Chapter 1 (PDF) - Stanford University Press

so revealedÐso as not to provide the world a pretext.' How
hiddenÐnot
She is R (nun). K (Yod) from the name of the holy covenant comes and
so?
on her, is united with her. 89 This is the mystery: When the blessed Holy
rides
created Adam, He created him with two faces. 90
So the K (yod) faces
One
like this: . 91 They were not turned face-to-face, like this: . 92 It
backward,
upward like this: . It looked downward like this: . 93 The blessed
looked
One said to her, `Turn back, for I intend to split you and transfigure
Holy
face-to-face, but you will arise elsewhere.' 94
She left His presence and
you
She is R (nun)... The letter X (tsadi)
89.
of a R (nun) andaK (yod). See Bahir
consists
(61); Sefer ha-Temunah, 2, 21a. The R
42
symbolizes Shekhinah, the feminine
(nun)
the divine phallus, who is called
Yesod,
The mark of the covenant of
``covenant.''
is pictured as the smallest of
circumcision
Hebrew letters. In Tanḥuma, Tsav 14,
the
Zohar 1:13a, 56a, 95a±b; 2:36a, 216b;
See
(IR), 215b, 220a, 256a (RM ); Wolfson,
3:142a
Bereshit Rabbah 8:1: ``Rabbi Yirmeyah
See
of El'azarsaid, `When the blessed Holy
son
created Adam, He created him androgynous,
One
as is said: Male and female He cre-
them (Genesis 1:27).' Rabbi Shemu'el
ated
of Naḥamani said, `When the blessed
son
One created Adam, He created him
Holy
two faces. Then He sawed him and
with
him two backs, one on this side and
gave
on that.'''
one
BT Berakhot 61a; Eruvin 18a; Plato,
See
189d±191d; Zohar 1:13b, 47a; 2:55a;
Symposium
44b; Matt, Zohar, 217.
3:5a,
K (yod) faces backward . . . This
91.
the Sephardic practice of writing
reflects
X (tsadi). See Scholem; Friedman,
the
ha-Tsaddiq, 41±55; Meshi-Zahav,
Tsidqat
Sifrei Setam, intro, 36; 8, 149±52,
Qovets
Havlin, in Alei Sefer 12 (1986): 13±
239±40;
Ta-Shma, Ha-Nigleh she-ba-Nistar, 65,
19;
nn. 163±66.
139,
not turned face-to-face . . . Initially
92.
union between the masculine and feminine
the
aspects of God was back-to-back and
incomplete. See Zohar 2:176b (SdTs);
thus
(IZ ); BT Bava Batra 99a. This in-
3:292b
union is symbolized by the configuratiocomplete
of the X (tsadi). The X (tsadi) must
hidden so that this secret will not
remain
widely known and ``provide the
become
a pretext'' to impugn the divine
world
union.
It looked upward...downward...
93.
to face its partner. See Tishby, Wis-
Trying
of the Zohar, 2:564.
dom
you will arise elsewhere The K
94.
andtheR (nun) will face one another
(yod)
here but in another letter: J (tet).
not
Haqdamat Sefer ha-Zohar
[1:2b]
``The letter X (tsadi) entered. She said to Him, `Master of the world, may it
You to create the world by me, for X KYKE O (tsaddiqim), the righteous, are
please
by me, and You, who are called X KE Y (Tsaddiq), Righteous, are signified
sealed
me, as is written: For K GF F (YHVH) is X KE Y (tsaddiq)Ðloving righteousness
by
(Psalms 11:7). It is fitting to create the world by me!'
replied, `X (Tsadi), you are X KE Y (tsaddiq), but you should remain
``He
departed.
13
R CY F [neqevah]). The K (yod) symbolizes
(
Shemini 8, this mark is identified with the K
ofthedivinename [ E K (Shaddai). A
(yod)
German Hasidic tradition identifies the
with the yod of K GF F (YHVH).
mark
JQR 78 (1987): 77±112; idem, Circle in the
in
29±48. Liebes (Studies, 154±58) sug-
Square,
gests that the X (tsadi) alludes to Jesus.
two faces E G KVGXZV Q
90.
(Du partsufin).
See KP.