Sefer Yetzirah Class 4

The Talmud in the Mishnayot of Chagigah sets certain limits on teaching certain issues.

One issue is what is referred to today as incest. The Mishna says do not teach the Torah section of Leviticus Chapter 18 and 20 relating the "do not sleep with" morality to more than 2 students. This is a section on Creation and the Sefirot which is first mentioned in the Sefer Bahir and then the Zohar and also the Sefer Yetzirah.

The next issue mentioned in the Mishna is called the Secrets of Creation. This is not to be taught to more than one at a time. This is the in depth teachings of the Parasha of Beraishit.

The third category is what we will be teaching as part of the Sefer Yetzirah. This is called the workings of the Chariot. This says do not teach more than 1 and that person needs to be able to know the material already. This takes some understanding of what is the Talmud saying:

It is saying that the student needs to have some experience in meditation and astral travel. Then the student can be instructed because he has some experience to base the instructions upon.

We will assume in this class no such thing. We will prepare people for the experience and then we expect the student to experience what they experience and bring back the experience so that this iterative process can go forward each time expanding to a greater and greater understanding of the experience. If you do not undertstand what i have said give it a few months of classes and then reread this section.

The way to relate to these three categories which is teaching the same material from three different perspectives is to see the first issue as an intellectual understanding of Creation - not a religious understanding but a learning a basic vocabulary and building upon that. The idea of studying the first Parasha of the Book of Genesis is studying creation from the frame of science and technology. It is what most people have learned in their childhood education. The third category is something else entirely as we will explain as we go through the classes in the Sefer Yetzirah.

Let us digress slightly in this discussion. The meditative techniques taught in the sefer Yetzirah are the same in all both of the last two schools. The techniques are the same but the direction and goals are different and thus they arrive and different conclusions.

One sage in particular, Rabbi Akiva was an expert in all three schools. Rabbi Akiva was the Rabbi of the Bar Kochba Revolution which threw the Romans out of Judea for a few years and then was reconquered and the estimate of the dead was 5 million in the underground city of Betar. You should Google these subjects and learn about them as they have significant application in our work.

Rabbi Akiva died through the horrible death of being skinned alive with metal combs. He welcomed this death because he had made an excursion and experienced a direct expression of HaShem who told him this type of death was necessary for him to experience. Since this was his message from HaShem, he accepted this judgment with joy and happiness and because of this the Talmud says he felt no pain although those around him saw him in pain. There is much to learn from this story in the Talmud.

It is our opinion and the opinion of many active Kabbalists that Abraham wrote the 400 chapters referred to in the Talmud and then Rabbi Akiva redacted what was left of the these teachings into the 6 Chapters and 64 verses. Actually we learn that there are 65 Verses from certain copies that have come down to us. Others say there are 72 verses. In any event it is important for us to realize that these verses are Mishnayot. A Mishna is a spiritual law. Mishna is spelled משנה . Make sure you realize that the same letters that make up the word Mishna, make up the word Neshama spelled נשמה .

The Neshama is our soul. It is the highest part of our soul that usually fits in the body. Remember we have two other parts of the soul that is considered part of our aura although only one part is “seen” by some and the highest part can only be sensed by the techniques and tools taught in the Sefer Yetzirah.

Also note that both these words have the word Shem or Name in them. This is very significant as you will come to realize. Let us return to the teachings of the Sefer Yetzirah.

Each verse and each chapter in the Sefer Yetzirah is a spiritual law or a Mishna. It supercedes all aspects of Halacha sinc it comes before it in time and space and motion and all other dimensions. Over the course of the class and your own experience you will see how this works.

The Sefer Yetzirah has 6 chapters yet they appear to be out of ordeencr. Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5 relate to the Letters of the Hebrew Alef Bet. Chapter 6 prepares you to experience what various dimensions have within them. Chapter 1 relates to the Sefirot, which is initially presented in history by the Sefer Yetzirah. Other Books including the Zohar uses these Names afterwards. The Sefer Yetzirah introduces these concepts which are related to consciousness. Without Chapter 1 and the connection to the teachings of consciousness we can not utilize the teachings about the letters effectively. Yet always realize that words like the Names of the Sefirot and the Name of your soul is made up of letters. The information given in chapters 2 through 5 always needs to be used to perceive a deeper understanding of the words that are made by a combination of the letters.

To truly utilize the Sefer Yetzirah as it is meant to be utilized requires a complete “groking” of Chapter 1 and its teachings regarding consciousness. Modern science is just now beginning to deal with this subject and yet it has become limited by the initial teachings associated with psychology. Even the Kabbalah has found this limiting due to the influence of psychology and science on the modern western mind and the impact of destruction associated with the Shoah. Of course this is the work of Satan doing what he does best – lengthening the process. I will strive to bring this information into the light of day yet it is up to you to transform this information into knowledge and experience in your own life. Failure by you to perceive the influence on your thoughts and thinking regarding psychology will limit your growth and use of the instructions of the Sefer Yetzirah.

Let me give you some hints of this issue. To understand the human being one must realize that there are two semi equal aspects. One can utilize the metaphor of a horse and rider to describe the two aspects – body and soul. In the endless world there is no body. There is a garment. Therefore one must relate to the body differently than the soul. Psychology does not do this. Modern Kabbalah does not do this. It is only the teachings of Kabbalah achieved thorough Devakut – meditation/cleaving that utilizes this perception. Even the Creation of a Golem needs two Creations. One for the body of the Golem and one for the soul of the Golem. The wise contemplation of this paragraph may be sufficient. We will discuss this again.

Revealed in the Sefer Yetzirah is significant material relating to Hebrew Astrology. Why is this material revealed within the chapters dealing with consciousness and also the letters? This is to teach us the significance of Hebrew Astrology. We need to understand Hebrew Astrological influence upon each human being. In modern society this information is considered unimportant. That is the work of Satan. The important cause and effect relationships are never physical – they are energy related. To relate to the energies involved we need to understand the letter causes of these energies. To move from the physical to the spiritual we need the deep knowledge of Astrology presented in the Sefer Yetzirah along with consciousness. One without the other is incomplete.

I will try to teach this in combination. I do not believe this has ever been done before in a group. I will welcome input on how well this is being accomplished. The influence of astrology is different on the body and the soul.

Let us address the idea of the Golem here. To those not familiar with the modern story. In the 16th Century Kabbalist Rabbi Yehuda Loew of Prague took some virgin clay along with his Cohen and his Levite – all three walked around the clay one way and then the other way saying something and the clay became a 7 foot Arnold Swartzenegger ready to defend the Jews of Prague from all those Anti-Semites. This 7 foot being had no brains only instincts. It was created for a specific single job. Perhaps the story is true. For sure the story is incomplete.

God spoke and Light came into existence. There is a hint to this sentence. Creation is only done through the power of speech - true or false? The Kabbalists teach that there is a power of mind that is stronger even than sound. The Kabbalists teach that one can create through a mental construct which through the power of will can become manifest. This is the construct of Mind Over Matter. This is accomplished using the three items expressed in the first Mishna of the Sefer Yetzirah called Chapter 1 Verse 1. They are the last three words in the first Mishna. Here they are בספר ספר וספור . I will not pronounce them at this point, nor will I translate them at this point. I will also warn you that the English translations that you read which is usually “Text, Number, and Communication” is not correct and will confuse you. Even the Kaplan version that most of you will be using does not translate this properly. It is not Book Number and Story. Look at the similarity of the three words. There is your hint. Look at the meaning of the three letters in reverse order. Resh which is Rosh or head; Pey which is mouth; and Sameck which is “support” and circular. There is your hint.

Which is higher? The Head or the Heart? Intellect or emotion? Of course all of us westerners would answer the Intellect and logic. The Kabbalists teach this is true and false. There is a higher level of Emotion which supercedes the Intellect. This is what the Kabbalah attempts to reach through meditation. This is what the tool binding by striking strives to reach.

If you want to learn this book intellectually this is not the class. Read Rabbi Kaplan, learn Hebrew and I will recommend a few books and commentaries for you. This class will teach you how to do this creation of a Golem. It will not build it for you. It will not give you the strength of mind necessary to achieve this. Only exercise will achieve that. Only your personal desire and your personal cleansings will achieve this level of consciousness. All I can say is that it is possible to do if you desire it.

Now to the first Verse:

Please note that the version of the Hebrew may change. Please compare your version to this version and determine which one you wish to use. There are many paths to the Creator.

בשלשים ושתים נתיבות פליאות חכמה חקק י"ה יהו"ה צבאות את עולמו בשלשה ספרים בספר ספר וספור

Transliteration

Vesheloshim Veshtetaim Netivot Peliyot Chachmah Chakuk Yah HaShem Tzvaot Et Olamo Bashlosh Seferyim BaSefer Saphar VeSippur.

Translation by Google

A) the thirty-two wonderful paths of wisdom carved YH Yahu"h hosts the world three books and numerous book

Another Translation

With 32 mystical paths of Wisdom engraved YHWH the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel the living God, King of the universe El Shaddai Merciful and Gracious High and Exalted Dwelling in eternity Whose name is Holy He is Lofty and Holy and He created His universe with Three Books (Sepharim) with Text (Sepher) with Number (Sephar) and with Communication (Sippur).

Etz Haim (2011-03-09T15:00:00+00:00). The Secrets Of Your Birthday (Kindle Locations 841-846). Etz Haim. Kindle Edition.

An Alternative Hebrew Translation from another source.

(another version - the living God, the God of Israel and King World merciful God and holy is his name upper):

This would apply to the Names of God expressed in this verse.

Please note that in other classes I have taught you how to reach a magid. This verse in Hebrew is one that is chosen frequently to achieve that goal.

The first thing I want you to notice is the first letter. Just as the Torah starts with a Bet so does the Sefer Yetzirah. Coincidence? Now just as the word Beraishit has questions about its translation so does this bet in the Sefer Yetzirah. The prefix bet can mean “in” or “with”. So what is the difference. The difference is as follows: Was the 32 paths discussed the engravers or the engraved? The answer according to the Ramak Rabbi Moshe Cordovero is the world the 32 paths or are the 32 paths the world. This question asks Are the 32 paths Light or Vessel? This is one of your meditation questions?

Rabbi Nathan of Acco relates the Bet to the second Sefira or Chochmah itself.

There are two words in Hebrew that translates as path. One is derech and the other is Nativ. Rabbi Cordovero explains that Derech is a public path which everyone can travel. While Nativ is a private path that one travels alone. You know the midrash story of the man who goes to heaven and is shown his life movie. He says to God I see that you were with me sometimes where there were two sets of foot prints and sometimes you were not where there was only one set of foot prints. I also noticed that the one set of foot prints was when times were difficult in my life. Where were you God? God answers that was when I was carrying you in my arms that is why there is only one set of footprints on the path. Actually the Hebrew word is Nativ indicating a solitary path. We learn from this and the idea of the Sefer Yetzirah using Nativ as the word in this first verse that HaShem is with us and wants us to travel this solitary path so that we can rise to the spiritual heights.

Another teaching that we must internalize is the word Nativ is a private path only for the one and that represents the paths in Chochmah, while there are Gates in front of the paths in Binah. In Binah the word for path is Derechim (plural of derech). Derech is female while nativ is male. Why are there 18 more paths in Chochmah? Or are there gates on the 32 and just additional gates on the public paths? Another of your meditation questions. What is male consciousness and what is female consciousness. This is not a feminist question.

The human consciousness has three levels not as psychology explains only two. There is the conscious mind. What is revealed to you and you alone. No one else knows your thoughts, unless they are on a higher consciousness than you in which case they can “read your mind”. This is very rare except in the other dimensions that have a different set of physical laws. Our conscious mind is what we use to communicate with other people. Sometimes we use words, sometimes we use hand gestures, sometimes we use body language, sometimes we use computers, or in the past letters and typewriters. All of these methods lower the energy and leave room for missed communication and mistakaes and misunderstandings.

Above this or better said underneath this conscious mind is our unconscious mind. This is what modern psychology attempts to manipulate with drugs and chemicals. There are levels to this unconscious mind. Some levels we can access. Other levels we will never be able to access in this physical world due to the physical natural laws that must be followed.

There is a higher unconscious referred to as the spiritual mind or the highest level of soul called Yechidah. This translates as Unified. It represents the quantum conscousness of the endless vessel. Everything in the endless world is connected through Yechidah, not just human consciousness. When you travel to other dimensions the experienced traveler from other dimensions still can access some parts of this and that is how they know what you want them to appear as and how they “communicate” with you while your there in the other dimensions. Remember some of these entities are benevolent and some are hostile and some have permission to fool you as to their intent.

Chochmah is our unconscious mind. Keter is the higher level which is why we do not generally deal with it. This is also why when a student tells me they have been to Keter I know they are lying and have no ability to exit the earth bound planes. Of course they usually do not accept my assessment which is based on the knowledge of Kabbalah. These re people who have followed other paths – public paths in Binah. That is why they have no ability to exit the earth bound planes.

Binah is a reflection of Cochmah. Your left brain is a reflection of your right brain. The 32 Wonderous paths were created in Chochmah and with Chochmah. We do not know our Unconscious we do know our conscious or do we know all of it? Let us see. The Bet is Chochmah so where is the Aleph? The word Pele – wonderous is Aleph spelled backwards. In every letter there is an Aleph. Let me prove it to you. Say one of the letters Bet Gimmel Dalet etc. What did you have to do in order to say the letter. You needed to inhale. The sound of inhaling is the sound of the Aleph. Never tell anyone but a child that the Aleph has no sound. Always begin with the sound of the Aleph and establish / direct your unconscious in this manner.

Know that there are 32 paths of wisdom. The human body has 32 teeth. Is there a connection? These 32 paths are usually considered the 22 letters plus the 10 Sefirot. When we study the Tree of Life coming in a straight line, where are the 22 lines. Actually there are only 9 line segments connecting the Sefirot. Remember what caused the breaking – no communication. Did you realize that there are 9 vowels. Another meditation question. Are you sure there are 32 paths or are there 42 paths. Does not the Ana Bekoach have 42 letters?

Remember there are no right answers there are only answers for where you are in your process. Ask the same question tomorrow and receive a different answer or maybe the same answer in a different way.

Let us try to answer the question What is a Sefira? It is not a circle or a ball that shows up in a 2 dimensional drawing. Or a 3 dimensional drawing. A Sefira is a level or a MONAD of consciousness. We do not even know what is a Monad because in our minds there is no monad we change thoughts too quickly. A Monad is a continuous consciousness, an unchanging consciousness. This is hard for us to relate to. A Sefira needs to be experienced in order to know what it is. Words are inadequate. Pictures fail to explain it. Only meditative experience comes close to experience it and then you know yet can not explain or express it.

There are 10 Sefirot. Each onbe represents a monad of consciousness. How does someone go from one level to the other level? One must climb yet climbing is not a physical act. One must walk the Nativ yet one must not use the concepts of walking physically. One must experience the letters as one moves from one sefira to the next. Please note that are corrupted trees – a dark side to the tree. This is a tree that allows one to move from malchut to Netzach or from Malchut to Hod directly without flowing or going through Yesod. This is a corruption. It is important to be careful to follow the Kosher paths.

Now let us look at the Hebrew word Chakak. It translates as engrave. What does it mean to engrave? It means to carve out or remove material from something that already exists. It is not creating it is changing. What do I do with the excess? HaShem carved out the pathways. HaShem placed the letters as guides or as guards upon the pathways. Where will you travel? How will you go? How much of the letters do you know?

Our Sages teach that the human mind and its thoughts are normally weak unless they strengthen them through use and practice. This is the purpose behind the homework you have been given. No one will check up on you to see if you are doing your homework. Only you will know the truth. Do you want to leave the earth bound planes? Then practice there is no other way. All of these techniques will leave you in the earth bound planes without the proper strength and learning to send your thoughts outside of yourself faster than the speed of light. Can you do this ? Not without practice and the homework is that practice.

Let us look at the Names of God used in this verse. They are Yah, HaShem, and HaShem Tzvaot. The only word/name that you are not used to is Tzevaot. This means legions or Master of War. The Names Yah and Hashem represent the traditional names associated with the sefirot of Chochmah and Binah. The Ramak teaches that Tzevaot relates to all of the other Names. There are many opinions that imply what Names go with what Sefira. The Ramak is implying that the only names that count are dealing with Chochma and Binah. Perhaps he is correct and perhaps not. Another meditative question?

Now let us look at the important series of words. The three forms of Sefer. Sefer, Sapar, Sephur. The Ramak and Rabbi Abulafia ( An unknown until the last 100 years Kabbalists from the 13th Century) both translate these terms as Book, Story, and Story Teller.

Do not use these terems literally. These three terms are the three forms or levels or aspects of consciousness. Sefer = book = the pre-existing form. This is the body. What is a book that has never been read? What is a dream that has never been interpreted? The pre-exisitng form is the body that is the outward manifested aspect. Let me give you a metaphor that will help you understand this. A Body of a person can house a serial murderer or it can house a normal person or it can house a hero, or it can house a Tzadik. How can you tell which is housed in the book? Only by ovserving its actions. The outward form is the book. Until the story is told nothing happens.

The telling of the story is done by the storyteller. The story is the internal aspect of the body. It is the soul. The story can be told in different ways. It can be told in a boring monitor or it can be told in an excited voice. The storyteller creates the mood and also what will be remembered. Passion comes from the storyteller.

The sefirot are the books; the paths are the story; and you are the storyteller. What will you remember of your story? What will you add to the story and to the book. Since the Sefirot are also conscious and telling their own story. What will they say about you?

The book is the Torah. The Torah, HaShem, and the Souls of Israel are all one. HaShem is unknowable so what does the above triple actually mean? The Torah exists in a form that is not a manifested form. It is only manifested since we create it with our observing of it. Take your consciousness away from the construct manifested form and the Torah returns to its unmanifested original form. Write your story from the Book you storyteller you. I would like to see your story and compare it tom mine. I think yours will be more entertaining but mine will have more sex in it. Or will it?

The Kedushat Levy described his mental exercise – what others call meditation – as going back to the unknowable and as you leave this level construct the form to be what you wish it to be and bring this down to the manifested level. This is how a golem is created. This is how a house cleaning maid is created. This is how the meat of Shabbat is produced without paying for it with money.

Meditation that is mental exercise is not relaxing. If you want relaxation go do TM or some eastern teaching. It is not Kabbalah. Want to learn Kabbalah? It is work. It is called Avodah – work – service – slavery -and more.

Let us look at this first verse with the view of the above discussion:

With or in 32 unified Wisdom routes to be traveled by each individual separately, engraved Yah YHWH the Lord of Hosts, Three Books (Sepharim) with Book (Sepher) with Story (Sephar) and with You the Storyteller (Sippur).

Please consider the difference in the meaning and take this into your meditations

Astrological Information

There are also 32 paths to channel the Astrological information and energy. They are the 12 Zodiac Signs, the 7 inner planets plus the three outer planets. There is an invisible planet which mirrors our moon as well as 9 points on the chart and the influence of various large comets.

Here is an alternative teaching from the Midrash relating to the earth.

Rabbi Simeon ben Gamaliel said: It [the earth] has four names: eretz, tevel, adamah, and arka. The name eretz corresponds to the vernal (spring) equinox which forces up the crops; tevel, to the summer solstice, which lends savor to the crops; adamah, to the autumn, when the ground consists of clods of earth; and arka corresponds to the winter, which causes the crops to wither" (Genesis Rabbah 13:12).

What this teaching indicates is that the equinoxes are part of the astrological influences and need to be taken into account. This is done within Hebrew Astrological along with the energy of each day. When someone is reading a chart these energies are also taken into account as it relates to the birth of the person and the progression of that persons time on this earth.