On the Nature and Origin of the Doctrine of Emanation among the Kabbalists

could be addressed, nothing but a hidden HE, a closed eye ²).

An open eye, however, from which light and life pour forth for everything, became the Deity in the first instant of its revelation. Through this, the most desired Head Latin: caput desideratissimum; a reference to the "Ancient of Days" imagery in the Book of Daniel—an image from Daniel—received the holy adornment of hair made of light, a visible glory or most holy splendor Latin: splendor sanctissimus, a robe or veil to be revered in silence Latin: peplum or aulaeum silentio reverendum ³).

The Kabbalists call the first act of the revealing Deity a "speaking": and this occurred through the Balance Latin: per BILANCEM; a Kabbalistic concept referring to the equilibrium between different divine attributes, or also through a point and a ray, which, as the primordial ground and beginning of all reality, united within itself the dual primal power of generation and conception, and is therefore called Father and Mother as one, or in the highest sense.

Through this dual primal power (which they designate with the two letters Yah Hebrew: יה; the first two letters of the Tetragrammaton, often representing the union of wisdom and understanding), without which absolutely nothing could exist for even a moment, and which therefore moves through all worlds and constitutes their First and Last Latin: Primum et Ultimum ⁴), there arose—

²) I, 2, 28 — 32. II, 5, 58 — 60. 7, 65. 81. 10, 174 — 175. III, 2, 52. 8, 329. Gates of Formation original: Iezir. Port. (Sefer Yetzirah) I.
³) I, 2, 2. II, 24, 495. 5, 58. 7, 65 — 81.
⁴) I, 1, 5. 33. 37. 41. II, 9, 17. 124. 136. 12, 313 — 314. 20, 433. III, 8, 242. 329.