The Book of Formation

Introduction of the Rabad, of blessed memory

The commentary that arose in the thought of the Supreme Scribe A poetic reference to God as the author of reality is according to the measure of the Wisdom of the Creator (blessed be He). To use a metaphor, it is like the form of a blueprint in the mind of an architect, for He is the Actor, He is the Form, and He is the Ultimate Purpose. Therefore, all the enumerated powers are carved out, and His wisdom is within their hollows, fixed by the mark of the name Shaddai The divine name associated with boundaries and "sufficiency"; for within it, all the powers were formed in their perfection, responding to the count of the surrounding circle Likely referring to the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter, used here as a metaphor for divine proportions which is approximately ten.

And you must know, by way of the secret of the Divine Mention, that within the Name Tiferet (Beauty/Harmony) within the stars lies the secret of perfections. Therefore, it is called the "Portal," meaning the Crown of Lights, for all the lights that were formed in the world were formed from it. Seek out God as you would seek your own soul, for my words are according to the measure of the Wisdom of God Binah (Understanding). It is a secret: now, should you think to say that there is a soulish power with independent action i.e., a power separate from God's unity, God forbid! Anyone who allows it to enter their mind to say such a thing has no portion in the God of Israel or His Torah. All these matters and their secrets have already been hinted to you "mouth to mouth" An idiom for oral tradition/esoteric transmission. Therefore, I have set it in my mind to respond to you, to turn your eyes a very little toward what I have received in explaining this holy book. Before I begin to open the gates of these cycles, I will start by explaining one response from the "Book of Necessity" Possibly a reference to a philosophical work on logical necessity and so on. Our objective will be clarified for all our secrets: the hidden paths of the Foundation of the Creator and the foundation of the Fifty Gates of Understanding shall all be clarified as requested and required.

My Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Your praise. Psalm 51:15, a standard opening for Jewish prayer and study You must know that the entire Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Formation) is divided into three ways: 1. In the World Olam: Space/Macrocosm, 2. In the Year Shanah: Time/The Cycle of the Calendar, 3. In the Soul Nefesh: The Individual/Humanity. From these, the secret of the entire changing matter is established: World, Year, Soul.

The knowledge is this: no living thing or physical object is brought into being unless it is categorized under one genus. For quantity is not seen from quality, nor quality from quantity. It is a logical certainty that an "accident" A philosophical term for a non-essential property, like color cannot be created from a "substance," nor a substance from an accident, unless they are all included under the existence of the "Emanations." Even more so, a soul cannot be created from that which is not a soul. Since everything is a void of vitality, and matter serves as its canopy in the foundations of the earth: this is the first philosophy, which has the power to prove a hidden thing from the power of its absolute literal meaning, leaving no room for doubt.

The secret is that the Cause of Causes The First Cause/God is exalted above a "Simple Intellect" The first stage of divine emanation of such absolute simplicity that there is nothing between it and its Cause. This Intellect is the "Effect" The first thing caused by God. This Intellect comprehends itself and its Cause. The nature of the distinction between it and its Cause is specified. Thus, there are three comprehensions. Each one is further divided into two comprehensions, according to its comprehension of each and every thing.

How so?
1. The Intellect comprehending itself.
2. The Intellect comprehending its Cause.
3. The Intellect comprehending that which is between itself and its Cause.
Now, 1. The Intellect with itself; and its relationship; and the distinction between it and its Cause.
2. The Intellect itself and the Cause of its Cause; and the distinction between itself and the Cause of its Cause.
3. The Intellect [comprehending] the essence of its Cause and the Cause of its Cause; and the distinction between them.
This makes nine comprehensions. Before they ascend to the "Inclusive Whole," there are Ten Comprehensions These correspond to the Ten Sefirot. Each one has a beginning, an end, and a middle, making thirty powers. Adding the [original two] levels of the Cause makes 32 Powers, which are the Paths of Wisdom. This Wisdom is a "Hyle" An ancient Greek term for "prime matter" stripped of all physical matter and form, being purely intellectual.

Therefore, I have seen fit to write for you the 32 Paths along with the 50 Gates of Understanding, all arranged one after the other. And these are they:
1. "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?" The following list correlates biblical verses from Job 38 to the mystical gates/paths
2. "Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!"
3. "Who stretched a measuring line across it?"
4. "On what were its footings set?"
5. "Or who laid its cornerstone?"
6. "While the morning stars sang together?"
7. "Have you ever given orders to the morning?"
8. "Or shown the dawn its place?"
9. "Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea?"
10. "Have the gates of death been shown to you?"
11. "Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?"

And so on... original: וג' (u-gevei)