A  PATH  TO  UNDERSTANDING

© 1997

Appendixed to most modern commentaries on the "Sepher Yetzirah", one will find a rendition of the "32 Paths of Wisdom".  These two documents have, for several centuries, been associated with each other in both the Hebrew and the Western Hermetic Traditions. 

Recent scholarship ascribes the "32 Paths of Wisdom" document to the "Circle of Contemplation", a "group" of 13th century Jewish Kabbalists centered in Castile, who produced such classics as "The Book of Contemplation", "Ten (and 13) Powers", "The Fountain of Wisdom", etc.  This is confirmed by the fact that specific Kabbalistic terms coined by this "group" of writers, consistently appear throughout the "32 Paths" text.  The text itself seems to represent a middle ground between the formerly disparate concepts of the Ten/Thirteen "Powers" and of the Ten "Sephiroth". 

Historically then, the "32 Paths of Wisdom" document arose from the context of the Hebrew Tradition.  This is an important point, because this context is very different from the Western Hermetic context in which we interpret this document today.

There are two levels of difference between the Western Hermetic and the Hebrew Traditions regarding these 32 Paths.  The first level is the difference between the assignment of Sephiroth and Letters to the Paths; and the second level, is the difference in the images of the Tree of Life to which these Paths are applied.

In the Hebrew Tradition, these 32 Paths are derived from the creation story: Genesis, chapter one.  Therein, the name Elohim appears thirty-two times, each time associated with a specific action.  Ten of these actions are a "saying" and are assigned to the ten Sephiroth; three of them are a "making" and are assigned to the Mother Letters; seven are "seeings" and are assigned to the Double Letters; and the twelve remaining, are a variety of actions assigned to the Elemental Letters. 

Sephiroth: "Elohim said:" *
Kether -- "In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth." 1:1*
Chokmah -- "Let there be light" 1:3
Binah -- "Let there be a firmament . . . let it divide . . ." 1:6
Chesed -- "Let the waters be gathered . . . let dry land appear . . ." 1:9
Geburah -- "Let the earth put forth grass . . . etc." 1:11
Tiphareth -- "Let there be lights in the firmament . . ." 1:14
Netzach -- "Let the waters swarm . . . let fowl fly . . ." 1:20
Hod -- "Let the earth bring forth living creatures . . ." 1:24
Yesod -- "Let us make man . . ." 1:26
Malkuth -- "Be fruitful and multiply . . ." 1:28

Mothers: "Elohim made:"
Aleph -- "the Firmament and divided the waters . . ." 1:7
Mem -- "the two great lights . . . and the stars." 1:16
Shin -- "the beast of the earth after its kind . . ." 1:25

Doubles: "Elohim saw:"
Beth -- "the light, that it was good." 1:4
Gimel -- "that it was good." (the separation of dry land and waters) 1:10
Daleth -- "that it was good" (the earth bringing forth grass, etc.) 1:12
Kaph -- that it was good" (the two lights in the firmament) 1:18
Peh -- "that it was good" (swarming of waters with creatures; of air with fowl) 1:21
Resh -- "that it was good" (the beasts of the earth) 1:25
Tav -- "every thing that He had made, and, behold, it was very good." 1:31

Elementals: "Elohim --"
Heh -- "hovered over the face of the waters." 1:2
Vav -- "divided the light from the darkness." 1:4
Zayin -- "called the light Day, and darkness Night." 1:5
Cheth -- "called the firmament Heaven." 1:8
Teth -- "called the dry land, Earth . . . and the waters, Seas." 1:10
Yod -- "set them [the two lights] in the firmament of the heaven" 1:17
Lamed -- "created the sea-monsters, creatures that creep, and fowl." 1:21
Nun -- "blessed them [sea-monsters, creepers, and fowl] . . ." 1:22
Samekh -- "created man in His own image." 1:27
Ayin -- "created He him; male and female created He them." 1:27
Tzaddi -- "blessed them [male and female]." 1:28
Qooph -- "said: I have given you all . . ." 1:29*

*There are two exceptions to this: The first is Gen1:1, and Sephirah 1/Kether, wherein "Elohim said" is assumed.  The second is Gen1:29, and Elemental 12/Qooph, wherein the focus is shifted from the "Elohim said", to the "I have given you all . . ."

There are in fact, only three points of agreement between the two Traditions: #1-Kether, #14-Daleth, and #32-Tav.  But in as much as the Letter Paths are defined by the Sephiroth they join, the agreement on Path #14 is only partial.  This is so, because the image of the Tree of Life employed by the Hebrew Tradition of the 13th century is different than that employed by the modern Western Hermetic.