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AZRAEL,AZRIEL

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ALEISTER CROWLEY LIBER 777

tamas g in a close analogy col. lxxix, line 13. add (3321) ttrc tumhcrbdc [shadbarshehmoth sharthathan, the spirt of the spirits of the moon. the final is counted as 700, as are the final\ s in col. lxxviii, line 13.9 col. lxxxv. line 6. or lamcj. line 9. or laynpz. col. lxxxix. add daath, ahyh. col. xciii, line 10. contains the earth. col. xcvi. add daath, hwyh. col. xcix. add among archangels: azrael, angel of death (n, israfel, of last trump (c. col. c. our order of angelic choirs is from r. mosheh ben maimon. r. ishmael and the book pliah prefer: 1. cherubim. 2. chasmalim. 3. chaioth. 4. aralim. 5. seraphim. 6. tarshishim. 7. auphanim. 8. auphanim. 9. aishim. 10. taphsarim. and there are many other schemes. col. cii. add daath, ydna. col. ciii. add daath, cerebrum medium, cuius locus

ALEISTER CROWLEY SEPHER SEPHIROTH

pairs of hebrew letters disregarding order; i.e. 1-21) prolonged; grew long kyr) male )rwkd 232 the sum of the four ways of spelling hwhy in the four worlds ryw) hy let there be light! rw) yhy 233 remembering rwkz the tree of life (cf. 228) myyxh c( 235 archangel of chesed l)yqdc 236 a handful cmwq the northern one; lilith ynwpc 237 essence of glory dwbkh mc( 238 lord of wonders hw)lpnh nwd) 239 azrael: the angel of death l)rz) iron lzrb the lot lrwg 240 myrrh; drop; bitter, sad; fierce rm the afflictions of the sons of adam (i.e. succubae) md) ynb y(gn first buds, sproutings myncn cash; counted out, paid down mydwqp high, lofty mr rubies, gems mynynp 241 to say; word; command rm) 242 recollection hrykz 243 created [they them (gn. 1:27) m)rb learned, complete; to finish, bring to pass (ch

ALEISTER CROWLEY TAO TEH KING

f 'through the mills of god' etc) 79 chapter lxxiv a restraint of misunderstanding. 1. the people have no fear of death((for the meddlesome governments have made their lives intolerable) why then seek to awe them by the threat of death? if the people feared death((their lives being pleasant) and i could put to death evil-doers, who would dare to offend? 2. there is one appointed to inflict death((azrael in the lore of islam. this chapter is again difficult. par. 2 shows capital punishment as interference with heaven's privilege. yet in par. 1 we see the threat of it kept as a ruler's last resort. only, this is a 'fool's knot' proposal; for such punishment is effective only when the people are so happy that they fear it infinitely, so that none ever incurs it. hence it need never be carried

BUCKLAND RAYMOND COMPLETE BOOK OF WITCHCRAFT

og, a juniper log and three good handsful of sandalwood chips. let these burn well. then, as the fire again begins to die down, gaze deep into the dying embers. in these embers you will see scenes of the past, present and future. you may see the actual scenes, but it is more likely that you will see symbolic scenes that need interpreting. this scrying fire is sometimes referred to as the "fire of azrael, and was described by dion fortune in her book the sea priestess. there are many, many forms of divination far too many to include here. an upcoming llewellyn practical magick series title, by me, is practical divination, and will cover a great many of them, known and not so well-known. now answer the examination questions for this lesson in appendix b lesson nine: divination/ 131 1. after

DION FORTUNE PSYCHIC SELF DEFENSE

destruction until it overflows. if he wants to perform a psychic rape, he must fill his soul with lust and cruelty. the cold rage of cruelty is 14 of 103 essential to effectual operations of this nature. now what happens when he does this? he has sounded a ringing keynote in the abyss. it will be answered. all beings who have this keynote for the basis of their nature will respond "dark uriel and azrael and ammon on the wing" and will join in the operation. but they do not operate direct upon the victim, they work through the operator. it is like the old game of nuts and may, in which the one who is sent "to fetch her away" is gripped round the waist by the leader of a chain of supporters. the real pressure comes on his own abdominal muscles, as anyone who has played the game will remember

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF OCCULTISM AND PARAPSYCHOLOGY VOL 1

ut of the new age movement and concerned present contact and channeling of messages from angelic beings. a source more acceptable and familiar to many with a christian background than communication with spirits of the deceased. one interesting variation on the current interest in angels are the writings of artist leilah wendell, who has written a series of books concerning her communications with azrael, the angel of death, and who created a popular museum built around artistic representations of death in new orleans. sources: clayton, rev. george. angelology; agency& ministry of holy angels. new york, 1851. davidson, gustav. a dictionary of angels: including the fallen angels. new york: free press, 1967. duke, h. h. the holy angels: their nature& employments. london, 1875. hodson, geoffre

ngdom of faerie. london, 1927. miller, c. leslie. all about angels: the other side of the spirit world. glendale: g/l regal books, 1973. newhouse, flower a. natives of eternity. vista, calif: the author, 1950. o kennedy, rev. r. book of the holy angels. london, 1887. swedenborg, emanuel. earths in planets& in starry heavens: inhabitants, spirits& angels. london, 1758. wendell, leilah. the book of azrael. new york: westgate press, 1988. angelseaxisce ealdriht angelseaxisce ealdriht is one of several norse pagan groups to emerge as paganism has become established anew among people of northern european descent residing in north america. members venerate the deities that were popular in pre- christian scandinavia and germany, referred to collectively as the aesir and vanir. they include woden

in astral realms. modern rosicrucians define the great white brotherhood as the school or fraternity of the great white lodge and into this invisible brotherhood of visible members every true student of the path prepares for admission. current address unavailable. sources: garver, will. brother of the third degree. halcyon, calif: halcyon temple press, 1929. great white brotherhood. the books of azrael: teachings. santa barbara, calif: j. f. rowney press, n.d. johnson, k. paul. the masters revealed: madam blavatsky and the myth of the great white lodge. albany, n.y: state university of new york press, 1994. leadbeater, charles w. the masters and the path. chicago: theosophical press, 1925. perkins, lynn f. the masters as new age mentors. lakemont, ga: csa press, 296. prophet, elizabeth cl

GOETIA LUCIFERIAN

ic and angelick spirit and initiator, and is associated with both the infernal and celestial) the sub-princes are (and should be considered shadow forms of the infernal princes) samael east (being the angel of fire who is azazel. samael is the demon prince who is married to lilith and father of tubal-cain. the root word of samael is sml, which translates idol or image) azael west (associated with azrael, the angel of death or the egyptian anubis, the god of the dead. azael represents the west and the realm of twilight) azazel south (associated with the element fire, as azazel is the fire djinn of islamic sufism. in hebrew azazel is the scape goat, associated with the root oz, meaning goat and devil, sexual force) mahazael north (associated with earth, being cain or the egyptian set as the

-labolas is a demon of cursing, whom causes situations of danger to occur. also being a spirit of divination, he may bring the union of friends and foes as well. glasya-labolas commands 36 legions of spirits as well. z bune bune/bime is a duke, who appears as a dragon with three heads one like a dog, one as a bird and the other as a man with black eyes. bune is a shade gatherer, under the form of azrael the angel of death. bune gathers shades unto one place, or sepulcher that they may reside in your place of dwelling, gathering knowledge and impulses from beyond the grave in the dreaming state. bune brings knowledge of how one may become better, and grow in experience and wisdom. he governs 30 legions of spirits. 48 a ronove ronove appears as a demonic shape, a monster whom has no true for

LIBER 777

MICHAEL FORD BOOK OF CAIN

seek me. i am vampyre and i am the sorcerer of light from the serpent s tongue. the invocation of cain -the blackened fires of the forge- cain is the earthen initiator of magick, the sorcerous enfleshed spirit of lucifer and lilith, cain is also the one who walks with the dragon the path of the nightside. in one hand is the fetish of cain the skull of abel whom holds the gnosis of the shade king, azrael, the western gate of twilight and realm of ghosts. the other hand is the hammer, a tool of the forge which sparks the cunning fire in the clay of mortal flesh. cain is the temple maker and witch begetter, that which opens the gates of hell and heaven, the initiator of witch blood. cain is envisioned as a middle eastern man, bearded and dark, wisdom filling his eyes. cain is also viewed as a

MICHAEL FORD WITCHMOON

l in the pot/jar/box. after the rite, take the fetish and bury it near the chosen area, which has been either a graveyard, oak tree or burial ground of a familiar. ignite a black candle at the head of the burial site and recite hekas, hekas hekausath usha, umpesha narasta spirit of the moon, lover and death-embracer, grow in the land of the dead. i give you strength and life, by the wytch fire of azrael and hecate, i summon the shades of the grave to give this spirit food to grow, so it shall be! iii) the queen of the dead leave buried until the dark moon, exhume pot and return to your temple or coven meet. recite67 67 phantom and shade, spectar and vampyre, lover and seductress i summon you to rise in the dark of the moon, rise from your tomb and by my guide, my initiator, my familiar, my

volve summoning these interior and exterior forces as a form of yourself, that you may absorb and become as them, they as yourself. it is during this self-transformative work that the realization of i as either a multitude of forms comes into being, that you may strengthen and become a solid form of being, controlled and able in your own self-directed journey of initiation. eight: path of azrail (azrael: the death (vampyric) of self will be enacted in a tibetan inspired chud ritual, calling of the ancestral dead and shades to feast upon the body. this is a form of sacrifice from which the manes of the dead feed from the living body, to give these forms substance and evolutionary sparks which may benefit the sorcerer later. the spirit of the initiate is also infused with the ancestral or ch

MICHAEL W FORD NOX UMBRA

lack robes, grave shrouds of mask of the vampyre or lilith may be worn. the sigil of saturnus may be scribed in your own blood on the mask or skull housing the fetish "oh moon nourished haunters of dreams, who have tasted the souls' blood of life, from the graves of corpse-sleep from which ye emerge, from the pools of blood beneath, the fountains of red sea, that emerge from the dreaming sleep of azrael, move now through the manes of the dead, they seek the commune of those in the warm flesh of the living. my shadow, as i build, calls forth the familiar whose spirit is the djinn of the noon tide sun, the fire of spirit later withdrawn, in midnight honor. moon hungering shade of the tomb, i summon thee! from beneath the city of chorazin have your rested, yet though i go forth to the city of

and beyond! zrazza, umpesha infernum! by the descending divinity: gather around, take forth this skull of man, the primal atavism brought dawn by the nephilimic tomb of sah, take now rest, refuge and a power source for your shadow. let this be your tomb of rest, gather strength here, nourish yourself from my flesh, as i am the master known as akhtya seker arimanius, draconian shadow, messenger of azrael, i form you djinn haunter of the desert and forest (visualize the shade of self, that your shadow form, so closely connected that you are but the same, grant this phantom form your deepest attributes of vampyric self, be it the grave haunter and spirit of folklore) skeletal form, whose flesh is gray and green from the blood of arimanius, talons of the best, whom shall tap the window of the

just the magister shall drink of simulate if fake (i.e. theatrical) blood is used (lilith- magistra now robes herself in red) i now wear the caul of the witchborn, as i am blood and death, but also life, emergence and strength (lilith takes forth the skull or fetish mask and faces the magister) behold, my tomb of black earth, my mask of shadow and death. you shall all seek my consort ahriman and azrael, whom shall walk you forth into shadow (coven members or magister shall recite) we shall walk this path through you queen ofsuccubi, mother lilith, and through the shadows of azrael shall we emerge as the seven- headed dragon, through the opposer shall this manifest! behold, the light which shines in the darkness, the blackened fire of being! the gift of set itself! azothoz nox barathrum (l

ser shall this manifest! behold, the light which shines in the darkness, the blackened fire of being! the gift of set itself! azothoz nox barathrum (lilith recites) taste the kiss of the dead and again in dreams shall my wisdom arise from the grave, cast your spirits to the grave and awaken again reborn (each individual kisses the skull, envisioning the necromantic embrace of the sabbat queen and azrael) banish by performing the calling of the four quarters of the triple hermetic circle. seker lord of the tomb (solitary self initiation) seker is a 'developed' and 'inspired' vampyre archetype of ancient egypt, whom resided as the lord of the tombs in memphis. seker is represented as a mummy- like corpse figure, wearing a shroud, ashen white and gray, black or crimson eyes and various wolf a

ay, black or crimson eyes and various wolf and jackal like hairs upon its palms and body. the face is that of a long dead corpse, streaked with blood red sigils of demonic awakening, saturnus and other relevant symbols. seker was known to often appear with the mask of a predatory hawk, thus his servitors wear this black and gold mask. seker is the lord of the grave, those who taste the ecstasy of azrael and lilith, and the ecstasies of the dead. anubis is the gateway to seker through azrael and lilith. the wisdom of seker is the vampyric solitude, the paths of isolation from which the sorcerer surrounds his or herself with images of death, the shades of the dead itself. listen closely and hear the musick of the dead itself. upon the altar, the sigil of seker, being the illustration provide

uardian of darkness! my sight is clear in the darkness, and i taste the heartblood of man and woman, i am awakened in my self and by the shadow tongue- hekas, noastra, zarru! zazas zazas nasatanada zazas! focus upon the arcane of self and the temple of which you create. banish and close the ritual. a ritual of necromancy purpose- to align oneself with the death energy or "emerald flame" of azrail/azrael, the angel of death and hecate- the witch queen of the underworld/dead/crossroads. this ritual was designed as a means of silent communication with the ancestral dead and the shades of the fields of necromance. undertaken- october 28th, 2002 12pm& noon. coven members involved -akhtya seker arimanius, davcina and adrian dagon. weather- cloudy, stormy, very damp and gray. algol temple or cham

crystals. at the top of the fetish there is a place for a large machete to be held, from which the blade is a bit rusty- held in by a back of snake skin. this has been an ongoing work to awaken the spirit within, a join in union with a new famulus bound within. holding the kangling, facing the west i called "i approach the west gate, unto the winds of funerals of past and to come, i summon forth azrael, the angel of death who grants the sight of beyond, the veil is thin! i summon thee goddess of the crossroads, who walks with the howling of wolves, come forth hecate. phenomena and record- became too dark to write as i worked through the ritual, two candles burned in the chamber which was sufficient light. rain poured as i recited. holding evocation dagger "zrazza, zrazza, ushanicht, zrazz

return, midnight and midday, from the black earth i grow stronger. as the wings of the bat do i fly in spirit through the twilight dreams of others, with the eyes of the owl do i see, with the limbs of the wolf do i run. i summon forth the dead from their gray tombs and shadows, hekas, hekas, hekas hecate "encircle me in your shadows ashen, and those within this circle blessed under the cloak of azrael "i ensorcell the spirits of the ancestral dead, those who hasten to the circle chant of the sabbat, come forth, mighty dead arise. we of vampyric birth do acknowledge thee! the veil is thin, enter this plane of waking and dreaming "i, akhtya seker arimanius- call forth from the grave that which walks the dream lands haunting and draining those sleeping and unawake. by my oath, signed in blo

MIDNIGHTS CIRCLE A COMMENTARY OF AZOTHOZ

ctice as the initiatic spirit of sorcery. the adversary in an initiatory context as it pertains to the left hand path, the path of non-union with the subjective universe. part one of azothoz is the throne of twilight, this poetic invocation is the leviathanic dance against the sun and ensorcells the vampyric and shadow essence of not only the sabbat, but the sorcerous invocation of shaitan-lilith-azrael-ahriman, the infernal spirits who reside over the path itself. part two the lore of the fallen is a poetic-invocation of the cunning path, that of the sabbat and sethanic gnosis of lucifer and cain, from which the initiatic fire is passed from spirit to spirit. the spirit-familiar of austin osman spare, known as the black eagle is presented here as a guide by a sinistral (left way) sigillic

MORALS AND DOGMA

is invisible destroyer, this fearful agent of almighty power, this tremendous consequence of some sufficient cause, scent the tainted atmosphere of europe and turn westward his devastating march. the millions of dead left in his path through asia proved nothing. they were unarmed, ignorant, defenceless, unaided by science, undefended by art. the cholera was to them inscrutable and irresistible as azrael, the angel of death. but it came to europe and swept the halls of science as it had swept the indian village and the persian khan. it leaped as noiselessly and descended as destructively upon the population of many a high-towered, wide-paved, purified, and disinfected city of the west as upon the pariahs of tanjore and the filthy streets of stamboul. in vienna, paris, london, the scenes of

PHOSPHORUS

d. the goetia luciferian edition 7. grimoires and a modern approach to the daemonum and how they relate to our positive advancement of being. examples of such as goetia, book of black magic by a.e. waite, abramelin, faustbook, etc. 8. study of anubis as the initiator into the current of azothoz. a minimum of two months dedicated to anubis as self and the pathway to the realm of shades. a focus of azrael as the angel of death and connections therein of anubis. 9. the initiate will study and move forward in the areas of goetic sorcery as a means of self-transformation and selfdeification through higher and lower sorcery. give details on how you are becoming through working with goetic spirits. see goetia luciferian edition. 10. from the work of goetia, the initiate will work through a specif

e doctrine of shadow. an essay of relation between the two forces and how they are similar and different. 2. magickal assumption of the vampyre as a point of selftransformation, shape shifting and astral lycanthropy via nox umbra, see correlation between higher grades of toph and the botd. 3. the initiate will undergo the challenges of the necromantical flame, the becoming in the emerald flame of azrael and scribe their own self-designed grimoire of necromantic practice. 4. the guardian of the threshold satanas and the initiatic familiar. rites of phosphorus the initiation of the bloodied caul the birth of the initiate unto the light of phosphorus the initiate will have a robe of white which is symbolic of the light of lucifer before the fall. the virgin initiate shall enter the light of p

SALMANRUSHDIE THESATANICVERSES

by a death. she was overtaking a frozen-food road train, blinded by the spray kicked up by its wheels, when she hit the expanse of water that had been waiting for her in a slight declivity, and then the m g was aquaplaning at terrifying speed, swerving out of the fast lane and spinning round so that she saw the headlights of the road train staring at her like the eyes of the exterminating angel, azrael "curtains" she thought; but her car swung and skidded out of the path of the juggernaut, slewing right across all three lanes of the motorway, all of them miraculously empty, and coming to rest with rather less of a thump than one might have expected against the crash barrier at the edge of the hard shoulder, after spinning through a further one hundred and eighty degrees to face, once agai

THE LUCIFERIAN PATH THE WITCHES SABBAT MICHAEL W FORD

ice as the initiatic spirit of sorcery. the adversary in an initiatory context as it pertains to the left hand path, the path of non-union with the subjective universe. 8 part one of azothoz is the throne of twilight, this poetic invocation is the leviathanic dance against the sun and ensorcells the vampyric and shadow essence of not only the sabbat, but the sorcerous invocation of shaitan-lilith-azrael- ahriman, the infernal spirits who reside over the path itself. part two the lore of the fallen is a poetic-invocation of the cunning path, that of the sabbat and sethanic gnosis of lucifer and cain, from which the initiatic fire is passed from spirit to spirit. the spirit-familiar of austin osman spare, known as the black eagle is presented here as a guide by a sinistral (left way) sigilli

THE SHADOWED ONES

tir your eyes from the sun to the moon and the darkness of night. it is the cold winds which open the path of arezura and hades, when wolves and serpents gather unto you. let the ahrimanic dragon coil as the serpents of shaitan, just as zohak shall you be blessed by the kiss of the devil-prince who is your initiator of dreams and death. by the north west point of the circle can you call now forth azrael who is a gatherer of ghosts and shades of the dead. listen to the twilight call of the boneways of the gateway. in your skull temple of cain and lilith does witchblood flow and gather what you may become. let jasmine bloom now under the light of the moon and the phantoms of what once was join in this mighty circle 7 by the west can the leviathanic dragon be heard, who devours his being and

CHRONOLOGIA RORISPERGIUS

of friars minor. 1209-1229: the albigensian crusade marks the first crusade officially called against christian (in this case, cathar) enemies and christian lands. the eventual winners are the capetian kings of france, who wind up incorporating the sizeable domains of the count of toulouse into their kingdom. c.1210- 1272 jehan brete. trouv re member of the confr rie des jongleurs d'arras. c.1210 azriel of gerona(student of isaac the blind) commentary on the sefer yezirah promoted neoplatonic elements in kabbalah; aquainted with the ideas of john scotus erigena and ibn gabirol. 1210-1281 guglielma, princess blazena vilemina, daughter of the king of bohemia. guglielmites believed that guglielma of milan was the incarnation of the holy spirit and wished to establish a church with a female po

FELDMAN DANIEL QABALAH THE MYSTICAL HERITAGE OF THE CHILDREN OF ABRAHAM

known as the baal shem tov( master of the good name, and nachman of bretzlav.14 the bulk of the mainstream orthodox jewish kabbalists focus primarily on the sefer hazohar (book of splendor) and the etz hachayyim (tree of life. they engage in practices of spiritual refinement (avodah) and meditation (devekut, cleaving to god) gleaned from the writings left by 4' 8: h" 2: 2 2:e 8% abraham abulafia, azriel of gerona (disciple of yitza aq the blind, chayyim vital (recorder of the teachings of yitza aq luria, dov baer (mezhirecher maggid and successor to israel ben eliezer, nachman of bretzlav, and others. these practices include a variety of visualization techniques, breathing exercises, movements coordinated with the permutation and combination of hebrew letters, mantric intonation of sacred

KARR DON NOTES ON EDITIONS OF SEFER YETZIRAH IN ENGLISH

s and translations. in the second section waite summarizes the text well enough but again he defers to his introduction to stenring to provide a conclusion as to the value of sy. the third section surveys commentaries on sy, giving the most attention to saadia s commentary and, in particular, its connections or lack of connections with later zoharic kabbalah. waite then moves into a discussion of azriel, then, briefly, nahmanides and pseudo- eliezer (of worms. he concludes with a short list of other commentators. waite includes a translation of the thirty-two paths of wisdom and a summary the fifty gates of understanding (pp. 213-219. waite is a disappointment to more recent scholars a disappointment rather than a total write-off because he exhibited good intuitions, but was led astray by

shkenazi hasidim, see the source list in my notes on the study of early kabbalah in english, pp. 19-23. 20073 26 goldberg, joel r= yechiel shalom goldberg) mystical union, individuality, and individuation in provencal and catalonian kabbalah (ph.d. dissertation, new york: new york university, 2001. goldberg discusses at some length the commentary on sy of r. isaac the blind, as well as that of r. azriel of gerona. sandman, israel. the ma obeb natibot of samuel ibn matut( motot: introductory excursus, critical edition, and translation, volumes 1-4 (ph.d. dissertation, chicago: university of chicago, 2006. samuel ibn matut lived in guadalajara, spain, where, in 1370, he authored ma obeb natibot, a hebrew work incorporating a commentary on sefer yesira= the book of creation, in which he harmo

KARR DON NOTES ON THE STUDY OF EARLY KABBALAH JEWISH MYSTICISM IN ENGLISH

ption into divinity. h (from the abstract, p. vii. dauber, jonathan victor. standing on the heads of philosophers: myth and philosophy in early kabbalah. ph.d. dissertation, new york: new york university, 2004. chapters include gthe opening to myth in the thought of abraham bar hiyya, h gmyth and philosophy in sefer ha-bahir, h gascent and decent h (in sefer ha-bahir, r. jacob ben sheshet, and r. azriel of gerona, and gmyth and discursive thinking in r. asher b. david. h. goldberg, joel r= yechiel shalom goldberg. mystical union, individuality, and individuation in provencal and catalonian kabbalah. ph.d. dissertation, new york: new york university, 2001. focusing on the earliest kabbalists (e.g, isaac the blind, ezra ben solomon, and particularly azriel of gerona, goldberg considers the r

s commentary on sefer yezirah, volumes i& ii (ph.d. dissertation, cambridge: harvard university, 1994. further, in mystical union, individuality, and individuation in provencal and catalonian kabbalah (noted above, page 2, yechiel shalom goldberg analyzes key passages from r. isaac the blind fs commentary on sefer yezirah as well as from the works of r. isaac fs nephew, r. asher ben david, and r. azriel of gerona (see below. further reference. zinberg, israel. a history of jewish literature, volume iii: the struggle of mysticism and tradition against philosophical rationalism (philadelphia: 20081 5 the jewish publication society of america, 1973: chapter one, gthe mystics of provence. h. koren, sharon faye. gkabbalistic physiology: isaac the blind, nahmanides, and moses de leon on menstrua

contemplation, h in gershom scholem fs major trends in jewish mysticism 50 years after, edited by j. dan and p. schafer (tubingen: mohr siebeck, 1993. 1. c. gerona (catalonia: the most prolific circle of kabbalists from the period before the zohar was that of gerona, which followed up on the teachings of r. isaac the blind. the primary figures of this group were (1) r. ezra ben solomon and (2) r. azriel, who established a school which included (3) r. moses ben nahman (nahmanides) and (4) r. jacob ben sheshet. on the gerona circle, see ek (pp. 34-36, ok (pp. 365-475, and moshe idel fs article, gsome remarks on ritual and mysticism in geronese kabbalah, h in the journal of jewish thought and philosophy, vol. 3, issue 1 (1993. other references: 1. r. ezra ben solomon. altmann, alexander. ga n

ew york: schocken books, 1991. a passage attributed to r. ezra, on pp. 65-8. travis, yakov m. kabbalistic foundations of jewish practice: rabbi ezra of gerona- on the kabbalistic meaning of the mizvot, introduction/ annotated translation/ critical hebrew edition (ph.d. dissertation, waltham: brandeis university, 2002. r. ezra fs detailed kabbalistic commentary on the meanings of the mizvot. 2. r. azriel. ek pp. 87-108. altmann, alexander. gmotif of the eshell f in azriel of gerona, h in (idem) studies in religious philosophy and mysticism (1969; originally in journal of jewish studies, vol. xi, nos. 1-2 (1958. goldberg, joel r= yechiel shalom goldberg) gazriel of gerona: a phenomenology of individuality h= chapter 6 of mystical union, individuality, and individuation in provencal and catal

mizrahi jewry, volume 1, issue 2 (october- november 2007, edited by zion zohar, on-line at http//sephardic.fiu.edu/journal. halbertal, moshe. concealment and revelation: esotericism in jewish thought and its philosophical implications, translated by jackie feldman. princeton. oxford: princeton university press, 2007, chapter 10 gopen knowledge and closed knowledge: the kabbalists of gerona.rabbi azriel and rabbi ya fakov bar sheshet h. pachter, mordechai. gthe root of faith is the root of heresy, h part i of pachter fs roots of faith and devequt: studies in the history of kabbalistic ideas (los angeles: cherub press, 2004. safran, bezalel. grabbi azriel and nahmanides: two views of the fall of man, h in rabbi moses nahmanides (ramban: explorations in his religious and literary virtuosity

cob ben sheshet. ek pp. 109-50. dauber, jonathan victor. standing on the heads of philosophers (noted above, page 2. halbertal, moshe. concealment and revelation: esotericism in jewish thought and its philosophical implications, translated by jackie feldman. princeton. oxford: princeton university press, 2007, chapter 10 gopen knowledge and closed 20081 8 knowledge: the kabbalists of gerona.rabbi azriel and rabbi ya fakov bar sheshet h. idel, moshe. gjewish kabbalah and platonism, h in neoplatonism and jewish thought [studies in platonism: ancient and modern #7, edited by lenn goodman (albany: state university of new york press, 1992. 5. sefer ha-temunah [sht] a treatise often cited by the gerona circle, sht expounds upon the doctrine of the shemittot (cosmic cycles. references: ok pp. 460

THE HOLY BIBLE KING JAMES VERSION

and of men an hundred thousand. 5:22 for there fell down many slain, because the war [was] of god. and they dwelt in their steads until the captivity. 5:23 and the children of the half tribe of manasseh dwelt in the land: they increased from bashan unto baalhermon and senir, and unto mount hermon. 5:24 and these [were] the heads of the house of their fathers, even epher, and ishi, and eliel, and azriel, and jeremiah, and hodaviah, and jahdiel, mighty men of valour, famous men [and] heads of the house of their fathers. 5:25 and they transgressed against the god of their fathers, and went a whoring after the gods of the people of the land, whom god destroyed before them. 5:26 and the god of israel stirred up the spirit of pul king of assyria, and the spirit of tilgath-pilneser king of assyr

6 furthermore over the tribes of israel: the ruler of the reubenites [was] eliezer the son of zichri: of the simeonites, shephatiah the son of maachah: 27:17 of the levites, hashabiah the son of kemuel: of the aaronites, zadok: 27:18 of judah, elihu [one] of the brethren of david: of issachar, omri the son of michael: 27:19 of zebulun, ishmaiah the son of obadiah: of naphtali, jerimoth the son of azriel: 27:20 of the children of ephraim, hoshea the son of azaziah: of the half tribe of manasseh, joel the son of pedaiah: 27:21 of the half [tribe] of manasseh in gilead, iddo the son of zechariah: of benjamin, jaasiel the son of abner: 27:22 of dan, azareel the son of jeroham. these [were] the princes of the tribes of israel. 27:23 but david took not the number of them from twenty years old an

d in the fire that [was] on the hearth. 36:24 yet they were not afraid, nor rent their garments [neither] the king, nor any of his servants that heard all these words. 36:25 nevertheless elnathan and delaiah and gemariah had made intercession to the king that he would not burn the roll: but he would not hear them. 36:26 but the king commanded jerahmeel the son of hammelech, and seraiah the son of azriel, and shelemiah the son of abdeel, to take baruch the scribe and jeremiah the prophet: but the lord hid them. 36:27 then the word of the lord came to jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which baruch wrote at the mouth of jeremiah, saying, 36:28 take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which jehoiakim the king

WOLFSON ELLIOT ALEF MEM TAU KABBALISTIC MUSINGS ON TIME TRUTH AND DEATH

identical, it follows that the two portrayals of the godhead are not conflicting, that is, the highest of desires is the desire that has no object (der seine sache begehrt) and the strongest of wills, the will that wills nothing (der wille, der nichts will. similar representations of the infinite will are widely attested in the theosophic ruminations of thirteenth-century kabbalists for instance, azriel of gerona, jacob ben sheshet, isaac ibn latif, moses de le n, and other castilian figures whose views are preserved in zoharic homilies, and the many subsequent authors influenced thereby, including luria and his disciples.268 keter, the supernal will, the aura that is coextensive with and hence ontically inseparable even if distinguishable from ein sof,269 is also characterized as nothing

f what is written the river goes forth from eden to irrigate the garden (gen 2:10. river [nahar] is from nehora, and this is the inner light [ha-or ha-penimi] that issues constantly from eden. therefore it says goes forth [yose] and it did not say went forth [yasa] for it does not cease, and in every moment it emanates in the attributes [we-khol et hu mitpashet ba-middot].175 along similar lines, azriel of gerona applied the rabbinic idiom seder zemannim to the sefirotic emanations as they are the designs of creation, sidrei bere shit, manifest in the phenomenal plane of existence: the order of the emanations [seder ha-sefirot, which is a boundary without boundary [gevul mi-beli gevul, is called176 in bere shit rabbah the order of time [seder zemannim, as the rabbis, blessed be their memor

der of time [seder zemannim, as the rabbis, blessed be their memory, said [the verse] it was evening and it was morning [wa-yehi erev wa-yehi voqer] indicates that there was an order of time before this,177 and they are called the designs of creation [sidrei bere shit. 178 the divine emanations whether understood in essentialist or instrumentalist terms embrace a fundamental paradox enunciated in azriel s evocative expression gevul mi-beli gevul, boundary without boundary, that is, the sefirot are bounded from the perspective of being limited in number they are ten and not eleven, ten and not nine, and so forth but they are unbounded inasmuch as they embody/enclothe the light of the infinite.179 analogously, the expression seder 84 chapter two zemannim communicates the paradox in temporal

leven, ten and not nine, and so forth but they are unbounded inasmuch as they embody/enclothe the light of the infinite.179 analogously, the expression seder 84 chapter two zemannim communicates the paradox in temporal terms: the sefirot may be described as time without time, a fourth dimension of time beyond the threedimensionality of mundane time.180 the matter is clarified in another remark by azriel in his commentary on select talmudic legends. in consonance with one of the standard philosophical approaches that prevailed in the middle ages, azriel asserts that time [zeman] is in the class of things that are created, and before the world was created there was no moment [et] and no time [zeman. how, then, he asks, is one to understand the words a source of delight [sha ashu im] every da

t, the time ascribed to corporeal bodies is, like the bodies themselves, finite. yet there is one aspect of the latter that mirrors the former: the circular quality of the lifecycle, the trajectory extending backward to the beginning that reverts forward to the end. in another passage, which may have linear circularity (a)temporal poetics 85 been the fitting continuation of the above citation,183 azriel explicates the following midrashic comment on the verse on the day that moses finished (num 7:1: rav said that in every place where it says and it was [wa-yehi, it refers to something that stops for many days and it returns to what it was. 184 according to azriel, from here we can learn that even though the times cease because they have reached the end of their limit, and they cease in the

ding to azriel, from here we can learn that even though the times cease because they have reached the end of their limit, and they cease in the cessation of everything finite, the order that causes them does not cease from being, for there is no end to its cause, and even the finite times [ha-zemannim ha-mugbbalim] revert to what they were, and it causes them to return to their beginning. 185 for azriel, then, seder zemannim is interpreted as a terminus technicus to denote what i have been calling timeless time, the measure of the order of the sefirot that does not cease since they emanate from the cause that does not cease, but the finite times cease since they are from a finite order, and they revert to what they were in the beginning, and thus it is permanently such that in their end th

me in the nature of cosmic cyclicality, things returning in their end to their beginning, the luminal emanations themselves often depicted in medieval kabbalistic literature by the description of the sefirot in sefer yesirah mentioned above: their end is fixed in their beginning and their beginning in their end. in the final remark concerning the permanent return of all things to their beginning, azriel alludes to the eschatological doctrine of apokastasis, the return of the many to the one, which, in this context, is formulated in temporal terms.187 however, as azriel explicitly notes in another passage, it is possible to view the lower sefirot through the prisms of place (maqom) and time (zeman, attested, for instance, in the fact that they are referred to as seven extremities of place

f their day, which was based, to a great extent, on a synthesis of aristotelian hylomorphism and neoplatonic emanationism. from the kabbalists vantage point, in the godhead, being and not-being, yesh and ayin, are not to be construed as logical antinomies but rather as polar opposites identical in virtue of being different. one of the most poignant articulations of this coincidence was offered by azriel of gerona in response to a hypothetical philosophical query regarding the possibility of creatio ex nihilo: the one who brings forth after tau/ where endings begin 167 something out of nothing is not depleted, for the something is in the nothing in the manner of the nothing, and the nothing is in the something in the manner of the something. 53 in my judgment, the coincidentia oppositorum f

ona in response to a hypothetical philosophical query regarding the possibility of creatio ex nihilo: the one who brings forth after tau/ where endings begin 167 something out of nothing is not depleted, for the something is in the nothing in the manner of the nothing, and the nothing is in the something in the manner of the something. 53 in my judgment, the coincidentia oppositorum formulated by azriel expresses an axiom a rmed or assumed by kabbalists without exception through the centuries: something and nothing within god are identified in the place of the conjunction of their difference. to take seriously the claim that god is indivisible and indifferent, something and nothing must be identical in the (non)being of the infinite, but such a stance underscores the extent to which mediev

kabbalist s adding the word tahun to the talmudic pair tihyeh and tamut. in contrast to the destabilization of the distinction between being and non-being brought to the fore by the inscrutable nature of death, the identification of the seal with the attribute of tif eret overcomes the polarization of good and evil by the constitution of truth as mediating between the two ends of the spectrum. as azriel of gerona put it in his commentary on the liturgical expression for your holy name in truth is pronounced upon us [ki shem qodshekha be-emet niqra aleinu: through the power of his truth, which disseminates in mercy [rahamim] and judgment [din, for the one corresponds to the other. 63 the term shalom, peace or wholeness, is ascribed to the attribute also associated with truth, for truthfulne

ah as a narrative philosophy, see idel, introduction, pp. xv xvi, xviii xix. for the influence of christian kabbalah on scholem, including renaissance figures (pico, reuchlin, postel, and rosenroth) and german romantics (baader and molitor, see biale, gershom scholem, pp. 30 32, 76, 99, 121. 226. scholem, origins, p. 440, utilizes the expression indifferent en-sof to characterize the viewpoint of azriel of gerona, which johannes reuchlin compares in de arte cabalistica to nicholas of cusa s coincidentia oppositorum. the technical term indifferent, however, must be distinguished from coincidence, insofar as indifference means precisely that the opposites do not coincide but remain distinct. 227. schelling, ages, p. 53. 228. ibid, p. 6. 229. ibid, p. 87. 230. ibid, p. 85. 231. ibid, p. 42. 2

p. 341 343, 430 439; notes to pages 37 39 197 wijnhoven, mysticism, pp. 146 149; wilensky, isaac ibn latif, pp. 202 205, 212 215; tishby, wisdom, p. 270. scholem s expos in major trends, pp. 216 217, of the first sefirah as the abysmal will or as the abyss of nothingness, which is the pure absolute being, reflect the language of b hme and schelling. scholem explicitly compares b hme s ungrund and azriel of gerona s identification of the divine will with ayin; see origins, p. 436 and idem, ber einige grundbegriffe, p. 76 n. 39. the zoharic authors follow the precedent of other kabbalists by associating the will with the first sefirah and thought with the second even though there are vestiges of the alternative view (attested, for instance, in passages in the bahiric anthology, the writings

280; tishby, wisdom, p. 302 n. 4. 269. for discussion of the relation between ein sof and keter, see scholem, origins, pp. 276 277, 443 444; tishby, wisdom, pp. 242 246; gottlieb, studies, pp. 265 266, 271. according to some kabbalists, the concealment of ein sof is so great that one cannot attribute even the most minuscule inkling of will or desire to it. for example, compare the formulation of azriel of gerona, perush eser sefirot, printed in ibn gabbai, derekh emunah, 4a, also cited in ibn gabbai, avodat ha- qodesh, 1:8, p. 17; and cordovero, shi ur qomah, 10b c (to be precise, in that context the author distinguishes two aspects of will, rason and hefes, both of which are said to be within keter, though neither can be ascribed to ein sof. 270. see scholem, ber einige grundbegriffe, pp

4. 53. wolfson, language, eros, being, pp. 242 255. 54. on the kabbalistic depiction of torah as limitless, see idel, infinities, pp. 141 157; idem, absorbing perfections, pp. 88 89, 94 108. cordovero s view on the eternally changing character of that which eternally endures was a rmed by kabbalists from earlier periods. for instance, in his perush ha-tefillot, ms oxford-bodleian 1938, fol. 206b, azriel of gerona observes that in the daily blessing expressing gratitude to god for giving the torah, the language is noten, in the present, rather than natan, in the past, to instruct us that in each and every moment he gives (be-khol et wa-et noten. 55. for discussion of this theme in later hasidic sources, see wolfson, cut that binds, pp. 108 110. on the nexus between the novelty of time and t

-i-ilahi, secret of ana l-haqq, pp. 54 55. 104. this account is an elaboration of my comment in divine suffering, p. 115. 105. my explication of the kabbalistic conception has benefited from the discussion in thera, abhidhamma studies, p. 96. see also loy, nonduality, pp. 216 224. 216 notes to pages 71 72 106. scholem, kabbalah, p. 103. in the same passage, scholem does mention that, according to azriel of gerona, all the sefirot with the exception of the first one had a beginning in time. my point, however, is that this conception of non-temporal time is not exceptional in kabbalistic literature. 107. scholem, major trends, p. 223. 108. for example, abraham bar hiyya, hegyon ha-nephesch ha-atzuvah, pp. 40 41, and see editor s remarks on pp. 18 19; maimonides, guide, 2.12, p. 276; 2.15, p

ks the kabbalistic symbol to archaic traditions regarding the divine nature of time, including the zoroastrian deity, zurvan, and the greco-roman chronos, or saturn. 167. the book bahir (hereafter bahir, 55, p. 151. 168. on the use of the term binyan to denote the sefirotic edifice, see ezra ben solomon of gerona, perush shir ha-shirim, p. 483; vajda, le commentaire d ezra de g rone, pp. 169 170; azriel of gerona, perush ha-aggadot, p. 49; idem, seridim hadashim, p. 222; commentary on creation by joseph ben samuel in jacob ben sheshet, sefer meshiv devarim nekhohim, p. 193. 169. for instance, moses ben shem tov de le n, sheqel ha-qodesh, p. 6; zohar 2:22a, 232a. 170. moses ben nahman, perushei ha-torah, vol. 1, pp. 30 31 (ad gen 2:1; vol. 2, pp. 166 (ad lev 25:2, 413 414 (ad deut 15;11, 48

expression mi-qedem can assume two connotations: from the east (the sensus literalis of the verse) and from before (the meaning assumed by asher ben david. 174. babylonian talmud, rosh ha-shanah 32a. 175. asher ben david, r. asher ben david, p. 75. 176. this word is lacking in the printed editions that i consulted (berlin, 1850 and warsaw, 1890. i have restored it on the basis of the citation of azriel s passage in ibn gabbai, avodat ha-qodesh, 1:8, p. 17. 177. see n. 111, this chapter. 178. azriel of gerona, perush eser sefirot, 4a. see also r. azriel of gerona perush ha-tefillah, p. 22: the supernal, elevated things are called the order of creation [sidrei bere shit, the times [zemannim] are from the potency of mercy [koah rahamim. for the french translation, see sed-rajna, commentaire

llah, p. 22: the supernal, elevated things are called the order of creation [sidrei bere shit, the times [zemannim] are from the potency of mercy [koah rahamim. for the french translation, see sed-rajna, commentaire sur la liturgie quotidienne, p. 71. for a learned presentation of the philosophic (mostly neoplatonic) and gnostic elements that may have contributed to the representations of time in azriel s treatises, see gavarin, conception of time, pp. 309 336. although the rabbinic idiom seder zemannim is not used explicitly, it is implied in the interpretation of genesis 1:5 in ezra ben solomon of gerona, perush shir ha- shirim, p. 506. 179. this paradox is reiterated by azriel in his explanation of the term eser sefirot belimah in perush sefer yesirah, p. 453: they are called sefirot be

f there were a particular time, scripture would have mentioned it, but rather the order of time, that is, the matter of time [inyan ha-zeman. for other relevant passages in maharal s oeuvre, see the sources provided by the editor, op. cit, nn. 1278 1279. 181. genesis rabbah, 1:1, pp. 1 2, 8:2, p. 57; exodus rabbah, 30:9; leviticus rabbah, 19:1, pp. 412 413; song of songs rabbah, 5:7, p. 131. 182. azriel of gerona, perush ha-aggadot, pp. 101 102. 183. see comment of tishby, in azriel of gerona, perush ha-aggadot, p. 102 n. 17. 184. i have translated the passage as it appears in the published version of azriel s text; see following note for reference. the text reconstructed in midrash tanhuma, ed. buber, naso, 24, is slightly different (parallel sources are noted by buber, op. cit, p. 37 n

t reconstructed in midrash tanhuma, ed. buber, naso, 24, is slightly different (parallel sources are noted by buber, op. cit, p. 37 n. 121. the interpretation attributed to rav is ascribed 222 notes to pages 84 86 therein to simeon ben yohai, which is posed as an alternative explanation attributed to rabbi, in every place that it says and it was [wa-yehi, it is something novel [davar hadash. 185. azriel of gerona, perush ha-aggadot, p. 113. 186. ibid, p. 102. 187. on apokastasis in the early kabbalah, see scholem, origins, pp. 298, 470; idem, major trends, pp. 224 and 402 n. 65. see also the more recent analysis in pedaya, nahmanides, pp. 233 273. 188. the expression sheva qesawwot maqom is attested in a manuscript version (ms moscow, guenzburg 133, from late-fifteenth- or early-sixteenth

rrespond to the seven double letters, one of the three divisions of the twenty-two hebrew letters according to the second part of sefer yesirah. as the relevant passage makes clear, the seven extremities comprise the six directions (above, below, east, west, north, and south, which are designated as the six extremities, shesh qesawwot; see also 1:13) and the holy palace that is set in the middle. azriel s usage is preceded by ezra ben solomon of gerona, perush shir ha-shirim, pp. 488 and 507. it is of interest to note that in the commentary to this passage in sefer yesirah, which preserves the teachings of isaac the blind, the seven doubles are described as the inner realities, penimiyyot, which have branches, anafim, corresponding to the seven days, seven weeks, seven years, and seven sab

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