Further Reading

Monday, 27 August 2007

Examine Them, Investigate Them, Think Clearly and Form ...

All the words and all the creatures emanate from One Name. In thirty-two mysterious paths of wisdom, Yah, eternal of hosts, living Elohim, almighty, high and extolled, dwelling in eternity, holy be his name, engraved and created His world in three Sefarim: in writing, number and word. He engraved them, hewed them, tested them, weighed them, and exchanged them. Spirit from Spirit engraved and hewed: He cut the four dimensions of Heaven: the east, the west, the north and the south, and there is a wind for each direction. One of the key exemplary texts is the account of the four sages, the four upright persons who entered the Pardes, the Orchard or Garden, all but one of whom were severely damaged by the experience despite their excellent qualities. Blessed is the Eternal in His dwelling.

"Examine them, investigate them, think clearly and form."

These are difficulties the man has not expected. The Law, he thinks, should surely be accessible at all times and to everyone. But as he now takes a closer look at the doorkeeper in his fur coat, with his big sharp nose and long, thin, black Tartar beard, he decides it is better to wait until he gets permission to enter.

In word and tongue and mouth they are ten extending beyond limit: depth of beginning, depth of end, depth of good, depth of evil, depth above and depth below, depth of east and depth of west, depth of north and depth of south, and the sole master and lofty king faithfully governs them all from his holy dwelling in eternity forever.

Twelve diagonal boundaries divide the directions and separate the different sides: the extremity of the northeast, the extremity of the eastern height, the extremity of the eastern depth, the extremity of the northwest, the extremity of the northern height, the extremity of the northern depth, the extremity of the southwest, the extremity of the western height, the extremity of the western depth, the extremity of the southeast, the extremity of the southern height, the extremity of the southern depth. (Kabbalah Before The Law)