The Hebrew Sefer Yetzirah

Record summary

Sefer Yetzirah is a short Hebrew work describing creation through the twenty-two Hebrew letters and ten sefirot, with cosmological, linguistic, and astrological structures. It became foundational for later Jewish mystical interpretation and was sometimes connected to traditions of creation by letter manipulation, including later golem narratives. The text is important for comparing cosmological symbolism, ritual speculation, and evolving commentary traditions. Its date, original setting, and meaning are disputed, and the earliest witnesses differ from later printed versions. Researchers should separate the core text from medieval and modern Kabbalistic expansions.