Sefer Yetzira

A GLANCE THROUGH THE BOOK OF CREATIONS : PROF. M. M. NINAN
Sefer Yetzira of Father Abraham
2:2 Twenty-two letters: Engrave them, carve them, weigh them, permute
them, and transform them, and with them depict the soul of all that was formed
and all that will be formed in the future.
Twenty-two Autiot
Hhaqaqan (graven)
Hhatsavan (carved)
Schaqalan (weighed)
Hamiraan (inverted)
Tsarafan (amalgamated) and
formed with Nefesch (character, personality) of all (that is) formed and Nefesch of all (that is) to
be formed in the future.
He hath formed, weighed, and composed with these twenty-two letters every created thing, and the
form of everything which shall hereafter be.
Twenty-Two Letters are the Foundation:
He engraved them, He hewed them out, He combined them, and He set them at opposites, and He
formed through them everything that is formed and everything that is destined to be formed.
2:3. Twenty-two letters are formed by the voice, impressed on the air, and
audibly uttered in five situations, in the throat, guttural sounds; in the palate,
palatals; by the tongue, linguals; through the teeth, dentals; and by the lips,
labial sounds.
in the throat, guttural sounds; (Alef, Chet, Hey, and Ayin)
in the palate, palatals; (Gimel, Yod, Kaf, and Qof)
by the tongue, linguals; (Dalet, Tet, Lamed, Nun, and Tav)
through the teeth, dentals; (Zayin, Samech, Shin, Resh, and Tsade)
by the lips, labial sounds. (Bet, Vav, Mem, and Pe)
Twenty-Two Letters are the Foundation:
He engraved them through Voice, He hewed them out through Air, and He set them through the
mouth in five places:
Alef (a), Chet (ch), Heh (h), and Ayin (o) in the throat;
Gimel (g), Yod (y), Kaf (k,kh) and Qof (q) on the palate;
Dalet (d, dh), Tet (t), Lamed (l), Nun (n), and Tav (t,th) with the tongue;
Zayin (z), Samek (s), Shin (s,sh), Resh (r,rh), and Tzade (tz) with the teeth;
Beyt (b,bh), Vav (v), Mem (m), and Pey (p,f) with the lips.
2:4 These twenty-two letters, the foundations, He arranged as on a sphere,
with two hundred and thirty-one modes of entrance. If the sphere be rotated
forward, good is implied, if in a retrograde manner evil is intended.
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