CHAPTER 1

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With 32 mystical paths of Wisdom
engraved Yah
the Lord of Hosts
the God of Israel
the living God
King of the universe
El Shaddai
Merciful and Gracious
High and Exalted
Dwelling in eternity
Whose name is Holy—
He is lofty and holy—
And He created His universe
with three books (Sepharim),
with text (Sepher)
with number (Sephar)
and with communication (Sippur).

With 32

As the next stanza will explain, these 32 paths are manifest as the 10 digitsand the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The 10 digits are also manifest inthe Ten Sefirot, which are the most basic concepts of existence.

The letters and digits are the basis of the most basic ingredients of creation,quality and quantity. The qualities of any given thing can be described bywords formed out of the letters, while all of its associated quantities can beexpressed by numbers.

Numbers, however, cannot be defined until there exists some element of pluralityin creation. The Creator Himself is absolutely simple, containing no pluralitywhatsoever. He is the most absolute unity imaginable. Therefore, plurality onlycame into existence with the advent of creation. Only then could numbers bedefined.

The first elements of plurality in creation involved the Ten Sefirot. Hence, itwas the Sefirot that defined the numbers, and therefore, the concept of quantityin general.

Most of Sefer Yetzirah will deal with these 32 paths, as they are manifest inthe letters and numbers. The 32 paths, themselves, however, will not bementioned again. The early Kabbalists define these 32 paths as different statesof consciousness. A list of these is given in Appendix II.

According to the Kabbalists, these 32 paths are alluded to in the Torah by the32 times that God's name Elohim appears in the account of creation in the firstchapter of Genesis. In this account, the expression "God said" appears tentimes, and these are the Ten Sayings with which the world was created. TheseTen Sayings parallel the Ten Sefirot. The first saying is said to be the verse,"In the beginning God created the Heaven and the Earth" (Genesis 1:1). Eventhough "God said" does not appear here, it is implied and understood.

The other 22 times that God's name appears in this account then parallel the 22letters of the alphabet. The three times in which the expression "God made"appears parallel the three Mothers. The seven repetitions of "God saw" parallelthe seven Doubles. The remaining twelve names parallel the twelve Elementals.See Table 2.

In general, none of the names of God refer to the Creator Himself. The Creatoris only referred to as Ain Sof, which means the Infinite Being, or simply, theInfinite. The names used in scripture and elsewhere merely refer to the variousways through which God manifests Himself in creation.

The name Elohim, which is used throughout the first chapter of Genesis, refersto the manifestation of delineation and definition. Each of the 32 pathstherefore served to delineate and define a particular aspect of creation. Man isseen as a microcosm, with each thing in his body paralleling something in theforces of creation. Thus, for example, the six days of creation have parallelsin man's two arms, two legs, torso and sexual organ. This is the significance ofthe Torah's statement that God formed man "in the image of God" (Genesis 1:27).Note that the word for "God" here is Elohim. This is because man's formparallels the structure of the delineating forces that define creation.

The Kabbalists note that the 32 paths of Wisdom have their parallel in the humannervous system. Thirty-one of these paths then parallel the 31 nerves thatemanate from the spinal cord. The thirty second and highest path corresponds tothe entire complex of cranial nerves, which are twelve in number.

The nervous system serves a double purpose. First, it transmits messages fromthe brain to all parts of the body, allowing the mind to control the limbs andorgans. Secondly, the nervous system transmits information from the varioussenses to the brain. Four of the senses, sight, hearing, taste and smell, comedirectly through the cranial nerves, which are entirely in the brain. Theimpulses that come from the lower 31 nerves deal primarily with the sense oftouch and feeling.

Like the nerves, each of the 32 paths is a two way street. First it is thechannel through which the Mind exerts control over creation. Secondly, however,it is also the path through which man can reach the Mind. If an individualwishes to attain a mystical experience and approach the Mind, he must travelalong the 32 paths.

In Hebrew, the number 32 is written Lamed Bet () This spells Lev, the Hebrewword for heart. It is in the heart that the action of the Mind is manifest inthe body. As soon as the influence of the mind ceases, the heart ceases tofunction, this being the definition of death.

The heart also provides lifeforce to the brain and nervous system. When theheart stops pumping, the nervous system can no longer function, and the mind nolonger exerts influence on the body. The heart therefore serves as a causal linkbetween mind and body.

It is for this reason that Sefer Yetzirah calls the heart "the king over thesoul" (6:3). It also describes the mystical experience as a "running of theheart" (1:8).

The Torah is seen as the heart of creation. The first letter of the Torah is theBet ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]) of Bereshit ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII])—"In the beginning."The last letter of the Torah is theLamed ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]) of Yisrael ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII])—"Israel."Together, these two letters also spell out Lev([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]), meaning heart. The 32 paths are contained in the Torah, which is the meansthrough which the Mind is revealed. It is also the link between the Mind and thephysical universe. The Torah is therefore expounded in 32 different ways, astaught by Rabbi Yosi of Galili.

The two letters Lamed ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]) and Bet ([TEXT NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]) also share anotherunique distinction. As aprefix,...