Summary of Kabbalah: Sefer Yetzirah - clase 16

Summary of "Kabbalah: Sefer Yetzirah - clase 16"

This class, recorded on June 25-26, 2017, is an advanced Kabbalistic lecture focusing on the mystical structure and correspondences of Hebrew letters, divine names, spiritual energy flows, and their relation to cosmic forces, human physiology, and spiritual ascent. The teacher explains key concepts from the Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Formation) and Kabbalistic meditation, emphasizing the interconnectedness of the Hebrew alphabet, the cosmos, and human behavior.

Main Ideas and Concepts

  1. Origin and Construction of Divine Names:
    • All sacred names, including the 72 Names of God, derive from specific Torah verses.
    • The 72 Names come from Exodus 14:19-21, each verse containing exactly 72 letters combined in a precise permutation pattern (first letter of verse 1, last letter of verse 2, first letter of verse 3, etc.).
    • Other divine names are formed similarly from Torah or Tanach verses.
    • The methodology for creating and permuting these names is a codified technique known to the sages.
  2. Energy Flows and Divine Names:
    • The flow of spiritual energy is described using three divine names: the Tetragrammaton (YHVH), Adonai, and another name representing Keter (the crown).
    • Energy flows vertically through these names, symbolized by a physical analogy of water flowing from a bottle (channel) into a glass (container).
    • The last element to flow is the "ingredient" or specific energy brought into the world.
    • This illustrates how divine energy is channeled and received, emphasizing the role of containers and conduits in spiritual transmission.
  3. Hebrew Letters and Their Correspondences:
    • The Hebrew alphabet is divided into:
      • 3 Mother Letters (Aleph, Mem, Shin)
      • 7 Double Letters
      • 12 Simple Letters
    • The 12 simple letters correspond to:
      • The 12 tribes of Israel
      • The 12 zodiac signs
      • The 12 months of the Jewish calendar
      • The 12 stones of the High Priest’s ephod
      • 12 human body parts/organs
      • 12 spiritual attributes or virtues
    • These correspondences illustrate the microcosm-macrocosm relationship: humans reflect the cosmos and are keys to cosmic harmony.
  4. Four Cardinal Directions and the Tetragrammaton:
    • Each letter of the Tetragrammaton corresponds to a cardinal direction:
      • Yud = East
      • First Heh = South (Chesed)
      • Vav = West
      • Second Heh = North (Gevurah)
    • Evil is said to come from the North; spiritual work involves harmonizing Chesed (kindness) and Gevurah (severity) to neutralize evil.
  5. Spiritual Ascension and Meditation:
    • The Tree of Life has vertical, horizontal, and oblique paths connecting the sefirot.
    • Ascending obliquely is likened to climbing a ladder, facilitating faster spiritual ascent.
    • Meditation is a tool to transcend time and space, dissolve the ego, and connect with divine consciousness.
    • Ego is linked to physical existence and time-bound consciousness; meditation helps move from ego ("Ani" = I) to infinite consciousness ("Ein" = nothingness/emptiness).
    • The ego is seen as a "klipah" (shell) blocking mystical experience; removing it allows access to divine secrets.
  6. Life Lessons from Biblical Figures:
    • Joseph (Yosef) is presented as a model of spiritual success achieved by overcoming suffering and ego (klipah).
    • Spiritual growth is from homo sapiens (intellectual man) to homo spiritus (spiritual man).
  7. Body Correspondences to Hebrew Letters:
    • The 12 simple letters correspond to 12 body parts:
      • Two hands, two feet, two kidneys, gallbladder, intestine, liver, stomach, esophagus, spleen.
    • Each letter is linked to a zodiac sign, a month, a body part, and a spiritual attribute (e.g., speech, thought, movement, sight, hearing, action, intercourse, smell, sleep, anger, taste, laughter).
  8. Planets and Zodiac Signs:
    • Seven ruling planets govern the 12 zodiac signs; some planets rule two signs.
    • This planetary-zodiacal system integrates with the Hebrew letters and human behavior.
  9. Behavior, Morality, and Cosmic Harmony:
    • Human behavior activates Hebrew letters and cosmic forces.
    • Jewish morality is about correct polarization of energies (positive and negative) to maintain cosmic harmony.
    • The Jewish

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