The Kabbalah Unveiled — S. L. MacGregor Mathers (from Knorr von Rosenroth's Latin) (1887)
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* This four proceeding from one, and containing all things, is precisely the Pythagorean doctrine of the Tetractys, which Pythagoras probably obtained from qahalistic sources, though indeed most religions of antiquity attached considerable importance to this number four. Four is said to contain the whole Decad, because the sum of the first four numbers = ten ; 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 = 10. Bat eight is the reflection of four, and eight is IHVH ADNI (see Introduction). And 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 = 36, the number of the Decans (or groups of ten degrees) in the Zodiac. Bnt 5 + 64-7 + 8 = 26, the number of the IH VrH. Therefore thirty-six represents the sum of the letters of the Tetragrammaton, and the number of the Sephiroth.
THE GREATER HOLY ASSEMBLY.
which hang in curls upon curls, and all are strong and close, and they extend and flow down singly each in its own direction.
833. “And so many thousand thousand myriads of myriads depend from them that they are innumerable.
834. “ This is that same which is written, Cant. v. 1 1 :
4 His locks are bushy, ThLThLIM, Teltelim ,’ as if it
were ThLI ThLIM, curls heaped upon curls.
835. “ And all are strong and close (fit ) for breaking ( whatsoever is opposed to them), hard as the rock, and as hardest stone.
836. “ Until they can make openings in the skull, and the fountains can flow down beneath the locks, those strong fountains flow forth in separate directions, and in separate ways.
837. “ And because those locks are black and obscure, it is written, Job xii. 22 : ; He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.’
838. “Also we have learned that those hairs of the beard are so much harder than those hairs of the head, because these alone make themselves so prominent, and are easily found, and are hard in their paths.*
839. “ Wherefore sayest thou that they are hard ? Is it because they all symbolize Judgment ? By no means ; for truly in those dispositions Mercy as well as Judgment is found.
840. “ When the thirteen fountains of the rivers of oil descend, all these are mercies.
841. “ But yet we have learned that all those hairs of the beard are hard. Wherefore ? Those which symbolize mercies necessarily must be hard in order to divert the course of Judgment.
842. “And all those which denote Judgment, are also firm ; and therefore it is necessary in every instance that they should both be hard.
* See definition of term “ path ” in Introduction.
2l6
KABBALAH .
843. “When the Universe hath need of Mercy, mercies are strong, and prevail over Judgment ; but when it requireth Judgment, Judgment is strong, and prevaileth over Mercy ; and therefore is it necessary that in each instance they should be firm and strong.
844. “ And whensoever Mercy is required, those hairs which symbolize Mercy stand forth, and the beard is evident in those hairs only (otherwise, is contained by those hairs only) , and all are abundant mercies.
845. “But when Judgment is required the beard is evident in those hairs only ( which denote judgment ), and all consist in judgments.
846. “ But when that holy white beard * is uncovered, all these ( [hairs denoting Mercy) and all those (hairs denoting Judgment) are alike illuminated and made brilliant, like as when a man cleanseth himself in a deep river from his uncleanness.
847. “ And all consist together in Mercy, and there is no Judgment to be found at all.
848. “ And when all those t nine forms shine together, all are made white with Mercy.
849. “And therefore Moses saith in another place,
Num. xiv. 18 : “ Tetragrammaton is ARK APIM, Arikh
Apliim, long-suffering (literally long of nose), and of great
mercy.”
850. “And that which he had said concerning truth, J
* Which is of course that of Macroprosopus, the Ancient of Days.
+ The nine conformations into which the beard of Microprosopus is divided.
$ I give these two passages side by side for the reader’s benefit.
Exod. xxxiv. 6 and 7 : “ The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.
“Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty ; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.”