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)