The Ineffable Name and Situations of War

Following a recent conversation on the tragic events which recently beset the City of Boston, in which we witnessed again the dastardly deeds of mayhem and destruction intolerant religionists work on their fellow humankind, I was asked whether there are techniques in "Practical Kabbalah" which could be effectively employed in "Situations of War." As it is, Moses Zacutto delineated in his mammoth "Shorshei ha-Shemot" a practice pertaining to the magical use of the Ineffable Name, which is said would determine the outcome of a battle.

Considered the most powerful Divine Name in existence, the Ineffable Name is included in numerous amulets for a variety of purposes of both the constructive and destructive kinds. In this regard, the following magical activity may be considered a misapplication of the Tetragrammaton, yet it should be understood that this Unique Name is considered the most potent "Spiritual Force" determining the beneficial outcome of any honourable purpose, so why should it not be employed for purposes of effective resistance toagainst the military might of crazed dictators, etc.? Whilst such a defensive measure might turn out to be destructive, it could equally be enormously beneficial in the preservation of the life and limb of oneself and ones kin. Hence it should come as no surprise that the magical applications of the Ineffable Name includes the following chotam (magical seal) employed as a defense against an enemy at war:

This seal appears to be the Ineffable Name written in magical script, but I have not been able to ascertain the exact magical alphabet it might have been derived from. However, in terms of the talismanic use of this magical image, we are told it has the power to destroy the camp of the enemy in war situations.

To affect this outcome, one has to collect four fairly large stones from a dirt road or cobblestone track. On each of these stones is inscribed the magical seal conjointly with specific phrases. On the first stone is written (Exodus 15:3):

Transliteration:

YHVH ish milchamah YHVH shemo l’olam va’ed Yah Omein Omein Omein Selah Selah Selah

Translation:

YHVH is a man of war, YHVH is His Name throughout eternity Yah Amen Amen Amen Selah Selah Selah

On the second is written the portion from Isaiah 41:2 reading (yiten ke’afar charvo—“his sword maketh them as the dust”), whilst on the third is inscribed another portion of the same verse reading (K’kash nidaf kashto—“his bow as the driven stubble”), and on the fourth stone the opening phrase from Psalm 11:2 reading (Ki hineh har’sha’im yid’r’chun—“For, lo, the wicked bend the bow”).

As said, the magical seal is written on all four stones conjointly with their respectively associated biblical phrases. On the completion of this task, the stones are cast into the zone of the enemy.

Curiouser and Curiouser! cried Alice.....!

The "Name of Seventy-two Names": A Biblical Spin-off - Part 7

Regarding the four expansions of the Ineffable Name, it would naturally be very useful to investigate all associations and related meanings, but space here would not afford such an intense investigation. This means we have to settle for the essential number 72 addressed in this chapter of "The Book of Sacred Names," and thus limit ourselves to AV , the “Expanded Name of 72,” as well as to the related concept of the “cantillation notes” (Te’amim). As noted, this refers to the highest “World,” Atzilut, and, as it pertains to the actual chanting of the words and Names formed from the Otiot, it represents the elevation and exaltation of all existence through the medium of music and song.

I have had the good fortune of listening to music in a vastly expanded state of consciousness, and I have yet to encounter another medium more capable of raising ones spirit to such heights of Divine realisation. It is thus no wonder that music and song is the expression of AV, the highest expansion of the Ineffable Name in the highest “World.” In this regard, we have the benefit not only of aligning ourselves through the medium of song with the highest “Realms of Being,” the “World” of the “Expanded Name of 72,” but we can achieve this by chanting the “Name of Seventy-two Names.”

Now, the number 72 is related to the Tetragrammaton in yet another manner. The Ineffable Name is often presented in the form of a triangle comprising ten letters. It usually starts with the letter Yod at the apex, followed by Yod-Heh, then by Yod-Heh-Vav, and finally completed with the entire Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh construct, as shown below:

This image was often engraved on silver triangles and worn on the body as protective amulets. It is claimed that the four layers of Hebrew glyphs represent the “Four Worlds,” four principles of manifestation, and four aspects of ones being, i.e. Tzelem or Guf, Nefesh, Ru’ach and Neshamah. The ten letters comprising the triangle are also said to correspond to the ten Sefirot on the kabbalistic Tree of Life, and, as indicated in the following table, the combined numerical value of the letters comprising the construct is again 72:

Of course, one might speculate that the four layers of this “Tetragrammaton Tetractys,” so to speak, would align with the earlier addressed division of the “Name of Seventy-two Names” into four sectors associated with the four glyphs and twelve permutations of the Ineffable Name.

Be that as it may, as can be expected the seventy-two triplets of the “Shem Vayisa Vayet” have been divided into an assortment of segments for a variety of purposes. For example, in some arrangements the Name is divided into nine rows, each comprising eight segments. This specific division is understood to relate to what is termed the nine “rectifications” (Tikunim) originating in Chochmah (Wisdom) and Binah (Understanding).

I certainly do not want to overburden readers with elucidations of complex Kabbalistic doctrines, however we might briefly note that these nine so-called “rectifications” are based on the concept of the “beard” (Digna) of the Blessed One which, we are told, is focussed in Binah, the Sefirah of Understanding on the Sefirotic Tree.

To understand the meaning of this, we need to look at the process of “Divine Emanation” as expounded in Kabbalah. The “Creative Force” commences in Keter (Crown), and thence pours into manifestation via Chochmah (Wisdom), the “masculine” principle comprising pure, undifferentiated “creative force,” and Binah (Understanding), the “feminine” principle in which the “creative force” becomes differentiated, or “channelled” into forms or patterns.

You will notice that the entire process is a union, as it were a “play” between “force” and “form.” In this regard, we are told that the “beard” of the Holy One, is drawn downwards because of the sacred union of Chochmah and Binah. This is said to be the hidden meaning of Psalm 118:5 reading:

Transliteration:

Min ha-metzar karati Yah anani va-merchav Yah

Translation:

Out of my straits I called upon the Lord; He answered me with great enlargement.

In this instance the hidden key is said to be . Two principles are basically being addressed here, i.e. (Yod—Abba [“Father”]) and (Heh—Imma [“Mother”]), respectively associated with Chochmah and Binah, as well as their sacred union from which proceed nine “restorations” (Tikunim) of the “divine channels” through which Shefa, the “Divine Abundance”is drawn into our domain of existence. In Kabbalistic literature these “divine channels” are symbolically termed the “beard” of the Eternal One.

Curiously enough, the “Name of Seventy-two Names” was also divided into two equal parts, each comprising thirty-six of the seventy-two Names. The first grouping commences with
, the first three-letter segment of the “Shem Vayisa Vayet,” and the second grouping with , the thirty-seventh portion of the Name. These two groups are also respectively aligned with Chochmah and Binah, or with the “masculine” and “feminine” principles within Divinity. Again these two groups are often respectively arranged into six rows, comprising six Names each. These are called its “sides” or “edges,” six to the male portion and six to the female.

We might note that the combination (Ani Vaho) is part of a phrase employed as a Segulah, the latter referring to a unique action or an object, often comprised of Divine Names, special signs, words or phrases, which is considered to be a most precious “spiritual treasure” to be employed in a unique manner, in order to affect a physical outcome in harmony with the intention of the one who employs the Segulah. Regarding the Ani Vaho expression, the particular phrase utilised as a Segulah in times of great trouble, distress and oppression, reads:

Transliteration:

Ani Vaho Hoshi’ah Na

This exclamation could be translated literally and succinctly to read “I and He save now!” Some readers may recall this phrase to be part of a Hakafah, a special circumambulating practice, which I addressed in the first volume of this series [The Book of Self Creation]. In fact, the very same phrase is traditionally employed in exactly this manner during the Hoshanot processions of Sukkot (Festival of Booths). These procedures are expounded in Sukkah 4:5 of the Mishnah.

Be that as it may, in uttering the words “Ani Vaho” we are expressing the division of the “Name of Seventy-two Names” into the two groups comprising, as said, thirty-six Names each. This is believed to pertain to the “saving from the sea,” the latter being a reference to the Israelites being saved from the Egyptian onslaught when Moses split the waters, and the Israelites passed their way in peace on dry ground, so to speak (Exodus 14). Of course, this aligns directly with the plain meaning of the three verses from which the “Shem Vayisa Vayet” was derived.

(More to follow)

The "Name of Seventy-two Names": A Biblical Spin-off - Part 6

To fully comprehend the intimate relationship between the Tetragrammaton and the “Shem Vayisa Vayet,” we have to consider the kabbalistic “Four Worlds” concept, each “World” being, as it were, a single letter of the Ultimate Word represented by the four letters of the Ineffable Name. In this regard, it is worth noting again the four expanded versions, i.e. full spellings of the individual letters, of the Tetragrammaton [addressed in chapter 1 of "The Book of Sacred Names"]. These four expansions are said to pertain to the “Four Worlds” in the following manner:

Kabbalists use the acrostic ASMaB in reference to these four expansions, and it is understood that the “Four Worlds” came into being as expressions of these expansions of the Tetragrammaton. However, it should be kept in mind that the extended Name termed (AV) does not only correspond to Olam ha-Atzilut, but it is understood the “World of Emanation” actually emanated out of this Name. The same applies to the other three expansions of the Ineffable Name.

However, there are further aspects regarding the “Four Worlds” which need to be considered. We are taught that from the powerful rays of light streaming from the forehead of Adam Kadmon, the primordial human prototype, marvelous forms were emanated into manifestation. These are said to comprise Te’amim (cantillation notes), Nekudot (vowel points), Tagim (crowns), and the Otiot (Hebrew glyphs). Regarding this Gershom Scholem wrote “Thus, two essentially different symbolisms—that of light, and that of language and writing—are here joined. Every constellation of light has its particular linguistic expression, though the latter is not directed toward the lower worlds but rather inward toward its own hidden being. These lights combine to form ‘names’ whose concealed potencies become active and are made manifest through concealed ‘configurations’ (millu’im) where each letter is fully written out by its name in the alphabet. This primordial world described by linguistic symbols was precipitated from the lights of Adam Kadmon’s forehead.....”

Again it should be noted that the listed forms, collectively known by the acrostic TaNTA (Te’amim, Nekudot, Tagim, Otiot), are understood to pre-exist within the inner being of primordial man prior to their radiation into manifestation. Furthermore, they are considered to correlate exactly with the ASMaB, the four expansions of the Ineffable Name, as indicated in the following table:

Both the ASMaB and the TaNTA refer to the manner in which the light of Ayn Sof became inhibited and focussed into forms. However this process is further facilitated in a most meaningful way, because each aspect of the ASMaB and the TaNTA are conjoined with a single letter of the Ineffable Name, as well as with the Sefirot, and finally with a Partzuf (an archetypal image). Thus we have:

Briefly the “cantillation” refers to a style of liturgical chanting indicated by the small chanting pointers in Hebrew scripture. The “vowel points” refer to ten types of markings placed underneath, inside, or on top of the Hebrew letters, in order to indicate which vowels are to be used in the pronunciation of a Hebrew word. The “crowns” refer to the little decorative lines which are placed on top of certain letters in some Hebrew sacred writings:

In this regard, there are also illustrations of the Ineffable Name adorned with twenty-four “crowns,” each of which comprises three apexes or “rays” resulting again in the combination 24 x 3 = 72, as indicated in the following highly decorative illustration:

These “triple-rayed crowns” are understood to align with the “Name of Seventy-Two” Names. Simpler versions of the same image can be found in primary Kabbalistic writings:

In the latter instance the author ensured the four letters comprising the Ineffable Name are clearly distinguishable, in contrast to the more elaborate version in which the letter Heh is represented as a Chet . Be that as it may, such illustrations are particularly popular amongst Hermetic Kabbalists, especially with those who marvel at the “mysteries” of the “Shemhamforash” referred to in works like the “The Key of Solomon” in which the author, purportedly King Solomon, tells us that he had “done great things by the virtue of the Schema Hamphorasch, and by the Thirty-two Paths of Yetzirah. Number, weight, and measure determine the form of things; the substance is one, and God createth it eternally.

Happy is he who comprehendeth the Letters and the Numbers. The Letters are from the Numbers, and the Numbers from the Ideas, and the Ideas from the Forces, and the Forces from the Elohim. The Synthesis of the Elohim is the Schema. The Schema is one, its columns are two, its power is three, its form is four, its reflection giveth eight, which multiplied by three giveth unto thee the twenty-four Thrones of Wisdom.

Upon each Throne reposeth a Crown with three Rays, each Ray beareth a Name, each Name is an Absolute Idea. There are Seventy-two Names upon the Twenty-four Crowns of the Schema. Thou shalt write these Names upon Thirty-six Talismans, two upon each Talisman, one on each side. Thou shalt divide these Talismans into four series of nine each, according to the number of the Letters of the Schema.

Upon the first Series thou shalt engrave the Letter Yod, symbolised by the Flowering Rod of Aaron. Upon the second the Letter HE, symbolised by the Cup of Joseph. Upon the third the Letter Vau, symbolised by the Sword of David my father. And upon the fourth the HE final, symbolised by the Shekel of Gold. These thirty-six Talismans will be a Book which will contain all the Secrets of Nature. And by their diverse combinations thou shalt make the Genii and Angels speak.” These and similar notions found in other writings, have been expanded upon by “adepts” of “Hermetic Magical Orders.”

(More to follow)

The "Name of Seventy-two Names": A Biblical Spin-off - Part 4

Another, perhaps not so well-known, meditational usage of the “Name of Seventy-Two Names,” one which I have personally found particularly useful, is based on the teaching that the visualisation of the letters of a Hebrew Divine Name activates the Spirit Forces embodied in the letters. This practice incorporates the same procedure of intertwining Divine Names addressed earlier in "The Book of Sacred Names" in terms of the Tetragrammaton, Adonai and the “Forty-two Letter Name.” In the current instance the procedure is worked in the following manner:

The application requires one to picture the four letters of the Ineffable Name in ones mind, visualising them slightly separated, and then to fit the three letters comprising each of the seventy-two combinations comprising the “Shem Vayisa Vayet” respectively into the three spaces between the letters.

However, I was taught that before one could commence this meditation, one should recite Exodus 15:1 three times in Hebrew. It reads:

Transliteration:

Az yashir mosheh uvnei yisra’el et ha-shirah ha-zot la-YHVH va-yomroo leimor ashirah la-YHVH ki ga-oh ga-ah sus v’roch’vo ramah bayam.

Translation:

Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto YHVH, and spoke, saying: I will sing unto YHVH, for He is highly exalted; the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea.

The utterance of this verse is then followed by the recitation of the entire “Name of Seventy-two Names” prior to working any of the visualised unifications of each three-letter portion of the “Shem Vayisa Vayet” with the Ineffable Name, as depicted above.

(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."

The Challenge: Moses Cordovero & Practical Kabbalah

In the great tradition of the "duellists" of yesteryear, I have received a challenge! I am instructed to put my money where my mouth is, and back a claim I made in "The Book of Sacred Names" regarding "Practical Kabbalah" techniques in “Sefer Pardes Rimmonim” (Garden of Pomegranates) by Moses Cordovero, with verifiable evidence. My opponent maintains that there is not a single instance of anything pertaining directly to "Practical Kabbalah," or "Jewish Magic" for that matter, to be found in this text written by the father-in-law of the Holy Ari. Hence he felt it necessary to challenge me to either "own up" or face public exposure of my "deceit".....no less!!

Naturally I would not normally bother with uninformed challenges, but I thought I might face the "truth of the matter" and satisfy the "questing spirit" of my challenger with an example of Practical Kabbalah penned by the very hand of the great Moses Cordovero, who wrote (Pardes Rimonnim: Gate Ten Chapter 1):

"There is no doubt that the colours can introduce you to the operations of the Sefirot and the drawing down of their overflow. Thus, when a person needs to draw down the overflow of Mercy from the attribute of Grace, let him imagine the name of the Sefirah with the colour that is appropriate to what he needs, in front of him. If he [applies to] Supreme Chesed, [let him imagine] the outmost white.....Likewise when he will operate a certain operation and he will be in need of the overflow of the [attribute of] Judgement, let him then dress in red clothes and imagine the form [of the letters of] the Tetragrammaton in red, and so on in the case of all the operations causing the descent of the overflows.....Certainly in this manner [we may explain] the meaning of the amulets. When a person prepares an amulet for the [Sefirah of] Chesed, let him imagine the [divine] name in a bright white, since then the operation of that name will be augmented.....

We have seen someone who designed amulets which refer to the [attribute] of [stern] judgement [using the colour of] red, and those which refer to Grace in white and those which refers to Mercy in Green, and everything [was done] in accordance with what [was revealed] by true [angelic] mentors, which taught to him the preparation of the amulets. All this [was done] in order to introduce him to the subject of the colours and the operations which derive from the above....."

I hope this is satisfactory proof to my challenger, and, just in case I be accused of posting a bad translation of the original text, it should be noted that whilst the transliterations of Hebrew terms in the text is in accordance with my personal preference, the translation of the quote itself is not mine. It appeared in a chapter written by Moshe Idel which is titled "Jewish Magic from the Renaissance Period to Early Hasidism," and which was published in "Religion, Science, and Magic: In Concert and in Conflict" edited by Jacob Neusner, Ernest S. Frerichs and Paul Virgil McCracken Flesher. The latter is a most informative work which my challenger might want to peruse for greater elucidation on matters obscure!

Christian/Hermetic Kabbalah, the Christian Saviour and Truth

A couple of days ago, for the umpteenth time, a very "intense" interaction ensued between myself and an individual who, with the fiery zeal of evangelical missionaries, attempted to convince me that the "outmoded deity of the Jews," identified by the four letters of the Tetragrammaton (), was "superseded by Jesus" as expressed in the Hebrew name of the Christian saviour, i.e. the so called "Pentagrammaton" (). I certainly will not burden you with the full details of the altercation, but I thought that since this absurd notion is fairly widespread, I would add my voice to the many who have over the years attempted to set the record straight. The reason is that the mentioned Christian construct is not a Hebrew name, but a Renaissance invention.

Since this elucidation of necessity relates to fundamental doctrines of Christian/Hermetic Kabbalah, I wish to make it absolutely clear that it is not my intention to launch an offensive against the teachings of these traditions. That being said, it should be noted that the "Pentagrammaton" is an invention of the Christian Kabbalah during the Italian Renaissance. The Christian Kabbalists had a great admiration for the concept of the “Divine Name.” In this regard we might consider the teachings of Johannes Reuchlin, who was in fact personally responsible for reformulating the Ineffable Name, YHVH, “christianising” it YHShVH which is often pronounced Yehoshuah or Yeheshuah. It should be noted that there is really no name, divine or otherwise, comprising that spelling in Hebrew, hence it is curious how commonplace it is nowadays amongst Christians of the more fundamentalist mind set, to use this name so glibly and casually as a “genuine” reference to the Christian saviour.

It is certainly clear that over the past two thousand years, the whole of human civilisation has been impacted, sometimes for good and many times for ill, by the overemphasis on the figure of Jesus as “god incarnate,” as well as by the constant drive to “christianize” everything. Whatever Kabbalah may mean to you, I have not seen anywhere in primary Kabbalistic teachings any reference to the exclusiveness of Jesus as a global avatar figure, or to him having had any Kabbalistic mission. I have personally no problem with what people think of Jesus as a “Messianic figure,” since all so-called “believers” are perfectly entitled to their viewpoints applicable to themselves only, in exactly the same manner as those who do not subscribe to the “divinity,” or even the “messiahship” of the Christian saviour.

Johannes Reuchlin invented the YHShVH construct in an attempt to show the importance and divinity of Jesus in kabbalistic thinking. He maintained that human history is divided into three ages. Deriving his ideas about these ages from the Jewish concept of three world ages, these being the “ages” of “Chaos,” the “Torah” and the “Messiah,” and combining these with the teachings of the millennianist Joachim de Fiore, who also spoke of three “Ages” on earth, the first under the rule of the “Father,” the second under the rule of the “Son,” and the third under the “Holy Spirit,” Reuchlin linked his concept of “world ages” to “JHS,” a common abbreviation used in medieval Christian manuscripts in reference to the Christian saviour. To understand his fabrication of the name YHShVH, you need to know what the three “Ages” meant to Reuchlin. He claimed that in the first age, which is that of the Hebrew patriarchs, God revealed himself through the name Shadai; in the second age, considered the Mosaic period, God made Himself known through the Ineffable Name, YHVH; and in the third age, the Christian period which Reuchlin maintained to be the one of “redemption” and “grace,” God is revealing Himself through a five letter name, which is the name YHVH with the interpolated letter, Shin [], thus Yehoshuah which he claimed is the true name of Jesus. In fact, the letter Shin, according to Reuchlin, represents the Logos, the “Word” which became “Flesh” in the person of Jesus as God incarnate.

Due to these and other very fanciful notions regarding the letter Shin by Christian and Hermetic Kabbalists, this glyph has become rather controversial, especially as this letter was allotted a unique status of holiness, when Christian Kabbalists incorporated it into the Ineffable Name to create the Yehoshuah construct. One wonders if there was initially any other reason for the choice of this letter, beyond the fact that this glyph is “three-pronged” in shape (), which gave them lots of ideas about the “trinity”; that it represents “Fire;” and that, interpolated in the Tetragrammaton, it can be pronounced “Yehoshuah.” We are told the latter “is the esoteric name of the Messiah of the Jews and the Christ of the Christians,” the meaning of which is said to be “Jah liberates.” As it is, this construct does not have this purported meaning, and since it does not exist in Hebrew, it does not mean anything at all. The correct spelling of a personal name known to have the mentioned meaning is , which is correctly pronounced Yehoshuah, a fairly common Jewish Name. A “five-letter-name” it is, but not comprising the letters claimed by messers Reuchlin and company.

Now, regarding the special holiness assigned to the letter Shin, it should be noted that in Kabbalah all the Hebrew glyphs are “Holy.” The letter Shin is no more holy than any other Hebrew glyph. In fact, it is worth considering that the Hebrew letters comprise both “positive” and “negative” qualities, and this should be kept in mind when studying each letter-sign. In this regard, the letter Shin is termed “the symbol of Divine Power” as well as of “Corruption.” True, it is the initial of two very important Divine Names, i.e. Shadai (“All-sufficient Unlimited One”) and Shalom (“Peace”). To these we might add other significant concepts like Shechinah, Shabbat, etc., and we might also consider that the letter Shin, in representing Shadai, is the single letter shown on every Mezuzah placed on the doors of Jewish homes.

It is true that is known to be the symbol of “Divine Power,” mastery and peace, but it is equally clear that this letter also denotes corruption and Sheker (falsehood), thus being the initial of the name “Shatan” (Satan). In other words, Kabbalah and Jewish Mysticism in general, recognise a dual principle in this glyph. For greater comprehension of this fact, we might consider the saga of the Hebrew letters passing before the Holy One, Who finally chose to create the universe by means of the letter Bet. About the letter Shin the Divine One said “True, you stand for (Shadai), Almighty, Who is the essence of Perfection, but for man, Divinity is interspersed with evil and deception. Inevitably, your neighbour (Kof) and (Resh) will draw you into a (Kesher), an alliance with them to establish (Sheker—“falsehood”) on earth.”

We are told that the three letters comprising “falsehood” appear at the end of the Hebrew alphabet, so that they are far removed from the central axis of the array of glyphs, i.e. the letter Mem representing stability. Furthermore, none of the milui, the full spellings, of each of the other letters comprise any of these three letters. We are further informed that “to counteract the dangerous shin with its potential power to ruin mankind, the Alef-Beis ends with the letter tav, which alludes to Emet, Truth.” In this regard, we should note that (Alef) is the beginning, (Mem) the centre, and (Tav) the end of the Hebrew Alphabet, and that the combination of these letters in that exact order reads (Emet—“Truth”).

The Name Elohim in Practical Kabbalah - Part 3

The tradition of representing the Tetragrammaton with , often includes a semi-circle drawn around the three glyphs to indicate the letter Bet as a “crown.” The gematria of the three Yods is 30. Add to this the value of the Bet-Crown [2], and we arrive again at a total of 32. The construct of three Yods and Bet-Crown are understood to refer to:

1. the Divine Glory (Kavod) which is the Torah. In many primary texts we are informed that the concepts of Lev (Heart) and Kavod (Glory) refer to the Torah, because the numerical values of the terms in question add up to thirty-two which pertains to the first and last letters of the Torah. These two letters also jointly form the very concept (heart) which expresses the “Glory of God” in this world. Otherwise it is indicated that the term Kavod appears five times in Psalm 24, which is a reference to the five books comprising the Torah. Thus “there is no glory but the Torah (’ein kavod ’ela torah)”;

2. the “Name of Redemption,” which according to an anonymous 13th century “Commentary on Psalms,” was painted by the ancient Israelites with blood on the doorposts and lintel of their homes on the eve of the exodus from Egypt (Exodus 12:7), in order to avert the attention of the avenging “Angel of Death.” Each of the three drops of blood is said to have been in the shape of a Yod. Likewise, Simeon bar Samuel writes in Adam Sichli: “The Holy One, blessed be He, transmitted this name of the three yods to Moses our master, peace be upon him, in Egypt when He told him to place a drop of blood on the two doorposts and the lintel. The pious one, may the memory of the righteous be for a blessing, said that the three yods should be written one next to the other.”

Here we see a practical application of the “Thirty-two” — three Yods (drops of blood) = 30 + Bet-House (door posts and lintel) = 2 totalling 32;

3. the three Yods respectively found in the first words of the three verses of Exodus 14:19-21—va-Yisa, va-Yavo and va-Yet . These three verses tell of “pillars of cloud and fire” which protected and guided the Israelites. As each of these verses comprises exactly seventy-two letters, these were the ones from which the “Name of Seventy-two Names” is derived. Here we see connections made between this Divine Name, the tradition of the “three Yods,” Kavod, Torah, and divine guidance. In fact, one of the “Names” (number 22) within the “Name of Seventy-two Names” is written YYY (), which is the very one we have been considering here. That is why it is understood that the “three Yods and the crown like a bet” represents both the Ineffable Name and the “Name of Seventy-two Names”;

4. the first words of the three verses comprising the “Priestly Blessing” in Numbers 6:24-28, reading Yevarech’cha, Ya’er, and Yisa .

The “blessing” itself is absolutely magnificent:

Transliteration:

Y’varech’cha YHVH v’yishm’recha

Ya’eir YHVH panav eilecha vichuneka

Yisa YHVH panav eilecha v’yasem l’cha shalom

Translation:

YHVH bless thee, and keep thee,

YHVH make His face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee,

YHVH lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace;

5. the prayer ha-yom harat olam ha-yom ya’amid mishpat which follows each blast of the shofar (ram’s horn) on Rosh ha-Shanah. This prayer comprises exactly thirty-two words, which Eleazar of Worms informed us correspond “to the thirty-two paths by means of which the world was created.....”; and

6. the ten Sefirot, ten Ma’amarot (creative words) and the ten Dibberot (commandments). Each of these groupings represent one Yod whose numerical value is ten, and all of which is encompassed by the “Kingdom of God” (“House of the Lord”). Sefirot/Ma’amarot/Dibberot = 30 + Bet (house) = 2 and the total is again 32.

(more to follow)