In addition to these three mother letters, there are seven double letters ( Bet, Gimel, Dalet, Kaf, Pey, Resh, Tav) which signify the contraries in the universe (forces which serve two mutually opposed ends):

“Three Mothers: Aleph, Mem, Shin are in the body of male and female: Head, Belly and Chest: Head was created from Fire, Belly was created from Water, Chest was created from Air and it tips the balance between them.” “Three Mothers: Aleph, Mem, Shin are in the year: Cold, Heat and Temperate‑state: Heat was created from Fire, Cold was created from Water, Temperate‑state was created from Air and it tips the balance between them.” “Three Mothers: Aleph, Mem, Shin are in the universe: Air, Water and Fire: Heavens were created first from Fire, Earth was created from Water, Air was created from Air and it tips the balance between them.” From them the Fathers are generated and from them, everything is created.” Fire is above, Water is below, and Air tips the balance between them. “Three Mothers: Aleph, Mem, Shin: The product of Fire is the Heavens, the product of Air is Air, and the product of Water is Earth. “Three Mothers: Aleph, Mem, Shin: he engraved them, he hewed them out, he combined them, he weighed them, and he set them at opposites, and he formed through them: Three Mothers: Aleph, Mem, Shin in the universe, and Three Mothers: Aleph, Mem, Shin in the year, and Three Mothers: Aleph, Mem, Shin in the body of male and female…” Further these three mothers represent in the microcosm (the human form) the head, the belly and the chest–the head from fire, the belly from water, and the chest from the air that is in between. The year also consists of three parts related to these elements: summer is linked with the element fire winter with water, and spring to air. The mothers ( aleph, mem, shin) symbolize the three primordial elements of all existing things: water (the first letter of which is mem in Hebrew) is symbolized by mem fire (of which shin is the most prominent sound) is represented by shin air (the first letter of which is aleph) is designated by aleph. The letters are of three types: mothers, doubles and singles. It is upon these same letters that the Holy One (blessed be he) has founded his high and holy name.” “By means of the twenty two letters, by giving them a form and shape, by mixing them and combining them in different ways, God made the soul of all that which has been created and all of that which will be. The Sefer Yetsirah asserts that all of these letters play an important role in the creation of the cosmos: “He drew them, hewed them, combined them, weighed them, interchanged them, and through them produced the whole creation and everything that is destined to come into being.” According to this cosmological text, God created the universe by 32 mysterious paths consisting of 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet together with ten sefirot. The most important early treatise, possibly from the second century AD, which describes the process of creation is The Book of Creation ( Sefer Yetsirah).

Within aggadic sources the rabbis discussed the hidden meanings of the Genesis narrative. Ĭlosely associated with speculation about the Merkavah were mystical theories about creation ( Ma’aseh Bereshit). The following is reprinted with the permission of The Continuum International Publishing Group from Jewish and Christian Mysticism: An Introduction. How are we to understand a text that describes a world emerging from an alphabet? There is no simple answer to this question, but at the very least, we can appreciate the power these mystics attributed to the Hebrew language and the interest they had in re-imaging the creation story of Genesis. The following article includes excerpts from Sefer Yetsirah. It describes God’s creation of the world through the manipulation of the Hebrew alphabet and ten numbers or sefirot.

Sefer Yetsirah (The Book of Creation ), is a short but enormously influential book of Jewish mysticism. My Jewish Learning is a not-for-profit and relies on your help Donate

Hebrew in glyphs mini