Sefer Yetzirah

Twelve Simple Letters, Heh-Waw Zayin-Chet Tet-Yod Lamed-Nun ʽAyin-Samekh Tzadi-Qof—Their foundation is Seeing, Hearing, Smelling, Talking, Eating, Sex, Work, Movement, Excitement, Play, Contemplation, Sleep. Their measure is the Twelve Diagonal Borders: Northeastern border, Southeastern border, Upper-Eastern border, Lower-Western border, Upper-Northern border, Lower-Northern border, Southwestern border, Northwestern border, Upper-Western border, Lower-Western border, Upper-Southern border, Lower-Southern border. They extend outwards and go on forever and ever and ever—They are the Arms of the World.

Twelve Simple Letters, Heh-Waw Zayin-Chet Tet-Yod Lamed-Nun ʽAyin-Samekh Tzadi-Qof—He carved them, hewed them, weighed them, exchanged them, transformed them, and formed with them the Twelve Constellations in the World. A cipher: Teshat Seʼav Meʽaq Gedad.1An acronym for the twelve names of the Hebrew Zodiac: טָלֶה Taleh ‘Lamb (Aries)’, שׁוֹר Shor ‘Ox (Taurus)’, תְּאוֹמִים Teʼomim ‘Twins (Gemini)’, סַרְטָן Sartan ‘Crab (Cancer)’, אַרְיֵה Aryeh ‘Lion (Leo)’, בְּתוּלָה Betulah ‘Virgin (Virgo)’, מֹאזְנַיִם Moznayim ‘Scales (Libra)’, עַקְרָב ʽAqrav ‘Scorpion (Scorpio)’, קֶשֶׁת Qeshet ‘Bow (Sagittarius)’, גְּדִי Gedi ‘Goat Kid (Capricorn)’, דְּלִי Deli ‘Bucket (Aquarius)’, דָּגִים Dagim ‘Fishes (Pisces).’ And these are the Twelve Months in the Year: Nisan, Iyyar, Siwan, Tammuz, Av, Elul, Tishri, Marcheshwan, Kislew, Tevet, Shevat, Adar. And these are the Twelve Leaders in the Person: two hands, two legs, two kidneys, spleen, liver, gall, rumen, abomasum, craw.2Identification of the latter four terms is very strange. It is unclear if the author or editor of this section is employing Hebrew terms in a novel way, is unfamiliar with human physiology, or is using animal organs to some symbolic effect, or some combination thereof. The הֶמְסֵס hemses ‘rumen’ and קֵיבָה qeivah ‘abomasum’ are two of the four stomachs of a cud-chewing ruminant such as sheep, goats, and cattle, while the last, קֻרְקְבָן qurqevan, is the ‘crop’ or ‘craw’, the organ in birds where swallowed stones are stored to aid digestion. The only of the latter four terms found in humans is מָרָה marah ‘gall(bladder), bile’. It’s possible that these four are meant to signify the four stomachs of ruminants, the functions of which were not wholly understood in the past and may have been believed to be present in humans. Presumably, the anatomy of slaughtered livestock would have been fairly familiar to many writers and readers of the time, while blessedly few indeed would have had first-hand knowledge of human innards. Like what did He make them? (A city) [strife]. And like what did He arrange them? War. God made them as this one compared with that one.3[Ecclesiastes 7:14]. The meaning for the SY is: God did not make things by themselves, individually, but rather, He made all things in relationship to all other things. The conception of Creation as a network of ontological interdependencies is perhaps apparent in the ‘231 gates’ referred to above in SY 2:4; see also SY 6:2. How did He combine them? He made the letter Heh reign, and bound to it a crown, and formed with it Aries in the World, and Nisan in the year, and the right hand in the Person, male and female. He made the letter Waw reign, and bound to it a crown, and formed with it Taurus in the World, and Iyyar in the Year, and the left hand in the Person. He made the letter Zayin reign, and bound to it a crown, and formed with it Gemini in the World, and Siwan in the year, and the right leg in the Person. He made the letter Chet reign, and bound to it a crown, and formed with it Cancer in the World, and Tammuz in the year, and the left leg in the Person. He made the letter Tet reign, and bound to it a crown, and formed with it Leo in the World, and Av in the Year, and the the right kidney in the Person. He made the letter Yod reign, and bound to it a crown, and formed with it Virgo in the World, and Elul in the Year, and the left kidney in the Person. He made the letter Lamed reign, and bound to it a crown, and formed with it Libra in the World, and Tishri in the Year, and the liver in the Person. He made the letter Nun reign, and bound to it a crown, and formed with it Scorpio in the World, and Marcheshwan in the Year, and the spleen in the Person. He made the Samekh reign, and bound to it a crown, and formed with it Sagittarius in the World, and Kislew in the year, and the gall in the Person. He made the letter ʽAyin reign, and bound to it a crown, and formed with it Capricorn in the World, and Tevet in the Year, and the rumen in the Person. He made the letter Tzadi reign, and bound to it a crown, and formed with it Aquarius in the World, and Shevat in the Year, and the abomasum in the Person. He made the letter Qof reign, and bound to it a crown, and formed with it Pisces in the World, and Adar in the Year, and the craw in the Person.

Three Mothers, which are the Three Fathers from whom come Fire and Wind and Water; Three Mothers, and Seven Pairs, and Twelve Simple Letters.

The Holy One, Blessed Is He, YAH, ADONAI of Hosts, Living God, God of Israel, High and Exalted, Dwelling Ever Above, Holy Is His Name, Lofty and Holy Is He4[Isaiah 57:15]—These are the Twenty-Two Letters with which He founded.