Notes to the Sefer Yetzirah

Joannes Richter

Version Guttural Palatal Lingual Dental Labial

Saadia A,H,Ch,O G,Y,K,Q D,T,L,N,Th Z,S,Tz,R,Sh B,V,M,P

Short A,Ch,H,O G,Y,K,Q D,T,L,N,Th Z,S,Sh,R,Tz B,V,M,P

Long A,Ch,H,O G,Y,K,Q D,T,L,N,Th Z,S,Tz,R,Sh B,V,M,P
Gra A,Ch,H,O G,Y,K,Q D,T,L,N,Th Z,S,Sh,R,Tz B,V,M,P
Table 1 The four (Saadia, short, long, Gra) categories of the Sepher Yetzirah

Abstract
As far as my memory reaches I remembered to have interpreted the EΓΩ-pronoun as a core of a
name for the PIE-sky-god DYAUS. In the Provencal language the personal pronoun of the first
person singular is IÉU, which may be located inside the sky-god's word DIÉUS.
The Provencal language may have inherited this concept from a common idea, which is found in
Saadia Gaon's detailed comments on the Sefer Yetzirah, which describes the 5 categories in the
alphabetic structures.
Four versions (“Saadia”, “short”, “long”, “Gra”) of the Sepher Yetzirah are translated in English in
Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and Practice by the author: Aryeh Kaplan, whose
detailed interpretations explain various linguistic mechanisms.
The four versions of the Sepher Yetzirah
The Sefer Yetzirah exists in many manuscripts, generally falling in categories known as:
1. The Short Version,
2. The Long Version,
3. The Saadia Version, and
4. The Gra Version1.
The four versions (“Saadia”, “short”, “long”, “Gra”) of the Sepher Yetzirah are translated in Sefer
Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and Practice – author: Aryeh Kaplan.
These 4 variants2 ordered their letters according to their categorization in the columns 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Aryeh Kaplan simplified the English names for the alphabetic symbols, which are garbled in the
alphabet:
A1- B2- G3- D4- H5- V6- Z7- Ch8- T9- Y10- K11- L12- M13- N14- S15- O16- P17- Tz18- Q19- R20- Sh21- Th22
In the English translations the 5 categories are ordered as follows:
Version 1 2 3 4 5
Saadia A,H,Ch,O B,V,M,P G,Y,K,Q D,T,L,N,Th Z,S,Tz,R,Sh

Short A,Ch,H,O B,V,M,P G,Y,K,Q D,T,L,N,Th Z,S,Sh,R,Tz

Long A,Ch,H,O G,Y,K,Q D,T,L,N,Th Z,S,Tz,R,Sh B,V,M,Ph
Gra A,Ch,H,O G,Y,K,Q D,T,L,N,Th Z,S,Sh,R,Tz B,V,M,P
Table 2 The four (Saadia, short, long, Gra) categories of the Sepher Yetzirah

In this overview the listed categorizations for all 22 letters are correct, but do not match to the
alphabetical order.
The “Saadia”-composition of Rabbi Saadia Gaon (892 – 942) strictly follows the standard Hebrew
alphabet. In the Sefer Yetzirah the “short”, “long” and “Gra” versions of the alphabetical order
deviate from the standard alphabetical order:
A1- B2- G3- D4- H5- V6- Z7- Ch8- T9- Y10- K11- L12- M13- N14- S15- O16- P17- Tz18- Q19- R20- Sh21- Th22
We may also compose a 2-dimensional array for this alphabetical order, which displays theonyms in
the 2nd row:
row lingual palatal guttural labial dental
5 Taw Th22 Shin Sh21 2
4 Nun N14 Qoph Q19 Ayin O16 Pe P17 Resh R20 5
3 Lamedh L12 Kaph K11 Heth Ch8 Mem M13 Tsade Tz18 5
2 Teth T9 Yodh Y10 He H5 Waw V6 Samekh S15 5
1 Dalet D4 Gimel G3 Aleph A1 Bet B2 Zayin Z7 5
sum 5 4 4 4 5 22
Table 3 The display of the theonyms Y10-H5-V6 and T9-Y10-H5-V6-S15 in the Hebrew alphabet
1 Quoted in Wikipedia: Benton, Christopher P. An Introduction to the Sefer Yetzirah (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the
original on 2006-11-10. Retrieved 2006-12-28.
2 The Gra-version in the main text and and the other versions in appendix I
The exact definitions of rabbi Saadia Gaon (892 – 942)
Based on Rabbi Saadia Gaon's Judeo-Arabic commentary on “Sefer Yetzirah” (chapter 4,
paragraph 3), wherein he describes the phonetic sounds of the 22 characters of the Hebrew
alphabet and classifies them in groups based on their individual sounds: “Aleph ( ‫)א‬, hé (‫)ה‬, ḥet (
‫)ח‬, ‘ayin (‫ )ע‬are [gutturals sounds] produced from the depth of the tongue with the opening of
the throat, but bet (‫)ב‬, waw (‫)ו‬, mim (‫)מ‬, pé (‫ )פ‬are [labial sounds] made by the release of the lips
and the end of the tongue; whereas gimel (‫)ג‬, yōd (‫)י‬, kaf (‫)כ‬, quf (‫ )ק‬are [palatals] separated by
the width of the tongue [against the palate] with the [emission of] sound. However, daleth (‫)ד‬,
ṭet (‫)ט‬, lamed (‫)ל‬, nūn (‫)נ‬, tau (‫ )ת‬are [linguals] separated by the mid-section of the tongue with
the [emission of] sound; whereas zayin (‫)ז‬, samekh (‫)ס‬, ṣadi (‫)צ‬, resh (‫)ר‬, shin (‫ )ש‬are [dental
sounds] produced between the teeth by a tongue that is at rest. 3”

The order of the columns may be also synchronized to the alphabetical order A-B-C-D-Z. The
deviations to the standard are found in the order of the Saadia guttural section A,Ch,H,O and in the
dental sections Z,S,Sh,R,Tz of the long and Saadia versions. The Ph-letter in B,V,M,Ph is
equivalent to P.
The most suitable composition is the Saadia-version, in which the second guttural letter is an “H5”.
A B G D Z
Version Guttural Labial Palatal Lingual Dental
Saadia A,H,Ch,O B,V,M,P G,Y,K,Q D,T,L,N,Th Z,S,Tz,R,Sh

Short A,Ch,H,O B,V,M,P G,Y,K,Q D,T,L,N,Th Z,S,Sh,R,Tz

Long A,Ch,H,O B,V,M,P G,Y,K,Q D,T,L,N,Th Z,S,Tz,R,Sh
Gra A,Ch,H,O B,V,M,P G,Y,K,Q D,T,L,N,Th Z,S,Sh,R,Tz
Table 4 The four (Saadia, short, long, Gra) categories of the Sepher Yetzirah
Only the 2nd letters in the categories display the theonym TYHVS, resp. YHV:
Version Lingual Palatal Guttural Labial Dental Check
Saadia D,T G,Y A,H B,V Z,S H = correct

Short D,T G,Y A,Ch B,V Z,S Ch = error

Long D,T G,Y A,Ch B,V Z,S Ch = error
Gra D,T G,Y A,Ch B,V Z,S Ch = error
Table 5 Two letters in the four (Saadia, short, long, Gra) versions of the Sepher Yetzirah

3 Footnote in Modern Hebrew phonology (quoted in The Composition of the Sky-God's Name in PIE-Languages)
The display of the theonyms Y10-H5-V6 and T9-Y10-H5-V6-S15 in the Hebrew alphabet may restricted
to the Saadia-version of the Hebrew alphabet:

row lingual palatal guttural labial dental

5 Taw Th22 Shin Sh21 2
4 Nun N14 Qoph Q19 Ayin O16 Pe P17 Resh R20 5
3 Lamedh L12 Kaph K11 Heth Ch8 Mem M13 Tsade Tz18 5
2 Teth T9 Yodh Y10 He H5 Waw V6 Samekh S15 5
1 Dalet D4 Gimel G3 Aleph A1 Bet B2 Zayin Z7 5
sum 5 4 4 4 5 22
Table 6 The display of the theonyms Y10-H5-V6 and T9-Y10-H5-V6-S15 in the Hebrew alphabet

The other specifications bundle the correct lists of the categories, but they do not order the letters in
the correct sequence.
On the 2nd row the simple letters (H, V, Y) are correlating to the Mother (A) & the 2 doubles (B &
G) on the 1st row of the 2-dimensional alphabet.

The relation between the 1st and 2nd row of the 2-dimensional alphabet
According to Aryeh Kaplan the simple letters (H, V, Y) on the 2nd row are correlating to the Mother
(A) & the 2 doubles (B & G) on the 1st row of the 2-dimensional alphabet.
Row 1: A. B, C... reference Row 2: Tetragrammaton Row 3 Row 4
Mother (A) & the Simple letters
2 doubles (B & G) (H, V, Y)
Gutturals (1) Aleph A1 → (5) He H5 Heth Ch8 Ayin O16
Labials (2) Bet B2 → (6) Waw V6 Mem M13 Pe P17
Palatals (3) Gimel G3 → (10) Yodh Y10 Kaph K11 Qoph Ch19
Table 7 The letters of the beginning of the alphabet (the initials A1. B2, G3)
and the letters for the Tetragrammaton (Heh H5, Vav V6 and Yud Y10)4

4 Source: (page 81 in:) Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and Practice – author: Aryeh Kaplan
Comparing the 2-Dimensional Hebrew and European Alphabets

Numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23

Hebrew 22
‫ג ב א‬ ‫כ י טח ז ו הד‬ ‫מל‬ ‫נ‬ ‫שרק צ פ ע ס‬ ‫ת‬
Classic
21 A B Γ Δ Ε Ζ ΗΘ Ι Κ ΛΜ Ν ΟΠ Ρ Σ Τ YXΩ
Greek
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21-26
C Ϝ I V,U,W,
Latin 26 A B DE Z H Þ K LM N O P s QR S T
G V J X,Y, Z
Ϝ V,U,W,
French A B C DE Z H Þ I K LM N X O P s QR S T
V X,Y, Z

In French the ancient letters Þ and X may resulted in the plural form of the theonym ÞΙЕUX or
DΙЕUX (gods). The Name of the most important sky-god may be plural, for example for the
Hebrew noun ‫( אלהים‬ʾelōhím). Technically, it is in the masculine plural form, but is used to
represent both a single and multiple deities5.

row lingual palatal guttural labial dental

5 T V,U,W S 5
Т300 tvrĭdo Х600 xěrŭ Ѡ800 otŭ OУ400, ukŭ С200 slovo
Tau T300 Chi Χ600 Omega Ω800 Upsilon U400 Sigma S200
Taw T400 Shin S300
4 N Q O P R 5
Н50, Њ našĭ Ҁ ҁ 90 kopa О70 onŭ П80 pokoi Р100 rĭci
Nu N50 Qoppa Q90 Omicron O70 Pi Π80 Rho R100
Nun N50 Qoph K100 Ayin Gh70 Pe Ph80 Resh R200
3 L K H M --- 5
Л30, Љ ljudije К20 kako И8 iže М40 myslite Ц900 tse
Lambda Λ30 Kappa Ch20 Eta H8 Mu M40 San S900
Lamedh L30 Kaph Ch20 Heth H8 Mem M40 Tsade Ts90
2 Ѳ, Þ I&J E F, V, U X 5
Ѳ9 fita Ι10, Ї i Є,Е5,Э,ë estŭ В6 vědě Ѯ ѯ 60 ksi
Theta Θ9 Iota I10 Epsilon Ε5 Digamma Ϝ6 Xi Ξ60
Teth T9 Yodh I10 He Ε5 Waw V6 Samekh S60
1 D C, G A B Z 5
Д4 dobro Г3, Ґ, glagoli А1 azŭ Б buky З7 zemlja
Delta Δ4 Gamma Γ3 Alpha A1 Beta B2 Zeta Z7
Dalet D4 Gimel G3 Aleph Æ1 Bet B2 Zayin Z7
sum 5 5 5 5 5 25
Table 8 Integrated 2-dimensional Hebrew, Greek, Cyrillic and French Alphabet
with theonyms TIΕVS, ΘIΕϜΞ, ѲΙЕВѮ and ÞΙЕUX in the 2nd row

5 Elohim
The estimated date for the versions of the Sefer Yetzirah 6
The earliest version (Saadia) of the Sefer Yetzirah represents the best-fit alphabetical order.
1. A commentary on the Sefer Yetzirah was produced by Saadia Gaon in the 10th century, and
in the process of reordering the text, he created a version that is now known as the Saadia
Version.
2. The existence of both of the long and short versions was noted by Abraham Abulafia in the
13th century.
3. In the 16th century, the great Kabbalist Rabbi Isaac Luria, the Ari (“the Lion”), redacted the
text to bring it in agreement with the Zohar.
4. In the 18th century Rabbi Eliahu the Vilna of Gaon, the Gra7, made further modifications to
the text to produce what is now known as the Gra Version.

A B G D Z words dated Mentioned

Version Guttural Labial Palatal Lingual Dental century
Saadia A,H,Ch,O B,V,M,P G,Y,K,Q D,T,L,N,Th Z,S,Tz,R,Sh 10th c. Saadia Gaon
Short A,Ch,H,O B,V,M,P G,Y,K,Q D,T,L,N,Th Z,S,Sh,R,Tz 1300 13th c. Abraham
Long A,Ch,H,O B,V,M,P G,Y,K,Q D,T,L,N,Th Z,S,Tz,R,Sh ~2600 13th c. Abulafia

Gra A,Ch,H,O B,V,M,P G,Y,K,Q D,T,L,N,Th Z,S,Sh,R,Tz 18th c. Rabbi Isaac

Luria
Table 9 The four (Saadia, short, long, Gra) categories of the Sepher Yetzirah
Source: An introduction to the sefer yetzirah by Christopher P. Benton

6 Source: An introduction to the sefer yetzirah by Christopher P. Benton

7 GRA = "Gaon Rabbenu Eliyahu": "Our great teacher Elijah"
The interpretation of letters
The following quotations may be derived from or found in Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in
Theory and Practice – author: Aryeh Kaplan:

The 3 Mothers and 3 Fathers

• The 3 horizontal lines are the three Mothers (Mem, Shin, Alef).
• The three columns are the Fathers, representing the letters Yud Heh Vay.
• Yud is male and Heh is female8. Only the Fathers and Mothers may succeed in the
procreation.
• These letters represent the space, where creation takes place9.
• According to the Sefer Yetzirah (1:13) the three Fathers YHV (Yud Heh Vay) are derived
from the three Mothers AMSh (Alef, Mem, Shin) 10.

Interpretation of the letters Mem, Shin, and Alef

• In the Universe of Chaos (Tohu), the divine Name consisted of the Mother letters AMSh.
• The three Mothers (Mem, Shin, Alef) represent an even deeper mystery than the
Tetragrammaton.
• According to the Kabbalists, Yud is derived from Mem, Heh from Shin and Vav from Alef. 11
• The “man” (AMSh) has his passion (Sh) on the outside. The “woman” (AShM) hers (Sh) on
the inside.
• AMSh represents the reconciliation (synthesis) of the opposites thesis (M) ↔ antithesis
(Sh).

Interpretation of the letters Yud, Heh, and Vav

• The three letters of the Tetragrammaton, Yud, Heh, and Vav, can also serve as suffixes for
personal pronouns. The suffix Yud symbolizes „me,“ Heh means "her,“ and Vav means
„him.12“

8 Source: (page 154 in:) Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and Practice – author: Aryeh Kaplan
9 Source: (page 143 in:) Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and Practice – author: Aryeh Kaplan
10 Source: (page 144 in:) Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and Practice – author: Aryeh Kaplan
11 Source: (page 140) in:) Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and Practice – author: Aryeh Kaplan
12 Source: (page 9 in:) Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and Practice – author: Aryeh Kaplan
The 5-structured concepts in the Sefer Yetzirah
The Sefer Yetzirah contains a great number of 5-structured concepts:
• The Sefer Yetzirah may have been structured in 5 chapters. Originally the present 5th and 6th
chapters may have been combined to a 5th chapter13.
• The five dimensions: The ten Sefirot explains a 5 dimensional space. The first three
dimensions are the dimensions of space, the forth dimension is time and the fifth is the
spiritual dimension14.
• The number 32 is the fifth power of two. The 4-dimensional hypercube and the 5-
dimensional hypercube has 32 or 25 apexes.
• Heh has a numerical value of 5, the fingers of a hand. God bestowed the letter H to Abram
(→ Abraham) and Sara (→ Sarah) to produce nations more numerous than the stars.
• Five Books of the Torah; these books were given at Pentecost (50);
• We can learn from 5 senses: we can hear, taste, smell, feel and see.
• The alphabet is structured in 5 phonetic families 15. All 5 phonetic families are represented
in the first word of the Torah: BEREShIT (‫אשית‬
‫ בר אר י‬- “Beginning”)
• There are 5 primary vowels16. There are 5 final letters17.
• There are 5 Loves and 5 Strengths18. There are 5 Judgments19.
• The name Elohim is a plural, which is used 25 (32 x) during the creation in the first
chapter of Genesis.
• The letters and numbers are 32 basic bits of information.

13 Source: Page xi in the introduction of the Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and Practice – author:
Aryeh Kaplan
14 Source: (page 19 in:) Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and Practice – author: Aryeh Kaplan
15 Source: (page 64 and 102 in:) Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and Practice – author: Aryeh Kaplan
16 Source: (page 98 in:) Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and Practice – author: Aryeh Kaplan
17 Source: (page 107 in:) Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and Practice – author: Aryeh Kaplan
18 Source: (page 19 in:) Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and Practice – author: Aryeh Kaplan
19 Source: (page 105 in:) Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and Practice – author: Aryeh Kaplan
The Creation of a Golem
One of the Creation's themes in the Sefer Yetzirah is the Formula to create a Golem.
The Creation of a Golem is described in page 126 and 127 of the Sefer Yetzirah of Aryeh Kaplan20:
During the Middle Ages, passages from the Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Formation) were
studied as a means to create and animate a golem, although little in the writings of
Jewish mysticism supports this belief.

It was believed that golems could be activated by an ecstatic experience induced by the
ritualistic use of various letters of the Hebrew alphabet[6] forming a "shem" (any one of
the Names of God), wherein the shem was written on a piece of paper and inserted in
the mouth or in the forehead of the golem.[7] 21

The authors stress that one must not make any mistkae or error in the pronunciatopn. They do not
say what must be done if one errs. During this entire procedure, no interruption whatsever may
occur.
Of course a slight deviation A,Ch,H,O in the short version from the correct order A,H,Ch,O in the
Saadia family may have disturbed a successful creation of a Golem.

20 Instructions for making a Golem from Emek HaMelekh (page 126 - 127 in Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in
Theory and Practice – author: Aryeh Kaplan )
21 Source (Wikipedia): Golem
Contents
Abstract.................................................................................................................................................1
The four versions of the Sepher Yetzirah.............................................................................................2
The exact definitions of rabbi Saadia Gaon (892 – 942).................................................................3
The relation between the 1st and 2nd row of the 2-dimensional alphabet..................................4
Comparing the 2-Dimensional Hebrew and European Alphabets ..................................................5
The estimated date for the versions of the Sefer Yetzirah ...................................................................6
The interpretation of letters..................................................................................................................7
The 3 Mothers and 3 Fathers...........................................................................................................7
Interpretation of the letters Mem, Shin, and Alef............................................................................7
Interpretation of the letters Yud, Heh, and Vav................................................................................7
The 5-structured concepts in the Sefer Yetzirah...................................................................................8
The Creation of a Golem......................................................................................................................9