Tree of Souls
Page 125
apocalyptic myths, 167
Apocryphal works, xxxvi
blood libel accusations, 280, 282, 283, 285
conversion to, 57, 120
Corpus Domini, 328
creation of man, 135
God as father of Isaac, 336
on golem of Rabbi Elijah, 281
hell, liv, lxx, 233, 235
influence on Jewish myth, lxvii
Isaac’s sacrifice, 342
Jerusalem, lviii; Jesus as angel, 366
Jesus’ suffering, 483
Limbo, liii; Lucifer’s fall, 108, 214
Magharians’ conversion to, 120
martyrdom of ten sages, 177
Messiah-ox’s escape to, 509
monsters of, 145
Moses in, 519
mythological inquiry in, xlv
nature of Torah and, 272
parallels in Jewish mythology, lxvi, lxvii
Phoenix, 149
Primordial Metatron concept, 195
purgatory, liii; resurrection themes, 171
St. Peter as gatekeeper, 179
Satan’s fall, 110
stars at birth of Jesus, 373
on Tree of Knowledge, 405
Trinity, 487
chronicle, Torah as, xliv
circumcision: Abraham’s prophetic powers, 331
as covenant, 428
of Gershom, Moses’ son, 376, 377
of Moses, 375
protection provided by, 201
of Seth, 444
clapping hands, 102
clouds: above Sarah’s tent, 342–43
angels as spirits of, 115
around Mount Moriah, 338, 339
carrying Israel to Jerusalem, 505
Clouds of Glory, 11, 249
God in, 41, 42, 51, 313
hiding the Ten Lost Tribes, 473
Moses’ ascent in, 261, 262, 270–71
pillar of, 41, 42, 51, 391–92
raising Jerusalem to Heaven, 511
seven clouds of glory, 392
Shekhinah’s ascent, 60
Treasury of Clouds, 166
Wisdom’s throne on pillar of, 45
The Code of Jewish Law (Shulhan Arukh), 278
comets, 102
comfort, treasuries of, 189
commentaries, xxxiii–xxxiv, xxxvi
communication with God, 18, 27–28, 331, 349
conception, angel of, liii, 140, 165, 199–200
confessions, 243
consistency, 335
constellations. See also stars: Adam Kadmon as, 16
in David’s crown, 395
Pleiades constellation, 16, 456
in second heaven, 184
contraction of God (tzimtzum):
Adam Kadmon and, 15–16
Creation myths, 13–14, 122
parallels with other myths, 375
physical manifestation of God, 42–43
Tent of Meeting, 123
void of, 15
YHVH name revealed, 27
contraction of light, 89
contradictions: about Gehenna, 232
convention used to denote, xxxiii
creation myths, lii, 76, 80, 81
evolution of myths and, xlv
found in Judaism, xliv
God’s appearance, xlvii
God’s behavior, 78
monotheism and mythological traditions, xlix
number in Jacob’s household, 377
Red Sea traditions, 380
stones of Jacob’s pillow, 363
conversion to other religions, 56–57, 120
converts, souls of, 335
copulation, sacred (zivvug hakodesh), 54
Cordovero, Moshe (Ramak), 65, 391–92
cosmology, 226
cottage of candles, 43–45
Council of Souls (nefashot shel Tzaddikim), xliv, lxxviii (n. 4), 160–62, 208–9
covenant: with Abram (Abraham), 329–30
Angel of the Covenant, 201
as central principle of Judaism, xlvi, lvi, lxxvii
Exodus myth’s focus on, lxxi
between God and Messiah, 483
God’s name and, 26
ketubah (wedding contract), 35, 305–6
manifest in Land of Israel, lviii, lix, 407
rainbow as, 79, 87, 500
revealed to Jacob, 358
terms of, 513
Torah as, xliv, xlvi, 267
craftsmen, three, 95
Creation: of Adam, 23, 24, 76, 119, 127, 128, 129–30, 131–32, 132–33, 134–35, 135–36, 138–39, 140, 161, 225, 506
Adam Kadmon, 15–16
Adne Sadeh, 144–45
alphabet used for, 250–51
alternate Creation stories, lii, 24, 76, 78, 80, 88–89, 92, 93–94, 95
Anafiel as creator of the beginning, 117–18
of angels, 85, 92, 115, 198, 199, 201–2
angels’ role in Creation, 115, 116–17, 119–20, 121, 127, 161
as archetype, 102–3
assistants or partners in, xliv, 95, 116–17, 117–18, 119–20, 129, 132–33, 160, 161, 195, 249, 299, 368
Beriah, 15, 16
breath of God, 20
by broken vessels, 122, 123, 124
on bull horn, 80–81
center of, lix, 83, 96
contraction of light, 89 (see also contraction of God)
cosmic seed, 93–94
Council of Souls, xliv, 160–62
creatures from, 159–60
cyclic nature of, 121
darkness, 13–14, 213
demons, 77, 227
dependence on God’s gaze, 12
evenhandedness of, 135–36
evolution of myths, l–lii, lxxvii
ex nihilo (out of nothing), 81
First Created Being, 118, 327
first light, lxxi–lxxiv, lxxxv (n. 152)
flaws in, 52–53, 122–23
foundations of, 96–98
four things God regretted creating, 453
garments of Adam and Eve, 437–38
of God, 71
God considers destroying, 40, 438
by God’s beauty, 92
God’s consulting with creations, 73
God’s hands, 24
by God’s name, 91–92
God’s plans for new creations, 12
God’s relationship with, 433
God’s role in, l, 11, 78, 95
by God’s thoughts, 98–99
by God’s voice, 31, 32, 76, 78, 90, 99, 247
of heavens, 91
Hebrew alphabet, 7, 8
of Holy Land, lix
Holy Spirit’s role, 18, 19
in the image of God, 135
Infinite Being’s emanation of, 9
‘Let us” phrase, 116, 133, 134, 135, 160–62, 272
of light, lviii, 75, 76, 78, 82–83, 83–84, 95, 112, 256, 390, 411 (see also primordial light)
of man, 95, 124–26, 133–34
methods of, 80, 90–91
in the mind of God, 20
from mold or model, 98–99, 134
olam ha-tikkun (world of repair), 124
pagan mythology parallels, lxv; pairs in, 11
Philo on, 73, 80, 93
on pillars, 96
primordial elements, 73, 82, 90–91, 94, 411–12 (see also primordial light)
prior to, 71, 74–75
prior worlds destroyed, xlvi, 23, 71–72, 79, 82, 123, 124, 253, 436
purpose of, lxxxiii (n. 111)
renewal of the world, 151, 184, 292, 293, 320
robe of Shekhinah, 54
of Sabbath, lvi, lxviii, 306–7
for sake of Israel, 327, 328
for sake of Jacob, 367
sefirot at, 7
sequence of, 81–82, 116–17, 129–30, 136, 247–48, 412
seven days of, 75–77
snow beneath Throne used in, 5
of souls, 163–64
of Temple, 420–2
2
Temple as center of, lix
ten things created prior to first Sabbath, 77, 150
ten things paramount in God’s thoughts during Creation, xlvi, lxxviii (n. 8), lxxviii (n. 9)
tikkun olam (repair of the world), 124
time of, 79–80, 98–99, 121, 136
from Torah, 249–50, 255, 257, 265
of two worlds, 247–48
un-balance or fault in, 53
unfinished, 151, 213, 239
of waters, 105–6
water used in, 90–91, 94, 95
wheel of, 121
willingness of creations, 160–61
wine from six days of, 508
of wisdom, 45–46
Wisdom and, 46
Yotzer Bereshit (Creator of the World), 118
creatures from Creation, 159–60
crops, 169
Cross, Frank Moore, 30, 161
crowns: of Abraham, 333, 347
of David, 189, 395
of flying shoes, 302–3
of God, 4, 5–6, 9–10, 92, 248, 250
of Israel, 274
of life, 189
of Metatron, 6, 196
of Moses, 388
of prayers, lv, 6, 28, 34, 197, 198, 261, 262, 309, 413
of the righteous, 320, 501, 506, 507
of Torah, 308
of Torah interpretations, 255
of Torah’s letters, 271, 413
crystals, 155
curse of Ninth of Av, 321
Cush, 401
cyclic nature of Creation, 121
Damascus, 511
Dan, Joseph, xxxiv, 355
Dan, tribe of, lx, 474
Daniel: Jacob with, 370
Job compared to, 111
lions and, 73
time of redemption revealed to, 365
vision of, 3–4, 175
Dante’s Inferno, liii
Daphne, 474
darkness: Adam and Eve’s first experience with, 101, 314, 319
Angel of Death and, 206
angels of, 115
chaos (tohu) from, 100
before Creation, 213
creation of, 75, 82, 88–89, 90–91, 100, 213, 249
of Gehenna, 234–35
held back by God, 314
light created from, 137
light separated from, 99
Prince of Darkness, 107
stone of, 314
unfinished corner of Creation, 213
David: as Abraham’s descendent, 18
Angel of Death and, 194, 208
in City of Luz, 477
crown, 189, 395
enthronement myths, l, 4, 131, 157–58, 395–96
evil ancestry of, 487
Foundation Stone discovery, 96–97, 98
God’s presence filling the world, 14
Goliath and, 462
harp, 150, 396
Holy Breath in the Psalms, 279
Holy Spirit and, 18
in House of Study, 504
immortality of, lviii, 348, 370, 499
Israel in exile, 61
as lesser Yahweh, 395
messianic era banquet, 145–46
Moses’ link to, 397
as one of the Ushpizin (Seven Shepherds), 210
Rabbi of Riminov’s entrance to Garden, 496
re’em encounter, 148
reverence for, lvii
as sleeping Messiah, 498–99
as sukkah guest, 299
Temple preparations, 52, 420, 421
tomb, 498–99
Torah on, xliv; Torah study, 396
on Unclean (Evil Inclination), 453
David (as name of Messiah), 484
day, creation of, 88, 89
Day of Atonement. See Yom Kippur day of God, 12
Day of Judgment, 191, 289, 293, 386. See also judgment Rosh haShanah (New Year)
Days of Awe, 289, 290, 292, 294, 297
Dead Sea, 514
death. See also gilgul
immortality and mortality: Adam’s choice, 135
blessing over the dead, 201–2
cosmic Sabbath, 307
demon children present at, 220–21
destruction of, lxii, 320
elders of Luz, 477, 478
entering World to Come without dying, 207
Gehenna, 231
God’s intention to remove, 266, 267
how the dead see other dead, 243
inability to escape fate, 478
Israel revived from, 259–60
Israel’s Dead of the Desert, 471–72
ledgers of sorrows and hardships, 189
light created from, 137
sin as cause of, 128
souls of the dead on the Sabbath, 311–12
stone of death’s shadow, 314
storehouse of souls, 167
Tree of Life and, 404–5
Deborah (Abel’s wife; Cain’s twin), 450
Deborah the prophetess, 190, 191, 299
Dedalus (Greek mythology), 181
deep (tehom), 94, 205
De Isaaco (lost text on Isaac), 336
de Leon, Moshe, 165, 410, 525
della Reina, Joseph, lxii, 492–95
demiurge: Adam Kadmon as, 16
in Gnosticism, l, lxiii, lxxix (n. 24), lxxx (n. 38), 4, 110
Metatron as, 175
nature of, 119–20
Yotzer Bereshit as, 118
demons: Adam as father to, 215
creation of, 459
demonic doubles, 230
demon offspring, 215, 217–18, 220, 223, 225
fathered by men, 221
in Gehenna, 239
guardian angels and, 203
humans turned to, 464
Lilith’s offspring, 216, 220–21
marriage to, 230
of Mount Seir, 493–95
names of, 227
origins of, 77, 227
sabotage of Temple, 425
in the unfinished corner of Creation, 213
derashah (discussion of Torah), 37
desert, 99–100, 239, 471–72
Deucalion (Greek mythology), lxvi
Devil, 214. See also Samael
Satan dew, treasury of, 166, 185, 259, 261, 504
diamonds of Adam, 436–37
Dilmun in Gilgamesh, 133 Din (Justice), 151
disclaimer (kivyakhol), xlvii disguises of God, 16–17
diversity in the world, 104, 134
divination, 444
Divine Chariot, 18. See also Chariot of God
divine tests: of Adam and Eve, lxxv, 135, 401, 433
Binding of Isaac, 337–38
cottage of candles, 43–45
of David, 97–98
Divine Will doctrine, 119
divorce (get, a bill of divorce), 240, 241, 435–36
dogs, black, 493–95
Dome of the Rock (Muslim tradition), lxvii, 98, 416, 512, 513
Dov Ber (Maggid of Mezritch), 14, 59, 164, 302–3
doves, 462, 490, 491, 492
dragon myths, 145
dreams: of Abraham, 332–33
of Adam and Eve, 143
of Azazel, 459
interpretation of, 86, 332, 356
of Isaac, 345–46
of Jacob, 86, 186, 355–56, 357, 364, 413, 466, 476, 477, 478, 491
of Joseph, 86, 332, 345
of Lilith, 220
of Rabbi Judah, 273, 274
Shimon ben Lakish on, 143
of Vital, 301–2
voice of God in, 127
Dresnitz of Moravia, Shlomel, 64
Dudael desert, 459
Duma, liv Dumah (silence; land of death), 214, 236–37
Dumiel (Divine silence angel), 178
dwelling place of God, 17
dybbuks, lxxxi (n. 57), lxxxiv (n. 144), 169, 228–30, 383
Ea-Enki (Mesopotamian mythology), lxvi
Ea (Mesopotamian mythology), lxvi, 133
earth: as
craftsman, 95
foundations of, 91
given to Moses, 388
at Isaac’s birth, 336
levels of, 185
mouth of, 77
sea’s quarrel with, 386–87
Wheel of Heaven, 195
earthquakes (zeva’ot), 38, 81, 96, 102, 213
Ebed Melech (the Ethiopian), 207
Ecclesiastes, 18
Edels, Samuel Eliezer (Maharsha), lxxii, 104, 147, 472
Edith (Lot’s wife), 466, 467
Edom, 60, 358, 448, 471
Egypt, 332–33, 372, 407
Egyptian bondage: escape from, lxxi, 385–86 (see also Red Sea)
footstool of God, 382
God’s defeat of Pharaoh, 29
God’s descent to Egypt, 51
God’s destruction of Egyptians, lxiv–lxv, 382–83, 385–86
Haggadah reading, 303
Passover ritual and myth, xliv
purpose of, lx
rituals recounting, lv
Egyptian mythology, lxiii, 76, 89, 149, 446
Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh (name of God), 25–26
Ein Sof (the Infinite One; unknowable aspect of God): as Cause of all Causes, 10
creation from, 94
creation of Adam Kadmon, 16
hidden God, 13
infinite nature of, 9
nature of, xlvii
ten sefirot from, 7, 405
transition to Keter, 71
tzimtzum (contraction of God), 14
Elam, 60
El (Canaanite mythology), lxiii, 30, 161, 162
elders of Israel beholding God, 33–34
Eleazar, 410
Eleazar ben Arakh, 183–84, 276
Eleazar ben Shammua, 96, 177
El-elohe-yisrael, 367
Eliade, Mircea, xlv
Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, 67, 372
Eliezer ben Ya’akov, 394
Eliezer ben Yose, 503
Eliezer, 103, 503
Eliezer (servant of Abraham), 207
Elijah (alternate name of Messiah), 484
Elijah of Chelm, 281–82
Elijah (prophet): as angel, 197–98, 201
ascent of, 172, 197–98, 262, 370, 491
attempts to release Messiah, 498
b’rit ritual, 201
bypassing death, 207
at cave of Shimon bar Yohai, 410
at Celestial Academy, 193
comforting Messiah, 490
on coming of Messiah, 492
concealment of, 496
David’s tomb entrance, 498–99
della Reina and, 493
in Divine Chariot, 170
dual Messiah, 519
earthly appearances, lxvi
in End of Days, 503
Enoch’s parallels with, 198
Foundation Stone cavern, 98
on God’s grief, 37
on God’s study of study of sages’ interpretations, 34
Hiyya’s carriage, 194
invisibility of, 157
lashes received, 497
Lilith and, 224–25
mantle of, 150
at Messiah’s yeshivah, 518–19
as precursor of Messiah, lxii, lxxxiii (n. 101), 496, 516
as Priest Messiah, lxxxiii (n. 101)
Rabbah bar Avuha in Garden with, 317