus.”

English simply does not provide the vocabulary to allow for an exact translation of the different grades of light expressed in Hebrew. Hence we end up with the Sefer ha-Zohar and the Sefer ha-Bahir being respectively translated “Book of Splendour” and “Book of Brilliance,” knowing that the term “splendour” is more accurately rendered Hod in Hebrew. Attempting to deal with this problem in the best possible manner, I have selected to follow the model of Aryeh Kaplan who, in his "Meditation and Kabbalah" and taking his cue from the fourth part of Sha'arei Kedusha, translated the different grades of light as follows: Now, let us read, translate and investigate the “Wheel of Lights” illustration: Starting upper left on the outer circle and reading anticlockwise around the circle, it reads:

“And going around (circling) the ten Sefirot of the sphere, and circle the eternity (‘forever,’ also ‘universe’ or ‘world’) of primordial space.”

Commencing in turn with Keter (Crown) positioned upper left at the very end of the first word of the outer circle, the inner spokes, read:

1. Crown (Keter) “Light of (from) Light — Marvelous Light (could also be ‘wondrous,’ ‘miraculous’ and ‘incomprehensible’)

2. Wisdom (Chochmah) “Radiance of Radiance — Concealed Light (also ‘hidden’ and ‘mysterious’)”

3. Understanding (Binah) “Sparkle of Sparkle (also ‘glistening’) — Sparkling Light”

4. Greatness (Gedulah) “Radiance of Radiance — Clear Light”

5. Strength (Gevurah) (also “Might”) “Light of Radiance — of Glistening Light (also ‘flashing’)”

6. Beauty (Tiferet) “Sparkle of Light — Shining Light”

7. Victory (Netzach) “Light of Sparkle — Refined Light”

8. Glory (Hod) (also “Splendour” and “Majesty”) Radiance of Sparkle — Brilliant Light (also “Lucid”)

9. Foundation (Yesod) “Sparkle of Radiance — Clear Light and Glistening”

10. Kingdom (Malchut) “Precious of Precious Glowing Light this is”

In this illustration the primordial tehiru is the centre, whilst the circumference is all manifestation — the expression into existence of the ten Sefirot, the latter itself radiated, as it were, out of the Eternal Nothingness of the primordial centre. The editors of “A Big Jewish Book” comments

“the ‘wheel of light’ is not a fixed or static image (from which the ‘limitless’ could as well be excluded) but an image in motion and tied finally to the mystery of creation as worked through by the 16th-century kabbalist and poet Isaac Luria. Here the limitless that fills all space contracts itself to leave a point or vacuum behind in which the universe originates. The act of withdrawal is called tzimtzum (‘contraction’) and the point is called tehiru, the primordial space. A ray of light moving across this circular space fills it with the ten sefirot, which surround it like a wheel of light. Only a residue of Ein-Sof stays within it - like little drops of oil.”

One should of course remember that these very ideas did not really originate with Isaac Luria at all, but are plainly expressed in the Sefer ha-Zohar where we read

“At the outset the decision of the King made a tracing in the supernal effulgence, a lamp of scintillation, and there issued within the impenetrable recesses of the mysterious limitless a shapeless nucleus enclosed in a ring, neither white nor black nor red nor green nor any colour at all.....The most mysterious Power enshrouded in the limitless then split, without splitting its void, remaining wholly unknowable until from the force of the strokes there shone forth a supernal and mysterious point. Beyond that point there is no knowable, and therefore it is called Reshit (beginning), the creative utterance which is the starting-point of all.” [Zohar: Genesis 15a].

As mentioned earlier, Naftali Bacharach’s exposition of the Kabbalistic mysteries comprises many sources ranging from the early Kabbalah to the writings of Chaim Vital, those of the latter itself including material drawn from earlier sources. For example, the unpublished fourth section of Vital’s Sha’arei Kedusha (Gates of Holiness) incorporates a text titled Shaar ha-Kavvanah Le-Mekubalim ha-Rishonim (The Gate of Kavvanah of the First Kabbalists). Aryeh Kaplan tells us that it was probably written by Azriel ben Menachem of Gerona (13th century). This text provides a wonderful meditation technique in which the different grades of light are identified and visualised in a very specific manner. A related and equally important 13th century work called Shekel ha-Kodesh (The Holy Coin) was penned by Moses de Leon of Zohar fame, who appears to have been acquainted with the “Gate of Kavvanah.”

Knowing Naftali Bacharach's predilection for the works of early Kabbalists, and since he may very well had access to the Gate of Kavvanah in Chaim Vital's Sha'arei Kedusha, I personally found the study of Bacharach's "wheel of light" in conjunction with the two mentioned early kabbalistic texts to be most informative. Aryeh Kaplan included translations of the "Gate of Kavvanah" and a large portion of "The Holy Coin" in "Meditation and Kabbalah."