Sepher Yezirah: A Book on Creation — trans. Isidor Kalisch (1877)

"Rab Jehudah stated in the name of Rab, that Bezalel understood to combine letters by which heaven and earth were created." To this the commentator Rashi adds: "as it is taught in the book Yezirah." It is undoubtedly certain that the book Yezirah, or a cosmogony as it is represented there, was known to Rab, who was a disciple of Jehudah Hanasi, during the second part of the second century. (C. E.) See treatise Berachoth, p. 55 a, where the commentator Rashi referred to the book Yezirah.

44) This whole paragraph is an interpolation of an unknown hand, as it can be easily proved.

45) I have translated according to the reading of Rabbi Judah Halevi. The reading of Rabbi Luria is as follows:

‏וקשר עשרים ושתים אותיות‎

‏בלשונו וגילח לו את סודו משכן במים דלקן באש רעשן בויח בערן‎

‏בשבעח נהגין בשנים עשר‎

"He fastened twenty-two letters on his tongue and revealed to him His mystery, He drew them by water, kindled them by fire and thundered them by the wind, He lighted them by seven, and rules them by twelve constellations." Pistor. renders it: "Tranat per aquam, accendit in igne grandine signavit in äere. Disposuit cum septem et gubernavit cum duodecim." Postellus' version is: "Attraxit eam in aqua, accendit in spiritu, inflammavit in septem aptatum cum duodecim signis." Meyer translates it: "Er zog sie mit Wasser, zündet sie an mit Feuer, erregte sie mit Geist, vebrannte sie mit sieben, goes sie aus mit den swoelf Gestirnen."

GLOSSARY OF RABBINICAL WORDS.

‏א‎

‏אָדַק‎ v. To adhere, cohere. VI, 8.

‏אַדֵּר‎ n. [Syriac ‏אאר,‎ Greek ἀήρ] Air. II.

‏אוֹת‎ n. Sign, letter; ‏אוֹתִיּוֹת, יסוֹד‎ fundamental letters. I, 1.

‏אֵילָךְ‎ adv. ‏מִבַּאן וְאֵילֵךְ‎ hinc et ulterius; from now further. IV 16

‏אֵלוּ‎. These. Equals the biblical ‏אֵלֶה.‎VI. 1.

‏אֲלַכְסוֹן‎ adj. [Greek λόξον] Oblique, diagonal direction. V, 2.

‏אֶמְעָע‎ n. Middle. centre. I, 2.

‏בּ‎

‏בּורֵי‎ n. Clearness, perspicuity. I, 3. ‏וְהַעֲמְד דָבָר על בּוּרְיוֹ‎ and put the subject in a clear point of view.

‏בָּבָא‎ n. Division. V, 6.

‏בִּנְתַּיִם‎ or ‏בְּינוֹתַוִם‎ Composed of ‏בֵּין שְׁתְּוִם,‎ omitting ‏שׁ‎ between them. I, 1. [See Duke's Sprache der Mischnah, p. 68.]

‏ג‎

‏גְּב‎ n. Back. ‏עַג גַּבֵּי‎ upon the back id est, upon or above. VI, 8.

‏גּוּף‎ n. Body, substance II, 6.

‏גַּלְגַּל‎ n. Circle, celestial orb, or sphere. II, 4.

‏ד‎

‏דִּבּוּר‎ n. Word. I, 8.

‏ה‎

‏הִרְהֵר‎ v. Think, muse. meditate, reflect. I, 7.

‏הִרְהוּר‎ n. Reflection, meditation. V, 1.

‏ז‎

‏זְכוּת‎ n. Innocence, purity, godliness, merit. II, 1.

‏ח‎

‏חוֹכָה‎ n. Misdeed, trespass. II, 1.

‏חָזַר‎ v. To return, to turn one's self round. II, 5.

‏חֲלִילָה‎ n. Rotation; from ‏חָלֹל‎ to dance round. II, 5.

‏ט‎

‏טָחוֹל‎ n. Milt, spleen. V, 4.

‏כּ‎

‏כָּאן‎ or ‏בַּאנ‎ adv. Here, there; ‏מִכַּאן‎ thence, from thence. IV, 16.

‏כּוֹבָב‎ n. Star; especially the planet Mercury. IV, 7.

‏כּיּן‎ piel ‏כֵיִן‎ v. Direct; ‏מְכֻיָּן‎directed, situated. I, 2.

‏כִּיעוּר‎ n. Ugliness. IV, 3.

‏כַּךְ‎ or ‏לְכָּךְ‎ adv. So, thus. I, 7.

‏כָּרַע‎ Hiph. ‏הִכְריעַ‎ v. To intervene in any thing, to mediate the peace, accomodate a quarrel. II, 1.

‏ל‎

‏לְעִימָה‎ n. Eating, swallowing. V, 1.

‏לְפִיכָךְ‎ adv. Composed of the words ‏לְפִי‎ and ‏כָף‎. According to that, therefore. IV, 15.

‏מ‎

‏מַאֲדִים‎ n. The planet Mars. IV, 7.

‏מִדָּה‎ n. Measure, quality, divine attribute. I, 4.

‏מִשְנָה‎ n. Doctrine, lesson, paragraph.

‏מַוָלוֹת‎ n. Constellations; especially the twelve signs of the Zodiac. V, 3. ‏מַוָּל מוֹב‎ a happy constellation.

‏כְּמִין‎ adv. It is a particle like ‏כּ,‎ as; it is added the word ‏מִין‎ kind, denoting: as a kind of, like, as. II, 4.

‏מֵימַר‎ v. Chald. inf. ‏מְאמַר‎ or ‏מֵמַר‎. To speak, command. II, 5.

‏מַמָּשׁ‎ n. Substance, reality. II, 5.

‏מַעֲוִיבָה‎ n. Rampart, a floor, pavement. I, 8.

‏מָרָה‎ n. Gall. V, 4

‏מִתְנַהֵנ‎ See ‏נָהַנ.‎ IV, 1.

‏נ‎

‏נָהַנ‎ v. With a ‏בּ‎ following after it, signifies: to make use of any thing. IV, 1.

‏נוֹנַהּ‎ n. The planet Venus. IV, 7.

‏נָעַץ‎ v. Chald. Stick in, fasten, conjoin, connect. I, 6.

‏נָקָב‎ n. Opening. IV, 8.

‏ס‎

‏סָדַר‎ v. Arrange. V, 16.

‏סִימָן‎ n. σημεϊον Sign, illustration. II, 4. [See Geiger's Lesestücke der Mishnah, p. 121.]

‏סְלִיק‎ n. Finished; the end (of a book or chapter.)

‏ע‎

‏עֲרֵיבָה‎ n. Contention, rivalry. V, 5.

‏עָתִיד‎ n. Future. II, 2.

‏פ‎

‏פֶרֶק‎ n. Chapter, section.

‏פָשׁוּם‎ adj. Divested of clothes, undressed, simple. I, 8.

‏צ‎

‏צֶרֶק‎ n. The planet Jupiter. IV, 7.

‏צְפִייָח‎ n. Appearance. I, 5.

‏צָרַף‎ v. Refine, melt together, connect, combine. II, 2.

‏ק‎

‏קָכַע‎ v. To fix, to fasten. I, 8. II, 3.

‏קֵיבָח‎ or ‏קֵבָה‎ n. Stomach. V, 4.

‏קַרְקְבָן‎ or ‏קוּרְקְבָן‎ n. Stomach. V, 4.

‏ר‎

‏רַאֲיָה‎ n. Argument, evidence. VI, 2.

‏רְאִיָה‎ n. Sight. V, 1.

‏רְוִיָה‎ n. Redundancy of water, moistness. III. 4.

‏רֵיחַ‎ v. Smell. V, 1.

‏ש‎

‏שַׁבְחָאִי‎ n. The planet Saturn. IV, 7.

‏שִׂיחָה‎ n. Speaking. V, 1.

‏שְׁמִיעָה‎ n. Hearing. V, 1.

‏שֵׁרֵת‎ v. To serve. I, 8.

‏תּ‎

‏תְּלִי‎ n. The constellation Draco or Dragon. VI, 2.

‏תַּשְׁמִיש‎ n. Coition. V, 1.

‏תָּפַם‎ or ‏תָּפַשׂ‎ v. To seize, to take hold of.