Tag Archives: Sefer Yetzirah

Ten Types of Kabbalah

This week’s double parasha, Nitzavim-Vayelekh, contains the famous verse “the concealed things are for Hashem, and the revealed things are for us and for our children, forever” (Deuteronomy 29:28). The “concealed things” are typically understood as referring to the concealed secrets embedded in the Torah, the deepest dimension of sod. The Torah is written in simple and plain language, in the style of narratives and stories, so that all people in all generations could understand it, even “children, forever”. For those who want to plunge deeper, however, there are profound secrets encoded within each word and letter. This field of study is commonly referred to as “Kabbalah”.

When we look at the various branches and styles of Kabbalah over the course of history, we can ten types altogether. This is fitting, since the core teaching of Kabbalah is the notion of Ten Sefirot, and we find countless things in Creation that parallel and reflect the Ten Sefirot. So, what are the ten types of Kabbalah, and how exactly do they parallel the Sefirot? Continue reading →

Vav or Waw?

This article is a follow-up to the previous one about the correct pronunciation of God’s name (יהוה), YHWH. Recall that our Sages teach that the nekudot vowels on God’s name are shva, cholam, and kamatz, meaning that the right way to pronounce the name would be “Yehowah”. A number of people reached out arguing that the letter vav is pronounced with a “v” sound, and therefore the name is “Yehovah”. Some referred to the work of Dr. Nehemiah Gordon, who makes the case for the vav being “v” partly based on words in Ezekiel (more on that below), and partly based on a poem by Elazar haKalir (c. 6th century CE) where he rhymes levi (לוי) with navi (נביא). The implication is that Jews as far back as the 6th century were pronouncing the vav as a “v” sound. Gordon himself notes that great rabbis like the Ibn Ezra were puzzled by this rhyme, because it was common knowledge then that the vav is really a “w” sound. Indeed, we find that the vav was a waw for most of Israelite and Jewish history. Below are ten big reasons for why the vav is a waw. Continue reading →

Judaism vs. Zoroastrianism, Part 4: Air

What are the striking parallels between Jewish and Zoroastrian magic? Where does “abra cadabra” really come from? How did the Avestas view “spilling seed” and did these texts influence the Talmud and Jewish law? How does the Purim story fit in with Zoroastrian history, and is it possible that Zoroaster himself was a Jew? Find out in this eye-opening conclusion to the Judaism vs. Zoroastrianism series.