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In Kabbalah, it may refer to a name of God composed of either 4, 12, 22, 42, or 72 letters (or triads of letters), the latter version being the most common. [ 2 ] Early sources, from the Mishnah to the Geonim , only use "Shem haMephorash" to refer to the four-letter Tetragrammaton .
Early authorities considered other Hebrew names mere epithets or descriptions of God, and wrote that they and names in other languages may be written and erased freely. [2] Some moderns advise special care even in these cases, [3] and many Orthodox Jews have adopted the chumras of writing "G-d" instead of "God" in English or saying Ṭēt-Vav ...
Names of God in Judaism have further prominence, though infinite meaning turns the whole Torah into a Divine name. As the Hebrew name of things is the channel of their lifeforce, parallel to the sephirot, so concepts such as "holiness" and "mitzvot" embody ontological Divine immanence, as God can be known in manifestation as well as transcendence.
Further historical lists such as The 72 Names of the Lord show parallels in the history and interpretation of the name of God amongst Kabbalah, Christianity, and Hebrew scholarship in various parts of the Mediterranean world. [9] The attitude as to the transmission of the name in many cultures was surrounded by secrecy.
The 72-letter name of God which is used in Jewish mysticism for meditation purposes [citation needed] is derived from the Hebrew verbal utterance [clarification needed] Moses spoke in the presence of an angel, while the Sea of Reeds parted, allowing the Hebrews to escape their approaching attackers.
The Berit Menuḥa focuses on a complex system describing the various hypostases of the divine world and God, and associating them with the niqqudot or vowel markings of the Hebrew script. Especially central is the role of the divine, angelic, and magical names associated with the various sefirot or divine emanations described. They are often ...
Kabbalah's beginnings date to the Middle Ages, originating in the Bahir [4] and the Zohar. [5] Although the earliest extant Hebrew kabbalistic manuscripts dating to the late 13th century contain diagrams, including one labelled "Tree of Wisdom," the now-iconic tree of life emerged during the fourteenth century. [6]
This article lists figures in Kabbalah according to historical chronology and schools of thought. In popular reference, Kabbalah has been used to refer to the whole history of Jewish mysticism, but more accurately, and as used in academic Jewish studies, Kabbalah refers to the doctrines, practices and esoteric exegetical method in Torah, that emerged in 12th-13th century Southern France and ...