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28 Talismans & &cations of the Golden Dawn
spirit in matter which is the basis of talismanic work.
Around the 13th century, a number of Hebrew scholars started
to comment on the formation of a Golem. Jewish Hasidim was a
fertile field for the study of the Golem. Rabbi EleazetJ4 of Worms
gives instructions in Golem creation though there is no evidence to
support that he ever created one.
The method he suggested is simple. Create the shape out of
clay with the first three Hebrew letters and letting life take form.
Another method is to form the figure and then recite the first half
of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet in different combinations.
One of the methods is to place half the alphabet over the other
half and then recite the letters in pairs. In Golem creating, scholars
refer back to the creation of man. Those who created Golems
based their ritual on the heavenly creation of man - while God
created man some of them thought that they might return the
compliment, or at least try to emulate it.
Scholem cites the story of Jesus making birds from clay and
giving them life by pronouncing the Holy name of God over them.ss
If this story is true, then it appears that the vibration of Hebrew,
uttered in a certain sequence is the paramount factor and not the
actual inscription of the letters.
In his Commentary on the Sepher Yetzirahs6, Saadiyah
Gaon5'wrote on the formation of the Golem through the process of
the 23 1 Gate$*. This involves not only recitations ofthe 23 1 gates but
also circurnarnbulations around the clay figure. Importance was placed
in the clockwise and anti-clockwise diiion for if one goes clockwise,
in the path of the sun, then life is given to the figure but if one reverses
--
54 Scholem, in his book Kabbalah, gets into an ideological debate over the
meaning of Eleazer's reference to Abraham and Srah\Shem creating souls. He cites
Saadya's Commentary on the Book Yetzirah, MS Munich, 40, Folio 77a, where
Abraham actually created a human Golem as a demonstration.
55 Mentioned by Scholem in his Kabbalah, referring to the text 'Toledoth
Yeshu.'
56 Commentary ofthe Sepher Yetzirah, Jerusalem 1965.
" 842-942 A.D.
j8 The 23 1 Gates are a formulation of adding letters of the Hebrew alphabet
together. For example match the letter A with every other letter of the Hebrew
Alphabet and you have a total of 2 1 combinations. Match the letter B with the letter
G then you have 20 combinations etc. No combinations are to be used twice.