Sepher Yetzirah (Book of Formation) - Westcott

CHAPTER IV.

SECTION 1. The Seven Double Letters—Beth, Gimel, Daleth, Kaph, Pe, Resh, and Tau—each have two sounds associated with them. They are linked to Life, Peace, Wisdom, Riches, Grace, Fertility, and Power. The two sounds of each letter are the hard and the soft—the aspirated and the softened original: "the aspirated and the softened," referring to the dagesh (a dot in the letter) which changes the pronunciation in Hebrew. They are called "Double" because each letter represents a contrast or a reversal; thus: Life and Death; Peace and War (Evil); Wisdom and Folly; Riches and Poverty; Grace and Indignation; Fertility and Solitude (Desolation); Power and Servitude.

2. These Seven Double Letters point out seven directions: Above, Below, East, West, North, South, and the Palace of Holiness in the center of them, which sustains all things.

3. These Seven Double Letters He designed, produced, and combined; with them, He formed the Planets of this Universe, the Days of the Week, and the Gates of the Soul (the sensory openings) in Man. From these Seven, He has produced the Seven Heavens, the Seven Earths, and the Seven Sabbaths. For this reason, He has loved and blessed the number Seven more than all things under Heaven (His Throne).

4. Two letters produce two houses original: "houses," meaning permutations or combinations of letters; three form six; four form twenty-four; five form one hundred and twenty; six form seven hundred and twenty; seven form five thousand and forty; and beyond this, their numbers increase so much that the mouth can hardly speak them, nor the ear hear the total of them. So now, behold: the Stars of the Universe (Planets) are Seven: the Sun, Venus, Mercury, the Moon, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars. The Seven are also the Seven Days of Creation and the Seven Gateways of the Soul of Man—the two eyes, the two ears, the mouth, and the two nostrils. Thus, with the Seven are formed the seven heavens, the seven earths, and the seven periods of time; and so has He preferred the number Seven above all things under Heaven.