The history of the Qabbalah (Kabbalah) and the mystical Book of Creation ("Sefer Yetzirah") are Intertwined.
Kabbalah is the ancient oral
tradition. The Sefer Yetzirah is one of the earliest, and most
important, book written about the Kabbalah.
Over the centuries, the principles
found in the Book of Creation became the tools of the Kabbalist. The
Sephiroth (spheres), the elements, the Tetragrammaton, all derive from
concepts found the Book of Creation.
The history and origins of the
manuscript "Sefer Yetzirah" is unknown prior to the beginning of the 1st
Century AD. Most authors over the centuries have numerous speculations
about how the book on creation actually was created.
Qabalah, the "Oral Law," was
passed from mouth to ear generation after generation until it was
finally written down by Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish religion.
Abraham is considered the
original author of the "Sefer Yetzirah" who wrote the book upon his
conversion from idol worshiper to the religion of the True G-d.
Another tradition is that "Sefer
Yetzirah" was part of the "Oral Law" which the Lord gave to Moses on
Mt. Sinai. Moses was said to have received the Oral Law along with the
Written Law, according to Jewish tradition.
It is possible that the original concepts were
conceived by Abraham, and the again revealed to Moses. No record exists
of who actually started the Tradition.
In
several manuscripts the Sefer Yetzirah is called "Otiyyot de-Avraham
Avinu" which means the Letters of Abraham Avinu in Hebrew, or abeena
Ibraheem in Arabic.
The attribution of the Sefer
Yetzirah to Rabbi Akiba appears in the 13th century onward. This is
derived from the late Midrash "Otiyyot de-Rabbi Akiva" (Scholem,"
Kabbalah," p. 28).
R. Akiba is attributed to be the
author of the first written version of the Sefer Yetzirah in the first
century AD. He took the concepts passed down from generation to
generation, the commentaries, and put it into the format we use today.
According to a statement in "Rokeah (Hasidut
Zakuyyut 'Arum)," at age 48, Abraham was moved by the deeds of the
generation of the Tower of Babel to reflect on Gd and the universe.
He first contemplated the original concepts
of the Sefer Yetzirah for three years by himself. Afterwards, by the
command of Gd, he was taught by Shem, until he became so wise he
composed the "Sefer Yetzirah." Read more about Abraham from wikipedia.
Then G-d appeared to him, took him unto Himself, kissed him,
called him His friend, and made a covenant with him and his descendants
forever. ("Legend of Jews", Ginsburg, 210 from "Sefer Yetzirah" 6.)
The "oral tradition" (Qabala) was then passed down by word of mouth to his sons, then to:
Jeremiah, who passed it on to
Joseph b. Uziel, who passed it to his son,
Ben Sira who passed it to his son, Uziel.
It was transmitted until the sages of
Jerusalem put it to writing at a time when the Jews were at a period of
destruction, sometime in the first or second century AD possibly by
Rabbi Akiba.
The first printed edition of the Sefer Yetzirah was in the middle ages.
The golem and Kabalah
The
Sefer Yetzirah is deeply rooted into the theory of the creation of a
golem. The first mention of the creation of a golem, or an artificial
being, is found in the Babylonian First Talmud passages of Sanhedrin
65b, Sanhedrin 66b, treatise Erubin, p. 63.
"But, alas, your iniquities have separated between you and your Gd." Sandhedrin
65b, in reference to Isaiah 59:2, LIX.2. This section is preceded by a
discussion on ba'al ob and conjuring the dead to foretell the future.
"Raba said: If the righteousness desired it, they could [by
living a life of absolute purity], be creators, for it is written, 'But
your iniquities have distinguished between, etc.' (ed. ibid to above
quote. Raba understands mabadilim in the sense of "draw a distinction."
Read more about golem.
Follow the time line year by year of the development of the Kabbalah:
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Links to books on Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Creation), Kabbalah, Kabbalah Bracelets and more.
Most popular and reliable books about "Sefer Yetzirah"
These are the most popular books on
Sefer Yetzirah, the Book of Creation (Book of Formation). All of them
can be purchased through these links at Amazon.com. Check for free
shipping eligibility on some books.
This is the most authoritative
text on the study of the "Sefer Yetzirah" or Book of Formation (Book of
Creation). Kaplan's explanations are easy to understand and make common
sense. A must have manual for anyone ready to decipher this ancient
manuscript. Paperback: 398 pages. Publisher: Weiser Books; Rev Sub
edition (May 1997). Language: English.
by R. A. Gilbert (Foreword),
Arthur Edward Waite (Editor, Introduction), Knut Stenring (Translator)
Stenring has made a word-for-word
translation from several texts, choosing only those parts which he
believed to be authentic. He reveals the text’s secrets in his diagrams,
tables, and extensive notes. His "Master Key to the Theoretical and
Practical Kabala" is a diagram of the correspondences between the
English and Hebrew alphabets and is not found in other translations of
the Sepher Yetzirah. The introduction by Waite surveys the historical
background of the Sepher Yetzirah translations and the import of this
foundational Kabbalistic text. Knut Stenring was a Swedish Hebrew
scholar. He published this work in 1923.
A selection from INTRODUCTION: The
"Sepher Yetzirah," or "Book of Formation," is perhaps the oldest
Rabbinical treatise of Kabalistic philosophy which is still extant. The
great interest which has been evinced of 1ate years in the Hebrew
Kabalah, and the modes of thought and doctrine allied to it, has induced
me to translate this tractate from the original Hebrew texts, and to
collate with them the Latin versions of mediaeval authorities; and I
have also published An Introduction to the Kabalah which may be found
useful to students. Three important books of the "Zohar," or "Book of
Splendour," which is a great storehouse of Kabalistic teaching, have
been translated into English by S. L. MacGregor Mathers, and the "Sepher
Yetzirah" in an English translation is almost a necessary companion to
these abstruse disquisitions: the two books indeed mutually explain each
other.
Sepher Yetzirah (Kindle)
(Format: Kindle Edition). File Size: 226 KB. Print Length: 112 pages.
Publisher: Oak Grove (March 20, 2008). Sold by: Amazon Digital
Services
In
several manuscripts the Sefer Yetzirah is called "Otiyyot de-Avraham
Avinu" which means the Letters of Abraham Avinu in Hebrew, or abeena
Ibraheem in Arabic.
(Format: Kindle Edition). File Size: 226 KB. Print Length: 112 pages.
Publisher: Oak Grove (March 20, 2008). Sold by: Amazon Digital
Services