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Sefer Yetzirah

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Sefer Yetzirah
Earliest extant Jewish mystical work describing how God used the Hebrew alphabet and numbers to create the universe
Gra Version
A shorter version of the text of Sefer Yetzirah edited by the Vilna Gaon in the 18th century

Commentary

Ra'avad on Sefer Yetzirah
Rasag on Sefer Yetzirah
Ramban on Sefer Yetzirah
HaGra on Sefer Yetzirah Gra Version
Pri Yitzhak on Sefer Yetzirah Gra Version

About Sefer Yetzirah

Sefer Yetzirah (the "Book of Creation") is the title of the earliest extant book of Jewish esotericism. This short, enigmatic book describes how God created the universe through “32 secret paths of wisdom,” composed of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet plus the ten “sefirot,” which in this early period refer simply to “numbers” even as they allude to metaphysical principles. The origin of the text is unknown and debated. Based on the language of the text, scholars date it to between the third and sixth centuries, admitting some later additions. Some attribute its origin to Abraham the patriarch and others to the tanna R. Akiva, who, according to the Babylonian Talmud, engaged in mystical activities. Given the subject matter and the work’s laconic style, it has been the subject of many varied commentaries.

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